We hit the same situation with DS6 last October. After consulting the Hive, I decided to cut way back on what I'd ask him to do: instead of a whole sentence I had him draw a picture with a one-word label. That went over well. It was so much less painful for everyone concerned! Then gradually I added in two-word labels, then later short copywork, and "choose a sentence from your book you're reading right now" to copy and illustrate. I heard that the drawing and writing muscles are the same, so that drawing would be helpful too. At the end of the year, DS writes much more easily and happily. Looking back at the beginning of the year, though, I'm not sure his letters have improved that much. But, this was all we could do.

DS 6 has asthma & been hospitalized twice. The thing is, the child needs to be stabilized in such a way that the frequent nebulizer treatments are not needed because no wheezing happens. My DS's asthma is due to environmental allergies. He had repeated croup which segued seamlessly into asthma attacks as he got older. DD's croup just went away, period. For us stabilizing him means: 1. household: no WW carpet. Frequent dusting & mopping. Frequent bedding changes, wash in hot water. Special mattress cover. No pets. (We also had the house inspected by a volunteer from the American Lung Association--free & very helpful) 2. medications: for DS this is Qvar twice a day (an inhaler), Albuterol as needed (usually not), Singulair every night. Tried Allegra and Zyrtec, but they made him nervous, combative, and insomniac so fortunately they were not needed long-term! Sometimes he needs a steroid course. 3. peak flow meter every day (DS blows into it and it gives me a number which tells how well his lungs are working) 4. Asthma action plan which means that you have a specific plan of what to do when. There's a particular sheet they give out which is red, yellow, and green to show you very specifically what to do. This way you never are at home trying to manage something on your own & don't know what to do. 5. Consultation with a specialist MD in asthma and allergies. Dr will need to evaluate what the CAUSE is. 6. Calling Drs frequently with questions! 7. I have the route to the local hospital mapquested on the fridge, and always keep gas in the tank in case of emergencies. 8. IMHO, I am so sorry to disagree with PPs, but I don't think that cranio-sacral or chiropractor would be useful. I have a friend who sees a homeopath for her kids, and it has helped her. 9. We are very hopeful that DS will outgrow it. 10. Also, DD gets jealous because DS gets to take all these nice meds. :tongue_smilie: So I got the idea to give her a spoonful of molasses when he gets his med! Good luck! PS-- Also, I am extra happy to be homeschooling because the local public school smells of mold, so I can't think it would be good for him! And, by homeschooling, I keep him away from tons of colds, which also spark off his asthma.

I remember wondering if it would work... so what I did was "practice" homeschooling on Saturdays and during the summer, with short, definite goals. That way I had a good feeling that it would work.

Thank you all!!

:grouphug:

Our children often play with another family's kids. The other kids have recently been removed by the state and are living in foster care. This situation will probably last a couple of months and then be resolved. (I'm not going into details because it's not germane to my question-- but everyone is safe and the kids are good kids, elementary age.) At the parents' request, we have been allowed to talk to the social worker and we will be planning a playdate at our house for the kids to come over and play as usual, to encourage continuity for the kids. I'm expecting a call from the foster mother. My question is, can I please have some advice about how to handle things? Do I keep everything as if nothing has happened? Will the kids want to talk about their situation? My own kids are too little to understand what has happened and I am not sure if I need to make up a cover story or what. Do I need to plan activities or just let them all play as usual. Sorry this is disjointed and maybe unclear-- DD is fussing. Thank you all!

If DH will not agree to the roommate leaving right now, can he agree on a date when he WILL leave? When things are time-limited it seems easier to deal with.:grouphug:

My kids have asked this & other questions-- they are content with this kind of answer: "Something out of nothing! Amazing! Wow! How COULD IT BE??!!" supplemented by what PPs said about the slug, God outside of time, ask God in heaven, and something like "scientists are exploring this, maybe someday you will be a scientist too." PS Creation from nothing is the traditional Christian theology, so that is what I teach them.

I don't think anyone could measure up to Jane Austen, but I did enjoy that very silly movie, Lost in Austen. A bit of fluff, but fun.

"Lenten is come with love to town!" (Barbara Pym) We'll be doing the whole Orthodox Lent: vegan fast, confession, trying to forgive, self-examination, more dedication to praying at home, and many beautiful church services! I personally am also going to fast from WTM boards and coffee. (bleah without milk) DK are not going to do a very strict vegan fast.

I would hurry up on making my will & designating a guardian for my kids. I've also been thinking of this lately-- recently was travelling & visited my grandparents' graves. (I wish we had a smilie for tears.) Treasure each day & each moment.

Touchmark (I forget the author) but maybe it's more for girls, as the main char. is a girl-- she wants to be a pewterer but can't because she's a girl, eventually she gets to. It's the revolutionary war era.

Yes, I agree that we none of us should use the name of Jesus as an excuse for shoddy work. But, on the other hand, I am not well-versed in martial arts. I would like to explore them for DS when he is a little older, because I hear that these are valuable skills both for body and mind. But, I would want to make sure that there will be no chants or bowing to anything in such a way that it goes against our faith. (I have heard that there could be-- forgive me if I am ignorant!) So, if I saw the word "Christian" in the name, I would know there would not be any other religion taught. That would reassure me on that subject. I would still look for a good program and quality teachers though.

penmanship

None. Dd will use D'Nealian next yr.

Jean, first call the hospital and ask if you can have a discount. It is hard to ask but often hospitals will give you a break if they see you need it. Not everybody knows this, but this is what we had to do after DS was born, and again after he was hospitalized this past fall (he's OK now). Then ask if you can have a payment plan. Then, ask if any charges are still pending with your insurance. Mine, for example, takes ages to respond to anything and I get billed in the meantime.

Brides are often under a lot of stress and are clueless about how their plans or lack of plans affect other people. I definitely was.:blushing: Just make the cake. She probably thinks you have it all taken care of and is relying on you. :001_smile: The invitation is really not something worth getting upset over.:confused:

Mine's a place mentioned in Madeleine L'Engle's The Other Side of the Sun. Which I think was named after Nyssa as in St Gregory of Nyssa.

Is Wind in the Willows too young?

Am waiting to start spelling workout til after we're done w/ Opg. Seemed like it would be too much to do at the sametime.

:bigear: Struggling with this with DD4. She was so sad because her BF called her fat. :confused::sad:

We're doing Greek first... I have studied both, and Greek first just seemed like a more natural progression for our family. So: 1st grade DS and Pre K DD have been doing Greek for 1 yr, using my own made up curriculum (Song School Greek seems too advanced for them yet) I plan to start Latin when DS in 3d grade? May not be able to wait til then! They have also done on & off Spanish, but I wasn't even thinking of Hebrew-- I think it's a great idea, though-- maybe someday. I might leave that for them to do in college if they like.

I wouldn't have known either... and I grew up Catholic.

Hi, since you are going to a Greek church, there are most likely to be pews. Don't worry about how to behave or try to follow each & every word in the liturgy book. Just let the Liturgy flow over you-- you can only absorb so much the first time you go. I really encourage you to visit the Exploring Orthodoxy social group here on WTM-- you will find many searchers like yourself, their descriptions of their first visits, and what they thought about it. But-- take it slow, you don't have to learn all about EO all at once!

What does that have to do with church?? I mean some silliness is harmless but that was just stupid.