That would be our weakness too.

I'll be writing that answer done for use in the future.

I have the same issue here. And the irony of it is that he can't stand a friend's child who is equally loud. Competition perhaps??

If I fed my dogs constantly, they'd eat until they burst. Find out how much he's supposed to get to eat and stick to it. And increase exercise.

Hornblower has given you a really good list. Taking the ferry to Victoria for the day is a nice trip. I'd add the Sun Yet Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Chinatown and Granville Market just to hang out. Take one of the little ferries through the harbour.

I've gone to religious retreat centres several times and it was well worth it. Dh used the time to visit his mother with the kids.

I bet it would come back faster than you think. I'm amazed at how much French still lurks in my brain once I'm exposed and that was high school 35 years ago. I'd find get their texts and some audio material and start working on it alone. You'll be surprised how much is still there.

I use a stainless steel pail with a lid (Lee Valley). It's better looking than an ice cream bucket (which was my previous collector), doesn't hold the smell the way plastic does, and is easy to clean.

If you're coming north to do your errands, you'll be fine. No one would even notice. I can't imagine anyone batting an eye in the town south of you either.

I think exposing him to new situations carefully and in controlled doses will be easier for him than throwing him in the deep end of all day school. You can always reassess on a yearly basis and decide to put him in school later if you decide he needs it.

How about organic canola oil?

I know I would have given up on Ben if I hadn't had support from both trainers and vets. They all agreed that he could be rehabilitated but I confess that I had my doubts.

My old dog is half Rottie/half lab. I got him at just over 1 year old from an abusive family. He was quite traumatized and I had to work hard to rehabilitate him. However, he's been a great dog - loyal and protective. He has always needed a firm hand though. He is clearly MY dog and believes that he's second in command over the rest of the pack, including dh. He's never been anything but gentle with the kids but appears to be very aggressive with strangers whom he believes threaten either the kids or me. He's never bitten but certainly has had the look of a dog that would consider biting. However, these were in situations when I felt threatened. He's now 14 1/2 and in the last months of his life which will be just heartbreaking for me.

Thanks.

I think it's absolutely possible. I don't think we have to go back to the days before electricity. I too like my computer way too much. However, we do try to live simply, garden, and avoid clutter. It requires learning to say no. It helps having a like minded community of friends. I look foward to hearing what others say but first I have to plant the peas. :glare:

We're about to deal with this same issue so I'm not speaking from experience. I anticipate that dd will be expected to continue doing the same chores she did before. She'll be working and ds will be going to school so I don't see any reason to differentiate between them in terms of number of chores. Everyone who lives in the house including dh and me are expected to be polite, let us know where they are and when they'll be back, not disturb the rest of the family with really late returns home. She won't be considered exempt from those expectation. If she can't live with those expectations, I'll be suggesting she find a new place to live where she can pay her own way and make her own rules. In short, house rules are pretty much the same for everyone - everyone helps and is considerate of others - and I can't see why that should change just because dd graduates from high school.

Way to go. I'm struggling with those issues myself and need this kind of inspiration. Thanks.

My sister has an extremely difficult child because of a variety of mental health issues. He can't see how much she loves him and how hard she works on his behalf because of the illness. It's so hard on her. Please take good care of yourself. That's so important for the long haul. :grouphug::grouphug:

We have several farmers around here that don't chose to go for organic certification for several reasons. The certification process can be very expensive and some of them chose to be as organic as is practical. Depending on why you want organic, this might be sufficient for you. For example, I raise my own chickens. We use non medicated feed but some of it is not organic. However, it's healthy and sustainable so I'm happy. Perhaps you could talk to your local farmers about their practises.

:iagree: And I'm WAY more likely to fail ds than anyone else because I care more.

Please don't let her convince you to avoid homeschooling. My 15 yo nephew is a high functioning aspie with lots of behavior issues. Homeschooling would be the absolute best thing for him. I'd be very clear about that topic being off limits. I've seen my nephew use therapists' words to support his point in ways the therapist never intended. If she openly disagrees with you, I would see it causing real problems.

:iagree: And let me add that the 50s is even better. I'm going to Maxine as well and I'm loving it. If I had any advice it would be to take good care of yourself. It will really pay off.

Thanks for posting this. My family has had this conversation before but it doesn't hurt to repeat it. And I'm sorry for your loss. But the gift of life he passed on is priceless.

What makes it so hard to get into in my opinion is that neither language has any point of reference for English speakers. It's all foreign - without that large overlap that exists in German, French etc. They are both very difficult languages. I once heard that a missionary believed that Japanese was created by the devil to stop the spread of Christianity. Having said that, for me, it is way more satisfying to speak a bit of Japanese and Mandarin. And it was financially way more lucrative since I built a career around it. So hang in there. Or as the Japanese would say - gambatte. Once you gain that toehold, you'll be off.

Thanks, I'll be trying this soon. And we're just north of the Idaho panhandle.