Um, that sounds pretty scary and I think I would be making a trip to the doc ASAP!

My nephew was 13 last year when he was suddenly hit with something very, very similar to Tourettes. The doctors never knew what it was exactly, but treated him as if it was Tourettes. He is doing slightly better now, but is still struggling and is on some serious, high-powered drugs. It is so scary. His tic was that he would gag nonstop. He did it for months before they found a drug to help slow them down. He is in central KY.

Horses! Particularly natural horsemanship...the training and care. One day, I hope we can establish a horse rescue operation on our farm.

Could you use a fan or some other white noise to drown out the sounds of the storm? If he is awakening due to the sounds, that may help. My dd7 is really nervous about weather too, so maybe it is the age. She sleeps with her sister, though, so she just snuggles in extra close during a storm. Thankfully, big sister is patient and lets her.

If you have an opportunity to let her ride, I would do it for now. You can always worry that there won't be enough money to do all the things that may come up, but I would just let her enjoy the opportunity that is provided and try to figure it out later if you need to do more. The horse community is filled with wonderful people who enjoy seeing the love that children have for horses. Someone could possibly loan or gift your dd all she would need, if showing is the route you all take. You don't want to deny her this opportunity due to worrying about the what-ifs.

We have horses and there is no way that I will turn any of them out with others. They all do get along, thankfully, within our herd of four, but you add one more horse and the entire dynamics change and someone gets hurt. I wouldn't do it. We feed free choice hay, also, and I wouldn't want to be providing a round bale to be shared by others. It sounds like this BO has just changed way too many rules and I wouldn't be comfortable. If he is adamant about turning out together, I would probably be finding a new barn. Slightly OT, do know about nibble nets for your round bales? It really prevents lots of waste and keeps them nibbling all day long. We love ours and will not ever go back to feeding hay without them.

:iagree:except I made my own. My dds and I all chose our favorite pattern and I made them for each of us. I made different sizes for daytime, night time, light flow, etc. I was never able to find a store bought brand of pads that didn't cause me great irritation and chaffing. This problem is completely solved with the reusables. Just toss them in the wash with all the other clothes. I love it and will never go back to the other.

What was your son doing when the dog barked to be taken out? Was he reading, was he watching a movie, etc.? It doesn't change the fact that he was rude and disobedient to you, but it would make me mad if someone interrupted what I was doing and didn't let me finish. However, he has to understand that it is not appropriate to treat you with such disrespect and if he cannot manage that, then certain privileges will be taken away. Another suggestion would be to give him a time line...like how you have to do with toddlers in preparation for leaving a play date... For example, you could say, "scientist, woof has to go potty, so you need to get ready to take him out in the next few minutes. Wrap up what you are doing so you can do that". Then, give him clear information on what the consequences will be. Ex. "If I have remind you again, you will lose screen time for the rest of the day" or whatever. I do have to say that no matter the reason, being growled at by my dc just.would.not.happen. I will not tolerate any amount of disrespect with going off the deep end, so they may do it once, but I think it would scare them so bad that they would never do it again. They would be able to control themselves if their friends were sitting right there, or for someone else, so they better keep themselves under control towards me!

My dd loved Misty of Chincoteague and that entire series by Marguarite Henry (spelling?).

There is a new method of orthodontia called Damen Brackets and they do absolutely recommend keeping the teeth, if possible. I don't know all the reasons why, but I think it has to do with the alignment and proper development if the jaw. If there are teeth removed, it makes the jaw realign itself and that is not always the best way to help with overcrowding. My personal opinion also is to help my kiddos keep as many teeth as possible so when they get old, they have more to work with and can go longer without being toothless :lol::D

I agree whole heartedly with your post. I am available to my children when they need help, but they mostly do it all on their own. I provide lots and lots of material and I expect them to figure it out. It has worked amazingly well and the dc are able to get to the bottom of an educational issue without much assistance from me. The burden of their education should not rest solely on my shoulders. It is their responsibility more than it is mine.

I would say that it is okay that if they feel that way, because I don't teach them. I am providing lots of learning opportunities and it is up their smart little self to make sure they catch it all.

We use and love the Stanford Achievement Test. It is offers through a local private school and they allow homeschoolers to participate. We do it every year and it has always worked out great!

You are not way off base! You are perfectly justified in wanting to protect your son. The nieces behavior is not normal at all, in my opinion, and I would be extremely worried about her and your son. I have found that people use their bad situations as an excuse to make other really, really bad decisions and no one is allowed to say or do anything to tell them otherwise. Protect your son. I think you are doing the right thing by not letting your mom keep him for the next couple of weeks, while you try to find an alternative. Your poor mom Is caught between a rock and a hard place, and may be hurt that you dont want your son with her while niece is there, but I would not under any circumstances allow my son to be near that little girl. And, at the risk of sounding super judgemental, why in the world would your sister have a new boyfriend when her life is so messed up and she had such young kids? Wow, I Will never understand...

We moved from a 2300 sq foot home to a two bedroom 1100 sq ft town home. I love it. All of my girls share one room with bunk beds. We did purge significantly and got rid of lots of things. We also are renting a storage building for $75 a month. Our town home is a wonderful arrangement and feels very spacious due to the layout of the home. We are renting and able to save an enormous amount of money due to the low cost of rent for such a small home. Not to mention the lower expenses of heating and cooling a smaller place. I say go for it! We have adapted so well to living in such a small space that I dont think that we will ever spend the big bucks to live in a large home again. Living in a bigger home comes with it's own set of problems, in my opinion. I have enjoyed living simply.

My mini schnauzer suffers from gastroenteritis and will do as you describe if she has eaten a very high fat dog food. We have to keep her on diet dog food all the time because regular dog food is so high in fat. If she eats table scraps, she has problems throwing up also. When she is having a problem, her vomit is not full of food. It is yellow/green bile like stuff. Hope you get some help...you and the poor pup.

Maybe they accidentally bumped it, it fell, and when they replaced it, couldn't remember how it was supposed to go??? I don't know...I like my tp hanging a certain way, too, so I feel ya.

:iagree:With every word

Sorry, double post

I am so slow that I was outraged that they sent out a newsletter with the date wrong! However, I am thrilled that we are back to school, even though my dc are home schooled. The routine is WONDERFUL and I was about to pull my hair out the last few days of our break because they were going a little stir crazy!

Over the years, I have ended several friendships with moms due to the behavior you are describing. I could not have a friendship at the expense of my children's mental and physical well-being. In one situation, my dd told this little boy that should was not going to be his friend any more. He went home and told his mother, (who was a friend), who then called me about it. I had that split second to make the decision if I was going to back my dd up or just blow it off as "kids being kids". I decided to back my dd and tell the mom all the things that had been going on. Our friendship was essentially over. I made peace with that because I taught several lessons to my children...one, that I would always have their back; two, how to end a relationship respectfully; three, how to move on gracefully from that ended relationship. Sometimes, there is more pain in keeping a relationship than ending it.

Our dc are 13, 11, 10, 7. I guess I am looking for more game like things that can be educational...we have all of our bases covered for our every day lessons, but I would like for them to have fun while playing. Honestly, I am so overwhelmed when it comes to this iPad that I don't even know where to start :)

Oh my! It is so scary that it started with something that seemed so innocent. That poor family - that is every parent's nightmare. Thanks for the reply and we will keep this family in our prayers.

Will be praying! By chance, do you know what his symptoms were? Every time I hear one of these stories, I panic slightly and watch my children for any sign...but it is nice to be aware, in case we are ever faced with something.

I can join the crowd that got an IPad for Christmas and would love to incorporate this into our homeschool. Any ideas? Thanks so much!