I had mine out 3 weeks (to the day) after my first child was borne. I had never had problems before. But suffered a weekly attack beginning about day 4 post partum. I began avoiding fatty/spicy foods and drinking lots of pure apple juice (even bought the expensive stuff), and following the regimen in my home health cures book my mother swears by. The diet didn't work for me, and my attacks grew worse. 2 1/2 weeks later, after being up all night, I began throwing up and running a fever. I was off to the ER for emergency surgery. My gallbladder was now swollen, and I was in danger land. If you experience vomiting and/or fever -- during or after an attack, you probably need to be seen very quickly. A gall bladder can burst -- like an appendix, and at that point it is life threatening.

Nope... I feel the same way sometimes (like praying for a really big snow/ice to happen tomorrow so that both the debate tournament and the store events can be cancelled) It's been a very hectic week.

I had excellent teachers in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. That said, those teachers (with exception of 5th grade teach) pretty much let me set my own path. I had an abysmal 6th grade teacher, a horrid 7th grade school (for me), and only two teachers (9th grade govt/geography and 10th grade US History) who were truly inspiring. I'm now homeschooling. there are days I feel overwhelmed, that I'm not doing well enough for my children (balancing work, school, family time, cuddle time, fun, etc.) I do have some pretty high standards -- and I pretty much fail at some point every day (patience wears thin -- don't pray for patience! You get opportunities to be patient ARGH!) Routine is my best friend. But once our family is "off" routine for a week or so, it takes at least a full week of concentrated effort to get everyone back onto the same page again. Also, the sacrifices I've made are: house isn't perfect, clothes aren't perfect, meals are quick and easy -- and some things just sit until I can deal with them. Not my preference, but it's not as high on the priority list. I can't do everything. But I know that for us, homeschooling is the *only* option. We may entertain a school situation for high school, but won't cross that bridge for many years. We're still planning to homeschool through high school at this point. My oldest (now grade 3) is achieving. He's capable of sooo much more (and he knows it), he just doesn't WANT to do more. I've accepted that he's not self motivated, and am dealing as best I can -- picking the battles and focusing on those (right now it's neatness -- and following instructions). My K/Pre-K children are doing far less at their age than their older brother was -- but I'm fine with that. We're focused on learning the basics, and playing/reading. And, if I had it to do over again, I would have created a lighter load for their older brother in K/1st too.

The finishes on a pre-finished hardwood product are pretty excellent (we're going with Bella hardwood), and stand up to a lot more scratching than standard finishes... I think Bella has a 40 or 50 year warrantee! Plus -- if something does go horribly wrong, they can be refinished. Engineered hardwood is also an option (less expensive than hardwood), and some brands CAN be refinished once or twice (but not more). Easy Peasy to keep up. I'm buying my kids mop slippers (dry mops you wear on your feet) so they can dust mop and slide around the room -- and looking forward to not having to worry about pet hair pile-ups, allergens and things getting embedded in the carpet. Hardwood is pretty durable -- but a bad water leak is going to hurt almost ANY flooring. If water gets under ceramic tile you have buckling, cracking, etc. too. Only places NOT getting hardwood are main bathrooms, kitchen, dinette and laundry room (lots of water there). Those rooms will be getting tile.

I have two brothers who went through this... it wasn't that horrible -- extractions are actually the cheapest part of the process (not that they don't add up -- but the major cost is in the sleeping gas, we haven't seen a huge difference from 2 extractions to 4 extractions.) They will most likely pull the 2yo molars top and bottom. If that isn't enough, they may pull the 6yo molars as well. The 2yo are pretty easy to get out and not as difficult to get over -- but the bigger the tooth, the bigger the hole! I have one brother that lost just the 2yo, and one who lost the 2yo and the 6yo. both had their wisdom teeth out. Only one child in my family escaped any tooth issues (my older brother). He has 100% of his teeth in and still beautifully straight. Cost of braces will depend on where you live, type and length of time expected to be in braces. It was $2500 when I was a child -- today, more like $5k, but insurance may cover 50% of that. It's small comfort -- but take heart in the fact that the treatment plan you're expecting is extremely common. Now, my tooth issues are HUGE. $2500 braces #1, $500 on 5 extractions, $3,000 on 3 implants, $7,000 on TMJ surgery and removal of 3 implants, $5000 on braces #2, and $4,000 on 3 implants/crowns. My mouth costs more than my car! I'm missing 9 teeth. Only five are of concern. They are all on my top jaw -- and the span is too great for a traditional bridge. Plus, as all of the neighboring teeth are caries free (no cavities), no dentist would dare tear my few remaining adult healthy teeth. Oh, and insurance has covered $0 of this. My story should make you feel a little better.:rolleyes: My oldest went to the ortho today for his consult. He's only missing one permanent tooth (don't know about the wisdom teeth yet), and it's a 2yr molar. So course of action is to have the dentist put a sealant on it, and treat it like a permanent tooth until he is good & grown (around 25), at which time he'll go through the pull it and replace with an implant. Total projected cost for my son $4,000 (including braces). I was sooo relieved! Of course, I have 3 more behind Christopher.... and My daughter is already crowded. I expect to see lots of extractions in her future. She's losing four teeth to grow in 2 right now. We won't know if she's missing teeth until her consult next year. If any of our children have MY problem, the treatment plan is pretty extensive (from about age 8 until about age 18 -- and in braces of one sort or another the entire time!) I'm praying we don't have any $20k mouths to worry about!

There are a lot of steps... and for the first REAL time, showing all of their work is very important. Pull out the grid paper (graph paper) and go slow. This one takes repetition -- and make sure they check their work. This reinforces those multiplication steps... Take comfort and know that it's normal! And don't be afraid to take multiple days on one lesson.

Like so many others... I view Reading (or Phonics), Grammar/Spelling/Writing (Penmanship), and Math to be "core." Especially in early grades. If we're having a particularly busy week we *only* focus on those subjects (in other words, art, music, history, science and Latin slide). As my children mature, history, science and Latin will become more "core" art and music will always be extra subjects -- but always included (especially since we pay for lessons).

Some people's definitions of "wonderful" or "excellent" may not turn out to be yours. I've had 3 children at home, and one with a midwife in the local hospital. The midwife at the local hospital came highly reccomended. All four of my children have had different midwives (moved around a bit). My midwife-hospital story was AWFUL. Called them to see if I should go in (having regular contractions 10 min. apart for 5+ hours -- I wasn't in enough "pain.") When I told them at my last ch/up I was 4.5cm dialated they sighed, well I guess you could come in and we'll see. Arrived at Hosp. hooked up to machines and told to rest for an hour. They said "I don't think you'll be here for long -- you aren't in any pain." An hour later I'm told, well you're definitely in labor, but it's goint to be awhile, because you aren't in enough pain. Moved into a new room. Hooked up to an IV. Midwife comes in to check me. Water breaks. I take a nap. Nurse comes in to check me, gets the room ready -- I say, it won't be long now. Nurse says, "trust me, you've got plenty of time." 3 contractions later my son's head is past crowning (much to MY surprise -- as there is usually some sort of urge to push, etc.), panic button nurse, husband moves in to cradle baby's head now out to shoulders. Nurse yells, "stop pushing" (and I'm NOT). Baby emerges to husband & nurse. Others come rushing in... flabbergasted, flitting about attempting to get ready for my now-here son. Midwife comes back 30 minutes afterward birth of my son to tell me we're moving to yet another room, and do her final check to make sure everything went fine. Staff proclaims my delivery the "best" in the history of the hospital... Originally, we were supposed to leave early Sunday, but the pediatrician wasn't available until much later. FWIW, My local hospital has a much higher than national average induction and c-section rate. And they seem to be VERY short handed on the weekends. Did I mention the midwife I used in pre-natal wasn't the midwife who was available when I gave birth. If I can avoid it, I will never have a baby in the hospital again.

Right now, we use daily devotions in the morning -- but once we move into our new home (which affords us a table to sit around), and I no longer have to work the store at night -- we'll be adding family devotions after dinner using Character Sketches. I'm really excited about these. I loved them when I was a child. We also will have our "Sunday's Finest" Dinner. Using our fine china, silver -- the works. Everyone has to "dress" for dinner -- and we will focus on using our best manners, learning proper etiquitte, etc. Something else I'm really excited about!! I've also taken to really praying about my husband and myself as role models -- because this is more important than anything else we could do.

It does sound like your daughter has an excessive amount of learning frustrations -- and it could be a learning-related disorder. If I were in your shoes, I would seek some sort of outside evaluation (like Sylvan, or something similar). They might be able to pinpoint a problem you may not be able to see. It is extremely important to find out what is going on -- if anything. If nothing is going on, and your daughter is truly just not "wanting" do learn, I would find the simplest method of homeschooling her and stick with it. Use carrot/stick approach to everything. At the age of 11, your daughter should be able to do most of her schooling independently -- with just some minimal oversight & assistance. I'd lean towards a curriculum that uses a LOT of work-book type assignments (a-la Abeka... but "light" -- not EVERY problem, only enough to show she knows, and if she doesn't know go over it until she does -- but a little each day) For most subjects, I'd require "fill in the blank" type of answers -- EXCEPT literature/english which should be complete sentences. I'm all for making homeschool as "fun" as possible. But there are things my children "don't want to" as well, but they aren't negotiable. Yes, there are tears (occassionally) -- at times I want to pull my hair out and throw in the towel. That said, my battles aren't daily and aren't on every subject -- so not that comparable. When my oldest DID have issues it was because the material went too slowly. When I sped it up and took out excessive busy work he was a lot more happy (meaning, we both were). At 11, your daughter is also pre-pubescent which can bring its own issues -- and simply be a lot more trying. I'd also encourage you to find out what your daughter dreams of being when she grows up and have many talks with her about what she needs to do to accomplish those goals. Have her begin setting goals for herself and taking responsibility for meeting them. I hope things get better. What you're going through sounds really rough.

You know, I never really thought about my children being highly sensitive until I read this post (and the information included). I apparently have 3 out of 4 (perhaps the 4th, but she doesn't seem to be YET). They do come by it naturally, as I easilly fit into that category as a child too (still can't stand the bright light or loud noises... I still keep the tv to the lowest possible setting to hear the conversation -- and don't startle me or you may get your fright! Guess I have a new book to purchase!

We are happy K12 Independent users... in fact we were so happy with what we tried at first, we upped it to the full program and a 2 year commitment. The science and history are awesome. Art is a lot of fun, and it coordinates well with history (although we wind up also using a 2nd art program, because my dd is just a huge artist). I love, love, love the literature program. It is perfect for my not-lover-of-reading boy. Shorter stories with more focus on the comprehension and application. Plus the activities and additional reading time give plenty of room for a child to follow their interests (read about Louis Pasteur in lit... then it's on to star wars for free reading <ugh>). Grammar -- jury is still out on that one. I really like Abeka grammar, and feel that a separate vocabulary program is overkill (but it's easy for him). The writing program is challenging, but well organized (challenging mostly because he's 1+ years accelerated, and writing is lumped with everything else in Language Arts. We're also doing the music program -- that's for fun, more than anything. We're doing that for all three of my children. I really like that I can pay for one child and lump another one into a course (we'll be doing that a lot for my younger two who are only a grade apart -- at least until one or the other needs/wants to move more quickly through the material.

Based upon what you've said, most of the Pre-K programs (especially math and reading-wise) will probably be way too easy (and boring) for what your dd already knows. My 4yo is using Abeka K letters & sounds and Abeka K Math, and we're going through the K reading plan. We take it easy -- read aloud together, and he's making steady progress. He does art, music, history and science with his older sister (in K). He has lots of coloring. He does some penmanship -- but all told, not more than 1hr of formal school total a day (and that not all at once). For us, this provided the best academic balance -- without wearing the child out. I followed this same guideline for my K daughter in Pre-K, she's now breezing through the 1st grade materials (minus spelling, grammar, etc.) and having a good time.

I required way too much "book work" for my oldest in K/1st (tests and all). I would focus on reading and math... and do the SOTW history CDs, K12 art, music and science. We've made major modifications for my K and PK children, and we are all much happier.

I tried two others, but Abeka worked best for my oldest, and my 6yo and 4yo are coming right along without any hitches. We also have the LeapFrog videos which provided a fun baseline for phonics. I thought about switching to OPGR, but have all of the Abeka stuff through 3rd grade -- hate to spend money when what we have seems to be working.

This is an issue we are dealing with right now. Up until now, my son has been able to skate through math, but when we got to long division he was making way too many carless errors. I pulled out the grid paper, and slowed him down, forced him to check every single problem despite the "but the instructions don't SAY I have to check..." protests. After two days, his work has improved greatly. This is our first year out of a workbook program... where he actually has to copy down the problems. It's a huge transition, but one I'm very glad we made at this juncture (while he's still pretty young). I felt this issue would only grow as the math became more and more complicated. Since the problems are more on precise work, maybe a carrot/stick approach would be fine (this is what I'm doing with my son). I choose about 6 practice problems. If he gets 100% of those correct, he gets to move onto the next lesson. For each one he misses, he does the correction PLUS one extra. Since we instituted our carrot/stick, we get through math much easier -- and he is being much more careful with his work. I'm using this to teach him that it is better to go through his work carefully and get it done correctly the first time, than to rush through and make careless mistakes. Maybe something like this will work for you?

to chew his shirts! Whew! My oldest goes through different "tick-like" phases. I say "tick-like" -- because it's some sort of repetitive event he does without thinking. Currently, he's blinking and making mouth-clicking noises. Drives me nuts, and he's oblivious. Like others here, we've known son was different from a very early age. He was "born old" -- and has reached every milestone well ahead of his peers. None of my others are exactly like him -- but all show very different "signs." Most frustrating effect... uninstalling Norton Internet Security -- even with the parental controls on & password protected. Not sure if he's destined for greatness or a CIA holding cell for hacking (joking a bit there). 6yoDaughter -- very artistic. Detailed, advanced drawings more than 3 years ahead of peers. Takes to math very quickly. 4yo son -- showed a keen sense of humor at a very young age. He's our prankster. He's also the one who takes everything apart, figured how to open the baby gate before his 2nd birthday. None of the safety devices stopped him. When he couldn't turn the doorknob because of the covers, he just took the covers off. Guess he's destined to be a huge problem solver? 1.5yo Daughter. Little Monkey. Has a great sense of language. Knew she was going to follow in her older siblings footsteps before her first birthday (told the children to put their shoes on so we could go, and she toddled off to grab a pair of flip flops and put them on... even my pediatrician was impressed that she could walk in them). She has an excellent understanding of language -- but is content to babble.

I lurk around the boards... but have been gone (due to heavy work load) for a couple of months. Wow! a lot can happen in that time. We have four children: DS8/ 3rd grade. Works 1-2 years above grade level in core subjects, at grade level in non-core. Not self motivated, easilly distracted -- but when he wants to do school, MAN can he breeze through it. He is easilly my most frustrating student only because I know what he can do, and hate it when he won't apply himself. Currently using K12, Latin for Children, Vertias Bible, Piano Lessons DD6/K. Working 1-2 years above grade level in math & reading. Is our little artist, and we are working to encourage that as much as possilbe. Abeka Reading, Abeka Penmanship, Abeka Math, Veritas Bible, Piano) DS4/Pre-K. Working on K-level materials easilly, and will be grouped with older sister for the next few years on history/science/latin, etc. Abeka Reading, Penmanship & Math, Veritas Bible DD1.5/Toddlerhood. She's all about vocabulary.