I have one kid who, literally, NEVER gets sick. I have another kid who RARELY gets sick. But both of them were adopted from orphanages at older(ish) ages, and I believe it's because orphanage life strengthened their immune systems. That doesn't help you much, though, does it? The rest of my kids do not get sick often. They get vitamins daily and we are rigorous about hand washing. We also change hand towels regularly, and when something starts to sweep through, sick kids use a separate hand towel from healthy kids. Looking forward to going back through and reading the other responses!

A friend of mine planned to use them, ordered a bunch of books, then changed her mind and sent everything back. After SIX MONTHS of not getting her money back and never getting anyone there to return her phone calls and e-mails, she disputed the credit on her card. I love the idea of Angelicum-- I look over their website every year-- but from what I have heard from my friend and something I read long ago on another list (SL-Catholic maybe?) their materials are great, but their customer service is AWFUL!!

I know it may seem a bit simplistic, but has he read any Russian fairy tales? Some of them can be rather complex, and the prominent Russian writers were all familiar with them-- it will help him understand some of the advanced literature he is reading. I'd compare it with reading certain fairy tales (The Red Fairy Book, The Blue Fairy Book, etc.) before studying Tolkein. When we were in Russia, one of our guides told me that you can't understand Russian culture until you understand the Baba Yaga. ;)

I am an adoption attorney and two of my six girls were adopted. I have seen adoptions turn out great (98%) and a few not so great. What I would have you say to them is "What can I do to support your decision to adopt?" I recently started a blog about adoption: http://www.siadoptionlaw.com/blog. I'd encourage you to read the post about positive adoption language. Negative words about adoption were my #1 pet peeve through our adoption processes.

Friends of mine, who are a CCLI teaching couple, use the Marquette Method, which uses a fertility monitor rather than tracking temps. It works very well for them.

Do you know what day of your cycle you usually ovulate? If not, you need to find out by either using OPK's or taking your temps every month. About three months later you'll have an accurate picture of when you regularly ovulate. I'm assuming you know that sperm can live inside you for 5 days, and that an egg lives for 24 hours. These are general figures and can vary by a day (ish). Typically, a woman with a 28 day cycle will ovulate around Day 14. For years, this was when I ovulated. My hubby and I followed the "Day 8 Rule:" no sex between Day 8 until Day 16. That way we were "covered" if I happened to ovulate on Day 13 or 15. It worked like a charm. Now, of course, I am 40 and entering peri-menopause, and my cycles are shortening. So I am back to tracking my bbt, peeing on OPK's, and watching my cervical mucous. Fun, fun! eta: for more information, or to find a class, contact the COuple to Couple League. http://www.ccli.org. HTH,

THESE ARE FABULOUS! Thanks you guys, I knew you'd have great ideas!!

I am an adoption attorney, two of my kids were adopted, six of my siblings were adopted, three of my nephews were adopted, my SIL is a birthmother-- the list goes on and on. After being asked several times, I decided to start a blog focusing on adoption. I have several people lined up to share their personal stories, but I was wondering about what else I should write. Any ideas? I'd be appreciative of any input. My younger sister wrote her story of having been adopted from Ethiopia at age 7. It's a good read, but have the tissues handy. Here's the link if you're interested. Thanks!

Thanks. I was just thinking about searching for R & S at Rainbow Resource but decided to come here first to see if anyone had responded to this thread. ;) Do you mind telling me more about it? WHat you like, what you don't like. At the beginning of this school year, I had decided to combine the two olders in grammar. I started out with MCT because I thought FLL 3, while solid, had been a bit dull. My kids retained NOTHING from MCT. So I got FLL 4 for them both and FINALLY my oldest dd is making progress. My second oldest was also VERY happy to go back to FLL-- apparently trying something else helped her appreciate it more. I wish there were a FLL 5-- then I wouldn't have to worry about this!! Thanks again!

MCP Math is total garbage and was a complete waste of our time. My kids retained nothing from it-- zip, zilch, nada. My kids all love the Bright Minds/Critical Thinking Company's series called Mathematical Reasoning. I highly recommend it. I use it along with Singapore for my younger kids, but it can easily be used all by itself. Once my kids hit 4th grade, though I switch them to ALEKS, which we LOVE. I love it, the kids love it, my DH loves it (he gets weekly e-mail reports on their progress). It's more expensive than a book-and-pencil curriculum, but I think it's worth every penny. Hope this helps,

My 6th grade dd has always struggled in grammar. We have tried MCT, Voyages in English, Catholic Heritage Curricula-- nothing stuck. This year, I decided to combine her with my 4th grade dd who does well with FLL. They are both doing EXTREMELY well. I am very pleased at the progress my older dd has made and how much she has been retaining from lesson to lesson. But now I am wondering what to do for next year. My older dd just turned 13. We adopted her from China just before she turned 6, and we deliberately kept her a year "behind." She reads voraciously, several books a week, and well above her "grade" level. Grammar has always been her most difficult subject-- this is the first year she seems to really "get" grammar. Any suggestions? Thanks!

I have six kids, two of whom are physically disabled. I vote RUDE!! We went to 10:00 p.m. Mass on Christmas Eve. We got there at 9:30 so we could be sure and all sit together, and we did. If you want to save a seat, your butt should be in it.

On this, I think everyone who has posted in this thread can agree. The question that seems to be up for debate is how to deal with a situation where a teen boy has a relationship with a girl his parents have judged to be "not good for him." Option 1: Should they take a hard look at WHY they think the relationship is no good, assessing their own prejudices and expectations, leaving open the possibility of changing their minds about the girl? Option 2: Should they, without further investigation, cut the relationship off, taking the risk of provoking their son's rebellion and trust in them as parents? Option 3: Should they treat her civilly and nothing more, keeping the boy busy in the hope that the relationship will fizzle out? Option 4: Or, should they try to mentor the girl, taking her under their wing, carefully supervising the progression of the relationship, in the hope of either: a) getting to know her better and POSSIBLY seeing that she is not so bad after all, and retaining the good will of their son; or b) making her uncomfortable with their values and level of family closeness and supervision such that she chooses to end the relationship herself. These are the options I have seen proffered here. If you have another I am all ears. :bigear: My votes are for options 1 and 4. I was raised by my-way-or-the-highway parents. I didn't get into any relationships of which they disapproved until I was 18, but I was so SICK of being controlled by them that as soon as they said one word against the guy I was dating, WOOSH-- he and I eloped. I knew they were right about him even as I did it (we later divorced) but I did it not because I thought the marriage was a good idea, but because I wanted to prove, once and for all, that they could not control me any longer. The naivete of the parents arguing in favor of Option 2 takes my breath away.

We did here in the southern tip of Illinois. All day yesterday, then off and on today. My kids were thrilled-- and I have to say, I was pretty happy about it, too. I can't remember the last time we had snow for Christmas!!

He will learn how to treat others from the way his parents treat others. He will learn how to raise a son from the way his parents raised him. Do you really believe that a girl he has known for a short period of time will have more long term influence over him than his own mother and father?? Twenty years from now, when this boy has a son, and looks back on his relationship with this girl, chances are he will have only vague recollections of his first crush. However, he will ALWAYS remember how he felt about the way his parents dealt with the relationship.

We got engaged after dating for 7 months, but we knew at that time that we'd have a long engagement. We were married two full years later, after I had graduated from law school and passed the bar exam.

Well said.

But therein lies the rub. I don't feel sorry for her at all. I feel compassion for her. I feel concern for the difficult life she has had. I respect her as a person and I admire her courage and independence. I, personally, find the idea that people are feeling "sorry" for her to be very condescending. And I find the idea that we should only choose to be in relationships that benefit us to be extraordinarily egocentric. What benefits would your son receive from being allowed some supervised time with this girl? Well, at a minimum, he would learn how to be a good parent. A parent who chooses to allow his child to learn about people who have different backgrounds and different values, and to love them anyway. He would learn to be a parent who chooses NOT to provoke his child's anger and rebellion. And, most importantly, he would learn, through example, how to avoid being condescending and egocentric, instead persevering in compassion and self-giving, even under difficult circumstances.

Again, I agree completely, right down to adopting two kids who had been raised in orphanages. I would guess that my kids were younger than yours were at adoption (one of mine was 5 when we adopted her from China-- she is now 13. The other was 4 when we adopted her from Russia-- she'll turn 9 in a month) but some of the behaviors they learned prior to adoption were, um . . . difficult to deal with, to say the least.

I don't know about you, but I don't think of my relationships in terms of how they can "benefit" me or someone I love.

:iagree: Yes, yes, YES! If he's on his fourth marriage and has "brought her up badly" then he probably doesn't DESERVE respect. While those aren't the words I would choose, if I had been hurt by my dad the way this girl's dad has hurt her, then I'd probably speak of him disrespectfully, too. And AFTER commenting on how much she must be hurt, I'd probably say "You know, 'whore' is not a word I want my younger children going around saying, so if you could please 'keep it clean' when you are speaking around them, I'd appreciate it."

I am assuming you mean antibiotics? Not me, but I know they made a friend of mine "late" because abx weaken the effects of The Pill. She ended up being 9 months "late" IFYKWIM. ;)

That would suck. I'd hate to have to give my kid up at Christmas and to only be the "slave driver" teacher and never have any fun time. And going to a vegan Christmas dinner is not my idea of a good time. And while my DH and I don't give each other gifts either, I am seriously beginning to dislike that rule myself. No words of advice, only a :grouphug:.

You know, I had to come back to this. I wonder not only what your ds sees in her, but what she sees in your ds. Maybe, given her sexual history and family background, she sees stability, the kind of family life she always wanted, and someone safe who will not pressure her into sex but who will respect her for who she is as a person. So, again, I would suggest that you embrace her, bring her warmly (not merely civilly) into your family. Give her a glimpse of "normal" family life and carefully and gently instruct her on how YOU do things, what your values are, and why. Sounds like she could use someone like you to mentor her in how to have a proper relationship with a boy, and I know she'll remember what she sees in your home when/if she moves onto her next relationship. I know it's hard to not focus on how she is negatively influencing your son. Instead, however, try to substitute that with examining ways you can positively influence her. My two cents--

I understand that you don't want her around your 5 year old. But if you make sure your 5 year old is always supervised by you while she is around, you could at least run damage control. I am firmly convinced that the best way to handle the situation when your child has a significant other you don't like is to embrace that SO as tightly as possible. Have him/her over to your house ALL. THE. TIME. Eat dinner together, watch a movie together have that person over as much as you can without vomiting. Kill that person with kindness. After a few weeks of this, either you will know that person well enough that you don't think he/she is so bad, OR the SO will know YOU so much better that he/she can't stand the sight of you and will leave your child in haste. Either way, you win. :D