I have a 10yo girl, and you're welcome to PM me.

:iagree: My kids wouldn't be going anywhere by themselves for a long, long time. I think that would be the ultimate consequence for a teen -- to have behaved so poorly (and I didn't watch the video) that the teen had to have Mommy accompany him/her to school.

My children are older than yours, but they have a mix of independent and mom-intensive subjects. What I do is to put DD's specific subjects in workboxes for her, and DS1's subjects in workboxes for him. (Okay, and we have a workbox for DS2, where I put fun/early learning activities for him, mostly stuff he can play with on his own; I read to him when I have a break with the big kids, but oooh, he was asking to have more boxes for himself, so maybe I'll put a book to read together in another one for him.) Anyway, then I put subjects we do together in boxes. As the kids work on their subjects, I work with them on the ones they need my help with. They both need me for math, but I put the math stuff in workboxes anyway; they just set those ones aside until I can work with them.

I did take the month of June off, even though we do school year-round. I generally try to schedule most things for the early afternoon, and that works well for doing schoolwork without also getting us home too late. I also am only scheduling four days of schoolwork for next year; Fridays will be for co-op some weeks, and other weeks, we'll do music and science on Fridays. That will also let us move work to Fridays (skipping music and science one week, which doesn't bother me as much as skipping our other subjects) if we need to schedule something unexpected during the week. I also bought clipboards for each of the kids, and if we need to be out unexpectedly, or if someone hasn't finished work, I can bring a fair amount of subjects with us in the car.

I'm so sorry. That is just lousy all around. :grouphug:

What amuses me is that different doctors ask about different things. One of my earlier pediatricians was very big on asking about whether we always used a carseat for the baby and if we put the baby on his back to sleep. Our current doctor (a family doctor, but both have been young females) asks about secondhand smoke in the home and whether we know about shaken baby syndrome. I appreciated the comment of my very first pediatrician, whom we only saw a few times for infant DD, because we moved when she was 7 months old; she asked about nursing, and I said that she was still nursing some at night but that it wasn't bothering me. Her answer was, "if it's not a problem for you, it's not a problem." That, IMO, was staying on the right side of the line between medical vs. parenting advice.

I am saying no, nothing that I didn't already have on my radar has been caught, but I'm not including the initial newborn exams in that. Initial newborn exam did catch a minor heart murmur in my current baby, which we later had the doctor check, and then an echocardiogram ruled it normal. Basically, they told us they wouldn't do anything about it unless he showed symptoms (turning blue, etc.), so I'd have noticed if there was a problem, even without having the midwife notice it.

I think it's tricky. On the one hand, sure, maybe there were other parents involved, and your kids might have overstepped their bounds (it sounds like the parents thought that, anyway). Otoh, perhaps a gentle reminder from a friend or a loving talk from a respected older cousin might sink in better than "Mom bugging me again." Sometimes my 3yo will do stuff for his older siblings better than me, and sometimes I have to tell the big kids that the 3yo has two parents, neither of whom are either of them. I would have a chat with your kids about not stepping in when someone else is handling the situation, and deferring to another child's own parents. But they sound caring; "bossy," to me, connotes one child wanting to control the others.

I think most of the time they're pointless; my family doctor is very sweet, and I like her a lot, but this is baby #4 -- she's not telling me anything I don't already know (and the doctor with the first baby didn't tell me anything earth-shattering either). I've never had a well check catch something that wasn't already on my radar. I see some benefits to well visits, though I think the really frequent ones probably aren't necessary. My oldest son's dentist recommended some oral surgery for him recently, which is covered by our medical insurance, not our dental, and it needed a referral from our family doc. Since she'd just seen him for a general checkup a few months prior, I had no problem calling for the referral, but I would have felt a bit awkward asking for an appointment just for the referral. I kind of feel like doctor visits should be for when you're sick or needing something, but our culture doesn't work that way.

There is something that you put on the paint, and then peel away; it gets the paint off without creating dust in the air, which is the danger. Dust is worse than chips, because the smaller particles get breathed into lungs, wiped into eyes, etc. more easily. If done professionally, there are all sorts of precautions they take, certifications they have to have, and such, which is why it's so expensive. I want to say that a friend used some sort of goopy encapsulating paint, which covered up all the lead paint without actually removing it. If it's not actively peeling and leaving chips around, it might be better just to leave it. If you do work with it, use a respirator, and wash your hands in cold water, not warm; warm water opens up the pores so that your skin absorbs more lead.

I totally agree with all of this. We've had a similar issue with our 3yo. The 7yo across the street is mostly our 10yo's friend, but recently, she's been playing with our 7yo and 3yo a lot too; all four children play together nicely. But when she's wanted to have our kids come over to her house, we've only allowed two of them at a time, because I feel like three kids is a lot for someone not used to it (especially when one is a 3yo, who requires more supervision than the others), and sometimes that causes our 3yo to feel left out. The cure is generally doing something special with either DH or me; one day, I took him and the baby to the grocery store, where the 3yo got to ride in the cool carts (that I normally hate), get a cookie, be my helper, monopolize the conversation, etc., so he was happy, and it took the sting out of being told, "I'm sorry, but you are too young." I don't think it's odd that the other mom has invited just your older DD, though I am sorry your 7yo will be left out.

Definitely coconut milk and avocado for the healthy fats. Otherwise, small bits of chicken or beef. Olives. Peas (not mashed).

:grouphug:, I am sorry. Btdt, and in some ways, we'd be better off if we had no income at all. We'd have more money for food, anyway, because our food stamp allotment would be higher than our current monthly food budget, which is tight because of pay cuts.

I have at least 17 more years to go, hopefully more. And by then, I sure hope to have some grandchildren to enjoy! (It worked for my mom; by the time my homeschooled sister graduated, I had a little girl of my own, so that distraction, plus continuing to teach for a local co-op, helped ease the transition a bit for Mom.)

"If that's the worst thing that gets on my clothes in a day, I'm doing pretty well." Seriously, though, aside from Scripture, it's more like, "I'm floored that little ole me gets to be called 'Mama' by these amazing, wonderful little people who are just so cute that I can't stand it. My mind is just boggled, and I am overwhelmed by gratitude." As long as I keep that in mind, I can handle anything. In shorter words, "What can't be fixed with a hug and a kiss?"

Baby could squirm around and get his/her head stuck in the gap and suffocate. I think it would be fairly unlikely that you wouldn't notice, but it could happen. I keep my cosleeping baby a bit lower (not right up between the adults' pillows), and I keep a (firm) pillow upright between the mattress and headboard, just for that purpose.

I have heard that Welsh Corgis are pretty good dogs for families. We looked into an English Setter a while ago, though they're a bit on the big side. I want to say that I've also heard that French Bulldogs might be a good fit. I myself have a fondness for Jack Russells, but they're not a great fit for us right now, so I'm waiting until the kids are grown, and then it can be Mommy's pup. :) Our cats are easy to take care of. I prefer our male very much to our female; he's sweet and easy-going, and she's feistier and more of a pain, IMO.

Praise the Lord! What wonderful news; thank you for updating us!

My 7yo DS is very shy. At 3, he wouldn't leave my side when we went places. He's very sweet and loving, just really, really shy. I did not push him at all. We encouraged him to try things, like co-op classes with a teacher he knew and liked, when I was right across the hall, but we didn't make him go if he didn't want to. I've offered him the chance to play soccer, but he's declined, saying he doesn't want to leave me. In the last year, he has really, really blossomed, and it's been amazing to watch. He has friends; he jumps right in when we go to the park! He goes to co-op classes and does just fine, even when he doesn't have any siblings with him. He's still a little shy when he doesn't know what's going on, but the difference in a year has been incredible. I am glad I did not push him.

I used the old-style Lands' End Little Tripper until it died on me. It was a great bag, though not big enough to accommodate four children's needs. I also had the Do-It-All from LE and liked it for longer day trips. I find myself toting a lot of water bottles and books/magazines/taller items, so I wanted something that could hold those. When I was pregnant with #3, I bought a nice basic SkipHop bag from Target, in black, and I love it. Lots of pockets, including four outside ones, two of which will hold two water bottles each. Lots of room in the interior, and it has one basic velcro closure, but that is rarely closed, and it works fine either way. I can throw in clothes for both little boys, my camera, wallet/phone/keys, a couple of cloth diapers, a blanket, a small knitting project, a few toys, and a cloth diaper cover, and it holds it all.

I'm not doubting that it may be appropriate for many babies, but may I ask why you say it's also imperative? I have three older children, all of whom are good eaters. DD started solids (soft foods, finger foods, no purees) at just before 8 months and was interested right away; I offered solids to DS1 at 9 months, but he wasn't interested until 12 months. I didn't offer DS2 anything until 12 months, at which point he took to them right away, and at 3 1/2, he eats anything and everything. His fine motor coordination is excellent as well. We have food and other allergies in the family, so I am super cautious about solid foods. I expect DS3 will follow the same path as DS2. In fact, they just tested DS3's iron, and it's perfect; he's growing and healthy and chubby and doing all the things he's expected to be doing, so clearly, he's not missing anything.

If our baby (11 months, but not eating solids yet) is awake at dinnertime, he often sits at the table. Instead of a high chair, we have a seat that sits on a regular chair; we can buckle him in just fine, but he sits right at the table with us. Sometimes he's in my lap, and sometimes he's playing on the floor. If he cries, I pick him up. If I can't, someone else does. We really, really try not to leave a baby crying if there is anything we can do about it. Personally, I can't imagine using the approach the OP mentioned; it's not my cup of tea.

:iagree:

As a hs'er in PA, I have to say that that does sound like more than I have to do. I'd do that extra work for that money, though -- that would be so nice!

I think the sentiment is entirely appropriate, and I don't blame those parents at all for not wanting people to touch their baby, especially that young. I keep babies that young against me in a sling, which really does help cut down on people wanting to touch them. Now, my 11mo is very social and will reach out to people who smile at him; I am not so bothered by the occasional grandma who pats his head or touches his hand, at this point. I see how much joy a baby brings an older person, and if my baby isn't bothered, by this age, I'm not too bothered by it. He crawls around on the floor and has a pretty well-established immune system, and I occasionally let him sit in the shopping cart, which is probably much more likely to make him sick, because he touches it and then puts his hands in his mouth, than a person rubbing his arm or head a bit. I often do wipe his hands when we get to the car, if he's been touching things. But as a young infant (pre-crawling, before they can sit in the shopping cart), yeah, I really don't care for people touching my babies, and at any time, I think it's perfectly fine for mom or baby to refuse touching (hard to resist when the baby's reaching out so cheerfully, LOL). If another child admires the baby, I will generally squat down so the child can see the baby, and I'll suggest touching his leg/toes instead of hands/face. But no, not communal property. I fully agree with and support that couple's sentiment, though I think that wording was maybe a little harsh. My friend, who has several older children (thus necessitating that she be out and about a fair amount, after the earliest weeks), plus a baby who was about six weeks early, has a red stop sign attached to her baby's carseat that says something like "Stop! Please wash your hands before touching mine." It is still obvious and hard to miss, but to me, it seems a little gentler.