Fruit. Sorbet. This sounds delicious! I bookmarked it. Thanks!

I just reread your OP. Have you tried oral antihistamines? My dd with the worst allergies had something the doctor called "cobblestoning" in her lower eyelids. She used OTC allergy eye drops and an oral antihistamine. This combo helped tremendously. She was able to stop the eye drops after a few days. For testing, they may use your ds's back or his forearms. My kids have had it done both places. It really helped my kids to call it "scratch testing" instead of "shots". :scared: One doctor who intended to do scratch testing and injections prescribed Emla cream before the test. That helped calm the anxiety in my needle phobic kids. Testing was totally worth it to me. My dd only had environmental allergies, but the doctor was able to make lifestyle recommendations that made a huge difference in her comfort and health.

When the girls were younger, they had smaller baskets that were part of their room decor. Eventually the younger dd figured out her basket was smaller. :o That year they each got to choose new baskets. We re-use the baskets each year, but they are a pain to store. With their long handles, the two of them take up the large size rubbermaid storage tote.

:grouphug:

I would test. My oldest dd had such severe symptoms the ped. assumed she had food issues. Allergy testing revealed off-the-charts environmental allergies. It was no wonder she was so miserable.

I found some cute spring-themed items at jetpens.com. They have post-it notes and mini flashcards shaped like bunnies, leaves, chicks, bees, etc.

:grouphug: :grouphug: I hate to see you put your own needs last. It often seems to be that way for mothers, doesn't it? :grouphug: :grouphug:

I think it should taste great- all of the right ingredients are there. Any time I've made it, I have been disappointed. I've been debating whether or not to even try it again this year.

...

My youngest went through a stage like that. Not only did she like pictures, but she preferred the larger font present in certain books. I agree with other posters that picture books have richer vocabularies anyhow.

:grouphug:

:bigear: Looks interesting

:grouphug: Ugh! I hope you both start feeling better soon.

:grouphug:

My girls can keep however much stuff they can maintain in a tidy manner. They don't have to keep everything spotless, but they have to vacuum and dust their rooms weekly. It didn't take long for them to realize that more stuff= more time spent cleaning and arranging things. :tongue_smilie: This made them willing to put stuff in bins in the garage. From there, it was easier to let things leave the house. To me, 8 dolls, 30 outfits, and 70 ponies could potentially be okay. That is only three categories of stuff to put away. If that is what they spend their time playing with, I would encourage them to move the rest out of the clutter out of the play space. If they don't play with those things, then I would pack them up. My girls play with only a few categories of toys, which makes clean up easy. (magna-tiles, Calico Critters, dress up, dolls, stuffed animals) They have large amounts of those things, but clean up is still fast, and all of it gets used. This system works for my kids, but we know kids who spend a few minutes playing with every toy they own. That would be harder to deal with. :willy_nilly:

That is great! It beats the line my kids sometimes get. "Is there a point to this?" :laugh:

My dh pays for what we need, tolerates the school related clutter, asks the kids questions, and helps out when their attitudes need adjusting. He doesn't teach any subjects. He'd probably enjoy working with the kids for science or history.

:iagree: The two faced aspect of his behavior is especially scary.

IMHO, the books your dd is able to read at this stage aren't necessarily interesting. My youngest dd seemed stuck there, and thought the books were boring. She wasn't motivated to read them. She'd listen to me read, or listen to books on CD for hours though. I pointed out to her that books would be much more engaging when she could read a little better. In order to get to that point, we used a variety of incentives. I let her snuggle in bed with me for an extra half an hour before bed as long as she was reading out loud to me. I bought her a beanie baby cat to hold while she read through the Mr. Putter and Tabby books. When she finished the series, she got to keep the cat. She read through the Mensa for kids picture book list to earn a free t-shirt. It only took a few months, and then she could read just about anything she wanted to. I considered it worth it. Once she got the hang of reading, she found books rewarding enough on their own. She reads for hours a day, and seems to have suffered no ill effects from the external incentives.

Two family members here have done okay on Singulair. They were already on multiple antihistamines and still having breathing issues, so this was seen as a necessary next step. The thought of using it freaked me out, and I was hyper vigilant about watching for side effects. In your case, I would definitely try antihistamines first.

:iagree:

What a touching and wise post. So many of her posts have been full of wisdom and comfort. Just in case you come back to read the boards... Kay, I was looking forward to meeting you. I appreciate all of the help you gave me when I moved here. I'm sorry I won't get the chance to meet you. You are wise and compassionate. We were all lucky to have "known" you through WTM. I'll keep your son and dh in my prayers.

I think you handled it well.

This is so shocking and so sad. :crying: Kay and her family are in my prayers.

Did you hear back from her? I was thinking about this thread today and wondered how it turned out.