I was actually thinking of you as I headed off to the first board meeting. Sometimes all those "broken plates" (still grinning at the image I have in my head of you throwing them) can be made into the most gorgeous mosaics, no? Hugs to you and your new little one.

You two are cracking me up. Maybe the stuff in a bottle is Ritalin? Or spray-on Valium? (For mom)

Mine is: "Don't distract yourself." :)

I'm less and less enchanted with the ever-growing pile of electronic entertainment options. (rowr) We have historically rarely had TV during the day with video games happening a few times/week. Now at least one of the kids has a bit of a complex about not being allowed the PSP/DS/Gamecube/computer whenever. This has resulted in total confiscation. The attitude improves with more one on one with me (like a tutor would function), but... I must confess to periodically being unable to ignore the little voice in my head that's shrieking: "You're only one person. You know you can't cover all this for all five of these kids. You're only one person." Etc., ad nauseum. Sigh. So do I really just need to sorta "tomato-stake" them until they can do more of this on their own? Is this perhaps more a question of an immature brain (or four) that continues to need extra supervision in order to stay on track? The numbers of daily "brain vacations" taken around here every time my attention shifts from one kid to another are wearing me out! I asked my firstborn today how we could make this easier and he told me that instead of the schoolwork he's supposed to be doing, he wants to be able to figure out whether or not drinking fountains would function more efficiently for the bulk of the population if they were shaped more like bowls. (????!!!!) I kind of NEED to be able to send the eldest off to do about half of his work without more than occasional help from me. I don't think that's unreasonable. It might be for this kiddo, though. We do fish oil, eat almost exclusively from scratch (minus that box of Skinny Cows and the occasional organic mac n cheese box), the kid is in swimming lessons (been thinking about the swim team, a la Mmv's tried and true advice to wear 'em out), is taking piano and violin and thriving in those things. He's talked about wanting to try out high school for his freshman year. I see that as being an unmitigated disaster at this point -- one which would then require a gazillion hours of effort on both our parts to recover from. I'm rambling. I think most of the issues would resolve if his ability to focus were better. He'll sit down to do something then "get lost" and get all frustrated when he realizes that time has passed but he's still at the beginning of say, a math lesson. He becomes discouraged and goes immediately into a "why bother at all" mode. He has ALWAYS been like this -- drawing dinosaurs on his first grade math papers and bringing them home to finish. I'd imagine it's pretty demoralizing to feel like you're not quite where everyone seems to think you should be and you can't quite get a handle on the whys of any of it. Thus my question about activities to increase his attention span. He's 13, a young eighth grader, no question about intellectual ability, just compliance. He's stubborn/determined as heck, no idea where that comes from. :D TYVM, all. Keep it comin'. Please.

Are there any exercises/games to help kids make their brains mature more quickly or develop better attention skills? PLEASE!? (Slinking off to breathe into a paper bag...)

I like SolaMichella's. :D If I were looking? I'd require someone who can cook, clean, be very quiet, constantly full of energy and solutions, drive a billion miles a week for everything from therapies to music to sports to play "dates" (hate that term). Someone who can understands why my eldest can't focus on anything else if something electronic is running within a hundred yards or why #2 needs, no needs, at least one sleepover/week and her own room. RIGHT NOW. Why #3 is always mortally offended when spelling or reading are announced, but we mustn't grumble when she decides we should all make soup. Perhaps also why #4 is afraid of the basement. And how to fix #5's sleepless nights. I do not necessarily need to know why any of these things are the way they are. After all, I only have so many hours in any given day. I merely want them fixed. Now. Permanently. And for free. Because that's my budget and I don't get to be judged for even the "occasional Bergdorf bag" though I work my hiney off. :tongue_smilie: What I really want, though, isn't a nanny. It's the ability to pause time so I can catch a little extra sleep plus that somewhat mythical space of reflection and renewal. And then wake up refreshed, refocused, and having missed not one second of the important stuff they do all the time and with alarming unpredictability. :D How are you, madame?

We've got those and are finishing them up. They're great. I'm looking for the next step up now and not coming up with anything. Wah. :glare:

proceed to purchase with a purchase order? Must I pay for it myself? (Trying to use up a fund w/POs). Thank you.

Since Thirty Lessons in Outlining (Furbush) is out of print and nearly completely unavailable, what are comparable alternatives? :001_huh: TIA.

:001_smile:

Say a bottle of ibuprofen went through the dishwasher. (Don't ask.) :tongue_smilie: The top layer in the bottle got damp and was dumped but the rest is dry. However, the color of the enteric coating is now lighter and I'm wondering if the heat of the cycles wrecked it or can I give it to my uncomfortable kid (a sinus cold is making her cranky and headachy)? Anyone?

So you can follow the link if you haven't already. Hope your week is going well. :D

I hope this isn't advertising, but here goes. Over the last several years, as most of you are aware, things have been sorta, erm... not what I expected to be living, exactly. Throughout these challenging times, I have been privileged to be on the receiving end of amazing support, both here (former message boards, too) and IRL, sometimes it even crosses over. ;) A dear friend has watched and helped through all this and is now taking steps, realizing through these experiences that there are other mamas out there who need similar help, and she's launching a charity in order to better address those needs. I wanted to share this with you all for a couple of reasons. First, it seems like we're all in this together (humming) and there's been enough rotten stuff, it must be time for good things. Who does one share these good things with? Why, you lovely people, of course! Second, she's looking for donations (of course) from whomever might be able to provide them, suggestions if you've got 'em, but most of all, good thoughts and prayers. Contact info is on the right hand side of her page, should you need it. So here's the link: Out of the Gray. The title of the blog is "Style with Purpose" and serves sort of as a newsletter for the organization. I won't be able to explain it without getting all weepy, so go on over and take a look. Thanks, ladies and gentlemen, for this and for all your many other kindnesses as my punkins and me have worked toward developing our new normal. XO, me

I'll admit to being a smidge obsessive about getting good deals on mechanical pencils. Let's face it, with four active writers, some car-schooling, etc. these suckers don't last forever. Nor am I made of money. (heh) In years past, Target has had a week during which a pack of 24 or more brand name (don't bother with the off brand ones--bad lead, cheap construction, dumb erasers) pencils have been on sale for $3 or less. I haven't seen this in a while (please post if you're seeing something different), but ***BUT*** Costco has a pkg of 72, with 2 leads each, plus two pkgs of refill leads plus eraser refills for about $11. This makes me very happy. Thank you for your time. :tongue_smilie:

I'd guess that there are about the same ratio of good guys to scumbags in the pharm rep field as any other career. You bet there are scumbags (many of them female in teeny skirts and 6" heels -- as with some other careers), but my cousin, who is one of the most ethical people on the planet, is a drug rep and I couldn't be more proud of her. She's thorough and compassionate, knowledgable and effective. I'd bet you'd decribe your hubby much the same way. Good for you for adding the descriptive tagline to your signature. :grouphug:

Hallelujah, huh? They went too far, realized they were lost and went to the library (in the next town) to ask for help. The police are on their way to pick them up and return them to their still shaking parents. I gotta go burn off some adrenaline...

My friend, a regular poster on the boards, is at the beach with her five kids and husband. The two oldest boys were ahead of them on their bikes. They've been missing for about 40 minutes. The police are searching. There aren't many people around, the trail is only about six miles long, the boys are very good about not getting too far away. Please pray. I'll post more as I hear more.

:lol: Madame -- can I send you my girls for training? At least two of the three are showing signs of wanting to be like this but I'm afraid I can't effectively micromanage them as they'd like. Or perhaps your dd would consider a position as a governess?? :D

And whatever else you find in any way soothing. ;) Here's to a better day tomorrow. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

she's extending some aspect of the family dynamic? As in, she feels as though no one has ever really listened to/believed/cared what she thinks? If this is even part of it, she may very well be disarmed with a conversation in which you ask her if she feels like people steamroller her (yes, just the way she does to others, but don't say that), then you pay her a sincere compliment about trait(s) which you particularly appreciate or find endearing, then you share something about yourself which shows you to be vulnerable to the same feelings which have been driving her. In effect, you do an end run around her "point" because it isn't the real point, or you'd only have this problem with one issue, which you could then avoid like the plague and everything else would always be fine. It's possible that she's just an insensitive, yammering jerk, but you know her best and I'd guess that there's something redeeming about her ;) or you'd have cut off contact long ago. Sometimes the most effective way to handle people who appear to be bullies is to reassure them that all is well and they can now stand down from fight mode. Other times, ballistic missiles seem more appropriate. :D

offers a good variety of sets. We have the 300 (3000?) I think. My guy likes it, the safety recs are thorough, the manual and variety of experiments is good and he can do much of it without me micromanaging him. I decided to order this for him after discussing the subject with a chem professor and family friend. He happened to have a high school text on his shelf which he gave to my eldest as "supplemental" reading. My kiddo is quite, um, enthusiastic about all things science and reads at about a college freshman level, so YMMV, depending on your child's interest, etc. But, the advice (tailored for my science-loving kid) was this: Read biographies about chemists (Mendeleev and etc.), do good, safe, various experiments, and dabble in whatever level textbooks appropriate for the child. Everything beyond that makes more sense when you have someone who is ready for the math involved in higher level chem. And if they're interested, they'll probably have gleaned as much as they can as a 7th grader from the above and will be ready to weave it into other areas, initiating other bios, extra chem reading, etc. FWIW, there are often decent DVDs on the subject available through the library. HTH and have fun -- chem is cool. :D

has had pencils, 12 for a penny, plus some other similar deals. My favorite thing to do is to hit Target on the weekly sales for particular items that will sell out by the end of the season -- big boxes of mechanical pencils, for example. Then watch for the 90% off sales and stock up like mad. Interestingly, the sales there have been so incredible that I don't need much this year (10 wirebound wide or college-ruled notebooks for a buck). Funny, since in other years we've needed to start over from scratch. Have fun shopping! :D

There are federal laws that apply to this. Not sure if they'd help in your case, but if he crossed state lines in part to avoid having to be accountable for support (proper amounts, timely payments, etc.) you might be in luck. There are community law centers (somebody help me with the proper terminology here) which could help you determine whether or not to go after him. It sounds to me (a lay person) like you should and could expect to get something worthwhile for your efforts. The cost to society of deadbeat dads is becoming more and more apparent and various levels of government are taking dimmer and dimmer views of such miscreants. I'm sorry you're living this. Evil is bad. (Duh) Smug evilness is just about unbearable. On the upside, at least he doesn't get daily influence on your sweet girl. If he's going to be such a self-righteous jerk, it's nice that he doesn't get to impart those qualities to his little girl. :grouphug:

I've been thinking about you, wondering how things are going with the newest punkin and all. I'm so glad to see you here! :D Now I'll go back to lurking, waiting to eavesdrop on replies to your post.

I'm so sorry. Hugs and Blessings, honey.