:iagree:I also agree with MelanieM. As grouchy as I am without sleep, I could not handle hearing my baby cry and not responding. It made me cry.

:001_smile: Thanks OhElizabeth for the link to the free mazes!

I enjoyed reading your blog. It is nice to hear about someone else's experiences. It helps me to realize I am not alone in these struggles. I need to have faith and keep moving forward. I look forward to reading more in the future!:001_smile:

I asked this question recently too. I did receive some positive reviews from some parents who contacted me offline. If you check out http://fcrr.org, you will find a very thorough review of Discover Intensive Phonics. This website also reviews other popular programs, such as Barton and Wilson. My only concern was the results of the Summary Table of Reading Programs (also on fcrr.org). Discover Intensive Phonics had the following ratings: Phonemic Awareness + (few aspects of this component taught and/or practiced) Phonics +++ (all aspects of this component taught and/or practiced) Fluency n/a (not addressed or not a goal of this program) Vocabulary + (few aspects.....) Comprehension n/a I am looking for a proven, comprehensive program. Otherwise, I feel like I am throwing together a little of this and a little of that and it overwhelms me. When you look at the summary table, a program like Wilson does address all areas. It is just more teacher intensive. At this point, we are sticking with Barton, but I may jump ship and try out S.P.I.R.E. Then again, I may change my mind again tomorrow (I have committment issues!!).

Maybe you could look at donnayoung.org. She has a lot of free printables, including homeschool planners. I don't know what is available for multiple children since I only need to plan for one, but the resources are free so it is worth a look.

I looked at the link for Literacy Leaders at School Specialty. I lke the activities in the book, so I google searched it. If anyone is interested, it is available at a cheaper price through Rainbow Resource.

:grouphug: Honestly, it helps me to read your post since I feel like I am going through this same type of behavior with my ds8. After reading the comments from other posters, it has made me realize that there may not be enough structure in our day. Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone! BTW, I have used the ps threat in order to get work done around here too. It gets exhausting.

We are currently using Book A from the Diana Hanbury King series, but I am always looking for other materials since progress seems so slow (haven't found that magic bullet yet!). I recently read a recommendation on another forum for kids with learning needs. I don't know anything about it, but perhaps someone on this board may be familiar with it. It is a 4 book series by Jo Ann Piccolo called "Structures for Reading, Writing, and Thinking." Just thought I'd throw that out there in case you want to look into it.:001_smile:

:grouphug: If I recall correctly, one of the specialists we dealt with called it "soft" neurological signs. One sibling has autism and another doesn't, but does demonstrate some similar characteristics. Our ds11 was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at 3.5 years. His twin sister is "neurotypical", but we definitely see issues with OCD and executive functioning. She is also painfully quiet at school and has difficulty making friends (NOT quiet at home!!). Our youngest ds8 was diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia last June. He also demonstrates characteristics of social anxiety (VERY nervous in unfamiliar situations, poor eye contact, won't always respond when spoken to - yet he interacts appropriately with his close friends). We are in the process of getting an O.T. eval due to sensory issues. He is our only homeschooled child at this point since we had a lot of academic concerns and the school didn't. An outside specialist confirmed our suspicions. I guess the positive part for a lot of us in this situation is that we will be paying close attention to our children's development and probably won't delay seeking help if we have concerns. BTW, our oldest son is the third child on my dh's side of the family to be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (one is classic autism, the other is aspergers), so it appears to be a genetic link for us.

:grouphug::grouphug: Praying for you and your family. :grouphug::grouphug:

I wanted to give your post a bump since I recently asked this question on another forum. My ds8 is also just finishing Barton Level 1. I was looking into Reading Horizons/Discover Intensive Phonics since it is marketed as based on Orton-Gillingham principles and lessons looked interesting. There is quite a price difference between the two programs (and Reading Horizons is having a 20% off sale until 11/30). While we could continue purchasing each level of Barton as we need it, I am wondering if there is something else out there that would be just as effective, but not as expensive. Then we could put the money saved toward other programs since our son has dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. I am just afraid to abandon a program (Barton) that others have seen so much progress with. What if we make a change and then it's not a good fit and we have lost more time?? Hopefully, someone who has experience with this program can share pros and cons with us. Thanks.

My dh never had any pets growing up, while I had quite a few as a child. We now have a zoo of 9 assorted critters since my dd(11) loves animals as much as me and hopes to become a veterinarian in the future. She has used her love of animals to organize a fund drive in her p.s. (I am only hsing my youngest ds). It may be a good experience for a responsible child, but I have to say that a lot of the work falls on me. That's fine since I love all kinds of pets, but you may not feel that way. One cat isn't too much work - feeding, litter box, and maybe brushing. Dogs and pets in cages are more high maintenance. Also, don't forget to factor in the cost of vet bills. It is not the initial cost of an animal, it is all of the on-going vaccinations, etc., that are the expensive part of pet ownership. BTW, my dh has not bonded with any of our pets and still does not care for any animals. He tolerates them since he knows that the rest of us love them. He even woke me up one evening while he was trying to watch TV and made me get out of bed to move the cat out of our family room. It was staring at him and gave him the creeps. This is also the man who shrieks when he sees mice in our shed, but has let his children have guinea pigs and hamsters. You may find that you love your pet cat, or you may end up being indifferent.

I love all of the earth toned colors. With the right lighting, I think a rich shade of brown would be beautiful. I would be careful of going too dark though. We had a very dark olive green color in a room without enough natural light. It started to feel too cave-like to me and it was very depressing over long winter days. We ended up repainting in a lighter shade. Have fun picking out colors!!

I'm glad to hear that it is pretty common for spouses to top off meals with some sort of condiment. My dh uses ketchup or BBQ sauce on everything, even filet mignon! I'll never undrstand, but he is happy so I've learned to get over it (ok, I hold a grudge sometimes!). You put a lot of effort into making a delicious quiche, so I can understand your feelings.

Leather due to kids and pets. It can be sticky in hot weather, but air conditioning makes it ok. Heated seats help with the issue of being too cold in winter. I don't want to deal with stains and smells; leather is just easier for us to keep clean.

To Mrs. Lilac - I checked out the "Now I'm Reading" series by Nora Gaydos and really liked what I saw. I found a website call innovativekids.com that also had games and flashcards from this author that can be used with this series. Have you ever tried any of these? I did see that her phonics readers have really great reviews on Amazon. Thanks for the info!

I am in the same boat as Bensmom. We are a multiple pets (& kids) household and I am always afraid that our home will begin to smell too much like animals (both 2 and 4 legged). So, what is the verdict? Soy or beeswax?? BTW to Bensmom, I think I remember reading an article about one of the mall stores - I think Bath & Body - that got in trouble for the products marketed for the kids because of the amount of chemicals in them. My daughter liked all of their "girly" stuff, but we threw it all away.

My ds likes the simple Dr. Seuss books. We also just discovered some early phonics books at our library. They are from the "Sounds Like Reading Series" by Brian Cleary (he also does silly books about the parts of speech). Another option is progressivephonics.com. You can set up a free account and read the books on-line or print them out. Starfall.com also has phonics books you can read on the computer. Some day I will learn how to attach direct links:glare:!!

Wow! We have had granite for about 7 years without any problems (and we haven't re-sealed it annually like they told us to). You should be able to put a hot pot on granite without any "burn" marks - it is stone. I'm wondering if this is not a true granite countertop since you see a burn?? Our granite is medium colored with a lot of colors in it (Saint Cecilia?). If it has stained, we really can't tell since it is pretty busy looking, which helps in our chaotic household. There are commerical cleaners for granite out there. I would probably try that before something from the automotive section.

Thanks for the info Jennifer. Since my ds is 8, I'm thinking that this might not be a good fit.

Is anyone familiar with the program "Ready Bodies, Learning Minds"? I can't seem to find any reviews when I did a google search. Thanks for any info you can provide!

Awww, what a cute name. We have a family member with a little dog and his name is "Spike". It fits his personality since he doesn't realize that he is tiny. Enjoy your new puppy!

The "average" going rate around here is $10 an hour, which explains why we don't go out much. I know that our neighbors pay an older teen $75/day to watch their 8 year old son during the day over the summer.

:iagree:I have also lived in a college town where pets were abandoned at the end of the school year. Even though she lives at home, this sounds very suspicious. Your gut is telling you that something is off. I wouldn't do it.

I have question for the EARLY risers...what time do you go to bed?? I want to get up earlier and get organized, but then I end up snoozing my alarm clock for about an hour (or so..:)). Once, I hit the snooze button so many times, it just stopped going off. I guess my clock has a limit to how many extra minutes it will allow you to sleep in before it just gives up.