We use Xtra Math. My kids really like it.

I only developed good number sense through teaching Singapore to my own kids. It seems silly but maybe you could get some early Singapore instructors guides and work through the problems and concepts with her.

I'm doing Ancient History Portfolio Junior from Homeschool Journey. I love these- they go by civilization rather than chronologically. There are parent instructions in the book including recommended readings from SOTW. It's just not realistic to do all of SOTW with our schedule but my kids really enjoy the portfolio and still read quite a bit of it. http://www.homeschooljourney.com/ajContents2.html

We're using the Nature Portfolio from homeschool journey. I love her stuff!

I'm looking for opinions/thoughts on something. This is not a JAWM by any means, just something I'm thinking about as I choose literature for my 7 and 9 year olds. I really don't like censorship and I think in general kids can handle tough subjects if we discuss them properly (e.g. minorities in the Little House series), but there's a theme in literature that just bothers me and that is the "drunk" character who's played off as funny. I've noticed this in a lot of western type stories, the most recent was the Indian in the Cupboard. It's in movies too- like Pete's Dragon (the 70's version). I used to watch that a lot as a kid and re-watched it recently. I was surprised at how funny the drinking was played off and how central it was to the plot. I'm not against alcohol use in literature, even kids literature, but I'm struggling to explain why it's considered funny or that alcoholism is often portrayed as an oOK thing to ridicule. Has anyone else run into this, and if so, how do you address it? I find myself cringing when this comes up and not sure how to explain it. I should add that my kids do have alcoholic relatives and, at least in the case of my 9 year old, I've explained about the disease and how it works in an age- appropriate way. I may be more sensitive about this than others, but it is relevant to our situation and something they would notice without me pointing it out. Thanks!

A couple of thoughts: There are lots of "pressure" shirts that are designed for people with sensory issues. They aren't necessarily tight but thy are snug. I wonder if something like that under her shirt would provide some support. Just an example: https://t.store.schoolspecialty.com/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?minisite=10206&item=312653&gclid=Cj0KEQjwp4fABRCer93Klpaki94BEiQAsXJMGj7Y4KrJUa7SdwxisSm8gzOU7B5OOqFWraEZtDgUxk4aAk0l8P8HAQ&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F I just switched to the comfort flex bra from Hanes and I love it. I have similar issues with shoulder pain and lymph problems. This bra provides minimal support but still gives the "wearing a bra" look. I'm on the larger side but I can still wear it. http://www.hanes.com/shop/hanes/women/bras/comfortflex-fit/hanes-smooth-bra-hu04 Finally, there are modesty undershirts she could try: https://www.halftee.com/

I've used them on lighter days in in conjunction with a tampon. They work fine. In my experience, the Thinx run pretty small so I'd keep that in mind when ordering.

I love the book "It's all too Much". It helped me a lot with decluttering. The main thing I like to do instead of saying "I'm going to get rid of X amount of stuff" I say "I'm going to keep X amount of whatever item". So for instance coats and jackets. Everyone can have one heavy coat, one light jacket, one hoodie and one dressy coat. I picked the best of each and got rid of the rest. Setting limits helps me not feel overwhelmed with how much I need to throw out.

I'm looking for resources to help my son. He's 7 and HATES to lose. Has anyone dealt with this? My 9 year old would really like to play board games with him but it's always a disaster. I'm going to start focusing on it this week and try to work on being a good sport etc. I'd love to hear about any resources you've used or things you've tried. I should mention that he's on the autism spectrum which does come into play, but I think he'd respond well to correction. I'm just pointing out that it's not a discipline issue, per say. It's more of a developmental thing. His maturity is more like a 5 or 6 year old, but this problem is holding him back socially and I've had to intervene a lot more than I'd like when he plays with friends. I'd like to address it as more of a character/skill building thing and maybe incorporate it into our school day. Thanks!

I had my husband change my password for me and I removed the app from my devices. What started as a month break has turned I to four. I really don't want to check it until inauguration day at least!

You can look into the writings of Vera Brittain- she was a nurse during WWI and I believe her brother and fiance were both fighting. Very interesting reading!

I'm not sure about the ones you mentioned, but we like Udi's from Costco and livegfree from Aldi. I think Aldi and TG are owned by the same company so maybe the bread is similar.

Weight watchers works really well for me. I eat smaller portions but when I'm hungry I eat. I've lost weight on whole 30, low carb, 17 day diet, but this is the first time I've done it without feeling ravenous. There's an adjustment period with any diet, but I eat when I'm hungry, I eat a moderate amount of carbs and fats and I'm losing weight steadily.

This is interesting. We just watched The Sandlot, which takes place in the 50's and my 9 year old was commenting on how everything looks the same as it does now. He said he expected it to be really different or old fashioned. I think the internet is the biggest change since the 80s. Everything else seems like different frosting on the same cake.

I think that instinct counts for a lot in these situations. If it didn't feel right, there may have been a reason. We have a large homeless population and sometimes I do stop, but sometimes I have my kids with me or I get a particular vibe and I choose to move on.

This is an unfair thing to say and not at all what I advocate. I'm glad ABA is working for you. It doesn't work for us, but lots of things have helped and he has a full and happy life, both in and out of our home environment.

"I don't think my dd with autism has more undesirable behaviors than anyone else. It's just harder for me to help her learn different ways of handling things. For us, "ABA" is what's both available and funded." I just want to apologize if my words were hurtful. You seem like a loving and concerned parent to me. I don't think parents who seek ABA therapy have questionable motives at all. I only wanted to speak to my doubts about the philosophy, not about any parent who finds it beneficial. I'm so pleased with how respectful this conversation had been.

Innisfree, these are very good points and I take no offense at all. It is a very difficult jungle to navigate and I think that every parent is simply doing their best. None of my answers or thoughts extend beyond my own experience and the needs of my particular child. Every child is different, and this is particularly true with autism. Undoubtedly my experience with kids on the spectrum has informed my parenting decisions, but I'm still just a mother and at times just as confused and tearful or full of fear for my son's future as anyone else. I think the main thing that the experience brought me was exposure. I don't have a psychology degree and I didn't design programs, only implemented them. My experience in a special needs classroom was one of the reasons I decided to homeschool. It wasn't all bad or terrible so I don't want to give the wrong impression, but I realized that at this particular time, my child really couldn't thrive in a school environment. When he was in school, I felt more and more like we were competing with other families for a limited amount of resources and he simply wasn't getting what he needed. The short answer is, I don't think that there is an all-encompassing thing to turn to that will help all children. However there are a lot of programs and therapies out there that can help improve quality of life. I think for me I what I came to question was the purpose behind ABA. ABA is founded on the idea that there are desirable and undesirable behaviors and that people on the spectrum exhibit more undesirable behaviors than other people. I simply disagree that extinguishing undesirable behaviors is the purpose of my son's education. Of course there are things that must be addressed: aggressiveness, self harm, addiction to video games, unwillingness to learn etc. These are behaviors that would inhibit my son's quality of life. However, other things such as self stimulating (my son paces and sometimes flaps), avoiding loud places, covering his ears, etc. - these are what I would call self protective and simply don't harm anyone. Of course I don't want him to experience social stigma attached to these behaviors, but they serve a purpose for him. I believe that he is capable of learning alternatives though it takes much longer than it would with my neurotypical kid. For us, providing a quiet home, appropriate play, education, and lots of safe spaces has helped immensely with his behaviors. These kids are anxious and uncomfortable and "undesirable" behaviors are often a reflection of that. So my goal is to relieve anxiety and discomfort. I believe that for my son ABA would increase anxiety, so I don't do it. We do utilize a lot of things- deep pressure, lots of jumping activities, Occupational and physical therapy, structured days etc. I understand that someday he will have to live in the world, whatever that means for him, so my hope is to give him the tools to self-regulate rather than be regulated by a therapist if that makes sense. I think a lot of this comes down to the way we talk about autism as a society. I don't see it as a tragedy. My son has his own set of issues and yes he is stressful to raise. Yes he misses out on things and has limits that others don't have. But I don't want to cure him, just help him live a comfortable life and be as productive as he is capable of being given his limitations. I was around when ABA hit the media and was described as a miracle. I think it is for some and I don't take away any parents' right to try whatever they find works for them. I also recognize that I have the resources to stay at home with my son and work with him where others don't. He isn't as challenging as some, but he's more challenging than others. I do think that as time goes on ABA will be seen more and more as just one of many therapies that could help kids on the spectrum. (I've seen comments on this board implying that not providing ABA for kids with autism is akin to child abuse and that is of course rubbish, but it's not an uncommon opinion.) I've recently come across the folks at Asperger Experts and I think their approach makes sense for us. While it's directed towards "higher functioning" people (for lack of a better term), I think some of the principals regarding reducing anxiety, providing safe spaces, and using practical methods to address problems would be helpful to anyone. Again, I don't think that there's one program for everyone but it has helped us a lot. Best of Luck to you, this is a tough road for sure.

I worked as an ABA therapist before I had children. One of my sons is on the spectrum and I choose not to seek ABA for him. While I'm sure that the kids I worked with enjoyed it to some degree, I am highly ambivalent about the process. I was part of the the wave of therapists who had a more "positive" approach and I still question the ethics of it. I know some people have benefited immensely and I don't question a parents decision to do what is best for their child. However I have enough personal experience and have read enough experiences of former ABA clients whose perspective leads me to believe that it's not what's best for my child and may have been damaging to those I worked with. On a personal note, while I know firsthand the stress and yes sometimes trauma that parents of kids on the spectrum experience, I do feel that the voices of parents have been overwhelmingly highlighted while the voices of their children have been largely ignored. I'm glad this is changing. My son's experience is not about me or what I want for him. I hope that growing up now rather than 20 years ago will allow him the resources to develop his own voice.

Tuesday is my "self improvement" day - Weight watchers meeting and a haircut. WW is going pretty well for me this time, though I've crashed and burned on it in the past. I'm definitely doing a more "slow and steady" loss, about 1/2 lb a week. It's adding up pretty quickly though. I think that those initial big losses have to do with how our body keeps water weight on. I used to have lots of inflammation and would lose a LOT in the first week or so. Now that my inflammation is gone, I'm losing a lot more slowly, but the upside is I feel really great when I'm not carrying around all that water weight. This week I hit the weight I was when I joined WW the first time, which was a sort of silent goal for me. After that I had gained another 20lbs but now I'm determined to keep it up. For me the only way to do it is go all in with tracking. I used to find it cumbersome but I'm really used to it now, and I rely on the app to make decisions about what to eat. I do miss butter though! It's one of the few things I've cut out of my diet, save for a tsp once in awhile. Most things I can just cut back but butter uses up so many points. I still eat Ice cream and half and half, so my life is pretty ok. :)

I once read an article tracing the switch from the term "housewife" to "Stay at home parent". Very interesting stuff. I think it was around the 1960s or 70s when parenting books began to come out by the thousands. Before that, homemaking and how to be a good housekeeper were much more the focus.

Even so, it does wonders for my breath. :laugh:

If nothing else, this is a great opportunity to teach your daughter that listening to her gut and asking an adult for help is exactly what she should have done. If she came to you and she's uncomfortable, as a mother I think that acknowledging her feelings and acting to protect her (whether it is a perceived OR actual threat) is the most important thing here.

I had my husband change my password in June and I haven't looked back. There was only one time where I legitimately needed to check a message in that couple of months. I don't miss it and now that the election is in full swing I'm so glad I'm not on there. I was a bit of a facebook addict and I did it as part of a bid to get off my butt. I take walks now and I really think that no FB has helped me lose weight this summer.

That sounds like my husband!! I modify a little to allow treats. I made a deal with myself that losing weight slowly is still losing. So I do have treats sometimes, especially birthdays etc. I just stick with it the rest of the time. Cupcakes sound amazing right now!