I've had better luck using sesame oil, coconut oil was too thick, and I usually swish while I'm in the shower. It certainly whitens my teeth, and my gums are really healthy - enough so that my dentist makes comments. (Good comments!)

It's probably more being paranoid than anything else. Our last couple years of history have been kind of scattered. Mostly reading and field trips, and while putting together his portfolio it felt kind of weak. (Although we have had a fabulous time.) My kiddo requested "lots of books and going on field trips" for history next year, which is awesome, and I love it, but I feel like I need to add something more. I don't really know. And now I'm rambling.

Just a quick ? Is there any writing (other than the maps) involved in the history portion of sonlight or bookshark? I'm not terribly concerned with written output, but I do put together a portfolio for our state (PA) and some of that is nice. ETA: I know I could make up some writing assignments to go along, but would prefer if it were already there. More ETA: This is for my 5th grader next year. I couldn't really tell from the samples online. I'll stop editing now. Maybe.

Bazillion or batrillion.

Congrats to your son, that's a great score! Ignore your brother...at least, that's what I would try to do. I get the frustration, though, that was an obnoxious comment at best.

Nerf darts. Cereal. Legos. Pony beads. Jackets and sweatshirts, since it's not quite spring here yet. Socks. (SOCKS!) Did I mention socks?

We do Keens for summer shoes (we've used both the sandals with the closed toe and the full shoe style.) They do stink for my oldest DS but not so bad that it bothers anyone. I wash them once in a while and they're okay. I stick with Keens because they are durable enough to last the entire summer with whatever the kids throw at them (camp and other outdoor adventures included.)

I sleep on the right. I always have. I always will.

You know, I love this board because you folks give level-headed, intelligent advice. I have a difficult time keeping perspective on this issue (gee whiz, eating is important!) I appreciate your kind words.

The feeding clinic would be a team of OT, SLP, and a nutritionist. Hoping they can get him scheduled. He currently eats crackers (2 brands), chicken nuggets, and chocolate pediasure. That's. It. He does take a multivitamin. Until recently, he also would eat pasta (plain), homemade mac & cheese, and bread. He hasn't had a fruit or vegetable (in any form, including juice or sauce) in months. He used to eat those applesauce squeezie pouches (one brand only) until that brand changed lids. Now he won't touch them.

I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking my ped is off base. It's easy to lose perspective. It's a large practice and there are a small handful of docs that I really do like and trust; I think I'll have to start being very selective when scheduling appointments.

Thank you!

Background. So my just-turned 4 year old is a picky eater. His list of foods he will eat has been dwindling over the past 2 years....as an infant and young toddler, he ate anything and everything. Currently he is down to a small handful of foods and is still eliminating things he will eat. We continue to offer foods and he refuses nearly everything. He eats no fruits, no vegetables, he recently eliminated bread and pasta (former staples of his diet) and currently eats chicken nuggets and pediasure almost exclusively, and not in great quantities. He is growing more slowly (his ht/wt percentiles have dropped; he used to stay in the 75% for both, now he's in the 30%.) He is pale, his hair is thinner. He gets tired going on walks and wants to be carried after a block. I am rather concerned. And we've tried a lot of things and it's just getting worse. And every time I've brought it up to the pediatrician, they blow me off. "Oh, it's just a phase." "Don't make a big deal about it, he'll grow out of it." "If he's hungry enough, he'll eat." "Look, he gained weight in the past year, he's growing! Don't worry!" So he had a check up last week, and mentioned my concerns again and asked for advice. The pediatrician said, "Well, it may be that he has oppositional defiant disorder and this is a power issue." Huh? Really? My pleasant, cooperative 4 year old that happily gets along with everyone at home and does beautifully in preschool and follows the rules and is cute and sweet and just happens to be afraid of all foods? What? I'm so irritated. I was hoping for something a little more helpful. Like allergy testing, or blood work to check anemia or whatnot, or a feeding clinic referral. Or a book recommendation I haven't read yet. Or maybe just validation that yes, this is abnormal and it's okay to be concerned. Anything useful! So I called the pediatrician's office today and asked for a feeding clinic referral. I would have made an appointment myself, but I do need an order. We will see. Thanks for letting me vent. I'm just frustrated.

I worked all weekend and 2 of the 4 kids were sick with the tummy thing. DH let the house go over the weekend (understandably) but now I have to play catch-up. Nobody wants to do school, though the oldest is getting a bit done. I don't want to cook or clean or educate...it's a nice day and I just want to go out and play.

I have (and love) a gas stove. We lived in one house with an electric stove and it was awful. I want to play with an induction cooktop, though, and see how that works. A friend has one and loves it.

A basket for kid snacks, a few boxes of cereal, and, on top of the cupboard above the fridge, a variety of sharp things that have been used as swords/weaponry and are now confiscated (shish kabob skewers, a curtain rod, a large dowel, souvenir baseball bat, etc.) Also some sparklers.

The nice thing about being an RN is that there are many ways of getting a degree. While I would strongly recommend a BSN, a very economical route would be to get an RN through the community college and then complete an RN to BSN program (usually only around 30-40 credit hours, many are online programs, and most hospitals will pay for completion of this program for their employees.) A community college is a great place to start. The term "RN" is confusing sometimes. It refers to the nursing license; there are different education tracks to get a license (bachelors, associates, diploma.) While most RNs start out in the same place, the ability to further your career is limited without at least a BSN. As far as advanced degrees go, experience is invaluable, both in completing those types of programs and deciding what track to take. I wouldn't decide without having some experience under my belt. You can go the advanced practitioner route (NP, nurse anesthetist), you can go into management, into teaching, either in nursing school or in a clinical specialist role within a healthcare organization.....there are lots of places to go! My advice would be to try to arrange some shadowing experiences for your daughter. I went into nursing school with only a basic understanding of what nurses actually DO. I did volunteer in the hospital back home for several years, which was helpful. While in school I worked as a nursing assistant, also helpful. Nurses work in such a wide variety of settings, it really is beneficial to visit some of those areas before committing to school.

I got $1.46. That's what I get for sticking with the freebies.

Memorizing the preposition song (courtesy of youtube) was the highlight of my son's 3rd grade year. Sometimes he sings it for fun. My 6 year old loves it, too. Necessary? Nope. Helpful sometimes? Sure.

I have 4 kids ages 10, 7, 4, and 1. I have always worked at least part-time since having kids, and this is our 3rd year homeschooling. I am an RN and currently work between 20 and 30 hours a week. I used to work exclusively on the weekends, but my schedule recently changed and now I work every other weekend and 1 or 2 shifts during the week. I liked my old schedule better, but oh well. What makes it work? It has to work! I don't have another option right now! We have learned to be flexible. I try to schedule my weekday shift on one of two days. My mom watches the kids while I work and is comfortable doing school things with them, so it's not a "wasted" school day. My DH has a pretty inflexible work schedule and is working on his master's degree. That said, he goes out of his way to do what he can, particularly with housekeeping things while he's home with the kids on the weekends. He also runs errands on his lunch hour to eliminate some of my running around. Challenges? Feeling like I'm doing a lot of things, but none of them well. I only have 2 that are homeschooled right now; one is in preschool and one is just the baby. I almost feel like things might get easier when they are all schooled, just from an organizational perpsective. But I might be wrong there. (Wishful thinking?) Managing it all? This is a big struggle for me. I'm not a naturally organized person. I was not cut out to be in charge of this many children! I've had to adapt and learn and try a lot of new things, but I'm getting learning a lot and getting better at managing everything. I feel like I can get into a good routine and then something happens (illness, vacation, broken dishwasher) and my routine flies out of the window and I have to start over. Using a calendar (like actually using it, not just having it on the fridge) has been a huge help; learning to lump different schedule items together when possible (all our out-of-the-house activities are on one day. That was a big help.) Prioritizing and sticking to those priorities. Schedule? I work every other weekend, so most weekends I'm off work we have something planned as a family. Tuesday is our out of the house day, so we do light schooling. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday are our heavier school days. Fridays are usually lighter. I try to schedule a class or field trip every month. I try to work in the evenings to impact school less and minimize babysitting needs. I try to do all my errands on one day (usually Monday evening when DH is in class.) We school almost year-round (take June off) because it allows more flexibility during the year. We like to take a short trip every fall and spring to break things up a bit.

I got an assortment of Fiesta for my birthday last year....I love my dishes! I have scarlet, cobalt, shamrock, marigold, peacock, and paprika. Everyone in the family has gravitated toward a favorite color. Dinner is more fun now. :)

I had mono my junior year of high school. It was terrible. I was horribly sick for about 2 weeks, off school for 3 weeks, and then went back on a modified schedule for about another month (I alternated mornings and afternoons.) I have never been so exhausted - couldn't even walk up the stairs without taking a break. The fatigue lasted for several months before I was back to normal. I wouldn't

The deserving porcupine is our favorite character. That was great!

We used Grammar Land at the end of 3rd grade (after finishing FLL 3 and needing something to do for the end of the year.) It was a hit with my kiddo, and a nice review of our grammar that year. Some lovely mom out there put together printable worksheets for each chapter - they were really nice to use.

My DS outgrew an egg allergy after a 5 year period of avoidance. He's turning 10 now and eats eggs quite often with no reaction.