Yes, to me it is all still relative to Christianity- it is a reaction to it. What if you are not in reaction to Christianity? The whole thing is irrelevant. God, no God- both are irrelevant- and for me, neither are true, or both are true. To me what you refer to by the word God is more important- for me, I can relate to your God if I put it in terms of Nature or Everything- as shamans might. But we're not talking the same God.

There are some herbal combinations that can help the process too- black cohosh, wild yam, chaste tree....I cant give you a brand name because I am in Australia, but there will be plenty around. If/when I get there, I will keep my progesterone cream around as a back up if it gets bad, as my pms did a couple of years ago. I prefer not to use it, but I really like to know its there. And St Johns Wort is classically used to treat depression of menopause and clinically for many people has equal results to anti depressants, without the side effects.

I just read the 3 season diet and it helped me understand why its hard to stick to a diet that tells you what to eat, for longer than a few months- it makes sense to me, although it may not be the whole answer. At different times of the year, it is natural to eat different types of foods- more carbs at certain times, less fat at certain times, more or less protein at certain times- according to the seasons and what is naturally available. If the diet you are on doesn't take that into account- if for example it restricts a major food group like carbs, fats or protein ALL the time- it cant succeed because eventually you will crave that major food group beyond your capacity to "willpower" your way through the cravings. But that is natural- and a diet is not.

It is autoimmune. I am not read up on it but ds's girlfriend has it and she is on a gluten free diet, among other things. The more I read up on this thyroid and auto-immune stuff- the more I see that gluten is really related to lots of auto immune stuff. It might be a good place to start some research. Doctors tend to treat symptoms. Auto immune stuff starts in the immune system- no cream is going to cure it. The immune system is gone askew- that is where the healing needs to occur- but doctors wont be able to help much unless they are very interested in nutritional medicine and do their research.

My experience is that until you have kids at driving age...you don't really necessarily know how you will respond. I was sure I would never let my kids drive with other teenagers, ever. But I do. Because its convenient- but, we are strict about it- we have to know the person, meet them, dh talks to them. They can't just get a lift home with anyone. Dd and ds have both driven with dd's best friend while she was learning to drive. Her mum did tell me- afterwards- but I was ok with it because this young woman had been driving for quite a while and I trusted that the mum wouldnt have let her drive other kids unless she felt confident her daughter was confident enough to drive them. I would not let a beginner driver drive my kids. Heck, I don't even let my son drive with us - dd16 is learning to drive but ds15 is a nervous wreck and the once he came with us when she was driving, he was so nervous it was awful. So its just her and I until she is a competent driver. I wouldn't let an 11yo drive with a friend's sibling if they were just beginning to learn to drive. But maybe...sometimes...if they were comfortable driving and just hadn't got their license yet. Its a really tricky area to navigate and I have found that absolutes haven't really worked. I am behaving differently with my own kids to how I thought I would around the whole issue- but it feels right for us.

Here is a relevant article that just came into my inbox: informationclearinghouse.info/article27802.htm And here is a quote from it: "....the EPA is considering drastically raising the amount of allowable radiation in food, water and the environment. As Michael Kane writes: In the wake of the continuing nuclear tragedy in Japan, the United States government is still moving quickly to increase the amounts of radiation the population can “safely†absorb by raising the safe zone for exposure to levels designed to protect the government and nuclear industry more than human life. It’s all about cutting costs now as the infinite-growth paradigm sputters and moves towards extinction. As has been demonstrated by government conduct in the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of Deepwater Horizon and in Japan, life has taken a back seat to cost-cutting and public relations posturing. The game plan now appears to be to protect government and the nuclear industry from “excessive costsâ€â€¦ at any cost." (Washington's Blog)

So without a religion, that is, an external source of guidelines that tell us what to do and what not to do, you think we would be all killing each other, being selfish, etc? Actually, being moral, behaving in a selfless way, is inherently self -preserving which may be why many of us feel that morality is an inner quality- we have an inner moral compass. It might well be a survival mechanism. Treating others how you would like to be treated is foundational to living in a nice world- if we don't treat our neighbour kindle, chances are they won't treat us kindly either. It's not rocket science-its basic common sense. And if you are reasonably well developed as a human being- you get a sense for whether your life is richer for being caring, sensitive, joyful, giving, loving....or not. Once you know the difference between living beautifully and lovingly, and living in a contracted and mean and selfish way- you wouldn't choose the latter, to the extent you can consciously choose your behaviour. Thats why I believe we are inherently good- which is in direct opposition to what many Christians believe- that we are inherently bad unless we choose Christianity to absolve ourselves. I think human nature is inherently good, but can get rather messy. Once I scrape back the layers of hurt, damage, pain- I find love, not hate, at the core of myself.

My two are close in age- and very different personalities- so it hasn't been an issue at all. However they have a half sister 5 years older than my oldest. I learnt a lot of how not to parent, and what not to do, from watching her parents, and being with her. She's pretty damaged emotionally. But academically- she is dyslexic like dh, her dad, and ds, her half brother- and it wasn't dealt with at all, and she just did terribly at school. Her mum put her on the ADHD drugs in highschool (without dh's knowledge or permission) and it turned her into a spaced out, sweet, kind of flat robot, who did no better at school but was probably easier for a teacher to handle. SHe sold her tablets to other kids, and is now an alcoholic- however she did just get into university as a mature aged student so hopefully she is turning her life around. We learnt a lot from her. Her next youngest brother, who spent a lot of time with us, and who I homeschooled for a year, was also messed up. But my 2- my first was so easy to rear, still is- I have learned a lot from parenting the 2nd- but I didnt have any more to use what i learned :)

Sex doesn't bother me too much, although I certainly don't go out of my way to expose them to it. Mostly they still go "eeww" and turn away. Violence - I tried to shield ds for as long as possible, but dh didnt think it was as big an issue as I did- I guess its a guy thing- so I lost eventually. Most violence is kinda obviously not real- there is a type of violence that is so dark and horrible and realistic, that I do not allow. My biggest peeve is the poor attitudes. Ds15 likes to watch 2 and a Half Men, and Family Guy, both of which I find to have unhealthy attitudes. This kid doesn't need that sort of input :) so I actually don't let him watch those shows. Sit coms with some sex like Scrubs, don't worry me- I think the underlying message in that is ok. Profanity doesn't bother me too much, but really crass, crass humour- yuk. My son wanted to watch Borat for years - we wouldn't let him-eventually he did watch it (somewhere else) and we had to stop the inappropriate humour that flowed from it.

Yes, I know what you mean. It is difficult. But its not a bad time to do some wide reading from the internet. YOu dont have to come to definitely conlcusions one way or the other, but you can inform yourself of vaiorus perspectives. I can understand if you are getting blasted with the media about it over there that you could get a little cynical about it all- after all, the levels seem innocuous enough. And, as Jean says- what can you do anyway? (I wouldn't be drinking the milk. The lower you eat on the food chain the better. Kelp wont hurt, if you can get it. If it gets bad- stay inside- but its not that bad.) But...even if there is nothing you can do about it right now, I think it pays not to go to sleep about it- not to get complacent about it (without needing to be unnecessarily dramatic, either). Things could change very fast. And Melissa, yes, I agree with you. There is so much more they don't know, than know, about this stuff, and i have seen the mobile phone research too. My dad is a scientist- he's also a fallible human being. Science only knows what it knows, and it doesn't know a lot.

In our case- the label made no difference except to ds's self esteem- but he doesnt like the label of dyslexia at all any more and refuses to identify with it. The label helped me realise that it wasnt me. But I did already know that. And the lady who tested me told me I was doing everything right and to keep going. BUt in the end....although it helped me feel better about what we were doing...it didnt change anything. The one on one, the copywork/dictation/narration, the drills.....it was all ok. Actually- she did help me realise that some dyslexic kids just never master their times tables. And by the way, kids in Australia don't memorise anything but their multiplication tables. SO I stopped there and the rest just came naturally over time. He's not really a maths kid but he is getting by with average marks in highschool.

We are not conservative and dd wears a range of clothes....but plenty of them are normal clothes that would fit the label of modesty. Mostly op shops.

I think its very sad that some people only behave well in this life because of a certain reward in the next. Or, that that might be used to manipulate kids into behaving well. Believe it or not, beautiful and moral behaviour is intrinsic and inherently human- as is the opposite at times. But at heart, I believe humans are good. What makes them behave badly is usually bad conditioning or wounding. I don't really know what happens after death but I have read enough near death experiences and meditated for years, and I believe it is a release from the body- the spirit is released. I know I am not my body- I, as a spirit, a spiritual being, inhabit the body, and one day the body will die- but not me. I suspect there is reincarnation but I don't know. I am curious to find out. I believe that there is some sort of life after death though, and that it is also a learning place, as is this world.

Are you kidding me? Raising the "safe" levels? That means what was previously unsafe is now considered safe- because why- someone decided to say so, so that people don't panic? Thats just nuts! How does it make it safe? And radiation in the rainwater is ok because people don't drink rainwater (do all the farms have town water in the states?). Except every. other. living. creature. does drink rainwater...but that doesn't matter. I dont get it.

Yeah well, I thought I was over this flu because I felt good all day yesterday, but last night when I went to bed I started coughing and just couldn't stop. By midnight I managed to doze for a couple of hours sitting up. At 2am I got up to find teenagers still up- told them to go to bed. Managed to sleep for a few more hours. Today, I feel pretty cra**y. Tried to nap this afternoon- couldn't. Not pleasant to feel tired and not able to rest. I guess thats different from depressed though, although I am sure PMS is involved now too. I am going out to the garden, not to eat worms, but to do some gardening- hopefully it will exhaust me enough to sleep tonight.

I am into simple kindness and consideration all round, rather than manners that look a certain way. Manners can be cultural- I have been told that in some cultures burping after a meal, or leaving some food on your plate, is a sign of good manners and appreciation. I do like the respect your elders type of thinking in one sense- but really, most elders my kids know are not people we or they even want to hang out with. Once upon a time elders were full of the wisdom of the years- nowadays, they are often narrow, judgemental and close minded and unable to relate to youth. Its a shame but I think it does work both ways- elders need to accept and allow youth to be youth, as well. And when elders- even if its parents- do not respect their children- why should the children respect their elders? Of course, everyone should respect everyone, but it has to start from the top. Times are changing very quickly and I think everything is being re-evaluated for its own merit. I don't think blind obedience to cultural traditions is appropriate anymore. But the values of kindness and consideration are never out of date.

What makes homeschool work for your ADD/ADHD child? My son is not diagnosed ADHD but he might have been if he stayed in school. He was homeschooled due to learning difficulties and his dad and half sister are both ADHD. Homeschooling worked for him because I could sit with him and help him focus, day after day, week after week, year after year. I could cater to his quirks. I could move at his pace. I could balance academics and physical activity. I could do a lot of work orally as his writing ability was well behind his ability to learn. Basically, the one on one attention was the key. ANd I will also say....the methodology of copywork, dictation and narration just worked so wonderfully. If they attended traditional school in the past, what worked/didn't work? He attended 4yo kindergarten, preprimary, 1st grade and the first half of 2nd grade. Kindy and preprimary worked well for him- he mostly played and he did get a good foundation of phonics, and the atmosphere was kind. 1st grade taught reading in a large room of 50 or 60 kids, with parent helpers moving from kids to kid. It was a disaster. Ds also was not ready to read, or at least, not under those circumstances. By 2nd grade he was "behind" and the teacher wanted me to work with him at home- which we couldnt do because he was so stressed out by school by then. And the teacher sat him next to a very advanced Asian kid, thinking it might rub off or something- instead, his self esteem plummeted. f you are medicating them (even with caffeine)....what if you stopped? What would need to change to be med-free? Not so relevant to us- we specifically avoided all medications as we are both natural therapists. We tried various things including caffeine, fish oils etc but never stayed with anything for very long. The biggest change was effected with 6 solid months of educational kinesiology. Is ADD/ADHD the the main reason for hsing? Originally, ds's learning issues were the reason for homeschooling. Within a short time we realised the many other benefits and pulled dd out of school although she was happy and thriving there, because we recognised the lifestyle of homeschooling was wholesome and it appealed to us deeply. The LDs were still a solid reason to homeschool but were no longer the only ones.

:iagree: I would not take on a responsibility that is not mine, just because someone else thought it was.

I think routines and schedules are virtually essential if you are going to do any kind of structured learning. But they are not prisons- a daily routine and schedule can still be thrown out the window on occasion for a spontaneous event- but the schedule and routine are what holds everything together and stops you just lurching from one day to the next in chaos. You can achieve things- and school just gets done day after day with little effort, but there is plenty of time for other things too. School does provide a certain structure and security for kids, especially when home life might be too chaotic for their nervous systems to properly relax. Maths is important- its not my favourite subject either, but the foundational years are important. We always started every day with maths, so that it just got done, and while we were all fresh.

Several threads about this lately. Do your research- it is often treatable without becoming dependent on artificial hormones for the rest of your life, or even natural ones. I was diagnosed recently too- I am on a gluten free diet on my doctor's advice- there is a strong correlation between gluten and hypothyroidism.

:iagree:I am wondering why people are so trusting of the "authorities" when those same "authorities" do so many things not in everyone's benefit, but only benefit political agendas. I would be doing independent research, myself. Its not so much the current levels that would disturb me- although I would be taking kelp too- its the changing story. It is still possible that there be a far worse situation at Fukushima than there already is. The situation has not been resolved at all. That is what would concern me if I were in the pathway of radiation. Also- what do they consider a safe level and why do they consider that level to be safe and a higher level to be unsafe? Is it because there can be an obvious link to disease concluded at a higher level, and that link cannot be conclusively drawn at a lower level? I would not trust government "safe" levels any more than I would trust them with my health in other areas.

I think you have a uniquely difficult situation there in America. However here in Australia- I have been part of inclusive homeschooling groups for years and I have the utmost respect for everyone's ability to get along. The truth is, it is usually us secular folk that do a fair amount of compromising and biting our tongues (in my experience- maybe it works both ways), but it has worked well for our kids. Given a certain mentality that is very prevalent over there- no, inclusive groups containing people with that mentality couldn't work. Its too much an "us and them" polarity, sadly. But yes they can work when people actually want to get along more than they want to righteously push their point of view onto everyone else. As Rosie said- so glad I live in Australia.

I think I sorta agree although I can't think of every context. The thing is, with a discussion involving religion or probably many, many topics- often one person is on an entirely different level to the other person in the discussion- and has been considering the issues for many many years and is fairly settled but still on their own journey about it. So, still open minded but also been around the block about it.....the other person who may want to convince or convert them with "discussion" may perceive them as close minded but they are really like a puppy bouncing around with ideas but they are not as well travelled and life tested with those ideas. Truly, I love discussions about religion but I have been on my spiritual journey since my childhood and take my spirituality VERY seriously. It is my whole life- my number one priority. I am widely read and widely experienced, in that area- not so much in Christianity because I do not find the dogma to hold water- although the essence of practicing love and tolerance I can certainly resonate with. So if I Christian wants to "discuss" the merit of Christianity with me but they come across in any way that is not completely respectful of my own journey, intelligence and experience- I find them immature and am not really willing to go there with them- although I can probably find points of commonality. I find those who are deeply steeped in their religions to be far more interesting than those who want to talk about it! I have a friend who is a very open minded Franciscan monk. We can have great conversations about religion- he has read far beyond Christianity and can converse with me on many levels about my understandings- in other words, he can meet ME, as a person, not just bandy about religious concepts. Him, I can discuss with adn come away feeling heard and enriched by our conversation. A fundamentalist Christian who has an agenda to convert me, and so can't truly be open to my view? THey may see ME as close minded but that just isn't the case, and I am not interested in engaging at all.

We have certainly become VERY discriminating about taking holidays. Dh is a comfort lover- he will pay extra for 5 star accommodation. I always used to be happy to camp and rough it but after years with dh I am getting a bit partial to the 5 star accomodation myself :) It is cheaper for us to go to Bali for 5 days and stay in top hotels, with airfares, than it is to go 3 hours down south and stay in a farmstay or cheap accomodation for the same period of time. We bought a small motorhome with a bed that you don't have to pack up and down- it's always set up. When he and/or I go away for overnight events, festivals, retreats etc, which we both do several times a year, where everyone else roughs it- we live in luxury in our little gypsy van. We love it. Dh didn't really like taking holidays with the kids when they were young. We have done a few as they got older- but well planned, well organised. I remember my mum saying how much dad loved to camp- but she used to do the hours and hours of preparing, packing, organising us kids etc We loved it too- but as a mother I can now see how much work she did to make it happen. I still love holidays but not indiscriminately. I love being home a lot too. Nowadays dh and I go on holidays mostly separately from the kids, although dh is about to take dd16 to Paris for a once in a lifetime father-daughter holiday.

Since you have mentioned it already...that's where I would leave it be, and let any further consequences be natural ones. If the coach kicks her off for it, so be it. If you need to mention it again, ok, but I wouldn't make a big deal of it. Perhaps you are all taking the game a bit too seriously? It sounds like she is taking it very seriously and she could take a cue from you to not worry about the game so much- lighten up a bit. Enjoy the game whether you win or lose. It's just a game.