My son lost his first tooth about the same age as yours. I, too, was shocked. I asked the dentist and he said it was ok. It isn't common, but it does happen, and it often happens when the child has teeth come in early (mine did). On a related note, my youngest (newly four at the time) ran into something and bumped her front tooth (just one- poor thing) out. I took her to the same dentist and he said that it was a clean break because her roots had started to disappear. Apparently they do this about a year before the teeth will fall out. Who knew? ;)

Lest there be some confusion, I am not saying that works are not needed. Jesus, too, says that any branch not bearing fruit will be cut off. I believe that the James and the Romans passage should be seen TOGETHER, not separately, for a full picture of salvation in Christ. It isn't just one way or the other. To believers, that is the dynamic and rich nature of scripture. We are to work AND rest in our faith. It is for nothing without both. To the op, I pray that you find some comfort in your concerns by fellowship with other believers. Maybe you have a pastor or elder that you can talk to?

James 2:20-24 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[d]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,â€[e] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. Romans 3:27- 31 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. It is helpful to look at the entire passage of James, not just the one sentence. Scripture is interpreted in the light of other scripture. The commonality of the two passages in James and Romans is that it has to do with works that are ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH AND PRECEDED BY FAITH. It was faith that Abraham demonstrated by believing and following God. That was the “work†Abraham did: he believed and followed in what God had instructed him. Paul addresses this, too. We do not need the “ works†of the Law (the Torah) to be justified or saved. We have someone who has fulfilled that old law for us. We are saved by faith in Jesus. Faith in Jesus only. Further, people get this “faith without works is dead†passage confused. It isn’t a HAVE TO, it is a WANT TO. When we recognize the huge gift of salvation and are sanctified through Christ on a daily basis then our RESPONSE, like Abraham's (to believe and follow) are the good deeds that we do. We are called to care for the orphan, the widow, and those in need, but those particular works don’t save us, the faith that precedes them saves us.

No- a TV is another reason to be alone, away from the family. We want our kids to be together, play, be with us, etc.

:lol: I am laughing so hard that I'm crying!! I was on FB for a while, but I found that it did nothing positive for me. In fact, what it did was: 1. Suck all my time 2. Give me a place to whine (like I need more of that!!) 3. Keep me from walking down the street to talk to my neighbors because I could just FB them instead (false sense of community) 4. Give me more reasons to dislike someone due to narcissistic posts and/or attention-seeking status updates. It isn't inherently bad, but it wasn't good for me. It was, like she said, the Kraken!! :lol:

That is the scripture verse that helped me all through my teenage years and early adult years when my mom's health was precarious. It helped me again when she died. I'm like you. Even when things go well, I'm waiting for the bad to happen. It is to be expected when you've grown up with trauma. Many people in that position have a sense of "If I let go of worrying then something will take me by surprise and I'll be unable to handle it". It's a battle of control in many ways. I agree with a pp that a Christian counselor may be a benefit to you. That feeling of dread, fear, and uneasy anticipation is no way to live. My dh often reminds me, "God is good ALL the time." That scripture verse reminds us all things work together for the good to those who love Christ. ALL things, not just the good things. I pray that you will find peace in knowing that God is in control. He loves you. His Holy Spirit will attend to you. I say this knowing how difficult it may seem: REST in His peace.

I lost my mom 9 years ago in September and I was just telling a friend that the Christmas season has never been quite the same. I miss her- all the time and in many ways. But I have finally reached a place that I can talk about her without crying. I remember happy things now. It is a blessing. I will pray for you during this time of grief.

You can only take it OFFICIALLY once a year. There are many books out there that offer PSAT and SAT and ACT tests formats on CD. They are the same format, can be timed, yield a score. Worth a look.

In my former career, as a university counselor, I went to several SAT, ACT sessions. I always heard the same story: these tests are a predictor of how a student will do in their FIRST year of university. Many kids go on to do well after that first year. It sounds like you recognize the need to review and try again. The PSAT is a great place to practice taking the test. Take it several times. Then when your dc get to the real deal it will be a very familiar format.

I just wanted to add that ds8 was diagnosed with SPD and PPD NOS around 3. We did all sorts of things. Diets, therapy, etc. NOT medications. Long story short: When he was six, however, we took a look at our son and talked about trying meds for the ADHD that he had been diagnosed with around that time. We shed tears, we prayed, and we decided to try it. It is not the answer to every problem, but it has allowed him to do what he is capable of instead of being held back by the attention issues/anxiety issues. I know that my small story is just one of many, and that other families choose other paths. For us, medication was part of the answer. It isn't the only answer. It was worth a try- it was reversible if it didn't work. I pray that you find some peace in this process instead of more questions!

We live in a small expat community in Jakarta and I find much more community here than I did when living in the U.S. People need each other here and they care for one another. It is also a Christian community so that helps. We live in a neighborhood where the kids play outside in front because we all have postage sizes backyards. We know each others' kids and we don't get upset when someone corrects our kids because we know they care for them like we do. People take walks, chat in the street, borrow eggs and milk. It is a beautiful situation and I feel sad that most Americans don't even know their neighbors' names.

I'm not far from you. An American living in Indonesia. I have been to Malaysia, but only KL. Selamat malam (it is night when I am posting)! :)

It sounds like I have some options! Thanks!

Perhaps more importantly: plastic vs. wood? How many? Having been convinced by the Miquon believers, I am now trying to get it together and start in January. Thanks!!

I have used 100 EZ Lessons for the oldest two and they are both excellent readers. I am now using it with dd4 and she is really coming along (we're on lesson 70). It will depend on the child, but it took us almost no time to complete it. We did skip the writing portion. I also use Bob Books to give her a sense of "reading a book". She loves it. Lately she's been sounding out things on water bottles, cereal boxes, billboards as we go down the highway, etc. I know it isn't popular here on the boards, and I would suggest that you'll need to continue with some phonics (suggestion: Explode The Code) after you are done. But the goal for me has been: get them reading fast and well. 100 EZ Lessons has done that for us.

We typically eat at the park we are in for the majority of the day. It's just a little less hectic. But, as mentioned before, park hopper passes make going to another park relatively easy. We also try to stay away from parks with early opening hours or late evening hours. Therefore, we make reservations based on those days, too. The advantage to these parks is evident if you get there early, but by mid-day the park is packed because of early hours. We do the "get in, ride the rides, get out" thing on those days. Happy planning!

The first time we went through customs in NYC after being here in Indonesia for a while, the guy looked at us (3 small, very tired children and 2 weary adults) and said, "Welcome home." That's when I cried. I pray that your journey is safe!

Autism research has shown a high heritablity rate. They have linked it to specific genes and twin studies have shown a high concordance rate. Check out Sciencedaily and BPS online for information if you are interested. Also a fun website called, "Genes to Cognition". I teach an IB Psych class and we just researched this topic.

We really liked TH until last June (2011). They made some changes and we probably won't go back. Whispering Canyon is nice. Wilderness Lodge is my favorite resort. The atmosphere is great. Skip Hollywood and Vine for sure! I have really enjoyed Garden Grill in Epcot. Very fresh food and so yummy. It even revolves! Also still love Akershus in Norway. They have an appetizer buffet with cheese, chilled shrimp, veggies. The main courses are ok, but I go for the first part of the meal and the princesses for my girls. Enjoy!

My husband gets all his info from the Disboards and he has never steered us in the wrong direction. I would agree with others re: unofficial guide. Well worth it. Your library might carry it I'd you want to avoid purchasing it. Enjoy. Half the fun is planning!

We live internationally so when we travel we try to make a way through some Disney park. Dh wants to see them all. We've been to Hong Kong, Paris, WDW (many times), and CA. We are going to Tokyo in about four weeks on our way home for Christmas. They are all great. I mean even a bad day at Disney is a pretty good day. But my favorite is still WDW. :)

bbkaren- we are doing the same thing. This is the last year at the private school they attend (great school, but moving back to the U.S.). I feel similar: I want homeschooling to be an easy transition. Blessings to you on the rest of this year! Dd 6 and Ds8 are in first and second grade respectively. At home, we supplement with Math Mammoth and fact drilling. We are having the most fun with WWE and FLL. We are loving the music that goes along with FLL. I did Saxon math with those two last year after school and it wore us all out. In my opinion, supplemental math is best when it covers the basics and adds onto what they are learning at school. I am also doing some science on the weekends and some picture study/art as well. That is fun because it gives us a chance to learn something new in a relaxed manner. Afterschooling can be a challenge for me because I have so many ideas and want to try them but am limited by time. That is a limitation I've come to accept, but still don't like! :glare:

:iagree:about Strobel and would add that Ravi Zacharias ministry specializes in apologetics (explaining the faith/defending the faith). There are lots of titles available from them. I haven't had the opportunity to complete a Beth Moore study, but EVERYONE who has says they are awesome.

Ziploc has a steam bag for veggies. We use fresh and put some garlic and onion with it. So yummy. But probably ok for frozen for cooking.

In my experience, most general pediatricians don't know enough about ADHD for me to go to them FIRST. When my son was diagnosed ADHD, he went to a pediatric neurologist. We live internationally so we did take him to our family doctor to talk with him when we visited the U.S. later that same year. Having said that, I am currently seeking help from a psychologist (from Canada, but living in Jakarta near us). He seems to have hit a rough spot lately and dh and I felt we needed a more thorough assessment (observations, conversations with the psych, etc.). I think it is important to feel that whoever you decide to see is very aware of the child's behavior in ALL places (not just home). Blessings on this process. It was stressful for us for sure.