I think it's normal. For what it's worth my boys are doing much better since we moved to Italics.

I didn't answer the poll. But, I'm 31 and most people think I'm about 10 years younger. I guess I don't act like a grown up:tongue_smilie: My female acquaintances and friends are of a wide age range. I just prefer married with children. I have some single friends and it's often hard to hang out with them. So many people are having children when they are older that I'm often the one with the older children. I would prefer our children are a compatible age and that the mother is similar to me. I don't care about her age.

If she is prone to constipation than it is probably dairy. PB on 3 seed bread is excellent. Could she be getting in some molars? One of my boys is a little guy and had weight gain problems. He has always loved smoothies. I've gotten good at adding things into those. Oatmeal, avocado, flaxseed, fish or flax oil, coconut oil are all things that can be added to ump the nutrition. Dad's Sneaky pudding which can be found by scrolling down is a great snack http://www.vegfamily.com/babies-and-toddlers/weight-gain-veg-toddlers.htm

I have hyperhydrosis so if you two need to talk about it let me know. It's hard on young people. I always have two pairs of good running shoes. I have to wash them often or I get athletes foot. I rotate shoes. In the summer I set them outside and in the winter I put them upside down on the dryer.

One of the things that makes up for our move (we moved from out in the country to right in the middle of a large city) is the cost of gas. We pay a few hundred more per month for this house but we make up for it in that fact that we don't need much gas. We bike, walk, or occasionally take the bus for going most places. That must really hurt!

We are using SOTW/MOH at the same time using the outline from Paula's Archives. The MOH gives my 5th grader a little extra plus he is really interested in Christian viewpoints/church history. I really like that it's pretty low cost, I can use the library, and there are plenty of projects to choose from and worksheets from SOTW. I'm really, really happy at this point and things are going well. But, I'm curious what would TOG offer me that might change my mind. (I'm trying to plan for next year)

We use one can of coconut milk (full-fat) and fake chicken broth to fill the pot. It's quite good and really rich!!!

I really am happy with what we are using right now. But, we have to use the library a lot. It would be really nice to have a couple of hundred to drop on books and art supplies every month and a really nice full-color laser printer. I would love a Christian based Waldorf Curriculum though.

Blue Like Jazz The Artist's Way (She has some new books out since then though and I cannot wait to read them! I've read some other things that I just love from her.) Anything from Anne Lamont

I love Portland. We would totally consider moving there. We live in Seattle right now.

I have sensitive skin, rosacea....you name it. Lavera. It's really expensive, but sometimes they have sales. I've been hoping they might start selling it through luckyvitamin or something similar. You could check their first. http://www.lavera.com/ For lower prices... I've had really good luck with Jason products and you can get them through discount online sales like drugstore, vitaminshoppe etc. http://www.jason-natural.com/ http://www.drugstore.com/qxp141566_333181_sespider/jason_natural_cosmetics/earths_best_organic_sunblock_chemical_free_spf_30.htm

I need some inspiration. We used to do lots of projects that were spurred on by KONOS. This year we have been trying to do a more WTM approach but my boys are missing that hands on fun. Just thought I need some inspiration.

I'm at the point where I just buy chocolate or Mike's and shop a different day. I figure I save at least 50 bucks that way. At our market you can just take one Mike's if you want.

I buy those big packs of Costco burrito size tortillas and wrap up leftovers in them. We eat them cold and they make a great fast dinner when we are overwhelmed. I really, really like to make Teriyaki Tofu with rice and the frozen mixed veggies that have brocolli, red pepper and other things. I make a side of coleslaw that has cilantro in it. I mix up the first three and put in a tortilla with some coleslaw on top. Wrap it up, wrap in plastic and it's good for a few days. You can do this with burrito stuff, too. The coleslaw keeps better than lettuce and it's good cold! But, you can pretty much take any leftover and rice and wrap it up.

Falafel with garlic tahini sauce from garlicsauce.com! Flatbread, lettuce, fresh tomatoes, onions, cucumber and perhaps peach crisp for dessert. He doesn't usually like sweets too much though.

I've been working on a schedule. I think I'm going to start the week with a few chapters of MOH and then a chapter of SOTW at least in the beginning to catch up. Then I'll spend the rest of the week on extra books, DVD's, & notebook pages. I think that will really fill out the week and give us plenty to do. I don't think I'll do many of the activities in MOH, but we really have enjoyed the Christ centered History!

I found two websites. Which one is this? I want to order today:tongue_smilie:

We just got MOH and we are so happy how it works together with SOTW 1! We are using the schedule from Paula's (I think that's it). But, I'm curious if anyone has a schedule they are happy with. Do you do MOH one day and SOTW another? Do you do it every single day? We have outside classes each day of the week until mid June.

Tamale Pie Put your favorite chili in a pan. Mix up cornbread add green chilis and cheese if you like. Pour or spread the batter on the top of the chili. Bake until cornbread is done. I would make 3 pans of this and a nice big salad. Ask if they would like a tub of sour cream or need salad dressing. Falafal Homemade or use a mix. I bake mine in the oven. We get a garlic/tahini sauce locally. But, you could just get a big Costco hummus, flatbread, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, radishes. I bring this for potlucks and it's always gone. I'm amazed because I thought it was slightly freaky to most people. Use foil pans that can be recycled (or tossed :glare:). Perhaps some nice pasta salads and/or sandwich stuff. Peach crisp is easy to make and people often forget dessert! Seriously though....take a salad. A big gorgeous salad with nice tomatoes.

I'm trying to figure out what to do with my 5th grader for language arts for the upcoming school year. Any thoughts on Grammar and Writing for 6th grade? He is a very high functioning Aspie if that makes a difference. He doesn't like to write much but is getting better with that. In the past we have been pretty relaxed about just doing things here and there. It was fine but now I think it's time to start some formal study with him. He isn't as resistant as he was. I'm considering doing some kind of overview of basic English Grammar for the rest of this year and summer. Then start something formal in the fall. I would love something reuseable.

It's highly unlikely to find a therapist who will agree with homeschooling. Does your area offer any type of support groups or co-ops? We sent our son back to school on advice of a therapist and he developed many ticks and coping mechanisms. It was awful. I don't expect what I used to out of him and I've allowed him more control over what he learns. He gets small bites of stuff everyday. It will get better if you are consistent and just start small. Tackle one issue at a time. Pick the first subject you want to cover and we can help you break that down into bite size pieces if you need to. Once sentence a day. We use Italics Handwriting for this. He is up to a page after doing one sentence a few times a week during this year. I'm happy with that progress. We use Math U See because it gives me another "boss". I've found I have to do the lesson with him and I have to oversee him for everything but reading. I would rather not, but that is life. My son likes to discuss. So, we do a lot of stuff orally. You can type while he talks and then you have documentation of work done if ever needed. If you have any worries about therapists doubting your "work" then you can create a plan that says what you do for each subject. Consider it special education. We are much more relaxed then a lot of people on this board. But, it is needed in our home. My son's sanity is much more important to me than his Math level. He is setting up his brain, thoughts, relationships etc...for the rest of his life. I had a Grandpa (who I love dearly..he has passed on) who was definitely an Aspie. He had no relationships with anyone really although he was intelligent and a hardworker. My son is so much like him, so it's important for us that he shares and learns to be in healthy relationships. Those healthy examples start at home. My dh and I are constantly learning how to parent him better and develop a strong foundation for him. What are you doing socially for him right now? How is your personal relationship with him right now? Are you punitive with him? Punitive measures seem to really break down Aspie's and cause them to be more stubborn, depressed...

I've been working on my degree actually. Eventually I will be a Librarian. I would love to travel as well. My dh and I plan on backpacking through Europe and perhaps India once are children are older. We think we might wait till they are grown.

We are doing MOH with SOTW. My 8 year old understands SOTW a lot better , but my 11 year old needed more meat & was really interested in Church History. They work really well together. You can pick a project or student pages if you want. You can just read that week if that's all you have time for. I like that flexibility. We have the SOTW CD's as well for the kids to listen to whenever. When they are interested in a subject/time period we can get DVD's or supplemental books from the library. I just look ahead for the next few weeks to see if there is something that interests me. I can plan for that or ask if anyone wants to do that. We are pretty relaxed and most of our learning is from reading, so this has worked really well for us. We are just starting a Book of Centuries as well. I realized I just needed to pick something and stick with it. I enjoyed our unit study years, but my boys actually started to need some more guidance. So, I like that I can just pick up and go when I need to or plan when I have the time.

SOTW, Mystery of History if you don't do extra projects. Just read and move on. Math U See-Watch the DVD, do student pages till you understand, do a test if desired and move on. A mix of online/computer stuff might help. Like doing Jumpstart cd-roms when they are younger. Teach the kids to use the library online catalog to search for subjects they are interested in and they can reserved themselves. I might consider Sonlight (Christian) or Oak Meadow (Secular) if I was just really busy.

This is why I like Math U See it tends to build a connection with those blocks instead of the fingers. Can you start some work with manipulatives? You can make your own with popsicle sticks and beans. Perhaps you do his regular math work and then add 10 minutes of manipulative work a day. If you go to the MUS site they have a free online drill. You can access it on the right hand side of the page. If you are wrong it gives you the correct answer.