Can I just say I have the hardest time answering this question. I'm not doing it to be rude. My son is 6: we've just started Grade 1 reading/phonics and are about to start Grade 2 math. So, according to regular/p.s. he should be kinder-1st, but what is he? I don't know. I just tell them he's 6 and we work on everything.

My son has been doing IM in Physical Therapy. He's finally started PT after years of alternate toe-walking interventions failed. He's been in OT and ST for 4 yrs. Anyway, he now has a weekend a-fib muscle so it's hard for him NOT to toe-walk. So, he does PT. He looks at a screen and has to touch this button when the dot flashes on the screen. The idea is to anticipate to a degree but not be too early and def. not be late. She's trying to get him up to over 1,000 reps w/in a good degree of accuracy. Currently, he can tolerate 400 and isn't close. LOL I've tried it a bit and it's really frustrating. So, I can see how 1,000 is a struggle. He also does in a bit at vision therapy but for a reason I don't understand. Not that it's not valid, it just seems a bit more complicated in application there. We've never done IM in OT or ST. But I can imagine all kinds of settings where would add a bit of complexity to a task. There is this: http://www.metronomeonline.com/ if you're ever interested in doing things to a beat (jumping jacks, saying alphabet, counting by 2's...etc...) J

We live in Austin and have an in-ground gunite pool. We also have the salt filter. It was done 7yrs ago and cost a little over $30,000. Ours is a very simple shape, no hot tub, no diving, but it does grade from 4ft to 8ft. We did absolute no extras w/ this pool. All it needs is salt to run it. However, b/c of where we live we have Extremely hard water and is very destructive to the equipment. In addition, b/c is so hot for so long, it runs about 8 hrs/day. 4hrs in morning and evening to keep from growing algae. This is a pretty big expense. It adds almost $200/mo to our electric bill from May-Sept. We do all our maintenance and up-keep. We never contracted out so not sure how much that is. Another pool option which is approx. half as much is an in-ground pre-fab pool. I have an ex-coworker who did this. She is just as happy w/ her pool as I am with mine. Even though is costly to run during the summer, I use it everyday from may thru Sept. You could potentially have it heated but this added $5,000 to initial cost so we declined. I honestly wish we'd done it. I love our pool. The up-keep can be time consuming and costly. But, it's a great escape for us and we love it. It's the main reason I really don't want to move from this house. Ever. :) J

I am having this issue w/ Galloping the Globe now! I'm thinking of slowly aquiring what I need and then teaching later on at some point-next year, probably. Yes, I am still in denial-I know it's not going to work for me....sigh.... Something you can do in addition to research/reading reviews, is buy used curriculum. Most homeschool communities have sales/swaps around this time of year. Most of us have so many books, it seems the prices are always fair. However, if you find what you're interested in it's good to be informed and know: what all should be present, what you will need to buy to complete the curriculum and about how much that will be. Buying something that doesn't end up working for you is a little better to swallow if you haven't paid too much for it in the first place. The best way to find out about these events is to join a homeschooling group in your area. Yahoo is a good place to start. J

I've been researching for next year's curriculum and am very interested in these two. My son is 6; I do not like to get into what 'grade level' he is but to make it easier for everyone, I'd say first. However, I know that fundamentals of writing and grammar are missing from his lessons. I'd like to plug it in. What is the difference between FLL and WWE? They seem similar, and yet different but compliment one another. Would I (do you?) use them both concurrently or one at a time? Also, WWE has a workbook (must you have that) and do you find you need any other supplemental materials for instruction of either book? Also, I may be imagining it (I tend to do that) but is there a language arts program based off the Little House series? I love these books and own the entire collection. I'd love to use that if/when appropriate. Thanks so much in advance and I look forward to some insight. Jess

I've recently met a mom whose Aspie son now goes to a private school speciffically for ASD kids. They use the Switched on Schoolhouse Program and he's really doing well. Probably combination of environement and accodmodating classes. She says he's doing well b/c most of the class is via computer programs. He has low muscle tone, poor fine motor skills making writing difficult. Typing in or moving the cursor to the correct answer is so much simpler for him.

I have yet to find anyone who didn't recommend VT after having completed the program. We were recommended to do weekly 1 hr. sessions for 10mos. We're 3 mos in and I'm seeing tremendous results so far.

My parents are from PA, but I've lived in TX my entire life. I was brought up that you pull over. However, I recently experienced something new. While exiting the highway I realized I was entering into the procession. They were on the access road (feeder road, whatever). I had no choice but to merge into their lane and then I got over into the far land and THNE pulled over. I felt terrible about having even entered their lane! I did not see others pulled over, but was during rush hour and maybe people just didn't notice. I've thought about it so much. I'm sure I would've caused an accident had I handled it differently, but it still felt awkward. J

We've been using reading rods. They're little linking cubes that have letters on them. They also have words on a single cube to make sentences. There are cards to help spell and cards to make sentences. They're also a bit cheaper than this program. We really like them.

I would never give someone permission to enter my fence/locked backyard either. Dogs or no. I have it that way for a reason. I'm also not sure I'd be a fan of going into my yard once a day to do 'ball duty'. Not my ball, not my problem. I may retrive them all once, hand deliver with a verbal message for the kids and parent that this is the last time you'll be doing this favor. Otherwise, it'll just keep happening. J

You may be completely opposed but what about one of those "Complete books of ______" books? I saw one for Dinosaurs and one for Space today at Half Price books today for around $6. Just thought b/c is for Kinder you may not want to invest in any super expensive science stuff just yet.

We've been doing Saxon 1 along with MUS-Alpha this year. I feel that Saxon is a complete program. We're doing the MUS basically to provide extra practice/review. And, let's face it, the blocks are fun. We do no less than 2 Saxon lessons/day and 2 lessons MUS/wk. We never spend more than 30min. a day on math. I skip the meeting portion, I briefly discuss the date, but I don't think that stuff is necessary to teach whatever the actual lesson is. I appreciate the structure of Saxon and complement w/ the mastery of MUS. My son is handling it fine and really 'likes numbers' as he calls it. It's working for us and I plan on doing both for as long as I can. I'm guessing at least through grade 3. I'm hoping to give him a good foundation for math. I don't think anything anyone else (or myself) is doing is wrong, as long as it's working for them. J

When I first went away to school it was to a large state university. They would hand me my student loan check every semester and I'd use it however I wanted. Now, I would always pay tuition, buy actual books for class, pay dorm fees, etc. I transferred to a private Christian school for Nursing school and I never saw my student loan check there. It came to the school and they applied it all to tuition. J ps...I'm guessing her interest rate on her bOOks is way more than if she'd attempted to get a medical loan for them instead.

First of all I'd encourage you to follow your instinct. If it's telling you to evaluate further then you should! It honestly could be anything. ADHD in itself can be a very limiting disorder however, it can also be a symptom of an even more complex issue (Asperger's, ASD, or even a psych. disorder). My son has PDD-NOS which is on the autistic spectru. He is very hyperactive and unable to focus. Some other parents will argue with me that this is a separate ADHD dx, but I feel for him it is actually a symptom of his PDD. (That's just me-so please don't anyone make me feel bad about this.) We rec'd our dx through a Neurologist. However, he was 2 and a lot of psych. won't see kids that young. He had lots of developmental delays (speech, fine motor, gross motor, etc) that we felt comfortable seeing Neuro. Also, we knew. My son, honestly, had symptoms day 2 of life. I remember particularly when he was 6mos old my husband said "I think he's autistic". I was furious! 18mos later that was the dx he got. I think a psych. is a great place to start. Particularly if it's unclear what else could be going on. In addition you may want to look into a family counselor who is familiar with children w/ ADHD or behavioral issues. They can really give some great tools for Mom/Dad and him. This was extremely beneficial for us. I'd yell, spank, give consequences and nothing was getting through. It took a med change for him and BIG change with how I react to make a much more cohesive family. I think a lot of times ADHD has this image of 'oh, I know what that is" or "lots of kids have that, it can't be that bad". But, there's ranges of severity. It can change as the person ages (particuluarly during puberty can be especially trying). That being said it's hard to guess what if anything else could be going on. This is not your oldest child, you know how a typical child of 11 does and should behave. Often excuses are made for boys immaturity or slow development when in reality there could be something wrong. As a parent you cannot ignore a gut instinct. Jessica

It's so interesting to see how different all our kids are! My son was completely overwhelmed by electronic toys and I already had the rule instated at his first Christmas (6mos old) he was not to be given anything that took batteries. As a small child he like things with wheels but only to make them spin. He'd just turn the truck upside down and spin those wheels forever. However, his favorite thing to play with for as long as I can remember (he's almost 6 yrs old) is a cable. Yep, a AV cable for a tv. He winds it up/unwinds, tucks it into something, over and under all through the playroom and attaches it to something at the other end. He ties knots with it, ties toys together. It's frustrating. We have to take it away b/c he obsesses over it. We've used trains as a substitute which he loves but again, becomes obsessed. It's all he'll talk about. All he will draw. He will pretend to BE a train. So, then those have to be taken away. He's been into mega blocks, then duplos, and now little legos (which are a whole new level of pain to step on). However, he doesn't build typical stuff. I have every single little people set created in hopes it will trigger his imaginary play but he really doesn't enjoy them. I make a point of playing these with him and it still doesn't help. I actually have an attic full of awesome toys. I rotate all the toys in the playroom every 2-3 mos. He never has the same toy all year. Otherwise he will perseverate and never move past that one thing. We've still never introduced electronic or battery operated toys into his playroom. First he cries and then he just wants to dismantle them to see how they work. J

Yes!!!! We have this problem. It's so frustrating and I feel like such a complete failure sometimes. Our sons are similar in age and have similar dx. We have started vision therapy and have seen an increase in days when he truly understands and learns what I'd like him to. They are still followed by periods of plateau. This alternating patter I've learned will always be his style. I'm just hoping to eventually have more 'good' days than 'bad'. One thing is if not already doing so, use blocks, reading rods, letter tiles for spelling. I even started with sandpaper letters that I made myself. Vowels on red and consonants on blue (you can buy from montessori supply or ebay). There is something about the tactile experience of the letter that somehow helps the brain remember the letter, and to connect the sound with the letter. He does not have a pattern and he's constantly changing the game on me. He keeps me on my toes! PM me anytime as I suspect we and our boys have much in common. Jessica

I always knew I'd homeschool and when my first son was born (now almost 6) it was essential. He was dx PDD-NOS at age 2 and I could not put him in our ps. He's pretty quirky but has accomplished so much more than we'd expected. He has a little brother age 3 who is 'normal' developmentally. I hate that whole 'normal' thing, too btw. What's normal is different for everyone. Normal in our house is VERY different. He really likes homeschooling and has begun to ask for class. We do it at a different time each day as he's not consistent with when he's able to do it. I want it to be his choice. He almost always decides on his own so it hasn't been an issue. One day recently he asked for a second session after dinner. So....off to class we went! Trying to keep it brief as I can be pretty chatty. Just wanted to introduce myself! Jessica

I did actually do my homework prior to settling on this doctor. Essentially that's what it costs in the Austin area. Indeed, I've been quoted more at other facilities. She said he will probably need 10mos of therapy so I factored that into my total. I'm working really hard w/ him at home and hoping it turns out to be less time.

Oh, if there is ONE thing I love to discuss more than homeschooling, it is WDW!!! We've been 3 times since our sons were born. We've actually even just last year joined the Disney Vacation Club (yay!). Anyhoo, on a previous trip we stayed at a family suite in ASM. What was especially nice was having an extra bathroom and a bedroom with a door for DH and I. I didn't mind the walk mostly b/c everything at those resorts is a bit of a walk. This year we stayed from before Christmas to after New Year. By Jan2 the crowds were dead! We've also gone at the end of Jan. and very minimal crowds. Great time of year to go in my opinion. You will need to pack for both warm and cold weather. So, layers. I'm not above doing laundry on vacation so we brought 4 days of clothing for each person (pants, t-shirt, sweatshirt-layers!) and then did the wash. We've only ever done the dining plan. If you go this route make your reservations 6mos in advance to get your preferred dining experience(s). They do fill up and you will not use up your dining plan credits if you wait to make res. when you get to the park. You can also rent a stroller through a private company which will be delivered to your hotel upon check-in. So much nicer than waiting in line at the park to rent one/return one/ check out another at the next park, etc. We rented a double jogger for $115 for 12 days. This last time we stayed at Beach Club which is a DVC property. It was amazing! There was a full kitchen and washer/dryer in the room. We were able to do laundry every day and brought one suitcase for all 4 of us. We had diapers/wipes/ groceries delivered to the room via gardengrocer.com. I believe WDW is in the process of building a new resort w/ MANY family suites but not sure when it will be completed. I'm pretty sure the value resorts are usually busy. When we stayed there at the end of Jan. the food court was NUTS and they always had such a long wait for the bus. It didn't matter if we were going TO and park or HOME from a park, there was a 20 min. wait. We've also stayed at Port Orleans. I didn't notice a different in the room (amenities) or much difference in wait time for bus. Probably more than you asked for and I yet I could possibly have still managed to NOT answer your question. Hope something helps you tho, and have a great time! J ps...babies are EASY at WDW! Bathrooms everywhere w/ changing tables (even in the Men's room!)

I have been hi-lighting at home since my son was born almost 6 yrs ago. Well, actually, my husband does it. He is a computer geek but has a great attention to detail and loves saving $150 each time we do it at home. So, here's what we do: 1) buy hi-lighting caps at Sally Beauty Supply. They are plastic, disposable caps (the re-usable ones tend to be painful). There are tiny holes w/ circles around them to help guide where you want to pull hair through. There are additional holes as well if you want more all over color. 2) These come w/ a hook to pull through hair but we bought a package that contains 3 different sizes of hooks (to pull more or less hair). These are nice b/c there is a thick, rubberized grip on them so your hand is less likely to tire out. 3) Apply whatever color you wish to the hair you've pulled through. I've used hilighting kits and apply color all over (the brushes NEVER work-do NOT even try to brush on hi-lights to your head!). I've also just bought regular hair color and used that. It just depends on my mood. We do this every 6-8 wks. There has been one catastrophe in 6 yrs but honestly, I lived through it and I was partly to blame. Go.For.It!!!! J

Although we were offered a discount if we payed up front, we could not afford to do that. Ours is $150/hr. He goes weekly and for a 10mos duration. Comes out to $7,000. I've spoken w/ two others in my area (Austin,Tx) and they pay approx. this amount as well. It's not cheap!

Sounds JUST like our house! You can even tell when looking at him that he KNOWS he's making a choice he doesn't want to make but yet no matter what you do, he can't change his answer. It's extremely frustrating. We react the same way you described, too. We have not found the 'right' way to help him with this but I want you to know you are not alone. I personally feel that our case is related to extreme stubborness, poor problem solving, and expressive language delay. We've started to put together cards for certain events: state the problem, we come up w/ 3 solution for the problem (he has input as to what these are) and then we also put on the card potential positive outcomes from making one of those 3 decisions. On the opposite side is the expected outcome of reacting in a negative way. We've made these for many different scenarios: wanting a toy from someone else, not getting the color cup you wanted at dinner, etc. Our Speech Therapist has actually been helping us put them together as she thinks he lacks full comprehension and when he's upset he just cannot process everything that's going on AND provide an appropriate response. Hope this helps, Jessica

I'm very familiar with these. They are actually called 'tonsiliths'. Typically when the crypt gets full enough they should resolve on their own. I, however would use a water pik to get rid of them. I found the taste to be unbearable and they became painful. There is no way to prevent them and they usually just get worse and worse. I dealt with these for 15 yrs before developing 'chronic cryptic tonislitis'. Basically, I had a chronic tonsil infection for a year. It started when pregnant 3 yrs ago. I had my tonsils removed 6mos after he was born and have never regretted it.