The baby took a tiny nap & We ended up making it through the basics. I was really wishing I had a frozen pizza! Pb crackers & grapes here. I forgot that baby has dr appt this afternoon. Now I don't know what to do for dinner lol!! Is it nap time yet?!

It was rendering tallow that I am remembering-although I am pretty sure that roasting the bones for broth was pretty smelly. My brain is mush due to lack of sleep. I tried to be more aware of protein content today. For ex I gave them apple slices & a large chunk of cheese (instead of apple then cheese later). They didn't ask for more snacks until it was actually lunch time. Even though I know I need protein I guess I forget with them and get to carb heavy.

Yes, yes, & yes. I thought roasting the bones was the worst part. Oh wait. Maybe I am remembering when I rendered tallow....

My older girls (6 & 9) just finished memorizing the 10 commandments & I would like to do a simple/easy craft or activity to celebrate. I would like something we could hang up that will serve as a reminder & keep them on our minds. I have 2 toddlers who probably will want to participate so it has to be simple enough. Anyone have a really good one to share?

Monday was a field trip. Not the most educational (guide wasn't into it) but it was fun. Yesterday we did the basics but skipped morning basket bc I was running behind bc I decided to do some housework. I realized late last night that I never got around to phonics with one dd. We had to be out late last night but for some reason no one got the memo to sleep late. So I am tired & cranky. Baby is fussy & won't sleep bc big sisters won't stay away from me long enough for her to get in a deep sleep. We did morning basket. Hopefully the baby will take a nap soon & I can work with my big girls. We have no bread & I have no clue what to do for lunch. I really just want to go back to sleep

Well I have several packages of soup bones in my freezer so I could do that. I just hate the way it smells when I make beef broth. Blech!

My MIL commented on how she has never seen kids as hungry as mine-and she raised 5 herself! She said the other grand kids don't even come close to eating what mine do. I am glad to know I am not the only one. I read some real food blogs & I am shocked at how little their kids eat! And I have wondered if my kids had worms or something. I haven't read Farmer Boy yet (well not as an adult). I continue to be surprised by things in the books though. I figured it wasn't typical to eat so little (only a corn cake for lunch) but she hasn't mentioned being hungry...so it made me wonder if this 'always hungry' thing was more of a habit than a need. I have been telling them that it's ok to be hungry. I told one today-I am hungry too. It's ok. We will eat very soon. Just bc you are hungry doesn't mean you have to eat something right this very second. I can't imagine when they are teenagers!

I honestly don't know. She can finally copy letters, letters, & sentences after much practice. But I don't guess I have seen her copy other things.

Another question-she is quite artistic & loves to draw, paint, & color. Would that indicate that it's not dysgraphia? Or is dysgraphia strictly numbers & letters?

She has regular eye appts but nothing specialized.

Thank you for this. I could write a book about my dd's issues. And they will be for her lifetime. I get discouraged but this-this made my heart happy.

The OT definitely has concerns although dd has made leaps & bounds since we switched to HWT. She actually had recommended OT services but I had a newborn & no vehicle at the time. At last eval she was only showing a mild delay so OT gave a few more suggestions & said keep it up. I will ask about dysgraphia next time we go. I did a brief read up on it & it sounds like it fits. Do you have any good sources for the remediation side of it? I would like to read up a little more & try some things with her.

Thank you for your help. I have tried that approach in the past & she was not ok with it. She really WANTS to write it herself-or has in the past. I will try again & see if it's ok with her. Which leads to another question-if she insists on writing herself should I just let it go? Keep with our formal program & make no comments about her personal writing? She has serious medical issues & as a result is evaluated by an OT (among other professionals) every 6 months. Would they pick up in dysgraphia?

My 9 y/o dd is behind in handwriting. We just finished 1st grade HWT. She is doing well if she has a model. Here is the problem. She says she wants to be an author & write stories about animals (non fiction). Her first attempt (2 sentences) was illegible. So I pointed out some things she could do better with (spacing, periods, etc) and her next 2 stories were much neater. But then today we did it again & it was a mess. How should I approach this? I want to encourage her. This is what I did today-reviewed when to capitalize, talked about spacing, & using periods. She didn't remember any of it. I sat beside her & gently reminded her about spacing. Then when she was done (and had illustrated her story) I had her fix all the capital letters (she uses capitals in mid-word) & add punctuation. It was only 3 sentences. I ignored spelling errors.

But even when we have omelets or yogurt or breakfast burritos-the story is the same.

Is there an app for that ;)

Oh-let me add-it was baked oatmeal muffins (low sugar) and they ate about 3 of them & had large glass of whole milk.

I agree about too much starch or mixing carbs & fat-they want less if breakfast is hardy. Of course that doesn't always happen. But even when we have a nice breakfast-I still hear I'm hungry. Like today-oatmeal. Then an apple. Then big hunk of cheddar cheese. Not 30 min later-I'm hungry. I said no more! They begged for a banana. But I won't have enough for the baby if I give everyone a banana. So I said no. We do have baby carrots...I just get frustrated bc we run out of food so quickly any more.

I feed my larger than average family mostly minimally processed, while foods but they still never seem to be full. They always ask for snacks. There are no leftovers any more. I make most of our food from scratch & I can't keep up anymore! They are 9 & under. Do you let your kids eat all they want? Or do you limit? Weight problems aren't an issue for them. They are fairly active. They all spend a larger amount of time outside. I am reading Little House books & it has amazed me how little they seemed to eat...

Thank you for the info. I am completely ignorant when it comes to the health care field.

I am genuinely curious about the appt of this 'czar' who has good management skills but isn't a healthcare professional. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt but it doesn't make sense to me. Is he a spin doctor for the admin & CDC or is he truly the type of person needed to turn the tides? My side note: I have followed all Ebola threads & I do not want this one locked. Who cares who said what last week? I humbly ask that we keep this thread on topic. Please! I was just thinking last night how nice it had been to be able to read peoples thoughts without all the drama & name calling & finger pointing.

We had terrible week. Oldest maybe got 2 days of school done. Other dd got in 3 days of work. Oldest is having some medical issues that have left me drained emotionally & baby isn't sleeping well so I am also drained physically. Other two kids were little terrors all week. I just couldn't pull it together today.

My dd has this problem I think. Her hands turn bright red (looks like she is wearing red gloves) and are so rough & dry. So is this a form of eczema?

I have used etsy before to help me set prices on some items. You might search for similar items. Sorry I am not more help-I am not much of a shopper. And I am cheap lol!!

My DH takes crackers & pb, Vienna sausages, pop tarts, etc. I try to push healthier fare on him but he honestly likes to take junk. I try to fix trail mix, jerky, & some sort of muffins/cookies/baked goods (store in hard container or it's turns to crumbs). And lots of water. But he never stays overnight. That is for before dawn to after dusk hunting.