If she's ready to learn, teach her. Don't worry about the grade level on her math book to determine her grade. Let her be "ahead" instead of possibly having to "catch up" with her same-grade peers that are much older. Even if she can handle it all academically, at some point it may make a huge difference socially. I know of several homeschoolers who started their kids early because they were ready to learn, and then had to put them in activities with kids in lower grades, just because that's where their kids belonged socially and age-wise. It was hard for the kids because they were used to thinking of themselves as being in higher levels. Also, as far as college goes, that extra year of maturity can make a huge difference. Yes, some can handle it at 17, but socially, they may not be ready for it. That social component can have a huge impact on their academic success, too. I say, better to "skip" a grade or just adjust transcripts later if it becomes obvious the child will be ready socially, than to assume anything at age 5.

So, how do you handle it if it is blocked by wax? I keep reading that we shouldn't use cotton swabs, but how else do you take care of it?

I think of this every time my dc get ear infections. If I owned my own, I'd be able to do my own recheck and save us the inconvenient trip back to the doctor with a healthy child. If you do own one, how did you know it was good? Where did you buy it?

One of the dc had the skin pain you mentioned. It was very sensitive as long as the fever was up, but when that dropped, the skin pain went away. It still took over a week for all symptoms to disappear, but it wasn't anything serious. I hope your dd gets better quickly. If you do decide to go into the dr. office, ask if you could have masks! At our dr. they give them to people with flu symptoms, and they might be willing to give them to others. It doesn't hurt to ask. :)

I know what you mean about the movie, though. Have you looked at the Robin Hood movie with Erroll Flynn? Much more appropriate, IMHO. My dc loved it! Check your library.

I saw sombreros at the Dollar Tree this week ($1 each). I've seen sun hats at garden centers pretty cheap. Just a thought. Enjoy your party!

I keep timing out before it gets into my email account. It was like that this morning, too. Actually, all of my internet stuff was slow this morning, here too. Anyone else have this problem?

Dh took a professional certification course and test this year. The course instructor recommended taking L-Tyrosine (amino acid, I think) to help with mental alertness for focus and attention while studying and testing.

We don't play. I didn't like what I saw when someone showed it to me. That's me. However, after seeing what happened to the conversational skills of ds's friends who play, I'm extra glad I passed. They became obsessed with it and unable to talk about anything else. Even when nicely asked to talk about other things because ds didn't play it and wasn't going to play it, their conversations kept returning to Runescape. It reminded me of the boys in my hs who played Dungeons and Dragons. It became all they talked about. People said it was harmless fun, but I think it warped them somehow. They just couldn't handle leaving it behind. I'd hate to find out my ds was one who couldn't handle Runescape. Again, that's me. YMMV.

This is my #1 cure for colds. I just take tabs, but there are other products. Drinking lots of water makes a huge difference, too. I know my grandmothers swore by gargling salt water. Praying for you now!

I love it, love it, love it! Besides reinforcement of topics we've covered, it has many other uses. It's great for those topics dc don't really want to learn about, but will be happy to watch a video for anyway. It's great to keep preschooler busy with educational videos while the rest of us work on something. It's great when kids are sick, because they can still learn with the laptop while lying in bed. Big purchase, but well worth it.

Seriously! We had a laptop bag I couldn't stand to carry, as it gave off a weird smell that gave me a headache.

I had it done at 12.

Our friend that wears uniforms buys from Lands' End, and his clothing always looks great. He plays in them after school, too, and his mom says all stains have come out just fine. I've seen that with the Lands' End polos we've had before, too. Very nice quality, even though the price is higher than the cheaper ones from Target or wherever. Besides Lands' End, I've seen them at JCPenney, Target, Burlington Coat Factory, and Walmart. We did buy a uniform blouse once at Burlington - it was a Lee blouse - and while the fabric still looked nice after washing, all of the bows fell apart and had to be removed. The Cherokee polos at Target are okay, as far as staying in one piece, but they do fade and the stains don't come out without real effort, at least in our house!

Friends attend a private school with uniforms, so my dc wanted some, too. They wanted to wear polo shirt with decent slacks, shorts, or skirt. We already had some, so we tried it for a week. We discovered that the cheap polos we had didn't release or hide the stains as well as the t-shirts they usually wore, and I didn't want to buy the more expensive shirts. Ds thought his nicer slacks/shorts were uncomfortable. We also discovered that dd didn't have enough slacks or shorts, couldn't wear the ones we found in the store, and didn't like the uniform skirts because they were too short. So... back to our usual "uniform." Ds in t-shirts and comfy pants/shorts, dd in dress or top with skirt, and preschooler running around in whatever clothing hasn't been peeled off yet.

The child I was so concerned about, with the apparent pink eye, the doctor isn't very concerned about. Warm compresses, with an eye drop prescription to be filled in a few days if the redness doesn't clear up by then. He says it isn't very pink, and since the other cold symptoms are all gone, better to see if it clears up on its own. Okay, fine. The child I wasn't at all concerned about, with just a mild cold, the doctor checked anyway, and that one has an ear infection that has blistered. He was amazed this dc wasn't screaming in agony. Nope, dc is perfectly cheerful and full of energy, as always, just a bit miffed to have a runny nose. Doctor recommends amoxicillin for 5 days, and to call in 3 if no improvement in cold symptoms (since there is no apparent ear pain). Which leads me to my questions (since I forgot to ask the doctor and since he doesn't put much stock in "anecdotal" evidence): 1. Is 5 days of amoxicillin enough to cause problems with tooth enamel development or is it the recurrent use of antibiotics that is the problem? 2. I keep reading about recurring ear infections leading to behavioral and attention issues. This child is unusually active, although attention seems fine, but since there were no obvious symptoms of ear infection this time, I suspect it's happened before and I didn't know it. I'm wondering if it's the infection that's really the problem, or is it the use of antibiotics that causes the behavioral issues?

We've bought leather a few times when we couldn't find cheap ones, and they are definitely nicer looking and more durable. A fall on the pavement doesn't gouge a huge hole in the surface, for example, like it does with vinyl. They polish up nicely. However, unless I have no options, paying $40-50 for a pair of dress shoes for a child is too much. Even a full year in them is unlikely. I've actually had pretty good finds at Goodwill, though. Let someone else pay full price for the Buster Browns or the Stride Rites, and I'll pick them up for $5 at Goodwill!

One of my dc came down with a virus a few days ago and now has a red eye. (I assume it's a virus because of the sudden onset, high fever, and tummy rash, although nasal discharge is green.) Should I assume that the red eye is viral, or should we go in to the doctor for antibiotic drops? This child is feeling fine now, except for the red eye and a little sinus drainage. We have a family event to attend this weekend, and I don't want to infect anyone with pinkeye, if this is contagious. Is it always contagious?

I got it at Sam's Club or Walmart pretty cheaply, but Amazon has it for $10.17, if those options aren't available to you. It has practice pages and timed tests for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and it starts with just a few facts at a time to help kids develop the skills they need. I found it invaluable when I needed to help one of my dc solidify and speed up math fact recall.

Well, I've never had them myself, but a friend had some. Their bedding does need to be changed frequently because it gets stinky. Sand would just get wet with urine and it would stink, too, as the ammonia level built up, as well as being wet, heavy, and hard to remove. Cedar bedding is more scoopable. I've never heard of anyone using scoopable cat litter, if that's what you meant by sand, but I suppose it could work. As they would be running around in it all the time, though, I'd be concerned they'd get some kicked up into their eyes.

For real, very opinionated, and a good marketer. I've gotten his emails for a few years, too, and I've learned to just overlook the major advertising. He does seem to think that everything is going to kill us, and that gets old. Some things are just too far out there for me to believe. However, I do find enough good in what he sends that I keep getting it. I know people who have taken their autistic children to him, and they can't say enough good about him. Their kids have improved significantly by following the advice he gave them. Seeing the difference his advice has made in their kids makes me willing to give him the benefit of any doubts I may have about him.

I bought mine used for $30, I think. It might have been $25. It's also called American History in Depth, so you might want to look under both names. When I bought it I just asked to be sure it included the History of US info. I think the woman scanned the materials or content page for me so I'd know exactly what was covered. I hope you find what you are looking for!

Stride Rite has a cheaper brand called Smart Fit. You can find them at Target and other discount retailers. They have worked well for my thick-footed dc.

Peek is right about the potential for conflict and belief clarification even among the Christian community. We are Evangelical Christians. Our extended family members consider themselves Catholic, LDS, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, and agnostic. We teach our dc what we believe, and we also teach them how our beliefs differ from others who also use the name "Christian," as well as how they differ from the other religions. They have many friends who attend other churches and no church at all, so they see the differences of belief and practice in those relationships, too. Their friendships develop because of shared interests, just like anyone else's friendships do. They are great friends with our Pagan neighbors. We don't tell our dc they can't have friends who don't share our faith, but we do encourage them to make choices based on their beliefs rather than just to go along with whatever a friend or relative says if it's contrary to our faith. I have heard them speak very respectfully to others about their faith and why they won't do certain things, and their friends have respected their choices.

Percytruffle - Thank you for the suggestion! This may be the one we go with, although I wish I could find one that's even bigger. We go through a lot of water!