Giordano's Pizza!!!! A stuffed Chicago style pizza from there is about 26 dollars or so but you can only eat one piece each it so delicious and filling (read: lots of cheese - YUM)! It is the only place we eat off property on vacation there. LAKE BUENA VISTA DISNEY AREA 12151 S. APOPKA VINELAND RD LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL 32836 (407) 239-8900 FAX: (407) 239-8945 ORLANDO UNIVERSAL STUDIOS AREA 6203 W. SAND LAKE ROAD ORLANDO, FL 32819 (407)377-0022 KISSIMMEE / CELEBRATION 7866 W. IRLO BRONSON HWY KISSIMMEE, FL 34747 (407) 397-0044 FAX: (407) 397-0042

I definitely agree the rec center is a great place to get your feet wet so I think I am leaning towards 6 week sessions. There is a community center the suburb over that does 4, 4 week sessions and offers a 10% discount if you sign up for all four at the beginning of the Fall/Winter period. I thought that was an interesting idea as well. Any more thoughts? This is very helpful to me as my kids are still little and we haven't done any activities yet.

I am going to offer some dance classes for ages 6-18 (not all together) at our local community center. Community centers generally run classes in "sessions." Would you want A. 4 sessions of 4 weeks for $45 B. 3 sessions of 6 weeks for $60 C. 2 sessions of 8 weeks for $90 Obviously the price is the same but do parents have a preference for payment and/or commitment? I would want them to see some progress throughout a session but also think most people get that 4 weeks wouldn't turn your child into any kind of dancer and you would need to take the sessions continually to see results - yes? Thanks for any input.

The quality of your EI services varies WIDELY in my opinion based on your state, county, and program. Unfortunately we had the same experience as you. My twins qualified immediately but then had to wait almost 6 months before a therapist opened up for them to work with. The specialist that came before that was only required to take a certain number of childhood development units ie: didn't have a bachelors. She spent most of her time giving me advice about how to spend time with my kids, reading to them etc... stuff that involved parents already do. We were lucky enough to have health insurance that covered therapy so we paid for private therapy till the EI therapist opened up and we just weren't very impressed. We stuck with it for about 9 months before giving up. FWIW we also ditched the private therapy too because my kids started screaming bloody murder during every session and their suggestion was for me to start leaving the appointments which I didn't want to do. Ultimately, I decided to do my own research and do what I could at home and things came along for them... I don't think this would work for every kid. In your scenario I might ask to see their paperwork, ask for their specific goals and how they assess progress. I think a good therapist should be able (and willing) to explain how what they are doing is helping even if it looks like play. If they can't do that, then I might try to get a private evaluation (not sure if that is possible in your situation).

One of the best teachers I had in high school was my Government teacher my senior year. He was a brand new teacher to our school and took over for someone who had just retired and whose class had been a joke. He was the first teacher that taught me/us how to do proper citations in papers. Everyone moaned and complained about his high standards but when I started university classes I was so grateful. Without him I wouldn't have been prepared to write at a college level and was actually shocked that we hadn't learned those things before our senior year and grateful that I hadn't had the teacher who retired.

Hello - just lookin for a little help as I only have littles and I know a lot of you are also scout moms. What kind of songs do boys in the 8-10 year old set enjoy? I am doing a slide show for the cub scout banquet. I am using "life is a highway" for the pinewood derby section but just need one or two other song ideas to put along with the pictures of them at den meetings and such. Thanks for any ideas or help!!

I like this idea as well - I have 4 year old twins and one of them loves trying to pick up words to songs so I think this would work especially with him. Thank you everybody - every single post so far has something I didn't think of - anything else?

OH YES- thank you - I didn't even think of that- it would be extremely helpful!

We have a great opportunity as a friend of ours will be visiting Romania. We lived there as young adults and only returned with a minimal number of books in Romanian. This was ten years ago and we didn't imagine we would decide to teach our children the language. We are now teaching our children Romanian. I speak to them in Romanian and we have a handful of books. We use youtube to watch shows in Romanian. Otherwise the offerings on Amazon are slim to none. There is one website that offers some books and DVD's but the ordering isn't set up well for international shipping. So if all he could do was ship several boxes or possibly bring one small suitcase of stuff back - what would you suggest? I am thinking mostly books that cover many different reading levels. Maybe some DVD's? What might I not be considering?

THIS!!! I have a degree in dance education, danced all my life, and while I am certainly no phenom I started at age 8. I agree that because classes are offered for children that young, people start to believe that 8-10 years old is ancient to start developing a talent. Too bad really because then your child might miss out on finding something that they love to do.

About FHE: We try to do Monday nights but it doesn't matter - whatever works for your family. Right now we are using the Nursery Manual because those lessons are the perfect age for our kids and come with a coloring page we can photocopy :). We also try to do activites every once in awhile. For example, Dad came home late the other night, kids were tired, house was messy, lesson wasn't prepared so I decided we would just spend time together and we asked the kids what they wanted to do. We then proceeded to play "kitty cat" for the next 20 minutes and it was actually hilarious and so much fun to get involved with our kids and do exactly what they wanted to do. FHE is VERY open ended.. it's about YOUR family. I personally view it as a time to build family relationships, spend time together, and teach our kids about the Gospel. I always say that I want to teach the kids at FHE as if they aren't getting any lessons at church.

My twins were 1 lb 2 oz and 1 lb 5 oz. I would ask if they had any brain bleeds in the NICU. Mine did not - however one had some O2 issues that we were concerned about but now don't seem to affect him in the slightest. Our ongoing issues are eye checkups, and developmental delay. Currently they are "caught up" on all gross motor skills. They were significantly behind verbally but are getting closer to closing the gap. They are 4 years old. I have to say that their developmental delays don't seem to be reflective of their IQ so to speak. They still speak far behind the average 4 year old, but they are identifying colors, numbers, etc. and have already caught on to one to one correspondence in counting. BTW I am also speaking a second language with them and that could account for part of the language delay. I have a close friend who had many low birthweight babies and the only one that has more significant concerns had a grade 3 brain bleed while in the NICU.

OP Here. So we went over to the neighborhood again and my DH talked to the dog owners for about 20 minutes. They said their dogs are two labs and a "coon?" dog. They said that the dogs do bark some but should stop once they get used to us. She said that they try to keep them quiet and that they aren't always outside. She also said that if we were to hear them barking in the early morning it was probably because they were chasing a squirrel or something. She did say that they had been intentionally letting them into the backyard when people came for showings so that people would know they lived next door. She was extremely kind but to me it feels like she might have been trying to warn us in a nice way that there might be some noise issues? What do you think?

Hmmmmmm - There are two close houses that could report if the dogs bark all day all night however they do not have a neighbor on the other side. (The land on the other side is undeveloped, privately owned). I definitely feel more talked out of it than into it... it might be worth it to talk to the neighbors/dog owner just to feel like we aren't missing out. I think my gut this whole time has been what one poster said - that if I say it's the "perfect" house but... it's not really the perfect house. Our kids having a great backyard playspace is really important to us and there are other things we can live without.

I would really love some advice from dog people. We just toured the most beautiful home today and three big, loud, aggressive dogs barked at us everytime we stepped outside. The dogs are properly fenced in next door but could see us through the fence and acted VERY aggressively. The house we would by buying does not currently have a fence in the back but we would put one in for our kids to be able to play. For full disclosure we are not dog people. However, currently we rent a place with many dog owners living around us. We ocassionally hear barking but have never worried about it at all. These dogs were big and scary looking. I don't know breed so I can't say for sure what they were. They were big and dark in color. We came back to the house for a second time after our realtor had shown us a few other places (the house is empty) and I walked to the backyard to look at it one more time and one of the dogs literally made a horrible snarling sound and started barking. I jumped out of my skin. I'm getting to the question: Should we be worried? Could they possibly bark all night long? What other things should we consider or think about in regards to so many dogs being right next door? (The lot isn't huge so we are fairly close to the neighbor) FWIW: The neighbor came out while we were seeing the house, presumably because the dogs were barking. It looked like he was trying to quiet them and he gave us a friendly wave. Our realtor actually said that it's possible the house hasn't sold because of the dogs next door as she couldn't believe such a great house at a great price had been on the market so long. So - what do you think??? Are we way too worried about this or is it a serious concern? THANKS

Both my husband and I speak Romanian as a second language. I have been speaking to our 3 kids (3, 3, and 1) in Romanian part time and they understand it but speak back to me in English. I want to hire a native Romanian speaker to spend one morning a week with my children. My idea is for the "tutor" to simply come with us on an outing (the museum, park, zoo etc.) or to our home and play and interact with the kids. I want them to get interaction on a regular basis with a native speaker and think this could be a good solution. What would you offer to pay? 2 hours of time with the kids plus travel time and gas... My hope is that I can find a college student who is looking for a little extra money because their schedule might also accomodate this type of job. Thanks for the advice

Personally - yes and no. Elementary School - I was in an amazing gifted program that actually had all the identified gifted kids in one class together. All of my classroom teachers had masters degrees. We worked ahead of the curve all the time and even took the standardized test one year beyond our grade each year. I enjoyed school very much through these years. However,I don't think we got enough time for science or history and I don't see this type of gifted program running at the elementary level anymore. Seems like nowadays they do enrichment a few days a week for advanced kids instead of really letting them move forward as fast as they would be able to. Middle and High School - Very mixed bag but generally fairly easy. It always came down to the teacher. I have fond memories of a handful of classes where the teachers pushed us and demanded excellence. The majority I felt bored. My personal favorite for easiest class in high school was Biology where the teacher gave us all the questions and answers to the test beforehand. He coached a few different sports at the school and didn't seem to care about much else.

With my twins (my first children) I was scared to death by the NICU nurses to sleep with them however after just a few days both DH and I felt that it was the only way we could survive. Also, we really felt strongly that after 4 months in the hospital they needed that kind of interaction with us. I am SOOO happy we did it. We co-slept with them until they were about 6 or 7 months old and then transitioned them to their cribs. They loved it and really seemed to crave and need that kind of closeness with us. Our third child was perfectly happy sleeping tightly swaddled in a moses basket next to our bed so we let him be. ETA: Twins were nursed and our 3rd was adopted and I nursed/used a lactaid nurser simultaneously so more up and down prep for that baby.

I think either would be fine. When we adopted our son we didn't tell anyone till we brought him home and had many friends give us practical gifts of clothes and toys. We were very grateful and thought it was very kind as it is true you don't get to have people be excited for you throughout a pregnancy. I really think they will love that you are celebrating their new child any way you do it.

We ended up having to separate our twins when they moved up to toddler beds. I was really sad. I had dreamed of them co sleeping as newborns... never happened - they woke each other up. Then I dreamed of them sharing a room until they were 8 or 9 (they are boy/girl twins) and remaining close. But that was our problem - like you said... it turned into a party every night. My husband and I took turns staying outside their rooms for more than 2 weeks trying to get them to stay in their beds. Finally, exhausted as I was nursing a new baby I split them into different rooms and they immediately listened and didn't leave their beds. We do the same thing for quiet time. They each get a few books and one sits on Mommy's bed and one sits on their own bed and they are good. They simply cannot stop laughing and playing if they are together. I am still a little sad about splitting them into their own rooms but it was what worked for them. Good luck.

Wait a minute - so the nurse told you it would be covered and then you found out you had gone out of network? Sorry - this just touches a nerve with me because my husband and I just battled a huge bill when we were told by the hospital that they carried our insurance. (But they didn't) I know your bill won't be life shattering but you might want to mention the situation to the therapist / doctor - whoever is highest up and see if they will give you a discount. I just find this odd as most places always make sure they take your insurance before they let you through the door... again why we fought ours tooth and nail - (by going to the hospital president). Anyways - good luck - I'm sorry this happened to you. :glare: ETA: Oh - was it the nurse at your doctor's office or at the speech evaluation office? I guess I just find it odd either way that when you went in for the evaluation they failed to mention to you that they don't accept your insurance.

Does the cake have to be all over red? I would ice it with buttercream and then buy red fondant and decorate over the icing with red cutouts. Or just do a thick layer of buttercream with the fondant over so people can peel it off when they eat it. I am with you - I prefer icing even though fondant is so pretty.

Both my kids see an opthamologist and I was very picky about who I went with as well. I don't know what websites are good - I did a lot of leg work myself. I took the 5 opthamologists in our area that saw children, looked up where they went to school, where they did their pediatric training? fellowship? I forget what it is called, looked at how long they had been practicing and then set up an appointment with two of them. The advice I got from a family member who is an optometrist was to look for someone in the "prime" as it were of their career. We knew that our children were headed into surgeries and so he said to look for someone who has been practicing long enough that they have plenty of experience... but not so long that they have maybe become complacent. Like someone really close to retirement. Yikes! It sounds a little bad written down but I really agree that generally this is good advice. The first doctor we saw was older and seemed almost bored. He didn't answer my questions well or in any kind of detail, set us up for surgery again without much explanation and I just didn't feel like his heart was in it. The second doctor we went to was younger, had been in practice for 15 years - so still experienced, and had recently started her own practice because she didn't like the direction her last practice had been going in. (Her words). She explained everything in detail, explained why immediate surgery was necessary, and explained exactly how she planned to fix their eyes and why she used that specific method. She had gone to the most reputable medical school of the 5 doctors and also done her pediatric training at an eye center I wished I could take our kids to (out of network). We were ultimately VERY happy with her and she did 3 surgeries between our 2 kids and the results have been very good. Sorry for the long story - I guess the moral is it will take a little leg work. I would start by visiting the doctors' websites and reading their bios. Often they will list their specific specialties or interests and if you know what you are dealing with you might find someone who has lots of experience in that area. I know you need to get this done soon but I might try out a couple if you have that luxury with your insurance or life situation. I am a firm believer in doctor shopping and firing if necessary. Eyes are serious business and I hope you can get your issues resolved soon - good luck.

I agree with many others - languages are really difficult to teach but I personally feel that they are very worthwhile even if fluency is not attained. I feel that it stretches our minds like anything else we learn. I have young children so I will give an example of myself first. I studied Spanish for 5 years and feel that I am no where near conversationally proficient. I studied ASL for 3 years and I would say the same. I studied Romanian for a few months and then moved there where I was immersed for a year and a half... naturally I am proficient in Romanian. (I can get along conversationally very well... I struggle to read Romanian literature and still feel I have a limited vocabulary). Currently we are planning to homeschool (my oldest two are 3 1/2 years old) and I speak with them in Romanian and they watch Mickey Mouse clubhouse on youtube in Romanian. They understand English and Romanian but so far have only two words each in Romanian that they speak. I will be mostly making up my curriculum and plan on making at least one trip if not two to Romania before they graduate. I plan on hiring native tutors and studying Romanian all throughout their years homeschooling. I also hope to add in one other language around middle school. I really think that the hurdle of not being a native speaker of any other language shouldn't stop anyone. Tutors can be hired for supplementation, trips can be taken etc. I just think that you have to work harder to give them opportunities for real practice. This is all of course my very humble opinion as I have never studied about learning languages - simply have my personal experience with Romanian that I guess I go by.

I think the single best thing you can do for your friend is to get her on the phone / in person / whatever works best in her situation right now and ask her what she REALLY needs. People do react differently to these types of situations and so many very well meaning people are going to try to "help." However help in this scenario means something different to each person. My babies came VERY suddenly at 25 weeks. I had people calling me all day long, telling me things like, "oh well - at least you don't have to get up at night when you go home." (People really just didn't know what to say sometimes). I spent the whole day on my back after my C section calling our insurance, my principal to tell him I would need a substitute for longer etc. Finally at the end of the first day after their birth a good friend from church called. She said, "I have heard from church everything that is going on and everything that people want to do for you. However... what do YOU need right now? What can I do for you right now that will actually help you." I started crying on the spot which I hadn't really done yet. Just to know that she understood that no one really knew how I was feeling and so it would be best to ask me directly what would help most. Anyways - just my two cents... all of the other advice is great too. I agree about the bfeeding being the biggest thing at first since the baby will be 32 or 33 weeks already. She'll need to stand her ground immediately on that issue in the NICU (if she is planning on it). We did NO bottles at all. The babies had feeding tubes for feedings when I wasn't there until the last few days when I lived at the hospital and breastfed around the clock before they both came home. Baby A - started trying to b'feed at 34ish weeks but didn't get the hang of it till very close to her due date. Baby B started trying to b'feed right around his due date and had no problems at all. My experience is the same as others that it usually takes till close to their due date - but no one told me this either. I hope everything goes well for your friend... it will be a hard time.