Momof3littles
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Posts posted by Momof3littles
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My oldest had a cavity that we noticed around 15 months. He had it filled. It was not particularly pleasant, but I think that was partly due to the pedi dentist we were working with, TBH. If it makes you feel any better, he has not had a cavity since, and he's 10. Knock on wood!
We addressed it going forward with xylitol (mints, toothpaste, etc.) used several times a day. Treat the whole family, because cavities are caused by strep mutans bacteria. Sharing utensils, kissing on the mouth, sharing food, etc. can spread the bacteria, so most experts recommend addressing the whole family. There was a yahoo group that was helpful at the time called veryyoungkidsteeth or similar. You can look at the data on pubmed that supports xylitol use in kids to prevent cavities. The key is you need multiple exposures per day.
The other thing is to avoid sticky carbs like crackers, pretzels, cheerios, etc. especially without brushing as much as possible going forward. Those sticky carbs are considered more problematic than things like chocolate because they are just so prone to sticking to teeth, and then the bacteria feed off of that and emit acid, causing decay.
There are also remineralizing toothpastes that may be an option going forward.
edited to add that we continued with night nursing, but tried to wipe down with xylitol infant tooth gel after feedings. Not easy, but we managed. And while we had good hygiene for him before the decay, we really made sure everything was SUPER clean before bed and night nursing. He went on to night nurse for many more months without additional decay. My other kids night nursed without any decay.
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OP, do you have links to other resources? Just wondering if that would be helpful or if you have that covered. No shame in convenience from time to time, I totally get it. I just don't know where you are in your journey, and am wondering if you would like some links to LC recipe sources, freezer friendly meals, recipes. etc.
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I eat LC for similar reasons. I haven't tried the atkins meals. I have a lot of quick dinner things I can make in 15-30 mins max, and I freeze a lot, so that's generally what I rely upon.
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The Good Wife
Is Parenthood coming back?
Downton Abbey
Big Bang
Scandal, maybe? I liked the first season, but after that, not so much.
I stopped watching Castle partway through the season last year, so need to catch up.
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I don't think confidence has anything to do with it. If you're doing something contrary to most of society, you're going to be questioned. Period.
Last fall I got into a debate with the head guidance counsellor at the local high school over homeschooling. I was there to sign up for the PSAT, and wanted information about their AP exams. He couldn't see how anybody could possibly do it competently all the way through. So I pulled out all the stops. I gave him my credentials and told him my DC's test scores including my oldest's PSAT from the previous year. We went on for awhile with all the examples he had seen of homeschooling going astray, and I kept telling him how we did things differently. He finally told me that I apparently know what I am doing, but that things are different from his chair as one who admits homeschooled kids into public high school. OK, I bought that and moved on. But I never felt harassed. It was just a debate from two viewpoints.
The part I find difficult is that in a tightly regulated state where we deal with our local SDs, it can be difficult for people to not feel harassed to a degree when those in authority overstep. And every SD has its own culture toward HSers, their own requests, their own little nuances that often go outside of the law. Most of the time it goes fine for families, but plenty of SDs do overreach and ask for things outside of the law.
I am not a shrinking violet, feel confident I know the law, am certain we follow it. I would feel confident enough cite the law and push back if extralegal requests were made of me. I don't feel the need to join HSLDA, as I'm quite sure 99.9% of what would ever crop up I could deal with on my own. My family has the resources to retain a lawyer in the really off chance we couldn't resolve an issue on our own and we know we are compliant with the law. But, school districts really vary in their quirks. Some are very friendly toward HSers, some demand meetings with the superintendent annually, despite it not being a requirement at all. Some demand portfolios be submitted in a certain format, in a certain size binder, etc. even though that's not at all in the law. Yes, most of that is piddly nuisance stuff and they can be set straight, but when someone who does have a degree of authority over things makes your life more difficult by making requests or demands outside of the law, it can feel like harassment, particularly for a family who doesn't have the resources to hire a lawyer or doesn't feel confident pushing back. I have not encountered major issues with my local SD, other than they have avoided my requests for info about extracurriculars (which we may participate in according to our state law). They also are known to lose paperwork pretty often, which has happened to me as well as other HSers I know in my district. However, every year around this time as ports are returned, etc. stories pop up on the local HS lists, and also when affidavits, etc. are submitted in the beginning of the year. I can see why some people perceive that as harassment, because the SD does have some level of authority, and for some people that is intimidating, even if they know the law and are doing everything in accordance with the law.
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PMd you, but looks like maybe no longer necessary.
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I definitely disagree that one must not be confident, if people are commenting or questioning. I am one of the most confident people you will meet, but I most certainly have been on the receiving end of harsh questions or comments. If they are rude, then I am rude right back because that is how I roll. Hopefully, they will think twice before commenting negatively to the next homeschooler they encounter.
Totally agree.
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I would go the medical route for several reasons. So PCP, referral to PT, orthopedist if necessary. The other insurance should be paying if you were rear ended. Get any pain, etc. into your regular medical charts.
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Back to add that we moved into an neighborhood where we have a set of long time friends. When we moved in, they were careful to caution us that the school secretary lives diagonally across the street, as if we were doing something illegal ;) In their defense, our friends are from Germany, so HSing is really odd to them :)
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Hmmm, not harassed, but I've suddenly gotten the cold shoulder in a conversation that was previously going well. It has sometimes left me surprised at the sudden turn in the conversation. I am better at buffering that or redirecting now, but I have definitely felt negativity. I have had a conversation or two suddenly turn into an interrogation, and I'm not talking about well-meaning curiosity. People automatically assume things like we HS for religious reasons, for example,and then instantly paint us into a box they have in their mind. When I lived in a state with a large % of HSers, people rarely seemed surprised. I also once had a good friend who was a teacher tell me I would ruin my children's lives if I homeschooled. She now homeschools her kids and we are good friends to this day :)
I have gotten a lot of positive comments too, and I've seen an uptick in that in the last few years. Maybe people are starting to understand that there is more diversity than their once was, and some HS stereotypes are being overturned?, or they are frustrated by what they are seeing in PS. I don't know. I feel like people have been more open-minded about it in the last 2-3 years. I've had teachers and former teachers comment positively more often than I recall in the past.
I also live in a tightly regulated state, and it can be frustrating, because SDs overstep pretty regularly with their opinions vs. the law. Even if you know you are in the clear, following the law, etc. there is a certain amount of stress in knowing someone else's opinion can make your life more difficult. That isn't harassment, but it does add a layer of stress IMO. And you can be HSing in a district that handles things well, and then there's a personnel change that suddenly results in new demands and overreach. It isn't a huge deal, but it can be stressful knowing you may have to stick up for your rights and push back.
But harassed? No, I wouldn't say that.
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We've had some weird ones. One that stands out was when we had two full price offers on our home. Our agent, who was very experienced, sat on the board of realtors, etc of course suggested taking the cash deal, full priced offer. He did not have us run the two full priced offers against one another. So we get to closing, and the "cash" buyer does not have her money. She needs a check from the bank, and she's mortgaging also. They ask *our* agent to drive to her bank to get the check???? Our agent remained cool but firm in the closing. THe drive was 45 mins without traffic, and this was all happening at like 3-4 pm on a Friday. Traffic was going to be an hour plus. We had a 15 month old, our dog loaded in the car, and we were literally heading out of state for our move. Finally their agent agreed to go. I had to entertain my 15 month old outside for a looooong time. It was insane. They also had offered that we could give the seller a key, but "close" via fax. etc. long distance the following Monday. Um, no. No $$, no key! Seriously! Once everything closed, our agent was on the phone to the different boards, etc. filing complaints about the buyer's realtor. He also had them waive all inspections on our home (no known problems, relatively new house) because he told them there would be an "inspection" by the town. Well there was, but that was the type that is solely for major code violations, etc. and not a thorough inspection like you typically do. So he kind of screwed his buyers there too. Fortunately we knew of no issues at all with that house, but had there been some, they would have been hosed by his ridiculous advice. That one was fun. I learned to NEVER close on a Friday. Ever. And not in the late afternoon on Friday for sure.
The cash deal with no inspection certainly had us sweating at closing!
Interesting on closing, as we've always been there with both parties present, other than one house where it was long distance faxes and such with the seller's agent filling in.
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Rosemary marcona almonds if you like rosemary
plantain chips
freeze dried fruit
nut butters
if you want something sweet, Joe Joes or cookie butter
seaweed snacks
canned organic beans are pretty cheap there (about half the price per can as Eden)
tortilla chips
crackers
dunkers (looks like biscotti, chocolate dipped)
butter almond thins
pumpkin butter (wasn't out when I was there recently but should be out soon I would assume?)
mixes like choc chip scones, berry scones, banana bread, etc. I use these for tea time treats for the kids sometimes
If you drink wine and he's shopping in a state where TJs can sell it, there are some great bargains. Some love "two buck chuck" which is now really about $3. I like the chardonnay as much as any 10-20 dollar bottle, which isn't to say it is the best of the best, but I like it better than many $20 bottles I've had. Prosecco, malbec, etc. all for a decent price too (although not in the $3 range)
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Our current meetup group is very active, anyone can post an event, so it is often simple stuff like we'll be at X park on Thursday. Every week there are events like bowling, laser tag, roller skating, hiking, tour a local business, you name it.
Another thing would be to feel out local businesses eventually and see if they'll offer you a slot when they normally wouldn't have many clients. They may agree to a discount for lessons, etc for local HSers as a result. In the last state we lived, there was a big HS community, so there were discounted riding lessons, art lessons, all kinds of things for HSers because it was beneficial for both HSers and business owners, who could now expand their hrs to outside of school hrs. Locally we have a smaller HS community in comparison, but I know there has been HS rollerskating, martial arts, etc. If you can get some people meeting up, talk to them about whether they have any interest in doing some of these things. Down the road, maybe call some local businesses and see if they would be interested in meeting. I have unfortunately seen situations where many in the HS community kind of commit and then "flake out" on things like this, so that's one point to consider. Sometimes you have to sort of help forge the HS community in your area. I know we had some groups, but nothing that was spectacular. Then there was kind of a spin off group that formed and is now very, very active and inclusive, so it is great.
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Check meetup, yahoo groups, facebook, etc for local groups in your area. It has taken us some time to find more active, inclusive groups, but we've found them.
We've been part of a very small academic co-op for 4 yrs now. We formed it with some friends and friends of friends. 4-5 families, we set the curriculum ourselves, and it works well for us.
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Travel
Private tutors
Help from a nanny ;)
Private Montessori or Waldorf teacher for my youngest to keep him busy ;)
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Eldest got the most time and attention to cultivate his talent I think. He's a perfectionist, which can be grueling.
My 2nd child has benefited from the trickle down. Her strengths are different than her brother's. She is less perfectionistic overall, which is a relief, but she still has her moments. She's been exposed to things like MCT's poetry lessons and grammar from an earlier age, so the trickle down effect there has been pretty impressive. My oldest child has been able to catch onto most things very quickly, but we didn't delve into material like MCT's LA program until he was in third, whereas my DD has been listening and asking questions about it from overhearing, etc by first grade.
My 3rd (almost 4.5) gets much less one on one, but is benefiting from the read alouds, hearing the kids do their memory work, etc. At 3 he was reciting stanzas from The Charge of the Light Brigade, but I've spent less time with him on direct phonics instruction. He's just starting to read, whereas my other two were a little further ahead on reading by this age. He gets less one on one, and would probably be where they were at his age if he got more one on one. On the bright side, he definitely benefits from being immersed in their world. He loves to repeat the older kids' memory work and poems, which is very cute I must say :)
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Agree also that this process happens with HSers as well.
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One of my high school teachers is an opponent of charter schools. His reasoning is that the children who most need the help don't go there because their parents don't bother to apply. The better students leave the poorer-performing schools, and that brings everyone else down. It's one of the arguments against homeschooling too.
Still working my way through this thread, but I've seen this with public non charter schools as well. Where we lived several years ago, there was a year round school within the district. It did not offer public transportation. As a result, you had to elect to attend there vs your regular neighborhood school, and they prioritized families with siblings already in the school. I am not sure if it operated by lottery beyond that or how the spots were allotted otherwise. It was the highest performing elementary within that SD, primarily because the families skewed more affluent. They were able to accommodate the need for transportation, the year-round schedule, etc. and since you had to apply or pursue it via lottery (whatever method they used), it was a self-selected group. From that school's grounds, you could literally see the lowest performing school within the district, which skewed much lower socioeconomically.
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Holding you in my thoughts and hoping that you can receive answers that get him on the track to management and recovery.
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I think this is a good insight into your own thinking. The issues other than the blood glucose are much more worrying, and there is no reason yet to think they are related. While somewhat elevated bg's are concerning, they are not urgent. Perhaps keeping bg issues on the back burner until some of the other symptoms are addressed makes sense. Big hugs to you.
I think this is wise advice.
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I'd see a specialist.
I have PCOS, and am therefore insulin resistant to a degree. As a high schooler, I barely crossed the 100 lb mark. I was a long distance runner and had irregular cycles chalked up to the miles I put in and low body fat. Years later, looking back, I had PCOS even then, but was not diagnosed. As an adult, my BMI is around 21, so not overweight. I am still at risk of diabetes, take metformin to help with my cycles, and eat lower carb with a lot of paleo influence. Healthy fats are great for getting enough calories in. Avocado, full fat dairy (unsweetened greek yogurt), coconut milk, etc.
I'm not suggesting PCOS, but yes, thin, active people can still be at risk of diabetes and the like.
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In terms of "requiring," when we lived in NC my kids were too young to report info to the state, but they sent out letters about optional meetings where representatives from the state would meet with HSers at the local police departments. You were encouraged to bring your curriculum. These were not legally required. Some of the local HS groups encouraged their members to comply with this request for fear if people didn't, the regs would get tighter. Other groups suggested tossing the letter in the trash, as complying with requests beyond the law comes with its own set of possible risks in terms of expectations and legislation.
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As someone living in a state that is highly regulated already but does not require meeting with district officials, I would not attend. In my state, districts notoriously overstep and request things they are not entitled to, like proof of things like a parent having a diploma, which is already attested to in the required affidavit. In the past they have asked people to meet with the superintendent, or bring their curriculum in, or will try to require ports be submitted in a certain size binder, none of which is required. Sometimes districts invent their own forms and will attempt to mandate HSers fill them out. As a result, I would suspect that at this orientation, required or not, there is a decent likelihood that info will be disseminated that may be the district's opinion vs the law, and that would bother me. I would not attend. I would encourage the local HSers to form their own support network, and would encourage newbie HSers to reach out to experienced HSers in the area.
I don't want mentorship from my school district. I don't desire to recreate school at home. I would be concerned people in your district will be fed opinions from the SD about what HS should look like, and that may provoke unnecessary anxiety or be discouraging. Or the district may just invent some more official requirements on their end.
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A friend of mine who was a director of research in the UK for a very large chemical/consumer goods company disclosed to me that the company built a laboratory facility in China, where they provided dormitory rooms and all meals for no charge, and they worked around the clock for $12,000/year. These were chemists with PhD's. Americans and Bristish citizens cannot compete with that.
And in certain instances, similar things are happening where various phases of development, etc. are outsourced to contracted companies, thereby reducing some of the larger company's liability and obligations to employees.
Pharma sales is another big area where the push to contracted employees is happening, at a lower salary and with a reduction or elimination of long term obligations like pension, 401 match, etc. edited to add: and again, it reduces liability for the major pharma company to contract out sales staff.
Quality (and appropriate) literature for a 6yo with a higher reading level?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
TumTum and Nutmeg