Our advice to not only our children, but to any young adult, would be to max out your IRA contributions each year before doing anything else with your discretionary money.

Both. If DD had gone to a university/college in our state system, her Arabic would have counted for DE credit. She is at a service academy and took a validation exam prior to her freshman year, which allowed her to be placed in high level courses and obtain her minor quite quickly. If you have detailed questions, please feel free to pm me!

This is not an online option, but a good learning model suggestion -- would the college prof be available to tutor your child? That is the option we chose for dd due to similar scheduling issues, and it worked great. We met with her tutor twice a week for an hour. She completed Arabic 1 through Arabic 4 at the college level with the same prof. It was awesome.

Hi Caraway, I pm'ed you:)

Be very faithful and consistent with doing your PT. For the folks I know who have had shoulder surgery, this was the key to regaining strength and mobility. Be patient. It is a long slow process but you will get there!

Even if it was not the law, we did not allow it. It is unwise.

They are both amazing books for boys and girls. I would start with Little Women. Your boys are likely basing their opinion on the title. Forget the title and read the story :)

I have been teaching children and adults in multiple martial arts for almost a decade. It is very possible to continue working out and even make fitness gains while you are injured, if you want to. The key is focusing on what you can do and being very creative. I have no idea how an online martial arts course would work; maybe others do. I would suggest that you and your son simply make a list of the moves he is able to do in both judo, karate and gymnastics, as well as any other training conditioning exercises. Then help him create a few workouts from that list. Additionally, you can ask your doctor if he can run, walk, use a treadmill, stair climber, or the like. Alternatively, there are many gyms that allow you to join for a low fee month to month. Usually these gyms have someone who introduces you to the equipment and can help you set up a workout to suit your needs. Perhaps that might work. If he can use his lower body, there are tons of low or high impact exercises he can do provided it is ok with his doctor. It also sounds like he can use his upper body, as long as his hand is protected. So a final idea would be to search the internet for lower body workouts or upper body workouts for injury recovery. By way of encouragement, my dd broke her ankle as a competitive gymnast twice. She continued practices and spent the entire time working on strength and conditioning exercises that she could do. Yes, it was boring, especially as she watched her friends leap, tumble, jump and spin... but she was disciplined and stuck with it. When she recovered fully, she discovered she had made great strength strides while injured that translated into increased skill levels. This has also worked for me in the case of several different injuries, including a broken nose...which is really hard to find workable exercises for 😉 The best to you and your ds!

LaSalle University Villanova

Please pm me with any questions. Lots of experience there.

I would definitely check for food allergies. I know someone whose child was like this and it made a huge difference once the food allergies were discovered and dealt with.

And he should start reading the AFA thread on Service Academy Forums. Searching past threads will give him and you a ton of helpful info.

Hi Janeway, I am a mama of two current USAFA cadets – ds is a senior, dd is a sophomore. USAFA is a challenging but AMAZING journey. I would suggest the following ideas: - If any communication or correspondence needs to occur with USAFA, DODMERB etc. from this point forward, your ds should handle all that communication, not you. USAFA will be watching to see what prospective candidates handle their own stuff versus who has their parents handle it. This is very important to remember. - Not everyone who receives an appointment to USAFA has absolutely stellar grades. SAT and ACT scores are important in that you must meet the thresholds. However, both my dc have repeatedly said they know cadets who had qualifying SATs, and GPAs in the low 3's -- because of their other qualifications, which were impressive, they got in. Every year, there are applicants who seem like they “have it all” who do not receive an appointment, and there are likewise applicants who seem not as “strong overall” who do receive appointments. Remember that in making appointment decisions each year, USAFA is balancing a lot of factors. It isn't really useful to try to guess who will receive an appointment and who will not. - Yes, he absolutely should take both Chemistry and Physics in high school. As part of the core requirements at USAFA, all cadets must take both of challenging classes in these subjects. Even English majors! I am not sure his application would go very far if he doesn't take Chemistry and Physics in high school. - Sit down with your ds and review ALL the USAFA application info that is readily available online. Make sure he has a realistic picture of how demanding the nomination and application processes are. Much attention needs to be paid to deadlines and details, and for good reason – it is the first part of the screening process to see who has what it takes to succeed at USAFA and who does not. If he does try to go for it, it needs to be his dream and he needs to be the driving force behind it. I would never discourage a student from applying to a service academy unless they were incapable of achieving an unweighted GPA at 3.0 or above, they had an obvious disqualifying medical condition, or their standardized test scores were no where near the required thresholds. - Don't forget to review the physical requirements of the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA), which is also a required component in the application process. I would guess he should be able to achieve success in the CFA if he worked at it, given that he is an athlete in dance. He certainly has time to train. - Varsity sports are great but not required. However, high levels of physical fitness and formal demonstration of that in some way are really important. Neither of my dc had “varsity sports.” Both of my dc were accomplished martial artists and very competitive in tennis and gymnastics. - In past years, the application process has focused especially on classes/activities in 10th-12th grades. GPA is looked at for all four years. Your ds has plenty of time to enhance his activities and leadership. One of my dc made the decision to try for USAFA following their sophomore year of high school. It is harder when the decision is made by the student later, but it is not impossible. - Yes to backup plans as well. This goes for any student applying anywhere. - Community service and volunteering are wonderful ways to demonstrate a focus beyond one's self and make a significant difference in others lives. (“Service before self”) - Foreign languages – a great chance to really distinguish oneself. Both of my dc had very difficult languages and had taken several college classes in them via DE/paid tutoring. This is not a necessary requirement but it doesn't hurt. Look into StarTalk summer programs that are federally funded. - Uniqueness – This is a followup idea regarding the suggestion on foreign languages. One of the things my dc concentrated on was excelling in something that was really unique. For both dc, it turned out to be their foreign languages. During their freshman semesters at USAFA, they discovered that they were each one of less than 5-10 applicants for their class year who had excelled at their languages. Placement tests put them into junior level USAFA classes as a freshman. They both think this was definitely a factor in their appointments. But it doesn't have to be a language. A student could start a business, for example. Cadets do have interesting and varied backgrounds. Many have done a wide range of unique things that differentiated them from the rest of the pack in the application process. Perhaps your ds could offer volunteer dance classes for needy kids in the community on an ongoing basis, or maybe during the summers. Think out of the box ideas that demonstrate: “Integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do.” Those words are emblazoned on a wall that cadets walk past pretty much every day. His other activities sound really good, especially since he is in 9th grade~he should continue those. Continuity of focused activities is important. Not as wise to try to do 115 totally unrelated things. :) If you or your ds have any more questions, please feel free to pm me. Hope this helps!

Sounds like she has a great plan. I would be supportive! I would make sure she thinks through how to pay for her apartment. I had to commute to college because living there was not a financial possibility. It worked out just fine for me. Gently and kindly...don't create a "problem" based on a notion of "living at school." Many students find it is not all that it is cracked up to be.

From reading this thread, it seems like your ds's health issues may warrant you discussing this with the teacher. At the same time, I would suggest helping your child to realize that there are times when you need to learn to go a longer time before using the bathroom. You can't just get up during the SAT and go whenever you want to go even if nature calls. You sometimes have to hold it if you are driving a car or stuck in traffic. If you are on a plane with serious turbulence, you may not just get up and go to the restroom. So I agree that while we don't want to have our children do something physically harmful, at age 14 one can learn to hold it for a bit when it is not optional to go. Hopefully, that doesn't happen often. When he goes to college, he will be able to go to the bathroom whenever he likes. However, make sure he realizes that professors won't "stop the class" for him.

Congratulations! :)

Hmmmm...that is a REALLY high price tag for a program with such 50,000 foot goals. Personally, we would never have paid that type of money for a "leadership" program. Another idea is to have her look into the myriad of Startalk foreign language summer programs. Many of them are completely funded, or if there is a cost, it is minimal. That experience provides the same types of benefits and kids come away having acquired new language skills, and maybe a new language passion to pursue. In most cases, you do not need any background in the foreign language to apply. We have quite a bit of experience with Startalk, and it was amazing! DS was invited back in a subsequent year to be a peer tutor as well. Both kids got a lot of benefits, including leadership and contacts, from the programs, at minimal cost to us. Just another idea!

One more thing - DH or I ALWAYS did a "snake check" in and around all the play areas/yard prior to the kids going out to play. As dc got older, I taught them how to do it. And I reminded them every time. Yes, on several occasions, we did find a snake.

Here are some things we did in our FL yard when our children were the ages of yours: Durable playset DH built, including "treehouse" with triangular tarp roof, climbing wall and two climbing ropes tethered at the top and bottom, slide, swings, trapeze. Daisy swing on rope hanging from large strong tree branch. We also did the zipline thing for a short time. Wading pool (small kind) at bottom of slide for fun landings. Grew a "teepee" of foliage using climbing greenery. Made a teepee shaped wire structure for plant to grow up and put little stepping stones inside for them to sit on. This was a huge hit. When they were really little and it was very hot out, but I still wanted them to get fresh air, I had them play on our screened lanai (no pool here) with pitchers and buckets of water, plastic kitchen utensils and the like. My job was to refill the water as it was used up. Fun memories!

mom2scouts, I pm'ed you. Hope it helps!

DS did Chinese 1 and 2 (Mandarin) thru FLVS (Florida Virtual School). The summer after Chinese 1, he was one of a dozen kids in the state to be selected to go to China for two weeks. (This was a program his FLVS Chinese 1 teacher suggested he apply for). Subsequently, he participated in two immersion programs during summers (via Startalk), and did Chinese 3 and 4 via DE. He is now a senior at a service academy and was fortunate to be able to spend a semester in China during his undergrad tenure. Many people bash FLVS, but for both ds and dd, the strategic/transitional use of it for two years (9th and 10th) opened incredible doors for their futures that would not have been available had it not been for the people and experiences they encountered via FLVS. Like anything in life, you get out of it what you put into it. FLVS courses are open to you whether or not you are a FL resident. Non residents have a tuition cost. HTH!

For me personally, all grains seem to be problematic...even the "good ones" you mentioned. I know some folks would say that is crazy talk, but I have found it to be true for my particular biochemistry. I just know those foods don't work in my body. I love the foods I do eat, and my doctor recently told me my "physical age" is much younger than my actual age, so I guess it has worked well for me. LOL on the ice cream. My favorite food in the world. Yes, once in a while I indulge, but I know I will pay for it, so if I decide to go for it, I thoroughly enjoy it and then put up with the aches and pains for a couple of days. :) Yup, sorry to say it but in the past 3-5 years, rest for me means no walking. I used to call my walking days "rest days." But I have FORCED myself to take complete rest days which means I do not exercise. At all. I do my little 5 minute stretch in the morning and that is it. I fully understand how difficult this is! On those days, I try to have other stuff to keep me busy during the time I'd usually be exercising and that is helpful. Feel better, Sue!

One more thought - McDavid makes great support braces for most joints. Usually they offer braces in a variety of support "levels." For my knees in particular, I have found their support braces super helpful in reducing lateral wear and tear on my knees. I don't use them all the time or for all exercise activities, but if my knees seem to be bothering me, wearing them helps a lot for martial arts and long walks. No pain then afterward. And it sounds like you don't do high impact exercising any more, but just in case you do, reducing/eliminating that may help as well.

Hi Sue - It sounds like you have a great overall exercise routine. You are getting some great advice here! Some other thoughts to consider that have helped me quite a bit. - The psoas muscle (pronounced "soaz") is worth googling to understand how it works and what it does. As well as its partner, the iliacus muscle. Together they are called the "iliopsoas," and represent the primary core muscle group in our body, connecting the top half of us to our bottom half :) Many types of exercise "close up" the front of our bodies--tightening our psoas amd putting strain on hips/sacrum/lower back. These exercises include walking, biking, running, and anything that creates the position of a "crunch" or involves repetitively lifting the leg (walking does this). When that happens, it can manifest itself as low back or hip pain. I use the foam roller on the front of my psoas at least a couple of times a week, especially after long walks and teaching martial arts. Loosening that up may help. There are a variety of videos online that you can google to show you how to do this; it does look rather, um, interesting, when I do this, and massage therapists are usually not able to get that front area well due to "privacy" issues. These muscles are also the largest group in the "hip flexor" muscles at the front of the hip where your leg meets your body. They also help to rotate the leg outward laterally. - Rest days. I do not like taking them but am seeing the value of them now. Sometimes 1-2 days off (or even more) may be just the ticket. - Avoiding sugar and grains has made a huge difference in how my body feels and functions. I know it is not for everyone, but avoiding these foods apparently decreases soft tissue inflammation throughout my body. Huge difference. - Chiropractor - keep up with this~mine has made a big difference in how I feel overall and athletically. Have your chiro check to make sure your sacrum is properly aligned. I can now tell when mine pops out and can usually get it back by myself. Whenever it goes out of alignment, I experience low back pain/pulling on one side. Hope these thoughts are helpful!

My dd did not want to miss DE college classes to take the PSAT, so we worked with NMSC directly and received a waiver so that her SAT scores (SAT was on a Saturday so she didn't miss class) were used in lieu of PSAT scores for NM purposes. You have to call them directly, have a real, document-able conflict, and fill out the appropriate request forms. It is not a given. They look at all the factors and then say yes or no.