Big hugs. You've had so much on your plate lately...

Neither my dh or I have a degree. I worked through high school for a convention company as a dancer. I had enough credits to graduate early, however my parents felt like I should stay and walk with my class (I was already a year younger because I was allowed to start K at 4 for some reason). As soon as I graduated, I worked full time as a dancer. I traveled to other countries and all around the U.S. I did live shows at a theme park. It was fun. When I got married and we decided to have kids, that was the end of dancing, and then I was a full time mom. Dh was a competitive gymnast. Got into college on a scholarship. Decided to quit and go work instead, doing a live action stunt show. Travelled Europe for about a year doing that. Came back to the U.S. and worked at a live show at a theme park for nearly 15 years. He now does stunts for the film/TV industry. My mom doesn't have her degree. She worked at a school for teen mommies for 15 years. She started as a daycare worker and eventually came to run the daycare side. When she quit it was to become a full time nanny. She's been doing that ever since, 10 years. I believe in a rigorous education for my kids that will prepare them for college if that is what they choose to do. I do not, however, believe it is something everyone must have in order to live a fulfilled and financially stable life. I don't know what qualifies as lower/middle/upper class lifestyle, but we are comfortable, can afford our bills, have some savings (well, home improvement projects gone awry drained that this month!) and lots of 'luxury' things-classes for the kids, a nice grocery budget, eating out, ect. I am frugal because I enjoy that-I buy used when I can and wait for sales if I can't find it used...but if I see a pair of shoes I really want (realistically it would be more along the lines of curriculum or books and not shoes lol) I can buy it without worrying.

Whew. I feel better. Dh thinks she is entirely too young, so I was second guessing myself. I have always told her that she is welcome to come to us and it's what I want her to do if she ever has any questions or wants to know something. That is why I told her tonight, she DID come to me, and I felt like I had to make good on my offer. I asked if she had anything else she wanted to know, and she asked a lot about whether it hurt, menstral cycles, and finally childbirth and that process. She wants to watch a childbirth video, which I'm fine with. I did tell her this is something kids talk to only their parents about, and not to discuss with friends, which she understood. We touched a little on this being an adult activity and that it isn't something that children do...we've had the good touch/bad touch talk before, but it was a good time for a refresher. She is my very mature, pensive kid and I think she handled it fine...

My 7.5 year old asked today. I told her, very clinically what happens and then quickly moved on. She's asked several times and I had told her she was too young, but I figured it was better coming from me than her getting mixed info from a friend or some crazy notion she thought up...did I just scar her???

I parallel parked my dhs huge diesel truck on a hill in a cul de sac today. I felt like superwoman. 😜

Thank you for that positive feedback! Is there a website or book you would recommend for a person just starting and trying to understand the methods? I'll admit that the documentary I watched on it seemed...so cold. I don't know, can't explain it well. I have no problem with rewarding sometimes, that wasn't even it. It was the lack of warmth from the therapists I guess. Which is why I wondered if it can vary from person to person or if that was a part of the actual methodology.

I'll admit, I have some big concerns about it. It does not jibe with my general parenting style. At all. I'm considering taking dd to get evaluated at a highly recommended place that offers ABA therapy in addition to PT/OT and social therapy. I was really excited about it because in all other ways it seems perfect-it's close, there is a team of therapists working together, the parent who highly recommended it has a dd that has many of the same issues my dd has, ect. The other place is an hour away, has a 6 month wait list, and generally deal with typically presenting, more severe cases. Is there freedom, when using the ABA method, between individual therapists? im wondering what to do at this point, make the phone call and go see or just go with the other location first...thanks in advance for any insight.

Our older two kids have 30 minutes of fun screen time before bed. They do not have access to the Internet, and need to ask before they watch any new shows on Netflix. They may read on their kindle app or listen to audible/storyline online/ect during the day if their chores, school, and personal responsibilities are done. On Saturday we have 'Saturday Screen Day' where they can watch during the day some. Generally we are busy doing fun stuff on Saturday (wink wink) so they rarely watch for too long. We currently do not use any apps for educational purposes...I just don't generally remember and I'm not organized enough to keep track of what they are doing in each level. They have educational games available to them, I just don't count that for school. Our kids are 10, 7, and 4.

Yes!!! We love love them. Both dh and I have them in our vehicles. They have made a HUGE difference in how clean the carpets stay. Well worth the $

Totally depends on your kids...mine are generally not responsive to mom-directed activities. Lap books, science experiments, history projects...ect. Don't get me wrong, they DO them, they just prefer to come up with and execute their own ideas. As for the lap books, we tried. They look so cute, so fun, so entertaining. Sigh. Here was the reality (for us anyway). My oldest, who is writing phobic, felt overwhelmed at all the little booklets she was expected to write/fill in. Often, there was either way too many lines, leading to 'fillers', or way too few, leading to one word answers. Writing things down, regardless of how cute the cut out/fold was, did NOT help her retain a thing. Then came my younger two. While the lap books I selected were age appropriate for their ages (things like Cat in the Hat or Little House), they weren't able to actually cut, fold, or fill in the answers...meaning I sat there cutting, folding, and glueing while they got bored and ran off. 😕 Also, no retention from them. Basically, it created more work for me, and they got nothing or very little out of them. 😔 I tried, I really did. And I bought a ton of different ones. They look great! And I love that they become a cute little keepsake. However, for us, they don't work well.

I used to...because in my line of work and social/church circles back then, everyone was extroverted. Or rather extroverted qualities were praised more, and introverted qualities were spoken badly about. After researching introversion and personality types, I don't feel there is anything wrong with me, but I am still hypersensitive to accidentally offending those around me, coming off as aloof or snobby, and I do at times do things out of my comfort zone for the sake of those extroverted people I love. I have not managed to make taking care of myself a priority. If I am honest, I need hours alone. Everyday. But that feels selfish. And it looks selfish to others. And they don't understand it and feel I'm being weird or antisocial. Sigh.

Yes. All the time.

Gentle hugs💔

I wouldn't leave him unattended with them at all with what you've shared.

Yes for me, and yes for my kids, by about age 3. They would have kept flipping onto their backs to float (they were taught not to tread for longer than a few seconds to get their bearings. Treading water is very tiring, so they were told to tread and get themselves oriented, then swim/float toward an exit) if in the middle of a pool/lake, but they could have done that for a while.

Yes. I am not particularly sentimental about it, but dh didn't want to get rid of it when we moved. I had stuck it in a closet and never taken it back out, so I didn't see the point in keeping it if we could donate it. He, unbeknownst to me, took it to a tailor and had it cut shorter and taken in a bit, and then gave it to our girls for Christmas as a dress up dress. â¤ï¸ It is still the preferred costume for dd4.

In the morning, sitting by the big kitchen windows and watching all manner of critters in the woods. Deer, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, the red Cardinal couple. All while drinking my coffee. Mucking the stalls and spreading nice, clean shavings in them. Watching the girls play together-big dd spray painted little dads hair blue, middle dd gave her a make over, seeing how excited they get when they have 'sleep overs' with each other. When one of us takes one on a 'date' they always insist on bringing home a little gift for the two that are home. They can be so sweet and loving. Waking up with dh, two little dogs, and any combination of kids in my bed. Having those 'big girl' conversations with my older dd (10). It's kind of bittersweet, because she's growing up and all, but I am really loving listening to her heart. Stopping to give the homeless man some food and a gift card/money and seeing my middle dd (7) well up with tears and beg to do it more often. Seeing my littlest dd (4) stopping and calming herself by taking deep breaths. We've had quite a rough patch the past two years, and are seeking evaluations for her. It so often breaks my heart when she has a hard time, but more and more, I see her really growing in this area, and that just makes me so very happy for her.

We all learned to kayak! Also, we all learned a lot on nutrition, mostly because of my research for dd3. There was a lot of animal identification opportunities around the property. Specifically venomous/non-venomous snakes. We found three copperheads in our garden beds.😳 We held a summer science club and all learned a lot about engineering. 10 year old dd did a lot of research on small business, budgeting, and marketing. She has saved her money for the start up costs of her own small business. She also made a ton of progress in gymnastics. 7 year old dd made huge progress with reading and horseback riding. She is still a bit apprehensive when riding, but her confidence in groundwork has really improved. Both older girls learned a bit of woodworking with dh-wood burning, carving, and how to turn pens on a lathe. 4 year old dd advanced in her swimming skills. She can now dive down to the bottom of the pool at 4 feet and do handstands in the water. I am learning to horseback ride. I read a lot on ASD and SPD. I have really enjoyed summer this year. We have had lots of fun together, and I'm learning to let the little things go and truly savor these precious moments with my kids. Almost too much...I have no desire to get back to the grind of the school year. ðŸ˜

I have never laughed so hard as the time I went tubing. And my shorts were almost lost at the bottom of the lake as well. 😳 I was so sore the next few days...be ready lol. My 'out of comfort zone' thing lately is I've started taking horseback riding lessons. It's something I've wanted to do since childhood. I absolutely love horses, but they make me a little nervous because I'm not always sure what their behavior means. I'm getting more comfortable though. My instructor is starting an adult ladies drill team and asked me to try to join. I am not 100% sure I will, but I'm trying to talk myself into it lol.

We have a bearded dragon. He is about 18 inches now, but I suspect he will get closer to 24 inches full grown. He is rather easy going, easy to handle, and easy to care for. Here is the run down- They do like live food.😠For their first year of life, their diet should be 80% live insects, 20% leafy greens (not spinach) and other veggies/fruits. I use a base of either kale, dandelion greens, collards, or mustard greens, and a teaspoon of other colorful vegetables and fruits on top. Mealworms are not a good choice for them nutritionally, even though the pet store will try to sell them to you. Crickets are better, but require a calcium mineral dusting. They also stink, make noise, and require a larger enclosure. I despise them, even though I still get them for our beardie. Black soldier fly larvae are an excellent choice. Pricey, but super easy to maintain, and the perfect balance nutritionally. If money were no object, I'd go with these exclusively. They come 100 in a small plastic container, require no food, water, or care whatsoever. Just grab some each day (I use tweezers lol) and stick them in a bowl. Their set up is easy once you get it going. A large (as large as you can afford, 40 gallon would be a good start) glass aquarium. A heat lamp and a UVB lamp. A basking spot under the heat lamp. Some climbing things (you can buy them or find good branches and bake them to kill off any mold/mites/ect) and we give ours a scrap of fleece lol. We have our lamps on an automatic timer, 12 hours on/off. Cleaning is easy, I wipe the cage down weekly, pick up food daily, and clean his poo as it happens. Ours poos twice a week or so, but he did daily as a young dragon. He also gets a bath1-2x per week. He likes going poo in his bath so we bought a cheap kiddie pool for this purpose. I fill it with warm water, let him soak and poo, then dump and clean it. Look for the biggest bearded dragon at the store, usually those are the healthier ones-they are generally solitary, so when you see them in the same tank all laying on each other, it's actually not because they are friends. The bigger ones lay on the weaker ones to get closer to the heat source. They get more food, ect. As for taming, daily handling helps. Ours is naturally very chill. They get lazier as they get older. As a baby, ours would scurry more, so it was harder to hold him. We hand feed him everyday which also helps. When we take him out, he is content to hang out in our laps or shoulders. We do have a scrap of fabric because his nails are sharp and I'm afraid to cut them. I'm afraid I'll hurt him. They are not aggressive normally (though I'm sure some can be) they simply blow up their chin area and it turns black (hence the bearded name). Ours has never tried to bite. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Magformers! Huge hit with kids of all ages here.

I have a 4 and 7 year old that are enjoying the audio books...but some are not all that great. If anyone has some to recommend, I'd be really appreciative!

OP, I often feel the same way. Reading along...

This has been our exact experience as well. Our rescue was a Houdini. It was a full year of working with him, trying every method in the book, all to no avail. He ran off every.single.day. Somehow, he would figure out how to push a kid through the baby gate, or squeeze between your legs, or climb over furniture. When we had people over, I had to crate or tie him up because he knew it would be easy to escape. Why not? He got freedom, went swimming in the lake, chased a few cats, and when we called him, IF he came back, we'd shower him with praise and treats (for coming back). It was impossible to train him otherwise because he had nothing but positive reinforcement for running away. One day with a shock collar trained him. He finally had a negative reinforcement, turned around and looked at me, and when I called he came running back. It was almost like he finally realized WE were his home base, and he's got to stay near by. We now let him roam our property (with us) off leash and he is very reliable on recall, even if he starts chasing a squirrel or something.

We did Miquon for K-2 and then went to Beast Academy for 3-4. Not sure where we are going for 5 though...