My middle daughter was 8 yrs old when she first went to sleep-a-way camp. It was about 6 hours away in another state. It was for 6 days, five nights. The only reason we started so young was that it was a camp for kids with medical conditions. In our town, medical condition equals disability and I didn't want her growing up with that mindset. At camp she was able to have other kids around her with the same medical condition who had all sorts of hobbies and interests. We were both homesick for each other, but she comes home every summer loving it, feeling empowered and a bit more independent. For her, it's great. My youngest will be 8 next month and I don't see her spending the night away for quite a while.

I think that's a good idea. I would also (because of their ages) tell them they should check with you before eating anything but that it's available, they just need to ask. Otherwise, it will LOOK like a free for all. :) And make sure they eat it at the kitchen table (or another designated place). That will give a clearer picture on whether they are actually hungry and eating the food. I also agree with the others about poptarts vs eggs. You can make the oatmeal sweet if you want and scramble some eggs. If food is too sweet in the morning, my kids would crash and burn fairly quickly as well. All the best :grouphug:

I agree. With your example, it's not like they are sneaking oreos and candy - they are sneaking what I would consider to be healthy snacks. I don't put food off limits unless it's certain things for meals. The kids know they can eat fruit, crackers, pb, milk, popcorn unless it's an hour before a meal. Why limit?

Thanks. I'm suggesting to them that they go to a restaurant supply and purchase the to-go containers. :)

The Senior Center in our town is hosting a chili fund-raiser. They want to sell chili by the quart. What is the easiest way to sell it? They are trying to figure out containers. Some people will be eating at the senior center and others will be taking it to go. I'm guessing she will use bowls for those eating at the senior center. But what would be easy (and economical) for those taking it to go in a quart sized portion?

Thanks for the replies. I suspected a "false lead" and read through page 100 in BFG last night (speed reader). The monsters wear sandals, not thongs. I asked her where she saw the word 'thong' in the book and she pointed to a picture of one of the monsters wearing a loin-cloth (for lack of a better description). She couldn't find the word and finally told me she heard about it in a dream. My oldest sees a psychiatrist due to her autism/anxiety and I talked with him this morning. He's made a referral for a female psychiatrist to speak with my youngest daughter about our ongoing concerns. Thanks for all the replies and help, I really don't want to discuss it further. :grouphug: Not trying to offend anyone. :grouphug::grouphug:

I voted wrong as well. I wouldn't let my 7 yr old read it.

I think it is "Big, Friendly Giant". It's a children's book and my other daughter read it and loved it. My youngest wasn't too fond of it but read most of it. momto2Cs, yes, that's the one I meant.

Anybody know about this? Thongs would make sense.

Updated on post 21 Help. My youngest made a comment today about some pants of hers that we were cutting up. There was very little left of the pants and she wanted to wear them. I told her no and she said she could wear them as a thong. She has made some very bizarre statements over the past six months and I'm trying to track them down. I asked her where she heard the word thong and she couldn't remember. I told her she needed to remember and she said that one of the monsters in the BFG wears a thong. I have never read the book and I'm hoping someone can clarify. It's important as I'm making a list of these things to discuss with her pediatrician this Friday. I know it may seem like a little or silly thing, but I would appreciate anyone who could answer this question.

Not sure, I only emailed about the CAT and whether it could be taken twice in one year. I figured since I emailed, I might as well post the answer in case it helps another parent. :) I'm looking at ITBS and CogAT as my top choices.

The invitation to all of our family was set up a few years ago. My middle daughter has Celiac Disease and family holidays were horrible. She couldn't eat anything and the few dishes we were assured were safe invariably made her ill. (A reaction can last anywhere from 2 - 11 days with vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps). It was so awful a few years ago that we set up a rule that we were no longer going to anyone's house on Thanksgiving or Christmas but everyone was welcome to come to our home. It's almost a permanent invitation. Typically, people wait until we call them to tell them what day/time, but they didn't wait. DH doesn't want to deal with them. He's upset at how badly things turned out after this summer. I think they have had a grudge for several years against us and this summer brought it all out. During that week (and ever since), FIL has a really nasty way of saying, "Nobody ever tells me anything Slipper". (My name has one syllable but he draws it out and I can tell he's furious with me.) If they show up and are pleasant, that's great, I'd love to have them. But, it's unpredictable. And I certainly don't want to hear them talking about God while they are here. I'll talk to DH about it. Maybe I can call Step-MIL up and tell her that due to this past summer, perhaps it's best if we skip getting together this Thanksgiving. If he says to let them come anyway, I'll tell them that instead of a Bible story that we have something different planned regarding entertainment. (I'm just not sure what at the moment). Maybe they will get a flat tire. :(

FYI for anyone following along.... :) From Seton: We have available the CAT, the IOWA and the TerraNova/CAT 6 (TerraNova test available next Monday). Most achievement tests let you test twice a year, once as a baseline and once as end of year test. Most tests require you to at wait at least 3 months in between testing times. These 3 tests have these requirements. Please go to our website at www.setontesting.com and view the list of products or call us and talk to one of our Customer Service Representatives and they will be glad to place an order for you or answer any questions you might have. Thank you.

Thanks :) I do have a bachelor's degree.

Thanks for clarifying that aspect of the test. But, I would still have to have two more non-related kids test at the same time, right? My middle daughter tested as gifted in public school and we strongly suspect our youngest is gifted as well. Thanks for the suggestion of the CogAT.

I found it here: http://www.bjupress.com/testing/terms-conditions.php Apparently it started at some point in 2012. I will need a standardized test at the end of the year for our cover group. OLSAT was the one suggested but there is flexibility if we want something different.

We had a horrible argument with DH's father and stepmother this summer that we really haven't recovered from. I'm dreading the upcoming holidays because of it. I have tried to reconcile and explain things but they believe we are trying to keep them away from the grandkids. We aren't, but their behavior was so bad this summer it actually gave my youngest daughter nightmares. (She is super-sensitive.) We know they are coming to Thanksgiving dinner at our house because they have sent an email to DH saying they are coming. (We hadn't invited them yet because neither of us wanted to call and talk with them). They may or may not make a scene at Thanksgiving. They made a short one last year, yelling at me about not coming to visit them with the grandkids. (Afterwards I did schedule a trip which was when all the drama/disaster of the summer started). This set of grandparents loves to tell Bible stories to the kids. They have been enthusiastic (and fairly recent) church-goers and teach a kids Sunday School class. They do a good job and I know they are proud of their success in church. However, when they tell Bible stories at family get-togethers, I have 3 other sets of grandparents waiting (im)patiently so they can all go back to talking with everyone. Our house is too small for people to go elsewhere so everyone watches/listens to the story. We've asked them to wait until the other grandparents leave but they feel that we're ashamed to have others see/hear Bible stories being told in our house. (They also feel that we're upset with them for being Christian. I have no clue why they feel this way.) After this summer, I consider the whole Bible story act to be just that, an act. I consider them to be hypocrites and our values are different. Additionally, the Bible stories are geared towards the classes they teach, 3 year old kids. My youngest will be 8 in December. The girls always know the answers to the questions they ask (thank goodness). I've thought about having the girls put on a show of some sort (they love to sing, etc) or even tell a Bible story themselves (not that I would have a clue as to which one they could tell) to shift things. I've invited a few more people this year (my brother who cannot find a job and has now lost unemployment and his family) and I'd rather all the kids do something rather than two grandparents tell a story to my kids (the other kids usually wander off). Any suggestions? I think they're going to be mad at me about something anyway, so I may as well have the day go like I want rather than trying to be nice and STILL being in the doghouse. I want us to move away from Bible stories during holiday family get-togethers. I know it sounds rotten, but I have everyone over for just a couple of hours. For the record, we are Christian (though a couple members of our extended family are Jewish) but we don't attend church.

I like the PASS test but my kids are 2nd and 5th grade. PASS doesn't have a 2nd grade test.

Sorry for the double post - quick question. For those of you who use ITBS, how do you test 2 other children who are not related to you? Or do you have a friend administer the test?

Thanks for the information. It's good to know that they may only be allowed to take certain tests once a year. I hadn't thought about that aspect of testing. The OLSAT is what my middle daughter has taken in the past and what is typically used around here when testing (along with state tests but they are truly a joke and tell nothing about a child). I should also add that testing is not a requirement for homeschoolers in our state - we only have to take attendance. The testing is a requirement for our cover group but they aren't picky about it. I do have a bachelor's degree.

I'm a worrier. If I test around Christmas and see that they aren't on grade level, then either they don't test well or I'm not doing something right. We pulled my youngest out of school last year due to anxiety. My personal opinion is that she is doing well in every area (and above grade level in reading) other than math. She has never had standardized testing and I'd like to see how she's doing before having to turn in a score for her. My middle daughter started home-schooling this school year and I'm nervous about how she is doing. Her last standardized test score put her in the top 3% for reading and top 2% for math nationally. I realize these scores change over time, but I'd also like some reassurance that she's still performing to her potential under my instruction. I plan to turn in their test scores when they test in April or May (at the end of the year) and will go through a local private school for testing. I don't think I will always test twice a year, but I will this year.

I would like to test my kids to see how they compare against other children nationally. I have to submit standardized scores at least once a year to our cover group. I wanted to test twice a year just to see how they are doing. (This is important to me as well). Any suggestions on which tests would be easy (and inexpensive)? By easy, I mean online testing or testing that could be set up easily, I don't mean an easy test where they would score well.

We participate in our local children's theatre. I love theatre and am active in volunteering. Most of my volunteer work is short (typing stuff, locating extra props, food for three days for the cast). I would really like to help with the choreography. I enjoy preparing my kids' audition material mainly because I love helping plan their movements and facial expressions. For the past two years, the judges have complimented the girls on these things and asked if they hired someone to choreograph their songs and monologue. There is one lady who does all the choreography for our group. Last year, she almost quit (due to being busy) but relented when the directors begged her as they had nobody else. This year, she's doing it again, but has said that her time is very limited and she may not be able to do as much. (She wasn't harsh, she's really very sweet and runs a full-time business in addition to having small kids). Would it be okay to ask her if I can sit in and watch how she structures the choreography? I'd love to learn more about it and it's possible that I could help her out. I'm on good terms with the directors and feel confident they wouldn't mind either. But, I have no training in choreography, so I wasn't sure. Any thoughts? Editing to add - nobody is paid for any of this, so I'm not asking for any type of compensation. From the directors on down is all volunteer work.

My oldest daughter (almost 13 yrs old - autistic and non-verbal) is sick. Monday night she had a fever. We kept her home Tuesday and she was hot. Forehead temp never went above 101, but she felt much hotter than what she was temping. There was no diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, vomiting, etc. Just hot. I suspected her throat was sore because when she did make noises (echolalia or whatnot) she was hoarse. I took her to the doctor on Wednesday after I realized her fever was not getting better (even with ibuprofen). He diagnosed a virus but said if she got worse, it might be a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics to fill ONLY if she didn't improve. That night, she developed a cough. Thursday she became congested and the cough became worse. Today, she has a deep, hacking cough, she's congested (I can tell because she doesn't like to drink a lot when her nose is stuffy - she takes lots of small sips). She's still feverish (but not as bad as before) and she won't eat. I filled the prescription but was wondering if I should call the doctor back? He mentioned something about certain viruses that started with a fever and THEN developed into something more with coughing (but I can't recall if I was supposed to call him if that was the case). Any thoughts? Because she can't talk, we're extra-cautious about her health. This started Monday night and today is probably her worst day. PS - she did get the nasal flu vaccine several weeks ago and her strep test came back negative. She also had adenoids and tonsils out this summer and currently has no ear infection.

I check myself every six months or so. (My kids as well!)