We use MUS for math. I'd like to supplement with something that has a heavy focus on word problems. I know that I've seen workbooks listed that others use to help in this area. Any suggestions? I have an upcoming 2nd and 5th grader - both are slightly above average in math, but I wouldn't consider them a math genius. :) Thanks :)

I'm not familiar with BJU other than what I saw on the website. I'm looking for a reading program for an upcoming 2nd grader. We will be ordering in April/May and I'm trying to see how much money we'll need (my middle daughter will also be homeschooled next year). My daughter reads/comprehends very well. The 2nd grade Reading program in BJU is too easy for her. I think the 3rd would be a better fit. I'm worried that she would balk at doing the 2nd grade work that I saw. However, I liked the 2nd grade English program at BJU for her. (I typically want to stay on grade level except in math, so I'm not trying to prematurely stretch her into advanced material across the board). Also, I need a program that is light on handwriting - we thought she had dysgraphia but our OT says she does not. She says she hasn't seen a child that writes like she does (forming letters bottom to top, right to left) that can still write neatly. However, dd's hand aches after some time with writing. Our OT has suggested starting cursive and typing to see if that helps. Can anyone do a comparison between BJU 2 and 3 Reading? And, can I do one level in BJU (Reading) and another in English? Thanks for any help.

We take our own food unless I'm allowed to provide food for everyone. When soccer season rolls around, I offer to take snacks a LOT. I usually bring snacks every other game. I make sure that it's a gf friendly snack (usually fruit and a variety bag of chips along with gatorade). If her class has a pizza party, I buy a gf pizza and make arrangements for the school to heat it up or I drop it off right before the party starts. I try to do these things discreetly and not make a huge deal out of them (although I get annoyed at how often food things crop up). I also don't allow pity parties (she has one around Christmas-time each year, but that's usually after looking at lots of goodies she can't eat). If someone offers her food she can't have, she politely refuses it and that's the end of it. People will 'surprise' kids with food often and we have a deal that if it happens and she keeps her manners, I will make it up to her later. Same with spend the night parties - I call the other parent, explain that she's on a special diet and ask if I can send her food. I send a gf tv dinner, microwave popcorn (to share), sometimes some chips (I usually talk all this through with the parents of the other child) and lucky charms for the next morning. It helps everyone stay relaxed. Other parents are worried about making her sick and I try to alleviate the concern. Because she is VERY small for her age, I try to focus on things that don't include height. She does cheer (and is on the top of pyramids which she likes), soccer (and I emphasize that being small will help her navigate around other people and speed) and karate (for various reasons). I don't allow self-pity. I don't let her make excuses based on having CD. I hold my breath sometimes when she's up high on pyramids and sometimes (because it's co-ed soccer) she'll charge up against a boy who is easily two/three times her weight and a foot taller. I want her to be a person who is confident and strong (emotionally as well as physically). And yes, it is hard work - take food everywhere and act like it's no big deal.

My 10 yr old is 'sensitive'. If she makes a bad grade then she breaks down and cries. She was mature enough though to realize that it would cause her problems at school (she's in PS). So, she actively tries to control it when she sees herself getting teary. If she's at school, she will ask to go to the bathroom and she'll cry and get it out of her system. It's a slowly forward moving thing (and I totally agree that it's training for being a teen-ager). My youngest cries and tells me that she can't stop. If someone scolds her for crying, she starts hyperventilating. I have received several phone calls from the school nurse asking for my help in calming her down. She's not doing it on purpose - but I have always felt like she lacked the knowledge/ability in calming herself. Currently, if she cries over something, I hug her and tell her I love her, however, she 'can't be naughty' or 'she needs to clean her room' or 'sometimes we make mistakes', etc. I assure her that things she is going through is part of life and we need to accept it and move forward, learning from our experiences. After a quick hug and short speech, I send her back to what she is doing and I tell her that if she wants to continue crying then that is fine. (I try to take the stress of crying, if that makes sense, off of her). That seems to help. I try to stay calm, explain things in a matter of fact tone of voice and disregard the tears - sort of like putting a band-aid on a cut - it may still bleed, but we're moving forward. In your daughter's case, I would have hugged her, told her that we all make mistakes in schoolwork but math is very important and she needs to do the extra work. Then I would have either worked with her to help her (if she needs it) or completely removed myself from the room to do something else. After the math work was done (but the tears continued), I would hug her again, tell her that sometimes our day doesn't go as planned, but school is important and she will catch up with her chores, and then have her do chores. If she continued to cry afterwards, I would hug her, tell her that I was sorry she was still upset and suggest she go read a book or go play or whatever activity she was supposed to do. I don't linger on tears. The hugs are brief, more of a physical affirmation of love, but not a snuggling type of hug. I don't want to put a lot of attention on tears, but I do try to acknowledge hurt feelings - especially at younger ages. If I felt it was manipulative (sometimes my 10 yr old borders on this along with some self-pity as she has Celiac Disease), I tell her to go to her room until she finishes crying and if she takes all day then she will have extra chores.

I googled the center you mentioned - you may want to do the same. :) Honestly it sounds a bit punitive and expensive. I hope you find something that works for you and your family. All the best...

We used desmopressin (sp?). They were small pills and she had no trouble with them. The only thing was that you aren't supposed to drink a lot after dinner (which we were already doing).

I don't know, but our daughter had a similar problem which was embarrassing at sleep-overs, etc. In our case, we put her on medication she took at night. After a month on the medication, we were able to stop the meds and she still remained fine at night. Good luck :)

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Lecka, I am so sorry if my post was insensitive. I was thinking back to when my dd was diagnosed (at 1 yr old, she was that severe) we weren't even able to give her a bath without problems. We had a lot of help and couldn't afford the extra that she needed. We split all of her therapy sessions in half so that the therapist worked with her and we watched and then we did the therapy while the therapist watched. I had that in my mind when I posted. Again, I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn. :(

Can you ask them to spend part of his therapy session teaching YOU how to get HIM to make the correct sound? Nobody is perfect but if they can teach him, surely they can teach you? And once you know, you can help him.

My oldest has needed a lot of therapy over the years (still does actually). Because it was so expensive (and insurance was poor), we would ask them to show us how and then do as much as we could ourselves. We paid for evaluations (that would actually give us direction, rather than just another gloomy diagnosis). If you are up-front and tell them that you can't afford it, most therapists are happy to write notes for you, make copies of pertinent articles, etc. Also, our Children's Hospital here had a sliding scale for fees that were significantly lower (although there was a waiting list). I'd also ask around about private therapists. The economy is rough right now and while SLP's are in high demand, there will always be some who have partners who are out of work at the moment and are therefore picking up extra $$$'s on the side. You could do private pay for weekly visits, etc.

I think you did the right thing. I'm glad the person you spoke with was understanding and sensitive to your own fears about making a report. CPS, as a general rule, are not in the business of tearing apart families and they will help this family if there are problems. (I realize that sometimes they aren't all that great, but I'm going with what I've typically seen from them).

I write about my daughter with autism (under a different name) and sometimes organizations are kind enough to publish them in their blogs and such. I know it's long, but I thought I would share. This was one of those moments when I realized that my daughter, in spite of her severity, brightened someone else's day. I have changed my kids' names for their own privacy. :) Today we went by the dress store to pick up my daughter Emily’s pageant dress. I had chosen a dress shop close to where we lived, though to call it a shop would have been a bit of a stretch. It was a storage building attached to the side of a trailer. Off to the side stood the Woodrow Wedding Chapel – yet another storage building where happy couples could walk down the aisle after renting a wedding dress. An orange tabby was asleep on a bale of hay by the front door. A little girl’s white dress was draped over the bushes in the sunshine. It really didn’t look like the place to rent a pageant dress, but I had been lucky enough to find one for Emily there last week. With shoes, however, I had no luck anywhere. I had to wonder at my rotten luck in not being able to find any shoes within a thirty mile radius of where we lived. Too big, too small, wrong color, nothing was working out for me this week. I really didn’t have time to look, especially with all three kids in tow, so I reluctantly had called the shop back earlier to see if they had shoes for sale. Having been assured they did, we drove the twenty miles over back roads and potholes to the Woodrow Wedding Chapel and Dress Rental. I was having a bit of a pity party as I drove. My oldest daughter, Sarah, was having some very trying behaviors. Sarah has autism and some days are worse than others. But I couldn’t let Sarah’s behaviors interfere with Emily’s pageant. Still, I was wishing I had taken something for my headache as I listened to my youngest, Sophie, enthusiastically sing Old McDonald from her booster seat. Repeatedly. As we walked inside, I could tell that Debra (owner of the Woodrow Wedding Chapel) was neck deep in the rush of altering dresses before the pageants of this weekend. Sequins and beads were scattered on the table near a floral curtained room that served as a changing area. Rows of dresses with pieces of paper carefully pinned to them were hung across the ceiling, clothesline style, waiting to be picked up. Yet more racks of dresses, unrented, filled the rest of the building with bright sparkling fabrics. Debra looked up at us and smiled tiredly, gesturing to the shoes in the corner. “Start looking for a size that fits, darlin’, and we’ll see what we can do about coloring 'em.†She started a bit when she saw my oldest, Sarah, rocking side to side, hands over her ears and eyes wide at all the bright colors and sparkling beads. I was quick to assure Debra, “She has autism but I’m going to hold tight to her so she won’t touch anything.†Knowing my luck, I figured Sarah was good for about a thousand dollars of damage if she darted away and grabbed something. Debra came over to us and knelt down beside her and said, “Hello sweetheart, do you like the pretty dresses?†I replied, “Sarah is non-verbal, she doesn’t talk.†And then, as Sarah began to sing Achy Breaky Heart, I added, “She does, however, love to sing.†Debra touched Sarah lightly on the shoulder and said, “She’s a little songbird, ain’t she?†I agreed and turned my attention to Emily, to veto the high heeled glass slippers she was trying on. When I glanced back my heart almost stopped. Debra had taken two of the dresses off the hangers and handed them to Sarah to play with. Considering that the dresses rented for $75 up and most had a value of several hundred dollars, I thought it prudent to intervene. “Please don’t let her play with those,†I told Debra, “she’ll tear them up and I can promise you that I can’t afford to replace them.†Debra looked up from the rhinestone butterfly she was showing Sarah. “I am the oldest of ten children,†she told me. “My youngest sister wasn’t expected to live past one year. They told my mother to put her somewhere but she brought her home. She stayed with us, and she was sixteen years old before she passed. She never talked but she loved to sing. And look at sparkly things. And rock. We musta wore out fourteen rockin' chairs in those sixteen years. She was so happy.†I didn’t know what to say, but I told her what I personally believe to be true. “People are the way that God meant for them to be. There are worse things in life than living your life happy and content, surrounded by those who love and care for you.†I could tell she agreed. She asked me if I minded if she brought her mother in to meet Sarah, and went next door to the trailer. A few minutes later an older lady came in and her eyes locked onto Sarah and softened. She knelt down beside her, touched her on the head, saying, “Hello sweetheart.†Sarah didn’t reply but started humming Rockin Robin. The lady smiled and turned to me. “Do you mind if I sit near her for a minute?†Of course I didn’t mind but had to watch. It is so interesting to see how people interact with Sarah. Regardless of how well they know her, there is usually a hesitancy or a pause when they get close, as if they worry she will dart away or push or do any of the unexpected things that she is known to do. But this lady melted next to her as if she’d known her all her life. She put both arms around her and pressed her face into Sarah’s hair, inhaling deeply. Any mother, anywhere would recognize this hug. She smiled into Sarah’s hair and whispered, “Little songbird, what a sweet girl you are!†Meanwhile Debra had gone to get her daughters to come meet Sarah. I could tell that the teenagers were a bit confused about the fuss being made, but they smiled politely and said hello to Sarah and the rest of us. Debra pulled down three more dresses and handed them to her Mother who showed them to Sarah. By now I had given up counting the dollars of damage that Sarah could do and indeed Sarah was running her fingers over beads and sequins, fabrics and stones. She would squeal with excitement every couple of minutes, prompting another hug and smiles of delight from Debra and her Mom. They tossed pink and purple pageant dresses into the air with abandon laughing as they floated down. They played peek-a-boo with a turquoise and silver dress with more layers than I could count. A stone studded blue formal was spread on the floor for them to run their hands over. Crushed brown velvet rubbed across their cheeks, arms and hands. I closed my eyes to the potential damage that could occur and instead looked at the absolute joy emanating from the two ladies whose sole attention was focused on Sarah. I was suddenly glad that I hadn’t found the shoes I needed somewhere else. My day, which had been quite crappy, had become a bit more beautiful. When it came time to leave, Debra’s Mom walked us out, past the bale of hay with the sleeping tabby and hugged Sarah one last time. “Bye little songbird,†she whispered, “come back and visit me again.â€

There might be rules about it...depends on where you live. We ran a line outside to drain into the yard - make sure you don't use bleach or chemicals that will hurt your lawn and be sure to use wire mesh to cover the end of the pipe so critters don't build a nest in it. :)

If there are two 14 yr old kids in two different cars - and one is a typical kid and one is a kid with limited comprehension - it is against the law to have a disabled child in a car alone regardless of age. (Same for the elderly). If a person does not have the mental capability to deal with an emergency situation, they cannot be left alone. (Personal experience reporting a disabled teen in a car - CPS was called even though the parent in question thought it was okay because he was a teenager). IF the 16 yr old cannot adequately look after himself (and that includes riding in the street), he cannot be unattended. There are a lot of 'rules' about looking after and taking care of kids who are disabled. Regardless of age, if they can't look after themselves, it is neglect. It is possible that he can wheel his brother in the house and that might be his 'chore'. :) My younger daughters look after my oldest frequently regarding bathing, feeding, brushing her teeth, dressing her, etc. But, there should be an adult there to oversee things.

I respectfully disagree with your post. If a child/teen is wandering into homes, he is mentally impaired to a point that is immediately recognizable to the casual observer. She wouldn't need medical records - just noting that someone appears to have a disability of some type would be sufficient for concern. Otherwise, he is a neuro-typical teenager who is wandering through other people's houses. :glare: That's also not a good thing. Just because a child has both a disability and receives services at school does not mean they have a caseworker or anyone checking in on them. My daughter has a disability and services through ps and we've never seen a social worker or case worker. Leaving a mentally impaired child/teen in charge will not work. A family should go by the age of the oldest child who is mentally/physically capable of handling an emergency. I don't think they would investigate over a dirty diaper/pull up unless it was consistent or there were signs that it was an ongoing problem (rashes, welts, etc). However, if enough complaints about things of that nature stacked up, they would investigate. Most schools (if they know the parents) give the parents a lot of slack in regards to things of that nature.

I think that sounds great. :D

I hate "no gifts please" parties. :001_unsure: I'll get there without a gift and everyone else will have brought gifts and my child is embarrassed. Or, I bring a gift and then someone else feels bad that they didn't. I would love to bring a charity donation as that tells me what to do. lol

I don't blame you. I once had to contact CPS about a relative of ours who had a filthy house - mattresses with no sheets, power turned off occasionally, kids always hungry. When the social worker looked inside the refrigerator, it was full of moldy food. When he opened the freezer, it was full of liquor bottles. The situation improved for the kids but my relative was swearing violent retribution (including suing, beating and hospitalizing) for the person who did it. People become angry when they are embarrassed. It's a difficult situation. If the animals are not being taken care of, you could call that in anonymously - they would come by to talk to the parents. They could then call if they noticed something out of the ordinary. In my opinion, I think you should call. My concern was over the child who was entering other people's houses. That isn't unusual for kids with severe disabilities (who need constant supervision). My daughter has entered a few houses herself (with myself or another adult in hot pursuit behind her). The problem with that is when someone thinks the child (who now looks like an adult) is an intruder and they are shot. I think you should call and report all of it and your concern for the kids. I think you should ask your neighbor if she would verify your information if she is contacted. Sometimes people are afraid to make the call, but will give information if someone calls them. You could then tell the social worker that your neighbor is willing to talk if he/she calls them. Two other relatives vouched that what I was saying was true to the social worker when I called.

I'm not sure if this is the same thing, but we have forms filled out at the school allowing them to make medical decisions in case of an emergency (call an ambulance, etc). If it's something like that, I don't think it's a big deal and would go ahead and do it. I'd bypass the teacher since she seems a bit sketch towards you and go in and talk with the nurse. School nurses have always been great to work with (in my opinion) and are able to grasp a situation fairly quickly. She'll let you know what you need. ( I hope anyway)

Just a guess, but for children with significant needs, the public school takes them into a special needs pre-school at age 3. My daughter was in pre-school at that age due to her autism. :)

I also wanted to mention that we take lots of breaks. She was stressed at school and I want this to be easy and fun. My husband was worried that perhaps we're having TOO much fun. lol I'm happy to hear that we're not being slackers. ;)

Well, no. I didn't realize it was unusual. I come from a family of huge and eager readers. She reads two 'little' chapter books a day if we have them (Magic Tree House, Junie B Jones, Ready Freddy, etc). We usually have a few small books (30 pages or so) that we read during school work or just to read out loud. Today she read a Junie B Jones, Little Grunt and the Big Egg, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and If You Give a Pig a Pancake. That wasn't 200 but she also had a magazine come in (Spider) and read from that a while. The most she has read was 240 pages in a day. The only reason I know of the pages was because I started writing down what she read daily as part of my homeschooling notes. Her comprehension is good for simple chapter books. Our carpool run is 45 minutes in the morning and afternoon. She usually takes that time to read her chapter books. My middle daughter is a huge reader as well. We taught our oldest to read, but she's mostly on a first grade level which is very good for her. :) I was a big reader when I was young (still am when I have time) and so was my brother and sister. I guess it just runs in the family?

If all the bills are from the same place, call them an see if they can consolidate them into one large bill. That would make it easier to keep up with them. :)

Exactly. A person can't decide that they will pay $50 a month on a debt. It needs to be agreed upon by the agency you owe the money to. I have three daughters with medical issues and we have awful medical bills, even with insurance. I pay the small ones, but when bills come in that are more than I can pay, I call and ask them to link it to an account I have with them. They take $50 out of our checking account every month to put towards these bills. I don't receive collection notices or anything bizarre. It will be several years before it's paid off, but the peace of mind is worth it. Call them and explain your situation - if it goes to collections then you also have to pay the collections fee.

MBTP is Moving Beyond the Page. It's a different program than many use, but I liked it because it had a lot of reading involved. (We like SOTW for the same reason). I come from a family that loves to read. lol Most of the books now are Junie B Jones, Ready Freddy, etc. She just recently started the Boxcar Children and is looking at Geronimo Stilton books. She wants to try the first Harry Potter (which I think is too long for her, but I'm letting her try - our middle daughter didn't read Harry Potter until 3rd grade). I'm trying to substitute books that have a bit more substance - she recently read books about Lincoln, Sacagawea (sp?), etc. The easier books read faster because they become predictable. She turned 7 this past December and like our middle daughter, her reading went from simple readers this summer to easy chapter books within a few months. It's like a switch flipped. She enjoys school and loves to read and loves math - so those are easy to get out of the way. Thanks for all the responses. :)