Thanks for updating. I wish the school had been more pro-active about the situation. My prayers are with everyone involved.

I saw several ingredients with potential. Beer, worcestershire (sometimes okay, sometimes not) buoillion (sp?) is sometimes problematic. Our chili is really basic - soak pinto beans overnight and cook in crock pot the next day. After beans are soft, cut up tomatoes, sauteed onions and garlic and cooked hamburger meat go in the crockpot as well. Add spices (chili powder, salt, etc) and double check the ingredients of the spices to make sure they haven't used wheat for some reason in them. You should be safe. :) Use a box mix for cupcakes or brownies (the brownies are better in my opinion!). Check frostings for gluten ingredients but many of the ones in the store are gluten free. Good luck!

By the way, I've been haunting the mathusee site for a few weeks as they were out of something every time I wanted to order. Today, they had everything in stock, some things noted that they were finally in stock today. You may want to check back again.

My daughter became more sensitive to gluten after it was removed. She went from daily stomach-aches and failure to thrive to massive illness after ingesting something with gluten. I don't think it's uncommon at all. :)

My daughter had a scratch in the white part of her eye last week and we took her to our eye doctor (which was where the pediatrician said to take her immediately). Everything turned out fine, but the doctor told me that when the cornea of an eye is scratched and the child closes their eyes for more than a few minutes (such as sleeping), there is a chance the eye can actually peel when they open their eyelid. It has something to do with the lid catching on a jagged part of the eye. It completely freaked me out just hearing about it. So, my advice is to take her in to see an eye doctor. When you call, tell them it's an eye injury to that part of the eye. Good luck :)

I order food from amazon and use the Sub/Save feature. I love it. It is absolutely worth it and to opt out, you go into your account and check on a box (or click a button) or something similar. It's very easy to cancel.

We inherited a house built in the 1800's. It's tiny but beautiful (emotionally speaking). My grandmother was literally born in this house by the fireplace. We moved here a couple of years ago due to finances - medical bills were about to bury us. It's poorly insulated and costs a lot to keep warm in the winter. My husband's grandmother passed away earlier this year and left us a trust fund. It's enough to purchase a better house. I don't want to bring them home before winter. We're looking for a house and hope to move in the spring. I tend to move slowly and cautiously into new things and homeschooling is a new thought for me. I'm determined to do it, but I'm so nervous - I want to do things right. You may be right about sight-reading, although I'd prefer phonics for her (though the sub may not know how to teach this). I asked my daughter if the teacher sounded out words and she said she doesn't. (I have taught my oldest daughter to read using sight words - she's non-verbal and the phonics approach wasn't working). I wouldn't think sight-reading would be an approach for most kids though... After-schooling right now consists of lots of reading - we used Hooked on Phonics over the summer. I have ordered Life of Fred for my 1st and 4th grader (my oldest is in 5th and will probably stay at school). We're using Time Travelers - New World Explorers (my kids love doing projects and so does my husband lol). I want to order MathUSee, but they are out of most of what I want at the moment. The school is very weak in math skills which is my biggest concern. I love being with them after school. :) We do their homework together, work on our work together and do fun academic stuff (measurements/cooking, computers to make booklets, etc). Margaret - the sub teacher gives her books based on a lower level. The librarian tested her and she is allowed to check out books based on that. We have an extensive amount of books at home (I am an avid reader) that she's allowed to take to school to read in her spare time. It is, however, a crazy system. My middle daughter was able to read Harry Potter 1 and 2, but 3 was on a higher level so she couldn't check it out. But 4 was on the lower level, she was told she had to skip 3. Silly stuff. (I had 3 at home, so it was fine).

Hi, I'm new here but hoping some of you can help me sort out my youngest daughter. I'm after-schooling this year, but we plan on home-schooling two of our girls starting next school year. My youngest daughter is 6 yrs old and in first grade. She has chronic stomach aches (IBS) and takes dicyclomine. Her teacher is on maternity leave and she has a sub (who appears to be disorganized and overwhelmed). My daughter also appears to be disorganized and I'm not sure if it's the medicine, the teacher or my daughter. It's a lot of little things - she checked out a library book, but didn't realize she was supposed to bring it home. It's now lost and I'm paying for a replacement (no big deal). She checked out a second book but never mentioned it to me, nor has she brought it home (the librarian emailed me to let me know). She loves to read and thoroughly read the 'browsing bag' the sub gave her. I asked for more books, but the sub kept forgetting to change them out (we've had the same books for three weeks) but she thought she told my daughter she could read a book from home. My daughter thought she said to only read from the browsing bag and has read the same books at school, daily, for three weeks. (It finally changed on Friday after I wrote the principal - I had already written the teacher twice). The teacher told my daughter she could not have water at her desk or use the bathroom except during designated times. Due to chronic diarrhea and medication, my daughter has a doctor's note that allows both. The teacher agreed after I reminded her and said she told my daughter, but I was called up to the school after an 'accident' where my daughter needed a change of clothes. My daughter says the teacher didn't tell her she could. I ask her what she does for reading and she says the teacher doesn't teach that to them, she just writes words on a board and they say them out loud. I ask her what the teacher says when she reads to her and she says she only reads to the teacher once or twice a week and she says 'okay'. When I insisted that the teacher must be teaching reading, she says that they do it on the computer. I asked about math and she says they do a lot of counting. She can't tell me much about the school day at all. My daughter makes perfect grades - all 100's and though her teacher has her on a reading level of H, the librarian says that she's much further along and is allowed to check out books up to a late 2nd grade level. My daughter asked me if she could get a different teacher or go to 2nd grade now and I'm not sure if she's enjoying school as much as she used to. I get frustrated at the different stories, the confusion and just the vagueness of her day. Her regular teacher won't be back until mid-October. I might not last that long. lol I have one daughter who is profoundly autistic and another who is gifted. I can adjust and adapt to anything as long as I know what is going on and what to do. I'm frustrated. I'd love to hear others' thoughts or just some support. :(

Have you tried graphic novels? (Comic books) Sometimes they hold an interest (especially for boys) that typical books do not. If you are interested, I can dig up some info that a librarian friend sent me. I'm purchasing some (off of half.com) to donate to the special ed classrooms at my daughter's school. Many of them are struggling readers who do not want to read 'baby books'. Graphic novels go from no words to lots of words with many 'in-between' stages. Good luck :)

Was it a full 24 hours later? When my daughter was first diagnosed we noticed her stomach aches were happening in the morning after eating gluten the night before. So, when you say 24 hours, was it one instance of eating gluten and then no other gluten for 24 hours and then diarrhea? My understanding of CD is that people have different reactions. The longest I have seen my daughter's delayed is 8 hours (it's significantly shortened since going gluten free). If she eats straight gluten (like accidentally a muffin that's not gf), she's vomiting within an hour. If it's cross contamination, anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours. If it's a trace amount, about two hours and then diarrhea kicks in. What's more important (in my opinion) is how he felt while he was gluten free. For my daughter, the stomach aches, constipation/diarrhea, dark circles under her eyes and paleness went away. Her weight went up and she started getting taller. If he's doing well being gf, then I think it's something to consider. :)

It sounds like you might be quite sensitive (my daughter reacts with a blistery rash to shampoos and conditioner with gluten, although medically it shouldn't happen). If you are new to this, you probably won't know how long your reactions can last. For my daughter, the reactions have become increasingly more severe. I forget the poster's name who said that two weeks seemed a bit long...my daughter once ate a piece of candy that had gluten in it. She was sick for nearly two weeks, missing eight days of school. It's unbelievable. I also wanted to mention that if you have bad stomach cramps when you ingest gluten, you may want to ask your gastro for anti-spasm medication. My daughter's cramps are so bad, she cannot walk or straighten up. The medication is the only thing that makes her feel better though the vomiting/diarrhea/brain fog stuff continues on.... I hope you're better soon.

My daughter has never had a problem with Amy's. How sensitive are you to gluten? Some people are not that sensitive and some (like my daughter) are super sensitive. If you are super sensitive, could it be possible to have an overload of gluten from the gluten free products? To receive a label of gf, it must have less than a certain amount (20 ppm I think?). But if you eat a lot of it (again, depending on sensitivity) you can possibly get enough to trigger a reaction. Otherwise, I would check the yogurt and the kettle chips (I can't remember if they are gf or not). My thoughts are that you are still sick from your previous glutening. Feel better soon :)

A basic potato soup and add into it chicken and sauteed peppers, onions, carrots and celery. And corn if you have it. Yum :)

My daughter needed something simple without a huge range to sing for an audition. She sang "Hey Look Me Over" from Wildcats.

GF items are expensive. I wanted to second Pamela's Baking Mix. It's a lifesaver for pancakes and when I need small amounts of 'flour' for whatever I'm cooking. Something that I've found helpful is that corn pasta holds up better if you are baking a dish (like homemade macaroni and cheese). Rice pasta doesn't seem to be able to withstand a lot of cooking. Other pastas are simply going to be based on what your personal tastes are like. Once you find something, amazon will offer the best prices to buy in bulk. It's difficult to pay the prices in the store, but it will ease up once you can buy items in bulk. If your dd hasn't been tested for Celiac yet, moving her to a gluten free diet will affect the test. I'm not discouraging you from doing this, just wanted to make sure that you were aware. It also might be helpful for you (or your dd) to write down what she ate in a food diary - nothing complicated, just notes about what she eats or drinks. You might be able to detect a pattern. All the best to you and your dd. :)

My daughter has Celiac (diagnosed through blood work and biopsy and positive response to diet) and has horrible digestive issues when she eats gluten. My step-mother also has Celiac and breaks out in a rash (but no digestive issues). Celiac is an auto-immune disorder and not an allergy. She tested negative to being allergic to wheat. Allergies can cause blistery skin as well. If you've already tested negative through blood/biopsy then try an elimination diet. After a few weeks of being off of all gluten, deliberately ingest and see if the bumps come back. :) If you haven't had allergy testing done yet, that would also be helpful. If your daughter has ongoing digestion problems, ask for a referral to a gastroenterologist. He may be able to help. All the best to you :)

Thank you, yes. She took the SAT that had the OLSAT portion on it. The link explained it quite well. Thanks for the book suggestion as well. I appreciate your help. :)

Jenbrdsly, a friend of mine had told me that it dealt with patterns, so you're probably thinking of the correct thing. Seeing an example of it helps me out. Thank you. Michelle, no this is a standardized test that is taken by students that compares them nationally rather than locally. It does have an intelligence part on it, but it's not solely used for testing gifted. Thanks for the suggestion to post in Accelerated Learners. I'm going to google a bit more having seen an example and see if I can sort through it. Thank you both :)

My oldest has autism and is quite destructive. We have an otterbox and it survived being thrown against the wall at the doctor's office. :) On a more serious note, I know personally of an IPAD that survived the tornadoes that came through Alabama recently. An apartment complex was hit and the owner of the IPAD found it on the ground. It had an otterbox case and still worked. But yes, the cost.......

This may be a weird question. :) My daughter took the Stanford Achievement Test last year (3rd grade). Overall, she did well. On the OLSAT portion, her non-verbal section was notably lower than the verbal. The difference was striking. I don't really understand what it means by verbal and non-verbal. And should I work on strengthening the non-verbal skills or does it really matter? If anyone can explain it, I would be grateful. :)

Hi! I just wanted to introduce myself. We have three girls and plan on after-schooling this year and homeschooling two of them next year. Our children are aged 11 (5th grade and profoundly autistic), 10 (4th grade and gifted) and 6 (1st grade). Our 10 and 6 yr old both have medical conditions which cause significant absences. Our 10 yr old has a 504 Plan and our youngest always ends up at the doctor or ER so thankfully, no truancy problems although I am always biting my nails when they are out sick. My biggest concerns are with our school district. They are over-worked, under-staffed, under-funded and struggling to reach and pull kids up to state standards. I think they (overall) do an admirable job, but my kids are usually left in a corner reading a book because they already know the material. They do have a gifted program but it's only 2 hours a week and is not overly impressive. My daughter is also in the school's GEMS (Girls Engaged in Math and Science) program. Neither has met yet this year and we are in week 5. My 4th grader decided to do an outside project on space, including a poster, report and fact cards to take in. She said that she was bored and wanted to do something. I'm lucky that her teacher is very supportive of student-initiated work. I am confident that her teacher will assign her some extra projects if the gifted program/GEMS won't fill enough of her time. She literally inhales information and exhales homework and projects effortlessly and looks for more. My first grader unfortunately has a sub teacher since her regular teacher won't be back from maternity leave for another few weeks. She was scared to death on 'Meet the Teacher' night when we were all told that if our kids couldn't read to a certain level or do math at a certain level, the child would FAIL the 1st grade. While I can appreciate upholding educational standards, it was a horrible night to state this (and then leave the next day for maternity leave). The sub is floundering (but nice). My daughter has a doctor's note to allow bathroom privileges and water at her desk. The sub refused both and I had to talk with the principal and remind her of my daughter's medical condition. While my gifted 4th grader is reviewing single digit multiplication and my 1st grader has yet to be assigned a reading level (though she's started reading simple chapter books), we started working at home to give them some instruction. We are going to be using MathUSee (as soon as all the items are in stock!), Handwriting Without Tears, Time Travelers New World Explorers (okay, that's just for fun!) and we read, read, read a lot anyway. I'm not trying to be critical of the school system at all. They are doing the best they can. It's just not the right fit for my kids.

My daughter has Celiac and has horrible, horrible stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting for several days after the slightest infraction. The diarrhea alone can last for up to 10 days. The vomiting usually lasts for only a day (if not less). The stomach cramps are the worst. Our gastro prescribed some anti-spasm type medicine for the cramps which work so well that we call them miracle pills. It's probably too late for this time, but you may want to ask for something to keep on hand that will at least help with the cramping. :( I'm so sorry you feel bad.

It's possible that she feels threatened by you home-schooling. Some teachers are uncomfortable with parents 'thinking' they are 'as good as' a teacher. Somewhere on the first or second page of your IEP, it says something about how frequently progress will be sent home to parents. Typically it follows the report card timing for your school. You can, however, request it more frequently. For example - "Because J is non-verbal, a daily progress report provided by the parent will be sent home daily. A detailed progress report will be provided every 4.5 weeks. A parent/teacher conferenced will be scheduled every 9 weeks to provide information to the parent." If they ask you why or state they can't do that, smile and tell them that you do not believe you can be a participating IEP member without that information. (They are not allowed to prevent you from being an IEP member and if you need info, you need info and they need to provide it. In determining ESY, plan for this transition and have it written into J's ESY services. "To ease transition, J will be allowed to attend open house prior to the start of school." You can also request that the week before school, J is allowed to have schoolwork with his teacher (or any teacher) in his classroom for a few hours to prepare for the start of school. Ask for data regarding his progress. Ask specifically for his testing regarding Occupational Therapy that was done by the school. If there is no testing, write a nice note and request it. If they did do it, you can dispute their findings and request an out of district therapist to test him. Your son may qualify for OT although many schools try to refuse it. In my opinion, that's not a very good goal. Goals should be specific, measurable. 'J will stay in circle time for 15 minutes without trying to leave with verbal prompting of 'J sit down please' by teacher for four out of five days.' 'J will learn the 12 months of the year and be able to participate in circle time activities with verbal and physical prompts for four out of five days.' 'J will learn what holidays are associated with the months of the calendar year, etc' If possible, start reading up at wrightslaw.com and look around your state for advocacy training classes. Figure out what your son needs and write goals and request they be addressed in his IEP. It sounds like your school is very cautious and not open to a lot of parent input. You may have to push for that. The advocate sounds like a great idea. The only thing I can think of is to send a nice note (and maybe some type of dessert item - brownies, cookies, etc). Dear Mrs. 'Jones', I am very happy that my son, J, is in your class. From previous observations I have noticed that you are very organized and your class appears to be a fun place for kids to be. I'm sure you've noticed that J seems to be a bit off-track during school time and we are very concerned about him. We have asked a consultant to observe his time at school and provide suggestions for us all. I hope you do not construe this observation to be a criticism of your teaching methods. Please know that I appreciate all you do for my son and your work for other children with disabilities. I hope that together we can make this a wonderful year for J! If there is anything I can do to help or if you need any classroom supplies, I hope you do not hesitate to call me. Sincerely, J's mom. Something like that. Be up front that it is happening but firm that changes are coming. Some teachers take this type of thing personally, so assuring them that it's not personal is the best you can do. All the best, Slipper