Thanks Kristen & Kristen (!), I just found another older thread about the same issue and that has also put my mind at rest. Catherine

Just wondering if anyone else has had this experience... Ds6.5 has had a swollen gland on the back of his neck on and off, but mostly on, for about a year and a half now. It has been checked by the doc a few times. Generally this has been at times of cold/sore throat/ear inflammation. Doc has always said that I can go have ultrasound +/- biopsy if I want to or I can just see if it goes down by itself (given that he has had the cold/ear inflammation which was probably causing it). He said so long as it doesn't get any bigger or become painful it is probably ok. Ds is otherwise very healthy, full of energy, eats well, sleeps well, no problems, so I've held off on any invasive testing. He has had some dental work done over the past year, culminating in a recent extraction of a molar (a baby molar). Personally I felt that it was very possibly the dental issues (perhaps long term low grade infection in the tooth which was removed) which were causing the swelling and in the past month, since the extraction, I think the lump had gone down as ds said he couldn't feel it and I couldn't either. Today though, ds has a cold and sore throat and I can see the lump again. Any ideas? Thanks in advance:001_smile:

If there was a poll option for 'not sure' I would have voted. I am also in Australia and have I have wondered about the shark/swimming with period issue. There have been many times when it's been sooooo hot I've swam anyway (but never far from the shore!). When it's as hot as it is now (I really sympathise, the heat has been relentless!) I say just go for it, enjoy, and stay near the shore!

Has anybody read The Truth About Vaccines by Dr Richard Halvorsen? And if so, what did you think of it? I read it 6 years ago when making decisions re vaccinating ds (now 6). Despite the slightly inflammatory title I thought it was quite informative and objective. He basically goes through each disease/vaccine, the history, risks, and benefits. He recommends some vaccines for some individuals, for example, rubella vaccine for girls reaching childbearing age if they have been tested and are not already immune. I have always planned to 'play it by ear' with vaccinations and so every so often I do some research and try to re-evaluate. However, there is so much info out there and it's such a controversial issue that it can be overwhelming! Ds6 had his first 5 in 1 vaccine at 13 months (dh wanted to vaccinate back then, I didn't so we compromised and did nothing until he turned 1). Within a few days he began 48 hours or more of the most toxic diarrhoea I have come across (and I am also a registered nurse!). Dh happily agreed to hold off on any more vaccinations and we decided we'd reconsider when ds would be starting school. But hey, that never happened!

Please pardon my ignorance (I have been lurking on the board for a while but only posted very recently) but why would this happen and what is the point of it? Catherine

We are vegetarian and ds6 has been vegetarian from birth. I do a lot of vegan cooking and baking though and it's really easy once you get used to it. Some books I've used a lot are: Vegan Feasts by Rose Elliot (she has lots of vegetarian/vegan books, including her Mother, Baby + Toddler Book); Baby and Child Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Timperley (this is vegetarian but not particularly vegan although there are plenty of recipes you can adapt. It's a gorgeous book with great recipes which I've used again and again and which are loved by my whole family. It also has really cute illustrations so my son has loved looking at this book since he was tiny!); The Cafe Fresh Cookbook by Mary Farrell (from a restaurant in Dublin, Ireland but I'm sure it's available on Amazon. Lots of great and very 'do-able' veggie and vegan recipes). We have lots of friends raising really healthy and strong children on vegetarian and vegan diets. Good luck! Catherine

My ds lost his first two teeth at 4.5. He's now 6 and has lost 6 teeth! His top front big teeth are almost fully down and he has two lower adult teeth too. He got his first two teeth at three months and had a mouthful by the time he turned 1. Myself and my siblings followed similar patterns apparently. C.

Letting Go As Children Grow by Deborah Jackson The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff What Mothers Do (Especially When It Looks Like Nothing) by Naomi Stadlen

Now that the Christmas rush is over I am finally sitting down with my new iPad. What a super gift, I am feeling very fortunate! I would love to hear people's views on the best apps, in particular apps that are useful for homeschooling (one 6 year old ds) and a good diary/organising app. Thanks in advance, and wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2012. Catherine

Oh I love it, love it, love it! I want to live in Downton Abbey! In fact, my whole family are slightly obsessed with it. We've probably spent an unhealthy amount of time pondering who from our family would fill the various roles if we actually lived there.... We recently finished watching season 2 (online) and we're hanging out now for the 2 hour (yes, TWO hour!) Christmas special which will be shown in the UK on Christmas day. We read a rave review about it the other day.

I hear you! I intend to have dh buy it for me for Christmas so it will technically be all mine.....

Yep, we sure do. A desktop and a laptop with all our music, photos, music, etc etc on them. All I need to be able to store on the iPad is current schoolwork, uni work (for myself), some photos and perhaps a little music. C.

Thanks for all that info.... Jenn, I can see how the iPad could be so much more child-friendly... JenniferC, thanks for the link to the keyboard thingy on Amazon, it looks like it could be really useful for getting over the issue of trying to type on the screen. Acurtis, you sound very convincing! Notability seems to be something that really opens up a lot of doors in terms of schooling with the iPad. I know that the iPad 2 has 64gb of memory but the figure doesn't mean a whole lot to me. Would I be able to store plenty of pdf's, photos, music etc on my iPad? Dh keeps telling me there is very little storage on it? Catherine

Hi everyone, Before I pose my question I guess I should introduce myself... My name is Catherine and I live in Australia with my dh and ds6. We are in our second year of homeschooling (ds has never been to school) and we're loving it. I've been lurking on the forum here for a while and have gleaned so much useful information so firstly I'd really like to thank all you people for so many interesting and enlightening posts! Secondly, I have a question.... I am not particularly techno-savvy but am determined to update myself in the new year. I am considering either a netbook or an iPad and I'm wondering if anyone can recommend one over the other. I am very keen on the iPad (and have been avidly following the other iPad-related threads) but dh thinks a netbook would be better (but the iPad just looks sooo cool!!). I want something that will be useful for homeschooling (and out-and-about-schooling!) and for organizing our lives in general (lists, budgets etc). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to being part of the WTM forum! Catherine :001_smile: