The family has been discussed, but not the final ruling that just came down that they were denied asylum on their appeal. Personally, I think it's not a reason for asylum and I agree with the courts. And I think it's shameful how HSLDA has used this family.

Occupancy maximums are based on local codes. Personally, I would just book for 5 and bring your own pack and play. More than likely they won't even notice. And since baby doesn't need a ticket or anything it's not a huge deal. Once she's 3 then you'd have to book 2 rooms. We stayed on site once (Disneyland Hotel) and it was SOOOOO nice. Pricey, but nice. We loved the early entry and the back entrance to DCA. Plus we paid extra for a higher floor room with theme park view and could watch the fireworks from our room, and they have the music on the TV in the room that goes along.

Not always. I called animal control on an aggressive dog in my neighborhood that was yipping at my kids (and might have bitten if I hadn't wisked them inside) and they said they didn't have anyone in my area that day and couldn't do anything.

I suppose it does depend a lot on how sensitive you are As for cross-contamination at PF Changs, most restaurants that offer gf optionsare really good about not cross-contaminating gluten and sometimes other common allergies like dairy. I would guess that PF Changs had a dedicated gf area, and they also used that for the dairy free and sesame free stuff, but that the area could have already been contaminated by dairy and sesame. They may have just wiped it down (but not adequately).

They had these in Japan too. And a lot of the restrooms had one sink that was low enough for a child to reach. Very child-friendly country!

Where my kids take lessons there is a child 6 and over can't use the locker room of the opposite sex rule too. There are 2 smaller family locker rooms (single family at a time). There is a sign on the door that the order of priority for use are 1) A person helping a disabled person of the opposite sex, 2) Familes where a parent is assisting a child over the age of 6 who is opposite gender, 3) anyone else. The regular locker rooms are big and open. In the women's there are 2 toilet stalls and then 2 curtained off shower/changing areas. There are signs indicating that the priority for the curtained areas are people with disabilities (I'm assuming due to the fact that it's harder to "stay covered" when changing if you're in a wheel chair, etc.

Under the description of each book on bookshelf central it tells you how many weeks it is used for.

I just bought year 3 a few months ago. It's not the totally new version - that is coming out in chunks in 2014-2015. BP told me I could update my guide (digital) for free when the new version comes out (I hope they hold to it). I just bought the guide, the maps, and a print copy of the companion. I plan to use SOTW/History of US as my spines, but I got the companion because I thought it might be need as supplementary material if the kids are really into one topic and because I wanted to check it out. It's not necessary if you are fine using SOTW/MOH as a spine. You could get your own books on church history/missionaries if that is really important to you as well. I may or may not get the cool histories, undecided. I don't plan on the coloring or craft book, we don't use that aspect of the SOTW activity guide as it is. If my kids were into crafts or coloring I would probably get it.

I agree that memorizing multiplication facts is the way to go. But, they do also need to know how to do basic skip counting (2s, 5s, 10s) and that can help with math as well. I remember memorizing all of my multiplication facts (up to 12) when I was in 3rd grade.

I don't have a problem with it. I don't let them play it online (or anything else online with strangers) either. I think it comes down to all forms of media as a parent - we need to set limits. I don't mind my kids watching some TV, but they will watch it all day if I let them. But I don't. Same with videogames, time on the internet, etc. Part of our job as parents is to make sure it's age appropriate and to limit screen time in general. In this context, minecraft is fine.

I have an amazon wishlist. I emailed it to dh before Christmas. What did he get me? A kindle paperwhite. I already had a kindle touch that he got me the Christmas prior. A paperwhite WAS NOT on my wishlist! (don't get me wrong, I do love the paperwhite, but since I already had a kindle touch, there were several other things I would have rather received). I totally get it. Dhs are sometimes totally clueless!

My boys wait outside, it's no big deal. I give them very clear parameters of where they can be and warn them to behave. It's never been an issue. My 8yo even sits at a table in a restaurant while I go if necessary and we're alone. He knows the rules, and it's a public place so if someone tries to snatch him (highly unlikely) he knows to yell "you're not my mom" or "you're not my dad" and get as much attention as possible. But I will admit that I've been a much looser parent (as in supervision) since visiting Japan. I learned a lot there, and while our culture is not the same, I realized that I don't need to helicopter as much as I have been.

I would talk about what a healthy weight is and ways to get to/obtain that weight. For example, exercising (not overdoing it obviously) and eating recommended amount calories are through a varied diet is important. Losing too much weight at once is unhealthy. Give her the tools to make healthy choices and manage her own body in a healthy way. Talking to a nutritionist is a really good start. And then maybe she can help you plan meals and snacks so that she is taking charge of her choices. In our culture girls get lots of conflicting images about weight and what is healthy. Only by educating on what healthy really is can girls learn how to make choices to keep themselves healthy as well as to be able to make the right choices to maintain a healthy weight.

I wonder if it was cross-contamination. I don't know how good their protocols are.

I don't know about those sources, but I got some at costco around christmas time for a good price!

At 5 and 7 I would send them to the men's together with specific instructions to stay together. I worry more about empty bathrooms then crowded ones - it's be much more likely to be sexually assaulted in a crowded bathroom full of witnesses. I usually stand outside the door so if there is a pervert going in, they know there is a mom keeping tabs on things. I do let my now 8 1/2 yo go in by himself when his brother is not with us - he is too old for the women's room. I bring my 5yo with me if my oldest isn't there to go in with him.

A lady at my church who was a single mom homeschooling her older children had a job at a local grocery show filling orders for their grocery delivery business. She worked early mornings, pushing a large cart around the store getting items and then packaging them up for delivery. She got home by 10am and then did school with her girls. There might be something like that in your area?

I have never heard of a potluck wedding! I've been to plenty of cake and punch weddings, and that seems to make the most sense if your budget is low.

I like that it gives specific books to read, not just long lists to sort through. I also prefer the way they schedule readings and I prefer their maps to the SOTW maps. I also am using it because I want to integrate a history of us in with sotw.

You might want to go search over at disboards.com. I think there is a forum there for universal orlando. ETA - here is the forum: http://disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=30

I think as parents it's our responsibility to expose our kids to different things so they can find out what their interests/strengths are. So say you play some nice, classical music for your child and maybe study some composers. If that child is like "eh, it's ok" then you don't have to take it beyond music appreciation. If they are really into it and love music, and you can afford it or find a way to make it happen, taking that interest further is really good for them. (I often think of Handel, whose father was opposed to him studying music so his mother helped him do so in secret - what if she hadn't and they hadn't allowed it - we'd all be missing out on some really great music!) Same for sports. Play catch in the yard (you don't even need mitts, just throw a ball). Play kickball. Ride bikes. Kick a ball around. If they are really into it and crave more, then look into more. If they just like to play around, that is perfectly fine.

If you have smart911 in your area and register for it you don't. I love it because you also can enter medical information, information on who lives in your house, etc that the emergency personell (and only them) can pull up if they are called to your house in an emergency. It's more information then they'd have with a call from a landline! https://www.smart911.com/

They are the Udis buns and they are quite good. Though I do prefer just lettuce wrapped myself. I've had good luck at RR. Did you request they cook your fries in a dedicated gf fryer? Some RRs do that, others will tell you they can't do it. That's the only part of RR I've had issues of cross contamination with, so I usually just get broccoli or the fruit salad.

The HIG is WONDERFUL! It lays out what to do week by week if you want a schedule to get it done in a typical school year (each level being 18 weeks - so 1a/1b being a full year). The HIG lays out how to teach it, and then what textbook and workbook problems go along with that lesson (as well as answers) and extra enrichment activities. So basically, I read ahead in the HIG so I know what materials I need and what I'm teaching, then I go through and do the teaching, and then my son does the workbook problems (and the textbook ones if he doesn't get it, but usually he gets it and the work book is enough). This year I just started mixing it up some, and doing all the teaching for a section on Monday, and then giving my son a list of the pages to do in his workbook at his own pace over the rest of the week. I woudn't do this with a 1st grader necessarily, we just started a month ago with my now 2nd grader who is 8 1/2. It's working really well for him and makes the teaching a bit easier for me.

Gluten Free Goddess is also a great resource. Some really yummy recipes. http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/ When baking gf, from scratch, I find it is WAY eaiser to do the flours by weight, and it's more accurate. Gf recipes can be really finicky. I recommend a good kitchen scale that measures in grams. I have this hanging inside one of my kitchen cupboards for quick reference: http://realfoodmadeeasy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/glutenfree-flours-volume-weight.pdf I also have a shelf in my freezer to store the gf flours. A lot of them go bad faster then I can use them if they sit at room temperature. As far as soy sauce, I use SanJ wheat free tamari. They even have little packets you can buy to take with you (I do to go with sushi - though if you do sushi avoid sauces and imitation crab meet). Small stature can be a sign of celiacs in children. I agree with having your son tested, or just pull gluten for all and see if he benefits.