For most kids, I think they could wait. I would make sure though that there were bathroom breaks between the classes. With homeschoolers, it might be more of a situation where they are not used to "thinking ahead" about things like going to the bathroom before class starts as at home they just get up, go, and come back. For younger kids and those that might have a special need (like med side effects, bladder issues, etc.) I would let them go. You might want to ask as kids come into the class if they need to use the bathroom or get a drink BEFORE class starts.

I really don't think so. A psychiatrist would help you out if there were other issues such as ADD/ADHD, behavioral issues, bipolar, depression, etc. You likely need a neuropsychologist or reg. psychologist. That said, I would check out http://www.roadstoeverywhere.com/3RsPlusRead.html (website is being updated so it isn't the best) for an EXCELLENT program for helping to teach reading that works very well for dyslexic kids. You could likely buy the entire program for less than 1-2 visits with the specialists.

I would talk to the doctor and then maybe see about a referal to a specialists--as most ped. are NOT specialists in this area and often over diagnose ADD/ADHD when it might be "normal", something else, etc. Your son sounds like he can hyper-focus on something and get so involved in it that he doesn't pay attention to other things around it. I know here that we tried dietary changes, changes in school work, parenting stuff, etc. and the issues continued so we started meds. WOW what a difference. My dd gained 2 years of reading skills in just a few months. Just Monday we missed a dose of meds and NOTHING got done. Yesterday with the meds, she could sit and focus and get her stuff done. You can also try the meds (knowing that it can take several different meds to figure out which one is best, what dose, etc.) to see if they help but stop them if they don't or there are side effects.

I just joined face book today but really don't know what I am doing. I have gotten a few messages from people I know that I clicked on when it asked me at the registration. How does it know that I know these people???? Then I have gotten 2 messages from people that I know but didn't click on---how did they find me in the first hour I was on facebook? One I haven't seen in 20+ years and the other in about 15 years. One I don't mind reading my stuff, the other, since I don't know her well, really don't want her on my pages. I need a Facebook for dummies lesson here.

We saw the psychiatrist yesterday and I mentioned that 12dd was having a TERRIBLE time with paying attention, focusing, etc. We looked back at the charts and saw that her Dexedrine dose has been the same for 2 1/2 years-- and she has grown 8 inches and gained 30 pounds in that time. She upped her meds a bit and WOW today things went SO much better. She could sit down and play her piano songs the best ever (JUST started lessons 3 weeks ago), got her school work done, etc. Come to find out---yesterday she had not taken ANY of the Dexedrine which explains why NOTHING could get done yesterday. I am not a meds first person but WOW, the difference for my dd is amazing.

Many kids can handle 1 level (2-3 pages) a day several days a week. My girls though have a lot of trouble with the actual handwriting so often we only do 1 page a day but aim for 4-5 days a week.

Check out Apples and Pears spelling http://www.prometheantrust.org/soundfoundationsbooks.htm It is a unique program from England that is very effective for kids struggling. They use the words in dictation almost daily and there are no word lists to memorize (and forget) but rather spelling activities each day. You can see the entire program in PDF format at the link above. It is a tad pricey but effective.

We use it here for 13dd on a daily basis and for 12dd as needed. Our psychiatrist, neurologist and endocrinologist all said it was safe for my girls to use. They have been using it for several years. Right now 13dd takes 3mg per night. The doctors said she could take much more if needed but the goal is the least amount possible. We have found that it really helps her mood disorder, etc. as well---don't know if it is just because she is sleeping better or if it really helps with moods. Some kids can get nightmares on it which is another reason to start with a very low dose and work up.

My 13dd is only 4'8" tall but is developing. She has been wearing the tanks from Speedo or Land's End but now needs a little more coverage in the front. A tankini would be nice (one with a longer top) or board shorts and a longer top (but again must have good coverage in the front). She wears girls size 10 (sometimes 8) pants but an A cup bra. Any ideas of where to look? Normally I am a total clearance/thrift store shopper but I am not sure I can find what I need there this year.

Local sites for free/bargain goods---like Craig's List, Freecycle, etc. How about a list of local thrift stores and their hours? A list of good budgeting books, resources, etc. that they could get from the library.

one option is to go to a nicer thrift store and try on all the jeans in your size (and one size bigger and smaller). You just might find something then that will fit---and it would be preshrunk as well. I have a TERRIBLE time with jeans as I am VERY short waisted--meaning my waist is only a few inches above my hips so jeans that sit at the "natural waist" come up almost to my bra band and the low rise jeans gap terribly in the back. Often I will try on 10-15 pairs of jeans and MIGHT find 1 that fits. I had a nice pair from CJ Banks but then the zipper broke. I have tried several pairs from LL Bean and had to send them all back (thankfully I have free return shipping). Someone must make jeans for normal sized ladies with less than perfect bodies. I just haven't found them yet.

One thought first, has she ever had a FULL hearing evaluation? With the articulation issues, not comprehending what she hears as well as if she reads it herself, etc. might indicate that she is not hearing perfectly. My 13dd can pass the "screenings" but when they do the full test problems show up. What brain malformation does she have? Just curious as my 12dd has a Chiari I with other little "holes" in her brain.

I didnt' look at the article but my dh just started working for the state--as an automotive technologies instructor for the prision system---training inmates that are nearing relase so that they can get a job when they get out. Many people that he works with keep telling him to SLOW DOWN, DON"T WORK SO HARD, etc. and on and on. It is like they are saying do the MINIMUM that must be done to keep your job but certainly don't try your hardest to do your best, etc.

Is this a sudden change in his behavior? Has he been exposed to strep throat at all? PANDAS is a strep related OCD and affects boys more than girls. They have have the strep even with no fever or sore throat. A blood test can detect this. In a different direction, how are his social skills? Langauge skills? Interactions with others? Does he play with toys/pretend? Sometimes the OCD stuff, etc. can be a sign of things on the autism spectrum.

I think you handled it well. It could be that mom IS aware and concerned about her dd's needs but really wanting her to "fit in" with the other kids and be able to go to parties, etc. I have 3 kids with special needs and my girls are very rarely invited to anything. They don't really misbehave but my 13dd is cognitively impaired and has some stuttering issues which makes it much harder for her. The older they get the farther the gaps widens and the harder it is for the child and the parents.

Thanks. I WISH that the charities around here had a truck that would come and pick up donations. We live too far out for that. Garage sales do NOT do well when you live out in the country on a dirt road so those are out as well. I might sell a few big things on Craig's list but otherwise I guess I will just keep giving away things. I like the idea of setting things out with a FREE sign on them. Even out on our dirt road, things rarely last more than a few hours before they are picked up---hopefully by someone that can really use it.

We are continuing our de-junking and downsizing here. I was just wondering how you decide if it is worth the time and effort to sell somethings---very nice winter jackets/ski pants, books, bigger items, etc. and when it is just not worth the time and effort. We could use the money for the horse barn I am building this spring but then again, is it worth my time to list stuff on Craig's List, weed out the people, have them come here, etc? Or do I just hand down the clothes to people I know, donate the books to the library, give the household goods to a local charity that runs a thrift store as well as giving stuff away?

I think this is a good idea but what about connecting with local people to help them? Like yesterday we had 2 families come and cut down trees and haul away wood. By the time they are done, with the size and number of trees, each family is going to get almost 1 years worth of home heating for free---other than the labor of cutting it down, hauling it, etc. We likely could have sold the wood but both of these familes have dads that are layed off right now. Donate the clothes to a local family that has kids that size or to a local charity that screens the people that come in (or a thrift store where your donations stay in your area and are sold for very little--we have a 99 cent store here). Ask at your church if there is anyone local you could help. You might be able to barter services---like a free haircut in exchange for the hand me down clothes. I ended up with hand me down waterproof boots for my 13dd yesterday from one of the families that came to get wood.

I STRONGLY 2nd these books. They work great for teaching younger kids to read---many 4 year old learn with these and they also work very well for kids with LDs, dyslexia and other reading struggles. Check out the links above. You can join a free yahoo group and get a wealth of information from other homeschooling moms but also reading specialists from around the world at no charge. If you buy at the Roads to Everywhere site the books are only $20/set and you can easily use them for both kids and then resell them for $10/set. Also, you can buy a few sets at a time to save on S&H or just buy them as you need them to spread the cost out. With these books there is NO need for any other phonics program. You just read the books and the kids learn all of the phonics they need. There is lots of practice and the stories are quite cute so kids enjoy the "cartoons". If you really wanted, you could use Explode the Code phonics workbooks after sets 1 and 2 of these books but it isn't needed. Once he would read through sets 1, 2 and 3 you could start Apples and Pears spelling which teaches the phonics rules while spelling or just use SPELL which is a simple spelling program designed to go with the I See Sam books. Make sure to read about the notched card/cursor on the websites. It is a brilliant idea that cost almost nothing but can greatly help kids with eye teaming, tracking and other vision issues. I have some samples of the books if you are interested. Just click on my name and email me.

If cats are not a huge concern, I would see about getting a load of DIRT for them to play with. We did that about 12+ years ago and STILL have dirt that the kids play in. They pile it up, dig in it, climb it, build sledding hills with it, haul it around to other places to build dirt bike jumps, use it to fill in holes, dig mroe holes to fill in, etc. I am sure it is dirty and doesn't brush off like sand does but we live in the country, have very little grass, etc. so dirt is just a big part of our lives.

yes, see the urologist. The tests are often very simple and non invasive. Both of my girls are on meds for bladder issues and were dry day and night within a few days of starting them. It could be: structural spastic bladder constipation food allergy/intolerance sensory things low grade infection or a host of other issues. Hopefully the doctor can help you out. Only rarely will a child wet on purpose--like in children with severe emotional impairments, etc.

I don't know if it would help for abdominal migraines or not but my 12dd is on Lamictal for her migraines. It is a seizure med but has prevented her migraines. She has been on it for almost 3 years now. It is not an antidepressant BUT it is approved for bipolar depression so that is interesting.

Today felt like a heat wave here. It was 45 and SUNNY. This is 50 degrees warmer than 3 days ago. It was breezy but even with the breeze I was comfortable with my sweatshirt and jeans (and boots for the mud). I rode my horse for a few minutes today as well. This really makes me wish for SPRING. Then again...............this is Michigan and we can have snow on the ground in April yet so this is just likely wishful thinking.

Check out the I See Sam readers. http://www.roadstoeverywhere.com/3RsPlusRead.html If you click around on BRI 1 and the downloads part you can see the first book for free and then read up on the notched card. That is VERY helpful for kids that add extra sounds, have trouble with eye tracking, etc. Even if you don't buy the readers, the card can be made at home for free and used with any program. We did a whole set of vision therapy and saw no changes but that little notched card greatly helped my dd. These books are phonetic based and can be used along with Saxon, etc. but they also stand alone as a complete learn to read program. They might seem to easy for her at first but she could rapidly go through them and get to the fun stories. They move much more slowly with introducing new code (sounds) and give a lot more practice with each sound. Go to the link above and click on the UK site for even more information. If they look interesting to you, click on my name and send me an email as I have several samples I can email to you to check them out. I sound like a commercial here but as a special ed. teacher with courses in reading, I could NOT teach my own 2 dds to read until we found these books and used them. Everything else moved too fast, had too many new words/sounds in each book, not enough practice, etc.

It is more subjective. I would want to see a psychiatrist though to diagnose depression as they are experts in this area and can figure out if it is really depression or something else going on. You can (and should) have blood tests though to check thyroid (a HUGE thing in depression), blood sugars, anemia, other hormone levels, etc. as those medical issues can go with or mimic depression but need other treatment.