And as far as kitty litter goes, make sure it doesn't "dust up" in her face when she paws it. I prefer to buy the "clumping" kind for my cat's kitty box, but I have to be careful to get the kind without sharp edges. Some of the litter out there is little better than sharp, tiny gravel. She won't even paw at the sharp stuff, and she is a real bruiser of an outdoor cat who only uses it for emergencies (like when we're all trapped inside during tornado alerts...). asta

I'm sorry to hear that. The county clerks office in their local jurisdiction should be able to answer any questions they may have over the phone. asta

Any person who enters the Armed Forces prior to their 18th birthday requires the signature of their parent on the enlistment documents. Once that is done, the child is legally emancipated. This happens quite often as many people graduate from high school prior to their 18th birthday and immediately enter into military service. Financial Aid Offices are no longer allowed to look at parental tax returns once this takes place. Any person who desires emancipation without entering the Armed Forces must go down to their local courthouse with their parent or legal guardian and sign emancipation papers prior to their 18th birthday (it is irrelevant after that, as one is legally emancipated upon turning 18 years old). The actual process differs from state to state. Financial Aid Offices ARE allowed to look at parental tax returns once this takes place. Why? Because the person hasn't proven that they are supporting themselves. The following is the scenario I envision would have to take place: As to emancipating for financial aid purposes for college -- this is an entirely different ball of wax. Basically, a parent and child have to be willing to acknowledge that there is no way AT ALL the parent can help that child with their education. AT ALL. This is a situation wherein the child has ALREADY been working while going to high school. Has ALREADY been working full time every summer between school years. This is a child who is not going to college any.other.way. In a situation such as this, an apartment is "found"; it is usually of a type cobbled from someone's garage, the rent is impossibly low, the utilities are miraculously "included". Friends tend to be around with a bit of "extra food on the table" for dinner. This is not the kid with the laptop, the iPod, and the not-free-with-cheap-plan cell phone. This is the smart kid who happens to be poor. It is my personal opinion, as I said on the other thread, but I think the kids falling into these categories are worth more than the standard IRS deduction their parent could get out of them each year. asta

Differences between sunblock and sunscreen source: Kenneth A. Arndt, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School The blocks are all natural. The screens, aren't. asta

Does anyone remember the thread about giving personal info out over the internet? How, you give a smidge in one post, a bit in another thread, a photo somewhere else, a link to a completely identifiable blog, and pretty soon, some weirdo has figured out who you are and where you live? OPSEC, folks. OPSEC. We're in a war. asta

Important things to look at when evaluating "s" speech impediments: *Thumb sucking *Curvature of the teeth (an "oval" shape with an overbite "gap" that the tongue sticks through) *Tongue thrust (a backwards swallowing pattern wherein the tongue moves slightly forward before moving backwards to swallow) *Extremely narrow palate (as in, in need of a palate spreader; the tongue pushes forward because there isn't enough space side to side) *Some combination of the above This is why people always say "you need to take your kid to a speech therapist" - because they really are the only people trained to figure out WHY your kid isn't able to wrap their mouth around a given letter. And the approach for "fixing" speech impediments from different origins is, quite obviously, very different. I had "s" and "r" impediments as a child. They were caused by a bit of everything (though my palate was narrow/medium). Although they were "fixed" by the age of 9 or 10, I had to re-learn the sounds while, and after I had braces because the shape of my mouth changed. And again after I had my wisdom teeth out. Speech impediments are a life long thing when they are rooted in anatomy. Oh, and they aren't cute once you're teased. asta

I think that's the part I always forget: I'm emoting, and he is "soluting" LOL Seriously - he is always seeking a solution. Maybe I need to come up with some "umpire" type hand signals for "hey! I don't want a solution! I want validation!" You know, the "Homeschool Mom's Guide to Socializing Husbands..." heh asta

If you take one piece of information away from the thousands of bits people will give you on your journey, let it be this bit from CalmingTea. Autism Spectrum Disorders are not a disease, they are a different wiring of the brain. You don't "cure" your basic self. You simply learn to navigate a different road map. asta

I was just telling hubby about this thread (in my usual, over the top, over-dramatized manner...), and he announced back "well, you're just going to have to put him in school - otherwise he'll never have any friends." Um... I seem to recall no "friend guarantee" from PS. Kid starts high school in the fall. Kid has never had friends (plural). And kid didn't start homeschooling until 5th grade. Kid is what we (affectionately) call "quirky"; or what a doctor would call "Aspie" if I ever bothered to cough up the cash for an evaluation. (I don't really see the point, as we've already fixed the speech impediment, I already work around his learning differences/styles, and I keep him in sport to deal with P/T issues - oh, and the state I live in has their head in the sand about ASD people not existing with high IQs, like 130) Hubby had a miserable time in school. I had a miserable time in school. You would think this would be a NON issue. I repeatedly say "he'll find a friend - he'll be in sport, he'll be involved in things" (we're moving to a new area with a larger concentration of teenagers). Hubby isn't buying it. Sage advice? asta p.s. Kid has had friends in the past, it's just that they have moved on as of late. And, like others from the previous thread, he gets along great with adults and pretty much anyone with whom he comes in contact, in a "safe" environment.

Goodness I would hope not! Gov't aid is there for you because you've paid into the system and now it is supposed to help tide you over until you get back on your feet. I'm sorry about your hubby's job. Hang in there. asta

I've always just tossed it into a plastic grocery bag. I give the bag a spin, fold the spin over on itself, tuck under, and set it on the counter. It's not like the bread lasts past a day or so anyway... asta

Sorry guys - I don't know who is attached to what service. I was trying to give general info. I certainly don't believe all wives wear their SMs rank; but the ones who do get so busy-body about it, might as well use it to your advantage, ya know? ;-) asta

Heck, one can't pass through most of the world in what one is able to wear in the United States. Try walking into St. Peter's in Vatican City wearing shorts. Um, nope. asta

1. The school liaison on post is supposed to be handling all of this. That he/she isn't is total BS. It is his/her JOB to be running interference with the school districts for anything and EVERYTHING regarding all military dependents' educational needs. 2. Start using the chain of command. The Liaison's boss is the Garrison Commander. The GC's boss is whichever General is feeling like they have the biggest cojones that day (on a multiple MACOM installation, that gets fuzzy at times...). 3. Use the most powerful weapon available: the pillowtalk network. More problems have been solved via a well placed "you won't believe what is happening to little Johnny" spoken in the presence of a bunch of women wearing their husband's rank. 4. You're being taken advantage of because your SM isn't there to advocate for you and you're not toeing the line ("but we have all these convenient systems in place... why aren't you IN them?") Grrrr... I need to stop now. I'm on a tear. Nothing ticks me off more than people who won't do their jobs. Especially when their jobs are so bloody narrowly defined in the first place. asta

Off the top of my head, I would think that any "clearish" liquid hand soap or shampoo would do the trick (not the "pearly" types). Essentially, all any of it is, is surfactants. You're going to rinse the heck out of anything, anyway, so it's not as if you'll be eating it. I found a thread discussing lots of ways: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf655295.tip.html asta

I didn't say you did. This person did: asta

Three words for you: Fredericks of Hollywood. Yeah, yeah, their models tend to look like ho-bags, and the clothes are skanky... but their BRAS! They do bras better than anyone. My sister once said "well, if you have to cater to people who wear bras for a living, you have to do it right!" LOL The caveat is that they only go to 34A, but they have ways of making things fit... I had the best chest of my life on my wedding day! Everyone always goes to Victoria's Secret, but I haven't found their bras to fit as well or last as long. Good luck. asta

Oh - thank you for that. It *is* hard to tell about most of this stuff. The Angelicum academy's stuff looks great, but the big sidebar of the pope is a bit of a dead giveaway... (even if Ben XVI is an intellectual force to be reckoned with...). asta

Ok, I'm responding as an Aspie who has spectrum friends and a quirky kid (in other words, I have no professional cred). All of the stuff you just wrote is just "standard aspiness". Nothing weird going on there. Again, standard Aspie. It is incredibly difficult for some Aspies to hear something and then translate the auditory into the written. Painfully difficult. Think of it this way: have you ever had a really bad head cold? When your sinuses are all sloshy and your nasal passages are swollen? Then someone says something to you. You can see their lips moving, you can hear something... but your brain can't wrap around what it is they are saying. That is a pretty good analogy for what happens with the Aspie auditory/writing conflict. By and large, phonics suck in Aspie-land. truk is not Truck. Especially not with an IQ of 121 - words simply appear misspelled at that high of intelligence level - reading tends to be more sight driven. The Aspie mantra is "change is bad", ergo switching from phonics to, um ANYTHING else will cause the change you've noticed. (dang - sorry, that sounded really harsh. You understand all of this though, I know.) I suspect that, as your kid has more access to real words (instead of the combo of truk and truck), this will even itself out. Additionally, he will start in on his aspie-obsessions (if he hasn't already) and want books on them. After that, the comprehension just kind of comes along (seeing as interest has to come before anything else, it seems...) Gently repeat the proper form following the improper form without harping: "Mommy I has begun!" "Yes honey, I have begun, also!" Simple parroting will imprint the proper pattern over time. Drilling will bore him to tears, make him feel like a failure, and overload him. I'm not familiar with PACE, and only know of NeuroNet from their website. I tend to lean towards "what works for me and my kid and shows positive results" rather than "they say this will work". I don't know if any of this helps. Take care. asta

No, I haven't been looking for the Angelicum academy. Still seeking Pagans... ;-) The closest I've found (which I would have found much sooner had I bothered to read my latest book, The Latin Centered Curriculum ) is a couple of student/teacher books by a woman named Fran Rutherford. Mrs. Rutherford is actually Catholic, but according to Andrew Campbell (LCC author), and from what I saw of the on-line examples, her work appears secular. Greek Classics: Questions for the Thinker Ancient Rome: Questions for the Thinker (the description for this one is kind of disjointed - I suggest you just click on the link) The student books are $35, the teacher books are $50. ___________________________ I'm not delusional; I do realize that one can only move so far along in Roman history before bumping into Christianity. I just don't want to present ALL of history to my child through the lens of the Holy See. (something is scratching at the back of my brain right now about how the winners write the histories... only the priests knew how to write... feh) asta

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I'm wondering about this also. asta

Where do you find these guides? I can only find his list. asta

They look like two different websites. I saw a review of the Great Books Academy's Socratic Discussion class on another forum that was pretty bad. The person's 8th grader had taken it and said the "chat" function of the course was completely off task and filled with political and religious opinion (instead of coursework). Gah. asta

Gee... if I want my kid to put off high school for a few years, Hewitt is writing something: asta