There is a samurai exhibit that just opened at MFA!!! So let's say we go there...where should we eat in that neighborhood?

Thanks Bostonians!!!!! I will have to read through the thread a few times and talk it over with ds. I hate not having a plan in place several days ahead of time. But you guys have done a great job giving me a feel for the city and some reasonable options. I will probably also talk it over with the Ronald McDonald House people when we check in tomorrow. I've wanted to do a vacation in Boston for several years, so I'm excited that the oldest and I will get to spend at least a little time there. I may come back for more advise if someone decides to drive my other kids out for a visit after the surgery next week.

Very helpful, thanks trinchick! DS is not much of a baseball fan (he lives for football) but I was hoping there would be a game Monday night, because it IS Fenway Park. So maybe a tour would still be alright...Are you implying that a taxi is a faster way to get around than taking the T? I would have guessed the opposite.

Sorry about the title! Thanks to the Mods for fixing it...I was posting quickly between tending and refereeing kids, and I do have a lot on my mind these days. While the tragedy in Boston is very much on my mind, I did not step back and look at my title in that light. Thanks for the suggestions. I'd love to do the freedom trail or Faneuil Hall, but wasn't sure how far they are from the hospital. When we went for our initial appointment a few weeks ago we drove into the hospital and drove home. On and off the highway with no diversions. So I don't really have a feel for the city yet. And it's good to know that we can get discounts with our patient card! I will have to check into that.

Some of you may remember that I posted in January looking for schooling advise for my middle kids when my oldest son was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Our family has adjusted to the "new normal" of life with cancer and I'm not worried about their educations anymore. However, treatment for ds has not gone the way they thought it would. He didn't respond to the chemo that 92% of patients are cured by, and so after 5 rounds (and 3 different regiments) we are going to Boston - most likely for surgery. We made the drive out a few weeks ago to meet the oncologist and will be headed back for appointments on Tuesday with pre-op and the surgeon. We are hoping to drive into Boston Monday night and stay at the Ronald McDonald house. Then we should have free time from noon to 3 PM. We will obviously have to eat during that time (Because who is hungrier than a teenage boy? A teenage boy on appetite stimulants), but I would also like to find something fun to do. I won't have the younger kids with me, and ds has been in pretty good shape lately, so he can do lots of walking. So if we have 3 hours to eat and blow off steam near the Children's Hospital, what should we do?

Some of you may remember that I posted in January looking for schooling advise for my middle kids when my oldest son was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Our family has adjusted to the "new normal" of life with cancer and I'm not worried about their educations anymore. However, treatment for ds has not gone the way they thought it would. He didn't respond to the chemo that 92% of patients are cured by, and so after 5 rounds (and 3 different regiments) we are going to Boston - most likely for surgery. We made the drive out a few weeks ago to meet the oncologist and will be headed back for appointments on Tuesday with pre-op and the surgeon. We are hoping to drive into Boston Monday night and stay at the Ronald McDonald house. Then we should have free time from noon to 3 PM. We will obviously have to eat during that time (Because who is hungrier than a teenage boy? A teenage boy on appetite stimulants), but I would also like to find something fun to do. I won't have the younger kids with me, and ds has been in pretty good shape lately, so he can do lots of walking. So if we have 3 hours to eat and blow off steam near the Children's Hospital, what should we do?

I wanted to stop back to thank everyone for their advice and give an update. ds has completed his first round of chemo - it was 3 nights in the hospital last week. He was really tired, and got a little nauseous a couple of times, but overall he did really well with it. Tumor markers are going down and the tumor in his belly is definitely getting smaller, and so far blood counts are ok. My prayer is that we will only have to go through it 3 more times. I ended up signing the middle kids up for a month of T4L, but I don't think we'll keep it. I think I can tweak our existing curriculum to work through most of the year, and if we end up behind we can always catch up over the summer. I am seriously considering pausing SOTW at the Revolutionary War (which we will hit in a week or two) and letting the kids watch Liberty Kids and do lots of reading on the war. I think we could easily spend a few months on the Revolution. But I think that overall, they need the structure and the interaction with me whenever they can get it. And today I had an 8th and 9th grade helper at the house who both said they were doing the same thing in math as my almost 9yo (basic equations). And when I asked them to help my kids label eastern border states on a US map, they needed to find a labeled map before they could help...so I think my kids will be fine!

Thanks so much for all of your kind words. He came through surgery fine, and I am home with DH and the other kids while his bio dad stays with him tonight. dwkilburn1, you've given me lots to think about.

prairiewindmomma, great advice! I should probably get an audio version of SOTW. We already have a caringbridge.org page, and they have a meal scheduler, too. I put a really good friend in charge of that. I have an iPhone, so I will have to check out the cozi app. Thanks!

My ds 13 (who attends public school now) was diagnosed with testicular cancer Thursday. He goes in for a biopsy and a chemo port tomorrow morning. The doctors are confident that he will make a full recovery and being playing football again in the fall. The last several days have been a whirlwind, but as I come up for air I'm realizing that I need to figure out something for homeschooling. The public school has been amazing, supportive, and flexible, so I have no concerns for the education of ds 13. But I have 4 younger kids at home: an advanced 3rd grader, a foot dragging 2nd grader, a 3yo and a 17month old. If you have walked a similar path, I'd love to hear from you about things like how you managed school, what we can expect during treatment, things you did or people did for you that were helpful...For treatment we are looking at inpatient chemo 3-5 days at a time every 3-4 weeks. For school I'm considering asking my mom to pay for several months of Time4Learning for the middle kids. That would ensure that they can get something done regularly and I can supplement with more academic stuff as I am able. Ds13 did use T4L a little bit when he was in the elementary years. Are there other options that would be better but not too much more expensive? We have an AMAZING church that is very supportive, so I know we'll be okay, but I could use help thinking things out, so I appeal to the hive :bigear:

Last year was the first time I made them, but my family was pretty excited about a new Christmas tradition that involves cinnamon rolls. So I will be making them again tomorrow.

Soror, thanks for the welcome! You didn't see me the first week because I was late to the party. I'm having a hard time loving the new board format so I haven't been lurking as much as I usually do :tongue_smilie: My goal was to lose 20 pounds (by Feb 4th), and it's been almost two weeks since I decided I really needed to do it. So far I've lost 7.5lbs. I've cut calories significantly and haven't had anything chocolate (besides the diet shakes and bars) since I started. And I have been drinking lots and lots of water. I'm still not getting the exercise I need. I haven't even been to the dojo much in the last couple of weeks because I've been sick and I'm nursing a shoulder injury. So I'm happy with my willpower and my weight loss, but I know I need to motivate myself to move more.

I'm 15 months postpartum with baby #5, and I lost all the weight and then gained it back. That has happened to me with the last couple of babies. It's like my body likes the 9 months pregnant weight (which gets higher with each baby). I think I'm finally at a point where I can physically and emotionally handle loosing weight, and some accountability would be helpful. I actually started a week ago. My goal is to loose 20 pounds by February 4. My method is a Slim-fast sort of diet, but I'm not particularly brand loyal. I really want to cut calories significantly, stop drinking my calories (except for my morning hot chocolate), and lay off the candy bars. I go to karate 2 or 3 times a week, but I know I need more cardio. I'm still trying to figure out how to get that into my schedule.

We participated last year for the first time. Typing skills will help him do better, but my kids had fun with it even though they aren't great typists. My kids didn't place anywhere special and they had a good time anyways (And I would describe my 8 y.o. much like you described your son). In fact my ds8 was just asking me about doing it again the other day. I think they started at a very basic level and were able to work up to some slightly more challenging stuff.

This is pretty much how I parent (except that I do occasionally forget I shouldn't be arguing with my oldest). But when you have a tenacious teenager who really wants to test boundaries along with other children to tend to/teach it gets exhausting and frustrating quickly. Now that I am responsible for the shaping of five distinct little (or in some cases not so little) personalities, I really believe that there are almost no one size fits all parenting rules. Different kids have different needs. As a parent you need to carefully consider each child as an individual and hope and pray that you will find the wisdom to get it right for THAT kid. All of that to say, OP, if you feel like you've tried all this stuff and more, and you still feel frustrated, I understand. :grouphug:

I think it has something to do with the age. They are testing boundaries a lot in those middle school/junior high years. About this time last year I just couldn't take it anymore (from my then ds12) and made arrangements to put ds in school at the end of the second quarter. I had concerns about school making his attitude worse, but I was ultimately more concerned that our relationship would not recover if I continued butting heads with him at home. For us, public school has been a great move. I have four more kids at home, and I don't expect all of them to transition to public school, but it seems good for this kid at this point in time. We still struggle a little with disrespect at home, but his teachers all rave about what a wonderful, respectful, polite student he is. While he was home, ds was demanding much of my energy. And managing his behavior (and the school work he didn't want to do) was taking away from the education of my other kids. I was constantly out of patience. Ds is an extrovert, so I think he is happier now that he can spend his days interacting with other people. I know it's a tough stage. Good luck!

Our budget is $80 a kid, which doesn't include a new pair of pj's or stockings. Stockings will probably run another $30 each (the oldest 3 will each get a $10 iTunes card, their favorite body soap, and maybe a ticket to see the Hobbit) We won't spend the full amount on the 1 or 3 year old. And we don't get gifts for each other.

I have one of those toddlers, with a 14mo old following him around :glare: Sometimes when I am ready to lose it, I strap ds (almost 3) into the baby's high chair and give him some Legos or something. Being strapped in seems to calm him down a little bit and after he gets mad about being stuck in the seat he will calm down and play for a little while. I also made busy bags over the summer. They only come out during school, and some of them got old pretty quickly, but some of them he still likes. I have one bag with a big blob of playdough that has little toys hidden in it. He loves that one. I have my 7 and 8 year old do stuff that doesn't need much teacher interaction in the morning, and when one needs my attention the other one watches the little ones. The teacher intensive stuff (SOTW, WWE) gets done during nap time. That makes it sound like we have it all together, which we don't. We are a couple of weeks behind in WWE, and I almost never read aloud to my kids anymore:( And sometimes I lock myself in the bathroom just to be alone for a second.

The starter pack guitars aren't total junk, but a kid will likely outgrow those in a year or two if they are serious. Like pp said, a Mexican Strat is a good guitar that would last a while. We are Ibanez fans here, because they make good guitars that are a little cheaper than comparable Fenders or Gibsons. Guitar Center also has a used gear section, and sometimes you can find a great deal there. And you don't run the same risk as buying used off of craigslist or ebay.

Can you get Apple Care for the phone instead of the insurance? That is probably the discrepancy among the stories from PPs. When I bought my iPhone 4s (Sprint) I paid $100 or something for Apple Care, which I think will repair or replace the phone twice, for free, with no questions asked.

How big is he, and how much do you want to spend? I would probably recommend a 3/4 scale for a 9 year old, but if he can comfortably hold a full size guitar I would go full size. 3/4 guitars are great for kids (and I have one I use when we travel or I'm too lazy to get a big guitar out) but they tend to have intonation problems. That means that they can be a little more work to keep in tune, and the tuning might not be consistent all the way up the neck (not going to bother the average 9 year old, though). Musician's Friend is a reputable online company, and you can at least use their reviews and and their prices as a reference point. Here are there 3/4 guitars The Yamaha would probably be a good choice ($129). I have a Baby Taylor because it had a much nicer tone than the cheap ones. I agree with pp that I wouldn't (and haven't) get a nylon string guitar for one of my kids unless they were pursuing classical. At some point they will want to switch so they might as well build up good callouses right from the start. And it's really not that bad! If you go with a full size guitar, I would say to get a thin body and a cut-away. That makes it feel smaller even though it is a full size guitar. Something like Ibanez But if you can find one that is acoustic without the electronics it would probably be cheaper.

Is she near a Fleet Feet or other running store? I have inserts that I got at Fleet Feet. The workers there watch you walk and help you pick the inserts that support your feet the best. You also have the advantage of walking around in several different ones to find the one that is most comfortable for you. I think the inserts I got were around $50.

I would see if you can get your insurance to cover a trip to the podiatrist for custom orthodics. My oldest had knee pain for years (that all the doctors chalked up to growing pains) until I insisted on a referral to the podiatrist. His feet aren't super flat, but his arches collapse when he walks. And the custom orthodics have made all the difference for him!

:iagree: with Carrie. That is the cheapest way. But Kawaii diapers are a pretty cheap pocket diaper (that means that they go on more like a disposable) and I've had really good luck with them. You can get them from their web store (I think it's called Ilovemybaby) or you can buy them on ebay. If you buy one or two dozen at a time, the per diaper price is really cheap. The one size diapers probably won't fit a new baby until around 12 lbs. I suggest some prefolds with covers or disposables for a newborn.

Right! We are finding kids in our youth group using it unbeknownst to their parents, though. And most of the adults I know haven"t heard of it. But perhaps that's just my circle.