My friend had a younger child who was the same way. I would take him to the doctor. Sounds like he is impacted and needs help. Then, you will probably want to rule out any possible causes of this severe constipation and then get him on something that helps him go. Also, diet plays an important role in bowel habits. Add more fiber or a supplement if he is a picky eater. My kids are and we have to add fiber or they have a hard time going too. Bless his heart. I pray this resolves for him soon. But it does sound like impaction and he probably needs to see a doctor to help get that out.

I have gifts for my kids. That is it. Even then, I don't have their 12 days of Christmas gifts nor their stocking stuffers. Bah!

We have a cocker spaniel. He is 3 years old and his name is Rosco. He is beautiful, hard as heck to housebreak, sweet to the core, terrible around other dogs, great around my kids.

We did Horizons K at first and I found it to be the same way you describe...overwhelming for my ds and he wasn't learning the concepts. We backed up and did Calvert K math which was a total waste of time. Just finished it up and we are FINALLY doing Singapore EB 2 (standards). I love love love love love Singapore and will use it until I can't use it anymore. Both of my kids are doing GREAT with it.

I use HWOT for cursive. I didn't like it at all for print.

Writing Tales II is working well for my 4th grader and he is definitely not advanced in his writing. However, this is not ALL I use - I also use LLATL and GWG 4, so I English it up a bit. LOL I am not sure if it makes a difference that I have a degree in English though and that it is my favorite and best subject...that may make a difference in the ease of teaching it. ??? Not sure. My son is not a superior writer, but he is doing well in WT II.

We also decided to do it before Christmas as my older son goes to be with his dad for the week after Christmas. Besides, the little gifts will hopefully tie over my kids with that "let me open a present" itch. LOL

We dealt with bullying like that last year. I ended up bringing my son (9) home this year and it was mostly because of the school's lack of response to the bully. They told my son that it was 1/2 his fault because he mouthed back to the child. Ha. Okay. When the kid told him, "You will die tomorrow," that was IT for me. The school acted like an 8 year old just wasn't capable of acting on such a threat and dismissed it all together. Neither of my sons will never attend ps in this county again as long as I live to tell about it!

I have a BA in English focus in Technical Writing. I love English, love writing and always have, so this was easy for me. Since staying home, I have taken on a few freelance writing projects where I make close to $100 a hour (on a good turnaround). However, work is spotty and you have to search it out. I did, however, do a project one year that took me close to 3 months of around 20 hours a day (5 days a week) to complete and made $25K. If you could do it in 3 mos, then you could have the rest of the year off. LOL

Oh no! I am sorry. Car wrecks are ALWAYS frightening - it will take time for your nerves to calm down. I hope you do not have whiplash and you are just feeling the effects of the impact. :(

We are doing the 12 days of Christmas. My ideas were things like coupons for a day off school, a trip to McDonalds for happy meals (my kids are younger), a movie at the theatre...just mom and one of them at a time. I am also going to the dollar tree to look for small toys and crafts for them. My youngest is 5 and he LOVES stuffed animals and making crafts, so I can't go wrong there. My oldest likes puzzles, books, games, etc. All are things I can get at a dollar store or at the most, Wal-Mart. Best of luck to you! It sounds like you can't go wrong with your girls either!

I am using NOEO Physics I with a 4th grader who is NOT advanced and it is right on level for him. It is a bit above my K'ers head and he IS advanced. I love NOEO, but I am not sure one level would really fit all of your children. I think the K'er and the 2nd grader would do fine with NOEO Physics I - depending on what you required of them. However, and advanced 4th grader would probably be a bit bored. The level II stuff is more on an advanced 4th grader's reading level and possibly interest level too. I would go with some of the other suggestions...unless you want to do both levels.

LOL...:lol:

I reformatted my hard drive. WHY??? :( I am pretty sure I am going to cry. Yep. :(

I like all of the suggestions thus far. :) Keep 'em coming!

I am going to keep checking this thread. We are going to do something - I want to mostly study the Bible and the story of Christ. But I also want to do fun things like baking, making wrapping paper, making gifts, and so on. We were planning to start ours around the 15th of Dember.

We are doing the 12 days of Christmas with very small (>$1) gifts leading up to Christmas. This will be stuff like a stuffed animal for my younger, a puzzle for my older, etc. I am actually going to do coupons for a day off school for each of them as well. :) Then we are having 3 gifts from us on Christmas morning and one from Santa for each child. My oldest doesn't believe in Santa, but my little does, so we have to keep it up for a year or so with both. Ds 9 Santa: Microscope Us: Journey to the Center of the Earth DVD Microscope slides and cleaning kit Usborne Internet Linked Science book and Horrible Harry Chapter books Ds 5 Santa: Interactive Remote Control Wall-E Us: Alvin and the Chipmunks DVD 3 Transformers level 2 Readers, Transformers Activity book Transformers Costume with body armor

How long and for what grades have you homeschooled? This is my second year with my ds 5 and my first year with my ds9 Did you know from the start you would homeschool or did some event point you down this road? Both. LOL With my oldest, it was an event. With my youngest, it was his personality that lent itself so well to homeschooling. My little was just a perfect "fit." Were you homeschooled? No. Does anyone in your extended family homeschool? No. And they all think I am nuts. What method and materials did you use your first year of homeschooling? For Pre-school, we did workbooks from Wal-mart for letters, watched Leap Frog DVDs, played letter games, read books, etc. For both kids this year, we started out with Calvert K and Calvert 4 and totally dropped them after about 8 weeks. Now I do my own thing and we are all enjoying it much better! What method and materials are you currently using? See Signature. What books, ideas, etc. have helped shape your homeschool? TWTM, Cathy Duffy's Top Picks, Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling, Homeschooling on a Shoestring, Homeschooling, The Early Years. What has been the most challenging aspect for you? Adjusting. Learning how the kids learn best, how I teach best, how we can work together, what totally doesn't work for us. What aspect has come naturally for you? Scheduling. I was amazed at how easy it was for me to schedule and plan their days when at first I was terrified of just that (hence the Calvert purchase). Now I am totally confident and like my schedule SO MUCH BETTER than anything else I have found. What are your favorite homeschool memories thus far? The days we spend at co-op classes and with a friend in the park, our special trips to McDonalds in the middle of the day, making crafts together, seeing my kids totally "get" something... What is the best advice you've been given? The first year is rough...don't sweat it. What advice do you give others just starting this journey? Don't let curriculum choices drive you bonkers. It will all fall into place, but chances are, you will spend lots of time and $$$ that first year before they do! Just be prepared and don't try to be perfect right out of the gate.

I do not use TOG, but I definitely understand your point. Having once owned Calvert, who wanted me to destroy the teacher's guide and buy from them again even for ANOTHER OF MY OWN KIDS made me so mad I could pop. I ended up selling it after 8 weeks of lessons. Moral dilemma...but I overcame that one because I felt like they were ripping me (and so many others) off.

I would call them now and see what they can work out with you...tell them that it may not happen this way, but you wanted to know just incase it does. That way, you can better plan for the future. It is so sad to me to hear about all of the layoffs and reduction in wages right now. Thus far, it has not affected us. If it does, we will be up a creek!

It may. Then again, if you are constantly exposing yourself to the allergen, it may not. It could also be stress...as crazy as that sounds. When I had my 1st ds, I had a period of 6 months where I would itch like crazy and scratch only for it to form hives and little bumps that, if left alone, would go away in 30 mins or so. It was intense. I went to an allergist who did the testing on my back and they said I was either allergic to EVERYTHING or my skin was so sensitive that they just couldn't tell what it was. They put me on hydroxyzine and zyrtec. I had to take it for 5 YEARS before it resolved, but the problem did go away. Now I take Zyrtec for nasal allergies I developed when I lived in GA, but otherwise, I am hive and itch free. As a matter of fact, I went to another allergist about 3 years ago and they were able to do the pin test and tell me what I actually WAS allergic to. It is NO TELLING what caused it all those years ago, but the hydroxyzine was a lifesaver. The only thing you complain of that does not sound allergy related is the achey joints and muscles. Even the flushing/tingling can be allergy related. Maybe you could try taking some Zyrtec and see if it helps. You have to take it for a week or two before you get the full benefit, but it is over the counter. What could you lose, right?

For myself. I am a writer and have always loved journaling. I don't care if anyone reads it. I don't even include it in my signature line. I do it for me, myself, and I. :) And it is also a good thing to look back on as time goes by - to remember the struggles and the joys.

I agree with the others. I AM a hypochondriac (in the worse degree) and I would have been freaking out LONG before now...so don't think you are being one. Most of the time, a hypochondriac fears healt problems FIRST and THEN has symptoms like tingling, etc. usually caused by anxiety. That said, I would get to a neurologist an have him/her run some tests. Are you on any medications at all? Sometimes the side effects of certain meds can present this way. Propranolol *for hypertension* is one of them, but I am sure there are others. Thyroid issues can cause this. Did they check your TSH levels? I am sure they did but thought I would throw it out there. Thyroid issues can cause the white tongue, the tingling, and the hives. Tongue peeling is most often caused by inflammation of the salivary glands. It sounds like your body is having an allergic reaction to something - the tongue inflammation, the hives, the swelling....

I like CHOW, but it is a one year deal for us. It is a condensed version of the whole story...whereas SOTW goes into more depth and has more of religious take (even though CHOW is definitely biased Christian). So, we are using CHOW for 4th grade. For 5th, we will be starting SOTW I and also doing American History. :) But we do LOVE our CHOW.

My 5 year old ds has just recently lost his fascination with pretending he is a cat. Meow. Totally normal.