DD is 6 and this year I've been going over simple grammar with her....things like noun/verb/adjective (we do Mad Libs often), where a period belongs in a sentence, what should be capitalized in a sentence, punctuation, etc. I want her to have a foundation so that when we really get into grammar, these things don't seem completely foreign to her.

Yay!!! It's so nice to breathe a sigh of relief, huh? Glad you got good news!

LOL! That is exactly what I do! OP, yes, definitely been there and done that. Many times. :glare:

It's awesome. Okay, I guess you wanted a little more info than that. :D I've been for the past three years. This year it is moved back to the Gaylord, which I'm SOOO happy about! I love the atrium in the Gaylord resort. A lot of the vendors are Christian based, but not all. I'm a Christian but I've never had people outright ask me that or anything....or witness or anything like that, if that's what you are wondering. I've actually never attended the workshops or classes because I'm too busy giving all of my money away to vendors LOL. But I would like to possibly sit in on one or two this year. It's really fun. I always have a good time. And there's nothing like being able to look at a curriculum or book instead of trying to get the feel of it on a website.

One caterpillar is okay.....but that nest looks icky!!!

Wow, thanks for this!! DD6 and I spent several hours today ooohing and aaahing over the room tours. We even cleared out the bottom of DD's closet to make space for her own room that she's eager to get started on. And she's decided that she wants an American Girl birthday party next month instead of the carnival one that we'd originally planned to have (we'll save that one for next year....she was very torn on which to choose). It will be perfect since she'll be getting Kit! Now I've got to plan some things to do.

Laundry and straightening up can be left alone for a few days. Meals for a 3 year old are easy. Your DH can fend for himself for dinner for a few nights or get take out. DD would be watching a few more videos than what I would like. I've been down with morning sickness for the past 3 or 4 weeks. My house is a disaster, my kids are spending the day playing, and DH is fending for himself for dinner because cooking makes me gag. It's just how it has to be for right now. You should just rest.

I hope that you can give us an update soon!

I have a lot of issues with ear wax. It has gotten to the point before where my hearing was muted due to a build up of ear wax. That time I actually had to go see an ENT and he used a miniature vacuum thingie to suck the stuff right out of my ear! It didn't hurt but it was a little loud.....but VERY effective! In my experience, the at-home drops and the bulb things do not work very well. Actually, that just seems to move it around and make it worse for me. Not sure if others have had success with it. I DESPISE the water thing that they use at a doctors office.....where they use a big syringe and forcefully shoot water into the ear. I've had that done before and the room began spinning! I had vertigo for a week because they had knocked loose those crystals in the ear that give us balance. That was NOT a fun experience. DD3 had it done a few months ago and she screamed bloody murder. I'm just not fond of that whole way of doing it. I've also had them scrape it out at the doctors office. That hurt. I finally found a GREAT tool to use at home! This is my sanity saver LOL! http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/ototek-loop-ear-wax-removal-tool/ID=prod359743-product . I had to search for it for quite a while, but finally found one. I use it regularly (maybe once a month) to keep my ears clear. And the big round thing on the end keeps you from sticking it too far into your ears. Since I got this, I haven't had to go to the doctor for wax removal again!

Yes, I believe they do grieve when their buddy is suddenly gone.

Honestly, I'm not sure that I could leave DD in a place that she doesn't want to be. I know that she's 18, but when I was 18, I never would have stayed somewhere that I basically didn't have anyone. What does your DH think? Does it bother him that he's not working in the field that he originally wanted to?

DD is almost 7 and she was diagnosed back in October at exactly 6.5.

Love it!! I think my kids would have rushed inside though LOL.

I don't think that an ophthalmologist can always detect visual processing issues. It definitely sounds like you should have him evaluated for auditory and visual processing disorders....someone specially trained for those issues. They are difficult to find. Thankfully, some cousins in our family actually went through therapy with this therapist and recommended her to us. She specializes in auditory processing, vision processing, and language.

Honestly, I can't think of a single way to keep your cat in your yard except either keeping it indoors or building an enclosure outside. I do understand your neighbor....we have some cats that love to poop in our yard and then our dogs think it is treat time. :ack2:

:iagree:

The only way to know if they are old enough to have the freedom is to give them some and see what they do with it. Obviously, they are not ready and you have all learned something from it. No one's fault.

The only issues we had with peas was that they grew very large and overpowered the garden since we only had a 4x4 area. They shaded some of our lettuce, beans, and broccolli and some of them didn't grow quite as well. Next time we wont be planting peas. What did awesome was the lettuce! And the kids just loved going out there with me, cutting off some lettuce (we did the black seeded simpson that grew in a stalk so we didn't have to wait for an entire head to grow), and putting it in a bowl for dinner right away. They loved that part!

I'm not any of the things that you mentioned, but DD6 sounds EXACTLY like your son. She didn't speak until about 24-26 months, and that was only a few words. She didn't begin speaking a lot till nearing three. Since that time, her articulation has been HORRIBLE. I began to teach her to read when she was 5. I helped her learn her letter sounds from 4 years old to early 5, and that went fine. But as for putting the sounds together, she just couldn't seem to get it. She was in speech therapy from 20 months until 3 years old, when her vocabulary became up to par with other kids her age. But I put her back in speech again at 4 years old because no one could understand her except for me. She was in speech therapy at the public school from 4 until early 6 years old when I pulled her out and began working with her at home. Absolutely nothing was working and I feel that we wasted so many years of speech therapy. I found out about a lady who tests for auditory and visual processing disorders and decided to fork out the money to have her tested. Sure enough, she has both. She's been in vision therapy since late November and just finished that up. Now she's just started the auditory therapy. It's making a difference in her reading and articulation. So I know I'm not an SLP or anything, but our situation sounds similar so I just wanted to let you know the route that we took. She's still not reading on her level yet, but we're working towards it.

Thanks everyone! I searched online for a coupon code and found one for free shipping, so that saved me nearly $14. I got Kit for her....she's going to be so excited. And I also ordered the brush that goes with it, just in case. I'll have her keep Kit seperate from all other dolls and stuffed animals like a few of you mentioned. That's awesome that they were originally marketed to 7 year olds. Hopefully she will enjoy the books. I think we'll give them a shot since she's getting the book with Kit. I just hope that my 4 year old remains happy with her Springfield Doll that she got a few years ago and the My Generation Doll that she bought at Target today with birthday money.....I can't spend that kind of money on a 4 year old LOL. I can't wait to give it to her!

I put all my cold stuff together. But the rest is just kinda thrown on there. My 4 year old helps, so sometimes it's literally thrown on there.

My DD's and I created a 4x4 raised bed garden last fall. And I have a brown thumb too. But it did well! Here's our blog post all about it....from what we used, how we put it together, etc: BLOG POST

DD6 is turning 7 next month and is asking for an American Girl doll. She cares for toys well so I'm sure she will take care of it. She's been asking since she was 4 and "Santa" got her an off-brand one when she was 5 and she's been very happy with it (actually, she doesn't even know the difference). She's been surfing the American Girl website and Etsy (for clothing) a lot here lately. She was looking through the "create your own" dolls, but she finally settled on wanting Kit. I have a few questions. For one....the hair. Of course DD's off brand doll has atrocious hair. If the American Girl doll gets mixed in with other stuffed animals and her hair is going everywhere, then is there any hope of taming it again? Do you need a special brush? For two....the books. Do you think that DD is old enough to enjoy them? I'd be reading them to her, but I was wondering if she's too young to enjoy them yet? And I know there's a Kit movie as well. Do you think she's old enough to enjoy that? If I could find it for cheap, I thought I could put it in with Kit on her birthday. DD is extremely excited about the possibility of getting Kit. She's saved a TON of clothing to the favorites folder on my Etsy account (much cheaper than the ones on the AG website). And she's even found some bunk beds on Etsy. And she saw a doll carrier at Target today for their My Generation Girls that she really wants. This is all sounding very expensive LOL....actually she gets $100 from her grandparents that she can put towards accessories if I get her the doll. Does AG ever run specials or have codes? Although I don't really have too much time to wait for them to run a special. Someone told me to check on eBay first.....I really want a new doll though. I wonder if any of them on eBay are new? Thanks for any info that anyone can give!

Oh, and I forgot to add that I'm the worlds biggest baby when it comes to pain....and I felt nothing. That's saying something for me lol.

Nope....zero pain. The most uncomfortable part was my sore jaw from holding my mouth open so long. Oh yeah, I did nearly die of boredom. :D Afterwards all I took was one regular strength Motrin one time.