We have both, but mostly for redundancy....if DH needs to be reached and there's a burp in the cell phone signal, if he's paged he can call back with the landline. Our cell service doesn't "burp" all that often, but it has and DH can't be left without a means to return a page.

Those I know who count 30-min of reading even when 15-min was all that was done say it's because that's the scheduled time, like in schools, and that if it is done faster, it's still a 30-min scheduled time that the child finished faster and they'd be sitting at their desk waiting for the other kids to finish. To me, that doesn't pass the smell test.....I'll round up and down to nearest 15-min increment, so if DS finishes his math, that I thought would take 30-min in 17-min, it's 0.25, not 0.50. Math at the grocery store? This year we really did do math at the grocery store - DS had to bring pencil and paper and keep track of the total was we shopped for 15 items on our list, with his total being the subtotal (before tax) on the transaction. Would you consider that a fudge, or really time spent doing math? Another time I gave DS the sale circular and had him make a list of 10 items to buy, he then had to add it all up and figure out the tax (based on our sales tax rate), go in the store, find the items on his list, and make the purchase with the money he figured he'd need to complete the transaction. Would you consider that a fudge on time recording, or really time spent doing math? The last grocery store thing we did was that DS had to figure out the cost of 10 items, less coupons, on paper while we were shopping. Fudging or real math? I considered all three to be really math.

:iagree:

Honestly, I'd include in discussion with her that measuring one's self-worth by whether a small clique includes her or not isn't a good measure. And honestly, it's helps to really think about the fact that she is different than and is having different experiences day-to-day than the girls in PS in her class.....this is something I've spent time discussing with DS as this year it's become more evident that he and his PS friends aren't always on the same page, and that's okay, but it's there - like the "boy-banter" that happens with his scout friends - there is no malicious intent to hurt feelings, but sometimes DS has felt like his feelings were hurt....he just doesn't face the boy-banter day-to-day, but when DH explained it to him, he no longer felt hurt and instead understood it for what it is, boy-banter that second grade boys do when they're all together playing and it's not directed at DS, if he pays attention, he'll see they all banter back-and-forth with each other as they're playing together.

Cockroaches and shellfish (crustacean) share the same protein in their exoskeleton, which is why when one is allergic to cockroaches, they're considered allergic to crustacean shellfish too. With the OP's syptoms including itchy nose, watery eyes, etc. - while they're typically symptoms induced by environmental allergies, the fact that the OTC allergy meds aren't doing it and benedryl is, that's highly indicative that her symptoms aren't environmental right now, but being triggered by her allergy to cockroaches, which would include bugs in dyes, chocolate, etc. The trigger from chocolate is not the chocolate, but artifacts left in the process, bug tidbits that remain in plants that are contaminated/infested with roaches....which can happen in almost any food that's processed. Same with coffee - if it's factory ground, odds are high it contains bug remnants, but if you grind it yourself, low risk for bug remnants.

My understanding is that the cockroach prick on the panel is the cross-control for shellfish allergies, basically to prove shellfish allergy if one sports a hive on the shellfish spot, a positive on the cockroach indicates it's a true allergy and it's to the protein shellfish shares with cockroaches in their exoskeleton. A non-reactive shellfish with a positive cockroach is supposed to be considered positive for crustacean shellfish too, but not bivalves....if you get a hive on the shellfish too, then it's both crustacean and bivalve. As someone else noted, a cockroach/shellfish allergy means you'll be allergic to some things like dyes that are made from grinding up bug bodies (many hard shelled bugs share the same protein) and anything else that might have bugs and/or shellfish in the ingredients, like fish sauces in Asian cooking, cross contamination in kitchens where shellfish is cooked, etc., and some supplements (glucosamine uses crushed shells, some omega-3 supplements will be cross-contaminated in facilities, etc.).

I think it depends on how you react if you include some sugar....does having some sugar trigger the craving for more? If it does, then sugar should probably be off your menu; if it doesn't and you can limit it to really be just now and then, that should be fine. I've watched carbs and sugar in my diet for over a decade now and am okay with an occasional piece of cake at a birthday or an ice cream cone on a hot summer day - but those are few and far between things (less than once a month on average)....but I also know people who just can't do it, one bite sets off triggers for more and they'll fall face first into the carbs/sugar and will have a hard time getting back on track, with just one bite! It's a YMMV type thing.

Have your insulin levels tested. Your A1C isn't just normal-low, but really low, indicating your BG is lower than normal more often than not; a normal reading of 5 indicates BG averages 80 throughout the day over the past three months. If yours is a 2, you're averaging below 60 more than you're averaging a normal higher BG in the 80's. That you're BG can range between 70-100, even in a non-fasting state suggests your insulin is high and bringing your BG's down below normal frequently and if your most severe symptoms occur after a meal, it may be reactive hypoglycemia you're facing....the only way to really know is to have your insulin levels tested, fasting and with meals/glucose challenge, you need both done, not just fasting.

I don't think the hours requirements are intended to be seatwork hours, just instructional-learning hours.....so I don't think you're doing anything wrong recording time spent with read alouds, or even gardening with him. If DS and I decide to do something, like bake cookies one day, I will count that as either home-ec or math, depending on what he did to help....if he did all the measuring of ingredients, mixing and laying out the cookies by weight on the sheet, I'll count it as math since it really is weights and measures and part of his scope this year and we definitely would be having a discussion along the way about the math aspects......if he just helped out and we had some discussion about something in there, it'd be home-ec if there wasn't something directly related to what's in his scope for the year because home-ec is an elective and a reasonable time accounting for the activity because he is learning something, even if it's not math! This year when DS got hooked on sewing and needlepoint, I counted the time he did those, voluntarily on his part, as home-ec too because schools to have an elective for home-ec and learn things like sewing and cooking in those classes, and for DS, learning how to do it did require direct instruction too.

I got married to DH a few days shy of 36, pregnant 7 months later, had DS7 at 38...and baby bug last year at a couple of months shy of 45.....neither pregnancy had complications. That said, the only real issue with her age is her fertility potential - if she's never been pregnant, she should try for only six months, then head to a reproductive endo if she isn't pregnant....time is everything in your 30's and if you don't get pregnant in six months, find out why, don't wait the usually advised year in your 30's and don't head to an OB who dabbles in reproductive, go to the doc that does it day in and day out.

I track in a similar way - it is how the school's do it too! If we've planned 30-min for reading and DS clocks 25-min, it's 0.50 in my log......if he only does 17-min, it's 0.25 in my log. I think it balances at the end of the year, the rounding up and down. I don't push the envelope though - I do know some who schedule an hour for things that really are only going to take 15-min and call it an hour.....I just don't feel right about that. If something takes 15-min, it takes 15-min and it's 0.25.

Only a prosecutor can demand your records. You can be investigated by other agencies, but only the prosecutor's office can actually demand to see your records. I keep a record book - I use a date book, a July-June collegiate academic planner by At-a-Glance - and each day record in it the time we spent on each subject. That's all that is in there....it meets the regulation to keep track of hours. In addition I have a 4" work binder - in that I place DS's worksheets and other things he's done. It's divided by subject and throughout the year I'll cull out things from earlier in the year, but leave some things that "show progress" in each subject. In the back, in the last section, is a copy of each week's daily schedule with what we did and what books were read. Together that meets the requirements to show progress and track what was done. For some things I just take a picture and add it to the book - things like science projects, hands-on-math type things, history projects, etc. - since that shows he did it when there is no paper things done. I don't think 1000 hours is difficult to meet - we usually exceed the 600 on core and go well above the 400 for electives by May. LOL - nope, not here either!

You're right.....except if your child has been enrolled at any point before 7, then you need to notify intent to homeschool (which I didn't and don't need to do since DS was never enrolled) to withdraw your child. But, no, we don't report - we just keep records if we're under investigation for some reason and even then, only a prosecutor can demand the records.

As a mom, regardless of what my opinion about homosexuality is, I would hope you would tell me your concerns....for a few reasons - 1) if it were my daughter, she may have been molested and is acting out, 2) she may be experimenting from things she's seen or heard, 3) she may be curious and just experimenting, 4) she may be lesbian and trying to figure that out in with friends, 5) who knows what else? I'd want to know so I'd have an opportunity to open discussion with my child about the matter.

In Missouri the regulation is total hours of instruction in a school year, defined as July 1 to June 30 - 1000 hours. The regulations include the minimum instruction required in the core subjects (reading, LA, science, math and social studies) - 600 hours; and the remaining 400 may be electives or additional hours in the core subjects. Of the 600 needed for core subjects, 400 have to be done in the homeschool location, the remaining 200 can be anywhere. Since reporting requirements do not begin until your child is 7 at the start of a school year, it hasn't been burdensome for K-1-2 since DS isn't technically under the scope of the regulation until we start 3rd this year in July. However, if he'd been enrolled in school before and I pulled him out, the regs would have applied since he'd already attended pubic school - since he didn't, I will need to keep records starting next school year. We do school year round so that we don't have to do a longer day within a 180-day schedule....if we did a 180-day school year, he'd need to do 5.5-hours each day to meet the 1000 hour requirement. So instead, we do year round and our days vary - sometimes as little as an hour, sometimes as much as four-five hours.....we're usually done with hours in early May each year, as we are again this year, and are now on a break for a couple of week.