If you can, please have her evaluated. My daughter started showing these signs when she was a bit older (6th grade) and it was brushed off as part of her ADHD, then as OCD even though the symptoms didn't fit well with either one. Nothing we did helped and her tics and sensitivities slowly got worse. It wasn't until she was 16 that she was diagnosed with Asperberger's and everything made sense. But by then, she was considered too old to start therapy (therapy is most effective if started in the grammar school years). We tried it anyway but didn't see much, if any, improvement. I'm not diagnosing your child, but if there is something going on, it's better to start treatment early instead waiting until it may be too late for anything to be effective. A way we found to help our oldest cope with the sounds she found annoying was to let her listen to music while she was working. For her, it blocked out all the sounds that bothered her - allergy/cold sniffles, people breathing too loudly, pencil scratchings, and others talking - and allowed her to concentrate on her own work. Maybe while you're working with your son or they're doing independent work, your daughter could listen to some music on a pair of headphones. Do you have a scheduled break coming up soon? Could you move it up? We took last week off because I was feeling stressed and the kids were getting cranky, dragging their feet and fighting with each other. We stocked up on books from the library, ordered semi-educational dvds from Netflix, and spent a great deal of time outside and playing games. You could have the time to weigh your options before making any big decisions and look into having your daughter checked out by a doctor. :grouphug:

My husband is wearing his Dress Blues, which is their formal uniform. The dresses I saw at the Ball last year were all very formal, although there were a few young ladies dresses as if they were going clubbing. I did find a few shorter dresses that I was considering but didn't pass the "other than a nice dinner test" (I like that phrasing :)). Thanks for the tip about Sears - I'll check them out this evening! I agree with you that long gowns should be worn after six pm. My problem is finding a plus-sized floor length gown that's not too expensive. I checked Penny's but they don't have any longer dresses for bigger sizes this year. :glare: We see a large range of dresses at Marine Corps Balls, too. I've been looking at shorter dresses because many of the longer ones I've found are either body-hugging (which I don't consider formal or feel comfortable in) or prom-style (I'm 41 and look and feel a bit ridiculous in a ton of fluffly pink satin and chiffon, lol). I've been considering a long skirt or pants with a fancy top, but didn't know if that would be formal enough. Thank you for your opinions! I've got a few more options to consider and a few more places to look. :)

It's Ball season for the Marine Corps and it's time to put on our formal gowns and have a good time. Except that the gown I've been wearing for the past 5 years no longer fits. Making my search harder is that I'm a plus-size and on a budget. I've checked consignment shops and discount stores without any luck. I'm finding a large number of holiday/prom-style dresses in shorter lengths in my budget, but am concerned that they won't be formal enough. Most of the plus-sized formal dresses are more like Mother of the Bride dresses that I just don't care for. I've found some full length gowns in my size, but they are pricey. I have a little money put away for a dress, but prefer not to spend my entire Ball budget on a dress. My question is this: is a formal gown a full length dress or can a knee length gown be considered formal? So, what says the hive (and the other Marine Corps spouses)?

A walk after math is essential. My daughter works better if I'm not in the room, but my son needs me to be close by. An early start to the day means a shorter day - we get more accomplished during the morning. It's okay to stop for a bit and do something else when things get frustrating.

Math U See is working very well for us. The blocks are really helping my son to understand math instead of just memorizing facts - he can see why 2+2=4 instead of just parroting it back to me. He enjoys math and I sometimes find him hiding behind the chairs or under the table, "sneaking" in a bit more homework. I like the worksheets and the built in review in each lesson, and there is a worksheet generator at MUS online if he needs a bit more review. Definitely buy used, if you can, but you'll get your money's worth if you buy new, imo.

My son (5 1/2) went through this last spring - heck, he couldn't even count past 10. I kept up with counting, read lots of number and counting books, and worked with shapes and patterns (he had fun with MUS Primer). By the time this fall rolled around, he could count to 100, recognize (and say and write) his numbers and even do a little adding. He still confuses 12 and 20 (and 13 & 30, 14 & 40, etc), but will correct himself if I point out the mistake. Just give her time - it will work itself out. She'll mature a bit and things will start clicking for her. In the meantime, keep reading - ask your librarian for suggestions for number and counting books or nursery rhymes.

My daughter is enjoying these books, too, and I liked the one I read. She also has the Daring Book for Girls and has chosen several other books to add to her reading list.

I could have written your post. I'm interested in the replies, too. :lurk5:

We like Gobblit, Quoridor, Equate, Bananagrams, Blokus, Boggle and Yatzee. We also play card games like Uno, Skip-Bo and Gin.

Land's End jeans have held up the best for Mac. I buy them from their overstock store and save quite a bit. We've also had good luck with plain Wrangler jeans. I've found that Old Navy jeans and the thinner, distressed jeans (no matter the brand) don't hold up well at all to an active 5 year old.

Like a few posters before me, I recommend Taking Charge of Your Fertility. We used that method for 7 years and had only the two pregnancies we planned. My cycles have never been regular, so this really helped me in knowing when I was fertile and when we needed to either abstain or use something to prevent pregnancy.

Yes. Our son has reactive airway disease and his breathing troubles are triggered by viral infections. The last time he got sick, he ended up in the ER because the nebulizer and his meds weren't enough to get things under control. My husband is a Marine and will be getting it this month. But the clinic won't have enough vaccinations for the dependents, so we'll have to pay for ours elsewhere.

Congratulations to your husband (and you)! Land's End has a nice selection of plus-size suits. They have swimskirts and board shorts if you prefer extra coverage. Definitely follow their sizing charts, though. I think they run a bit small and have had to go up a size on their one piece suits.

My daughter has decided she wants to be Hatshepsut for Halloween, and wants the whole pharaoh rig. I've put together the main costume but am stuck on making the crook, flail and fake beard. I've tried to convince her to go as an egyptian princess, but she wants to be the female pharaoh. How would I go about making the crook, flail and beard? I'm not super crafty, but can manage glue, scissors and tape pretty well. :)

I'd like a copy of the list as well, please. :) Thank you so much for doing this!

I read that one last week. It was very good! I'm reading Still Alice right now and it's one of those books I can't put down.

I made minestrone soup tonight using all the leftover vegetables in my fridge. I usually end up with one carrot, one or two celery stalks, a few leftover mushrooms, half a zucchini and half a summer squash hanging out in my fridge. I brown up a bit of bacon then move it to the crockpot. I throw in a chopped onion, a little garlic and my leftover vegetables into the same pan to brown it a bit. It all goes into the crockpot with a couple of cans of white beans (I'll also quick soak a cup or so of dried beans), diced potatoes, a can of diced tomatoes, 6-8 cups of chicken broth and some dried herbs (today I used rosemary, oregano and a bay leaf). I cook it on low for 7.5 hours, then throw in about a cup of dried noodles. We eat half for dinner and lunch the next day, and I freeze the other half. Inexpensive, quick to put together and it uses up all the lonely vegetables in the fridge.

It's Elle's turn to cook dinner tonight (with supervision, of course) so we're having: Spaghetti with meatballs green beans garlic bread She's got it easy because the sauce was made and frozen several weeks ago, as were the meatballs. All she has to do is heat them up. :)

We have dessert or sweets a couple of times a week only if they're in the house. The kids and I make a dessert twice a month and we eat on it for a few days. When it's gone, we having nothing until we have another cooking session.

We have a single syllable, harsh sounding last name, too. We considered: Owen Oscar Elliot Griffin Angus Maxwell Kellen We decided on Malcolm.

I'm making library bags for my niece and nephews. It's a basic lined bag with a handle and a small pocket with a velcro closure inside for their library cards. I'll be knitting some hats for the newest members of my sister's family and making pajama pants for the rest (I have bins and bins of fabric I bought years ago and I'm trying to put it to good use). Last year, I made coasters for my husband's side of the family. I made a few plain ones and then I made some with everyone's name. I used twill tape, letter stamps from the craft store and fabric markers. I stamped the names onto the twill tape, heat set it and added it to the front panel of the coaster before sewing it up. If your library has a copy of Bend the Rules Sewing, there's a nice tutorial in there, along with some other easy sewing ideas.

I had one done a few years ago when I had unexplained bleeding. The procedure was quick - about 15 minutes total - and wasn't too painful. I did feel several pinches and there was some cramping during and afterwards. My doctor recommended I take 800mgs of ibuprofen about an hour before the procedure and afterwards as needed. He got the results back in a week. Just try to relax and don't be scared. :)

While my MIL and I weren't close, she made me feel welcome and loved. She was always there for us and supported whatever decisions we made (and I know there were several that probably had her shaking her head) without negative comments, digs or snarky remarks. She respected our choices for our children, but was ready with advice if asked. We're a military family and rarely did we get home to visit with family, but she would drop everything when we were in town. She planned big family get togethers and made sure we got a chance to see everyone (not an easy thing to do with 6 kids, plus spouses and older children). She emailed us every week and kept us updated on everyone, and we talked on the phone once a month. She'd bend over backwards for her grandchildren. She passed away in 2004 and I'm sorry our two youngest will never get to know her.

I buy Kohl's Sonoma brand in slim for Mac and they fit very well. (And now I have to go stock up because they're on sale, lol.)

We are allowed 25 per card with a 5 per card limit on audio/visuals. My son just got his first library card on Tuesday, so we can have 75 books out a time, if we need to. While I love our library and some of it's programs, I often cannot get some of the materials we need. This week, we're doing Chapter 4 in SOTW 2 and the library had none of the books on the reading lists. It's frustrating.