She was doing American history, but is dropping it because her son doesn't get it. She said she was reading to him from How Our Nation Began and picture books. But he doesn't believe the world existed before he was born, so American history isn't any better for him in that regard. Her title and post ask if it's OK to just not do history, since her kid doesn't seem to be there yet.

But then she's just saying children need more play. Which has been written about ad nauseum. Maybe it's different elsewhere, but there are no typical-but-wiggly kids in OT here. It would be unheard of. It is insanely expensive and even kids with legitimate SPD have a hard time getting approval, many go without.

I was going to say the same. I do not have sensory kids, but I know several. It was obvious to everyone that "something was up" with them from birth on. One I babysat when his mother returned to work and I remember wondering how you tell your friend you think her 2 month old might have an issue. The kids I know were never in preschool and got to play and be kids to their hearts' content. And their moms all had natural births. It seems like grasping at straws.

We have been using/planning to use public school texts for science. I love the IDEA of BFSU, but wouldn't be able to implement. We pulled out the 2nd grade science text yesterday and it's so freaking boring. SO BORING. Forget that. I just went to Brainpop and they have the objectives for every state and every grade listed out with the videos that meet each standard. Every video has quizzes and often activities. My kids LOOOOVE brainpop. We're using that as our spine/jumping off point instead. Hallelujah! And I just realized that I have added something else besides spelling that can be done totally independently some of the time! Whoo hoo!

Although people who live right next to it are saying he's totally there. It will be interesting to see what ends up being true.

On the 6+__=8 front, we were also driving home the number bonds pretty hard, so I could say, 8-6=what? Or 6 needs how many more to be 8? A lot of times phrasing the question differently can help. But I always went back to the book phrasing at the end. OK, so 6 needs two more to be 8. That means 6+__=8 and have them fill in the blank with the answer we found.

The manipulatives are SO important. The teacher's guides for Singapore 1 are very good. Typically, every concept, you teach with manipulatives, then progress to visual representations (pictures), then to mental math. If my DD ever had trouble, we went back to the manipulatives and did variations on the concept, with explanations and encouraging her to tell me how or why we knew that....it always got through in the end.

My in laws bought this for B when he turned 1. http://www.amazon.com/Kidoozie-Super-Shapes-Dump-Truck/dp/B0006N8YTU One year later it is still his favorite toy (if you discount ride-on toys.) It is very sturdy and he sits on it and pushes it around. It makes lots of noise, it's a shape sorter, AND the shapes turn into little animals. Now he sees what kind of things he can fit in the holes and then dumps them out on the floor. It is well made and he'll be playing with it for a long time yet. Or a cozy coupe. :) I didn't get one with DD because we really don't have anywhere to use it, but DS is so obsessed with them that we got him one. He rides it on our tiny back patio. He would live in there if he could get meals delivered. We also have several dozen of the little magnetic die-cast metal thomas the trains. He's too little to care about the tracks yet really, but he loves linking the trains together in different configurations and I always have a half dozen in my purse because they are the ideal out and about toy. Each is only 1.5-2 inches long. They're pricey, but I got all ours off craigslist for nothing. They're like these http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Thomas-Train-Take-n-Play-Gordon/dp/B002YQU0MQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440975244&sr=8-1&keywords=magnetic+die+cast+thomas&pebp=1440975254856&perid=1FJAHS1G6MHTZHZAAVAK Hmm...He also has a tiny baby doll from Target that every family we know seems to own and love. The hat comes on and off but is attached with a string. He always wants to be carrying a little bitty bag (DD gets mad he always steals her purses :)) or his tiny toddler backpack. The mentioned toys and his crayons are basically all he plays with. Oh, and change. The child is totally obsessed with coins.

Also the family plane that JD pilots landed near that particular "rehab" facility at pretty much the same time the Duggars were making that announcement. Then it turned around and went right on home. The flight plans are public info.

:iagree: I am a bad mom when I do not get regular contact and conversation with other adults. It really starts to show in my parenting.

We did go through a weird phase when the oldest's friends all went to school. I have missed having a group for the little one. But now she's big enough that we're in homeschool park day type groups and there are many other younger siblings there for B to socialize with. Even when we did playgroups, it was only a couple hours a week, and it was far more for me than her (though she enjoyed it!) We did all our normal stuff. Gymnastics, children's museum, parks, normal life. We were always on the go in those days before her activities multiplied AND we had to actually make time for more formal school. And honestly? When we hit that in between phase, several friends and I started a preschool co-op. I think our kids were barely 3 when we started and it was kind of a lot of work for the moms but so much fun and my kid is always talking about things we did. We'd meet for a couple hours a week and then the kids would all just play after. It was really great for 3 years, but now our kids are older and integrating into the homeschooling network already in place here. We're still planning to meet once every month or two and the kids are going to pick and help plan the topics which they're excited about. If you can find any other families with a preschool-aged oldest who are planning to homeschool, it could always be an option for you. :)

We love brainpop and use it all the time, but what you see in the free section is very much the kind of thing you get. It's more of an brief overview of a topic - an introduction - and rarely more than 5 minutes long. I absolutely love their ability to explain anything at an elementary level, but they will come up sorely lacking in info vs. a documentary. Can you access the same YouTube videos there vs. here? I know you mentioned looking at some short videos, but I find a lot of my educational stuff there and a quick search turned up several hot air balloon documentaries.

We post a first day picture every year and I like being able to look back and see the changes from year to year. I usually take them on our first day of a co op or class for the year so I can stage it in front of the door with her backpack. I like the Dairy Queen for lunch idea. My DD would really go for that! Mine is very excited for school to start because she picked a unit study that she's chomping at the bit to start on, and she is doing second grade math this year which makes her feel special.

Texas. Since my DD has never been to school, I don't have to do anything. If she had been to school and been pulled out, I would have had to send a letter. Technically we are supposed to provide a "bonafide" education in certain subjects, but there are no parameters spelled out for that, and they only ever ask for proof if you're being investigated for serious reasons. Like that family that just totally stopped educating their million kids because the end times were coming so what does it matter?

Knit waists are the best! We usually buy from Children's Place. They're the only kind she'll wear, because they're comfortable, but they also don't give us any rise problems.

OK. I just have to say. This thread has 200 responses, written over a week, from all manner of WTM members. I just sat and read it straight through. Do you know what there is? Unanimity. Do you know how often that happens here? (I have never seen it.) Literally every person has told you to run away. That your agent is at best completely incompetent and at worst a criminal. That you have no obligation to work with buyers who set off you "gut alarm" and might possibly have stolen your checkbooks. "No" is a complete sentence. I guess I don't understand why you came back day after day, with more stories of incompetence and more back and forth with the buyers you don't want to sell to. YOU are in control of this situation. You need to take the wheel (and slam the brakes!) or you guys could end up on the very raw end of this deal. I wish you all the best though. There's a reason people hate selling houses.

You'd be surprised how quickly pruning the individual sites out will cut down on that crap in your feed, even if it is from all over.

This is not surprising. Derek rent to a normal, secular college (and was the mascot even! and has danced!) and has a real job outside of small business owned by himself or someone in his direct church (which is the usual ATI way.) There has been a lot of talk that Jill would probably not be ATI in the long run. Anna and Ben are ATI. There are rumors that one of the Duggars is dating a Bates, also ATI. Derek squeaked in because he appealed to Jim Bob's almighty ego. I really think that's how it happened. :lol:

WITH A FOUR YEAR OLD!?!?!?!?!!? TWTM does not have a puking smilie apparently.

Yep. :(

The records we have all seen on the internet, from the incidents in 2002ish have been destroyed at the request of one of the victims, almost certainly one of the sisters. There are more sealed records, from 2007. No one knows what's in them yet. They are not yet subject from the freedom of information act, which is what brought is these records.

What's your source that it was not a sibling? Based on the info provided in the police reports and the process of elimination, it was almost certainly JoyAnna that requested they be destroyed.

The people I know who say things like that - they usually spent their youth getting into trouble. And hanging out with others who got into trouble, so in their very narrow experience, it's a true statement. All teens are waiting for their chance to break all the rules and anyone who doesn't believe it is just like all those adults they fooled when they were younger. My friends and I never did anything that would have upset our parents too much and we had plenty of opportunity.

Woke up to a tornado warning alarm from my phone. Thankfully it was short lived. Then I found out the Blanco river is at 43 feet (previous record was 33 feet) and my sister lives out that way. I'm waiting until it's later in the morning to text her. If she didn't get evacuated I'm sure she's still asleep.

Also, if you read the notes on that link about how ATI counsels SA victims, Gothard actually teaches that your assaulter has actually DONE YOU A FAVOR by "inoculating you against lust." As is, now that you are repulsed by even the idea of sexual activity because of your trauma, you won't be bothered by impure thoughts anymore. Whoo hoo. It's the grossest thing I've ever read.