Ha, DS10 feels the same! You'd think it was the end of the world :D , but it does ease up his cough/congestion for a time.

I like to give my DC mullein tea when they have persistent coughs. I buy mullein leaf from a local health store, and steep 1-1 1/2 teaspoons in one cup of water for 20 minutes. I filter it through coffee filters into 3 cups (so each DC gets 1/3 cup) and add a bit of honey. I usually serve the tea in the morning, afternoon and before bed. The owner of the health store that I purchase the mullein leaf from, also shared that the best non-herbal treatment they have found for cough is to warm some organic coconut oil to a liquid state and add some honey and a squeeze of lemon to it. Onion poultices are also soothing for a cough - slice up an onion, cook in a little water until almost translucent, wrap in a tea towel or other light fabric and when cool enough, place on chest for 20 minutes covered with a blanket.

When my youngest begins school, I plan on covering US history and geography in grades 1-4 and starting the 4-year cycle in 5th grade. In 1st-4th, I plan to cover US history during the first 6 months of the school year and doing geography for the last 3 months of the year. I will probably have him read through or listen to the audiobooks of SOTW 1-2 during the summer after 3rd grade and do the same with SOTW 3-4 during the summer after 4th. This way he'll have a solid foundation in US history and a very brief, general overview of world history and geography before beginning the logic stage.

My two are currently in the midst of ancient Greece. In addition to their ancient history spines, DS11 has read through Dorothy Mills' Book of the Ancient Greeks, and DS10 has read through D'Aulaire's Greek Myths. When we pick back up after the new year, they will swap the Mills' and D'Aulaire's books. Then, we will read through Coolidge's The Trojan War together. After that, we'll prepare to pick up ancient Rome.

Some ideas off the top of my head: 1. rice bag hand warmers for each child in his/her favorite fabric 2. craft half-aprons (or "tool" half-aprons for your boys, if they're not into crafts) - You could expand on the theme and purchase some craft or tool supplies to go with them. 3. homemade treats for stocking stuffers - I rarely make homemade marshmallows or fudge, so I might make them and wrap them nicely to place in their stockings. 4. school or chore pass coupon books - You could offer a day off for each school subject that they can redeem whenever they want, or you could offer a week off of a various chores. 5. Not free, but cheap $5-10 gift cards to McDonald's or somewhere similar for each child - We keep these in the car, and if we're out, and they want a special treat, they can use their gift card to get a snack or drink that I might otherwise not stop to get.

The occupational therapist who works with DS3 has him using this for proper grip: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009R2HZPK/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1352058126&sr=8-1&pi=SL75 There are other brands out there that are cheaper that I'm sure would work just as well.

My 7th grader is doing the following this year for ancient history: Main Spine - Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (We simply read 2-3 sections per week. We outline and complete map work from each section.) Additional Resources - Dorothy Mills' Book of the Ancient World, Book of the Ancient Greeks and Book of the Ancient Romans; David Macaulay's Pyramid and City (He alternates reading through these books and his historical fiction books. He completes a summary on one section of the book per week.) Historical Fiction - The Golden Goblet, The Trojan War, The Bronze Bow (After reading Mills' Ancient World and Macaulay's Pyramid, he read The Golden Goblet. After reading Mills' Ancient Greeks, he'll read The Trojan War, and after reading Mills' Ancient Romans and Macaulay's City, he'll read The Bronze Bow.) He also watches documentaries on Netflix periodically. I originally planned on DS11 completing American history this year and having DS9 completing ancient history. It got to be too much to keep up with, so I transitioned DS11 back to ancients, since he has never studied that time period. This history plan has worked out really well for us this year.

Interesting. I have had keratosis pilaris on my legs since I was a teenager, but I have never heard of the association between it and dairy. I may have to try it out - although, I do love my milk in my coffee in the mornings. Thanks for the book recommendations; I will be looking into those. All of the information I've gotten about the GFCF diet has been from simple Google searches, and the gluten-free part of it just looks so overwhelming, but like many parents of SN kids, I am willing to do anything to help my son. I have prayed for a miracle, and when things gradually became worse, I simply prayed for the tools to help my son, and I think I may have received just that. It's been a mind-boggling past few weeks, in a good way, and I am thankful that there are people out there who have BTDT and have taken the time to share their wealth of knowledge no matter how outlandish or insignificant it might seem to be.

Thanks, all. While I would not say my son has been healed by any means, the behaviors that were getting to be unbearable and a huge burden on the whole family (the non-stop movement, the meltdowns, the defiance, the sensory issues, the lack of sleep) have all drastically decreased. He still has some of his "oddball" behaviors, and some of the responses he gives to questions are off the wall, where did that come from? responses. He won't get in for testing for autism until August of next year. He first met with his OT the week before we took him off of dairy. After she evaluated him, she said his attention span was less than a minute, and our goal was to get him to a minute threshold. The week after we took him off of the dairy, he sat down for the entire one-hour therapy session and was compliant and completed all his tasks for not 1-minute increments, but 10-15-minute increments. The OT even had to make him move onto other activities, and his transitions between activities, a typical trigger for meltdowns or defiance, went smoothly. This is the same child who was having meltdowns and was non-compliant and was running around like wild at our first meeting just a week and a half earlier with her. Our family is currently planning our switch to gluten-free and dye-free, too, to see if there are anymore breakthroughs with him. The change from the dairy has been nothing short of astounding. That said, I took him off of milk only just before he turned three, and that was the week he said his first words. I left him off of the milk for about a month, but he continued to have cheese, yogurt, butter, etc., until he broke his arm. I was devastated, knowing that his bones may have been brittle from not getting enough calcium, so I put him back on milk. This time, though, all dairy is gone, and I am making sure he is getting plenty of calcium-rich foods and supplements.

I posted back in the summer that my DS3 was being referred for testing for autism. What was suppose to be a 6-month wait has turned into a year-long wait. I was thinking of trying the GFCF diet with my son, but decided to try eliminating the dairy first, since it seemed the easiest to remove. Within a few days of starting, a large patch of rough skin that had been on his lower back for over a year disappeared. Within a week of eliminating all dairy, he seemed to calm down quite a bit. We are now three weeks in, and he has been socializing with kids at the park - like having real conversations with them - which he has never done. He waves and tells people hi and bye when they speak to him. He answers and responds to others (for the most part). He has not been having meltdowns at therapy. He's been sleeping through the night, and his sensory issues seem to be waning. We even made it through church services the past two weeks - morning and night - for the first time since he was 6 months old! Has anyone heard of a dairy allergy causing autistic/adhd-like symptoms? He is like a completely different child. His speech is still behind where it should be, but most people can understand him now (thanks to an awesome speech therapist), and he does cover his ears some still, but not over every. little. thing. It seems almost too good to be true, and I'm afraid to get my hopes too high, but this is like an answer to endless nights of tear-filled prayers.

:iagree: with Paradox 5. We have been very pleased with Rod & Staff for English and math. Their English program is absolutely stellar! I have learned things that I was never taught, even though I hold a degree in English. :tongue_smilie: While the S&S of their math program may look behind others, it really works to drive in a solid foundation in basic math to prepare students to excel at higher maths. My DS9 is currently completing the 5th grade math book, and DS11 finished R&S 6 in the spring. He has transitioned seamlessly into Lial's Pre-Algebra for the current school year. I credit the strong base that R&S has given him for much of his success. Here's the link to view the table of contents for the Grade 5 math book: http://www.milestonebooks.com/item/1-135--/?list=Mathematics_for_Christian_Living_Series

If you are looking for a strong foundation, I would take another look at R&S. Since all children are individuals with their own preferences, your youngest may take well to it. Both of my sons use R&S, and I feel that it has given them the tools to excel at higher maths due to the foundation it laid/is laying for them. My DS11 finished R&S 6 in the late spring and has transitioned seamlessly into Lial Prealgebra. I know that the R&S Scope & Sequence may look behind compared to others programs, but pushing algebraic concepts on a young child is useless unless that child has a strong foundation in the basics.

Both of my older boys really enjoyed reading Eloise Greenfield's works several years ago; they were probably in the 5-7 years age range. They especially liked her poetry from the Honey, I Love book.

I used that code earlier and got the $210 dramatic audio set for free. I've been busy downloading the set to the computer all day. I listened to a few minutes of a couple of the downloads, and they sound great! These are not books simply being read aloud with emotion, but rather, fully dramatized with characters and background music/sounds. I can't wait to start listening to these in the evenings with my family, and I think I may reserve some of them to listen to in the car during the upcoming holiday season.

I have the book from MP but not the study guide. My son really seems to be enjoying it, and :iagree: with the PP that it focuses more on the social/cultural aspect of the civilizations. I was going to use her books (Ancient World/Greeks/Romans) as our history spines, but I decided to switch to Kingfisher as the spine, and we are treating the Mills' books as additional reading. For example, my DS9 is reading The Golden Goblet, and my DS11 is reading the Mills book. Upon completing these books, they'll switch. We'll be doing the same thing with the Greek and Roman books, too.

We start at 9:00 each morning. I wake my boys up at 7:45, and they have to meet me at the table at 8:00 for breakfast and Bible which takes about 20-30 minutes. If it's a nice morning, we then head outdoors for a brisk 20-minute walk or bike ride. Otherwise, we head downstairs to do some type of indoor exercise activity. Afterwards, they take care of last minute business (bathroom break, gathering books and notebooks, etc.) and meet me at the table at 9:00.

We're using the Bob Schulz books and Pearables resources for our boys for character. I am also currently reading through Laying Down the Rails which is geared toward habit training.

We've used the Starr Meade book in the past, and my dh and I thought it was well done. We did have to change a couple of the questions - the infant baptism one comes to mind - because of different beliefs, but it was really very easy to adapt. We've now been using the Truth & Grace Memory Books 1 and 2. Book 1 is based on A Catechism for Boys and Girls and is for use with 2 year olds through 4th grade. Book 2 is based on The Shorter Catechism: A Baptist Version and is for 5th through 8th grade. There is a third book for high schoolers, but we won't be ready for that one for a few more years. These books also include hymns and scripture memory work for each grade and a Bible reading sequence. I know there are many others, and you can find almost any catechism online for free.

We had to make some minor adjustments to our curriculum choices, but here is what we have ended up with that makes both of us happy. :001_smile: Language Arts Classical Writing for Older Beginners + WWS (on Fridays only) Harvey's Elementary Grammar + Daily Grammar Practice MP's 7th grade lit list + The Iliad and The Odyssey (I've decided to use only the MP teacher lit guides to question for comprehension and to help with vocab as needed) Free Reading from AO + Figuratively Speaking Math Lial's Prealgebra Science BJU Life Science History AO + a light American history overview Bible Matthew-Romans w/ Matthew Henry Commentary Truth & Grace Book 2 Latin First Form Latin Character Bob Schulz books Logic Fallacy Detective + Thinking Toolbox Music/Art/Nature/Poetry/Plutarch AO

My oldest finished R&S 6 last year, and there were things in the book that I had never learned - and I have a bachelor's in English. I feel that using R&S has given him a strong base, so this year we're switching to a completely different format. He is doing Harvey's Grammar one day per week through his Classical Writing program, and I've ordered Daily Grammar Practice for him to do the other four days a week. I learned about the Daily Grammar Practice program from this thread, and I felt it was perfect for our needs. I think these plus his Latin will keep his English knowledge fresh.

I have found The Artner Reader's Guide to American History to be very helpful for planning out a history curriculum. It divides US history into 8 units that can be completed anytime between 3rd and 8th grade. It's very loosely designed and leaves plenty of freedom for you to pick and choose what you like. For Unit 2: The Colonial Period (1607-1775) it gives the following: Dates to Remember (3 dates; there are ~3-5 dates for each unit) People, Places and Topics to Read About (Pilgrims, Puritans, Squanto, etc.) Important Documents to Research (Mayflower Compact) Study Topics from Hirsch's What Your ____ Grader Needs to Know Optional Activities (draw map of 13 colonies, describe differences between the colonies, etc.) A Short Reading from Everything You Need to Know About American History Homework Reading Lists (includes a Level 1 and Level 2 reading list, a Landmark books list, a read aloud list - usually has an Albert Marrin book, an Out-of Print List, a Level 1 and Level 2 historical fiction list, and poetry, songs, and prose to match the time period) Other units may include: Inventions and Innovations to Know, Famous Phrases, and Special Autobiographies The guide helped me make sure I covered the important topics with my children, while allowing me to focus on providing a quality, literature-based approach to those topics. It also gives plenty of time to dig into any topics of interest, since it was not put together as a curriculum you have to complete in a year. I spent about 8-10 weeks per unit for units 5-8. I would have gladly done units 1-4 had my boys not already finished studying those time periods when we started with it.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading The Mission of Motherhood and The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson. She has several other books written to mothers, but I have not had the opportunity to read them yet. Of course, I may have to read that Maxwell book you mentioned first. :tongue_smilie:

OhElizabeth - I have wondered how much his speech might be affecting his ability to socialize. He really desires to play with other kids, but his speech does limit him in that area. For instance, a few weeks ago, he was playing catch with another boy, and the boy would not throw the ball back to him. I could tell he was starting to get irritated, so I told him to ask the boy to throw the ball back politely. He looked at me and told me he couldn't talk and for me to do it - he can tell somebody to throw the ball back (he tells his brothers that all the time), but I'm thinking his confidence in his ability to get his wording out correctly prevents him from trying with strangers. I felt really bad for him, and this was not the first occasion for him to tell me he can't talk. I will look into PROMPT therapists in our area during his naptime today. For the record, I was never too concerned about his speech, because we had family telling us about all the late-blooming boys in the family who started talking between 3-3 1/2, so when he started using some words right before his 3rd b-day, I was sure that was the case. I also figured that having two older brothers who did everything for him made it possible for him to get along without having to talk - guess I should have had him checked out then instead of letting it slide. Also, what kind of fish oil would he need? I started him on cod liver oil a couple weeks ago, because I had read that it might help with some sensory-type issues. Is there something else that might be better? Chris - I was thinking that might be some type of stimming. He does a very fast pinching motion with his pointer finger and thumb. Critterfixer - I'll look into some ear plugs for him until we can find a way to help him better cope. He has used his brothers' ear buds for playing games on the iphone in the past, so I figure he should be able to tolerate them. Thanks for your help. Although, I knew that the doctor might suggest some testing for some type of autism, it was still a blow to hear it. As long as I didn't have that suggestion in my ear from a doctor, I could hold onto hope that it might just be phase that he would grow out of, but all of the signs are pointing towards it. Maybe getting his some speech therapy while we wait for testing will allow him to be a bit more social at the very least.

Well, here are just a few of his other issues: He has what the doctor calls "fleeting eye contact," but he will make eye contact with me. He will play chase or hide-and-seek or catch with other kids, and he will directly ask other kids if they want to play catch, but he will not play anything that requires him to hold a conversation or pretend play with other children, but he will pretend play with me or his older brothers. He is extremely hyperactive. He does not like for people to look at him for too long - and he'll be sure to let people who do look at him too long to stop. He does a strange thing with his fingers whenever he gets in trouble or gets excited about something. He has some odd facial expressions that don't match the circumstances. Those are just a few of the odd things I can think of right now. I've known for some time now that something was different with him, but I could never place my finger on exactly what it might be. The one thing that threw me off with the Asperger's is the fact that he did not talk until a few weeks before he turned three. I always thought that those with Asperger's did not have a speech delay, and while he can speak in complete sentences, it's not all clear and his words are sometimes mixed up - like "Park, it rain there" instead of "It rained at the park." I guess I'll have to wait several months before I know for sure.

I took my youngest to the doctor this week, because he has started covering his ears a lot and getting irritated by certain noises - it kind of came out of nowhere about 3 weeks ago. She said she thinks it may be Asperger's, due to some other issues, too, but we won't know for sure for another 6 months - that's how long the wait list is for testing through Children's Hospital. What can or should I be doing at home in the meantime to help him?