My husband is a claims rep for a large insurance company. He handles death and permanent disability claims throughout the state. He is well suited for what can be a depressing job - he's very compassionate and most customers love him. He recently used some contacts we have (bc of our children's disabilities) to have a wheelchair ramp built and a van lift installed for a family whose 6 year old son was paralyzed in a car wreck. They didn't know where to begin the process, and neither did the hospital social worker - he did it all in days. Dozens of calls and meetings when he could have just written a check and moved on. Every time he went to the hospital he brought the boy a new Power Rangers toy - his favorites. Just a little example of how he goes above and beyond on a weekly basis.

Wrong thread!

Are the student pages perforated in the back of the book like the SOTW activity guides?

Beautiful! - we adopted one of our sons, who is african-american, through the foster system. I wonder how many similar families are on the boards? Bless you!

A Cuisinart blade and disk holder - http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/97820-cuisinart-blade-disc-holder.aspx My husband says I should just get a plastic container w/ a tight fitting lid to store them in and get something else. I want this! Free shipping right now...

This is the lap loom my 9yo daughter uses. We buy many supplies through this website/company also. Great quality. http://www.harrisville.com/proddetail.php?prod=F384 HTH!

I'm so sorry! It will be hard to get used to at first, but they will train you very well in the hospital. They gave me a book called Understanding Diabetes, (commonly referred to as the Pink Panther book bc of the cover!). It was a lifesaver. Here it is online in PDF: http://www.uchsc.edu/misc/diabetes/ud11.html My son was diagnosed at just turned 4yo, and he's now just turned 7yo. It is a lot easier now, but it is a huge lifestyle change. There is no getting around that. We'll be here for you. PM me if you would like. This type 1 message board is great for support: http://forums.childrenwithdiabetes.com/ I'll pray for you this week...

My son is finished SSRW1 last year. He still needs help with words when he reads to me aloud from readers like - he reads aloud to me from CLP, Pathway and Christian Light 1rst and now starting 2nd grade readers. He does well, just needs help with words he says wrong. The trouble is that he is reading silently the Matt Christopher series which is a 3rd/4th grade level. He loves them bc he's a sports nut. When he reads a paragraph out loud to me he's reading a lot of the words wrong, but he is telling me wonderful summaries about the chapters - I can tell he's understanding it and getting most of the story. What should I do? Just relax and let him enjoy his silent reading, and then plug away at our oral reading during school time? Be glad he's choosing more difficult material?

We always had a small quilt on the floor between the table and the window. Our preschoolrer would choose one small box of toys or manipulatives ro play in what we called the "secret clubhouse." The rules for the club were to be quiet and sta on the quilt - it worked for years and years!

Great ideas! And take full advantage of the car by listening to SOTW on the way, or various cd's from the Sing n Learn catalog. HTH!

That Uborne complete book is truly great - I mean it. Everyone must buy it :). http://www.amazon.com/Usborne-Complete-Book-Art-Ideas/dp/0794514391/ref=ed_oe_p I try to get to Artistic Pursuits for art instruction. But, this book is great for independent learning and ideas for projects. It is used daily! It also gives them ideas on how to use the myriad of art supplies that we have purchased. My children make these amazing projects that look like the very best projects from school or private art classes.

CLE - and we all love it!!

My son was saying that he wished there was homeschool college. He wants to be a doctor (he has diabetes) and he's appalled he will be in college for so long. I explained to him that when he's that old it won't be the same, he'll be ready to move away, want to, and he won't need us the same way but he'll still love us. He said - "that's just mean!!" and started crying. My husband and I said we'll comfort ourselves with that when he's in college and doesn't call home often!!

Keep him off his back. This is an emergancy - I don't mean to scare you. Wait for doctor's instructions, but don't allow any pressure on it in the meantime.

I want to use both of these this year. TQ uses SOTW 3 as a spine, but schedule only the American history chapter. I set up my notebooks with a divider for SOTW 3 & notebook pages and TQ w/ narration pages, coloring books, notebook paper for Thinkwrites, & paper dolls etc. I plan on covering SOTW 3 up to the year 1800 and stop. That's when TQ AHYS 1 stops. But, I'm not going to try to line them up perfectly. I'm just going to use them side by side - if that makes sense. I have a huge home library of readers and read a louds for this time period, and I have marked what the library has for each week. I know basically where I need to be by the end of each quarter. Do you think that's do able? Confusing for the students? Or should I try to coordinate them into a 36 week schedule? I just don't feel like it - bc I know I won't follow it exactly anyway!

I also believe that I need time alone. And I have one extended time per year and several short times. Yet, still when the pressures of daily living get to me I still want to escape on a regular basis. In spite of these regular sabbaticals! I enjoy Ann Voskamp's blog. Do you read her? I think you would enjoy her writing. This post is one of my favorites bc it really speaks to this issue in my heart. http://aholyexperience.com/2007/02/steam-escape-and-pressure-work.html

I had a breakthrough today. My daughter always struggles on the SOTW tests. She often has to look back through the chapter for some of the answers. She tries to pay attention while I'm reading, but her mind wanders. Today, I had her read the chapter silently. She made 100% on the test in record time! And she's been talking about the chapter all day. She's wanted to read more picture books on the topic from our bookshelves! She started reading A Child's History of the World for her silent reading time this afternoon, and says she wants to read the whole book this summer! I'm thinking readalouds are importand to develop her attention span and auditory memory right? She learned to read at 4 and she's definately a visual learner. But, she'll have to grow as an auditory learner to be able to succeed in a college lecture environment and to learn from sermons. I'm thinking I'll have her follow along in the book as we listen to the cd. I'll probably let her read the chapter again after she listens and narrates for reinforcement. Sound good?

Thanks so much for all of the replies! Our case manager from the insurance company came out this morning - I called her this afternoon to let her know what happened today. She said she would handle it herself if things don't rapidly improve. I've used most of the agencies in our area over the last 14 years that serve pediatrics. So, it's not so easy to just switch again! It's hard to find an RN willing to come regularly 2x a week for only 4-5 hours, so our case manager recommended increasing our hours to 7 hour shifts to see if that helps. I don't like having someone around during school, but it will be okay if we must. I don't have anything against male nurses in general. I've had many in ERrs and PICUs over the years. We keep in touch with several. But, to me the difference is having one unsupervised in our home with no accountability, while I'm gone with my other children. Also, the creep factor was serious! I was firm but cordial to the agency, so I think things will improve. Or we'll have switch in two weeks. Thanks for the reassurances that I'm not some kind of neurotic, crazy woman!

No - I wasn't offended! I've heard that idea before about SGM. But, it makes me laugh :).

We've been a members of a SGM church for 14 years - and deeply love our church family. I'm not a Stepford Wife, far from it :). Feel free to pm me if you have specific questions. I've read some of the recent online stories too. That hasn't been my experience at all.

I have a 14 yo profoundly disabled son - he is very medically fragile. I have a nurse two afternoons a week so I can take my younger children to dr. appts., piano, therapies, outings etc... The nurse takes care of him: changes diapers, colostomy, catheter, meds, central line care, baths, transfers him with a hoyer lift, stretches him etc. My son is like an infant: blind and can't communicate in any way. The agency has been terrible about staffing this summer. We requested additional hours because our other children are involved in activities in June/July. We are supposed to receive a calendar at the beginning of the month with staffing, ideally a regular nurse. They haven't done that at all - just sent random nurses to my house each time for me to train. A different one each day! Well, that had meant that I haven't been able to leave my oldest to take my other son to his special ed summer day camp and my daughter to ballet. My husband and friend from church have had to help me with the driving. Today, I had no idea anyone would even show up. And a strange looking man rings the door. Really strange looking. He says he's our new nurse :(. And it is his literal first day with the agency!!! I was furious. I had told them when I signed up with them I didn't ever want a male nurse. Just not my preference. I called the agency and spoke with the district manager to request a new scheduler - our summer schedule has been a disaster. Also, every date we have requested respite this spring has been forgotten. Forgetting that I had shared in writing at our orientation I didn't want a male nurse was the last straw. And that he looked creepy was just upsetting. The district manager was so condescending. She kept insinuating that I was neurotic to not want a male nurse, she said we sometimes get requests from mothers with daughters, but not sons!!! I just think that's rude, my child is totally helpless, and it's a vulnerable thing to leave him with people when he can't communicate in any way to me if he is being well cared for. What are your thoughts?

I've always idealized the notion of "kindred spirits". I got this idea growing up from books (Anne of Green Gables) and from movies also, I suppose. I am an identical twin who moved frequently in my childhood. Even though we lived in many neighborhoods and attended many public schools, we made good friends easily. We always had a crowd of friends - good friends at the time. But, we alway lost touch over time with our moves. I have many friends from our college I keep in touch with, but they are "Christmas card friends". My twin sister has been the constant. I want my children to have close lifetime friends though. Do you have that desire for your children? Or just family? We are members of a church that most families homeschool. Still, my children don't have really close friends. They are mostly close with eachother. My two typical children are a boy and a girl 7yo and 9yo - best friends like my sister and I were. They are very compassionate and kind to their special needs older brothers too. Do you think friendships should be something we as homeschool parents should help our children find - by inviting families over with children that we think they might hit it off with? Or do you just pray for them to find their own friends in time?

I didn't read the other replies yet - but had to weigh in. I had to make the same exact difficult decision this past year. My son is 10yr with mild mr and mild autism (pdd-nos). I homeschooled him until last last fall. He did well with me during academic lessons one to one, but horrid during our group lessons with art, history, & science. He is prone to being hyper, impulsive and he compares his deficits w/ his typically developing younger brother and sister. He is a handful apart from academics - pesters, loud, repetitive behaviors etc. But is PERFECT in Sunday school and other structured settings. We had him placed in public school in January - in a special ed class for mentally disabled children of 8 children, but he is mainstreamed for part of the day. He is incredibly successful. He has made wonderful friends! All the teachers truly love him. He even won two gold medals in the special olympics for track. I know your child's needs are different, but just wanted to encourage you that I never thought everything could go so well. He even prays with his best friends at lunch every day like we did at home :)

I've been watching a tv series this summer from Netflix from the 90's. I've been thinking - I can't believe this was on 10 years ago bc my clothes look like this. Am I out of style?! Or have things not changed all that much? I noticed the teens in the series wearing tummy bearing t shirts - that's "out" thankfully! I still wear dark boot legged jeans, long cardigans, rayon dresses (mine are long - maybe "out?"). Their shoes were chunkier and now everyone wears feminine ballet flats. I've noticed some more tunics and babydoll type shirts lately in ads, but not much out in real life. That's all that's changed in a decade? Wierd!

I'm reading The Creative Family by Amanda Soule - love her blog! http://soulemama.typepad.com/soulemama/ I'm also reading... Perfection Salad: Women and Cooking at the Turn of the Century Something from The Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950's America both by Laura Shapiro I love books about the history of homemaking for some reason. Need a novel to read though!