Chiming in to agree with other posters...OT was life changing for my ds. He is now 14 and started OT when he was 3-1/2 until he was 9. I am so thankful for the intervention he recieved. I hope that you are able to get your ds the help that he needs. Your DH will be amazed when he sees an OT work with your child and the difference it will make! All of the ideas others gave you for the hugs, beans, bashing into controlled things...all of those will do wonders for him. You will survive this, I know he can make you want to pull your hair out, but he has no control over it. You have control when you are able to get him the input he needs before he starts melting down. Take care! :grouphug:

No matter how poor I get I will NEVER buy generic ketchup!!! Heinz all the way, baby!!!!!!! I have been poor and still am in many ways, but I will never compromise on the ketchup. :001_smile:

You might consider looking into MultiCare Health System in Tacoma. :D You'd be going against traffic, so the commute might not be as bad. If you would like specifics about MultiCare just PM me and I'll be happy to help you out!

I have been dealing with this situation with my ds as well. I found out that he somehow was able to circumvent my filters and access sites. I immediately restricted all computer access, removed his tv from his room and we talked about it every day. We worked through the why and figured out how we can change our energy and focus to other things. He remained with me from the time he woke up until he went to bed. There was no alone time and time in the bathroom or showers were monitored. I held him accountable for his actions and kept open lines of communication daily to help him through this time in his life. This is the kid who looked like he wanted to throw up when I tried to discuss the birds and the bees, then to find out my always homeschooled, honest, compassionate, innocent little boy had been contaminated by what the world views sex to be just broke my heart! As a single mom as well, I found it especially difficult to deal with this not having gone through the whole boy thing. I relied on my dad to help with some talks 'man to man'. I also realized that he isn't my little boy anymore and I need to change with him to be the mother he needs now as a young teenage man and not the mom saying 'no, just because I said so.' It needed to be more than that. He needs to know why it isn't ok, but then to also be supported in his journey out of it by keeping him accountable and always monitored. I realize that your son is older and is dealing with other issues as well, but I do believe that in every child there is that part of them that craves those boundaries, and there is that part of them, when they are doing things that are wrong, that is crying out for help from their parent. Don't give up, just firmly love him through this. He needs you to be that strong mom with a firm hand and a loving heart. It sometimes is a difficult trial to be all of those things at the same time, but it is what we were called to be. I hope the best for you and your family.

Hi JoAnn I am sorry that you are dealing with this...thyroid issues can sometimes be such tricky business. We've dealt with quite a few thyroid 'malfunctions' in our family, in fact my ds had his removed when he was 11 because it started developing tumors and some other different things. Anyway, ds' is completely unrelated to your situation, but I wanted to recommend (if he isn't already your doctor), and/or if you needed a second opinion, Dr. Graf. He's on 19th, a couple of blocks down from Allenmore...Cedar, maybe? He doesn't score any high points on bedside manner, but he is very good at what he does and he has seen my family through some difficult endocrine situations. I hope that you are able to find the answers you need.

$0 My family purchased 5 acres 18 years ago on a lease option and paid it off in 10 years. We built the house ourselves over all this time (still a work in progress on so many levels..ugh) Taxes around $700/year.

Josephus' writings might be of interest to you. He was alive during the time of Christ and wrote down everything that was happening around that time. Jesus was only mentioned a couple of times, and it was from a secular stand point, not a religious one.

Hi Wendi, You just spoke my situation so completely! I can't say that I can help you with this, but I look forward to seeing how other families deal with this. This consists of 95% of our issues. His behavior, rigidity, lack of ability to re-focus, complete frustration once he gets one thing wrong...ugh! It is utterly exhausting. I would love to be able to do what Laurie4b does, but with my ds...I wouldn't win. Now, granted, I know there are times that he does manipulate me, but I usually can tell when I can push him and when it would be futile. I wish, so desperately, that he was able to function better in this, but I don't know what to do anymore. I have tried every curriculum out there, every method...at this point I am hoping for him to have basic math skills and read fluently, both of which we still struggle with. I can't even really think about getting to do more fun things in school...hands on, experiments, history projects, etc...because we can't get past the basics. I don't know....wish I did!! I'm right there with you.

I really like it. My ds has some special needs and this completely took the pressure off of me constantly having to remind him what was coming up throughout the day and what my expectations were for him to get done. I think that you could probably come up with something like this on your own...I just appreciated the fact it was already done for me, so the expense was worth it...but I only had to buy one. :)

I have been wondering where all the homeschoolers were gathering now!! I used to be around when Sonlight was free, then moved over with everyone to 'A Home for Homeschoolers', left for awhile and it turned into a ghost town. Not that I was all that active before, but it was my lifeline to sanity. I was Jennifer in WA back then...now I'm all stealth and mysterious. LOL Nice to see so many familiar names! Just wanted to say 'howdy!' and do a happy dance. :party: