Tortilla's sprayed with an oil-based buttery spray, sprinkled (lightly) with cinnamon/sugar, and baked cut in small triangles. The 'chips' are eaten with a fruit dip: chopped fruit--anything you got with a few spoonfuls of jam (check the label for your other allergies) to thicken the juice a bit. For the gluten-free child I would call the mother or poke around the grocery store for some gluten-free wraps so they can have the same. If the cinnamon/sugar is considered too sweet, try making the fruit dip first and draining it a bit and spritzing the natural fruit juice on as the sweetener (with a dash of cinnamon). Keep it light though or they won't get crispy when they bake.

When I started having children all my grandparents were living. We called them Grandma/Grandpa (last name). Since it was confusing to have multiple grandparents with that name we started our parents as Grandma/Grandpa (first name). I've heard many substitutes: Memaw (mee-maw), Marmar, Mawmaw, but my favorites are the ones based on family nationality. A good friend remarried after her children grew up. Because it was hard on her adult children (they already had a father and grandfather for their children) he goes by Morphar...Swedish for grandfather. I like Avia, but if you want something more personal you can always look up Grandmother for your nationality/one of your nationalities.

If it makes you feel any better, dh was like that as a child and he's a successful software engineer now. Eventually one thing stuck (electronics). I'm not saying he lost that 'always looking at something new' gene, but he learned to use it to become the creative go-to guy. When they want to know about a new technique or a trend they go to dh. That's the good side. The hard side is that he is not the uber-coder and makes up for it with a burning work ethic. I think if your son has the ability to focus on his latest passion...if he has a good work ethic/the ability to follow through...if you bring some academic complexity to his passion (for instance, physics to karate and biology to vet stuff), I don't see why it should hurt him in the long run. We live in a world where people change careers more often then when we were children. Flexibility and the ability to learn new things are much more prized right now. Enjoy his gift.

Podcasts can be audio or audio/visual. They tend to follow the format of lectures, radio shows, or documentaries. Scientific American has some great ones; 60 second science (& 60 second earth & 60 second psych). NPR has some great ones. This American Life. There are music ones like Woodsongs. GrammarGirl. I suggest these two links to get you started: http://www.socialtimes.com/2009/07/how-to-find-the-best-podcasts/ http://www.podcastawards.com/

In my family growing up we spent 2-3 years with no television (and obviously no streaming then). I think we attended movies rarely (maybe once during that period?) or never. My parents instituted that off and on 2 or 3 times. It's actually very restful and creative...although I was mad at the time. I voted Other. I think we've done all of those at one time or another (just television-no cable, no television reception but vhs tapes for the kids, no cable--netflix, etc.). Currently we have a television and cable, but they're not hooked together. We need the cable in order to have high speed internet (they're bundled together). We watch television online and rent occasional movies.

YouTube has it's own filter but I haven't tried it. There's also an educational site which filters and provides filtered YouTube videos. http://www.m86vusafe.com/

The Brothers K--David James Duncan : epic tale of religion, science, baseball, and the '60s Ursula, Under--Ingrid Hill : inter-connected short stories following the genealogy of a little girl in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Peace Like a River--Lief Enger : musings about saints, sinners, and cowboy-poets Coop--Michael Perry : nonfiction about life in a small town in WI Outliers--Malcolm Gladwell : nonfiction...what does success really mean? Wild Swans--Jung Chang : the best historical memoir on China available--3 women take China from warlords to cultural revolution It--Stephen King : King's best...a story within a story about facing fears Winter's Tale--Mark Helprin : magical realism/fairy tale with New York as the centerpiece No Country for Old Men--Cormac McCarthy : what is violence and how do people react to it? Interpreter of Maladies--Jhumpa Lahiri : the best short story collection of the last 20 years. Indian immigrants. The Diamond Age--Neal Stephenson : fascinating science fiction...if Dickens wrote a futuristic novel with nano technology @ a girl who is raised by a stolen educational primer...this would be it. A Primate's Memoir--Robert Sapolsky : Africa/primate biology/neuroscience/memoir The Big Over-Easy--Jasper Fforde : like candy for word lovers...nursery tale mystery The Book of Lost Things--John Connolly : an original retelling of old fairy tales in a completely compelling format..(a bit dark but nothing I wouldn't let a 13 year old read) Cloud Atlas--David Mitchell : an history of the world told through interconnecting tales from Victorian-the post apocalpse Vanity Fair--WM Thackeray : a novel without heroes...Thackeray never takes anyone too seriously

April 1? That's a toss up. Most places within 2 hours will not have snow on that date (although it's not unheard of for it to snow in April or May--they are temporary). I would suggest a ski slope as well, although April 1 some places in the woods/without direct sunlight will still have a little snow.

Check out Haba games. Animal on Animal (balance/dexterity game) *** DS's favorite at that age Chateau Rocquefort (matching, memory but with a very cool board and trapdoors) Uno (cards) Skipbo (cards) Go Fish (cards) that game where you roll dice and flip over numbers Shapes Up (puzzle like) Monopoly Jr./Candyland/Shoots and Ladders (roll and move) Checkers (and simple chess games) Alfredo's Food Fight (flinging) Sherlock (slightly more challenging memory game) Toss your Cookies (matching) Break the Safe (roll and move, avoid) Crossbows and Catapults (flinging) Sorry Sliders (dexterity, flicking) Children of this age can often play simple adult games with some help, especially party games. Our 6 year old can play Zooloretto (collecting sets of zoo animals) with some help.

I don't see a strong, exclusive gender correlation here, perhaps because I have all boys. One of my boys is just like this. Obviously gifted, but things came so easily at first that when they don't come easily he doubts his gifts. It becomes a circular problem. At 12 we spend more time emphasizing hard work and learning from mistakes more then anything else. Another son was the one teachers pinpointed as having problems. Now he will stick with something. He isn't as afraid of failure as my other son and he tests 10% higher, even in reading--the subject my older son is a natural in. I do think there is an emotional component to this. Girls are more likely to doubt themselves, especially in their teens. I think it would be interesting to see this study across a range of ages. How do women respond once they've left that fragile time? Are they more likely to believe in their abilities?

The only thing that's worked is making permanent, long-term changes. *removing junk food/snacks *finding healthy, limited choices for breakfast and lunch (for me it's yogurt with almonds, Special K, 1 whole grain muffin, pita with lettuce/spinach/dressing) *finding healthy, limited choices for snacks (fruit, nuts, vegetables, square of dark chocolate) *drinking lots of water or herbal tea before and after every meal *eating a regular dinner (no more than 2 servings of anything) *eat slowly, talk, stop when you don't feel hungry *allowing specialty foods (fried, desserts) on a limited basis. Eat a serving, don't go crazy

1. Everything is a learning experience. There is no failure if you learn from what goes wrong. 2. Dh needs to back off. If he shows frustration, ask him if he would be making the same comments if he bought you jewelry? A gift is a gift. No one enjoys a gift under pressure. 3. Take things slowly. Don't over-plan or over-plant the first year. 4. Different crops come up at different times. Some don't mind the cold. Some love the heat. Make a list of the things you like to eat. Then cull out some things you'd like to plant this year. From that list check one of your books (or one from the library) about what these plants need (and when you need to do it). 5. Keep notes. Maybe some things don't do well where you live. Maybe something needs more research. 6. Next year is always a new year. :001_smile:

My husband is similar. What helps him: *being read to (especially while driving) *audio books *lighter choices (YA lit) *non-fiction *magazines *project-based reading (read and then go make something) *knowing that if something doesn't work it's okay to just drop it and move on He reads a whole lot more now then when I met him.

It depends on what you want it for. In general I prefer my toaster oven, but if I wanted an appliance solely for reheating and I didn't care about the traditional complaints about microwave nutrition and texture...I would get a microwave. A microwave is faster and mostly foolproof. Toaster ovens are wonderful for additional baking and toasting capability. I like ours. I almost got rid of our microwave, but my youngest started a diet which meant reheating small portions, melting butter, etc. several times a day. For this kind of thing the microwave is perfect. I can do similar things in the microwave but it takes longer, things can dry out, and the dishes get hot sooner.

http://boardgameexchange.crystalcommerce.com/ It looks like they have monthly fee in the $20 range (25-27) with some short (2-4 months) and some long (yearly) subscriptions. All shipping is included. We have a friend doing this and she gets a box of 2-4 games a month. Fun. Other options: Look for local board game stores (they often have open copies to try out in the store). Look for local board game groups. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/forum/54/boardgamegeek/united-states Look for board game conventions near you. They have scheduled play times (with people to teach you) PLUS they often have an 'open library.' That means they have a library of board games you can check out and play in the room. This is the way we find game we like, then we can save up and buy them. If you lived in our area I would refer you to my husband, who just yesterday tried to get people to borrow games so he would have more shelf space.

Gillian Welch the Avett Brothers the Jayhawks

I think 21st Century Learning delves into something a bit deeper then whether our kids our tech-ready. At it's heart it digs into the American fear of being passed by, and of finding an easy, gimmicky solution. There is no easy solution, and any responsible text or site on Collaborative Learning, Educational Technology, and Project-based Learning doesn't see technology as a silver bullet. It's simply something that is changing right now, that can be leveraged to bring students together in new ways. The reason it's being buzzed in teacher circles is because many teachers are not even at the technical level of their students. They need a lot of encouragement to pick up the new technology and look for what works. BTW, many of these technical breakthroughs can be done by anyone with an Internet account. Do some research into collaborative learning, there is a lot of cool stuff out there. I'm surprised Homeschool Coops haven't tapped into some of this stuff because kids can really work collaboratively from their own homes; writing stories together, editing movies, writing blogs, all kinds of stuff.

There's a line from a John Prine song. "I put your mind on a brief vacation, to the Land of the Lost Surprise." I thought it was a lovely metaphor so I re-purposed it when I was looking for a blog name (My blog is The Land of the Lost Surprise). It seems like having children is a process of re-living and learning things from their viewpoint. It's like returning to a time of constant surprise. Anyway, when I came here my usual handles were used so I truncated my blog title. It has a nice ring.

No offense to you...my son is on a special diet and a even physical interaction with grains, sugar, and other carbohydrates (including fruits, vegetables, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, sunscreen) can set off massive seizures...but I think you're taking this too personally. It is hard for other families to deal with us, and we can appreciate when they do, but we can't expect that this means they will bend additional parts of their lives for us. We need to enjoy the time we do have together. This can mean loneliness, but the loneliness is that of our situations not of being personally rejected. Remember most friends are together because it's easy...either they work or live near each other, their children are the same age. When things get harder (moving, one has kids the other doesn't) the relationship fades. I certainly don't think you should make the assumption that because they were busy last fall equals they were busy excluding you. That's how you feel, that's not what you know. I know you're lonely, and this is frustrating. I can think of many situations, more then I can count, where my son has been excluded or had to miss out on things just because of his diet. But please don't further cut yourself off from relationships because of this. It's in these times that you form the good friends who will go to great lengths for you and your family. And consider making this easier by providing food to your group on occasion. It might be a good idea for the other kids, as they get older, to see what your son deals with every day. With my son's epilepsy I find it makes everyone more comfortable for me to not just give scary warnings, but to have little moments now and then that show the normal day to day stuff. What he eats. How we make it. What happens if something goes wrong. Maybe if they eat the food and see you use benedryl after a random park interaction they will feel more comfortable.

I think part of the problem here is that we are interpreting 'Proficient' differently then the NAEP assessment is. This link should help. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/reading/achieve.asp So should these links (although it refers to the 4th grade, not the 8th grade test). http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itemmaps/?subj=Reading&year=2009 http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/reading/whatmeasure.asp From reading the site I gather Basic is considered your 'average' student learning concepts at their age group and filling in gaps in their understanding. Proficient is the top students, and Advanced are students that are beyond their grade level. For instance, a Basic 4th grader could read a story, recall and answer questions, compare characters. A Proficient 4th grader should recognize main ideas not explicitly stated, recognize character traits using multiple segments across the text, and be able to support their opinions on their evaluations in writing. Comparing figures from 1993 and 2009, there have not been great changes in scoring for the state of Wisconsin (I won't vouch for other states). Science and Math are up a few points in average score. Reading is down a few points. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/ I think a reasonable question for this thread is...are people actually reading the base documents here or are they just finding reasons which satisfy previously held beliefs? It's nice to vent, certainly enough schools give us reason to, but if we expect education to be rigorous we need to show rigor in our own research and discussions. Perhaps a definition of literacy would be helpful here, since by definition I would consider both the Basic and Proficient 4th graders literate. That would certainly help frame the debate.

So what are we discussing exactly? *that Wisconsin teachers unions are currently demonstrating for the ability to bargain collectively (not more money as someone stated..the union has accepted lower or current pay levels for the last 2 years and has already agreed to pay more for benefits as the governor asked)? *that Wisconsin has exactly the same level of 'proficient' readers (32%) as both Illinois, Iowa, and is 2% above the National average? *that Wisconsin traditionally pays more for student education then some Midwestern states? Being from Wisconsin, I'd be more inclined to debate if: 1. They included definitions for 'proficient,' etc. 2. They were more upfront about money (most of the Midwest pays @ 10,000 according to the second table...I don't find that $20-300 difference between states to be relevant statistically) 3. If they were honest about money (according to the table they linked to Wisconsin pays @6500 in instruction, the TOTAL is 10,500ish...how can you even compare figures when one table is adjusted and the other isn't?) Frankly, either the person who wrote that article knows very little about statistics and how to read tables or they formed their opinion and then looked for 'evidence' to fill in. I'm not impressed.

One thing that has helped me with overeating is drinking more before meal times. I have a 15-16oz cup and I drink water or herbal tea (the warmth of the liquid really makes a difference) before every meal (and during..and after..you get my drift). Usually while I'm preparing the meal or right before, so my stomach has a chance to register it. Staying hydrated has helped me because I also mix up hunger and thirst cues. I started with 6-8oz and worked my way up to my big glass. Once it becomes a habit, I don't make it a hard rule. If I'm drinking all day but I happen to be busy doing 3 things at dinner time I'll skip it. Until it became a habit I had to make it a priority and get it in before every meal.

Beautiful suggestions! This site might be helpful. http://www.learn-hebrew-names.com/listnames.aspx?GenderID=Girls I personally like: Tovah Amiya Talia Kyra Sarai Aliana Lydia Lucia (or other feminine form of Luke/Lucius) Melea Elia Anna Ariel Charis/Caris (Greek for grace) Jada Jael Lael Chaya/Eve Neah Naomi Phoebe Selah If you like Miriam but its too long, you could always go for a diminutive form (Miri or Mira). I liked Judah, my husband didn't, so we settled on Jude for one of our sons. Thanks for posting this. I have all boys so it was really fun for me to visit all these possibilities.

If nothing else, I would make sure that her mother (parents) know what is going on and that he may be taking the calls less in the future. I would want to prepare for that if I was them.

Finished: 1. The Secret Life of Houdini: the Making of a Superman by William Kalush 2. 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison 3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 4. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart 5. Blink: the Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell 6. The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux Working on: 7. Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed the World (LeCouteur) 8. Phantastes (MacDonald) 9. Boneshaker (Priest) 10. Cloudsplitter (Banks) Really enjoying Napoleon's Buttons (fascinating chemistry) but it works best in short spurts, so I'm mixing it up with the George MacDonald fairy tale Phantastes.