I first came to this board because I read the WTM and was interested in more information. I stayed because there are a lot of super smart people with a wealth of information that I am interested in as a parent. As a non-homeschooler, I have to say that it was never obvious to me that this is exclusively a "homeschooling board" because the WTM is not exclusively a homeschooling book. I mean, SWB says right upfront that the book is for parents who want to homeschool OR supplement learning at home. Also, forum topics like "education", "curriculum", etc are of interest to all parents, whether they homeschool or not. At times, I've seen the posts about the forums being for homeschoolers. Is there some origin of the forum that started as exclusively homeschooling? It isn't obvious if you came through the route of reading the WTM. To be honest, those posts make me feel unwelcome and that is why I rarely post and mainly lurk.

I second this site but also haven't been on the forums in some time. I found this group very supportive and helpful in dealing with my kids food issues (1 with an IgE allergy, 2 with colitis that required Neocate-only diets from infancy to toddler). Helpful with practical advice on how to manage the food issue. Also a lot of emotional support from parents in similar situations. I know it can be tough figuring out the triggers. Best wishes.

I'm hoping this link works for volume 1 on google books: http://books.google.com/books/about/Journeys_through_bookland.html?id=jZkXAAAAIAAJ There are a few volumes there (complete with images). The problem I found was that it was difficult to identify the volumes until you actually open the books at they are not clearly labeled.

I just thought that I would mention that I found Vol 1 on Google books this afternoon (if anyone else is looking for it).

The REM sleep is higher for kids but our sleep doc felt that 10+ wakeups (with other symptoms) warranted a look for adults or kids. I had asked because I wanted my husband to try the fitbit as well. Just one doctor's view, however. Also, the son with the apnea routinely registers between 90-92% sleep efficiency on the fitbit despite having pretty severe disruptions to his sleep cycle.

Hi, I'm mainly a lurker (thanks for all of the helpful information!). I thought I would respond about the fitbit and sleep - I unfortunately have more experience than I would like because my 8 year old has sleep apnea. My sleep doctor would say anything over 10 wakeups is something to check out. The problem is not just the awake time but the disruption to the sleep cycle. My guy will wake up 15-30 times with the fitbit but if you put him in a "real" sleep study, this will translate to 75-100+ because they monitor much more closely there. The ultimate result is REM sleep in the low teens when it should be in the mid 20s for his age group. This can impact memory, health, growth, everything really. To give an idea, his younger siblings are all below 10 when they wear the same device. Also, he has absolutely no idea he is waking up - his pulse oxygen drops and he wakes to breathe and goes right back to sleep. The only way I knew was that he seemed more irritable during allergy season (when the apnea is at its worst for him) and I noticed his bed looked like an elephant slept in it. We had already had tonsils and adenoids removed when he was younger due to clear obstructive sleep apea. If you wake more than 10x and you feel tired, I would check it. Other signs of sleep disruption can be a messy bed, snoring (we didn't have after the tonsils were removed), dry mouth (from mouth breathing). The difference between a good and bad night's sleep is truly amazing for my son. You really can't believe the difference!