Or, "Two Feet", as I like to tell people. And he was over ten pounds. (Not sure how much, I just remember the ten pounds part, lol.) If ever I was to get a tattoo, that would likely be what it was; dc #5's weight and length at birth. It was a significant emotional event. (Thought I was going to get an epidural, and was wrong.)

:iagree: Not many names go easily with "Sarah"...but this one really sounds great with it. But take my advice with a grain of salt; my culture and heritage (redneck) insists that both names be easily shouted together, either into the backyard, or the backseat of the car. "Mia Sarah!!" See? Works! :D

Yes. Exactly. Have plenty of books available, and just get through. Love on each other, be kind to yourself, and do what it takes to get you through. It will abate. It will also crop up again, later, but it will get easier and easier, eventually.

We decided this year to leave everything up until Twelfth Night...with the Wise Men traveling around the house until they make it to the rest of the Nativity. :001_smile: I read Jan Brett's Twelve Days of Christmas today (beautiful book), and we talked about the old tradition of it being bad luck to enter someone's house empty-handed during this season. (We don't believe in "luck", just thought it would be a good way to celebrate; taking cookies/candy with us wherever we go, until Twelfth Night.) We also have one birthday during the Twelve Days, and one on Epiphany. So. Still plenty of celebrating.

((Julie)) I'm not an animal person, either, but I absolutely love our dog. That doesn't mean I don't want to choke him at times, lol, but it is disconcerting when they eat something *wrong*. (And I think that most do, at some point.) Praying that she's out of danger! (It sounds encouraging.)

...I have a scarf to finish (I've made three, so far, for the Littles, and one Big wanted one, as well), and I'm teaching the three youngest to knit. :blink: I'd love to do some felting things; I'm a relatively new knitter, and I just did a test piece...it's so awesome!! I've been working through a friend's copy of Stitch and B*tch...I love it, lol. Totally up my alley, and down my street, as we say here. :D

...I was just relating personal experience that was coincidental with someone else's. (All boys born with OBs, vs. girls born with midwives.) ??

...that I would get to rest, after having the baby in the hospital, but I DIDN'T, LOL! It was not comfortable, they come in at weird times to check you, check the baby (he was over 10lbs, and they were sure he needed his blood checked--he was fine), make changes...it wasn't restful, to me. (I like going home after 5 or 6 hours, too). Going home and having someone keep the other kids for a day or so was my most "restful" experience. If you could wrangle that, that's what I would recommend. But I'm sure others have different hospital experiences.

...both of my boys were born with OBs attending (one in a hospital, one in a birthing center), and all the girls were born at the same birthing center, with midwives!

One was OB attended, the others were with midwives. (The hospital birth was OB attended, as well). I loved having the security of rescusitation (sp?) equipment, and observation at the birthing center...and then being able to go home, immediately after. I would recommend a birth center for anyone with a low-risk pregnancy. It's the best of both worlds, IMO.

Ditto, here.

I totally agree with everything except the "it's a fine line". I don't think it's a fine line, at all, lol. It's a big huge bold one, to me. ;)

I think we've always done it this way. I feel like it keeps the focus off of the gifts, through the season, and keeps them from getting torn, etc. ETA: I'll also echo those who like the surprise factor! :-)

Exactly. I don't have the big problem with corn, itself...but I have a HUGE problem with anything genetically modified. Big difference. Glad to hear you met our mutual acquaintance! They're an awesome family. I'll shoot you that email again...good to "see" you here!

(Lamb, that is.) I think regional taste has a lot to do with it, too, and wish I liked grass-fed beef better. As it is, I'm not too worried about beef that's corn-finished. Honestly, I'm not that worried about beef that's totally corn-fed, either, but would understand the production concerns about it. I'm always open to doing more, when it comes to sustainable eating...but there's also a point where I'm willing to stop, too, lol. (And grass-fed beef's taste is one of those points. :-)

"Desire Quotient" is what I was going to say, lol. We give each kid three gifts; a book, a group gift that's meant for all of them, with the one who will be most excited opening it, and a personal gift that they will really like. I think the focus on being appreciative is most important; I don't know that I'd arrange my whole gift-giving scheme around how a child will react. They need to adjust to what's decided. (As long as that's reasonable, of course.)

...that I've got to shrug off is...corn fed beef. I cannot STAND the taste of solely grass fed beef. Blech. I've had corn-finished beef that I liked, but all of the solely grass fed beef I've had--and I've had a lot--has been gross. Gamey. (The canned tomato thing is hard for me, too, but almost everything else I follow, to some extent.)

Many times endometriosis is made *worse* after surgery. A friend of mine's was, and mine was, as well. Scar tissue and all. Mine was discovered during laproscopy for a ovarian cyst. There's a book called Fertility, Cycles, and Nutrition that talks about nutritional helps for "Lady Troubles", and there were suggestions for dietary changes to make to combat endometriosis. I've heard of using progesterone cream, also, although I've never done it.

...but that probably wouldn't be very helpful, not knowing your circumstances, challenges, etc. Here, it's mostly a function of how often are they asked...what else needs to be done...and, last but not least, which friends we're talking about, what they're doing, and if it affects my children's attitudes. Usually, our kids aren't asked to do something more than once a week. (I have two teens, and the boy spends less time socializing than the girl, which I think might just be a function of gender difference, lol, at least in this situation. They only talk/get together when there's a purpose. Not so with my daughter and her friends. The socializing, itself, is often the purpose.) I don't feel bad about saying "yes" almost every time, since it's not very often, but we do sort of have an understanding that days gone with buddies are kind of made up for by gratitude and willingness to hear "no" gracefully, if it isn't possible. We're also talking about kids that I like, and activities I approve. I do believe it's important for teens to have friends and a life outside of Mom and Dad and Little Siblings. I think it should be balanced, but I believe it's a testing ground for college, life away from home, etc. You sort of get to mold it, at this stage, by debriefing when they come home, offering advice and guidance about situations and individuals (even when your opinion isn't asked for, lol)...and this is kind of the last big chance to do that. Kind of "on the job training", I guess I would call it. If you're not getting a chance to do that kind of thing, between excursions, then it might be a bit much, but I'm not saying it's necessary constantly...just as a matter of habit. But I don't believe in any of that at the expense of their good choices, thus far. So...I guess I'm saying that you probably have to play it by ear, and there might not be a hard and fast time limit, just a gut feeling that they might need more, or less time with certain individuals.

...I would respond by acknowledging the reasonable parts of what he's saying, if you feel that he's helpful, overall, and see if he's able to accept that you're going to listen and implement some of what he's suggesting. I was fortunate in that the psych that did our evaluation was pretty pro-homeschooling...or at least didn't say anything about it being negative. I really feel strongly that public school is not the answer for much of what you describe. If public school attendance is a goal for you, then I would try and address some of those issues before going, actually, so that learning and whatever other goals are part of the rationale would be more likely. Some of the problems you describe would seem to detract from learning, which I believe is really the ultimate goal of school. I agree with the person who suggested focused teaching about navigation in "real life" situations. I have such a problem with "professionals" (and amateurs, lol) who use this line. School is the ONLY place I can think of where this happens. If it happens in the workplace, or in a marriage, or other situation, it's immediately shut down, and no one believes you should stand for it. And yet it's supposedly good for children to endure it, when they're supposed to be in a safe learning environment. The likelihood of an adult picking on another adult because they're different is much less than that of a group of children picking on another child. The chances of a child telling about that sort of treatment in a school setting isn't good, either; no one might ever know some of what she goes through. (Other adults in workplace/church/other social situations are more likely to stop such behavior, rather than be silent or take part.) Try and see if there's any truth to that. It might be possible, but if it is, you can lessen your sheltering of her without giving up homeschooling. You said, "Yes, I am pretty sheltering. She's had a hard life, and I love her. She's already stressed out by irrational fears."I understand what you're saying, about this guy's reputation for winnowing things out, and I applaud your decision to continue, and examine some of what he's saying, even if it's uncomfortable, to see if it might be valid. But I think moms have a sense about what their kids need. You sound like you're sensitive, and trying to do your best for her, and I think you'll make the right decision. My middle daughter has a diagnosis of Asperger's (it was pretty close between autism and AS; her verbal development was what tipped it towards AS), but we remain skeptical. There's so much overlap between so many conditions and issues, that I think it's probably not unusual for there to be kids who don't really fit into a neat diagnostic box. I'm pretty sure my daughter is one of them. She may not even have anything "technically" amiss with her...just quirky to the extreme. (My mother has told me for years and years that she's exactly like I was as a child, and I was the Queen of Quirky, lol.) But she has needed a different approach from most kids, and I can tell you that as much as I love homeschooling as a general idea...it's probably been especially good for her. I can't imagine how she would have fared at public school. We've seen her change and grow...but it's been on her timetable. Whether or not your dd has AS, she has something that makes her different, and she may either get to some benchmarks more slowly than others, or have to learn to adapt if she can't reach them at all. I commend you for trying to do what she needs, and I want to encourage you to both listen to the doctor, even if he tells you something that stretches you... ...and feel free to ignore him, if his professional opinion doesn't jibe with what your Mommy's heart tells you. My free advice. Worth every penny, lol. :D

...this is excellent advice. We bought our current house on dh's retirement, alone (meaning we qualified, according to the bank and our own calculations, lol), and I'm so glad we did.

I tried several ways of phrasing something similar, and couldn't come up with the right words. So I'll echo Joanne.

...probably in reverse of how you meant it, lol. (In other words, I wonder if some folks who approve of people receiving public assistance feel differently if the people receiving it have a faith-related reason for being in the position they're in. As opposed to "simple" bad judgement, poor timing, ill luck, etc.)

Thanks to everyone that's responded so far; I'm going to bookmark this and keep referring back to it. Keep the suggestions coming, though! I need all the help I can get! Is there anything you'd recommend seeing in between Oklahoma and Yellowstone? That's another priority...trying to make the most of the drive up. If you come from the south of Yellowstone...what are some things you've seen on the drive that you'd seek out, again?

Whew...see, this is the kind of thing I need to know! Thank you! So, I should be deciding and making plans for next fall, soon, if that's when we want to go. Yipes.