Zelda! Those WERE great lines! My favorite one was (paraphrasing), "Michael Bloomberg is having the rules changed so that he can run for a third term. And Bill Clinton's reaction was, 'You can do that?!' :lol:

:lol: Thanks, Spy Car!! That's the most hilarious thing I've seen in weeks!!!

Money works wonders for my kids!! We use this for extra chores above and beyond their usual ones (for which they don't receive any money). But it's amazing how they'll pick up sticks in the yard for $3.00! For my 6 year old, she LOVES stickers...and she gets a sticker on all of her worksheets. (She has a notebook for the stickers she receives for reading and other things that don't involve worksheets)

I can understand this as well, Rebecca! My 14 year old has high functioning autism (although they wouldn't classify it as Asperger's because he did have some language regression -- i.e., stopped talking from the age of 1 1/2 until age 4). He will probably do all the "traditional things" that children do - drive a car, hold a job, live independently. Not sure about college, as he does have some learning disabilities. My 6 year old, on the other hand, has many more challenges. Academically, she's doing very well and she's working at grade level. Language-wise, she's more around a 3 year old level. Behavior-wise, she's still at a 2 year old level. We have to watch her constantly (or have one of her siblings do it) because she'll get into everything if she's left alone. She'll be 7 in January and she still isn't potty-trained...and we know that may not happen for years...if at all. We cannot see her living independently, although we try to be hopeful. (We've already had a talk with our oldest, who will be 18 in April, and we're going to be changing our will to give her custody of our youngest daughter, should anything happen to us. None of our family members could handle her, to be quite honest. So she knows that she will likely be caring for her sister for the rest of her life). So, yes, I understand about having children on the spectrum who are more than just 'quirky'.

I agree with you there, Rebecca. It's high time that the folks in Washington paid attention to this issue. Autism needs more money period. More money for therapy for those who are affected by it, and more money for research into causes and cures. (That would also keep out those folks who are only out there to make money from "snake oil cures"...and they are out there..making money off of hurting families who love their children and are left with no other option) And, for those who missed it the debate....Here’s what McCain said about autism (go here for a transcript of the debate from the New York Times - http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/debates/transcripts/third-presidential-debate.html) ............... And by the way, [sarah Palin] also understands special-needs families. She understands that autism is on the rise, that we got to find out what’s causing it and we’ve got to reach out to these families and help them and give them the help they need as they raise these very special needs children. She understands that better than almost any American that I know. I’m proud of her and that she has ignited our party and people all over America that have never been involved in the political process. And I can’t tell you how proud I am of her and her family. Her husband’s a pretty tough guy, by the way, too. Obama responded: I do want to just point out that autism, for example, or other special needs will require some additional funding if we’re going to get serious in terms of research. That is something that every family that advocates on behalf of disabled children talk about. And if we have an across-the-board spending freeze, we’re not going to be able to do it. That’s an example of, I think, the kind of — the use of the scalpel that we want to make sure that we’re funding some of those programs. Later in the debate, McCain said: And I just said to you earlier, town hall meeting after town hall meeting, parents come with kids, children, precious children who have autism. Sarah Palin knows about that better than most. And we’ll find –and we’ll spend the money, research to find the cause of autism. And we’ll care for these young children. And all Americans will open their wallets and their hearts to do so.

That's awesome!!! Obama and Biden had a rally here in Fredericksburg, Virginia a few weeks ago (that's about 20 minutes away from my house). I wanted to go and take my kids, but we had a birthday party to go to and we weren't able to. Turns out that it rained like crazy throughout the rally..and still 20,000+ people showed up! Rain and all, I wish I could've been there!!! :D

My 6 1/2 year old dd weighs 45 pounds. She's very tall for her age...almost as tall as my 9 year old! She's always been below the 5th percentile for weight and in the 95th percentile for height! She's tall and thin.

I have two children on the autism spectrum and, for years, with my son (who's now 14), I ran all over the state, trying to "cure him". We went to doctors -- yes, medical MD's who charge $600 for an office visit, that we had to wait 3 months to receive -- spent $2000 on "lab work" (hair samples, urine samples, stool samples, bloodwork, etc.) -- and spent another $2000 on "supplements" -- vitamins, creams, chelation treatment, etc. And then, we realized, we love our son just the way he is!! Now .. I'm all for trying to find a MEDICALLY PROVEN way to prevent autism, if it can be found --- similar to how they have discovered that folic acid during pregnancy can reduce the risk of some physical birth defects (I can't remember the name of the condition at the moment). Our 6 year old is also autistic. I could spend TONS -- and I mean TONS -- of money trying to "fix her", ala Jenny McCarthy and her "cured" son -- but I choose to put our money into speech therapy, occupational therapy, and one-on-one homeschooling. The only thing that HAS worked for both my 14 year old and my 6 year old (other than therapy -- vision for my son and speech & OT for daughter) is changing their diet. My 14yo did great on the Feingold diet -- and still cannot tolerate artificial colors and preservatives, and my 6yo does very well when she doesn't have dairy -- we're still undecided on the wheat aspect. BUT...one can try removing foods from a child's diet and see if they help without spending $$$$ on doctors visits and supplements. AND...as far as who I'm voting for .. it's Barack Obama!!! Our medical insurance, that we're paying $500 a month for, doesn't cover therapy for my autistic children. So $2000 for my 14yo's vision therapy -- out of pocket. $75 an hour for occupational therapy -- out of pocket. $55 an hour for speech therapy -- out of pocket. We need major health care reform, and we need it now, and that's how we'll help children with autism.

We have a cat named Chloe....she's a gray and white fluff ball! :)

Thanks!!! I'm definitely taking notes here!! :)

I don't like them at all!! 3 of my 4 children have had their IQ tested. My oldest had her IQ tested at the age of 4 (actually recommended by our pediatrician and the public school system because she was bored in Kindergarten), and it was tested at 154. My 14yo had his IQ tested at 6 because he's on the autism spectrum. We were told it was 88 and that he'd never learn to read, do math, etc. (this was by the psychologist who did the testing). Well, he's learned how to do all of those things and he always scores in the 90th percentile, or better, on his standardized tests every year My 6yo just had her IQ tested this summer. She has expressive language delays and is on the autism spectrum. I asked for a non-verbal IQ test for her (because her language skills are on a 3-4 year old level, but I was told that they didn't "have one available"). We were told her IQ is 54. 54!!! And she's using a standard 1st grade homeschool curriculum!! She's reading simple "Level 1" beginning readers...adding and subtracting in math, etc. So I *know* her IQ is NOT 54!!! :rant: The only one who has never had his IQ tested is my 9yo...who always scores in the 99th percentile on his standardized tests and is working several grade levels ahead. There are times when I'm really, really curious to see what his IQ level is, but...after what my two special needs children have gone through, I don't believe it would be accurate anyway.

I hadn't thought of that! I know it would be for those generic 'first two year' type of classes - college composition, US history, foreign language, etc. He'd major in something like biology or chemistry at the 4 year school, so he'd only take the one biology class required for the AA degree. But I will look into it, as it gets closer to attendance time!! So thanks for the heads up! I appreciate it!

That's such a shame!! And, yes, some colleges are like that -- depending on what state you live in. Here in Virginia (at least at the colleges my dd has applied to) as long as the college credits were completed before high school graduation, they don't affect her status as a freshman or penalize her for any scholarships / grants / etc. So everyone should check with the schools your child is interested in attending .. your mileage may vary ;)

I cook (and eat!) a lot more during the fall and winter!!! As soon as the leaves start falling, it's time to really start cooking!! :D

I feel the exact same way!! :iagree: This is the same advice that I've given to my own children! My oldest has already completed 19 credits at the community college and she'll have 25 under her belt by the time she graduates this spring. Those are classes that she won't have to take at a 4 year school (and at a cost of $85 per credit hour vs several hundred dollars at a university). She then plans on attending a local in-state university. (Her end goal is the FBI Academy). My 9yo wants to be a doctor -- he's been talking about it for 2 years now. And our plan is for him to start at the community college (he's 2 years ahead of his grade level so he will graduate at the end of his 10th grade year). The plan is for him to go to the community college for two years (what would normally be 11th and 12th grades), and receive his AA degree. He then has guaranteed acceptance into any Virginia in-state college. He'd attend there for 2 years, and then, if he still wants to go to medical school, he can do so...and without ANY student loans accumulated so far. Btw...love how you mentioned Duke!! That's his favorite school!! That's where he hopes to go to medical school. :thumbup:

LOL!!!! Oh, this is great!!!! This site should keep me occupied till the debate tonight!! :lol:

Awwww....that's sweet!!! I remember making candy apples with my Grandma in the fall!! Those are yummy!!! :)

:iagree: I could post numerous articles from Planned Parenthood to support that view, if anyone's interested.

I've never liked candy corn!! :ack2: I can't be the only one out there that feels that way!!!

How is her comprehension? Does she understand more than she can say? That's one thing that I would be curious about. I have two children on the autism spectrum, so there are various reasons for language delays...but comprehension is a key thing to look for.

LOL!! I'm a coupon-clipper, too!!! My kids use it to their advantage, too! "I know it's bad for me, and full of sugar, but, look! We have a coupon!" :D

Why is it so hard to believe? Millions of women are pro-choice. I happen to be one of them, too. And, yes, I'm sure we're not the only two pro-choice homeschoolers out there either.

Ditto!! That's what I do to make own version of those...Bagel Bites frozen-thingies!! It's one of our Halloween traditions before Trick-or-Treating!!!

I just have to chime in! My oldest dd is also a Senior and my husband's family is taking her on a cruise for a graduation present!!! I'm not going..and neither is my husband (our 14yo and 6yo children are autistic and we could never get them on a plane...and we aren't even sure they'd go on a boat, no matter how big. Not to mention that we're afraid that our 6yo would fall overboard -- seriously...she adores water so much that she has no fear when it comes to that.) But it will be my SIL and her hubby and their two boys (ages 13 and 12), another SIL and her hubby and their 6yo. My mother-in-law, my 17yo daughter and my 9yo son (Grandma will do a good job of watching out for both of them and they're sharing her cabin / stateroom / whatever it's called) My daughter is SOOO excited!!! She's never been out of the country either! Which reminds me that I need to get passports for both of them -- so don't forget to do that!! Passports are now needed for the Caribbean!