Absolutely hysterical on both sides!! :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBH1gleAyf4

Thanks for the suggestion!!! I just bought one on Amazon with 2 day shipping for under $20!!! (My 6yo has autism and isn't potty trained -- I'm willing to give the DVD a try!)

We limit sports to one per child, otherwise, we'd be running all over town! My 17yo and 8yo do Tae Kwon Do, 3 nights a week My 14yo plays baseball in the spring and fall and basketball in the winter My 6yo takes gymnastics lessons once a week My boys are involved in a Pokemon / Star Wars club that meets once a month, and they take an art class that meets once a month And that's it! There may be an occasional field trip -- I try not to do more than 3 or 4 of these in a school year. If there's something we really want to see, we go as a family. (The field trip has to be something really special -- like getting into a 'usually closed to the public' government installation or free admission, whereas we'd have to pay alot more to go as a family)

I used one when we lived in Maryland. I belonged to one every year of the nearly 10 years I homeschooled there because I only had to review once a year with them, vs twice a year with the local school board. In Maryland, they want to see your curriculum, up close and personal, and I felt that I'd rather have another homeschooling mom doing that than a public school teacher or administrator. (It was also nice because they were experienced homeschooling moms and, if I was having a problem with a certain subject or a certain curriculum, I could pick their proverbial brains for ideas on how to make it better) The one I belonged to wasn't accredited, although they would issue transcripts. (You paid more for an accredited umbrella program -- some of them were hundreds of dollars per year, per child....the one I belonged to was $60 for the entire family). You could use any curriculum, however, some umbrella schools are run by churches or Christian schools, and they would then require that Bible be taught. And the difference between that and HSLDA is that HSLDA is providing you "legal coverage", where they're willing to go to court for you, whereas I doubt an umbrella school would.

I agree!! It happens here in the Washington DC area during big snowstorms. They tell you not to go outside. Stay home if at all possible! But, our reporters are out there! They justify it by saying, "You don't have to go outside to see what the weather's like! Our folks are out there filming it for you!" And then we get a shot of poor Darcy Spencer, dressed up like an Eskimo, and you can barely see her through the blowing snow, and you have to wonder what *she's* thinking right then! My feeling would be..."Gee, thanks, guys! Are you enjoying your warm coffee and your heated studio?" (I keep waiting for her to make an obscene hand gesture at the camera) ;)

Absolutely hysterical!!! LOL!! I love JibJab's stuff! They poke fun at everybody! :) Here's their new one:

I always buy organic eggs, milk, and meat, especially when it comes to beef and chicken. And we buy most of our fruits and vegetables at the local farmers market or I look for organic. Everything else (staples, canned goods, paper products, etc.) are just regular brands.

From what I understand, buses HAVE been brought in to evacuate those who couldn't leave on their own. The rest are staying because they choose to do so -- for whatever reason that might be .... and that just boggles my mind. I can't think of any piece of "property" in my house that's worth dying over.

Some run out of money before September!!! There's one particular large government agency that my husband does business with and they haven't had any money since mid-August. That really harms him, being a small-business owner because they can't pay their bill. He's heard 30 more days, at least...maybe more. This year, in particular, has been the worst he's seen in 13 years of doing business. The only thing he can think of is it's the economy...because, you would think that the war in Iraq would keep the money flowing through the defense channels, but that hasn't been the case - at least for him.

Me too!!!! I'm a Ghandi, too!!! I feel so honored!!! :D

:iagree: Excellent post, Melinda!!!

I will make one comment, as the wife of a government contractor, who also supports Obama. There is ALOT of wasteful spending in the defense industry!!! I should know - that's what my husband does. The month of September is a very busy one for him. Why? Because that's the end of the fiscal year. If XYZ Miltary Base is authorized to spend x number of dollars, they run around like chickens with their heads cut off, buying anything and everything they can because....they have to spend the money. If they don't spend the money, they won't get at least that much the next year (and they ALWAYS ask for more, under the justification that they spent everything they were allotted last year and it "wasn't enough") Your tax dollars at work.

For my kids, the best reward is finishing early and being able to do what they want for the rest of the day. Another bonus in our family is that dad works from home and at least once a week, he has to go out in the afternoon into the 'city', which is 30 miles away and he'll come in and ask who's finished with school. Whoever says "yes" can go with Dad and that usually means at least a trip to their favorite fast food restaurant, and it also means driving right past Wal-Mart (we don't have any shopping here where we live). So they always want to be ready to go with Dad! And, my kids love praise!! I know it sounds cheesy, but they love those pats on the back and encouraging smiles. :)

Nifty quiz!!! Here are my results: Your PERSONAL issues Score is 100%. Your ECONOMIC issues Score is 40%. According to your answers, the political group that agrees with you most is... LIBERALS usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy. They generally support a "government-funded safety net" to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality, and tolerate diverse lifestyles Wow....what a shocker! :D :lol:

Woohoo!! My boys love their Wii!!! I'd get enough controllers for each child (I believe the game only comes with 1 controller, but I'm not sure about that!). We have four controllers because there are four playing ports. Stock up on AA batteries, too! Because that's what the controllers use. Their favorite games are Wii Sports, Mario Kart, and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. I'm sure your kids will have a blast playing it!! :)

I had the same problem with my youngest son! Btw...his birthday is September 29th!! That's interesting!! Anyway, he was dry from the age of 2 1/2, but when he had to poop, he'd go get a pull-up (or ask me for one) and then, when he was done, bring me a clean pull-up and the wipes! :glare: And he was a very smart boy (he started doing Kindergarten work at 3)!!! And very obedient in other ways. He just had a...phobia about pooping in the potty. What I did with him was, one day, when he brought me the pull-up, I told him, "You're going to be 5 years old very soon, and I know you can do this." I took his favorite book (I remember it being one of the I Spy books quite vividly!), and took him into the bathroom and sent his siblings in the opposite direction so it would be quiet. I sat down on the edge of the tub and we read the book together. When he really "needed to go", oh, he cried! He was genuinely afraid! But I reassured him that I was there and I was proud of him and he was a good boy and he could do this, etc., etc., --- I was a veritable cheerleader! :D And...he did it and then he looked at me and said, "That was it?" And the look on his face was pure relief. And he never had a problem again. That was the last day he ever asked for a pull-up. Btw...something similar to the party idea worked for my oldest son. It was his 4th birthday and all he had asked for was a Toy Story game for the computer. So we wrapped it up and gave him a few other small toys, and he saw the game and he was thrilled!! And then I took the game and put it on top of the refrigerator. I told him that using the computer was for 'big kids' and, if he wanted to use the computer, he'd have to use the potty. He went upstairs, peed in the potty, put on a pair of underwear, and that was it. He never had an accident, day or night, after that. I guess he really wanted that game after all! :)

Here's another :grouphug: for you!! Just adopt the mantra of, "I will be relaxed! He will not go to the DMV for his driving exam, wearing a Pull-up. He will not walk down the aisle on his wedding day, wearing a Pull-up." :)

My youngest daughter is 6 1/2 and still in diapers (she has autism and several other disabilities). She's working on it, though!! But I wanted you to know that, no, you're not alone. And, I'm sure your son will learn to 'go' eventually!! I know that it seems like a 'big deal' right now, but...my daughter struggles to have a simple conversation. Using the potty is the least of our worries! I would not turn it into a power struggle. That is likely to only make the situation worse. He may be holding out because he can...if that makes sense. (I've seen a similar situation unfolding between my niece and my sister-in-law over getting her daughter to eat. They struggle and struggle to make her eat and that just makes it worse. When she's at my house, where food isn't an issue -- I make the food; you choose whether you eat it or not -- if you don't eat it, then you're hungry -- I'm not making something special just for you, etc. -- then, lo and behold, she eats plenty) I will offer you a :grouphug: and a "this too shall pass" thought for the day. :)

#1 - 15 months #2 - 16 months #3 - 9 months (and hasn't stopped since! lol!) #4 - 17 months

I'd never heard that before! I'd be interested to know if that is the case. And I fully support my nephew - my brother's only son - who is now serving his 3rd tour in Iraq. I'm hoping he'll soon be home!! We miss him. :(

That's good news!!!! I'm so pleased to hear this!! Hope you can indeed bring your pup home soon!!!

My 14yo has high functioning autism. He isn't technically classified as Asperger's because he did have language regression (was speaking in simple sentences at 15 months, then stopped talking - except for memorized phrases and parroted speech - echolalia - and wasn't able to really talk back and forth with 'genuine words' until he was 4 1/2) Our first red flag was his 4yr check-up with the pediatrician. They had this list of things that a 4yr old should be able to do, like draw a face, or answer questions (I remember he asked my son, "What is a door made of?" And my son just stared at him). The pediatrician said that he wasn't talking because he was homeschooled. :rolleyes: And suggested that I call Child Find to have him evaluated and put him in preschool. We had him evaluated and they said that he did have some language delays but they weren't severe enough to merit their 'free therapy' and we put him in preschool for 3 hours, 3 days a week. He did start talking about halfway through the preschool year, although he still wasn't talking as much, or as well, as an average 4yr old. I homeschooled him for Kindergarten but, at the end of the school year, he seemed to have learned nothing. He didn't know his letters, or his numbers, or how to write even his own name. He was 6 years old by then. So I took him to a child psychologist in the county where we lived at the time and she told us that he had autism. She said that I couldn't possibly homeschool him. He'd never learn to read, write, or do basic math. He had an IQ of 88. (We don't believe his IQ is 88 now. I've learned to really doubt IQ testing that's conducted on children with language delays! They estimate that our 6 year old, who also has autism, has an IQ of 57, but she's working at grade level and doing very well....she just has trouble with language! But, at the time, we were very upset!!) I homeschooled him again for 1st grade and most of 2nd grade. We put him in school in February of his 2nd grade year (I had just had our youngest child, and had a 2 year old at home and I needed a break!) They noticed his delays - both language delays and academic delays - and put him in 1st grade instead of 2nd grade, where he should have been. And they tested him. He bombed everything they gave him. His reading, math and other skills were rated to be at a pre-Kindergarten level. They told us that they wanted to put him into a special education classroom, all day, with a one-on-one aide, and they would give him 30 minutes of speech therapy each week. We said no and decided to bring him home and homeschool him again. (His older sister decided that she'd had enough of public school, too, so she came home as well). I did a great deal of one-on-one work with him and I started him on a 1st grade curriculum, even though he should've been in 3rd grade. He learned to read and he learned to do math and his speech and language improved tremendously. He's now working at a 7th grade level and doing very well. He's never had speech therapy, but he did do a full-round of vision therapy last year, which helped him tremendously, especially with his reading skills. I hope this helps a little!

I have a good friend who has 8 children. Through a mutual friend, I've met a family with 12 children. And a good friend of my oldest daughter is the oldest of 8 children.

Oh my!!! I'm hoping that was the issue!!! (Are you still keeping her gluten-free? You'll have to keep us updated!!)

I just wanted to post an update. My daughter's former preschool teacher called me last night just to catch up and chat and I happened to mention the fact that my daughter had a complete melt-down over using the potty earlier this week. That's when she told me the rest of the story..... (remember, the aide that my dd had in Kindergarten used to work for the preschool teacher, so they're friends, and the aide told the former teacher more than she told me) Not only did this special ed Kindergarten teacher lock my child in the bathroom, she would hold my daughter down, on the potty, and make her drink glass after glass after glass of water, hoping she would pee. To say I am TICKED is an understatement!!!! :cursing: Yes, she was fired, but I'd like to see her tarred and feathered!!! How could anyone do that to any child, let alone one with special needs??? So I cried a great deal last night after hearing that. :( Btw...my hubby said that, yesterday, when my daughter was with him, and I was taking my oldest to her college classes, she went into the bathroom and used the potty, all by herself! :)