Oldest DS accepted to: University of Texas at Dallas (Academic Excellence Scholarship - Distinction) Texas State (President's Honor Scholarship) Since he found out he was not accepted to UT Austin, he's decided to attend UT Dallas and major in Finance. Looks like a good fit for him!

My kids have generally done the three book set over 2 years (5th and 6th grade). I forgot that my oldest also added in Grid Perplexors on days he wasn't doing the Blast Off books.

All three of my kids have used and liked the Blast Off with Logic series. From there, one did Art of Argument and one is currently doing Fallacy Detective.

I haven't ever tried a cleanse. I know I have issues with leaky gut but am not sure how or if it's related. Since mine went away while I wasn't eating any grains, potatoes, or much sugar, I wonder if one of those things aggravate mine (maybe that actually does relate to leaky gut!) Autoimmune issues are so confusing.

I've had symptoms off and on for almost 20 years but have never been officially diagnosed. I first figured it out when Hidradenitis Suppurativa was listed as a problem that could be related to thyroid issues, which I have (Hashimoto's.) I followed a Paleo diet for a year or so to help with my thyroid and autoimmune issues and realized layer that the boils/cysts totally went away during that time. I'm now only gluten/dairy/soy free (haha, only) and occasionally have small breakouts. I haven't read this book, only blog posts, but it sounds like she's found relief by changing her diet/lifestyle. http://primalgirl.com/thehiddenplague/ I hope you find a way to control yours! I know it's not fun at all.

You might look at fabric.com. You can chat with customer service to find out whether the pattern is double-sided. I'm wondering if it's going to be hard to find? All the woven camo fabric I have in my stash is printed on one side only. Fleece is reversible but probably not what you're looking for for crafting. Good luck!

I understand your reasoning. When I was trying to get my extreme fatigue figured out, I had a couple of doctors slap me on the back and tell me it's because I had three kids (and homeschooled them.) Then they offered me an antidepressant. Um, no. I had to pay out of pocket and go to alternative doctors to be taken seriously. I found that when medical doctors don't know what is causing a problem, they tell you it's in your head. I ended up being diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid problems. Hope you find a doctor with whom you can be truthful and get your problem figured out!

Are you positive it's ringworm? I used a get what I thought was ringworm, but it turned out to be granuloma annulare. It's an autoimmune thing. I believe some people use steroid creams on it, but I usually just let it run its course because it was on my knee and wasn't that visible.

We finish SWR around the middle of 5th grade and move on to Vocabulary from Classical Roots books 4, 5, and 6. My son did about one vocab lesson a week. Since there are only 16 lessons per book, he finished them by the end of 6th grade. We'll be trying Book A this year.

Well, my friend actually called and cancelled late this afternoon because she wasn't feeling well, but hopes to reschedule. I really appreciate your input and feel better about it now. I know it would make her so happy for the kids to come have fun in her pool. Thanks!

I have a dear friend from church who has invited us over to use her pool. She has limited mobility and lives by herself, so I don't think she's used the pool in a while. She said she's just had to start keeping it clean since she is selling her house, and would love for me to bring the kids to swim. I told her yes for tomorrow, but am having second thoughts. I don't like swimming very much, and am sensitive to pool chemicals. I also am a germaphobe, lol. I'm worried that I'm going to drag all the kids to her house and it's going to be slimy or green, or the pool man will have just given it a shock treatment or something. Is there a difference between the pool looking clean for potential buyers and actually being safe to swim in? I actually thought about taking test strips and testing it, but that would be a bit awkward! Did I mention I'm a germaphobe? She's very kind and a wonderful person, but sometimes doesn't notice details or cleanliness issues. That's what has me worried. I'm a big proponent of just telling the truth, but can't figure out how to do that in this situation. This seems so silly typing it out, but oh well. Thought I'd see what others had to say about it. Usually, my husband can talk me out of (or into) situations that I'm stressing over, but he doesn't think we should go, either. What would you do?

I was going to recommend Earth Balance, but it has corn and palm oil in it. That's a tough one! edit to add:posted at the same time. Maybe the yogurt will work!

At least 7, but my husband is the fire chief. :laugh:

For my oldest, we stopped when we finished all 2000 words in the Spell to Write and Read Wise Guide book, which was about 5th grade. My second son is on track to finish then, too. It's hardly "teaching" though, since he looks at the words once on Monday, tests them on Thursday, then we move on to the next section with occasional review words (if missed the first time, words must be spelled correctly two weeks in a row to be taken off of the review list.) After that we move on to vocabulary words instead.

I would never force a child to do this method, but my son wanted to do it and it seemed to work. He just started writing them each day. 1x1=1 1x2=2 1x3=3, etc. He decided to write the tables for 1 through 6 one day and 7 through 12 another day. Every time he wrote them, it got faster and easier. After a couple of times, he dropped off the easier ones and just focused on the bigger ones. It really didn't take long. Simple but effective if your kid likes to write. :-)

My son does Vocab from Classical Roots independently, although we usually end up discussing something because he finds it interesting. He started later in 5th grade and he will complete books 4, 5, and 6 by the end of 6th grade doing one lesson a week (there are only 16 lessons per book.) We only use the workbook, not the teacher's manual or tests.

I think they're both funny! I was cracking up listening to them and smiling the whole time. I guess I like the novelty of it :-) Nothing Else Matters is a little more odd to me. I guess because I'm such a Metallica fan and have sung along to that song so many times.

I was wondering the same thing. When my son was in 3rd grade, we tried to start WWE3 and I quickly realized it was too much for him. We went all the way back to WWE1, doing two a day. He is now in 4th grade and we are nearing the end of WWE2 (only one lesson a day.) He's a bright kid, but writing and oral language just aren't his strengths. We plan to continue on with WWE because I think it has helped him grow in those areas - slowly but surely.

Yep. I clicked on the thread wondering the same thing. My son, who is now 11, started telling me the exact things you mentioned a year or so ago. It comes and goes with him, and it really does seem to be hormones right now.

We switched to Growing with Grammar - my son loves to do it by himself. It backtracks a bit on the diagramming compared to FLL, but it hasn't caused problems. I'm usually not a test person, but I enjoy the tests to see how he's doing and he enjoys being "graded." lol

Have you done an iodine patch test? http://naturalhealthtechniques.com/healingtechniquesiodine-patch-test.htm Not sure if it's widely accepted or not, but it's interesting to try, anyway. When my doc put the iodine on my arm, it took days (almost a week?) to go away which supposedly means my body wasn't taking it in so I shouldn't supplement. The result makes sense for me since I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis that can be worsened by iodine. There is also information on a loading test here.http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/iodine12345/

So sorry for your little guy! You mentioned Keratosis Pilaris, which made me think of a book I recently read. What's Eating Your Child by Kelly Dorfman. Starting on page 136, there is a story of a little boy misdiagnosed with KP when it was really essential fatty acid deficiency. He was also constipated and had mood swings. That may not be your son's case, but it's an idea to keep in mind. Actually, the whole book might be helpful in your case. It's all about being a detective and figuring out your individual child's nutritional needs and sensitivities. I had years of stomach problems, rashes, and asthma greatly improve after changing my diet. My doctors said there was nothing wrong with me and my allergist laughed at me when I asked if any of my problems could be diet related. Gluten is the main culprit for me, with dairy, soy, and several other random foods bothering me. I never tested for celiac, but did test gluten sensitive with "alternative doctor" tests. That's enough for me. Even if the tests were negative, I know how much better I feel without gluten. In fact, my kids all tested negative for sensitivity OR celiac, yet a couple of them often feel sick when they eat too much gluten out of the house (we're gluten free at home for my sake.) So, good luck with the doctors. I honestly hope they can pinpoint what is bothering your son and help him feel better. If not, though, please keep researching and follow your instincts. It sounds like you're on the right track.

I'm a perfectionist, too. I looked and thought about it for years and couldn't find the perfect one. So I waited until my oldest son could just do it himself. Actually, it was his idea. I was showing him all the options and asked him which one he liked and he said "Why can't I just make my own? So we bought a $5 roll of paper, I helped him divide it into centuries and gave him a pack of sharpies. It's in our hallway and he adds to it every week. The handwriting is a little sloppy, and sometimes he writes things in the wrong place and scribbles them out. He's decided not to add pictures, so it's not beautiful or anything. He likes it, though, and it is helping him see how things go together in history (we're midway through the medieval period.) I figure it's better than nothing! He is my history buff, so that might make it easier for him. Not sure how my other kiddos will feel about doing their own later.

Ha, he would probably say yes because we did that for a long time! lol Thanks!

I was wondering the same thing. There's a sticky at the top of the Sale and Swap forum that explains it. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/forum/10-sale-and-swap-board-support-discussion/ They are allowing existing posts to be responded to but want new for sale and want to buy to be through the new classifieds section. Hope that helps!