What about some wood puzzles? My almost 2yo ds loves puzzles right now. Melissa & Doug also make really cute wooden dress-up dolls (like the pld paper dolls) and they have magnets to attach the clothes. Here is a princess one (they have several kinds) http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-24-Piece-Princess-Magnetic/dp/B000IEBY30/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1240503480&sr=8-16 Hope she has a great birthday!

I would consider using a phonics program but not starting at the very beginning. Start where you think he may struggle. You could get OPG and start with either the section on blends or long vowel sounds. Or you could get ETC and start with book 3 or 4. It would probably bore him to tears if you started with CVC words. Even if he does know most or all of whatever phonics you do, tell him it's for review and you are glad it's so easy! :D

I measured smaller than I should have been with dd. They kept telling me she would be small. HA! She was born on her due date at 8lb 8oz! She was no featherweight! I've never trusted those measurements since.

There's an episode of "Good Eats" that is about pizza. I don't remember how it was made, but dh made it that way and really liked it (and he is picky!).

At least he is using names for his sisters! My ds can't say dd's name. Instead, since he has a sound for her. We think it came from the fact that she is loud and likes to yell for fun. I'm not sure how to even spell it, but he calls her "AaAaAaAa", with the big A's being a bigger sound. I keep waiting for him to try to say her name, but I know that it will take awhile. One of dd's best friends called her "Dill" instead of "Jill" until she was at least 4yo.

I need some advice. We are in the process of moving. Dh's new job came about very fast and he has already left to start the new job. The kids and I have stayed behind to get the house ready to sell. We will not be moving for about 3 more weeks until our townhouse is available. I have majorly decluttered and moved a lot of things into storage, as well as rearranging the living room. DS is 21 months old and seems to be really struggling with the changes and stress. I know he does not understand what is going on. I am trying to keep our regular schedule, but he is very cranky and fussy. At times it seems that nothing will make him happy. What else can I do to help him through the next few weeks? Thanks!

It is terribly awful how the CFL's have been advertised as better for the environment, when all the mercury is so not good. And what about what it can do to kids?!? I am so afraid of one breaking since my kids are young. On the other hand, my dad says when he was a kid, they played with mercury and it hasn't caused any harm. I wonder just how much exposure it takes to harm a child?

I haven't made them, but I have seen the kits at places like Michael's (in case you don't want to order online).

What a fun cake pan! I haven't used silicone much, but here's what I have learned. First, be sure to spray the bottom and sides so it will come out easily. Also, since it is so flimsy, you will have to put the cake pan on a cookie sheet to put it in the oven. For some reason it took me a while to figure this out. Otherwise, they are not so different from a glass or metal pan. It just seems weird that you can put plastic in the oven without it melting.

Hi Jen! I'm sorry you are having such problems, but please consider getting tested for Celiac Disease before you start a gluten-free diet. My dd was diagnosed with CD 4 years ago. In all my research since then, I have never heard of anyone with CD being denied insurance coverage. You also don't want to have to go through a "gluten-challenge" later to find out for sure if you have CD. As far as books go, I don't know much about an elimination diet. If you are starting a gluten-free diet I recommend anything by Danna Korn. I have her book on kids with CD and it is great. She is also the author of "Living Gluten Free for Dummies" which would probably be a great resource for you. Hope you can figure out what is wrong and feel better soon!

I'm not sue what made the odd taste, but I have learned that with GF cooking, it does take some trial and error. Next time try Gluten-Free Pantry's Beth's All Purpose Flour. It works just like regular flour, in the same proportions as whatever your recipe calls for. Even if you use a cake mix, it takes time to find out what brands are good. There's a yellow cake mix (I forget what brand) that always comes out tasting like cornbread with icing. :glare:

That is the coolest idea! Now if I only had a set of encyclopedias!!!!

Several years ago I worked with a church program that brought kids from the projects to area churches once a week to have Bible classes/skits/crafts/etc. If any of the children did not behave, they were not allowed to come back the next week. Granted it, we wanted all the children to come, but if one or two were ruining it for the rest of them, they were not welcome. I even remember a time or 2 when a child was so bad on the way to the church, that after the other kids got off the bus, that child was taken back home. You really have to have consequences laid out for all the children and be very consistent and swift with the discipline. For some of the kids, this is the only place that they get the proper discipline they need.

Those are great!! Thanks for posting.

Often the best way to find a job is through a friend, or a friend of a friend. My dh recently got a new job, but before that he had several interviews and talked with lots of people he knew about possible jobs. It just happened for us that the one through Monster.com came through first. Good luck with the job hunt!

My thought would be to get sturdier bunks (no wiggles) and get some locker storage for each child. Then they would have a special place for their treasures that wouldn't invade their sleeping space.

Please, please get tested before you try the diet. It's much better to suffer a bit now and get a firm diagnosis. If you start the diet now and want to know for sure later, you will have to go several months on a gluten diet to get correct test results.

We did ETC 1 as pre-K, but depending on where your child is, you may want to start there for K. We have done ETC 2, 2 1/2, and 3 this year. It would be easy to move quickly through these, but I have dd do only 2 pages per school day. That way we don't go too fast and she doesn't get burned out. HTH!

I use ETC and love it. Dd is about to finish book 3 (and Kind.) I do use OPGTTR also for reading. She is much further ahead in OPGTTR than ETC on skills, but I find that it is good because ETC reinforces the things we haven't done as recently.

My dd has stuggled with handwriting this year. What I have started doing is erasing everything that was not written very well and making her redo it. Once or twice, I actually erased the entire assignment and made her do it all over. She is finally getting the point and slowing down (she rushes through it too). It has taken some time, but her handwriting is improving. HTH!

LOL!!!! That would be great!:D

I'm curious. Are the company that offer to buy your house for cash legit? I mean, will they give you fair market value? Are they actually scams? Anyone actually use one of these companies? We're in the process of moving. I'm freaking out that our house may not sell as quickly as we need it to. The realtor fees alone may do us in. Of course my freak out was intensified by my well-meaning FIL who said we should just walk away.:glare: Yeah, like I want to wait 10 years to buy a house again!

I'm in the middle of a move myself. Dh has just left to start the new job, and I'm left to finish getting the house ready to sell (lots and lots of work!) Dd is almost done with K and ds is a toddler. We've started doing a lot of 1/2 days. We just keep going through all our subjects, and when we have completed the normal amount for each, we call it a completed school day, even if it took 2 actual days. It's frustrating b/c we aren't moving as fast as I would like, but at least we are still going! Hope your move goes well!

Make her order pizza. I remember being in college and wanting to order pizza with friends and no one wanted to make the call! I have no idea why we were afraid to order a pizza on the phone, but could easily order at the drive thru at McDonald's. :confused:

:iagree::iagree::iagree: Definitely get her tested first! It's best to have a confirmed diagnosis. Yes, it stinks to wait when she could start the diet and feel better sooner. However, when you start playing with the diet first, you tend to not get the proper diagnosis and you don't want problems down the road when a doc won't believe you have CD. Deal with it now, not later. BTW, my dd has CD and we like a lot of Gluten-free Pantry mixes. We use Beth's All-Purpose Flour that they make as a substitute for flour in all kinds of things with great results. Also, Whole Foods has lots of GF baked good in the freezer section. They make them at their own GF bakehouse. The quality of their stuff is great.