We teach printing first since all but our "Babar" book are in printed fonts and the dc beg to be taught how to read early :) Then we begin cursive when they are around five and a half or six years old. They have all been able to sign their names on the back of their new library cards (It is a family tradition that they get a card when they learn cursive.) Dh refuses to write in cursive and his signature is a unique hieroglyphic and he needs help reading handwritten letters from his own mother. He has always been amazed that I can decipher anyone's handwriting, good or bad. We both went to ps in the same town, so I don't know why he didn't learn cursive. I think that both are life skills. I also have had people try to argue that "with computers" the skill is no longer needed, but I don't believe it. I love a handwritten letter or thank you note from a friend or family member.

Me, too! My response to the early inquiries of, "What will you do when they are all grown-up?" I had five more dc and extended my job security :D My dmil says that I am "Cocooning" and that meets her need to label everything.

Dh attended a summer camp as a lad and they were subjected to a lesson in "world hunger." Their lunch was a scoop of white rice....UNCOOKED.

We've had 5 after 34 (43 with the last one) and feel the same way.

Our dd, 8 1/2 still loves to stir up "meals" with her kitchen :) Last summer she and little brother made mudpies outdoors for hours. I think that the play is winding down, though. Now, she enjoys setting out the 18" dolls and reading to them more than feeding the baby dolls.

Praying for Cameron and your family :grouphug:

:iagree:

Our dd, 10, has type 1 also and it seems that our endocrinologist appreciates our involvement and it is really a Team Effort. We've been told that the successful diabetes patient always has someone looking out for them. I know that when I am ill, I am not necessarily the clearest thinking and sometimes dh has to say, "You need to see the doctor." Likewise, I have had to take him in hand and send him to the dr.....or drive him to the ER! It is polite to ask if one should stay or go when the doctor sees the patient, but I think that a good doctor appreciates how a family participates in healing and care.

Wood fires trigger my own asthma. It is probably a combination of the wood itself and any mold or fungus spores on the wood. Damp wood is awful. I have no problem at all with Duraflame or Pine Mountain logs and we keep them on hand for power outages.

I agree with the caution re. the shampoo. Years ago, we had a little girl spend the weekend with us while her parents were away. Her mom phoned us the day after they picked her up to say that all her children had head lice. I dusted, swept, vacuumed, bathed all the dc, and she brought over lice shampoo just in case we needed it (we didn't) and we never saw a nit! I don't know how we escaped, but we did. I was later told that head lice are usually exchanged when little girls put their heads together while studying or reading and I guess that we didn't have that close of a contact.

The Wordsmith series has worked well for us. The dc also work through Writing Strands, but they like the Wordsmith Craftsman books better. Both series speak directly to the child and guide them through the writing process. Our son's college professor asked who had taught him how to write and sent his compliments home to me. I feel that I just provide good materials and feedback. Ds has had published stories and enjoys writing. Four of the children so far enjoy writing stories and "books." We use A Beka 3rd grade Handwriting for their cursive skills. All the dc are voracious readers and reading good literature is a great aid to good writing skills.

My "Baby" lost his first tooth today while eating an apple. He thought that the apple had a "hard spot" and didn't realize at first what had happened :) http://brierywood.blogspot.com/

Oh yeah, I ran into something similar to this with our oldest sons. The pediatrician wanted to talk to them alone about sex, drugs, smoking, etc. The boys said they wanted me in the room and proceeded to tell the astonished dr. that they intended to wait for marriage, had no intention of smoking, drinking, or trying drugs, BUT if they did that they could talk to Mom and Dad about it. They answered that, "Yes, I know that I could buy condoms if I need them." The doctor really wasn't used to such articulate kids. I tried to imagine what crisis this guy had seen and how maybe he thought he was helping them by giving them "a chance to have an open discussion." Dh says that he had "alone visits" with his pediatrician and thought that the docs meant well by it. That said, we experienced a maddening health crisis with the college infirmary with our third child. He didn't tell us that he was ill and went in to see the campus dr. who diagnosed him with an infection "caused probably by hygiene issues" without any tests to confirm. Apparently, the last 3 young men presenting with such symptoms were not cleanly types.... After several days on an antibiotic and in terrible pain he was seen again. They refused to give him anything for the pain since college kids in their opinion are just wanting pain meds. They sent him to a radiologist...still not suggesting that Mom and Dad be phoned and he was a bit embarrassed by the entire diagnosis, etc. Finally, he phones me from college to tell me that he has testicular torsion and that they are telling him that he has to "wait it out" for the next six weeks! I asked his permission to do the "mom thing" and scheduled him that day with a urologist and he was taken into surgery. Really, sometimes it takes a full adult with experience to ask the right questions and I really believe that parents need to be advocates for their children.....sorry to go on so, this is a touchy subject for me! Our dd, was pale, headachy and tired all the time and it turned out that she has low iron...really low and unhealthy cells at that. Our current pediatrician was a peach running the test for that :)

:iagree:

We use if for specific searches like NASA, free knitting patterns, how-to instructions, Googling a national park by name, authors, historical events, and coloring pages. Careful googling and a filter on the computer have kept us out of any trouble (since the unauthorized Lego-order-that-will-never-ever-be-repeated-or-mentioned). Our computer is here in the living area and we limit search time on it to before or after school. I still think that the library and our own library are our most valuable primary educational resources.

I am surprised by how many of us have had or have this. I had it once so loud that I thought that the neighborhood crickets had gone mad. When I realized that it was just me hearing it and that it wasn't stopping it was unsettling. It lasted several days. I googled it, too. I had some luck with warm olive oil drops to sooth the ears and sort of hush the noise. Mine seems to come and go, too. They are buzzing now. It seems like sinus congestion and my neck out-of-whack are factors. There may also be a connection to my migraines...I plan to cut out all the caffeine and give the 1 -2 -3 headache plan a chance(when this last container of coffee runs out). I am praying here that yours calms itself and lets you get some rest!

Why can't I let go of the Fisher Price Little People??

We apply a warm slice of onion in a thin cloth....really. Slightly warmed olive oil drops are soothing, also. Eliminate dairy from their diet and anything else that adds to congestion. Homemade chicken soup with lots of garlic and breath the steam. Even a ruptured eardrum doesn't necessarily warrant antibiotics. Ds had his ruptured playing in the public swimming pool when another boy threw a ball at the side of his head and the pressure was too much:glare: The pediatrician took a look and said, "Yup, it is ruptured." We've also had ear infections that led to total meltdowns inside the ear and probable ruptures(they couldn't be 100% sure for all the discharge). We've treated them with and without antibiotics and it seems like it is something that you and the pediatrician have to decide weighing what is right/best for your dc. Some pediatricians are quicker to write the script than others.

:iagree:

Our sibs are best friends, too. The older two were once mistaken for a "couple" with our youngest being mistaken as their offspring. They took the kindly spoken compliment to their little "family" in stride. When our eldest dd attended a Christian kindergarten her teacher told me that the only time our dd smiled and spoke in a "normal" voice was at the end of her school day when she ran to greet her brothers and I. She has outgrown her shyness, but not her love for her family.

We use both BJU and A Beka math K-3th (the dc work through the BJU book first and then the A Beka), then A Beka 4 before switching to Saxon 65. We supplement with Key to Fractions and Key to Decimals also around 4th grade. I don't purchase the teacher's manuals or answer keys until 4th grade. We use counting bears, sea shells, number lines drawn on paper during the winter months, number lines drawn on the driveway during the summer months, counting cubes, and objects found in the kitchen for measuring. There are a lot of cute math storybooks in our library system to incorporate into lessons.

I don't think that punishment is the key. I think it is more of a "stick and carrot" for us. One attention-getter that I have used with my kids over the years is this...If they are squabbling or refusing to play nicely with each other and we are planning, say a park trip with friends or a visit to the cousins', I will say, "If you cannot get along with each other at home, you are not ready to go out into the world and be with others." Home is the "training ground." Their little ears perk up and they will work together to "prove" that they can get along. Self-control hasn't come easily for all of them. This may sound silly, but I really will keep them all at home and they know it from when they are little. We also put emphasis on our home as a sanctuary. No one is allowed to pick on anyone else, belittle them, or shove them around. We have so many personalities in our family and we really work hard to instill in them a love of each other, warts and all. Now, I am ducking and hoping that no one misconstrues what I hope that I said here....

Before children, I worked with a Michal at the bank and callers were always expecting a man when they met her. We've made it a rule ourselves that there is no gender confusion with the names we choose. Dh is always pointing out that the girls are stealing all the boys' names, too. In the humorous name category, dh worked with a "Ben Dover." We get occasional comments on our choice of "Mercy" for our eighth child like, "Lord have mercy?" and that never crossed my mind! Our Olivia is named for her father and her great-grandfather(Olivers not Olivias) and I had no idea that there was a soap opera poised to make the name so popular :glare:

Praying here.

We considered how their names would suit them as adults and what their initials would spell out. Dh allowed me to be more "romantic" with the girls' names. The boys' names are pretty traditional except for Elijah and dh still thinks that won't be a great adult name:glare: I imagine that he will shorten it to Eli someday and do alright.