Heart of Dakota Elise in NC

I really feel for you! I don't think men understand how important having a cheerful, beautiful home is. When I mean beautiful I don't mean expensive or perfect. My husband has finally realized how important my home is. I need to have pretty things around. It really feeds my soul. My biggest suggestion is to look around your town. I have found some really nice things on the side of the road for garbage pickup. I found a beautiful antique mirror that is now above my old chipped up upright piano. They look like they were made to go together. I also found an old, handmade, chipped up trunk that I now use to store the kids' board games. I could go on. I just love finding junk like that. There are some really great finds out there that people are just throwing away. My big tip for finding interesting things is go to the neighborhoods with older beautiful homes. Find out when their garbage pick up is and go the day before. That's when I score big finds! God Bless, Elise in NC

Will be praying for your son. I have a special needs son also, although he is only 11. I can only imagine what you all are and have gone through. Keep us posted! God Bless, Elise in NC

Praying that everything is going well! God BLess, Elise in NC

Sonlight Core 100 uses the Hakim books, all ten of them. Have you checked them out? God Bless, Elise in NC

Prayers for your little girl to have complete healing. Also for you and the family to have strength during this difficult time. God Bless, Elise in NC

Hi, I weaned myself off antidepressants several years ago. It took several weeks to finally feel normal. By normal I mean not having side effects from weaning. I remember feeling very dizzy and had bouts of crying for no reason. I slowly weaned myself like you are doing but it was still hard. It was worth it for me though. I needed the antidepressant while I was on it but I just knew in my gut that I was ready to get off of it. I have been off of it for about 4 years. It took me a while to finally feel completely myself though. I wasn't depressed but I just didn't feel like myself. Slowly things I used to be interested in came back. I feel great now. I am so thankful there are medications out there to help with depression. It wasn't easy getting off of them but it was worth it. I think the only advice I would have for you is make sure if you start really feeling depressed that maybe your aren't ready to come off. I tried several times before I was completely successful. God Bless, Elise in NC

:grouphug: Please update when you can. God Bless, Elise in NC

I also have four children. About 5 years ago my husband had a vasectomy. I wish we had not made that choice. I would love to have another baby. I am going to be 37 soon. I have been doing some internet research and I haven't been very encouraged by the likelihood that we could become pregnant. Hope you get some good advice! God Bless, Elise in NC

My son has epilepsy. His seizures have been particularly difficult to treat. He has a Vagus Nerve Stimulator, is on Lamictal, and Zonegran. This fall my son was having a lot of "issues", hallucinations, lethargy, short fuse, etc. The neuro suggested an EEG. We didn't capture any actual events on the 24 hour EEG but it showed lots of abnormal spikes (which is common for people with epilepsy). We met with the neuro and expressed that we felt that many of these symptoms could be from medication. The neuro was hesitant to reduce the medication because my son's blood work showed the meds were in a normal range. We asked him to let us try. So in December we reduced his Zonegran and we immediately saw improvement with all of his symptoms. Even though, technically, he wasn't overmedicated the dosage he was on was still affecting him. He ended up having his most intense seizure after we reduced his meds but he is still much happier and has less hallucinations, outbursts, etc. We just had another follow up appointment. The neuro agreed that there is a balance between seizure control and quality of life. We are going for quality of life at this point. My son would have to be heavily medicated for him to be completely seizure free. He still has a seizure about once a week and they are worse than they were before. But for him, right now, this is the best choice. I sincerely hope you find a way to get your daughter help. Is there any way she would qualify for medicaid? I know in our state children can qualify for state health insurance much easier than adults. Your daughter needs good consistent care. Please keep us updated! God Bless, Elise in NC

Yes, I have actually used the program. It is really good. It is a wonderful way for the whole family to get involved with learning a foreign language. I have misplaced my copy and frantically looking for it since it will be a great supplement for my high school level daughter who is also using Rosetta Stone. We are having a lot of frustration because the level of instruction isn't great with Rosetta Stone. Homeschool Spanish will fill in those gaps (if I can ever find it!!!) I would definitely recommend it! God Bless, Elise in NC

Many times my only symptom of sinus issues is a headache that just won't go away. I occasionally sneeze and have post nasal drip. I have finally found a combination that seems to work well for me during the spring. At night I take one benadryl and in the morning I take a Zyrtec D. That usually knocks everything out and I don't have any headaches. My pharmacist recommended the benadryl/ Zyrtec combo. I had headaches all through highschool and my mother was convinced it was TMJ since she had had those issues. No one suspected I had allergies. Finally when I was grown and the headaches never seemed to stop a doctor suspected them. I had allergy testing and found out that I am pretty high on the charts for allergies to dust and grass. I just didn't present with runny nose (I have very small nasal passages) and sneezing. I really hope you find what is wrong with you! It's no fun not to feel well. God Bless, Elise in NC

I feel exactly the same way. We live in North Carolina and we have had some serious weather here. A big tree fell on a house just down the street from us last month. We have lots of big trees in my yard. It really makes me nervous. I used to love thunderstorms as well, now I can't sleep if we are having a storm. No advice just commiserating! God Bless, Elise in NC

Thanks so much for psoting the article. I also read some of the comments and learned that homeschooling is illegal in Sweden. I am so thankful for our freedoms here in the US. I hope and pray they continue for many years. God Bless, Elise in NC

I asked this exact question about a month ago. I got several responses and many really liked the McGraw Hill PSAT prep book. I ordered it that day. My daughter has been working through it for about a week and I really really like it. We have done another test prep book in the past and it wasn't as clearly laid out as the McGraw Hill book. My daughter hasn't taken the test yet (she will this fall) but I feel confidant it will help her score. HTH, Elise in NC

I have been praying for you from "lurkdom". I have been following your journey and am praying for your full recovery! I just wanted to let you know that you inspired me to have my first mammogram. I had an issue a while ago (some discharge from one breast) and after reading your posts went to the doctor. I had the mammogram and I almost started to cry. I was so afraid. I don't know why, now, it was no big deal. There were posters all over the facility encouraging women with breast cancer. It truly was a very caring place. Thankfully my mammogram came back normal. Thank you for sharing your story with the rest of us! I will continue to pray that the treatments go smoothly and for a full recovery!! God Bless, Elise in NC

I LOVE good TV show recommendations. I am going to put Firefly in my queue right now. A great show that got cancelled after only a few seasons was Pushing Daisies. We love that show. My daughters, husband, and I all enjoyed watching it together. Thanks! Elise in NC

I love Mike Rowe. I love it that he is sticking up for the working man! Thanks for sharing, Elise in NC

We live in Cabarrus County. We are only about 15-20 minutes from Charlotte. It takes me about 25 minutes to get to uptown Charlotte. Cabarrus County has cheaper taxes than Mecklenburg County. There are lots of homeschoolers in the Cabarrus County area. Homeschooling is very popular in the Charlotte metro area. If I was moving to the area I would check out these cities: Concord, Harrisburg, Huntersville, and Mint Hill. Hope that helps, Elise in NC

I would really recommend AAS (All About Spelling). I am using it as a remedial spelling program for my 13 year old. She is a horrible speller. But now that she understands the why behind most spelling words she has improved by leaps and bounds. There are many lessons that my daughter does in one day. Once she understands a rule she can then apply it. We do the "dictation" exercises which is a kind of review of other words daily. I cannot recommend this program enough (and no, I am not being paid to say that). Good luck! Elise in NC

I have used both LifePacs and CLE. CLE is hands down a much better program than Alpha Omega's, IMHO. I would cross off the LifePacs off my list and focus on the other three. Sorry I don't know anything about the other two. I have been homeschooling about the same time as you have (11 years). I have four children. You need to take care of yourself, otherwise you won't be able to homeschool. I know that is such a cliche' but it's true. Don't feel guilty about streamlining things. That's what is so great about homeschooling. We can tailor everything to the needs of the family. Right now the family needs to focus on mom's health. Your children will get a great education with CLE. God Bless, Elise in NC

Is your child completing the two quizzes and the test in each Lightunit? Blessings, Elise in NC

When my daughter took the ACT for the Duke TIP program we got a state issued ID card from the DMV. She was only 12 so she couldn't get a driver's license yet. It was a pain in the rear but it was worth it. I would be interested to know if the SAT will accept a homemade ID card but I'm not sure. Good luck! Elise in NC

The part of your post that is a red flag for me is where you mentioned that he stares off a lot. Those can be seizures. Most likely it is not but it wouldn't hurt to mention that to a pediatrician and get a neurology referral. EEGs are not very invasive although a bit annoying. People that don't have good seizure control can act very out of it. My son has epilepsy so that is why I am mentioning it. Hope you get some answers! God Bless, Elise in NC

My husband has been traveling for his job for the past 13 years or so. He travels all over the US, Canada, and Western Europe. He is gone A LOT. I chose many years ago that I could have a good attitude about it or not. I used to be miserable and just watch the calendar and clock until he got home. I finally came to a decision that I had to have a happy life if he was here or not. It was a decision and not a feeling. I think I just adopted the attitude "fake it till ya make it". I started doing fun things with the kids that we would normally only dad would do with us, like go to movies or go get ice cream. I absolutely love when my husband is home but I'm just as happy when he isn't here. I think the difference is that I WANT him home but I don't NEED him home. I hope that makes sense. Our pastor always used to say, "Joy is a choice." I really believe that. It's not easy but it's worth the effort. I sure hope that helps! Hope you find some peace. God Bless, Elise in NC