I have 6 kids all 8 and under. We don't usually start school until 11am, but it's not because of the kids. :blush: My 8 year old, twin 5 year olds AND twin 3 year olds all know the morning routine. They only need a little prompting to get it done. BEFORE breakfast (so, obviously, I don't think you are mean), they all have to get dressed, brush teeth and make their beds. I often have to find their clothes for them because I am bad about folding. Oops! But, they pretty much get themselves dressed, even the 3 year olds. The 3 year olds take off their nighttime diaper, wipe themselves, get dressed (usually asking which way their undies go and sometimes putting them on backward), and put their diaper in the trash and PJ's in the laundry with very little help from me. My 3 year olds bring me their tooth brushes and I put toothpaste on for them. They make their own beds most days. My 5 year olds are the toughest actually. They make their beds without prompting most days. They usually do their teeth too. But, getting dressed is another story. I often have to remind them several times before they do it. Not always though. Even though my kids do most of the above independently, they still require some prompting, but it's just my voice. I can say it from the changing table while getting the baby dressed, "Hey, did everyone do their chores? Teeth? Beds? Are you dressed?" Or, if I walk by their room on my way out of mine and I notice a bed not made, which isn't typical, I'll yell, "Kid, you forgot to make your bed...Do it now, please." But, I don't have to do it. We have been working on this routine for probably a year now. So, I would echo the above that it takes a long time. Also, we have a chore chart and these are on there. They earn tickets for doing chores and they can turn tickets in for other things, like treats on family nights or money or computer time. Not all chores earn tickets, but doing this system helped us establish the above routine. It worked really well for us. It isn't all about the tickets though. We took a beak from our ticket system for a few months (my fault!). They were still required to do the above 3 things before breakfast and they still did. The chore chart helped motivate us and put the routine into practice. Doing everything and getting breakfast usually takes us till about 9:30. I get up at 7:30ish most days and the kids get up at 8. We could easily start school by 9:30 or 10am most days and probably by 9 if we wanted to. The reason we don't.......I usually get distracted by other things, cleaning or the computer or whatever. It's hard to school with my 3 year olds around. So, if the kids are playing nicely, I usually just let them until around 11. Then, we do about 1-1.5hrs of school before lunch. When I put the 3 year olds down for naps in the afternoon, we finish. I'm sort of okay with our start time, but I would prefer to get started by 10 and I'm actually working on that. Oh and if I don't have everything completely prepped for school before we start, that contributes to our late start. This morning, we would have started at 9:45 if I'd been ready. I needed to print some things. That meant being on the computer, which of course sucked me in. We started at 11. LOL! But, it wasn't my kids fault!

Wow, sorry you had a bad experience. I worked for 3 different orthodontists because of moves. None of them were like that and all were as upfront as they could be...without knowing exactly how things would develop. Some orthodontists are arrogant as. I was very picky about who I worked for. The first time I moved, so second ortho job, I chose to work at an office that was at least 25 minutes farther away than my other offer because I didn't like the first dr. He really seemed like a jerk. The second move, 3rd ortho job, I had a lot more options. I had 4 job offers. I did not take the highest paying job with the "best" position. In fact, there were two other higher offers. Of those, one seemed shady and over booked and the other just seemed arrogant and a micro-manager, which drives me nuts. I've also heard many stories of various not-so-nice-to-work-for orthodontists. So, they definitely are not all created equal. But, I think that can be said of any profession. Yes, if you need to, definitely get many more opinions than just 2. I'm sure I will probably get as many as I can (I live in a small area now. I think there are only 2 unless I want to travel.) and I still may end up driving over an hour to see the original orthodontist I worked for. The only problem with that is cost. He is in a much higher cost of living area. I would probably pay over $1000 more to see him. *sigh* I've worked in 3 different areas. The cost does vary a lot based on location. The first one I worked for was $5700 for full treatment almost 15 years ago. I imagine he is near or over $7000 now. The most recent one I worked for was "only" like $3800 for full treatment 8 years ago. (For some reason his fees are escaping me more even though it was more recent. Silly!) It really varies a lot.

I used to be an orthodontic assistant for 8 years before becoming a SAHM. :) The only thing you need to do is make sure your child brushes their teeth prior to the appt. ;) I'm sure that sounds like I'm being snarky, but I'm not. You really don't have to do anything. They will give you all the info you need at the appt. They are going to give you recommendations for treatment and a fee schedule for it. They will tell you about any payment plans they offer. They should tell you an estimate of how long treatment will last. If they don't, do ask. Remember it's an estimate. The length of treatment is not set in stone. However, the fee will be the same even if treatment goes longer or shorter than estimated. Be prepared for them to recommend braces. I'm surprised your dentist would say she might not need braces. Very few bite issues can be correct without braces. They are the anchors for all appliances. (unless all she has is a cross bite and using an expander alone with correct it. That happens, but it isn't common.) I wonder if your dentist was thinking of Invisalign, but I wouldn't do that for a young child. Oh, it's possible this is for your 9 year old and the dentist was thinking of just an appliance for now. If that is the case, she would probably need more when she is older. In any case, be prepared for them to include braces in the treatment plan. If they tell you vastly different things, do get a 3rd opinion. But, keep in mind all orthodontist approach things slightly differently and use slightly different appliances. Be prepared for it to be more expensive than you expect for treatment. Unfortunately, ortho treatment is expensive. :( That is really it. Have her brush her teeth. She can do it at home before she goes or if she comes straight from somewhere else, she can ask them for a brush...they all have them there, usually pre-pasted with toothpaste already on the brush and in plastic. Good luck!!

My mother-in-law frequently does this. She will make food for a party several days ahead of time. If nothing else, I just think it isn't as fresh and I can often tell. Other times, I really feel like it isn't safe. She brought us cookies recently that were so stale we couldn't eat them. I tossed them as soon as she left. It is bad enough that my kids, who are all just turned 8 and under, notice the food isn't good. For a party on Friday, I wouldn't want a cake that was baked on Monday. On top of that, if I am serving other people, I don't want to put out something that might make them sick or even make me look bad by serving a stale cake.

I don't feel we need the academics at this point. I would rather a social group that meets for fun park outings and such. In my area, they are all academic based. I have 6 kids 8 and under. It is very hard for me to do any volunteering and I'm not interested anyway. I have 6 kids 8 and under. They often don't have anything for my littlest ones and they don't allow them at functions for older children or it's made very clear that they need to be seen and not heard...which I understand, but that is a show stopper for me because I have several littles and only one of me. I don't want the stress of the commitment each week. We struggle as it is to get everything in. Adding more would be too stressful. We may join something when my children are older if I feel we need the supplement. For now, I feel I provide them with what they need academically at home and the social interaction isn't what my family can work with.

I was 8.5-9 hrs, so was my sister. I thought I'd want to also, but I loved my school so much that I was okay with it. I also brought my car, after the first semester because you aren't allowed one then...when I went there 15 years ago, and was able to get back more often than I expected to. (My sister graduated much more recently, but she is blind and can't drive. I have no clue if they still had that rule. ;)) Anyway, I knew it was far, just throwing it out there because it is one of the few I know of and it definitely fits the requirements you mentioned. :) Good luck with the search!!!

Again, not in SE, but Cedarville University in OH really fits those requirements very well. I went there for 2 years. Ran out of money and didn't want loans (one of the best decisions I ever made!). I went home to work and save to go back, but got married instead because we were tired of long distance. LOL! My sister graduated from there. It's a great school. They are Baptist, but have people from many denominations.

He should just mention it to his boss. It sounds like his boss will be fine with it and then he will be too. :D

Liberty University in VA. :) I can't really tell you much about it except that I've heard good things about it. I know I've known several people to go there since it is fairly close to me. I can't remember why I didn't look more closely at it. I went to Cedarville University, which is in OH, so not SE, but a very good Christian college anyway.

You and I seem to think very similarly. :giggle: I was just looking at this program. But, I wasn't planning to use it as a stand alone. I was thinking to supplement our Singapore and add a little fun for my 2nd grader. :)

Ortho assistant for 8 years prior to becoming a mom. You can get a consult any time you want to. Most orthodontist have free consults...if they don't, go elsewhere. ;) If you called the office they would probably tell you they like to see kids for the first time at age 7 or when all the front teeth are in. Every orthodontist is slightly different, but this is the standard. That said, I can almost guarantee she isn't ready. 6.5 is young to start. They will want to wait for her 4 front upper and lower adult teeth before starting treatment unless there is something really severe going on...even then, they usually wait. The laterals (next to the middle) aren't always fully erupted, but they are on their way in. I've only seen a few start sooner and it was cases like cleft palete or a missing adult tooth. They need those adult teeth for stability. They also need all 4 of her adult 6 year molars in to anchor everything. I would bet they aren't all there yet or not fully erupted if she still has no loss teeth, but they might be. If you go for a consult, they will probably put her on a recall schedule which means they will have her come in at least 6 months from now (maybe a year if she is that far from starting still) to recheck. They will do that until her adult front teeth are in and then they will start her treatment. Some orthos charge for those recall appts and some don't. I've worked for both.

Neither my husband or I are twins. But, I have 2 sets. One set is girl/boy and they are no closer than my other kids. The boy is closer to his older brother than to his sister. They were not aware of each other or comforted by each other as babies like some twins are. My other set is boy/boy and they are inseparable. They have been since the day they were born. They used to hold hands while nursing, even as very young babies. But, my twins are only 5 and 3. So, time will tell how things play out. :D

I'm not much help. I'm in the exact same situation. I have 3 doing school, 2nd and twin K'ers, and 3 youngers (twin 3 year olds and a 12 month old). We use MFW for this year. I'm changing to HOD next year. I like it all planned out for me. I'm nervous about HOD being all separate learning, but MFW isn't working for us right now. It's hard. We get the basics done most days for all 3, but anything else is tough. We get it in, but not as much as I would like. I have very little time for anything else unless I'm blowing off school like I am right now. :blush: We do school year round to help decrease the stress of getting it all done by a specific date. We do in 12 months what takes most people about 9. So, we have wiggle room to get derailed often. We don't have a set schedule. We just school when we aren't doing anything else and not getting derailed by the youngers. We even school on most Saturdays since my husband works most of them. We definitely do take off at least 2 or 3 days a week simply because of appts or everyday life getting in the way. Schooling year round is a life saver for me. Our year goes July-June. I just assume it's going to be hard for quite a while. However, I do think it's going to get a little easier when the littles are older. It will still be a lot of work, but little are really hard while schooling. So, it will be different and I'm looking forward to it someday. I'm looking forward to not having to remake their bed (including mattress!) or clean up water because I didn't check on them for 15 minutes and forgot to lock the bathroom door. I'd rather have them not getting into that kind of trouble. I know it will still be hard and have different challenges. But, I'm looking forward to when they are all doing school work instead of some making trouble and me struggling to do school with the olders because of the youngers. All in all, I do think it's worth it....today. ;)

Time and maturity. He sounds totally normal for a 4 year old. They have a short attention span for things they don't deem as fun. Give him at least a year, probably 2. You'll see a major difference. :)

We have the same issue. We don't read them all, but we've done some. I love that my son is always happy to do WWE because he enjoys the selections. He always does the copywork or narration and then illustrates it. :D

I haven't done HOD. I'm switching to it next year. :D That said, 1.5 hrs a day is enough for a 5 and 6 year old, IMHO. My 5, almost 6 year olds don't do any more than that, usually less. My oldest did a little more in 1st, but he was 7 for most of 1st and if he had stopped complaining about learning to read and just done the work, it would have been 1.5hrs. :lol: I think you are doing fine, for whatever my opinion is worth. ;)

I was an ortho assistant for 8 years. I've never gone through this or had my children go through it, but I've seen many patients have it done. I've only ever seen positive results and happy patients in the end. It's definitely a tough road and sometimes long, but the result is great. I've seen some pretty severe bites and issues corrected with amazing results. The patients who want this done and know the benefits before it's done are the ones that do the best. Their attitude makes a big difference. Typically, the patient will need braces for a while first. The orthodontist will get everything lined up properly and then consult with the surgeon to make sure they are where the surgeon needs them. Once the teeth are positioned where the surgeon wants them, he will give the okay for the surgery. Often, once the surgery is actually done, there isn't much ortho work left afterward. Most of the orthodontic work is done on the front end before the surgery. Then, there is just a few months of perfecting everything and letting it heal and settle in before taking the braces off. I've never seen a bad result or someone not happy in the end. It isn't always perfect because sometimes it just can't be 100% perfect, but it is so much better and as close to perfect as their teeth/jaws will allow. It was worth it to every patient I saw. When it's done, it's really needed and the results are obvious and often life changing. By life changing I mean that many patients whose bone structure is changed because of the severe malocclusion (bad bite), like you mentioned your daughter's is, can have it affect their self-esteem and confidence level. After surgery, they feel so much better about the way their face and smile looks and it comes out in a big boost in confidence and self-esteem. Others have such severe malocclusion that it negatively impacts their ability to eat and/or talk. So, that can really change their life also. I knew a man whose teeth only touched on his 3rd molars (wisdom teeth). He literally could barely chew because when he bit down, his teeth didn't touch. Between his upper and lower front teeth was probably 2 inches of space. (I promise, I'm not exaggerating!) He could not bite into things because his teeth did not come together or even close to it. His life was changed dramatically by having it corrected, both in a physical way and in an emotional way with confidence and such. It was awesome to be a part of that! So, I really think your daughter is going to have a really great result in the end. I can't say it's going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it. :)

Hugs! If it is any comfort at all, I promise they have seen much worse. ;) I used to be an ortho assistant. Because we work with mostly kids, we've see it all. He sounds like he did just fine even if he was quiet. At least he opened his mouth and let the ortho look without a fuss. That is the biggest thing the ortho needs anyway. You were there to answer any important questions. The other stuff isn't all that relevant to his treatment anyway. :) I'm sorry it was stressful. And, I'm right there with you on the refinance. I have 6 total and I have no doubt that several will be getting braces.

So glad to hear that!! Often if you can just get over that little hump, it gets better very quickly. Well done! Hope you are even better this morning. :)

I've been plagued with all sorts of issues including this with my 6 kiddos. You need to keep your breast as empty as possible. So, nurse, nurse nurse. (Don't neglect the other side and end up with an issue over there too.) While the baby is nursing, put pressure on the spot where it hurts most. :( Massage that spot while baby is nursing to make sure all the milk is expressed from there. You are already doing the hot compresses. Keep that up, as warm as you can stand. Change positions from nursing to nursing. I've often heard it said to point baby's nose toward the infected area. I give a HUGE second to the Grapefruit seed extract. Not grapeseed, grapeFRUIT seed extract...big difference. This is what has made a huge difference in me not getting mastitis and also yeast (thrush), which can be an underlying cause of mastitis. Here is a link to the grapefruit seed extract: http://www.amazon.com/Grapefruit-Seed-Extract-Maximum-Strength-250mg/dp/B002QP9FAS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1382920849&sr=8-3&keywords=grapefruit+seed+extract (there is also a 125mg pills, but when you are actually fighting an infection, you want stronger.) 3x's a day. This won't necessarily get rid of a raging infection. But, it really helps and it will help prevent more. I highly recommend it. Definitely start the antibiotic soon if it isn't clearing. :hugs: I know it's painful and frustrating....I just noticed our babies are the same age. Mine is Oct '12 also. Happy birthday to your little one! Congrats on BF'ing this long. We are still going too. :D

When it is relevant, I mention it. It isn't relevant if they just ask what grade they are in or what they are learning in school. It's relevant if they ask what school they go to or ask if they have friends in their class or whatever. My kids bring it up more quickly than I do because they love to chat and they love being homeschooled. I'm not trying to hide anything, nor am I worried about judgement. It's just that I don't feel the need to open myself up to questions or comments from the cashier at the grocery store or the receptionist at the eye doctor or whoever else we may meet in passing. However, if we are in a situation where we are meeting new people that we will probably see again or we are in a situation where we are "mingling," I'll bring it up more easily. It is a conversation starter after all. ;) ETA - I don't feel like I'm lying by omission at all and I'm a very honest person. I don't have to tell everyone my life story. They ask what grade my kids are in and I answer they are in K and 2nd. What are they learning? American history, Flying Creatures, etc. If they asked what time they get home from school and I answered with what time they are normally done with our homeschool, I would feel that was lying by omission. If they ask what school they go to and I used a cryptic name for our HS that sounded like a private school name and didn't qualify that it is actually our HS, I would feel that is lying by omission. But, I don't feel that us HS'ing is relevant to all educational questions. Just as it isn't relevant how I birthed my babies when my children's birthdays come up. :D

:lol: So true! I might buy from someone with low posts if they could link me to feedback elsewhere. I've seen people on here from other boards. Those who I recognize from other boards would be more likely to get my business even if they had only a few posts here. But honestly, unless I recognized from elsewhere, I would probably pass on buying from someone with so few posts. Too risky. :(

Thank you KeriJ. I'm going to come back when I have more time to read through those links. Thanks for taking the time to explain this. :D

We used MFW 1st. I thought the same as you, that he might need more phonics. I even bought OPGTR and put it in to be done 2-3x's a week for phonics review this year in 2nd. It turns out, my son really didn't need it at all. He has all the phonics he needs. His decoding skills are excellent. He just needs more practice. MFW doesn't teach straight forward consonant blends like /st/ because they teach them how to blend very well in K. So, it isn't needed. The only words my son struggles a bit with is /ought/ words. At the very end there is a short lesson on those. (I used the 1st edition. It may be slightly different, I haven't checked for that lesson in the new edition) I should probably have put a little more emphasis on that. But, he does fine even with those most of the time. So, I would see wait till you are done with 1st and see where your child lands. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how strong the phonics program in 1st actually is. It took me till very close to the end to really see that. I'm very glad we used MFW as my son has a really solid phonics foundation. I'm using K with my twin K'ers this year and will use 1st again next year with them. We will continue to use MFW for K and 1st with my 3 younger children too. :)

Yes please! :D