She isn't willing to change her wardrobe - she pretty much wears whatever she likes that covers & is comfy lol. The brighter the color & the more sparkly it is, the better. She isn't uncomfortable with the looks per say - just she didn't understand the WHY behind it & the lack of knowing made her uncomfortable. After I explained, she was okay with it. I should probably mention that this is the first boy she has ever been anything close to friends with, and it's on account of him being the cousin of her 2 best friends. She still is very much at the boys are icky / bullies stage with the exception of this one who is "just another kid" according to her. Her logic - not mine. I think it helps that her friend still looks like he is about 8 even if he is 11. I have been concerned with her early development lately. The booty development was surprising, but tolerable with the exception of I'm getting comments on occasion from moms about have I considered DD becoming a model or acting {apparently she has the build for it, according to a local mom who does child modeling}. I discussed her development with her Dr at her last checkup, but he wasn't overly concerned given the family history of early puberty, and apparently 8 while on the early side is still considered normal. He did say that had it not been for the family history of early development, he might have considered suppressing it hormonally, but I am not comfortable with the possible side effects of that either :( Its a wonderful idea to find some local moms to help with the knowledge. Unfortunately in 4 years of homeschooling & 8 years of being a single mom, I've yet to find any kindred spirits with the same or similar mindsets. Most of the local homeschoolers here that I've met are much more religious / puritian in thinking than myself. We are much more relaxed.

Normally you're right, but in this case I think it will work as the ad clearly spells out the sale price of $4.99 and the price of $2.99 after manufacturers coupon. Worst case scenario I can go to Toysrus when I am over that way this week.

Toysrus has Hasbro games {cootie, chutes & ladders, candy land, memory} for $4.99 today in their ad. With the coupon in today's inserts for $2 off {also available I think at hasbro rewards}, they are just $2.99. They also have Life, Battleship, Scrabble & Operation for $11.99, and there is a $3 off coupon same as above, making them just $8.99. Walmart & Target should price match :) I am probably going to pick up a couple. Not sure if they will be for dd or go to toys for tots.

Actually, I think you do have me confused with another poster. I made the comment about the boys looking at dd because it made HER uncomfortable honestly - she asked me why the 11yo boy she plays with kept looking at her the other day when she was wearing tight jeans & a tank top. I get that wearing a bra for most is a cultural norm. Nevertheless, it is the norm here especially for more developed girls. If my dd is like me {and I suspect she is}, we have about a year at most until she is a C cup. So fast forward a year - 9, a B/C cup, and still not wanting to wear one. WWYD then? I am trying to prevent what happened to me at age 10 when my mom finally took me to buy one against my will. I was a D cup and really should have had one earlier but I like my dd wasn't one to talk to my mom about private things at that age. Where would I find doubled camis? She wears a size 8/10 girls depending on the fit fwiw. We normally thrift shop for clothing so I honestly have no idea where to find them. I know Walmart here doesn't have any as I looked. I'm not making it at all about covering up everything. But on the other hand I am trying to preserve her natural sense of modesty while dealing with a rapidly blossoming body. DD is not the type to come to me about anything private, honestly. She never has been, even as a baby. I'm okay with that - she just is intensely private about herself. If I have a concern or want to know what is going on, I read her diary.

File this under potentially embarrassing mom questions that I don't have anywhere else to ask lol. I think bOOkhelves is the board term if I recall correctly, but if not feel free to correct me. DD just turned 8 two months ago, and starting to "bud" pretty rapidly on the top. She already has filled out in the booty department about a year ago. In the last month or so the buds have become noticeable if she wears a snugger top or at the right angle from the side in anything but a loose / thick top. I have noticed the boys she plays basketball with from time to time noticing it, so it's apparent. Given my family history, she is probably going to develop fairly quickly and at an early age. The issue is - she detests the idea of wearing training bOOkshelves. I bought her 3 for starters, and she won't touch them with a 10ft pole, even though we made a special trip & she helped pick them {based on color only - she refused to comment as to fit / styles}. I know some folks just layer camis at this age, but most of the year her normal top is just a cami due to heat so I don't want her to make doing that a habit. Her two friends that are girls both wear them, so it's not a early development issue {I don't think}. We've read Care & Keeping of You, so she understands what is going on {I think}. She is a mild Aspie & very stubborn when she sets her mind to something - and she's pretty much set her mind to not wearing them. WWYD? I hate to force her to wear them, but she is going to have to start wearing them pretty quickly for modesty reasons. I also don't want her to be like me {my mom never bought me trainers, and when I started needing a real one it was a huge adjustment}. She also hates the idea of growing up, so anything that make her seem to be moving towards that is out. I'm at my wits end, and every time I bring up the matter with her she ends up either furious or in tears. I've even tried bribes :(

Bumping - we aren't doing one, but love the concept. If I could find a less missionary type group doing it I'd be all over it. I don't know if it's in every area, but when I was a kid the county ag office that ran 4-H did a Christmas event every year for families living in the colonias nearby. We did stockings, gifts, and a hot meal for each family, and you were able to pick from a list of children.

Just because I'm curious :) And I only have a girl. So - when did your little girl have her 1st crush? My dd is 8, and no signs of any here yet.

I was homeschooled 4th through 8th in the mid/late-90's. The things I remember are: ~Hating Saxon Math {though now I use it with my kid} ~Mostly unschooling, after we got through the bad habits I'd picked up in public school. I did a lot of reading on my own. Mom made some of my workbooks herself & I really hated those. ~Not really fitting in with the rest of the local group as we weren't homeschooling for religious reasons & didn't use abeka / rod & staff. ~Loving the freedom to do family history for history in school. I developed a love for the history of my family that is still around today. And my college professors said I had the best grasp of US history they'd ever seen. ~Homeschool 4-h. We had yearbook, rocketry, and sewing :) And Holiday helper at the ag office. ~Third Thursday Thingamabob at the library - aka each one teach one / public speaking. ~Y2k, and the wierd survivalist movement that went through our homeschool group.

I don't think it's so much that the class would encourage it per say, but on the other hand discussion can lead to action sometimes. I can easily see her going to this class, then coming home & discussing it with her friends {2 girls & 2 boys, all her age or a few years older} who live next door & 2 houses down. While her friends are mostly good kids, they are much much more wise in this area than dd & sometimes the topics they discuss get a bit adult. I think also I was possibly envisioning the class differently than it may actually be. But I would like dd to beat the odds of my family - most of my sisters {and several of my brothers} all had kids before turning 18. My sister L had twins at 13. While I was the odd one out {I was 21 when dd was born, and considered an old maid by most of my siblings}, I can easily see how dd would think that it's okay / normal to be sexually active / have kids at a young age from looking at our family & those of her friends. I guess what I'm looking for in a program really is something with the mindset of "Okay I'd rather you weren't sexually active at this age. Or for the next couple of years at least. But if you choose to be sexually active, here is how to do it safely & hopefully not end up with a bunch of kids before you finish high school like your aunts / uncles / your friends older siblings." Not sure if I explained that very well or not....sorry. I hate that I'm having to think about this much earlier than I had planned due to dd's early blooming.

Sounds very interesting. I am not sure dd would be willing to do a group setting type class though - she is very private when it comes to this issue because she is not really wanting to grow up, yet she is quickly catching up to her friends who are a year & 2 years older. I am not sure if the 8th grade class would cover this material too late for her though. On one hand I don't want to encourage her at a young age, yet on the other hand I'm trying to be realistic based on my own experience as an early bloomer, and I know by the age of 12 I was a hormonal boy crazy mess that only stayed single because of my dad & the fact that all the neighbor boys were afraid of him. If there were something like the high school class, but geared towards middle schoolers it would be perfect. The Our Bodies Ourselves I have is the adult one from the 90's. Didn't realize there was a teen version - will have to look for that next time I am at BN. I will check into PP. I don't know that ours does much educational stuff anymore - most of their services were taken over by the local hospital system which only does an abstinence class :(

Been a while since I was here, but I thought since this board is more open-minded that perhaps someone could help. I'm working ahead on laying out our coursework, and I am trying to come up with a comprehensive health / sex ed program for dd. Can anyone suggest a book / program to use? Would be used probably in 5th / 6th grade, but I'm okay with maybe a program geared towards high school age as well since dd is an early bloomer. We've already done Care & Keeping of You this year as dd is beginning to bloom - loved it, but it really doesn't deal with the sex ed portion of things. I have Our Bodies, Ourselves, but it's too wordy & boring IMO for dd. Is there a good resource out there that isn't preachy that covers the fine details & health aspects? I really want something comprehensive similar to the course I took in college {which of course had no book :( }. A secular program would be great - does such a thing exist?

I did go, as a seller. The book swap is great IMO for picking stuff up very cheaply. I sold about $100 worth - not as much as some but that's because I also sell online & don't sell at the dirt cheap prices that many do at the swap.

Just curious if there is enough of us going to have a WTM meet-up :) I will be there selling tons of stuff, including Sonlight stuff. Hours are 9-12 tomorrow at FEAST. $2 admission for adults if you aren't selling, or bring a box of stuff for the Goodwill drive & get in free. I know a few of us that are in the area talked about the sale a bit a while back when it was convention time, and several were interested in the used book sale.

I love old houses. I looked at some 1920's ones when hunting for my current home, but the price was just too high for my budget. Instead, I ended up in a 1969 built home - that has many of the same issues y'all talk about. TINY bathrooms. Foundation issues - the floor is actually cracking up in 1 room. The entire house slants towards 1 end - except for the added part in the living room which slants towards the other end. The drywall is a mess, and bowing in several places because the guy who owned it prior didn't install / tape it correctly. It still has the nasty old single pane windows, except that the previous guy's renters broke most of them & he replaced with thin plexiglass. I can't complain too much though - it was only $35k for the house. It's paid for except for taxes annually, and those are only around $800. I have dreams of someday when I come into money knocking out some walls, turning this 4 bed 1.5 bath into a 2 or 3 bed, 1 bath. And making the kitchen into a big enough space to actually work in with countertops to use - as it is now my dd & I don't fit in the kitchen at the same time lol.

What is MTHFR? I've never heard of it, so probably have never been checked. I am HYPERthyroid, fairly well controlled with medication. I have high stomach acid & take a high dose of Zantac twice daily to keep it in check {Otherwise I am the fire breathing dragon & get ulcers}. My Endo ran the following bloodwork last time: TSH 1.698 normal Free T3 3.0 normal Free T4 1.1 normal Sodium Serum 139 normal Potassium Serum 3.8 normal Chloride Serum 102 normal Carbon Dioxide Total Serum 30 HIGH Anion Gap 7 normal Glucose Serum 82 normal {wasn't fasting} Blood Urea Nitrogen Serum 11 normal Creatinine Serum 0.70 normal Calcium Serum 9.2 normal Phosphorus Serum 3.5 normal Albumin Serum 3.9 normal Vitamin D 25-Hydroxy 15 LOW Vitamin b12 Level 367 {test says normal, but she called it borderline low} GFR >60 Normal White BLood Cell Count 7.7 normal RBC Count 4.82 normal Hemoglobin 14.2 normal Hemacrit 41.1 normal MCV 85.3 normal MCH 29.5 normal MCHC 34.5 normal RDW 13.1 normal Mean Platlet Volume 11.1 normal Platlet Count 245 normal Half of that stuff I don't know what is, honestly lol. I know my mom was always anemic, but it was due to low iron. I've never heard of anything b-12 related.

Is the red meat for B-12? If so I don't understand how I possibly could be low - we eat beef at least a couple of times a week if not more. I tend to alternate beef nights with chicken or fish nites, but we go for more beef as i have a history of being anemic if I don't get quite a bit of beef/bison in my diet.

Yesterday I had an appointment with my endocrinologist for my thyroid. As part of the bloodwork, she tested both Vitamin D & B12. My vitamin D was borderline low last time, but this time was critically low - 15. My b12 was borderline low as well. What could be causing this? I eat a fairly balanced diet. The Vitamin D I understand being low, as I know it comes from sunlight & I am a very modest dresser covering all but hands, face & feet. I was taking both Vitamin D & B12, but stopped as they were making me feel really yucky. What can I do to raise my levels naturally?

Love this - I don't wear hijab yet, but I really want to. Just haven't been able to make that jump.

Well, on a regular day she gets quite a bit of walking. Not sure exactly how much, but the walk just from our house to the bus is .5 mile each way, and she regularly walks / runs it. She also plays outside a lot, normally running / jumping mostly. I have tried taking her to the park & letting her have a good hour or two of free play in addition to the walking, which for her means lots of climbing on the jungle gym, slides, etc. We have not done any "formal" exercise. I have considered putting her in something like Karate, but she does not do well in a classroom setting & I don't feel she is ready for that maturity-wise.

Not really. Putting her to bed earlier is an exercise in futility. You can put her in bed, but getting her to stay is impossible. She will play possum until she hears me go to bed {thinking she is asleep}, then get up & play all night in her room. Waking her early is sometimes possible if I can catch her when she is less deeply asleep - KWIM? Otherwise it's pretty much impossible as she is a very very deep sleeper once she is asleep. But the times I have managed to wake her early it did not improve her sleep schedule at all - if anything it made it worse. When she gets over-tired, she gets very irritable and wired instead of sleepy.

My dd loves this too! For us, summer is the busy time. We spend a lot of time away from home soaking up free a/c since we don't have a/c {our house is set up for a/c, but the system is non-functional :( }. For us, that means lots of time at the library, thrift shops, walmart, etc. We haven't really done movies - I need to look into that this year. It's funny - our rest / down time is Winter. When it's cold, we stay home, relax with a nice cup of hot chocolate or tea, watch movies, play board games & do lots of read-alouds. I work on the house {if it's not too cold}.

DD has always had issues sleeping. Even as a newborn she just didn't sleep enough - she never napped but would sleep from around 9pm til 7am or so. Fastforward to now, she is 7 and gets maybe 6-8 hours a night on a good night. Normally she sleeps from 2-3am until anywhere from 9am to noon. With her waking so late, it means nothing gets done - by the time she wakes up, eats breakfast & we do school the day is pretty much over with. That is with taking melatonin - without it she will stay up all night & just nap a few hours in the morning. She takes 1/4 of a 3mg Melatonin tablet. Prior to using melatonin, we used benedryl at bedtime. We've tried increasing activity - all it did was make her wired & irritated. I've tried cutting out caffeine for her - no effect. Is there anything else I can safely try to get her onto a regular sleep schedule? I'm at my wits end.

Flyers are just annoying - they mostly go straight to the recycle. I try to get them off the door quickly as sometimes they re used to see who is home & who isn't. Now actual people at the door OTOH - they get cut off in the 1st 5 seconds. I am not interested. Does it look like I have money for XYZ from the state of my house? NO. During brush pickup we get a lot of tree-trimmers - I do put up a sign then saying not hiring. The ones that really annoy me are the religious ones. Because even after you say no, they tend to stand on my drive / porch and "pray" for me - loudly.

Seriously though - it seems like a lot of us want to renovate or repair our houses, on a tiny budget. Let's share tips, tricks, and tutorials? Sometimes I know what I want to do, and the general idea of how to do it but not the nitty-gritty. And then I end up paying someone to come do what I could have done myself. Maybe we could each list our next 3 projects, in case someone has any experience in them? My next 3 projects are: 1. Deal with the sewer drain line issues. It's probably either collapsed or full of tree roots. It needs snaked to clear it, but has to be camera checked beforehand to see what the actual problem is. 2. Renovate my kitchen. Replace the cabinets & countertops with a configuration that works better than the current one. Add TILE backsplashes instead of the horrid painted walls. 3. Paint the laundry room & Dining room. I have the paint already - it's a wonderful warm green called sugared lime that I fell in love with years ago & got a gallon of back when one of the paint companies had a freebie. Since both rooms are quite small, I think a gallon will probably do it. But after painting dd's room, I have discovered I detest painting lol.

I love the neighborhood - it's one of those ones where everyone knows you, everyone looks out for each other, and is friendly. People talk to each other, get each other's mail, etc. I love that my house is paid for. After having a house with a mortgage I said never again will I do a mortgage. I love that we have a lot of birds - we've seen other the last year vultures, red tailed hawks, scissor-tailed flycatchers, blue jays and more. We have multiple pairs of cardinals that nest in our trees, and dd loves to watch them.