Agree if it isn't better you should head back to the Doctor...but, have you tried Mucinex? Both times that I developed walking pneumonia (which made me laugh because I am in a wheelchair:), the doctors recommended it. I swear it helped more than the antibiotics and inhalers combined. It was the only thing that finally broke up all the congestion. Amazing stuff, and is OTC:)

A few weeks ago my parents went on Holiday to Hawaii, leaving their dog at a very ritzy and trendy doggie establishment. They could even use an app to view him in real time! Halfway through their trip their dog got expelled and banned for his 'special needs' that might be traumatic to the other dogs. Yep. He got banned for um, getting overly friendly with the other pets. The establishment cited him being 'a bad influence, lol! (He is zeutered, they are working on the problems with a trainer and a vet!!) we have not failed or flagged in our duty as irreverent children to give dad some good spirited ribbing. Constantly. For Christmas they sent presents. To my 20 month old doggie lover they sent a plush dog, extremely cute. Son fell in love and gave it a cuddle, squeezing enough to push the button. That dog went BONKERS, vibrating, shaking, barking, playing music. Son dropped him and the dog bounced, vibrated, and wiggled across the floor, still going when he turned himself upside down:) Most hilarious adult-level prank that the kiddos didn't understand but loved anyway ever. Hubby keeps pushing the button and snickering:)

Call them, but I would strongly believe so. They are incredibly flexible and welcoming to everyone. Last year I called to talk to them about Alex taking the exam at age 6 and I guess they assumed she would need the questions read aloud because they suggested I do so for her:) They seemed a bit surprised that I said it wouldn't be necessary. This is a FUN exam, meant to encourage. It was a great entry into the exam world for Alex.

Ugh, sounds like misery:( So sorry! I highly recommend a roller brush technique...it spreads out the 'clean spots' and blend with the dirty/um, regular spots! Rather than simply spot cleaning:)

Just a reminder that the deadline to enroll for the National Mythology exam is looming. I received a very timely reminder that January 15th is the deadline to order exams/register. This year has been...particularly difficult, but dd would be devastated to miss it!

No, never an apology...but as I have matured I came to realize that my mom was 24 year old that year, suddenly with 4 kids and three of them step-kids with LOTS of emotional issues. A hubby with major issues of his own, and serious financial issues. My mom also has major issues of her own.Regardless of the why, and the benefit of time and introspection, children do not have the gift of hindsight. And even if they later can understand the situation, the feelings do not dissipate. Children do not WANT to misbehave. They do not wake up in the morning with the desire to wreak havoc and mischief. It is, rather a failure on our part as the parent to address specific need or deficiency. That doesn't mean we should totally let them off the hook for bad decisions...but that we should approach the consequences with understanding and grace. That sounds great in theory. Yet it is still something I struggle with daily. Growing up the way I did, making my own way through emancipation just before my 16th bday, my time in the Army...I have been trained in the art of 'Suck it up, buttercup. Do as I say because I said so!' So I get the ingrained need to be the disciplinarian. I just want to send a cautionary tale, and a request to re-evaluate:) Edited because apparently, commas, and late nights with little sleep, are not conducive to sentence structure:)

When I was six, my mom wrapped presents and put them under the tree a week prior to Christmas, admonishing all four kids that we should not peek. We were a bit hyped and wild that week, and oldest stepsister picked up a package to feel it. Being a kid. Her finger pierced the cheap paper so that you could barely see inside. My mom went mental. On Christmas Eve,my mom had us ALL pack up the gifts under the tree and we all went in the car to donate all the gifts as punishment. We each got to select ONE to keep. It was wrapped. Mine turned out to be socks. See how much I remember? Christmas that year and for years after was about punishment and fear...not about unconditional love, kindness, fond memories. We feared that if we didn't behave (all year with the Santa stories!) that Christmas could be ripped away. Worse, my oldest sister developed a 'so what, I can be good all year and make a mistake that ruins everything, I am just not going to bother trying!' I totally get the knee-jerk reaction. My did hasbeen acting WAY too entitled and over-privledged...upon deep reflection and discussion with hubby I came to see it as a failure on our part to scaffold, a failure to provide opportunities to see alternate view points, and a failure to be considerate of her excitement level over Christmas. These are all workable goals this holiday season. Please don't make the mistakes my mom made. ALL of us girls remember it and are resentful. It seriously traumatized all of us.

We have bought several in the David Adler series after checking them out many times from the library:) They are called 'A Picture Book of...' series. http://www.davidaadler.com/the_picture_biography_series__holiday_house__9353.htm

I have two kids who do.not.sleep. It is not uncommon for my six year old, for whom melatonin adjustment does help some, to wake up multiple times per night. She will sometimes read for 2-3 hours at a time on her kindle in the wee hours, or listen to a massive collection of audio books. Our rule is, especially since all our beds are in the same room out of desperation, that you must be silent and stay in bed. My 18-mo old seems to be following a frighteningly similar path. I swear my Army training/experience in sleep deprivation is the only thing that has saved me😩

Wishing for a speedy recovery! Not quite the same, as I have been using a wheelchair for 15+ Years after an accident in the Army, but I am absolutelycommiserating on how difficult normal tasks become! Suddenly, making dinner becomes a daunting chore! I hope things go well for you:)

Oh, oh! My mother asked how they would learn to relate to other kids if they didn't have the same experiences to pull from. Okay, that is a discussion I could have. Until she clarified by asking how they will learn valuable things like how to know when too much makeup is a problem because a girl gets labeled a 'slut' for it. Or how to know that a body is healthy because the other kids recognize unhealthy and call a kid 'fat.' Or that acting too smart is 'stuck up.' Seriously.

'It is incredibly selfish of you to want to homeschool your child just so that you can control every little thing they hear or believe.' said by a close family 'friend.' Oookkkkaaayyy. Because it wouldn't be so much easier with my uber high-strung kid to put her on a bus in the morning and let others deal with her. Or plan hours of lessons for her. Or all of it:) And hello, met my kid? I control nothing about what that kid does or thinks, lol:)

Thanks for reading between the lines. I couldn't agree more. I have always believed this as her responses seem more parroted and just slightly 'off' to me. She wants friends, but is completely oblivious to 'normal' social interactions and cues. We believed it so strongly that at age 4 we had her evaluated by a neuropsych who did a full work up. He believed that she was not on the spectrum, but exhibited similar behaviors because she is PG. Now at 6, things are much more obvious to me. We just had another workup done by another neuropsych, and are awaiting the results. I go on Friday to get them, and it cannot come soon enough😟

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I think this is one of the biggest problems. We had JUST been talking about a class I am teaching on fallacies and had an in depth discussion on the presidential debate, which she had watched with us. She had some surprisingly insightful views, and laughingly gave us examples of Tu Quoque fallacies from her home life:) It is so easy to see her as a little adult when in fact she most certainly is not. I really have to struggle to remember this. And yes, sending her to bed was very much about me needing time away from her. Not my finest parenting hour:(

No. nothing that could remotely be considered nurturing. Whilst I strongly do not believe she intended to hurt him she did mark him. This was definitely an executive function issue.1I am struggling with viewing the behavior as a deficit,rather than manipulative. I am learning here too:(

With out going into too much detail, it is the result of her doing something to her 17 mo old brother that I would not have thought feasible. Whilst she did not hurt him, the behavior is highly questionable. She does suffer from PANDAS/PANS and has been ill...but I have no idea how much this is a factor. Ultimately, I can see why she might say this. Her behavior has been...difficult to say the least. Viewed through thAt lens, combined with how mom normally interacts with a baby? Reasonable:(

Yes, thinking this totally warrants a hissy fit if necessary! Poor kid has got to be dehydrated and miserable. If you can get her admitted, they tests can be done more quickly. Good luck, and hope you guys get some answers/results soon:(

All of the above are known issues, unfortunately/( She is food resistant/sensory issues that we are waiting for eval on. Severely ADDADHD, again, testing began but awaiting appt., kid does not go to sleep nor remain asleep. She will wake up and read or listen to audio books for hours at a time despite prodigious amounts of physical exercise. She is on the gymnastics competition team and practices 3 days per week for 2 hour sessions in addition to regular exercise. We have a garage-size climbing wall and fullback trampoline at our house that she is on non-stop. She attends multiple activities per week.

We have been going through a (really) rough patch with Alex. Sometimes I have a very difficult time reconciling my very logical, not-missing-a beat pre-algebra/algebra-performing child with the emotional, six-year-old ball in front of me. Tonight she sobbed in my arms because she thinks we value baby brother more than her. Whilst I know some of that is normal the depth of emotion is staggering. And exhausting How do you manage/balance this?'

Things they can use in the trip. My dd6 LOVESbeing able to take her own pictures. Do they have cameras? You can go anything from cheap disposables to inexpensive digitals to a higher range camera. Along with that, we gave my kiddo a shutterfly coupon to make her own picture book about her trips. We also gave her one of those prepaid Visa cards with a small amount of money to purchase her own souvenirs. Even though we would have gotten them for her, having the 'freedom' and jndependence to choose/control/budget her own was a BIG deal:) She also loved a sketchbook/colored pencils. This has become a regular thing for each trip. We usually get her one at each major museum we go to, with art from that museum on the cover.

Both my little ones have loved similar puzzles and shape sorters! One thing we did that ended up being a huge hit and is now a regular gift for friends: we bought a selection of different bolts in various sizes with corresponding nuts. Mix them all up in a box and my kids would sort and match for hours. It turned out to be fantastic for fine motor skills as well:)

Rice crispy treats!

I have a serious place reserved in my heart for the Julia Cook books. When I first saw them my reaction was a bit more...uninspired? As in okay, pretty obvious there:) But they absolutely helped my PG, ADHD, OCD and whatever else dd understand some of the things she might experience, even if it was just mimicry. I absolutely recommend them:)

I just ordered some materials, and they sent a catalog. In the front of it there are some codes, but not great ones. July 1-Sept 30: Free US shipping and handling on orders over $100 with CAPTYSHIP Oct 1-Dec 31: Save $20 on orders over $100 with code CAPTY100 (Valid on everything except live, online classes, or Singapore math)