I wouldn't go to Sea World. DH and I watched Blackfish recently, and we both agreed we would never go. Animal kingdom is nice. My kids would want to see the Harry potter stuff at Universal too.

We had a great day actually. The kids did some seat work before breakfast. Singapore math for both. Ds did a phonics lesson in OPGTR. Dd practiced her spelling. They both did a page of HWOT. But then we went to the museum of science. It was so awesome today. We are currently studying the human body at home. At the museum they explored a real sheep's heart and lungs. The man even inflated them using an ambu bag. Dd assembled an ape skeleton with the help of an employee. We all worked together to build a 3d puzzle of the internal organs. We saw a chick hatch. We did several chemical reactions. We saw a 3d movie about the monarch migration ( which is so unbelievable that I can't stand it!). Science is my favorite thing ever, and I love sharing it with the kids. :)

We had a great day actually. The kids did some seat work before breakfast. Singapore math for both. Ds did a phonics lesson in OPGTR. Dd practiced her spelling. They both did a page of HWOT. But then we went to the museum of science. It was so awesome today. We are currently studying the human body at home. At the museum they explored a real sheep's heart and lungs. The man even inflated them using an ambu bag. Dd assembled an ape skeleton with the help of an employee. We all worked together to build a 3d puzzle of the internal organs. We saw a chick hatch. We did several chemical reactions. We saw a 3d movie about the monarch migration ( which is so unbelievable that I can't stand it!). Science is my favorite thing ever, and I love sharing it with the kids. :)

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's really awful that some people are giving you a hard time about what happened. Our dog was a part of our family for almost 16 years. It would have been devastating to have something like this happen to her, but I hope I wouldn't risk my own life to save her. That wouldn't be fair at all to my children.

We watch a lot of documentaries. My kids really like them, and they work well for my auditory learner. Schlesinger media has some great ones, all about 23 min, made for schools. Our library has access to so many that between those and Bill Nye, we have tons from which to choose.

I have a silver bracelet from Sonya's on St Croix. I wear it all the time.

Hilfarm- thanks for your replies. :) I have been on several whale watches off Cape Cod in MA. We went on two last year. It was amazing. My daughter and I were moved to tears. The boat we chose was very conscientious about the whales and giving them space. Other boats moved closer to the whales, but our boat waited and the whales came to us. It was amazing. The staff knew all about each animal- their family tree, approx or exact age even. I look forward to it each year. My sister and I were talking about Blackfish today. She hasn't seen it but said she cried through The Cove. Not sure I'm up for that. :( It's so sad.

I think that some zoos are very different than Sea World. Our local zoo is very small. Many of the animals there are there because they were rescued for some reason. Most can not be released again. However our zoo does participate in a program to release Mexican Gray Wolves. We had five for the past couple years who were recently released and just received four more. Most of the animals are small- no lions or anything. Some were born into captivity. We have a snow leopard. I'll need to get her story because I know she was born at the zoo. I"m not sure if there is a plan to release her, but I don't think so. Her habitat is smaller than ideal, I'm sure. But overall, I feel like my kids have learned a lot about these animals. Many are endangered. We are able to read about why at each of the animal's areas. My kids are very interested in how they can help the environment and the animals, and I think a lot of this comes from their love of the animals. I don't know, I don't love the idea of wild animals in captivity, but I do see some benefits if it's done properly. Orcas? No way. That movie was heartbreaking. I will never, ever go to Seaworld. My kids didn't watch the movie, but I told them all about it. They were horrified, just like I was. Anyone know about the Mote Aquarium in Florida? I took the kids there a couple times, and I thought their dolphins were injured and unable to be released. They don't do shows or tricks. They just swim around and you can see them. They have some toys, but there are no trainers telling them what to do. There were two or three at the time. I got such a good feeling from the place, I hope it's ok. The Boston Aquarium has seals. They don't do shows either. Not sure of their story, but the aquarium talks a lot about conservation. They have a turtle program where they rescue and rehab injured turtles and release them. I do feel so sad for the larger turtle and shark in the large tank. I will need to ask about them next time I go there too. I do think family dogs are different. We had a husky for 15 years. She had the run of the house and daily adventures outside. She seemed very happy. She would seek out our company. If I was in bed, she might jump in and snuggle up next to me. I never jumped into her bed to snuggle her, but she was welcome to seek me out. She, of course, was never deprived of food or used for her breeding purposes. She did do one trick though. She gave a high five. She did it once by accident, and we made such a big deal that she kept doing it. :) Our beta fish- well, I'd really love for the pet stores to stop selling them. It's gross how they keep them in cups. I feel like every time we take one home (we have had three over the last 6 years), we are improving that one beta's life. Our betas get a five gallon tank with a heater and filter, live plants/rocks/and some kind of cave for hiding. They are fed regularly. And they live for years. So I think they are better off with us. If I thought my not buying them would cause the pet stores to stop selling them, I'd stop buying them. But I know it wouldn't make a difference.

oh, I forgot to mention that spaghetti sauce (the kind with meat) is SO delicious over roasted broccoli or asparagus. It's one of my favorite meals. It is also delicious over a baked potato, as is chili. My dh likes it over polenta. And it's so easy to make your own sauce. I just brown some ground beef, add canned tomatoes (just plain, no sugar or anything added), add some wine if I remember, salt, basil if I have it, yum! I don't add carrots or onions because ds can't enjoy it with those. :)

I eat a gluten free/ dairy free diet. I rarely eat sugar. I do have dark chocolate now and then. My kids are not gluten or dairy free, so their meals are a little different. B- eggs, green veggies (swiss chard or spinach usually), roasted potatoes. Sometimes I buy gluten free bread, but not usually. Coconut oil for eggs. kids will have the same or yogurt and fruit. I often make granola with gluten free oats. that has honey though. L- salad with protein- meat, tuna, or salmon usually. Or left overs. D- protein- tonight was drumsticks. starch- rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rarely gluten free pasta veggies- It's pretty easy to be gluten free and sugar free. We don't do pre packaged snacks. We might make popcorn for a snack. The kids also eat cheese sticks, yogurt, rarely gluten free crackers with peanut butter, fruit, or veggies with hummus. We don't bake sweets unless it's a holiday. When they eat yogurt, they do add honey. Occasionally I will make gluten free pancakes. I just sub out oat flour made from oats that I put in my blender. I do this for cookies too. But again, those have sugar and are rare. Dinners also might be chili or soup. I keep it simple. Whole cooked chicken with potatoes and carrots is an easy one too. Then I make a stock with the bones and have soup later in the week. I use to make bread to go with it, but now I don't. It's ok once you get use to no wheat. you don't miss it so much after a while. Good luck. :)

We did a little yesterday and today. Yesterday we did two Spanish lessons (two because they asked for a second). We do Elementary Spanish on Discovery Streaming, so it's kind of fun for them. We also did an episode of Magic School Bus- Cells and started our MSB microscope study. Today we watched MSB episode on bones and muscles and read a book on bones and muscles. :) We are more formally starting a study of the human body next week, but I thought I'd do a few fun things this week to get us going. We don't normally watch many videos, so they were excited about all this screen time. And it kind of counts as school :) Tomorrow we are going to learn the major bones and make Day of the Dead Bread in the shape of bones. I did attempt a phonics lesson with ds and he ran off screaming. Not looking forward to next week when we start up with math and reading again.

We had all hits this year-the first being that my ex step dad is alive and doing well after a traumatic brain injury this summer. I appreciated this Christmas more than ever this year. Our whole family got together to celebrate, and my parents (mom and step dad), who are newly divorced and both have new SOs, actually got along. My step dad even bought gifts for my sisters and me- they each got a jar of fermented food, and I got peanuts! He drove himself, (he got his license back the week before Christmas), and he chose one thing for each of us. ( We had said no gifts this year) It was really a great Christmas. As for gifts- DH- got a ukelele, and he loves it! I'm so happy because I never manage to get him anything that he really likes. DD- lego friends sets, American girl accessories for Kaya, Calico Critters motorcycle DS- Playmobil top agents set, mousetrap racer car kit, binoculars joint gift for both kids from my dad and step mom- microscope kit me- wool long underwear, wool socks, gift card to REI! I'm super excited. I am always cold, and I have such a hard time finding comfortable clothing. The under things are wool blends and are actually soft enough for me. Both kids also got B&N gift cards from my gma. DS already knows he will get Harry Potter Film Wizardry. DD got it for Xmas, and he really wants his own copy since she has had her nose in it since opening it!

huh. Interesting. My son is sensory seeking, but not orally. He is a non stop talker though... I wonder if he would benefit. Thanks.

It definitely is a unique to each person kind of thing. I am certain I have some form/s of SPD. My son does, and my dd most likely does, but we are all different. For me- there are many components, but if you don't know me well, very well, you wouldn't know it. My kids, my best friend, my sister, and my husband know these things about me, but I think to others they would go unnoticed. I am able to avoid and adapt well now that I am almost 40. :) Sound- if it's too loud I get completely overwhelmed, so I carry ear plugs in my purse. At night I sleep with a loud fan and earplugs, and an eye mask to keep out all light. Crowds- completely stress me out, but I can do fine in them. I am just exhausted when I get out of the situation. Same with artificial type lights, like in stores. I hate stores. Foods- I'm pretty sure I can't think of anything that bothers me as far as textures but the smell of cooking food sometimes bothers me. Even if it's good food that I like. It's just too strong. Chewing noises sometimes make me want to scream and run out of the room, but at home I just turn on the radio and am usually ok. Clothing- I am very sensitive to what I wear. Must be soft. I hate, hate, hate jeans, even comfortable ones. I will wear them for a bit, but the second I get in my house, I'm back in yoga pants. Same with nice shirts. I live in tshirts, sweatshirts, and yoga pants when I'm at home. But again, I'll wear "real" clothing outside of my home. My shoes must feel just right. A grain of rice in my shoe would drive me crazy. My hair- needs to be off of my neck. pony tail most of the time. I hate being touched, but my son is sensory seeking, so I have really managed to deal with this a lot. I do feel like I'm being attacked when he or dh is trying to get near me, but I'm getting better about tolerating it. Deep breathing and reminding myself that I'm ok helps. DD is sensory avoiding, so she and I do well together. :) Those are just a few things that are off the top of my head. But I'm pretty sure that most people wouldn't even notice them.

Well, I don't work outside the home except for four times a month, so I don't need work clothing. (I wear scrubs to work). But I definitely am way under 33 items of clothing. Not so much because I'm a mimimalist but because I haven't gone shopping in ages, and I'm super picky about how clothing feels. However, I also don't need "nice" clothing. I stay at home with the kids and do kid stuff most of the time.

Epsom salt bath before bed Weighted blanket? My son just started using a small weighted blanket- he was having a tough time falling asleep- and it seems to be helping. I'd try the Bach flower rememdy too. I really like the rescue rememdy.

Progressive Phonics is nice. We downloaded it onto the kindle app, and my son likes to read it on there. I also printed out a few of the books as well. It's also free, except for the printing if you choose to print, and that's nice. My son likes the stories because they are silly, and he also enjoys the part where he finds the difference between the pictures- sort of a little reward after reading. He also really likes the Starfall website/ app. You can also print out the readers for that.

We have a doorway swing/ trapeze bar that the kids use a lot. I'm also considering a small trampoline, but even a small one will take up a lot of our space. Last week we took a break from school one day and did a 15 min movement break from the BOKS website. They are a program that some schools use, put out by Rebok. I was able to email them and then download the break suggestions. It's a whole PDF of fun classroom break ideas. The one we did was fun- pretend you are wading through a swamp of marshmallow fluff, pretend you are popcorn popping, pretend you are running (in place) from a lion, etc. There were maybe 8 ideas, suggested time was about 30 seconds each or something. The kids had a blast. I did it with them. Hope that helps.

Thanks for posting. Has anyone used the English?

We have not exchanged gifts in years. We don't have the extra money, and we are both happy to spend what we have on the kids. That said, if there is something we want, we buy it for ourselves whenever. I don't exchange gifts with my family or with Dhs family either. Both families choose a charity and we donate a certain amount per person. It makes me happy, and I don't need anything we do fill each other's stockings with little things like favorite chocolate or other little things.

I would bring the grapes and strawberries and be happy that my ils were actually going to serve fruit for once, and then, if I wanted to bring something else, I'd do that too. No reason you can't bring something you made and the fruit for the salad. Maybe she is making some kind of family salad where each family brings a part and it is symbolic or something. ;)

yoga- pigeon pose is good for that, I believe. A while back I hurt my psoas. I was seeing a therapist in Florida at the time, and he showed me how to massage it myself- extremely painful, but effective. I found a video of one of his practitioners on you tube. Randy Clark is his name. If you search you tube with his name and psoas, you should be able to find his videos on it.

a wardrobe- as in clothing, not a cabinet that holds the clothing. I desperately need new clothing, but I never make the time to actually get it done. And I have trouble finding things that are comfortable, look good, and fit well. So, stylish clothing that fits and meets my sensory needs. :) a family vacation to somewhere warm- probably Disney since the kids have never been there. a sewing maching and classes a Spanish tutor for the kids and myself

borax ornaments- They seem pretty durable. We made them two years ago and hung them in the windows. They are still where we left them two years ago ;) I just let them air dry and hang with a ribbon. Just google borax ornament, or check pinterest. Super easy. We used colored pipe cleaners- red and white twisted to make candy canes, pink hearts, blue snow flakes, a red wine glass for dh :) We also colored the water in some of them. They come out really pretty.

You just described my 6 year old son. He is in OT for sensory issues, nothing diagnosed officially, but he is definitely sensory seeking. I wouldn't call my son ADHD, I think it's more sensory with maybe some other stuff thrown in. ;) My son does have lower than normal tone, weak core, and hyperflexible joints too, so that explains some of his inability to sit still or sit upright. Anwways, I agree with what the others wrote.