oops, you forgot the question. LOL Well, the gardisil is a complete no brainer for me. There is no way that I'm giving that to a girl. The smallest amount of research brings up WAY too many questions and no answers. It's dangerous. I knew about the tetnus and whooping cough and understand those at least. I can't help you with the others. I couldn't do chicken pox for multiple reasons and it's a non-issue for me as I refused it up front and my kids got the chicken pox when little. Thankfully.. And I know nothing about the meningitis one. I do think there is some concern with given any but especially with giving so many. And I think there are issues with giving unproven and ones where there are still concerns not addressed. At some point, the kids have to be a part of the decision making process also so 1) they know how to do so but also 2) it's their bodies and they will deal with the consequences, positive and negative of each choice.

sorry. had to remove

Kids are resilient. She'll be fine in time. Like Claire said, there may be a way to keep her in still. And like fivetails said, you can get her to write a list of all the things she'd like to do with this friend and then just start working your way down the list. She can also see the other kids occasionally also. And then there are neighborhood friends, friends at various activities, and homeschool friends. She'll be fine though. Pamela

Well, I was thinking Laundry until I saw your post.....the fridge should be cleaned before I go shopping. Hmmmmmm I'm just checking the board while looking on craigslist for another dog. Hubby would prefer I talk to you, I'm sure :)

Boy, posting that was MUCH easier on the other boards. And didn't seem nearly so long!

Create your Own Product Line Ever dream of seeing your slogans and artwork on T-shirts, mugs, or hats? You can turn that dream into reality—and into cash—without investing even a penny in expensive startup costs like equipment and stock. Submit your original ideas and art online to websites like http://www.zazzle.com ,http://www.cafepress.com , and others, and you'll receive commission on all sales generated with your designs. Do this for T-shirts, mugs, kids' accessories, housewares, posters, stickers, and so much more. In addition to securing orders from strangers who visit those sites, you can also make money by doing some proactive promotion of your own. Encourage your friends and family to place orders, and get them to email all of their friends, too, by forwarding links to your products. Holiday Helper Professionals who work in traditional positions are often too busy to plan properly for the holidays. They dream of an elf appearing to save the season. You can make money as that elf—the person who does the shopping, wrapping, and shipping of gifts, especially when your client loathes crowded malls and surly clerks. You can also pitch yourself as the kitchen queen who assists with cooking and cleaning for holiday guests. Photograph parties and prepare scrapbooks to preserve holiday memories. Address envelopes with fancy calligraphy to get your client's cards out before the New Year is here. Collect mail, water the plants, and feed the pets for vacationing families. Create inexpensive business cards or flyers on your home computer touting your holiday services. Distribute them to neighbors, schools, churches, and any place where busy professionals are likely to be. Expect to charge $10 to $20 an hour depending on your location and the nature of the work you're doing. Turn those seasonal clients into year-round customers by catering to their everyday needs. You can get paid to walk a dog, garden, shop for groceries, wait for the cable guy to show up, fetch dry cleaning, or set up electronics for busy professionals or people who have challenges leaving home. Offer one-time discounts to your clients if they assist you with successful referrals by chatting up your services in their offices. Telemarketing Opportunities Many companies and organizations outsource their cold-calling campaigns to third parties. Those third parties hire full time and temporary workers—many of whom work from home—to place those calls with specific goals in mind. You may be required to convince contacts to book an appointment, commit to making a donation, or agree to try a product or service. Your calls could also be focused on debt collection. Typically you’ll receive an hourly base pay, plus performance-based commission. While some training is provided, applicants are expected to have some high quality customer-service and/or cold-calling experience. Among the companies to explore: http://www.telereach.com or http://www.intrep.com . You should also search online for home-based telemarketing positions on the big job boards and the major search engines. Do not pay for leads; you should be able to find employers that are hiring without paying a middleman for access to that information. Job Boards The big job boards like HotJobs.com, CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com are filled with thousands of work-from-home opportunities. SimplyHired.com and Indeed.com grab positions from a wide variety of sources. The key is to search all of these Web sites by using the words "virtual" or "home-based" when looking for opportunities advertised online. TheLadders.com , which focuses on positions paying in more than $100,000 annually and requires a monthly fee to join, features a wide range of senior-level positions from home in sales, technology, finance and marketing. Web sites such as elance.com sologig.com guru.com craigslist.com backpage.com clicknwork.com ether.com ifreelance.com odesk.com have thousands of part-time and consulting opportunities to research. Some of them allow you to post a free profile about yourself and your skills and services. If you're bidding on freelance projects, be sure to research going rates before indicating what you're willing to work for. This is especially important for work outside of your geographic area. If you live in Ohio, the going rates for graphic design might be much less there than in New York. While the client is looking for a good deal, you don't want to underprice—or overprice—your services or you're likely to be knocked out of the running. As with any posting or advertisement, you must be diligent about doing your homework and using lots of common sense. Just because something is listed on an honorable website or in a reputable publication, doesn't mean the opportunity has been vetted for legitimacy. That means talking to a live person and not just relying on an email exchange to learn in-depth about the requirements, challenges and potential earning power. Don't be fooled by postings that promise big bucks for minimal effort. If it were that easy, we'd all be working in those jobs! Working From Home as an Independent Contractor When looking at home-based opportunities, there’s a good chance you’ll have to work as an independent contractor, not an employee. This can be a daunting prospect for many people who prefer the simplicity of employee status. However, you shouldn’t dismiss an opportunity simply because you’re unsure of how to handle the tax liabilities associated with being an independent contractor. As an independent contractor, you are in essence working for yourself. Your paycheck will not have taxes deducted, so you’ll be responsible for keeping track of your tax liability and planning and saving accordingly to make such payments. Another difference: as an independent contractor, you do not receive traditional employee benefits such as paid vacation or sick days, health insurance benefits, and other perks. (You may be able to buy into big group insurance programs at a discount rate, but the entire cost would be yours to bear.) As an employee, you use your social security number for tax identification purposes. As an independent contractor, you will likely need a tax identification number (TIN). If you’ve formed a corporation, LLC, or partnership, you will obtain a tax ID number for that entity. If you are a sole proprietor (self employed), you may be eligible to use your social security number as your tax identification number. At year end, the company/ies you’ve performed work for will send you a 1099 stating your wages instead of a W2, which is reserved for employees. There are many incentives to being an independent contractor. You are eligible to deduct the costs of maintaining your home office and other expenses from your income tax. You also have enormous freedom to pick and choose the assignments and opportunities that appeal most to you versus being told daily what to do by one manager. Millions of people have successfully mastered the paperwork and oversight required as an independent contractor. If they can do it, you can too. So when considering home-based opportunities, choose the work that is most appealing to you, and then consider the employee versus contractor status secondary. In some cases, you will be required to incorporate. This is a very simple process that is handled through your home state. The corporate entity that you form is the entity through which you will operate your interactions with the companies you opt to work with. It is also that corporate structure that enables you to maximize any number of tax advantages. Work as an Eldercare Manager or Referral Agent A Place for Mom, the largest provider of free referral services nationwide, hires home-based eldercare agents to respond to inquires for assistance from families. If you're passionate about helping people with eldercare demands, and you have prior sales experience, this is a full-time, commission-only home-based career opportunity where you can feel good about assisting others in need. Successful agents earn between $40,000 and more than $100,000 annually. To find other home-based opportunities in the eldercare field, check with local service providers in your area that hire care managers and referral agents on a salaried, hourly and commission basis. Helpful Links: *Arise, one of the companies that requires all of its home-based agents to incorporate, offers a great list of links to each state's website for incorporation steps. http://www.arise.com/content/state-sites.asp *The IRS website offers information on all of the tax considerations and advantages/disadvantages of employees versus independent contractors. http://www.irs.gov *SCORE is a great organization for help with determining what type of legal entity would fit you best and then guiding you on establishing the proper set-up. http://www.score.org You may also contact any tax professional or lawyer to help you make the best choice for you and to advise you on the legal and tax ramifications of your desired choice.

Continuing: Transcribe Audio to Text Speeches, lectures, television and radio programs, and interviews must be converted to text that's delivered timely and accurate. If you possess exceptional English language and grammar skills and you're an experienced typist with a speed of at least 75 wpm, you could transcribe audio to text. Some businesses may require you to take a transcription test before offering you opportunities to work. Most assignments are handled on a freelance basis. Sites to explore include http://www.productiontranscripts.com http://www.moderndayscribe.com http://www.tigerfish.com http://www.alicedarling.com Find others by searching online. Use Your Language Skills as a Translator If you are a native speaker of a foreign language, then becoming a freelance translator could be a great opportunity. Several companies need documentation translated for international partners and hire freelance translators through companies like http://www.welocalize.com http://www.languagetranslation.com http://www.accurapid.com http://www.telelanguage.com http://www.argostranslations.com http://www.sdl.com Most companies require applicants to take a written test and sign a non-disclosure agreement. Precision and accuracy is a must. Companies who hire freelance translators prefer candidates who are native speakers of the target language; have experience with professional documents, software, or multimedia translations; and are members of a professional translation association. The most in-demand services include translation from English to Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Russian, and Italian. This is another business you can start on your own if you have the skills and are able to network effectively to land a client. A major corporate client can keep you busy full time and smaller businesses would likely offer project work here and there. Become a Virtual Assistant Often times small business owners and mid- to executive-level professionals need personal assistants but cannot afford to hire one on a full-time basis, or simply don't have the space in their offices. Therefore, they hire people from remote locations to do their administrative work for them. Virtual assistants can handle bookkeeping, administrative duties, travel arrangements, transcription and correspondence, and other support services that can be done remotely via email and phone. A search on Google using keywords "virtual assistant" will generate results of many independent contractors. Some will outsource a share of their workload. Check out http://www.virtualassistantjobs.com and http://www.teamdoubleclick.com . You should also consider starting a similar business on your own. Be your own boss, set your own hours, and acquire clients through self-promotion and marketing. Networking and referrals are your best bets for landing clients. Create an e-mail about your services and send it to everyone you know—and ask them to forward it along to everyone they know. Become a Virtual Publicist Technology has made it possible for thousands of virtual public relations firms to exist nationwide, all of which are eager to identify experienced communications and marketing professionals who are diligent in their work habits but also crave the flexibility of a home base. Among them: http://www.bisbeeandco.com http://www.partnercentric.com http://www.orcacommunications.com http://www.perkettpr.com http://www.kellylodestro.com just to name a few. If you're a seasoned PR pro with an area of speciality, contact them with your capabilities and availability. You should also consider starting your own virtual PR firm. If you're experienced in promotions, event planning, writing, pitching, media contact management, crisis communications, or strategic planning, there's a good chance your services are in demand. Without expensive office overhead, you can offer competitive prices while making a hefty profit. Create a website that promotes your abilities, and start spreading the word. Since you're in PR, you no doubt know how to toot your own horn. Guide Users Online With Your Expertise Use your subject-area expertise to make money assisting others who are in need of that knowledge. Chacha.com is a brand new search engine—still in the early stages of working out its technical kinks—that is similar to Yahoo or Google, however users have the ability to request the free help of a live guide. That live guide is sitting at home making money while he or she assists with the online search. Learn how you can make $5 to $10 an hour, which can be paid to you via debit card or direct deposit, at http://www.chacha.com . Also look into http://www.mahalo.com to be considered as a live search engine guide. About.com offers qualified applicants the opportunity to become guides if they have proven expertise in a topic area. As a guide, you're responsible for publishing a full-length article every 14 days and you must update your blog at least three times per week. Anyone can apply, but you must pass a 17-day-long self-guided online training program to familiarize yourself with About's tools and demonstrate your knowledge of the process. Successful guides never make less than $500 per month, according to About.com, and some guides can earn upwards of $100,000 a year for popular, high-trafficked sections. Visit the getting started guide on http://www.about.com for details. On http://www.justanswer.com users agree to pay for experts to answer their questions. If you have an expertise—from gardening to genealogy—you can agree to answer questions for a price. The site then pays you based on accepted answers. Kasamba.com allows you to register your expertise and dictate how much you want to get paid for sharing it. Become an Online Tutor If you graduated from a college or university in this country or in Canada, or you're a current student at an accredited school, and you have expertise in English, math, science, or social studies, you could make money as an online tutor. You must be able to convey key information to students of all ages—generally fourth grade through college level—in an online environment. That means teaching mathematical formulas and chemistry equations to a kid through cyberspace, rather than face-to-face instruction. Visit http://www.tutor.com to learn how you can make $10 an hour or more working 5 to 30 hours a week from home. Also explore http://www.esylvan.com , http://www.brainfuse.com , http://www.kidspan.com , http://www.universalclass.com , among others. To find other online—tutoring opportunities, or to learn how to start your own online—tutoring business, do a Google search using the keywords "online tutor" and research dozens of options based on your availability and subject—area expertise.

CONTINUING: Nurses on Call Registered nurses who don't want to work in traditional hospital settings or doctors' offices—or who want to supplement their income—can put their knowledge to work at home. Several companies, such as http://www.fonemed.com and http://www.mckesson.com , hire nurses to provide phone-based triage and advice to callers requesting information on medical conditions and reactions to medication. Home-based nurses can also provide sound advice to patients on disease management and health care options so they're armed with information to make the best decisions about their care. You can also check with a medical center in your area to ask if they hire or contract with home-based nurses to provide similar triage and advice phone services. Recruit From Home Many service-oriented businesses are allowing professionals to work virtually. This is certainly true in the field of recruiting. Some of the opportunities are commission-only: You must recruit a candidate who is hired by an employer in order to receive any money. Others offer a base salary, plus commission. Go to the big job boards—HotJobs.com , Careerbuilder.com , Monster.com —and search using the key words "virtual recruiter" or "home-based recruiter." You'll see many openings to which you can apply. The other option is to search on Google or Yahoo for contingency search firms and/or placement agencies. Cold-call them to ask whether they hire home-based recruiters or impress them with your phone skills so that they decide to make you their first virtual recruiter. To be successful, you must be a super-savvy networker and possess knowledge of recruitment tactics. Oftentimes, some training will be provided if you can prove that you're a highly networked, resourceful professional. Medical Coding and Transcription Medical coding and transcription can't always be performed at home, especially with strict privacy policies and guidelines. However, there are many companies that hire home-based workers with the skills and experience to provide both services. Keep in mind, however, that it's very difficult for entry-level, inexperienced candidates to get hired to perform such work from home. This is by no means the "get-rich-quick" line of work that many mistakenly perceive it to be. In most cases, in addition to the proper training, you must have your own computer, high-speed Internet access, and, where applicable, headphones and a foot pedal. In an effort to weed out the poor quality schools, the American Association for Medical Transcription, in conjunction with the American Health Information Management Association, has been approving medical transcription schools based on the AAMT Model Curriculum. There is a list of approved schools on the AAMT website. http://www.aamt.org/scriptcontent/mtapproved.cfm Some companies also require you to have your own software; others will provide it. In addition to finding appropriate employers online by searching Google or the big job boards, you can check out the opportunities with http://www.mtjobs.com http://www.medquist.com http://www.healthiva.com http://www.precysesolutions.com http://www.amphionmedical.com If you're interested in starting your own coding or transcription business, begin with medical offices in your area. Ask the doctors you know how they handle such tasks and offer to provide your services. As with any new business, expect to get many rejections before you finally get a yes. Then remember, if you can get one yes, you can get two, then four and so on. Connect With Clients as a Concierge Do you think you have what it takes to handle phone, e-mail, and online customer inquiries for services that range from making dinner suggestions and reservations to planning a vacation for busy professionals? What if the caller asked you to locate the dress Julia Roberts wore in "Ocean's Eleven," rent monkeys for a birthday party, or help write a speech for a best man? Those are some of the common and quirky requests asked of home-based concierge agents at VIPdesk, one of the leading services. VIPdesk's clients are executives and employees of some of the top companies in the world, all of whom are willing to pay for such services of convenience. VIPdesk hires home-based agents who are highly resourceful and have prior experience in high-end customer service, travel and/or hospitality. Apply online at http://www.vipdesk.com . Because concierge services are growing in popularity as a benefit for businesses of all sizes, consider starting your own service. Contact employers in your area about offering services of convenience to their staffers. For example, a doctor's office might require its staff to work long hours to accommodate patient needs. Employee absenteeism can cause a disruption or slow down in services. It may be more beneficial for the medical practice to pay an outsider like you to handle errands and special chores for a nurse than to give that nurse a day off. This same theory applies to companies where staffers work long hours or are required to travel regularly. So use this approach when pitching your services. Cook Up Some Cash as a Culinary Consultant Think you have what it takes to whip up culinary magic in the kitchen? That just might qualify you to become a home-based consultant for Chefsline.com , which provides live, professional advice to anyone who needs help with cooking or baking. Chef consultants must excel at cooking, teaching, and customer service, and must be available to take calls for a minimum of eight hours per week during afternoon and evening hours. A culinary degree is preferred, but not required. A specialty in regional cuisine is desirable, such as African, Latin American, Middle Eastern or French, among others. Compensation ranges from $7.50 to $30 an hour, depending on expertise. If you've got a strong entrepreneurial spirit, you can also offer to plan and execute cooking demonstrations in supermarkets, gourmet shops, or private homes. Or find clients who'll allow you to plan their meals, shop for groceries, and prepare dinner. Time-strapped individuals often dream of having an affordable personal chef instead of relying on frozen dinners and takeout. Become a Blogger Blogging and media-sharing on the Internet are super hot right now, with no signs of fading any time soon. Web sites with videos, personal content, and gossip are raking in advertising dollars with each click of the mouse. You can become a professional blogger, too. Web sites such as http://www.payperpost.com allow you to post videos and photographs, and then receive a percentage of the site's revenue, which is generated from advertising associated with page views and clicks to the content posted by you. The harder you work to promote your own videos and photos, the more money you'll earn. Another way to make money is to create your very own blog at http://www.blogger.com . Set up your own page and create captivating content to lure readers to your stuff. Then add the site's AdSense feature, which allows advertisements to be included on the page. Every time a viewer clicks through on the advertisement on your blog page, cha-ching! Keep in mind this only works if you're committed to creating a blog that others would find fascinating—and you hustle to attract readers to build a following for yourself. Get Paid to Write or Edit A handful of Web sites pay for articles, but unless they're commissioning your original work, you won't make big bucks. http://www.associatedcontent.com pays around $10 per approved/published piece. http://www.helium.com is another option that rewards prolific writers, and both sites are a good way to build an online portfolio of published work while making some money at the same time. Two other options for various assignments: http://www.myessays.com and http://www.writerfind.com . Another option is freelance writing for magazines, trade publications, newsletters, or local newspapers. If you've developed a specialty or have a particular interest in a single topic—film, fashion, food, travel—many websites and small publications work only with freelancers and regularly look for writers to do reviews on products or new releases, ranging in topic from electronics to beauty. Contact the editors of the publications you'd like to work for. (Their names and contact information can typically be found on the masthead or websites.) Ask for their writers guidelines and be ready to submit samples of your work. (This is also where links to your work from the two sites listed above can come in handy.) We hire freelance writers for our company's magazine, which is published three times a year. All of them have come to us unsolicited with their writing samples and story suggestions. Compensation varies based on your experience. Novices might have to accept free products or press passes for their work. Experienced writers can expect to make anywhere from fifty cents to $2 per word. For multiple articles, you might settle on a flat rate. Experienced editors can apply for projects on sites such as http://www.cyberedit.com and http://www.editfast.com .

Well, I work(ed) LiveOps (been on an extended vacation due to health issues). I personally find it wonderful. I was doing childcare before (and have considered it again), but I struggle with "At LiveOps, I average over $13/hour, so could make what I'd make babysitting a child in less than 7 hours rather than 40-ish!" Of course, there are other benefits of both also. Anyway, here is the article I read that got me on the track of working from home. I applied at LiveOps and Alpine Access being accepted to both immediately. I chose LiveOps. Later, I got accepted at accdirect. http://womenforhire.com/advice/work_from_home_opportunities/work_from_home_resources Work From Home Resources We've started some of the research for you. This section offers a list of dozens of opportunities to consider for making money at home. Only you can decide which, if any, are right for you. Before settling on any one opportunity, be sure to consider the tips we offer on avoiding scams. Virtual Customer-Service Agent Another growing work-from-home opportunity is to answer the inbound customer calls for companies like J Crew, 1-800 Flowers, Virgin Atlanta, or Walgreens. These major players and many others like them outsource their customer-service calls to companies that hire U.S.-based virtual agents. Set your own hours and pick an account that's ideally suited to your knowledge and interests. In addition to having a pleasant voice and strong customer-service skills, you must have high-speed Internet access, a computer, a landline, and a quiet place to work—all of which you pay for on your own. Expect to make an average of $8 and $15 an hour depending on your experience, call volume and accounts. Be prepared to work a minimum of 15 to 20 hours per week, although some agents work 40 hours to 60 hours when their schedule permits. Among the companies to explore: http://www.alpineaccess.com http://www.liveops.com http://www.workingsol.com http://www.workathomeagent.com http://www.arise.com http://www.accoladesupport.com http://www.customloyal.com http://www.sciathome.com http://www.overflowusa.com http://www.acddirect.com http://www.westathome.com http://www.convergysworkathome.com http://www.hirepoint.com and others hire year-round, and during the holidays they're all eager for great talent as they prepare for a very busy holiday season. Each company has different needs, hours, clients, payment schedules, etc., so be sure to check with a few of them to determine the best match for you. Channel Your Inner Judge Judy Instead of spending time watching the courtroom programs on TV, try making some pocket money while determining verdicts as an online juror. Lawyers deciding whether or not to accept a case or looking for preliminary feedback on cases they're currently handling use various websites as a cost-effective tool for research and focus groups before heading into a real courtroom. Sites including http://www.ejury.com http://www.onlineverdict.com http://www.trialpractice.com pay nominal fees to home-based e-jurors, which may range from $10 to $60, depending on the length of the e-trial. Research all of the sites and read the requirements before signing on to serve. Home-Based Jobs for Americans with Disabilities NTI Central (http://www.nticentral.org ) connects Americans with disabilities to employers willing to hire employees and contractors for home-based assignments. The database isn't large, but it's proven to be a smart resource for many workers. Do Some Mystery Shopping Get paid to shop and eat at great restaurants, and then report back to the corporate headquarters on the level of service and cleanliness to help improve the experience for future customers. There are opportunities to earn small amounts of money—and get free products and services—depending on where you live. While some people have managed to make a living at this, we don't recommend that you rely on it to pay the bills, especially because assignments can be sporadic. Don't get hooked into paying $25 to $100 to become an "official" mystery shopper, assuming you'll automatically get hired. A legitimate opportunity should not cost you any money. It should give you the chance based on your profile, interests, and background. One resource in learning more about the industry and finding links to opportunities is http://www.mysteryshop.org . Review the details of any opportunity before signing up so you're clear on what's expected and what type of compensation you'll receive. Talk Tech If you're an experienced IT professional and you enjoy problem-solving and quality customer service, you may be able to work from home providing tech support via phone, online, and in-person to customers nationwide. As an independent contractor or employee (this varies per company), you'd work from your own home office, set your own hours, and service clients in your area. Some of the companies to explore include http://www.computerassistant.com http://www.geeksontime.com http://www.supportfreaks.com http://www.plumchoice.com

My daughter didn't nap even as a newborn either. She did sleep through the night at only a couple weeks old though. My daughter was in daycare at 6 weeks unfortunately and the childcare workers didn't particularly appreciate a non-napping child. However, she was pretty content playing in the crib, in the swing, on the floor, etc. She did fuss a good bit the first 4 months, we assume because she could only move a little bit because once she could really scoot and roll well, she was a happy, easy baby....well, except that she just didn't believe in sleep til she was 10 years old :)

Don't.... If you want to show them how much they are misbehaving and have them aim for doing it less and less, then use a chart, maybe tallymarks, for that. That way they can see that progress. But you want them to see the accumulation of positives if you do a reward chart for a short time. Taking away points is to suggest that they didn't (or may well not have) done the positive they did. They are two different things. Does that make sense?

You have just given my daughter homework. She says, "thank you."

I needed to be able to click two categories (or more). When I first read TWTM, I was very turned off. I'm sure a lot of that was my child development background, how beautifully unschooling was working, how we had used (or looked at) some of the materials and were disappointed trying to adapt them for my oldest who was several years advanced academically. But when I picked it up a couple years ago, it was a whole different story. I LOVED it :) We incorporated some neat stuff into our homeschool and really enjoyed it. And then we moved away from it somewhat though we have a quite traditional homeschool curriculum for each kid now. So, I've been all over the place with it. And if I ever were to have another child, I'm sure I would incorporate most of it, at various times, in various ways.

Generally, I'm against rewards as well as punishment. However, I think it perfectly reasonable to use them extremely sparingly (like we've used a reward chart twice for two weeks each time). Sometimes you need something to help mom be more consistent (in this case about being positive) and kids to get into a good habit (or out of a bad one). Like JFS said, it needs to be more specific in order for you to be consistent. Don't have 30 items! LOL Anyway, what I did was break the day into a few sections (the younger the child, the more that may be needed) and then we tracked progress that way. Another thing. Make sure you beef up your good discipline skills and tools a bit. That will make the biggest difference long term. HTHs a little :) Pamela

JFS, How long does the prednisone take to show a difference? What about the side effects of it? Thanks :) Pamela

I wish I couldn't post this but here's mine: anklyosing spondylitis (on top of osteoarthritis) antiphospholipid antibody syndrome hashimotos and endometriosis and psoriatic arthritis if they count I have been checked several times for MS and Lupus. My pcp was sure that lupus test was going to "pop" eventually. We'll see. Add on top of these everything else wrong? I'm just falling apart. The bad part is passing the bad genes to my kids :( Not to mention, we're together so they have the environmental triggers similar also. Just stinks.

I kinda wondered if they were going to ask why my teenagers were home doing yardwork rather than being at school. My daughter thinks it'll hit them about the time they get to the coffee shop :)

The reason they are more dangerous is that people without CLOSE loved ones that drive them just don't see them. Add that they also are unprotected by the vehicle (belts, airbags, a cage) should something happen.... My parents ride. I'm not against bikes at all. I just wish they were safer. Pamela

and four or so police officers come to my house, waking me up JUST after I fell asleep for a much needed nap. The one asked me to step outside. Kinda scary! :auto: Seems someone called in a burglary in progress...30 minutes earlier but county officers are slow. But I relaxed. See, 30 minutes earlier, my kids had taken the old wooden steps from the house next door to bring next to our trampoline. That had to be what they were talking about. I told the officer that we had called the number off the house and asked the man if it would be okay since they had built new decks on the house. He said it was fine AND that they would pay us $500 if we referred someone who bought the house. In this case, we KNEW it wasn't an issue anyway, just that someone didn't remove the temporary steps from the property, no biggie, but we still felt it better to ask even if we knew it was gonna be okay. Well and it's a good thing we did. Also, we were able to give a good witness to everyone involved :) Anyway, it was a little too exciting for a few minutes. The police said they'd come back when the report filing person got there. An officer came to the door a moment ago and said they got ahold of the guy we told them about and all was fine LOL

oops....didn't realize the thread was older until after I posted. I'm glad things are going a little better with the dogs. Kids are much easier cuz you can just order them. No dog, without you standing over them, is going to refuse a treat though.

Our congregation volunteer work is something my son is heavily into (and gets great joy from). I know for sure he'll want to do that a great bit this summer as he loves when he can do it more than one or two mornings a week which is all he gets most weeks during the school year (though I'm trying to see if we can arrange our schedule differently for next year so he can participate even more). I have considered that getting a job other than a neighborhood one like mowing lawns would cut into his service time. I really don't want THAT to happen either. I'll look into some options and see if we can work it all out. Thanks Chucki as I hadn't considered anything like those options.

I know this has been discussed many times, but I have a 13yo boy (as of this week) who I really believe would benefit from working this summer. Thing is, you know how 13yos run the gammut of seeming like little kids or like their grown? My son looks 10 or maybe 11 (probably not...lol); he's short with babyfat. He has a speech impediment that makes him seem a little younger too. So I'm not sure people will take him seriously. Well and I don't know what people that would be. There is a guy in our congregation that has a landscaping/mowing business and that was my first guess on who my son could talk to about working. I heard of people detasseling corn and such but wouldn't know how to find a job LIKE that here in Texas (thinking people might not do a lot of that specifically here?). I thought he could just do a few yards here in the subdivision (yards here are 1-5 acres), but that is actually less work than I was considering and I like the idea of him working with someone. Anyone have any great ideas?

Though I absolutely cringed at some of the suggestions given, most of what I would suggest has been said already. The only one I would add is Raising a Thinking Child by Myrna Shure. It's a bit different as it's actually a curriculum to help you proactively give your children problem solving skills and then also to help them think through the issue if they make a mistake so they can do better next time. And I will definitely be touting Joanne's book when she gets it out. I trust, after years of posting with her on a few boards, that it will be great. I only hope people will read it and use it and drop the junk parenting.

I feel the same way but I have an excuse, we're usually down to only the last few lessons of the last couple subjects by this time, finishing completely by the end of the month. But ds is doing the virtual academy this year and though I LOVE IT we have til May 29th. Even my daughter is lagging a little this year (probably cuz of a rough start with her in the hospital and sick and medication side effects and such). But I'm doing my Spring cleaning (just finished pantry). And I'm enjoying the sun. And we exercised first thing (6am). So we'll just push through. GO HOMESCHOOLERS! LOL

You might want to keep records just in case you decide that 8th was really 9th or something of that sort. However, for us, anything high school related done before the years we considered high school were noted in that the student was taking advanced classes. In other words, I figured that colleges were smart enough to figure that a 9th grader taking pre-calc had already done the maths prior. Also, Biology was done in 8th grade but we did an advanced Biology also so figured they'd figure it out. If you do Latin II in 9th, then obviously Latin I was covered sometime before Latin II. HTHs, Pamela