My son needed high school. I was smack in the middle of my internship year, my boyfriend was dealing with some awful detached retina surgery recovery, and not only could I not find the time to give him the help he needed, it turns out he needed to "do" for other teachers and conform to their expectations. In January I enrolled him in Bible Baptist Academy, which has all of 55 students in grades K-12. There were 9 ninth graders, and he got the attention he needed. He also got to hang around a better element than what lives near his father's house (no tomatoes, please, it's true!). Also, the principal of the school (and pastor of the church) has four children that were homeschooled, so he understood the adjustment process and has been very encouraging. I was also happy to hear that their academics are about 2 years ahead of the local public schools. All in all, we got lucky here.

Here in Terre Haute there is a private women's college, Saint Mary of the Woods. I didn't go there, but I know several people who did, and they are confident, mature women...I don't know if they would be that confident and mature if they attended a co-ed college. As a whole, graduates from coed schools in this area are just high school students who happen to be 4 years older. As for student life, we also have Indiana State University, Rose Hulman Institute of Technology (formerly all boys), and Ivy Tech State College--so there's not much of a chance for isolation. I have noticed that "Woodsies" have some interesting programs, like Masters in Art Therapy--I would've liked to have that in my school!

Before you take her to her "alternative therapist" you may want to call ahead and see if they can do a Mini Mental Status Exam while she's there. Scores below about 25 out of 30 for someone with a high school education indicate some cognitive impairment. It's full of questions about orientation (where are you? what day is it?, etc.), memory (memorize these 3 words and recite them back later), and abstract thinking (take seven away from 100 and keep going until I say to stop). Flubbing up on questions like that will tell the doctor whether they need to do further tests to see how to treat her particular impairment.

Rice cakes!

If I were your grandmother, I don't think I'd want my great-grandson to be sobbing at the thought of missing his mom on his special day just because of something I'd planned...WAY ahead of time. I'd probably tell my granddaughter to spare the little one's feelings and celebrate his birthday. Perhaps your grandmother arranged this dinner so they could all gather and share happy memories. Funerals are such depressing affairs, and I'd like to know that instead of crying over me, my family and friends will be breaking bread and sharing all kinds of wonderful stories about way back when--or at least keeping me in their thoughts while celebrating life with the next of us. Just my two cents...:001_smile:

In high school my first job was at a Kids R Us in Evansville, IN. I dressed up in a Pound Puppy costume for the grand opening. I had a blast, except when the kids would pull my tail and step on my paws! Also, I can do a fair job of mimicking voices. Some British, Irish, the 88 year old lady from New York I met during my internship, John Wayne, the elderly Chow dog that used to live next to my parents (he had this weird bark that sounded like the "Oy! Oy!" of an old man)...there are apparently many people in here. My classmates and coworkers are only now just beginning to hear some of these voices, as I am kinda quiet until you get to know me and I get comfortable in my craziness...:001_smile:

It doesn't surprise me one bit. I used to live in central IL and it seemed like we weren't even part of the state. If you're not in Chicago, you might as well be in another state altogether as far as funding and education programs go.

Busier than a one-armed paper hanger Busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kickin' contest Slicker than snot on a hot doorknob Colder than a welldigger's butt Colder than a mackerel Colder than a welldigger's mackerel, if you're my mom and you get tongue-tied easily Dumber than a box of hair That's all I can think of just now...:001_smile:

I'm sorry that you're going through this right now. Whatever the particulars are, it is a stressful time for everyone. I work in an inpatient behavioral health unit at a local hospital. Many of the patients have tried to kill themselves, some of them many times-and for many reasons. Unfortunately, there is very little a hospital can do. Some people are "ED'd" (emergency detained) by family members if they voice suicidal ideation and have a specific plan. Others are brought in by police after "well-checks." Others, I'm sorry to say, use a suicide attempt as a means to gain attention because they can think of no other way to obtain help. Typically, if their symptoms are severe, they are put on 15-minute watch and are assessed several times daily for suicidal ideation. After three straight days, if a person denies that they are suicidal--and their demeanor matches what they say-- they must be released if they wish to go. It is up to the individual to not try to commit suicide again. Sometimes they say all the right things to get out and just go and try again. Sometimes they take advantage of medications and therapist appointments and work on the reasons behind wanting to end their lives. We work with every patient as if it is the first time they have been on the unit and offer them every chance to let us help them. Ultimately it is their responsibility...with the help of meds, therapists, and helpful families, they can get better. Sometimes doctors and therapists will ask the patient to sign a "no-harm" contract in which they promise to seek help if they feel suicidal, but again, it's ultimately up to them. I don't mean to sound negative in any way, but when you get right down to it that's the way things are. People choose every day whether to avoid foods that cause cardiac issues or whether to keep tabs on their blood sugar...it's a day-by-day thing--sometimes hour-by-hour. I hope this helps you.

One year, during the winter Olympics, we took a big map of the US and put stars on the hometowns of the athletes. We kept it until the summer games and put different colored stars on the hometowns of the summer athletes. J was only about 6 at the time, but I remember it brought up a lot of talk about different areas of the country, what the weather was like, what they do for fun, etc.

Bumblebee Tuna sells some in a gold can that is soy free. It's the only one I've been able to eat...anything with "vegetable broth" in it I stay away from. :001_smile:

I'm allergic to soy, and I avoid everything. Soybean oil, texturized vegetable protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, soy lecithin, the works. http://food-allergies.suite101.com/article.cfm/food_allergy_to_soy_and_soy_ingredients I reacted once when I took a Monistat ovule that had a soybean oil base. The next morning I was throwing up my socks and having trouble breathing just as if I had eaten TVP. It sounds silly, but I also avoid soybean oil candles, and I was also told that there is an anaesthetic with a soybean base. I basically had to learn all the names for soybean ingredients and avoid all the foods. I would avoid soybean oil, regardless of what your doctor says.

:lol: In Willy Wonka he looked like Michael Jackson, and in Alice in Wonderland he looks like Madonna? What's next for this guy? It sounds as if he's going through all the 80s musicians...Sleeping Beauty with Boy George? ;)

If I'm studying or writing a long paper and I start to get sleepy, I'll get my son to fight with foam swords with me on the porch...in December. The cold always wakes me up, and quickly!

I've probably fallen for my ex's BS again, but he called and said that a census taker was at his house and he needed to know how much our son was collecting in dependent's benefits off his disability. For some reason I told him. Was that the right thing to do? All I heard was that they asked 10 simple questions and that was it. My ex was telling me that they picked his little teeny God-forsaken town at random, then picked his household to survey, and a census taker was there (and had been for 1 1/2 hours) and randomly picked our son to get detailed information from. Quite frankly, I'm sure all he wanted was to find out how much he was receiving each month. I've been told all along that it's J's money, not mine or his father's, and my ex had no business knowing what it was. I can't believe I fell for it again. I divorced that lousy excuse for a man 10 years ago and I'm still an idiot. Anybody have any experience with this?

I don't believe it! No one said Summer Breeze by Seals and Croft! Makes me feel fine!

I typically use potato starch since I am allergic to corn. Lovely stuff. :001_smile:

J's dad and I have decided in recent weeks that the next chapter in his education includes going to a private Christian school in the area. J and I visited yesterday, met the principal and one of the teachers (she designed/helped design the high-school English curriculum for Abeka), and J really impressed them--looked them in the eye, gave a firm handshake, and used "Yes, sir" and "No, sir" without prompting. They even said that given J's vocabulary in casual conversation and stated interests and what I've told them about our curriculum so far, he won't need standardized testing. He'll just jump right in with the other second-semester ninth graders, which is not something they generally do. We've done a good job with him. This is what he needs. This is what our family needs--it's not like I was ever a traditional homeschooling mom, what with being divorced and a full-time grad student and having my time eaten up by so many different obligations lately--but I feel like I'm giving up on something. In the last decade, because of circumstances beyond my control, I've had to become homeschooling mom and breadwinning dad. My ex won't work again, that much is certain, and sending J to college from a factory salary just wasn't going to cut it. I had to go back to school. I hated the time it took away from J. I realize now that all these events are just steps in his growth, that this decade has been one of drastic change for all of us, and was necessary. I can tell myself intellectually that this is what he needs, and that's what our decision to homeschool has been about all this time--it was what was best for him at the time. I can't help feeling like I've failed something, especially since I was so excited about homeschooling through high school. I also find myself a little excited--and a little relieved--about sending J to a place where he will have a distinct schedule, with inflexible rules and deadlines, and a chance to learn to work with others and work with distractions inherent in a classroom that are important in college. I still complain about parents who say, "Wow, I just can't wait until school starts again!" but I find myself eager to see him out the door every morning, even though it takes him away from me for much of the time he's in my custody. Keep me in your thoughts today, guys...is this what it's like to have an empty nest? This feels worse than his first day at preschool! :001_unsure:

In the last ten years, I have: left my cheating husband started homeschooling a kindergartner discovered several food allergies lost my father to emphysema moved a block away from my mother (an indescribable circus!) met a wonderful guy! went back to school lost my factory job obtained an undergraduate degree got into a Masters program ...and, just today, decided to stop homeschooling and enroll my 15-year-old into a private Christian school. What a decade!

I saw a similar study several years ago that said that 95% of all child abuse deaths happen before the age of 6, meaning that they aren't even in school yet, so how could teachers and staff "keep an eye out?"

Even if you don't outwardly show any signs of an allergy, your body may still be reacting to a substance. Histamine reactions can occur even when we're not aware of them. That's why even the smallest amount of allergen should be avoided. I am allergic to several different grains, and I didn't develop this until I was 30. My aunt has issues as well, and her doctor said that if she is allergic to one grain, others soon follow and she should be careful. Perhaps the same goes for all tree nuts. :001_smile:

Clothespin reindeer are fun...sometimes we give them 3 pairs of legs and see if anyone's paying attention! :001_smile: http://www.christmascrafts.com/ornaments/reindeer/rudolph-clothespin-ornament.htm

Geriatric Use "Clinical studies of Klonopin did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects. Other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger patients. In general, dose selection for an elderly patient should be cautious, usually starting at the low end of the dosing range, reflecting the greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal, or cardiac function, and of concomitant disease or other drug therapy. Because clonazepam undergoes hepatic metabolism, it is possible that liver disease will impair clonazepam elimination. Metabolites of Klonopin are excreted by the kidneys; to avoid their excess accumulation, caution should be exercised in the administration of the drug to patients with impaired renal function. Because elderly patients are more likely to have decreased hepatic and/or renal function, care should be taken in dose selection, and it may be useful to assess hepatic and/or renal function at the time of dose selection. Sedating drugs may cause confusion and over-sedation in the elderly; elderly patients generally should be started on low doses of Klonopin and observed closely." Last updated on RxList: 6/9/2009 As far as I know, the half-life of Clonazepam (Klonopin) is 34 hours--that's almost 3 times as long as Xanax, another benzodiazepine. That means it takes the average person 34 hours to metabolize the amount of drug in their body and reduce the serum concentration by 1/2. In the elderly, this can be extended by several factors that are unique to the patient, including the normal degradation of the kidney and the liver due to age and reduced gastrointestinal motility. I couldn't find anything in my materials about Klonopin and high blood pressure meds, though I would be worried about your loved one's liver and kidney function, especially at this age. Though he only takes it once or twice a week, it is a concern if there is liver disease or narrow-angle glaucoma. If your loved one is remarkably healthy for a 71-year-old, and his doctor is watching his liver and kidney function, I should think it would be okay. Klonopin is usually taken every day--with him taking it occasionally I would have to wonder if the side effects they are worried about would need to be monitored so closely. That's all I could find in my stuff--keep in mind, though, that I don't even play on tv, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night! :001_smile:

It sounds to me like these parents aren't going to know what hit them. Ten years from now, are they going to have children who can't cook, clean up after themselves, do their own laundry-basic car maintenance-yard work? And are those parents going to complain that their kids "just don't get it?" Probably. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait those ten years to say, "boy, that long-term investment in my kids really paid off! They're capable, tidy adults now!"

It depends on how the teacher wants you to document your work. In English classes, we used MLA a lot, but in Psychology classes, it was all about APA. Whatever you're using, the Owl at Purdue (Online Writing Lab) has guidelines for citing your work. I would imagine the way to cite a sermon would fall under "personal communication," but I could be wrong. :001_smile: