Jean, I don't post much but I think of you often as I fight the same sorts of battles for the last 15 years (one mysterious auto-immune after another). I was hopeful for the doxy, because it has helped my pain some. I agree with Tap's suggestion of benadryl directly on the throat if you can make it stick. Liquid benadryl definitely causes contact relief in the mouth and throat if you swish and gargle it. It's my first attack before epi. You may be able to do this with kid sized doses throughout the day. The doc has added both Astelin and Qvar for me. I don't know which but one of them is helping some. I can't remember if you tried a inhaled steroid like Qvar, but the stuff does land in the throat and may have a contact effect. Nasal steroids might also. Although they aren't supposed to go down the throat, somehow they always do for me. The Astelin does cause some antihistimine effect in my throat like benadryl. I hope this is a passing problem for you. Sometimes my immune system seems to hyperfocus on one little part of my body for a while and then move on. Are you behind on any immunizations? Nothing like a full blown auto-immune attack on the injection site to distract it, if you don't need the use of an arm for a while ;-)

Definitely a good point. With a 35 on the ACT, she will likely qualify for National Merit when she takes the PSAT

I think with many schools the "within X years of enrollment" is directed at older students. They want someone with fresh knowledge, not someone who took the test 10 years ago and has been doing little academic since. I really think that if a student is moving on with more AP or DE classes, a sophomore test is completely fine. My only concern would be if a student had no other outside classes or test scores after the ACT, it might suggest that she has been doing little and just resting on her laurels (not to me, but to the picky admissions people.)

That's really nice to hear, as I think it will be our reality. I naturally borrow worries (grad school, employment, etc.), but I do think he'll be happy at some of the places on our application list.

I'm looking at the same sorts of things, but something that hits me is schools have trouble being the best academic AND financial fit. Academic fits seem to be schools where his score is in the median range (50%) or so, but for scholarships his scores need to be in the top 5-10%, so our financial fits are, a new word I learned recently, "undermatching." Now I'm off to look for a list of schools that have too many girls ;-)

I voted Other. Ds makes breakfast most mornings, but he cooks for all of us so he isn't really fending for himself. We all eat a big breakfast together. Because of work hours it is the only meal we all eat together. He started when he was 14 to help out when I was having some health problems. Three years later, he still cooks breakfast at least 5 mornings a week. If he is sick or busy, dh or I will do it, but we still cook for everyone. On the other hand, the other two meals of the day are pretty much fend for yourself for everyone right now. I used to always cook lunch, but it's a really busy time for us.

Write At Home has an SAT essay prep class or you can chose to just have any writing evaluated. We've liked the feedback on the classes we've done (creative writing and short story) and are signed up for the May SAT class.

I've read the first couple Nikki Heat novels. If you love the show, I'd say yes. They won't be the best thing you've ever read, but the way they are written they just sound like Castle. They are larger than life and...the word that comes to mind is overwritten, but I'm not sure that is right. Castle's voice comes through and I can just imagine him writing away.

Oh, I know, you can get one of those thin glass screen protectors, let the battery die, and then let him use it with crayons or dry erase markers. (I'm totally kidding here, but it would make a great youtube video! I have an iPad 2 and I do agree within a few years it's going to be pretty outdated.)

Many kiddie apps can be used offline. Download the ones you want and then go into the wifi settings and erase the password to your router. If you and dh don't need it to get online, it never needs to go online. Once in awhile you can add the password back and update the apps. Once your 6yo can figure out the router password and set it, you'll have to find something better, but I'm guessing that you have a few years. I may the the only one, but I don't think the iPad used with good apps in moderation is any worse that an LeapPad or the talking story books of generations past. New doesn't equal bad to me, but that's just one person's opinion. Otterbox cases are great. (Oh, and my answer assumes that you and dh didn't get an iPad for money and damage reasons, not philosophical ones. If it's philosophical, don't buy a case and send him in the backyard with it ;-) )

Any chance that your mom or dad were military? My dad was called up from the Guard in the early 50s even though he never went overseas. He didn't serve long enough for VA benefits, but it was enough for a little known program called Aid and Attendence. It would have covered Mom, too. It depends on income, but is worth looking up if either one was military. (Dad only served three months full time.) Hang in there. I know it is so hard. I'm sandwiched between eldercare and trying to launch a hser to college. The emotional, financial, and physical toll are enormous. People here are right, it does make it hard to think of any solutions, because the brain is completely used up. Get as much help as you can. I did lean on professionals to help with answers. Join an eldercare group. If your mom has hospice or home health care, contact the company and see if they have a counselor or chaplain to help caregivers. This service was free to me with Mom's hospice. Contact the hospital to ask about support. Contact your own insurance about counseling (even if you don't have depression, often you can still see a counselor to help you deal with the enormous amount of stress you are dealing with.) We can't see the whole picture, but someone closer might see other answers. Be honest about how bad it is. And be honest with yourself, you may just be too wrung out to see or carry out a solution. You need help. I know ...I've been there.

I just finished Smash and plan to watch Mozart in the Jungle next.

Ds is taking the SAT in June. I really wish it wasn't an either/or. He needs to take the SAT one more time, but that means the other SAT subject tests he needs will have to be in Oct. I really wish we'd be done with testing in June. (Of course, he might dump those colleges that require another subject test off his list come fall.)

Ds is in SAT Chem right now. I'm waiting at a Starbucks. He has Chem on Monday and Calc on Tuesday. He seems OK, but I'm stressed enough for the both of us. Life happened this year, so he's not as prepared as I'd like (as in we will actually be finishing the courses over the summer). But there is nothing important riding on these scores. If he ends up having to take the classes in college, he'll be incredibly well prepared.

AP and SAT essay are handwritten, no typing option (though there might be for special needs, I don't know.) The SAT subject tests are all multiple choice, so there is no writing.

I've thought that, too, but one thought did give me hope: I'm sure that that song has been in the frat since integration of colleges, but "this" time someone filmed it and shared it. It may just be one person, but I like to think of that progress as hope.

I would contact the pharmacist, because they are so much easier to reach. He/she should be able to tell you if the dose is out of the norm for your condition and then you can choose to contact the doctor if it still concerns you. If the dose is very unusual, a good pharmacist may have already contacted your doctor to double-check.

Pixy Stix! Sometimes I would even get the big ones in the plastic straw. Pixy Stix were my favorite thing about a trip to the dime store.

Wonderful news!

Hoping that you hear from her real soon. :hugs:

When you walk in the front door, the first thing you see is is 4'x6' white board in the "formal living room." It's usually covered in calculus, chemistry, or German. Most people ask if I homeschool, but some assume I tutor. Homeschooling is pretty common here, so most people assume kids out during the day are homeschooled.

The weight helps me. Something else that helps me is an eyemask and earplugs. I've found with all of those things I'm less likely to be woke up and get a longer stretch of sleep. I still have the anxiety if I wake up, but it just doesn't happen as often. Being a morning person, I've never had as much trouble going to sleep, so I don't know how much they will help with that

Here's an interesting quirk. Ds took AP Psy and made a 5. He's interested in Portland State. When I looked at the site, they give 4 hours of lower division credit for the AP, but they give 8 hours of credit for specific pre-req courses 202 and 204 for the CLEP. He's thinking of just taking the CLEP, too. Like everyone says, if you have any colleges in mind, check them for specifics.

nm, just re-read post more correctly :-). I don't really have much in the way of suggestions, but I completely sympathize with trying to deal with the anxiety of parenting.

It is a test prep book, so that may be the problem. There are a couple of others with variables in the limits, but they can be done by hand so that's what we are hoping for. Good point about trace. Rearranging the equation so it is set to zero and then searching for zeros has worked. And I guess (in the example above) I could just make another equation for Y=160 and search for the intersection. I'll mention those to him for other kinds of problems. Unfortunately with the variable in the integral, it never finishes, so we can't go onto the next step. I'm hoping that it is an over-ambitious test prep book. From now on we are sticking to the published tests.