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FrogMom5

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  1. It's fun hearing about all the great adventures and activities your kids are having this summer! As for us, my oldest is interning at the National Magnetics Lab and taking a math class this summer. At the Mag. Lab he is developing a program to test the affects of magnetism on iron alloys ( I don't really understand all this, but I think that is what he said). The math class is an extra class that he says will help him in an upcoming physics class. He got hit by a car while riding his bike home from the Mag Lab one evening. He was pretty banged up, but ok. We had to get him a new bike. His wounds were still healing when he almost got hit again. Now he is taking the bus or Uber when he works late. Otherwise, it has been a fun summer for him. My younger two are doing light school work, helping me with a huge clear out of our house, swimming and playing with friends. We took them to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't seen the Lincoln sites, they are well worth the trip. The museum is fairly new, at least to me, and is very well done. I hope the rest of the summer is fun and relaxing for you all! Denise
  2. My kids love these pics. Thanks for sharing them. We have a bearded dragon, Riley Muffin, and he is really cute and fun. They lots of personality. I hope your dd gets one. They are so much fun! Denise
  3. We used Foerster for Alg.2 and no, we did not do the trig. chapters. Trig. was in pre-calc. (Derek Owens). HTH Denise
  4. Ok, I looked at the SBT website and...I don't know what they are doing. It looks like you have to get the system through a provider now instead of directly from them. I can understand them making this change, but it doesn't help you. Fwiw, the SBT uses video games and dvd movies as vehicles to teach the kids to keep their brains working at certain levels. That's my lay explanation. There are games like this http://www.amazon.com/Mattel-T8498-Mindflex-Duel-Game/dp/B004GHNFKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435077911&sr=8-1&keywords=ball+levitation+game and this http://www.amazon.com/Mattel-P2639-Mindflex-Game/dp/B001UEUHCG/ref=pd_sim_21_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1KC5BRKN4840NFJXKJ1Y maybe this http://www.amazon.com/NeuroSky-MindWave-Mobile-BrainWave-Starter/dp/B00B8BF4EM/ref=pd_sim_21_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1KC5BRKN4840NFJXKJ1Y Is this a similar concept? Making something move by concentrating and sending electromagnetic waves to the machine? Like the lady with CP who flew the plane using only her mind? http://internetmedicine.com/2015/03/04/quadriplegic-woman-flies-f-35-with-nothing-but-her-thoughts/ Anyway, maybe a game like that, auto racing video games (because you have to focus or you crash) and then one of those dance games where you have to dance like the person/people on the screen. The whole family could get involved and your son might have fun doing those things with all of you without even realizing he's increasing his EF. HTH Denise
  5. I was writing and did not see this post. My doctor gave us a sample packet of Strattera for free. It is a 45 day trial. Maybe your doctor has the same for whichever med. you want to try? I wish I knew a good psychologist that would spend that hour with you for free. Prayers that someone will be put in front of you with the info. you need. Denise
  6. First, I do agree that neurofeedback is a good option. We also looked at Zengar, but because the nearest professional was several hours away, we went with SmartBrain Technology at home. Our preference would have been a professional, if one had been close enough. Each thing we tried helped in slightly different ways. We were also targeting slightly different things with each intervention. Also, we only tried one thing at a time. So, when kids were little, we used dietary strategies, VT, AIT, etc. We do not use medication until they are well into puberty because it seems the side effects are more likely when meds. are begun before puberty. That's my observation, no scientific lit. to back it up. Ds #1 was on meds. for about 2 yrs. He came off and then about a yr. later, we tried the neurofeedback. Hoping for a limited duration of meds for ds#2, but we'll see. You may already know this, but in case you don't - Strattera is not a one week trial. It is a step-up over several weeks. Coming off of it is the same. I don't know about other meds. If you try Strattera, it's a few months trial and is fairly expensive. Everything helped, nothing cured. Ds#1 rejected organizing strategies I found in books. I told him that was fine, but find one that works for you and use it. He did. I have no idea how he does it, but he is manages his time and workload at college really well. Again, I am hoping ds#2 will do something similar - especially since he also rejects all the strategies I present. I do agree it's important to zero in on the symptoms and their underlying cause, if you can, and treat that. The labels are like a big stew or soup-they work together, or not, and everyone gets a different mix ladled into their bowl. Denise
  7. Years ago when I was in the thick of this, I was told by doctors and teachers that ADHD/ADD is part of the Autism Spectrum. Learning disabilities of many types were included on the spectrum. Again, that was many moons ago, so it may have changed. I don't know if all people with ASD also have ADHD, but it does seem a common combination. My experience with ADD meds. is Strattera. Strattera helped ds #1 focus and concentrate better, but he did not become more organized. Maybe he was better organized mentally, but outwardly we still saw the same messy room, papers, and so forth. Second ds just began Strattera. He is organized in that his room is fairly clean, he tends not to lose papers and so forth. He has less focus and sustained attention than ds #1. I have no explanation for this. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor of any kind, nor am I a certified Special Ed. teacher. I am just a mom and this is what I was told and observed. HTH Denise
  8. I sent you an e-mail, hit the send button and then, there was the e-mail w/the webinar link. Thank you! Ignore my request for a duplicate. Denise
  9. Thank you for responding so quickly, Rosie. The conference on Teaching History through Fine Arts begins today, 4/30 at 11:00 a.m. (10 a.m. my time). Yes, the Academy is separate. The conference page says "sponsored by WTM Academy" with the logo and I just took that to reference the page. I should have said on the conference page instead. Thank you pointing that out. I see how that is confusing and I will correct my post. Do you know how I log into the conference? When I sign in to the conference page, it only gives info. on registering, shows that I paid and so on. No link or any options to actually enter the conference. Any ideas? Denise
  10. Help. Am I missing something? How do I now sign on to listen to my conference this morning? I have an acct. on conference page, got e-mail saying I had registered and paid (back several wks. ago) but there is nothing that leads me to the conference session. I sent a message last night through conference page but don't have a response yet. Conference begins in 2 hrs. Is there something I am not seeing or doing? Thanks for your help. Denise
  11. Right. I never said one was superior to the other, just different than the thinking in the past. The thread is about identifying trends, right? That is what I am saying, I see this as a new trend. And the above quoted response to you was just to further define it, not any kind of judgement statement. Fwiw, I would send my kids to school too, if I could find the right fit for them. Denise
  12. Yes, but you are the one teaching your kids and it's just you and your kids. What I am seeing is people setting up their own ps and others attending in an almost exact copy of our local ps. I'm sure that is not what your school looks like at all. You are at home. You are teaching. Fwiw, I am not criticizing traditional curriculum or the set up ps outside ps. I apologize if that is how I sounded. Each family makes their own decisions based on what they want and what works. I fully support that. I was just trying to describe a new trend I see. Denise
  13. Yes, I should have stated this differently and left off the at home part. When I say they want to recreate school it means take their kids to some building where groups of same age peers move from class-to-class each taught by someone else. So, they really want ps school and to do very little, if any, at home. If that's what they want to do, fine. It is a trend I see that seems to be new. Even the traditional curriculum was done at home with just your own kids and you were the teacher. And, yes, there was often a desk, a flag, recess and so on. This newer version of recreate school seems to be a true copy of ps, just smaller and with the founding parent being the director. That is a different environment from the past years of homeschooling, at least to me. Denise
  14. There are mixed signals, imo. Most of what I see is positive, some is not. The number of homeschoolers doubled over the last year in my county. Some of that is due to a lot of new people moving into the area. But, most of it is due to people pulling their kids out of school or, in the case of kinders, choosing not to even start them. CC and co-ops are growing quickly. Packaged curriculum and virtual schools are also popular among the new folks. Many of them are using a mix, such as A Becca and CC or FLVS and a co-op. There are a few new homeschoolers who choose the pick each piece and teach it yourself style that most of us older homeschoolers are familiar with. They tend to choose Charlotte Mason style designs over unschooling or WTM/LC/Circe classical styles. No one writes their own curriculum from scratch the way the first sets of homeschoolers did and still do. By the way, I have never done this either -tweaked and modified, yes, but from scratch, no. I've thought about it, but never done it. My hat is off to those that do. There are so many choices available now that it is overwhelming. I think the gravitation to programs designed and structured by someone else helps the new folks feel more secure. We all know the fear that we are messing up our kids' lives. Many of the new people I've met have said they want to recreate school. It still floors me to hear that as it seems to miss the point of homeschooling. Not trying to judge, just not used to hearing that type of thinking about homeschooling until recently. Also, I have been asked many, many times what the best this or that program is. Usually this is in conjunction with comments about how homeschoolers do better academically than ps kids. So, stronger academics is a priority. That is a positive change from the traditional homeschooler in this area who pulled their kids out of school for religious reasons and downplayed academics. One negative trend that I've seen is that the new homeschoolers focus too much on having the magazine picture ready house, yard, clothes and so forth. Yes, I am judging here. How do you teach your children and keep everything else so picture perfect? When I began homeschooling moms had conversations sharing tips on how to keep up with meals, dishes and laundry. Maybe it's just me, but I don't have the time, energy or focus for more than that. There also seems to be an over abundance of adult socializing and not enough emphasis on the children. It's a complete reversal of the mindset I am used to and I don't think it's for the better. Finally, in many areas schools are overcrowded. In my area, we've had 3 new elementary charter schools and 2 charter high schools open in the last 5 years and we still have overcrowding in most of the schools. Due to this, the county is very supportive of homeschooling. I live in a very overcrowded district. The county is only too happy to let me teach my kids at home and keep them out of the schools. I see this as a trend toward less regulation since these counties/districts may want to encourage homeschooling. This is all just my corner of the world. It seems that other parts of the country are seeing different trends. It will be interesting to read everyone else's experiences and thoughts. Denise
  15. My ds has mild dyslexia. He took the AP Physics B exam, SAT 2 Physics and Math, and a Math CLEP Test that his university required. He did not have accommodations. He was always the last one to complete the exam and didn't always finish all the questions. His scores were really good, though. I think he would have done even better on the ACT if he had had accommodations, but he did well enough to get merit scholarships at all 6 of the schools he applied to. I hope none of you take this as bragging. I usually stay very quiet about his accomplishments. In this thread though, I think you need to hear that your kids can do really well. Dyslexic students are bright kids and it's frustrating to them and to us to see them struggle. If your children do well on the IOWA/CAT or other standardized tests without accommodations, they will probably do well on the College Board tests as well. The idea to see how they do on practice tests is a really good idea. I would not over worry the writing portion of the ACT/SAT. Even the schools that required ds to take it, didn't seem to look at it or factor it in to admissions. He didn't do so well on that section, but the schools didn't seem to care. He got an A in his first semester English class last semester and seems to be headed toward the same grade in English 2 this semester. Just make sure you look at the universities requirements for the ACT. Also, your child's major may make a difference in how much weight is put on their essay section score. It might not, but it is something to consider. One piece of advice that helped me when ds was in high school - don't look at your dc as freshmen, sophomores or even juniors and make a determination that they are not ready for college. They seem to make a big maturity leap their last yr. and look a whole lot different than they do now. We still worried if ds would sleep through class, forget things, lose papers/books, but he has managed his time well and is doing great. Even if your dc need some support in college, chances are good they will do really well. You all are great parents. Denise
  16. If you don't mind my chiming in here, I will share our experiences. I think OhElizabeth is correct that you get more of a leap and more quickly with neurofeedback (I have not experience with Cogmed) and/or medication. Mindfulness is a slower process, as is meditation. I think both mindfulness and meditation have wonderful benefits and are worth pursuing, but our results were slow. For meditation, the main thing we used was lots of prayers. We are Catholic Christians so we say the Rosary, which is a meditation on the life of Christ. There are lots of prayers that can be said and all require a person to focus and quiet their mind to say them. There is a book of Puritan Prayers, I don't remember who wrote it, but that might work for you. I heard it advertised several years ago on R.C. Sproul's radio show. We also used neurofeedback for our oldest. We did it at home with a product from SmartBrain Technology. It was very expensive then and we would not be able to afford it at all now. But, they use driving and jumping video games to teach the kids to focus. Sensors are placed on the scalp and connect to a machine. When the child looses focus in the game, the machines emits a sound to alert them to focus again. That is a simplistic description, but it did help our son. I think you could just use driving games and/or jumping games to help improve you child's focus. It would involve you sitting w/your child as they play. If you are more comfortable using the device, I believe the company we used is now selling those machines used, which should lower the price. One of the differences I see in my sons-both w/ADD-is that the younger one can not focus long enough to do a relaxation meditation. Prayering the Rosary is still very difficult for him because he can't focus that long. He also could not stay on the track with those driving games for more than a few seconds, so we didn't use the neurofeedback machine with him. He is getting a bit better at focusing as he gets older, but we may medicate him in the next yr. or so. So, I guess my point is that I would pursue neurofeedback/Cogmed/medication first, while adding in the mindfulness and, if you are comfortable with it, meditation. Knowing how to be mindful and how to calm the brain are valuable skills, imho. Finally, the only really good meditation book for children that I have found is called "Spinning Inward." The publisher publishes a lot of Buddhist books, but I don't think the author is a practioner of that religion. She is a school teacher who used meditation to help her students. I do skip some of the activities, but am completely comfortable with most of them. I also adapt some of them. I hope some of this info. helps you. And, I hope you find things you can be comfortable using. Denise
  17. Yes, as long as I could afford it, I would. I couldn't sleep at night thinking the cat was freezing. Agree that you are a good person. Denise
  18. The lead up is stressful. Christmas is wonderful. Love-Christmas Mass, watching the kids open and play w/gifts, advent candles and prayers each night, dh baking cookies and breads w/kids, preparing the Christmas meal (then eating it!), driving around to see the lights on houses and a local park Stressful-all the play practices, all the parties (church youth group, play participants, kids' friends w/Dec. birthdays, activities, co-op...), cleaning the house, confession Online stores have made shopping less stressful and much faster. I am very bad about sending cards. I lost my dad two years ago and that part is hard. My family is scattered all over the U.S. so it's not that we always got together. It's just that I think about calling him and then remember that I can't. I really miss him. Overall, I love Christmas. I love building memories for my kids and giving thanks for the birth of Christ. Hugs and prayers to all those who struggle with this season. Whether it's just this one year or all Christmases, please know that my thoughts are with you for warmer, happier times. Denise
  19. First, it's great that your ds is in a choir and learning music. That is an area I have neglected for my kids. For the piano, could you buy a good keyboard instead of waiting for the space for a piano? Keyboards are not the same, but they are less expensive and take up less room. For ballet, well, dance is one of the best ways to learn where your body is in space. It teaches coordination, strength and discipline. I think it has life long benefits. Anything that requires physical movement, especially when parts must move in different ways at the same time, have cognitive benefits. As for balancing time, I do not put my kids in classes that occur during the school day unless there is no other choice. We have a once per week class that is early afternoon and the driving to and from is very disruptive. That day is always our short day for school work. Everything else is late afternoon or evening so we can get our work done. Also, try to cooking dinner ahead of time. Remember, cook once, eat twice. A crockpot comes in very handy, too. No complicated meals, just meat and broth or tomato sauce. For P.E., can you schedule nature walks in the morning instead of attending the class at the Y? If you or your dh runs, plays tennis, rides bikes, could you do one of those activities with your kids in the evening instead? In the young yrs., you can usually teach them a sport or two yourself and then put them into organized sports when they are a little older. They have the skills so can step in at an older age, depending on the sport. Fwiw, I am not convinced young children should be put into organized sports. But, that's just my opinion. I hope some of that helps you. It's good that you are thinking all of this through now while your kids are young. Denise
  20. It is interesting with adopted kids. My adopted ds is not at all interested in his country of origin or the language. The only interest he shows is meeting his birth family, especially his birth mom, and some of the ancient ruins there. His native language is Spanish, but he wants to learn Icelandic, German or Polish. We've told him that he can study whatever is interesting to him. We've never decorated his room, cooked foods from his birthplace and so forth. When we've suggested it as a fun thing to do, he would look at us like we were crazy and say things like, "can we have pizza instead? I want a spider-man room!" We sample from and discuss many cultures. The kids go more in-depth when something peaks their interest. It works for us, right now anyway. Denise
  21. Interesting question. My ancestry is Mexican (Spanish-Native American mix), French, Irish, Dutch and a bit more Native American (different tribe though). Dh is 100% Irish. Culturally, we are both Mexican-American and Irish. Dh speaks Spanish and loves southwestern Mexican foods. He grew up in a Mexican neighborhood and most of his friends are Mexican. The only holiday we celebrate is St. Patrick's day, more for religious reasons than ethnicity. Mostly, we are Americans. It is fun to learn about ancestry, especially since we can trace the Franks back to about 775 A.D. But, it's only a point of interest. We identify ourselves as Americans and the rest just helps us with history lessons, cooking lessons and so on. Fun topic. Thanks for bringing it up. Denise
  22. Hugs and prayers to you. I'm glad your dh is safe. It is such a great city and a wonderful university. One of the reasons ds chose to go here is the quality of the professors and how much they want the students to succeed. For such a large campus, it feels like a small community. At least, that has been our experience. I hope all of your former students are safe. Let us know. Denise
  23. Ds called us this morning to tell us he is ok. Classes are cancelled, of course. It happened early morning hrs. in the library. The shooter is dead and, as far as ds knows, no one else is hurt. Our prayers go out to everyone affected. Hug your kids and tell them you love them. Prayers that everyone one of them stays safe. Denise There were students who were shot and one is in critical condition. I misunderstood when ds said everyone is ok. Apparently he told dh about the other students but not me. My best friend, a fellow boardie, called this morning to check on him and told me about the other students then. I had to take dd to a dr. appt. so I'm only just now correcting my info. Yes, prayers for those students and their families. This is just so senseless.
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