Chess Master. It's a computer game that sells for about $10. My son learned to play using this game. Denise

I voted for let him pick. At some point, just to get away would be nice and I don't care what the accommodations or food are like. But then, the castle would be nice. Hmmmm. :D Denise

Oh yes, I wanted to ask - have you tried fish oil and dietary changes? In my ds's early years, those worked well. For diet, we removed all artificial colors and flavors. We also removed gluten, casein and yeast. You might just try the colors and flavors. Look at the Feingold website for a list of foods. Finally, you may want to look into Central Auditory Processing Disorder. Many kids with CAPD look very ADHD. It's worth a look. I hope you find a solution. Denise

I haven't read the response posts but here goes. I had always been against medicating too. When ds reached 7th grade he just seemed to have to work too hard. He was as slow as could be and everything seemed to take an unusually large amount of energy and effort. I explained to my husband that it was interferring with his academics and that he would never be ready for college if this continued. I also pointed out how hard ds was working. He was working very, very hard. Since ds had entered early puberty at 10 and he was already half-way through, we thought the meds might not have as many side effects. We had the dr. put ds on Stratterra. It worked. It helped him focus, speeded up his processing time and helped him gain a more positive disposition. If your husband won't budge on the meds, try neurofeedback. There is a program used by NASA that uses video games, of all things! I'm looking into that now as we don't want our ds tied to medication his whole life. Here's the website we're looking at www.smartbraintech.com :grouphug: Denise

:bigear: It sounds like a Jr. College approach? I'll be interested to hear what people say.

As I understand it, fish oil adds fat to the brain and nervous system which makes everything work better. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this. We began giving it to my oldest ds when he was 5. It helped with his vision and processing. It seemed to make therapies work better. We had dramatic results with all of his sensory therapies and I believe the fish oil played a major role in his response to these therapies. We also gave it to my younger ds when he was 5. He is adopted and came to us malnurished. Even in the orphanage where he had lots of good food, he retained the distended tummy and was sickly. After about 1 month on the fish oil, he lost the tummy (just had reg. toddler tummy) and he stopped being sickly. Within 6 months, he was a strong, healthy and very, very active boy. We used Kirkman Labs at first, then Nordic Naturals. There are several good brands. Do check for reviews though, as there are some that aren't so good. We order from Village Green (The Apothecary) because I trust them to only carry excellent brands. Denise

I agree with SpecialMama. You obviously care about this person but, she is draining you. She is also very disrespectful of you. I've had one too many relationships like this to be useful to you. I'll just say you need your strength and energy for your family. If your friend can't be respectful of your time and priorities, then she's not really a good friend. Ok, I'll be quiet now. Denise

I would not want that law here in the U.S. But, the law isn't here, it's in France and the French have the right to make their own laws. I'm a military brat. My parents always taught us that when you're in someone else's part of the world, you need to respect their laws and customs, even if you don't like them. When we lived in Spain, we abided by Spanish rules and culture. Now that we live in the southern U.S., we abide by the customs here. We didn't move here and expect the people to change to our ways. Sure, there are things we don't like, but then, we can move if we're too unhappy. If the culture in the U.S. ever becomes intolerable to us, we'll move somewhere else. No, it's not easy. In fact, it's very hard but, we won't be the first or the last. It can be done. Denise

Do you have a Nordstroms near you? Not Nordstrom Rack but a regular one? If so, I've always had success there. Go to the formal wear section and they will help you. This is great if you're like me and have no clue. They're not as expensive as most people think and have lots of basic, classic dresses to choose from. Oh, and they bring them to you so you don't have to become exhausted looking through all the racks. Good luck!

1. My house is dirty - not just messy but, dirty. I don't plan on cleaning it until June. Well, the bathrooms and kitchen get cleaned but barely. 2. I'm sick of scouts! It has taken over our lives and I'm tired of every spare minute of the day and night being taken up by scouts. I want my oldest to finish his eagle and be done. I want my younger ds to quit cubs. 3. I've been sick since last Friday - fever, sore throat, earache, etc. I should not be using the little energy I have to be on this board. I should be schooling my kids. Oldest is working on his own - the littles watched cartoons all morning. 4. I'm overweight and I don't exercise. Long story for another thread. 5. I get very grouchy when I'm tired. You sound exhausted. With everything you're doing, it's no wonder you have all of these "confessions." Maybe that's what it is with all of us. We're tired! :D Denise

Me too. I'm fine with the amount but don't always think it's being spent wisely.

Try not to beat yourself up about it. You can pick-up and go back to the diet. Forgive yourself. You're doing great, by the way! :grouphug:

I'm so sorry, Sue. :grouphug:

I second the cranberry juice - sugar free if possible.

I'm not good at small talk either. My strategy has been to find someone who wants to talk about themselves or their kids. Once you get them started, you just smile, nod, laugh. It takes up the whole event, is usually enjoyable and takes me off the hook to do much talking. If we ever meet in real life, just be yourself. You seem very nice to me. Denise

Happy Birthday!:party:

I believe people are basically good. We all make mistakes and have selfish desires at times, but we strive to be good. Only a few give in to their selfishness all the time. Denise

Our oldest trained at about age 4. Once trained though, he continued to wet the bed until he was around 10 or so. We tried a lot of things but, in the end, he just grew out of it. We did not use pull-ups, put a plastic covering on the mattress on the bed and changed the sheets- almost daily. :tongue_smilie: I don't know that any of this helps your situation. I hope it gets better. Denise

Wine. Wafer. At least every Sunday. Eucharist. Denise

Oldest and youngest - yes Middle - not so much Mom - yes Dad - No They would all be what they are regardless of how they are schooled. Denise

Foerster Alg. 1 with the Math w/out Borders Instructional DVD.

Thank-you Sue and Teachin' Mine. You both made very good points. I too think greater accuracy comes with maturity and desire. I also agree that in a less rigorous curriculum or with extra credit, he would likely make an A. Sue - those ITBS scores could be my ds's scores too! You know, I would never think of you as a mom who slacks and let's her son play video games all day! You've always seemed like a rigorous homeschooler. With all the discussions of late about kids not being prepared for college, and especially given his areas of interest, I want to make sure he's prepared. He has never been a detail oriented person, more of a dreamer. He's not nearly as concerned about the mistakes as I am. :) Hmm. You've all given me lots to think through. I'll go discuss it with him and see what he thinks. Thank you everyone. Denise

Thank you all for your responses. EKS- Yes, I give partial credit. He's making careless mistakes - not paying close attention to detail. He's learning independently. Dh helps once in a while but he's mostly on his own, unfortunately. He's in 9th grade. Foerster is one of the more highly rated Alg. programs. If I have him do it over, I will use something very different like LoF, AoPS or Dolciani & Brown. I will not put it on his transcript though. You're right, I don't want to torture him. If he were wanting to major in something besides physics and math, I wouldn't worry at all. But since that is what he wants, will he still be adequately prepared with a high B in Foerster? Denise

My ds wants to study physics and math in college. He's making a high B in Alg. I using Foerster this year. Should I be concerned? Should I have him repeat Alg. I using a different curriculum next year? We do go over the problems he misses and I then have him redo them. Is that enough or should he go through Alg. I again? If so, what do I use? I was thinking Life of Fred, AoPS or maybe a newer Dolciani (1980s so I could find a solutions manual). What do you all think? Denise I wanted to add that he gets no extra credit. When he reworks problems, I don't give him any additional credit.

We have a Bodum too. But we have the glass one. It makes the best coffee. I have no idea how to make the coffee in less time though. It is worth the short wait. Denise