Because my DS is a really tall, red-haired Aspie, he's a walking target. I've been on the ugly end of this more often than I care to admit. I have fewer problems with DD, but it still happens.

This would be my recommendation. My Aspie *LOVES* MUS. I've never, ever considered trying anything else. He is obsessed with electronics and honestly does learn better in front of a TV/computer; now that he's older, he's not as hands-on as he was when he was younger, but he still enjoys using the fraction overlays and blocks when it's a new concept. I didn't think that we would find Mr. Demme all that enjoyable, but my son really does like him and thinks he's a funny, if somewhat corny, teacher. One caveat: I'm not sure if MUS has a metric version or not, but I know that in the versions I've had, things are taught in inches, feet, and yards, not centimeters and meters... that might be something to consider no matter what program you wind up using.

Mine isn't allowed to do my laundry, and the kitchen is my domain (unless I have a migraine, and then all bets are off). When we were first married, he and I shared the cooking equally because we were both fairly poor cooks. I've done a lot of learning over the past 12 years and now can cook quite well, so it drives me crazy to come into the kitchen while he's making a meal and see him doing it 'wrong.' Or to see the mess, because I do not know how he can make the same recipe I do and make three times the mess ;) However, he vacuumed the house this afternoon. He does the dusting sometimes because I HATE dusting, and I don't gripe if there are bits he misses because I'm not having to do it. He occasionally cleans the bathroom. I'm quite happy having him do those things!

My parents were 15 and 16 at the time... ;)

AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! I just got on here to say 'binary,' too, just to be obtuse. Between 5 and 10, though, 10.

See, this is why I have a heater in my bathroom! On those cold days, I turn that on and stand on the bath mat under the heater to dry off. None of us dry off in the shower :)

LOL I saw this post and thought, "She's gotta be close to me!" And so you are... it hasn't started raining here YET, but I'm hopeful that it will!!

For the meatballs, you'll probably want to get some disposable trays and bake them in that, then store them in something else. It'll be a long day of cooking, that's for sure!

I've never used them, but that's only because I can't ever FIND them. I don't know any college-aged kids or adults who babysit regularly other than family. I won't hire teens because my kids are... challenging, to say the least.

I have to use liquid in my machine because of the type of system we're on - powder, if it doesn't fully and totally dissolve - clogs up the lines and causes all sorts of problems. I only make 2 gallons at a time because that's A) the size of my largest pot and B) that's what fits into my cabinet. :)

My DD has congenitally high LDL cholesterol, so I do have to watch our fat selections carefully, but I still cook with healthful oils (no corn/vegetable/canola oil... we use olive oil, butter, and occasionally lard). We eat a lot whole grains and basically follow a low-carb diet without actually following a low-carb diet, if that makes any sense. It's funny... when DD was going to school and I was purchasing the school lunches, she had higher cholesterol. When we found out that her cholesterol was still high, I started sending her lunches on a hunch. Her cholesterol dropped several points in just a month. The pediatrician wasn't surprised - school lunches, for all their 'requirements,' are notoriously unhealthful. She also lost some of her extra weight (she wasn't overweight, she just looked thick) when she stopped eating all the superfluous carbs. I also have DD take omega-3 vitamins daily for her mood. They don't help DS with his ADHD, but they go a fair way toward helping DD control her mood issues.

I was raised in an odd household - my mom was (is) LCMS and my dad was (is, but now lapsed) Catholic. My mom would FREAK OUT when my dad would start discussing the Pope/papacy, JP II, any of the church hierarchy, etc.... but we were still taught to say Mass, mostly because it was very similar to the liturgy of the Lutheran church. She never would have gone so far as to say that the papacy was the anti-Christ, at least not in front of Dad, but she definitely discouraged the idea that any human being could be 'closer to God' than any other. For the record, I'm no longer affiliated with either church. After DH and I married, we started going to an Anglican church since that's how he was raised. :)

Other; we already started. We had a couple months off. All the public schools start in the middle of August; I think the week of the 13th.

We kept our anole in a 15-gallon aquarium tank that we converted to vivarium. It stayed in DS' room, which is not the most well-lit place. But we had the basking light during the day and the heat lamp on at night, so the amount of natural light didn't matter as much. It lived close to 2 years, so we must have done something right. We're probably going to get him a beardie in the next couple years or so. He's been dying for one for ages. Honestly, he'd like a beardie AND a corn snake AND a leopard gecko AND... you get the idea. But we'll restart with one at a time.

My maternal grandmother and my mother are sticks. Neither of them has an ounce to lose these days; however, I've seen photos of them from when they were younger and both were a little heavier. They weren't chubby or anything, but they had some extra padding, sort of like I have now. My paternal grandmother is a large woman and always has been, but she's not overweight. She just has a little padding and a very large bone structure. I take after her in a lot of respects health wise. My children are both healthy sizes. My son is 5'1" and 98 lbs.; my daughter is 4'6" range and weighs about 70 lbs. They both have the genetic potential to be morbidly obese, as my MIL is extremely heavy, but my FIL is another stick-thin relative. In other words... who knows what the future holds? I'm just teaching them to eat right and exercise :)

She needs to do her research now and find out where some 'safe' places to eat are. One of my friends is highly allergic to all nuts as well as a laundry list of other items, and she has a short list of places that she can eat (oddly enough, Red Lobster is on that list, though I'm not sure if it's everything on the menu or just some things). If you like, I can ask her. She might also want to check out http://www.allergyeats.com. It's free to have an account. I honestly don't know how families with multiple allergies cope sometimes - you guys are amazing.

Congrats! We're in the middle of the process, too, and it is nerve-wracking and exhausting. I keep telling myself not to get too excited, because until the paperwork is signed, NOTHING IS FOR SURE, but it's still nice to have a tentative end in sight! :grouphug:

You are correct... my mind is blown. That's just... :001_huh: and :cursing:

I'll be 43, too. :)

Powerpoint presentation Biography outlines/oral reports Various long-term science projects Making videos for writing - ads, news reports, etc. Those have been some of our favorites. I'm looking forward to some big history projects in the next few years as well, like hosting an 'Olympics.' Oh, and I almost forgot - my kids love trying various cuisines of the world, too!

I haven't had an income for a year and a half at this point and don't see that changing in the immediate future. I've done various jobs throughout my children's lives but nothing that takes me away from them.

Our realtor put in the 'realtor only' notes for our listing that there were cats on the premises. Saved us a lot of time and hassle. Our house doesn't smell like cat, but for anyone who is allergic, our house is still a killer. We're thankful it sold.

Here's a list of some of the stuff my son enjoys (some geared toward kids, some not): National Treasure series The Mummy series Lord of the Rings series Star Wars series Star Trek movies Jurassic Park Ace Ventura Addams Family Back to the Future series Labyrinth Ocean's 11, 12, 13 Pirates of the Caribbean series Some of the Jack Ryan movies, based on Tom Clancy books (The Hunt for Red October, Sum of all Fears, etc.) Master and Commander Not all of these are scary, obviously, but there ya go. :)

I read an article the other day that described my eating habits perfectly: Junk Food After Dark I always start off well, too, and then by the time I hit the showers in the evening I'm mad at myself and have to resolve to start over again. It stinks to lack the simple (is it simple??) willpower to resist the urge to eat. I have lost 6 lbs. in the last month, though, because I finally figured out that if I make my own meals in advance and have them pre-portioned out (a sort of home-grown Jenny Craig), I get my own meals and don't have to worry about what's being left over after the kids get done raiding the fridge. Today I had a pita pizza for lunch - spinach, onion, artichokes, garlic, and an Italian cheese blend on a pita brushed with olive oil. It was delicious, filling, and healthful. I have more in the freezer that I can toast on other days. For breakfast I had a hard-boiled egg and a banana. The kids know that Mama's meals are off-limits. I plan the odd snack, too - nuts, cottage cheese, etc. I tried Atkins. The cravings were way, WAY too overwhelming, but the method did work, so I make sure at least two meals/snacks a day are low-carb and then don't worry about the other two. It's not the fastest way to lose weight, and I still should exercise more than I do, but it is SO nice to see the number on the scale go down instead of go up or stay the same. Happy, weight-loss-inducing thoughts sent your way!

Mine have had their vaccinations on the traditional schedule. I have one with Asperger's and one without. Genetics dictate that my children are likely to (and do) have psychological issues, so I'm reasonably sure that even if I hadn't gotten them a single vaccination, we'd still be where we are today. That being said, you are the mom :) You will do what is best for your child, and that is what matters.