THis sounds really fun! We might just do this, thanks!

My arms are very sore today from the 8# yesterday so I know what you mean. I will have to think @ it. I would really like to tone up my arms some, especially the underneath.

I have always measured big for my dates so for me to measure 25 at 20 would be normal. I think the more babies you have this can hold true and from your signature this looks like baby # 3? However, I have always loved having a U/S and seeing the baby so I would probably do it just for that LOL. Good luck and congratualtions!

Thanks! I will try adding more reps instead of more weight.

The kids have finished their grammar books and I was thinking of doing something fun with writing to finish the year. We have 10-12 or so weeks left. I was looking at Imitations in Writing, but I wasn't sure which would be good for ages 13, 12 and 9. Any other ideas? Thanks!

What grades would you say this is geared for?

Only 5# weights ( I know I am a wimp lol) and just upped it to 8 yesterday and that got me wondering.

I am a member, but don't use it daily like I used to. Now I use it when my weight seems to stall to make sure I am not over eating. I am down @ 90#s since Feb 07.

I have been lifting weights for a few months and my routine is now easy. I wasn't sure if I should up the weight I use or do more reps or just continue as is. I don't want to get bulky, just toned. Also, I need to start some abdominal exercises and I wasn't sure if these should be done daily or every other day when I do the weights. Thanks!

I second this! Find a doctor who will listen to your sister and not his own feelings.

That makes sense. I will call today. Thanks again! :)

He wont have to test until next year and that's why I was wondering if I should have him repeat 2nd in order to give him a year to catch up. I am going to move him into 3rd as planned and just remediate him as much as I can by spring. If we do get an IEP then he will be able to have some help with his testing, I just need to figure out the best route to go for that.

Thanks, Laurie. I am going to see about the Woodcock Johnson test instead for him. Can't hurt to try! Jackie, I have read that about the results not being used, but it still makes me nervous :) . I plan on moving him forward into 3rd and I hope by next spring, when testing comes, he will have made some good progress anyways because of the new curriculum and the assorted theraphies we are using. We will plan on testing ourselves with BJU and I need to think @ the IEP for him. It does make sense to have one in place now rather than wait until highschool.

They have him on 25 mg once a day for one week and then it slowly increases until he will be on 100 mg/twice a day. They do have me coming back in 6 weeks for lab work and a follow up. Should he have bloood work done sooner than 6 weeks? Good point about the psyc. eval. I didn't think of that and will have to talk to DH and we will consider it. Thanks, Jackie. It does feel good to have a reason for the seizures and I am relieved it wasn't more serious.

I don't know if my state would allow this as an alternate. It doens't say anything on the web site I posted above. He doesn't have an IEP because we aren't going through the school system.

OK, I just found this from the Arkansas Education Alliance web site https://www.arkansashomeschool.org/index.asp?PageID=Testing : In 2003, the Arkansas Legislature mandated norm referenced testing for public school students in grades 3 through 9. The State Board of Education has approved use of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills for both public and home school students. They are to take the full battery (complete test), which takes approximately 3 half days to complete. In March of each year, home school students will take the reading and math portions of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. It is the responsibility of the local Education Service Cooperative to notify home school parents about when and where to take the test. In Pulaski County notification is done by the local school district. The state-mandated test is paid for by the State of Arkansas. And this on Alternate testing: Arkansas law allows home schoolers to conduct alternative testing. An alternative testing plan must be approved by the local Educational Service Cooperative. Home schoolers wishing to conduct alternative testing must use the same test that has been approved for all home schoolers by the State Board of Education. They must find a certified test administrator to give the test and they must order and pay for the test themselves. The test dates may differ from the dates established for annual testing by the State of Arkansas, as long as they are approved by the local Educational Service Cooperative. Alternative testing may be set up for as few as one student. Test of home school students who participate in alternative testing are not sent to the Arkansas Department of Education nor are they calculated as a part of Arkansas’ overall home school test scores. I know my DH could administrate it because he has a BS, which is the requirement. I think this might be a solution for us for next year. I just need to figure out what to do about the reading part of the test.

Good to know! :)

I am not 100% sure but I think they use the CAT test. I will have to find out for sure. That would be great if we could do the test ourselves and read for him!

Thanks again , Claire! I was thinking that after we finish or go through some theraphies and cognitive training his IQ could improve anyhow ( I think?) so it would make sense to wait until we NEED to have an official diagnosis.

Thank you, both. I will ask on my HS group if anyone has gone that route. I really didn't feel good about keeping him back just for that reason, so I will plan on moving him into 3rd next fall.

I was thinking about keeping him back a year and have him redo 2nd grade. The only real reason is that next year he will have to start standardized testing per my state's requirements. He can do his math even though it takes him a bit because he doesn't have his facts down pat, but we are working on those over the summer. He likes science and history and does narrations with me. It's his reading and writing that is below level and if he can't read well, I don't think he will be able to do the testing. I guess I could try to get him out of the test or have it read to him, but where we aren't going through the school for services I don't know if this will be possible. We do have the option of testing ourselves using BJU and my husband being the administrator. I guess we could do that and I could read it to him and mark his answers ( not help him withthe answers though) but I don't know if this would be considered dishonest. The biggest downside of keeping him back would be that he would be 9 entering the 2nd grade and then 19 when entering 12th. Am I overthinking this? WWYD?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120614130694756089.html "In the annals of judicial imperialism, we have arrived at a strange new chapter. A California court ruled this month that parents cannot "home school" their children without government certification. No teaching credential, no teaching. Parents "do not have a constitutional right to home school their children," wrote California appellate Justice Walter Croskey. The 166,000 families in the state that now choose to educate their children at home must be stunned. But at least one political lobby likes the ruling. "We're happy," the California Teachers Association's Lloyd Porter told the San Francisco Chronicle. He says the union believes all students should be taught only by "credentialed" teachers, who will in due course belong to unions. California law requires children between six and 18 to attend a full-time day school. Failure to comply means falling afoul of the state's truancy laws, which say kids can't play hooky without an excuse. But kids who are taught at home are less likely to be truants. Their parents choose to spend their time teaching English, math and science precisely because they don't think the public schools do a good enough job"....

and my son was diagnosed with Generalized Tonic-Clonic seizures, which sound like what I probably had as a child too. He said it's common and some kids DO outgrow it ( I did) and it can be hereditary. He put him on lamitical and I am Ok with it although the risk scares me ( the rash?) He is on a low does and we will build up to his full dose over 6 weeks. We see the neuro at that time to see if we need to adjust anything. We talked about his LD and he recommended I go through the school for a complete psyc eval, but I have already had a few evals done on my own so I think I am going to continue with what I am doing. I have an OT eval appointment for next week and talked with an audiologist about having a CAPD ( I think thats the term?) eval done, but he said it will probably be the end of April. So after these 2 evals we will have covered Audio, OT, Vision and Speech. Am I missing anything? I know he needs cognitive training, but that comes after the other stuff if I am reading the other post right. I was wondering about haivng my sons IQ tested, but I am not sure if I should or not. I mean does it really matter to know his IQ? Will it change anything? I just don't know how I feel about this. I guess that's it for now. I just wanted to give an update.

I know WM hires without a license, because my son got hired before he got his. My other kids have all had jobs pre-license too.

Oh, I love getting new books in the mail! I ordered the last of our stuff today and will be anxiously awaiting the UPS truck :D