It was a note written on the bag that his filled rx came in. So I assume it was a rx sent over that the pharmacy didn't fill. We heard while he was hospital that he was low in b12. All this info is not in one place, nor is one person charge. Of my siblings I keep his pills organized, but my sister takes him to his appts, for example. I have no idea what meds or supplements the acute care center is giving him, but we need to find out. We are hoping to bring him home this week. He sees a family doctor that we like, but we discussed maybe finding someone who is more of a specialist. I don't know. He has got some pretty big health concerns (t2 diabetes, random kidney issues, etc)

I picked up his prescriptions and there was a note attached saying that the b12 was OTC so it wasn't filled. I don't have it in front of me right now but there was a dosage. I just know enough to know that not all supplements are created equal. We are actually having an emergency family meeting regarding my dad to discusd long-term plans. It's been a difficult couple weeks. He went from the hospital to an acute care center.

You can give b12 shots at home? Where would I go about getting those?

I thought I had read conversations here about B vitamins and which types were the best to take so I am turning to the hive. Long story short my dad was hospitalized 2 weeks ago. Most of his bloodwork was normal but he was told he was "critically low" in vitamin b12. Google says that is not uncommon in elderly and people who take metformin. He may have gotten a b12 shot in the hospital, but I don't know for sure. We do have instructions to get him on a regular b12 vitamin. What brands or types work best and is there anything he should or should not take with it? ETA: He was hospitalized for what we now believe to be a reaction to a medication he was taking. That has resolved itself. But he does have all the symptoms of low b12 so we would like to address that

Just for laughs I saw a meme that said something like "my biggest fear is that the Target self checkout camera is what I actually look like."

This is what I was thinking. It felt fancy. Being in a wedding dress with acrylic nails and styled hair and makeup felt fancy. Because I never looked like that or wore clothes like that. It made me feel different, walk different, sit different, etc. I am certainly more comfortable in stretchy pants and a tshirt. But dressing up sometimes can be fun.

Would they be willing to pay one of your kids to do the regular maintenance of the litter boxes? That way they don't feel like they are being an inconvenience to you and your child earns extra money? My very first job was taking the newspaper from the middle of the driveway where it got tossed and setting it by the door of our elderly neighbors. 😄

You ladies have me feeling good about homeschooling him. I haven't ever really looked into k12, but I will check that out. I've got a few good git 'er done curriculums that have worked well for us in previous years like MM and R&S spelling. Last year we tried Lightning Lit and I liked it and (most importantly) we stuck with it and it got done. We also have the option of a one day a week enrichment program through the district, which gives me a much needed break. Thank you for all the replies, for helping me walk through this mentally. I am feeling a lot better about this now.

I do. I have several types of carriers. It's also a billion degrees here and even though we have a/c inside I feel like we end up sweaty and sticky. So I wear him when I am desperate. I eliminated dairy from my diet a few weeks ago and I think it's helping his mood.

Oh my goodness, I feel like a whole new woman. Physically I am feeling great. My baby is rather grumpy/high needs so I am still not able to accomplish what I want to because I spend so much time nursing and rocking a baby. My big kids are helpful but they don't last very long holding a crying baby. But I am hopeful this stage won't last long.

This is giving me a lot to think about. I know that doing just the basics is enough. Every year I think I am going to excel at homeschooling and every year we end up doing just enough. Because life. But it is enough. And maybe I am worrying too much about it. I do want to "restore balance." I have big plans to reestablish good routines since I spent most of last year pregnant and trying to take all the naps.

I suggested that and he countered with trying out homeschooling first and going back to school if he wasn't getting all his work done and being an easy kid to homeschool. 😊 The school curriculum is set so all teachers give the same homework each day. I can't guarantee he gets a nice teacher or doesn't have punk kids in his class though.

My upper elementary years were pretty brutal too and I feel like it took my self esteem several decades to recover, even though by high school I had some great friends and good experiences.. So I am trying to hear him out and meet his needs even if it feels hard for me. I asked him to make me a list of reasons for wanting to be homeschooled. Besides testing and homework he did mention mean kids. I asked him to elaborate and it doesn't sound like he was ever singled out and picked on. There were just punk kids who were mean and bossy to everyone. Which isn't nothing. I have some homeschool supplies for him in my online shopping cart, I just can make myself checkout yet. And school starts in a week.

I haven't told him that is part of my reason for sending him to school. I have only told him that with a baby I am trying to clear my plate a bit, that homeschooling a 5th grader is harder for me than homeschooling a 1st or 3rd grader, etc. I am sending DD12 to school for the exact same reason, so it's not just him and he knows that. The fact that I am sending my best helpers to school shows how worried I am about not homeschooling well. Last year was hard.

So I have a 2 month old who refuses to get put down, a 3.5 year old who just barely quit pooping on the floor after being dethroned as the baby of the family, and a 6 year old who demands each day I sit down with her and do her homeschooling. Last year when I was pregnant and tired I felt like I had to make sure my older 2 did their work (because the stakes are higher) and my youngers demanded the attention that they needed so they got it. Meanwhile DS9 flew under the radar. 😊 DS9 is a sweet kid who is an expert as disappearing from the homeschool table as soon as the chaos of life diverts my attention from him. I have to have my thumb on him a bit. I know I can homeschool DS11 and it would be fine. But I was feeling a sense of relief that I could outsource the responsibility of his education and not have that worry that I wasn't doing enough. Sigh. Whatever I decide it may not end up being a life altering decision. I hope not anyway. Just trying to make the best decision for everyone while still recovering physically and emotionally from the.hardest.pregnancy.ever.

This is how I feel. He knows that I want to send him to school because of me. It is surprising to me that he hasn't resigned himself to going to school, especially since he did 3rd grade at the school, enjoyed it and did well. I told him I was considering his opinion. He was promising me he would get all his homeschooling work done every day without complaining, etc.. Then today I told him that I felt good about sending him to school and he burst into tears. Gah.

I kind of feel I don't know. And that's why worries me. I just don't know. Sending DS11 to school might not be the thing that helps me help DS9. Having him home to help with the littles may do more for me than sending him to school. Which is why this decision has been so difficult. I change my mind every other day. (Though I haven't yet called the school to unenroll him yet) If DS11 wants to be homeschooled I should run with that and homeschool him. But I also spent the last year pregnant, exhausted and feeling like I was failing at life. I am hoping to clear my plate a but but also don't want to cause more problems than I am solving with DS11.

He has worn glasses for several years with annual eye exams.

DS11 is going to do great academically wherever he is at. He'll do great in school. Things come easy to him. DS9 doesn't have any learning challenges but he definitely needs more than DS11. Nothing huge. Nothing that requires intervention. But I don't think being in PS would do anything to boost his confidence. DS11 would shine in his class. DS9 would get lost in the mix.

You have me almost convinced to suck it up and homeschool him. But to add a little more info.... My oldest (13) has been in b&m school for several years now. But I told Dd12 and DS11 that with a new baby I would put them in school. I figure the stakes are a little bit higher in the older grades. And if I'm juggling balls and drop some, the consequences are bigger in the older grades. While the bigger kids are more independent, their work takes more time, there are more subjects and and requires more brain power from me. Doing seatwork with my 1st and 3rd graders for a short time each day is a lot less intimidating than making sure I get all the subjects covered for my 5th and 7th graders. DD12 was initially resistant but has warmed up to the idea of going to school. She has a lot of friends there so that helps. DS11 is the only one not wanting to go. I mentioned above that I am worried about DS9. This is weighing heavily on my mind and is more of a factor in my decision than I may have initially explained. He is a sweet, loving kid who in recent months has become very negative. There is a lot of negative self-talk that I worry borders on depression. I don't know where it's come from. As a mother to lots of littles I always feel like I am not doing enough somewhere but I really feel like he needs me right now. I was hoping to make this year his year. He would be the oldest at home and I hope to work on building him up and increasing his confidence. I had my first 4 kids in 4.5 years and he is the youngest of those 4. So he is kind of one of the "big kids" but he is smaller for his age and tends to get left out of things. He and Ds11 get along mostly, but sometimes DS11 teases him and DS9 takes it very hard. I have wondered if some space during the day would be helpful. I wouldn't put DS11 in school just for this reason, but it's a contributing factor.

It would be nice to have him home because I am losing my older helper as well. He did well at school and seemed happy in that he didn't complain.... though he is my boy that tends to keep things bottled inside. I told him we could opt out of standardized testing, but he would still rather be homeschooled. I am so conflicted. I would be happy to homeschool him for all the reasons I am homeschooling in the first place. And if I do send him to school I would most likely not ever return to homeschooling. I really like the charter school my oldest 2 are at and he would attend there in 7th grade.

DS11 will be in 5th grade and has been homeschooled every year except 3rd grade when I put all the kids in school while we did a massive home remodel. He did great that year at school. It's a good school, he made good friends, etc. I went back to homeschooling the next year (last year). I (unexpectedly) got pregnant and have an adorable 2 month old now. I decided several months ago I needed to lighten my own load next year so I planned to have my 3 oldest kids in school (including DS11) and "only" have 4 kids at home. I will be homeschooling a 1st and 3rd grader with a preschooler and infant underfoot. Besides the difficulty of homeschooling with an infant, I worry a lot about my 3rd grader and really want more time to work with him. That's a story for another thread, but I am quite concerned about him emotionally, and a little bit academically. DS11 is very upset about going back to PS. He says his main reasons are the homework and standardized testing. Academically I know he would do just fine. He has good friends at the school. He is usually pretty easy to homeschool and is fairly independent. It's just one more thing when I am already feeling overwhelmed with life. I know I could homeschool him and it would be fine. But I just... don't want to. And he is so upset about the thought of PS that I am second guessing this decision. I don't want him to feel slighted. I don't want this to negatively affect our relationship. But I was also feeling really good about sending him to school and "only" having 4 kids at home during the day. Thoughts? Advice?

((Hugs)) I would recommend giving yourself permission to put things off that can be put off. Don't plan or start homeschooling while in the middle of a renovation. Or at least put it off for a while. Renovations are hard. I know I couldn't put any mental energy into anything else while we did ours, and we didn't even have to live in the house during the process.

I sparkly heart love otter box cases. I dropped my phone in the street while chasing a toddler. Gah. About 30 minutes later I realized it was gone. Found it, with tire tracks over the back of it, and the plastic part of the case broken, but the phone intact. I can't tell you how many times I have almost dropped the phone and while it's on its way down, I tried to catch it and accidentally throw it into a wall or something. My otterbox has saved my phone hundreds of times. Also, I am a klutz.

DS11 finished MM5 last year. He is good at math and I think could move through things quickly. But I am also trying to lighten my own personal load. Is there an online program that would teach him what he knows, let him skip what he already knows, and also keep track so I know what he's doing? Is that what Khan Academy does? We have happily stuck with MM for years because it works and have no personal experience with anything else. I did not plan to homeschool him this year but he is begging.