I just wanted to say that I appreciated the 27-point list. I have friends in CC who think it is the greatest, and I needed to hear a differing viewpoint to help me clarify my concerns and make a decision.

I'm impressed with how musical his playing sounded! I usually work on the dynamics last too. He might be sitting low on the bench. You want his forearms to be level, not reaching up to the keys. You'll receive good information from his Federation judge.

Geography and world cultures (study one country per month).

I was confused by this as well. The "No Charge" in the details means "No Copay Charge but you still have to meet the deductible for that individual." I think annual well visits may be exempt from that deductible.

I think this is your answer. If you meet weekly, change it to every other week or even monthly. Then those who volunteer will be able to get some rest. If the other parents can't or won't help, then you'll know it's not a big priority to them. No reason to burn out the willing volunteers.

The child I know with high levels of lead was exposed to it through lead pipes in their ancient house. You drink bottled water, but do you cook with tap water? Of the family in that house, the son was affected the most. Chelation helped.

I think you should get a 504 too. Food allergies do qualify. The school should not override treatment decisions, and that's why you get a 504. The other option would be to always send a lunch, snacks, and class party treats from home with a rule that your child can only eat what you send. (This is what I did with my child.)

Freeze the cake layers individually, unfrosted. You can wrap them in parchment paper or freezer paper.

There is a blog Sit a Spell that describes something like that. The family moved to Haiti, and she worked at a maternity center. I think the family also homeschools. Look through the archives around 2011. They're in the states now, but she wrote a lot about living there.

awesome. Thanks for sharing it.

They might prefer to visit with only one or two families at a time. You throw four moms and all their kids together, and it might be more chaos than they like. Try getting together with just one or two of them; it's easier to have real conversations that way.

I would give up a coat closet for a pantry too. There are so many other options to store coats.

My neighbor stood in his front yard as his dog came over to poop in my yard. I saw it from the window, went over and asked him nicely to clean it up, and he did. It never happened again. My grandmother's neighbors used to let their dogs poop in her yard until she said something. Some people want to do as little work as possible.

If you decide to have a medical test to determine if it's something such as celiac, you want to do it at the doctor before beginning a gluten-free diet. The advice about it being a protein-deficient diet is good too.

I noticed that the one from Paper Source still has the USSR.

My child is gluten-free, and before we realized gluten was the source of her health issues, bread products were what she craved the most. She is also a picky eater, and I still don't understand why she was craving the foods that were hurting her. My thoughts about an elimination diet is that it typically only takes a week to see results, there are no harmful side effects from medication, and it's much less expensive than going to doctor visits and running medical tests. Few doctors will tell you to do an elimination diet; you have to decide for yourself. If we had not tried an elimination diet, it would have taken taken us years to figure it out. The potential health benefit outweighs the short-term inconvenience.

Yes, with dairy. We eat gluten and dairy free. Any time someone has unexplained symptoms, I wish they would try a gluten-free diet for a week to see if it could help.

I love my Korg digital piano (the weighted keys feel like a real piano). I would also look at Yamaha. http://www.amazon.com/Korg-SP170s-88-Key-Digital-Piano/dp/B004M92J0O/

I like the Beauty Without Cruelty brand. I especially like the BWC Rosemary Mint Conditioner to go with it. I have wavy hair too. http://www.vitacost.com/beauty-without-cruelty-shampoo-rosemary-mint-and-tea-tree

Could she drink a meal replacement shake?

Love the color of the linked boots. I wear boots every day, but they have a lower heel.

Being able to enroll kids in specific classes the way you would do at college.

I second the suggestion to get a janitor-supply dust mop, the kind you see custodians use at the mall. It just glides across the floor and you'll be finished in no time.

I spend about $40 for cake ingredients (gluten-free), a fruit plate, a piñata, and balloons. We have a party every year. It's usually at our house which keeps expenses low.

I got the Road ID for my parent, and it turned out she needed it. I was glad it was easy for someone to recognize it as a medical bracelet. It doesn't look like a hospital ID, but it also doesn't look like regular jewelry.