My dd was just re- tested and has retained the lable. The NP is calling it "high functioning" this time as the PDD-NOS label no longer exists. I felt relieved she still has the label because I still see behaviors on a day to day basis. I often wonder if she had been diagnosed earlier if she would "look" different today. She wasn't diagnosed until age 10 and although she received speech, OT and some social skills, it was never with the concern that she was on the spectrum. I know I shouldn't dwell on that but I will always wonder!

I also deal with almost constant itching mostly on my back. It's not from dry skin. I have tried to find solutions as well. I wonder at times if it could be the Lyme disease or coinfections causing it. Someone in a medical field recently told me that some new research is pointing to the fact that it could be a lower level or different type of pain presenting as itching. I found that interesting as I also have had back pain for many years. I haven't had time to research it further.

Do you mean community college,CC? Just want to make sure I understand.

We are looking too. Currently have foam type, major brand, but never really liked it. Looked at sleep number last year but could never get them to give us an exact price with all the components required. Was over$5000 at least and in spite of a lot of back, shoulder, hip pain between the two of us couldn't wrap our brains around the expense. Plus we'd need all new bedding, etc. Yikes! Still looking for something! Following with interest!!

I am not because of recent diagnosis-doctor said not to get it. In the past few years, the times I have gotten the shot I have been much sicker than when I did not get it. Dh never gets the shot and rarely gets sick. Two youngest will get it as the younger one got terribly ill with H1N1 a few years ago and it really scared me. She will get the mist as the last time she had the shot she had a bad reaction. Adult aged kids can make their own choices. Probably won't get it though.

I haven't read all of the responses, but was it possible for this young man to have had a job over the summer? If he's on the team he must have known there would be a dance, etc. I wouldn't interfere with another's parenting choices in a case like this. It sounds like a ton of peer pressure for these kids to be there. But if she or you pay for him, it might set an expectation in his mind that others will pay for him in the future and he won't need to solve problems on his own. It could be a huge life lesson for him. Sorry for your daughter.

My kids did IM a couple of times while they were much younger. I don't know the cost but it was covered by our insurance as part of their O T sessions. About the only benefit they had was bladder control which was great but unexpected. As I said they were young at the time and we were hoping for some good results with ADHD behaviors. The last time ds did it, he was a little older and he hated it and didn't even want to go to therapy, which he usually enjoyed. I think it proved to be very challenging for him and they were pushing him pretty hard.

How old is Anna? I am sorry things were so rough for her but I am sure you will still gain some valuable insight into how you can help her. My kids have each gone through evals like this a few times. They both just had updated evals in the past few months. They are teens now and it goes easier now than the first time.Take care!

I was one who was "almost" diagnosed with Fibro many years ago but at that time the rheumotologist didn't think my sleep was disordered enough. Now I have been diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease which the LLMD (lyme specialist) thinks I have probably had for almost 20 years. Be careful to rule everything else out before settling for that diagnosis.

I don't decorate for all of the seasons. I have two kitchen cupboards with glass windows and try to put something seasonal in those or something small on the window ledge above my sink. I do more for Christmas throughout the house but not as much as I used to do (too much work and the kids are not good at helping take it down). Fall is my least favorite season (actually strongly dislike it!) and I don't like many decorations for that time of year. I do have a couple of pumpkin ceramic pieces dd made a few years ago and a couple of candles. I don't put those out til late October and Christmas decorations don't come out til after Thanksgiving. Living in a northern climate we try to make summer last as long as we can (still have my 4th of July things out!) and fall decorations just seem to spoil what we have left of it!

Update: thanks again for all of your suggestions. We ended up seeing the dermatologist and she said it was eczema along with a bacterial infection. She prescribed Mupirocin for the infection and Triamcinolone for the eczema. She recommended using either Cetaphil, Vanicream, or CeraVe for creams. I had tried a few others but I think because the OTC cortisone cream wasn't strong enough it didn't really help. Hopefully this will get the eczema under control and clear the infection or back we will go to the dermatologist.Thanks again! I will still try to figure out some dietary issues, etc.

Thanks, OneStep, for writing all of that out concerning the student council groups. Both groups sound very active and I am sure your DD has learned a lot from her participation. I am not sure how this compares to the one where we are. I will let you know if I have questions. Thanks again!

One Step, you've mentioned your Dd being on student council and I am wondering what that means in a homeschool setting. I remember from my own school days but was just curious how it works, whether kids are appointed, elected, etc. I think there might possibly be one where my two take a few classes this year but not sure what it involves (I am sure it varies among different organizations). I think ds might enjoy something like that.

I have the DVDs from my older dc but have not heard of the Jill Pike syllabus. Can you tell me about that and where to look for it? Thanks!

I also have a child who struggles quite a bit, doesn't read on grade level, and we have used the Memoria Press lit guides as well. However, it was suggested to us to go back a few grade levels for him (he was 15 last year) because the guides are challenging even at a lower level. It has worked well for him and he doesn't know or care what level it was originally suggested for.

I wore a boot on two occasions, each time for about 8 weeks. It actually made my entire back feel sore. But I remember the doctor told me to angle that foot with the boot out to the side, outward a bit when I walked. It did help even though it felt awkward. You are using different muscles, etc., than usual. It just kind of throws your whole body off. And they are also heavier so you are walking with more weight on that leg and walking differently than usual. I always remember shin pain when school would begin and I was walking a mile a day to get there. It went away after a few days as I got used to it again.

Could it be something else you are eating? Dairy or eggs? I went on to have those sensitivities after I found out about gluten. Are you eating any "gluten free" mixes or foods? I just read this article about General Mills: https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/gluten-free-cheerios-take-two/ Some may be getting glutened with these amounts. Or if I am off base just ignore! Maybe you are not eating anything like that especially if you have been sick for a while. Just a thought...

Where would I find out more about Jann's math classes? What level does she start with as far as teaching classes? Just starting to plan here as we don't begin til mid Sept. Thanks!

I would not use real names, including you and the other moms as the authors. Our kids deserve privacy.

Thank so much everyone for your replies. Trying to follow this on my phone while out of town for a few days . She was allergic, according to a blood test, to wheat, dairy, soy, peanuts, and a few other things back in 2007. She had a peanut challenge a few years ago and the allergist said fine to have them, then she broke out in a similar rash to this one a few days later. Scared me so I have kept her off of those and wheat also even though Dr said it was fine. I didn't have a lot of confidence in him. Anyhow, I will keep trying to get her off of dairy (young teen now). May call the ped long distance to see if she can prescribe something for when we get home. I picked up a few of the creams you suggested along with gloves. Don't think she will be in the pool! Any more suggestions are most appreciated!!

DD has what I am assuming is eczema on the inside of her hands near her fingers.It's gotten pretty bad in the past week. She has a history of it but hasn't had a flare up this bad in years, it's cracking, weeping. I cannot get her an appt with a dermatologist until late next week and want to know if anyone has any suggestions for what we can do in the mean time. She saw the ped last month and she suggested cortisone cream. She has been using cortaid regularly but it isn't really helping. She has been gluten free for several years. Thanks for any suggestions in advance as I won't be able to respond for a while!

The store nearest to me is pretty good sized. There is a lot to look at and at times I have found things I did not see in other places and wouldn't bother to search for on amazon, etc. Probably because I didn't know they existed! They do have some sort of reward card for teachers which homeschoolers can use. They have good sales, coupons, advertisements that come in the mail. Prices may have been slightly higher, cannot say for sure, but I bought from them because I do appreciate an actual store in my general metropolitan area where I can really look at things and decide before I buy. Some things might be so specific it would be difficult to look for them on the internet. If we don't buy from these stores they are going to disappear. I have not bought from them in a while as my kids are now teens and they tend to have more for younger kids. Good luck!

I used to love strawberry shortcake but I am now allergic and swap the strawberries for raspberries.

This is a great thread! In high school lots of girls would walk past me with huge grins and tell me to "smile". I don't really know why but I was never someone to walk around with a fake smile. Tell me something funny and I would gladly smile. In my working days one coworker in particular would occasionally tell me I looked sick. It was always when I wasn't wearing any lipstick. I have come to believe it over the years and feel odd without it! And I was mistaken for being pregnant a couple of times. Definitely not fun when you are not or when you would like to be.

Sorry if I am not understanding, but if I already paid to listen to the talks and listened to them when they were first on the web, do I "own" them as far as having them to download and listen as often as I want to? Thanks. Your talks were great and I hope you will do it again in the future!