Delicates bag (or a pillowcase tied shut) and run through the wash always works well for us.

Thank you for posting this, it has some great ideas. As someone else posted upthread, when you have limited means, you aren't very likely to experiment.

Nm

I apologize if you stated this earlier and I missed it, but what solutions do you think would be effective?

I didn't know that. I just know that I did what I was told to do. Most of it was waiting. At the end, the caseworker helping me admitted that our case was just mishandled from the beginning. By the end, all the "fight" is out of you. I told DH so often how I don't know how anyone could manage the process if the weren't a native English speaker or if they didn't have the luxury of fitting in a 45 minute call everyday for many weeks. It is anything but easy and you have to be desperate to get through it in my experience.

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We use two dryer racks on any given day. The dryer racks are in DH and my bedroom (not really too much sunlight). We live in an apartment and even though we have a balcony, line drying is frowned upon. I just remind the kids that when they lay things out, the fewer bumps the faster the clothes will dry. We don't hang shirts or pants on the dryer racks. Those we put on hangers and hang in the proper person's closet (with space between the hangers). The jeans will still dry in a day or two even in a dark closet. Even in a dark closet the clothes dry very nicely. The kids have each learned the hard way why we don't cram our clothes together in the closets (their FAVORITE shirt / pants are still wet after two days). :) ETA: Crunchy towels are more absorbent in our experience. :)

Regarding the pain, I agree with a previous poster. When DH had a lot of pain for his tooth, the dentist couldn't get him in until the next business day (Monday). She said that if he can't handle the pain to go to the ER so he doesn't need to suffer needlessly while he is waiting. :grouphug: to you and your DH.

Notebooks for the entire year. We're okay on pencils. I have to check if we need more of those eraser tops for pencils. That's about it for us.

Thank you so much for your advice, it is exactly what I needed to read. It is so hard when you put so much into something and it still isn't going to be loved by those you are doing it for :) I don't want to overreact when obviously he is being 8 and just sharing what is on his mind. Thank you for taking the time to help! You ladies are amazing!

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A smartwater bottle my son was looking at had a frog saying that recycling was sexy. DS8: "What does that mean?" (he knows about sex) Me: (thoughtful pause) "It means the frog really wants to mate with you if you recycle this bottle." DS8: *eyebrows raise* "That's weird." Me: "I know."

I agree with the PP: the child care situation is the one that is the most important. School can easily be fit in in the evenings and/or weekends. When I was not with DS8, he was with DH at our café. We homeschooled this way for a few years before I left my full time job. Also, she may have to keep the kids in school just for the timing and schedule of the child care. She could still afterschool. That works very well for many families with less pressure on the entire family unit.

Our days are the same: Wake up at 5am, leave for work. We get to the café at 6am. Both DS8 and I do chores to open the store (he stocks the shelves, I start the machines). He eats breakfast while I help the early customers that come between 6:30am and 8am. At 8am we start schoolwork. The best part of our plan is that he knows what to do when I am (inevitably) interrupted by customers. This was a valuable missing piece that was needed for peace and productivity. We work through our day, with each subject taking between 15 and 30 minutes (sometimes longer, depending on interest). It helped me to have a schedule to see how much to do each day for our lessons. It helps me to see that we are making progress each day and not worry that we didn't do much just because it may have "felt easier" that day. By noon, we are done with lessons and DS8 has lunch. Then we usually will play card / board games between customers or he will read or build legos or snap circuits. As soon as he is done for the day (usually while he is eating), I look through what tomorrow's lessons are to make sure I understand what I am doing and I make a list of any needed materials I need to have ready on a post it note. We close each day at 2 or 3pm and then we are done with both schoolwork and work for the day.

If you really want a workbook, Barnes and Noble usually has Spectrum Math for around $10. They have other subjects as well. I would still recommend what the PP's have said.

01/02 - $1.81 coffee (traveling) 01/03 - found $23.00 on the floor of the airport on the way home (no one was near it and no one claimed it) spent $15.50 on kitchen mixing bowls and three utensils to replace the shredded ones at home

01/01/14 -- $4.95 for children's cough / cold / flu medicine :sad: At least it is helping DS8 feel better today.

IMHO, given the family situation you are describing, this would be the worst thing to do for these children. I would follow through with the PP's recommendations on getting medical care for yourself and counseling for you, DH, and the children involved. :grouphug:

Fun challenge, Hunter! 1-3. Complete Calvin and Hobbes - 3 volumes 4. Good Dictionary 5. The Century (US History) 6. Understanding Writing 7. Abeka Grammar and Composition Handbook 8. College Algebra book (K-8 could be created with a basic scope and sequence) 9. Bible 10. Kingfisher History Encyclopedia There isn't a specific science text, but science could be included from historical topics and dictionary entries.

Here's what I do: I clear a shelf to make a little clear space. Then I look at all the books and think if I lost all of them but one, which one would I want. Then I think, okay if I lost all but two which other one would I keep. That gets the next place on the cleared shelf. I continue in this way until the shelf is full. Then if I have another shelf I can fill, I clear everything off and continue in the same manner. Eventually, you will run out of available space, but the books that are on the shelf are the most loved, or most used. The rest can be mourned over, but given away or sold. The priority of the books becomes very clear when you do it this way. If you see a book left over in the pile that you missed, you must remove a different book or books to allow it to stay.

DS8 and I made a small piñata with paper mâché and I filled it with some candy and "fun" supplies that he'll love being surprised with (a math compass, a spinbrush, a bag of rubber bands, water balloons, regular balloons, etc.). We are going to bike to breakfast as a family (Dad too). We usually bike as our transportation, but not to a special breakfast. At breakfast we are going to fill out that worksheet about our age / self portrait / what we want to be when we grow up. Since DH and I do it too, it is really funny. Then we're going to bike home and smash the piñata. Then we have cans of silly string for our big silly string fight. Then we'll bike to the lake and park by our house and stay as long as the kids want to (I just bring a book). We don't have any schoolwork planned for that day. Everybody is pretty excited about it. The biggest cost is breakfast, which is only going to be a muffin and a juice (or less), so maybe $5-$10. That could always be replaced with a picnic at the park. The silly string was $1 a can. The supplies were around $5 to put in the piñata.

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Hi Rose, We've had a very similar, difficult summer with my three older step children. It has torn DH and myself apart emotionally. I can't imagine all that you have been through, but I just wanted to tell you this: In the Bible, everyone reads the prodigal son story and thinks "wow, what a great dad". The dad didn't become a great one when his son came back. He was a great one when he let his son go. I wish for you all the strength and peace you need during this time. -Angela

Khan Academy for us.