I represent the royal pole dancers: Lady Margaret Poochie-Monroe or Lady Alice Mama Kittie-Monroe

I don't know anything about Everyday Math, but I like the lattice method. I found it on my own when researching different ways to help my dyslexic son in math. He had a hard time the traditional way, lining up the numbers, switching back and forth between multiplying and adding, carrying numbers to the next column. For the lattice method, one completes all the multiplication first, then completes all the adding. I thought it was really slick and can be done just as quickly as regular multiplying.

One of our dogs is allergic to corn. He would itch a LOT when he was fed dog food that had ground corn in the ingredients.

Hey Pam, My son sounds like your husband! He really likes farm equipment or diesel machines. He has done mechanical stuff since kindergarten when he built his own push mower. He has worked on pickup trucks, our suburban, old tractors, mowers, string trimmers, and now this backhoe. He also likes to weld. He worked for a mechanic for about a year (but did things other than strictly mechanics, too) and is friendly with a lot of ag mechanics near here (we live in Indiana). A lot of them let him back into the shop to see stuff being done, but I doubt that they knew he was so young since he looks older. Anyway, would your husband still recommend mechanic's school as the way to go--or should he just look for a job (a friend thinks he can get him in at a diesel place)?

Thanks, Pam, that is very helpful information. He was debating whether or not he wanted to go to a diesel mechanic's school--we know a couple of kids who graduated from schools like that, and neither one were very happy with their experience. They both said that the school was not very helpful when it came to finding a job after graduation and they said had they to do it over again, they would save the tuition ($30,000) and done an apprenticeship instead.

Thanks ladies! I asked this question for my 17 year old who is doing some work for friends. He has done quite a lot of work in the past for us (as well as for himself on his old trucks and tractors) and thinks he wants to be a mechanic. He has split a John Deere 4020 tractor and replaced the clutch for a friend and is currently working on a backhoe for another friend. He thought he was charging too much at $15 per hour (since they are friends). We haven't had to pay a mechanic ourselves so did not have a clue how much was reasonable.

What would you pay a mechanic per hour? Would it make a difference if he were a friend? Would it make a difference what he was fixing (mower versus tractor, for example)? Would it make a difference if he were a kid (17)? Thanks for your input.

Unfortunately, yes I was serious--18 degrees F. They had the option of sleeping in the basement, which is 45 or so, but they preferred their rooms. One did succumb to an electric blanket, the other just piles on lots of blankets. We have an electric blanket on our bed but it is a chilling trip from the bathroom to the bed. Even so, I sleep warmly and don't need to turn my side on. Amazing what one can get used to...

In the mornings it can be 34 or so in the kitchen. During the day it might warm up to 45. I hesitate to turn on the furnace because we are still under construction and the heat goes right out through the rafters. One morning the kids' rooms were 18 and they said they slept pretty well. We do have a space heater in the bathroom, and another small heater that we can direct to our toes when it gets unbearable.

Not being snarky here, but how is a processing disorder not a learning disorder?

I have read of several instances of someone being born with half of a brain and turning out normal (or above) in intelligence and function so... Never Give Up :grouphug:

A banana.

How is getting an IQ score going to help in setting realistic expectations? Is there a guide somewhere that says if IQ=160 then they should be doing calculus by age 8? Just because you have a score does not necessarily mean that your kids will perform like other kids with the same IQ. I know a lot of kids who are said to have a very high IQ and their performance in school varies quite a lot. Some are not doing very well in many of their subjects. I keep hearing the parents say how smart their child is, (scary smart), and I am certain that the kids have heard themselves being described as highly intelligent. What they fail to realize, both the kids and the adults, is that achievement still requires work. The kids are afraid to fail so they don't put the effort into it from the beginning. They think, "If I'm really so smart, then why is this so hard? I should automatically know it." Why not just keep giving them work and if it is easy, give them more. If they express a desire to learn about something extraordinary, pursue it.

"I forgot to mention, I had just gotten back from picking up my son where I learned that he had a loaded gun pointed at him by a "joking" friend." A loaded gun pointed at your son tops everything. I can not even imagine! I am perimenopausal and there is no telling what I would have done to that kid.

My story might make you feel better. Our remodel turned into a tear down and rebuild after we had already put a lot of prep work into the remodel. When we decided to rebuild, my husband, two kids and I tore down the existing part in three days (it was the original 1-1/2 story house and had been added onto). At one point, in order to get into our house, I had to climb a ladder down into the excavated hole for the basement and come through a hole in an existing basement wall. Later, when the addition was up, we had to climb through a window in my bedroom to get into the house. We are living in a few small rooms while working on wiring, plumbing, insulation, etc. etc. etc. in the new addition, which is two story. We have one bathroom and had to cut the tub in half, practically, in order to make way for the addition. So, my tub/shower has one wall that is plexiglass on plywood, sealed with duct tape so we can still use it. We went through last winter with little heat since our furnace was not hooked up (all the ductwork had to be ripped out). My kitchen was routinely 44-48 degrees, the upstairs was in the upper 20's. The kids' bedrooms stayed above freezing by keeping their doors closed. They had no electricity. It has been ONE YEAR and we are finally getting the furnace hooked up. I still have no walls in the addition so the heat, when it is finally turned on, will go right out the ceiling. We are trying to do a lot of the work ourselves since at this point, our house has turned into a huge money suck hole. So, there is no telling when I will get to actually get to live in my house comfortably. I could go on and on but I just hit the high points. Doesn't this make you feel a little bit better?

We have two boys and tend to give them weird things: consumables like tins of sardines and Costco-sized bottles of A-1 sauce, exotic cocoa or coffee, and chocolates. They also like machines so we give them tool sets, or parts for whatever they are working on: a new tractor seat, chains for their tires, fire extinguishers, modern seat belts for older son's 1970 pickup truck--things that will last and they can use in their adulthood.

You might want to try supplementing with melatonin. It has a lot of cancer fighting attributes and is something your body produces anyway. :grouphug:

My PMS brownie recipe calls for 12 ounces of semisweet chocolate, PLUS 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, PLUS 6 tablespoons cocoa.....

Like some of the others, I can't keep my kids inside, no matter the weather. You have a pasture--get them a pet. They can help build a shelter and will have to care for the pet daily. Old riding mowers are a lot of fun (mower deck removed)--my kids would tie a tarp on the back and pull each other around. A huge pile of dirt can keep them busy for years. Attach a zip line between two trees. Build a fort. They can garden. Get some chickens--they are pretty easy to care for and fun to watch.

I mentioned IQ because it could potentially make things worse for him in the future, and I totally base that on experience with our school system--I certainly do not know what yours are like. I know of two kids who had undergone testing at the school and were just shuttled down to the Resource Room to do worksheets all day. I heard a teacher say, "Well, that is all we are having him do because he is 'low'." Anyone who met the child would know differently. I am glad to hear that everything is going better.

How do you know for sure that his IQ is 62? I would never never never talk about that score to the teachers. I know for a fact that lots of children with learning disabilities do not score well on the IQ test and receive an artificially low score. I also know that some teachers get ahold of that number and then never challenge the child thinking that he is "low" and, therefore, not capable.

We live in central Indiana and are planning on putting in geothermal. The cost will be around $20,000, but we are putting in some of the ductwork ourselves. Yes, they still use electricity, but less than other systems and electricity is 100% efficient. We are doing it based on the experiences of 4 other neighbors who have it and love it. I think the reliability of the system is entirely dependent on who installs it, since I understand that they are tricky to install correctly. I also like the idea that, if we ever get enough $$$ to do solar or wind energy, we can use the electricity generated from those to power the geothermal and be more self sufficient.

I don't put too much stock in things being OK just because they passed inspection. We have had a couple of houses in the past that have passed inspection with obvious violations. If you are OK with how things are routed, let it go. If you want legalities, check with your local Health Department. Beware, though, we just had to have a new septic system installed and they had tons of requirements. We now have the Taj Mahal of crap pits.

Caning. Furniture refinishing. Mechanics--we have a young girl in our local tractor club. Gardening.