It's on their website.

Well, not that I'm likely to change your views on spanking, but, still, I would recommend taking a look at the following articles and taking from them what you will. http://nospank.net/sagendrf.htm http://nospank.net/sexdngrs.htm http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/011/pearls.html

Yeah, I want to add that my son is turning 5 this weekend and I tried starting K with him as of this past September, figuring it would be okay since I'm using a Waldorf-inspired, gentle, non-academic K program- and he just wasn't ready. We got 7 weeks into the program and then I decided it just wasn't working. He wasn't interested enough, he liked some of it but didn't have the attention span for other things, wasn't getting out of it what I wanted him to, and would tell me "I don't want to do school" or "I don't want to draw." I had to face the facts that he just wasn't ready, so as of last week I have totally dropped any idea of a K "curriculum" and we're just going to have another informal preschool year. Next fall, when he's almost 6 instead of almost 5, I will try again- with this same gentle, non-academic K program, and then he'll be almost 7 by the time we start 1st grade, and so on. I think he'll be more ready on that timeline, and will get more out of it, and it will be less of a struggle for ME as well as him. So, seriously, don't be afraid to just drop everything and wait a while (that book will say the same thing lol- they recommend not doing formal education til around age 8, and they give a lot of thought-provoking reasons)!

Sometimes, if I'm in the mood, I decorate for Halloween. And since we don't celebrate Christmas or any other Christian holidays, that's about the only holiday I (sometimes) decorate for. My neighbors on the other hand, have cutesy decorations and door hangings and wreaths and flags and whatnot for pretty much every holiday and season out there lol.

Better Late Than Early. By the Moores. Very informative book! And yes, I think it is okay. In fact, I think it is okay to just stop what you're doing entirely, let him join in with his sister's preschool stuff, read to him lots, make all learning conversational/hands on, and wait until the fall to start over with 1st grade, if that's what you think will work best for him. :)

She's barely three... and she's been hit ten times today alone? That hurts MY spirit just to think about! And is a very good indication that it's NOT an effective tool. It's just as easy and effective, and CERTAINLY less harmful, IMHO, to plop her down on a step and make her take a time out away from the fun things she wants to be doing every single time she doesn't "obey." Or make her stand in a corner. Or something that doesn't involve physically hurting her, especially multiple times a day. I'm afraid I will never understand that, or agree with that.

I refuse to believe that nobody else has a favorite cookie recipe to share!! :P

"rustic" photo frames made out of twigs bundled together and tied at the corners, with a photo hot glued to the back of it? Little decorations can be hot glued to the front too if desired.

My son went through a brief phase of biting (I started weaning him at 15 months and finished weaning him at 19 months). Fortunately he didn't do it many times. I found that pulling him INTO the breast so he had to let go to breathe was much less damaging to me than pulling him away was, and more effective than trying to break his suction with a finger was. The best I could do was tell him firmly "No biting! Biting hurts!" and then I'd stop the nursing session and put him down, away from me. You might find this link helpful, too: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html

I haven't been to many concerts. The first one I ever saw was Aerosmith (Skid Row opened for them). I think I was 19. I went with my ex husband (who was then my boyfriend). The second one I saw was Meatloaf. I think I was early 20's. Again, I went with my ex husband (who was then my husband). The third was a Lilith Fair concert and the only two performers whose names I can remember were Sarah McLaughlin and Missy Elliot. I think I was mid 20's. I went with my best friend. And the fourth was Bret Michaels, like two years ago (mid 30's). I went with a sister-in-law and a friend. I will be seeing Bret Michaels again this Thanksgiving with a few friends. :D ETA: A couple of years before that first Bret Michaels concert, I ALMOST went to an Eminem concert but then decided against it as I was pretty pregnant with my son and worried about what it would be like with the crowd, the noise, etc, so I decided to skip it. I'd still go see him though if I ever got the chance!

Usually something like peanut butter and honey sandwiches (a favorite over here), some string cheese, some sort of fruit, and some crackers or chips, and something sweet for 'dessert' (some cookies or something). And juice boxes/water. And baby wipes for cleaning sticky fingers afterward!

by Roald Dahl, and said son is turning 5 this weekend, what other books might hold his interest at this age? Usually we only read picture books. I did read "The Indian In The Cupboard" to him and his older sister not too long ago and it PARTIALLY held his attention but not for long periods of time... other than that, this was the first book I read to him that wasn't just a picture book. We read it last night, and he loved it. It really held his interest, he enjoyed the illustrations, he made relevant comments here and there about the story, and he laughed aloud at the scene where the ducks answer the phone! What else should I try reading to him?

No, we aren't.

I think that's what they want to rule out (well hopefully out! lol), since they said it felt enlarged.

Thanks, Jean :) I have to say- it was kind of a big deal for me that I WENT to my meeting today. In the past, no matter how well I was doing overall, I've been known to totally skip meetings/weigh ins due to knowing I'd just gain and being kinda depressed about that and wanting to bury my head in the sand and not let it be "official" LOL. Which I know is kind of stupid. There are changes I need to make that aren't just about losing weight on a given week- but a whole mindset, really. I need to get out of the "all or nothing" mindset I've been known to have (like if I'm not eating well, I'm also not exercising, drinking my waters, going to meetings, etc). And I need to keep in mind that this isn't about what happens on any given day or week or weigh in and to just stay the course. I usually tend to have a VERY hard time getting back on track once I've gone off, and a "Well I already did bad for this meal, so may as well not bother today"/"I already did bad today, so this weekend's ruined"/"This weekend's ruined, so why bother this week" kind of mindset and before I know it, I'm TOTALLY off plan, gaining even more, and getting even more discouraged/depressed- it's a horrid cycle, that I'm trying REALLY hard to break. So the fact that I did really well the last two days after four days of being off plan, and the fact that I went to my meeting today knowing I'd gain... those were positive steps for me. Even though gaining isn't fun lol.

I don't think it matters. It's up to you if it doesn't specify! Does she need more work with rounding hundreds, or rounding thousands? You could always do both, or mix it up and alternate if there are several problems like that.

They said it feels "enlarged" (which I've been told since my teens). At first, they wanted to do it right up front, but when I mentioned my circumstances, they said "Well, then we will wait until the blood test results come back, and if they are normal, we won't worry about it, but if they are abnormal, you're going to have to have the ultrasound." I don't know what "a little low" means to them exactly but I guess they consider it "abnormal" enough to want me to get the ultrasound!

That's good to know! So it seems like the medication won't kill me if I need it. Hopefully the biggest thing will be the ultrasound then, and hopefully THAT won't cost as much as I'm afraid it will lol. Thanks for the responses, everyone!

I like that. Not that long ago, I dreamed that I was pregnant. I'm not! I wouldn't waste money on a pregnancy test kit unless you end up being late for your period by more than a week or something!

:iagree:

:grouphug: You will be in my thoughts!

My kids get Medicaid but my husband and I do not qualify for it, so we are uninsured. That means I wait until I'm absolutely dying to go to a doctor, and then I just pay for it out of pocket. Well, yesterday some issues I've been having (along with a family history) led me to go to my doctor's office and pay for an exam and bloodwork to have my thyroid levels checked, which cost me nearly $100.00. They just called me and said the levels came back "a little low" and they want to retest me in a month- AND they want me to go have an ultrasound of my throat in the meanwhile. I just called and left a voicemail for the supervisor of billing and accounting at my local hospital to ask how much this is going to cost me and whether they have any sort of program that will help with someone who is uninsured. My husband is self-employed in a very small business (as in it's just him and one other guy), and I'm home with the kids. We can't afford to get health insurance for our family/ourselves. I'm grateful the kids at least can get Medicaid even if I can't. But times like this, it's really frustrating that I can't afford medical insurance for myself! I hope the cost of the ultrasound isn't ridiculous. I hope if I end up needing some sort of thyroid medication, that the cost of that isn't ridiculous. Sigh. Thanks for letting me vent (and keep your fingers crossed for me on both the financial and medical aspects of all of this)!

Good thing you get those "flex points" on WW :D Just get right back on track and keep going. You may show as being up on the scale for a day or two after that due to sodium and all but it probably won't affect your weigh in for the week, if it was at least several days before weigh in that you went! Good luck! :)

So, today was my 10th results weigh in. And I said I would post my results each week- good or bad. You all have encouraged and supported me through 9 consecutive losses. Today, I will need support and encouragement through my first GAIN. It was a tough week. Last Thursday was our weigh in day and we did fine the rest of that day. But Friday and Saturday, we went camping, and indulged plenty in grilled and campfire treats! Sunday was Halloween, and we took the kids to a Halloween party and trick-or-treating and indulged in that stuff, too. Monday, we had relatives come visit (bearing baked goods no less) and had lunch with them and went out to dinner with them. For that reason, I did not get to the gym on Monday. I did not get to my Tuesday night exercise class due to a bad episode of sciatica. Tuesday and Wednesday were the only other days we ate like we were supposed to, and Wednesday was the only day we worked out. At today's weigh in, I gained 1 1/2 lbs. But it was to be expected (and a sneak peek at my home scale a few days ago had me up more like 4 lbs!!! So it could have been worse)! Anyway, I am back on track now and hopefully I take that gain plus some back off this week. Status Report: 8/26/10, Week "0" Weight: 237 1/2 lbs BMI: 37.2 Height: 5'7" 9/2/10, Week 1 Weight: 235 1/2 lbs BMI: 36.9 Weekly Change: -2 lbs Total Loss: 2 lbs 9/9/10, Week 2 Weight: 234 1/2 lbs BMI: 36.8 Weekly Change: -1 lb Total Loss: 3 lbs 9/16/10, Week 3 Weight: 231 3/4 lbs BMI: 36.3 Weekly Change: -2 3/4 lbs Total Loss: 5 3/4 lbs 9/23/10, Week 4 Weight: 229 1/2 lbs BMI: 35.9 Weekly Change: -2 1/4 lbs Total Loss: 8 lbs (I'm out of the 230's!!!) 9/30/10, Week 5 Weight: 226 3/4 lbs BMI: 35.5 Weekly Change: -2 3/4 lbs Total Loss: 10 3/4 lbs 10/7/10, Week 6 Weight: 226 1/4 lbs BMI: 35.5 Weekly Change: -1/2 lb Total Loss: 11 1/4 lbs 10/14/10, Week 7 Weight: 224 1/2 lbs BMI: 35.2 Weekly Change: -1 3/4 lbs Total Loss: 13 lbs 10/21/10, Week 8 Weight: 221 1/4 lbs BMI: 34.6 Weekly Change: -3 1/4 lbs Total Loss: 16 1/4 lbs 10/28/10, Week 9 Weight: 218 lbs BMI: 34.1 Weekly Change: -3 1/4 lbs Total Loss: 19 1/2 lbs (I'm out of the 220's!!!) 11/4/10, Week 10 Weight: 219 1/2 lbs BMI: 34.4 Weekly Change: +1 1/2 lbs Total Loss: 18 lbs Summary: Goal- to lose 58 lbs. 18 lbs down, 40 lbs to go. --- My husband has lost a total of 9 3/4 lbs so far (he gained 1 1/4 lbs this week). --- Check out my fun weight loss picture updates here: http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/139113.html Thanks again for your support and encouragement, all!

Yeah, see, the way I see it is that an involved parent and especially a homeschooling one already KNOWS their child's academic strengths and weaknesses. I can't stand the idea of standardized testing, but in some states it's a legality. So if I'm going to give a test JUST to satisfy the law/school district, I'm going to go with the one that's the most painless for my child. I've seen how stressful the school administered test was for her, when she took the PSSA's in third grade and had stomach aches and cried and got all stressed out. So now that we're homeschooling, this year (5th grade, required testing year), I'll absolutely be using the CAT from Seton. It's an easier test? Good! I want something non-stressful for her. And something that will satisfy the requirements of the law and the school district so we can get it over with and go about our lives. But as for me? I've decided that I don't need to prove to myself with detailed test result sheets what she's strong or weak in. I already know.