We have this mower: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-13-in-ONE-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Battery-Walk-Behind-Push-Lawn-Mower-4-0-Ah-Battery-and-Charger-Included-P1140/304118565 My husband really likes it.

In MA, all licensed drivers in the home are required to be covered on the insurance policy, or the entire policy is invalid. Ugh. DS22 got his license, finally, right after turning 21. Adding him to my policy was expensive, but adding him and his own car (which cost $850) was nearly $2,000. In MA, his insurance costs will only go down after 5 years of driving, unlike other states that go by age. So. Much. Money.

I just got back from seeing this. I'm traumatized. Holy hell. I was not prepared.

We have this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sandisk-clip-sport-plus-16gb-mp3-player-blue/5508201.p?skuId=5508201 $60. My husband bought it to listen to downloaded Audible audiobooks (mostly Great Courses lectures) in the car while he drive to/from work. When he upgraded his cell to an iPhone, he loaded the MP3 player with all my favorite music. ? Audible has an app that works with the latest Windows software to easily download/organize audiobooks on the MP3 player.

Huh. I have Killgallon and Writing Across the Curriculum both on their way to me now. We only started a writing program (WWE3) this year, and I was wondering if a combination of those two would be better in 4th grade than doing to WWE4.

:hugs: I've been there. It sucks. DS22 barely squeaked out of high school; college was never even discussed. I hated how jealous I felt reading about friends and family bragging about their kids graduating with honors or getting accepted to colleges.

Last delivery was 3 weeks ago: a present for DS6s birthday. On the way: Draw the World, Draw the USA, 2 Mind Benders books, Balance Benders, Sentence Composing for Middle School (all forum recommendations), envelopes, tape dispenser, and a Toob of backyard birds for DS1. Currently sitting in my cart: graph paper

DS6 was tongue and lip tied, but we didn't notice until he was 2. He was a fabulous nurser, so I never bothered to check for ties until little brother was born and couldn't nurse. Had his ties lasered by 2.5yrs old, but he had been talking for since forever at that point. I'll look into insurance and private SLPs. Thanks!

Thank you all for your comments. I quickly read about apraxia and that doesn't seem to fit. The early intervention evaluators, and then the public school special ed evaluator, both agreed at age 3 the most likely cause of his articulation issues were tongue- and lip-ties that were not diagnosed or corrected until after he turned two. He had already been talking for over a year at that point. Given a model, he CAN make all the sounds, with two exceptions: he cannot roll his 'r's and he cannot make the /rl/ sound. He's come a long way in the last three years of speech therapy. I will do some research into autism behaviors and therapies, thanks.

Thanks for you insight. I did consider having him evaluated when he was younger. He had lots of sensory issues at the time (wouldn't wear certain clothes or colors, was very rigid in schedules and routines, etc.), but he's outgrown all of that now. I will do some research and speak to the SLP next week.

My 3rd grader went through BA 3A through 4A with very little input from me, including the challenging problems. He's only now needing more input from me with 4B. I don't read the guide with him or sit with him to do the problems, but I am nearby if he has a question and I check the answers (all fully worked out in the back) after every page.

My just-turned-six year old had his 3yr reevaluation for speech therapy services through the local public school (he's not enrolled, just gets services). He tested average to very above average for everything except articulation (>2 st devs below the mean), which is exactly what we expected. He was recommended to continue services 2x/week next school year. My question is, what can I do at home to support the speech therapy he receives at the school? The therapist gives us word lists to practice, but I've seen people mention apps/games for articulation. Also, the therapist mentioned that my son isn't getting the most out of his therapy sessions because he doesn't interact with the one or two other children in the group. He wants to tell you about what he's been working on at home and he *refuses* to be redirected to another topic until he's finished. Essentially, he doesn't want to talk to the other kids because they aren't interested in what he's talking about and he's not interested in what they are talking about. The therapist said that this was a skill that DS should have developed before turning 5 (he just turned 6 last week). The therapist seemed very concerned. This is DS's personality in ALL situations. He can be rigid in his behaviors, but is significantly more flexible than when he was younger. I'm not sure how I can help him to outgrow this personally quirk, to more easily and naturally interact with other children. He's home with me, DS9, DS3, and DS1 all day. I try to get them to some homeschool and/or library activities when I can, but there aren't a lot of homeschoolers in my area. Is this something I should stress out about, or would you just focus on the articulation issues and give him more time to develop the interpersonal skills? Or, should I totally freak out and enroll him in the public school? Gah! I hate second guessing myself...

My just-turned-six year old had his 3yr reevaluation for speech therapy services through the local public school (he's not enrolled, just gets services). He tested average to very above average for everything except articulation (>2 st devs below the mean), which is exactly what we expected. He was recommended to continue services 2x/week next school year. My question is, what can I do at home to support the speech therapy he receives at the school? The therapist gives us word lists to practice, but I've seen people mention apps/games for articulation. Also, the therapist mentioned that my son isn't getting the most out of his therapy sessions because he doesn't interact with the one or two other children in the group. He wants to tell you about what he's been working on at home and he *refuses* to be redirected to another topic until he's finished. Essentially, he doesn't want to talk to the other kids because they aren't interested in what he's talking about and he's not interested in what they are talking about. The therapist said that this was a skill that DS should have developed before turning 5 (he just turned 6 last week). The therapist seemed very concerned. This is DS's personality in ALL situations. He can be rigid in his behaviors, but is significantly more flexible than when he was younger. I'm not sure how I can help him to outgrow this personally quirk, to more easily and naturally interact with other children. He's home with me, DS9, DS3, and DS1 all day. I try to get them to some homeschool and/or library activities when I can, but there aren't a lot of homeschoolers in my area. Is this something I should stress out about, or would you just focus on the articulation issues and give him more time to develop the interpersonal skills? Or, should I totally freak out and enroll him in the public school? Gah! I hate second guessing myself...

I use it as the main math for DS9. We supplement with Singapore Math Extra Practice books, so that he gets a bit more repetition of topics after-the-fact. He flew through BA 3A though 4A with very little help or input from me needed (he's in 3rd this year). He's just started 4B. I'm nearby if he needs me, and if he asks for help we review the guide (he reads it himself, I find the relevant section that he might need to reread) and then I ask him questions to help him solve the problems.

I think that you have handled these situations exactly the way they should have been handled. If language of this type persists, and it needs to be called out, you could refer the offender to the company's mission of diversity and mentoring of underrepresented groups and how that type of language undermines both. It's sad that many comments recommend you bringing these things up in a cute, nonthreatening, 'joke-ey' manner. That just reinforces the misogyny in the workplace. Men wouldn't buffer their criticisms this way, why should the OP?

Have your ever had her tested for strep? My DS9 has PANDAS and, weirdly, seems to pick strep up in the summer each year, which sets off his (usually very mild) anxiety/paranoia/ocd. Antihistamines are known to help some people suffering from PANDAS. Just a though.

I'm sorry that you are in this situation. We were in a similar situation five years ago, though DS was 17 and the girl was 14. It was frightening, and *I* did not handle it well at all. It damaged our relationship with DS in a way that is still not completely fixed. I have nothing helpful to offer, sadly. My only reason to post is to say that if you choose therapy and feel like you aren't getting the response that you are hoping for, DO NOT HESITATE TO CHANGE THERAPISTS. We spent a lot of time and money sending DS to a counselor only to find out, after two years, that he was encouraging DS to continue the relationship behind our backs, because DS was *technically* an adult and could make his own decisions. If I could go back, I would have gone with my gut and changed counselors. Hindsight, yada yada yada... Keeping you and your son in my thoughts...

DS9 has worked through pretty much the entire recommended reading list in the WTM for 3rd grade/early modern times. While he reads above grade level, I assigned him the abridged versions. For several books, he also listened to the unabridged audiobook after reading the abridged version. He listened to the poetry recommendations through audiobook as well. He is a voracious reader when it comes to non-academic reading; he usually has two or more books going at a time. We have 9 weeks of school left before the end of the year. I guess I'm looking for recommendations for maybe short stories or poetry that I can assign during school time. We are nearing the end of the SOTW vol 3, and I would like the readings to be somewhat related to the time period (early 1800s), if possible. I'm open to other ideas, as well, but it has to be something that he can do by himself (he usually completes his literature first thing in the morning, before the other boys wake up and while I make breakfast). Thanks for any ideas!

I like that I can follow a topic easily while on my phone, without having to switch to desktop version to click the 'follow' button. I just couldn't figure it out before...

Make-your-own vegetarian burrito bowls.

This is only tangentially related but, I donated books to juveniles in the prison system recently through Liberation Library. They have an Amazon list of books requested by children in juvenile detention/prison. http://www.liberationlib.com/

Can you borrow the Kindle book from the library? (Sorry, I'm no real help.)

Is there a local yarn store near her? If so, could you call and get them to send her a gift certificate?

"Odd and the Frost Giants'" and "Fortunately the Milk", written and read by Neil Gaiman are both quick and excellent. "The Witch's Boy" and "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" were also great.

Five boys here, and I agree with this statement!