For me it would really depend on what they are doing. My son spends a LOT of time behind a screen and I was really getting upset about his usage too. Then I started reading the reports that Microsoft sends telling me what he's doing on the computer. He spends a lot of time reading and writing fan fiction. He is using Youtube to learn German and Japanese (all in his free time). He spends time playing some of his favorite collaborative computer games and he reads downloaded comic books. So if you look at what he is actually spending his time on..... He's reading and writing. He's coding. He's learning to be multilingual. He's reading some more. And about 10 hours a week, he's learning teamwork and social interactions via his gaming. Worthwhile pursuits in my opinion. Many of these activities COULD be done without the use of a screen, but they would require him leaving the house and having access to those pursuits in other formats, which isn't as easy as it seems when we are busy doing our schoolwork, working, running a homeschool group, etc. If you feel that strongly about the screens, just enforce the rules you lay down. They will get over it eventually.

They have to maintain a 2.5 here to participate in any extracurriculars. I don't have any issue with it. It isn't unreasonable to expect students to at least focus on academics enough to make a C average.

I know here testing is required because students are expected to maintain a C average to participate in ANY extracurricular activities. My state also requires a 2.5 gpa or above for minors to get a driver's license. I understand they can't just let homeschoolers jump in with no academic requirements and I know plenty of homeschool parents who would lie and say their kid had the grades so they could participate. Hence the testing.

We live in a state that requires testing....they just have to be 30% or above to participate. It really isn't that big of a deal. Non-activities association activities (like trap shooting and ROTC) don't require testing.

I just can't even. Hitting ANYONE is never ok. Wife, child, husband, relative, stranger......no one.

My son had issues for 2 years, test after test...Miralax, PPIs, then a scope. Scope found nothing....stay on meds....then a few weeks after DS's scope, he woke up feeling like he couldn't breathe. Hit the PCP's office and she diagnosed him with Atelectasis, probably caused by not being ventilated during the scope....started breathing treatments and inhalers.....within 3 days, DS's chronic stomach pain was gone. His stomach pain was caused by his Asthma rearing it's ugly head. He had been on updrafts for 4 years as a little, then outgrew it. His stomach was hurting because his diaphragm was having to work so hard for him to breathe. So...the moral of my story is that it may not necessarily be her stomach that is the issue.

Fort Smith area here too!!! :001_smile:

http://www.arkansas.com/lake/beaver-lake/1 https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/lakefortsmith/ Those are the best bets up in that area. There is good shopping up there too. Arkansas Children's Hospital just broke ground on a satellite campus there and Washington Regional has some of the best specialists in the area. There is also a VA Hospital.

Oh and I know you foster now, DHS can definitely use foster parents in every area of the state if you want to continue doing that in the future.

What area are you looking at? Northwest Arkansas is pretty booming for all industries right now I think. Arkansas has 2 seasons...winter and summer. You turn on the air in April and the Heat in October usually. We also usually get lots of tornado warnings. The cost of living is low compared to a LOT of places. Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock are the best areas for medical care. Lots of beautiful national park areas and lakes. Life here is VERY laid back. We get a lot of California transplants in our area.

Go see an Aesthetician (sp) who uses soft wax, trust me, it will hurt less and they are professionals so no skin ripping involved. Do NOT go to someone who uses wax strips. Those waxes are overly harsh on your skin!

Nope. Especially anything that could be used near the eyes. :(

We have a cat that is a total priss and will absolutely NOT use the litter box unless it is pristine. We usually try to scoop 1-2 times a day. If it isn't to his standards, he will cry next to the box until we come clean it or he will pee on laundry that is left laying around. Cats are assholes.

You could try deodorant, cornstarch, ground coffee, or flour. Just make sure to rinse it off later if it gets the bleeding stopped.

You need to pick a good Pediatrician or Nurse Practitioner that will refer you to a Pediatric GI. First off, reflux can be severely affected by bowel status, so the first thing they will probably do is look at his elimination habits and recommend a good clean out and some Miralax to keep him regular to see if there is any improvement (for my child who has suffered from reflux for 14 years, when his starts acting up, we know he's backed up). They may want to use a proton pump inhibitor for a while too. I am all about not using medications unnecessarily, but if your child is refluxing frequently, please consider using meds until it is under control because damage to his little esophagus could be occurring. Over time, consistent damage can turn into Barrett's Esophagus which is irreversible and increases the risk for cancer.

Oven Baked Salisbury Steak (could use almond flour to make it gluten free)...cooked long enough it should be falling apart Melt in Your Mouth Meatloaf (replaces bread crumbs with pork rinds)...I cooked this and it was almost falling apart tender 2 lb ground chuck 1T Worcestershire sauce 2t Mustard 1 can tomato sauce 1 bag pork rinds 2 egg 2 1/2T chili power (I reduced this by half because we don't like spicy) 1 T garlic powder 1T onion flakes 1 t black pepper Crush enough pork rinds to make 1/3 cup Combine all ingredients and place in a loaf pan sprayed with non-stick spray Cook at 350 until center is done.

I have a teen who had horrible cramps. We tried Naproxen for a few months and that helped but she really didn't get true relief until we switched to cloth pads. Since we moved to cloth she has gone from 7-10 days of nausea, headaches, murder scene, stuck in bed...........to 3-5 days of slight crampy with a moderately light period. Last month she had to use disposables to wear with a uniform and could tell within a few hours....Cramping ramped and up and flow went heavier. That made her a true believer.

It has since been updated that she is no longer breathing over the ventilator and declining as was predicted. We experienced much of the same thing when my sister was in a horrific accident (she was a pedestrian hit by a car). The first 24 hours had a little hope, then her body stopped regulating temps on its own, movement became reflex only, then within 72 hours, her brain stem stopped functioning. The transplant team was on standby for the last 48 hours. We knew when she stopped regulating temps that was probably the end. When you are there....where you see it.....it's a whole different thing. Even if we had managed to keep her alive, she would've been a vegetable with no chance of recovery. She would never have chosen to live that way. Ever.

I would take her to an Esthetician for acne facials. Just tell them what product she is allergic to and get recommendations for good gentle face watch to balance her T zone. Her acne might get worse for a couple days after the facial but then will clear up nicely for a few weeks.

Oh and considering 1/2 the people that come over are homeschoolers and the other half are curious about homeschoolers, one of the first places they head IS the bookshelf to see what we use!

On our fridge.....the meal plan, dr appt reminders, and 4 year old art work with a smattering of pictures.....yeah, no big deal for people to read it. Our bookshelves? Children's classics and homeschool curriculum with an encyclopedia set, and a few antiques for display. I would expect guests to be open to look at anything that isn't behind closed doors. (We have a small house too)

Macy's Black Friday is live. Scored some great deals on Urban Decay palettes for the teen.

Bedding? In particular a weighted blanket comes to mind if she doesn't already have one. Dvd movies, iPod/iTunes card (DS lives with his ear buds in to drown out the world), books, posters for her bedroom walls, collectibles (like vinyl POP figures, DS likes to have his collections sitting out),

I use 5dinners1hour. They actually have a menu that gives you an entire month at a time (minus 2 nights a week). I love not having to come up with what to eat. I just print my menu, buy my groceries and go!

He has enjoyed The Warriors series, The Hunger Games, The Impossible Quest, The Mazerunner, etc....so I need something along these lines. Thanks in advance!