So DS7 is different than his siblings... some of his challenges are -extreme rigidity particularly about time(if someone says they are coming at 6:00 heaven help them if they show up at 6:01) -prone to extreme meltdowns (someone steps on his toe he can cry for 30 minutes or more) -lack of ability to understand language flexibility(his spelling curriculum asked him to find the word related to call on his list, it was called, but they could not be related because call has 4 letters and called has 6) -he cannot do any schoolwork without someone sitting directly beside him prompting him to take the next step -he fights that there are steps to do things like math, he believes he should just be able to do addition however he wants and get the correct answer and is prone to meltdown if he is told that his system did not get the correct answer We have been doing OT for several months and while there are areas where we are seeing improvement, we are still dealing with daily meltdowns and constant battles, over lots of little things. We are on a waiting list for an evaluation with the psychologist who is good with homeschoolers in my area, but she won't be able to see him until fall. Would you pursue an SLP eval? Something else?

It is planning time for my rising 4th grader and I think I am ready to take the plunge with Latin. I have no Latin experience, but he is an eager student who is a highly visual learner. What have you used and loved? Why? What have you used and hated? Why? Thanks!

I will be teaching our co-op's 4 and 5 year oId class next year. We have not had a separate class for this age before, so I get a lot of say in how we cover the basics. So I thought I would use the Hive mind to brainstorm. There will be a heavy emphasis on the alphabet and the one-letter phonograms. What are your favorite activities to do with a small group of four and five year olds? Thanks!

Thank you all so much for your replies. Sometimes the naysayers in my life get too loud and I just need a little been there, done that wisdom.

My five-year-old is just not getting blending sounds into words. She knows all the letter sounds, and can read them accurately in a word, but once she finishes the sounds, she totally guesses what the word is. For example, yesterday the word sat was read as both at and snake, even after she has made the sss-aaa-t sounds. Tell me that if I just lay off for a few months it will be ok, tell me that I don't need to send her to public school where she would definitely be reading CVC words by this point in the year, tell me your kid couldn't blend words at age five but by six or seven he learned to love reading. You could also give me your tips and tricks for getting blending to be more understandable.

I think this organization has done a lot of fantastic work in the San Diego area and it would be wonderful to see their work expanded to other regions. http://www.comresearch.org/pert.php Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Stick on mustaches? Those things always crack up kids of all ages. At least my whole extended family had a blast and a lot of laughs with them at the last reunion. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Could you look into getting a toddler baby carrier? They have a variety that make it possible for me to still wear my large 3 year old, and would allow him to be with you(feeling safe attached, getting more holding in) without him being in the way. My 18 month old is also big on helping so going back to having a cupboard for your little guy with kid safe stuff like plastic ware that he can play in while you do stuff in the kitchen might help. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Talking about race is the only way we eradicate racism, so it is fine to ask questions. As a general rule it is considered rude to refer to people as negro, however, when the US Census Bureau tried to remove it as an option a few years back they found that a sizable number of older people still self-identified that way. As far as taking on the positions they did, at least some of it is that those were the jobs available to them and to eat you had to work. Hope that helps! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I like to bring this one, it is lasagna-ish but doesn't come in a 9 x 13 so doesn't make ridiculous leftovers, and every time I have brought it, I get asked for the recipe. http://paynekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/italian-cous-cous.html?m=0 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I expect that I will do whatever is easiest for my kids. This is what is so difficult with discussing these things with my parents and in-laws. My MIL has said that she would not move in with us, but she would expect weekly visits in a nursing home near her current house 4.5 hours drive away. It would be far easier to have her live with us than to have to make a 9 hour round trip weekly. My brother still lives near my parents so as long as they didn't need medical care, I would imagine most of their care would fall on him. Related to that if one child does more of the end of life care, whether in home or through being the biggest visitor in the nursing home, they should receive a larger share of the inheritance. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk