I chose to not call out certain names in this thread because 1) it's too long and 2) I'm not trying to start a fight. I was taught to only give respect to those who give respect, so you are right, my post isn't mannerly. There are a handful of posters on this thread that are acting mature and respectful or plainly have excellent examples of people being jerks. Yours is certainly one of them. Those people are not the ones I was speaking about. Perhaps I should have mentioned that, to be fair. I apologize. For those that ask if xyz was tried, if it's something I'm not willing to try, I would simply lie and say yes, but it sadly didn't work. Or I would say that I discovered that I was allergic to their cure. I've had my fair share of pushy people in my life. They don't just give health advice and yes, it can be quite aggravating! Honestly, after five pages in to this thread, I was getting irritated and skimmed through the rest. Then I made my post. I apologize that you took my words as directed toward you. I assure you that they were not. And I hope that you do find relief for your pain, whether it be western, eastern, or alternative medicine. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

What I hate is seeing so many people belittle and deride the consideration and compassion of others caring enough to offer information in hopes it could help that individual. Who cares if they found it on a gum wrapper, it's the thought that counts. Just smile, say thank you, and be grateful. Didn't your mothers teach you manners?! Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

What medium is she most interested in? Perhaps a change of that may be in order. For instance, if she is amazing at drawing, buy her a wood burning kit. What is her favorite subject? If it's the human figure, get a friend to be her live model. If it's landscapes, take her on site to beautiful places. As an artist, I'm actually very much against art curriculum and feel the child should be encouraged to use their own creativity after they have reached a certain level of skill. Exploring new and exciting mediums like glass, wood, metal, etc. is also an excellent option. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Nothing Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Glasses and mugs on the counter so they don't break, everything else in the sink on the left side (I have a double sink). Ideally scraped and rinsed or soaking. If they aren't scraped clean, on the counter. The one thing I hate the most is gross rotting food particles floating in water or in the drain...But I live with animals too and this happens more times than I like to admit. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

It's about the owner not the dog most of the time. I walk my chihuahua around my neighborhood every day. I have had to pick up my chi while another dog charged at me to get to him over a dozen times in the three years I've lived here. Some were pits but the scariest was the German Shepards. None of them listened to their owner as they screamed their name. Nearly every one of them jumped on me, trying to get to my dog (in my arms) as I turned my back to block them (I'm 5'4" so if I don't turn, they can reach my dog). Every owner had to manually come and drag the dog away from me. Every owner apologized repetitively afterward. In this same neighborhood I've had a dog jump a fence and another race out of a car to approach me. I also had a pit bull charge me from an open gate (with no owner in sight). The pit bull chased me until I was about 20 yards from his home and then stopped, to my relief. Before I moved here, I never experienced such things. I used to live in completely urban areas. This is the first time I've lived in a neighborhood that includes some farm land although it's far from "country". Many of the dog owners here just let their dog walk around their property without a fence or leash. Very few have their dogs trained well either. I really don't consider the breed when a dog charges at me. If it's big enough to put it's paws on my stomach or chest when it stands on its hind legs, I consider it a potential threat and prepare myself for what may follow. Thankfully, regardless of how many scary incidences, no dog has actually bitten me or my chi. I hope it stays that way. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Avoid patterns for sure. If you don't want the embarrassing "is it a girl or boy?" question, put the girl in a long dress. My husband used to get so offended when people thought my daughter was a boy at that age, so I started putting her in nothing but dresses and Mary Janes. I'm not a girly woman so it wasn't exactly something I liked, but it corrected the confusion 100%. Color doesn't matter as long as the dress is obvious. Have her color match at least an article in yours to associate the "ladies" together in the picture. And make sure the guys don't include that color in their outfit. I think you can go one of two ways, bold and bright (candy apple red, cobalt blue, greens, purples, etc) where everyone has their own color and no one stands out more or less. I love dressing little bitty ones in bright red. It brings out the natural pink in their face and makes their complexion "rosey" in photographs. It also brings attention to them since they're so small! The other way you could go is earth tones (brown, sage green, blue, black). If you went that way, I'd go with white (with a colorful flower and or ribbon on it) for the baby. Again, she will stand out without looking out of place. (I'm an artist not a photographer) Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I time my daughter because otherwise she will take hours and end up losing focus and making mistakes. Dragging it out causes the mind to lose focus. A timer set to 30 minutes in front of her does the trick. What was being done in 2 hours is now done in a quarter of that time with better accuracy. My lesson and any questions she has is not included in the 30 minutes but once she's on her own doing the "homework" part, the clock starts. Whatever isn't finished is added to the next day's work with the same time limit. If we get set back for whatever reason, she catches up on the weekend. My daughter will be 10 in June. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

He's a real cutie. Congratulations. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

At the age of 5-6 my daughter was in love with Dr Seuss. We went to the library and eventually borrowed every last one they had, then began buying them. I'm a fan because I watched her leap from reading Green Eggs and Ham and Fox in Socks at 5-6 to a full 250 page novel for the 8-12 yo age group at 7. She completely skipped the 20-120 page easy readers and mini novels. You can buy very nice sets of Seuss. At that age she also loved the Fly Guy series. The librarian recommended them because they were extremely popular for children her age (6 at the time). I also agree with Golden Books. The Pokey Puppy, The Red Hen, and Kitty on the Farm are among the family favorites. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Thank you! :D Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

1933, 1949, or 1994? I'm having my daughter read Little Women (she's 9) but when she is finished, I'd like to have her watch the movie. It's been ages since I've watched any of these, and I'm not sure which one to choose. There is no way I'll be able to talk my daughter into watching more than one. [emoji14] I'm a Hepburn fan, so that's my initial response to the selection, but the star doesn't always make the movie the best of its kind. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I like buying the heavy cardboard/paper mache ornaments at craft stores (small ones the size of a baseball are $1 a piece) and have my kids paint them with acrylics. You can also add glue/glitter if you don't mind glitter (I hate it!). Sparkly metallic fuzzy sticks are also nice to make ornaments with. I like spinning silver and red ones together to make little candy cane ornaments. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Honestly, I found a BJU textbook for 5th grade for my 4th grader for $7 used in perfect condition on Amazon. I have heard that they are one year behind on material, so I bought a grade ahead. I can definitely see that it is true. My daughter is doing great with it. I have always been very good with math all the way through Algebra, so I don't need an answer key or a teachers manual. But then again, you would be ordering 7th and that could be a whole different animal. Each lesson is easy to teach and takes me about 15-20 minutes. Most sections include "class work" in addition to the individual work. I believe it's the perfect amount of problems. The chapter reviews are huge and thorough. I really like that. We divide that up to 10 questions a day for 3 days so we can truly "review". What I like about BJU most is how clear it is in its explanations and how much it focuses on mental math along side solving the problems normally. I've noticed a big change in my daughter's willingness to "do the math" in everyday life instead of asking me to. I'm also surprised at how they're already sneaking in basic algebra in 5th grade and my daughter is doing it without any difficulties. She used to hate math. Absolutely HATE it. Since the switch to BJU, there is far less stress and although I won't say it's her favorite subject, she no longer dreads the words "get out your math book". I've noticed her performance and confidence with it is much better. It really is very agreeable to children. Whatever it does differently, it does it right! I'm hooked on BJU at this point. I don't think we will be switching any time soon. I'm definitely planning on starting my son on it when he is old enough (he's two, so I have a few years to go). I wish I had found it sooner for my daughter. She may have actually grown to like math. I don't plan on buying all the bits and pieces. The textbook alone works just fine for me and my daughter. Maybe the whole kit just over complicates things? Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I stopped using the library since I moved to a new town. I really hated that they wouldn't allow me to take books back out more than once. There were times I hadn't finished a book and had to either pay fines or give up the book. For the past two years we buy books at thrift stores, good will, yard sales, etc. I spend on average $1 per book. Being able to keep them and donate or resell ones we don't like is so much better. If it's a specific title I want and can't find it, I'll consider the library. But I find that a little patience goes a long way. Book swaps are also fun, especially if you build up a lot of literature you don't want to keep. There are many online book swaps but you may be able to find local ones too. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk