I also tried the natural/organic pads - they did not change how my skin felt. There was no breathing room down there. Sure the top might have unbleached cotton but the bottom was still plastic. ouch :(

I also tried the natural/organic pads - they did not change how my skin felt. There was no breathing room down there. Sure the top might have unbleached cotton but the bottom was still plastic. ouch :(

Have you talked to the hospital/clinic directly? One by us will allow you to file a financial hardship form - it lays out your income and monthly debts (home, cards, credit) and disclose your bank account information from the past 3 months. This is brought to a board which votes on if you can receive some 'credit' or grant towards your bill. It may make the amount owed less than half, it has for us when we had a $10,000 deductible and only made $30,000 a year... yeah, who can afford to have a child when it costs so much?! We are blessed with better insurance now and DH will not even consider leaving his job because of the benefits (even if his salary would go up).

2 hours and 45 minutes from start to finish!

Do you have trouble cleaning your microfiber inserts for diapers? They seem fine for the breastfeed stage but once my little ones are on solids they never come clean... ew! These cotton pads are the same price as the china cheapies and since I line dry they have not shrunk. Be careful drying in the dryer - if can affect the PUL. https://www.etsy.com/listing/241752364/set6-reusable-menstrual-pads-navy?ref=shop_home_active_23

First, I am a huge fan of cloth pads :) Love them!! But... one thing to remember about the pads you purchased is that they have microfiber layer inside them, that is what is drawing in the moisture (blood) and it is topped with bamboo fleece to make it more of a 'stay dry' affect. Microfiber is not natural at all - it is plastic! We can all agree that plastic is not healthy. Secondly, bamboo fleece is SO processed - I would hardly call it natural (and I think it is illegal to do so in the US?). Here is a link regarding Bamboo fleece: http://www.ecobabysteps.com/2013/06/25/whats-the-deal-with-charcoal-bamboo/ Have you looked into cotton pads? I think they feel better, more like my underwear (which is cotton! lol) and best of all they are much easier to clean. Cleaning 'plastic' oh - I mean microfiber and fleece is never easy! I am a huge cotton fan.... cotton sheets, cotton pj's, socks, ect... Our skin is one of the most absorbent organs in our body so we should be careful what we put on it.

I agree - I would not purchase China made cloth pads. I do not even like the bamboo/cotton velour pads (like Luna Pads). I use cotton, flannel style - with cotton terry inner. I LOVE them. Honestly, I get excited for my period :D I can not even feel the pads when I wear them - they are super thin, my periods are light and I have no cramping. With disposable pads I would get so much irritation down there it would take a week to recover (my skin!)... not sure if the bleeding is more/less but if the chemicals and plastics cause so much irritation to my skin I can see how they would affect hormones. Oh - and I tried the 'natural' cotton topped disposable pads, those also irritated my skin!!

I was going to show you a link to their samples....but they removed them! They used to be a sample of each light unit - right under it. I wonder if you call and ask they can help you - they are SOOOO sweet.

Yes, I understand that spelling and phonics are not the same thing. My daughter LOVES to write, she has been writing letters, cards, making lists since she was 3.5. Now that she is almost 6 I feel it is important that I answer her 'why' questions regarding her spelling (she asks me if it is correct or if she has the correct special sound). To just brush it off and say "Its wrong, add this" would not be very responsible (in my eyes, I am sure there are plenty of mom's who do not care or desire to answer their childrens questions) but I do - she wants to learn and that is exciting for me! I do not plan to start a spelling program formally until 2nd grade so I am sure there will be plenty more 'why' questions - the hard part for me is I do not know the answers, I learned by sight at a very, every late age...

All the link showed is that more people are using them and they are great at preventing pregnancy. I did not think the OP was looking to prevent pregnancy, I thought she was looking at hormones. Here is a link stating why there are OBGYN's who would never give it to their own children. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/09/29/as-father-and-as-ob-gyn-am-fearful-recommending-iuds-for-teens.html If someone was looking to regulate hormones I would choose either a more natural route - diet, activity changes before suggesting that they risk their health with an IUD. I know someone who had multiple infections and another with other complications.

When did you start your dd with AAS?

I get it :D I think I am having a harder time understanding 'phonics' then my Kindergartner! I am going to print the AAS rules poster and laminate it so I will not forget. Maybe I wouldn't have struggled so much with reading if I was taught phonics correctly...

Thank - I was laying in bed this morning and thought that maybe it is reason #1 that AAR gives. Because the o does say its long sound and the e is why (maybe there is no special sound?). It made me wonder about words like course.... ou is the speical sound. Hmmmm... I will think of it more when I wake up :) I was planning on doing AAS but not start it until 2nd grade (though I know she could probably do level 1 this year). I just wanted this year to be more relaxed and 'fun'. She is only 6 and I am not ready for her to grow up yet ;-) Hmmmmm... Another thing to think about!

I have been reading online - and AAR has a posting about the 'e' and all of its jobs. It even mentions words like 'horse' but in ALL their sample level 2 lessons it does not mention why.... blah!! It even has a chart for explaining all 7 jobs for 'e' - which one does 'horse' go under?!! https://blog.allaboutlearningpress.com/silent-e/

My dd and I are finishing up our first year of homeschooling, K5 with Abeka phonics. I think she is doing very well and it is her favorite subject. I also find Abeka easier to teach then AAR, everything seems to make sense for the both of us - it is really working so I do not want to switch BUT..... I keep running into the same problem - 'why'. My daughter was spelling in her notebook things she saw outside (for fun, not school related!). She saw a horse and spelt it "hors" then said, "thats right mommy - right?" Because Abeka taught both her and I "or" as in "morning".... but then I said "almost but it needs an 'e' at the end".... she asks "why?" But I dont know why?!!! I just say we will talk about that next year in school.... but when I look at the super old phonics/reading teacher manual I bought it does not say anything regarding this. Does the newer manual explain these things? Or is it part of their spelling program? Or maybe there is no reason why and I am just suppose to tell her "do it"? I dont know!!!!! This happens at least once a week and it is getting frustrating for both of us. Does 1st grade teach the why behind many phonics things? Thanks for your help :)

I am unsure how an IUD would affect hormones but personally I would not suggest an IUD for such a young girl unless she is very aware of the risks. A very common side effect of placing foreign objects inside of you are cramping, spotting, heavy menstrual and infection (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease) which can even cause her to be infertile. On top of that there is the smaller risk of perforation and emergency surgery...

lol. My children can not even make their own food after dinner.... let alone put it away without spilling, dropping something, throwing away a fork, ect... But they are young ;-)

Hardly ever, I would much rather spend my evening with my husband and children. Especially when the weather is nice and we can go for a walk on our property..

We started with the academy this year for k5 but about half way through my dd was not getting it. She kept saying "their going to fast" and start to cry. I stopped the video and started doing it one-on-one. The videos really helped me learn how to teach her. I just purchased the last dvd lessons for 1st grade from a lady online (shhhhhh... dont tell!). We were watching a couple of the phonics lesson ones and I was loving it - what that teacher can do in 20 minutes takes me an hour! lol. But then when my dd watched one of the lessons and she said "they just keep yelling, I dont know what they are saying". I realized it will not work for her, thankfully I did not purchase the whole things from Abeka... Long story short, maybe your daughter is unable to really understand what the kids/teacher is say - I find it hard to catch at times and clearly my daughter does not get it! I went through the Abeka 1st grade teacher guide today - creating an easier, day by day/lesson by lesson plan and they do teach syllables, prefixes, suffixes, compound words and the rules with them. Phonics is new to me so I am learning along side my daughter but hopefully if we take it slow and I have lots of reminder notes we will make it through this next year. I would recommend getting the 1st grade phonics manual - even an old one (mine is) - it tells you the rules/when to apply them and how to brake down words.

I was using Abeka k5 then about half way in wanted to try AAR - everyone was raving about it! I bought the kit directly because I knew they have a great return policy. We did it for a couple weeks and it was too much for both dd and I. The games are not 'fun' and the tiles were more confusing then 'hands on'. She did not enjoy the first reader since some of the stories were not how most sentences are worded/structured. I am really unsure how anyone can say it is open and go - it took more time then Abeka, but I guess I have a feel for Abeka and know what to do when and what to review if a child needs it. I returned AAR and am loving Abeka phonics :)

I am having a hard time finding any reviews for A Reason For Science. Has anyone on here used it? It is for a 1st grader and I love that it is light, less writing then other programs and hands on. We do not mind that the experiments are more crafts either, my dd loves those :) Has anyone on here used it (any level)? What did you think?

Dont worry - I liked mine in the car, while it was running, with my phone and we do not have any close neighbors... Oh, and it was summer!

I am an awe over how many people think red shirting is a good thing and that know one has listed any negatives. As someone who was the oldest in her class, I DREADED my birthday every single year. People would ask why I am older - stating things like I am stupid, slow, ect... I would never suggest red shirting any child and would try very, very hard to work outside of the public school time to keep them at grade level. I would never want any child to feel so bad on their special day (or any day!) - and this was not just in the younger years or older years, it was every.single.year.

We are a meat and potato family - so most nights are just meat, potato (mashed, fried, baked, ect...) and a veggie :) I think that is the easiest meal ever and we love it here!

What is WWE? I tried to google it but cant seem to figure it out :)