I have just started Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Kessons with my 5 year old. She is going well, but cannot say "th" properly. It has more of a "L" sound. I'm not worried about this as a mom. But the book seems focused on making the sound right, and she does this wrong. I can't find anything in the parent section about pronunciation errors. Any idea if this is a problem? I know her speech will probably correct on it's own. Will it affect her ability to read?

I hide people who make drama. And stupid games. And links from people who post too many links. I kind of like the politics talk, so I don't hide it. :D For me, FB is pictures, a glimpse into people's lives, and a form of entertainment.

More :grouphug:. Dealing with social service agencies can be very frustrating. I can't get my county office to answer the phone or return calls, so no matter what I need I have to go stand in line forever. :glare: They are overworked, but they are still people, and I have found that being extra nice, patient, etc. helps a lot. Be apologetic for your pushiness. Not because you shouldn't be pushy - you pretty much have to, but because it makes it more obvious that you aren't trying to be their problem, but really need their help. Once, the guy was super nice to me after I started crying . . . Not a tactic I recommend but I was 7 months pregnant and FRUSTRATED. Basically, your goal should be to find a person who will be your advocate. When the system starts breaking down (as it does when too many people need help), the people who get the fastest help are those who make friends "on the inside". Do you have any contact with XH or his family?( I have not followed your story at all, so just discard what you find useless here. ) would any of his family believe you about your circumstances and help you? Or push him to help? You continue to be in my prayers.

:grouphug: I can't imagine how frustrating your situation is. I will keep your family in my prayers. Did someone tell you that your kids need to be enrolled in school to get food stamps? That doesn't seem right to me, though I've never applied myself. Definitely check out food pantries and churches. If there is a Catholic Charities or St. Vincent DePaul Society in your area, go there. (They have no religious requirements.) Can you find a sliding scale medical clinic? I agree with asking a doctor's office to help you out, too.

If we don't have any more, I will be 48 or 49 when my youngest graduates high school, depending on when he starts K. I'm torn between excited I'll be so young and hopeful we will be in a position to have another in a few years, because under 50 seems too young to be "alone". I have no idea what I'll do. I hope to figure that out in the next 15 years. :D

Have you tried a Waterpik? I used to have this problem, but I use mine now when floss isn't helping. It is kind of like the water spray thing they use at the dentist.

I dn't know. But mine chose my Birekenstocks.

I usually do $.50 per item when I sell. It's easier to have one price. If I had better stuff, I might price it at $1 for shirts, $2 for dresses and jeans. But most of my stuff has been through a couple of kids, either as hand me downs or garage sale finds. I will pay $2 or $3 for pricey stuff in good condition. Also, I'll pay more for older kids clothes in good shape. DS7 is wearing size 8-10 and I find little for him, probably because the other boys beat the carp out of their clothes just like he does. So if I find jeans I'll pay $5 or so. It does depend on your area, and also what your goal is. If you want to make a good amount, you'll have to price higher and perhaps plan on having 2 or 3 sales to find enough customers. If you want to get rid of stuff, and make a bit in the process, go cheaper so it will move. Our last sale, I made about $150 without selling anything for more than $5. And mostly $0.50 - $1 stuff. The leftovers went to a thrift store.

I think that goes I the "things only a homeschooler would do" file!

Awesome! I had to stop reading more than once so as not to wake the sleeping baby with my laughter!

My best kitchen tip is to keep paper plates, cups, and disposable utensils on hand for days when you can't function. I keep a supply in my laundry room, so the kids don't see them and just use them. But if I'm sick, or we're getting ready for a trip, or some other such thing happens, I just forgo dishes for a day or two. If I get behind on dishes, I will stay that way, so using disposable stuff for hard days keeps me on track.

Spell answer. Yup, spell check corrected me AGAIN! I also can't stick to a schedule, though I love making them. It's as though the act of writing it down makes some part of my subconscious rebel. :D Cassy, don't worry. My in laws are incapable of texting. My FIL sells stuff on Craigslist and won't take email responses, either. My MIL may eventually text, as I have recently gotten her to handle email and Facebook. And then she asked me to help her with Pinterest. But FIL will never text. Ever.

DD4 is the antagonist here. DS7 is SO emotional and his sister plays on that big time. Of course, they reverse roles sometimes as well. How do you decide if you should punish the antagonist based on the other child's report? Does anyone know any good children's stories on this subject? Or Christian resources aimed at kids? We have a number of sibling issues I would like to address from the standpoint of seeing Christ in each other.

Still praying. Off to google the longest between birth dates for twins. :D ETA: 85 days. Crazy.

The cheerful heart idea speaks to me. There is a song on one of their CDs with this line: "Doing God's will in the little things, like listening and obeying with a joyful heart." I certainly want my children to learn to serve others like Jesus did. I suppose I need to work on this as well. I may take those 4 points and put them on a poster to hang up, as much for me as for the kids.

I think DD4 will respond well to this. Great ideas! But, wait, this is work? It won't get better right away? Darn it! In my former life, I read Teaching with Love and Logic. I think I'll find the book you mentioned. I think I agree with using this as a teaching opportunity rather than another thing to punish. I feel like there are so many things I punish them for. :sad: I like this. I remember now that my sister does something like this with her daughter. This is my biggest issue . . . I avoid asking them to do things with the littles are sleeping because I'm afraid the fussing will wake them up! Since I just said I like the idea of not punishing, I feel silly saying I like the 5 minutes in the corner! But I specifically like that you do it when they are done. So if we go that route, I'll need to remember that point!

Seven is way too young. Maybe a responsible 7 year old would be ok for 15 minutes alone. But all day? I'm thinking 12, maybe older.

Whine, cry, fuss while doing what they are told? I have two such children. They often whine and fuss when I tell them to do things, but have learned that not doing what they are told will quickly lead to losing privileges and/or sitting in time out. Now, it seems they have decided to just fuss WHILE doing what I said. DS7 was screaming while picking up the living room floor before dinner. And then blamed me for his throat being sore. :glare: Anyway, I just don't know what to do about it. They ARE doing what I said . . . But it's so unpleasant! Thoughts?

It's hard when your income is irregular. Ask me how I know.:D Plan out your regular expenses - bills, groceries and gas, other frequent expenses. Then look at those irregular things like car registrations and curricula (yikes!). For many of those, you have to estimate. Depending on how much they are, you may want to put a little toward them each month. Or you could add a line to your budget for saving toward annual expenses. And then add a line for debt. If you figure you need $100 each month for annual expenses and you have $200 beyond your regular expenses this month, put $100 toward debt. You don't want to get in a position where you don't have money for those annual expenses. The other thing that helps here is having an emergency fund. Then, if you don't have quite enough when something is due, you can borrow from it until you get more money to replace it. Good luck!

Open. My MIL keeps hers closed in the summer because they don't have central air. It took DH half an hour to figure that out yesterday. :D

When my oldest was a baby, a friend told me that children at night, children act half their age. That piece of advise has been very helpful over the years. I no longer expect my children to "act their age" past bedtime. It's much less stressful. Kicks from little ones won't hurt the baby. If she needs reassurance about that, have her call her OB. I'm sure a nurse there would be more than willing to talk about her concerns. I agree with the advice to tell him no firmly and briefly separate. I have an 11 month old also, and though he is an easy baby, he has been experimenting with biting while nursing. When he does, I pull him off, tell him no, and move him away from me for a little bit - maybe 15 seconds, really. Not long enough for him to get worked up, just long enough for him to notice. Then I pick him back up and cuddle with him. I'm sure it's very frustrating for her. And it's really hard when you have to start disciplining so young. But let her know she will reap the rewards in the future from setting firm limits now.

Praying.

I liked emealz when we used it. I saved the menus so I could reuse. We used the traditional menu, so I can't comment on the vegetarian. Right now, I'm using Build A Menu. I like it a lot. Instead of a list of 7 meals picked for you, you choose up to 7 dinners, as well as a few sides, lunches, breakfasts, and snacks. They have a number of categories (frugal, family friendly, vegetarian, gluten free, etc) and you can mix and match. It's easier for me because my family is kind of picky. DH doesn't like pork, pretty much only eats ground beef, doesn't care for anything but chicken breasts, etc. And my kids are, well, kids. :D Oh, the other thing I like is they have meals that feed 1-2 as well as other meals that feed 4-6. I sometimes choose one or two smaller meals to make for myself for lunch.

Hooray! I will keep praying! (So they are twins, but will have different birthdays. That's kind of cool.)

Kept checking to see if it was back! I did some laundry. Sorted coupons. Played video games. Cleaned up my kitchen, but it sure doesn't look like I did anymore. I kept thinking that will the board down, I should really get some stuff done.