Mine. I didn't think I was going to survive. He was always extra loving, but had absolutely no impulse control. By the time he was eight I had pretty much curtailed ALL of our outside activities, except for church on Sundays, because it was so taxing to take him anywhere. Today, at 15, he is my most even keeled, and considerate child.

:( I'm sorry. Stay safe, Umsami. This storm looks like it's going to give The First Coast a wallop.

I have to admit that I didn't actually get this point, understand exactly what was meant by implicit bias, until I read the Slate article this morning. I think it's going to be a game changer for me. I want to say more, to clarify why I think that's the case, but I'm afraid that if I do it will venture too far into the realm of politics.

Same article, different publications?

There was a really good article about this on Slate yesterday. I have to admit that I usually start rolling my eyes when this topic comes up. However, I found the article really enlightening, and it got me thinking. I'm glad I read it. eta. I'm not linking, because probably Slate is considered to be political, though I didn't find this article to be particularly so.

I'm so sorry about the loss of your books :grouphug: I understand. My books weren't lost due to a fire, but because of a "temporary" move to another country that turned out to be mostly permanent. So in actuality I still "own" them, but my children don't have any access to them.

We don't have a microwave. My B&D toaster oven is going on 20 years and it still works! I also use the stove top and occasionally my cast iron skillet, if the toaster oven isn't big enough.

I'm pretty sure that teaching K - 3, or pretty much doing anything with that age group on a daily basis, would be like the seventh circle of hell for me. Being a gym teacher :svengo:

This and this I was in the gifted program and my academic classes were wonderful: same gifted/geeky kids all 3 years, lovely teachers, fun and challenging academics. I absolutely loved them. But it didn't make up for all the non-academic classes that I had with the general school population :thumbdown: , lunch and the halls in-between class. That part of junior high kind of made my life miserable. I wish my gifted classes had been completely self-contained. I swore I would never put my kids in a b&m middle school. It's just too brutal.

I feel you. I bought a dress for my own son's wedding the week prior, and my shoes the morning of! I hate shopping with a passion.

I think Jessie Louise is an absolutely beautiful name.

I love this author's books. https://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Susanka/e/B001JPC3PK/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

This is from a month ago. It's really interesting. There's a link in the article to the abstract as well. http://www.care2.com/causes/new-study-confirms-existence-of-non-celiac-gluten-sensitivity.html

or make a tostada. That's what we do. Mostly we just have burritos instead. We go through an obscene amount of tortillas each week.

Yes, this has been my experience as well :(

I agree, hence the uncomfortable conversations. Nobody wants the person sitting next to them to possibly die while they're sitting right there ;) It's a hard conversation to have, especially when you're shy to begin with, but I've never had a person react negatively once I tell them. And I only bring it up if they're actually getting out an orange or lemon, otherwise there isn't any reason to.

Yes, mine is citrus. Orange particles are highly airborne. In everyday life I can usually get away from it quickly, and I carry my epi-pens for just in case, but I've had to have some very uncomfortable conversations when flying.

Ouch! I'm so sorry. :grouphug:

These were our favorite Sonlight/Winter Promise books Blood on the River Regina Silsby's Secret War Fever 1793 Indian Captive The Stout-Hearted Seven Bound for Oregon The Slave Dancer The Slopes of War Rifles for Watie The Ballad of Lucy Whipple Wait for Me, Watch for Me, Eula Bee Earthquake at Dawn Monnshiner's Son My Side of the Mountain

I've been gone for 20 years, but Kopachuk State Park down by Gig Harbor might fit the bill.

Agreeing with all of this.

I call our dishwasher the sterilizer, because really that's the only reason I use it. Absolutely everything has to be hand washed before we put it in.

As far as I know there's no treatment for OAS (I wish!). It'a just something you have to live with. :( The severity fluctuates with the allergy season. It can make summer a bit depressing. I have reactions to almost anything in it's raw form: fruit, veggies, seeds & nuts. I carry an epi-pen because I'm anaphylactic to citrus of all things. I have to be really proactive about making sure that people don't peel or eat oranges around me. It makes flying on an airplane a bit scary. I've learned that, yes, benedryl can be chewed :ack2: Cooking the food, in most cases, should let her eat it. Freezing also works (sometimes). Dehydrating is iffy; that depends on how high the heat was when processed. I developed a latex allergy around the same time (it's related to the OAS). Something to be aware of.

I hear you. When we lived in the states we had to go to my parents to watch, because our house was in a dead zone. Could you use a VPN, like TunnelBear, and then access CBC (Canadian) coverage with your computer?

Especially since they end up watching the same episode a bazillion times, and memorizing all the information. My kids learned so much watching MSB at that age :)