testing really won't help you find materials to challenge your child. I found testing helpful to figure out ds, who is a very unusual child. We had ds, now 7, tested at 6 at the Gifted Development Center. They probably saved his life. He is very gifted and very learning disabled, in very weird ways. We knew something wasn't right with him, and the GDC reassured us that we were correct that he is bright and were able to refer us to places for further testing. He's still a mess, but we're on the right track with therapy etc. The test results are helpful to throw in the school's face when they pretend he's not that bright and when I insist on pulling him out for various therapies. DDs, now 10, were tested last year by a psychologist whom I happened to interview as part of the process of searching for a tester for ds. I liked her so much I decided to have the girls tested (they had been tested at 3) just for the sake of having the info in my files for admission to various things. My dcs are (unfortunately) in school, and the girls' IQ scores were somewhat helpful in securing a grade skip. I'm not sure I would have gone out of my way to have dds tested, because I already knew what I needed to know. Without reason to suspect something off, I wouldn't really be in favor of testing at all. Honestly, I would just put your dc in a good bookstore or a good educational toystore and see what he gravitates toward. Then encourage the interest on whatever level that may be.

some of you ... we're in the Netherlands, so we should be getting the Egyptians here (didn't see them in the store last week though). I don't know how many "orders" I could fulfill, given limited time, but I would be happy to help out by doing the legwork and taking things to the postoffice. I would NOT charge for my time of course and we'd just have to figure out a way for you to pay for the Playmobil/shipping. My email is mom toa rc @ aol.com (without the spaces). Bring it on.

ever threatened a school with a lawyer! But I'm a lawyer too, so maybe it's what we do. When I tried to enroll DS in first grade at his sisters' school, they acted like they wouldn't take him because they suspected learning disabilities. I cried (unfortunately), yelled at them and threatened to get my lawyer involved. It scared the heck out of them and ds was enrolled (unfortunately but that's another story).

you realized that something wasn't working and tried something else -- your kids are lucky to have such a good mom.

that as well as being a question of which classics to read, it's a question of how to get started reading them. It might be inspirational to watch the movie or a Masterpiece Theater version of a "classic" book first. I don't care for EM Forster that much, but I did enjoy the films of his books and that led me to appreciate the books more than I might otherwise have done. Another approach might be to listen to an audiobook before, during or after reading a "classic." (I'm a bit sceptical of the definition of "classic" -- I think there are many wonderful books and authors out there who are/have been neglected, which are equally deserving of the title classic as P&P or Austen.) You can also try out LibraryThing -- you can use this find recommendations based on books you have read and like. As long as you know one book you like, you can use it to link into a chain of other books you'll like. Amazon also offers recommendations like this. There's a couple of other sites out there that offer a similar function, but I can't remember which. I would also highly recommend looking at http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/ They republish books from 20th century authors, many of them women. These are not classics in the sense that everyone will know the names of the authors or books, but they are in the sense that the selection is excellent and the books wonderful. Maybe it's just that I have a degree in early 20th century British literature (so that my rec with a grain of salt) but I have loved every single book I've read that they have published. Plus, their catalog is fun reading (sort of like The Common Reader used to be). I particularly appreciate the books written from/for the perspective of women who have been home with kids and start to wonder what their lives are really all about. I find that I keep returning to some of these books in my mind and enjoying them long after I've finished reading them. To make this post even longer, I'll give you my favorites. I have a general rule that I don't read books unless the author is female, British and dead, but I make exceptions. For contemporary work I like Ian McEwan (grim though), Pat Barker (grim but great), Roddy Doyle (cannot say enough good about his work), Alexander McCall Smith (light and fun and good). For older work I like Austen (love love love), George Eliot and any of the Brontes.

housecleaning/housekeeping that is very thorough. I don't necessarily follow it, but I find it helpful and an interesting read: http://www.amazon.com/Home-Comforts-Science-Keeping-House/dp/068481465X If the link doesn't work, the book is Home Comforts. Author's surname is Mendelssohn. As for me, I have cleaners once a week and an extra cleaner once every two weeks for extra chores. DH will not help in or around the house at all(except to take out the garbage when he remembers), and so having a cleaner means I don't feel as resentful toward him about his refusal to help, which makes it worth it. I clean the kitchen every day, pick up toys etc every day, and do "big" cleanings (cleaning out closets, mucking out the playroom, etc.) on an as-needed basis (which for me means when the mess starts making me nervous). S

and they give permission, you're fine. If you can convince the copyright holder that you are giving them free publicity etc., you might be able to get away with that. Before going to the expense of consulting an attorney (although I am one :D) I would ask the copyright holders for permission. As I recall, there are rules about how many words you can quote or take directly from a copyrighted source before you need to seek permission. I know this because I was in the situation of having to count words from quotations I included in a book I wrote; if the quotations were too long, we needed to get permission.

Warren Buffett :001_smile:.

two in archaeology via the University of Leicester's distance learning program. If you go on their site and request information, they'll send you some. There's not a lot about the content of the courses themselves, but it does tell you what you need to do for a diploma, MA, etc. http://www.le.ac.uk/archaeology/dl/dl_intro.html I emailed them last year when I first started considering this (decided against it then for want of time) and received some very friendly responses. My impression is that they're pretty good in their field. It's a UK school, but we're in Europe so for some reason this made sense to me when I started looking around for archaeology classes. Hope this helps!

the database onto my iPod. It doesn't hold all of the books (maybe it does now, it's been a while since I checked). I really like Book Collector. Now, if I could just remember to take my iPod everywhere, I'd be set.

family wants to go back to adopt their same child with whom they were initially matched but rejected. I'm not sure, to be honest, why an agency would not be doing its best to match this child with another family or why this child would not already have been matched. My own experience is that these agencies and the home countries want to get these children home to their families. You didn't mention which country this was, but it seems to me that the adoption authorities in the country may be the ones demanding a psych eval and that they will not allow the adoption to proceed without it. I seems to me that it would be counter-productive to try to go ahead and adopt without jumping through this extra hoop. Sophie

Apparently this happens frequently. It's a well-organized crime "ring" that takes orders for air-bags (safety-conscious but immoral buyers I guess). The thieves then go find a suitable car, break in and take the air bags. The seats are also in demand. Fortunately, our seats were not stolen, just the air bags. The job was professionally done -- nicely and neatly, no unnecessary damage to the paint or anything. The car and I got towed to the dealership, who contacted the insurance and gave us a loaner car. DH and I made our official police report. The police were very sympathetic, which helps. We'll have the car back in a week. So, this stinks, but it's just a car. I've spent a lot of time today thinking about a colleague who is at a funeral for his younger brother today; nothing like that to put a little theft into perspective. Thank you for your sympathy -- it helps.

although the car is still here, it's badly damaged and won't start. I'm not happy. I've been dealing with the police, the insurance and the garage. They've all been helpful and efficient, which is some consolation. And I just realized that the thieves took my brand-new sunglasses, the first pair of really nice sunglasses I've had. Add this to my MIL being here and I am NOT happy. I think today is just going to be one long pity-party for me.

just need to get this off my chest (I've been restraining myself, since it's petty and insignificant, but I can't anymore -- would someone tell my MIL to stop annoying me? And to stop talking to my kids like they're two years old? And to stop favoring my son? And to go home? Thank you. Sorry, I know it's silly and not that big a deal, and I'm doing great about keeping my mouth shut, but I just needed to vent. Thank you.

I have my MIL here for nearly three weeks. She's supposed to be babysitting because I work (parttime, and one-third of that from home, so I don't really need her). We afterschool but I have cut down on nearly all afterschooling while she's here because I don't want comments. I do not dicuss the kids' schools with her because I don't want comments (have still gotten a few, though). We're not doing any of my planned projects for them because I don't want comments. My 7 yo ds is 2E, but, after foolishly opening my mouth about his issues on day one, I've duct-taped my mouth shut about him since then. My MIL taught high school English for a few years, unfortunately. This apparently qualifies her to give all sorts of opinions on my son's special needs (discussing the Lindamood Bell program he did this summer, at huge expense in terms of time, effort and funds, she said, oh I could have done that for him). Now she makes sure to read with him everyday; I think she thinks she's doing remedial work, but his reading isn't actually the main problem. Anyway, sorry this one turned into all about me -- but I do know how unbelievably annoying MILs can be and you have my full sympathy. I've spent the past week so stressed from her presence that I have stomach aches and headaches, but I'm also keeping my mouth shut, which is helping. I think that at least for us this is the only approach that I can live with.

(we had to do this recently in connection with our adoption) but the arrangement is that my parents would take the four children, if they are healthy enough. After that my brother would. It would not be ideal, as his wife probably wouldn't do that well with six kids (our plus her own two) but there would be enough money to arrange for good private schools, summer camps, nannies. What worries me more is that my dh's family would try to interfere. We've had MIL here "babysitting" for a week now, and my girls just don't connect with her at all. She favors ds hugely, mostly ignores the girls, and just doesn't get ds's special needs (not huge but complex and difficult). The kids and I are also of a different faith than the ILs, and I've heard MIL make negative comments about our faith (not personal but general). And those are just a few of the reasons the ILs are unsuitable. So I've been thinking (worrying, stressing, panicking) about this a lot the past week. I've decided to write a letter to include with the wills, give to my parents and brother, etc., that expresses my wishes in no uncertain terms. DH is in agreement with the arrangements but would not mind the dcs going to his parents, so I will write the letter without letting him know, as this would just offend him. And I'll just keeping hoping and praying that this never happens!

deal with family who view new additions in a less than positive light? We have three bio kids and are adopting a fourth. DH, dcs and I are very very excited and happy. MIL, who is visiting for two weeks, hasn't even asked about the adoption of dc4, but when dh mentioned it to her last night, she was concerned that he and I wouldn't be able to cope with four kids. Not happy for us, just thinking that we cannot handle so many kids. I personally don't think that four kids is all that much, especially since the two oldest are nearly ten, but it does feel like an insult to my parenting/coping skills. Plenty of families cope very well with so many children; why not us? I won't mention it to her unless she brings it up with me, but if she does ... any tips? Just shut up and be thankful she lives far away? Any snappy comebacks? I know it's not a big deal, but it gets under my skin.

and it was great. DH had been away on business and he's not too good about remembering to have presents for birthdays etc anyway, so I decided to get myself presents. I didn't get anything major, but just little things that I wouldn't otherwise buy myself and that dh and the kids wouldn't think of -- a nice photoframe, stationery, soaps. And then on my birthday I opened them all and was surprised that I got just what I wanted! If DH gets me something, he's usually getting me something at the last minute because he feels guilty, and then he spends way too much money on something I really don't need/want. Buying my own presents worked well to prevent this. (not bashing dh, birthday presents just isn't something he does well, unlike many other things that he does do very well). Sophie

I hope the move goes/has gone smoothly and will be interested to hear how the transition is. We're likely to make the opposite move next year (Western Europe to China/possibly Japan). Sophie

was dh quizzing dds, ds and me from the Harry Potter quiz book! It was fun, especially because dh rarely gets involved in storytime (and yes we're in a different time so no I'm not putting my kids to bed in the middle of the day). :001_smile:

Netherlands is that there is also little respect for parents; the government and governmental entities think they know better than the parents how to raise children. Parents can't be trusted to homeschool their children, so homeschooling is difficult/impossible. Homeschoolers are likely to be reported to (the equivalent of) CPS because they homeschool. My kids are in PS; the PS desperately needs parent volunteers to make it run, but parents (who in many cases are far better educated than the teachers) aren't allowed to express their opinions about what happens in the classroom. My ds, for instance, has an audiologist's written recommendation that he be tested in a separate room. I have pointed this out to the school several times. The school will not comply, because they think that it's not necessary. Same for medical care. There are no standard well-child visits after age four; instead, every few years, the government sends in state-funded nurses to conduct physicals on the children (where parents are of course not allowed to be present). If the nurse has concerns, s/he can raise those with CPS or whatever. These are technically not mandatory, but the way they are presented, many parents think they are. In fact, when I submitted my written refusal to comply with this last year, one of the teachers was very concerned and asked me whether I was sure this was okay, then asked me whether the government had ever followed up with me. The only reason I knew it was voluntary was thanks to a homeschool list I'm on. I've seen numerous articles written from the perspective that teachers etc know far more about the child than the child's parents. I've gotten myself into sticky situations by being the one who questions the school and/or medical professionals. It's odd, because I have several graduate degrees and am not accustomed to being in the situation where I'm expected to agree with someone's views just because s/he is a teacher or doctor, and not because they are right. The government might want us to have more kids, but they want to set the terms on which we raise them.

was given an estimated birthdate of August 15 (he was found in November of his first year). My twins are August 14, so it's quite possible the three of them share a birthday, but we'll never know.

a boy called Center Fielder. And once at camp with a boy whose first name was Colonel. I think his brothers were Major and Sergeant. And at college with someone whose first name was Dork. A colleague at work told me about someone he works with whose name is pronounced (I kid you not) f**k y*. Not his fault, though, I'm sure it's a lovely name in his own language. Just an unfortunate one in English.

the other issues. DS 7 yo has dyspraxia, APD, vision processing issues, fine motor issues and (probably) specific language impairment. He also has SPD -- I've always thought, how could a child with all of those other issues going on possibly NOT have SPD? It's mild, though, and therapy for SPD is on the back-burner while we address his other issues. Still, it's nice to know and be aware of it, so that when ds is in a crowded noisy area, we know to get him away before he gets upset, or to keep chewing gum around to calm him when he's nervous. Then again, I generally prefer to do more testing/evaluating than others might be comfortable doing.

you've received here, you might want to check (if you haven't already) the Yahoo auditory processing disorders group. It's monitored by someone in the field, and I've gotten lots of useful information. DS, 7 yo with APD of the inter-hemispheric subtype (and lots of other issues), is in the middle of doing Lindamood Bell's Seeing Stars/Verbalization and Visualisation program. It's not specifically helping him with the auditory skills, but, since he is "forced" to be a visual/spatial learner, the visualization skills he's learning are going to help him. I've seen a huge difference in just three weeks. He's gone from not being able to spell anything correctly (except for cat and dog and similar) to being able to spell reasonably well, and, best of all, his self-confidence has increased hugely. I'm thrilled. Having said this, I think that the choice of program also depends at least partially on the subtype of APD. Good luck! Sophie