Trying something new: school after Dad's home.

[Lovedtodeath]

Well, that is the gist of it. After I thought we were doing so well, we had another back slide. I think this will be a brilliant solution and free up lots of time once I get my head around it though.

 

I could use hugs.

[plain jane]

Here you go. Homeschooling sure has its share of ups and downs, doesn't it?

[Lovedtodeath]

Here you go. Homeschooling sure has its share of ups and downs, doesn't it?

Thanks! Now I will know you for your unique hug. :tongue_smilie:

 

It sure does. I thought we were doing so well... Then again, I was medicating DD with coffee and GRAM decided that was a bad thing and talked DD out of it. GRRRRRRR

[Jen500]

:grouphug:

[Jean in Newcastle]

:grouphug:

[katilac]

Thanks! Now I will know you for your unique hug. :tongue_smilie:

 

It sure does. I thought we were doing so well... Then again, I was medicating DD with coffee and GRAM decided that was a bad thing and talked DD out of it. GRRRRRRR

 

Give her a No-doz with her vitamins!

[Amber in AUS]

:grouphug: I know it's hard, chin up :)

[Mrs Mungo]

Thanks! Now I will know you for your unique hug. :tongue_smilie:

 

It sure does. I thought we were doing so well... Then again, I was medicating DD with coffee and GRAM decided that was a bad thing and talked DD out of it. GRRRRRRR

 

Oh, man, that stinks. How about green tea? Does Gram know how much caffeine is in it? Maybe it will sneak by.

[Lovedtodeath]

Thanks for the support! It was just so hard to call DH today after another bad morning and admit to him and to myself that the things I feel are most important to me are the things I am failing at. :(

 

I do think the caffeine really helped... but I also think that focusing on chores during the day and knowing school is only 2 to 2 and a half hours will help us. I am looking forward to it. :) We will still do our read aloud and Bible earlier in the day.

[ElizabethB]

:grouphug:

[gandpsmommy]

Thanks! Now I will know you for your unique hug. :tongue_smilie:

 

It sure does. I thought we were doing so well... Then again, I was medicating DD with coffee and GRAM decided that was a bad thing and talked DD out of it. GRRRRRRR

 

Your new idea sounds like a creative solution. Good luck with it. About the coffee. . . I don't usually get any caffeine, as I don't ever drink pop and we only buy decaffeinated tea or herbal tea with no caffeine, and I find that if I treat myself with a coffee drink occasionally, like a cafe mocha or cinnamon dulce latte, I get a nice burst of energy at first, but later I crash so low that I feel worse than when I started. The best solutions I've found to the energy/focus issue for myself and for my children is to ensure that we're getting adequate sleep (very, very important,but also hard for us), to serve a protein/carbohydrate combination at every meal, and to serve a lot of fresh fruit and veggies throughout the day, as well as to limit their sweets.

 

Yesterday I was reminded of why they need the protein/carbo. combination and why I need to limit their sweets. Ds had eggs for breakfast, but he only ate his bread for lunch and didn't eat the portion of lunch which included meat and cheese for protein. Then he went a little wild with some sugary snacks in the afternoon (I allowed him the first, but didn't know that he went back for two or three more. I need to monitor the snacks better, I guess!) By early evening, when we were wrapping up school and I was making dinner, he was in such a bad humor that he couldn't find anything to do that suited him and he had no energy to concentrate on anything. I could tell that it was directly related to the sugar he had eaten earlier. And after he had eaten his well-balanced dinner, he was fine again.

[Lovedtodeath]

Terri, do you or your kids have ADHD?

 

I do always make sure that we get eggs or some other protein (like dinner leftovers or lunch meat) for breakfast and lunch. The coffee was about 3 ounces right at starting school and it really seemed to be helping. I have found that coffee, raw cacao and epic ganoderma help me without side effects.

 

Our diets and wake time have both changed some lately... so maybe that was part of it. We have had a discipline problem for a while though and she is sucking up all of my time and energy while not nearly meeting her potential, so I think this needed to be done anyway.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Carmen - it seems to me that you and your dh need to be the ones deciding what your children's diets or medications (ie. caffeine for ADHD) should be - not Gram or dd.

[Lovedtodeath]

Carmen - it seems to me that you and your dh need to be the ones deciding what your children's diets or medications (ie. caffeine for ADHD) should be - not Gram or dd.

You said it! But, now with school at 4 PM I don't think it is a good idea. I will likely start the caffeine again if we switch back to mornings.

[Jean in Newcastle]

You said it! But, now with school at 4 PM I don't think it is a good idea. I will likely start the caffeine again if we switch back to mornings.

 

If you still gave her the caffeine in the mornings would it then help her the entire day? I mean if it helps her to have a calmer more focused day in general that would still be good, right?

[Lovedtodeath]

 

If you still gave her the caffeine in the mornings would it then help her the entire day? I mean if it helps her to have a calmer more focused day in general that would still be good, right?

I am not sure... it may be wearing off right around the time we would start school and that could be bad. We are having a bad day again, because it isn't just school it is anything I ask of her. We were doing so well for a long while, I am thinking that a great deal of this is actually red dye in new foods that we bought (Danimal's yogurt, we threw the packaging away so I don't know for sure).

[gandpsmommy]

Terri, do you or your kids have ADHD?

 

I do always make sure that we get eggs or some other protein (like dinner leftovers or lunch meat) for breakfast and lunch. The coffee was about 3 ounces right at starting school and it really seemed to be helping. I have found that coffee, raw cacao and epic ganoderma help me without side effects.

 

Our diets and wake time have both changed some lately... so maybe that was part of it. We have had a discipline problem for a while though and she is sucking up all of my time and energy while not nearly meeting her potential, so I think this needed to be done anyway.

 

Lovedtodeath, I hope my post didn't come off sounding condescending. I truly wish you luck in your new strategy.

[Lovedtodeath]

Thank you! I will update after we try it for a while.:) In the meantime, I am getting more information on caffeine as a treatment for ADHD.

[In the Rain]

Thank you! I will update after we try it for a while.:) In the meantime, I am getting more information on caffeine as a treatment for ADHD.

 

I have a friend who gives her son (8yo) Mt. Dew to treat ADHD (non hyperactive). She initially gave him a whole can in the mornings without telling the teacher. He brought home the full amount of happy faces and scored better than he ever had on a spelling test. Now she gives him one at breakfast and sends one for lunch.

 

She doesn't feel good about giving him soda, but prefers it over ADHD meds. The doctor said it was fine and also said she could try small amounts of a caffeine pill. No-Doze, maybe? It has made a real difference for him.

[Lovedtodeath]

I have a friend who gives her son (8yo) Mt. Dew to treat ADHD (non hyperactive). She initially gave him a whole can in the mornings without telling the teacher. He brought home the full amount of happy faces and scored better than he ever had on a spelling test. Now she gives him one at breakfast and sends one for lunch.

 

She doesn't feel good about giving him soda, but prefers it over ADHD meds. The doctor said it was fine and also said she could try small amounts of a caffeine pill. No-Doze, maybe? It has made a real difference for him.

Yes, it is a huge difference. I am just unsure as to whether it will keep her from falling asleep at night, how late can I give it to her, how soon it takes effect, etc. Thanks for sharing what you know!

[In the Rain]

Yes, it is a huge difference. I am just unsure as to whether it will keep her from falling asleep at night, how late can I give it to her, how soon it takes effect, etc. Thanks for sharing what you know!

 

The first time she gave him a Mt Dew was at 5:30 PM, before TaeKwonDo. I thought she was crazy, since that would keep me up all night :001_huh: His instructor noticed an improvement in hs focus, and he fell asleep fine that night. I'm not sure what his bedtime is, but it must be 9 or later.

 

Ultimately, she decided not to continue using it before TKD. She felt like he was successful enough in that environment without it, and is worried about his teeth and waistline. :lol:.

 

I'll talk to my friend this weekend and ask how quickly she thinks it works and how long it stays in his system. It probably won't be as helpful to you as experimenting with your own dd. I think the effects would vary widely. I guess the worst case scenario is one late night. :tongue_smilie:

 

FWIW, maybe you could tell Grandma that even some doctors prefer caffeine over prescription medication for ADHD. While his school has been pushing for meds, my friend's doctor was pretty reluctant.

Edited February 6, 2010 by Julianna
'

[Mom-ninja.]

I had no idea that caffeine could help with ADHD.

[chiguirre]

Carmen, if you're dealing with ADHD, I'd make sure your dd is drinking coffee before school. For ds it helps with focus where typical ADHD drugs didn't. Of course, he doesn't have ADHD, he's autistic so it is different, but if you noticed the coffee helping, I'd give it to her. If your mom says anything more, you could explain that you'd prefer to give your dd caffeine rather than Adderall!

[Lovedtodeath]

Carmen, if you're dealing with ADHD, I'd make sure your dd is drinking coffee before school. For ds it helps with focus where typical ADHD drugs didn't. Of course, he doesn't have ADHD, he's autistic so it is different, but if you noticed the coffee helping, I'd give it to her. If your mom says anything more, you could explain that you'd prefer to give your dd caffeine rather than Adderall!

Thank you! I gave her green tea yesterday because she needed something! It really isn't fair to her to get so exasperated when I know caffeine helps. Edited February 6, 2010 by Lovedtodeath

[Hathersage]

I don't know if this been mentioned before. I'd drink with a straw to help protect the teeth. And don't let them sip on it, it is better to just drink it down for the health of the gums. I'd brush teeth after the drink too. And make sure your doing what you can to promote urinary tract health, because caffeine can affect this.

[homeschoolally]

.:) In the meantime, I am getting more information on caffeine as a treatment for ADHD.

 

 

We found caffeine very helpful for my son's ADD, I just had to be careful with the timing. If he had it first thing in the a.m. M, W, F we could get in some great math/grammar sessions before lunch.

 

I found that if I did it more than two days back-to-back, it wasn't as effective. I also found that I had to schedule less demanding things after one on those days because he did 'crash' a little on his caffeine days. It was absolutely worth it for us though. The amount of work he could get done those morning without tears and careless errors was amazing, and worth having a less productive afternoon.

 

We had to stop using it due to migraines, but as someone who has tried medication also---I can confirm that it was almost as effective as meds if we used it carefully. The key for us was doing it only every other day--that seemed to keep him from building up a tolerance so that one cup of strong coffee was enough. When we tried using it more often, He'd start asking for it all the time and was run-down and sleepy when he hadn't had caffeine. He'd also crave sweets.

 

Good luck!! I agree with the other posters who think YOU and your dh should be making those calls, not Grandma and dd. It's easy for someone who doesn't live and teach with your child to question your choices and put doubt in your mind, but you are the ones who know best!

Edited February 6, 2010 by homeschoolally

[In the Rain]

I talked to my friend today. She said it works on her son in about 30 min, and lasts about 4 hours. He has some for breakfast and some with lunch on school days. It has been about 2 months now, and his school reports (academic and social) are much improved.

 

She switched from Mt Dew to something from Costco called Zip Fizz.

 

I'm glad the green tea helped your dd.

 

Homeschoolally, your comments are interesting. I wonder if I could apply that kind of caffeine schedule to myself and get the alertness benefits consistently.

[Lovedtodeath]

Thanks for the info!

Homeschoolally, your comments are interesting. I wonder if I could apply that kind of caffeine schedule to myself and get the alertness benefits consistently.

I have actually read something about 2 oz. doing us the most good and the rest is what gives us the crash, so I try to drag my coffee out for a while instead of drinking a full cup at a time.

 

I have noticed that the raw cacao is very effective today and I didn't have any yesterday, so I am sure skipping days is probably a good idea.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

 

She switched from Mt Dew to something from Costco called Zip Fizz.

 

 

 

Could you ask your friend how much ZipFizz she gives her son? TIA

[Lovedtodeath]

Yikes, with what I have witnessed lipton sweetened tea, diet coke and hawaiian punch do to DD, I will stick with green tea and regular coffee.

[In the Rain]

Could you ask your friend how much ZipFizz she gives her son? TIA

 

She said one package makes 8oz, which has caffeine equivalent to 12oz Mt Dew. She said it was healthier than soda, but I don't think of artificial sweeteners as healthy.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I don't think of artificial sweeteners as healthy.

 

Yeah, I just read the ingredients and see that it has sucralose aka Splenda in it. I guess we'll stick with coffee.

[Lovedtodeath]

I gave Emily coffee today because we got up extra early and we were out of green tea. She did her writing, her WWE narration, a whole week's worth on Iriquois Indians and a 90 page Cleopatra book. Then we did math after Dad got home.

 

WOW!

[ElizabethB]

I gave Emily coffee today because we got up extra early and we were out of green tea. She did her writing, her WWE narration, a whole week's worth on Iriquois Indians and a 90 page Cleopatra book. Then we did math after Dad got home.

 

WOW!

 

Yes, WOW, she's Java Girl, read Gladwell's "Java Man: How Caffeine Created the Modern World." Searching for it, I found this, which also looks interesting, I just glanced at it so who knows.

[In the Rain]

I gave Emily coffee today because we got up extra early and we were out of green tea. She did her writing, her WWE narration, a whole week's worth on Iriquois Indians and a 90 page Cleopatra book. Then we did math after Dad got home.

 

WOW!

 

:D Sounds like a great day!

[funschooler5]

I gave Emily coffee today because we got up extra early and we were out of green tea. She did her writing, her WWE narration, a whole week's worth on Iriquois Indians and a 90 page Cleopatra book. Then we did math after Dad got home.

 

WOW!

 

Sounds like a great day!

 

Just curious, how much coffee did she have, and do you add any sweetener to it? My ADHD kid was doing ok with drinking a half of a RockStar per day, but I quit doing it because....well, I just felt weird about it. I'd prefer to do the coffee thing, but I don't know how I'd get him to drink it. He likes things to be sweet, and I'm afraid that any sugar I add would just counteract the caffeine.

[Lovedtodeath]

I make my cup of coffee with half organic sugar and then one packet of the pink stuff, and some organic milk. Then I pour about 1/4 of it into a cup for her and add more milk.

 

There is also a cold premade mocha flavored coffee drink that has no added sugar (it has fruit juice) and I don't think it has milk either. DH found it at the store. I gave her 4 oz of that.

Xylitol is a sweetener that my natural doctor approved and I have used in the past.