Hugs mama!  It does sound like you have a lot on your plate!  It will get easier when you are not pregnant, my last pregnancy just wiped me out.  Sometimes you just have to take care of yourself and cut back on what you are doing.  I know it is super hard esp if you are used to being a superwoman!  This is a good time to rely guilt free on that educational TV, apps, and lots of exercise.  Go sit outside and get the kids to run, jump, do somersaults, whatever physical stuff you are working on.  See if your husband or a friend can take them for lots of hikes.  If my educational material is running low, I go straight to exercise, it is just the greatest thing for the brain.  Use healthy treats as bribery if you need to and get them to work out while you rest and give orders from a deck chair.  Try to just do one thing and be gentle on yourself.  This pregnancy won't go forever, and even though babies bring their own set of challenges, you won't feel as exhausted. 

Oh yeah, and make sure you are getting lots of quality b vitamins.  Good luck and best wishes!

Great idea!!!

Wow this sounds great!  Most flash card programs are too slow and have lots of confusing background details.  I look forward to the new release, please do keep us informed!  Thank you :-)

Wow!  You are inspirational!  Excited for you to take this journey, it sounds wonderful!  Gosh I struggle doing less with my 2 who were both under 2 at one time so I appreciate how full your hands are!  Love your excitement and ability to find more to do :-).  I am with the NACD via skype and love them but can't help but look over to the institutes and would love to experience them too!  I look forward to hearing how you are going.  Good luck and happiness to you :-)

Good on you for taking care of yourself preconception! There are some wonderful resources, I will post back here soon as I don't have them off the top of my head.  Cleansing and detoxing a year ahead is a great idea, best to work with an experienced naturopath in order to do this properly.  Then you should make sure your body is extremely well nourished.  You want to build it up with nutrients as best as you can. 

Folic acid (B9) is very important, but there is an important distinction to make.  Folic acid is the synthetic form of B9 and people with certain gene polymorphisms (MTHFR) don't break down the synthetic form well and can actually become more deficient which actually increases one's risk for birth defects or problems where the chromosomes don't divide properly.  So it is safer to use the natural form of B9 which is called folate, or some of the forms that are already broken down, called methylfolate or folinic acid.  Thorne has a great prenatal using the safer forms of B9 and Seeking Health is a company that has a wonderful prenatal supplement with all the aminos and pretty much everything you need nourishmentwise.   

As this is an old thread, let me know if you are still paying attention and I will find those other resources for you.  Good luck and happiness to you!

Hi!  I am new here, but really in love with EL.  It seems to me like it is the answer for everything, as humans we need to get a whole lot smarter if we are to continue as a species and as a teacher (who elects not to practice) I am against putting kids through the drudgery and dumbing down of conventional school. 

So since discovering this world I have been sharing with lots of people about why the world needs EL and how easy it is.  BK is a great first reference, and I usually refer people to this.  It is easy and even busy working parents without a passion for EL can do it.  But what comes next?  Is there a blog that explains EL for dummies, where to start and where to go from there?  Good EL resources, good first, second, third steps and so on?   Or what do you suggest?  What are the best resources and a path for the general parent to take? 

Thank you :-) 

Many kids have "sensory issues" in one area or another, which does not mean that the child is autistic.  You can work on each sensory pathway to smooth them out so they can work more efficiently.  Her flapping sounds like it could be a visual stim, and there are many exercises that can help.  A neurodevelopmental therapist can help, we used the NACD to help our son and they had virtually all his sensory issues (there were LOTS of them) sorted out within a year.  If you are really worried and driving yourself crazy, this could be a good place to look as these people really know children.   Mendability is another great program, different to NDT but it heals the brain and sensory pathways, this one is cheaper and easier than NDT.  And I am sure Dr Google would have a few suggestions for sensory healing therapies.  It also sounds like she could have high adrenaline, google Dr Michael Platt, he has just written a book on it.  I have not read that yet, but he talks a lot about ADHD and high adrenaline in his first book, and in his blog.  High adrenaline can cause the high energy, lack of need to sleep, anxiety, (sometimes a "stim"like flapping can be used to calm anxiety) and high intelligence.   Phosphatidyl serine is a great supplement to help balance the negatives, it will help with focus and calmness within herself. 

Another area to look at would be diet, maybe she is reacting to certain foods, the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet is great for helping autism and sensory issues as it heals the gut.  Probiotics are great, but go gently to avoid die-off.

From what you have said she does not sound autistic to me, her social skills sound great, it just sounds like she may have some sensory issues and these are easily remedied.  Good luck and hugs, she soudns like a fabulous kid and it sounds like you are on the right path. 

Another way of looking at it might be - what would you have liked to have happened when you were a child to have enhanced your social & learning experience?  Is that something that you can help your son with?  Or would you have preferred not to be bright?  All good soul searching questions!  It is a different time and day though now, and many more opportunities than there were when we kids.  And he has a big thing in his favour - you as his mother!

I grew up in Australia and while I was at school there was one little boy who was in my grade at high school but he should have only been in primary school.  I remember him in our advanced math class and the teacher paused over a problem and could not work it out.  He stopped to ask this child, who had to pause and look as he was working ahead on other problems.  It took him a second to figure it out, explain it to the teacher and we all merrily continued on our way.  Even though he was years younger than all of us, we all liked him.  He was not one of us by any means, he knew words we did not, but he was accepted and we were all quietly in awe of him in a shy way.  He was a friendly, happy little chap, busily working all the time.  There were no kids his age in our school, but he did not seem bothered and I don't think this damaged him in any way.  All the kids in his family were advanced like this, I suspect them now of being an early learning family from the little bits I remember him telling me!  This was a good private school, but he had opportunities and was accepted.  I also remember in Australia tall the testing they did for advanced children, and there are special schools and classes out there to challenge kids.  If your child needs more challenges then there are additional homeschooling resources and even organisations like the NACD who will create advanced specialised programs for children at any age that you can add to your school program. 

It is up to parents though to take charge of their child's education, you will only get so much out of the public system.  But this is great as there are so many resources out there, no bright child needs to be bored any more!  Learning should be a joy which children embrace and dive deeply into, and nothing should hold them back, certainly not mainstream mediocrity.  Early learning is a pleasure and a privilege, one that I wish my parents had found when I was young! You are here now and on a good track already, more resources will come as you need them.  As for friends, it is artificial I believe for a child to be only with her same age peers all the time.  The little boy I mentioned above had many friends, of different ages but also some other advanced children he had met through advanced programs.  He was still a fun, happy little boy, not a strange genius.  A child who can relate to all age groups is a happy child, and I believe having a brain that functions better actually leads to better social skills too. 

Anyway, it is good to stop and ponder our parenting regularly, but in this case, I think the benefits of early reading can only outweigh potential disadvantages that may come through the limitations of the public school system.  If he has a happy family life and a parent who will keep challenging him I don't think he will be bored.  Just do what you enjoy doing with your son, and what he enjoys and trust that it will all work out from there.  :-)

There is some interesting info on teh NACD.org website about dominance in the newsletter files.  According to them, either left or right is fine as long as all the dominances are on the one side.  Nothing to worry about, and you don't want to try to influence it right now,  but it is something to keep an eye on as the child develops and you can, with the correct help alter it later if the sides are mixed.  The child should have all dominant sides the same: ear, eye, leg, arm.  Righties need to keep an eye on this too, I am right for everything except my eyes, where my left is dominant.  I  am a bit tired right now and can't remember all the details, but mixed dominances affect the emotional behaviour of a person and is not ideal for neurological organisation.

Wow Lappy!  Thank you!!!  That was a beautiful message and exactly what I needed to hear.  I am going to print that out and put it where I can remind myself.  Thank you for taking the time to write and share     Is that karma button for showing appreciation?  Can I hit it a few times?  Thank you, that really helped!

Hi!  I am new here, and awed as well as panicked by all the great things you are doing with your kids.  My first son has special needs and I feel like we are starting so far behind the starting line that  I get overwhelmed a lot and then I don't have the time I need to put into my "typical" child.  I am finding that I am having to "redesign" myself in order to be the parent I want to be and to do the things that I want to do for my kids. 

So... What qualities do you have that enable you to be the parent that you want to be?  Did those qualities come naturally or did you have to work on developing them?  Any tricks and tips that make things easier? 

As an example - so far for me this has included things like working on my own health and sleep so that I have the energy, trying to develop organisation skills, turning off the internet so I can't fudge out net surfing :-).......

Thanks Kiwimum!  I am about as far south as you can go!  Thanks for your hi and your help :-)

Great, thank you!

Wow!  SO amazing and so great that that has opened up new opportunities for your family :-)