jen l

We transferred our 8 year old son to a new school this year in August, but now we're noticing he's having trouble making friends. On the few occasions we've gone to the school at lunch time, he's always sitting at the girl's table. He says he spends his recess time alone. We're not sure what to think. He's definitely not shy, and he loves to play Star Wars, beyblades and pirate games.

He is the youngest child in his 3rd grade class because he skipped a grade, but he's easily the tallest boy. We talked to the teachers about placing him back in 2nd grade, but they feel it would be too easy for him and he would be bored. Academically, he's getting all A's. We're not sure if his younger age has anything to do with it. Any feedback? Any ideas how we can better socialize our son?

I do not like the fuzzy math taught in our elementary public schools. I'm looking for a school in Houston that teaches Singapore Math.

I have three kids ages 7, 4 and 1. My brother in law has four kids ages 17, 14, 9 and 6. My kids are extroverts, loud talkers, dancers, joke/story tellers, comedians and not shy in any way. His kids are introverts, super quiet, hardly laugh, head in the books and mostly shy.

Because of this, my kids have been labeled "the bad grandchildren", while his are the "well behaved ones". My kids do not misbehave, they just aren't happy being quiet. My kids have good manners, and they always stay in their seats during meals and at restaurants. They are happiest when being creative.

Yet, the minute I leave the room, my husband gets barraged with criticism from his parents about how our kids are so loud, while his brother's kids are so nice and QUIET. Apparently, we are bad parents for not training our kids to be introverts.

I find the whole labeling thing very annoying. The worst part is that my husband gets very nervous when his family visits. He jumps all over the kids if they even make one peep, afraid that his parents will criticize the kids and go tell his brother...sibling rivalry.

I'm not sure what to think. Can you really train your kids to not speak and be introverts? My in-laws seem to think so. Help! Are we bad parents?

I have a 6 year old boy and a 3 year old girl. My girl is very girlie and sweet, but my son is very, very mean to her. He takes some kind of joy from making her cry. We have tried everything discipline-wise, but he just won't leave her alone. Otherwise, he is a normal kid and very well liked in school. I have older brothers, but I don't remember dealing with this kind of thing from them.

Are we over-reacting to this? Will this eventually stop? Is it a big brother thing? Or...do we need to worry?

Last month, I enrolled my 3 year in a montessori preschool (not daycare) that everyone seems to love. As time has passed, I have become less and less impressed with this place. First, she gets zero assistance when she goes to the potty. They send her with a 4 year old to the bathroom in another building who is suppose to help her. Second, her class has 22 kids in it, divided up by 3,4, and 5 year olds. They have 1 teacher and 1 floating teacher's assistant. Third, they provide zero feedback on how your child is doing, what they have learned, etc. In three weeks, I have gotten zero communication from the teacher as to her progress. Fourth, she lost her lunch box last week. It was found after school, still full of food. No one has been able to tell me if she ate lunch that day, including her. Fifth, lunch boxes are kept outside all day on a shelf by the classroom. We live in Texas, where temps can reach 105, even 115. Is this sanitary??

I keep thinking I am overreacting because all the other parents seem fine with these standards. One parent even told me that I'm hovering over my daughter too much...but she's only 3!

What do you think? I'd like to pull her out of the school.

I'm not really allergic to anything I eat, but that has changed now that I'm pregnant. Lots of foods (including dark chocolate) make me break out in massive hives. I was eating vanilla cake and my palate swelled up. This is so weird! This is my third pregnancy, and I've never experienced anything like this.

I'm pregnant right now, and we don't know what it is. Last month my mom dreamed I was having a little boy with very blonde hair. I totally dismissed her. Now my 5 year told me that he dreamed last night that he had a little brother with very light hair and green eyes. He totally described the dream, location, clothes, things they were doing, etc. I, personally, have not dreamed this baby. Three years ago, I dreamed my daughter 4 months before she was born and she told me her exact day of birth (which turned out to be true). Regardless, both of my kids have dark hair and dark eyes, so I can't imagine having a blonde!

I have already gone into system preferences and looked at speech, but I can't figure out if this is responsible for the problem. Any suggestions?

In the General Grievous level, I know that Cody must jump on the platform that ObiWan makes w/ Force Power so he can jump up and shoot the bomb/generator thingy to hurt Grievous. I have the Mac version of the game, and I can never get Cody to point in the right direction. Is this a Mac problem or am I doing something wrong? I am using a keyboard to play the game.

My son is 5 years old and scheduled to begin kindergarten this coming September. In order to determine his placement in public school, the district had him tested (like all the other kinder kids) to check if he qualified for the gifted and talented program. Well, he failed the sequencing/ matrices portion of the test, and we have been told he can only begin in a mainstream classroom. G/T is not an option for him.

There's only one problem with this. My 5 year old son can read at the 4th grade level. He's currently reading one of the Harry Potter books, as well as the Goosebumps level 4 mini-novels. He can spell and write at that level too. He's very verbally advanced, all on his own. I didn't invest in any "your baby can read" type materials. He started speaking in phrases at 9 months and reading in his late 2's. I have two children, and my other child has not exhibited the same verbal abilities.

He's developmentally normal, and from what we can tell, pretty average in other subjects.

We're not sure what to do with him. Private school? Public school? I can't imagine what a kindergarten teacher would do with a kid like him, especially if she's trying to teach the other kids basic letters and sounds. He's way beyond that.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

My son is 5 years old and scheduled to begin kindergarten this coming September. In order to determine his placement in public school, the district had him tested (like all the other kinder kids) to check if he qualified for the gifted and talented program. Well, he failed the sequencing/ matrices portion of the test, and we have been told he can only begin in a mainstream classroom. G/T is not an option for him.

There's only one problem with this. My 5 year old son can read at the 4th grade level. He's currently reading one of the Harry Potter books, as well as the Goosebumps level 4 mini-novels. He can spell and write at that level too. He's very verbally advanced, all on his own. I didn't invest in any "your baby can read" type materials. He started speaking in phrases at 9 months and reading in his late 2's. I have two children, and my other child has not exhibited the same verbal abilities.

He's developmentally normal, and from what we can tell, pretty average in other subjects.

We're not sure what to do with him. Private school? Public school? I can't imagine what a kindergarten teacher would do with a kid like him, especially if she's trying to teach the other kids basic letters and sounds. He's way beyond that.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

I applied over $1200 in enrollment fees for my child to attend a private parochial school. We moved over the summer, and my son could no longer enroll at this school due to distance issues. He never actually attended this school. The school refused to return any of the fees to me. The school deposited the money, and I have copies of all the checks. Considering that they kept my money, could this count as a donation?

I backed out of a restaurant parking lot. When I drove forward, my car hit something really hard. I backed up, got out of the car and saw a two and a half foot tree stump on the restaurant's easement. I didn't see it when I backed up, otherwise I would have gone around it. I also found someone's license plate on the ground next to the tree stump, meaning this wasn't the first time it happened.

I have now paid over $1000 out of pocket to repair my car. Should I have the restaurant compensate me for allowing a public nuisance to remain on their property?

I don't like cable, and I've hear that antennas in Houston can pick up a good number of channels. Can anyone recommend a specific antenna?

The Julian Apple pie company makes the best apple pie on the planet!! Anyone know the recipe?

My great-uncle left my grandpa a ranch in his will. However, my grandpa died in 1972, two years before my great-uncle did in 1974. So, the ranch went back to my great-uncle's wife. When my great-aunt died in 1986, she reaffirmed her husband's wishes in her will and left the ranch to my grandpa's children (which is my mother and her siblings).

I found a copy of my great-aunt's will while cleaning out the house. To this day, my mother has never received any land. Could we take this to court? My great-uncle's children kept the ranch.

This is in Texas..not sure if this matters.

There are so many different voltage converters. Anyone have experience with this?

I bought a new fridge on Sept 12, 2009. On Oct 6, I left for a 3 week vacation. On Oct 8th, the power company negligently (without any reason) disconnected my power. I returned home on Oct 23rd to find a horrible stench in my home. My fridge was full of maggots, flies and 3 inches of rotten blood. I have cleaned if multiple times with multiple products, but it still wreaks!! I can't open it without gagging. The electric company has admitted all fault in this matter, but they will only give me $200 for my trouble. This seems like a ridiculous offer. My fridge is brand new and now unusable. Do I have any rights in this matter? BTW, I live in Texas.

My husband is a physician who practices a field that is more prone to frivolous litigation. My parents want to give me some property, but I fear what may happen if my husband gets sued. Can an attorney come after our personal assets as well as his malpractice insurance? Isn't my property also considered his as well? We live in Texas. Thanks!

I'm building a two story house. We're done with the framing, insulation and sheet rock. However, there are wet spots appearing in some areas of the upstairs floor. I can't find any leaks/spots on the downstairs ceiling, but the wet spots are obvious. Any ideas?