How long does it take a 4yo to destroy Grandma's basement . . .

. . . .I'm assuming 5 minutes, but she was at Grandma's for at least 6hrs last Friday.  This was the result:

Have they taken gender neutral too far??

http://beta.news.yahoo.com/no-him-her-preschool-fights-gender-bias-122541829.html

IMO - Yes and No.

Yes - not using "him" or "her" doesn't teach the child that there is a difference between being female or male.  Those differences should be embraced...not hidden as of something to be ashamed of.  I think gender equality could be attainded more by what the children are exposed to rather than ignoring the difference between the girlie girl and the manly man.

No - I think they have a good idea, but their approach is a little off.  None of my boys ever wanted to play dress up.  Even after Halloween when they all had their costumes.  However, now that my daughter is 4yo and wants to play dress up the boys have gotten into it and will help her dress up and they'll participate by dressing up in old Halloween costumes.  Yes, my sweet husband just rolls his eyes, but neither he nor I stop them.  It's all fun, and for once all 4 are playing well together.  Once again it's what they're exposed to - if everything they're exposed to is treated equally then doesn't that help to eliminate the differences in gender?

Along the lines of thought in my comment under the "No" section - my boys have always loved helping me cook, bake, etc.  I encourage it as some day they will be adults and will need to fend for themselves - even if it is just making Mac 'n Cheese or Ramen Noodles.  Then there's my daughter that loves to get the same toy as the boys in a Happy Meal.  She's right there with them taking sticks and making a gun out of them, or playing some other game.  She's defnitely a girlie-girl with a big dash of tomboy thrown in for good measure.  (Picture a 3yo in her Cinderella costume in the sandbox making sand angels with the biggest grin.)

Maybe I'm off base....then again I am the mother that paints her sons' tonenails right along with her daugher's .  :D

great pic of the kids

Mind you my mother probably took this about 9mos ago - but still it's a great picture: everyone is smiling and looking at the camera.  Top:  S and A, bottom R and T (L to R)

F R E E - from the annoyance of diapers!

Yes, you read that correctly.  No more diapers or pull-ups here, we're all big kids and go on the toilet in our house!!!!!

Okay - I'll admit T & A still wear night time pull-ups occasionally, but for the most part:  NO MORE DIAPERS!!!!

Now all the money we save on diapers/pull-ups is paying for groceries. . . . . {sigh}

Medication Roulette

T's medication roulette since his Aug 2010 diagnosis of PDD-NOS/ADHD:

* The first medication T was on for his ADHD, Metadate 20mg, worked - but it just didn't last throughout the day as it was intended. (He was on this for 2-3 mos)

* Next there was Vyvanse 20mg - worked, and lasted as long as was intended, but something just wasn't quiet right. (He was on this at least 6mos)

* 3rd bet was on Concerta 27mg.  OMG the boy was just out of it.  Called the Dr office and they prescribed 18mg.  Seemed to work, but everytime we tried it w/in 48hrs he had an awful cough, runny nose and fever.  (He was on this for a month.)

* Back to Vyvanse 20mg to finish out the school year - 4 weeks left, cross your fingers he has more good days than bad.

* Now we're trying Synaptol.  It might be a whole bunch of bulshit...but it's cheaper than the ADHD meds and figured we owed it to T to at least try.  http://www.synaptol.com/

Then there's his anxiety issues, the stuttering, lack of appetite, and chronic runny nose.  We have no idea if any of these are the result of the medication or if they were exacerbated by the medication.