I couldn't disagree more!! Potting soil or soil suited for growing in containers has very different requirements than soil necessary for inground growing conditions. This is primarily because container culture is a closed environment requiring frequent, often daily, watering, offering a limited root run and with a need for exceptional drainage. Too much organic matter (in the form of any kind of compost) will eventually adversely impact drainage, as it continues to decompose and compact, reducing pore space. The best container soils generally contain no real soil and very modest amounts of OM. Peat or coir (cocoa fiber) is a good base (yes, they are OM but very slow to decompose) and you do need the addition of pumice or perlite to facilitate drainage and provide porosity. High fired clay (Turface) is a great substitute for these if available in your area. Bark fines will help with moisture retention plus provide necessary texture and pore space. Check out the Container forum for many excellent DIY potting soil recipes, especially any of the posts by Al (tapla). If you have access to Gardner and Bloome products, look for their Blue Ribbon Potting soil. I've used this product for years and it is an excellent medium for any kind of container growing, especially for long-term containers, which can be a challenge to maintain with quality soil conditions and fast drainage.

In the IEP we have already established the daily updates basically... homework is signed by the teacher daily tests are written in the agenda and signed by teachers... As of right now I am basically working with him one on one everyday. But, that is what it is taking to get hw done and right without taking until 11:00 at night and still have it all wrong. It is not an established regiment but I would have to say 4 nights a week we end up working one on one. (( This is strictly doing hw or studying for whatever test might be coming up)) Bm is being super supportive this year. (Which is a huge change from last year) She actually had ss call me last week to ask me questions about hw because she didnt know the answers. But, I have the distinct feeling that a lot of that has more to do with her not wanting to be bothered. But, like I said super supportive this year so we are basically on the same page with each other. He does not have any other diagnosed learning difficulties. He does have some self esteem issues (which he uses to his advantage with his mother saying things like "I'm too stupid to do this" and she immediately goes into babying him mode ...instead of actually helping him) But, some of them are very real. He is also VERY immature for his age. It has almost come to the point where I rely on his younger brother to do things that I would normally ask the oldest to do. But, for all of this in some ways he is very smart. Electronics are his thing. He loves wires and batteries and things that make noise or move or whatever that he can rewire and reconfigure. MY tv set currectly has several different wires connected together attached to a piece of metal pinned to the fire place as an antenna. (it totally works...not that we need all that but whatever) And his room has speakers and wires all over the place some attached to batteries that he has rigged up etc etc. We encourage this as much as possible. We bought him an electrical set and based on the wiring he does it operates a timer or a couple of other things. (And obviously he gets all the speakers batteries wires etc from somewhere)I think it is seeing how things work in general because I am just now remembering that he took apart the breaks on his brothers bike to "fix em" (that one didnt work out) But, it is figuring out how to take this interest and focus it into school. He goes to a science and technology magnet school. But, the experiments and what not doesnt interest him nearly as much as the thirteen lightbulbs on the ceiling and "But, what if one of them did x could you do y"

Well, if you've tried "everything", and none of it is working, then it might be time for you guys (parents/steps) to put your own feeling aside, and try something that might make him successful. I am speaking from experience here. My oldest son is 21 now. He displayed some of the same behaviors you describe. I yelled and fussed at him, took away privileges, tried reward systems...everything! The teachers NEVER complained about him or his behavior. They were always just a little disappointed, because he was "so bright, but just didn't seem to want to put forth any effort". He studied and seemed to get it, but then would fail the test...no matter how much I helped him study, etc. We just decided that he was lazy, didn't want to put forth the effort and wasn't a good test-taker. He frequently forgot to hand things in, too....even though they were done. What made it difficult was that he displayed NO evidence of hyperactivity at all. Eventually, when he was in high school and struggling, he told me he thought he had ADD. Again, I told him that his laziness and lack of motivation was not going to be called ADD. Period. I didn't buy it. Then, his 2nd semester of 10th grade, everything seemed to turn around for him. His assignments were done completely, his notes from lectures were well-organized and he could use them to study, he did well on tests. I praised him profusely for all his hard work..."I told you if you just applied yourself, you could do it", I told him. About a month later, he asked me if he could be tested for ADD. "No", I said. "You finally showed a little maturity, buckled down and did your work, and had good results". You don't have ADD. At that point, he confessed to me that the entire 2nd semester, when he had done so well, he had been taking his friend's Adderall. His friend had decided he didn't want to take it anymore, so my son did. I was FURIOUS, to say the least! I am a nurse, and had significant strong feelings about the overuse of behavior meds. But still, I couldn't argue with the results. I called his pediatrician, who agreed provide the testing. Luckily, in addition to a general pediatrician, she is also a behavioral specialist. She agreed to test him, and the results were overwhelmingly positive. She wasn't surprised that it had gone unnoticed all these years, since he wasn't a behavior problem in class...didn't display any hyperactivity. Those kids are the squeaky wheels that get greased. The kids who are "good" often get overlooked. Since he had already conducted his own "clinical trial" with good results, she prescibed a low dose of Adderall for him. He continues on it now in college, and I have to admit, it really has made a big difference in his life. He manages a full load of classes, a nearly full-time job, lives on his own, pays his own bills, etc. He frequently doesn't take his meds on the weekend, or during breaks from school, when he doesn't need to "perform". So, while I certainly realize your reluctance to treat your SS, if he's been diagnosed w/ADHD, you are doing him a huge disservice by witholding treatment. Certainly, if he had diabetes, you'd allow him to take his insulin, right? Behavioral/mental health issues have such a stigma associated with them, that all-too-often, those who would benefit from fairly simple treatment, are denied. Just my $.02 worth.... And for the record, I still think that ADD/ADHD are WAY over-diagnosed & treated. But there are definitely some kids who truly benefit from an appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Those families who have "tried everything and nothing works" may find that they have to put their pre-conceive notions about diagnosis and meds aside for what could prove to be just what the kiddo needs to be succesful, not only in school, but in life.

I have my Alexa unplugged until I want to listen to music. I found her to be annoying otherwise. Maybe if she were a he with an Aussie or Kiwi accent I’d change my mind. Friends I visit frequently have their coffeemaker plugged into a smart plug and a Dot in their BR that they use to turn the coffeemaker on. Annoying when I wake up before them. I hesitate to command Alexa in their kitchen to turn on the plug in case she gets confused, as mine seems to.