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AngelaNYC

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Everything posted by AngelaNYC

  1. I haven't left a faith for different one, but I have delved particularly deeper into the faith I was born into (Roman Catholicism). Growing up, I (like many Catholics of my generation) had minimal religious education - just kind of going through the motions. As an adult I realized there was so much I didn't understand or even know about. I explored and learned about many other religions and beliefs, but was always pulled back. I have finally gotten to a very comfortable and satisfied place now with no real hard questions anymore. Faith, religion, and science, for me, compliment each other very nicely (which I think is a huge issue for most people who question what they believe). Reading, research, and participation has brought me to an indescribable feeling of contentment and peace. I feel like I "get it".
  2. Just one here, too: I am really excited about the restaurant adventure ds and I are going on. Every 2 weeks we plan on having lunch at a different ethnic restaurant (including Tibetan, Filipino, Peruvian, and Vietnamese). We live in such a diverse area with restaurants of every cuisine imaginable and we're finally going to take advantage of that! Then we plan on learning as much as we can about that nation until we hit the next restaurant 2 weeks later. (geography & global/cultural awareness)
  3. For her age and that it's only little white bumps, I would suggest any gentle face cleanser (my dds like CVS brand, lol) before bed and plain old Stridex pads. Keep it simple.
  4. I'm sort of going through this now as well. I was a SAHM for 12 years, then I worked part-time for 7 years, then got laid off and was on unemployment for 6 months. And now I'm back in the job search game. I am constantly redoing my resume - I have 5 or 6 different ones that I use. Each one highlights a different set of skills, depending on what I'm applying for. I also created a cool cover letter template. I'm still looking for something part-time. Actually, I'm in the running for something perfect (perfect hours, great money, awesome location, etc). I applied in February, they contacted me for an interview a month later, and now it's another month later and they are just checking my references now. UGH the waiting is terrible. I heard it's between me and 2 others. I'm still homeschooling, but ds is a teen now and sleeps late. I plan on working from 8 or 9am to about 12 or 1pm Monday to Friday. We usually already start on the academics at around 2-ish, so it all works out. Good luck to all of you who are in the job search!
  5. I go to Aldi once a week for staples (cereal, coffee, milk, fruit, oil, etc). Then I go into Costco (which is right next door) for bulk stuff (snacks, eggs, butter, frozen berries, cleaners, etc). On the weekend, dh gets a few things at the cheapo store (like drink mixes and dollar bags of frozen veg) and then goes to the regular supermarket for cold cuts, bread, and meat. We do have several great farmers markets and asian/ethnic supermarkets around here, but I don't go as often as I should.
  6. What worked for my ds was: sight word flash cards, "find the mistakes" types of workbooks, short & funny poems (especially when he got to sing them), a blue or green overlay (sometimes), Sequential Spelling workbooks, and putting commonly misread words up on a wall.
  7. How much of the cost do you pay vs how much your teen pays? Dd isn't paying anything (she does not work). Dh, I, and the extended family are footing this bill. Clothes--tux/suit/dress & accessories? Dress & jewelry ~ $200-$250 Makeup/hair/nails? Makeup and hair will be done by big sis (she's a cosmetology student). Nails are ~ $15 (Eyebrows and 'stache wax are another $15) Shoes? ~ $60-$80 Dinner? Dinner is at the prom Dance ticket? Prom tickets are $200 per person Post-event activities? Everyone is chipping in $35 for a dance club Other costs: limo ($40 per person), boyfriend's boutonniere ($10-$15), clutch bag (~ $20-$40) (Dd goes to a high school in Manhattan and her prom is going to be at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square)
  8. That my nice figure would disappear in 10 years That racking up credit card debt is really stupid That the kids really will grow up incredibly fast and to savor the together moments Not to lease cars That a smart phone is actually a good idea before you hit your 40s And that there was such a thing as the Ikea Expedit
  9. Click on your username at the top right. Then click on My Profile. Then click on the black box (way over on the right) that says Edit My Profile Then on the left you should see a tab that says Signature Let me know if that did the trick.
  10. Thank you and a blessed Holy Week to you and everyone as well.
  11. About $6-$7 at a NYC diner. http://www.mikesdinerastoria.com/Datamenu.aspx
  12. I say pockabook. Always have. My girls say "bag", though. I hate when it's called a purse. A purse is a small pouch that you put your dollars and coins in.
  13. Totally plain here. Our formal academics have been whittled down to the basic basics Math is 1 lesson of TT (Alg 1) Then either reading comprehension (from a cheap workbook - the 100+ Series) or reading a bunch of Shel Silverstein poems out loud Then a 10-minute Spanish lesson (using Getting Started with Spanish) Then either writing (we use Daily Sparks now), history (we read/discuss a section from K12 Human Odyssey 1), science (we do an Apologia experiment, ds writes things down, and we discuss), or geography (1 lesson from Runkle's Geog book). So each of these gets done once a week. That's it. It takes less than 2 hours per day and we do this 4 days a week. Ds sleeps til noon and we start academics at around 2pm. (I will be working p/t 9am-1pm, M-F) We live in a cozy NYC apartment. Academics are done on the couch. All ds's books fit in one IKEA Expedit cubby hole. We hardly ever participate in any homeschool group classes anymore. Ds got tired of them. :leaving: But... he does martial arts several days a week, and every Wednesday we go out somewhere in the afternoon. I prefer plain. So much less stress and he gets a lot more done.
  14. :iagree: I completely agree with this. For us, restrictions make many things a "forbidden fruit" that is wanted more. Without limits, ds has created a nice balance of screen time with a dozen other activities.
  15. I had 2 that I homeschooled for 8th grade and both went to a B&M high school. I just want to say - don't worry. We spent 8th grade going on field trips, doing some prealgebra, a good amount of reading (independent, with some narration), and they heavily pursued their own interests. That's it. No writing, no other formal subjects. And you know what? High school was a breeze. With no writing lessons at all, they were praised for their composition and research papers. Go figure that one out. And these were very high-ranked schools (2 different schools, btw). Also, from what I've seen, in high school, you start fresh with Science and History. I hope this makes you all feel a little better. My ds will be in 8th grade, too, in the fall.
  16. It drives me crazy. My mother and sister do it to me all the time. Ok, my sister has a 2 year-old and my stepdad has dementia, so I know I shouldn't get annoyed. But they'll always start talking to them right while I'm in the middle of telling them something. Then I'll stop talking and they get annoyed at ME saying, "you can keep talking, I can hear you". I have no patience for anything lately, anyway. Sigh. But yes, this is probably one of my BIGGEST pet peeves.
  17. Yes - same high school (Ansel graduated in 2012). His girlfriend is still at the school and is also friends with my dd. They'll all be at prom together in a few months, lol.
  18. I plan to see it. My dd's friend is in the movie (he plays Caleb). I feel like I want to read the books first, though.
  19. Most years I write up a short assessment that includes performance and attendance info as well as a few of the year's highlights. Some years NY kids do have to take a standardized test. I like the CAT-E and my ds will be taking it this June. The other popular test here in NY is the PASS test which was created for homeschoolers, but only goes up to 8th grade and is not available in all states. Both of these test only Language Arts and Math.
  20. She can pull her child out anytime. Notifying the private school about it is a good idea (but not legally necessary) mainly so they don't keep calling and wondering where the child is. She just has to tell the teacher and/or principal that X date will be the child's last day at the school. No other explanation is needed. She doesn't have to have a meeting or discussion with them about anything (although the school may try this). As far as letter writing, all she has to do is send a letter of intent to her district within 2 weeks of pulling her child. That's it. Then she will receive a packet with a copy of the regulations and a bunch of forms she doesn't have to use. Then within 4 weeks after that, she needs to send a plan of instruction to the district, then within 10 days after that she'll receive a letter stating whether or not her IHIP was in compliance with the regs. She is officially homeschooling the second she pulls her child out of school.
  21. I get where you're coming from when you have no choice of good public schools. But In my case, I had a child who not only asked to try public high school, but she wanted to audition for a famous performing arts school. As a dancer, she knew it would take her to the next level (and it has,,,she's a senior there now. And being friends with celebrities and celebrities' kids has been a fun perk). My oldest dd also requested high school - a journalism-focused one, since she has always been an amazing writer. No bad effects from either school - all good things came from those experiences. So, for me, anything and everything is always an option - but a lot of thought and research must accompany it first.
  22. Here's what we're planning: 8th Grade Math: TT Algebra 1 English: Various literature, Jump In (writing) History: K12 Human Odyssey 2 Geography: World Physical Geography (Runkle) Science: Apologia Physical Science (secularly) or Hewitt's Conceptual Physics Spanish: Getting Started w/Spanish PE: Mixed Martial Arts 5-6 classes per week Religion: CCD (Confirmation) Fine Arts, Health, Technology, Practical Arts, Music: Informal, interest-based, independent
  23. Here's what I'm thinking of for 8th grade so far: Literature: Various novels/stories/poetry (Poe, Twain, ?) - independent reading + narration and discussion Writing: Jump In (continued from 7th grade) Math: Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 (continued from 7th grade) History: K12 Human Odyssey 2 Geography: Runkle's World Physical Geography (continued from 7th grade) Science: Apologia Physical Science (lessons based only around experiments) OR Hewitt's Conceptual Physics Spanish: Getting Started with Spanish (continued from 7th grade) PE: Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (5-6 classes per week) Health: Informal learning Technology: Mostly self-taught, maybe some programming classes or software Religion: CCD (Confirmation classes) Misc: Field trips, Homeschool group classes, Science apprenticeship
  24. LaGuardia Arts was the irresistible school for dd. As a dancer, this was her dream.
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