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VA6336

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Everything posted by VA6336

  1. My husband and I will be visiting Denver next weekend by ourselves (no kids!!). Our free time is limited, so I need the help of the Hive! Where should we eat lunch and dinner on Sunday? Is there anything particularly fun we should do after dinner on Sunday night? We've never been there before and know very little about the area. We'll be staying in Centennial, if that helps. Thanks in advance, oh great Hive. :D
  2. My kids happen to be small for their ages, so this works for us. Have you considered a sturdy bunk bed and NOT put the lower bunk in? We bought a really sturdy set of used (Craigslist) wood bunk beds, put up the top bunk and reinforced the lower joints with brackets from a hardware store. Then, we put two toddler size beds underneath it, perpendicular to the top bunk. There's a nice little path between the two, just wide enough for some shelving. Under the toddler beds, the shoe box size plastic containers with lids fit perfectly. We could fit a couple dozen under there, easily. :001_smile: Fits three beds in the space of one bunk bed. My oldest sleeps up top and the younger two below. If you PM me, I'll send you a picture. This arrangement will allow my three to sleep in the same room and still have floor space to play. My eldest daughter has some shelving we put up using white particle-y like shelving board and brackets from the hardware store way up on her top bunk. Just a thought. Good luck!
  3. We've been dealing with the flooding here, too. Our city was spared the worst of it, but we're surrounded by destruction and it's not over yet. I'm so glad for the Army Corps and the fact that they CAN control, to a degree, the disaster and have had such an organized, calm reaction to the historic flooding. That doesn't make it any easier for you in the spillways, I know. I hope you are spared total loss of property and get to higher ground safely. I wouldn't want to be the one making these decisions, but I know they don't make them lightly-has the Morganza Spillway ever even been opened before??
  4. Chili, in the crockpot or on the stove. I made sweet potato chili a few days ago, trying to use up sweet potatoes from our CSA. It's actually really good!
  5. I found that by tutoring our first year in the program, I was much better prepared to help my children at home. Tutoring made me really "own" the material ahead of time and made me so much more effective with my kids. I also tutored because without that opportunity it would have been a major financial stretch for us. It worked for us. That said, I now know tutors that do so for financial reasons and it doesn't always work out as well as it did for me. You'll need to weigh your own personality and commitment to the model that CC follows.
  6. My husband came with a 5'1" K. Kawai. :001_wub: I wouldn't trade it for an upright, even if it meant we had to live in a shoebox. If cost is a factor, you might check with your local college/university music schools and see when they replace their practice room instruments. Often they'll be sold after a few years with full warranties and for half the cost of a brand new piano. You might be able to get a nicer instrument (studio upright or baby grand) than you think.
  7. I'm so happy the weekend is going so well for you! :hurray: I just wanted to add that my mother-in-law is an "Educator." Yep, with a capital "E," thank you very much. She was an upper elementary/middle school teacher for 15 years and in the last 5 years has made the transition into being a principal. We were terrified of telling her about homeschooling! And to our shock and surprise, after SHE got over the shock of it, she's actually been fine with it. She did have some initial concerns, mostly curiosity I think about the regulations/guidelines (she kept the rest of it to herself thank goodness), but now she's genuinely interested in what the kids are doing and has been supportive. Her way of showing us support is by bringing me extra supplies when a teacher leaves or when they switch curricula, the latest "gift" was a set of summer learning workbooks that their school gives their students. Not always something I can or will use, but it's appreciated because I know she means well. Eventually, she brought up socialization (which caused my husband and I to roll eyes at each other across the room and mentally prepare the standard response) but then went on to shock US by saying how much MORE well socialized our children will be because we're homeschooling! :001_huh: I guess I lucked out! Anyway, all that to say that after a little time, your dad's wife just might come around. Especially since you're cyberschooling this year, that might give her just the level of comfort she'll need to see what good it's doing for your kids.
  8. St. Jerome Classical School has a great 6 year history plan (uses SOTW, too).
  9. "Don't EVER put Jesus in the VCR. He might get hurt." (said to the toddler attempting to shove a crucifix into the built-in vcr of the tv nearby)
  10. It has amazed me that with all the damage caused by these storms over the last month, that so few lives have been lost. Every life counts, I know, but I'm still surprised by it. We've spent a lot of time in an interior walk-in closet lately. It's one place we all fit that has no glass!
  11. If it were us, I think I would reiterate the offer of the car (lower gas mileage, working a/c). If she wants to take the van, that's fine you-understand that the kids will be more comfortable and that you'll risk the food savings evening out the extra gas money. However, I wouldn't invest in her vehicle. If you do have the money, I'd consider buying a navigation system/GPS thing for her to borrow during the trip. If it's more a question of your comfort level with the trip-readiness of her van, then for peace of mind I might at the very last minute, gift her with a one year AAA membership. I have a friend I can see doing this with years from now, too. What a great idea! Only, I think I'd want to go with her! :auto:
  12. ...and geography, English grammar and timeline. That's for the Foundations program, which is 4K-6th grade. Essentials is for 4th-6th graders and is a complete English grammar and formal writing program, with some math fact practice, too. The Challenge program, which is middle-high school, is more of a complete curriculum and is designed to be a classical, college-prep, liberal arts education. That you had the impression it was like a scouting club made me smile today, which I needed. Thanks. :001_smile:
  13. On this forum, I think most people would agree that what SWB puts forth is a particular plan for implementing the classical model of education. It's not really what you use, it's how you use it. In The Core by Leigh Bortins, you'll find another homeschooler's plan. In Teaching the Trivium by the Bluedorns you'll find another. Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum by Laura Berquist is yet another. They're all equally effective and valid, but one or the other's plan might be a better fit for your family. That said, in my home we've chosen math and reading/literature. Through those key subjects (along with lots of memory work) I know that I can prepare my children for in depth study of any subject later on. They are exposed to a lot (mostly through memory work and literature), which will give them the framework they'll need. We use classical methods to achieve a liberal arts education.
  14. I can't offer advice on how to get relatives not to post pictures, but in your own security settings you can set it so that people cannot tag you in pictures. Thus, when your brother posted the picture, it wouldn't show up on your wall or on your friends' home page. Granted, everyone who is friends with him and gets his posts on their home pages would see it, but your friends wouldn't. Hope that helps.
  15. I did try this...with a double stroller and buckets of clothes. That was 6 months ago, and I'm still hoping! :D
  16. I just want to say how much that sucks!! You've agreed to let two young kids be in the wedding, money has been spent on that decision and NOW you find out it's at 9 PM!!! :eek: Good luck, Aubrey. Sounds like you're going to need it (and maybe a tall bottle of brandy).
  17. Yes, you can name a child something that has a common nickname and still call them by their full name. My husband's is commonly shortened, but he can't stand it. Most adults will call another adult by the name introduced to them. Most of the time it's not a problem (except for the obnoxious few who know it annoys him so they do it on purpose). Our eldest goes by a nickname to everyone, the second's name can't really be shortened. The third, however, has about a million nicknames even though we've always called him by his full name. During my csection, the techs and the doctor entertained themselves (it wasn't an emergency or anything :D) by coming up with as many versions of the to-be-delivered child's name as they could. He is now introduced as his full name (he's only 3) and that's what he calls himself. Many people still shorten it without thinking, but I've decided not to let it bother me. The little man can take it up with them if he wants to. :001_smile: All that to say, just call him what you want and introduce him that way. If someone you'll be seeing all the time continually calls him by a nickname you don't like, a polite reminder that "he goes by 'RockStar' and not 'Rocky' for now and he can decide about it when he gets older" should do the trick!
  18. Except for the boyfriend part, your MIL sounds eerily like mine. I am not comfortable with them sleeping at her house without us. If I can't trust her to come over when she says she will (I don't tell the kids she's coming either, it's always "Surprise! Grandma's in the driveway!") then I won't trust her with my kids. Thank goodness I have my husband's support for that. Now, my situation is helped by the fact that she's almost 6 hours away now. And for those who may think I shouldn't share that sort of information in a place where she could potentially see it, I'd be happy to tell her so myself. If it were me in your shoes, I'd tell her I'm sorry but I'm simply not comfortable with it. "Well, why not? They are at your parents' all the time." They're my parents and I've known them my whole life. We've only known your boyfriend for a year now and he's still too much of an unknown for our family. No, I don't know at what point he will become "okay" but we'd love to spend time with you both more regularly. How about we get together with you and boyfriend next week and spend some time at the park with the kids? The weather's supposed to be wonderful... :D That would give you the opportunity to deflect and then actively seek to fix the trust issue you have with your MIL (I should take my own advice!).
  19. We read it aloud when my girls were barely 6 and almost 5. They enjoyed it, but didn't "get" much of it. We'll read it again in a year or so. If I were to pull it out now (at almost 7 and 5.5) they would likely very much like it.
  20. My very stubborn son has always been quickly and immediately fascinated by toy cars. So, me and my brilliant self thought I'd bring a few in my bag to pull out about 2/3 of the way through Mass (when that stubborn son starts to act up). Big mistake! At the QUIETEST point of the service, there's a very loud "HOOONK! HOOOONK!" and everyone turns and looks at us... :blushing: It was one of those "could a sinkhole please open up and swallow me NOW?" sort of moments. :leaving:
  21. Nope, haven't heard/seen anything as well-laid out, thorough and easy-to-use as SOTW that is more "Catholic-friendly" than SOTW is. Believe me, I've looked! As it happens, I'm planning it so that by the time we get to the Middle Ages my kids will be much older and it'll be easier to deal with the subject matter. If we're still using SOTW, we'll probably edit out portions in favor of other sources.
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