Jump to content

Menu

Imprimis

Members
  • Posts

    1,399
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Imprimis

  1. Welcome back! I remember you from the old board; I always enjoyed your "On the Nightstand." Right now, I'm reading Ken Follett's Fall of Giants, and making my way through some London/England guide books. ETA: So very, very sorry to hear about your son.
  2. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett Rick Steves' England 2011 Frommer's London
  3. Just a reminder: The Scripps National Spelling Bee finals begin at 8:30 ET tonight on ESPN. There are 13 finalists with a couple of homeschoolers among them.
  4. I purchased it directly from the website and received it within a week. And, we love it, btw. Awesome program!
  5. You can also watch tomorrow on ESPN3 online--they'll be streaming it live. Grace is an awesome speller!
  6. The Bee semi-finals will air live on ESPN tomorrow morning at 10am ET, and the finals will be televised live on ESPN tomorrow at 8:30pm ET.
  7. :iagree: And, the bolded above, is almost exactly how we respond to other parents who ask our kids to spend the night. We've even taken other kids on short vacations with our family, but again, it's not something we would allow our kids to do. It's just how we do things. And, honestly it's never been an issue for us.
  8. Isn't she great?! I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.
  9. :D Yes, he definitely was an imposing, commanding character.
  10. We saw it, thought it was fun and action-filled, even though the storyline left a bit to be desired....and, I thought the mermaid scenes were a little on the misogynistic side (yes, I know we're talking about pirates, but still...) My biggest complaint was the migraine I ended up with the next day :glare:, as we did see it in 3D (which was cool, btw) and that, combined with the salon visit before the movie was a recipe for disaster for me and my migraine-prone self. I did miss Will, Elizabeth, Norrington, and the two bumbling pirates, but enjoyed seeing Gibbs again and I thought Blackbeard was cast well. I do think it's a movie best appreciated in the theater, rather than at home, and the 3D makes it even more "larger than life."
  11. While I have seen Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series mentioned on these boards, it's probably a little less known than some children's series. Originally published in the 1930s-1940s, they are delightful books. My son has read and reread them.
  12. Yes, this is the one I got from these boards many moons ago (only I used sliced mozzarella). It became an instant hit in my house and I made it quite frequently until my two older kids became vegetarians... It is scrumptious!
  13. And, see, I can't wait to read it aloud again with my 7 yo. My older two and I LOVED this book and would place it in the "stellar" category.
  14. Peri-menopause has intensified my migraines somewhat. As for triggers, I have many, but there usually has to be a combination of them. For instance, I've been sick with a migraine most of today that I'm quite sure was brought on by a trip to the hair salon yesterday (shampoo bowl and smell of dyes etc.) followed by Pirates 4 movie in 3-D last night. BAD idea...
  15. I love this, especially the bolded, and agree with most of what you wrote.
  16. Because the whole daunting process of college prep, planning, and financing is looming quite large on our horizon over here, I read Crazy U: One Dad's Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College by Andrew Ferguson. Eye-opening, scary (at times), hilarious ( a lot of the time :001_smile:) look at all the hoops parents and kids need to jump through on the journey to receiving and funding a decent college education. While I enjoyed the book, and loved Ferguson's humor, I came away a bit stunned by some of the info relayed: Want to increase your child's chances of getting into the "right" college? You can hire a private college admissions counselor for a mere 40,000 dollars to give you an advantage in the process. Mind-boggling. I'm thinking we won't be going that route...:lol:
  17. Prayers for you and your family, Molly.
  18. YUM-E. I love caramel apples. The toffee crunch one sounds delicious. What a dear man you've got there! :001_smile:
  19. We just started using Discovering Music this week. All 3 of my kids are watching it, my teen will be doing most of the exercises in the workbook. We're still getting a feel for the pacing. It is recommended (in the workbook) to watch each lecture twice to get the most out of it. I will say I'm impressed with all the history in this course so far. My teen, who took AP European History this year mentioned how helpful it would've been if we had Discovering Music earlier in the year to reinforce some of the key events/dates in European history.
  20. I pretty much agree with the message in my current avatar: "Children should be taught how to think, not what to think." I truly don't expect my children to parrot my beliefs. In fact, I wouldn't want them to. I want to help them fine-tune their own ability to form opinions and make well-thought-out decisions, and establish a belief system that resonates with them. One thing I do feel is important is that they have the necessary tools to arrive at their own set of beliefs. And, as their parent, I feel my job is to guide them by teaching them logic and reasoning skills, by instilling in them a desire for life-long learning, and by modeling moral and ethical behavior. I have already had some of the most amazing discussions with my two older children, and, I hope they will always be comfortable expressing their thoughts and ideas with me, even if they are not completely aligned with mine.
  21. We have what's called a Parlor Grand or Living Room Grand. I can't say enough good things about it. Love the way it sounds, love the way it looks, love the way it feels to play it (and I'm not even one of the pianists in the house...but, I'm working on it :)). In addition to the gorgeous music it produces, a piano can be a stunning piece of furniture. My daughters both play, and although they've played for only a little more than two years, they are both very involved in their music and have progressed at a great pace. I do credit the piano a little because it's such a joy for them to play. Previously, they played on a digital piano, and while it's nice as far as digital pianos go, it just isn't an acoustic. One thing I learned from doing research before buying our piano last year: don't automatically assume that just because it's a Baby Grand, it will have superior sound. There are some wonderful uprights out there that produce sound equal to or better than some of the Baby Grands, and sometimes for less money, so it's important to play them before purchasing. Larry Fine's The Piano Book would probably be helpful as you contemplate (what can be) a huge investment. Much luck with your decision!
×
×
  • Create New...