momee
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Posts posted by momee
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We are having an especially trying month financially- as I knew we would. This am (my birthday) the phone was cut off due to my forgetting to buy stamps and mail a stack of bills that I hadn't paid and were late already. How embarrasing on my birthday even.
Anyway - I digress.
I was standing at the kitchen sink and prayed - Lord, you know where we are this month. You know we are trying to walk in your ways = I'm not going to worry about it. We'll do the best we can and it will all work out.
I went upstairs - paid the bills by phone (which I should have done weeks ago but I was procrastinating) and within half an hour the phone was back on.
My mom called to say she was sending us a special present in honor of my birthday - and my dh emailed me to say he got a raise! No kidding!
Just wanted to share this bit of happiness that came today.
It's not all enough to take the sting of the month away but it is enough to remind me He is more than faithful :)
Stephanie :D
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I think you're definitely onto something here. I don't want to skip the richness of what we're using but it is a bit dry at some times.
Maybe I need to look back at WTM suggestions for this period and add in some of that and some totally non history related readings to keep his mind sparked.
thanks for the thoughts, I hope there are other suggestions as well. You all are so smart!
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Don't hold it against me but I'm having serious thoughts about continuing with Tapestry through high school.
My son LOVES reading but he's not having fun AT ALL with Tapestry's recommendations for this year. This happened last year also. He's asking me what good book can he read on his own.
Tapestry - it's ancient egyptian lit then the bible then selections from Gilgamesh, etc. etc. you know the list... It's really not Tapestry, I think this would be the case with any curricula we choose. I think he'd really like to be set loose in terms of literature but I'm afraid to move out.
Also, for history don't most schools require only two years of hs history? Tapestry has us do 4. I have read over and over again how people use Spielvogel and it's workbook type resource and that's really it other than some papers for composition.
By using something as in depth as TOG am I just making this whole process much harder than it has to be?
I love the benefit of worldview and philosophy all brought in together but if he's not enjoying it is it really helpful? And how do I know if it's a heart issue of diligence or a real lack of passion for what he's learning about?
There's a well springing up that I think many of you call unschooling isn't there?
I really think if I gave him a list of books to read for the year and after each book do some discussing and occasional papers he would be thrilled and read WAY more than I'd require him to. But, would that be enough for hs credit?
I'm very torn - I need the structure but he craves the freedom to read what he wants.
How can I reach a medium or do I just delete this post and keep plugging away? Just for info we're on week 4 or TOG yr 1. He's done fairly well so far but his heart is just - I don't know how to explain it - not into it.
Thanks for listening - I'm not even sure how you could help...
Stephanie
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Hi Chris -
If you've looked it over and think it may work, DO IT! :D
I am so glad we changed to TT. Yes, it's not altogether the most popular program on these boards BUT it has worked wonders for us. I was frozen in my decision for too long because of a few "bad" reviews here. I was afraid I would be giving my son something inferior.
It may be considered too slow for some but we think it does a great job of ensuring the aspects of working through certain types of problems are taught and reviewed. I also feel it has rejuvenated my son's confidence in his mathematical abilities - how important is that!!! To ME, that is more important right now than being sure we cover every nuance of pre-algebra. Only time will tell quality wise whether we made the right decision but day to day grind wise - no question we did!
He needed a bit of hand holding but not my hands, lol.
I find it very helpful to have both the visual workings of the discs and the auditory explanations to refer back to when there is a problem.
I am no longer dreading math with my high schooler but feel we can confidently maneuver through what we have to know to be finished with math at the end of high school.
I think reading through old posts on TT you'll find alot of the kids that end up switching to it have tried different programs and ended up having problems then have experienced success with TT. Endorsement enough for us to switch and I'm so glad we did.
HTH
Stephanie
ps he's finishing the program in about three weeks if you want to buy it used...
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Thanks for your replies. I needed to hear at least one I've been there :mad:
That's funny about other moms and the bag method. I thought my mom was the ONLY meanest mom ever.
feeling a little better now and at least energized enough NOT to go beat the kids, KIDDING.
Stephanie
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I have taught them how to clean their room - I have gone through their toys to be sure there isn't too much to manage.
I have given them plenty of time at home to be sure they aren't rushed and have time to play AND time to put stuff away. They have all of my attention if they do not know how to do something in terms of cleanup.
Why then, when I am straightening the house - does it seem as though my children have never in their life learned how to put a single thing where it belongs?
I am trying my darndest not to get angry and keep a perspective on things, but the stuff in this house is taking too much of my personal time! I want to rest and enjoy being pregnant when I put my head on the pillow instead of feeling huge and tired and achey because my back hurts from constantly PICKING UP.
Is it winter or what?
I would love to hear how you all REALISTICALLY help your kids manage their stuff. I know some use chore charts and some do 15 minute cleanups, but does that really in the long term work? It seems like it's just a maturity thing.
I'm tempted to go back to my mother's scare tactic abuse method - get fed up - stomp through the house with a trash bag and put everything laying around in it.
Stephanie
ps I have asked the 6 year old to straighten her play kitchen and have checked on her three times in 30 mins or so. She's still trying to sort the silverware!!! That's what she was doing when she started!
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America's Test Kitchen has a recipe for fried rice using ham cubes. Looks yummy.
Pairs the ham with shrimp but I'm substituting chicken.
Mmmhmmm.
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I don't know how I missed it but I need Norton's Anthology for the Gilgamesh reading assignment in Tapestry of Grace Year 1 Week 5.
I don't have it yet. Can I use one of these and still complete the work for the week?
Gilgamesh : a new English version / Stephen Mitchell
The epic of Gilgamesh / retold by Geraldine McCaughrean ; illustrated by David Parkins.
Gilgamesh : translated from the S¯in-leqi-unninn¯i version / John Gardner, John Maier, with the assistance of Richard A. Henshaw.
Gilgamesh / Translated by William Ellery Leonard : Introduced by Leonard Cottrell, Illustrated by Irving Amen.
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I'm at 22 weeks and still sick! I know how kristafish feels :( I found something wonderful though - Perrier water or club soda. Here's the key - it has to be REALLY cold.
When I was at my worst (around 5 - 16 weeks) that was all that was keeping me alive...little sips. No big gulps.
Now I still can't handle plain water. It has to have some lemon in it as the other ladies have said.
I was soo excited about two weeks ago we were out of town, far from anywhere with perrier water - I tried a pink lemonade and it was good! It was cold, so maybe that's a key for me.
I'm taking one zofran a day still, down from three and it's really yucko if I don't have that one pill. I can sympathize with you - so sorry you're feeling bad.
I also noticed whenever I was on an empty stomach things got rough. Try small bits throughout the day. For some reason keeping food in there helped keep the gases away.
I did a combo dose of B6 and Unisom for a while (alternating that with the Zofran).
Although it made me very! sleepy all day it kept me out of the hospital. Maybe that's an over the counter remedy your doc will allow to help? (Not the Zofran, the B6 and Unisom).
Oh yes, one more thing...I benefitted from acid reducers. As another posted said that gas was a secret nemesis also. Hope it's over very soon.
Stephanie
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ahh...tried to post my excel info on the menu here, totally didn't work.
Anyone have idea on how to post it?
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Just some ideas to think about - and things I've learned the hard way.
Dh used to make so much less and although we had less children and they ate much less than they do now - I was much more careful with how I spent my money. Now we have a bit extra and it just disappears on stuff we really don't need; that's another issue though.
Back to groceries...
we save money mostly by buying in bulk and being smart about the food we buy. If I remember each thing I buy costs money it puts a different spin so to say on my grocery cart.
When we were really tight I would only bring cash into the store. I would only be able to spend that much - it was amazing how much I put back that we really didn't NEED.
I think today people waste a ton of food. Either with purchasing more than they will use or in buying things for recipes that they never end up using.
I do have a meal plan. I realized the hard way though that when I was using someone else's ideas for my meal plan- especially those from a cookbook or a friend's with recipes - I ended up buying stuff I used only for that recipe! What a hidden waste that can be. Spices especially. We have a little yoga shop that sells bulk spices and is cheaper than Whole Foods on quite a bit of things. One more stop though so you have to weigh the benefit of doing something like that.
Use a meal plan but be sure it's stuff your family will eat and if fairly familiar with. That said we do try new stuff (like the TVP sloppy joes - cheap but blech! yuck! ick!) but I need to limit those to one or two every paycheck.
I once saved a whole week's budget by just eating what we had on hand. It's amazing how much stuff gets stocked up on in the pantry that we don't eat! NOT GOOD> When making your grocery list plan to use those two cans of cannelini beans for soup with homemade bread - kwim? Also how many times have you gone into the store without a list, come home and wondered what will you eat for dinner, lol. Lists are very important to me as is not!!!! sending my dh. Bless his heart he just isn't as familiar with the usual cost of things. He bought hamb. meat for $8 one time. I about bit his head off poor guy. After apologizing I realized he had no clue what it should be, he was just following my list.
Another area we end up getting hit in the budget is when I don't plan. Then we end up eating out. I'm tired, I don't have a plan or ingredients I need and everyone's hungry so we head out. It sounds fun and we could all use the together time BUT -
I have to remember pbjs on nights like those are sooo much smarter than spending $45 at a restaurant for all 5 of us. That's half of my goal for the week!
I can send you my meal plan for brkfst, snacks, lunch, pm snacks and dinners if you'd like. Remember though if it's not food you normally eat it may not save you that much. I also have worked and reworked this thing tons of times to adjust what meals my kids like, what Sam's usually carries, etc so it's pretty personalized.
I just redid it and did so with our budget and health in mind...it's not stellar but works for the stores I shop in and how we live during the week.
One last thing I've learned the hard way. The importance of staying home. I've noticed with teen, preteen and younger one and ME pregnant we are hungry often and each time we go "in town" we end up eating somewhere.
Being home also allows me the all important breathing room to actually feel like I have energy and time (two things I'm in short supply of too often) to make things from scratch. If I've not been home and there's laundry piled up and the toilet is gross and ...fill in your own disaster -
I'm surely not going to feel I can reasonably spend two hours making pancake mix for the week or soaking beans and making raisin bread.
Hope this wasn't too long. I sometimes ask for help on these boards and get such a quick reply when I really need "conversation" about something. This is an area I'm pretty close to - we eat all the time :eek:
Stephanie
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It's in the Writing Aids book - pages 167 and 168.
You'll get a review of it assigned each year I think - at least we have for all levels for all years we've done so far :)
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Have boiled two chickens today -
one recipe is chicken and dumplings for dinner tonight
and the other is enchiladas but I think I'd have enough for a chicken pot pie.
Love to hear how you do your sauce and veggies for the pie part.
I think I'll try biscuits on top?
Stephanie - not the Stephanie who replied earlier with the fun picture who says she's from the South, although I am from/live in the South.:cool:
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I would love to hear if anyone has bought a crib from Target?
I saw a beautiful Bassetbaby one there last night and was wondering about the safety of ones from a marketplace over a furniture store.
Safety is number one, style second...
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The assignment is for week 2 of Year 1 government.
I read on the lower elementary boards you have a boy who's a "man of few words".
My 13 year old is also but as we're attempting to do year 1 for credit (including 1/2 gov't credit) I wanted to be sure I'm requiring grade level work.
We do IEW and TOG writing and I was considering having him watch the appropriate IEW disk and see if he couldn't make some content improvements based on what "dress ups" he receives from that. We've also finished our discussion so maybe that jogged his memory for some more info to add in to the paper.
Writing is one area I wish had clear answer keys but I know it's just not possible with so many variables. Thanks in advance for any input you can offer. If I remember correctly, your boys were dialectic when doing year 1 right? So we're not too far apart age wise when discussing ability.
We're taking year 1 slowly because he is on the younger side. That's why I asked how long his paper should be. I'm not sure a government teacher would accept a three sentence concluding paragraph as sufficient. Or maybe she would??? Help~?
Stephanie
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To those of you with rhetoric students going for a government credit...
in week two the kids are assigned a four paragraph paper on the strengths/weaknesses.
My guy did it, but it's about 200 words.
This is our first attempt at credited work.
Should I require it to be longer, improved vocabulary etc. at this early point of the game - or should I be rejoicing he included all of the information required even though his "boy style" of using as few words as possible has once again prevailed?
BTW, he has done a ton of work this week for history and I'm really struggling to determine how much is enough. He completed, with me the history chart as well as the government chart.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Stephanie
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2 3/4 c. chicken broth (I use the cheap base from Sam's - comes in a tub like butter)
1/4 c Heavy Whipping Cream - use the rest for whipped cream :)
1 med. russet potato - I always put in two
2 c. chopped kale (the ends are fine to use too, gives it some substance)
1/2 lb. spicy Italian Sausage - mild or spicy, both are yummy
1/4 tsp salt - I leave this out
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper - I definitely leave this out
grill/saute sausage cut into 1 inch slices (cut after you grill it or you're left with a mess)
combine stock and cream over med. heat
slice and quarter potatos
add that and kale and spices
simmer till you're ready for it (appx. one hour)
then before serving add sausage and heat
So about pregnancy - Do you find out the sex of the baby or wait for the surprise?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Just got back from the ultrasound today. I did NOT want to find out but everyone else in my family (the 4 of them) wanted to know.
It didn't hurt the surprise one bit. I was totally surprised = cried and thanked God.
It's a healthy baby and now it's time to SHOP :)