nd293
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Posts posted by nd293
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My (ex) step-father was like that. Now, fair enough, we were not his responsiblity, but I could never understand how he could be married to someone and allow them to be in a worse financial position than him.
When dh and I moved in together, I told him straight out I wouldn't live like that. As he already had a home, he continued to pay for everything, and I put the amount it had cost me to live separately in a joint savings account. When we got married we had enough for an overseas honeymoon, so it was a smart move.
Now he earns, but I manage the finances, and tell him how much he has to spend on himself each week... It's tough going, but we are slowly getting ahead financially (emigrating set us back) and it wouldn't be happening without careful management. We each do our bit, I guess. We're in it together. That's what a marriage is isn't it?
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I hate the name Math U See.
:iagree:In general, any programme that using texting language in its name bothers me. Why on earth would I choose to educate my child with material from a publisher that can't use English properly? Maths U See and Real Science 4 Kids come to mind. (I realise that the programme might be fantastic, but it sounds "dumbed down".)
And binding that doesn't allow a workbook to lie flat is beyond annoying. Oh, but so is spiral binding where the holes aren't set in far enough and the cover or pages can rip out too easily. Admittedly this might not be a problem in households where books are returned to shelves immediately after use, and not left on the couch for a 3yr old to jump on...
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Skills-wise: dd is 9yrs in Grade 4. I wish I'd been more consistent and demanding with handwriting.
Subject-wise: I think so much depends on finding the right curriculum. We've just started R.E.A.L Science Odyssey from Pandia Press and science is finally "working". I could have introduced science earlier with this curriculum, and wish I had. But not pressing ahead with things that didn't work for us was the right decision.
Overall, we are "behind" in terms of history and science compared to WTM expectations. But dd has excellent language skills and solid maths skills, and both of those are more important to me than anything else. In my opinion, "content subjects" at the grammar level let the child look through windows into a different world. That's a wonderful gift. But language and maths skills open doors.
One other thing: I started grid-style logic puzzles (Logic Countdown, Logic Safari, that sort of thing) with dd several years ago. Then I re-read WTM and see they were only recommended for much higher levels. They're fun and we could do them together, and I'm glad I introduced them when I did, although I won't introduce formal logic until later.
ETA: Typing! I am not sure what everyone else does, but we "accidently" introduced proper typing early, when dd played with the DanceMat typing programme, and I am so glad we did. I still type with 4 fingers...
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Interesting thread! I'll work my way through all the responses, but ...
Oman:
I have forgotten what a lot of things cost already. Expatriates had to use to the private hospital, except in an emergency. DS was admitted to a local state hospital - 2 days there, including abdominal surgery, cost us about US$650. I am not sure what locals paid. DD had 2 days in the private hospital with an appendecomy, and the cost was about US$2500.
South Africa:
If you were on a reasonable income, you would have private health insurance, and use a private hospital. If not, you would use a state hospital, and pay on a sliding scale based on income. When we were in SA (6 years ago) health care for children under 6 was free at state hospitals. State hospitals had problems, and you wouldn't use one unless you had to.
Australia:
Medicare is Australia’s universal health care system introduced in 1984 to provide eligible Australian residents with affordable, accessible and high-quality health care.
Medicare was established based on the understanding that all Australians should contribute to the cost of health care according to their ability to pay. It is financed through progressive income tax and an income-related Medicare levy.
Medicare provides access to:
- free treatment as a public (Medicare) patient in a public hospital, and
- free or subsidised treatment by medical practitioners including general practitioners, specialists, participating optometrists or dentists (for specified services only)
We aren't "eligible Australian residents" yet, so we have private health insurance.
- free treatment as a public (Medicare) patient in a public hospital, and
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I am sure you will hear from both sides of the C-section story. I had a homebirth with my first, and an emergency C-section following a bleed (complete placenta previa) with my second. I had read a lot about C-sections as it was becoming increasingly clear that no amount of positive thinking was going to move that placenta. In the end, I had very little control over the process due to the emergency nature, but you might want to search for "Natural C-section" for some ideas. One thing I did manage to apply was the idea that it was very important to get up and active as soon as possible. I lost 2 units of blood, but was on my feet by the end of 24 hrs, and walking up and down the corridor 8 hours after that (i.e. the next morning). I was in hospital 5 days to stay with my son, but was ready to leave after 3 days, and with an uncomplicated C-section I am sure I would have left after 2 days. The only pain I experienced was back-ache from walking bent over to favour my abdomen. Seeing a physio or getting a massage would have helped I am sure. Walking up stairs hurt for a few weeks, but nothing else did. I was driving after 10 days.
I am very pro-natural birth, and would certainly not opt for a C-section unless it is medically advised. Having said that, I think that attitude counts for a lot, and if you have a positive attitude about health and a trust in your body in general, you will not find a C-section recovery that different from natural birth. I did suffer more anxiety after the C-section, though, as I was less inclined to trust that any aches and pains / bleeding etc were normal, and more inclined to worry that they were the result of me interfering with the natural process of birth, if you know what I mean.
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You are not alone.
I know exactly how you feel.
It is what it is.
:iagree:
I have days when I imagine just getting on a plane. And it hurts to think I can't / won't just run away.
Some days I just want everyone to keep quiet. In fact, right this very second I just want everyone to keep quiet.
And it would be so good if someone else could decide what's for dinner? What do I want? I want not to be the one responsible for deciding everything. That's what I want.
Being a grown up is exhausting. I never figured on that, when I was still doing the growing.
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We all go to bed together, usually between 9 and 10pm. I get up early if I want time to myself.
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Love it!!! Maybe it wards off real bugs. :lol::lol:
Kind of like a scarecrow for smaller bugs?
This thread was memorable the first time round - the extra twist makes it unforgettable!
And I wouldn't have touched it or looked too closely either!
ETA: Is there a date to say when the rice was bagged? Maybe it was April Fool's day. Ot the Chinese / Thai equivalent?
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You're not alone! Things are definitely going better this year, though, and I put it down to three things:
1) Finally having the right curricula for most subjects (still nothing that works for history)
2) Doing things I never get to on Monday - for us that's Science and Literature
3) Working year round on a 4 weeks on / 1 week off schedule - if we do occasionally get off track on one subject, that subject can easily be caught up during the off week without throwing the plan for the whole year off.
Nikki
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We've used Pandia Press's REAL Science OdysseyQUOTE]
We've just started, and are loving it. I think this is my 4th attempt at incorporating science, and the first one that looks promising!
Also, they have a "try before you buy" scheme - download the first few weeks for free.
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I sympathise - we have had 3 real estate agents traipse through the house this past week. The rental agent tells us the owners are just "updating their portfolio" but I'm starting to declutter this weekend, as I assume it will be put on the market soon. Making the appointments really early helps - I can get up early and tidy the house, and the kids haven't had time to mess it up before the agent arrives, plus I don't have to dread it all day. We have the homeschool moderator coming to see us on Monday, and I am pretty sure we are due for another rental inspection (every 3 months here in Australia), so it is feeling more like a hotel lobby than a home right now!
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I've explained that it doesn't hurt like a cut and she said, "How do you know it won't hurt me?".
My 9yr old is developing, and I recently checked that she knew about periods - I have mentioned it in passing since she was much younger, but wanted to check that she had a clear understanding.
Have you really explained where the blood comes from? That it's not a cut? I said something along the lines of "Your body starts practicing for making a baby. When there is a baby, it needs somewhere soft to form, so your body makes a spongy bed, and that's what comes out when you have your period."
As for the "it doesn't hurt", well, it kind of does, so if you're going with honesty here, you'd best prepare her for possible stomach cramps...
Puberty definitely seems to be arriving earlier for girls today, and it makes it very hard for us as mothers. I am sure I was around 12 when I was given something to read about periods. Yet here I am needing to prepare a 9yr old. Still, she's being raised with much the same values as I was, and I don't necessarily want to "over-inform" her at this stage. It's a tough balance to find...
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Dd loves TimeZAttack. You can download the base version for free, or buy the full version. The base version does everything that the full version does, but the full version has a variety of scenarios. http://www.bigbrainz.com/
No electricity:
1) Get 9 cheap balls, and number them 1-9. Decide which table you're practicing. Throw balls at (umm, to) the child, the child must multiply by that number.
2) Use only the 1-9 cards in a set of playing cards. Shuffle. Turn over 1 at a time and multiply by that number.
3) Get a couple of 0-9 dice. Use these, either singly if you are practicing a specific table, or together if you are practicing all the tables.
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I see the IB is piloting online courses for their diploma. In a few years that might be a great opportunity for homeschoolers working in more than one language or in overseas situation.
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I am going to have to (strongly) disagree.
Great! :)
That's what the OP asked for:
.What made you decide? -
Fart(I need a cringe smiley) we call it a bottom burp. :lol:
That's hilarious - we do exactly the same thing, although only with ds, it somehow never came up enough with dd!
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Sarah,
I think you are right to have concerns about Horizons. We did Early Bird, then started Primary Maths before dd went to school. When she came back home, we switched to Horizons, as I really liked the idea of the spiral approach, and liked how colourful and visually entertaining Horizons was. I really liked Horizons. It seemed to be teaching effortlessly, adding little bits of the maths puzzle in a way that didn't overwhelm, and dd seemed to manage easily. Then a few months ago I gave dd a placement test for Singapore. I was horrified to find that she had almost no ability to think mathematically, or to take the facts she'd learned and apply them in any other context. We switched to Singapore. It has been really tough going for the past 5 weeks, although I think she is starting to "get it".
For my money, if Singapore does what you want, then switch immediately. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to teach a child to think outside the box / facts. You will hear many people talk of Maths programmes being ahead in terms of what they teach, but I think this can be deceiving - when they introduce multiplication or fractions is really irrelevant. But when they introduce problems sums, modeling problems and start to use two operations within one problem is really important to how quickly children learn to see Maths as a problem solving tool.
Nikki
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Is the use of "wicked" an Eastern thing. We were just watching snowboarding and my dd asked if they would jump wicked high. I called my dh and asked him who she has been hanging out with and he said, "It must be someone from Boston."
I thought it was British - Jamie Oliver / The Naked Chef always says it. Is she watching too many cooking shows? If she's cooking all your family meals, I strongly recommend overlooking "wicked" :)
Lively Latin uses "you all" for the second person plural. It's been Forbidden here - dd has to write "you (pl)" as I was taught.
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Oh, that's hilarious. No Kinder Eggs? My kids would not be happy - they're a very occasional but much loved treat around here. They are definitely not a chocking hazard, and the plastic pod inside is difficult to open, no way an little one would manage - they tend to be slippery from the chocolate oils. And the toys are not complete junk. They beat MacDonald's, anyway.
Otherwise everything on the list is what I'd expect. They're strict here too, and even stricter in New Zealand, where we were told to make sure our shoes were clean before entering the country!
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The hardest part is my children. My girls have some friends from a local homeschooling group (I am not active in it). I can see issues arising over religion irregardless of how much I try to avoid it.
Yes. I am always reluctant to encourage my dd to initiate homeschool friendships, because I know somewhere out there is a disaster waiting to happen. Her favourite homeschooling friend is Christian, and and I feel it necessary to occasionally remind dd to stay far, far away from religious topics. Dd has recently made friends with a girl at a homeschooling group she attends without me, and I haven't been able to suss out the family yet. It makes me nervous. Well, we had a meeting about putting on a play by the group, so at least I can say with certainty (and great relief) that she's not one of the mothers who objects on religious grounds to Peter Pan or The Wizard of Oz. :001_huh:
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Apart from looking for cheap books, make sure that when you spend money on new books, you spend on quality books. We bought a pack of Five in a Row books, for instance, and although I didn't like the programme, the books were some of the best we've bought. It's also a great time to start picking up books on mythology (esp Greek, Roman, Egyptian) which will be used later for your history studies. And kids books might take minutes to read, but they are read again and again and again. Dd is now 9yrs, and she will still happily listen to her picture books if I am reading them to her brother.
Nikki
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Interesting question! In South Africa people generally start with pureed fruit or veggies, adding pureed meat and working from there to a more solid version. Salt, butter etc are frowned upon.
In the Middle East we had a Carrefour supermarket - it's a French chain, and they stocked lots of French products. I can say with absolute certaintly that French babies have gourmet palates! Food for a baby under a year might be a salmon dish which includes cream, herbs, salt and butter. Can't think of more examples off hand, but my 3yr old was fed on it - sure tastes better than the yucky "sanitised" baby food I'd seen with my dd9.
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My father committed suicide .
I have come to a different view from most people. If someone is in so much mental anguish etc. .
I have a friend (with two young children) whose husband commited suicide after a previous attempt. She and his sister knew he would try again, and knew he was vehemently opposed to being medicated, and hated being hospitalised against his will, as he was after the first attempt. They let him make his choice. I am not always sure I agree with her decision, but I always admire her bravery.
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We've seen 3 countries and 6 houses in 7 years, plus 2 temporary houses of 1 month each. I can't believe it when I say it. Horrible. We won't be able to buy for another 6 months, but I check houses for sale almost daily. I am desperate for stability, even though I recognise we'll probably be overseas (or over-the-continent) again in 5 years. I want to drill holes in walls and paint them purple (or lime green or puce if that's what I feel like) without getting someone's permission and having to factor in the cost of repainting at the end. I want to plant veggies and know for sure I'll be around to eat them. I recognise how you feel.
For the practical side of things, I'm torn between saying purge wildly before you move (I always do) and saying throw it all in the truck (especially if it's already in boxes) and purge at the other end. We donated so much stuff that I regret giving away now. Especially books.
If you're doing all the sorting (i.e. no help from spouse) then no-one gets to criticise you over what gets taken or what gets disposed of. That's the biggest thing I learned after our first international move. I got tired of the "I can't believe you didn't bring..." very quickly.
I find the house feels like home very quickly for me. Once I can walk through to the living room at night without getting the creeps, I'm "home"! But settling in with new people is very hard for me. Ann's advise of visiting the same corner store speaks to me - the familiarity of the same face every day makes a huge difference to me. Especially when you're stuck inside a lot unpacking, these fleeting contacts with familiar outsiders can help a lot. And having a routine of a daily walk to the shop to get bread or milk or chocolate and coke (necessary for survival in the first weeks) also helps me.
One of the things I find hardest about moving area is that just when I need the most help, dh is the least help, being distracted with settling in at work, proving himself etc. It was really, really rough on our first international move. This time we've both been clearer about our expectations, and it's been a little better.
Treat the first month as a vacation. Look up all the fun stuff the town has to offer. Spend long mornings at the pool. Join the library. Go to the park. Do school if it helps, but leave it if it stresses you.
None of this is as practical as Ann's advise, but hope it helps in some way. Are you moving closer towards me, or further away?
Nikki
P.S. If the latter, we must meet up before you move :)
Breastfeeding help pretty please - ASAP!
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I hope things have improved since you posted... I had a bad time with ds up until he was 18 months, after no problems feeding his sister. Try a long hot bath, then hold your son in a completely different position. Top to tail, anything you can think of. Changing the position of the feeding pressure worked for me when nothing else did. But I don't think I ever had things get as bad as you describe. And feed as often as you can get him to drink for a while. Good luck!