homeschoolally
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Posts posted by homeschoolally
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We gave it a really good try, went from Fractions, Dec%, 2 of the pre-alg, alg1 and geometry. I really wanted it to be our sole math curriculum.
What I found was that he would either get stuck on something over his head, or not understand the explanations and I was of little help. When I started getting worried about retention, I had him try a Saxon problem set midway through Alg 1 and he was :001_huh:
I love Fred, I really do. Hoping to pick back up with it after he gets through a little more traditional math. FWIW, we used the companion too, and this is a strong math student. Interested in reading other experiences here.
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:grouphug: I'm sorry about what you're going through.
I have the appetite issue when I'm stressed as well, and understand how you feel. What I've found to help is having lots of protein bars around and making myself eat one as part of my daily routine. They're usually out of my budget, but when it's all you eat....well I guess it balances out.
It's been a while since I've had that problem, so these might be dated--they might still be around, but Slim-Fast bars were the most affordable ones I liked, and if price wasn't an issue there are some really tasty ones made for athletes I used to buy at the gym. Will try to remember the names...I tried to force myself to forget because they could really break the budget if you ate them regularly. Muscle Milk is a ready-made drink I could sometimes tolerate.
I agree with the others about making sure you stay hydrated. I know in myself, being too dehydrated makes me mentally fuzzy and judgement-impaired to some degree. You've got to stay clear and in control.
Hope this helps. Glad you've been able to get support on the board.:grouphug:
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I just ordered a set of cards from Timberdoodle called 'Marie's Words'
http://www.timberdoodle.com/Marie_s_Words_p/828-828.htm
They look like a great resource, especially if you could make a game out of them.
Here's a copy/paste about them:
Because we remember faces easier than we do names, it follows that learning vocabulary with colorful illustrations to help with recall is a more effective plan than merely studying lists of words and their definitions. Marie's Words features a full-color, hand-drawn illustration on one side to show the word in a way that helps your child recall the meaning more easily.
550 Vocabulary Words Gleaned From the SAT
Just as a logo is a visual representation of a company, Marie's Words utilizes colorful illustrations to create a "face" for each of the 550 vocabulary words gleaned from the SAT® test and literature. While some of the illustrations are not immediately apparent, once understood, each drawing will aid in mastering the definitions of these words and is a natural augmentation to your child's study of word roots. On the reverse of each Marie's Words card is the phonetic pronunciation, definition and part of speech, the word used in a sentence, synonyms, and antonyms.
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Thank you!!!
Yes, he is using whole milk, and I add heavy cream to it sometimes too. Good question though, it seems to be something easily missed because of the push for low-fat. The low fat yogurt thing frustrates me too! Of course the only full-fat is the priciest kind that never goes on sale!
I am going to give pediasure a shot again..back when he was 18 months or so he had a feeding team appointment at the hospital and they sent him home with tons of it. Couldn't ever get him to drink it, but worth another try.
I wasn't too shocked at the cost of the protein powder mentioned either, when you consider what pediasure and even instant breakfast cost it wasn't too bad.
The chickfila sauce is a good idea...he loves that stuff--what kind of things, aside from the usual nuggets, fries, have you used it with?
Thanks again for all the suggestions. I haven't thought about it in a while, but he was considered failure to thrive at one point when he was under 2...and I was given many similar suggestions. Thanks so much for the refresher. I've been so swamped with other issues this took a back seat. It wasn't until this week when he's been playing outside without a shirt that it hit me how thin he'd gotten again.
Appreciate the ideas, eager to hear more if you've got them! High calorie food ideas would be great too!
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Aside from what has already been mentioned, high-speed, reliable Internet is a must for us.
We use Netflix, Cosmeo, Brainpop, and Discovery Education quite a bit.
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It has always been pretty fast. Never more than a week, sometimes much quicker. I've found their customer service great--never had an issue--and we've ordered a dozen or more times.
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edit "something to add"
Our 4 y/o can't seem to keep a healthy weight. Just when we seem to make some progress, he'll get sick and go back to being scary-skinny.
My husband would like to add some kind of protein powder to his milk, but I'm overwhelmed by all the choices. Would love to hear input.
He is a picky eater, and very active. This time of year he seems to burn calories like crazy playing outside, and his appetite doesn't change.
I've had luck adding Carnation Instant Breakfast to his milk, is there anything similar that is higher calorie? It would have to be tasty...it is really tough to get him to eat. Also, is it true that having him drink it before bed is best?
Thanks in advance!
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YES!
Absolutely. Don't give it another thought.:001_smile:
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Am I the only one who thinks it would be a hoot to go out and take pictures of the guy taking the pictures until he stopped?
We live in a similar neighborhood and hubby and I have a great time joking around about putting an alpaca in the front yard, a creepy large scarecrow at the curb, and all variety of personalized signs at the driveway depending on whatever the homeowner's association has their panties in a wad about that week.
It made us irritated the first year or two, but it has blossomed into great comic relief. Learned too late that we aren't the type to live in a restricted neighborhood, but we're making the best of it.:D
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We have a family friend who took 2 PA Homeschooler's AP's this year with no trouble. I think it is a very reasonable idea--it seems to be pretty common to do 2-3 AP's a year.:001_smile:
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I think it is a reasonable idea for pre-algebra. As someone who needs a LOT of hand-holding in math, I'd never attempt it myself, but if you feel good about it I say give it a shot!
If you wanted something inexpensive to have for reference, you could order a cheap copy of Lial's Basic College Mathematics. I picked mine up for less than $5, and it would be a good way to make sure you've covered all the basics.
I wish I felt that confident in math! Good luck with it!
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I know it will be uncomfortable, but I agree that you need to tell the mom.
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Electric Company is a favorite around here, and I agree with the others about Cyber Chase, Liberty's Kids, and Magic School Bus.
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I have no intention of doing it anytime soon. It isn't the shows necessarily, it is the commercials. I'm not sure which I find most objectionable, the body bags and crime scene stuff, or the dancing with the stars gyrating. :) maybe its the phony, dysfunctional bachelor/bachelorette drama.
I dont object to these things for myself, I watch them with hubby, but I don't want my kids to think this is 'normal' life.
My oldest is 14 and I'm holding out as long as I can. And my kids don't watch Andy Griffith, but Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver are Netflix regulars. I wonder sometimes if this is a bizarre social experiment. :D check in with me in 10 years and I'll have a better idea of its impact. Will my boys expect their wives to wear pearls in the kitchen? Will the girls be happy doting housewives? Will they have total culture shock? Maybe! I'm willing to take my chances.
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Yes, I had one myself. I think I used 10% bleach. Years of working in child care settings got me in the habit.
I've since fallen off the bleach bandwagon. A few too many splashes on clothes....and I hate to shop for clothes. :001_smile: seems they last a lot longer without bleach in the picture.
If I still had a child who put everything in her mouth, I'd consider it worthwhile-regardless of the faded clothing.
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Make sure you check out Boston Commons!
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I thought of an example from my own life to share.
After I took the kids to see Toy Story 3 I left the theatre with a renewed, appreciative, gotta-enjoy-every-second feeling toward the kids. I was one of those moms who, though I'm not typically a crier, cried through the ending of that movie. Looking over at my teenager, who 'was' Andy.....whoa. I know that might seem like a cheesy moment and not terribly powerful to the average person, but I think you moms with similar aged kids get it.
I know that isn't a book...guess I should have titled it differently. Books are what I had in mind initially, but really ANYTHING to help get my focus back on track.
:bigear:
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Is there a book that really helped energize/refresh you in your role as wife/mom/homeschooler? I'm hitting the 15 year mark here and I guess this is some kind of mid-life slump.
Doesn't need to be a how-to book, fiction ideas are welcome too.
I'm envisioning something affirming I can read over the summer to help me snap out of this housewife rut and enjoy my family and role at home more. Getting lost in an exciting fiction book seems to have the opposite effect.:001_smile:
CC is fine, but not required, and if you've got a non-reading idea I'm all ears for that as well. Thanks for the ideas.
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I think Jann in TX is going to have the best feedback for you, but in my limited experience (I have one teenager using Saxon who is starting Adv Math in the fall) I think that is pushing it.
If I needed to do Alg 2 quickly I'd probably switch to a different curriculum. I don't think doing Alg 2 over a summer is impossible, but with Saxon I think it would be difficult to do well.
My oldest did Saxon Alg 1 over a summer, and it was a nearly full-time thing. He is a strong math student, and already knew the geometry--and it still was about 3 months of major time investment. It just doesn't seem to be the kind of book you can speed through. I also made him stick with it until he was at about 95% mastery. Even coming into Alg 2 at 95% mastery, he still had to backtrack when he got to about lesson 30 in Alg 2. It just doesn't seem to have the kind of review the other Saxon books have. Saxon Alg 2 has taken all school year, and I'm not sure I could have sped it up much without cutting corners.
If I was in a pinch, I might do Teaching Textbooks Alg 2. Interested to see other thoughts on this. Good luck!
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Also, I've read through all these thoughts and they've been really helpful.
I think a big lesson learned here is not to spend Mothers Day at home doing housework. :001_smile: Especially if you have kids who might not clue in that sitting around and watching your mom work all day is a bad idea. We're going out of town tomorrow and our youngest is sick, so it was a pretty out of routine Sunday for us. Thinking back, the holiday offender :001_smile:, hasn't been super thoughtful in the past either, it just didn't seem as obvious because we were out and about.
I do think this has been a good wakeup call for me. I think I'm beginning to resent how much I do for this ds because it is often at the expense of his dad and siblings. So maybe it's for the best to get this out there and work through it. I don't want to be one of those moms who is gripey and resentful. He is old enough to handle some things on his own and its time for me to expect it, for both of us.
So I guess that is a good follow up topic. I've also let my forum participation fall off last semester trying to micromanage for this DS. That should have been the first warning sign. :D Thanks again!
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Thanks for the kind words.:001_smile:
He's actually a really good kid--I don't like being upset with him over, what I agree is, a manufactured by Hallmark holiday. That's what I'm trying to work through I guess.
I think the problem is partially on my end. I'm not the kind of mom who expects to be fawned over--but that one day out of the year even a little effort doesn't seem unreasonable--even if you're just doing it to stay out of the doghouse! Offering to carry out the trash for Mothers Day would have been enough. I might not have been thrilled with it, but I wouldn't be writing this post.
The problem I'm seeing in myself is that (like most of us) I invest my everything into these kids. I do it joyfully 99% of the time, and can't imagine doing it any differently. But when you feel like you aren't valued, it is hard not to feel resentment creeping up. If what I do for the kids is unappreciated, should I do more for my husband and invest more in that relationship? Is it healthy to be so focused on the kids?
I guess things went downhill when I read the Mothers Day thread here yesterday. The "I got breakfast in bed!" comments were as hard to read as I was the "Nobody remembered" posts. I can't imagine being any different kind of mom, but when you start to see yourself falling into one of those camps...it's hard to ignore it, get up and make everyone the usual huge breakfast.
So, the day after a crummy Mothers Day, do you just pick back up into supermom mode or make some changes? I think, like many of us, I am hyperinvested in the kids at the expense of other things. I guess my question today is at some point do you just accept difficult things and shift some priorities around.
Thanks for listening. I do feel blessed to be home, homeschool, and all that goes with it--I just don't like Mothers Day.
:001_smile: Things are fine here otherwise so I'm going to try to focus on that.
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When teenagers blow off Mothers Day, how do you handle it?
I'm especially hurt this year, but pouting doesn't seem to be the answer.
I'm also really angry, and having a hard time putting that aside to resume 'normal' mom routine this morning.
Thanks for your thoughts. :001_smile:
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You said that your ds hasn't met the girl in real life, but was put in contact with her via a mutual friend. Did the friend actually meet the girl in person? I am wondering if your ds didn't almost walk into a trap set by a s e x u a l pre di tor? You might consider calling the police and giving them the address. If it's someone trying to l u r e a child, the police can handle it, but if it's indeed a you ng g irl, her parents might like to know what she's been doing. Just a thought.
I agree that you need to go through his phone texts and photos. Sorry that you're going through this. Ugh.
:iagree:
This was my immediate thought as well. I wouldn't assume this is another teenage girl under these circumstances. Have you talked to him about that possibility? The shock value alone might really leave an impression on him.
In addition to all the hurt you're feeling about the betrayal, I would be even more concerned for his safety because if this incident. I think he needs to be told explicitly what kind of thing could have happened in that scenario, it might shake some sense into him. :grouphug:
I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. FWIW, I wouldn't focus on the 'how can we find him some friends' angle for a second. Sure, down the road, but your immediate concern should be the betrayal of trust and poor judgement. :grouphug:
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If two out of the three kids are moderately well behaved and one seems "out of control" I might assume he has some sort of disability and the parents are doing what they can. (Because that's what it would mean in our household.) If you were feeling very confident you might talk to the family and ask why their DS has such a hard time sitting through the service.
:iagree:
This was my thought as well.
If this is the case, would it be easier for you to sit through it?
I agree with the poster below though, I wouldn't approach the parents.
Are non-confrontational, shy people less effective?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted · Edited by homeschoolally
Ironically I'm dealing with this very issue right now. I'm a 'keep the peace' and 'avoid confrontation at all costs' kinda gal and I have a bully of sorts....sad since we're in our '40's...who keeps pushing me. I can only guess that not getting a reaction out of me is getting under her skin, or that she has some kind of emotional problems leading her to try to dominate me for some kind of sick reason.
I don't want to play that game, really really dont want to, but I'm at a point where even an introvert is going to have to engage...despite how Im dreading it. Maybe it's time to drink a Mike's and assert myself against my better judgement. :lol: I really don't like giving her the satisfaction, but I'm feeling cornered.
I fluctuate from feeling angry at this lady to terribly sorry for her, sometime within a 15 minute period. She is seeking something, and obviously not getting it. What I have to do with it, well I don't know.
So yes, I think it is absolutely an issue for introverts at times, even though logic would suggest we would be left alone because, well, we typically leave everyone else alone.
I have come to the realization though this experience that some people who are unhappy with their own lot in life get off, for lack of a better term, on trying to dominate those they see as weak. Funny too, because I'm really not weak, I can be a beastly woman if needed, but I think it is just too much effort and not worth it at all. It wears me out!
All in all, I think it is helping me recognize how blessed I am to be content in my circumstances--without an urge to create drama. I was actually just talking to hubby about whether I need to verbally smack this woman down to put an end to it, which for me would probably be something in the 'bless your heart' sympathetic tone, which I hope can be as effective as being nasty in return.
So again, yes!!!!!!! Being an introvert doesn't insulate you from bullying, and in some cases can be a trigger for people. I think it is the narcissistic types who just can't stand to be ignored who target us most. :001_smile: I think we might come across as less effective because it's natural, for me at least, to dodge and avoid conflict.
Just my experience though, curious to hear what the hive says.