AHASRADA
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Posts posted by AHASRADA
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I buy shredded cheese, usually cheddar for casseroles or mozzarella for pizza.
If I buy a block of cheese (cheddar), we slice it. If I was in need of shredded cheese and only had a block, I would grate it, using a grater. The result would still be shredded cheese, though :)
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I can't imagine. But you have already been through, survived and succeeded at so many things that I can't imagine, you can definitely get through this. You are amazing!
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That's terrible! We can always second-guess our actions, but you shouldn't have to worry about an employee stealing your stuff, and there wasn't anyone else around.
When I was in college, my mom and I were spending the night alone in our rural home, since my dad was hospitalized for a heart attack. We both left our purses on the dining room table, left the light on above it, and went to bed. Apparently, we also forgot to lock the sliding door in the living room. I got up to go to work in the AM, and they were gone. A group of teens had entered several unlocked cars and homes on our street overnight. Fortunately, hikers found our purses on a trail several towns away, missing only the cash. I had already cancelled my credit card and checks by then, though. They did take the 50 franc bill I had as a souvenir from my trip to France when I graduated from HS. It should have been in my dresser, not my wallet, and it was only worth $10, plus the fees to exchange it, but the fools still took it.
My son also had his backpack stolen out of the trunk of our station wagon when he was 9. We were at the park for park day, dragged all of our stuff out, but he didn't need his backpack. I guess I forgot to lock the car. A nearby school let out in the interim and they pass through that parking lot. We didn't even realize the backpack was missing until a couple of days later and we retraced our steps. He had several library books in there that we ended up having to pay to replace, plus an electronic chess game and some other toys.
I hate thieves!
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Great discussion! I have so many thoughts on several different aspects, so bear with me :)
In my high school, there were also 3 levels of English. With few exceptions, the student body of each class was a direct representation of the socioeconomic status of their families. At the time, I didn't think much of it; the poorer kids weren't as academically inclined, the richer kids and/or from well-educated middle-class families were better students. I graduated a year early, so I had to take both 11th and 12 grade English in the same year. I chose to take the level 1 (easiest) 12th grade English so it wouldn't be so overwhelming to double-up on English. My 11th grade English was reading Jane Eyre and Shakespeare. In 12th grade level 1 we learned map reading skills and very, very basic grammar. All of the kids in the class were from the "other side of the tracks." I don't know how much their parents' reading aloud, or lack thereof, impacted their track level in school. I'm sure it was likely a factor, but many other factors, such as attitude toward education in general and modeling were probably at play.
All children need and deserve to be read to. At the same time, this is no guarantee they will become readers themselves. Some people just aren't into "eye reading". Maybe they are "ear readers", or visual learners. I read a lot to all of my kids. My elder dd was never as excited about books as my ds, and it turns out she is dyslexic. She prefers TV and movies as her medium. Other kids (like Ellie and my father) were not read to as children, but read through the entire library themselves because reading spoke to them. While "eye reading" makes education and success in our culture easier and it is an important skill to foster and encourage, the most important goal is communicating the story, the information, the learning. Thanks to technology, this can be done in many formats catering to each child's learning style. Exposure to literature, culture, history, etc., in many forms, including books, is the key. (I must admit this is a fairly new concept I have accepted since raising a dyslexic child and being married to an undiagnosed dyslexic dh. I am a bibliophile who would have insisted everyone needs to learn to read well and read widely throughout their lives before I was forced to think outside the box).
Just as books, though wonderful, are not necessarily the gold standard answer to everything, TV doesn't have to be the evil to be avoided at all costs. Just as some kids are more responsive to the written word that others, some learn better visually, and even through electronic media, than others.
My dd 3.5 watches a decent amount of educational TV, mostly PBS and Treehouse. Sometimes it is in the background while she builds with blocks, etc., other times she is actively watching. While my ds at her age only passively stared at the screen, she comes to me and discusses what happened in the show, she absorbs the vocabulary and tries it out in daily conversation. One day she was eating an ice pop and pushed the pop up out of the plastic sleeve to different heights, saying, "it's 3 units tall, now it's 6 units tall, now it's one unit small!" I had no idea where she had learned about units of measure, until I asked her: Team Ummizoomi, one of her favorite shows. She learned about patterns from that show as well, while she didn't quite grasp it when I tried to teach her through pictures in a workbook.
My nephew, who did not hear any English spoken at home, learned the majority of his English from kids' TV shows, and not necessarily educational shows, either (since his mom didn't know the difference), but Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, etc. She let him watch whatever he wanted as long as it was "for kids." Of course, he spoke English with my family and neighbors, it was obvious he learned a lot from TV. He entered K more than ready to learn and has stayed at the top of his class through school.
I share the OPs distress at students not having been read to as children, and I do agree that this lack of exposure handicaps kids who may have become avid readers if only they had been given the opportunity. Neglect or ignorance on the part of parents in fostering their children's development is always unfortunate and sad. I just wanted to share some thoughts and experiences that have changed my black and white thinking over the years that books = good and TV = bad. Helping each child to learn, develop and grow needs to be the focus, not the medium.
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Your description of yourself sounds exactly like my dh. Naturally stays up until 2am, wakes between 9-11am, likes his own "kid-free time" in the evening.
I am the opposite. I naturally crash by 10pm, and can't really sleep past 7:30, usually waking between 5:30-6:30. Personally, I enjoy quiet "kid-free" time in the AM. I work out, do supper dishes, and have a relaxing breakfast checking email, etc. before the craziness of the day starts. I put dd3 to bed at 9:45pm at that's the end of me! I don't care to have free time in the evening because I'm useless by then anyway. Free time in the AM is much more productive for me.
You will only get more done by waking up earlier if it actually gives you more productive hours. If the time that you are staying up at night, you are accomplishing something, then it doesn't really matter which end of the day it is on.
Personally, I cannot relate to people who say they are "natural" night owls. I figure we are born with a natural clock based on the sun. If we didn't have electric lights, we would wake with the sun and sleep when it goes down, so this is "natural" to me. Generations ago it would have been impossible to stay up until 2am doing anything useful, so it doesn't make sense to say some people are just night owls. (can you tell dh and I have this disagreement all.the.time?)
But, if it works for you, you are getting everything done that you need to and feel you have enough time, why tinker with a good system?
(I'm still trying to wrap my head around a mother of 3 who works part time and homeschools claiming she has plenty of free time and gets everything done that needs to be done :001_huh: ).
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Here the child has to have reasonable supervision until 14...Once they turn 14 they are magically not only old enough to care for themselves but also able to care for younger kids.
Afterschool and holiday programmed cater for children up to 13.
We have the same basic circumstances here, but the age is 12. After school care is provided for elementary school only. High school begins at age 12 (7th grade) and they are expected to care for themselves at that point. An exception is made for 11 year olds who have taken the Red Cross babysitting course. Both of my kids took the class, not so much for the babysitting, but to be able to stay home alone a few months earlier, lol!
I don't know if it is illegal to leave kids younger than 12 alone, but I know 11-12 is definitely legal. As a homeschooler, I prefer to err on the side of caution. If anything did happen, I wouldn't want the authorities to have any cause to claim neglect.
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AM - pre and during workout: 1 liter of water (just plain from the tap, sometimes Brita filtered)
Post-workout: kefir with chocolate protein powder
Lunch: another liter of water
PM: sometimes herbal tea with stevia, usually chocolate chai, chocolate mint or chamomile
Dinner: another liter of water and a cup of kefir
If I'm at a restaurant, I might order a raspberry iced tea, and rarely have a small glass of soda at a party. Otherwise, it's water, kefir and herbal tea for me!
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I grew up with farm stands along the road selling fresh-picked corn through the end of the summer. Super yummy! But no, not a meal. Definitely needs burgers or hot dogs, grilled chicken, etc. to call it a meal.
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You forgot to include "other" as a choice, as in "neither" :).
I have never watched any of the Star Wars movies, and only tolerated a few episodes of Star Trek back in pre-cable days when there was nothing else to watch.
Sorry, not a Sci Fi fan, at.all. Guess I'm not cool.
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That's really frustrating :(. I'm afraid Amazon may be going the way of Walmart: grown so big they are invincible, unavoidable as a supplier and therefore don't have to worry about customer service because our options as consumers are limited.
I must say, I have been very fortunate. I have never had Prime (aside from a one month free trial) and almost always choose free shipping. My packages usually arrive on the early end of the delivery estimate, and always within the window given. That's what I have expected, and Amazon has always delivered. The first glitch I had was a few weeks ago when I paid 2-day shipping to get it by a certain date. For some reason, it wasn't shipped in time, so I received it a day late. Maddening, but they notified me by email so I had warning that the package would be late, and they voluntarily refunded my full shipping costs, without me asking or any contact from me at all.
I hope the incidences of bad service don't become the norm. I wonder if location has anything to do with it? I'm on the east coast.
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Well, since I'm "starting over" homeschooling PreK this year, I've got quite a ways to go. Juggling a HS senior, freshman, and pre-Ker is enough of a challenge that I haven't thought that far ahead, lol. I haven't even done the math to see how old I'll be...OK, 55. Before little dd was born and homeschool retirement was looming on the horizon, I did consider the possibilities for the second stage of my adult life, and I don't think my goals have changed much since then.
I already tutor ESL to several children in my home, so I will likely continue and possibly expand on that. I have always wanted to do volunteer literacy tutoring with adults, and I have considered becoming certified in the Wilson Reading System and/or other language-based learning difference tutoring. I would also like to take college classes that interest me, maybe even collecting additional bachelors' or even a masters degree, but at my leisure, one or two classes at a time so I could really enjoy and benefit from them. Family counseling is something that interests me as well, and our religious/ethnic community is in need of qualified therapists to serve our community, so that's another direction I might go.
Personal growth and development with a view to serving the community would be the short version of my long-term goals. Of course, I'll always be my family's manager, and plan to be available for babysitting and possibly homeschooling grandkids if that opportunity presents itself :)
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Although we only lived in a developing country for 18 months, I definitely understand the small annoyances and frustrations adding up until they are no longer minor. I also understand leaving but not being ready to leave for good. The transition happens in stages. When we came back to the US, I left a few things in storage overseas because, although we had no specific plans to return to live there, I just felt that we needed to leave some stuff "for the future". Once back in North America, we did miss many aspects of our life over there, since the contrast is so stark. but, with a little bit of time, we were able to see our stay overseas through more objective eyes, appreciating the good things, but also clearly seeing all the bad and the sentimentality of the idea of returning faded. I now have no desire to move back (although we are fortunate to return for visits every 3 years or so).
I guess I just wanted, like all the others, to validate your feelings and to reassure you that, while it will be an adjustment, everyone will adjust, including your kids, and they will eventually be able to evaluate both cultures objectively, seeing the positive and negative aspects of both, which is much more than can be said of most people.
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I love MFP! If you're looking to track food intake, it has the most extensive database. They have a fantastic social support community, and I have made great friends there.
If entering exercise is frustrating, it is much easier if you use an activity tracker (Fitbit, Jawbone, Bodymedia, etc.) that syncs directly to MFP so you don't have to enter anything.
Give it a little time, hopefully you'll get the hang of it!
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We're at 33%, which includes toiletries, paper products, etc. We rarely ever eat out (4x/year max). We spend slightly more on groceries than on rent.
We currently live in Canada, but while dairy is more expensive, the produce is much cheaper than back home in the US, so I think it evens out.
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Can anyone recommend the best place to get personalized pencils and pens?
TIA
I've always gotten personalized kids' stuff, including pencils, from Lillian Vernon. They usually have several different designs, often with coordinating stationery, labels, etc.
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I kept all curriculum from ds for dd (3 year gap). They ended up having very different learning styles and very little was reused. There is a 10 year gap between dds 1&2, and I have just come to the realization that most of what I have is not worth storing and moving from house to house for 10 years on the off chance it might work for her. Who knows, everything might be on the iPad or Kindle by then anyway.
I am keeping easy readers, classic lit., and a few reference books, esp. history. The rest needs to go.
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Another vote for Charlie's. I started using it when I was cloth diapering, and have continued to do so now that little dd is potty trained. I love the clean, fresh smell of nothing rather than some fake scent. When I buy used clothes, I have to wash them 2-3 times to remove that awful Tide smell.
I also use Nellie's dryer balls instead of dryer sheets, which leave residue. They usually last about a year, and work great!
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Slightly OT, but what do you do with the used pads? Put them in a wetbag like diapers? And do you wash by hand or do them as a small load alone in the machine? The "ick" factor of contemplating the washing process has prevented me from trying them. Please enlighten me :)
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I got the Fibit zip last October and loved it. I was also only getting about 5k steps, including my AM workout. I didn't realize I was that sedentary, thought I had my bases covered by working out for an hour in the AM. But, I mostly sat and worked with the kids for the rest of the day.
Because of my Fitbit, I started pacing around my house while reading my Kindle after both lunch and dinner. You better believe I kept walking until I hit my goal! This wasn't super efficient, though, so dh bought us a treadmill in Dec. and now I walk after both meals while watching YouTube, and sometimes still reading my Kindle :).
Since I was also trying to lose weight, entering my meals in MyFitnessPal and basing my food intake on the amount of calories I burned, I wanted something more accurate/precise, so I switched to the BodyMedia Fit band. The Fitbit was great for tracking steps, motivation to move more, and and a general calorie burn estimate. But, I'm obsessive about data, and I knew I was burning a lot of calories doing dishes, cooking dinner, etc. that wasn't counted because its not step-based. It does have a $7 monthly fee, but I love the accuracy. Once I have maintained my goal weight for a year or so, I'll probably switch back to my Fitbit. Love that little guy :)
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I've been making it for about a year. Definitely super easy! I use a large mason jar (I make 5 cups at a time, so I use a 2 quart jar). Put the grains in the jar, pour the milk in and cover the jar with a coffee filter and screw on the metal ring to hold the filter on (fermentation produces gas which needs to escape). Put the jar in a cupboard or somewhere at room temp out of direct sunlight.
24 hours later, strain the kefir through a plastic or stainless strainer (no metal) into a large bowl or pyrex, leaving only the grains in the strainer. Plop the grains back into the mason jar, pour in fresh milk, put on a new coffee filter, and you're done.
You don't need to wash the mason jar every time. I wash mine about once a week, usually when I pick out the grains that have gotten too big. Those I either give away, throw out, or blend into a smoothie. The only way ds17 will drink kefir is as a smoothie with strawberries and sugar. Blending in the extra grains makes it quite gelatinous, which he likes for some reason. Keep the smoothie in the fridge and drink within 24 hours, preferably the same day, because the mixture can start to ferment and taste like paint if you keep it too long. Straight kefir will keep in the fridge for a couple of months.
I also use kefir in any recipe calling for buttermilk. Pancakes, biscuits, muffins...it's a great way to use up any extra kefir you may end up with.
You can leave the grains, covered with fresh milk, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks if you are out of town. They will go dormant and it may take a couple of batches for them to get back to normal. Just don't do this too often, as they can become damaged over repeated refrigeration.
The key to maintaining kefir grains is consistency. The process is very simple, and if you stick with it, you'll have yummy kefir all the time :)
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I grew up in a state with no Ikea. It was a big deal, when we moved here, to be able to visit one. When guests come to visit, my kids always exclaim, "Ooh, we have to bring them to Ikea!!"
We've never bought anything there, the kids just like the maze of furnished rooms and the very inexpensive ice cream and soda, so it's a treat for them.
So, for us and our family from back home without an Ikea, it is a tourist attraction, or at least an experience.
And yes, I too have the luxury of being about 30 min. between 2 Ikeas :)
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Mine wouldn't go to that extent, but at least she is determined to finish this year's work by the end of the month. She had gotten behind in a couple of subjects, so she rewrote her entire schedule in order to finish on time. Since she is starting high school in the coming year, she has a plan to take at least one extra class per year, and possibly one each summer, in order to lighten her load in her junior and senior year to make time for driver's ed and part-time intensive French classes.
I just hope she can keep this motivation up all the way through :)
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I breastfed my 2 older kids exclusively, but my little one had terrible difficulty latching, wasn't thriving and had to be supplemented. Long, painful story short, I ended up pumping and bottle-feeding her my milk for the first year of her life, and gave her toddler formula after that.
I used Baby's Only organic formula. As much as I hated having to use the stuff, at least it was made from organic milk (avoiding the hormones and antibiotics associated with conventional milk). As for the sugar source, it contains organic brown rice syrup. I don't know if it's really better than corn syrup or not, but the organic and brown made me feel better :)
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My dd is going into grade 9 next year. We have been remediating her dyslexia for several years, but of course she still doesn't learn best through reading. I want to help her to work on this skill to prepare her for college, but I know distance text-based courses will be tough for her.
I am looking for an affordable, preferably accredited distance learning program that makes allowances/accommodations for dyslexics. The only one I have found so far is Red Oak Academy, but at $300 per month plus the cost of books, I'd like to find a less expensive option.
She is taking a couple of courses at American School this year, and is doing quite well with them. I am reading the math lessons to her, and she is managing to read the Child Care and Development textbook herself, but there isn't too much challenging vocabulary there. My concern is with some of the courses her brother is currently taking through AS, such as US History and especially American Lit., which require a lot of flipping through the text searching for answers and comparing/contrasting pieces of literature, which I know will be a major struggle for her. I would need to read the entire course work myself in order to help her, which I would prefer not to have to do. Science is a worry as well, with the small print, complex concepts and difficult vocabulary.
Any suggestions/insights would be helpful.
s/o of booster seat thread for those with Diono Radian seats
in The Chat Board
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I'm wondering why the seat would be unhooked when used as a booster anyway? My dd's seat is tethered with the car's latch. She still uses the 5 point harness, but when she doesn't need it anymore, switching her to the seatbelt as her restraint is the only thing that would change. I can't imagine why I would choose to also untether the booster. It is a huge seat that could become a projectile if she wasn't sitting in it and it therefore wasn't secured at all.
I would just leave the seat tethered, and then you won't have to worry about it :)