AHASRADA
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Posts posted by AHASRADA
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"The Uncheese Cookbook" has some fabulous recipes, for both actual "cheeses", but also cheese sauces and dishes that you want to taste "cheesy".
The primary ingredient is nutritional yeast. Yum!
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My dream is for an intervention something like the TV show "Consumed".
Everything gets removed from my house and neatly spread out in a giant warehouse where it is all visible. Then I sort through it, deciding which of these items I really want to bring back into my house (it is so much easier to decide what is worth keeping and forget the rest, than to decide what to throw/give away).
While I'm sorting, a professional organizer plans/creates/builds storage areas in my home appropriate to my family's lifestyle and categories of stuff. Once I'm done sorting, the organizer organizes it all, and I come home to a clean, neat, organized haven.
Nice dream :D.
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My routine is similar, but I only clean bathrooms and vacuum once a week, twice at most, definitely not everyday, and I never sweep (just can't stand it, would rather vacuum). I also don't have a lot of your issues (no pool, no plants, no pets, etc.)
I put my changes to your schedule in parentheses:
Wake up, (eat breakfast, exercise)
Clean kitchen: wipe down counters, dishes in dishwasher (dc empty dishwasher, I don't sweep)
Put a load of laundry in.
(I don't make beds) put away any clean laundry. (I rarely touch the night tables)
(Dc or dh handle deck cleaning)
(don't have any outdoor potted plants)
(don't have a pool)
School from 9-12:30, lunch break, clean kitchen again, school from 2-4:30ish. Laundry throughout as needed--folding, moving along, etc.
Kids put books away, file papers, grade work, clean up any projects.
Tutor students 4:30-5:30
(I clean bathrooms once a week, don't have animals)
(Dc vacuum once a week, maybe twice).
Dinner, clean kitchen, wipe down counters etc. Dc empty dishwasher.
Also, your "deep cleaning" items are things I would do monthly or less. Decluttering, organizing closets, etc. might get done 2-4 times a year. I don't mow the lawn or do any outdoor maintenance whatsoever (don't have a garden); that's dh's territory and he often delegates tasks to the dc.
If your schedule is working for you, it sounds wonderful. I would love to feel that "on top" of cleaning and maintenance. I just personally can't do any more than I'm already doing. I'm sure if we had less stuff it would be easier to maintain, but it's hard to find time to declutter, so it's a vicious cycle.
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Our standards are shrimp and chicken dishes (w/broccoli, szechuan, in lobster sauce, General Tsao's, etc.) with vegetable fried rice, chicken fingers and chicken teriyaki on a stick.
Yumm.
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I don't think Megawords includes vocabulary. We could include Wordly Wise - we used it last year, but she wasn't particularly fond of it.
Megawords absolutely *does* include vocabulary! Each lesson has a huge list of words at the beginning that follow the spelling rule being taught, and many of these words could be new to your student. In addition to using these words for vocab. development on your own, each lesson has several pages that involve matching words to definitions, filling in sentence blanks with the correct word, etc.
You may decide that your dc needs even more in the way of vocab., but I would wait until you get into Megawords before adding anything else.
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Like many other posters, I am the one who knows all the details about bills, insurance, banking, etc. I have never lived "on my own", got married at 18, but I am still more knowledgable/comfortable in this area than dh.
It also just never made sense for him to have to deal with bills, etc. in addition to working. He wouldn't have the time to stay on top of the dates, what needs to be paid/renewed when, etc. We are definitely a "he makes the money, I spend it" kind of couple. I know how much money is in the bank, what our bills are, and decide on purchases like clothes, books, etc. based on that.
Now that dh is self-employed, we are pretty much equally aware of our financial situation, although he still doesn't usually remember all the bills we need to pay or how much they are exactly. That's just my forte, and one less thing for him to worry about.
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Both the "Paragraph Book" series and "Writing Skills" series are good for kids who need the writing process broken down into bite-sized, manageable chunks and then built upon.
Verticy uses "Writing Skills" in their writing program for students with language-based learning differences. It's pricey, but after doing book A on our own, I'm strongly considering using Verticy this year.
I believe IEW has also worked for some kids. My dd enjoyed it in the beginning, but it ended up being too much reading and vocab. for her to handle. It is explicit and breaks down the steps well, though.
HTH,
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My ds used this for 8th. He really enjoyed it, as he learns well from video animations. He watched the videos, began the quizzes and if he didn't know an answer, he went back and re-watched. He learned a lot in a fairly painless way.
HTH,
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Ds almost always works in his room on his bed. He has a desk, but it is a bit tight to sit at, and he has always preferred to "lounge" while working. He has his computer and a myriad of books spread around his bed, plus a side table with snacks, etc.
Dh doesn't think it's appropriate to lie in bed all day and call it "work", and I personally prefer it when we are all together in one room, so I can help/facilitate/guide each child as they need it. Unfortunately, ds is easily distracted, and with the addition of dd1, there is just too much commotion on the main floor, so he retreats to his room.
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Waiting 4 years to be born . . .:lol:
Me too!
And my mom was still in HS! Thanks for making me feel a little less old today!:D
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Wishing a Blessed Ramadan to you and yours, Nadia! How I would love to be spending it together this year, but you are in my thoughts and we're together in this little virtual world we share!
Ramadan Mubarak to all the WTM sisters!
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Somewhere well-lit, rather public, but that offers plenty of opportunity for conversation (ie: not the movies!). Depending on what they like to do and their budget, that could be coffee, dinner, mini-golf, bowling, etc.
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Nope, never used a sitter. Our situation:
dc birth to ages 7 & 4: parents 15 min. away, watched them whenever necessary
dc ages 7-9 &4-6: moved away from family, just managed. Kids went with me everywhere. I did have jury duty once, and my mom came to stay with us for 2 weeks, just in case. I wasn't chosen and was home within a few hours.
dc ages 10 & 7: lived in same bldg. as in-laws, always adults in the house to keep an eye on them if we went out
dc ages 11 & 8 to present: Managed until kids were old enough to stay home alone. Dh also works from home now, so someone is usually around. Big dc now babysit baby.
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Well, I can tell you what I do. While the kids are having lunch at the co-op, I drive around with the baby in her carseat until she falls asleep. This takes anywhere from 15-45 min. :tongue_smilie:.
Then I park nearby and eat my lunch in the car until she wakes up (usually an hour). Her usual nap at home is 90 min. to 2 hours, so she doesn't get quite as long a nap as usual, but it's enough.
Hope that helps!
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Don't worry, I spent the entire month of July 2010, and then some, researching cloth diapers, tried several brands and styles, and am still discovering new ones I want to try. This is my last baby too, and my 1st to cloth diaper, but you can get a good chunk of your money back on resale, so don't worry too much about that.
There is a ton of info. on Green Mountain Diapers' website. After reading about the fact that microfiber can hold stink that can be a pain to get rid of, plus the fact that I wasn't crazy about the idea of having soggy synthetic fibers on my baby's bottom all day, I decided I would only look at natural fabrics (mainly cotton and some hemp). That narrowed the choices a bit, but there were still tons!
I have found that one size diapers will never fit like sized diapers (duh!), so unless saving money is the most important factor, I would choose diapers that come in different sizes. I also realized that different styles work best for different stages of babyhood/toddlerhood. ETA: If you really want to purchase one-size diapers, I think BumGenius does the best job of fitting from small to large. I have some Elementals because I wanted cotton.
Prefolds are cheap and easy to just lay in the cover and close. However, they do not hold in EBF poop, and I got sooo sick of cleaning covers (clothes stayed dry, but the cover needed to be switched). Fitteds work great for containing messes, but once the baby is big enough to roll over and attempt an escape during diaper changes, the 2-step process of getting the fitted adjusted and snapped, then adjusting the cover and closing was just too cumbersome. Prefolds laid on a cover have worked great since she's been walking and having fewer "messy" messes. I love AIOs, but they are too expensive for most people to use exclusively, and they take up more space than separate diapers and covers (fewer covers as well). I always have a few AIOs for the diaper bag and for quick changes when traveling, etc. I never got into pockets, because I don't like the concept of stuffing (especially unstuffing!), and most of them are microfiber, so that was a no for me. Now that my dd is 20 months, I am starting to think ahead to potty training, and realizing that side-snapping diapers will be the best for pulling up and down, before she is ready for training underwear. Having diapers in different sizes has allowed me to switch to the best style for her stage of development when I move up to the next size.
My recommendations (FWIW):
Newborn and small sized fitteds : Clotheez Workhorse or Motherease Sandys
Medium/Large: prefolds: Thirsties Cotton/Hemp Prefolds, a few Babykicks hemp prefolds for naps
Covers: Flip, Bummis or Blueberries
Nighttime: Motherease Sandys with "Stay-Dry on cotton" liner, plus a small hemp liner with cover: Motherease AirFlow or Stacinator
Potty training: Motherease AIOs, Bottombumpers AIOs or Simplex AIOs (all with side snaps)
I also like Sun Seedlings Nighttime AIO with organic (trifold) soaker for the diaper bag. I know it says nighttime, but it's also great for long car trips. They are handmade to order, so you can have some fun with the prints!
I would visit greenmountaindiapers.com, nickisdiapers.com and motherease.com to begin your research.
Good luck!
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I was going to recommend American School or Keystone correspondence courses for high school, but for 4/5th grade, hmm. If you use Calvert with the teacher grading service, the work is sent in via snail mail. I'm not sure about any others. :bigear:
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I would buy 3 homes, nothing lavish, but comfortable enough for our family, our stuff and some guest space: one where we currently live, one in my home state near my parents, and one in dh's home country near his parents. Then I would travel between the 3 locations on a regular basis. I would also want a car that comfortably fits us all (and our stuff) in each location. I would also pay for any of dh's family members to fly over for a visit whenever they wanted (especially MIL) :001_smile:, and buy them whatever they want/need.
I would buy us the "basic" things we would all like to have but that are far enough outside the realm of "basic necessity" that we just don't buy them, like a new wardrobe, an IPad and new computers, a couple of new TVs, etc.
I would purchase any and all homeschool materials that I believe may be helpful to my dc without considering the cost.
I would relax and enjoy my time with my dc without worrying about paying bills.
Once I became comfortable with all of that, I may consider some other purchases or travel, but really, I'd be most happy with what I listed.
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Funny, even when we lived close to extended family and the dc were little, we never instituted anything like a "date night", and rarely ever went out. We had littles and it just never occurred to us.
Once our eldest turned 13, we started leaving them home alone so we could buy groceries or do errands together (never more than 1 1/2 hours or so).
Just this winter (about the time of our 20th anniversary), we decided we should go out to a cafe every other week so we could have private "adult" time to discuss important issues, as well as to just talk and enjoy each other's company. This usually lasts 2-3 hours, although the dc often interrupt us by calling to ask about feeding toddler dd or when to take dinner out of the oven, etc.
Once spring arrived, though, it felt silly to go sit in a cafe when the weather was so beautiful. For the past 3-4 months, dh and I go for a walk at least 4-5 times a week for 45min. just before sunset. We usually bring toddler dd in the stroller, which gives the big kids a break, and still allows us private time for chatting. It's a great season in our lives and in our relationship.
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Have another baby? :lol:
That's what I did :D.
But seriously, if such a "permanent" option doesn't work for you, how about fostering, or volunteering for a Big Sister program? There may be a YMCA camp or something for less-fortunate kids over the summer who need people to read to the kids? Your dds could read too!
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If you are looking for something "curriculum-y", but not too bookish (more hands-on), MFW and Timberdoodle both have great preschool packages. I didn't use any such thing with my big kids when they were little, but these are what I'm planning to use with little dd.
Oh, and for reading, don't forget Starfall.com. It's free and excellent!
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We've recently started monitoring our sugar intake as well. We were pretty much aware of how much sugar was in most foods, and took care not to overdo it (soda only on special occasions, etc.), but it's true, staying within that recommended limit isn't easy.
I think the fact that "healthy" food, like whole-grain cereal, fruit smoothies and yogurt have tons of sugar in them makes the battle that much more difficult. Dd was about to grab a drinkable yogurt, read the sugar grams and decided she would rather drink 1/2 today and 1/2 tomorrow! Condiments like ketchup are another source of hidden sugar (or more likely, corn syrup).
My mom drinks unsweetened tea, but I can't stand it; too bitter. I'd rather just drink water, which is what we do most of the time. For things that only need a little bit of sweetening, like coffee or water with lemon, we use a stevia packet or two.
FWIW, we always only order water at restaurants, and have never gotten a strange look. Water is the de facto drink unless someone really wants a treat. My mom also orders her unsweetened tea with no issues. Maybe this is more common up north.
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Ditto. We bought a portable AC unit yesterday; first time we've ever had AC of any kind in our home. We just couldn't take it anymore.
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Good for you! We have been very pleased with American School, especially considering how affordable they are. Hope this will be a good fit for your ds!
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You are probably thinking of NARHS. They don't offer any curriculum; you choose your own, homeschool, and then submit work samples and a daily journal at the end of the year for which they assign credit. You can take online classes with other schools, co-op classes, create your own course, whatever you want, and have all the credits recorded in one place.
There is also Kolbe, which is a private Catholic homeschool program. While they offer their own classical program, you can sign up for their recordkeeping program only, using your own materials, and simply submit samples to back up the grades you assign, which will be on their Kolbe transcript. You can also mix and match, using some of their curriculum and swapping out others.
Those are the 2 I know of. Most other diploma programs require you to use primarily the school's own materials, although they may grant credit for a certain number of outside/homeschool courses.
Worrying about a "bad fit" is why we chose courses from a variety of distance learning schools this year for my ds for Grade 9. Sorry it didn't work out; so frustrating. Best of luck.
Share in my anguish
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
We're in a similar situation; ds with zero time management skills, a busy frazzled mom who dropped the ball on holding him to a strict schedule. Two subjects will be done by 10/1, another 2 by 1/1, and the last 2 have been pushed to 7/1 of next year. :tongue_smilie:
The difference is that all of his courses are taken through distance learning schools. None of the 3 schools we are using are penalizing him for his lateness. 2 schools do charge extension fees for more time, and we as parents could make him work to pay for those extensions, but his grade is unaffected.
His academic consequence is that he won't have time to earn as many credits over his HS career as he would have if he had finished his courses on time, or he'll have to add another year. Both tough, natural consequences, but not grades.
And yes, I am already holding myself to a higher standard of guidance for his time management.