[Help me spend my Gift Card]

In my experience, very few people end up actually using a juicer, and they take up a lot of space. I think a blender is good enough.

 

I actually use my pressure cooker all the time. I use it to make pea soup (in 20 minutes!), cook a tough hunk of *frozen* lamb in 45 minutes, stew chicken pieces in 15 minutes, oh yes, and cook dried beans, without soaking! in 30 minutes or so. It really is a great thing once you get the hang of cooking with it.

 

All that said, I personally would be buying some of the cool "as seen on TV" items they carry at BBB, but that's just me :D.

[Father in Law coming]

A hearty soup and thick, crusty bread and butter. Adding a salad isn't a bad idea either.

 

BTW, quiche is not a meal for my family, it's an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre. Hence, the suggestion for multiple accompaniments. :D Honestly, I would view the quiche as an accompaniment to whatever you are planning to serve, but that's just me (if it were lunch, maybe adding just a salad and bread would be OK.)

[Poll: About stuff]

I also would have preferred "other", but I chose "buy ahead", with conditions.

 

I buy something ahead that I *know* I am going to need, but not things I *think* I *might* need. Buying things one thinks he might need just because it's on sale leads to pack-ratism or worse, hoarding.

 

Buying items one knows he will need, buying them early and storing them for a few months until they are needed, is smart shopping. :D

 

I always buy end-of-season clearance clothing for my dc in the size they will wear the following year. Yes, I have to store them for a year, but it's so wonderful when winter rolls around again, to have a box full of new clothes that I don't have to go out and pay full price for.

 

I also keep my eye out for birthday gifts year round, whether for my dc or nephews. If I see something that looks perfect for them on clearance, I buy it, and don't have to race out at the last minute when their birthday comes.

 

I once bought a backpack on clearance (end of back-to-school) for my nephew's 5th birthday, the summer before he started kindergarten. I thought it would be cute to give him his first "real school" backpack. The birthday was 21 months away, but so what? How much space does a backpack take? The day finally came, and he and his mom (SIL) were thrilled. This is the same SIL who buys *her own* children's gifts and cake the day of the party, while guests are at the house, waiting to start the festivities. :glare: Guess who pays the big-bucks for not planning ahead? ;)

[Today is my 20th anniversary!]

:party:

 

I've been looking forward to this day for quite a while, not really sure what we would do to celebrate, but for me, it's a big deal. I am actually very happy, and very proud of our marriage. Marrying at 18 and 21, coming from different cultural and religious backgrounds, communicating via our 2nd language for the 1st year or so, we had a lot of obstacles, and yet our journey together has only made us stronger.

 

For past "big" anniversaries (10 years, 15 years) I have gotten diamond rings, a gold bangle, gold watch, etc. I always assumed we would go on a big trip or something for our 20th (my parents went to Hawaii for theirs).

 

Well, times have changed, and we can't afford to do much of anything, and that's OK. I have had to make peace with our current financial situation in recent years. Now that we have a 1 y.o., I can't imagine going away and leaving her anyway.

 

I realized all we really needed was some time alone, to talk about all the things we never have time to, just hang out and actually spend time together.

 

The dc and I came up with a plan. We would take the day off from school, the dc would take care of the baby and meals, and dh and I would lounge in our room all day. Sounds wonderful...

 

Baby gets a cold on Sun., passes it to other dc Mon. and Tues. We had to skip school yesterday because the kids were too sick, and I spent all day caring for runny-nosed, coughing poor little baby.

 

Today (our anniversary :001_rolleyes:) dh slept in since baby kept waking us up throughout the night, and then had work-related errands to do. I did school with the dc to make up for missing yesterday. I'm holding out hope for going out for coffee tonight, maybe?

 

Oh well, at least we went grocery shopping together last night, and I actually stayed up and watched TV with him while I folded laundry, so we did get a bit of "alone time".

 

Part of me is disappointed, but part of me is really OK with this. I want to shout from the rooftops "We made it, and we still love each other!" (maybe that's why I'm posting ;)). But, we already knew that, and we know it's a special day, whether we go through the motions of some preconceived notion of what it means to celebrate or not.

 

So, Happy uneventful sniffly-sneezy-achy-stuffy head-fever-coughing kids 20th Anniversary to Mr. Perfect and I. I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else.

 

(And here's to being able to afford something big for our 25th! ;)).

[Non-traditional wedding ring ideas needed please]

My dh's is titanium. I bought it online fairly inexpensively to replace his sterling silver one that got mangled while he was working on the car.

 

It is beautiful and indestructible!

[Islam question for Muslims]

I only have a moment, but the brief explanation is that yes, Muslims can adopt, but it must be an "open adoption", in the sense that the child should always know he was adopted, who his birth family is (if possible), etc.

 

Islam sees caring for and raising orphans as an incredibly noble form of charity, for which one receives great blessings. It is simply in the interest of maintaining knowledge of lineage, heritage, genetics, etc. that adopted children are recognized as such.

 

HTH,

[Is this normal or not?]

Sounds like she wanted some "slave labor" to do her baking and gift-purchasing for her :glare:. Seriously, she probably thinks she's so smart. Call it a party, ask for gifts (since it's a party), the kids "have fun" making cookies, and voila! She has homemade cookies to serve to her holiday guests, and doesn't have to spend so much time and $$ buying gifts for her dc.

 

Why didn't we think of that? :tongue_smilie:

[Learn at Home]

I used it a couple of different years for each dc. It really is a great resource. What I love about it, is that you can feel that you are "covering all the bases", and whatever you manage to add to it is gravy.

 

In the younger years (K/1), it will keep you from investing in individual curricula for every subject, when it might well not be necessary. It's a great place to start, and when you're a few weeks in, you can always add anything you feel is missing or weak, once you know how much time you have left over for supplementing.

 

While "social studies" is included, I personally would probably add SOTW for a good history sequence, and probably a phonics program early on.

 

It's an excellent investment, IMHO.

[Speaking of weddings, what do you think of this?]

I think it would be even *more* important to register the 2nd or 3rd time around. Guests will likely have no idea what the newlyweds already have, what they still need, what they would like, or what is appropriate.

 

If some guests don't like the idea of a registry, they won't look at it. For those who would love a "heads up" about what to purchase, it will be greatly appreciated.

[Hand me downs aren't all bad.....]

My dc are such completely different types of learners, with different interests, strengths and weaknesses, I realized a long time ago that dd was never going to use most of ds's used curriculum. As for baby dd, I am not hanging on to curriculum for over 10 years, hoping it might work for her. I'm imagining workbooks will be obsolete by then anyway, and all her schoolwork will be done on an ipad (or whatever will have been invented by then. ;).

 

No, both of my dc have to be equally careful to leave all of their school books (aside from the cheaper workbooks) as pristine as possible. Once they finish with them, I list them on the "For Sale" board, and they're out the door! (the books, that is, not the dc) :D

 

BTW, since ds is 6'1" and dd is 4'10", we don't have any clothing hand-me-downs going on here either.

[Need to spend $17 more at RR]

Funny, I placed an order earlier this week, trying to take advantage of their "free shipping with $25 worth of items from the holiday catalog" deal (now expired, sorry).

 

I had circled items in the catalog, added them to my wish list, and recycled the catalog, before the free shipping offer was announced.

 

So, of course, wouldn't you know, I was *$0.40* short. 40 cents!! I searched under "holiday and gift" until I found a little sticker book for a dollar. I got an email back that it wasn't in the holiday catalog. :confused: Not everything under "holiday and gift" is in the holiday catalog, I was told. I emailed them to just include any little Dover tattoo booklet in the catalog, without a Christmas theme. I was informed that there weren't any. Finally I noticed the heading "Especially for Christmas", assuming most of these items must be in the catalog, and finally found a snowflake coloring book that qualified. :tongue_smilie:

 

All this scrambling and searching over a day and a half for 40 lousy cents. Oh well, I got my free shipping. Best of luck reaching your limit (after all the suggestions, I'm sure you'll go waaay over! :lol:

[Online High School w/Lighter Workload]

American School. They are primarily a correspondence school (snail mail), although they do have a few pilot program online courses. They are accredited, use primarily mainstream textbooks and their courses are a very straight-forward, non nonsense, read-the-text-and-take-the-test approach.

 

If the correspondence aspect doesn't work for her, or she needs to take courses American School doesn't offer...

 

Keystone. They are completely online, although usually with an accompanying textbook. Some courses only require tests, others may have projects or research papers. Accredited, traditional content taking advantage of technology.

 

Best of luck to her.

[worth complaining about? (duggar related)]

I don't believe the time slot should dictate the advertising; programming content should. We regularly tape (DVR) shows of interest to us and our dc. The timer is set up to tape an episode of our favorite shows every time they air. Just because 19 Kids and Counting (for example) happens to air at 6, 8 and 10pm, I don't want my kids seeing inappropriate ads when they watch the episode the following AM.

 

Choosing appropriate programming content should equal appropriate advertising content. Period.

[Gentle Rant....but still a RANT......I know the economy stinks.........]

DD was looking for sweater dresses, similar to the ones she bought a year or two ago. We found a few, but either the size XL in misses was skin tight on her (an 11 yo!), or they were all short sleeves!! :001_huh:

 

What is the point of wearing a *short sleeved* heavy knit sweater :confused:.

 

Of course, there were plenty of long-sleeved cotton/spandex shirts in a variety of colors that could be worn underneath. I think it's a marketing ploy to force us to buy more clothing, since we have no choice but to layer in order not to freeze this winter. :glare:

[How to Assess for LD / Dyslexia]

I would visit Susan Barton's website and do some reading, in addition to emailing her with your dc's symptoms. http://www.dys-add.com/

 

I didn't end up using the Barton system, never purchased any of her products. Still, she gave me very detailed info. re: my dd's symptoms, what they could point to, etc. It was a way of finding out, from someone with knowledge and experience, if I had reason for concern and if it would be worth testing her.

 

We ended up doing testing through our local university's educational psychology dept. It was much cheaper than a private clinician, but more thorough than a school-sanctioned test would be.

 

Best of luck.

[I received the Christmas card/newsletter that everyone talks about.]

Start making a list of all the funny stuff that happened throughout the year, and tell THOSE stories.

 

Your letter will smoke theirs. ;)

 

Anyone can brag, but if you make it funny, everyone will remember.

 

Channel Erma Bombeck.

:iagree:

 

Yes, this! I have always thought an annual letter letting friends and family know how your year went was a wonderful gift. I'd much rather receive a letter than one of those meaningless holiday cards with just a signature at the bottom.

 

Your year doesn't have to have been fabulous and amazing, just tell the truth. Since the truth can be funny, a little humor would certainly make the letter a more interesting read.

 

Of course, those on FB would have no need to write a holiday letter, because everyone would have been following their every move over the course of the year anyway :tongue_smilie:.

[If you had a high school dc that just does the minimum...]

Would you mind telling me which you use so I have somewhere to start in researching distance learning?

 

Thanks!

 

Oh, there are so many! Depending on whether you want credit from an accredited institution, or simply someone else to provide feedback, if you want basic assignment correction, or hand-holding along the way.

 

Currenly, we are using:

 

Oak Meadow - expensive, individualized attention/relationship with teacher

Keystone - online, quality traditional courses, basic grading, but teachers available for questions/suggestions

American School - cheap, basic grading, credit, no teacher relationship

(these are all accredited by the big regional assocs.)

 

Also:

Hewitt Homeschool - quarterly grading with detailed progress report, addresses different learning styles (not accredited)

Kolbe Academy - grading up to 12 items of your choice per quarter, parent retains final authority for grades & curriculum (accredited as a private Catholic school)

 

Memoria Press offers individual classes with no credit, but provides feedback.

 

Write at Home also gives no credit, but allows you to outsource writing instruction with feedback from an impartial 3rd party.

 

Of course, there are others, but these are the ones I'm familiar with.

 

Best of luck!

[If you had a high school dc that just does the minimum...]

Outside accountability.

 

At least for my ds. Our personalities are very similar. Both of us begin with the intention to work hard and do our absolute best, but when push comes to shove, we take the easy way out if there aren't any real (or too painful) consequences. If we are being judged by others, however, we go above and beyond. Externally motivated to a fault, we are.

 

When mom was the only one evaluating his work, it was easier for him to let certain things slide (the hard, time-consuming assignments). I am also guilty of allowing him to brush off certain assignments (usually essay writing and research papers) because I'm not thrilled with going through the painful exercise of teaching these tedious skills.

 

Now that he is enrolled in distance learning courses, he has to stick to deadlines, but most importantly, he is putting in long hours creating quality work because he wants good grades. I am also pushed to stay up late and work with him on weekends to proofread, offer suggestions and help him stay on track, because I no longer have the final authority to let him put things off until it is more convenient.

 

This has been an exhausting and painful transition in many ways, but I believe an important step toward preparation for learning at a higher level. At least, in our case.

[What do you regret more?]

I don't have many regrets, but I certainly don't regret *not* doing anything (honestly can't think of anything I *wish* I'd done).

 

I do regret a few things I did do, although I don't lose sleep over it. Water under the bridge, which helped me to become the (hopefully better) person I am.

[SAHMs & SAHDs can't get credit cards now?]

We avoid credit as much as possible. We have had the same *one* credit card (in dh's name) since we were seniors in college. BTW, dh wasn't making any more $$ at the time than I was, we just didn't want more than one cc account.

 

I agree that, in theory, it makes sense that someone with "no income" should not be given credit. However, the way the system is currently set up, this leaves the at-home parent with a non-existent credit score (which equals "bad credit"), putting them at a terrible disadvantage if their spouse were to leave or die. Buying a house, even renting an apartment, could be made more difficult, if not impossible.

 

IMHO, the solution to this issue should be joint credit card accounts. If two names can be put on bank accounts, mortgages, car loans, etc., why not cc accounts? This way, *household income* is reported to obtain a *household* credit card, with both spouses' names on the account, with their own cards, both being equally responsible for payments. Duhh! :lol: This would solve all of the issues: people without any income couldn't be issued cards, but those who "share" someone else's income could still establish credit in their name.

 

BTW, I applied for a JCPenney cc card a few months ago, only to use as a rewards card when shopping at their store. I had to punch my SS# and "household income" into the electronic card-swiping machine, and voila, I had my card, in my name, with no verified income whatsoever. :glare:

[Moms with dyslexic kids come here please!]

My dyslexic dd doesn't learn well through textbooks, even if I read them aloud to her. She is very visual, so I find as much material as I can online and in video format.

 

TT works well for math, Brainpop videos for content subjects, Backyard Scientist videos, etc.

 

I plan to use something like Pacemaker texts as she gets older, which contain middle and highschool level content written at a 2nd to 4th grade reading level.

[How do you open gifts?]

I always go back and forth on this idea. Is it greedy to open a present quickly, or is it selfish for the giver to control how a gift is opened?

 

Good point; I hadn't thought of it that way (I tend to be controlling in general, so I wouldn't have given a 2nd thought to "controlling" the way gifts are opened. I'm the mom, and I'm running this show! :lol:)

 

I wasn't really speaking of the giver controlling how the gift is opened, so much as the parents of the child (or whomever is hosting the holiday event) setting a tone and a precedent for how gifts should be opened, as a lesson in manners and being a gracious and grateful recipient of someone's kindness.

 

I always taught my kids:

 

1. Take your time with each item; investigate it, find out what it's for/how it works

2. If you are disappointed, don't show it; be gracious

3. Thank the giver, if present

4. Pass the gift around for others to enjoy

5. Treat each gift with respect out of gratitude for the thought and effort behind it, even if you're not thrilled with the item

 

I have no problem with kids tearing each individual gift's wrapping off in a mad frenzy as long as, once opened, the above manners are applied.

[How do you open gifts?]

 

I want us all seated. We pass out gifts and open in turn so we can all see and watch as the next person opens.

 

:iagree:

 

It is disrespectful to the gift-giver, and to the thought and effort they put into choosing the gift, not to allow them the joy of watching the recipient as the gift is opened.

 

Sure, it might seem like "more fun" for the recipients to just tear into the gifts as they please. This is called greed and self-centeredness. They have already been given a gift--the gift itself! Their gift back to those who blessed them with those boxes and bags of goodies is the pleasure of seeing them unwrap the treats in a respectful and civilized manner.

 

I used to go through this with my nephews. Yes, they were little kids, but still, their parents made no effort to teach them to open gifts respectfully. They would just tear into them like little animals, throwing things around, losing track of which gift was for whom, etc. It made me wonder why I bothered to put so much effort into choosing things for them and wrapping everything nicely, if the gift-giving was over in 10 seconds , toys strewn around the room. My dd instituted a rule, "No gifts until you are seated and calm." It works.

[For those who have 3 or more children...]

I replied "sometime between my first two children", but I don't think it is statistically significant.

 

1st child was 5 days early, 2nd was 5 days late, 3rd was 4 days early.

[How do you handle playdates when your young dc make new friends & you don't know them]

I have always accompanied my dc for playdates and/or invited the child to my house (along with mom, if she'd like). I only do drop offs with people we know very well.