AHASRADA
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Posts posted by AHASRADA
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No reason not to eat them; they've been refrigerated. But, you probably can't re-freeze them, so eat 'em up!
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Kudos on the text message. You are one text message ahead of me, as I have never sent one. I would have no idea how to even begin. I'm still back in the early '90's. :D
:iagree: I suppose I'll have to get up to speed at some point, but I'm putting it off as long as possible.
Dh has a cell which is the main one we use (when traveling, etc.). I have a cheap pay-as-you-go phone for emergencies which goes with whichever person is away from home.
If/when the kids ever get their own phones, I'll probably have to learn to text. Since I doubt we'll be able to afford (or justify) that until they have their own jobs, I'll still have a few years left ;).
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I've still got a couple years left before hitting 40, but dh is there ;). Yes, there are times that we feel that we *should* have a house instead of renting, we should have more money in the bank, more investments, basically more to show for all the years we have been productive adults.
The truth is, we had all those things in our late 20s and 30s. Owned houses, 2 cars, took overseas vacations, kids attended numerous activities, and lived comfortably within our means with no debt outside of a mortgage. We played by the rules, but the economy changed, the rules changed, and here we are.
We aren't materialistic people, and the quality time that we spend together as a homeschooling family (and as an under-employed family) is priceless. Still, part of us longs for what was, where we expected to be financially and career-wise at this point in our lives. But, we are not alone. There are a great many people who are having to reset their expectations, people who will never get where they wanted to be, or get back the standard of living they once enjoyed, whether at 40 or 50 or ever.
So, like it or not, 40 doesn't mean what it used to. A college education doesn't guarantee what it used to. We all have to become accustomed to the new reality of lower expectations for our standard of living, and hopefully learn to appreciate the great value in non-material blessings we have been granted.
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I voted "1-8 hours per week", because that was typical when my kids were small. We lived 15 minutes from my parents, and my mom was constantly stopping by to play with the kids, teach them their ABCs, take them outside to play and for walks, etc. About once a week I would leave them with her for the afternoon while I shopped, and any other time I needed a sitter.
We moved away when my dc were 7 and 4, so the help became less frequent, but they would still visit, take them for weekends periodically, and even longer if we were packing and moving, etc.
Now that we are 2 hours away, we visit as a family about one weekend per month, and the kids spend a weekend or week with their grandparents from time to time, and at least a couple of weeks in the summer.
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I have little flat plastic clear jars, like the ones that are filled with lip gloss that you put on with a brush, with a clear screw-on top. I have one for each child in my jewelry box, and I just add their teeth to their jar as they are lost.
I have lost a few over the years, because they fell out away from home, etc., but I do my best to keep them.
They don't take up any space, and just seemed like one of those things you are supposed to keep ;).
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Wow, I'm actually surprised how many people make marinara from scratch. I didn't think anyone but Italian grandmothers did that :lol:.
I have never made homemade marinara (and I don't think my mom or grandmother did either), probably because spaghetti in our family means an extremely quick, easy and cheap meal. I always make sure I have a couple of boxes of pasta and jars of sauce in the pantry so we have something to eat when there's "nothing to eat".
Am I wrong in my belief that scratch marinara means peeling, seeding, chopping and slow simmering a ton of (very expensive) fresh tomatoes for hours? How do those of you do it who say you can throw it together in a few minutes?
I guess we just aren't pasta foodies, at least not at home ;).
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I agree that the most important fact you need to search out is whether he would be eligible to play sports in his 5th year or not.
Assuming he is, I see no reason to push him out of HS if he isn't ready to go, particularly since he could dual enroll at CC.
Many, many students take a year off between HS and college, because they just don't know what they want to do with their lives yet, what their major should be, etc. Those who don't take this time to reflect often end up changing majors multiple times, and staying in college longer (and spending a ton more money in the process).
If your son want to spend his "gap" year playing sports at his school while gaining dual enrollment credits (a peek at college life, course offerings, and hopefully increased maturity), why not?
Nope, not ridiculous at all.
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:iagree::iagree: This, totally. Each parent speaks his/her native language to the children exclusively.
:iagree: Another plug for just speaking your language with your kids, period. If you were worried about how to teach them a language that is not native to you nor your dh, that's another issue. However, there is nothing easier than just speaking your native tongue with your own children.
My dh has spoken only Arabic to our dc since birth, and I English. When they were small, they did tend to use vocab. interchangeably between the two languages, whichever word was easier to say. However, they had no speech delays whatsoever, and by the time they were 2 1/2 or so, the languages were completely separate in their minds, as "Mom language" and "Dad language".
Since you are living in an English-speaking country, there isn't even any need to use English at home; they will pick it up from TV and outside activities. However, you will obviously be using it to communicate with each other (you and dh), so the kids should have no problem learning all 3. As long as the languages are clearly separate : German = Mom and her family, Russian = Dad and his family, English = Mom & Dad to each other and the outside community, they should have no problem. This does not mean they will be fluent in all 3; likely English will win out since they will hear it more around them as they grow up. Their fluency in the other languages will depend on how often they find themselves in a circumstance where they are forced to speak it (whether family rules prohibiting the use of English, or speaking to those who do not understand English). Immersion opportunities are also very useful, once they have a working knowledge/understanding of the language, but are reluctant to speak. Visiting family overseas for several weeks is ideal.
Best of luck!
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After many months of anticipation, she has finally made her arrival! She is a great joy to the entire family, particularly her elder siblings, who never imagined they would be blessed with a new baby in the house.
Big brother considers her his very special birthday gift, born 10 days before he turns 14. Mom and Dad are thrilled and amazed that she was born exacly a month before they celebrate their 19th wedding anniversary. Of course, big sister, turning 11 soon, has proclaimed herself "second mom" and is taking a very active roll in her care, as everyone expected :)
We chose for her to be born in my home state (we live in Canada), close to family, in the same hospital where her siblings and mother were all born. We especially wanted her grandparents to have the opportunity to share the experience of her birth and the first few weeks of her life. None of us could have predicted how great and vital a role they would play in her entrance to the world.
I began contracting late Friday night, but was not convinced it was true labor. As the contractions grew stronger and closer together through the night, I hesitated to wake everyone, call dh and ds, who were staying over with other relatives, and load into the car for the trip to the hospital, only to be sent home in false labor. Based on the length of my previous births, I was convinced I had plenty of time to let everyone get a good night's sleep. However, by 3:30am, I could bear it no longer, and woke my father. Seeing how close the contractions were, he offered to call an ambulance. While Grampa was on the phone with 911, I realized I was not only in true labor, but that the baby was coming! She was born on her grandparents' kitchen floor, delivered by her grandmother, with big sister looking on. An unexpected, shocking, but blessed family event that we will all cherish.
After an extra day in the hospital due to baby's sleepiness and slowness to feed, everyone is back at Grandma's house, safe and cozy, enjoying this precious time together, and looking forward to a joyous Thanksgiving with a new precious bundle to be passed around.
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If all you need is accountability (and not a whole new curriculum) you could look into Hewitt or Kolbe Academy. We ended up going with Hewitt for this year. Both programs have their own curriculum, but you can use your own and they will still do correcting/grading for you. Both put heavy emphasis on the parents' right and responsibility to guide their child's education (Kolbe the most), so you will still be expected to grade math and some assignments, sending in a progress report. With Hewitt, you send in the required work samples at the end of the quarter, with your progress report, and they provide a 2 page detailed narrative "report card", giving your child encouragement and constructive criticism, as well as grades. If you use Lightning Lit., you can choose an e-mail option, where you email his writing assignments upon completion and receive them corrected within 2 weeks. This way, you don't have to wait until the end of the quarter for feedback on writing.
Kolbe gives you the option of doing all the grading yourself, and sending in work samples for them to verify. If you opt for them to do some grading, I believe you send in any 12 work samples of your choosing, from any subjects, for grading, during each quarter. You still grade the rest.
With both programs, you can enroll for the entire year, or only for a semester, so you can try it out without paying the full year upfront. With Kolbe, you pay for enrollment (transcript services), and pay an additional fee for grading. Hewitt has only one option: enrollment, which includes grading. The cost for transcript & grading services with both Hewitt and Kolbe are comparable: About $500 per year.
I just wanted to let you know that there are programs that still allow you to use your own curriculum and maintain your homeschool flexibility, while providing some accountability for your ds. BTW, it has already worked quite well for my ds13. He is very conscientious about his work if someone outside our home will see it/evaluate him: Sunday school homework, standardized tests, science fair. However, if he's only accountable to mom, he is more likely to do a sloppy job. Hewitt requires him to do 3 history projects each quarter, and would you believe, again, knowing he would be "graded" on it, rather than skipping it or starting something and never finishing it, he created a model of Native American cliff dwellings, making the homes out of clay, the "mountainside" from papier mache, painting, applying fake moss, etc. Neither he nor I would ever have followed through on such an elaborate project just for homeschool.
Best of luck in your decision!
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I hadn't really thought about it until you brought it up, but I have noticed this as well among my dd10's friends. In my limited experience, though, the girls in the former group are usually from ps, and the latter group hsed.
My dd has always been extremely responsible, a true help around the house and trustworthy mother's helper with even small babies. She can't stand her "friends" who only want to watch TV and don't "do" anything. She loves to play games, play pretend, dress up, etc. She is not at all babish/immature, but she does play with dolls from time to time. She and all her hsed friends are still into Webkinz.
I am guessing those who are trying to act older than they are in superficial ways see those behaviors as the "fast track" to adulthood, privileges without responsibilities. It is much easier to "act" older in the pop culture sense (and more quickly acknowledged by their peers) than by doing chores (which would prove their maturity mainly to adults). It is also possible that their parents/teachers still treat them as "babies" by not giving them enough responsibilities, and the only way they feel they can assert their maturity is through their clothing and entertainment choices. I agree it is hard to ascertain the cause and effect.
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For Thanksgiving, this would seem strange, since there were probably little bits of several different dishes leftover, and it would make sense to transfer them all to smaller containers. Her MIL may not have wanted to dig through her cupboards, searching for tupperware and lids, etc. and was helping by just getting the food refrigerated. I could see myself doing this at someone else's home: get the food off the counter and to a safe temperature, let the hostess store them how she would like later.
Personally, I usually have one large pot or casserole dish in the fridge at any one time. I cook mainly one-dish meals, and purposefully cook enough at dinner to be our lunch the following day as well. Therefore, the pot or casserole is normally 1/2 full after dinner. I cover the pot with it's lid and the casserole with tin foil or plastic wrap. At lunch time the next day, I pull out the pot or casserole, and everyone scoops out their desired portion onto a bowl or plate and zaps it. It wouldn't make sense to dirty a huge tupperware just for overnight storage.
However, if there are small amounts of side dishes, or if there is a bit of food leftover even after lunch, then those are transferred to tupperware (for cold items) or small pyrex containers with lids (for dishes that will be reheated).
I would not normally leave a pot or pan in the fridge beyond 24 hours, because by that time the amount of leftovers should be reduced to an amount that is easier to store otherwise...and, I would probably need my pan to cook that night's dinner. ;)
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Umm, yeah. That's the main reason I don't go to a gym (that and the cost, hassle of getting there, etc.)
I do Tae-Bo, the Firm and other exercise videos in my basement, before breakfast, in my PJs (well, OK, not now at 9 mos. pregnant, but usually...)
For anyone considering that option, here is a great resource:
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9 months.
In Jan we celebrate our 19th anniversary.
Ditto here! We met at a cafe in April, met his parents in May, started talking marriage in July, waited for me to turn 18 in October ;), and were married in December.
I am certain I didn't have the maturity to *know* we were meant to be together at that point in my life, but I truly believe that God knew, and brought us to each other. There are too many twists of fate involved for it to be chance.
Looking forward to celebrating our 20th next year...with a 1 year old! :tongue_smilie:
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I do language tutoring (mostly ESL) after school in my home. I have 5-6 one hour sessions per week, and make about $400 a month.
This is "my" money, which I can use for my personal discretionary spending (clothing, books, coffee out with a friend) and also for extra expenses that we don't necessarily have room for in the budget (gifts, bday parties, allowance, taking the kids out for a treat).
It is kind of our "back-up" money, and I will use it to cover groceries, etc. if we are running short at the end of the month. I am currently spending most of my $$ on baby items :)
I guess I don't "have" to work, but if I didn't, things would be really tight and we wouldn't have any discretionary $$ at all. I can't stand having to justify every little purchase and expense to dh (especially when it's something girly or for the kids that he wouldn't find "necessary"). Working a little bit provides me with some financial autonomy, while also creating a bit of a cushion to our budget.
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Quick and easy tofu stirfry: pack of tofu (diced & sauteed), bag of frozen stir-fry veggies, rice and sauce.
Last night we had sweet potato and sausage soup. Yum!
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Well, your dd sounds very altruistic and not at all materialistic, so that could be part of your dilemma (what a wonderful position to be in!)
As for the relatives, ask them to please just give $$. Then she can use it for whatever she wishes, including donations if she so desires.
Since she's not big on "things", what about a special outing? Either a girls' day out, or as a family, doing something you would not normally do but that she would enjoy (museum, zoo, spa, a movie) and of course include lunch! If she likes or at least needs clothes, you could do some shopping for that (since it can be difficult to choose the style and size without her there to choose and try things on).
BTW, with my dc, I tell them about 2 months ahead of time to start thinking about what gifts they would like, to keep a running list in their drafts folder, and then email the final list to me and grandparents about a month in advance, complete with links to the items so we know what they're talking about. Ds even ranks them in order of importance! Then my mom and I make selections from the list to purchase.
I also make note of any passing comments the dc make while in stores or looking through catalogs, months prior to gift-giving. By the time the special day rolls around, they have no recollection of mentioning that they would like something, and are amazed I "remembered" and got it for them!
HTH,
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If your dentist says it's fine, it probably is ;).
I have noticed a wide variety in physical maturity/growth among kids that age. I also believe kids tend to lose their teeth at a rate similar to when their baby teeth came in.
My ds will be 14 in a few weeks. He has all his adult teeth, and his wisdom teeth are starting to come in :001_huh:. His baby teeth came in from 4 months and in rapid succession.
I would say if this follows his general pattern of growth and tooth eruption, it's likely normal and fine.
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I don't :sad:
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IMO, considering how many dc you already have, it is important that the new baby's name fits with the rest of his siblings. I think Hezekiah meshes beautifully with the names of your other dc. I do agree with a PP, though, that Hezekiah and Douglas seem to be two different styles, from completely different eras, so may seem a bit strange together. That said, if you like it, that's all that matters. No one really uses middle names for anything, anyway.
I like the Ezekiel suggestion as well.
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I am wondering if there is a correlation between difficulties during pregnancy and difficult labors? (as in, if you have one, you are less likely to have the other?) I'm sure there are those who will say it is all miserable, but still.
I have been blessed not to be one to have "ladies' issues" (no PMS, no menstrual cramps, etc.) I didn't have any nausea with my 1st 2 kids, but did for the first trimester with this one. I've never experienced any of the other symptoms you mention. I have been a bit more uncomfortable this time (I blame it on age and weight), but actually this last trimester hasn't been a big deal.
However, I was in labor for 40 hours with my 1st, and 14 with my 2nd. Uncomplicated, normal deliveries, but horribly painful and miserable. I have tried not to think too much about it, but I know I am in the worst physical shape of all my pregnancies, and am so afraid that will come back to bite me during labor (particularly worried about leg cramps).
Hearing everything you ladies go through during pregnancy, I admire you for having kids at all, and many of you have several! Kind of makes me feel guilty for not having that many, considering pregnancy is fairly easy for me. Personally, it is the post-labor lack of sleep, dealing with colic, diapers, then the terrible twos, etc. that keep me from having more! :lol:
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Yes, I can make one without a recipe, usually for Chicken a la King or something similar, or with cheese added for Mac & Cheese.
The best thing is, so can my ds13 (and often does, for alfredo, using every type of cheese he can dig out of the freezer!) He even made it once for his sister's sleepover, and all the little girls loved it! (such a sweet little man!)
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The only Ephraim I know is from a bi-racial, strong Christian but not overly conservative homeschooling family. So, my first impulse would be to assume the family is religious to a certain extent (at least enough to motivate the name choice), but would make no further assumptions.
BTW, they pronounce it "E-frame", which I found a little odd, although I'm not sure how else to pronounce it.
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Absolutely not! My son only colored a very few pictures, but enjoyed the literature selections very much (we got them from the library; some as read-alouds, some as readers). The map activities are fairly easy, but went a long way toward developing his geographical skills in a fun, painless way. The comprehension questions are also valuable, and he should find at least some activities that he would enjoy. BTW, as you move up in levels of SOTW, the difficulty level increases somewhat as well.
HTH,
2010, you've got to be kidding me!
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
We have had this problem 2 or 3 times in the past year or so. The first time, apparently the safety seal on the floor drain was broken, so the backup was all over the basement floor :tongue_smilie:. The 2nd, the drains held, so gray water backed up into the utility sink (along with floating toilet contents :tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie:). It seemed to be brought on by large amounts of water, such as running the washer, the dishwasher, showers and flushing all in the same general time frame. Once the backing up begins, however, it happens with every flush, as the OP mentioned.
Snaking the drains is absolutely the solution. If you really want to know what's causing it (or if it continues to happen, as in our case), you can have them run a camera as well, to see if there are any roots growing or cracks in your pipes, and can also determine if there is a problem on the city end, so they can be notified to take care of it. If the issue is on your property, though (between your house and the road where it hooks onto the city system), it's your responsibility ;).
Wishing you (and all of us!) a New and Improved Year!