AHASRADA
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Posts posted by AHASRADA
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I agree with all the great suggestions. As in all training/discipline, the most important aspect is not exactly how you approach solving the problem, but ensuring that it is motivated by a rational desire to teach, not by malice or frustration.
As long as kids are given fair warning, plus a few "trial runs" where they can buy back their items with chores, etc. before the items are thrown out, it sounds like a fair and effective learning tool.
My only concern with gathering and tossing items in a moment of rage and frustration are the possible emotional effects on the children. Unfortunately, these are the types of actions that can stay with a person for a lifetime if it is remembered as random, unfair and cruel. In watching episodes of the series "Hoarders", one thing many of the hoarders had in common was a trauma as a child where their personal belongings were arbitrarily and forcibly taken from them.
Not that any of us would do that to our dc, but it's something to keep in mind when we are at our wits end and are tempted to just throw it all out.
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I have my dd's already filled in and she checks it off as she completes assignments. At the beginning of each year, I make quarterly plans. This helps me to see what needs to be done throughout the year and helps to keep us on schedule. Then at the beginning of every week I make a Weekly Assignment sheet. I have to do this weekly, because I found that when I did it too far in advance, I was having to cross off/change too many things. Either because we didn't get to something, or we had an unexpected doctor appointment, etc.
I use Donna Young's weekly planner. I just print it out and I write out the assignments at the beginning of each week and make a little square box for my dd to check it off. It works great for us.
I do the same thing (using Donna Young's planner), except I keep a master weekly schedule saved on my computer. When planning the year, I determine how many times per week they need to do each subject, and then assign them to days, depending on which days are shorter due to activities, etc. So, Monday may have "math, history, literature, composition" listed, each in it's own box, while Tues. might have "math, geography, science, art" Every week, I just print out the weekly master schedule and I only have to fill in the page or chapter numbers, taken from my quarterly plan.
I used Homeschool Tracker one year, but honestly, it took soooo long to enter all the assignments, trying to make the way I plan jive with the way the program worked. In the end, I would just refer to hstracker myself each weekend and fill in the page numbers on their weekly sheets as usual. It really wasn't worth the extra work.
I probably could have my kids fill in their own weekly sheets, as long as I have the quarter pre-planned.
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We, as tenants, are responsible for routine exterior maintenance, like mowing and snow removal. Larger, periodic maintenance, like trimming or cutting down trees and cleaning gutters, are the landlord's responsibility. Same for interior maintenance. Obviously, we will replace light bulbs, smoke alarm batteries, etc. but having the heating ducts cleaned, plumbing and heating repairs, etc. are handled by the landlord.
We don't have any of the benefits of home ownership (building equity, mortgage deduction, prerogative to remodel as desired), and our rent is higher than our mortgage payment would be on the same property. Not having to worry about major maintenance is one of the few benefits of renting, which I would never give up in a contract.
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Interesting thread. You never know what you'll learn on this board ;). I can see everyone's point of view, those who need to cuddle, those who need space to sleep.
Honestly, the idea of having a different bed or different room never even occurred to me. Sure we sleep apart once in a while when traveling, etc., and I have no trouble sleeping alone if he's not here (as long as I can have the TV on until I sleep). Maybe it's because I haven't had my "own room" since I was 18, when dh moved into it :lol:, I guess I just took it for granted that we are "one", and that includes sleeping in the same bed and sharing the same space.
Dh does have some annoying sleep habits. He has always insisted on having his own sheet and blanket, about 6 pillows, and leaves them all in a wad in the morning. Ideally, I would sleep at 10 and wake up at 7. He prefers to sleep at midnight and wake up at 9. This means I have to force myself to stay awake until he comes to bed, or fall asleep and get woken up when he comes in, which really disturbs my sleep. He likes to watch CSI, car chases, etc. before he sleeps, I like to read. I enjoy sleeping with white noise (like a fan), but that bugs him. He falls asleep listening to lectures on his ipod (without earbuds!), which bugs me. He sets his alarm way ahead of when he wants to wake up, shutting it off and seeing that I am getting up, asks me to wake him up at a certain time, so I have to start my day watching the clock and remembering to go back upstairs to wake him (or send a dc up to get him).
I hadn't thought about how many annoying things surround our sleeping arrangement until I read this thread, because for me, that is just the way it is. After all this time, I have gotten used to it, adapted, and really don't think that much about it anymore. I appreciate the closeness, the fact that he's there. It may sound corny, but his little annoying habits are what make him the man he is. I like to watch him sleep, all wrapped up in his sheet, and think what an adorable, funny little sweetie he is.
We adapt to and put up with an awful lot in marriage, and reconciling a sleeping arrangement is only one of them. For me, that time together is too precious to make an issue of any quirks.
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Me! I have had nothing but great experience with Media Mail. I have sent out several lately, and all have arrived within a week, sometimes in 3 days!
I did have one package a couple of years ago that never arrived, but I have a feeling it had more to do with the seller than Media Mail :glare:. I never received *my* package, but received one with 2 books about patriotic quotes and baseball, definitely not mine, with no return address. When I emailed the seller, she claimed that package wasn't from her, and that mine should arrive within a month or two :001_huh:. I tried to get a refund, she took months to reply, then tried to send the refund but misspelled my Paypal account address (conveniently), and after a while I just gave up.
Other than that, all my packages (sent and received) have thankfully arrived quickly and in great shape. Hooray for Media Mail!
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Personally, I would assume that the couple are the type to appreciate such a joke, and chalk it up to "low-class" humor. You know, the same people who wear hats with fart jokes and T-shirts with photos of swimsuit models, etc. Unfortunately, I have known enough of those people among family and friends growing up, that I have gotten used to ignoring it and "passing the bean dip".
Honestly, if I had seen the sign while driving alone, with my dh or another female companion, I would have pointed it out and we both would have had an eye-rolling chuckle. With my kids in the car, yes, I would hope they wouldn't see it. My ds13 would probably either not pay attention or realize it is somehow inappropriate and not mention it. Dd10 would probably ask, but I would explain it is a well-wishing marriage message, change the subject, and she'd forget about it. I would be relieved that at least it was just words (as opposed to risque photos), and a somewhat vague double-entendre at that, which most kids wouldn't notice or understand, just like a lot of jokes in kids' movies :001_huh:.
In an ideal world, we wouldn't have to deal with any of it, but as reality goes, this is pretty mild, IMO. Of course, you have the right to take your business to a more "intellectually-inclined" shop if you'd like ;).
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As with all programs, it depends on your dc. If he is math-intuitive, enjoys thinking "outside the box", etc., LoF should work quite well and be enjoyable.
My ds loved LoF Fractions and Decimals & Percents, but as a supplement. It gave him a new way of looking at the concepts and has challenging and mind-stretching word problems.
However, when we used LoF Algebra as our primary text, it didn't work. The instruction was not explicit enough, not broken down step-by-step for his needs. I'm sure it would have been great as a supplement. He just needs the hand-holding of a traditional program to grasp the basics, and then use LoF to learn to apply it and stretch his understanding.
So, I vote for using LoF, but as a supplement, unless your kids just "gets" math.
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I would definitely take a long, hard look at the symptoms for dyslexia. I began to worry about my dd's reading when she was 6/7 in mid 1st grade. We worked through 3 different phonics programs, but they always moved too fast for her and just kept "hitting a wall" with all of them. I had heard from so many hsing moms that kids learn at different ages and to just give it time, so we would take a break and try not to push for a while. I think dh started thinking maybe I didn't really know how to teach her, and I secretly had some doubts inside myself.
We wasted a lot of time wondering and hoping she would just "catch on" with more practice. In mid 2nd grade, I met a hsing mom whose son was dyslexic. Over weeks of casual conversation, I saw so many similarities, it gave me goosebumps. She showed me her Wilson materials she had used with him (an OG-based program) and decided it couldn't hurt to try it. It has done wonders for her! We finally had her professionally evaluated mid-4th grade, and she is severely dyslexic. We have now finished Wilson, and are doing a fluency program this year along with Megawords, followed by Rewards Intermediate for 6th (hopefully completing Megawords in 8th).
Of course you don't want to jump to conclusions and assume she has a "disability", but it is important to be open to the possibility. A lot of precious time can be wasted with our heads in the sand while remediation could be happening.
I would recommend either AAS (which is primarily for spelling but can work for reading too) or Wilson (a complete program).
HTH,
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I am using Hakim with Hewitt's guide for 8th this year, and OM for 5th. My 8th grader is a bit advanced, and my 5th grader is dyslexic, so they usually need to use a separate curriculum, although I try to coordinate them and they can share some read-alouds.
Be aware that OM5 only covers US History through the civil war, and the Hakim guide uses the entire Hakim set. In order to keep the kids in the same time period, I supplemented the rest of the year to bring the 5th grader up to the present (finishing OM at about week 22)
That said, K12 uses Hakim across 2 years in 5th and 6th, so depending on the younger's reading level, you could use Hakim for both. You could even have the elder read Hakim aloud to the younger, if that works.
If you really want to combine them and use Hakim (a great idea), I would use the Hewitt guide, and then supplement with readers and read alouds from Sonlight 3/4 for the younger, and Sonlight 100 for the elder. If you are attracted to the activities in OM, there are very affordable books for activities only that you could add-in. Really, it's not worth the cost of OM if you want it only for the activities.
See, wasn't that easy? ;)
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I commuted, and I never would have considered living on campus. It probably depends on your dc's personality. All through school, I loved my teachers, loved learning, but hated the cliqueish, immature behavior of the other students. Commuting to college was a way to benefit thoroughly from the academics, but pick and choose which social events to become involved in.
How do your dc feel about it? Since they were hsed, they might be curious about college life and think it would be cool to live on campus. Or, they might be like me, and have no interest whatsoever in drinking, partying and being distracted by social issues 24/7. I guess it depends on their idea of "fun".
I cannot imagine why a professor would think a commuting student would be "distracted", other than in his experience, perhaps commuters spent more time working, had young families to care for, etc. It may require a bit more self-discipline to study at home than student who are "stuck" on campus, but your dc are certainly experienced in taking responsibility for their education! I often spent 12-hour days at school, studying in the library outside of class, but when I was done, I could go to the comfort and quiet of my own room, eat a homecooked meal, and actually sleep!
Just because they are not living on campus, doesn't mean they won't make friends who do, and can hang out in their dorm to get a feel for that experience. If things get wierd/uncomfortable, they can take their car and go home!
So no, I see nothing wrong with commuting, as long as your dc won't feel deprived of a traditional college experience. And again, if they are curious, they can always try it out in a friend's dorm. Likely they will realize home is better!
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I attended a women's Catholic college in the 90s. It was an absolutely wonderful, fabulous experience (and I'm not Catholic ;)). Of course, it would depend on the school, it's philosophy, course offerings, etc. I suppose some might have extremely liberal/feminist professors, which could affect the educational experience. Mine had a great balance of varying ages and backgrounds for both students and professors (including a few men), but obviously there would be less socially liberal professors at a religious-based school.
I was aware of maybe 2 or 3 lesbian students (one of whom I had gone to high school with), but none lived on campus and I don't think that it was much of a factor in dorm life.
My favorite part of the "women's college" experience was the opportunity for leadership roles, the freedom to speak our minds freely in class without the male students dominating, and the benefit of learning from female peers with a variety of backgrounds and ages.
At my school, men were admitted as "adult students" (over 25), but could not live on campus. At most, they represented 5% to 10% of the students in class. I believe this was a beneficial experience for them as well, to be outnumbered and ever-so-slightly intimidated by our dominance ;). BTW, I was already married at the time, and therefore had no interest in "socializing" with men outside of class in any case. For the rest of the young students, though, they were able to focus on their education without worrying about "bad hair days" and what their male classmates would think of them.
Although it was a somewhat expensive (at the time) private school, they made a concerted effort to award scholarships to single mothers on welfare, created a Women's Small Business Project and attracted a lot of "continuing" students of all ages. It was eye-opening and widened my experience and view of the world to be learning alongside women my mother's and grandmother's ages, as well as women closer to my own age but who had been through some very trying life circumstances. It was a small school, small classes and dedicated professors with a focus on teaching rather than on research and gaining tenure. IMO, these were likely the most important factors in my positive college experience, moreso than the "women's" aspect.
I guess my point is, the environment of a women's college can have some wonderful benefits. The tone of the campus, their activities and their focus can vary greatly, however, which of course would affect the experience. I would spend more time researching these issues to find out of this would be the best environment for your dd.
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Thanks, Sue! Exactly what I needed to know!
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For those of you who have used this, how did you schedule it? Meaning, how many chapters are there, and what did you find was the best way to split it into 36 weekly chunks? Also, how many times per week did you typically use it: once, twice?
Thanks!
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"Monumental", perhaps?
"Ushering in a new decade"?
The term "diamond" is used for a 60th wedding anniversary, so maybe you could work that in, using terms like "glitter" and "sparkle"?
Sorry, that's all I've got. :tongue_smilie:
HTH,
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FWIW, I'm using RS4K Biology for 5th grade this year. I divided up the textbook and workbook, assigning one subchapter/summary/experiment/review per session, 2-3 sessions per week. We will be supplementing with Lyrical Life Science and a Discover and Do DVD from Sonlight. Beyond that, we can always do extra reading in an Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia if we find the need/desire. At least for my dd, I have always found less is more as far as planning for science. I give her a general base to start from, and let her curiosity do the rest. Otherwise, science becomes tedious to her.
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If I am blessed to have my curriculum planned out, and find that some subjects only go for 34 or 35 weeks, I'm thrilled! Sometimes I leave both of the spare weeks at the end of the year as a way to wind down (we don't usually finish until the end of June, so it's nice to have a slightly lighter schedule those last 2 weeks if a couple of subjects were completed early). Otherwise, I split the weeks, putting one as the 1st week of school and the other as the last, so dc can slowly wind in and wind down with a lighter load at the beginning and end.
I would soooo not worry about being done a little early on a couple of subjects, but if you still want to do something, I agree with field trips and some fun science experiments.
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I would second the suggestion of using SL core 3. My only concern would be that it might be overdoing it, too much reading, etc., along with SOTW, depending on your family.
I am doing US history this year for 5th grade (taking a break from SOTW entirely), and this is what I am supplementing with:
Journeys in Time
Places in Time
Tunes That Teach American History
http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/Tunes+that+Teach+American+History/035312/1279715996-1644897
Look and Find in U.S. History (couldn't find a link)
HTH,
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I have always used Expo, but we've really been getting sick of how quickly they dry up. We usually have four in our box, and have to keep switching back and forth among all of them before we finish what we're doing, because after only a short time with the cover off, they don't write anymore! By the time we've cycled through the other 3, the first one has "rested" enough to work...for a minute! Drives us nuts! (This is on lap-sized boards on the table, so it's not an issue of gravity at work with a board on the wall). I think this problem is worse with the low-odor than the regular.
Anyway, I recently discovered Bic brand markers, and they are working great. We never have to switch markers mid-task. Their colors aren't as exciting, and they do have a bit more odor than the Expo low-odor, but not enough to be bothersome.
HTH,
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Yes, I found the meeting book to be a great resource. Having all the skip counting numbers lined up in the charts to refer to was really helpful, and I think doing the calendar and thermometer activities is the reason my dd (who used Saxon) is so much more proficient in these areas than her older brother (who did not use it). In my experience, Saxon is the best at actually teaching some of these everyday concepts that most programs just skim over.
That said, we did stop doing the calendar and thermometer once her skills were solidly built. That point will be different for different kids.
As for the meeting activities themselves, the did become very tedious and time-consuming after a while. We started doing only a few each day, carefully rotating them so be sure we had covered every type of review activity at least once a week, spending the most time on the ones where she needed the most review.
The blessing and curse of Saxon K-3 is the scripting. Very convenient, but also very easy to get lulled into mindlessly following the program and forget to personalize and adapt to our own child. As long as you keep this in mind (without compromising the integrity of the program by skipping whole chunks), it works very well.
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Heheh, well good luck!! I think the idea of cloth diapering is wonderful, but as fast as time is running form me now, then I am happy I did not re-invest in them!
:lol::lol: I was wondering how long it would take you to notice this post, Nadia! ;) Yes, I can certainly understand you not be "excited" about cloth at this point! You're right, it might be more of a "romantic" thing; it's just such a cozy idea, and it has been great fun doing the research.
You know me, of course I priced middle-of-the-road cloth (not the cheapest, not the most expensive), then figured out how many disposables babies use per day on average at each size, then priced a mega box of each size from Wal-Mart, multiplied times the number of diapers needed and compared. I came out with about $3k from birth to potty training for disposables, and about $1k for cloth. Of course, this doesn't include the water, detergent and electricity for cloth, nor the cost of wipes and trash removal for disposables.
I do a reasonable amount of traveling, spending a long weekend at my parents' every month, and often longer, so I am not sure how cloth would work with traveling.
I will probably get a basic newborn kit from Green Mountain Diapers, which would last for the first 2-3 months, and see how it goes. It's not a huge investment just to try it, and that will be enough for me to grow out of the "romantic" stage if that is truly all it is :).
I can certainly appreciate you thinking I'm a bit delusional, though!
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Ever since I joined a gazillion homeschool-related Yahoo groups way back when, and certainly since becoming active on the Hive, my ds13 has called my homeschool social network the "Mom Mafia".
When explaining this to hsing friends IRL, he demonstrates by acting shifty, looking quickly around and leaning in with a low whisper, saying "Hey, you got a copy of that 5th grade math?" Then opens his imaginary overcoat, glances around and once again whispers, "Yeah, got a good deal on one right here." :lol:
If I'm on the computer for an extended period of time, he'll ask, "Are you writing to so-and-so, checking your mail, or are you on the Mom Mafia?"
Only recently did he discover that this board is called WTM. He then asked, "What does that stand for, 'What-The-Mom'"? :glare:
So, do your families have any cute names for (or comments about) the Hive?
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How about DC/Virginia stuff? Capitol, White House, Smithsonian, Monticello, Colonial Williamsburg, etc. Then Florida: Disney, Seaworld, historical St. Augustine, Cape Kennedy...
I'm sure there are great things to see in the Carolinas as well. I know my suggestions aren't exactly romantic, but what do you expect from hsers? ;)
HTH a little bit,
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Does your dh feel guilty when he is reading the paper, watching the news or CSI, etc. and you are cooking dinner, getting the kids washed up and ready for bed, reading bedtime stories, getting prepared for the next day's lessons, etc.?
You both have jobs, they are both challenging and exhausting in their own ways, and have their own schedules. I'm sure if you did a true comparison, your work hours would be at least equal, with yours likely outweighing his.
Thinking you are not working as much as dh simply because your work schedule is more flexible, is like saying your kids aren't learning as much at home because you don't follow the public school schedule. Hmm, care to re-think your "guilt"? ;)
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I would slice it, because it will thaw faster that way. If your house is like mine, no one will notice the bread needs to be taken out of the freezer until there is none left in the fridge. If we have to wait for the entire solid loaf to thaw...well, that just wouldn't be good (and my kids would likely try to zap the whole loaf or some crazy thing!)
If it's already sliced, not only will the whole loaf thaw faster, but it is at least possible for someone to take out a slice or two and put them straight in the toaster oven and they will be ready to eat quite quickly.
If this bread is only to be eaten with meals and you will always take it out in plenty of time to be thawed before dinner, then it doesn't really matter; you could leave it whole.
S/O Ultrasound gender disappointment
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I come from the other end of the spectrum of not being able to fathom someone *not* wanting to know the gender. I am an obsessive planner in all aspects of my life, and once I knew ds was a boy, I decorated his room, bought clothes and toys, and finalized our name choice. With dd, they weren't able to see her gender, and it drove me absolutely nuts not knowing! She was just moving into her brother's room anyway, so no major decorating issues, but I hated having to buy yellow and green clothes (yuck!), having to agree on two names (one was hard enough!). I even made up two announcements on my computer, so I could print out the correct one once she was born :lol:. I didn't have a gender preference at that point; another boy would mean a buddy for ds, a girl would mean "one of each". I already had ds's clothes if it was a boy, and since she was a girl, everyone had fun buying me all new pink stuff! It just killed me not to know who was inside me, if that makes any sense.
With the new baby, I couldn't wait to find out. Again, we already have one of each, and all the baby clothes and items are long gone, so it didn't really matter. A boy would be nice to continue alternating genders, but dd would love a little sister, and she would be the closer in age and more likely to play with and care for her. In the beginning, I was focusing on health issues, but once we were assured everything was fine, I wanted to know the gender. The tech didn't have any doubt, just said, "See the 3 lines, and from this angle, the donut shape? It's a girl". Dd is thrilled, big ds says it doesn't matter to him either way (since he'll be in college by the time baby dd is 4!) and dh's reaction? Another girl in the house? Can I go to college with you? :lol::lol:.
Honestly, I think we all expected it to be a girl. From the moment I announced the pregnancy, the kids started suggesting girl names, but no boy names came to mind. Still, I felt a bit of disappointment that I wouldn't be repeating the "boy experience" I had so long ago with ds. Dh and big ds are quite different, and I think he mourned a bit not having a 2nd chance at having a ds just like him (not that this would be guaranteed anyway). These are silly, irrational emotions that surface to mourn what will not be, before rejoicing in what is reality.
Personally, I would prefer to have these feelings now, get over them quickly, and get excited to meet our new addition, than to go through them in the highly emotionally-charged moments following birth.
BTW, after reading all the posts about the incorrect gender ultrasounds, I am strongly considering having a 3D just to be sure. Either that, or stop buying any more pink and try to think of a boy name, just in case ;).