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DianeW88

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Everything posted by DianeW88

  1. LMHO...We lived in the Denver area for 12 years. I don't think I ever went any farther east than Aurora. Isn't that eastern Colorado?
  2. For everyone who is missing the mountains...the view from my bedroom window (the tops of the mountains are cut off a bit by the heavy clouds, sorry):
  3. This. I don't homeschool to avoid public school. I believe homeschooling is superior to public schools no matter what they might do.
  4. Jet Glue is NASTY smelling stuff (seriously have a well ventilated area before you apply it) that dancers apply to the box of the shoe to make them last a little while longer. You'll need 24 hours between applying the Jet Glue and wearing the shoe. Squeeze the sides of the box to puff it a bit, squirt in the Jet Glue (it's very runny...like water), and tilt the shoe back and forth to get the glue all over the box. Then let the shoes sit (ribbons and strings out) to dry for 24 hours. My dd is a professional ballerina, and she prefers dancing in "dead" shoes. Every dancer is different, so it's impossible to say when a shoe is dead...it's very individual. Your dd should be properly fitted at a dance store by someone who actually knows how to fit pointe shoes. It will take your dancer a while to figure out what she likes and needs in terms of a shoe, and then how she wants to modify and break-in that shoe before she wears it. My dd rips out most of her shank (she has them made with no nail in the heel portion), bangs the heck out of the box against the a brick wall or a concrete floor, and then has the male dancers jump up and down on them before they're "ready". Other dancers have different routines. She has a pointe shoe allowance of 10 pair per month now (cue the chorus of heavenly hosts), but when she was a student, I was spending over $400 a month for pointe shoes. Hold onto your hat mom, and hand over your checkbook. :D
  5. It doesn't sound like a blood clot to me. Quite frankly, your symptoms don't match, and based on what you've said, you don't have any risk factors. Unless you just returned from a long international flight or have been sitting in another small space for over eight hours with no room to move your legs. Or have been recently bedridden. It sounds like a muscle strain or other injury. Take ibuprofen for the pain. Having said that, and even with being a nurse, internet diagnosis is NOT the way to go if you think you have a serious medical condition. Nobody can tell you what is wrong without performing an examination. If your symptoms develop into actual symptoms of DVT, or you feel there is something seriously wrong, then go to the ER immediately.
  6. We had a cat with kidney disease. Once a certain number reached over 100 (can't remember which one it was...BUN maybe), the vet said the illness would be causing her pain. We had her for about a year until the number went to that height, and then I had her put to sleep. I think it's cruel to keep an animal alive with an illness like that, and put it through repeated tests, bloodwork, medication, interventions, etc. There are so many cats out there that need good, loving homes, that any cat I own suffering with an incurable illness will be put down. I think it's the kindest thing for the animal, and in my opinion, the animal's needs come before my own.
  7. The level of slowness in completing a task...3 math problems of a 30 problem test is all he can accomplish in a day...is not typical, and as redsquirrel said, an evaluation for learning disabilities is in order. Here's a curriculum I love for kids who struggle, or just aren't "mathy". http://www.systemath.com/
  8. Maybe you all are much nicer than I am, but if my dh was threatening to start giving the hard sell on his MLM scheme at my dd's birthday party, my response would be something like, "If you even attempt to talk to one person about buying this stuff, I will kill you on the spot." I don't think subtlety is your friend in this situation. And honestly, he is a big, grown-up, man. He can take it. You don't have to protect HIS feelings, you need to protect your dd's feelings.
  9. Helicopter parenting, and over-estimating risks to your child's health and well-being are doing a HUGE disservice to the kids in our country. We are raising a bunch of wimps who can't do anything from cooking a meal alone to choosing their college classes without mommy's help. It's ridiculous.
  10. Well, if your dh did that to me at a birthday party, I would tell him firmly that I am not interested at all, and please don't bring it up again. I would also most likely avoid your family from that point on, because trying to sell something to a guest at your home, invited for a separate occasion is incredibly rude. I would also be suspicious that I might be ambushed again by your dh at any future event we might both attend. I detest MLM businesses to begin with, and this would just confirm that to me. If your dh persists and does this in spite of your wishes...expect your dd to lose friends over it.
  11. I usually budget $1,000 per year, per child. That is curriculum and supplies only...not extracurriculars. My children would still be doing those even if we weren't homeschooling. Now that I've been at this for 20 years, and own every curriculum on the market, and am only homeschooling one...I don't think I spent quite $1,000 this year. But I'm easily seduced by books, so who knows. :D
  12. Well, it was *the* uniform for homeschooling moms in the early 1990s. I think that's where the stereotype comes from. When I attended homeschooling conferences back then...those things were EVERYWHERE. Except on me. LOL Fortunately, as homeschooling has grown more diverse over the years, so have homeschooling mom fashions. I haven't seen a denim jumper at a convention in years.
  13. I love BCPs. Start with the low dose pills, and give yourself three months to adjust to them. Most side effects will disappear by then. Although, honestly, I never had any.
  14. Just for fun, and because I know this recipe is already well published all over the place, here is Laura's gingerbread recipe for those who don't have it. This is delicious with homemade cinnamon/vanilla whipped cream. 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup molasses 2 tsp baking soda 1 cup boiling water measured in a 2 cup (or larger) measuring cup 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp each ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ground cloves 1/2 tsp salt 1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 9 baking pan. 2. Blend the sugar and the shortening and mix in the molasses. 3. Add the baking soda to the boiling water, and mix well. 4. Combine the flour and the spices and sift. Combine the sugar-molasses mixture with the flour mixture and the baking soda-water liquid. Mix ingredients well and pour into prepared pan. 5. Bake for 45 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the center of the gingerbread comes out clean.
  15. You can always watch it when it airs in the UK, either through Tunnel Bear, or simply June if she uploads them. And no, the Christmas episode has not aired yet here. But it has nothing to do with the holidays...it's simply a continuation of Season 4. It actually takes place in the summer. LOL
  16. You're the parent. If you want her homeschooled, then homeschool her.
  17. I received an excellent education. I went to private school for my entire school career. My high school was an all girls, classical, high school, with small classes. I lived in a decent size metropolitan area, but my graduating class was only 120 girls. Girls came from three additional states besides my own to attend my school. I started out at a state university, but transferred after my freshman year to a private one. My freshman year in college was all review. I never cracked open a textbook, and still got straight As.
  18. I think we scared off the OP. She's heard more about "Little House" than she probably ever wanted to know. :D
  19. I go through my house and throw away AT LEAST one giant Hefty bag of trash per week. I also spend 15 minutes per day on big projects....like the basement or the garage, when I sense they are getting out of hand. That way it doesn't seem so daunting.
  20. If you want to make recipes from Laura's personal cookbook, this is the book you need: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Ingalls-Wilder-Country-Cookbook/dp/0064461963/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390405195&sr=8-1&keywords=Laura+Ingalls+wilder+country+cookbook I've tried many of them, and they're delicious. Rose's chicken pot pie is well worth the trouble!
  21. Great articles!! They hit all the main points and show people the real Ingalls family, not the idealized book version. Edited to say that I loved these quotes: “The First Four Years suggests Laura could not write anywhere near as well on her own as she did with Rose. And, in fact, I think they needed each other, the odd chemistry of their closeness and distance and past, to transcend the limitations they both had." "That impulse to romanticize, which is part of the success of the series, probably comes from Rose. Laura herself did not have it, as The First Four Years suggests." I think the books worked because they were a collaboration. Each supplied something the other could not, and the synergy resulted in a series that has withstood the test of time. I'm so glad that, in spite of their personal difficulties with each other, they were able to work together and create a body of work that has enriched the lives of many generations of children. What a great partnership!
  22. This is my all time favorite homemade laundry detergent! It works great, and my clothes always smell amazing. http://www.howdoesshe.com/cheaper-and-better-diy-laundry-detergent/
  23. I think there was definitely a genetic problem that caused the early death of male children in that family. Caroline, Laura, and Rose all lost male children. There are a myriad of genetic issues that could cause that, and I'm not going to speculate as to which one it might be without any concrete knowledge of their health history. But really....it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see it. Also, Grace and Carrie were unable to bear children due to complications from malnutrition. Carrie and Grace both suffered from "respiratory issues", and Carrie, Grace, and Laura all developed diabetes which ultimately took their lives. I think Carrie was the most affected by the long winter. She never really was healthy again after that, and it's evident in all of her photos from that point on. The whole situation was just terribly sad. But of course, looking back on it from our modern day, it's easy to pass judgement and cast aspersions. I have to bite my tongue to not say what I really thought of the whole mess Charles Ingalls created for his family.
  24. Definitely go to MNNSHP!! It's a ton of fun. The parade at that is my favorite of all time. The Headless Horseman is awesome!! And don't forget to pack your costumes!
  25. Personally, I think Rose was bipolar. That's just my impression from reading a few biographies on her life, not my official medical opinion. And I don't think Rose wrote the Little House books, per se. She was just a heavy handed editor. Which doesn't bother me in the least. It's a collaborative family story. I think that's great.
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