EmilyGF
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Posts posted by EmilyGF
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Metal nit comb and wash everything hot. Don't bother with any of the chemicals; they don't work anymore on most lice and who wants them in their house anyways.
Get a few nice movies, and nit comb everyone a few days in a row.
We also used the electric battery-powered nit combs to kill anything and I think they helped.
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14 hours ago, Starr said:
We got ours at the library.
The NSF is planning to provide glasses to all libraries this year, but B and H is another great option you can order from now.
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Hi all,
Removing. I'm going to ask about this on a group more focused on this particular topic. Thanks!
Emily
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I joined WW in 2017 and lost 30 lbs which I completely kept off for 3 years, after which I started gaining back at the rate of about half a pound per month. I rejoined a while back to try to stop the slow weight gain. I am currently a member and also follow the Weight Watchers reddit, which is a good place to search for specific questions. I'm still down 10 from my max.
I think the GLP-1 plan focuses on encouraging protein because people taking the medication tend to not eat enough protein. So, you would probably want to track protein-rich foods like beans, eggs, and chicken breast in order to fill your daily protein tracker.
You never need to track 0 point foods, but if you eat something like a hamburger, it is a pain to track because you have a bun, burger, cheese slice, ketchup, relish, and maybe mayo which all have points. Over time, for me, I tended to plan simpler meals so I didn't have to deal with all that.
The newer Weight Watchers tries to push people in healthier directions. Some people love it because it seems like a gentle nudge towards less sugar; other people think that the company penalizes sugar and fat too much. YMMV.
I joined the Half Size Me academy in December because I miss the Weight Watchers meetings and am hoping the encouragement there will help me keep on track!
Emily
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Thanks for linking the article. I think this is very important. Our Dutch friends showed us this way of parenting when our kids were young enough that we could change course and I am so thankful they did.
Emily
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10 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:
Well, the entirety of Chicago fire annoys me to be honest.
I generally roll out of bed for a fire or ambulance call looking like a drowned rat and I have yet to figure out how the paramedics on that show have such perfect hair all the time.
True story. We used to live in Chicago and Chicago fire was frequently filmed near our house. One day, a real fire started half a block away from the filming location. No fire has ever been put out so quickly by so many firefighters. It turns out actual firefighters are extras etc.
Never seen the show, though. Just watch them filming.
Hugh Grant grates on DH so I just watched 1995 Sense and Sensibility last night for the first time in ages, without him.
Emily
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The Swallows and Amazons series has a female, very cheerful, British reader who varies her voice for each character. As a plus, they are long and there is something like 14 of them.
Emily
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I think completing things with a deadline is important to practice. In my experience, many homeschoolers work for mastery, which can practically mean the kids have a hard time turning things in on time.
Emily
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I got my dad the children's book Rocks in his Head. He has my nieces over every week to read to them and was a geologist for the first ten years of his working life. Recently he mentioned how the idea of becoming a rock hound is tempting. He could get the book from the library, theoretically, but he doesn't use the library. Mom is getting a new family photo. 🙂
Emily
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On 11/26/2023 at 10:07 PM, Teach05 said:
I remember SWB saying years ago that co-ops were more trouble than they’re worth. (I’m paraphrasing HARD here, but that was the gist I got.)
It’s hitting me now that we are in one that she was on to something. My kids like it. Oldest loves it. I HATE it. It is just the worst. There’s no time for me to make mom friends, I have to plan activities (a LOT of busywork), and it cuts so much time out of one of our days. I’m trying to research other options, but how do you decide on co-op vs not? To be clear- we have no real family involvement for the kids and DH and I have always been sort of to ourselves, so I’ve had to work really hard to be mindful of making space for friendships. It’s getting harder the older the kids get. I probably need to shut up and keep my head down with the co-op, but I just totally dread it every single week.
Any advice?
Hi OP,
Can you chose another class to teach, especially since your kids like or love it? At the coop we were at last year, some of the moms made up their classes from scratch and spent hours planning every week. I chose to teach IEW and it took me 30 minutes planning per week for a solid class, and I could do all the planning during the first class of coop. It did not make sense to me why some of the parent-teachers wrote their curriculum themselves and then complained about what a time investment teaching was... (Maybe this isn't you, but this was my experience.)
Emily
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I'm not sure why people are getting so ruffled about this... Visit a coop. See if it works. Interview with the leader. Join if it's a good fit for your family. Don't join if it isn't.
We've been in some awesome coops. Last year, DD14 was in a class that was taught at a much better level than any class I could teach because the teacher made use of the group to enhance the class. She brought in outside speakers for the kids to interview who had lived through what they were studying (for example, a survivor of the Cambodian genocide). She had the students debate things like questions regarding good development in Africa. Kids can do speeches at home, but debate is harder, and while many kids in the coop did outside debate, it required a 60 minute drive each way that my family didn't want to do! She required all students to do original research for the history fair and three out of five groups advanced to the national contest. I could have done parts of this, like history fair, but not all of it. The kids were very motivated, the parents quite engaged, the teacher expert, and it was great.
I taught IEW at the same coop because I knew DS10 would be engaged if it were taught to a class but argumentative if taught at home. (We since found out the behavior problems were due to sleep apnea and have treated that, but that class was a lifesaver last year.)
We've been in some fine coops that met only in the afternoon and laid the foundation for long-term friendships.
I visited a lousy coop and made the decision not join.
We've also been in excellent extracurriculars where the kids want to do their thing and move onto the next thing. Seriously, when my daughter was in an elite orchestra, she said her stand partner spoke to her exactly once, to say, "Please put the stand away this week. I'm leaving early."
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2 hours ago, daijobu said:
I'm not that familiar with IB, but my sense was that going to an IB school is like taking an AP class in every single subject. I don't want that for my kids. I want to reserve AP for their interests and take easier classes that don't interest them.
Also, I heard that IB really isn't available to homeschoolers, so my investigation ended there.
We moved from an AP school to an IB school. The IB school requires a lot more long-term research projects. Every class as some sort of "internal assessment" that involves a independent research (imagine a science fair project required for each science class, or a 10-page paper in math). Also, the students are given a lot less day-to-day hand-holding compared to AP.
I think the Higher Level IB classes are similar to AP classes whereas the Standard Level are more like good honors classes. Both classes have standardized material to cover, though. The extra class (Theory of Knowledge) is great for philosophically-minded kids and my daughter talks about it a lot.
My daughter is doing great, though she misses the hand-holding of APs and she is still finding her footing with the long-term projects.
Emily
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Last I had a three-word phrase: Rediscover. Refresh. Reach.
I think we totally skipped out on the Rediscover and Refresh when we decided to move cross-country. DH has taken a career left-turn (for the time being, at least) and we're in a new home, new community, new church, etc. I had very little homeschool community where we lived before, but I now have my pick of multiple vibrant groups which is bringing new life to homeschooling for us. DH is rested and relaxed instead of constantly stressed. We have so little chronic stress compared to a year ago.
My phrase right now is, "Be here now." We aren't permanent where we live now and it can be easy for me to start planning the future instead of enjoying life now. Also, I'm a planner in general and always worry about what is next. I want to live life now and not just plan for the future.
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1 hour ago, Roadrunner said:
Our school used to publish data for each class by score, so you would see what percentage got what score in which subject. They stopped this a while back and now only publish passing scores which are in line with national averages.
One person’s evil is another person’s savior. 😉 If not for college board and AP courses, my PS kid would get zero education at his school. So I will forever be grateful to them.
Same as our experience. The "honors" level teachers taught whatever they wanted. If the US History Honors teacher was into the Civil Rights movement, they might spend a full semester on the 1960s, with few readings and only learning by watching in-class movies. The AP teachers stick religiously to the syllabus and schedule, assign regular homework, and teach the student how to write.
Our kids' school publishes pass rates and pays for the test for every student who takes it. Interestingly, if a student does NOT sit for the test, they have to pay for the test cost (as the school pushes all students to take the test). We are in a large urban school district.
Emily
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We bought one off Craigslist. I watched for a few weeks so I knew the going prices. I wanted eight chairs, so that eliminated most sets. We liked the first set we went to see and are very happy with it. We've had it two or three years.
Ours is a sort of upscale-farmhouse look in dark wood. It has an extension and can seat 12.
Emily
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Steamed persimmon pudding with whipped cream or hard sauce.
I’m from California and persimmons are abundant there. I have the pudding steamer my grandmother inherited from her grandmother.
Emily
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I tried to use MEP math with my daughter at that level so I'll chime in since you haven't heard back.
My recollection is that Years 7, 8 and 9 were pretty easy compared to the grammar school years. We spent about 3 months trying to figure out the right level and then switched to a mix of American Algebra and Geometry textbooks. I think you can skip them and go straight to year 10.
Emily
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I handed out finger traps for Halloween and they were a huge hit. The WOW! factor was big: the kids hadn't seen them before and were amazed by them. The parents felt nostalgic. They were fairly cheap, will not last too long, and are easy to store for the short time before they break.
Emily
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I've really loved both Levison Wood travelogues I've read, Walking the Nile and Walking the Himalayas. Both gave very personal overviews of regions that haven't been on my radar very much and have inspired me to read further. Since he studied history at one of the Oxbridges, he also brings in historical and literature references that I appreciated as a homeschooler.
Emily
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Good morning!
Have you found a good source for online guitar lessons for a middle-school-aged kid?
DS11 used to take guitar lessons with a lovely teacher who moved away (boohoo!) and isn't able to teach him anymore. I'd love to find a resource for him.
He loves singing and classic rock. I think he has a lot of Johnny Cash on his personal playlist. He also likes classical guitar.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Emily
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20 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:
Have you ever exchanged gifts with a family member who opens their gift right in front of you and has absolutely no response or reaction? No words. Just set it aside and open the next?
I’ve had this happen with several young adults/older teens and one adult family member. (No, it’s not my mom).
I mean, just open it, set it aside and there is just a complete nonplussed reaction? When it has happened, it makes me ask internal questions. Do they not like it? Etc.
Lol. I know how we’ve discussed here in the board how many just get stuff that we don’t want or need and unceremoniously dump it off at Goodwill or something. Maybe that’s what they did….I don’t know or really care. It’s just that in that moment, it’s just a bit awkward.
I’m just really glad that I no longer have to shop for anyone but immediate family.
So is this very uncommon? Or does this happen in your family?
I confess that I do put thought into gifts and it hurts my feelings just a tad, but I get over it. No biggie. Just wondering if others experience this.
I think this happens when there are too many gifts. I know I feel awkward when I say thank you for every gift because it feels so rote, like I've memorized a response and am just repeating it over and over. With too many gifts, there isn't time or energy for thoughtful replies.
We have done better when not all gifts are opened at all times or when we've convinced family members to do less gift giving.
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Mini Boden is amazing. DS had a sweater he got handed down from there that he wore every day for two years. The boys who had owned it before had done the same.
We bought one from Cat and Jack the following year that looked the same and was described with the same text (they had larger sizes and he had outgrown Mini Boden at size 16) and it was lightweight and wore out very quickly, before the end of the season.
(The following year we bought the Carhartt version of the Mini Boden sweater and that is amazing.)
Emily
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40 minutes ago, Emba said:
Even back in the 90s i knew a girl who was well off, and her grandmother bought her clothes all the time. She rarely wore things more than once. So there are people out there skewing the average, and probably more of them, since fast fashion has really ramped up.
what i can’t believe is the clothing that only lasts ten wears. Like, if I bought something and absolutely hated it, I would still probably get ten wears out of it before passing it on or making rags out of it. Years ago I had a couple of Walmart tees get little holes after only a few washes. That was basically the end of Walmart clothes for me. I still wore them, I was just annoyed by the little holes.
But I buy mostly secondhand clothes, and I repair my clothes (and my husband’s, and my kids’). I think if more people had basic sewing skills, they could get more out of their clothes. I had a roommate in college who got really upset when a button popped off of her nice wool pea coat. She was amazed that I could just see it back on. I was amazed that she couldn’t.
This is a big reason I buy used: if it still looks good on the thrift store rack, it'll probably last a long time.
Also, it frees up money to buy things like leather shoes that can get re-soled for DH or a Carhartt hoodie for ds that he can wear for many years.
Emily
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DH's grandma had her wisdom teeth removed in her 80s when they began to cause problems.
FWIW, we live in a less-wealthy area and our dentist, who is excellent but has clients with more limited means in general, has never recommended wisdom teeth removal for my kids.
Emily
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Student driver signs? Partly JAWM
in The Chat Board
Posted
Here, the kids are given them when taking drivers ed, with the understanding they will use them on their cars.