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Kay in Cal

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Posts posted by Kay in Cal

    Do you sing your children to sleep?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Do you sing your children as part of your bedtime routine? I often do, and as I sang tonight I realized how my repetoire is much the same as the songs my mother sang to me. My boys often have requests for particular songs, and singing for them in bed reminds me of how it was when I was a little girl.

     

    If you said "Yes!" to singing your kids to sleep, would you post your frequent repetoire? I'm interested to know what sort of songs other families sing as lullabies.

     

    My ds4's favorite lullaby is Hush, Little Baby. My ds6 usually asks for a "Jesus song"--anything from that category. When they were tiny babies, I mostly sang "Summertime... and the livin' is easy..." for them. I remember my mom singing "Turnaround", and it makes me cry to sing it every time.

     

    These are some of the ones we frequently sing--

     

    Songs I sing that I remember my mom singing:

    Turnaround

    Sunrise, Sunset

    Hush Little Baby (Mockingbird)

    Summertime

    Where Have All the Flowers Gone

    Don't Fence Me In

    Oh, Give Me A Home

    Streets of Laredo

    Toot, Toot, Tootsie Goodbye

    Maresy Doates

    Over the Rainbow

    Today, While The Blossoms Still Cling to their Vines

    Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening (the Frost poem set to music)

    Christmas carols at that time of year

    Rainbow Connection (we'd sing this together, but only after the movie came out, so I was a tween at the time)

     

    Songs I've added as a mom myself:

    Who We Are (by Sweet Honey in the Rock)

    We Shall Overcome

    If I Had a Hammer

    Down By the Riverside

    We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder

    John Henry

    All the Pretty Little Horses

    Lulla, Lulla, Lullabye, Sleep My Little Child

    The Stolen Child (version of the Yeats poem)

    A Cold Wind Blows over the Heather

    All in All (and a lot of contemporary praise songs)

    tons of hymns--Precious Lord, Take My Hand is my favorite

    Where are Max and Ruby's Parents??

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I must admit... I like watching Max and Ruby. We haven't ever read the books (and it's been a while since I've seen the show), but it's like this surreal world where Ruby vows never to show emotion, and Max must try to to destroy her with his magic word power.

     

    I guess I see it kind of like the Village in Prisoner--it has all it's own rules, and the goals are unclear. Maybe we should watch it back to back... Prisoner and Max and Ruby.

    ADHD, adoption and institutionalization--I'm feeling down

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    These are children from our local area--born here in Los Angeles, English speaking, he was 6 when he was adopted. The parents found them at an adoption fair. I do believe they spent some time in the foster system, but I don't know how long they were with the birth parents (if at all).

     

    I worked hard on myself and prayed about this a lot this morning at church, and came to a decision. The best thing that I can do for this family is to be a resource for them. As much as I might disapprove of her choices, disapproval isn't going to help these kids. So maybe she will want to respond, maybe not, but I thought I'd send an invitational email (take her out to lunch?) since we "have boys the same age who struggle with ADHD". I may not make much of a difference in this particular boy's life, but perhaps by offering some support and experience to his new mom (who, based on lots of stuff like prior knowledge of her, and the tone, facial expression & things she said) I continue to believe is not dealing with this well. In the past I had found her to be an emotionally fragile person, and I'm sure she's overwhelmed... so I'm going to work hard, HARD, to not judge but to offer assistance. And maybe some alternative ideas, when that is appropriate.

     

    Pray for this family, please!

     

    Thanks all for listening...

    ADHD, adoption and institutionalization--I'm feeling down

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    What a blessing that you are such a good mommy to your son!

     

    I guess that's part of what really catches me about this. I know that ADHD isn't "innocuous". I do have a son with severe ADHD, SID and is likely even be on the autism spectrum. Those who've been around for some years might remember some stories over the years that I wont retell--but just in December we had the "foot through the window" incident--dozens of stitches in his leg.

     

    Yes my son has challenges which require constant vigilance. Yes he (in the words of one psychiatrist) will take "a lot of parenting". But he's also God's gift to us and an amazing little boy. Shortly before I ran into this lady, my ds had been on the phone telling me how much he missed me and loved me and was sending hugs and kisses. So I'll hold him through those outbursts and struggle with doctors and labels and looks from others--because he's my son and I love him unconditionally. Eternally. Bountifully. They'd have to pry him from our arms to get him away from dh and I, though we may be ripping our hair out in frustration half the time. And he's blooming... maybe slower, maybe different, but he's blooming.

     

    I know that there are parents who abuse their children, there probably are parents who don't love thier children... we see horror stories every day. But I know people who have adopted or have blended families who have been able to provide that love that is the right of every child. I guess abuse of an "unwanted" biological child even makes more sense in some terrible way--people can and do become pregnant accidentally, and maybe they never wanted that child and never had love for them. But to ADOPT a child you have to intentionally seek them out, choose them, spend time and energy and effort to demonstrate that you really want to be a parent. I've always thought that adoptive parents would be more loving, intentional, and determined. More likely to give it all it takes to raise a challenging child that they chose to open thier hearts and homes to.

     

    I walked away from my conversation with her feeling like she had indeed given up, and did not have love for this child--maybe mild concern, interest, but that passionate mama love that I experience, and I "see" in you around this board. I know... my mantra is "I don't know the whole story." I really do pray I'm wrong. I had a hard time sleeping last night trying to get this right in my mind. I'm striving towards understanding, but not sure I'm going to make it, today anyhow.

     

    Funny how I can forgive all kind of sin and hurt, but anything with a child just pushes my buttons big time.

     

    Thanks for listening, friends.

    What do your kids call you?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    My younger ds calls me "mama"... I didn't teach him that, he chose it on his own. He calls my dh "daddy".

     

    Similarly, my older ds usually calls me Kay, though now that his brother is getting older he'll sometimes call me "mama" too. I guess everyone else calls me Kay, so made sense to call me by name--he did even as a toddler. Calls my dh by his first name all the time. We did try when he was 1 and 2 to get him to call us mommy and daddy, but it never stuck. He's just an individualist, I guess!

    ADHD, adoption and institutionalization--I'm feeling down

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    OK... I have an acquaintence. Actually a former employee. She recently (about a year and a half ago) adopted three children. Ran into her today.

     

    The youngest child is now 7, and has been institutionalized since shortly after he was adopted. The older two (boy 11 and girl 9) are living at home with her and her husband. Why did they institutionalize the youngest child? He has ADHD, and in her words "has a hard time sitting still and controlling himself". She talked about how busy he was, how she just couldn't handle it... "he sometimes spun in circles!". Well, yeah. Duh! She and her husband are in their 50s, newly married and have never been parents before--but to institutionalize a child for ADHD? One that little? She said that "they" had been able to "clear that behavior up"... ummm... isn't her job?

     

    Now I understand that having an active little boy with ADHD is a lot. I have one myself. But I simply can't imagine that they allow someone to adopt a child and then send them to an institution! My heart is breaking to think of this little boy, who hoped he was going with his older brother and sister to a "forever home" being rejected like that. And what must the older two think? Of course they toe the line--be hyper and you get sent away!

     

    This is none of my business. I don't know her well, and don't see her any more, though she works for my denomination and I do occasionally talk to her on the phone. I've been busy this week at our Methodist conference, and haven't had time to be on the board. But I logged on because I just needed to vent. I know it is none of my business by I can't stop thinking about this little boy and I feel... sad and sick and powerless.

    Rigorous homeschooling, tough curriculum. How is this bad? How do you know?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    :iagree:

    My rule of thumb for math is that if child isn't making occasional mistakes (real mistakes, not computational ones) or having to occasionally stop and THINK, the material is too easy. We need to stretch ourselves to reach our potential, and the biggest difference philosophically between our homeschool and my public school experience is that we revel in finding mistakes, getting right down to the bottom of them to figure out where things went wrong. :)

     

    I agree! I think that rigorous material will be a little bit "tough"--if it is so easy that there is no effort involved then there is no opportunity to develop either to full potential or develop a work ethic. My older ds is constitutionally inclined to give the least effort possible--he comes by this honestly, as I struggle with giving "least effort" when not challenged. Since academics come easy for him, I have to be proactive in supplying curricula that are challenging. Nothing should be impossible, but I don't see the value in using teaching materials that don't call my children to actually LEARN. And I believe that real learning can indeed be fun!

    Gifted w/regard to trivium also?

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    I agree. My ds is logic stage in that he can do logical analysis in "hard" subjects (as opposed to soft, not easy, that is). So science, math, etc. I'm looking towards more logic stage materials. But in social intelligence areas--literature analysis, historical subtleties, etc--he's still 6. We won't be reading Catcher in the Rye anytime soon, you know?

    Looking for a link to a great "so, you think you want to homeschool" article or post.

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I have a FOAF who is asking about homeschooling her kids (will be K next year), but I get the sense they don't even know what it all really means, why people homeschool, etc... just that they'd like to and is it possible.

     

    I could write something up, but would rather find some great, wise, well-written article to pass on and show them some direction... any ideas?

    Gardeners: I've got flies in my peppers (and jasmine?)...

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    OK, I've got a tiny back patio garden, planted with tomatoes, bell peppers and some herbs. The bell pepper plant isn't fruiting yet, but has bloomed. Now that plant and the nearby jasmine bush are COVERED with flies. Not white flies, but honest-to-goodness big green-eyed house flies. There are a few buzzing around, but if I shake the pepper plant there are dozens of the things. What's going on? The plant doesn't seem any the worse for the wear (yet!), but I don't like the idea of flies swarming all over my growing peppers... ugh.

    Things to do in Los Angeles??

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Huntington Gardens in Pasadena--they have a wonderful children's garden and interactive plant lab for kids. If you have girls or better behaved boys than I do, I'd make reservations for high tea at the Huntington.

     

    For young ones--Kidspace Museum in Pasadena too.

     

    The Getty is fantastic, I particularly recommend the Getty Villa if you are studying ancients. The whole museum is in a reproduced Roman villa, and filled with Greek/Roman/Etruscan art. It's free, but you have to make reservations for parking--and the family audio tour selections are wonderful.

     

    Of course, I like book shopping, so I'd hit Children's Book World in west LA the best selection of kid's books I've ever seen in one location, and WhimsicAlley in Santa Monica if you're into Harry Potter.

    What art supplies do you keep on hand

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I've got:

     

    Painting type supplies: Tempera paints, watercolors, finger paints, watercolor crayons, brushes of various sizes, plastic smocks, large ink pads, smaller ink pads, lots of big stamps--letter, animals, shapes, etc., some small stamps

     

    Drawing & coloring supplies: Crayons (lots of these--regular, glittery, smelly, neon, etc, etc), nice colored pencils, think chalk, fat sidewalk chalk, cheap colored pencils, think markers, fat markers, "Do-A-Dot" markers, pencils, pens, drawing paper in various sizes

     

    Craft dough: lots of colors, plus tools, rollers, plastic knives, wooden mallets, cookie cutters, etc.

     

    Various collage materials: pompons, foam shapes, googly eyes, colored pasta, doll hair, pipe cleaners, popsicle type craft sticks, sequins, glitter, cardboard collage shapes, cardboard "people", tissue paper, shells, buttons, stickers--gajillions of stickers, paper grass, ribbon, cloth scraps, beads, found items (toilet paper rolls, small boxes, egg cartons, coffee cans, etc.)

     

    Craft tools:Scissors, fancy "edging" scissors in lots of patterns, sticker maker (laminator), tape, glue, rulers, hole punches

     

    Paper: Drawing paper, construction paper, watercolor paper, fingerpaint paper, newsprint on rolls, light-sensitive paper, wrapping paper, crepe paper

     

    Random things: Lanyard making things, "sun catcher" kits, shrinky-dinks, foam figure sets (like for Christmas, etc.)

     

    It's all sorted in containers, pretty well labelled. Looks like a lot when I write it all out! Of course, this is in addition to my OWN craft stuff, which is fairly extensive.

    Kay in California, I noticed your icon

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Yep! I love Austen--one of many around here.

     

    I was so surprised when I first found these boards that there were SO many other fans out there. I didn't really fall in love with Austen until I read all her books the summer I got married. P&P is my favorite, closely followed by Emma, and I even enjoy (to some extent) the "Austen-based" fiction--like from Darcy's perspective, or whatever. I was glad I had read them all before we hit the Austen film bonanza of the '90s!

     

    I probably should hang out on Austen sites... Is there one you recommend?

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