AndyJoy
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Posts posted by AndyJoy
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Well, around here it's getting rave reviews. My husband and all of his engineering co-workers are obsessed with it. It's nice to see a family-friendly game be that much fun for 25-30 year old men!
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Congratulations! You're raising a polite, mature, young man who will be a positive contribution to our society.:)
It sounds like you're joking, but I want to encourage you. Institutional school is no guarantee that your kid will "fit it", even if you want him to! My husband attended public school exclusively. I attended public and Christian school. We were both excluded, bullied, ignored, called names, etc. because of our convictions. Knowing "why" other kids were mean didn't make us want to sacrifice our principles to join them. We proudly call ourselves dorks. If being a dork means not following the flavor-of-the-month fad, having lots of friends of various ages, and being a genuinely nice person, that should be something to embrace!
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It was my sophomore year of college, and I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when a freshman girl came in crying, saying "We've been bombed! They're bombing all over the U.S.!" What I couldn't believe was that two girls who were blow drying their hair heard this passionate exclamation but immediately went back to doing their hair! I quickly ran to my room and turned on my radio and computer (we didn't have TVs) to figure out what she was talking about. Though classes were not officially canceled by the school, none of the professors taught their normal course content that day.
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I don't often share this with people in the "real world" because I don't want people to get the wrong impression, but I'm sort of anonymous on here! I was the mastermind behind a very elaborate imaginative game with my sister from the time I was 6-14 and she was 4-12. The basic gist is that we were orphans living somewhere in the in the late 1800s. We both had imaginary identities that we kept for those 8 years! We played this ALL the time--on car trips, while doing chores, while walking to school, playing outside, etc. At times, we even invited close friends into our imaginary world. They were usually in awe, as they never played imagination games like that.
I know that this pretending helped sharpen my descriptive narrative skills. Since we often played without props, I had to speak this world into "existence." Also, we got lots of practice with memorization, as we had to remember where we had left off and what we had decided before.
Once, my mother worried aloud that she wasn't sure what she should think about us "pretending that I'm dead." My exasperated response (which seemed to appease her) was, "Mom, you're not dead! We aren't Andrea and Lisa in 1989--we are Eric and Elizabeth in 1889!"
Both my sister and I are now perfectly healthy adults. It never lead us to become obsessed with role playing games or anything like that. We never had any trouble separating our fantasy from real life. It also kept us closely bonded together until different teen interests/attitudes separated us. When we did chores together, playing our game allowed us to enjoy the time because we incorporated the work into our game.
As others have said, I think the obedience thing is a separate issue. I would have no hesitation in disallowing it during the hours reserved for sleep or school work. You didn't say what they pretend (or if it varies), but maybe you can give them ideas about how to incorporate chores into their game? It sure made the time pass quickly and pleasantly for us when we could do this.
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It looks like it is perfectly legal for a permitted driver to have minor passengers. Here is the information from the Illinois DMV Parent-Teen Driving Guide:
Permit Phase — Drivers Age 15
• Parent/legal guardian consent required to obtain an instruction permit.
• Must be enrolled in an approved driver education course, and must pass vision and written tests.
• Nighttime driving restrictions — Sun.-Thurs., 10 p.m.-6 a.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 p.m.-6 a.m. (local curfews
may differ).
• Permit must be held for a minimum of nine months.
• Must practice driving a minimum of 50 hours, including 10 hours at night, supervised by a parent or
adult age 21 or older with a valid driver’s license.
• Must not acquire any driving convictions during the nine-month permit phase.
• Number of passengers limited to one in the front seat and the number of safety belts in the back
seat.
• All occupants under age 19 must wear safety belts.
• Cell phone use while driving is prohibited for drivers under age 19, except in the case of an emergency
to contact a law enforcement agency, health care provider or emergency services agency.
• Permit is valid for up to two years.
Here is the link to the page with this guide and other information.
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/drivers/programs/teen_driver_safety/home.html
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I have been feeling sorrowful today, mourning the miscarriage of my baby in June. I felt lead to share this poem I wrote the day after it happened, in hopes that it may comfort others who have experienced this loss. When I see others with their precious children and yearn earnestly for a child of my own, I am comforted by knowing that God has a plan for my life, and will bless me with children when His time is right.
Though I weep and mourn
For this child not born,
This small one I carried
Who could not be buried,
Has found release and perfect peace—
Not sleeping at his mother’s breast
But with his Father finding rest.
by Andrea Redmond
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I am almost 27 and can just barely hear the 19 khz one (24 and under). I think I would have to have the 39 and younger one to actually hear it loudly enough to realize it is my phone, however!
Have you heard about these frequencies being used to discourage teens from loitering in certain areas?
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Well, I'll admit that when I taught 3rd-4th grade Sunday school I offered incentives for attendance, bringing a Bible, verse memorization, books of the Bible memorization, good behavior, and random acts of kindness that I observed.
What I did was make a sticker chart. About once a month, the stickers were redeemable for prizes. If I had visitors that week, I gave them a visitor's pass that allowed them to buy something at the store.
Here are my reasons:
1. It gives them a sense of control and ownership. 8-9 year olds are old enough to start remembering to bring their own Bible and work on verses throughout the week. If there is an incentive, they are more likely to remember to do it rather than have mom have to pester them.
2. There are incentives in adult life for doing work and doing good. It is hard for young kids to envision intangible future rewards, so if a pencil and stuffed horse will get them to learn God's Word now, so be it! Later it is the verse that will stick with them, not the toy.
3. Prizes encouraged formerly infrequent attendees to come more often. Several of the kids in my church were given the choice each week whether or not to attend because only one parent attended church. I know one 4th grade boy came each week only because of the prizes (and seeing what his younger sister earned!), but it got him in the door. I saw real growth in him spiritually that year. I don't think the nominal prizes damaged the every-weeker types. I was one of those kids who would have done all that stuff anyway, but I remember being a minority as a kid, so that is probably true today as well.
4. Incentives were not a substitute for good teaching. I actually used a few home school unit studies as my curriculum, and the kids were enthralled and engaged. A few people were concerned that I wouldn't be able to keep the kids' attention for as long as I planned, but these kids had a 1 hour lesson and loved it! We had 15 min. of prayer, soft music, and prayer journaling at the beginning, a 1 hour lesson, and 15 min. of verse memory games at the end. Other classes were taking out big chunks for snack, game time, etc.
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When I was 6, my prankster great uncle offered me a drink of his "hot chocolate" (coffee with milk), which I barely managed to not spew across the room! My mom says she wished I had to teach him a lesson. (He still calls her "brat" as a nickname, though she's 54)
The first sip of coffee I liked was a classmate's White Chocolate Mocha when I was 13, but obviously that was mostly milk and sugar. My coffee tastes haven't changed much--if I buy coffee, it's usually a Caramel Macchiato. When I went out with my dad the coffee drinker, I would get a cup of 1/3 coffee, 2/3 hot chocolate at the gas station shop. It wasn't until AFTER college that I started drinking coffee regularly. Now I only drink 1 cup per week (Starbucks on the way to church). I figure that will make it easy to wean myself off when I get pregnant again.
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I would get a TI-36. It has a few more trigonometry features yet still is cheap (around $20-25, I think). Mine got me from Saxon Algebra II through AP Calculus AB, and I was sad when it finally died (after 10 years of use and about 100 accidental drops:D). I only used a graphing calculator on a very limited basis in AP Calculus. There is definitely NO need for a graphing calculator in Saxon Algebra II, but it is a "cool smart kid" accessory in my experience.
Though I think many of today's kids are needlessly calculator dependent, the focus of Algebra II should be the concepts, not the arithmetic, so calculator use is warranted. I remember classmates in calculus handing me their calculators and asking me to "punch it in" for them! These kids had NO idea what they were doing. They were surprised to find that the two of us who didn't have graphing calculators (we borrowed them occasionally) had the highest grades in the class.
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I took my husband's last name, but I do have to admit that I enjoy the fact that my married name and maiden name start with the same letter, so I didn't have to change my initials. My mom's maiden name also starts with this letter, so she didn't have to change initials either!
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I'm making my 3 1/2-year-old niece "ribbon gloves." You take a pair of those stretchy "magic gloves" that cost about $1 at Walmart, and sew lengths of ribbon to each finger. Then, when she twirls and dances around (her latest obsession), she can wave the ribbons!
I'm also making her bean bags in various princess-themed fabrics. I will paint a castle on a piece of wood and cut out windows to toss the bean bags through.
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For me, "dressing up" for church is a way to prepare myself for this special time of worship. I dress casually most of the time during the week, so Sunday is my day to put extra care into what I wear and make the day feel more "set apart."
In my family, it was expected that girls wore dresses to church. As a child, I was never a "girly-girl", so most of my dresses/skirts were very casual and plain (solid colors, plaid, or denim; no pink, flowers, or lace). However, this was still a distinctive difference from the weekdays when I rarely wore a dress by choice. As dress-wearing was expected, and most girls at my church wore them, I never questioned this.
As a teen, I was expected to wear a dress/skirt or occasionally nice pants, but never jeans. I never had a problem with this. In my youth group, I would estimate that the girls wore 1/3 jeans, 1/3 casual dresses/skirts, 1/3 dressy dresses. The boys wore 1/2 jeans and t-shirts, 1/2 slacks and button shirts (a few with ties).
As an adult, it has become more important to me to dress up for Sundays. It may sound silly, but somehow wearing a nice dress affects my mental attitude. Dressing up is a break from my weekly routine of throwing on something clean and comfortable. I choose, iron, and set my church clothes on Saturday night, and use that time to mull over my week and mentally prepare myself for corporate worship. Dressing up helps me take the time to remind myself of the importance of church and to see it as a special occasion, not just one more thing in my routine or one more thing to check off my to-do list.
I have no problem with others choosing to dress differently (assuming they are modest and not distracting!), but I personally always wear a skirt or dress. I plan to have my daughter(s) wear dresses and communicate to them why our family does so. Also, in case you are wondering, I plan for my son(s) to wear slacks or dress shorts and polos or button up shirts.
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My great-grandmother lived at home until she died at 97. However, she was in amazing health for her age and didn't really need any care beyond having her meals fixed and having help with bathing. My 75-year-old grandmother lived with her and cared for her for the last 10 years of her life.
Now that my grandma is 85 and needing care of her own, however, she has chosen to find an assisted living community. Though both my mother and uncle have offered to take her in, she has decided that she would prefer the independence of living this way. She wants to still feel like she's living on her own and not dependent on her kids. She wants to have people around to play cards with since most of her friends in her current neighborhood have died. I don't know the details, but I know there is some kind of income calculation and pricing structure with the community and Medicare.
Right now I HATE the idea of my mom and dad living in a nursing home rather than with me. However, I can't forsee the future and the medical or financial conditions we'll be in. I love the idea of keeping generations together, but that is not possible for some.
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Well, I guess I should feel better now--your stories are way worse! Laundry detergent would be a huge mess, and I don't even want to think about the dog poop.
I have dropped a carton of eggs before. Did you know if you pour salt over them they firm up a bit and are easier to clean up?
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to see what is the messiest thing I can spill on my floor this week! Yesterday I dropped a bottle of soy sauce which shattered and sprayed everywhere. Today, I spilled an entire bottle of green sugar sprinkles! Anyone else care to enter my contest? The prize is a great workout from sweeping/moping up your own mess! :D
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I started my period at 12 and was done at growing at 15, but my sister, who started her period at 13 was 19 before she reached her full height.
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I have LOTS of early memories, though my sister remembers practically nothing before the age of 6!
My earliest memory is from when I was barely two. I remember that I was wearing a purple snowsuit and playing with Mr. Potato Head. I was giggling to myself because I was trying to put his glasses on my face. My mom was entertaining guests in the living room and my newborn sister was crying. My dad came inside from the snow and scooped me up and hugged/kissed me.
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Can someone translate "Knowledge is nothing without kindness" for me in Latin? I know knowledge is scientia, and it would start with "Scientia est (I think).
Sagira, I don't know Latin, but the online translation program I used says that "Scientia est nusquam vacuus pietas" is the Latin translation of "Knowledge is nothing without kindness."
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Target has fairly decent mini-globes for $1 right now--I just bought one. They're at the front of the store in the $1 bins. They have some pretty cool school supplies this year.
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I grew up in a home where group dating was allowed at age 16. I remember the day I turned 16, my 14 year old sister excitedly asked my parents, "So, Andrea can date now, right?" I couldn't have cared less, however, because I had already decided that I would not be dating anyone I couldn't see myself marrying, and since I had no intentions of marrying at 16-18, I wouldn't be dating until college! Though I was "asked out" several times, I turned them all down. I saw dating as a pointless, frivolous, emotionally-charged waste of time. Who need to have your "heart broken" multiple times before finding true love? Not I.
When I left for college at 18, my 16 year old sister was sure I was emotionally stunted and would be a "babe in the woods" since I had never dated. I met a wonderful guy named Jason during my first semester. We went to several group functions in the fall and starting hanging out together, then went on our first date in January. We married after 2.5 years of dating and have been married 5 years. I thank God every day that I didn't get tied up in relationships with other guys who I was not going to marry. I have nothing to regret, nothing to remember with shame. The awesome part is that he doesn't either! He was barely 17 when I met him, and he too had never dated. He was allowed to, and his parents were actually upset that he didn't, because it didn't fit with their image of the perfect well-rounded teen.
My sister, on the other hand, dated a handful of guys when she was 16-18. She got lots of "experience", but it sure hasn't helped her form a lasting relationship. At 19, she started shacking up with her boyfriend, and they lived together for 4 years, though she figured out much earlier she wouldn't be marrying him. She felt trapped because they had had sex and she still liked him but couldn't see herself with him forever. She finally moved out, and now at 25 is dating a guy who I think she may marry. They have both dated a lot of people, and I know this affects their relationship. They both have doubts about whether this relationship can last and whether it should. I think early dating/breakups contributed. They are both a bit jealous of each others' past relationships. Jason's 28-year-old older brother who dated extensively as a teen is in a similar situation.
Jason and I have decided that as long as our children are living under our roof, they will not be dating until they are ready financially and emotionally for marriage. This may be at an age younger than 18, since we're not discounting the possibility that we may have a child who has a viable trade or a jump on a college degree by then. However, we are not going to pander to immature teen desires to have a boyfriend/girlfriend. We think it is both silly and dangerous for teens to get entangled in such adult relationships when they are not prepared to actually be adults (feed, clothe, house, transport themselves, raise a child, etc.) We hope that this won't be something that we'll have to "enforce" with our teens, but rather that they will be convinced of the wisdom of waiting as we were.
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I think 60 wpm is a bit steep. My 9th grade class required 40 wpm, and I reached 45-50 wpm and was one of the fastest. Over the years, however, I have gotten progressively faster due to using these skills on college papers and jobs and now type about 80 wpm. I think accuracy is more important when you're starting out, and the speed will come later as you need/use it!
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I think it depends on the severity of the actions, but I have intervened several times.
When I was 18, I saw an 8-year-old boy put a candy in his pocket at the grocery store. He actually looked right at me before doing it, and evidently assumed I was blind or wouldn't care. I told him that was stealing and to put it back. He denied having done it, but I said, "Put it back or I'll go find your mom and the manager." He put it back and ran.
When I was 19, a 10-year-old boy was chasing his 6-year-old brother around the Halloween display at Walmart spraying him with green hair dye. The 6-year-old was screaming at him to stop. Besides the destruction of property, I was concerned about the boy getting sprayed in the eye. I yelled, "Stop right now! You could seriously injure your brother and by using that up without buying it you are stealing. Where is your mother?" The boy was shocked, but stopped and took me to his mother and father, who were two aisles away with two more kids. I told her what he had done, and they were polite to me and dealt with him.
I have no problems speaking to kids when I think the situation warrants it. If the parent is with them, I stay out of it unless it is infringing upon me, such as the kid kicking my seat at the theater. In this situation, I give the parent the benefit of the doubt and politely ask them to ask their child to stop.
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I call my husband "Boy" because he started calling me "Girl" when we were dating. People sometimes look at us strangely, like he's calling me "Woman" in a derogatory way or something, but I laugh and say "Yep, I'm his girl!" My parents keep teasing us that we'll have to "upgrade" our names once we have kids, but I think I'll be "Girl" until I die and I like it.
Oh yeah, and when we're being playful we call each other "dork" as a term of endearment.
My 4th grade ds wants to know "why must I write fractions in their lowest term?"
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
You might be able to show him how simplified fractions are easier to deal with by following a recipe. Take a recipe and change all the fractions into large unsimplified ones. (428/856 for 1/2, etc.) Let him sort through a pile of measuring cups and figure out how to measure that! Talk about the ridiculously large number of measuring cups you'd have to deal with all the possible unsimplified fractions. Ask him, "Should we really keep a 1/856 cup (and all the others) in our house? Would this be reasonable?"