Mom in High Heels
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Posts posted by Mom in High Heels
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Very well written. We homeschool for lots of reasons. I have always wanted to hs and the year and half Indy was in pre-K and the year of K while I worked nearly killed me. I wanted to be the person he spent his day with. Here are a list of a few of the reasons:
Dh is military and all the moving is difficult for school kids, not to mention different state standards (as a Navy brat I know this first hand).
Indy is dyslexic and he gets one on one with me all day, every day.
He's a bright kid who was bored to tears in K and would be bored in ps where he would probably be behind (due to the dyslexia) even though he's capable of doing many things at a much higher grade level.
We can vacation any time of the year without worrying about catching up or missing too many days of school.
We can take a break if we need to.
We can sleep in!
I am the person who knows more about his educational abilities than anyone else. He is my priority, not standardized test scores or keeping my job.
There are a lot of kids I don't want him associating with at ps. This is not to say we're snobs, but it's the truth.
No homework!
No parent/teacher conferences to schedule.
I didn't have him so I could send him away all day.
We have fun!
If we want to know more about something, we can take our time learning about it and not have to speed through it to meet a schedule.
I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
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I have many friends (actually the majority) who send their kids to ps. That's their choice. I personally think it's the wrong one because the majority of them stay at home (we live on a military base in Germany and jobs are hard to find) and I feel that if you're going to stay at home, why not stay home with your kids, but it's their choice, so whatever. What I find almost inconceivable though is how many of them scoff at the idea of homeschooling because they couldn't spend that much time with their kids. Today I was outside talking to a friend (our kids were playing together) and she introduced me to several other moms I'd never met before. Of course it was asked what grade Indy was in and who is teacher was and blah, blah, blah. My friend said I homeschooled and of course there was the usual round of "OMG, I could never spend that much time with my kids," "I don't know how you do it" "I'd go crazy if I didn't get to send them to school all day" etc. WHY? Why is this what almost every non-hsing mom says? I didn't have Indy so I could send him away 8-10 hours a day. Now don't get me wrong, I am in no way shape or form the perfect mom and if he's finished with his school work (or it's a weekend) I'll gladly send him outside for as many hours as he's willing to stay out there so I can get some peace and quiet. Believe me, I need it because the kid never, ever stops talking (even in his sleep), but I wouldn't send him to ps just to get some time to myself. There have been days when I thought how much easier my life would be (and how much cleaner my house would be) if I had several hours alone every day, but that's not what's best for him. Why is it so difficult for parents to spend time with their kids?
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Fantastic! Carmen is one of my favorite operas! Dh was a vocal performance major in college (opera specifically). We've been to many, many operas (but I will see Carmen over and over) and listen to scores frequently around the house. Indy loves the music. Hurrah! He walks around humming different pieces of music all the time (not just opera, but classical from all periods). He's been doing it since he was about 3. It was really funny to hear a 3 year old humming Toreador. He's been studying violin for almost a year now and constantly begging to learn pieces from operas (though he's not proficient enough yet).
As for studying opera, a good (emphasis on good) vocal coach is absolutely the way to go. I have a degree in theatrical design and was required certain performance credits. One of those credits was in vocal performance. I do not have the greatest voice, but my vocal instructor helped me that I can actually sing fairly well. I think anyone can sing, they just need to know the proper techniques.
Like the pp said though, there are many, many, many different aspects of the theatre that do not involve performing. I love getting to see shows from back stage or during tech runs. There are many, many backstage people who rarely get any credit, but without them the show would not go on.
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Where we are it's $4.50 a HALF gallon, but many things are more expensive where we are. We live on a military base in Germany, so things are higher here. We use lactose free milk and a few days ago I paid $4.75 for a half gallon. If we used regular organic milk though, I'd buy it on the economy (read: at a local store) because it's about .80 Euro (slightly less than $1) for a litre. That would be just under $4/gallon.
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Yes! Dh and I have very different standards when it comes to TV. I came home one day and found them watching Hellboy. I almost lost my mind. He says he didn't think it was that bad. I am pretty strict about what I let Indy watch and Hellboy is NOT on the list of approved viewing. We had to have a long talk about it and dh agreed to be more circumspect in what he let Indy watch. I still have to remind him every now and then though. It's very frustrating.
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My ds loves them. I have no problem with them. They are fictional, but present historical facts. We are currently reading them (in order). We read Vacation Under The Volcano a while back and when we were in Pompeii a few weeks ago, Indy commented about how people used pillows to cover their heads to protect them from the falling rocks. Our tour guide was impressed that he knew that. He remembered it from the book.
Yes, there is magic, but that doesn't bother me.
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If anyone is interested, I have posted today (the anniversary of D-Day) photos from our trip to Normandy back in Dec. It was completely overwhelming.
You can find it here.
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Keeping you in my thoughts. Please keep us informed. (((HUGS)))
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I have an 2008 Volvo XC90 and I love it. Love. It. I had an '05 XC90 before it that I also loved, but this one has way more bells and whistles. I have a built in GPS (which is fantastic) and back up camera (essential in an SUV). The interior is all leather and high quality. I did not get the 3rd row of seats (I only have 1 ds) because you lose all the cool cubbies under the floorboard in the trunk if you do. I use the cubbies to store emergency supplies (flashlight, rain gear, bottles of water, MRE's, blankets, and the German required warning triangle, first aid kit and reflective vest). If I were to get a new car (which I won't for a while), I'd stick with Volvo (I love Volvo) and probably move to the XC60, which is similar to the XC90, but slightly smaller. They both have a rather hefty price tag, though (mine was just under $60K), but for the quality, service and resale value, I think it was worth it. I love my car. Her name is Ulrika von Nordland. She's Swedish. :lol:
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Can I vote all? :)
We just came off a Med. Cruise (last week!) and we stopped in several places in Italy (Naples/Pompeii, Rome, La Spezia/Pisa/Florence). One day each was not enough! We could easily have spent 3 or 4 days exploring Pompeii. It was amazing. In Rome we only had time to visit the Coliseum, Forum and Paletine Hill. Actually, we could have visited more, but we were so tired from the stuff we'd done at all the other ports, we opted to go back to the ship instead of going further into Rome. I would love to have a week there. Pisa was, well, kind of boring to be honest. We went, took photos, looked around and were done. We won't go back. It was pretty, but not all that interesting.
We're probably going to be doing another Med. cruise for Christmas and will visit a few places in Italy, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. We won't have enough time to explore all we want to, but it will give us a good idea of where we would like to spend more time. Cruises are great for that (and for spoiling you). I'm thinking Indy and I may fly to Rome for a few days in Nov and see more of Rome. Next spring we're thinking of going to Egypt for a week. We'd stay in Cairo for 2 days, cruise the Nile for 4 and back to Cairo for a day before coming home. Indy is crazy for Egypt. He plans to be Indiana Jones when he grows up. He loves to travel and would visit everywhere if he could.
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I only wear tennis shoes if I'm working out.
:iagree: OMG, that! I recently did a blog post about how much I hate that America has become a land of sneaker/tennis shoes/gym shoe wearers. They are for the gym and sports, not every day wear! What happened to wearing nice shoes? They don't have to been heels (though I personally prefer them), but a nice shoe, not big, clunky gym shoes.
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I use HST basic (the free version) and it can be set up any way you like. You just put in your school/vacation dates. So far this year we're at 826.5 hours of school and 95 hours of field trips/cultural gatherings. I can do a lot more with the free software, but I don't. I highly recommend it.
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Oh have we dealt with this. We have several ways of combating over toy population.
1. Before Christmas and birthday, Indy has to get rid of a certain number of toys or there will be no presents. Last Christmas he had to get rid of 1 thing for every package under the tree. For his birthday he has to get rid of the same number of toys as his age. It will be 8 this year.
2. If he wants a new toy (that he's going to use his own money for), he has to get rid of at least 3 things, more if it's a big item.
3. The House Fairy! Does the House Fairy visit you? If not, get your special 'Mommy Phone' and call her. She comes to your house at night RANDOMLY (this is important) and if the room isn't clean, she'll take whatever is left out. They may or may not get it back depending on how clean they keep the room after the toy disappears. If the room is clean when she visits, she'll leave a small gift (candy, gum, etc). Indy LOVES the House Fairy and believe me, his room is CLEAN every night before bed without me even asking.
4. I randomly get rid of things. I'll give him a warning and tell him that he has to get rid of X number of things and he doesn't, I will. Believe me, he'd rather clean out his toys than let me do it.
He has a lot of stuff, but I do not let it overrun the house. My mom was the same way (except we didn't have the House Fairy). I was always having to clean stuff out. Any time I got something new, something old had to go.
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We are finishing up CATW this year and have loved it! I love that the IG is basically just open and go. I have dropped a few books that were too Christian for us (we use it secularly), but it was no big deal. We're using Sea and Sky next year and are changing a few of the books, but again, I don't think that's a big deal when you see how much you get with the program. For those who have problems with MOH being the spine for the quests, this website that lines up the MOH chapters with the SOTW chapters, so all you have to do is print it off and put it in with your IG to know which chapters to use. Easy-peasy.
We have had a few issues with shipping from WP, but the service is fantastic. Don is always amazingly helpful when I call and gets me whatever I need ASAP.
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Hello everyone! I'm looking for a pp for my son who will be 8 in July. We currently live in Germany (courtesy of the US Army) and ds was born here. He's spent more of his life in Europe than the US and has traveled extensively (Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Spain, Italy, Tunisia, Monaco, and Malta and in the US he's been to AL, FL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, TN, KY, IL, MO, CO, and NC). He plans to be Indiana Jones when he grows up (he's wanted to be an archeologist since he was 3) and has lots to say about so many things. His interests include Indiana Jones (of course), Star Wars, Ancient Egypt, Greece and Italy, pirates, WWI, WWII, Scooby Doo, dogs, movies, music, fish, and dinos. He plays violin and tennis. His handwriting is pretty good for 7. He'd love to have a friend or two to write to. He can do email if that's better, but I'd prefer hand written letters. PM if you have a kid who might be interested.
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My dh loves the BBC version of P&P. Before we had Indy, we'd sit down on a Sat or Sun and watch all six hours. Since then, we've had to watch it in pieces here and there (who has six hours to sit and watch a movie?), but we've done so a few times. He hates the new version because so much is left out. I like them both, for different reasons.
Dh also really likes the Emma Thompson version of Sense and Sensibility (we both agree that she was far too old to play that part, but she did a fantastic job). Maybe you could start your dh out on that since it's well characterized and acted and crafted, and is more "manly" than P&P.
I haven't seen Lost in Austen yet. I'll have to check it out.
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That's a good question. We live in Germany and around age 11, the school children have to take a set of tests that decide if they go on to Gymnasium (college prep school), regular school (I can't remember the name), isclosest to American high school, but when they're done they have the equiv. of an Assoc. degree or Trade School. I think that's weird, because your entire life hinges on tests they take at 11. From what I understand those who go to the regular school can apply to go to Gymnasium, if they think they want to go university (which the gov't pays for BTW), but the tests are difficult. You can tell by the jobs adults have where they went to school. Mechanics, garbage men, electricians, etc, went to trade school. Shop keepers/owners, administrative assistants, accountants, lab techs, etc, went to the regular school (remember they have an Assoc. at the end of school) and doctors, lawyers, scientists, etc. went to Gymnasium. I find this system fascinating. BTW, they do 13 years of school, not 12. The final year is a review year.
As a teenager I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Heck, I'm in my 30's and still haven't got much of an idea what I want to do with my life.
Cub Scout Parents-what do you think of the new year round program
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I am chairperson of my son's pack and AFAIK year round meetings are optional. Our pack is not doing meetings during the summer, but we will be scheduling 1 fun event each month (plus 4th of July ceremony participation if they like). We're a bit different though as we live in Europe and many families travel heavily or go back to the states for 4-8 weeks over the summer. I think if you didn't go to the meetings during the summer it wouldn't be that big of a deal.