justasque
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Posts posted by justasque
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We like Lands End. I agree also with LL Bean.
Camping catalogs are another good place to browse.
I also find a wool sweater underneath works wonders. It doesn't have to be super-thick, just wool.
As a pp stated, they make all kinds of underlayers, which also help.
A wool hat makes a huge difference, as does a good pair of gloves.
Leggings and a long wool, corduroy, or denim skirt can be warmer than pants - two layers rather than one.
Good socks make good presents, and help also. I like polar fleece, others like Smartwool.
I like the pp's dh's suggestions - very wise.
I'd order catalogs from Lands End, LL Bean, Campmor, REI (do they have a catalog?), and perhaps Orvis.
Lands End's temperature ratings are a wonderful tool to get the coat you need.
Good equipment, well-kept, will last 10 years or more. Choose a classic (not trendy) style.
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I have a pack of dpns. Time to learn to use them!
They look crazy hard from an observer's point of view, but actually they're pretty easy. You're only knitting with two at a time, like usual, the rest are just mimic-ing the nylon part of a circular needle - it's more of a triangle than a circle with 4 dpns; a square with 5. I got started with finger puppets - small enough to get the hang of things quickly.
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Sounds like tics to me.
They are voluntary only in the sense that scratching an itch is voluntary. You can resist scratching it, but it takes up more and more of your brain to do so, until you have to do it. The best way to avoid an itch driving you crazy is to just scratch it and move on with your day.
Tics can get worse with stress or tiredness. We find them to be somewhat seasonal - they are worse in the winter and better in the summer. I don't know if it's because of sunlight or the more stressful schedule of the school year.
Tics move around - sometimes it's about the neck, sometimes the mouth, whatever.
The polite thing to do is simply ignore them. If you want to discuss them, please do so gently. If you don't get them yourself, remind yourself of the "itch" analogy to try to understand what they are like.
It is really not helpful to ask someone to stop their tic, even if it is driving you crazy to watch it.
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Thrift stores. They can be a bonanza for ties. Expect to pay $1.50-$2. EBay is another option, though you may not have time. I have no clue where you'd go to get new ones if not online. Except, now that I think about it, museum stores often have ties that relate to the museum's theme - like Egyptian themes for an ancient history museum, frogs for a natural history museum, etc. We have a large collection of novelty ties, including sports, history, animal, holiday, food, computer, board games, and cartoon themes. Our favorites are Tintin, Bayeaux Tapestry, Scrabble, and many of the computer ones. We particularly enjoy ones that look "normal" at first glance and turn out to be novelty when you look closer or if you "get" the reference.
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I'd try all the usual ones, plus mess around with case - e.g. Admin vs admin, or whatever your frequently-used passwords are. Good luck!
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Basically, look at the nutrition label for each ingredient. Figure out how many servings you're using to make the whole dish, and how much fat there is per serving, then multiply to find the total fat for that ingredient. (If you're using, say, flour, the bag might say the number of grams of fat for 1/4 cup; if you're using 2 cups in your recipe you will have to multiply by 8.) Then add up the total amount of fat for all the ingredients. Then divide by the number of servings. This is the difficult part - if you are looking for accurate numbers, you will have to standardize your portions.
So for dinner, if you make stew, you will have to decide if it's 6 or 8 or whatever servings, then divide into that many parts, then serve. It helps to write down the ingredients, calculations, and servings for meals you make often, so you don't have to do it each time.
You may be surprised at what you've been eating!
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Usually the default is "admin". Worth a try.
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Original Rx (or OTC) containers. Why put yourself at risk for issues, especially when traveling for work? If he only needs small amounts, he can ask the pharmacist to package accordingly.
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I always pack assuming that we will have a 24 hour delay a some point on the journey. It's overkill when we have a simple flight, but it keeps me very calm and confident when we do have a delay of some sort. I carry on a change of clothes for each person, including undies, in case of spills or leaks. Toothbrush and paste - I can't tell you how much fresher you feel if you've brushed your teeth, even if you've slept in the airport all night. Obviously, things for the kids to do. Easier in the age of the iPod - audio books are wonderful. Zip loc bags keep things organized and keep wet/leaky things under control. My kids all carry their own stuff, as much as possible for the littles. Gate-check your stroller. Let the kids navigate. "We need gate E-34, where should we go?" - kids can look at signs and so forth to figure it out. This keeps them occupied and helps them learn how to do it for when they fly alone when they are older. An oversized polar fleece serves as blanket or pillow in a pinch, and keeps 'em warm even if wet. Warn 'em not to joke during the screening. You get one quart-sized zip-loc per person - you can of course mix-and-match with toiletries for the family in one, food in another, etc. Note container size on the TSA site.
I over-prepare, but it is so worth it in terms of peace of mind, esp. when you have kids with you.
Note: food bought after security is *expensive* - like $3 for a bottle of water that would normally be 59 cents. Times the number of family members. Eek! Bring food.
If you can fly without checking bags, it's *so* much easier, but it's not easy to do with little 'uns.
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Depending on the student's circumstances, they may not have access to a computer at the time they do the work. As an example, my ds spends 2 hours a day commuting. He uses that time to do school work. I suppose some folks use laptops nowadays, but lugging one around all day, in an already-packed backpack, is not ideal. If much of the cc's population has similar issues, then it makes sense that the teacher not be a stickler for papers being typed. (Though one assumes they should still be formatted appropriately.) That said, if your child can and does do a properly typed and formatted paper, they're ahead of the game. Good job mom!
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Take it in 10th, even if you feel unprepared. There is absolutely no negative to this (aside from the small fee), and you will get a sense of what you need to work on. Take it in 11th - if you score very high, you could end up with scholarship money, both from the test folks and in some cases from colleges. (The money directly from the test folks is not that much, but the college money can be significant.) Even if you don't do well in 11th, you will be better prepared for the SATs. You can take them in the spring of 11th and the fall of 12th.
Study guides are available in most libraries - check one out if you want to get an idea of what the math involves.
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I have gone to a service for one of dh's work colleagues. As a pp said, I went for my hubby as well as for the family. It's ok if you don't know them. They will appreciate you taking the time to go. You don't need to speak a lot.
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I do not know anything about your situation. That said, when someone else is acting irrationally, or over reacts to something, I try to realize that it may not have anything to do with me. That person may be struggling with something completely different that I know nothing about; I'm just the one who got the fallout. It could be a mental illness situation, it could be family stresses they're not sharing, it could be they're wrestling with something like addiction, it could be illness or physical pain, it could be the loss (physical or mental/emotional) of a loved one, it could be a series of bad things that have happened to them and your issue was the final straw. Whatever it is, you can only control YOU, not them. Your friends know who you are, and why you've made the choices you've made. If you stay on the good path, and rise above, and be generous to others in your thoughts as well as actions, it will come out all right in the end.
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Sometimes, old cotton gets a bit of a smell, and a kind of vaguely slimy feel to it. No matter how much you wash it, it doesn't come out. I've seen it in sheets, and also in clothing. After some research, I found that it comes from the breakdown of the chemicals from a treatment used to prevent wrinkling. So "no iron" or "low iron" cottons may get like this after some time, even if the fabric is still strong.
I do not know if this is the case with your towels or not; I've never seen it in towels.
For us, an old towel goes into the "old towel" pile, used to mop up icky things (of which we seem to have many), then washed on hot/hot, soak/wash/rinse/rinse. Or, they may be cut up, edges serged, to be kitchen washcloths or baby wipes or whatever. Towels last a *long* time!
On the other hand, if my sister-in-law gets something icky on her bath mat, she throws it out and buys another one.
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Make sure the outlet it is plugged in to is not one that doesn't have power when you turn the light switch off.
It's either 1) door left open, 2) problem with electricity to the freezer (fuse blown, overnight power outage, etc.), or 3) problem with the freezer itself. Rule out the first two before calling in a repair/warranty guy.
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I would rather go with an audio version of the story. That way, he's getting the vocabulary, and the reader will use inflection etc. to help with understanding the older language. Plus you can listen together, pause when needed, draw or knit or drive or whatever during, etc. Some of that swashbuckling stuff can be really interesting on audio! We use our "car schooling" time for this kind of thing.
Vintage movie versions are another option in some cases - if I remember right, Elizabeth Taylor is in Ivanhoe.
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Any hobbies you and your dh share? Could you build a theme around those?
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I agree with previous posters. Check with your doc - this sounds like a hormonal imbalance of some kind. Meanwhile, help her plan for it - remind her when it's coming. Figure out whether it's better to reduce commitments on those days or otherwise simplify things, or if she's better among people. Make sure she gets enough sleep. Think about food choices that may make it better or worse. Review choices (talk about feelings, be by herself for a while, etc.). Reassure her that you will help her to figure it all out, and that you love her.
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My dd has episodes where she throws up over and over again. We have learned to give 1 tsp Pedialyte or Gatorade every 5 minutes. We don't wait until she stops throwing up, or hasn't thrown up for a certain amount of time, because we know she needs the hydration/electrolytes and will most likely throw up again regardless. Water isn't ideal, though it will work short-term. Hydration doesn't stop the vomiting, but it does prevent irritation and helps keep her otherwise OK.
When she feels better, we are slow to introduce solid food. Rice, saltines, bananas, applesauce, toast, and other easy-to-digest foods in small quantities are best.
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Seriously, though, I am not being smart alecky, I am genuinely curious...what do you do with a temper tantruming pre-teen?
Answering only because you asked, NOT to judge anyone's parenting. I believe that kids (and moms) are all different, and what works for one may or may not work for another.
Short term: I get really calm. Give her my full attention. Identify the feeling, to help her know I am listening and trying to understand. Tell her she is loved. Ask her if there is anything I can do to help. Try to get to the heart of what is bothering her - which may or may not be the "trigger" issue. Determine if her blood sugar is low. Consider possible hormonal influences. Is she tired? Has she had a crazy couple of days? Is she dealing with "growing up" issues of one kind or another (such as issues with friends). (These don't excuse the behavior, but they are factors that must be dealt with.) Explain the boundaries. "I am willing to help you, but I don't want to be yelled at." Assure her that we will work together to deal with the problem(s). If she is mad at something I decided, identify the feeling, give her the space to talk about it, and share my own feelings about it. ("I really wanted to go to that activity too, and I wasn't happy to cancel, but <explain reasoning>.")
Long term: After she has calmed down from the tantrum, we discuss the behavior. I try to help her determine what triggered her loss of control. I want to help her learn to notice and mitigate the triggers *before* the behavior is out of control. I tell her she is loved. I ask again about her concerns, and see what I can do to address them now that things are calmer. I try to model the behavior you want from her in your interactions with others. (If we're talking 12 year old girl, it's time to discuss PMS - how to recognize the mood swings it can bring, and how to deal with them. I've found these PMS days can begin *months* before menarche. "The things you're feeling are real, but they can feel worse at certain times. When that happens, the best thing to do is to wait a day, and if you still feel the same, *then* address them calmly.") If it's social issues, we discuss the feelings, consider what the others are feeling and why they are acting the way they are, discuss the choices available and the possible consequences for each one.
I try not to escalate the conflict or turn it into a power struggle. I try to be super-calm. The more out of control the child is, the more calm and in control I need to be.
I ask myself how I would react if a good friend had a similar feeling/problem/behavior. My tween child is NOT an adult and our relationship is NOT the same as a friendship of peers, but it's a good exercise that often yields useful insight.
I hug her (when she's ok with that). Tell her she is loved. Listen to her feelings. Emphasize. Brainstorm solutions. Differentiate between feelings and behavior - it's OK to feel angry, it's not OK to tantrum.
I try to prevent tantrum triggers by considering sleep, blood sugar, crazy schedule, etc. in advance and taking into account her needs. I give my kids gradually more and more control over their own lives as they grow older.
I found "Raising Your Spirited Child" to be extremely helpful, as well as "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, and Listen So Kids Will Talk".
I have so many more tools in my parenting toolbox since I started to look at "discipline" as "teaching my child" rather than punishment. It has been *hard* to learn these skills - it's not the easiest path, but I have found that the skills carry over to other relationships, and it's been well worth it.
Not saying this will work for every kid.
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Another thought - the AGs hold their value, and can be resold on eBay for a fairly decent amount, whereas the Target version has pretty much no resale value. Either way, there are a lot of options for clothes that are cheaper than the AG catalog. There are free patterns online for some of the historical outfits. We've also enjoyed making cookies, brownies, and donuts out of sculpy/Fimo for the dolls, modeled on the AG ones. (Frankly, I like ours better!)
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Update!
The meeting with the parents of the bride went great! They were very open to the menu suggestions. We have changed the menu to include:
apples, grapes, and pineapple (Bride's favorite!)
Cheese and crackers
veggie trays with dip
punch, tea, and water
Cake
Many wonderful ladies from the church are pitching in so it is all coming together nicely.
We have added a lot of extra chairs for guests too.
I do have a punch question - if all the ingredients are kept chilled until serving, do you think we still need an ice ring of some sort?
Thanks!
Sounds like it is coming together nicely! I'm guessing the bride & family are happy that you've thought it all through - sometimes that's the hardest part!
As for the punch - I think it depends on whether you are putting it all out at once, or if you are keeping the ingredients in the fridge until serving. For example if you put out a bowlful, taking just what you need for that bowlful out of the fridge, then when you need to refill getting those ingredients out of the fridge, and so on throughout the event - then I think it's ok to go without ice.
Enjoy the event! Make sure you have lots of help with serving/refilling! The menu sounds *much* better now!
Door slamming part 2
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I think this is a *wonderful* solution. Rather than punishment, dh and dd can use friendly competition & humor, plus share strategies so they can *both* get better. It's a solution that treats your growing dd more like a responsible person and less like a child, which hopefully she'll appreciate (not that she'll mention it :)). Good luck!