justasque
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Posts posted by justasque
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I haven't read every word of the thread, but I had to jump in and mention my *favoirte* cookbook series. The first one is called "Clueless in the Kitchen", and there is a baking one and a vegetarian one too. All three include basic recipes for simple dishes, from scratch. Things like roast chicken and mac cheese and chocolate cake with frosting. Quite a variety, really. Nothing super-exotic, using easy-to-find ingredients.
It's actually sometimes quite hard to find a *simple* recipe for things, like when you want to make something for the first time and you don't want a fussy recipe. This book is also good at telling you how to improvise, and when you can skip something without ruining the dish.
I use it *all the time*. It's *better* than Joy of Cooking, I think, for a new cook.
Some Amazon reviewers don't like the writing - the author kind of jokes around a bit. It doesn't bother me at all - makes it kind of fun, IMHO, but it's not for everyone.
This isn't a kid's cook book - it's more for teens, college students, and young adults. Or anyone who learned to cook using things from a can or box, and wants to learn to cook from scratch without getting overwhelmed with gourmet recipes or a huge list of ingredients.
http://www.amazon.com/Evelyn-Raab/e/B001K8V10E/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
I think it's the best of the young adult cooking books I've seen - better than "my apartment has a kitchen", better than "See Dad Cook", better than the "junior" cook books aimed at kids.
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I have used the worksheets at the above link to review Algebra with kids who needed to test out of it upon entering high school. The worksheets go with a particular text, which I like, but you don't need the book for this. Basically, for each chapter in the book, there is a 2 page worksheet. Ignore the first page entirely. On the second page are sample problems, with the answers. Go through the worksheets for all the chapters - this will give you an idea of what kinds of problems may be covered, and where your strengths and weaknesses lie. THEN you can go on to one of the sources previous posters mentioned, and target your work to the areas where you need review.
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<waves to NanceXToo>
I once belonged to a homeschool group that had only one rule - that each family had to organize *something*, field trip or event, once a year. It was completely up to each family what they wanted to organize, when they scheduled it, etc. If you were interested, you could go, if not, then no problem. (I think one family did a newsletter or something instead of a trip.) It was a good rule for the size of the group, and we had a wide variety of events because of the variety of people who planned them. A very low-key, low-stress group. Doesn't work for every group, of course, but a neat idea.
Also, once you've organized something yourself, if you go on someone else's trip you have a lot more respect for the organizer and her time/money. This kind of "cross-training" experience can really strengthen a group - everyone learns how to organize an event (so you're not relying on one person to do it all), and everyone cuts the organizer a break when things don't turn out perfectly. And, even though I organize a ton of field trips each year, I *love* going on field trips when I'm not the organizer!
It *can* be a difficult year if your "field trip day" doesn't match your friends', but it can also be an opportunity to reach outside your group and meet new people, or do things on a smaller scale with one or two other families rather than a whole entourage of kids.
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There is a lovely old movie of the book. One of the few (until recently) that includes a nursing baby (at the end).
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First rule of volunteering - it has to work for your own family.
Bow out (nicely). You can't do the job as well if you're not on-site day-of-show. Other moms will understand. You do NOT need this hassle. And next year, suggest that each of, say, 8 families schedule ONE field trip, to share the load.
If a few compatible families can do Fridays, do go ahead and offer what you've already planned, even if you do so outside of the formal group structure, because it's what your family needs.
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Don't beat yourself up about not calling 911. It probably goes to your local police, who you called directly anyway. DO continue to push the issue about the number(s) not working. You may or may not have saved this one but it will help the next one for sure.
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I make mine during the day, and then keep it in a tupperware in the fridge. We have staggered morning times here (different work/school schedules). People can reheat in the microwave as needed (or eat it cold!). It's often eaten as a snack, too. No need to freeze - it lasts a few days. I got a smaller crock-pot so I could do smaller batches more frequently, to keep it fresh. I usually do an apple/raisin/brown sugar/cinnamon recipe. I have found I don't need to peel the apples, which speeds up the prep. I always use milk as the liquid, as that's how I grew up - hate that watery stuff.
I'd love to hear about other fruit combination possibilities - has anyone tried peaches? Plums?
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I second the B&J book suggestion. Their recipes are *perfect* - they know *exactly* how many chips or strawberries or whatever you need to make each flavor just right. They have recipes for everything you'd ever want to make.
And I also suggest a Weight Watchers membership to go with it! (That was my experience anyway - those recipes are *good*!)
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I'm all for reading trade books for literature and history, and taking an interest-led path with it, especially for kids who are self-directed readers. For youngers, this and some math games and some field trips could be a whole year's education. But your kids are not "youngers". The 12 year old could swing it, somewhat, but the 14 year old is really at the age when choices made now have a big impact on one's future options. So I'd include a wee bit of writing, and some math (challenging even if informal/relaxed), at minimum.
I think it's useful, especially in the middle school and high school years, to make use of opportunities to give presentations and to write. These are skills that are used in almost every profession, and in college. In the elementary years, I'm OK with using "reading good literature" to get a feel for the language and how to use it, and not doing much *actual writing*, as my "writing program", but for older kids I really think they have to actually *do* some of it. It doesn't have to mean five paragraph compare/contrast essays - there are lots of other writing formats. But it does mean organizing one's thoughts, keeping one's audience in mind, ideally some form of citations of facts, and the basics of using good spelling and grammar. This could mean anything from journaling to blogging to internet chats to making one's own newspaper to writing letters to the editor or letters of complaint/praise, to writing grant requests for a non-profit, and so on. But to be an educated person, and to be a parent with the skills to advocate for one's child when needed, I feel one must be able to write reasonably well if/when the situation requires it. So I'm fine with no formal program for writing, but I'd want *some* writing to have taken place during the year for kids at that age, even if only a few pieces for "portfolio fodder" (if your state requires such things). Could you wait until college to learn this? Yes, but college is an awfully expensive place to learn high school level skills. If your kids are already natural writers, then this is less of an issue for me.
For the math, again, I'd like to see math of some kind done regularly. Math is a lot like playing a musical instrument or learning ballet. It involves skills that need to be practiced. I don't believe that everyone needs the full Algebra I - Geometry - Algebra II - Calc/Trig sequence. But it really bothers me when I see sloppy math out in the world. Examples: Business people (or household managers) who work very hard but don't realize that, although lots of money is coming in, lots is also going out leaving very little profit (for business) or margin (for households). (Ditto for those running non-profits or church committees.) News people who think that if a thousand people go to an event on Monday, and a thousand go on Tuesday, and a thousand go on Wednesday, then three thousand people have gone to the event. (Check out "A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper for more of this kind of thing.) People who are swayed by misleading statistics. And so on. So much of the lives of parents and business people involves money, understanding statistics (chances of harm from vax vs. chances of harm from the disease, for example (not advocating either way, just saying that one needs to understand a bit of stats to understand the research as part of one's decision making process)), and so on. And each profession has its own specialized math needs - population information for naturalists (statistics! ratios!), geometry for sewing and carpentry, and so on. Plus as others have mentioned, looking towards college (assuming that's a path you're on), you really need to have the basics of math or your choices will be limited as to major/profession and school. I'm thinking here mainly of your 14 year old.
I've heard the arguments that kids who need math will learn it when the need arises (almost always from people who have only young children), but I don't think it's realistic for older kids to learn, for example, a year of algebra in much less than a year, and who wants to wait a year (or more) to be able to continue with one's plans? In other words, one may not always have the *time* to learn it when it's needed. And while that's true of things like playing the piano or learning ballet too, and if your kid isn't taking piano and ballet lessons you're limiting their piano-playing and ballet-dancing choices somewhat, math is such a basic for so many paths that I'd be reluctant to drop it entirely for a 14 year old.
So I'm OK with no formal textbook (sort of), and I'm in favor of some "time off" now and again (such as summer vaca), but if your plan is to do casual math, then, assuming no disabilities, stuff like doubling a recipe once a week and calling it "fractions" just isn't going to cut it - it's going to take more of an effort on your part. (Which is not a bad thing, just be realistic about the work involved on your part.)
Another option to consider is to do a year of reading things like "How to Lie with Statistics", and "A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper", and some math history, and doing a bit of consumer math, and so on. It would be a break from your regular work but still be working on math-mindedness. Or consider a math class in the hsing community - having math peers does seem to reduce the agony for some, especially at this level, and takes mom off the hook.
So my two cents (which is just one opinion among many - you know your kids best!) is to go ahead with the text-free, interest-led reading - I do think this is the best way to learn things like history and literature and vocab and lots of other things - but to make sure some writing is happening and to keep math in the picture in some way to protect options later down the line.
Take what you like and leave the rest.
--mom of ds20, ds17, dd12
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How often does he feed? It is about every 3-4 hours but the last few days about every 4-5. I am going to start making him eat about every 3. ...have you seen an IBLC What is an IBLC a lactation consultant?
Like a previous poster, I suggest putting him to breast *at least* every two hours. Meaning two hours from the start of one feeding to the start of the next. There may be one longer interval at some point in 24 hours. Even a *good* eater/gainer really should be feeding no more than 3 hours apart, and this child may need more opportunities to consume food. *Offer* the breast frequently even if he's not asking, though of course you can't/shouldn't force it.
Other suggestions include lots of skin-to-skin contact, baby-wearing, rest and fluids for mama.
In addition, talk to your midwife or an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, or something like that) about factors in YOU that might be part of the problem. Do you have an undiagnosed/untreated thyroid condition? Are you on birth control pills? Have you been taking antihistamines? Any of these, and I'm sure there are more, are things that could interfere with your ability to make enough milk, and a competent health care provider treating FTT should take the time to explore this side of things with you.
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Not sure if it applies in your case, but I'd be wary of booking a flight so close to your due date. A due date is really a "due month" - 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after - so a theoretical 1 week old baby could end up being a "week before delivery" baby. Even with a scheduled induction/c-sect, minor issues can arise around birth that I would want time to address without the pressure of already-paid-for plane tickets. Is there any way you can allow a longer "baby-moon" for the two of you?
Also, sometimes travel goes smoothly and sometimes it does not. I've slept in more airports than I can count, changing gates every few hours, hauling our carry-ons here and there throughout the night with no idea when we'd be able to fly out of that airport. It's stressful enough alone, worse with kid(s), and I can't imagine the stress with a newborn. And whether it actually happens or not, I always feel I have to prepare for it, with food and drink and iapers and things to do and extra clothes and blanket-y pillow-y pullovers and our toothbrushes in our carry-ons. I pack assuming that I'll have to provide for all of us for at least 24 hours without help from airline staff, simply because it's happened to me that way several times. If you do travel, be sure you are prepared for whatever you may face.
I don't want to be negative, but I do urge you to think through the range of possibilities before making firm/expensive plans.
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OP, I've been in the same situation as you - my child participated once a week at the local gifted program. We have had various mix-ups, but I try to consider that we are the "odd ones out", and that sometimes communication won't be perfect, in either direction. They are gracious enough to over look my errors and our crazy schedule which sometimes interferes with my dd's participation in the class, so I try to be gracious enough to over look problems from their end.
I know it's hard to do that when you've gone out of your way and it's been for nothing. We've had our fair share of getting up early and driving to class only to have to drive back again 5 minutes later because class was canceled for some reason and no one told us. On the other hand, it's a great program that is a perfect supplement to our homeschooling, the teacher is excellent and very flexible, and I can often borrow materials from her not only for my dd but for any classes/workshops/co-op activities I may be teaching. My kid gets to hang out with gifted peers, do great hands-on activities that I'd never attempt, and go on excellent field trips. Plus, the class is free (except for our normal school taxes, which we'd be paying anyway, of course).
I find that it helps to double-check with the teacher just before any "special events" in case of changes, and to ask each week at pick up about the next class (time, activity, anything special they need to bring, etc.). I've had one or more kids in this class for over 10 years now, and it's been well worth it in the big picture, if a bit frustrating now and again.
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I have found that *using* the math facts really gets kids up to speed. My favorite method is to have them reduce fractions to simplest form. It gets at the times tables from another direction, and they are forced to see relationships in a different way. Once you start to "see" the 5's in 60, or the 7's in 21, you do get faster at going the other way. You are also forced to think about how the 60 could be 6 x 10, or 12 x 5, etc, since you have to "match" the factors with the other number (numerator / denominator) to see what they have in common.
I always let them break the fraction down little by little in several steps in the beginning. I do not make them figure out the greatest common factor - I just encourage them to start with *any* common factor they can see, reduce, decide if they're at simplest form, repeat if not. I find that you can count on kids' desire to do things in the least amount of steps possible (less writing! less time!) to get them to start taking out a four instead of two twice, etc.
Yes, it's slow at first, and I would NOT do this for a kid in a lower grade who is just getting started with the facts. (Third-grade-ish is too early for most.) But for kids who know the basic concept of multiplication, and are just slow with the facts, usually beginning-of-5th-grade-ish, it's a good way to get them thinking. I print out worksheets from the internet and have them do 10 or so problems a day. I start with easy ones, and get harder as they get better. You'd be surprised at how fast they get good at it!
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Start slow. That way, you can see how things are going, and adjust accordingly. I usually start math first, as that's the one where I really want to finish a certain amount of material by the end of the year. Add the rest a bit at a time.
Make sure to throw in some fun "back to school" (or "not back to school") events. We go to a local history/crafts/etc. festival every year, a curriculum sale & picnic, get together with hsing friends, etc. We also taper back gradually at the end of the year.
Plus, for a first grader much of what you're doing can be less formal anyway - you read bedtime stories, have playdates, play with LEGO, play board games, watch library videos, do sports, and so on, most of which you've probably been doing all summer long.
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Sand? Oil seems plausible to me, too. :-(
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Why can't I just think it's enough for a fifth grader who is a good reader with a strong vocabulary to read good literature? Why do I have this (irrational?) fear she's going to miss something big if I don't buy CLE Reading, Mosdos, or something similar this year?
It's enough. Don't kill it with formal curriculum. Get a reference book of some kind that lists literary terms, and informally go through it. For 5th grade, teach plot, and character, and so on, informally, so the kiddo knows the terms (if they don't already). Ask about what they are reading and discuss in the normal way that people do, when they've read a good book. Read a few of the same things, so you can discuss, in the way that people do when they read the same books. Consider asking a few other kids to create a book club. Ask them what that would be like. Try out a few ideas. Make it fun, not tedious. Maybe a sci-fi book club, or a historical fiction book club, or a girly book club. Or just a general one. Watch some Shakespeare, listen to some audio stories, have a poetry reading circle, make up your own songs, write stories. Whatever catches your interest.
IMHO, formal lit studies, *for a child who is an eager and able reader*, can wait until late middle or early high school. Getting a lot of reading under their belt is the best prep for later, more formal studies. Don't get bogged down in school-y stuff. This approach worked well for my kids, anyway.
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Put in a *little* bit of water, let it sit for a few hours, stir, assess viscosity, repeat if needed. Like adjusting moisture when making bread, a little water goes a long way, so don't overdo it at first. Poke holes in what you've got to distribute the water if it's soft enough to do so.
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After 20 years I have stopped keeping an odd sock basket. All socks are returned to their owners, paired or singles, and the owners can figure it out. I cannot tell you how good this feels!
We also do color coding for different people - one has mainly red socks, etc.
I use the dot system for shirts and pants. (One dot for oldest, two for next, etc.)
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I like to do geometry for math. Things like making symmetrical designs on Christmas cookies, building the Platonic Solids and decorating them as ornaments.
Christmas concerts and other performances (dance, etc.) for music & the arts of course.
Designing our own Christmas cards for art - OK I gave this up many years back but it's an idea. We've done lino cuts or just drawn a pic and had it copied onto nice card-stock.
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Babysitter Club. There are bazillions of them, they are not hard to read, and they are interesting to kids of that age. Not great literature but gets 'em reading.
I would NOT suggest Princess Diaries (suggested by a previous poster) for a 9 year old. Some of the content is YA - it's NOT the same level as the movie series.
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Couldn't you just use some other form of ID for this like a passport?
Yep. A passport pretty much fills every ID requirement I've ever come across. My kiddos used a passport for SAT's and other standardized testing, with no problem at all. They're expensive, but they do come in handy. A cheaper option is the new wallet-sized Passport Card, intended for folks who cross the Canadian or Mexican border on a regular basis. You can actually have both, if you want, and unlike a non-driver's driver's license (which in my state is only available at age 15+) there is no lower age limit.
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I am 48 and still have a baby tooth. Pulling these teeth is outdated practice. (I discussed it with our ortho, as ds is in the same boat.)
My experience was that most patients just accept what the ortho says without question. Once my ortho realized that we were interested in understanding and discussing his plan, and that we had goals/priorities that may have been different than his assumptions, he was very open with us and quite happy to take the approach that we preferred. If yours does not respond like this, then find another.
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The College Board has a procedure for kids who don't have ID's - I think they have to have a notarized affidavit with their pic on it. It's pretty straightforward.
Our state will issue a "non-driver's driver's license" at age 15 for about $15. Easy-peasy and much more widely accepted than a school ID.
My kids all have passports for any serious ID needs, as we have traveled abroad.
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It's important to consider that breastfeeding is the way things are supposed to work, and if mom's milk supply is low, it may indicate a problem with mom. For example, I've known two different women who told similar stories of just not having enough milk - trying their best, but by 3 or 4 months having to accept that they just couldn't produce enough, and weaning their babies. Both still felt sad about this - they would have preferred to have continued nursing, but they had tried and it just didn't work out for them. Yet both moms also mentioned (in a different conversation) that they had found out that they found soon after that they had low thyroid, and now were on thyroid replacement meds. What no one had told them was that low milk supply was a*symptom* of low thyroid, and that if someone had thought to check their thyroid when they were struggling with low supply, and put them on the thyroid meds, it would likely have solved their milk supply problems and they could have successfully nursed. Once they knew this, they were annoyed that their medical professionals had suggested weaning without testing for underlying problems.
Milk supply changes with demand. If baby keeps nursing, your body should keep making milk. You shouldn't "run out" or "dry up" until several *years* after the baby's born. (Remember in the old days women would work as wet nurses for other people's children.) Like you said, having your period can reduce milk supply for a day or two, but it should get back to normal soon. Is there anything else that could be causing problems? Medications, etc.?
SO - let's go over the basics. You probably know all this already, but it doesn't hurt to review. The best way to make more milk is to nurse. Sometimes it will feel like you don't have enough milk, and the baby isn't getting anything, but even if that's the case, the sucking is letting your body know it has to ramp up production. Keep nursing, to let your body know it needs to make more. Rest as best you can. Make sure you're eating reasonably well and drinking fluids, especially when it's hot out. Keep baby near, and nurse frequently. For some babies, that could mean about 2-3 hours from the beginning of one feeding to the beginning of the next. For others, it could mean much more frequently. Skin-to-skin contact seems to help.
Have you started solids? When the family is eating, put baby in the high chair and give him some food to play with. Little things like rice, or mushy things like bananas work well. Most of it will end up elsewhere, but a bit will make it into the tummy! As previous posters have said, I'd limit the formula to encourage nursing, but supplement with the solids. Remember that breastmilk is still the primary source of nutrition for some months to come.
You *can* lose weight when nursing! In fact, nursing burns quite a few calories a day! The book "Eat Well, Lose Weight, While Breastfeeding" is well worth reading. For many women, it's much easier to lose while still nursing rather than waiting until afterwords.
All that said - of course, if the other things in your life mean that you must wean, then so be it - you've done well to get this far. But if it were me, I'd not want to give up the many benefits of nursing this early if I didn't have to.
American Girl Retiring Felicity & Elizabeth
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I wonder if the goal is more to replace the *stories* than the dolls per se. Kirsten's story had a whole lotta death in it, if I remember correctly, which is probably historically accurate but perhaps doesn't hold so much mass market appeal.
Don't forget Mattel's experience with Barbie - there are *zillions* of Barbies, and collectors are never "done" in the way they can be now (to some extent) with AG (via eBay, etc.). The more different dolls Mattel puts out, the more they can sustain the sales, because folks can't get the current stuff second hand, if you see what I mean.