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ThatHomeschoolDad

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Posts posted by ThatHomeschoolDad

  1. The summer after freshman year of college, a friend convinced me to join this little drum & bugle corps in NJ. Aa it turned out, that was the summer we merged with another litttle corps in Philly that DW had been marching with for several years.

     

    DW conspicuously borrowed my sunscreen for the whole summer, but as I was a rather thick lad, I didn't take the hint until near the end of the season, when we finally became a couple at the 1984 DCI Worlds in Atlanta. We were both 19, but kept it going as a long distance thing between U Delaware and West Chester.

  2. So, the school has a tent for her, and we do have a sub-zero sleeping bag for her. What else does she need to stay toasty in a tent at that temp? Would I be going overboard if I bought her long-johns and thermal socks... a nice warm hat too? Should she take an extra blanket? I 

     

    Long johns, socks and hat - yes.  Gloves, too.  And something warm but not constricting to sleep in, like sweatpants.

     

    Blanket - no -- it won't really do anything more than a good sleeping bag.

     

    As a kid I did winter camping and had a ground sheet, like a lightweight tarp, that was silver on one side to reflect heat. THIS looks very similar, although it's now called a "sportsman blanket."  What you don't want to do is wrap that around a sleeping bag lest you want to be soaked through with sweat by morning.  You could use a thinner space blanket thingie, except it will crinkle with every movement, and will likely rip.

  3. The WTM intro pretty much sums it all up:

     

    If you’re fortunate, you live near and elementary school filled with excellent teachers who are dedicated to developing your child’s skills in reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and science.  These teachers have small classes - no more than ten students - and can give each student plenty of attention.  The elementary school sits next to a  middle school that is safe (no drugs, guns, knives).  This school also has small classes; the teachers train their students in logic, critical thinking, and advanced writing.  Plenty of one-on-one instruction is offered, especially in writing.  And in the distance (not too far away) is a high school that will take older students through world history, the classics of literature, the techniques of advanced writing, high-level mathematics, and science, debate, art history, and music appreciation (not to mention vocational and technical training, resume preparation, and job-hunting skills)

    This book is for the rest of us.

     

    I would add a sentence or two about having a school not driven by testing, that has a deeply-engaged and active parent base, and that aligns with the physical needs of a changing student population (e.g. later start in high school, plenty of recess, etc.) -- maybe gender-segregated classes too.

     

    I'd put that all on a bumper sticker, but the teeeeeeeeeny text would be useless.

  4.  

    I'll also need to find a "Dummies Guide to Buying a Piano" at some point because I am in wayy over my head! 

     

    We got a huge deal on our piano by buying it used from a local university.  The sale was not well-publicized -- sort of an insider thing.  I think we got a flyer from another teacher.  Some (definitely not all) music departments regularly rotate out their practice room pianos and sell them to the public.  Ours was used for maybe a year or two and was in great shape.

  5. In interactions with PS parents from DD's activities, I'm struck by the constant parental complaining.  Maybe it's just this snooty part of the state, but a startling number of parents seem to be inconvenienced by having kids.

     

    I genuinely like to be around my kid, and she's a genuinely nice person to be around.

     

    That just seems so dishearteningly rare.

  6. I do as much organic as possible, and shop almost exclusively at Whole Foods and TJ's.  Whole Foods is mostly produce and meat on sale, the rest TJ's.  We go through 2-3 gallons of organic milk a week at $5.99/gal, plus a half gallon or so of soy milk.  the Greek yogurt with berries, and dh stretches the cereal w/ bulk oatmeal.

     

    TJ's is actually cheaper for a lot of things than the local supermarket.  It used to be that a full shopping trip was not complete until I hit TJ for most edibles, WF for the odd specialty item, my local HFS for great lettuce, or local honey or something, and the supermarket for foil, or toilet paper.  I've cut that down a bit.  Since we just got a new HFS, WF trips have become rarer.

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