Jump to content

Menu

mytwomonkeys

Members
  • Posts

    4,294
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by mytwomonkeys

  1. We live near Panama City Beach, FL. It's a cheap day of fun. We always go to the state park, which is absolutely beautiful, calm water & super clear (The Jetties at St Andrew's). I don't swim - but my kids and husband love too. I enjoy sitting with a book and chatting. We always pack a lunch & go with a few families. Very fun! :) We love Pier Park too. We can walk there from the beach and shop & eat -- then go back to the beach!
  2. From the White House http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/28/ukraine-accuses-russia-of-taking-over-airports-live-updates Wrong link. I'm sorry :) http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/president-obama-to-address-situation-in-ukraine-at-4-45pm-et
  3. I loved this post, Quill. You perfectly described my own little boy. And for what it's worth - he is a joy too :) Both of my kids are really quite amazing. My son's personality could not be any more polar opposite from my daughter though. Learning to understand what works best with him has been such a process. Although we've never spanked, I do remember thinking, "What is wrong with this child?" He was only a toddler and could get so angry & inconsolable. I went to another board (probably the same crunchy mama gentle discipline forums you did, lol) and I learned through suggestions, experience, and book recommendations how to handle my son. When I give him choices, I am giving him control of the situation. It isn't meant to be punitive. This has been a learned process for him to grasp that he can choose the outcome. Perhaps I'm not communicating that well to others here. Which isn't a big deal I suppose. I truly am doing my best to raise an amazing man. My goal is never mere "compliance", but to truly empower my little guy to be in control of his own body, and to live in harmony with one another. Our family can't revolve around my son's moods. So sometimes he simply has to suck it up and go with the flow. When at all possible though, I do try to help him. I know his triggers, and thank God, as he is getting older he is such an improved child. He still needs rest, protein, a schedule, transition warnings -- BUT he doesn't have a meltdown when those things don't always work out. With maturity, he is becoming reasonable when he is upset. When he was younger, he was never (ever) reasonable until he calmed down. I don't think anyone would peg him for having anger issues now, ever. But I think that has been a journey to get to this point & I think he is still learning everyday. As am I :)
  4. I thought I "owned it" pretty well. I think it's a bit arrogant of you to say we perceive our children differently. I've given you the benefit of the doubt that you love your children and respect them. Please do the same for me.
  5. But you give consequences, whether natural or logical -- so discipline exist. Saying a child loses privileges isn't negative for my family, so sharing about it doesn't bother me.
  6. My son homeschools. If he ever wants to attend public school, I totally support that. My daughter is in middle school this year and loving it! We don't "not-school" though. That is not an option at all, regardless of how my son feels. So if he were to refuse to do school, he would lose privileges. And that is definitely his choice. Not to mention, he sits in his pajamas, eating food & cuddling me during school. I hardly feel bad for my little guy. I agree that semantics is at play in this thread.
  7. I would tell them I wasn't cool with that & I like the Upward devotionals. If they want to have a relationship with the kids and "check in" with them, great! But it doesn't have to be one or the other. They can certainly do both. My son's basketball season just ended & he loved it. We always enjoy Upward here!! :)
  8. Depends on the venue. I just saw "The Sound of Music" tonight at the community college. I wore jeans. When I go to the fox theater in Atlanta, I dress up a bit more :)
  9. Well, I consider my husband and I on the gentle discipline spectrum. We don't hit our children or shame our children. Having said that, my son can be difficult and quite explosive (although he is like a different child the older he gets - doing so much better!) I just wanted to mention a couple of things that help so much with my son's personality. He does best with a high protein breakfast when he first wakes up. He does best with a schedule (it's written on our blackboard). He does best when I'm able to give him countdowns to an upcoming change (telling him school is going to start, tv off, time to shower -- whatever - he does best with a heads up. Transition is hard for him otherwise). Hunger and being tired were triggers for him, especially when he was younger. I just thought some of your examples sounded like stuff I've been through with my son before -- maybe sharing what has helped him would help someone else I really won't go into how I would discipline in the situations you mentioned. I guess some would see removal of electronics (my son's love) as a punishment. I see it as his choice though. Anyway. I wouldn't be very helpful in answering :)
  10. I do think BJU has a lot of repetition. It wasn't a bad thing for us, but each year was definitely very similar. We used the go-along dvd's while using BJU, which I loved. I also loved that it included both grammar & writing. My favorite part was the bi-weekly rotation between the two. We switched to IEW mid 5th grade simply because we were ready for a change. It wasn't necessarily BJU, I just was feeling burnt out across the board. SWI-A was very user friendly. Even without watching the TWSS, I understood exactly what my role was as the parent. My daughter loved the simplicity of the program & found Mr. Pudewa humorous and enjoyable to watch. She did very well with the program and finished it by that summer (before entering the 6th grade). Really, both programs worked for my daughter. They are really very different though, so it comes down to what works best for you. I think if you go with IEW, SWI-A is great for an upcoming 4th grader. It was a wonderful introduction to IEW and really held our hand through each step. :)
  11. I'm glad I missed that thread :( I remember seeing one here with a video of a mother torturing her young son with hot sauce and showers. It traumatized me. I just thought the video shared here was giggle worthy because I took it for what it was worth, merely tongue in cheek nonsense. I don't spank my kids ever or try to creatively punish them at all. Had I seen the thread about hot sauce, I might feel differently too :( I understand the negative responses better now.
  12. I have used both & like both programs. They are very different programs though. Very. BJU is very traditional and will keep your child on track (or where I live, even above) a brick and mortar scope & sequence. IMO it definitely prepares a child for writing on the standardized test or transitioning from homeschool to PS. IEW follows a keyword outline, and IMO, it was a nice break after three levels of BJU. My daughter grew as a writer with IEW as well. We used BJU grades 3, 4, and 5. We used IEW SWI A. My daughter is in public middle school now, so that is as far as we got. My son has used neither, as they would be a poor fit for his learning style.
  13. Like this: http://firstimemom.wordpress.com/tag/chore-chart/ (I didn't read the blog - just found the image on google to give you an example :) )
  14. I have chores listed on clothes pins & they're attached to a piece of cardboard on the left side. As my kids finish a chore they move the clothes pin to the right side. This makes it simple and doable. :)
  15. I thought it was funny. Clearly it was tongue & cheek and part of her comedic act. It was just playing on something controversial, as most comedians too. I'm pretty sure she isn't actually advocating that I shave my daughter's head or tweet her diary. :)
  16. My daughter started middle school this year. Really, she transitioned without any issue. Kids are still all over the map in middle school, so teachers expect it. I would say the only subject we had to work at in the beginning was math. Her homeschool curriculum was not up to par & put her behind the public school scope and sequence. It wasn't a huge deal, as we just watched youtube videos and did mini crash courses in the beginning to figure things out. She still made good grades. But really, that is the only thing I would have changed. As for handwriting, continue with the copywork. That will benefit her for sure. My daughter figured everything out. It wasn't as big as a deal as I'd anticipated at all. :). I was a nervous wreck too! Hugs. It's going to be much easier than you think!!
  17. Well. Answers will vary greatly. I'll tell you my goals though. :) My daughter homeschooled through 5th grade & my expectation for her was to be able to write a decent 5 paragraph essay. I expected her to be able to ace the writing portion on a standardized test. My daughter is in public middle school this year, so my goals for her were based on where she would be this year. My son is in 4th grade this year. We are currently working on strong paragraphs. Next year we will focus on essays. I'm considering the middle school classes offered by time4writing. He currently is taking their elementary paragraphs class & loves it. So, I'm considering the middle school classes next year, as I think he can handle it (we are about to start their elementary essays). We'll see though - a lot can change between now and then :) In your shoes, I would use what you have. Each of the programs you mentioned are excellent and used by many here successfully. I think grammar will sort itself out as you all continue to incorporate more writing & editing.
  18. I am praying for you, Geo. I had a frozen shoulder two years ago. It was absolutely horrible! My prayers are sincerely with you!
  19. My daughter usually has math homework daily. Aside from that, she studies for various quizzes and/or tests (but her teachers give her study guides). It really isn't bad at all. She's in 6th grade public middle school.
  20. Has anyone used these online writing courses? I would like reviews please. My son is finishing up time4writing elementary paragraphs. I'm also going to sign him up for their elementary essays course. I'm looking at something for next year that we can use, and there are no other courses with time4writing at his age. He really loves this format though, as do I. I was just wondering if anyone has used home2teach, as it seems like a good option for us as well. TIA
  21. I can't believe it never crossed our minds!! We never entertained the idea of how we would actually get the baby home. I rode in the backseat hovering over my poor baby wrapped in 20 things, as my husband drove 50 mph on I-75 through Atlanta, lol. We were totally ridiculous!
  22. Well. I called my mom from the hospital & asked her to come change my baby, lol. I was too afraid to put on a new outfit because I thought I would hurt her. When it was time to leave, my husband and I had no idea how to put in the car seat. The attendant at the hospital (who wheeled me out) was like, "I'm really not supposed to do this - but here's how you put the car seat in". I was 30 years old!! Anyway. We figured it out rather quickly, but we still giggle about how totally clueless we were!!!
×
×
  • Create New...