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LisaKinVA

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Everything posted by LisaKinVA

  1. LegoManiac has his 2nd committee meeting tonight to go over his Eagle project (status report). He is still meeting with various people to nail down what he can and cannot do during the project (He is renovating a sad dog park for the Italian/American community). Because there are different people involved (park owners, park manager, park public works manager, US Navy representative), he has to get multiple people to sign off (or not) on the part of the plan that they oversee. I've been reminding him to log his meetings (date, who he met with, what they discussed, and the time). I'm trying not to be overly involved -- but more of a sounding board. I've got enough to do! He has just three more Eagle badges to finish up...Family Life, Cooking (all he needs to do is COOK), and Citizenship in the Community. All three of these are so close to being complete... PokeMan just earned his 1st class. He is miles away from Star, though. He finally received his first merit badge (Art), which he actually earned last March. He still cannot seem to remember to get things signed off on. He has about 8 merit badges open, but really needs to finish up 6 before the counselors leave. AHG Trailblazers...Boo is earning her beads as a Pathfinder, PonyGirl is finishing up her 6th Pioneer Badge, and Blondie is wrapping up her Level Up Award (video), and a few more badges. PonyGirl will be working on her level up requirements to Patriot over the summer -- helping to organize events, etc.
  2. I think Mrs. Mungo is responsible for the infatuation with Mike's :)
  3. I looked older...now look younger. Although, I think the person at church asking me what grade I was in, when I was 23, based her assumption that I must be young on the fact I was standing next to my much younger brother he was 13 at the time and not 5' tall. When I was 30 and pregnant, people thought I had just graduated college. At 40, people thought I was in my early 30s. Today, I can pass for 40, and my mom can pass for my sister. If I would exercise more, wear my contacts, and make up, I could probably pass for mid-thirties.
  4. My oldest 3 were very driven and self motivated at a young age, my youngest two are anything but. My 8 yo does desire more one on one time, and will work harder if she's with me. My 6yo works no harder with me than on her own. She would just rather play. Both of these girls like a set end to their work, and do the minimum. I'm not pushing either one, but do have special rewards for reaching accomplishments. My older three were way ahead by their ages...but they drove themselves. My standards are no different (certain amount of time reading/listening, memory work, math work), but their pace is.
  5. No, you don't have to move to a more "textbook" approach. I'm not familiar with AO, but the main things you want to focus on would be more writing (not necessarilly longer papers, just more frequent papers...my high schooler writes a paper in English every 6 weeks, and a paper in history every week). I don't know anything about LoF Grammar, either -- but the transition in high school is more on a use of grammar than huge chunks of time studying it. I'm using Michael Clay Thompson's Magic Lens and Word within the Word for grammar review -- and really focusing on vocabulary and use of the grammar through composition. I'm also using Killgallon to help reinforce grammar and variance in writing styles (kids tend to get bogged down with very basic stuf). I don't use IEW, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. For science, you may want a more "traditional" path, simply because it's a bit easier to navigate. Which science he does should be based upon math level and interest (there are some very recent threads here on science that will point you in the right direction). Math...I'm sorry, I don't know what CTC is, either. I have Fred, but we don't use it as a stand-alone. My older son has done better with a bit more direct instruction. Some love Fred at this level, some hate Fred at this level -- but there are lots of solid math curriculums to look at as well. (Jacob's, Forester's, Lial's, Chalkdust, AoPS...just scratching the surface). Where your son needs to land in math will depend upon your goals/his learning style and his interests. It will be okay... I promise :D
  6. And with reading this, I've decided not to sweat it, and simply make myself the teacher of record for everything...and every other tutor/lecturer instructor supplementary. I don't have time to worry about NCAA approval for children who may not even need it. If making myself the teacher of record gets me around this approval nightmare, count me in.
  7. And this is why I have several different types of math curricula...haha
  8. I am planning to only count foreign language, science and math courses prior to 9th grade. I wasn't planning on using them for high school credit -- is there any reason I really *need* to include grades or credits? (I am keeping their lab reports from the science courses, and do have grades, if someone wants to see them).
  9. I would ask the groom about it...and then pretty much leave it alone. The "Have you thought about...or I was wondering about your brother X" I've had people make assumptions about what I would or would not do, and simply not ask me. It was a bit hurtful to be the one person left out -- without a clue as to why. And then you show up to the wedding, and everyone wonders why you're not part of it...it was beyond awkward. Yes, I was busy...but I wasn't so busy I couldn't make time for the wedding! I've had people PLAN things for my wedding without asking me, and yeah, that majorly ticked me off -- because there was no asking, I found out about plans because I received an invitation to the said, planned event. Making plans for the bride and groom goes well beyond a simple query.
  10. We are in the final stretch. I have only 8 more bins/boxes of stuff to sort through! However, my bins/boxes are taking a backseat to the spring yard clean-up. I have bagged 8 large leaf/garden bags with leaves/brush and grass clippings. I think we are maybe 1/4 of the way done. I did get the new flowers planted out front. I found my big loppers...but they are a rusted mess. I still have a lot of pruning and still a lot of grass to rake up and bag...then I need to feed the lawn, add new dirt to holes, patch some of the grass, and more planting in the back garden area. I have two more boxes of stuff heading to the Thrift Store...and our junk pile for pick up is nearly complete. I want to get the front yard done so we can open the pool (don't need all of the tree/plant pruning/grass mess to wind up IN the pool! I estimate we will be finished with the major de--cluttering, clean-out (and yard work) by the end of May :D Woo-hoo!
  11. For literature, tests should (imo) be essay/discussion related at the high school level. You can use something like Spark Notes or Cliff Notes, as well as some free resources on the internet to come up with some good questions. The idea is to have them grapple with the literature and themes in the literature rather than regurgitate facts (the protagonist was, the antagonist was...). For history, there are several shorter papers during the year (at least one per month), as well as mapwork. Since older son will also be preparing for SAT Subject Test, and maybe APUSH, we may incorporate some of the practice tests into my testing strategy, or use some review materials to create a testing framework. There will be some map studies tests, but again, most of the tests will incorporate essays -- although some general knowledge fill-in-the-blank (mostly) will be expected. I don't create good multiple choice tests. They seem to be the easiest to screw up (answers are either too hard or too easy to distinguish). In math/science, the best advice I received was to take an Old Edition text (or a different text) from what is being used and use questions from their review/chapter tests/practice sets to create my own tests and quizzes. This doesn't work for science for BJU/Apologia/Abeka sciences though...because the scope & sequences of these texts vary substantially from their secular counterparts. Anyhow, that's my plan.
  12. I think we have a running theme...I schedule time, not the books. I have learned that I may need more books than I anticipated. DD finished pre-Algebra in 3 months, but we switched to Foerster's for Algebra 1, and she's done on-line courses in Algebra 2 and Geometry simultaneously during 7th. So...we're going back to AoPS, going back to Introductory Algebra & Geometry (I can see her getting through both books before September), and then she'll self-pace for Number Theory/Counting & probability and Intermediate Algebra, with a goal of being ready for Pre-Calculus in 9th. I don't know at this point if we'll use AoPS there, or if we'll use Chalkdust as the main and AoPS on the side. She's my only child to really use AoPS. I tried out the pre-Algebra with younger son...and he just hates math/logic puzzles. HATES them. He enjoys math, but doesn't enjoy discovering it THAT way. Oldest ds was the same way. Worst case, we'll have AoPS as a resource.
  13. My PonyGirl will be in 8th grade next year...I've already listed what she's doing in general in my siggy (reflection of my desire to be FINISHED with this year!) Bible: Explorer's Bible Study English: MCT Magic Lens/Word within the Word, WWS3, Killgallon Literature: World Literature 2 (not listing every book...but a variety covering time periods from Renaissance to Modern Times) History: World History 2 (2nd half of The Human Odyssey vol. 2 and all of vol.3), various lectures, and more books...because...she reads a LOT. Math: She's already completed a "regular" course in Geometry and Algebra 2, so we're going back to AoPS for a bit more depth. She'll be doing Introductory Algebra, Geometry, and probably beginning Intermediate Algebra (I expect that Introductory Algebra and Geometry will be fairly easy at this point, but want to get back to AoPS without too much of a shock...I wouldn't be surprised if she finished Intro Algebra/Geometry before September). Main texts will be Number Theory and Counting and Probability. That's all I can justify planning...but if history is any indication, I may need to get the Intermediate book, too. My goal is to hold off on pre-calculus until 9th. Science: Advanced Chemistry -- we're following the course by Homeschool Connections. The current plan is to attempt the Chemistry AP next year. Since she's already completed Algebra 2 (once), the math shouldn't be an issue. She'll be taking this with her older brother (to save me time/engergy). If she struggles through it, so much the better. I'd like her to have to study for once :p And, if it doesn't go well enough for her to take the AP, well...she can re-take it in high school later. German: We're following the course outline from MIT, and doing it as paced. She is working with a native-German speaking tutor. We are hoping to be prepared for the German AP exam by the end of 9th grade. Italian: Duolingo, maybe Rosetta Stone (kinda money dependent...hoping I can pick up a copy from someone leaving early, we are surrounded with native speakers, but her focus is really German right now). She'll continue doing art on her own, plus whatever other stuff she's interested in...she swims competitively, and is usually in 2-3 plays a year.
  14. What Sadie said is generally true. However, we have downsized from a 3400 sq. ft. house (not including the basement) to a 2700 sq. ft. house (including the basement). This house is much more difficult to keep clean -- and we have less stuff than we did in our 3400 sq. ft. house. Materials matter. Age of the home matters. Clutter/Storage matters. Layout matters. How you live in the house matters. The environment around your home matters. There are other factors besides size. Layout/Clutter Storage Matters. With all of the rooms so concentrated, dirt gets everywhere faster. More people in tighter spaces do make the rooms dirty faster. My bathrooms are smaller -- and we lack good bathroom storage to keep things away. The bedrooms are smaller the "closets" are smaller. We left furniture back in VA that wouldn't make the trip, and still had some dressers break. So...we lack storage in the bedrooms. The rooms in general get cluttered up quickly, and are not easier to maintain -- because we use every square inch of this space daily. What is driving me crazy is not having adequate storage space to keep the clutter out of our living area (which is also the school room, the pantry, the play room, and adjacent to my husband's workshop). Italians don't build closets, and usually they move their storage with them...so we have to purchase storage :p Which is the main reason why my house drives me crazy. I can't "just get rid of the stuff" -- it's stuff we use. I've gotten rid of stuff we will NOT use or haven't used since we moved here -- including silver plate and fancy dishes we haven't used in 15 years...but they were wedding gift items, and books I've kept "just in case"). But, I'm still battling clutter, because I still need to spend about $800 on storage in my basement hallway, and I need another $800 for the kitchen Island/microwave center, and I need between $500-$1000 to finish the main room. I don't even "hoard food" anymore. But, since my kitchen lacks adequate storage, kitchen stuff spills down into our longer-term storage area (where the Christmas decor goes, wrapping paper, files, etc.), our longer-term storage spills into the play/living/workshop areas, and well...the daily used stuff takes up space it shouldn't. Materials Matter. I loathe glass showers...and Italians LOVE glass showers...glass showers are the WORST for easy maintenance. It takes me longer to clean the 4x4 glass shower in my bathroom than it did to clean the 5x7 tile shower in my home in VA. Style over function is what I live with on a daily basis...lets just say style does not mean "easy maintenance." I miss my butterscotch/chocolate glazed cabinetry. This shiny white stuff is for the birds (especially with 5 kids and a dog). And, you know how the sliding door gets when you have a dog? Well -- I have roughly-speaking 35 linear feet of "sliding glass doors" (they open, don't slide) on my main floor, not including 4 glass-panel sliding doors. Keeping those clean is impossible. Got radiators? More dust collectors! I had a wonderful HVAC system with a wonderful filtration system that really reduced the dust and allergens in our home -- even though we were in the country. My house did not get dusty very fast (even when they were building new homes all around ours). Here? GAH! It's everywhere...and it just keeps coming back! My tile back home did not show dirt. I have a white marble floor. It shows everything. I used to be able to get away with a quick spot sweep and spot-mop most of the week (except for accidents). Here? Even though my kitchen is literally half the size of the one back home, I have to clean it every. single. day. And, since the kitchen opens up to the entry hall and the main area...and the floor is WHITE...lets just say, you can't just stop at the kitchen door. If you just have more space, to have more space -- and you fill up that space -- yeah, it's going to take more time to clean ALL the stuff. If the more space means that you can move around your furniture, that your things have a place to go, and the materials you choose lend themselves to an appearance of clean -- you will spend less time cleaning. So, in my experience -- an easy-living layout, storage at least equal to your needs, and materials for function over style are much more important than the actual square footage you have.
  15. In other news...I found the spare house keys! In a never-used pocket of my purse (the purse I swore I removed them from over a week ago!).
  16. They could be like some of my things...stuffed by the movers in the Christmas boxes. I tore open boxes left and right looking for stuff, but it never occured to me to look in the Christmas bins/boxes, because *I* had packed those...apparently, the movers opened them and stuffed more things into them. I would have guessed that maybe you de-cluttered a bit too aggressively, but considering you *have* the ones you don't much like, it's odd...they probably just got moved and hidden under something else, in a perfectly neat and tidy manner (under a neatly folded sweater, or in with your pretty, but hardly ever worn jammies. Now...if I could just find our spare house keys!
  17. To simply do the literature course, you need the student text. The TE has some good background information, and answers to the comprehension questions. I think the TE also has discussion questions, which you could use as Essays. I don't believe the discussion questions were in the student text. There are also literature quizzes and tests which you could do. The lesson plans are only important if you plan to use the rest of the 7th grade plan. The literature course does usually have 4 book reports included in the full lesson plan...you won't see that in the TE or student guide.
  18. Will do. Best wishes to you and yours. I know this will be stressful for all of you. Praying God will bring you the right people for this time in your life, and that His grace and power will be felt daily.
  19. Mostly, we make and sell food. Americans miss their favorite foods, and while Italy has some awesome food -- they don't really do other "ethnic" or "American" foods well. We have three caterers/bakers in scouts right now, so since we can't do food as a business for ourselves (legally, anyway), we can raise money for groups we're involved with! Last year, we were able to make food at our homes and bring it and serve lunch at the base. Pretty much, that got nixed due to new, high-level enforcement of the strictest food service rules I've seen. We have to use an "approved" kitchen -- and these kitchens aren't often available (or aren't in very good repair). That's the first hurdle. The next hurdle is preparing everything according to their "rules" (many of which are antithetical to cooking processes and the chemistry involved). So, since setting up to serve food was going to prove an utter nightmare, we decided on a "Dishing Up Dinner" theme night where people would pre-order a set-menu that would be prepared for pick up (pick up will begin at 4pm, 5:30pm and the last time slot will be 7:00pm). This gives us enough time to prep/dish-up/deliver to apartments or be picked up at our site. We rotate between South American/Mexican dishes (Enchiladas, Tamales, Empanadas), Chinese/Japanese/Thai, North Carolina BBQ, Fried Chicken/BBQ Chicken/Ribs. We make 200 dinners (one dinner serves four). And we take pre-orders only (pre-payment, if possible). Our cost per meal runs less than $10 -- we charge $20 for the meal (for pick up and $25 for delivery). It's one long day -- but we rotate trained people through prep and at least one caterer is on-site for each part of the session. Other parents/scouts show up around 3:30 and start loading up for the first round of pick-ups and deliveries...and we're done around 8pm. Most of the final meals usually go to the scout families themselves. I handle all of the paperwork (approvals/orders), money, food purchases, and volunteer sign-ups. I have a committee for the menus, and I have two other ladies, myself, and my husband who handle most of the recipes, prep procedures/kitchen organization and service prep. That's the major fundraiser. The food is good, people are happy, and it doesn't feel like begging! It also takes a lot of pressure off of other organizations who need to do other things (food isn't easy...if you don't know how to do it!)
  20. So despite bureaucratic red tape with people who don't understand cooking :/, and who can't seem to keep their information straight -- we've made excellent progress with our fundraising goals for the year. It didn't hurt that we raised half our budget for the August 2014-July 2015 year by November 5th...although some did question the plan at the time...haha Last year at this point, I had just learned that absolutely zero fundraising had been going on -- that we were looking at a doubling of camp fees -- and I had about 10 weeks to raise $7,000. This year, we already have $9,800 in the bank, and 500 euro in cash. We still have several fundraisers scheduled and should raise an additional $6-9,000 before summer camp. What this means is that we will cover the bus, cover the costs for the Scoutmaster Team, AND, each scout/adult attending camp should receive a $300 campership. Whew! After all is said and done, we will still carry nearly $7,000 forward and very likely easily double our budget for next year (That's assuming our monthly "Dishing Up Dinner" events continue to go well...). Getting the Boy Scouts into a standard fundraising routine opens up opportunities for our boys earning their Eagles, as well as all of the other groups vying for the limited fundraising opportunities on the base. I am very grateful right now! Of course, one of those Eagle projects belongs to my son...who will be renovating a "dog park" for the local US military and Italian community (at Carney Park). Right now, the dog park consists of grass and a fence. My son is working towards bringing a water fountain, changing the ground cover to something more durable (and easier to maintain), planting trees (for shade), installing some benches, and creating some interactive aspects (tunnel/hill, rock garden, hoops/agility things). The K9 group is helping with ideas for this, as well as the local pet organizations/German Shepherd Club. This is not an easy project...nor will it be cheap. Mamma has her work cut out (because we all know Mammas earn the Eagle along with their sons!)
  21. I'm only going to refer to the three dogs I've had as an adult: Brothr's Rorder Collie/Husky Mix (would snap at toddlers -- not frequently -- but usually, it was because the said toddlers were playing rough, and the dog couldn't get away. Never bit.. My Cocker Spaniel -- never snapped at toddlers -- when the kids got to be too much, she'd run off to my room and crawl under the bed (my room was off-limits to visiting nieces and nephews). My German Shepherd -- hasn't snapped at toddlers, but has snapped at tween-aged boys -- usually because they are jumping around and shrieking or chasing my smaller children (in play), While we have trained a LOT with "soft bite", and she has never bitten anyone, the shrieking/jumping/running around really kicks her prey drive into high gear. And, frankly, that can be scary for anyone! So -- we just don't allow her out by herself when the kids and their friends are running around. Some of it is also protection-instinct (keeping kids away from the pool, etc.) She was bred for instincts (bred under the German system -- both parents were very well bred/trained). Thankfully, she IS easy to train, we just haven't gotten all the way through protection (still finishing up advanced obedience/shutzhund I). Her protection instincts are pretty intense. BUT, at least she doesn't bark at cars, people or other animals walking past our house...unless the tweenagers up the street are taunting her through the fence, or the Yappy dog is walking by...she's a great dog.
  22. 3 could, 2 could not, one with speech delays (significant delays), is just at the beginning to really sound out short words.
  23. Brings back memories of the fall! Hope everything goes well for your kids!
  24. There are times violence does solve a problem. I've seen it throughout my life.
  25. Nope... one grandparent (the one more interactive) was the "old" grandparent (in her 60's when I was born), other grandparent was in her 40's when I was born. The younger grandparent was less-involved. At mid-60's there is a huge difference at what my parents (my children's grandparents) can do. BUT, my parents interact more with their grandchildren than my In-laws who are about the same age as mine. When my parents first became grandparents (in their mid-40's), my mom could physically still get on the floor (but getting up took a bit of effort). She spends time with her grandkids with puzzles, games, cleaning house, cooking & baking. She'll also help with school work, and she goes to swim meets, plays, etc. My dad (the hermit) watches from afar, but takes the kids out to garden/weed/mow the lawn, etc. He will nap with the little ones. Totally different personalities. My mom DOES spend quite a bit of time talking with my children...but she's the *only* one. My MIL...she crows about spending time with her grandkids, but brings her laptop, will sit and do her Bible study alone for a few hours, then work on business, or whatever, talk about her other grandkids, and generally ignores my children (she'll occassionally make a big to-do about baking cookies -- which has literally become slice and bake refrigerator cookies, otherwise, she has to "go" somewhere SHE wants to go and drag the kids with her). She does not talk to her grandkids...well, unless it's about buying them something, she MIGHT talk to them about that...but it's usually, "I bought X or Y for your cousins, it's really popular, don't you think you'd like one, too?" Not, an open-ended, what are some things you'd like for your birthday? My FIL watches from afar, or watches movies with the boys (son), will hold Blondie and Boo -- occassionally will play Dominos (if we're at their house, he'll take them for boat rides or fishing). DFIL is not talkative. Grandparents are all different, just like parents are all different. I'm not a huggy-mom, does that make me a horrible mom? Seriously, I have 4 children who live for physical touch. I am seriously touched-out by the end of the day...and dh is a touch person, too. It is draining...do I hug them as much as they'd like? Probably not, but I do hug on them, and cuddle with them -- even though it makes ME uncomfortable. There are times, I just can't, though. We play now and then, but I'm sure they'd love more. But, I can't have screwed up too badly, as my teens come to me and talk, ask me things, share their interests and thoughts, and generally are very open with me. So...even though I'm not as huggy-or-interactive with them, we definitely have good relationships. Mom is serious...their dad, seriously fun.
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