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ChandlerMom

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Everything posted by ChandlerMom

  1. Might be the year to spend a couple weeks on how tot ake a standardized test (yes, there are workbooks to teach you how to take a bubble sheet test, lol). If he's still into tests, then you could do a standardized one??? Test taking is an important skills, so I'd figure out why he's interested and find a way to use it to his advantage. Sometimes kids want a concrete thing like a test to show them they've mastered something, even if it is a weekly spelling test of math chapter test. If he has ps friends, he may want grades to know how he compares.
  2. I started history at that age with a 6mo unit on prehistory (big bang, dinos, evolution, geology). It was *supposed* to be 6 weeks, but we really enjoyed it and kept at it. Also, I didn't feel like my 6yo was ready to focus to make human history worthwhile, if that makes sense. Since her 3rd grade sis had already been thru ancients I didn't want to start it until they could both get something out of it, kwim? That 6mo or so really made a difference in dd's attention and tolerance (she doesn't cover her eyes during slightly scary parts of G rated movies now, either). So it can be a maturity thing, Now, we've started with SOTW as a read-aloud and a mix of other resources. I don't use the AG from SOTW, but pieces here and there from lots of programs/sources. DD loves it. At this age, they aren't going to remember everything, but if you focus on the progression -- from wandering to settling to farmers to villages to cities....that will stick. As with the projects (making ziggurats and stuff), even if they forget the names and relevance. It primes them for the next time they see it. As to sensitivity - I think ancients is less threatening than modern history. It's so different from how we live. Modern history is more "real" and is full of wars, slavery, etc. Sure, those things existed back then, but it is easier to gloss over and just not as....real somehow, so I find it is easier on the younger, sensitive kids. Plus death tolls in modern wars is measured in millions, but in ancients it was usually measured in hundreds or thousands. YMMV tho!
  3. Sounds like a lot of overkill to me. HO, K12HO, and CHOLLA (assumed you're talking about Classic House of Learning Lit) all are history spines. CHOLLA is supposed to be a pretty all-inclusive LA and history program, so you have copy work, narration, reading comp, etc. Maybe light on the grammar, so I could see KISS, but CHOLLA would probably be redundant with WWS. Are you planning to pick and choose a lot? I guess I would tend to go with ONE thing, maybe CHOLLA and KISS, and then add as you feel necessary. I'm choosing CHOLLA just because it is itself a LA spine. If you want to beef up history, add in K12HO for content or HO for more projects. Or use KISS and WWS with one history spine. Maybe you meant something different with CHOLL?? I guess it might help to know what you are trying to find and why you want to use them ALL. :D
  4. DH knows these things, but the kids apparently do not: 1) flush a toilet 2) separate their dirty underwear from their pants before throwing them in the laundry As to things dh doesn't know how to do either: clean a toilet before it is coated in red/green slime, clean a kitchen sink clean a bathroom sink I guess he knows HOW, it's just not on his radar to do until the bacterial ooze stands up and begins trying to communicate. :D In terms of things I don't know that (thankfully) he does: how to whip a room into order when company is coming. I get overwhelmed with what to do first, but he just gets it done.
  5. Be curious what you decided. I agree 30-days is too long and too arbitrary. I'm usually a stick to your guns and follow thru type, but on rare occasions I think it's ok to go to your child and say you messed up or want the punishment to be reasonable and ask him what HE thinks a reasonable punishment would be. I would have cancelled movie night. I agree you need to not just tell ds7 what NOT to do, but teach him acceptable alternatives, preferably by "using his words" -- even yelling in ds10's face, "I am SO mad at you right now!" You need ds7 to understand WHY he does it and WHAT he is feeling, recognize when it is coming on and use a sufficiently effective other way to express his angst. It needs to be something he can do himself and immediately, not "come find mom". I also agree this is a sign of a serious power imbalance between the boys that needs to be addressed. I totally disagree with the notion that "boys will be boys" and you are helpless to prevent shoving and punching arms. IMO it's BAD socialization since in the adult world those are called ASSAULT and can land you in jail. It's clear that your boys cannot currently HANDLE physical communication with each other. The fact that your older ds is bigger and less delicate than your younger ds only adds to the imbalance, so you need to stop it. I teach our kids that they are responsible for their actions and reactions, but I also discuss a lot with them how their behavior contributes to a situation and ask them how their teasing/whatever makes their sibling FEEL. Do they WANT their sibling to feel that way? I make them sit there and look their teary pathetic sibling in the eye and see what they did to them -- ask them to look at the upset child and verbalize what they see and who that person is feeling. I find this encourages empathy and a natural consequence. I also use the "you broke it, you fix it" approach -- if you upset your sibling, go make it better. This doesn't mean I'm "staying out of it", in fact I'm probably right there if it is serious, playing facilitator. But it means after acknowledging how their sib feels, asking what they might do to make them feel better? Of course, there's also teaching the younger child to have a thicker skin. But right now, it sounds like he feels powerless and victimized in his own home. You need to stop that as well as the choking. If that means your boys cannot be together unsupervised until they learn how to "play nice" then that's what you have to do. And by supervise, I mean being on top of everything they say and do. Good luck!
  6. Moving is tough, and your kids sound to me like they will be better off OUT of ps. IMO, kids that are shy or introverted need adults to help them learn the ins and outs on the child's schedule. In ps they tend to be the kid that ends up being picked on, teased, excluded, or such -- hardly things that will help! Check out local community groups and classes for your kids -- sports, gymnastics, MA, crafts...they are usually fairly cheap and give the kids a chance to get out and do interesting things.
  7. Hey, I'm (just) over 40 and took pre-Algebra in school! In my case, pre-A was the math class the more gifted math kiddos took in 8th grade while the rest where in "8th grade math". It wasn't just review, but review with an extension to algebra. In other words, we might do a fraction problem, then do the same type using algebraic variables. We were introduced to "x" and solving simple equations, even pairs of simultaneous. I guess it would have better been called "Algebra Lite" since we weren't getting the full on high school algebra course, either. It was more like a hybrid between 8th grade math and Algebra. Our classes didn't get "names" until high school. Then I took Algebra, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus. Yeah, again with the PRE-math! :rofl: If I'd stayed for a 4th year, it would have been AP Calc. @Tara: I think you nailed it -- in "our" day, Algebra was a high school subject, but now they start using symbolic math in 2nd grade (with pictures of kittens and sailboats instead of {x,y,z} ) and push algebra into late MS, so need a class to make sure arithmetic "stuck". Part of the repeat until all the kids in the class get it approach. ;)
  8. First I'd consider HOW she talked abtou everything -- was it bragging or not? If a person is going on about how much better THEIR kids/house/dog/shampoo is, they might be self-centered. Otherwise it's probably nervousness or lack of social skills. I don't think it has to be a personality disorder, ADHD/ADD or autism, though. Most introverts struggle with this. In my 20s I especially struggled with it. I wasn't talking to brag or because I cared to hear myself, after all I didn't LEARN anything NEW when I talked and so talking is actually BORING to me. I talked to entertain (usual self-depricating stories) or to be helpful or to try to find commonalities. I figured if someone had something they wanted to share they'd volunteer it. :lol: If I didn't know someone well, I rarely would ASK questions, since I didn't want to be nosey or make them uncomfortable, but I was hoping they'd WANT to tell me more. ;) I couldn't see the difference between polite smiles and people really enjoying themselves. Eventually introverts usually learn (at least the rules of the bizarre rituals) or decide to avoid extroverts who came up with these strange rules of communication. But don't worry, introverts tend to find extroverts equally frustrating. How come most extroverts can navigate the intricacies of a dinner party so effortlessly and yet be so completely clueless about their internal workings? :lol: "I don't know WHY I did that?" Oh, come on! And why can't you make those social cues a little more obvious? Are you trying to confuse introverts? <<being facetious here, but compassion and tolerance are always good things>> :D ETA: I do much better now, in part because my dh is sooo GOOD at reading social cues and when we were dating could non critically tell me what he was reading in a group. He's a very perceptive introvert. Maybe we need to form support teams or make adult remedial social camps for the socially inept. :) No one ever HELPS people with weak social skills, like they'd help someone with weak math or reading skills.
  9. I'm no expert, but I think the personal temperament matters more than the gender. I have heard it depends a lot on the breed, so if you have a certain breed in mind (or mutt from a certain group), I'd search on that or check the webpages/forums for the breed fanciers. Neutering nullifies a lot of this,and much of the opinion seems to come from dog showers with uneutered animals -- females are a PITA because you can't show in season (I understand), but they claim females tend to be "smarter" and more focussed at training than males. Females have a rep for being a little more independent. Again, probably not as important as the individual or the neutered dog, even if these generalizations were true. For mine, I read someplace a description I like (tho don't know if it is true): a female will love you, a male will be in love with you. :D I'd find the right dog, regardless of gender. If your dd really wants a girl, then consider that. I would consider any pragmatic over temperament bias when picking gender: neutering is usually easier and cheaper on males, even neutered males can mark, easier to predict where female pee goes, if you have more than one dog (or plan to get more latter), sometimes gender matters. Good luck!
  10. Any estimate when currclick might have Intellego for sale again? :D ETA: I mean, are the sales on a given curric frequent or rare?
  11. We have 3: 8, 6, 3. We only get one room and I wouldn't have it any other way. I wouldn't leave a child in a hotel room without an adult. I avoid the chains that charge extra for "extra persons", and usually go with the "kids free" type, but otherwise it's just not a big deal. Online I select for "4" and view it as a limit of the engine. I only need beds for 4, anyways. We usually set up the toddler on the floor in a makeshift bed of the bedcovers and a kid's sleeping bag (we bring). Works great. I do get rooms with 2 Queen beds. Sometimes we get suites or rooms with a fold out couch -- some have a separate bedroom and it's nice to put the kiddos there and we sleep in the outer room and can have the tv on, etc. You might see if there are other families from work and do some sort of trade for childcare, or see if there is any reliable babysitting service thru the hotel. I haven't done either of those, but they are options. Hotel room doors are NOT childproof, so it is just too easy for a toddler to wander.
  12. Havanese male named Sasha, Russian name in deference to the Cuban missile crisis. Plus 2 of my kids have a first or middle name derived from Alexander (as is Sasha).
  13. Thanks! Those are good ideas. I've tried before to implement partial changes and seem to burn out after a week or two. Usually because I forgot to put something on the shopping list, or left too many options. I like seeing what is really working for people. :) I think I will lay out a month plan (based on repeating themes for days of the week) and make my grocery list for the week, and stick with it. See how it is going after a month. Wish me luck, and keep up with the good suggestions! BTW, I'm also thinking of adding a hobbit meal -- we usually eat dinner at 4pm (early to bed, early to rise), but with dh's new work schedule, some days he won't be home until 5:30pm. I am thinking of giving the kids a mini-meal around 3:30 of the fresh fruit and veggies they usually eat with dinner (normally 3-5 different veggies just with dinner), maybe with some plain yogurt or a hard-boiled egg, if they are really hungry. Then dinner those nights at 6pm would be of the single-pot variety (maybe even just soup and salad) or the item from the freezer. BTW, I like the schedule where you have a planned "meal from the freezer" night since I'm good at putting stuff in the freezer, but not always good at thinking about taking it out! :lol:
  14. :iagree: Esp with the bolded parts. Any uncertainty was removed watching my 14yo niece with her first boyfriend over the past 9 mo -- DRAMA. Total distraction, not good for ANYONE. From a brain development standpoint, they just aren't set up to deal with relationships in a stable, healthy way. I think BF/GF/dating should be delayed until the person has a developed sense of their own identity and is ready to begin developing mature adult relationships with members of the opposite gender. Simply put, 10 going on 11 doesn't even come close. ;)
  15. ...every...day. DH took over most of the cooking a couple years ago when I was occupied with our last baby, but I just can't take another year of bland, unseasoned chicken chunks and soggy (unseasoned) sautéed veggies. The kids eat lots of raw veggies, but otherwise it's challenging to find something everyone likes (hence my dh's simple foods), but I'm ready to tell the kid who doesn't like it, go grab a yogurt and hard boiled egg from the fridge! :p I love to cook, but I just don't have the luxury of complicated dishes these days, and I'm tired of that deer in the headlights feeling at 4pm when I'm looking in the fridge and thinking, "What's for dinner?" It's the 3 meals plus snacks for 5 every day that gets me. I'm thinking of going with a day of the week plan (Wed soup day, Fri pasta day, etc) and am considering making some things in batches and freezing them. Maybe even just cook one lunch/dinner meal a day or dinners 4x a week or something??? I feel like I've forgotten how to do this! Help! What works for you? ETA: to clarify, we've got HEALTHY down, it's just well-prepared, delicious, variety of daily meals that has me flummoxed.
  16. If you can wait, the ipad3 should be coming out in 3 months or so. At that time there's a rumor that they may keep the ipad2 at a lower price. I got the 32GB ipad2, and like the extra memory, but we have lots of videos and such on it as well and it's rarely over half full. With the iCloud you can get by with less memory. I don't think I'd get the iPad 1 at this point -- buying 1 gen back can save money, but you'll shortly be a full 2 gen back and that can shorten how long the device is useful, so you don't save as much. In a few months you should be able to pick up a nice ipad2 for less than an ipad1 now. ;)
  17. I think these ads are horrible and ignorant. It makes people feel justified in their fat prejudice (after all, look how sad the kids are), and does nothing to improve anything. No surprise to hear the ads have a financial motive. Just sick. I fired my last Ped because she was lecturing us that my lean muscled, lanky kid with the immaculate diet and tons of exercise was in danger of dying from cancer, heart disease, etc because her BMI was in the 80th %ile for height. Mind you, she is in the 99th %ile for height and 85th %ile for weight, and the Dr was too ignorant to understand that her height meant the Dr was comparing her BMI to kids 2 years older. Just pathetic and ignorant. These ads are just more scare tactics and ignorance to make money and thin unhealthy people (there are a lot) feel superior. My niece is seriously overweight, partly from build but mostly because her mom is obsessed with being thin, to the point of being psychologically abusive (like making a 9yo weight herself naked every morning and calling her fat). But according to these ads, that's ok, right? Because we've got to do something and clearly shaming the fat kid has worked so well so far. As kids we did the same thing to the "fat kid" in school, the only difference now is we can pretend we're doing it for their own good.
  18. *bump* Has anyone seen this? I think I have things figured out, then find out a new edition is out! :nopity:
  19. I plan to hs all the way. If I felt the need to put them in "ps" it would be thru an early admittance program to a University or by taking classes at a CC. I still remember how shockingly different the social atmosphere is between high school and the Univ. In college, everyone is encouraged to do their own thing and you can find a dozen people with similar interests, whatever those interests are. Most of the jerks in high school either don't make it into college or join a fraternity/sorority (commonly called "high school 2.0" when I was in college). :D May not be everyone's experience, but watching my niece start to navigate high school...doesn't seem like much has changed, only gotten worse ala s/texting and FB.
  20. Apparently there is a new edition. ANyone seen it yet? Worth waiting until Amazon (free 2-day shipping) carries the newest edition? Any suggestions for which level for a 6yo who reads fairly smoothly (completed 100EL 7mo ago; just started using Phonics and Reading Pathways for reinforcement; and she's starting to read books like Magic Treehouse). I'm looking for something more fun esp since her speech clarity is tied to her phonemic focus. Either B or C? ETA: I just had my 6yo read the 2nd to last pyramid in Reading Pathways (with words like breathtaking, mountain, and First Responder) -- we didn't go over the words first, and reading it "cold" she only slowed down on a few words, but read it fluidly and pronounced everything correctly. So her reading is there, but I still want to do more formal work because her speech is still sometimes a bit slurry (her speech improved tremendously as she learned to read, so I think she needs to SEE it to HEAR it, kwim?) 6mo ago she was making articulation errors, but now she isn't -- just not as crisp as I would like. :)
  21. I used HWOT with my first and second, and to be honest if your 4yo has even somewhat legible writing, I'd just skip it and print your own worksheets for free: http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/ You can pick the font, size, and what text you want. There's nothing magical about HWOT, esp if your child can already write -- it's just convenient. As to math, I agree with the MM idea that there is no benefit to pushing kids into formal math "curricula" too early. IMO most preK thru 2nd grade math is best learned in a hands on, relaxed way. The most important thing is for math to be FUN. There's an interesting NOVA show about how we are killing the inherent love of math in kids by 2nd grade. If you really want to do something, DK has some nice math workbooks (~$8) that are colorful and fun, or I really like the Sadlier-Oxford Progress in Mathematics K-2 worktexts(they are ~$25). But games and free worksheets and counting blocks or toys, that's what early elementary math is about. If you focus on "number sense" and counting, when her writing skills and number recognition catch up, you'll be well ahead of the game. Btw, if your dd reverses numbers, one thing that helped us is I had my younger dd write her numbers thru 12 right before doing her math. :) Again tho, I would look at a K program's "scope and sequence" and use it as a guide withOUT using a "program". ETA: btw, I am "mathy" and my kids are way ahead in math. The only thing I regret about my oldest's math program is that I didn't let her do more without worrying about using a curriculum. Once I let go of that, she is enjoying herself more, learning faster, and doing preAlgebra at 8yo, so hardly "slacking"! I put more trust in her younger sister, and her math sense is amazing. She's mastering multi digit +/- just as fast (at pace) with the curriculum I had been using. The difference is she's really enjoying "playing" with math.
  22. Sounds a bit like a self-important someone trying to justify their existence. :D Honestly, I don't know latin well enough to say, but most modern languages need tutoring because of: (1) pronunciation, and (2) word order/grammar -- neither of which is really an issue with latin. I guess it depends on what you hope to get out of it -- if your goal is to teach your child an intro to a related language, or to be able to READ classics in latin, or just for fun -- I can't see that it matters. Even if you think your dc is likely to become a classics prof someday, seems like it would be easier to unlearn bad habits rather than start from scratch in college. Which brings me back to my first instinct: someone trying to justify their existence. :D I give that the same weight as a mom trying to say that kids can only be properly socialized in ps. :lol:
  23. I taught my dd to read with 100EL while on bed rest during my last pgc (summer before K). My 2nd dd used 100EL and some Funnix (computer relative of 100EL). The youngest is using ETC (he's 3). I know 100EL is a love/hate thing, but it is scripted (tho once you've figured things out you can modify it easily), a lesson is 10-20min cuddled on a couch. You can also divide lessons in half, if needed. Easy breezy. If you hit a bump in the road, back up 10-20 lessons and go again. Also, can't get cheaper, esp if you can find a used copy of the book. ETC is workbook-ish, and may be better for the more visual kids. Both are options that are very open-and-go, short and sweet. How old is your son? I would probably suggest starting a couple months early, or waiting until 3mo pp to start. Any program needs a certain amount of consistent start up before everything gets crazy with baby. ;)
  24. I have a dd with mega wax -- twice at different Peds offices they've tried and either couldn't or once the Dr scratched the tender skin in the ear canal and it was dripping blood. A ruptured ear drum would look like a LOT of blood and fluid and then almost none with an intense pain and then no pain at all. If it was just pure blood, most likely she scratched the skin, not ruptured the drum. I would call the Drs office and ask them -- it should be in the chart and the nurse should tell you if it was ruptured. But if it was ruptured, the Dr should have told you not to shower, etc for the days until your next appt (or put cotton in your ear when you shower), so I'm guessing if the Dr didn't say that, it wasn't ruptured. Once you know that, GO TO AN ENT. I will NEVER again let a regular Dr touch my DD's ears. The Dr cleaning was always excruciating, but we went to the ENT and they have a special "ear cleaning room" with a chair surrounded by cool tools. The ENT looks thru these super magnifying glasses and SUCKS the wax out rather than trying to rinse it out or scrape it out. A HUGE plug of wax was removed in maybe 20 seconds completely PAIN FREE for DD. She enjoyed it versus the tears and fingernails into the table at the regular Drs office. NEVER again!!! At the Drs office they usually use a scaper or a water pic, but they should always warm the water or it can make you extremely dizzy. The water can also push the wax deeper. Doesn't it make more sense to suck it out instead?
  25. To me asking for $$ towards a meal at my home would be rude. I agree with either inviting them at a non-meal time or organizing a potluck. In this case, I would just NOT make a big meal on Friday, but do it when dh is home on Sat. OR if you really want to do a big meal on Friday, I would do it off time from usual -- if they usually show up at 5pm for dinner, have your big meal a brunch at 2pm. They can fight over the leftovers. I also agree with the idea of inviting them over specifically for snack items, hors devours, or dessert. I'd also ask yourself what their motivation is -- obviously they are aware it bothers you. So stop waiting for dh to say something and just arrange your world so you don't have to feed them.
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