[New Homeowner]

Congrats!!

[Is it still necessary to teach our dc how to use a library card catalog?]

I don't see any reason to do so. However, I have taught them to use the search feature on the library computers. You can search by title, author, and subject. We have discussed the reasoning for searching each way.

[What is the deal with RFK's son and the maternity ward?]

BTW, those of you who keep saying they should have had a homebirth must have missed the fact that Mrs. Kennedy had a c-section. Last I checked, that was not an option available for home, even to the very wealthy. :tongue_smilie:

 

Yeah, I missed it. Since he had no choice than to be at the hospital, I still think he should have just followed the rules and avoided making a circus out of his child's birth.

[How to motivate my 2nd grader to read more]

I started mine off with an extra 1/2 hour of staying up, as long as they were in their beds reading. Now, as teens and almost teens, they push that to 1.5-2hrs sometimes, but they ARE in their beds reading quietly and not bugging me. As long as it doesn't affect their attitude the next day, I let it slide.

 

This is a great idea, as it treats reading as something of a privilege, tied to staying up past their bedtime.

 

I also think getting the child interested in a series of books is a good idea. I wouldn't worry so much about twaddle at this point.

[How old were you when you started caring]

My first crush was in 4th grade. A new boy moved to our town from California. All the girls were crazy about him, lol.

 

I didn't have my first real boyfriend until 9th grade.

[All About Spelling readers?]

They are very nice books, well-bound and beautifully illustrated. The stories are fairly interesting and yet simple enough for the beginning reader to feel accomplished. I have 4 of them and my DS8 reads and re-reads them often.

 

Bob books have their place. We were fortunate to be able to borrow them from the library. But my DS8, who was a late reader, found them too baby-ish, and hated the illustrations. They are also small and more like booklets.

[How do you use Teaching Textbooks level wise?]

DS12 did TT7 in 6th grade and is currently doing TT Pre-Alg in 7th grade.

[How quickly does your child move though a level of Teaching textbooks?]

They don't forget half the stuff they learned the prior year taking that much time off?

 

No, not really. Most math programs, including TT, include review for the beginning lessons, anyway.

[How quickly does your child move though a level of Teaching textbooks?]

We do one level per year. That would be Sept to May/June, 5 days per week. But my kids take the summer off and when they are done with TT for the year, they are done until Sept again.

[What is the deal with RFK's son and the maternity ward?]

I did not realize that part. That is beyond ridiculous. I can see having the rules in place and enforcing them but not sueing a father for walking with or taking their own child off the ward.

 

They hired personal injury lawyers. He twisted the wrist of one nurse and forcefully kicked another in the pelvis. If you watch the video, she was knocked to the floor.

 

Not saying I agree either way, just pointing out the reason for the lawsuit is due to the injuries, not his breaking the rules.

[What is the deal with RFK's son and the maternity ward?]

Sounds like someone should've had a homebirth.

 

And anger management classes. :001_huh:

[TT and standardized tests]

Congrats! That has been our experience, too!

[Testing]

The CAT and IOWA both have K levels. I have ordered with success from both http://brewertesting.com/ and http://www.cestesting.com/ .

[Soooooo, why did no one tell me about Spotify?!]

I love that the premium has an offline feature, which would be really cool for the car and the gym. However, it's a little too premium in price for me at $9.99 a month.

[Fellow introverts - what do you do to stay sane?]

I know how you feel. We really have a full time job that we never get away from. Let that sink in a while. It is really a big deal. Then you need to explain it to your DH so that he understands.

 

A few suggestions that have worked for me in the past: You could bring whatever it is you want to do or work on into your bedroom or another room in your house that you can close the door on. Instruct your family that for the next two hours, you are not home. Period. No exceptions. Your children are old enough to understand and comply with that. And if your DH is serious about helping out, then he needs to enforce it.

 

For a time, I also instituted a mandatory quiet time after lunch for one hour. The kids went to their rooms and were not allowed to come out. Sometimes I still do it if they are too loud for me to decompress a bit before tackling the afternoon.

 

I hope these help somewhat or that others will chime in with some ideas that will work for you. I get it, I truly get it. :grouphug:

[Email account for a child?]

My DS12 and DD have Gmail accounts. You have to be 13 yo to get one, so I opened them under my name and then was able to change the sender ID to their name in the settings.

[Standardized Test-Terra Nova Anyone used it?]

We used it last year. We had used the Cat5 before that, as well. I didn't really notice any differences, except the updates you mentioned and the fact that it was more recently normed. The test was the same format and given in the same manner.

[Classic tv shows or even not so classic to show kids]

The Dick Van Dyke Show

 

We have been watching them on Netflix and I have been pleasantly surprised at how cheeky Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) is. She definitely blows the 50s housewife stereotype out of the water! And my kids love the comedy.

[Can anything be done (exercise, etc) for scoliosis?]

Dd(11) just had a check up yesterday and the Dr looked at her back and noticed a very small (like 3 degrees) curve in her upper back. This is not enough to refer to a spine Dr or anything else, but with my history, she will be rechecked in a few months and if there is any progression, we'll have it looked at.

 

What I'm wondering is if there are any strengthening exercises she should be doing, or if there is anything we could do to prevent worsening?

 

I would recommend taking her to a chiropractor. That is the only way I would deal with it. It is how I dealt with mine and it worked. You will probably have to take her regularly for a set amount of time. My chiro had a treatment plan and he worked with me on a payment plan since I didn't have insurance at that time. Now I have insurance and it covers the chiro, thankfully. The chiro will give her exercises to do at home.

[When do you let your daughter(s) wear make-up]

We don't have a rule about it. I remember I started wearing make up when I was in 7th grade. It was always very tasteful so my parents never had to address it with me. I will probably do the same thing with my DD. She is almost 10 and right now she will wear lip gloss sometimes, which I have no objection to.

[Progress! Progress! Yippee!]

Wonderful! :party:

 

I have been rejoicing lately, as well, about my DS8 who recently turned a corner with his reading! It feels great doesn't it?

[Do you ever test a kid a grade higher when giving standardized tests?]

My DS 12 has always scored in the high 90 percentiles on his tests. We test him at his grade level anyway. IMO, the tests are not given to challenge the student, but rather to assess where they are comparative to other kids their age. However, we have to provide test scores to the district. What is your reasoning for giving the test?

[Grammar for younglings not reading fluently]

I would really recommend waiting until they are reading stronger. I did this with my youngest. He is 8 yo and is just starting to read fluently. I have started with grammar and he is picking it up rather quickly. I'm glad I waited.

[Not a hubby bashing thread, but]

DH is a teacher. He gets it and sympathizes with how much work it is, in addition to the fact that I never get away from my job.

[LLATL: Love it? Hate it?]

We used the red, yellow, and tan levels last year. It was not enough, imo. We had some catching up to do this year.