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Laura R (FL)

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Everything posted by Laura R (FL)

  1. We didn't have a formal engagement either, and not exactly a short one after ready some of these stories. :) We met on Halloween, and by Christmas I knew he was the one. We spoke out loud of getting married the next Halloween and were married that New Year's Day. So we had known each other a little over a year and still married after 16 years.
  2. It's the commercial flat roofs that use the tar you may be thinking about smelling. (Ha! Diagram that sentence lol!) We just had ours done and it was noisy...but that's all. It was a great group of roofers. When they stripped the roof, they swept all the junk toward the center of the roof and then over to the dumpster. There was very little garbage around and I found only one nail and a few small pieces of old shingle.
  3. When my girls were in elementary school, I didn't follow a prescribed plan. I used 4-H resources, videos, living books, field trips, unit studies, and lots of hands-on projects for their science education. The did some co-op classes, too. Some I taught, some others taught. Now that they are in jr high and high school, they are top in their classes. That said, my favorite elementary science curriculum is the Apologia series on botany and zoology, for grades 3/4th through 6th. I don't care for the preachy aspect so I skip that part...your mileage may vary. ;) For 6-8th grade I like Rainbow Science. It is a good introduction to basic science with a lot of neat hands-on experiments. Plus, everything is included in the science kit. In 8th grade, my oldest took a class that used Bob Jones Life Science and that was a great class. The text can be difficult to read but it is chick full of info and a good prep for Biology (which she just finished).
  4. It has been a struggle for us. My oldest had three years of elementary Latin plus one year of root study, and HS Latin I was still quite difficult for her. The spelling of the declension endings was always a bit tricky for her, but it was the translation that tripped her up. She had to work so hard and focus so intently on the literal translation of conjugations and declensions that she missed the concept of the sentence. The varying word order of Latin was also too confusing for her. I worked with her and she had an on-line instructor. When the had conversations, dd was very stiff in her translation and the teacher's comments were always, "OK, that may be literal, but how would you actually say that in English?" To give an example in Spanish, "Como se llama" translates "How are you called?" in English. She wouldn't quite 'get' that it should be translated as "What is your name." Changing from a literal to a conceptual language thought really threw her. After Latin I, we switched to French using Rosetta Stone. She is doing better with it since it is auditory and a little less daunting than Latin. I didn't want to go through the sign language route because not all college programs accept it as meeting their foreign language requirements (as I'm told).
  5. I like Flair and Living Social. I also have a pet thingy so I can play with my youngest daughter.
  6. Oops, I'm a late comer, but I love those darn quizzes! I recently found out I'm Bob the tomato, I would be in Hufflepuff, my patronus is a hedgehog or something weird like that, I'm Esme Cullen, a Caramel Macchiato, my hidden talent is the perfect ear, and my deepest darkest fear is being trapped (I had no idea lol!). Need I go on? What I really wonder is if my friends really care about allof this stuff when it posts on their wall?
  7. Bingo! For him it's about getting his money's worth. I don't mean for that to sound as harsh as it does...but that is what he has said. I think he is stressing out over the cost of activities for our kids. It's really my youngest who studies classical ballet and musical theater. Those $90 pointe shoes will get to you! My youngest is also a much more intense kid who loves performing and throws herself into things. My oldest is much more reserved and does not like to perform in front of people. The teacher is fine with her progress and told me that he doesn't want to push her away from playing...he wants her learn and progress but to enjoy it as well. Thanks everyone for your input.
  8. Yes, we are always addressing attitudes as all are parents :D. It is a parenting issue, isn't it? She's a good kid, she just doesn't like to feel babysat and wants more independence. Since she's still a kid, she falls short of expectations at times and gets defensive. So I talked to her this morning over coffee :lol: and she did say that she practiced last night for an hour. She found some old songs in her memory bank and revived them and had fun. DH likes to go into her room and say, "Play me a song." It really puts dd on the spot and she doesn't really know a lot of songs all the way through. She plays rock and bits of classical, so she knows riffs and pieces that require a band to get the whole piece, if you know what I mean. Plus her teacher always has her focusing on a new scale or set of triads for the week. He's really into theory so she's better at scales at this point than songs, lol! I do think playing with other kids would be a great benefit. She wants to go to public school in 11th grade (she's starting 10th) and one reason is to take guitar classes there every day with other kids. Going away to this camp is a big trip for her because she is rather introverted. I don't want to take anything away from her because I really do believe she will view it as another failure on her part. Instead I want her to keep what she has and help her be successful.
  9. Speaking of strong-willed teens. :glare:.... My almost 15yo wanted to start playing guitar again and attend an out of town music camp. She has low confidence issues and thinks she stinks at everything. She played violin for about 5 years as a child and then guitar for 2 years. She stopped for a year or two and has just recently picked it up again. She has such lovely long fingers, but is just a tad slow in motor skills (dysgraphic as well). She always has to work just a bit harder than everyone else and is now easily discouraged. My husband has put up a pretty penny to outfit her with new equipment and pay for the camp. She has a great teacher but is not practicing as she should. How do I address this? Do I sit and practice with her as I did when she was a child? She'll be very put off with this. I know if she spends some time with the instrument she'll get better and enjoy it. As a teenager, she can't always see that far, know what I mean? My husband is already ready to take the lessons away from her after camp because of her flippant attitude. Lack of commitment and dedication is a hot spot for him. I probably have a tendency to baby her because of her academic difficulties and I just want her to have fun with her music. There must be a middle ground. Any "been there done that"?
  10. I am finishing this for my coursework: The Messianic Character of American Education At night for enjoyable reading: Finally getting to Brisingr in the Eragon series. Last month I read Burmese Days, and Keep the Aspidistra Flying by Orwell. Next I think I'll read Shelley's Frankenstein.
  11. It will likely rain in the afternoon around 4 - 5 or even 6. They are quick storms that dump a lot of rain then move on. With the way the sea breezes build and move, Disney is always a prime target. Nothing closes unless there is heavy lightning. We skipped the ponchos and just got wet...it's really no big deal to us. I like to wear water friendly shoes. I don't like to carry a bunch of stuff, but with a stroller it might be easier. If so, I second the dollar store idea and then throw them away. Renting a stroller is so easy!!! Have fun!!
  12. WOW! I hope she and her family are doing well. I pray for a speedy recovery. :grouphug: to the Hulcy family
  13. In the end, the mom asked nicely via emails (a couple of times) and I told her that dd could not switch because of ticket situations, but dd would be happy to cover the other girl's performance conflict. They took us up on the offer and dd has friends or family coming to see all of her shows. YAY!
  14. We decided to drop the course and continue with a text program in the fall. You're right Lisa....it would have been an uncomfortable feeling throughout the course.
  15. I was leaning more toward Aristotle, too, but needing confirmation to ease my doubt. Yes, Carol in CA, *I* would agree with your interpretation, but it's not quoted in the book. I don't want to presume to add anything. For this course and this paper, I needed a concrete classical reference. Thanks to all!
  16. For those of you who are familiar with philosophical viewpoints, which philosopher would you say WTM follows and why? Plato since he wanted to build a great state (WTM supports education as a tool for job skills and sound citizenship page 520-ish) Aristotle since he supported the incorporation of arts into education and used education to build a virtuous man? Any thoughts? I'm writing a paper on classical education homeschooling.
  17. I think this is just one of those subjective, highly opinionated kind of threads. While most people object to a 12yo wearing strapless, there are varying opinions on spaghetti straps, shorts, skirts, etc. As a FL native, I have to agree with heat factor. In this humidity, anything that helps the sweat evaporate off your skin is a plus! :D
  18. Fortunately we haven't had to cross that bridge. My 13 yo wore cute tops that had spaghetti straps when she was 11/12. She doesn't like the strapless look and think she's afraid of a wardrobe malfunction anyway. :eek: My almost 15yo wouldn't be caught dead in anything less than short sleeves, so no problem there. phew! :D
  19. My Vit D instructions were similar (I was really, really low). I was told to take 3,000 IU for 30 days then switch to 1,000 IU daily. Cholecalciferol is the form you would want to take.
  20. Me two girls and I have unlimited texting. They text friends, we text each other, we text AI votes...whatever tickles our fancy. We haven't had any issues with it. If it seems overused, we have taken the phones away and it's always nice to have something to take away as a consequence. ;) We haven't set the rules out loud, but we seem to have an understanding that you don't text during dinner, personal family time, etc. That would be as rude as anything else that takes away from the moment. I have found that it helps the girls keep in touch with their friends and it makes them feel up to date. My oldest is super techie, so that's important to her and I don't mind.
  21. I was always interested in older men as I thought they were more mature and stable than fellas my own age. I dated my husband when I was 22 and he was 38. We have been blissfully married for 15+ years and he is my best friend as well as my...well....husband. :) While we were dating, people questioned our motives. He thought women his age were bitter. He found that many were divorced or soured on relationships (he had never been married). I thought the guys my age were immature and they weren't serious about life. Dh and I were instantly attracted and "How old are you" wasn't the first question that popped into our minds. He thought I was a few years older and I thought he was barely 30. He looks and acts very young. I think there a lot of reasons an older man is attracted to a younger girl, physically and mentally. I'd base my judgment on individuals, not groups as a whole. There are some pretty creepy younger guys, too.
  22. oops. I was trying the quote the message that the Rapture theology was relatively new. Made a mistake somewhere....anyway... I did a thesis on eschatology for a theology class and have found the history of why certain thing *are* to be interesting. From my sources, the rapture theology was first introduced in the mid-late 1800's and was popularized by the publication and rapid spread of the Scofield Reference and Study Bibles at the turn of the century. Just a bit of trivia. :) Reformed Presbyterians hold to older teachings stemming from Luther and Calvin's philosophies. I think you will find most (if not all) of them to be either postmillennial or amillennial.
  23. Do you mean the old board, or the old, old board? I've been on since 1999, and posted a lot more back then. I remember Quiver of 6 I think it was. ;) I also remember enjoying reading posts by Robin in TX, Beth in OH, and DonnaC. SWB was on the board a lot and Y2K made all the posts read as 1/1/1900.
  24. Well, the judges definitely have an agenda to keep AI popular. They are looking for an Idol that they can plug. Taylor Hicks was a disaster on the charts, Fantasia was a let down. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood just took off. So did Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson, but they weren't Idol winners! I think the producers are looking for someone already groomed and showy, ready to cut an album and sell some hits. That would be Adam....love him or hate him, everyone knows who he is and talks about him. ;)
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