Education Explorers
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I just remembered that I blogged about our transition from private school to homeschool. Like I said, it wasn't deschooling per se, but maybe the narrative of these entries will give you an idea of the flow.
http://neweducationexplorers.blogspot.com/2011/08/first-day-of-homeschooling.html
http://neweducationexplorers.blogspot.com/2011/08/sneaky-education.html
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We didn't really "De-school." At the end of last year, the kids knew that they were not re-enrolled in their private school and that we were going to HS. They had a "regular" summer of sleeping in, playing with friends, camps etc. They have always been required to read everyday in the summer, so they "had to" read. (Normally not a big issue for them.)
At the beginning of August, while the PS was still officially on Summer Break, we started a unit study on Roller Coasters. We did a lot on Newton's Laws and built rocket cars on the kitchen floor. We had a lot of fun, but our "school" was only for 1-2 hours a day. Again, no biggie...
We went to the beach and toured marine rehab centers etc. It was very educational, but please (shh!) don't tell them that it was. :lol:
We went to Busch Gardens to "solidify" our "learning" about roller coasters.
When our vacation was over, we "officially" started HSing. It was at that point that I told the kids that we already had "x" number of qualifying days of "school" as far as the state was concerned.
I kept trying to emphasize that we were going to do things differently than a traditional school. We just kind of slid into a routine...
It went shockingly well.
Good Luck!
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The flapping of the plastic can get really loud and irritating. If it grates on your nerves, you can just use duct tape strips to cover the whole window. Holds at highway speeds, keeps out any rain and SIGNIFICANTLY quieter. I had to drive from Memphis to Atlanta like that once back in college. After about an hour on the road, I pulled over and got rid of the plastic and went to pure duct tape. My stress level plummeted once the noise went down. Good Luck!
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My daughter loves to read but can be quite picky. Sometimes she just decides that she isn't interested after making a snap judgement. However, there have been books that she was required to read and turned out loving them--despite thinking that they weren't "her style." I'm going to list some of the "Surprise Books" that she absolutely loved to give you a bit more variety.
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (Loved so much that she read every one that came after)
The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Renolds Naylor (Again she devoured every sequel that came in the series--The Girls Get Even etc.)
The Pirate and the Princess-The Timelight Stone by Mio Chizuru
The Princess Plot by Kirsten Boie
The Doll People by Ann M Martin
I was just busted perusing dd's book shelf... After I explained what I was doing, I was emphatically told to mention:
"Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix...actually anything she has written. Her books are AWESOME!"
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Dust.
I'm proud that we have finally gotten a headboard. For years there was just pillows and the wall.
Clearly, Martha Stewart I ain't! :lol:
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I think it is wonderful that you will have a nice shiny coat now. You may have an "interesting" night if you find yourself nudging your husband's hand to get him to scratch your belly and behind your ears. :lol:
My pediatrician got a big kick out of me when I asked if my son would be okay after I found him snacking out of the dog's food bowl. Kid was the pickiest eater, but apparently he loved doggie kibble.
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Well, if grilling is out...
Take fresh spinach, diced onion (little bit), marscapone or ricotta, panko bread crumbs, S&P and make a goop in a bowl. Grease a cookie sheet and press the goop into the top of the salmon and bake.
Another variation on the "Goop Topping":
Diced craisins, garlic, onion, panko breadcrumbs, parmesan & S &P (add a little OJ to make the stuff stick)
Good Luck!
(Sorry I don't have time to pull the actual recipes to give you quantities, etc. But I have to go feed my own ravenous wolves now. I don't want a riot!)
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I would grill the salmon. Everything tastes better when grilled.
I usually marinate our salmon with a few standards and then implement a few variations to add a little variety. My kids eat it like crazy. I am needing to buy bigger fillets, they love it so much. Good Luck!
Always Includes:
Minced Garlic (lots of)
Soy Sauce
Brown Sugar
Variations:
Bourbon
Pineapple Juice
Orange Juice
Honey Teriyaki Sauce
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I grew up in Florida, so to me you have asked two different questions. 1) Where is the water the bluest? 2) Where are the nicest beaches? (Which also depends on what you are looking for, in order to determine the "nicest.")
I greatly prefer the soft, sandy Gulf coast beaches (Clearwater, Indian Rocks, Indian Shores, Madiera, St. Pete Beach) etc. The wide expanse of soft sand is ideal for walking on and playing on. Atlantic beaches tend to be more narrow, hard and full of broken shells (IMO).
If you want waves for body surfing, you need to be on the Atlantic coast of Florida. While the Gulf has waves at times, it may also be pancake flat. Storms out in the Gulf greatly effect the wave size. The Atlantic is going to have much bigger and/or rougher waves than the Gulf. If you are wanting to have any chance to actually surf, you need to be on the Atlantic coast.
If you want to watch the sun drop over the horizon as it shines on the water and colors light up the sky in a spectacular sunset, Gulf coast wins. I have never been interested in getting up extra early for a sunrise. To me, vacation is the time for sleeping in.
Water on either coast is not very blue unless you are down towards the keys. If there is a storm, however, do not expect blue water even in the keys.
Hope this helps somewhat.
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Uuuh! I am so sorry! That must have been a horrible experience for you both! Thank you for sharing, I would never have foreseen the danger in that situation. My 11 year old is getting interested in all things "glam." At least I will now know to be extremely careful.
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Specifically YouTube or short vids on line in general? If the latter:
http://www.periodicvideos.com/
My son loves the explosions.
What a FABULOUS resource! Don't know how you found it, but I sure am glad that you shared it. I wasn't just taking a look at it and my son was extremely interested. "Ooh, can I watch?" Up he climbed in my lap to watch.
Thank you very much!
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We paid a little over a thousand last month to get EVERYTHING done. We had a trust set up, made out advanced care directives, made wills, etc., etc., etc. It was expensive, but at least now I know that everything will be done the way I want it to be done and there's no chance that someone other than who I want will be able to get the kids if DH and I both die. The trust is in both our names, but everything else is done separately. I thought about using LegalZoom, but I'm very glad we went through a local attorney. He was wonderful and took the time to answer all the questions we had and made sure that we had exactly what we needed and wanted, and he even set up all the appointments for signing everything and went down to the courthouse and made sure it was all filed correctly.
AMEN!
DISCLAIMER: I am an attorney and so is my husband. That being said, I find that the need for things being done properly is crucial for any and every family. Estate planning, life insurance, health insurance, vaccinations these are all things that become critically important if things go wrong. Anyone can be hit by the proverbial bus at any moment. Your children's welfare is far too important to leave to the hands of the government, a bored judge or an overworked social worker. (Uhh, the thought gives me the willies.)
Proper estate planning is worth every penny when things go wrong. My friend and his wife were killed in a car accident when they were driving to pick-up a new dog for their sweet children. The tragedy was further complicated and made even more horrific when the maternal grandmother decided that she just wanted custody of the little girl. She was looking to replace her daughter. She didn't care about her grandson or the harm that would result in separating the children after they had just lost their parents. She was not the named guardian for either grandchild (go figure! Clearly the parents knew what they were doing when they created their wills/trusts etc.) There was a protracted legal battle, but the paternal grandparents who were the legally named guardians won. Things would have been much uglier had my friend and his wife not had their wishes clearly and legally delineated.
Grief, crisis and/or money can make people do ugly things.
I frequently think about having wills, etc. made for us. Unfortunately, I always get stuck because there simply isn't anyone who could be guardians for our children.Anyone you choose will be better than letting the state choose. While it is unpleasant to think of these things, I implore all of you to make sure that you have all estate planning (wills/trusts/power of attorney/living wills etc) in place ASAP. It is so very important to invest in your family's security.
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I hope the case was Dismissed with Prejudice and not just "Dismissed." The "with prejudice" phrase will mean that he cannot re-file the suit.
I am very happy for you that the case is over. It is your family and your father, so whatever "forgiveness" you feel is merited is your own decision. However, I would urge you to be forever mindful of the character that this incident has revealed about your father.
While you may not have been bitten by a rattlesnake this time, I would still always be wary of and never turn my back on a rattler.
(Obviously, I am not too trusting especially once I have been betrayed.)
I hope you guys can manage to return to some "normalcy" now.
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Well that is very encouraging. We just finished MUS (2nd grade) for our youngest and didn't think it was challenging enough so we have switched him over to Singapore like his big sister. So far, so good. We don't do any standardized testing until next year. I think I would have had a heart attack and doubted the entire HS enterprise had we gotten a bad score on something as integral and important as math. Your post gives me an extra boost of confidence. Thanks!
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Oh. My. Word.
Can you block her number? I mean, really, this lady has some serious screws loose. I'd stop taking her calls.
I really don't understand this kind of thought... several of you posted about how rude and crazy this lady is. Clearly, no one understands the situation here. Audrey and NutJob are friends, maybe even the best of friends. You know the kind of friend whose door you don't even knock on. You just walk on in. Best buds!
After all, didn't Audrey take the trouble to make dinner. Albeit a poor excuse of a meal. Why-ever else would NutJob have felt compelled to through away the beef and the napkins? At least NutJob, being the true friend that she is, has offered to teach Audrey how to cook. She was so sincere that she has followed up with her own "invitation." True friends don't even have to ask at times. They just tell it like it is.
Keep in mind, it is friends like NutJob that keep therapists in business.
[Please note that the above comments were meant with extreme SARCASM and should not be taken literally.]
You do realize that on 'her board' the story will be go like this:I invited the lady and her family over that doesn't know how to cook. You remember right, the one who still uses cloth napkins (I tried to help her out and thow them away) and feed us grass fed beef (:ack2:). Can you believe that she canceled on one hours notice! ONE hour! She is a nut job! My delicious tree leaf and bark dinner....all gone to waste...you know how it doesn't hold over from day to day. Now she wants me to do it all again, in a couple weeks!
What we all wouldn't give to know what is going on in NutJob's head!
I personally can not wait to read about the evening out on the 6th.
Audrey, please note that you cannot possibly go to bed that night without updating us all on your evening. Failure to do so will result in not only extreme disappointment throughout cyberspace, but also MUTINY!
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Sounds like someone has earned an extra treat and belly rub. :)
I wish our dog was a little more selective in her barking. She barks at everyone and everything. Her barks could be loosely translated at, "Oh how exciting, look there is ________ (insert, dog, person, bird, leaf, etc.)!!! Aren't you excited? Didn't you notice? Here, let me point out this terribly exciting thing to you! Look! Look! Look!"
However, she does have another, very rarely used "alert" bark that means "TROUBLE!" Parents can distinguish their own child's cries and understand the difference between, "I'm unhappy--wahh!" versus "Uh oh, I'm in serious trouble-wahh!" and know when to come running. I think pet owners can learn to distinguish the barks/meows of their pets.
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No, I don't, but according to my children's pediatrician, with whom I had a conversation about tick bites not too long ago, we don't have Lyme's disease in my part of TN, though we do have something else called STARI, which produces a similar rash, but not the bad symptoms.
Lyme is not prevalent here in the Atlanta Metro area, but it does occur. Our pediatrician pulled a deer tick off of our son's scrotum (man the nerve of that tick!) nine days ago. It had been in place for approaching 48 hours. We vaccinate our children. In keeping with this philosophy, we vaccinate our children so that they do not contract horrific diseases on the chance that or if they are exposed to said horrific diseases. With this "vaccination philosophy" in mind, I requested a prescription of amoxicillin for my son on the chance that this particular deer tick did carry Lyme. In addition, knowing that (according to our pediatrician) that the "bullseye rash" often does not occur in Lyme's disease cases.
My son did in fact develop a tick rash, but not necessarily a "bullseye rash" that improved quickly with Benedryl cream. (Very hard to determine things in that region.) I can't tell you how relieved my husband and I were to know that ds was on antibiotics and would be "safe" from Lyme.
For us, we were more than willing to risk of a round of potentially "unnecessary" antibiotics versus the potential devastation of Lyme.
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I just co-ordinated testing for our Co-op. We used SAT through last year and switched this year to the TerraNova. Everyone agreed the Terra Nova was far easier than the SAT.
I think the SAT is a better judge of scholastic achievement, and a more rigorous test.
We will be testing next year for the first time. What is the SAT? Are you referring to the college board admission test??? The original poster's kids were much younger than college age.
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Sorry, I ensured that you no longer have an evil number. You now have at least 6667 views.
I started a blog last year and wanted to have a party when I hit 1,000 views. I am still a little dumbfounded by some of the countries that view my blog... Russia, Iran, Singapore etc. Wow! Knowing that the internet connects us to the whole world is one thing, seeing the hits accrue is very bizarre and surreal to me.
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I definitely would have teased her in a humorous way upon her arrival.
"What's the matter? Did you need a caffeine fix so badly that you had to stop at Starbucks for coffee before you got to the coffee shop?"
I would let it go with some gentle teasing. If I felt really bad, I would point out how I like to support local "mom and pop" businesses vs. big companies and too bad for her that she was missing out and really great coffee.
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I would have looked around for hidden cameras. It sounds like someone was taping a Punked or Candid Camera episode. Calling that woman rude is an insult to loud-mouthed jerks everywhere. She was clearly in a league of her own as far as deplorable manners.
I would have killed to have a bite of that steak. I cannot even imagine how delicious it must have been...:drool5::drool5::drool5:
She is the type of guest for which the phrase, "Don't let the door hit you in the a-- on the way out!" was invented.
Good Riddance!
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She has always had sleep issues, since the day we brought her home from the hospital. The night terrors were a constant, not an occasional occurrence. They were horrible. We eventually broke her of them by charting out the intervals, and then waking her before they hit. Slowly over year plus, we got them down to two a night and then one a night. Then they became sporadic and eventually stopped. As the night terrors decreased, the sleepwalking increased. She goes up and down the stairs, uses the restroom and all sorts of bizarre things while sound asleep. Her eyes may be open, she can talk etc. We have been fanatical about bedtimes and sleep routines to no avail. We have relaxed and tried no bedtime routine to see if that would help, but it didn't work either. We have noticed that she will have "cycles" of extremely bad (3-4 times a night) sleepwalking that last a month or two and then get better. It does seem to occur just before major growth spurts. :001_huh:
I appreciate the recommendations about the magnesium and melatonin. We will research them and see if it might work for us. Our pediatrician recommended a sleep study clinic that we could use, but he also didn't feel that they would be very helpful. (He is virtually dead-on with his recommendations, which is why we love him. So, I don't hold out much hope for the sleep study).
We have always been very frank with our daughter about the sleepwalking. She is a pretty good sport about it. She understands that if she is in a "bad cycle," then slumber parties etc. are out. It is frustrating for all of us. When she wakes up exhausted in the morning, she usually asks how many times she got up during the night? She physically feels it on the 3-4 times a night.
Thank goodness we are homeschooling this year and we can let her sleep in the mornings. I can not imagine trying to wake this poor child at 6:30a.m. after she has been prowling the house til 3 in the morning. It would be a nightmare. It is a "perk" of homeschooling that we didn't calculate into our decision, but that has been very helpful.
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After perusing the thread on an 8 year disrupting the mom's sleep, I figured I had nothing to lose by asking the rest of you. Our 11 year old DD is a perpetual sleep-walker. She is up usually two times a night about 5-6 nights a week. Needless to say, it gets really old. It also is very frustrating for her because it limits sleepovers and sleep-away camp for safety issues. Pediatrician and child psychologist (personal friend, not treating dd) both emphatically state that this is a "sleep pattern disorder."
Anyone know how to break someone of sleep-walking? :bigear:
P.S. She also suffered from extreme night-terrors until she was 8 (3 times a night every night from age 3 until she was 6, then they began to taper off). My husband and I would be delighted to have some un-interrupted sleep.
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I personally put coffee and chocolate in the same category: Essentials for Life.
Cub Scout?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
It completely depends on the Pack and the leader of the den you are in... You should contact the pack that you are considering joining and ask them.
For our pack, meetings generally last 1 hour to 1.5 and are supposed to meet every other week. Unfortunately many times this year we were lucky to meet once a month.
For our pack, there were no dues. Every boy is required to sell popcorn to raise money for the pack to a certain minimum amount (about $200). If you choose not to sell popcorn, then you must "buy out" what the pack's portion of the profit would have been. For our pack, the "buy out" was $75.
Cub Scouts will offer many different outings, campouts, field trips, etc. You are not required to participate in these things. The costs will vary along with the time commitment. It is simply your family's choice.
I have found a greater "family" time commitment with Cub Scouts than with Girl Scouts. Our pack expects parents to participate on some level. They give you a huge list of volunteer positions, and each family is expected to join a committee somewhere.
Hope this helps!