Ferdie
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Posts posted by Ferdie
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Congrats on your new calendar! Don't you love being organized?
I plan our meals one week at a time. First, look at the calendar and see if you have any events that would influence your dinner plans - like a crockpot meal on a rushed day. Then just plan out your meals based on the week. I usually plan on 2 chicken meals, 2 ground turkey meal, red meat dinner, low cost dinner and a left over night.
You can also plan your meals one month at a time. Just get out your favorite recipes, (Allrecipes.com is great place to get ideas or look through the cookbooks at your library), and plan out 2 weeks of meals and then repeat the plan for the 2nd half of the month.
If you really want to treat yourself, there is a webiste called savingdinner.com and they have a menu planning service. I haven't used it for a few years, but for a few bucks a month they will email you a weekly menu plan and grocery list. Last time I checked they had a vegetarian option.
Also someone on this board had a cute suggestion for having theme nights for each day of the week as a base for meal planning: M-chicken, T-Italian, W-ground turkey, Th- crockpot, F-Mexican food, S-roast/BBQ, Sun-soup.
Happy meal planning.
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Thanks, Shell!
We don't use our cell phones much so a prepaid cell phone is a great idea.
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Right now we are paying $195 a month for a land line, 2 cell phones and high speed internet service throught a package "deal" with Verizon. Our cell phone contract has expired and I would love to find a way to lower our phone bill.
I would prefer to keep our land line and 2 cell phones. We can do without the high speed internet, but it is really nice to have. I'm not sure where to start researching. Does anyone have any suggestions??
Thanks
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Thanks!
I thought maybe he had allergies, but it sounds like this is his time.
My dd has been so stressed seeing him everyday. Maybe I should move him out of her room and take over feeding him until the end.
Thanks!
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My dd has a dwarf hamster that is 2 1/2 years old. Two months ago he was bleeding near his tail and was very weak. I thought it was his time, but he made an amazing recovery and was back to normal for a while. This week he has lost most of the hair on his head and back and is scratching alot. He is also bleeding - I think from the scratching. His energy seems fine.
Since our hamster is near the end of his life age wise my dh doesn't want to pay for a vet visit and thinks we should euthanize the hamster to put him out of his misery. He called two vets and they want $60 to euthanize a hamster, which my dh doesn't want to pay.
Does anyone know if hair lost is a sign that he is in his final days? If we decide to end his life, is there any safe/kind way to do that?
We really don't know what to do at this point and my dh and dd are very stressed.
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I think Legos would be great.
When my ds turned 11 he got a movie night kit from a friend: it was a popcorn bucket, (you can buy them at Blockbuster or Walmart), filled with a gift card to Blockbuster and 2 movie size candy boxes, (Walmart has them for $.88). He loved being able to pick out a movie for the family and share his candy with his silblings.
Hope your son has fun at the party with his new friend.
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My favorites are:
Slow Cooker Cranberry Roast:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Cranberry-Roast/Detail.aspx
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roasted-Brussels-Sprouts/Detail.aspx
Sweet Potato Lentil Soup
Yum!
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Is this for the ladies only - no kids?
I love meeting my friends for coffee at Borders or Starbucks. It is not too expensive or too many calories and the chairs are so comfy.
If you want to host something in your home then maybe you could invite them over for dessert one night. My friend just hosted an ice cream sundae party. She provided the ice cream and every one brought a different topping. It was really fun and everyone felt like they were contributing.
I second the Sun. night idea or maybe try a weeknight around 7pm.
Also, if you don't get a good response this month then try again in a few months. Some people are really busy right now due to extra holiday events.
Have fun and I'm sure it will turn out great.
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Our mortgage is paid off - yeah!!
Approximately 10% of my dh's take home pay goes toward property taxes and house insurance - booo!!
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If it is mental illness would a child be able to turn his behavior on and off when his parent went in and out of a room?
The separation anxiety is actually a healthly thing. It means the child has attached to his mom which is a very good sign. The best thing for her to do is to drop him off and leave. After a few weeks it will be easy for him. The fact that she is hanging around is probably confusing him and he is learning how to manipulate her with his behavior. When we did foster parenting I used to think that the toddlers that never cried of fussed when they were dropped off were well adjusted. Our social worker told us that the opposite was true. They never cried or fussed because they had never bonded to a primary care provider and they had attachment disorder. So separation anxiety can be a good thing.
The child's behavior around other children sounds exactly like my ds. My youngest is an "alpha dog" and his natural instinct is to rule over others by force. When he was that age if he wanted something he grabbed it. If someone upset him he tried to resolve the matter with his fists. Even if someone accidentally bumped into him, his first instinct was to get physical. He wants to phyically dominate other people to show his superiority. I don't think dominance over others necessarily means he has been abused or is mentally ill. He might just need full time supervision and someone to train him how to get along with others without using force - especially if he is an only child.
I'm not sure about the animal cruelty issue. Is he torturing animals, (major flag) or just squashing bugs, (normal). I think 4 years old is a little young for some children to be left alone with a pet. My youngest loves animals, but at that age I don't know if he really understood the difference between a real animal and a stuffed toy. Also the animal cruelty issue doesn't jive with the separation anxiety. Usually cruelty to animals is a sign of attachment disorder, yet this child has clearly bonded to his Mom.
Honestly, I would have your preschool coordinator handle the issues regarding this boy. She needs to determine if the preschool is the right environment for him and if she can keep the other children safe when he is in attendance. She should probably handle the communications with the boys parents, too.
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We went to the used children's clothing store on Black Friday. My ds and dd got me up at 6am for the 50% off sale. We bought 3 bags for clothes but our best finds were a Wilson leather jacket with faux fur trim for my dd for $15 and a Gap winter jacket for my ds for $12. I think we are ready for the cold weather now. Bring it on!
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check craigslist --
lots of people ditch perfectly good bunkbeds because kids are either outgrowing them or are remodeling like you wanna do ;)
if you were in the DFW area, I just listed the full/twin metal bunkbed that we are getting rid of, and i included an option of delivery and assembly for people who can't do that themselves [so ask even if it doesn't explicitly say].
We aren't getting rid of them because they are unsafe, just that we are remodeling the younger two kiddo's room and splitting it, so the bunkbeds won't work for the idea we have in mind.
If you were a bit more experienced w/ assembly, I'd suggest checking out the thrift stores. but you gotta know how to inspect which nuts n bolts should be in place to do that effectively.....
OR: call a local church [or several till you get a positive answer-- even if you aren't a member] and explain your situation. They might have some handy people that can help you look and/or assemble a bunkbed. See if someone would be willing to volunteer their time to make a kids' Christmas wish come true :D
good luck!
:iagree: Check Craigslist. We just bought a beautiful trundle day bed for my dd from Craigslists and there were a lot of bunk beds listed.
Make sure the bunk bed has a rail on the top bunk. My dh and ds bought an unassembled bunk bed at a garage sale. The top bunk has nothing to keep the child from rolling off in their sleep. So whenever my son has a sleep over we have to stuff a boogey board between the mattress and frame to make a safety railing. LOL!
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We've had both and the removable plates are worth the extra cost. We use ours alot so I clean it several times a the week.
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You can contact the Dept. of Children's Services in your county office and go staight through the county. They will provide the training and paperwork that you need to become certified.
If you are not thrilled with working directly with the county and prefer a foster care agency, try the Children's Bureau of Southern California. They are based out of Los Angeles county and have great social workers and wonderful support. If they don't work in your county they might be able to refer you to another foster care agency.
You also might want to try Child Share based in Glendale, CA. They are not a foster care agency but rather a fabulous para-church organization that recruits foster parents and respite workers from church groups. They also have training seminars, support groups and even a warehouse of gentle used clothes and toys for foster children. They might be able to guide you to a local foster care agency.
Good luck and keep up posted.
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My dd does the full BJU 4th grade DVD package, and usually finishes before lunch. She does not listen to the handwriting or math DVDs. I would say that most subjects have about 15 minutes of seatwork, except reading and math which are 30 minutes.
I also give her everything she needs for the week on Monday, including a detailed checklist with lesson numbers and a DVD case with that week's DVDs. That way she doesn't have many interuptions to her day. Her fun reading, family history time, science experiements and Bible/reading crafts are separate from the above time and are usually done after lunch.
I have a special needs 3rd grader so I am so thankful for the BJU DVD program that allow my dd to work independently. I can not believe how well she is doing this year. Yeah!
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We loved the readers. We didn't use the workbooks.
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We use BJU DVD with 2 of our 3 children. I decided on BJU after viewing the sample lessons on both BJU's and Abeka's websites.
The DVD option has been a life saver for us. Before DVD classes I was never able to cover all subjects with all of my children. We had some big gaps in the language arts area. There just wasn't enough of me to go around. I also had a problem reviewing their work in a timely manner. Now we are able to get all their subject done every day and my kids get same day feedback.
The DVD option has been a big time saver for me and worth every penney.
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I think you can get up to 2% over the counter, which is what I use. I got mine at Walmart.
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Your schedule is almost identical to my dd's 4th grade schedule. How is your son doing with what you planned? Does he seem overwhelmed?
My dd has the same daily schedule except she does Bible every day and she alternated grammar and writing, (two weeks at a time) following the lesson plan in BJU English.
Her 3 times a week schedule is history and science.
Her weekly commitments are similar: cheerleading practice once a week and cheer a game on Sat., dance class once a week and 4 co-op classes once a week (sign language, voice, art and crafts).
Her daily work takes between 2.5-4 hours depending on the writing assignments and math topic. She spends another 1-1.5 on history and science which we do as a family.
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I get inspiration from books, websites and visiting other people's homes.
My most helpful routine is having a written morning routine and cleaning routine.
When we are in a busy season and I get behind in cleaning or paperwork I love using the crisis cleaning tip from Flylady. I set the timer for 20 minutes and work on my first project (like straightening the house) then reset the timer and move on to the next project (like cleaning the kitchen). I just keep going until the work is done.
Our house is not very peaceful, partly because we are raising 3 adopted foster children. My youngest has special needs and my two boys frequently verbally spar. I think my dh and I are OK with this partly because we had 12 years of peaceful marriage before becoming parents. Also we are in this together and would rather raise three children in need with discord than help no one in peace.
To create atmosphere I love lighting candles. Someone on this message board recommended the sage and citrus candle from Yankee Candles. I use their air freshener wall plug in near our powder room and have the same scent candle in the kitchen. I love the scent because when I cook the smells all blend together. Some of the other candle scents I've tried really don't blend well with food smells.
I use a household notebook and a wall calendar to track everything. The household notebook has 7 dividers: Planning, Family, Home Management, Activities, Special Projects, Health and Meals. I love our wall calendar. It has 5 slots along the top where you write down the names of family members so everyone has their own space for activities. I keep in on a bulletin board in our kitchen. I need to find out where my MIL bought it because I would love to have a new one for next year.
I am looking forward to reading the other responses.
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We are using it for the first time this year and I LOVE it - the diversity of stories and focus on different types of literature. I also appreciate the comprehension questions in the TM and the phonics review in the worktext. We do a lesson a day following the lesson plans in the TM and it takes about 30-45 minutes a day.
We use their English program, too. It works well for my 3rd grader because it switches back and forth between grammar and writing (10 lessons of each) so it is less time consuming than trying to teach both each day. I use the TM because it includes the answers to the worktext and has rubics for reviewing the writing assignments. I love their writing program because they spread the writing assigment out over 5 days, (planning, drafting, revising, proofreading and publishing) so the focus in on quality.
HTH
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We fostered in CA two years ago and at that time you were not allowed to hs a foster child. I think your idea of fostering a child younger than your youngest is very wise. In Los Angeles County they go through a check list of behaviors and conditions that a child may have and what you are willing to accept.
Depending on your county you might want to check out a private foster care agency. We decided on that route and went through the Children's Bureau of Southern California. The advantage is that you get better support because your social workers have better training and more experience. Also the reimb expense is higher - about $600 per month rather than $400. Also the monthly checks are tax free so it really helps out with the food budget.
I didn't have any issues with our foster children's birth parents. Most of our visitations were monitored by our private agency at a wonderful facility. I just dropped off and picked up so it was no big deal. I'm glad I didn't have to personally monitor them because that would have been too much for me to deal with.
The hardest part for me were the constant visitors in our home. We had a social worker in our house every week, (sometimes I asked them to meet at a park or zoo and they were cool with that). We also had representatives from the children's attorneys visit us every 6 months as well. They take the foster kids in a seperate room and interview them which kind of made me uncomfortable but I thought it was a great safeguard for the children.
Our foster children didn't have any medical issues or therapy requirements, but many foster children do so you would need to fit all those appointments into your hs routine.
Good luck with your decision.
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Although it is not for the faint of heart and not always a sure thing, fostering is a wonderful way to add to your family. We will be completing our second adoption on Nov. 15. We have had our son since he was six days old and our daughter came to us at 4 weeks old and we adopted her on July 17th of this year. Both are now two. The cost to adopt for us has been zero. We are completely reimbursed by the state (Florida). Also, our children will be provided with a 4 year FL state college education, a monthly stipend until they are 18 and Medicaid until they are 18. We never intended to adopt but we fell in love with our two and when the opportunity presented itself, we eagerly accepted.
If you have any questions about fostering, please feel free to pm me. Best of luck to you in your quest to add to your family through adoption.
:iagree: We adopted 3 children through the fost to adopt program in Los Angeles. The few expenses we had were reimbursed through the county.
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We used BJU handwriting for 2nd-5th without the TM.
Suggestions to lower our phone bill??
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Thanks for the feedback, everyone!
This is exactly the information that I was hoping for. I have been meaning to shop around for a better deal since Sept. and, well, here it is Dec. already. LOL!
Thanks!