OrdinaryTime
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Posts posted by OrdinaryTime
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One very large real tree with white lights, a popcorn & cranberry garland, and a gold and red theme with a few vintage family ornaments.
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House #2, hands down. We spend way more waking time in our kitchen than our bedrooms so I would prefer a nice kitchen/main living space to bedrooms. Also, while I like a good storage space for school items, I gave up my school room this year to get another bedroom for a younger BIL to move in with us, and I feel like our schooling has been more joyful, more consistent, and more integrated into our lives this year. If you really want a fourth bedroom, I would give up a school room before a nice kitchen,
Of course, I don't find sharing a bedroom that much of a sacrifice. I grew up sharing a room with three sisters, then shared a dorm room in college, moved on to roommates after college, and then got married. I lived on my own and didn't share a bedroom for about six months of my life. No biggie.
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This is the OP: thank you to each of you who took the time to reply. This is a terrific community, and I've already learning a lot as I browse these boards. :grouphug:
For those who wondered, I have two little sons, and we hope to have a new baby next year -- making 3 children, 5-and-under. I should have mentioned that we do not have family nearby, and my husband works long, late hours and travels frequently, so he is not predictably home evenings and weekends. We also have an unusual # of appointments due to various health problems. I have not been in many examining rooms in our area that would accommodate three children, the doctor(s), and myself!
I have taken our boys all over NYC, Philly, Baltimore, and DC alone, so I love being "out" with them, but times where I am immobilized, distracted, or need privacy is another matter.
Our sons are pretty well behaved, but I have also had some bad experiences. There was the baby who screamed non-stop while the dentist had his drill in my mouth, and the toddler who walked into a glass shelf at JC Penny while I was fastening the strap of the bridesmaid sandals I needed for my brother's wedding. In my area the DMV is a 3 hour process; the line wraps around the parking lot. I have dealt with changing a poop blowout and nursing while standing in that line. All of this "do-able," but certainly at a cost to me, the children, and others around us.
I liked the tips about having a regular sitter for appointments, and going to lunch or shopping with other homeschool mothers. I also appreciated those who pointed out that sending your oldest to school may be giving up your best helper, and who were encouraging that various difficulties can be overcome and may be well worth it.
Many of you made great points about how times have changed, though SAHMs are the norm in our church and neighborhood, including among those with children in public and private school. My wonderful mother actually worked a little for my Dad's business, but it was during school hours so I was barely aware of it. I have been a (part-time) working mother as well, but the solution to my questions then was easy -- go to appointments during lunch or ask the sitter to stay a bit later.
I was disappointed that so many of the posts confirmed a fear (or perhaps stereotype) of homeschool mothers being unable to take great care of their homes, health, and appearance. I know neither myself or my husband would be happy with a bedraggled Mom or super messy house, so I also appreciate those who had tips for keeping those areas up.
I had an absolutely wonderful childhood and did very well in school and in my career. My siblings are also all walking with the Lord and succeeding in their callings...so I feel like the path my parents chose "worked." That makes it difficult to consider doing something else, although we have some different ideas and circumstances.
Thanks again to all who responded to my questions. I'm very grateful.
I had four in less than five years while my husband worked full-time in demanding job and went to law school at night. Some rough years there. I seriously don't remember a few of them due to sleep deprivation.:tongue_smilie: It does get much, much better as the kids just get a little bit older. I am glad I didn't make my decisions based solely on how things felt then. Just a few years later, and it is much less overwhelming to run around with the kids, get work done at home, and just be around them all. the. time.
I remember feeling much the same as you when I decided (rather reluctantly) to homeschool. My mom was a SAHM who was a wonderful homemaker. I, too, remember coming home from school to fresh baked goods daily! (My mom had seven kids, often was homeschooling one who needed a break from school, and was on a very tight budget so she wasn't just sitting around eating bons-bons all day!) The most difficult part of homeschooling for me is giving up the role of a full-time homemaker. It is something I am good at and really enjoy. Though I still keep a clean home, enjoy making our home beautiful and inviting, baking, etc, I don't have the time I would to dedicate to some domestic pursuits that I would have otherwise. Acknowledging the loss was actually helpful to me.
You don't have to throw out all your standards, though! I try to keep on top of clutter, cleaning as I go through out the day, so there is visual calm and peace in the house. I could not bear to teach at home otherwise. When I am pregnant or in a tough phase, I hire a cleaning crew to come bi-weekly to deep clean. Last year, I found a college girl to come once a week for a few hours so I could go to a ballet class, grocery shop, and run a few quick errands. I've made some good friends who I can swap babysitting with for doctors appt or hair cuts. At one point, I actually hosted hair cutting parties in my home every couple months. A local professional hairdresser would come and cut all morning. We Moms left feeling great, and the kids had a fun play date. Get creative!
As I said I was a reluctant homeschooled and just taking the decision one year at a time helped relieve some of the stress. I was able to get a cleare picture of whatnit was truly like to homeschool and had time to find solutions. I still regret some of the trade-offs of homeschooling, but the benefits have far outweighed the costs thus far. It is hard to see the big picture at the beginning, especially when you are in the weeds with lots of toddlers! Good luck with your decision-making!
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Chipotle
Chick-Fil-A
Five Guys
:iagree: A trifecta of tastiness.
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I have an Anne and a Jane. If I have another girl, I want a Tess.
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I'm gonna disagree with this. I think it really depends on where you live and your social circle. I live in a relatively affluent area and we have lots of stay-at-home-moms here. In fact, we have lots of SAHM's with all of their kids in school and a surprising number of SAHM's who are empty-nest (which I guess makes them homemakers rather than SAHM's ;)). The phenomenon is even stronger at our church. The only women who work are unmarried, childless, or have husbands out of work. These women take yoga together during the day, go out to lunch, attend scripture study, volunteer together at a variety of charities, etc, etc.
:iagree: It is the same in my neck of the woods. Most of my friends in the neighborhood are full-time SAHMs with all of their children in private school. They work out together daily, volunteer at school together, go to church-related stuff, etc. It can be hard to choose otherwise when everyone around you has a solid four hours a day to get some stuff done without little "helpers" everywhere!
But like all the others have said, you CAN make it work with the littles around. Most things are just a bit slower and less perfect. And usually much more amusing.:tongue_smilie:
(I must add: One errand that did not work well to take all four kids seven and under to was traffic court. I tried to make it into an educational field trip, but the bailiff wouldn't let the kids sit in court with me. We had to wait outside. Then when it was my turn, the judge wouldn't even let us come in and plead our case. She just ordered me to pay the fine without even getting to step foot in the courtroom. :glare:)
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If you stay in one city for a few days, definitely look into apartment vacation rental. Usually they have a minimum stay of 3 days. It is often cheaper than a lower end hotel or B&B, and you get access to a kitchen and sometimes even laundry. Plus you really get the feel for what it would be like to live in that city/country.
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I went for 2 weeks with my mom, an aunt, and my three younger sisters right before I got married (age spread of 14 - 50). Our last hurrah together before one of us married off!
We flew into London, took the Chunnel to Paris, went down through France to Switzerland, and then down to Rome. The only luggage allowed on the trip was one large backpack and a money pouch. (It was killer on my aunt to limit herself to one backpack. Clothes horse!) We mainly staying in youth hostels (my mom and aunt kinda stood out:tongue_smilie:) and used the trains and public transit in the cities. We did rent an apartment in Paris for three days because it was actually cheaper than staying in a hostel. We were on a tight budget, mainly buying food from grocery stores and cooking ourselves.
I had already spent a semster studying in Austria, with lots of weekend travel throughout Europe, so I was familiar with the train system, finding good lodging, etc. The fact that one of us had some clue about what to do definitely made trip much smoother.
The trip was a blast! We are already planning for one ten or fifteen years down the line when we sisters can all go together with our daughters.
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I use the c-rods extensively with Singapore to illustrate the tens. We build each number with the rods over and over until it sticks. I use an Altoid tin (perfect size since a ten rod won't fit in it) and bigger plate to make a ones' house and tens' house. Once we hit ten ones, the rod won't fit in the ones' house so it has to move next door to the tens' house. Seriously, we build ever number up to 100 with the c-rods with this visual. We make up stories about the "families" living in the houses and have fun with it. We write out number charts as we build the numbers. I find it easier to just spend some time on the concept and cover numbers 1-100 than just the teens because it keeps enforcing the same concept of place value.
I do not worry about reading the written name of the numeral (ex. eleven) during math time. That is reading, not math. I skip those sections in Singapore. We focus on understanding the quantity and writing the numeral itself (ex. 11) during our math time.
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My son used a map of Middle Earth quite a bit when reading The Hobbit to plot out their journey. If you listen to an audiobook, maybe just pick up a hard copy at the library. Every copy of The Hobbit I have ever encountered has had a map in it.
I agree with the others who say to wait on LOTR. It is my very favorite book, but it is much better for older kids and adults.
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One very positive side of the Internet has been the homeschooling resources and intellectual stimulation. Karen's yahoo group that spinned off the Circe thread was really good for me. I have great Catholic moms close to me, but many don't homeschool or don't enjoy more intellectual conversations. (I love them, though; they know how to throw some very fun Moms' Night Outs!) I have friends who share my desire for intellectual conversation and homeschooling talk, but they don't live close by me. The Internet has helped fill that need.
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Mostly bad probably. :glare: I don't spend big of chunks of time online, but it is like a small, constant mental distraction. It wasn't too bad until I got a smartphone, which has generally been a negative for me. I tend to be easily distracted by emails, texts, and news, eating small moments of time that could be used in prayer or in more conversation with my kids. I really hope to work on this in Advent.
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I think a Catholic Coffee Talk would be lovely. I agree that off the GB would be nice. I don't like to post there very much.
I don't really care what board, but I do share Eleanor's concern. I was the one who mentioned that I don't think most Catholics in America have a personal relationship with Christ on CT (a statement I still stand by, too::001_smile: though I think some of disagreement may only be because we are defining terms differently), but I feel like I shouldn't have posted that comment in that social group or in that thread. I wouldn't want to make the same mistake again. I truly don't want to undo any of the work anyone has done helping explain the Faith to regular visitors at CT by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Sometimes too close a look into the Church's internal struggles too early in the process just isn't helpful!
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Personally, I use the Marquette method, and I have loved it. It has been very easy and reliable for us. Also, it is a good choice if you can't find anyone locally. You can take online classes with them, chart online at their site, and they have a great forum with very fast turn around on questions. Usually a doctor or nurse gets back with you within 24 hours. http://nfp.marquette.edu/
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Calling your diocese's family life office can sometimes be a good resource for finding a local doctor who is NFP literate. If you have complicated cycles, looking for a Creighton NFP practitioner might be helpful. I don't use Creighton myself, but if I had crazy cycles, I would look at it closely. You get to work one-on-one with a trained practitioner, often who understand hormonal shifts in your cycle better than most GYNs.
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And not reminiscent of the 1970s!
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Never made one, though I think maybe some of my younger siblings might have...
I plan on making a personalized mass book with my DS7 in preparation of his 1st communion. Buy lots of holy cards, a cheap photo album, print out the main prayers and responses. Let him pick out the cards he thinks fit with each prayer. Put in album. Personal and actually useful!
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We have a Children's Holy Hour in the church, then go out to the playground and play. So we do pray every week, but not out in public.
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Math: Miquon, Life of Fred, math games
Phonics: All About Reading 2
Spelling: All About Spelling 2
Handwriting: Copywork and handwriting iPad apps
Grammar: The Sentence Family
Literature: 30 minutes silent reading and daily family read alouds
For the other content subjects (history, geography, science, art, music, Latin), we belong to a co-op that has weekly memory work. I supplement the weekly memory work from co-op with SOTW 1 for history and BFSU for science. many of our read alouds will correspond to the content areas, though I don't obessive,y plan it.
If I didn't have tons of interruptions from the littles, we could be done with skill work in two hours a day. Another hour or so for content stuff, but my kids don't really consider that stuff "school."
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We have had a leopard gecko for a year now, and everyone loves it. It is very low-maintenance. You only have to feed it once a week so it is easy to leave, even on vacations. You do need a heating lamp, but it can go on a timer for trips. Because it eats so infrequently, it also eliminates infrequently and is easy to clean up after. We clean the tank and replace the sand every other month or so. The lizard has been easy to handle and very enjoyable for the kids.
I found the lizard, tank, and light on craigslist for $40 so it wasn't that expensive either.
Eta: The kids only handle the lizard a couple times a week, but that hasn't dismissed their love for her. They also love watching her eat and shed.
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Nebraska can split its electoral votes as well. In 2008, Omaha went one way while the rest of the state went the other way.
Yep. I just remembered that. I think Maine and Nebraska are the only two states who choose a apportioned approach versus a winner-take-all approach.
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They are already allowed to. It is up to each state. Some do, some don't
Exactly right. Besides Maine, I think Nebraska may also split its electoral votes.
Links from the "Pursuing..." social group
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Thanks, Eleanor! I didn't realize the social groups where going either. I'm so glad you are helping save some of the resources for us,