exactly. It's not like it's a secret.

Sometimes there's a crack, sometimes not - it depends on how deep the quake is, the land it's on and other factors. The 7. something we had here last September opened up an enormous long crack that ran (in parts) for several kilometres along the stress lines. It was filled in where it crossed roads but some of it's still there. The cracks were up to a mans shoulders at places (I know this because stupid people climbed in the cracks, which COULD close in another shake). I don't think the Feb or June events here opened fissures right at their epicentres - I could be wrong though, and there were plenty of fissures elsewhere. We were in the car in the Feb event, right in the middle of the falling down buildings in our central city. The car bounced from side to side and the road cracked right along under it. In all honesty I don't think you *could* get out of the car - I didn't consider it, having two kids strapped in the back that I couldn't get to, but I doubt I would have been able to get out until it was over anyway. Fortunately we were stopped at the time - I guess I'd suggest you stop as soon as possible (cars that weren't were dancing all over the place). I hope that helps. If you google Canterbury Earthquake or Greendale Fault or search the same things on youtube you might find some pictures - there was a helicopter flyover of the greendale fault around at one point.

Glad to hear everyone's ok.

We're in Christchurch so this is well and truly in our minds at the moment. My DS has become an expert at the 'not quite awake' turtle in the night time now. I'd like to repeat the DO NOT RUN OUTSIDE message. During the Feb quake we were unfortunate enough to be in the central city and so many people were badly hurt or killed because they ran outside as the facades of the shops fell off. The noise is what surprises me too - make sure your kids know what to do because chances are they won't be able to hear you in a big shake. Unless you're near a safe shelter it's safer to just 'do the turtle' - it's just about impossible to make forward progress without getting thrown about. The other thing I'd say is have a plan for your loved ones who aren't with you, because cell phone contact becomes very iffy immediately afterwards and it's not always possible to coordinate a meeting place. The other thing we'd never thought about was the liquefaction - water and mud that just spews out of the ground, up from the drains, etc. We travel with rubber boots in the car now so that if we're not home and it happens again we can put them on - walking in liquefaction is NOT fun.

I was so excited when I saw this because I've been contemplating buying it - I figured I'd download it, check it out properly and if I liked it, buy the preprinted version. Alas 'twas not to be.

Oh gosh I'm glad to see this thread, because this is one of my biggest concerns about pursuing home ed... I really need that space. It's great to see how others manage it. At the moment my DH has promised to take the children somewhere where I am not (or I go out) for a few hours every weekend. It makes a huge difference to how well I cope with them during the week, just knowing that I will get some time on the weekend.

this sounds like fun.. I think I will steal it ;)

My DS who is nearly 5 likes riding his bike around and around and around the yard. He sets up ramps and jumps too. He has a soccerball trainer thingamy - a soccerball tied to a weight by elastic that he'll pound away at for hours, there's also a tennis ball one but he's not coordinated enough for that yet. He plays with 'pole tennis' and is improving his racquet skills that way, and enjoys basketball with a 2m high hoop. Sometimes he just likes to run around the yard as fast as he can too, and time himself to see how long it takes. Is that the sort of thing you mean? Can't help on the big kids from experience, but what about stuff like lawn mowing, firewood chopping (if you have a fire.. or maybe for neighbours if you don't), digging gardens, perhaps some projects like building a garden shed or play fort for the youngers. Painting the house if it needs doing.. hmm send them here, I think I can keep them occupied ;)

Harry Potter. He's obsessed. I'm only letting him have the first three, and he just keeps reading and rereading them. Also Deltora Quest and Beast Quest.

One of mine responds best to "if you do that again I will smack your hand" where the other responds to "you will need to go to time out / to your room". If I try time out or other alternatives with one, the issue will escalate and will last for hours / even recommence the next day, whereas a sharp slap on the hand gets the message across and it's over. As they get older different things work for them so I'm hoping to find another 'currency' at some point. My father smacked us as children, but my mother engaged in ongoing verbal and emotional bullying - I have a much better relationship with him than I do with her.

It sounds like mum's decided the best defense is a good offense. Or she's so embarrassed she's using anger / being offended to hide behind.

We have this issue, but more with plastic rubbish that the kids aren't interested in than with clothes (so far). If it's clothes I usually just put it in the bottom of the drawer and eventually make it vanish (it can take a looooong time for it to get through the laundry process sometimes - so long it's been out grown). Toys, I usually wait for them to lose interest (about half an hour) or for it to break then bin it or donate it. When Grandma asks the kids tell her, "oh, that broke" or "yes, we played with it" and it's never mentioned again.

I'm not in the US so our system may be a little different but how it works here is you receive a detention (for whatever the teacher decides to give you one for - talking in class, incomplete homework, forgetting your book, blah blah blah). In the schools I'm familiar with detention was on a particular day (let's say Wednesday). So you'd take a slip home for your parents to sign then on Wednesday you'd go to which ever room detention was being held in and you'd sit. In most cases you'd be given some mindless copying to do (character education at best, telephone book at worst). You'd do that in silence for the time alloted then go home. If you didn't go, you got another detention. If you got enough detentions built up you'd get a Saturday detention (think Breakfast Club) technically if you continued to not go you could be suspended, but if they needed you on academic teams that would never happen. Ask me how I know this ;)

I'm another one who had far more male than female friends as a teen. Some of those friendships withered and died when they got married - in some cases at the insistence of their new wives / partners. One of the girl friends asked me straight if I had or had ever had any romantic interest in her man. I guess I answered ok because she's ok with us hanging out (we have a hobby in common that is not her thing at all). I guess of the 6 close friendships I had with males in late teenage years, one I still see at least once a week, one I correspond with regularly and catch up with whenever he's in the country, two are no longer in touch - we exchange Christmas cards but that's it, and one I haven't heard from since the early days of his marriage. (The other one has passed away). I've found I was seen as less of a threat once I was married and children of my own. It may have helped that I'm no one's idea of a "threat" in a romantic sense too. I'm not sure, but I do think it can work out, so long as the friendship evolves as people grow. As a contrast I had two close female friends in those years, one of whom I haven't spoken to in 15 or more years and the other I recently reconnected with (after 12 - 13 years) and have had coffee once.

cheese.

:lol: please do it. And record it for sharing later.

Congratulations

We live very near my parents. We used to see them at least weekly until my kids got big enough for her policy of "Grandma's house, Grandma's rules" to become a problem, and also when DS asked me one day, "why doesn't Grandma like you, she's your mother isn't she, she has to." Now we try to see them once a month but if they're not home when we stop by it might be longer. I'd like to see my dad more often but it's definitely a duty to visit my mother. The in-laws we see at least once a week for dinner and often other times as well - it's a pleasure.

DS recently read a book about Louis Braille and there was some braille on the back of the book. He was intrigued and I keep finding pieces of paper around the house with holes punched in them. I don't think we'll take it any further than he chooses to, but he's got himself to the point of being able to spell out words a letter at a time just for the heck of it. He did suggest that someone should invent a "Braille puncher" because it takes him a long time punching each hole, it's hard to keep them even and he has to do it in reverse to have the raised part on the right side. Oh, and if you (or your sister) push it too hard the dots squash when you use computer paper :lol: I suggested he might like to come up with some solutions to that but he said he thought he'd let someone else. :001_huh:

mmm I may have to try and get a thread locked if he delivers the awards. Now what did I miss this time?

Yikes, that's a bit dangerous! I was amazed by the depth of some of the holes that opened up around here during the earthquakes. It's quite something to watch the road unzipping in front of you and realise it just keeps going down.

We just finished out rain gutter shelves too. We put them behind the front door (so the door opens in front of them). They're library book shelves for us.

THank you, you are wonderful. Perhaps this will keep little miss "me too" :001_smile:busy

Someone posted a link a while ago to some work they'd made up for before the orange book in Miquon. I can't for the life of me find it - probably searching the wrong thing. Could someone please point me in the right direction? Thanks!

Congratulations... it's not a surprise, it's an "added bonus"... and those are always good to get. I'm sure you'll manage to work out all the details before baby gets here.