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Berta
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Posts posted by Berta
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WHAT? Where do you live in the south? Diners seem to be everywhere when we visit family.
And, Mrs. Mungo, they KNOW how to make grits! Man, now I want b'fast for dinner, just so I can have grits.
I'm in South Carolina now and we don't have any diners by me. I never knew what a grit was until I moved here. My youngest daughter LOVES grits. I bought the box of instant ones and was very quickly told by my neighbor that no Southerner would be caught dead eating instant grits.
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Here in Jersey, the diner capital of the world (true story!), diners are not only everywhere, they are thriving.
Within a 5-mile radius of my house, there are 3 different diners. One is traditional diner food (everything from breakfast to chicken parm to meatloaf to liver & onions to desserts). One of the diners is big on using local, organic ingredients. Here in South Jersey we have an abundance of farms. The Vincentown Diner gets as much protein & veggies and breads from local farms & businesses as they can. Their menu is still in keeping with traditional diner food but it's more current (although you can still get an open face roast beef sandwich, burgers, breakfast, fries with gravy, etc.). They also offer locally brewed beers.
I lived in dh's home state of Iowa for 8 years. I think I missed Jersey diner food as much as I missed my family. :)
Vincentown diner.. yum! I remember eating there often.
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I was born and raised in NJ. I grew up within walking distance of a diner that had the best cheddar burger and cheese fries ever! I live in the south now, and we do not have any diners here.
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I think I was a closet homeschooler when my children small. I got in trouble for pulling them out too much to take them to museums. The school threatened to not let them pass to the next grade (first grade) because they had missed too much school? Really? You will hold back a child at the top of her class (as told by the teacher) because they missed 5 days to go to museums?
sigh
I really like this enrichment program---the children make friends and the district pays for my curriculum, and I get a day off (plus it counts for 1/2 of the required hours for the year--- I go way over anyway-- but still!!) One of the unseen advantages of the program is just enough of a taste of the PS BS to remind me how much I hated it!
LOL, I am an awful public school mom too. My daughter went to PS last year for 2nd grade because I had to work. On days where I would be let off early I went to school and picked her up. Then I lost hours and went from full time to part time status so I would pick her up at 1pm three days a week. We live in the sticks and it didn't make sense for me to drive right past the school at 1pm, go home, and then have to come back out to pick her up an hour and a half later. That's 30 miles round trip!
She reached her allowable days out and they threatened me with truancy. We already had a vacation planned and they said NOPE. So I un-enrolled her, then re-enrolled her 12 days later when we got back. I also un-enrolled her since our state does not allow us to opt-out of testing. Then I re-enrolled her when the testing was done.
I quit my job so we could continue homeschooling. We just aren't cut out for PS.
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I ordered Ace Paces for Science and Social Studies. I almost didn't because a lot of reviews were negative. I decided to order the first workbooks and they came today. My daughter LOVES them. She is very independent and this seems to be a good fit for her. I also ordered the Bible, but I'm not really liking what I see. I am going to order the rest of the workbooks for Science and Social Studies as well as English.
I'm still disappointed that Trail Guide POS didn't work out for us, I really love it.
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We started out using Trail Guide to Learning: Paths of Exploration which is an all inclusive (except math) curriculum. I love it, my daughter not so much. We have decided to ditch it and go back to what we liked and know works for us. The only thing left to figure out is science, which is something I seem to struggle with every year. I am drawing a blank on science for 3rd grade.
My daughter is a very independent worker. She prefers to do her work by herself with minimum help/input from me. I also need it to be CHEAP. I'm thinking of just using Netflix and Amazon Prime to watch and discuss shows together. She is taking a science class at the local museum, but that is only once a month.
Any and all suggestions are welcome! -
My 2007 VW Beetle Convertible. That car was a dream. I thought I would drive that car forever but, alas, I owned it for a little over a year. I cried when I handed the keys over as a trade in on a bigger vehicle. I still find myself wanting to put the top down and cruise around on beautiful summer evenings.
My 18 yr old daughter just bought a 2007 Beetle Convertible. It's her first car and I am SO jealous... I drive a minivan lol..
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We start around noon. We roll out of bed around 8:30-9am and then we do housework and run errands if needed. None of us are morning people, so this works well for us.
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I'm in a similar spot. My daughter wants to take me with her to Germany next July. It's a mission trip but also includes sightseeing things like Sleeping Beauty's castle, the Alps, Dachau and other historic sights. They are also staying IN a castle. I've talked about going on a trip like this for years. The issue is that she wants to pay for me to go. She inherited some cash and that is what she wants to do. I feel funny having her pay for a trip like this for me.
I also have an 8 yr old at home. For me to go on this trip my DH would have to use his vacation time to stay home with her. I'm really torn. I want to go, but I don't want to inconvenience my family.
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I can't tell you how many times I have seen people post that they were shocked to get on the scale and see that they LOST weight after taking in more calories by eating healthy fats. Fat is not your enemy. I know this sounds counter intuitive, but it really works.
I lost 60 lbs doing the hcg diet. It's not a diet for someone losing just 15 lbs. But the maintenance end of the diet is low carb/higher healthy fats. I continued to lose weight while eating 2200 calories a day, and limiting my carbs to two slices of whole wheat bread and the carbs that were in my veggies. Approx 60 carbs per day. I did not count fat grams or choke down anything low-fat. Easiest diet in the world to follow, especially if you like meat. If you can grow it, pick it or kill it, you can eat it.
I was not a big meat eater before doing this diet. If I ate meat once a week that was a lot. Now I eat it every day. I eat eggs every day, whole fat cheeses, butter and sauces. My bad cholesterol went WAY down and I was no longer on the verge of diabetes. I only use coconut oil, olive oil and real butter. Nothing fake. My doctor told me not to do the diet when I first presented her with it. She said 1200 calories a day, restrict fat intake blah blah blah. I went home and started the diet anyway. I went back in 3 months, 30 lbs lighter, and my labs were wonderful. She was shocked and asked me for a copy of the diet.
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Get rid of anything white (flour, sugar, potatoes, rice) and UP your protein and good fats. You will be shocked how quickly you will lose weight and NOT be hungry. Low calorie and low fat is NOT your friend.
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We moved 600 miles away to a rural area and I don't even want to go back to even visit anyone! My husband grew up in a rowhome in the middle of Philadelphia. It's hard to get the city out of the boy, and there is an adjustment period but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. We are only 20 mins to a Walmart and the "center" of town. I'm 45 mins to the "city" where there is everything I could possibly want or need. We have 4 acres that border 100's of wooded acres. We have chickens and I'm working on getting goats. (The chickens almost threw my city boy over the edge, I need to wait a bit on the goats :) )
My older daughter just turned 18 yesterday and she absolutely loves it and would never move back to the city. Also, around here kids can start driving at 15, so they can get to activities and places by themselves by the time they turn 16.
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We don't have to pay for the belt tests, just the $7 for the actual belt. The Shihan homeschooled his kids so he understands how finances can be tight.
My daughter is Chinese, and everyone tells me it's in her genes. I don't know about that, but she really does have a gift for it.
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We spent two weeks there when we adopted our daughter. I can't wait to bring her back to visit! My son lives there half the year, he teaches history in a middle school there. He absolutely loves it. I don't know that I would want to live there as the culture is so very different then what I am used to. Like someone else said, be prepared to be stared at and touched. There is no such thing as personal space in China.
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Thank you. Congratulations to your daughter! It's special to see this level of interest in children. I'm not familar with a black belt club. I'm curious as to how it works.
The Black Belt Club is for those yellow belt or higher that have made the commitment to follow through to black belt. My daughter had to write an essay on why she wanted to join, what her goals are ... etc. They cannot just join, they have to be "invited" to join by the Shihan and the board members from the school. From what I have been told (and what I see when I watch her), she is awesome. Her Shihan told me that she is a prodigy when it comes to karate. They had national sparring champ come and put on a seminar, he pulled me aside and told me that she definitely has a gift.
The BBC includes three classes each week, one extra class per month where she "assists" the Sensei in teaching white belts, and once a month a BBC special class. This month it was a weapons class where she learned sword fighting. Last month was the Bo staff and the one before that was Kata. She also gets to wear a special BBC Gi.
It costs me $65 a month and we get a discount off of other classes, camps and merchandise. Through the summer she went to camp twice which was 5 days of 9am-12pm, in addition to her three regular classes. She has learned so much from the camps.
ETA: My daughter was born with a heart condition. She has never been isn't into sports. She has taken ballet and gymnastics before but she tired easily. She liked both of those, but she wasn't a "stand out" and wasn't any better then any of the other kids in her class. I think that had to do with health issues concerning her heart. She had heart surgery two years ago and karate is the first sport she has done since then. I had to talk her into taking the karate, but after one class she was hooked. Her Shihan said that he has had a few kids like her, but he has lost them other sports. I don't think he needs to worry about her, she isn't going anywhere!
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We are going to Disneys Homeschool days and they have an educational class that comes with our hopper passes. We are also doing geography and exploration this year so I plan on counting Epcot AND Animal Kingdom as field trips.
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Congratulations!!
My 8 yr old daughter is testing this week for her Orange belt. She absolutely loves karate! They teach Shotokan and her favorite thing is the weapons classes, specifically the bo staff and nunchucks. They have homeschool classes during the week and she takes three classes a week. She is in the Black Belt Club, which is an intense track towards earning Black belt. She also helps assist one class a month with White belts.
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The lying and not telling you is what would get my kids in trouble. The gun obsession does not sound like they are on track to be mass murderers. They didn't pick it up and chase other kids around, they did what they believed was safe handling of it. They have a natural attraction to guns, nothing wrong with that as long as they are taught safety.
Teaching kids that guns are bad does not keep them from wanting to know about guns. Especially if they have a natural interest in guns. If anything, it will make them more secretive when it comes to guns and the attraction to that "bad" thing will pique their interests even more. Teach them safe handling, starting with a BB gun, which can be dangerous and deserves the same safety measures as a real gun. I started my 8 yr old out teaching safe handling and all the rules of gun safety with a BB gun. I have no doubt that she will handle a real gun safely, just as I have taught my older three kids.
Golden rules:
All guns should be treated as if they are loaded.
If someone hands you a gun and says it's not loaded, always check to make sure YOURSELF.
Don't aim at anything you don't want to destroy.
Know what is behind your target.
FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER until you are ready to pull it.
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The key to saving on grocery shopping is to build up a pantry. It takes a little bit of extra time but it is well worth it. I always say that I have more time than money, so for me it's worth it.
When you see something you use regularly don't buy just one or two, buy 4 or 6.. or 10 depending on the price. Stop shopping at Sams and Costco, it really does not save you money over shopping sales. All grocery stores have what they call "loss leaders" in their sale papers. Get all the papers for your local stores and make a list of the items that are on a really good sale. They usually run the same products every 4-6 months on a deep price cut. Get enough that will last you that long. If you have three stores by you, go to all three with your list (and coupons if you have them) and get ONLY the items that are on your sale list. It might seem like you are spending a bit more at first, but within 6 months you will have a pantry that you can pull from, all bought at deep cut sale prices. Your weekly shopping lists will be down to just perishables. This is when you will start seeing lots of extra cash in your budget. Take any extra cash and keep growing your pantry. Believe me, it works. I can go approx 10 months and shop for nothing but perishables at this point.
By shopping in this manner you won't have to choose between going food shopping or paying an unexpected bill (like me this past week, four new tires on my car!).
Some money saving tips:
Buy cloth napkins. You can find good quality ones at a thrift store dirt cheap.
Make your own laundry soap. It cost me approx $5 a year to make my soap.
Make your own deodorant. It's just pennies a year and no, you won't smell.
Buy or make your own reusable feminine pads (Mama pads).
Vinegar and water is a better and healthier cleaner then anything you can buy in the store. It also doubles as a fabric softener.
Menu planning according to what you already have on hand will save you time and money.
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Congratulations!! I like the idea of using Skype to tell him.
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My daughter is 5' tall and wears a 32 DD. We have found success with Wacoal and Soma bras. She turns 18 next week and for her birthday she wants a breast reduction. She has scoliosis and her orthopedist has referred her to a surgeon to have it done. He said it's just way too much weight on her small frame, and reducing the breasts will help with the back and neck pain.
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I don't normally buy the meats because I don't find them to be any cheaper then the grocery store. I can get marked down meats on a Monday morning at Walmart.
Things we like:
LOVE LOVE LOVE the Animal crackers!! Other crackers are good as well as the cookies. My daughter calls the oreo looking cream filled ones Aldi-o's.
Cereal, oatmeal and grits
All of the baking items. I have yet to find any baking staples that were not good.
Canned goods. I have an extensive pantry and keep canned veggies/fruits/prepared meals for times when I can't cook from scratch or for emergency situations.
Breads are always fresh.
Dairy products: love the cheeses and milk
Frozen: They have asparagus in a steam bag that is awesome. My kids like the chicken nuggets that are shaped like dinosaurs.
I get all my garbage bags there as well as foil and plastic wrap.
I have never bought any personal care items like deodorant and feminine supplies, so I can't comment on those.
Things we did not like:
There is a chicken stew in a can that is nasty. My dog loved it though :)
Moo something yogurt. My daughter is not a picky eater and she would not eat their yogurt.
Honey roasted peanuts. I get the cashews and they are really good as well as the party peanuts.
Plain potato chips. The ruffled ones are good, but the plain ones have a burnt taste and they look dirty.
Their Light and Lively type brand. I can't remember the exact name but it's their diet version of things. They did have a slim fast like shake that was pretty good, but it was seasonal and I only found it in stock one time.
ETA: Coffee! My husband will only drink Aldi coffee. He loves it.
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For those where PS is not an option, then no, don't threaten something that isn't going to happen. For those of us where PS would be an option, then ok.
I just said it to my daughter this morning. She is still in "summer mode" and wants to be lazy. It has nothing to do with my curriculum choices, she actually loves doing her school work. She went to PS last year for 2nd grade because I had to work. So she knows what school is all about and although she liked going to school, she LOVES being home more. So when she hemmed and hawed about starting school work I told her that she is going to do school work .... either here or in PS. She said NOOOOOOOO, and then got to work. It's not a daily thing I hold over her head, but I will pull the going-back-to-school card if she pushes me hard enough.
If she was fighting me and being disruptive to the point where school work wasn't getting done, I would send her back to PS. I firmly believe that homeschooling is best for our family, I quit my job so I can homeschool again. But if it were a daily battle, then sending her back to PS would definitely be an option.
I hate watching TV with my husband
in The Chat Board
Posted
My DH and I cannot watch tv together. We don't like the same shows AT ALL and he is the channel surfer which drives me nuts. Just put on a show.. any show... and LEAVE IT ON til it's over.
I like to watch the news, documentaries, anything about death and destruction and Survivor. He watches Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. It used to be a daily House marathon or CSI, but when I commented that XXX would never have been handled like that in real life he almost threw me out of the room!
I also have a hearing loss and like to have the closed captions on so I don't miss anything. Our house has an open floor plan, LR, DR and Family room all open but he has his big tv in the LR and I have a smaller tv in the FR right next to my desk. I'm staring at the back of his head as I type lol.