ColoNative
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Posts posted by ColoNative
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Just for those interested in the job market here in Colorado Springs, this news came out today:
http://www.gazette.com/articles/employees-121773-lay-lockheed.html
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We have four boys plus one on the way with 4300 of living space. My husband works from home as well as we homeschool, so we all take up lots of space! I'd like to have triple bunks, but our ceiling aren't tall enough:lol:.
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In the 11 years we've lived here, I've never had to travel to Denver for shopping - IMO Colorado Springs does have everything one would need. Now granted, Denver has much nicer malls - and if you're into the "experience" of mall shopping, you would probably want to make the drive for that. The two malls we have aren't much to write home about - as Biddingers mentioned, one of them is pretty run down with lots of empty storefronts. I'm not a mall shopper, so this has never been an issue for me.
There are plenty of other department stores, clothing stores, and even a more upscale open air mall on the north side of town (The Shops at Briargate). There are also several eclectic boutiques in downtown Colorado Springs. The Castle Rock outlet mall is another option (only 30 min. away - halfway between Colorado Springs and Denver).
Yes, I agree - there are plenty of places to shop but if you want to go to "mall stores" I don't like either of the malls here (Chapel Hills has more and more empty stores - in fact Old Navy just moved out and is in a "strip mall" across the road) - they are both highschool hang-outs, and I find the selection much better in Denver. We live on the north side of town and can be to Denver in 45 minutes....The Shops at Briargate is nice, but the only children's store there now is Gymboree....so, I didn't mean to leave the impression there is no shopping here - there's plenty, just a matter of opinion on what you are looking for.
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We currently live in Colorado Springs. I am a native, being born here. There are many pros - and some cons....I guess it depends on what you are looking for.
Weather - beautiful weather most of the year, but short summers. Gardening here is a challenge with the short summers and clay soil, depending on what part of the city you live in.
Traffic - not too bad, but there are very few major roads getting across town, so it can take a while - poor strategic long-term planning, imho.
Homeschooling - many options of support if interested, a very friendly home-school town, both in the public schools, private schools, and co-op type settings.
Churches - lots and lots of churches, but we still haven't found one we LOVE.
People - lots of military, so with that comes lots of transition in people in and out.
Town - again, imho, there are very few nice parts of town that we would consider living in. If you want to have some land in Black Forest, you'll pay a fair bit, depending on where you're coming from.
Jobs - there are some government jobs, but so many people I talk to are out of work, can't find work, etc. The job market here is not too good - again, imho. I've talked with so many people who have moved here hoping to find a job, and can't find one. And the lay-offs have impacted finding jobs as well.
Shopping - one of the malls here is run-down and needs to be leveled and started over. We go to Denver if we want to go shopping.
Groceries - there are lots of decent grocery stores, a nice Whole Foods, and a locally run (Denver) store called Natural Grocers, a competitor of Whole Foods, which we love.
Things to do - nice zoo, lots of hiking, biking, mountain climbing, skiing not too far away, camping...
Other thoughts - this is not the most progressive town in terms of long term planning, budgeting, growth, etc. They've tried to maintain small town thinking, but the city has outgrown the thinking.
Best of luck in your search.
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San Diego ideas:
Maritime museum - tell them you are visiting from out of state and ask if you can get a several day pass. We spent four days here on one price. It's not expensive either - there are several submarines you can walk through as well as several other boats to tour. We loved it!
Mid-way carrier - we loved touring the carrier! The kids also rode a simulator (for an extra cost...)
Orange County ideas:
Fashion Island - fun to walk around - used to have a fountain to walk through - been a few years since we lived there....
Huntington Pier - can eat there or just watch the fish catching or play on the beach.
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For the most part, no. If they have extra responsibility - then perhaps extra privilege comes with that. But I remember a ring my Grandma had. I really wanted it - and my sister didn't really care. She got it by virtue that she was the "oldest". I always thought that wasn't right. I didn't get to pick the birth order! :001_huh:
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How neat.
What organization is this and what is the goal of the experience? Is it for the children to learn some English or to come to potential future adoptive homes?
Just wondering if this is something we may consider. You can PM me as well.
The organization is:
New Horizons for Children
There are several goals:
1. To give them a positive family experience
2. To help them learn English
3. For some, they hope to help them find adoptive families. There are some who come only for hosting who are not eligible for adoption.
Look at their website and it will give you more information:
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I won't be checking around the forum much because we are picking up our host child this evening at 9:35pm. She is 9 years old and from Latvia. I have no idea if she speaks English - we'll find out tonight. Anyway, she'll be with us until Aug. 3! The boys are so excited (and so am I - it's fun to have another girl around since I'm the only one right now!). Anyway, hope everyone has an awesome rest of the summer getting home-school plans made, curriculum purchased, etc.
For those who are curious, the organization we are hosting through is:
http://www.newhorizonsforchildren.org/
We hosted 2 girls from Ukraine over Christmas - it's been an amazing experience for our kids - they get to experience some girls around the house in addition to seeing that there is life outside our four walls, and is an awsome way to help someone else. We were hoping to adopt the girls over Christmas, but that sadly didn't work out....we'll see what happens this summer!
Blessings to all of you!
Melody
wife to Steve for 13 years
mom to DS 9, DS 6, DS 3, DS 1 and baby due in November! (We don't know what we're having!):lol: We're hoping to adopt twin girls someday!
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I think a lot of it stems from the fact that so many people are going deeply into debt and then not using their degree. Or their degree is just a check box on an application for work that has nothing to do with their degree.
I also think that as a society we are starting to look backwards, we're looking for the "good ol' days" so to speak, I think part of that is the idea that you work a job because you're good at it, not because you have a piece of paper that says you know about it....
I agree with this - college is so hugely expensive, and there are few colleges, IMHO, that you really get what you pay for. Both my husband and I went to a private, expensive college and as we look back - it was not only a waste of money, but a waste of time....that said, we are NOT anti-college - in fact my oldest son wants to go to the Air Force Academy, of all places!
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I didn't get married until I was 30. We had our first child at 33. We are having our 5th child in November and I just turned 43. Do I wish I was younger? Absolutely! We are blessed to be able to have that many kids after losing baby 2 at 20 weeks! I have an incompetent cervix and have a cerclage every pregnancy.
I would have more energy as a younger mother, but my younger kids have the benefit of having a more experienced mother at this age....I don't feel like I'm 43 - I feel like I'm 35, so age is a relative thing, IMHO.
Melody
wife to Steve for 13 years
mom to DS 9, DS 6, DS 3, DS 1 and baby due in November
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Personally, I think you should assist with transportation. As a parent of a babysitter, I will often offer to do 1 way of transportation (my daughter is 13), if they will provide transportation home.
I am obviously going to go against the grain here, and I probably am in this camp alone, but I pay babysitters really well, and I expect to not have to go pick up them up and/or take them home for that very reason. I don't know of any other "jobs" where the "employer" picks them up or takes them home. I personally won't hire anyone who I have to pick up or take home....guess that's why I look for college age babysitters.
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I'm talking about teenagers working at a department store or other minimum wage job. I guess I don't know for a fact, but I'm assuming "no using phone except for an emergency" is a rule. I worked at the YMCA for the past couple of years and that was the rule there. As I said, what I don't like is the situation I see at the park where the sitter is not playing with the young child (age 2-4) at all, and completely ignoring child and engrossed in texting. Makes me feel sad for the child who is trying to talk to the (very uninterested) sitter. I think they'd get the message pretty quickly that they are not too important or interesting to sitter. I also imagine that teens probably spend a heck of a lot more time texting than adults do throughout the day.
I did have this happen - one college age girl was babysitting for us and the boys were all over the place and I happened to come in to see what was happening - she was sitting on the counter texting....totally unengaged with the kids - and she was making $12/hour! She was never invited back.
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Thanks for the responses - I should have clarified some things - we usually find college age kids so the transportation issue is taken care of. I'm pretty picky about who stays with the kids, so it's not a matter of not asking someone back because they didn't clean. I just wondered if "in general" babysitters do general picking up or not. I was taught to always clean the house up and leave it in at least as good of condition as when I arrived (of course, not above taking care of the kids!).
Secondly, I never expect her to clean things that were not cleaned up when she got here - I was only talking about things they use, get out, etc....my house is almost always clean so there aren't extra things to put away. I wouldn't expect anyone to clean up my mess - just the mess they make....basically picking up after oneself.
Melody
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I've used the Phonicsworks (K and 1) without the computer....However, the lesson plans for the language arts portion of it are "online". For the other subjects, it's mostly a mix of online lessons and some offline stuff. I, too, agree it's really pricey - especially when you add in the monthly fee for "online usage".
It's hard to find K12 materials for sale because they have a "don't re-sell" clause that some people may follow...plus, most of what you could buy from others is just incomplete without some portion of online lessons.
I'm sorry it's not more accessible - they've got some really good stuff....:001_huh:
Melody
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When I get a babysitter, I expect them to find their way here and home. We also don't watch TV so I expect the babysitter to actually spend time and play with my boys. I pay really well because I know we have expectations more than some people. However, it seems every time we come home the babysitter has cleaned up nothing. My two older boys are old enough to clean up, so it's not expected that she clean up by herself....but I do not think I should pay what I pay and come home to a dirty house - I'm not talking just a few things out - there has nothing been put away, and LOTS taken out.....am I expecting too much?
When I used babysit, I would always make sure the kitchen was clean, the toys and books put away, etc....this doesn't seem to be happening these days so just wondered what others experiences are?
Thanks for your input!
Melody
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Funny....I've had this very thought so many times! I definitely think it's workable - however, I also think it's very time consuming (well, it would be for me anyway!). I would love to do but since we keep adding kids to our family, I'll have to put that on a shelf for a while longer....
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I do not because I don't want it soaking up the soapy suds....I only wash mine out with water and use the plastic scraper that came with it - or something to scrape potential stuck food off...
Melody
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Sometimes we chop it and put it in salad. Sometimes we add it to Italian meatball soup. Sometimes we roast it....it's awesome!
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My DS who is 9 wants to be a fighter pilot in the Air Force. He wants to go to the Air Force Academy.
My DS who is 6 wants to be a brain surgeon - or drive a trash truck????:glare:
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We have nut allergies, so I make it without nuts - just combine basil, olive oil, garlic and salt in the blender.....
We also use arugula to make pesto, or a combination of arugula/basil, arugula/spinach, basil/spinach.....
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I have not had to deal with your situation, but have had to deal with confrontation and setting some serious boundaries....I too hate to confront and deal with things. However, ask yourself what precedent do you want to set for future "gatherings" (if there are any) by allowing your mother to invite the cousin because she's afraid of "offending" someone. Furthermore, are you willing to put your children "at risk" by allowing them to be around the older cousin? I've learned to think in terms of the long-term consequences....
I won't tell you what to do because it's your family and the consequences lie on you, but when I had to set some firm rules of what we would allow around our children, my parents didn't see my children for quite some time. However, I'm so thankful I stood my ground and didn't succomb to the "guilt" placed on me. We have a very decent relationship now with my parents, and my children really enjoy being with them.
Hope you can come to a resolution and find a solution that works for you and your family!
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Well, we've had girl names picked out four times now...we never know what we're having...so, IF it's a girl, we'll go with some variation of Rachel Elizabeth, or Elizabeth ????....
If it's a boy, we have no idea. So far all our boys names happen to begin with "j"....don't know if we'll continue the accidental theme or not....
Melody
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We were in Carlsbard this past spring and stayed at a house we found on www.vrbo.com, although this time of year is quite expensive - not sure how long you are staying, but we loved having a house to cook most of our meals....there are some nice hotels in Carlsbad as well if you're staying for a shorter amount of time. Most VRBO places want a week during the summer, some at least 3 nights....something to check on anyway. Especially if you can find last minute deals.
Have fun!
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Many churches, certainly in our area of Colorado, buy pre-packaged VBS materials from Group. These are expensive and the kids get their t-shirts, CD of the songs, and craft stuff as well as snacks....so I think free VBS is a thing of the past. I don't see any churches here doing something on their own - they all "purchase" materials. I suppose if a church were doing their own thing, it would be free, but that is not the trend here.
I must be living in the wrong area - can't believe so many other places still have free VBS!
Melody
Dinner or Supper?
in General Education Discussion Board
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We call it breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's not supper because Jesus had the last one....:001_smile:.