Momof3littles
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Posts posted by Momof3littles
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For those of you who have stayed off site at WBC or Windsor Hills, have you found it massively inconvenient to drive back at the end of the day? My youngest is almost 3.5 and no longer naps, but may zonk out in the stroller. I think we'd probably head back to the hotel or condo a few afternoons as needed to recharge before going back at night, but I'm not certain. My kids are 9, 6, and 3.
I looked briefly at the disboards yesterday and I think we would probably be better off paying OOP for food. I would need to run the #s to see, but I suspect we'd be better off just paying OOP and loading a gift card to use as a matter of convenience. That would make me feel better about staying off site anyway (not missing out on "free dining.")
I am not opposed to Fort Wilderness. I stayed there as a kid in one of the cabins, in fact. I've heard some of the cabins are showing their age, however. We have a pop up and access to my parents' travel trailer, but since we would almost definitely fly, that won't work. A friend who stayed at Port Orleans in a suite with her family of 5 said it was very cramped and she was not impressed.
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I did the same thing. DH sent me to a nice inn for Mother's Day this past year, and the first thing I did was pop in the cute little library across the street to check the used book sale. I picked up a Great Courses on Greece and one on Writing for $1 each. I haven't watched them yet, but I'm also thinking it is a nice way to try out the courses and see if I'd be interested in more in the future.
Yay on your score!
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DH and I are contemplating taking the kids in the next year or year and a half. We are quite flexible on dates. Complicating matters is that we are a family of 5. The youngest is almost 3.5, so I suppose that limits our on-site options if we don't want two rooms? I really know nothing about Disney, and haven't been since I was 4 yo.
I really and truly get so incredibly bogged down in details at times that I get overwhelmed and shut down. As a result, I have always sworn I'd just lay out my info and see if some soul here would help me plan, because I've read the planning threads, and you all are amazing!
We'd like to keep things around 3-4K without airfare. I think we'd be open to staying offsite at something like WBC or Windsor Hills. I assume off site is our best bet for stretching our $$, as I assume for a suite on site we'd have to up the budget. I want to go, but I'm not a Disney-holic, and neither are my kids (yet), so we are not willing to make this a trip exceeding 5K. We are willing to pack some food, eat some meals in room, etc. but would also like to price in various meal plans (assuming that's even an option if we are off site?)
Where should I start? Would I find better prices in Dec or Feb? Those are the two months that I was thinking for various reasons. Any other favorite months in terms of incentives, pricing, crowd levels?
If you can give me a starting point, I'll do some investigating and then come back and beg for more help. I truly could perseverate on this to a degree that I will literally not be able to make decisions, LOL. I seriously have always sworn I'd just come here and beg for someone to lay out an itinerary for me. Before I can go any further, I need to think about ideal dates and where we'd probably stay.
Thanks!
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We are doing it in a very small co-op setting and using it 1x per week. We do some of the exercises orally and then the kids work on some of the exercises at home on their own. (so in a way kind of like 2x a week, depending....).
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I worked in EI as a pediatric physical therapist. I would most definitely call EI directly and ask for an eval.
With the child's history, I would definitely start with the eval. Depending on the concerns raised there you may need referrals to other specialists (dev. ped, neurologist, orthopedist, etc. depending on what the therapists observe).
When I worked in eval, if we recommended further consultation with a specialist, etc. I usually wrote up a report, which may be helpful to the MD since they will only see the child for a fairly brief visit. The therapists may be willing to put together evaluation reports for you to take to any specialists, and that info may be helpful.
But yes, she needs to be seen. The sooner the better in case you are dealing with more extensive concerns than are obvious at this time, and as PPs have mentioned, at age 3 they move into the school system which is quite different in many ways than EI (0-3 yo).
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Frye. Not cheap but if you sign up for amazon emails on shoes you'll get a 20% off code. A few times a season various retailers will have deals that bring them down closer to 200 or even lower. I have 2 vintage pairs (one thrifted, one vintage deadstock from ebay) and they have worn really, really well. Read reviews because some have various quirks (some have higher shaft heights that might hit uncomfortably at the back of your knee depending on your height, for example). I'd also aim for a place with free shipping and free returns.
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Another vote for Nordstrom. I asked for GCs to Nordstrom for Christmas the last 2 years and bought Paiges after trying on a ton in store and narrowing down my options. If you have a Nordstrom Rack, they have higher end denim but you don't get the same service as you would in store. I usually just have a few ideas in mind and then try on a stack of like 20 jeans. Different fits in the same brand may require different sizes, etc. so I will take back 2 sizes (or more) in each style/brand combo.
I find higher end denim like Sevens, etc. from time to time while thrifting.
I use gap, Ann Taylor, thrifted Sevens, etc. for my day to day around the house jeans, and the nicer premium denim for going out and about.
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Totally agree on the cauli rice suggestion. I really like it as spanish rice.
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Periodically some of the Eden Organics canned beans in BPA free cans drop lower than WFs price per can. Sometimes a good bit cheaper, so I buy a case when they drop.
I just picked up two boxes of Lara bars for 14.xx per case of 16. My local grocery stores charge 1.20 or so on average, and periodically run sales where they are 1.00/bar. So at a price under 1.00 a bar, I buy. I have made them before but keep these on hand for emergency snacks, pool snacks, etc. I will probably take a case to the beach in a few weeks.
I found TP for about 50 cents a roll. We usually buy at Costco but I'm going to have some shipped directly to our vacation destination when we go. Ditto paper towels. They may not be cheaper but the convenience is nice.
I buy Honeyville Grain almond flour in the 5lb bags and other specialty items that are tough to find elsewhere.
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It sounds like you have a plan to get this resolved.
We just did our first port, and I just write a short summary of PE like "DS bicycles several times a week, engages in walks with the family, plays tag with friends, and participates in X sport."
For fire safety we do a stupid worksheet where he draws a picture of staying low under smoke. He decided to write the formula for finding the volume of a cylinder on the stick figure's wall to make it more intellectually challenging :p
I think we did one other stupid fill in the blank worksheet.
For health we included a worksheet on the physics of seatbelt safety. I also copied it and put it in the science section. That was from Evan Moore, IIRC. I also include a short summary about how we teach personal hygiene, handwashing, infection control, the basics of disease transmission, the importance of physical activity for physical and emotional health, etc. etc. The summaries are just 2-4 sentences and that's it.
PA can be a real joy, huh? It gets old having to stand up to districts even when you know you are complying with the law. Yet they keep trying to pile more and more on us due to their own poor understanding of the already ridiculous law.
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We had a dog with issues pre-kids, and took him to a top notch veterinary school's behavior clinic. He was diagnosed with fear aggression and given an RX for prozac. We've had him about 9 years since his diagnosis and have a good understanding of him. We worked with him extensively before having kids and found a trainer who really got his issues, perhaps even better than the vet school. Everything was positive discipline, we did a lot of clicker training, we participated in a small group that of dogs that had special needs and had to work on socialization with people and other animals, etc. and it was very, very helpful.
That said, now that I have 3 kids, I am not sure I'd have the time to start from scratch to work with him. I would probably try to get medical issues ruled in or out, I would consider consulting with a behavior clinic like the one we went to, as I feel that was $ well spent. We saw a team of 3 vets, 2 vet techs, and several students ranging from first to fourth year. They really helped us understand what was going on. But I also think that not everyone has the time or ability to handle that, and truthfully at this point in my life, I'm not sure I would, even though I did it in the past, kwim? I do think general vets are not the best for behavior issues. I would look for a vet school with a behavior clinic if you have one within driving distance. They really do "get" it, and can give you concrete suggestions that extend beyond the more typical obedience type training. The prozac my dog takes is very affordable and just a few bucks a month from costco for the generic.
If you talk to a vet school behavior clinic maybe they will know someone who would be willing to work with your dog, or a rescue that can deal with the behavior?
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It could be. You could look for a Rocabado trained physical therapist. TMJ can come from grinding or clenching and a night splint may help. Sometimes there is a tight joint capsule, tight ligaments, or a muscle imbalance. Forward head posture (very common these days with texting, leaning over tablets, laptops, sitting at a computer desk, reading, etc) can also impact it. So fixing it is going to depend on the origin of the issue in the first place. A night splint might help a clencher but may not be enough for someone with postural issues or a tight joint capsule. Some people have trouble with a little disc located in there. Small muscles of the mouth can spasm and cause pain as well.
A Rocabado trained PT or a PT with TMJ experience can help you figure out the origin of the issue. Sometimes manual stretching is helpful, sometimes people need to work on exercises for symmetrical opening and closing, sometimes the posture needs to be addressed, sometimes a night splint is necessary.
If you want a comprehensive eval, I'd look for a PT who does a good bit of TMJ work. You would call outpatient orthopedic practices and ask if they have anyone who sees a lot of TMJ patients.
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Another vote for uswim!
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I was going to suggest homemade lara bars if you have a food processor available. I didn't click but I think someone suggested that upthread. It would be great for kids to see how easy these are to make and how many variations there are.
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chicken breasts (we buy both the frozen coleman and fresh coleman)
coleman thighs
chicken sausage
carnitas
contact stuff
organic apple chips
organic baby kale
hummus, tzatziki, Holy Guacamole (way cheaper than grocery store and can be frozen)
clementines
cheese
movie theatre and restaurant GCs. DH and I buy GCs every year for a very nice local place, and we treat our families to brunch for Christmas. A GC at costco is 80 for $100 and you can use two GCs per transaction. That saves us $40 at that restaurant with minimal effort on our part. Just an example of the coolness that is costco
greeting cards (sold in boxes and nice quality for the price)
wrapping paper (very high quality)
electrosol/Finish brand tablets for dishwasher
eco friendly liquid dish soap
coconut oil
vinegar and baking soda
spices
coffee
unsweetened greek yogurt
avocados
greenhouse grown peppers
toys for the holidays roll out in the fall
bed sheets are nice for the price
frozen wild salmon fillet portions are under $9/lb, which isn't too bad
canned wild salmon (we like the Bear and Wolf one)
vitamin D3
condoms
some Costcos have organic tomato products in glass now. Mine still only has cans.
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I agree.I would use it with a fourth grader if I also included books from the activity guide to extend and enrich. The maps and activities are appropriate for this grade (according to SWB in the "How to use The Story of the World: Activity Book" section of the activity guide).
There is some Christian slant to it, but it can easily be discussed IME, and rounded out with other sources. I wish it wasn't there, but don't find it unmanageable.
We are cycling back to Ancients this year with DS1, and DD (1st grader) is joining us. We use the activity guide mostly for the reading selections and mapwork. DS1 gets lots of assigned reading that branches off of the SOTW topics. There are lots of things you can do like adding in D'Aulaire's Greek myths and so forth to round things out. As long as there is additional reading at the appropriate level for the child, I think it is a good resource. We add in audio CDs like those from Greathall as well (Greek Myths, Egyptian Treasures, and this year Tales from the Old Testament as my children are not familiar with most Bible stories. I think we are hitting the point where references are popping up in enough literature for DS1 that he should be familiar with them just like he is with myths, legends, etc.).
Just use SOTW as a spine and then bring depth to it with other selections. The AG makes this much easier to manage. We purchase some of the additional books, and then use the library to find similar or compatible selections as they don't usually have every book.
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I rarely use bleach other than cleaning up after a stomach bug, but I pour a little bleach in the toilet bowl and let the plunger rest in there for 10 mins, then flush.
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Are you getting enough time to recharge? Are you an introvert? Do you need more alone time? Do you get a chance to do things you want to do vs. have to do? When I get like that, usually other aspects of my life are out of balance and my self-care is lacking. Happens all too often :/
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Thanks, Rose. I am prepping to use it in a co-op, so I wanted to make sure I was adequately prepared. Typically I wouldn't stress, but I always feel like I have to be on my A-game when there are other kids in the mix ;)
We absolutely love MCT's materials in general, and I'm sure CE will be wonderful. I was just kind of stumped and a tad frustrated that I was too dense to figure out the antonym. MCT makes me work hard once in a while ;)
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Edited to add: I'm an idiot and it was there in a gray text box. Whoops :( My high school bio teacher used to joke that textbook publishers should figure out students disregard the little text boxes that are meant to highlight certain topics. He always joked they seem to backfire and students don't read them. Apparently that is still true of me! Poor MCT, he had it in there all along, I just missed it.
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In the teacher's manual for the enhanced version, on p40 it lists "forbid" as an antonym of countenance.
Can anyone tell me why? Even looking at the secondary definitions I'm feeling dense.
Gah. I'm prepping and feeling I'm not off to a good start. Maybe I need more caffeine.
I checked the forums at RFWP and didn't see anyone else confused about that one.
edited to add that I found an additional definition online listed as "approve," so I guess that's where forbid comes in. But I didn't see that listed as a definition in the CE 1 TM. Am I going to run into a lot of words like that in CE, where the definitions used in the text are not the ones I might need for the exercises?
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We love the Happy Scientist videos, and this makes me appreciate him even more!
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We talked about this a bit in a thread on general education with respect to "better curriculum" vs. becoming a better teacher, but I'd love to see conferences with a focus on teaching skills. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/479214-becoming-a-better-teacher-vs-using-a-better-curriculum/
I'd love to see more conferences that teach actual skills we can use across all ages with our kids. I love curriculum, and some of it has greatly enhanced my ability to teach my kids. But I really would love more strategies that can be applied across all ages. Things like improving socratic dialogue, bringing in more critical thinking into any material you are using, that type of thing. Actual education strategies, iykwim.
I really enjoyed Shelagh Gallagher's talk on Concept Development at the RFWP conference for this reason. It was great to attend a talk and learn a specific framework I could apply in multiple subject areas and for various ages of kids, no matter what we are studying. I love building up those tools in my toolbox. Right now my kids are rising 4th, 1st, and a preschooler, so I feel that talks like that give me a lot of bang for the buck. I would like more talks that help me use what I already have on my shelves. I want things that help me add depth, critical thinking, etc.
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This is exactly what Tom Kemnitz at Royal Fireworks press is trying to do: secular, academic conferences. Currently his is held in Pennsylvania, but I think he wants to offer them in more regions. You might want to contact him, FaithManor, at www.rfwp.com. He is actively trying to develop this. SWB was at the first conference and would be welcomed at next year's conference if she were available. I know he would welcome other non-RFWP speakers as well. He has had trouble getting venues with affordable room rates and rental rates for the lecture halls. If you have a affordable venue in mind, he would probably be interested in hearing about it. He is a wonderful, affable man who is offering this as a much-requested alternative to the "lifestyle" related conferences.
And I am so, so thankful to the RFWP people for acknowledging this need and giving us a great option! I missed the first one at Valley Forge, but made it there this year and it was really wonderful.
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I also really enjoyed the RFWP conference. As Luckymama said, it doesn't have much of a high school aged focus, but it was lovely to have an option where the classes revolve around academic content and teaching approaches vs. lifestyle.
I personally would LOVE to see more of this. A lot more.
Do you emphasise one type of food (veg, protein, grains, etc.)?
in The Chat Board
Posted
Same here. I was a vegetarian for about a decade and it was probably quite damaging to my PCOS issues. I have never had a weight issue, but can gain quickly with carbs. I only cycle regularly with low carb and metformin together. Once I got my diagnosis, it became obvious to me that my family has a lot of metabolic syndrome issues (elevated triglycerides and hypertension for my dad, elevated cholesterol for my mom and brother, one brother loses weight rapidly with low carb and his blood pressure drops nicely, etc.).
My husband is healthy but has a family history of type 2 in his family. His hA1c was creeping up in his late 20s. Still normal, but creeping up. He feels much better on LC and easily maintains his weight that way. It also eliminated the post lunch grogginess he dealt with for years at work.
We've been doing this for about 10 years now and feel much better this way. We use a lot of paleo influences as well, like reducing our exposure to certain veg. oils, aiming for pastured meats when possible, etc.
My kids eat some grains (quinoa, sometimes sprouted bread), but far less than most kids eating a SAD.
We find it very easy to do a lot of veggies while eating LC. Most dinners are a protein plus two veggies, sometimes three, or a big salad plus a protein. Right now I'm eating spaghetti squash for breakfast ;)