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Mbelle

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Everything posted by Mbelle

  1. This. This method works well for us through 8th grade. We do much lighter in summer, but keep going for about 6 weeks in June/July. We did do some electives in high school summers, but those were filling requirements for our state and mostly fun. edited: the other thing we did was 6 weeks on and 1 week off for all purely homeschooled classes. The week off was to catch up on any work from outsourced classes or catch up from being sick or just take a breather week.
  2. Hard times are hard and make other things seem harder still and that is just no fun. I have been homeschooling for 12 years now and I think I do remember some people being a bit narrow focused on living a certain lifestyle and life style choices when we first began homeschooling. I remember being shocked at one lady in our homeschool group and her outlandish comments about the govt schools etc.. I was worried at first it was cultish and then I noticed it was just that lady and everyone else did their own thing. I prefer to homeschool my little ones through elementary all by myself with just social outings. We began to outsource slowly in middle school and then my older two went to hybrid school for high school 2 days a week and did about 75% of their classes there. That worked for us very beautifully. I do however see valid reasons to go to full time school or full time homeschool depending on the situation, abilities, skills, finances and values of each family. Things can change and then they can change back or again.
  3. I and younger ds had flu, but the other two people in the house started taking elderberry immediatly and kept it up for about a week, and they only got mild congestion. They also stayed as far away from us as possible, but dh did still sleep in our bed. We did wipe down everything with clorox wipes, especially door knobs and handles etc...
  4. I am thankful that I found these boards years ago and for all the good stuff TWTM has put out. I can not believe I have stuck it out 12 years and I owe much of it to encouragement here with all the fearless educators!
  5. My ds2 did skip his one day of out sourced classes today, but otherwise I think he's on the mend. I was just afraid of a relapse, so we played it safe. We did get back to doing homeschool today and got the 3R's done. Ds1 is all but well with the lingering cough. We all have a lingering cough, but it's not too bad and it's not waking us up at night which is usually the worst part. I have abstained from all workouts, but I think today we will gently step into it. I'm only doing half a workout tonight and not pushing it, just enough to get back in the swing of it. Oh yeah, back in the kitchen. I made some pasta last night and everyone was super happy. Hope y'all are feeling better too!
  6. Yesterday ds2 (7 years old) seemed to be well, but today he is in bed and has 99 temp. UGHHH. He's taking elderberry. I' on my laptop laying beside him. Ds1 is laying low and has congestion and snuffy nose. He must get better, because he's a senior! Taking 2 DE courses and one AP. He's taking elderberry too. I'm better and just congestion and the deep cough. My abs are tired. I do get weak from doing mild amount of work or even taking a shower and washing my hair is exhausting. I did take clorox wipes around the house yesterday. I hit all the door knobs too. I lift weights and have been trying to lift heavier, but have not lifted in a week and I know it's silly, but I worry about how much muscle I'm losing! I have definitely lost weight which is the upside. Dh, who is on an autoimmune suppressant drug is going better than anyone. He's taking elderberry and washing his hands all the time. He's thinking of wearing a mask to work. My dh has been doing laundry all weekend it seems like. He's been great! We better not get the flu again this winter.
  7. if you got screens, later on you could the clear porch shades and a gas heater to extend the amount of time you can use the deck. https://www.tarpsnow.com/clear-vinyl-porch-curtains.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAmZDxBRDIARIsABnkbYSMFqU-WlFpswPwiA1OpO_xoqBU1I6fFt9ncpr9njxR1qfdJeljv4kaAoWCEALw_wcB https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-48000-BTU-Stainless-Steel-Patio-Heater-NCZH-G-SS/302563841?mtc=Shopping-VF-F_Vendor-G-D28I-28_26_PATIO_FURNITURE-MULTI-NA-Feed-LIA-NA-NA-SHP&cm_mmc=Shopping-VF-F_Vendor-G-D28I-28_26_PATIO_FURNITURE-MULTI-NA-Feed-LIA-NA-NA-SHP-71700000052543511-58700005046030172-92700044087835651&gclid=Cj0KCQiAmZDxBRDIARIsABnkbYRNrpPVq6ZgAooi0EsN7Hus3HAloEcSPgtRLl7qhlEHOimfEVpayC0aAg2AEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
  8. i'm taking it and hoping it's making me stronger.
  9. It has been rough. The recovery exhaustion is big. My little guy took a 5 hour nap today. We are on the mend though. Yes, sore ribs here too. How much elderberry are you taking? ds1 and dh have been taking every 4 hours since we got it and they have fared much better and have only gotten mildly sick. Feel better!
  10. I think cell phones, smart phones in particular, are the worst invention. The cons far outweigh the pros for me. I hate them, but here we are and I have to use on too. I would have a cosmo with the chocolate. I think a salty snack would round it out nicely.
  11. We have had something like this going on this week too. It knocked me out for 2 days at the beginning of the week, then i've just been draggy and hanging out in bed most of the time since then. DS2 got really sick 2 days after me. Fevers, body aches, coughing and tiredness. I told dd not to come home from college this weekend even though it's a holiday weekend. We were planning to go out of town, but now I think we will just lay low and recover.
  12. I know it's common and I've heard it, However, this just doesn't happen in dh family. My MIL is super conscientious and it would crush her if she thought she hurt someones feelings. I'm sitting here thinking of larger gatherings and there are a couple of people who do this, but by and large I would say they do not. I usally sit on the sideline listening and maybe talking to other inlaws while the family catches up. (Many live on the mainland now). The sarcasm is more prevelant than where I live though. They are farming community type people so I dont' know if that makes a difference. Not everyone is a farmer, but the whole area is based around agriculture so it influences everything.
  13. I was shocked when I first went to Aus to find out how much these 2 countries get on each others nerves. It is well beyond US/Canada (although I'm southern and Canada is so far away that kind of thing doesn't really exist here like border states) Anyway, when I first went to AUS I heard how the Kiwi's were weird, had a chip on their shoulder and defensive and there's something wrong with them. I couldn't believe it. I thought they were making it up, but they weren't. edited: I mean by making it up that I thought they were Aussie teasing.
  14. One thing to consider is the overarching culture difference of working class culture vs middle class culture. I'm not talking about how much money families earn, but the general culture of Aus vs US. This makes a big difference in our values about different things. The other thing is that social cohesion is much more important in Australia than the US. Even more so in Tasmania because that is a known characteristic of island life most anywhere.
  15. Bogan and redneck are not the same. Redneck can just be country or could be hick but it's not bogan. Trailer trash isn't quite right either. My bogan rellies are all working in good jobs whereas trailer trash might not be working steadily.
  16. Australia is so popular with Americans. Recently people have been contacting asking about the fires and if our family is ok. Yes they are because their area burned last year. But, I recently found out my kids don't tell people dad is Australian because it completly derails the conversation. I actually do this too. My daughter has a friend group at school and has been friends with them since starting college for about 1.5 years. She went to a party over Christmas break at one of the guys parents house who lives near hear and found out his mother was British, because that is almost as popular and he doesn't tell anyone either. LOL One time we were in a shoe store and went to pay and I thought the stupid sales girl was going to come over the counter and jump on my husband! It was ridiculous and embarrassing.
  17. As an american who goes to Aus a lot and is married to one.... Australians tease and make fun of each other A LOT from my perspective. They also use a lot of sarcasm. Of course certain parts of the US use sarcasm too, but where I live it's used much less often and milder. Anyway, all that can come across as a bit of bullying if you aren't used to it. It's like many things with a cultural difference it's just the way it is,
  18. I will give an example of a faux pax that I have made in Aus, and it took me 2X to realize it was me and not the other person. Person 1: Did you go to Uni? Me: yes I did Person 1: Where did you? Me: State Flagship Person 1: What did you study? Me: Child Development and early childhood Person 1: Well, you must think you're awesome! LOL..where did I go wrong here? or, did I just perceive this as an insult and that is actually a positive response? I was not trying to be full of myself I was simply answering questions that were asked. Perception is a huge thing in language and is why we think certain things about people that are not true. The other thing was similar but the person responded "that now all you do is stay home and take care of kids, fat lot of good it did you" this was clearly an insult or to my American ears I perceive that as an insult. Dh thought it was an insult too, so I think it was. I feel like it's similar to this page ..the person asked the question and i answered. I try to avoid talking about Uni now and divirt to pass the bean dip. My dh and my bil went to college so I'm not sure what the deal is. When we hang out with family it is all good. MY QLD family are so so nice. They do fully embrace bogan lifestyle, but other than the large amount of drinking I really enjoy my time with them. Tassie where dh is from is absolutely beautiful and hope to have many more trips there. We have a great time on all the family farms and beaches and sometimes the farms are on the beaches which is so amazing! I am terrified of blue heelers though. Whew, farm dogs are amazing, but they are serious! One of his friends bought a run down vinyard and started a winery, it is so beautiful. He took a big risk and put in so much work, but it's amazing. In general I really enjoy our visits.
  19. I"m super sick, but I was flipping through WTM so I tried to read through this but my eyes are bad. I got to page 3. One thing that is funny to me is that in 24 years of back and forth visits to Australia I have never met a single American. Two years ago I finally met a Canadian by accident in a coffee shop and we talked for a bit. I think there are 2 kinds of anti-American sentiment. The political death to america kind and then the personal insult kind and this is the kind that I experience and seems rooted in prejudice and knee jerk reactions. I have heard many things 1000X to the point that I can almost fill in the blank for people. This past year I also had someone in my church small group that didn't like Southerners and that is same type of thing. I will say when we lived in Europe (20 years ago so not sure if it's still the same) that I found the people getting the most name calling were Irish and not Americans. Although sometimes they think you're Irish if you hang out with Irish people. In the student dorm I lived in Irish people were banned from living there. I really could not tell you why. My friends from Ireland went on to become DR's, Engineers and social workers and to me I thought they were all very normal and nice people.
  20. Just sharing this in case ..... Last year I got a weird "headache" on top of my head. Ultimatley it lasted 6 months until we figured it all out. Sometimes half of my face would go numb too. I had an MRI and nothing showed up. They believe it was nerve being pressed on and so I went to my chiropractor and he gave me some exercises and stretches and told me to pay very close attention to my posture. I also had some massage just on my neck and base of skull. My posutre took some time to get right. It was the way I sit in certain chairs, the way the arm rest in my car is positioned, the head rest in the car is way to tall for me and pushes my head forward so I turned it around backwards. Actually looking to the right for too long, such as when talking to someone on my right will bring it on. I am shorter than average, so I use a stool in my kitchen now, because my right arm goes to hight when I do anything counter height. I prepare food at the lower kitchen table to avoid lifting my arm to high. So many things like this I had to figure out.
  21. Men are not even being accepted to college at the same rate as women now. In our state there are only 3 colleges that have more men than women. One of them is mens college. One of them is almost entirely engineering and tech and the other one merged with another smaller engineering college. We got intrigued by this recently and did some research and it is not just our state and it is not even just our country.
  22. We have applied to 2 for both times so far, however for dd she just applied to the 2nd one for the heck of it. She was already in where she wanted to be. It seems like choices #1 and #3 are worth the effort to apply. The effort for some college applications is quite steep on top of everything else so it is a consideration.
  23. Rhinestone Cowboy.. the 70's sitting the backseat with my brother and of course no seatbelts and singing as loud as we could.
  24. I don't know about all the ins outs of why, but I always have D3, B12, insulin resistance and hormones checked too because they are things that get out of kilter for me and treated accordingly.
  25. I grew up in a gluten free home because my dad has celiac. Back then there weren't a lot of options. We ate cornbread and we swapped out spaghetti noodles and just used plain white rice with the meatsauce over the top. That was normal for us growing up. In my home now we are low gluten, unless we have a gluten free guest then we just cook gluten free. Many times we just eat meals that don't include gluten just because that's not part of the meal. Now days there are so many good gluten free convenience products. You will need to experiment to find the ones you like best. An easy one for us was frozen waffles. They aren't totally healthy but they are a good option on the run and they are tasty. We even prefer the store brand to Van's. We use gluten free pasta's. We are just used to them, but we do like Tinkyada a lot, but others are fine too. We use rice or potatoes. I use gluten freen hamburger buns, but other family members don't. There is hidden gluten in so many things. Spice mixes, ice cream etc. Check labels, becasue ice cream is an easy swap and no one will know or care. My dad takes his gluten free bread with him when he goes out.
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