Laurel
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Posts posted by Laurel
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I've had a very similar experience recently. I had agreed to watch a neighbor's dd a few mornings a week (Mondays and Wednesdays), and take her to school. Then, last Tuesday morning, I got a knock at my door. She had dropped the girl off at my house! I let her in (though I did ask her why she was here, as I wasn't expecting her), and after I took her to school, I immediately called her mother. I explained to her (as nicely as I could), that I was not the local drop-in free babysitter, and that I at least needed advance notice before she dropped her daughter off. (And no, calling at 5:45 the morning of does not count as advance notice.) I told her that had she been there even 5 minutes later, I would have been gone, out for a run. I reminded her that I rearranged my schedule (ideally, I would like to run/walk early every morning) those few days to watch her dd.
I would like to say that this conversation made her more respectful of my time, but that wasn't the case. She called late Sunday night to ask me to take on even more responsibility (watching her ds, whom I have never met), and I had to decline, and she is no longer dropping her dd off in the mornings.
I agree that you need to talk to this girl's mother directly, and establish a few firmer guidelines. It is not the girl's fault that her mother did not make arrangements with you first, and I hate to see her punished for her mother's mistakes.
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We have a runners store near me, and they are amazing people, so incredibly knowledgeable. The owner (great guy) looks at your feet, and says, "I would recommend these pairs for you, because of x, y, and z." And he has recommended different shoes for me and my friends based on our different feet. And I have not had problems or injuries, and I think that is due to wearing the right shoes for my feet. So, do think the extra money is worth it. (And I especially enjoy the owner at this store, because he often gives me a 10% discount, I think for repeat customers, or for buying more than 1 pair of shoes.)
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I am reading "Mommy Wars: Stay at Home and Career Moms Face Off on Their Choices, Their Lives, Their Families" (it's okay, a little different than what I expected, and almost all the contributors are writers/journalists, so I would have liked essays from different sorts of moms), "The History of the Ancient World" (I am loving it, which is so exciting for me, because I've never liked history), and my night time, fall asleep reading lately has been Agatha Christie's "A Murder is Announced" (I've read it before, and it's okay, but not necessarily worth a reread, but it's working for now). Nothing too exciting. I'm interested to read others' responses.
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I like lychees, and as a kid I loved starfruit. But this thread reminds me of my mother. Growing up, I would go grocery shopping with her, and if there was a fruit there that we had never heard of, a lot of times she would buy one for us to try. We didn't always like it, but it was just fun to be adventurous and try new things.
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I make cards. It goes in waves/phases for me. There are times when I spend most of my free time making cards, and then months go by without making any. I actually just brought out my card-making things to the living room, and made a bunch of Valentine's Day cards this weekend. My grandmother started making cards 5 or so years ago, and got me into it, and it's really nice to share a hobby with her.
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Something simple that worked for us the other day: I was reviewing CVC words with my 4.5 year old. I wrote out a bunch of them on index cards and laid them out on the floor. I had her pick out the words she wanted to read, pick them up, give them to me, and read them. It added a bit of movement, and the chance to sit on the floor. (For her, it was great because she could pick out the words she knew, which helped with her confidence as well, as she's a bit of a perfectionist.) Since sitting on the floor worked so well, the next day when we read some sentence strips, we sat on the floor.
Another way to add some movement would be to put cards with words taped up around the room, and have her run to each word and then read it.
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I really like starfall as well, and after sitting with them for the first few sessions, they should be able to navigate the site mostly on their own.
We also have JumpStart Spanish (and I think JumpStart Preschool), and we use the Spanish one occasionally, but we really prefer Starfall.
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That's great! I trained for and completed a 3 day walk (http://www.the3day.org) in November, and I am hoping to walk a marathon this April. I am trying to increase the amount I can run/jog, and it's coming, but very slowly. (I am a very unathletic person, so even running a tiny bit is a huge accomplishment for me personally.)
I have not been very good about following the training program recently, but I'm trying to get better.
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I really enjoyed Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series, especially the short stories (I like the short stories much better than the novels.)
I also have a book called "Murder in Baker Street: New Tales of Sherlock Holmes" that I picked up cheap at Barnes & Noble. They are written by different authors, with the same style and characters. Pretty good as well.
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Order doesn't really matter - she won't be missing anything or feeling left out by having skipped around. But I think she should read #1 first (if she hasn't already), only because it sets up the series a little.
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I missed the whole troll thing, but I say cumin with a long u as well.
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I don't know, but while you're at it, can you teach me how as well? I am so bad at swallowing pills.
For me, sometimes it helps to lean my head back a little bit. And if I'm having a hard time, I take the pill out of my mouth and breathe for a little bit. If the coating starts to dissolve, then the pill starts to taste nasty, and then it's even harder.
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At the top of the forum, there is a thread titled "Abbreviations Sticky." That should have everything.
(Linking it below as well.)
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You're definitely not alone. The only reason the 2 1/2 year old has not been to the ER yet is because his dad is a doctor. Otherwise, he would have had to go twice - for a big gash on his face, under his eye, and a huge gash in the back of his head.
He also has a knack for running around directly underfoot, so people run into him all the time. He walks/runs into walls. He is a master climber - he scales the shelves in his closet, and makes his way to the top bunk. He runs around with his hands in his pockets, and then when he falls he doesn't have his hadn to protect him, so lands on his face.
He's pretty resilient, and takes everything in stride. (My favorite thing, though, is when he falls, he comes over to give me a hug, as if to make sure I'm still there, and then runs back off - usually falling once or twice on the way. So sweet...)
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4.5 year old: She LOVES workbooks, and I swear would do them all day if I let her (I think that comes from watching me do logic puzzles and whatnot all the time), so a wide variety of Kumon workbooks: cutting, numbers, letters, mazes, etc. Saxon K, which we find fun. Slowly working her way through OPGTR.
We do A LOT of art around here. Painting, collages, making animals out of paper towel tubes. Every once in a while I'll bring out a big tub filled with beans/rice/water and measuring cups to play with.
We play lots of board/card games as well.
Lots of bike riding, some "indoor soccer" (my living room is a large open space), she does gymnastics, and just started TaeKwonDo, and swimming in the summer.
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We had good luck as well with the Butterfly Pavillion from Insect Lore. It was lots of fun to watch, and I'm looking forward to doing it again this spring.
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My mother corrected my grammar all the time growing up, and I would say it definitely had a positive impact. (The only negative impact I can think of is my annoying habit of wanting to correct everyone else's poor grammar.)
Are you trying to do grade/age level grammar work with them? Are you pushing hard in an effort to bring them up to grade level? Maybe relax a little, but still do grammar? Depending on how old they are, I would have them read Mark Twain's essay on "That Awful German Language."
Slight hijack: What are you using for German grammar?
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Homemade sushi
Yep, that's what we're having too. And I think we may have to make some chocolate chip cookies for dessert. (Just because I'm craving cookies...)
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If you have more money than time, then a nanny agency is a great idea. If you have more time than money, I would recommend looking on your own. Tell everyone that you are looking for a nanny. Your church may not be in the business area, but maybe a friend has a friend who is looking for a part time job, etc. You just never know.
I ditto the suggestion to check at your local university (if there is one). Most campuses have online job boards as well.
There are quite a few online nanny sites. Some of the good ones include:
Families normally have to pay a small fee to be able to contact the potential candidates, but it is much cheaper than a nanny agency.
For further nanny-related information, I highly recommend this site:
There is a wealth of information there, as well as lots of nannies and parents who can answer all your questions.
(BTW, I am a nanny, and would be happy to try to answer any other questions you may have...)
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I am getting History of the Ancient World :)
Enjoy it! I started reading it a few weeks ago, and I am loving it! (High praise, as I have NEVER liked history.)
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It means there are new replies to the thread since the last time you visited the board.
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Lurker here! * waves *
I never posted on the old board. Partly because I didn't like the format, and mostly because I'm just shy. Maybe I'll warm up a bit with the new format...
Homeschooling Failures
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Like anything that's out of the norm, the media, and the average person, is only going to pay attention to the sensationalized cases. If I had to, I would guess that there are a higher percentage of public school failures than homeschool failures. It is much easier to put your child's education in the hands of someone else.
Personally, I have not met any homeschool failures. (Though I do admit my sample size is rather small.) Recently I met a homeschooled young man, who was definitely a bit socially awkward, but I can say with certainty that it wasn't homeschooling that caused that, as I know plenty of similarly socially awkward public schooled kids. If anything, I think homeschooling helped him to be more himself.