joannqn
-
Posts
8,472 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by joannqn
-
-
My 8 and 6 year olds get 90 minutes a day to spend on the computer and/or game cube. They play games online, games on CD, read and write email, or spend time interacting with other homeschoolers at The Little Lounge. They can play any online games except those where there is unprotected chat with adults. They use a timer to keep track of their time. Occasionally, I give them extra time, especially if Dh and I want to watch a movie that we feel will be too intense or scary for the kids to watch. They don't watch a lot of TV...4-6 hours a week probably.
My daughter spends extra time on the computer for educational pursuits. She does 15 minutes a day playing a multiplication game as required school work. She also spends probably half an hour most days writing creative stories and short novels on the computer. I want to encourage her gift in writing it so I don't limit her writing time. Next month she'll spend a LOT of time on the computer because she's participating in NaNoWriMo.
We joke that our TV is on a 24/7 Ice Age loop. My youngest loves the Ice Age movies; my older two mostly ignore it. I haven't figured out a way to clean, do school with the older two, and keep him from destroying the house yet. Even with his favorite movie on constantly, he is difficult to work around.
-
I find the growing government and increasing taxes to be scary. Spreading the wealth around is terrifying. When you punish smart people who succeed by taxing them more and more, they don't want to continue succeeding. We'll see innovation, initiative, motivation, etc. fall. The very greedy will become rich. Everyone else will become poor. We'll start standing in long lines to collect our government paid for weekly food allowance which won't be enough to feed the family. It was a system that didn't work well for the Soviet Union and it won't work well here.
As far as that $200,000 going to a poor person being just as good as staying with the rich person...well the article discussed that. A rich person has the ability to create a job, create products we need, invent something useful, can do something that will benefit society in the long term. Take half their income away, they do less of that. Give it to a poor people and they buy a few necessities but that job, that product, that invention never existed.
Obama said in one of the debates that very few small businesses make more than $250,000 and thus wouldn't be affected by his tax increases. My husband learned why so few businesses make more than $250,000 when he worked for a very small one. They don't want to hit that tax bracket so they find ways to spend the money as a write off instead. My husband's employer was VERY generous with his employees to avoid paying those taxes. He took his three employees and their spouses to a Christmas dinner that cost over $800. He took his three employees and their families to Disneyland for a long weekend...paid for airfare, Disneyland hotel, three day park hopper tickets, and breakfast with the characters. I'm sure he paid more than $12,000 for that business trip (they had a 45 minute meeting on the last day to make it deductible). Do you see how taxing the rich at such a high rate actually decreases the taxes the government receives/takes? Those who make enough to be taxed at 55% (what Obama wants to raise it to) will make sure they don't make enough. Leave the tax rate reasonable and the businesses/wealthy won't be trying so hard to right things off.
My family has always been low income. We do NOT support taxing businesses and the wealthy in such an unfair way. It hurts us when the government does that. Raise the taxes on businesses and they'll raise the price on their products to recupe the loss. Soon we won't be able to afford even the basics anymore. I'm scared about what we are going to do when that happens.
-
I'd rule out health issues as soon as possible. When our boxer started peeing on the couch on a regular basis, we didn't realize what it was at first or who was doing it. When we figured out it was her and that she was sick, we took her to the vet. By the time they figured out what was wrong with her, she was very sick and nothing could be done to help her. She had very advanced liver cancer.
-
My husband was sent a copy of it to review on his blog. I've begun watching the DVDs but haven't had time to really get through much of it. It teaches the parent how to act and talk in such a way that demonstrates you are the one in charge and you aren't going to take disrespect from the child. To some people, it will probably come across as teaching the parent to be authoritarian.
What I've seen of it so far has been pretty much how we parent. It seemed like pretty obvious stuff to me. I do not consider myself to be a strict parent (or authoritarian) in how most people describe it. My kids don't have tons of chores, spend the day doing nothing but school, answer to me with "yes, ma'am, etc. However, when I tell my kids to do something, I expect them to do it NOW, without argument. Amazingly, because it is expected, the kids do it. That's pretty much what the program teaches, how to speak with authority and follow through with authority. So many people stop to ask for an explanation or to explain themselves or to consult with the child's feelings...if you want to be obeyed, you need to act with authority.
"What are you suppose to be doing?"
"My homework."
"Then do it." Walk away.
NOT
"Why aren't you doing your homework?"
"Because it's too hard and it's boring...."
"I know you don't like to do it but you have to get it done."
"But I don't want to. The teacher is unfair."
"I'm sorry you feel that way. Maybe I can talk to her about it."
Of course, it goes on to tell you how to handle disrespect when they don't do what you've told them to do.
Hope that helps explain it a little bit. Like I said, I haven't watched the whole thing yet.
-
You mean you aren't suppose to turn the oven on while it is soaking in toxic oven cleaner? I forget the stuff is in there just about every time I do it.
I just make sure I wipe it up really well. It's fine after that.
-
I am SOOOOOO glad it's not my kid! I feel for you.
I just pulled a tooth for DD last week. It was very ready to come out though and came out easy. It was loose for more than a year and a half.
DS has a loose tooth that he asked me to pull but I told him, "No." It wasn't loose enough for me to pull.
-
I can only grow two kinds of house plants...the pothos (the hanging heart-shape leaves one) and the spider plant. I find that if I ignore them until they start to look sad and then water them with about a cup of water each, they don't die. I've never been able to remember to water on a regular basis and when I do, I think I over water them because they die. My son killed a couple of my plants upstairs by drowning them for me. My upstairs plants also don't do as well because I tend to REALLY neglect them even more than the downstairs ones.
So, that's my suggestion. Stick with pothos and spider plants. Neglect them until they droop. Give them 1/2 to 1 cup of water when they look sad. Stay away from all other plants.
-
You might consider using bromelain instead of anti-inflamatory drugs. It's an enzyme found in pineapple. The supplement is used as a digestive aid with food and an anti-inflammatory taken between meals on an empty stomache. Dh uses it for tendonitis of his thumb. It healed it in three weeks when nothing the doctor did worked after four months. I use it for carpal tunnel and the same thumb tendonitis. It heals it after a couple of weeks. Because both are repetitive movement injuries, it comes back after about a year or so but then another few days (if we catch it early) or few weeks gets rid of it again.
It comes in various dosages. For anti-imflamatory use, get the high dosage. I googled it really quick and found it mentioned for plantar fasciitus. It is contraindicated for those allergic to pineapples, those on blood thinner (because it is a blood thinner similar to aspirin), and those going into surgery (because of the blood thinning).
-
The only thing I buy at Costco is milk, butter, cheese, coffee beans, and pet food. I can get everything else cheaper at Safeway or Albertsons when it is on sale with a coupon. I stock up when an item is at it's best price so I won't need to buy it later when the price is higher. Typically the good sale prices are on a 12 week cycle so I try to buy a three month supply if I can. If I can't, I buy what I can.
I don't totally avoid processed food but we don't eat too horribly either. I make my menus based on what is on sale. For example, these week we are eating...
Ground beef and bean burritos. The ground beef on sale a couple of weeks ago, homemade refried beans, homemade tortillas, lettuce that I have on hand, tomatoes on sale, and sour cream on sale.
Spaghetti using ground turkey. The turkey was on sale last week. Our favorite bottled sauce was on sale this week. The pasta was free with the sauce. I'll make homemade garlic bread and salad to go with it.
Roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and veggies. The chicken was on sale a few weeks ago. The frozen veggies were free after sale and coupon. I'll make homemade gravy and biscuits to go with it.
Chicken and rice casserole of some sort. I'll be using leftover chicken from the roasted chicken. Rice is cheap. I don't know what I'm making exactly yet. I'll be using frozen veggies that are free this week with sale and coupon.
Chicken tortilla soup. I'll be using the carcass for the base/chicken bits. I'll be adding black beans that were on sale this week. Corn was on sale last week. Sour cream was on sale this week. Cheese was bought at Costco. I have corn tortillas to make crispy strips to add on top.
Taco salads. I'll be using left over pinto beans from the burritos, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, and corn tortillas which are all things I have on hand or were bought for other meals.
I spent about $85 for groceries this week and much of that was stocking up things I don't need this week.
Just an idea of what we eat using sales and coupons.
-
I probably could have written your post a few years ago. My husband and I rarely actually fight (as in once every year or two) and nearly divorced five years ago. We stayed together but haven't exactly had a fulfilling relationship either. It improved a bit since then but has recently improved significantly. My husband has been acting a lot more like he loves me and helping out around the house without being asked. He's been seeking my opinion on things. It's kind of weird after 11 mediocure/bad years of marriage. The most recent changes I attribute to the book I've been reading called Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires, The Respect He Desperatey Needs. It makes sense to me, is Biblical, and is working for me.
The gist of it is: she needs love, he needs respect. If she shows disrespect (his perception), he reacts in ways that feel unloving to her. When she feels unloved, she reacts in ways that feel disrespectful to him. Then the cycle continues.
In our culture, we've been taught unconditional love but rarely are taught how to show unconditional respect. Learn to show respect (his love language) and he'll probably respond more lovingly. The book talks to men about how to show love to their wives and talks to wives about how to show respect to him. It shows how each interprets the words, even carefully chosen words, as unloving and disrespectful.
Like I said, it's been working for me.
-
I curious...how would paper towels cause a yeast infection?
-
I've seen coupons for watermelons, cantelope, frozen veggies, and meats. There aren't a lot of them, but they are out there. There's also coupons for canned fruits and veggies, pasta, sugar, and other staples.
I do the grocery game but don't save as much as that lady. Most people who save THAT much live in areas where stores will double coupons. My store do not so I only save between 40%-65% off. I do buy some processed foods but not a ton. I also get three papers every week.
-
When my children get a diaper rash that just won't go away, I get out the lotrimen (I keep it on hand when I have babies in diapers). It almost always works.
I'm currently dealing with very painful diaper rashes on my youngest. Nothing is working on it. I'm prety sure it is being caused by apples and anything made with apples so I'm eliminating those to see if it goes away and then letting him have them again to see if I'm right. So, hopefully, one more rash is all he'll have.
-
I use this for sandwich bread, dinner rolls, sandwich rolls like
these, sub sandwich rolls or as one long large loaf. I just shape it however I need it for the day. Sub sandwiches are one of our favorite meals and my husband always says I make the best bread. It's the one cooking compliment I can count on hearing often.Basic Wheat Bread
1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups flour (*see notes below)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
**NOTES: I use a mixture of whole wheat and unbleached white flour totaling three cups. 100% whole wheat is too dense for us when homemade. 1 1/2 cups wheat and 1 1/2 cups white is just about perfect, but I've been known to be lazy and just do 2 cups wheat and 1 cup white. When I want a lighter, less dense bread, I use 1 cup wheat and 2 cups white. I've used 3 cups white and no wheat as well.
Put everything in the bread machine pan in order listed and start the dough cycle. When done, remove and shape as desired. Let proof for 20-30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. I do not preheat the oven; I find this gives me a lighter crust that my children prefer. Baking time may vary for your oven but 15-17 minutes works perfect for me, where 20 minutes makes the crust too dark and crunchy. Just watch the bread the first few times you make it until you figure out what is perfect for you.
Sometimes I like to add a teaspoon of garlic powder to the bread and some hard cheese (parmesan/romano/asiago). I just toss in a bunch of cheese so I don't have a measurement...maybe a 1/4 cup or so. I brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle more cheese on top before baking. This version I bake in a single long loaf as a side to dinner. Yum!
-
This is not natural but...
Unisom is safe to take when pregnant and is not habit forming. I take it, together with B-6, every night of every pregnancy from about 7 weeks on to stop my constant vomiting. It helps me sleep too...which makes sense with it being a sleeping aid and all.
-
What Child is This: A Christmas Story
We read lots of Christmas books from the library and found this one last year. We plan to read it every year.
-
Would you believe that our local radio station has Christmas carols on the weekends the day after Halloween? My kids are counting down the days!
Our radio station does this too. I turn it off and start listening to CDs instead. It's a fairly firm rule...no Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. Of course, shopping early because of good deals doesn't count. But the kids don't know that.
I hope you enjoy the book. It's kind of sad but happy in the end. It's a short book, easy to read.
-
We take the entire month of December off from school. Last year, though, we did a lapbook based on How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
We check out a ton of Christmas books from the library and read them together. We've been looking for a book that we'll read every year and think we found it last year. The book is What Child is This: A Christmas Story. It is a modern story of an 8 year old foster child named Katie. Needy children in the community are given paper bells on which to write a Christmas wish to be hung in on Christmas trees in public places for others to fulfill. Instead of wishing for toys or clothes, Katie wishes for a family. Despite the social worker saying that the wish is inappropriate, Katie's foster brother hangs Katie's bell on the tree in the restaurant in which he works. The ensuing commotion caused by the discovery of the wish is told in the remainder of the story. The story comes to an action packed climax and resolution. The book provides plenty of opportunity to discuss foster care, neediness, various attitudes of people when faced with neediness, giving, hope, community, etc.
We make a couple of favorite desserts that we usually make only around the holidays.
Each child gets an ornament showing something significant from the year. When they are older, they will get their ornaments to take with them. I also get a family ornament for each year that I get to keep.
We go to the local mall and each child picks someone from the Salvation Army giving tree. My kids usually pick children of the same gender and age as themselves. We then shop for the gifts (the kids make the final choice) and return them to the tree.
We try to go to one special Christmas show/activity as a family. Some of the things we've done is see the Nutcracker, go to the symphony's Christmas concert complete with Santa and a sing-along, Disney on Ice, Zoo Lights, and driving through a light display at a local park.
The kids and I go into Seattle with a friend to see The Coats' Christmas concert. We couldn't go last year because of finances and we missed it very much. This year a friend of the family is paying for half of the tickets so we can go!
We watch Christmas movies, especially all of the cartoons, when they come on TV. If we can't be home, we record them since each one is usually only shown once on broadcast TV (we don't have cable).
The kids are allowed to start listening to Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving. They's listen to them year-round if they were allowed. We especially like listening to The Coats' Christmas CDs.
We make paper snowflakes to decorate the front windows.
We don't do Santa in our house. We've told the kids the history of St. Nicolas and how the Santa myth started from that. We do something similar to santa presents though. We don't put any presents under the tree except the few given to us from friends. After the kids go to bed, we sneak all of the presents down to the tree so they are surprised in the morning.
In previous years, we've done Advent boxes which we decorated/painted the first year. Each small box has an Old Testament prophecy inside the cover which we read. Inside the box is a small treat (either a candy, small toy, a few coins, or a slip of paper describing something fun that we are going to do that night). On the bottom of the box is a New Testament scripture showing the fulfillment of the prophecy in the box's cover. The last box is new Christmas pjs for them to wear. We didn't do them last year though.
-
When I notice my teeth getting grungy, I start using baking soda as toothpaste for a week or two. It works great for me without the expense of the whitening strips. It also cleans all the teeth rather than just the front that the strips can reach. I also use a floss with toothpaste on it. I think it is made by Crest. The last time I saw a dentist, she was shocked my teeth were so clean when I had not been to the dentist in about six years. I also had no cavaties. :D
-
We had a similar issue with my six year old son but have resolved it. Our issue was that he would have a bowel movement (full size bowel movement, not just skid marks) in his pants. He would sometimes just sit in it and sometimes he would change his clothes and bury the dirty ones in the hamper with the poo still in them. It was quite gross.
First, if there in ANY question about whether it could be a medical issue, take him to the doctor. In our case, he knew it wasn't medical. The only time he ever had an accident was playing on the computer. It never happened at any other time and our son confirmed that he was too busy playing to use the restroom.
This wasn't something that we were willing to allow to continue because the smell was transferring to our furniture and we weren't ok with that.
We started by telling him that he had to stop playing to use the bathroom and making it his responsibility to hand-wash his poopy clothes when he didn't. That didn't work so we moved to the next step. We took away all screen time and required that he earn it back. Our kids get 90 minutes that they can use on the computer or game cube or any combination of the two. Each week he didn't have an accident, he earned back ten minutes per day. If he had an accident, he'd lose all the time and have to start at zero again. In addition, he had to try to use the restroom before starting his screen time and every ten minutes during his screen time. By the time he earned all of his time back, he had established the habit of paying attention to his bodily signals again.
I'm also concerned about the animosity between his parents which is apparent between the two posts. The child is going to feel responsible for the conflict between his parents over something he did. For the child's well-being, that needs to be resolved.
-
We've been doing something similar...
My kids and I are on a quest to photograph license plates from all 50 states. When we are out on field trips with our camera, we are always on the lookout for new ones. The kids love it.
-
I only have time for very light reading these days...
Reading The BFG with the kids. We are seeing the play next week.
Love and Respect...a marriage self-help type book
Eldest...cause I still like fantasy.
-
Cool list!
I've read 18 and there are several I intend to read, probably as part of school.
-
cool! I've never seen clouds like that either.
What to do with a Toddler
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Ok, I just admitted that our TV is on a 24/7 loop of Ice Age for my toddler. I do NOT like this but I really don't know what else to do. Can you help me with some ideas on what to do with him while still getting our normal schedule done?
He tags along everywhere we go...running errands, grocery shopping, taekwondo, and field trips. At home, he eats constantly. I have to lock the fridge and hide food where he can't find/reach it to keep him out of it. When he's not eating, he's destroying the house. He's constantly finding sharpened pencils, pens, markers, crayons, knitting needles, chapstick, books (that he colors in or rips), my keys, CDs/DVDs, scissors, hairbrushes, everyone's toothbrushes & toothpaste, etc. Nothing stays put away and I can't hang everything we own from the ceiling. He attempts to climb our storage shelving, the entertainment center (with TV on top), our DVD shelves, the kitchen cabinet handles, the dresser drawers, the fridge shelves, and the back of the couch to see outside the high window. His favorite thing to do with his toys are either use them as a step ladder, throw them, or try to pull ride-ons onto the couch with him. He hits our pets...just walks up to them and smacks them even though we've spent his entire life teaching him to be gentle and nice to the pets.
Our other kids weren't like this. They were easy to parent. We aren't permissive parents and are used to our kids behaving and do what they are told. Josh is tiring and frustrating because he's constantly on the go. Every minute that he sleeps or calmly watches TV is a relief...which is why the TV is on his favorite movie constantly.
I try engaging him in what I'm doing sometimes. He tries to help a little bit. This means he "helps" me do laundry by unfolding the laundry I just folded, removing our clean laundry from the dressers, and putting dirty laundry in the clean laundry. Doing dishes means he's sitting on the counter grabbing all of the clean dishes and putting them back in the drainer in new places (in the way), taking everything off of the window sill/counter, trying to get into the cabinet (a falling hazard), and hitting the window with something hard (old single-pane window can break easily). Doing school with us at the table means 5 minutes of coloring and trying to grab the other kids' work. Reading books lasts a few minutes only.
Any help?