Jump to content

Menu

rutamattatt

Members
  • Posts

    472
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by rutamattatt

  1. DS has been gifted a 5 day trip for our family to FL with three day passes for us all to Disney. We have never been. (We are bad parents.). Our kids are 20 (but emotionally closer to 12ish), 16. and 14. The last time I was at Disney, they were just starting Epcot, so it's been... awhile. DH has not been. I am overwhelmed. I know nothing. What parks should we hit? I am definitely wanting to do Animal Kingdom. But what is there at the other parks for teens? Not 100% sure they will all love roller coasters, but we will try some. DD20 might actually want to do some of the younger Disney princess type things, but I don't actually know what those are. Is Magic Kingdom where we meet the characters? A family friend told me to get a Disney guide who maps out the whole trip for us. Where does one find one of those? Through Disney? We are going in mid January. DH does not like major crowds and our DD cannot do high heat.
  2. I have had this terrible taste in my mouth for a few months now and it will not go away! Very metallic. Like cold metal. It's gross. I've been to the dentist for a cleaning and all looks good there. No bleeding gums. DH says my breath smells OK. Haven't started any new medications. I can still taste foods and such, but have this constant metallic taste. I know it is such a little thing, but it is wearing. me. out. I've been to the dr for fatigue and my labs show low Vitamin D and low B12, so I am wondering if that may cause it? I have a follow up appointment next week, so I will ask there about it. But in the meanwhile has anyone ever had this before? What helped? I've tried gum, mints. It helps for awhile and then it comes right back. Hurl!
  3. Our DD20 with special needs requires that level of assistance. She always will. She will be a great employee, but she doesn't have the skill to initiate all the work it takes to get to that point. And that is OK. My DH and I are fine with this, but when you have a young adult with "invisible" special needs, it appears to other people that you are "doing too much". Those folks are worng. You are right. You are awesome.
  4. At my sister's wedding the groom's cousins got carried away with the car. They put flour in all the air vents, cooking oil on the seats with flour on top of that, covered the windows in so much writing that you couldn't see out to drive. My sister had to leave the reception with my parents while her groom stayed there to try and clean up the car enough to pick her up at our house. They ended up not being able to leave for their honeymoon that night because the car was so trashed, and they had to borrow a car the next day to go. I do not like the cake smashing thing either, but I get that some people think it's funny. I told DH in no uncertain terms he was NOT to do that, and good for him that he listened. The "help me" on the shoes reminds me too much of the whole "she wore me down and now I'm getting the ol' ball and chain" attitude. It is traditional at our family wedding showers to bring canned goods with no labels for the bride.
  5. Also a TN resident. We live within spitting distance of a CC that has a solid academic reputation. DS will probably do some DE classes there next year, and he is seriously considering the 2 years of CC there before going to university. From an academic standpoint he could go straight to a 4 year university (and that is not off the table), but his logic is that he can get his basic courses completed at the CC free while maintaining his current job and saving up $$$ for his final 2 years or more depending on what program he does. Dh and I are committed to helping the kids get a college degree (if that is what they want) with only a little student loan debt. DH came out with a HGUE amount, and while he has a good paying job from a top five school in his field, it is a serious chunk of change. DH has been intentional about this for years, but it feels nearly impossible to afford 4 year universities/private colleges anymore. This free CC option for us means we can more easily help our two potential college bound students end up with less debt while also ease some of the financial stress for our non-college bound SN child. I agree with a PP that a huge factor in the value of this is how many universities will accept the 2 years of CC credits. We are fortunate in that the CC near us has a long list of schools accepting their credits, and more universities are added to the list regularly.
  6. If you don't see any improvement soon, I second going to see a dr.
  7. I had this about a week and a half ago and it was AWFUL. It wasn't "faint" dizzy, but vertigo dizzy. Usually I drink a lot of water when I feel a little off, but that didn't help and the vertigo was INSANE. Could barely walk straight. Went to Urgent Care (thinking ear infection), and they sent me straight to the ER because they said sudden onset dizziness can be a sign of stroke. I didn't have any other symptoms, but off to the ER we went. Turns out it was the BPPV, and the ER dr showed me how to do these exercises. After doing them a few times the vertigo was gone. But just an FYI - the exercises will make you more dizzy at first. Unpleasant, but effective for me! Hope you feel better soon! It was such a terrible feeling to have the room spinning...
  8. For DS here is what I have so far... Math - Jacobs ALgebra Science - Apologia Physical Science w/lab World Geography - using some of this and that, and hope we can really dig into this. LA - Writers in Residence, Spelling (he will need spelling practice every year), Vocab from latin roots Lit - we are reading books to go along with our Geography. Logic - Finish Art of Argument, Nonsense He will also have basketball, serve team at church, youth group, volunteering, etc. so busy with extra curriculars. I really want him to use this year to develop some of his interests and explore some new things. He is really into video games (go figure!) so I'd love to find some ays to explore that with him. He also detests art, but might try to get him into painting or finding some art he is interested in. I want to giv him some time to develop interests a little more this year.
  9. DS and I are going to see Hamilton in DC this fall. We are paying around $250 per seat. I am a total theater NERD, and when the opportunity for two tickets came up (to go along with extended family which makes it even more exciting!), I knew I'd pay most any amount we could possibly swing. But I am also the person who travels to see a show with my theater friend in another city, gets a hotel room for the weekend there, and sees the same show five times. Is this something my husband would ever spend money on? Nope. But for ME, it was joy and therapy all rolled up together.
  10. We don't vacation as a family all that often anymore. DD has ID and changes in routine or expectations increase her anxiety which then affects everyone else's enjoyment. She is also sensitive to high or low temps and once she is tired or hungry it is over. We have done the beach together, and that is about the best arrangement we have found because we can rent a place and call most of our own shots. DH and I have started vacationing seperately to recharge. I go with a friend to see musicals and he goes away with friends to a cabin for game nights. We also try to do "date nights" locally with each kid because it is a little easier when we can stick closer to routine and safety of home. I just took DD on an overnight trip (just she and I) and while we had fun, it is A LOT of work to be "on" the whole time and help manage her emotions and expectations. We probably need to take our NT kids on a little mini vacation sometimes, but it is expensive and can cause stress for anyone left at home too. Vacationing is supposed to be relaxing, but often with a special needs child it is not.
  11. When you started missing periods, did you still have period like symptoms? Cramps, fatigue, etc? I am 45 y.o. and have had a rough time of the month since I was a teenager - cramps, heavy periods, etc. I have always been regular except for two times when I was late, and those two times I was pregnant with our bio kids. My cycles have also always been short - 22-24 days. I have had night sweats off and on (mostly on) for at least a year, so I know that menopause is looming. I am late by about two weeks, but when I was supposed to have my period I had all the symptoms, including terrible, terrible cramps. Like taking Advil/Tylenol every four hours to get through, heating pad, plan canceling fatigue...all the symptoms I usually have. Just no period. I was really hoping that with the start of menopause and no period I would reap the benefits of no period symptoms either! I just had my hormone levels checked and everything falls in the normal range. Is this just what it is going to be like for awhile? (If so, I feel robbed...) (Oh, and I know I'm not pregnant...DH had that taken care of several years ago and was checked and is "all clear"...) ? TIA!
  12. My oldest DS is starting 11th grade, and as I look at his transcript I am starting to panic a little. We are doing fine as far as meeting the colege prep requirements as outlined by our umbrella school, but I have used a wide variety of curriculum even within the same subject. For instance, with history in 9th grade we used Notgrass, but DS hated it so this year we used Oak Meadow. Now I am not sure we will do Oak Meadow this year for Government/Econ. Will not using the same curriculum through high school for one subject seem like a red flag as he applies to colleges? Or is that not really a "thing" to colleges? How important to YOU is using the same curriculum for a subject through high school? Does it matter as much for English and history? In my search for sources that keep my high schooler engaged, I wonder if I have inadvertantly hurt him by switching things up. Is it better to stick with something "meh" in subjects that he isn't going to be on fire about anyway or is it OK to keep looking? Sorry this is a little jumbled. I am gathering next year's curriculum and doing some final selecting, and I have hit "freak out" mode that I have created a ridiculously haphazard high school plan for my kid. (He is my first high schooler. The "freak outs" are many and often...) TIA.
  13. This fall DS16 and I were lucky enough to get tickets to see Hamilton in DC (SQUEAL!), and it looks like we may be able to stay for a few extra days to do some sightseeing. DC is one of my favorite places, and I have some idea of what we may want to hit (Capitol, Mall, Smithsonian, Holocaust Museum, Arlington). Would love input from others as I try and plan this! Should we drive so we have a car or fly and do metro? Not a fan of driving in DC, and probably wouldn't use the car once we are there, but flying and doing Uber/taxi seems like it may be expensive. Rent an AirBnB or stay in a hotel downtown? What places would be good to see for a student who will be taking Government class this semester? I am going to write to our Senator and see if we can meet him (He has a breakfast with any constituents in town one morning a week). Is a White House tour worth the effort? Any cool off the beaten path places or opportunites I don't know about? TIA!
  14. ...as far as planning for next homeschool year if you have five days all to yourself at home? I will, of course, do plenty of relaxing and little house projects here and there in the peace and quiet, but I really want to get serious headway made on next year's planning. I will have a junior and an 8th/9th grader (he's doing some high school and some middle school). I am trying to plan my planning time so I don't end up staring for five days at planners and books. What would you MOST want to tackle as far as planning? In what order would you tackle it? I always get inspired by seeing how others do long term planning, and I'm needing some inspiration before I waste five days!
  15. We bought our washer and dryer used from my sister and brother-in-law back in 2000, and both are going strong. Sister had them maybe 5 years before we got them so over 20 years old. Both are very bare bones models. We've had to repair the dryer twice, but both times it was just a cheap repair - less than $100. I live in fear of the day they break down. I can't think of many things more terrifying to me than having to pick out and purchase a new set. <shudder> And I would not care if washer/dryer were mismatched in a house I am looking to buy. If they are nice looking and in working order they could have polka dots for all I care. But I imagine there are probably people who might.
  16. Our first year of standardized testing freaked me out while I waited for results. My DH is a "numbers" guy, so he was very invested in test scores to help him reaffirm to himself that homeschooling was the right choice. I finally had to sit myself down and do an evaluation on my own of what I thought their strengths and weaknesses were. And go figure - I was dead on when we got results. We do testing every other year. This year my 7th grader didn't do great on the "social science" portion, but we did a year on World War 1 & 2 so he didn't nail all the Constitution questions. In years past I would have taken that info and freaked myself out that my DS won't ever be able to get into colleges competing against his PS peers because we didn't do Constitution studies in 7th grade. Now I take that info and file away that we need to make sure we spend some time in history on the Constitution this coming year. (And then I start planning how we can combine DS16's government class with DS14's Constitution study need because I am all about reshaping the wheel and not reinventing it...). So like a previous poster said, I have learned how to let the test scores serve as more of a guide for planning and tweaking. One of the hardest challenges for me with regards to homschooling has always been trusting that the path my kids are on is a good path. Test scores can rattle that insecurity cage. I've had to learn to use them as a tool and not as a gavel.
  17. I try never to express (with words or face) a negative opinion abotu someone else's baby names because I took a fair amount of grief when we shared our ideas for DS name with MIL. She said she didn't like it. We loved it. It was the ONLY name we agreed on. When we had him and called to tell her that her first gandchild had arrived and his name was ________, her reply was, "I thought I told you I didn't like that name." While she did grow to like the name, I still remember the hurt we felt with her very fisrt comment about her grandbaby. We didn't tell anyone our name ideas for second DS. I am sure people didn't like our name for him either (it is fairly uncommon, but not unheard of or ridiculously unfortunate). Now I always tell expecting moms who worry that people won't like their names that they can name their baby "Dog Poop" and I will smile and say to them how lovely it is because I remember how MIL's words were hurtful. Of course there are names I don't particularly like, but I wouldn't ever say anything and I'd hope the name would grow on me.
  18. I can't even imagine. I hate that acts like this start to change the way I think about being in public. The article says they aren't saying it is terrorism. I wonder what the criteria is to consider an act "terrorism"? Praying for all involved. I am a huge hockey fan, and I still can barely talk about or listen to any news of that bus crash.
  19. 1/2. But that 1...whew. He made up for any peace I had with his older brother. We were at the neighborhood park one day when DS was maybe 2. I was RIGHT NEXT TO HIM. I turned around long enough to call to his older brother, and the child CLIMBED THE TENNIS COURT FENCE. All the way to the top where I couldn't reach him with outstretched arms, and the weaving of the fence was too small for my feet to fit. I just stood there asking (demanding then begging) that child to climb down while he hung up there and cars drove by and slowed down to watch the frantic mother and the toddler at the top of the ten foot fence. I seriously contemplated calling the police to help me get him down. He climbed down when he was good and ready (it felt like dog years). It was the talk of the neighborhood. I acted like I didn't know it was me when the story was repeated in my presence.
  20. We have two dogs right now who are great buds. One of them was just diagnosed with cancer and while he isn't in any pain right now, he is elderly and we have chosen to do palliative care. Vet feels like he is doing well, so we don't really have a set time frame for when we might lose him. He is the leader dog of our dynamic duo. (And my heart...I am brokenhearted over the thought of losing him.) Our second dog is fun, a little younger, but shall we say...not the brains of the operation. He gets nervous whenever older dog is gone (like for grooming or vet appointments), and he seems lost without his partner in crime. He definitely our follower. We know our second dog needs a canine companion in the long run. DH and I are trying to decide whether it is better to bring in a third dog now so that our younger dog can have another friend and not be alone when older dog passes or if bringing in a third dog now will be too stressful for older dog. I want to focus my attention on my sick baby now, but will want to bond with a new dog too, and I don't know if that will bother my dog. We have emailed our vet to ask his opinion since he knows their personalities, but just curious what Hive dog folks might think. TIA.
  21. We did a fun study of History of Rock Music and used this book as our base. My boys (grades 7 and 5 at the time) LOVED it! We used videos on YouTube and some documentaries to supplement. It was one of our very favorite subjects in 7 years of homeschooling!
  22. I didn't think the house was CPS worthy awful - just looked like the house of a family with a lot of kids who don't pick up. But the BATHROOM. Surely they didn't actually make the kids use that?!?!?! We fostered 5 puppies for a week, and while 5 puppies can make a lot of poop, it never looked even close to that even for a minute at our house. I can't get over the bathroom...
  23. DS13 is a mathy guy. He is finishing up MM7, and I am looking ahead wondering what to do with him next year as an 8th grader. I could try Algebra 1 with him next year and see how it goes. If it goes well, we can count it on his high school transcript, but if it is a struggle I could just have him repeat it in 9th grade. I could do a Pre-Algebra something or other next year to really solidify things for Algebra 1 in 9th grade (which may be fairly easy for him, but potentially worth it...). I have NO idea what Algebra or Pre-algebra curriculum would work well after MM or how to decide which is a better route to take. Suggestions? I have looked at Jacobs and can't really get a feel for how it would work for DS. I've looked at Saxon's Algebra 1/2, but when we did Saxon a few years back DS wanted to claw his eyes out. What else should I check out? TIA!
×
×
  • Create New...