jenL
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Posts posted by jenL
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Oliver Twist
Wonder (a definite for all, imho)
Night
A Long Walk to Water
Between Shades of Grey
Homeless Bird (easy, but a good read)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
Shooting Kabul
Freak the Mighty
*These are just some I used when I taught a middle school lit class. They loved them and yielded excellent discussions.
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FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!
I cannot wait!!!
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I haven't been on the boards as often lately, but this is one of my go-to places for IRL experiences. Knowing that several of us have kids diagnosed with ADHD, I need some help.
My 10yo recently began Concerta after Strattera stopped working (actually, seeing the difference, I'm wondering if it ever really worked as well as it could have). We're seeing good results so far at 18mg; however, he is having terrible difficulty falling asleep. This has always been an issue for him even since infancy. He began taking melatonin occasionally around age 3, working up to it being taken every night by age 6 until now, and even with it, he still struggles to fall asleep. The Concerta seems to be further aggravating this, so at our follow-up today, his pediatrician prescribed Clonidine to be taken 30 minutes before bedtime.
My sister is in her 3rd year of pharmacy school, and she is very hesitant about the use of that drug. She also openly admits that she wants to research it more. Her concern is that it is most commonly used to lower blood pressure. My cursory research shows that the effect is different for children who have ADHD and that it is commonly used with stimulants.
Does anyone here have any experience with this combination? It took me a long time to try meds, so I am still hesitant about adding more.
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It often takes me a long time to fall asleep at night, but once I am asleep, I usually can sleep straight through. Although, I will go in cycles it seems where I won't because I wake up to go to the bathroom. If I'm in a cycle like that, it's always around 3-3:30 that I wake up to go. I often am able to fall back asleep quickly.
Being able to fall asleep at night has been an issue my entire life. :(
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What an absolutely gorgeous room! I especially love the cozy rug!!!
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Thank you for giving me permission to give him a break! Dh and I had a talk with him last night, and he admitted that he wants a break because it's become overwhelming; it's hard, and he's afraid to fail. He feels like he has too much to know and there are other things he wants to learn that are not TKD related. He said he doesn't want to give up forever; he just needs some time off right now. We're going to honor his request. I don't want my kid to burn out because of us forcing him. I'm giving the school a call shortly to discuss our options. I believe we're in a contract until January, so he may have to go through the fall and take a break after that if they won't let us out of it. He's agreed that he can do that if that is our only option.
Thanks again!
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We did not know for our first, and I loved being surprised.
We found out for our second for two reasons: 1) I really wanted a girl, and I didn't want to be shocked if it was a boy at the delivery (I know that sounds harsh, but knowing myself, I knew I'd need time to accept if it was a boy); 2) we didn't have a ton of money, so if it was not a boy, I needed to begin shopping consignment stores and sales early since we only had boy clothes from our first.
In hindsight, I wish we were surprised for our 2nd.
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How much training is involved in getting ready for testing at your school? As an adult, I'm intimidated by the process at ours: 6-9 months of 12-15 hours of TKD per week, plus the actual 6-8 hour test. Most of the adults (especially if middle-aged) choose to try to push through despite injuries because they don't want to take time off to heal and then have to start the prep time over again.
I don't know if I'll ever get there. It's okay if I don't. (My chronic health problems mean I go regularly for 6-9 months and then take 4-6 months off while trying to recover from a relapse.)
It's 6-12 months between belt tests (at the level ds is at - red), with 3x/week classes (3 hours), and then he is expected to train for at least an hour on his own each day. He also takes a weapons class (staff) which is another hour/week + practice. The test is usually an hour-1.5 hours long. However, all of that is much longer for black belts. The test is an entire day, and he has to train for a solid year, must learn at least one additional weapon, be able to break a cinder block (ds struggles with boards - he's just a skinny kid), and be able to run a 5K as well as know the requirements (written and physical) for each belt level.
Okay, typing that out, it's completely intimidating, and I am seriously wondering if these facts are the driving force behind his need for a break. I can't say I blame him... dh and I will have a lengthier talk with him tonight once his younger brother is in bed.
Thank you for helping me sort this out!
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Jean, great question. He says he feels too busy. We haven't even restarted school yet (that's in 2 weeks). We needed to take the month of in June for traveling, and I think he's been enjoying the down time. I worry about encouraging laziness, yet the other side of me recognizes that he's still young.
Sarah, I also struggle with TKD being year-round. I think it's now catching up with ds too. He has so many other interests, and sometimes I think TKD gets in the way. He's complained off and on since January about it, wondering at times why he has to go when he wants to to x-y-z. You brought up maturity as he gets closer to black belt and the demands that will be placed upon him. It's the same at our place, and maybe that is starting to worry him. His closest friend there is training for black (this boy is 12), and I'm wondering if he's feeling some pressure seeing all that T is going through. I'm going to ask him to see if that is part of his motivation to step back.
Thank you both for answering!
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I know where you are... I'm working to revamp how I view my life and what expectations I have that I need to let go and recreate. For me, it's requiring lots of prayer. I'm trying to take alone time, and I'm also doing some purging. That seems to be helping some, but I still feel a recurring sadness lately.
You are not alone. :grouphug:
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My 10yo recently told me he would like to take a break from TKD (just for the fall, he says). He's been in TKD since he was 7, and he's good at it. He spent a semester on the demo team (handpicked kids that travel and compete to represent the school), but he chose to leave it to play soccer (his favorite sport). He is 2 belts away from earning his black belt.
Should we let him take this break, knowing that he will need to work harder to remember everything when he returns in the spring? I worry that he will enjoy the time off and not want to go back. If he wasn't so close to the end, I wouldn't be asking this; we would just let him take a break. However, I would hate for him to regret not finishing later in life since I've always wished my mom pushed me in ballet instead of letting me give up, and dh wishes his parents had supported and pushed him in trumpet.
Is 10 old enough to know that he needs a break? We are pretty laid back parents when it comes to extracurriculars, and he attends classes 3x/wk for 1 hour each. So, it's not like we've been forcing him to practice constantly or anything like that. The classes are homeschool classes as well, so they are held during the day and are smaller than typical TKD classes.
Any advice is welcome! Thanks!
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I've always loved the name George! It would have been great to put Spencer in there somewhere in honor of Diana, but they must have a reason why they didn't. I think they chose a lovely name just the same.
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I miss driving a stick shift! My favorite car was a manual transmission (I drove it in my 20s until ds1 was born). We bought an automatic for me then since my manual was a coupe and it was a terrible pain to put the carseat in and out. Dh drove a stick until 2008 when the car would no longer run (we drive our cars into the ground). I've driven one recently and did just fine. It's like riding a bike... it all comes right back to you. I would love to have one again some day. They're just more fun!
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I'm so sorry, Jean! I hope she is found soon. I've lifted her up in prayer. :grouphug:
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So many prayers for her family. Her presence here will be missed as she was so wise, kind, and insightful. I always learned something from her posts. What a sad day...
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I'm so sorry. Thank you for doing all you could though.
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We have friends in Moore. Thankfully, they are safe! Their home is 1/2 mile from the path of the storm, and my friend pulled her boys from school earlier in the day to have them with her just in case. I believe her youngest goes to Briarwood. She says it it absolutely horrific there.
So many prayers going out to those in that area. I cannot even imagine. :crying:
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The answers from the kids are really cracking me up! I just asked ds10.
Me: What's the antonym for strawberries?
Ds: Seriously??? (looking completely dumbfounded)
Me: Yes, what is the antonym for strawberries?
Ds: looking utterly confused... after about 20 seconds of thinking... "Onions"
Me: Onions??? Why?
Ds: Strawberries are delicious, and onions are disgusting.
Yeah, I guess he has a point! So, if teacher was thinking along these lines, then she would be correct in answering "vegetable"! :huh: :laugh: :lol: :lol:
Oy vey.
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Lifting her up in prayer. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:
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Thank you SO much for sharing this! I was planning on sitting down this summer to organize all of it. You just saved me tons of work! StephanieZ, you ROCK!
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Where I grew up in NH, middle school was 5-8, and high school was 9-12. It is now middle = 6-8 and K-5 = elementary. My dh grew up in the next town over. Middle school was called Jr High and it was 7-9, with elementary being K-6. It is now K-6, middle is 7-8 and high school is 9-12.
Where I live now, it's K-5 for elementary, 6-8 middle, and 9-12 high.
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Prayers are with you, Rose. I cannot even imagine how your heart feels right now. :grouphug:
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I love this update! Such wonderful news!!! YAY!!!!
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Prayers are with you, Scarlett. And of course, many of these :grouphug: !
PSA: Landry 2016/17 Registration Opens Today
in High School and Self-Education Board
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Anyone have experience with Wendy Williams for Biology? She's the only one left who will fit with our schedule, so I'm hoping she is great!