I KNEW I could count on you ladies!!! Thank you for some GREAT ideas! I think the WTK website is a fabulous idea too! I can just see my eldest on my smartphone whining to his WTK friends because "we are not there yet!"

We'll be taking a 16 hour drive soon, and I'd love some new ideas to entertain my boys while we're in the car (aside from DVD's). They are 8 & 4 1/2. Thanks!

:iagree: My son chooses some odd spots as well, but he gets the work done well, so I've learned to adjust my "expectations". :)

:iagree:

I've been a soccer mom for 4 years. I had the same reaction when I first became one too! :D I've come to enjoy it & I'm a much better soccer mom than a baseball mom! :tongue_smilie:

Hope you had a GREAT first day!!!!

It's windy here in Charlotte with some clouds from the outer bands of Irene. My son has been flying his $1 Walmart kite in the backyard :D. I called my grandparents in NH to see if they were all set, and they assured me they are fine. My self-righteous, needs-to-be-humbled uncle was over, and I could hear him and my aunt cackling about the fact that I had called concerned. :mad: I don't think this is something to joke about due to the massive size, but anyway he always does think he knows better than everyone else (can you tell I harbor some bitterness?). I hope everyone stays safe, and thanks for all those who have updated!

Love it!

Oh, that is so sad. I'm very sorry for your friend and her family.

Aside from learning extensively about the subjects needing to be taught, teachers need to also learn how to implement these subjects. Methodology classes need to be meatier, allowing students in the ed program to encounter real-life situations that would affect the implementation of the subject matter (ie. inclusion & differentiated instruction) rather than just learn the theory behind these two facets of life in the classroom and the making up of "fun" lesson plans. Teachers also need to have a hardcore class on behavioral management. Not just fluff, but realistic strategies and ways to implement those strategies. I think classes in abnormal behavior and child development are a must as well as covering law in education. Ed majors also need to be IN the classroom far before the final internship to really see how things work. This includes meeting with guidance counselors, special ed staff, and administration as part of class requirements. When I was teaching, I was appalled at some of the newer teachers being hired who did not have to take anything but fluffy methodology courses. Everything was just a theory here, a theory there vs. actually getting into the classroom beforehand and facing the every day challenges that a teacher faced. One of my co-workers earned her Masters in Teaching English at a different school than I did, but her knowledge of literature was atrocious! She had never heard of or read some of the well-known classics nor did she know how to do literature analysis, but she was "qualified" to teach grades 6-12. She said she had also never been taught how to manage behavior in the classroom! No wonder teachers quit within the first 3 years of earning their certification. It does not surprise me in the least as to the state of the education system now with all the awful ed programs that exist. Reason #967 as to why I have stepped out of the classroom and become a homeschooling mom. I'll step down from my soapbox now.

I think you need a choice that says, "Too Late". :lol: I put 10:30 because that is when I begin the routine of checking on the kids, washing up, brushing teeth, determining clothes for the next day, etc. By the time I actually get in bed, it's probably closer to 11, and then I have to read (part of my nighttime ritual since childhood), so I probably end up falling asleep closer to 12-12:30. It's too late since I need more sleep, but I'm a work in progress on this one. :tongue_smilie:

In this case, I would like to change my answer to "no, not without a parent". Imho, there's a difference between paid youth leaders within a church and more casual AWANA leaders.

I'm sorry. I have learned that divorce is never easy, no matter the age. I am glad your parents are moving to safety, however. :grouphug:

I voted that I took graduate education courses and found them useful. I had some that were down-right HARD (educational stats/research and behavior management in the classroom are ringing a bell - this was 12 years ago), but I think it depends upon the professor and where you are getting your graduate degree as well. I went to a small, private college that is well-known in New England for its education programs. A few of mine were fluff, but for the most part, they were challenging, required large amounts of analysis, and they forced me to reach beyond my comfort zone in order to be successful. I felt very prepared to step into teaching as we were required to do an extensive amount of time in the classroom every semsester prior to having to do our actual internship at the end of the program. They wanted to weed us out, and they did a good job of it. Fwiw, I managed to get a 4.0, but I worked for it (dh can attest to that as I practically abandoned him for 2 years while earning my M.Ed! :D). It bothers me that grades are being inflated in some programs because it lessens the value of our degrees for those of us who have been in programs that don't coddle future teachers. :mad:

Absolutely (as others have said)! Hope you feel better soon!!!

Would she enjoy making chocolates? My mom taught us how to make fancy chocolates of all colors and designs when we were younger. We had to paint the molds with the melted chocolate, fill them, and then we boxed them for gifts. Although we were melting chocolate, we were using a double burner on the stove at low heat. It required a lot of patience to stand there & stir until the chocolate was melted. I have fond memories of the creations we made.

1. Glacier National Park 2. Yellowstone 3. The Grand Canyon 4. Hawaii 5. Alaska 6. Key West, FL 7. The Gulf coast beaches 8. Big Sur and the Northern CA coast 9. Chicago 10. NYC These are on my list right now :)

This, exactly.

Let's see, I think dinner tonight is going to be breakfast: scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and strawberries. I don't feel motivated to make anything else. Lunch was 2 hot dogs and 2 drinks from Costco before we did our shopping. You cannot beat lunch for 3 people for $3.25! Today we did some service work at church, ran errands, and then did an hour of silent reading during quiet time. Well, the 4yo played by himself in his room during that time since he can't read yet. What's not quite right? My dishwasher keeps starting then stopping instead of going through an entire cyle. I'm hoping we don't need to buy another one. Nothing overly fun was accomplished today. We took a day off from official schoolwork to do community service instead. Our church is hosting a big festival with the local recreational sports league, so there was a lot to get done to be ready for Saturday. I am thankful that Hurricane Irene will be sparing us, although I'm worried for all my relatives in NH/MA.

:iagree: I love my square Corelle plates and bowls!

I'm so sorry. You made the best decision possible for you and your children even though it was one of the hardest ones you could ever make. Allow yourself to feel grace now that you are on the other side of this situation. :grouphug:

You are crying because a piece of your heart just went away... you will always be his mom and that is a huge part of who you are. He will be okay, and you will too. Praying for both of you! :grouphug:

These are the ones I was going to list. Also try www.charlottehomeschooling.ning.com Here's another: http://www.cheaonline.com/ There's also HINTS www.hintsonline.org. THis is a Christian group. They offer a pretty decent homeschool fair every July. And, our local store for used homeschool supplies/curricula (this place is awesome) is The Homeschool Room. www.thehomeschoolroom.net. They can also help her as she sorts out the area. For theater, the Charlotte Children's Theater is amazing. They offer a variety of classes at a few different locations. www.ctccharlotte.org Unfortunately, I don't have any knowledge regarding Suzuki violin in the area, but posting on some of the Yahoo! groups or at the other sites should yield some answers.

Both of my boys weaned themselves. One at 11 months, the other at 14 months. I was surprised by it too, but they truly wanted nothing more to do with me.

I was in the shower, and for some reason I didn't feel it. My neighbor did, and my husband did in center-city Charlotte. I had no idea until my husband was calling and calling to see if we were ok. My sister felt it at the beach just outside of Wilmington, NC. She said it was odd to experience it while being in a house on stilts!