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EMS83

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Posts posted by EMS83

  1. I've explained multiple times to my reactive child that it makes my job harder to sort out what's serious and what's not when they react to everything like it's serious.  And we've discussed The Boy Who Cried Wolf a couple of times.  A while it's my job to check things out and help them figure out what's a big deal and what's not  (and I'm only human), it's not the rest of the world's job to do that, and I let them know all of that (matter-of-factly).  Interestingly, or maybe not, this child is quieter the worse an injury is.  I'm sort of like that myself, though.

     

    I do also make the sick boring, like gardenmom.  My mantra there is, "If you're too sick to work, you're too sick to play."  ;)  But I try not to brush things off; I take temperatures and check out hang nails, bug bites, etc.  None of mine really demand the doctor.  The reactive child just simply has undirected angst.  One of the other ones asks about every little thing: if it will be ok, and what does it all mean, and do we need a doctor...but it's all very calm and vaguely worried.  :)

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  2. I used to function under the philosophy that if I put myself down enough, nothing anyone else could say would hurt me.  And I did expect perfection from myself, or more like universal acceptability.  My faith has changed/is changing that, gradually and in stages.  That may or may not be helpful to you, though!

     

    And yes, this was modeled for me by a parent, but not directed at me.

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  3. Yeah, lol. This man cannot will not fake anything. Honesty spews from his mouth. He cannot be fake if he tried and it sucks.

     

    I'm sorry.   :grouphug:

     

    I decided a long time ago that I'd prefer either honest sympathy and compassion or none.  Most of the time, it's none, or not quite what I'd like.  But then, that works both ways, and I'm glad not to get huffed at, so I try to return the favor and succeed 99% of the time (I think).  It is...lonely? or something, sometimes, though.  He has learned that sometimes it's better just not to say stuff if it's going to be rude, though (and usually succeeds).  I don't know what it means, though, or if I'm wanting too much.  So it is what it is.  :)

  4. I'm right there with you!!  Mornings are awful for me, too.  But my days go a bit more sideways a bit more often than yours, it sounds like.  :D  

     

    If you have a bit of clear space in front of a TV, Moms Into Fitness is good.  I have her boot camp DVD and it doesn't require a lot of space to follow (space is a huge issue here) and the duration can be customized (it's HIIT cardio with some core work).

    Another thing I'm working towards is weightlifting (one of the two reasons I'm building a Murphy bed, wherever that thread went).

    I definitely wouldn't drive anywhere for regular sessions, either.  Just getting people in and out of the car is almost a workout slot in itself.  One thing I really want to do is get out about once each week and hike with them.

     

    My kids have a rest time after lunch, and whenever I have exercised, it has been during this time.  When I exercise with them, it's typically immediately after that rest time, but this is less successful.  We've run laps around our yard, weight trained, and done that DVD together.  It is harder for me to get a focused workout this way, though (but probably worth the trade off).  Another option is perhaps breaking during your morning for "PE" and then shifting the balance of academics to the afternoon.  My personal issue these days is simply time management; we year-round for about 2 hours/day (plus grabbing those learning moments whenever they pop up), and they help with chores and meals...I have no excuse at all.  :(

     

    I don't know if that's at all helpful, but at least you're not alone!!

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  5. $2000 for rent sound nuts to me, but I live in a low COL area, outside of any cities and our mortgage is about 40% of that (but for less than 1500 sq. ft.).  Median for Atlanta is $55,700ish and for my county it's $62,500ish.  We've lived on well below either of those for most of our married life and haven't really suffered in any palpable way.  BUT...we're relatively healthy people, family nearby to help if something went sideways, etc.  It's a tenuous position, but if I have a choice between meat and beans for protein, I'm not going to feel poor, kwim?

  6. Nope, but we have had established eating times since they were little (which did include snacks about halfway between meals).  So if we ate breakfast at 7-8, there'd be snack around 10ish and lunch at noonish, nap, snack around 2 or 3, dinner around 5 or 6.  That's slowly phased out over the years so that we typically eat 3 meals per day, with maybe an afternoon bowl of popcorn or pita chips.

     

    Not everyone's philosophy, of course, so...do what works.  ;)

  7. I like what Esme said just now.  I don't know that I'm in favor of privatization to solve it, but those are many of the problems I see.  I think my first solution would be what someone said upthread is hire professionals in the subject.  Cut out the $$$$ going to bureaucrats and invest in teacher salaries and whatever materials the teachers think are best.  I do think this should be free or low cost.  Or on a sliding scale.  

     

    But simply changing how things are funded won't fix education in our nation.  We have to completely overhaul our educational philosophy and possibly how we view children (maybe people in general) in order to actually get anywhere.  I think we've sort of slipped into a view of people as computers that can be desirably programmed with the right inputs, and ultimately only meant to perform functional tasks.  And all our effort and money is spent figuring out what the "right" inputs are to acquire the desired function.  Consider the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  What are we asking?  We're equating existence with a job.  Well what I want my kids to be when they grow up has very little to do with how they'll make a living!  ;)  So however we fund it, and I think it quality should be equally available to all...I think some philosophical shifts are needed before or with the funding shifts

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