jeninok
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Posts posted by jeninok
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CHOLL is www.classicalhouseoflearning.com
Maybe it should be just CHOL.....not sure!
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Another 2 parts to my issues.
I have bone spurs and tendonitis so wear orthodics in some not so fashionable tennis shoes. I need to look for some shoes that are a bit more fashionable that I can put my orthodics in. Without them though I can hardly walk.
My hairstyle is short and I need a wash and go style so other than the "glittery" highlights I have been sprouting lately my hairstyle hasn't changed in years.
I need a make over where someone isn't trying to SELL me all kinds of stuff.
Try Merrells, or some of the New Balance dressier shoes, the ones from a New Balance store that cost more and are made in either the US or Canada.
Dansko makes cuter shoes that many people love too.
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We have a buster cube and a puzzle toy that I give to my ACD mix in moments of desperation. She isn't chewy anymore, but she is BUSY. Several 5-10 minute sessions of positive obedience training a day go a long way towards tiring them out too. When we had a very small yard I used to take mine to a fenced in tennis court at the neighborhood park. We went at night when no one was playing tennis and I could let them run like crazy without fear of loosing them or strange dogs. Mine are NOT dog friendly without work to get to know new dogs, and I avoid Dog Parks like the plague anyway.
Also, we do doggie sit ups (sit down stand sit down stand) and always have a Nothing in life is free policy, they must sit or perform some other task before they get anything good, and no leashes go on until they are calm. This means that sometimes it takes me 10 minutes to get the leash and collar on our crazy girl, but I am not wrestling a 50 lb dog unless I have to clean her ears or something.
I would be a treat machine for desired behavior, little pea sized bits of whatever works for you. I use the trimmings from chicken or beef, ends of cheese, pieces of dry cat food.
Being a beagle, teach him to sniff stuff out, you can find simple videos to get started on Youtube.
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Dh works hard so I can buy everything I need for school, doesn't question me when I try a new program or ditch something that isn't working. He also fully supports me when I call it a day and take DS to town for lunch or whatever. He also sees the value in natural learning and trusts that I am doing the best I can with DS.
He leaves the room, and sometimes even goes outside to do yard stuff or sit on the porch when DS and I are tackling something difficult like math or writing. :smilielol5:
He also called me a couple of weeks ago after a rough news day and told me that no matter what he didn't want to put DS in public school if he is happy at home, just knowing I have his support helps me ton.
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I am keeping all fingers and toes crossed that IEW is exactly what we need, something has to give with writing, and at this point it is either IEW or outsourcing it to a tutor of some kind.
CHOLL is literature that ties in with history, he is a reluctant reader so I don't want to overdo assigned reading. We also do 30 minutes to 1 hour a day of reading time of whatever he chooses, either from the library, a good magazine like Audubon/Nat Geo, or from whatever he picks from the house. (We had 23 boxes of books when we moved :svengo: ) By reluctant, I mean he doesn't like it, I have tested him and he is reading at about a 10th grade level, so I am not concerned with his fluency or reading ability.
His vocabulary is pretty good, and we always study words in history and science, so I am ok with that I think. We still do copywork for spelling and it seems to make the biggest difference.
I have thought about formal grammar, but frankly while he picks up formal grammar in the exercises quite well, it doesn't ever end up benefiting his written work.
I wonder if something like EM Daily Word, or their Daily Editing or Grammar would be good to toss in. I LOVE their Daily Geography, and he does seem to retain it. Short little blurbs like that are often best for him in skill areas.
6th grade is making me panic a little, some days a lot. It just seems like I am running out of time or something!
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Sorry for the poor formatting and grammar, my phone won't let me edit properly!
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Ds has come so far! But we are still struggling in a few areas. My goal is to work through the summer on math and writing skills to try to get him up to speed.
But for next year so far this is my plan...
Finish up EM daily geography 6, then Mchenry's Mapping the World through Art.
IEW starting in a few weeks and going as slow as we need to in order to cement the skills.
Math CLE 500-600. Assuming it goes well and with Keys To for supplement and more conceptual thinking, where will this put us as far as pre algebra readiness? And would you continue with CLE 700-800 or switch to BCM or Lial's pre algebra? I have both!
History CHOLL Middle Ages and Human Odyssey + timeline and note taking practice
Science probably NOEO physics or Elemental physics with Tops Units. Snap circuits/various kits for "fun"
He wants Chem but his math skills aren't ready for Chem at his level of desire.
Art drawing lessons at home, nature journaling.
Informal Spanish and philosophy at co-op. This is really more for socializing and some group learning.
My goal is to continue to cement basic skills while preparing him for the jump in expectations in 7th-12th.
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I just had a really brave moment and am hosting my family for Easter. I am now having one of those holy crap, time To be a grown up momemts!
I've never had the space to do this before, so despite the fact that I cook Thanksgiving and Christmas plus the summer holidays, every year I've never had to pull it all together myself at my own house.
8 people for 2 days, my folks are seriously OCD and my dad will be inspecting all the stuff we have done to the new house, and probably cleaning my yard!
We may have a few extras on Easter too, but those are friends and don't worry me!
I know its 3 weeks from now, but I've got to finish unpacking and do some more decorating and organizing, paint some new woodwork, clean like crazy, and also do school and keep up with DS growing social life( which is both awesome and tiring!)
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I actually do think a hound mix is a good choice, I adore them, they have the sweetness of a lab without the energy and neurosis so many labs have. Beagles can just tend to be somewhat difficult and I think there cuteness somewhat masks that.
I would also strongly suggest a retired greyhound for a first time owner.
We have a Cattle Dog lab mix girl, she is a ton of fun, but busy, to put it nicely. She is currently on one month of leash only exercise, and now that she is feeling better and we have 3 weeks to go, I realize I'm gonna need some wine to make it through, and probably will have to replace random items that fall victim to her boredom.
The good thing about a non traumatised adult dog is that you know what you are getting with the individual dogs temperament. we have had no problems bonding with any of the older dogs either, they seem so happy and thankful for the love and home and just fit right in.
Also, look into clicker or marker training, positive reinforcement sessions for 5 minutes a couple times a day go a long way towards bonding, manners training and helping the dog learn to think and trust.
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I think we have three choices now.
beagle
American eskimo
miniature schnauzer
Can you talk to me about any of the three?
I am typing this with my giant lanky stupid Coonhound curled up under the covers with me, he is snoring like a freight train, but his ears are like velvet and he lets me squish his neck pudge all I want.
Of the 3 my first choice for a first time owner would be the Schnauzer, I would look into getting one from a breed specific rescue that has been in a foster home for a while, or a retired show dog that is available.
Beagles are adorable, and stubborn, noisy, and hard to train, and not so bright a lot of the time (its the hound in them, we have hounds, bless their hearts they are dumb)
I have known some sweet American Eskimos, but OMG that is a lot of hair, and they are a spitz breed so they can be more catlike and aloof, and downright not so doggy.
Puppies are adorable and squishy and soft and I really really love them. Especially if they belong to someone else and I can just love them and give them back. Even the easy ones who grow into fantastic dogs are a LOT of work. And they don't mature until about 2, so you have two years of chaos and vigilance and work!
After bringing in our last girl at the age of 1 I don't know if I will ever have another pup, it is just so much easier to incorporate them when they have some common sense and don't constantly bite you with a mouth full of hypodermic needles.
If I was a first time dog owner, I would find out who the really great rescue groups in my area were, then I would call and interview them. I would make sure they knew exactly what I wanted in a dog as far as temperament, grooming needs, and relative size. Ask them about visiting with the dogs, could you even take him home from the foster for an afternoon, or just hang out long enough to really see how he reacts to life. A good rescue group will really work hard to match the right dog with the right family, they are committed to finding the pups good placements
But keep in mind that a busy 20 lb dog is going to feel much bigger than a couch potato 75 lb ball of mush.
For the most part, a dog is a dog is a dog. There are some broad categories, like terrier, northern/spitz, herding etc...I would avoid the terriers and herding dogs, simply because they needs jobs, huskies and other northern breeds are beautiful, but not for the faint of heart!
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We've also kept mantids that we caught in our yard. We've never had a female that had eggs and I think the best we ever did in terms of keeping was a couple of weeks. We bought crickets.
I have heard horror stories about having the tiny babies get loose in the house.
This book details the process with not only mantids but other small creatures. She has lots of experiments to do with them: http://www.amazon.co...ientific method
That looks like a great book!
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DH has a petsmart next to his office, so he can pick up crickets and worms and flies without too much trouble if we can't catch enough. We had to do that for the Bearded Dragon, and he ate tons and tons and tons of crickets, it was a giant pain! I am thinking Mantis eat far fewer than a 2 foot bearded dragon!
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We will be starting our Invertebrates unit next month, and I am kicking around what kind of bug to raise. We are going to attempt Triops again, but I also want to raise some sort of bug. I was going to do butterflies, but I think Apple snails or a Praying Mantis would be totally cool, and DS would enjoy them much more.
The Apple snails could go in our tiny aquarium and are easy peasy and super fun to watch, but a Mantid would be AWESOME!
Any thoughts or tips?
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I don't mind little crickets so much, but when the grasshoppers morph from their usual little selves to the big plaque type locust creatures and then swarm parking lot and other light sources, it totally freaks me out. Like end up dancing around batting at the air while screaming in the middle of a public parking lot freak out!
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Try switching to Prime for your water conditioner instead of the yellow bottle, and salt is only good for treating Ick, freshwater doesn't need it, in fact the fewer things you dump in the water the better!!! Hard water really shouldn't be a problem for any but the most delicate specialized fish.
If your ammonia levels are high, you could actually do daily small water changes, I would pull out half a gallon and replace with fresh treated water. If you ammonia is high, are your nitrates still low? How long has the tank been set up?
There is also some stuff called Purigen, it is pricey, but a miracle worker. It looks like tiny plastic beads in a mesh bag and has an affinity for ammonia, you can also recharge it once it turns yucky black by soaking in bleach and then in Prime, there are instructions on the package.
Also, what are you using for a filter insert, most of the beneficial bacteria in your tank is growing in the filter. You don't want to pull it out and change that material all at once, or any more often than you need to. Only clean or change one side at a time, and ditch the cheapo tetra filter inserts. I like to use the batting looking stuff you can cut to size, plus a small bag of lava rocks, or the little white tubey things that feel like rocks. The idea is to get mechanical filtration, as well as having as much surface area as possible for the bacteria to grow on and clean the water as it flows through.
You can actually take out the filter media and swish it around in a bucket of treated water, this cleans out the clogging gunk, but leaves your BB in tact.
ETA: I have kept some fairly exotic freshwater fish, with specialized needs and had no problems. Guppies were always a surefire death for us, and Danios are fast busy and somewhat nippy fish, maybe not best suited for a 10 gallon tank.
Make sure you are getting fish from a good source, a local fish place, or see if there is an aquarium club in your town, or try to show up on delivery day and pick the best of the bunch from petsmart/petco. I also kept a little 2 gallon all in one tank set up to put new fish in for a week or 2 so I could watch them and treat them for issues rather than infect my entire tank. But I had a 75 gallon densely planted tank, so illness or crisis was a big deal to try to take care of!
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I should mention that we don't do a lot of the writing since we do so much in other areas. We have science journals and add drawings, some definitions, and such to that.
We love elemental science, but I do tweak it some. I add in extra videos and some higher level reading. I have also subbed some of the experiments for a Tops unit about radishes, then we are going to keep a bug for invertebrates.
We also don't do do a big written assignment every week, DS is keeping a nature journal, and summarizes the daily readings and does sketches from his books and activities each day.
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We use thermal curtains too, it made a huge difference in our draft old house with a giant picture window. I would.open them in the morning and evening once the sun wasn't beating down .
Right now I'm trying to find some thermal panels that don't cost an arm and a leg, we have 9 windows in one room that is freezing all the time right now. In a couple months the upstairs is going to be like an oven though!
A good daylight bulb, or those GE reveal help to offset the cave feeling.
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I am afraid of walking through a dark house, even my own. DH always goes around turning off all the lights on at night, then if I leave our room you can see the trail of light behind me.
Parrots and other large very intelligent birds. They terrify me, and they know it, so they seem to be extra jerky when I am around them. Bleh, big claws, and that beak could take my nose off!
Oh and getting pink eye, but I think that is pure vanity.
ETA: I am not afraid of the dark in general, I have no issues tromping the through the woods or a field, or our neighborhood in the pitch black, just through a house!
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CLE for math, but I know there have been some concerns with them and catholicism, we are atheist and haven't run into too many issues with their math.
Memoria press has some higher level workbooks to go with some lovely reading materials that DS does well with, I also pick up tons of workbooks at used bookstores to use for practicing skills. When I only pay a dollar or 2 for each one, I don't mind only picking out the pages that I want DS to do.
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I have a floormate and love it, it isn't great for quick cleanups, but gets the floors cleaner than anything else I have ever used. I do fine it easier to use a separate spray bottle, or even a pitcher with some cleaner and water to dump on the floors and then spread it around with the floormate. We have a big expanse to clean and the little clean water container empties out really quickly.
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Actually, the bags are the problem.
I buy garbage bags that are biodegradable. They make the same for poop scoop bags. They even make bathroom sized biodegradable bags.
On that note why can't a paper bag be used in bathrooms? Also, what in the world is going into bathroom bins to make them so dirty? I'm missing something here. Are you throwing food into the bathroom bins? What?
I haven't read the whole thing yet, but we have a septic system, so any feminine products have to be put into the bathroom trashcan rather than flushing, even the totally biodegradable ones, I would prefer a Divacup or some other re-usable solution, but for me, they just haven't been a good option. I use a tiny step can type trash can with a latch on it to keep the dogs out, but I do line it, I use a degradable bag for it though!
As far as meat in reusable bags, we have a mylar/foil type bag for meat only, that looks totally different than our other bags and can be rinsed and sprayed with a bleach solution.
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It is shaped like a small regular closet, about 3 feet wide and 2.5 feet deep. I think I need another shelf on the bottom, or some kind of stacking bins on the floor.
The shelves are deep, which means things are easily hidden or buried too easily. It also has those heavy duty wire shelves, most thing I have found to create levels within each shelf, would just fall through the gaps between wires.
I am also short, so I'm trying to put the most used items within easy reach, I don't want to have to get out a step stool every time I cook. I also need to figure out a space for some items like stockpots and small appliances, the don't fit well in the cabinets but also take up a lot of room in my pantry. I might end up having to put shelves in a nearby closet to hold them.
I love those metal shelves, but we don't have a basement and the living area is all very open, I love having more space, but the logistics of living, cooking, schooling, and hobbies in one big space that is the first thing you see when you walk in are a.challenge. Especially coming from a small home with lots of walls.
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I have never had a dedicated pantry before, and this kitchen is nearly the reverse of our last one as far as layout and types of storage. I have seriously emptied and redone the shelves about 15 times and it still isn't working for me!
So......who wants to show me a picture of their real pantry?
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I really do not believe it is getting darker, think of all the genocide, pillaging, raping, murder, and downright horrible conditions humans have dealt with for most of our history. All of things still happen, but they are not considered just or "right" by the majority.
We also have a 24 hour news cycle that profits from sensationalism, and governmental type bodies in many countries that use fear as a tool for control.
Modern sanitation and penicillin have made the world a brighter place in and of themselves. Imagine how much heartache is avoided by a small soap pump at nearly every sink.
Also I as a woman am able to work, own property, marry whom I choose and pursue education and career goals as I see fit. (Or not)
Tarot? What is it? What is it not?
in The Chat Board
Posted
I have the Brian Froud Faeries deck. I can't even begin to do full readings with them, but I do love to pull them out and "play with them". There is so much going on in each card visually that they make a good meditation tool, and help me connect with the wee spirits that might be lurking in my garden. :p
We have some other decks around, but none as visually appealing to me as the Froud.