Jump to content

Menu

runamuk

Members
  • Posts

    717
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation

24 Excellent

Contact Methods

  • Biography
    Marine wife, mother of 3, homeschooling 2, trying to age gracefully.
  • Location
    Virginia
  • Interests
    knitting, cooking, reading, sewing
  1. My son (almost 10) has ADHD and struggles with reading and reading comprehension/retention (I also went through this with our oldest child, now 23). Because reading time became such a struggle, I "gave up" on trying to get him to read recreationally and introduced him to audiobooks. I have an Audible account, but we're very fortunate that our library system has a large selection of audiobooks. Once I stopped pressuring him to read, he started enjoying books. He loves listening to stories and will often re-listen to his favorite over and over. He fell in love with Through the Looking Glass and just finished The Hobbit - books he wouldn't have been able to finish had he had to read them. As for reading in our lessons, we do work on reading comprehension and retention. We often do read-alongs - I read and he follows along. Or I'll read a section then he'll read a section. I've also found graphic novels to be helpful. Our library has a number of historical, scientific, and biographical graphic novels aimed at the grammar school age. We use them in conjunction with other books and materials, and he finds them fun and interesting. I think the pictures with the to-the-point-writing gets the message through where a bunch of words wouldn't. Are they what I would choose for him to be reading? No. But I know that if I push the issue, he will give up on books altogether. I think this is where we are fortunate to be homeschooling - I can take my time with getting our son to read. In the meantime, I can find ways to get the information to him in the way he learns best and is most comfortable with.
  2. You may want to consider checking out some of the state parks. You can find cabins and lodges to stay in at almost all of them. Fall is a busy time, though - the leaves are changing and it's beautiful. :) Pick up a book on hiking the trails or waterfalls in the area. The state parks usually have something going on during the weekends and there are often fall festivals going on, too. Luray Caverns is about midway down Skyline Drive - we've never been, but my neighbor says it's lovely. If you're near I-64 (south entrance to Skyline Drive) you can pop over to Charlottesville and Monticello. We've usually stayed a bit further south in the fall - Hungry Mother State Park is my favorite. We hike Molly's Knob, ride the VA Creeper Trail, watch a football game at Virginia Tech (if they have a home game), and go into Abingdon for a play.
  3. I took the generic meds for the first 11 years after I was diagnosed and experienced some big fluctuations in thyroid levels (I was tested every three to six months, trying to get it under control). It wasn't until I switched to the brand name that my levels settled down and I started feeling better. My mom, on the other hand, has had no problems taking the generic form. I use the Costco pharmacy (not a member, though) and my meds cost around $32 a month - cheaper than anywhere else in town.
  4. He does his own shopping, for both work and weekend clothes. He knows what he likes, but will occasionally ask me to come along for my opinion. He doesn't look forward to shopping for himself, but he doesn't mind doing it, either. Until a couple of years ago, I used to do his clothes shopping - which meant I'd pick something out, bring it home, he'd look at it/try it on, and then I'd end up returning it. But last fall, he retired from the Marine Corps and started working a job where he needs to wear a suit every day. He had to do his own shopping for that and I realized that he can do all of it on his own. I may not always like what he picks out, but I'm not the one having to run all over town, buying and returning stuff, so I can live with it. :tongue_smilie: I wouldn't take him to buy clothes, but only because I'm enjoying the freedom from years of the hassle. If you don't want to do it, then don't. He'll either get tired of wearing ratty jeans or only having one pair and go shopping on his own (or ask his mother to do it).
  5. I got my first one in 2007, when I was 39. My daughter and I had gone to see a movie and I noticed later that I'd been given a senior discount. I was often mistaken for "grandma" when our oldest daughter was living at home and I was out with all three kids at once. She is 10 years older than the middle child and 14 years older than our youngest. People would assume she was the mom of the baby and I was grandma.
  6. My 12 yo daughter is 5'5" and weighs about 150 pounds. She's a little chunky, but is also very ... I guess solid would be the word. Even as a baby she felt heavier than she looked. You'd think you were picking up a cute little chubby baby and once she was in your arms you'd think you were holding a cinder block. She's very athletic - swims, plays tennis, runs and exercises regularly - as well as eats a well balanced diet, so I'm not worried right now. She'll always have to stay active and eat well to stay on top of her weight, though.
  7. My seven year old son just stopped wetting the bed at night and we used Goodnites or Underjams once he outgrew diapers. He's a very sound sleeper and was a heavy wetter, so he'd often soak through whatever night time thing he was wearing. We finally added a men's incontinence guard (like Depends) to keep him from leaking through. We put a vinyl mattress cover over his mattress, covered it with a water-proof mattress pad, and kept a stack of clean sheets nearby. :)
  8. As a military wife of 24 years and having lived in base housing for half of that, I can pretty much assure you that sign is going to get your husband in trouble with his command. Yes, you put it up, but you (and the rest of the family) are his responsibility and he will be held accountable for your behavior. As for the rules, you knew what they were and chose not to follow them. Sure, you (and everyone else) got away with it, but now you've been singled out and have to toe the line. It's not fair, but that excuse never flies with the military anyway. How you handle this will reflect on your husband - if you chose to play dirty, he will be called into account for it. It's not easy having a houseful of young children and trying to find time for everyone to get what they need. But babies can be nursed and changed at the park, and carried in a sling so you can supervise the youngest ones while the older ones play with their friends. Or you can invite a few of their friends to play in your fenced-in back yard. Schedule outside time so that the older ones know when they'll be meeting with their friends and how much time they'll have. Second thing you should consider doing (the first is removing the sign) is putting locks on the doors - or at least all of those that don't lead to your fenced-in backyard. That way, when you get distracted, you won't have your escape artists making a break for it. :)
  9. Science and books! We found a science program that we all like, so I plan that expense into my budget. As for books, we love the used book store and yard sales. And, while I can resist buying my kids something at any other store, everyone leaves a book store with a new book every single time.
  10. We have the DK Definitive Visual Guide, but she struggled with a few of the chapters we tried. But I think she might be willing to push through it to avoid KF. And I'm willing to give it another go to save some money. Any ideas on adapting it to HO (aka, do you already have a lesson plan so I don't have to do it)? :D Miss Moe, I checked the NatGeo book out from the library this afternoon to see if it would be a possibility - it's a gorgeous book that I may buy just to have. Thanks for the suggestion. :) RootAnn, that looks interesting. I'll have to see if I can borrow it from one of the women in my homeschool group. If DK really doesn't work out, I may give this a try. Thanks!
  11. We started school today and already my daughter (11, almost 12, 6th grade) is complaining about history. I put together my own history program last year and hated every minute of it, so this year I'm using History Odyssey, Level 2, Middle Ages. And I'm loving it. The problem is that Noelle detests the Kingfisher Encyclopedia (I don't like it, either). She's a very strong reader and thinks KF is written for younger kids. I have the DK History book, but that's over her head at this point. Is there anything in between? We're secular homeschoolers, if that makes a difference in recommendations.
  12. I've been using Lash Blast by Cover Girl and haven't had any problems with flaking (unless I forget I'm wearing it and rub my eyes). Like Dawn, I use a dark eyeshadow instead of regular eyeliner. I've got deep set eyes and the liner pencil would always transfer to my eyelids. For a darker look, I wet the eyeshadow, line my eyes with an angled brush, then go over it again with the same color and a dry brush to set it. You could always try a liquid gel liner. They don't transfer but I could never get it on without making a mistake and having to start all over.
  13. My husband and oldest daughter use the phrase "I'm just sayin'," to make a point in a conversation or argument. The use of the word "gift" as a verb, as in "I was gifted some yarn" or "I'm gifting her with some homemade jam". It drives me up a wall! <---I hope that's not on anyone's list. :)
  14. That's too funny! My husband went to the gym this afternoon - he said it couldn't be too serious if the gym was open. Never mind that he called me three times to tell me about trees down in the neighborhood.
  15. I made necatarine/peach butter and we can't stop eating it. I didn't have whole spices, so I just sprinkled about a quarter of a tsp of cinnamon and an eighth of a tsp of ground cloves on the cooking fruit. I get a hit of the spices and the nectaraine/peach flavor really shines through.
×
×
  • Create New...