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Laurel-in-CA

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Everything posted by Laurel-in-CA

  1. It's something our kids need to learn to manage -- difficult/scary input that may/may not be true and needs to be investigated. It's hard to see them go through it. Just FYI, I have a friend whose daughter, in her late 20s, was diagnosed this year with MS (and it's been very hard to manage) because of severe pain and tingling in her legs. No, it wasn't preceded by a car accident even several months prior, but she was *lucky* that her ER doc demanded followup for the initial symptoms.
  2. AND, being able to spend the best part of our day with each other, not the tired-worn-from-the-day-still-have-homework part. All our work was homework and once it was done we were able to do other things.
  3. I was 46 when our bonus package arrived....that pregnancy was stressful because of a whole host of factors that had nothing to do with the pregnancy itself -- layoff, underpaid two-job dh, family illness, etc. We survived, altho' I went on mediCal because dh was w/o medical insurance. Our bonus package is now 15yo and yes, she DOES keep me young! She has been a huge blessing. Do not fear, just keep moving forward.
  4. Starting 21years homeschooling, 2 college grads, one in college, and a 15yo @ home. We've used independent homeschooling charters, co-ops, and just at-home learning with some dual enrollment in high school. Pros -- Freedom (to choose materials, to choose schedule, to choose activities, to choose projects, to choose service opportunities, to choose to start our day with Bible) Academics -- At the time we started the kids would have gone to a 70% ESL school and my concern was that they would be either bored or ignored, or both. Even the child who struggled with academics has had success, mostly because homeschooling taught her how to work hard and expanded her vocabulary, gave her scaffolding. Scheduling -- We had time to be in clubs and youth groups without worrying about homework assigned by other people, so much less stress Good friends -- Definitely appreciate the like-mindedness for me, but there was a smaller pool of friend possibilities for my kids than a classroom would have provided. No dealing w/public school system -- The frustrations of dealing w/a charter were tolerable; I could tell from that experience that I would not be a good public school parent No fads -- I remember having to explain beanie babies to my kids....they had no idea why they were such a big deal. Shared responsibility -- I wanted the kids on the learning and housekeeping team early and pursued activities where they learned leadership. Mentors -- Each of my kids found a mentor, one thru 4H (horse project leader), one thru art (ceramics teacher), one thru charter (overseeing teacher), and those relationships had far more time to develop than would have happened otherwise. Early employment -- I don't know that this is specific to homeschooling, it's just different from how I grew up. The first started work @ 18 due to no driver's license; the other two started @ 16 in the summertime (camp, lifeguard) and have grown into more and more responsibility and learned to handle their $$ pretty well. Cons -- No sports (this would be my son; we didn't even have $$ for local teen sports when he was small, let alone as he aged up) Horses (this would be my daughter; we were able to do a horseless horse project thru 4H and she is now a project leader, going on 14years with them) $$$ -- Not only the cost of curriculum, but layoffs can be very stressful in a one-earner household. I did do some freelancing at my old job, and now I am teaching very p/t at our homeschool group....in no way does it provide the cushion we really need. We opted for curriculum over almost any other expense so my kids have learned the fine art of thrift store shopping and take pride in it; they are all pretty thrifty adults. My first year at home after a high-stress job (with a 5yo, 3yo, and newborn) was a huge adjustment. Smaller pool of friends -- This worked out OK in the end, but each of my kids got to experience the joy of exclusion, even in a homeschool group. I'm not sure it's avoidable, and it's made them more sensitive.
  5. Is this an online program? Community college? I'm interested in something like this.
  6. We charge ds $600/mo. plus he pays us for his car insurance. You might think that high but he has been looking and NOT finding a place with a budget of $800/month. He says if he had $1K/mo. he might be able to find an apt. to share. Meanwhile he uses our utilities and we feed him and he does minimal if any chores, so I think we're being fair. It's a high COLA area. And the $$ are going toward home repairs and upkeep we couldn't otherwise afford without my going back to work. He has the biggest bedroom too.
  7. We're in an AHG troop and we've talked about the volunteer points thing....but then we'd need somebody ELSE to manage the points. No way. We expect new parents to be present in their daughter's unit or in the nursery with younger siblings if applicable. We ask those who aren't unit leaders to plan or help plan a special event or service activity...but this depends on the family's circumstances as we get to know them better. We have a single-dad family (we see him once/year at our father-daughter event; the neighbor brings his daughter). We have families where dad is on a ship (NOAAH) or where divorce is happening or has happened or there's a special needs kid or parent medical issues. Volunteer requirements HAVE to be able to flex for family needs...otherwise it's not volunteering and it's not family friendly, and it ends up undercutting the very families we want to serve. On the other hand, if there's no service and no reason for not helping....we have a little conversation about which badge you can lead for which unit or whether you'd like to reorganize storage with me over the summer or which activity didn't happen because there wasn't a lead parent.
  8. How very hard. May you know God's presence and comfort as you work through this.
  9. Davis is sort of *the* college for vet science & etc. and they also sponsor a lot of 4H-related events (including horse project stuff). Used to live near Cal Poly Pomona, where they have the Arabian center (but also do research w/other breeds) and the area arabian club works with Cal Poly on horse stuff and will work w/students and 4Hers. In fact my dd got a scholarship from the arabian breed association because of her work w/4H. And one of her fellow 4Hers graduated from thei CP-P equestrian degree program and is now a trainer. That said, both Cal Poly schools have the luxury of being very selective (SLO more so). I think I read CSU Fresno has a riding team, but that was awhile back. I hope you find what your kiddo is looking for; Davis has a great reputation.
  10. The easiest (but least scholarship) route to a UC is to do an AA/complete general ed at a community college and transfer. Little scholarship money, but big potential savings on tuition. And private schools in CA do not require A-G. You probably already knew that. Often community colleges have online classes; you might look into dual enrolling that way and get both A-G credit and meeting general ed requirements.
  11. Sometimes it's just the age group. I never want to teach middle school kids...I just don't get them and they don't get me. But I've led AHG groups of 4th-6th graders and taught that age as well as a mixed high school group in our co-op and had a great time. And sometimes it's the size of the group. I have NO idea what I'd do with a classroom of 30 (my sis teaches 3rd grade public school and I think I would not be able to get anything done...she thrives). But groups of 8-12 are my sweet spot. Or maybe there's another way to use that skill.....like teaching people about a product? Training groups of adults? Or maybe you're like me and just don't want to put a lot of brainpower into whatever it is you're going to do for $$ and abatement of boredom? 8-) I tried that, though, and I do want something that requires *some* brainpower and pays a decent wage or I get discouraged, frustrated, and am very happy when the job goes away. I was entering clothes for an online thrift sale shop....BORING....so glad that went away, although it gave me a jolt at the time.
  12. I'm sort of glad Villaraigosa didn't make it onto the general election ballot. Here's a story about how well he respected water rationing back in 2009. I've lived in CA all my life and have been thru several rounds of drought. Our city offered a lovely incentive a few years ago -- replaced all our regular flush toilettes with low-water suction-driven flushers. That was nice! They also offer a (not as enticing) program for replacing lawns with drought-sensitive xeriscape or other minimal water solutions. Incentives rather than punishments are a LOT more effective! http://laist.com/2009/08/26/gotcha_nbc_catches_villaraigosa_ill.php
  13. I'm on my last kid and will be 64 when she finishes high school, if she doesn't go to CC early. I should be trying to get my hand back in but nothing appeals. I floated the idea today with dh of being a writing coach and charging for an initial consultation and then per-page for review/coaching. My BK job was in a very high pressure environment, the kind that no longer appeals to me and my skills are more than a bit out of date.....Yet at the same time, child #4 is the LEAST likely to get financial assistance for college, which leaves dh working until he's 70 to pay for bills and juggle retirement savings. I'd like to help out and feel useful.
  14. My 25yo BFA girl has learned that art is not a well-paying career, found a temporary alternative, and is working on a plan to improve her income, while still keeping up her student loan payments. It's been a really hard year for her and I am very proud of her not just acceptance of reality but devising a plan to get herself to a better place, dealing with roommate and job changes, and keeping her independence. Both of my other 20-somethings are working 2 jobs this summer, one because he loved his college job so much he just can't quite give it up, and one because she loves being needed and is senior lifeguard at the pool, plus she wants to pay off her car loan asap. These kids know the value of a $, so I guess all our [necessary] penny-pinching has paid a bonus in their lives. And my just-turned 15yo tested into community college classes this spring and will be starting there p/t in the fall (with art, her strongest subject). She also won 2nd place in the local National Arts Council contest and won $100, got asked to help (for pay) at a local art daycamp, and is going to be nannying for friends (for pay) for another week this summer. Between that and two camp weeks, I'll barely see her. I think the biggest advance, though, is the way she took charge of planning her study schedule and plotting out her assignments for the week. This is the VERY FIRST YEAR we finished math on schedule, and it was all her commitment.
  15. Thanks! The vocabulary book is similar to what I'm looking for. I already have something similar to EFTRU.
  16. Next year I am teaching a co-op class that covers test prep, study skills, and vocabulary. I am looking for a book that lists vocabulary NOT alphabetically but by discipline, so it would have geography words to know, science words, social studies words, etc. for high school or college level. I got what I thought would work (Words You Should Know in High School) and found it to be alphabetical. Doesn't help me. I wouldn't mind if it was lists only (w/o definitions) as I can do that bit myself. I'm looking for helping students find the roots/figure out/be prepared for terminology specific to different fields. All possibilities welcome!
  17. I think you have to make reservations to visit Muir Woods now. There's also Armstrong Redwoods, in Sonoma County (Guerneville is a fun town to browse the main street and a great ice cream place right before the edge of town towards the coast).
  18. We liked Novare -- did it in a co-op class. I have the textbook for sale -- $40 ppd -- if you're interested.
  19. I'd suggest this one. https://www.amazon.com/Classical-Mythology-More-Reader-Workbook/dp/0865165734/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526663390&sr=8-1&keywords=classical+mythology+%26+more+a+reader+workbook
  20. At least in our troop, the girls split up responsibility for researching badge requirements and sharing with the group. Many of the teaching requirements are done on Class B all-troop meeting nights once/month. And then the leader may do things like schedule a speaker or a field trip. Our troop doesn't do much w/other troops because the closest is 2 hours' drive away, and this year there was no one to plan a multi-troop camporee. We did have another troop come out and do a badge with us and the pipas did a fair amount of the teaching.
  21. I heard there were over 3500 people there. I listened in for awhile and heard one person speak in support of the bill -- they were from Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CHRE).
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