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LizzyBee

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Posts posted by LizzyBee

  1. Interesting. I always thought anything above the limit was taxable as income for the donee. Clearly no one is giving me any wads of cash. What about situations like giveaways where the recipient has to pay taxes on the item and can't pay? I'm thinking of Oprah's car episode. Off to google...

     

    And yet again, I thank the universe for Federal Income Tax not being on the Bar Exam!

     

    Prizes and awards are not considered gifts for tax purposes. They are income.

  2. My dd is an Irish dancer and five years in, I am really happy that we chose ID. DD loves ID and hopes to dance professionally some day. She has learned poise and confidence in addition to becoming physically fit. I know ballet is thought of as the foundation for all other dance, but ID also is a good foundation and ID dancers who move to ballet tend to get moved up very quickly because they have that foundation already. Conversely, ballet dancers who move to ID also tend to move up the levels very quickly.

     

    We've found that ID offers many more opportunties to perform than ballet. My dd loves the stage and lights, so this is a good thing for her. Our studio does performances in local pubs, parades, nursing homes, weddings, banquets and other events. DD also loves competing, so we do that, but our studio offers recreational options too. It has gotten expensive because of dd's focus on performance and competition, but for those who just want to learn to dance, the costs are much less. One of the ballet moms here has mentioned spending $13k in a year, but we've never spent anywhere near that much. There are ways to keep travel costs down, such as taking food, sharing a room with another mom and daughter, carpooling, etc. 

     

    If you choose ID, even if your dd is not interested in competing, I would choose a studio that has at least one TCRG (certified teacher) and offers competitive options. The studios that don't offer the option to compete tend not to teach good technique and mechanics. As someone else mentioned, poor technique will lead to injuries. Our studio has worked with a local PT who specializes in biomechanics to work on better (safer) technique to minimize injuries. He is the PT that the Carolina Ballet uses, as well as many Irish and Scottish dancers. 

     

     

  3. I wouldn't have an issue with making my kids try a class, but I wouldn't make them stick with it if they didn't like it.

     

    Here's a link to two seminarians have a tap/Irish Dance dance-off. Maybe it would help him with the girl/boy thing?  There is also a tap/ID dance-off in Riverdance that you can find on youtube. My dd's ID teacher played that role for a couple of years. ID is great for building stamina and physical fitness, and boys are well-loved in the ID world. Most of the dancers are girls, so studios are always thrilled when another boy joins.

     

    http://www.irishcentral.com/culture/entertainment/Dueling-tap-and-Irish-dancing-priests-in-Rome-go-viral-VIDEO.html#

     

    ETA: My dd had gross and fine motor delays and her OT worked with her to build core strength, but it's Irish dance that has made her very strong. Her core is hard as a rock after 5 years of dancing.

  4. I'm curious what the requirements for reunification would be. I've had friends who did foster care, so I kind of know what those bio parents had to do to get their kids back but this case is so strange with the "homestead" issue. I mean I think they'd require a separate bed for each child, and an actual house of some sort.

     

    IME, (not in KY), bio kids are allowed to share beds. When we were considering fostering, the foster kids had to each have their own beds, but our bio kids did not.

    • Like 2
  5. Did you go to college? I had many professors who talk about the black male problem quite a lot. Mostly white ones.

     

    That makes me curious when and where you went to college. I went in the 80s, had a business/accounting major and sociology minor, and never heard of a "black male problem." I went to 3 MD public universities by the time I finished my degree. (I moved around a lot during that decade.)

  6. Ok, I'm spinning this off, because it really is its own topic.  I was under the *assumption* that getting my ds in for OT would be super amazing for his sensory issues.  Thing is, gymnastics is super amazing, chilling out a lot of the crashing.  Shhh, but I wasn't really impressed with his first OT eval (private).  She just didn't inspire me at all as having a plan that was going to make a radical change.

     

    I'm using the term SPD here, because that's how the ps seems to parse it out, separating out each little thing.  So I'm thinking specifically of the sensory here and stimming and repetitive behaviors.  For instance, flapping and flicking, is anything going to alter that besides personal choice and awareness with time?  He's hyposensitive, big time hyposensitive.  Is anything ACTUALLY going to alter this? He injures himself and is not particularly self-aware (hunger, need to potty, etc.).  Can OT affect this?

     

    See, I'm trying to figure out how I know what my goals should be for the OT and how I know if I'm adequately treating it.  I think according to some OTs he should become their perpetual cash cow, coming for sessions while they do all these fun things for midline, etc. with him.  And a year of that and thousands of dollars later, what will I have accomplished?  Then I talk with someone else, who also went to a good OT, and that dc had 12 weeks, bam done, and that child made quantifiable progress.

     

    Any tips on what I'm looking for or trying to make happen?  Time frame to expect?  

     

    The first OT my dd went to was pretty standard and within a year, there was nothing more they could do for her. She needed more and fortunately, I found a place that is like normal OT on steroids. The sensory room has a thing made out of sheets where she had to climb up out of one and down into the next. She hated it the first time, but after the second time she would have spent the entire hour in that course. There was a spinning thing that the OT used to try to get dd dizzy, to work on the vestibular system. They would do Interactive Metronome for 10 minutes and then go to the sensory room to USE those new brain pathways being made. When dd started IM, she was like the worst patient they'd ever evaluated, so she could only tolerate using it for a short time at first. They worked on balance, core strength, fine motor skills in her hands/fingers. They gave us good suggestions for things to do at home with her. We also did the Therapeutic Listening Program and we did brushing for a short time. She spent two years there and it was good for her. But… you mentioned gymnastics. My dd does Irish step dance and it is incredible for her. She's a sensory seeker in most areas other than taste and food textures, so the stamping in ID is awesome for her. You should see her face in action shots when she's up in the air - she's in heaven. She also has dyslexia, APD, and ADHD, so ID is good for her for many reasons. 

     

    I just skimmed a few other responses and people mentioned management vs change. FWIW, I think dd will always need a high degree of physical exercise and activity to manage her deficits. There have definitely been changes for the better, but there are also still ongoing needs.

    • Like 2
  7. Are you sure? I know people in MD who had CNM deliveries at home, which strongly implies it's legal. Also many people who have had lay midwife planned homebirths in MD.

     

    I googled to see if anything had changed in MD in the past couple years, and it appears that a bill has passed and Gov Hogan was expected to sign it yesterday, which would allow non-nurse midwives to attend homebirths other than VBACs. I knew of couples who had midwives come from PA to attend their homebirths when I lived in MD, but they knew it wasn't legal.

     

    I tried to find when it became legal for certified nurse midwives to attend homebirths in MD, but I couldn't find that info. However, I did find a letter to the MDHHS that said there are only four CNMs who will attend homebirths in the entire state.

     

    http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-midwines-hearings-20150209-story.html

     

    http://wtop.com/maryland/2015/02/maryland-lawmakers-mull-home-birth-bill-license-midwives/

     

    http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/05/12/maryland-legalizes-homebirths-midwives/

    • Like 2
  8. I do not believe unassisted delivery is illegal in any state (although Google says that in Nebraska, the father cannot catch the baby in a non-emergency situation; it says nothing about the mother, though). Plenty of people intend to go to the hospital or have a midwife but give birth too quickly. (In some states, certain types of midwives are illegal.). An unassisted birth, for a low risk woman with a low risk pregnancy, with a reasonable amount of birth knowledge and a reasonable backup plan, can be a valid and safe option. It may not be safe or good for every single birth, but it doesn't automatically make a mother neglectful. (There may be other things in this scenario that ARE neglectful -- I haven't read all the articles, but feces all over is disgusting -- but UC in and of itself is not automatically dangerous or neglectful.). I just had to say that. Carry on with the discussion. :)

     

    A planned home delivery is not legal in MD with or without assistance. Unassisted delivery is illegal in NC. We have friends (more than one couple) who have had some stressful interactions with law enforcement on this issue.

  9. I am mostly interested in where the office came about--- there were Roman emperors, then Rome fell -- and I suppose that there was always some of the Roman empire around? or was there the Christian church after the fall of Rome?

     

    the books make is sound like the Roman Empire is dead, but then the Pope is sending people all over the world in the middle ages--- what happened to keep the office alive during the barbarian times?  I read somewhere that the Pope was the title given to the Emperor of Rome, but when did he get such religious power?

     

    According to Thomas Madden (a Catholic professional historian and professor), the reason the Church and pope rose to power after the fall of Rome was because suddenly there was no welfare system, no court system to resolve conflict, etc. So people started coming to the Church to have their needs met. The fall of Rome left a vacuum that the Church filled.

     

    That doesn't completely answer the questions you have, but it explains why the Church's power increased when it did.

     

    ETA one more thought: You might be interested in taking a look at the letter of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians. He lived AD 30-101 and Iranaeus and Eusebius listed him as the 4th bishop of Rome. The letter talks about the apostles appointing their successors.

    • Like 2
  10. Thanks for this info. I am encouraged that they plan to spend a lot of money improving their property. It seems like this will give them the highest chance of getting their children back.

     

    But do you really think they will really use it for these things? One of the comments on the GFM page is that they should not list legal fees as an intended use for the money because GFM will then shut down the page. But if they say they need money for these things and then use the money for legal fees instead, is that fraudulent? I don't know.

    • Like 6
  11. I need to stop reading comments on the facebook page. It's driving me nuts. People are dismissive of broken glass and nails and piles of trash found on the property where a small child is walking around bare foot! If anyone says anything remotely critical, they're jumped all over for being judgmental. Some people try to give good advice about making things safer and better with the tens of thousands of dollars of donations they've supposed gotten, but people actually dismiss that and say the money is just for legal fees and that the property is fine. You know, because other people in the world live in similar/worse conditions. Which is really rather insulting I think. People living in abject poverty in the world would almost certain jump at the chance to improve their circumstances. They aren't living their ideal life. They just lack choices.

     

    These kids are probably distraught at being away from their parents but I do wonder what they think of sleeping in beds and wearing clean clothes and having meals cooked in a real kitchen.

     

    This is an excerpt from the Go Fund Me page. If the funds are not used for these purposes, would that constitute fraud?

     

    We ask for your support for the Naugler family at this time. Any support is greatly accepted. At the start of this campaign, the Nauglers didn’t know what it would take to get their children back and they are now in the process of determining with an attorney what needs to be done to ensure the safe return of their children and providing better for their basic necessities. Included in the costs are expected to be multiple things:

     

    $25,000 - Physical materials and upgrades including labor costs to the home including a fence, finishing a new primary living structure, and permanent solutions for clean water and electricity.

     

    $3,000 - Purchase of laptops or phones and other technology aids and a reading library of age-appropriate books for their children.

     

    $15,000 - Purchase of a newer, more reliable 15-passenger van for family transportation.

     

    $2,000 - Possible unforeseen expenses related to the children being kept in the home such as the cost of travel to fight this and time off work from Nicole’s pet grooming business.

     

    If excess funds are available beyond these needs, funds will be used for outreach to help other poor families in similar circumstances to keep their children.

    • Like 2
  12. A friend who works in a studio in L.A. told me that the production crew uses pads under the arms of some of the actors to prevent the underarm area of the shirt from absorbing their sweat since they get real hot under the stage lights.  LOL!  So many uses.......

     

    Oh my gosh, they can buy underarm pads at a dance store if they don't want to use period pads! :-)

  13. I'm still waiting on one of mine to post as well. 

    When she does, I'm posting the informative blog that was posted earlier. lol 

     

    A couple of my friends posted it. I commented that there seems to be more to this case. Then I posted it on my wall to remind people to be skeptical and don't donate to internet strangers without vetting their stories. Someone asked me for links, so I posted the ones included in this thread and another from a news outlet. 

    • Like 4
  14. I assumed everyone used tampons except young girls who just started their period and hadn't "upgraded" to tampons yet. I found pads to be uncomfortable and gross. Once I tried tampons, there was no going back. The only problem I've had with tampons is that it's too easy to forget you have your period and therefore don't change it on time.  I usually use the cardboard applicators because the plastic ones tend to pinch and oh my, that can hurt.

     

    It's interesting to read everyone's comments and see all the different perspectives. 

    • Like 3
  15. Lizzy, that reminds of the story a friend of mine told me. She plays professionally in an orchestra and she told me that one of her friends there broke her nose by choice....sort of. She is a cellist so her hands/wrists are essential to playing. She was walking and tripped on her carpet. She fell forward and actually tucked her hands *behind* her back so she wouldn't injury them thus leaving her face completely exposed. So she smacked the ground with her face and broke her nose. All I can say is that is some amazing will power to overcome the automatic reflex to catch oneself with arms and hands to protect the head! 

     

    Oh, wow, I don't know if I would have that much willpower. I did slip and fall on ice one time while carrying my then 6-month old. I landed on my elbows so that she wouldn't hit the ground. But I don't know if I could do that to my face.

    • Like 2
  16. Oh my LizzyBee, I'm glad your DD is OK. Concussions can be scary.

     

    Thanks. We are so thankful it wasn't worse. 

     

    Did you watch the choreography comps at SRO last year? We watched it but didn't give it a lot of thought. Well, our school added two choreo teams this month, so that adds to the craziness. It is something our teacher has wanted to do for awhile because he won choreo at worlds and really enjoys it. 

    • Like 1
  17. One of the older dancers at our studio quit dancing to focus on academics for her senior year, and also because she has a soccer injury that is still giving her grief even after having surgery in the fall. So my daughter who went to Worlds as a sub on a team will now also be going to Nationals as a sub on the same team. I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed with the major comps. We were using to the ones within a few hours of home, but now we are doing 5 of those plus Worlds earlier this month, Nationals in July, and Oireachtas (Regionals) in December. We found out that they will be doing grades in DC in July, which is one of the steps toward getting certified to teach, so we'll be going to that comp and staying an extra day so that dd can test in the first three levels. 

     

    Last Thursday, dd tripped over someone in PE and slid on her knees into a door and hit her head pretty hard. When the PE teacher called me, my first thought was thank goodness it's not her feet/ankles/knees this time. My dh was closer to the school at the time, so he went to pick her up. He called me back to say that he was taking her to the ER because she was having concussion symptoms. I might have freaked out a bit at that point, realizing that this could potentially be much worse than a sprained ankle. Fortunately, her ct scan was clear and she just had a mild concussion. The worst part was the headache that lasted five days, but finally went away today.

    • Like 2
  18. I recently bought a Shark Rotator Professional after a friend of mine posted on facebook that she likes her Shark better than her Dyson and it picks up a lot more dirt. I got half a cat out of our dining room rug, and it had just been vacuumed a couple days earlier. It's not particularly lightweight, but in my experience, if you want a vacuum that seriously sucks up the dirt, it's not going to be the lightest one. I think this one retails for $299, but I had a 30% off coupon for Kohls plus it was on sale.

    • Like 1
  19. I have to disagree. NC has not had anything like this before. What we have had, the NC Virtual Public School (NCVPS), is only for high school (and some middle school options), and is set up only to be supplementary individual courses for schools that don't offer a particular class, not a full time full-school program. The k12 program includes K-10th grade, IIRC, starting out and is not going to be administered through the same system at all (it will be through a totally separate nonprofit rather than through the NC Dept of Public Instruction), so the two programs may have very little in common, just as a regular charter may be very different than the local district schools. There has been a tremendous amount of resistance from the DPI to the idea of a full time virtual charter in NC, so I do have some concerns about whether these two will be set up to fail (inadequate funding, lots of restrictions and requirements above and beyond b&m charters, etc). I hope I'm wrong, because I think there is a place for virtual charters in our menu of educational options.

     

    I agree they are not the same and I said it was not a full time option. My only point was that the online concept is not entirely new in NC. My daughter took a class and it was mediocre. I hope the online charters will be better since they will be full time.

     

    The DPI doesn't like charters in general, online or b&m. They only tolerate them because people have clamored and lobbied to get them, expand them, and add more of them. 

  20. Good news! Connections Academy will be open also in 2015. I thought they weren't going to be available until 2016. I feel a whole lot better about switching. Connections gets much better reviews than K12. Only problem is that because of the NC charter school rules, each one can only take 1500 students in the first year, so I need to get right on the application process if we're going to do it.

    • Like 2
  21. I make sure that they are not too tight at the waist then there isn't any muffin top.  At the end of the day it is trial and error, jean shopping is only marginally better than swimsuit shopping!

    Stephanie

     

    Maybe it's because I'm so short-waisted, but if my jeans aren't snug, I am constantly hiking them up. If I add a belt, it just adds bulk to the part of my body that is already too big. 

    • Like 1
  22. Yeah, dyslexia here too, but with slow processing. The thing is, her comprehension is excellent which is the exact opposite of what they say happens with slow readers. Her 9th grade English teacher is impressed with her "comprehension and deep thinking" as well as written expression, once you get past the spelling. So, I know what you mean about the mixed bag. 

     

    But most of the bad experience came from the teachers - well 2 of them. I dealt with the logging of hours my way, until they did the reeval and adjusted the requirements- %age of curriculum to be completed based on her processing.

     

    The curriculum itself, the live classes, we actually liked.

     

    She sounds like my middle daughter. She's an excellent reader and deep thinker, just very slow. She's dyslexic too, but not as severe as the youngest. Thanks for your comments.

    • Like 1
  23. I think to some degree, this decision comes down to,"You get what you pay for." If money were no issue, I'd go with Laurel Springs or Calvert online school. But it might be worth trying the virtual school knowing that there are other options available if it goes very badly. NC has had a virtual school for years; they've just never offered it as a full time at-home option. So the transition might not be awful. Cathy Duffy gives the content of K12 a good review, although she dislikes it for other reasons. 

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