NevadaRabbit
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Posts posted by NevadaRabbit
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The list reached the point where I couldn't cook in or eat so many things that it got ridiculous....
I finally just gave up.
THANK you! :D I was starting to feel horribly inadequate.
Seriously - I have remarked many times to dh that, if we give up everything that is rumored to be bad for us, we'd be down to drinking red wine and eating kale. Organic, of course.
We read labels and try to limit trans fats, HFCS, sweeteners, and anything that is basically artificial dye wrapped up in chemicals and sugar. But we eat fast food, drink soda, nuke a frozen meal, and cook on Teflon every so often, too. For us, it's moderation, although I do understand the desire to eliminate everything that is questionable. Apparently I'm just too lazy to follow through very well. :001_smile:
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Even as recently as 3 years ago I'd have suggested you invite them.
Now, I'm either growing up or becoming a real witch, because I think life is too short to host a party to which you invite people such as that. If YOU are hosting, then YOU get to choose who comes, and it is a beautiful thing to host a party comprised of people whose company you really enjoy. It makes the effort 1000 times less ... um ... effortful, and the party will be a pleasure.
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http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/what-is-occupational-therapy.html
You'll find some links to help locate OT's at the bottom of the page.
Start by keeping a journal of what your child eats each day, and try to categorize by texture, flavor, temp, etc.
I would use the checklist and Out of Sync Child to develop a concise list of what you observe in your child that is of concern. Use those phrases that describe it medically - "oral hypersensitivity" for example - then specific behaviors like "refuses all lumpy textures" etc. Make several copies. Take one to your doctor, inform him that you've done some research, show him the list, and ask for a referral to XYZ Occupational Therapy Services (which you have hand-chosen). If your doc balks, ask him to refer you to a physician who would be able to help you, or just go choose another doctor.
You need to educate yourself and then boldly go tell him exactly what you know and exactly what you want. :)
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Hey there everybody - happy Reformation Day! My kids are still young enough to get out of bed and get into their costumes (a kitty and a Jedi), so we will have fun with it and pray to be lights to our neighborhood. I've got a light school day planned (more to keep us busy and out of the candy) and we're going to talk about Martin Luther.
Melissa - off the top of my head, the goal in Scripture is always to bring a sinning brother to repentance. It's always about restoring one another. The level of shunning you describe is reserved for an unrepentant brother who persists in sin despite all efforts, and I'm not sure Scripture even takes it to the level you're talkin' about!
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Pie is going out as a cat, and Moose is going out as a Jedi. Pie usually makes it to about 3 houses then comes home and helps me hand out candy. Moose drags Dad all over the hood.
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TOG isn't for everyone, you have to be able to take the elements you want and leave the rest, even at the higher levels.
:iagree: As a recovering I-Must-Check-Everything-Off-My-List-Before-I-Stop-per, this has been HUGE for me - there is no way to do it all, and you must consider TOG more like an all you can eat buffet. Pick some stuff, do it, and move along.
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I've been lurking for awhile here, and finally decided to register to ask a question. I'm researching where I want to head with my girls in a couple of years. I have a heavy leaning toward CM.
Who has started TOG with their first in the 1st grade? What do you think of the program for a lower grammar student? How long does it take you to get through the TOG material for the day, and then how much time do you spend on other subjects? Do you supplement the literature with other good children's books? I'd hate for my kids to miss certain children's lit just because they're not tied into the history studied for the year.
Welcome! :)
We started TOG last year with my youngest roughly 1st grade and my oldest roughly 3rd grade.
The material for LG is challenging, fun; I feel like we're laying great ground work for those upper years.
We consider TOG the frosting on our day. Priority subjects are math, vocab/spelling, science, and language arts. We spend probably 30-40 mins on math, 15 on vocab/sp, 30 on science, and another 30-45 on lang arts (grammar, writing exercises). We also do memory work, math games, Latin, and Bible throughout the week. TOG takes us anywhere from 0-60 mins per day. Depends on the activity, amount of reading, and if we're all just tanked for the day, we just ... don't. I consider the week as a whole and look to hang as many pegs for future learning as I can, but we don't kill ourselves over it. I should add that we use SOTW as our reading spine, and SOTW Activity Guide to supplement reading and activities - I guess I'm blending TOG and SOTW for Grammar level. You can add lit as much as your kids will read.
TOG is appealing because I really like the idea of doing studies together as a family (as much as possible). I also like the rigour of TOG in the upper years, and the way kids learn about lit, art, philosophy, etc as a reflection of the worldview in each period of history. I want a program in the younger years that prepares them for that (or a similar program). I think that's best done by reading high quality books, not by giving them more work than they're ready for. I'm wondering if I should start with something else 1st-4th (like AO), and then start my oldest in TOG for 5th. I've heard that recommended somewhere, I think?TOG appealed to us for many of the same reasons. We study it together and we're looking forward to the critical thinking skills backed up by the rotations through history, lit, art, geography, church studies, etc.
Like I said above, I'm using SOTW heavily in this rotation through TOG because they dovetail neatly together. Sometimes we lean more heavily on TOG recommendations, sometimes more on SOTW, and there is significant overlap. Glad to talk more about that if you have questions. :)
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Yours is WAY prettier than mine. I'd take a picture but I'd be embarrasssed. I have a Sunday School craft of my daughter's scotch-taped on the window, a fully sprouted sweet potato in a glass, an empty cup, a half used Magic Eraser, and the hand soap pump bottle on the ledge under the window. (Splattered) vertical blinds and (splattered) window complete the lovely vision.
Obviously I'm of no help in the decor department.
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Scoot over, Silly, and pass me a Kleenex.
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Thank you for the tip! I bookmarked your site. We've been watching Jupiter and its moons for several weeks now!
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Hehe my kitchen-sink window is dressed in various splatters of dishwater. :D
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I generally have to make her things like peanut butter and honey sandwiches, toast with jelly, pancakes, or a cheese sandwich. She refuses to eat anything with tomato sauce: No spaghetti, no pizza (when she gets her book-it pizzas, she orders them without sauce), no lasagna, etc. The only meat she will eat is chicken, but only if it is baked (not fried, which is okay because we rarely have that anyway). No nuts. No fruits. She will eat yogurt but only if it is without chunks. The only veggie she will eat is mashed potatoes but only if they are extremely well-mashed (completely smooth). No soups. No beans. The ONLY thing she will drink is chocolate milk, and the occasional orange soda she gets from her g-ma. (Please don't berate me for the fact that the milk is chocolate, not white. I got enough of that from our dentist this week.)
Does this shed anymore light on the subject?
Yes. She likes smooth textures, not lumpy, bumpy, or grainy. She likes bread. She doesn't like the acidic taste of tomato sauce. She doesn't like liquids.
I see the distinct possibility of sensory (texture) issues. This could also point to dysphagia, because people with sensorimotor swallowing issues will intuitively zero in on a texture that they are best able to sense, manipulate in their mouth, and swallow without gagging/choking, and often that is a smooth pudding-y texture or something like bread that is homogeneous and easy to maneuver.
Do you see any signs of oral hypersensitivity (too sensitive around/inside the mouth) - i.e. easy gag reflex, avoiding stimulation of her mouth like refusing to lick stamps, balks at the dentist, fear of choking, sensitive to food temperature, avoids strong flavors even in toothpaste, mouth rinse etc?
Do you see signs of oral hyposensitivity (decreased sensation around/inside the mouth) - i.e. sloppy/messy eater, seeks stimulation through chewing/gnawing/mouthing non-food items, thumbsucking, can't feel the blob of jelly on her upper lip, that sort of thing?
This checklist is long, but informative and thorough. It will help you look for sensory issues in your child and, even if you conclude the checklist saying "nope, that's not us," that is valuable information and time well spent. Just remember "sensory issues" can describe all of us. I can't STAND an itchy, poky tag in the back of a shirt and I will rip it out. But it doesn't interfere with my ability to do life (unless it's really, really itchy!). So you'll probably recognize that you and most people you know have "sensory issues" - the problem arises when it becomes a hindrance to doing life. And there are plenty of things to do, proactively, to help it NOT be a hindrance. Take a look at the checklist and let us know what you think.
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We play with manipulatives, solve for unknown, drill from flashcards, drill from memory....is there some other great special way to teach math facts that I don't know about that isn't painful??????
:001_huh:
No. :D
We've found some fun games - Snap It Up and Math Dash.
I took a roll of heavy brown wrapping paper and drew a gigantic number line on it, and we play Math Hopscotch - I call out "4 + 7" and they jump to 11, etc.
Still pretty much like ripping out toenails.
Sorry.
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I absolutely and wholeheartedly disagree with the "let 'em starve till they eat what's in front of 'em" approach. This is akin to tossing a non-swimmer in the deep end and letting them flail till they reach shore.
Picky eaters are not manipulative, bad, spawn of poor parenting, nor evil. There are many, many reasons a child (and adult!) might be picky. Please investigate to see why your child is picky before you draw a line in the sand. My "picky" husband was finally diagnosed at age 43 with reflux - well, lookie there. Eating actually was painful for him. For 4 decades. Before you assume that this is purely behavioral, assess carefully.
Sensory issues: difficulty sensing hunger/satiety signals, sensing food in mouth, gag reflex, texture sensitivity, prior experiences with certain foods causing a gag/choke, painful reflux after eating, etc
Sensorimotor issues: difficulty maneuvering food within the mouth, uncontrollable gag reflex, difficulty coordinating chew/swallow/breathing (dysphagia). These issues are best treated by a speech or occupational therapist who is trained/experienced in this area.
Jill's Theory: some kids are more accepting of new stuff. They read any book around, join in any sport, make new friends wherever they go, taste anything, jump into new stuff readily. Other kids have a narrower comfort zone. They read the same books over and over, hang back for a long time before tentatively stepping into new situations, are comfortable with a small circle of friends, and are perfectly content with a narrow circle of foods, too. Is this bad? wrong? manipulative? I don't think it is.
What has worked for us (we have one picky eater and one child who will eat anything):
*don't make mealtime a battle. Mealtime is pleasant and fun and all about nourishing our bodies. Want an eating disorder? Go ahead and make mealtime into a battle of wills - you might teach your child to despise food for emotional reasons or to seek emotional comfort from food.
*teach, teach, teach. Help your child recognize hunger cues, teach about nutrition, teach her how to make acceptable alternatives if she doesn't care for the family meal. In other words, help her learn how to shoulder this aspect of herself, herself.
*to encourage variety, use a muffin tin and have her load it each morning with foods she enjoys, something different in each cup (use a slip of paper to write the name of something you can't put in a muffin tin). Let her choose from the muffin tin at mealtime.
*give her recipe books with pictures and let her choose something. Let her pick something new at the store. Let her create her own sandwich.
*even the narrow-zone kids go through phases of expanding their zone. Take advantage if she's in an expansive phase - and if she's not, let it be.
*write this mantra inside your eyelids: my child is not doing this to vex me. This one too: I am not going to insist that my child's food choices please ME. :)
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Moose sleeps in boxer shorts or flannel pajama pants from Target, paired with Hanes white tshirts that come in the pack of 3 or 6 - all sized up to be roomy. He gets too hot in long sleeves except in our very coldest winter months, but I've found pj sets (matching tops and bottoms) at Target, Walmart, and Kohl's.
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Your pixie got into the sherry?? Oh dear. That's a bit like a Mogwai getting wet, just so's you know.
BTW, back in Human Anatomy lab, we named our cadaver Grizelda (may she rest peacefully). Seeing that name attached to a fluffy Little-Debbie-eating fairy is ... disturbing. :)
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What do other people do about tv time in the winter? Do you increase it from your summer quota?
Tara
We do. Our tv is off probably 90% of the time in spring/summer/fall and the kids play outside almost every day. In the cold and dark winter months we'd go batty without some fun family programming on tv or on dvd. We're careful about what we watch, and moderate the time spent doing so, but yes, it definitely increases in the winter.
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1) What's for breakfast at your house?
Don't know - haven't had it yet!
2) What kind of car do you drive?
Honda Odyssey. We call it the Hodyssey after the way ds mispronounced it as a toddler.
3) What's your weather today?
Gorgeous. Clear, few little cirrus clouds and contrails up there, heading up to low 70's, 40 overnight.
4) Are your toenails painted? If so, what color?
Yes - kinda the color of black cherry JellO but it's starting to chip and look all skanky :)
5) Read any good books lately? What was it?
Yep - Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians
6) Is your bed made?
Not to military standards......
7) What's for dinner?
No clue. Hubs is on an overnight business trip so we might run out for Wendy's or sushi.
8) Name something your dc have done today that made you smile.
They aren't up yet! I'll relate one from yesterday. Pie Girl is growing her bangs out and they are now about halfway over her eyes. She lifts them up off her forehead with one hand and gives me this eyebrow-wiggle that just cracks me up. And when I asked Moose Boy how his lunch tasted, he kissed his fingertips, flung his arm up and said, "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzesty!"
9) What color is your bathroom rug?
oatmeal
10) Who's your favorite artist?
Michelangelo
11) What's your favorite morning beverage?
coffee - my personal blend of Folger's Black Silk with some decaf, and I stir in Int'l Delight Vanilla.
12) Do you have any toys from when you were a child?
Yep! My mom kept a bunch of my Barbie stuff; also my Marvel the Mustang
13) Do you collect anything?
Dust.
14) Are you looking forward to the holidays? (whichever days you celebrate)
Yes. We have worked hard on scaling back the excesses and focusing on the spiritual side and look forward to continuing the trend!
15) What are you wearing today?
$5 fuzzy leopard slippers from Target, jammie pants and a gray hoodie.
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This sounds very much like my dd (10). She has sensory issues which contribute to her pickiness, including sensitivity to texture, flavor, and difficulty recognizing hunger/satiety. She gets downright ugly when she is in need of food, but sometimes convincing her of that is an exercise in :banghead:. She eats small amounts of a limited repertoire, but she is healthy, growing, and intelligent - so I deal. :)
Step back a bit. How's his color, his physique, his activity level, his general health? Is he sick, weak, tired? Or healthy and alert and bright-eyed and active?
Given that you know what will happen if he skips meals, I'd set some guidelines and teach him how to prepare the foods he does like. [i see no reason to be hard-nosed with a kid who is wired like this. If I had a dime for all the times I've heard "stop spoiling her, she'll eat when she's hungry," I'd be rich and my daughter would have starved long ago. Nor do I see any reason to prevent the rest of us who do enjoy more variety from enjoying what [i]we[/i] like.] I keep a stash of foods she likes, and if she doesn't like dinner, I help her choose something else. You can encourage him to be more well-rounded in his choices by allowing him to choose a certain food only once a day - no PB&J for bkfst, lunch and dinner!
Re allergies - is he showing symptoms of food allergy or intolerance? Rashes, hives, swelling, upset tummy/gassiness, skitters?
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LDS people certainly consider themselves to be Christians, and are often befuddled when others tell them they aren't. :001_huh: There can be different reasons, but here is a list of main issues to choose from:
--We are not Trinitarians. We believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as described in the Bible, but do not accept any of the creeds and councils, including the Nicene. We believe the Godhead to be comprised of three separate beings united in purpose, not the 3-in-1 Trinity accepted by most mainstream Christians.
--We are not part of the historical Christian church; that is, we aren't Orthodox, Catholic, or Protestant, and have not broken off from any of those branches. We are Restorationists, believing that many truths were lost when the early apostles died, and that they needed to be restored.
--We do not accept the scriptural canon as closed; we have other scripture besides the Bible and look for more. We certainly believe in the Bible (we like the KJV), but we don't believe that God intends for the Bible to be all there is of His word.
--Some people say that we believe in a "different Jesus" and use that as a reason. I'm not at all sure what that means, actually (maybe the trinity issue?). We believe in the Jesus Christ described in the Bible: the only begotten son of God, born of a virgin, who offered himself up as a sacrifice for men, who suffered for our sins, died on the cross, was resurrected after 3 days, established his church on earth, and then ascended into heaven.
Hope that helps you. We are different--but we are Christian. Jesus Christ and the Atonement are the foundation of our faith. But there is quite a lot of misinformation out there, and many people have erroneous ideas about our beliefs.
dangermom,
I have encountered the "befuddlement" you speak of and am frankly befuddled by it. :) There is no virtue inherent in the label "Christian" (and I am one!). Christians are befuddled by the LDS church's insistence on using the label despite, for instance, the highlighted portions above which are not Christian doctrine.
Please know that I have no intention of arguing doctrine or insulting the Mormons on this board. I'm just curious as to why it means so much to LDS folks to keep that "Christian" tag when the doctrines and beliefs are not historical Christianity.
Let me flip this around. What if I said, 'I'm Mormon, and I'm confused as to why anyone thinks I'm not Mormon. I'm a Mormon, I just don't believe Joseph Smith was a prophet. I'm a Mormon, I just don't believe the temple is necessary. I'm a Mormon, but I don't believe in eternal progression.' At the very least, from that statement it's clear that either I have no understanding of what it means to be a Mormon, or I'm trying to turn the label "Mormon" into something of my own definition.
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My kids shared a room for a while at about those ages. I think ds was 3 and dd was 7 when we got bunk beds in ds's room to replace his crib; they slept in the same room but dd kept her clothes in "her" room across the hall. She decided when she was 9 that she'd prefer to sleep in her own room. Took some time for ds to become accustomed to sleeping alone after she moved out, but all in all it was a great arrangement for the time.
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Yes, my kids AND dh AND I all like Webkinz! We have quite a few, thanks to generous grandmas. Hubs and I have a couple each so we can have accounts and play online with the kids.
I love that my 10y/o dd still loves her Webkinz and plays with them regularly. The website is entertaining and clean. They certainly do encourage the "collect them all!" mentality and it is an opportunity to teach saving, patience, moderation on a scale/level appropriate to their age. You certainly could avoid the whole thing by staying away from them, though. :)
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Josie,
my daughter is engrossed in these books. Take a look at the Wikipedia article about them; you'll find links to reviews at the bottom of the page.
I haven't read them, myself. My daughter devoured them, re-reads them, makes up lists of her own cat clans, plays like she is a cat, is a Warrior cat for H'ween - they have certainly captured her fancy. They are clearly fantasy and I haven't seen anything in her attitude/behavior that's been negatively influenced by the books. They have mystical religious beliefs which are good discussion points.
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I think we're the exceptions that prove the rule. My husband only recently stopped showering before he went out to mow the lawn. He showers every morning without fail, showers after anything that gets him sweaty, and would probably stay in there two hours if he could. My 7y/o son is headed down the same path.
On the other hand, I shower every other day MAX because here in the desert I would turn into a pile of sand and sawdust with frizzled hair on top. And I practically have to bribe dd (10) to bathe. I think it's because she's got a long mop of very thick hair that takes forever to dry, and she would rather stick needles in her own eyeballs than submit to extensive grooming measures like blow-drying. :glare:
He's gone.
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
:grouphug: My very sincere sympathy, Doran. I lost my dad in 1989. Sometimes it feels like yesterday; sometimes it seems like a thousand years since I heard his voice. I pray you will be comforted by precious memories in the days ahead.