toawh
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Posts posted by toawh
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I don't play any instrument. I can't sing. I don't read music or know musical theory. I've led a pretty productive life so far. I think music is interesting and I enjoy listening to it, but as far as an academic subject I don't see it doing that much for a child. Artists lead hard lives and very few ever make money off their skill. I'm not trying to disrespect those who feel differently, just saying there are all different types of view. Here we're much more interested in our kids becoming tri-lingual, playing a sport (for health and discipline reasons) and understanding the world we live in. To each his own.
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Ha! I was about to say the same for Paris. It'll probably rain 7 days out of 7. Bring rain boots, umbrella, raincoat. Parisians do not think rain is a reason to stay home. In the chance that it doesn't rain, it won't be baking hot. Summer clothes with a handy jacket should do it. If you don't want to brand yourself as an American tourist avoid tennis shoes (especially white ones) and T-shirts (these are not worn by women there).
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My 4 year old ds seems to me to be very mechanically minded. I know he's young, but he is always interested how things work. For example when we went to the theatre the other day he spent a good portion of the film asking me how the screen was put up and how they got it in the building, etc.. He is always building contraptions and explaining where the pipes go and stuff like that. I want to do some gentle physical science with him, but I don't know what would be a good match. I want something that we can do hands-on stuff and then learn a simple principle with. I prefer something secular, but it's not a deal breaker. If anyone knows of something ...
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I have only boys but the way I run is basically this:
I buy basics twice a year. Usually towards the start of the school year, October, for fall and winter and after the school year, May, for summer. I find that fall clothes work just fine in spring with a few pieces from last summer thrown in on warmer days. The basics will be 4 full sets of sporty/comfortable outfits (ex. jogging pants with hoodie, T-shirt, and long sleeve), three of "nicer" clothes (ex. jeans, button-up shirt, and sweater), socks, underwear, and two pajamas. Then throughout the year I'll add to their wardrobe things that they particularly want as I have extra money from month to month. My older son is obsessed with soccer so for him this usually means a soccer jersey or an adidas jacket. My middle son is into comfort so for him it's usually a soft shirt or sweater or something that's easy to put on like velcro shoes. In this way each of the kids makes his basics that I pick out his own. I'll also replace items throughout the season if a pair of pants get holes in the knees, etc.. When I buy the basics I lean toward quality as these are usually passed down if they aren't destroyed before they are outgrown, but with the extras I go for the cheaper prices as I don't think these items will be of much interest by the time the next kid gets them.
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No fancy dinner, but I bought myself a gorgeous bouquet of roses and flowers. Dh was shocked. He has never gotten me flowers or done anything for Valentine's though, and I just figured if I wanted flowers I might as well pick them up. I love flowers and they are so cheap around Valentine's Day.
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Everyday after school. I don't count classes as time with friends. Here in Europe, maybe because of the smaller size of housing, all the kids gravitate toward the park after school which is great as I don't have to drive anywhere. They usually stay there until dinner. The weekends are for family.
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Dh pays our regular bills at the start of each month when he gets his pay check that includes the allocation he gives me for the month's groceries and households.He gives it to me in cash. I find that having the money in cash helps me prevents me from going over. Everything else goes to savings. If we have an emergency or special occasion, we dip into the savings. But we're pretty good about not spending. I find that I spend more per week the first two weeks of the month. I guess I feel so rich! :) The last week we eat more beans and egg dinners and I pass up on household items that I "need". I usually just make a list of the things I can't afford and wait until the next month. By the time I have the money I don't feel the need for at least half of the items I have on the list. Other months I really measure my output and then reward myself with a shopping trip for extras at the end of the month. With the food I do a big shopping of snack items and breakfast items (except eggs, milk, and bananas which go bad) the first week and I don't replenish until the next month. There's always food to eat. It just means that the boxed cereal might be gone and the kids will have to choose between the other breakfast options. This type of budgeting works well for me since there really is no way to go over because I don't have the cash. Clothes shopping is done twice a year when the sales come in. Any small items that are needed in between are covered with the grocery/household budget. So are transportation costs.
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Tintin comics are really popular here.
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I cook simple when dh works the night shift. The kids prefer these types of meals anyway. We eat dairy, wheat, and eggs, but maybe this will be helpful to someone or give ideas with substitutions for those products.
- Angel hair noodles tossed with ricotta (substitute with finely chopped chicken breast or sausage?) and pesto served with baby greens salad.
- Tuna salad, baguette, olives, sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt
- Brown rice, kidney beans topped with sour cream and cilantro
- Tofu cut into squares sprinkled with spring onions and ginger (depends on the kids) and soy sauce served with cold rice noodles tossed in sesame oil and a veggie usually steamed broccoli here
- Brown rice, can of tikka sauce with chickpeas, peas, carrots and cauliflower served with salted yogurt
- Sliced cold ham with spanish potato salad (chunks of boiled potatoes with homemade garlic mayo and a lot of chopped parsley) and a veggie
- Bean salad -- white beans, black beans, feta, corn, tomatoes, spring onions, and dressin
- Angel hair noodles tossed with ricotta (substitute with finely chopped chicken breast or sausage?) and pesto served with baby greens salad.
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SOTW hands-down! I've used it with lots of kids that I've tutored and now with my own kids.
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My kids love the MALA easel. The little one, 18 months, draws while the others do school and the older ones use it for art and some copy work, spelling, and pre-writing activities. The LILLABO train track has also been a school time saver. My middle son played with it for hours as a toddler and now the youngest does the same. They also have some nice art supplies -- decent quality for a fair price. Oh, and the bibs that are long sleeved -- AWESOME.
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Thanks. Super interesting. I always used the library until I moved to France. I still use the library, but the English selection is extremely limited. I was wondering whether I should buy books or just read them once to my kids off the internet. I do hate reading on the computer. I guess I'll be buying the Classics then. Hopefully, we'll get more than one use out of each. I woke up last night at 2 am to find all the kids awake because my eldest son (6) had turned on the lights to read a book.
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I buy my curriculum spines. I was thinking more about fun reading. Do your kids past the early reading years re-read books?
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I'm not sure whether I should buy books for my kids or check them out of the library.
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Save it as a jpeg and then you can open it in Adobe Photoshop and play with it until it's to your liking.
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Each of the services strictly limit the number of high school dropouts (which includes GED holders) who can enlist each year. This is because years of military enlistment statistics have shown that this category of enlistees fail to complete their entire first term of military service at about twice the rate of those with a high school diploma or those with college credits. -- from the internet
I had a similar problem with a place I wanted to join (not the Navy) and they said a couple of CLEP tests would do the trick. If I remember correctly I paid $80 each for two tests and got in fine. Might give that a try.
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Does it have to be a "birthday party"? What about a play date? In our family birthdays are very much a family occasion. We have a cake with our family meal and then which ever family members have a present for the person give it to him. Usually it's parents, grandma, and maybe a sibling. There are no friends. Later though the kid always has friends over (who eat leftover cake as a snack). It's fun and casual.
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Bananas!
I remember growing up that my brothers who were cyclists going 40 miles or more at a time practically lived on bananas between meals. I can't recall all the reasonings they gave me, but apparently they are an excellent source of fuel energy. And they can be very cheap depending where you buy them. One of my brothers would eat 10 bananas and a half gallon of water for his after-cycle snack. Oh, yeah, there's something about all the potassium that prevents cramping muscles and something about the kind of fructose in bananas that aids muscle sugar. I'm sure it's all online somewhere.
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I bought a cast iron skillet in Target last fall. It's been a lovely relationship so far. For a twelve inch I paid under $20. It comes pre-seasoned so just needs up keep.
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Used to have a juicer. Hands down favorite juice of all was equal parts apple, orange and carrot with ginger to taste.
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Our food budget has gone way down since I began having regulars for each meal. It is a little monotonous, but with all we save I can afford surprises here and there in the menus too. I do my grocery shopping once a week. If I'm not in the store I won't spend. I buy all this stuff at the beginning of the week and replenish each week as needed. It's rare that everything has run out. We have a budget of 100 a week for 5 people but I've got it down to 40 a couple times and it's rare it hits 100 anymore.
Breakfast: cereal, milk, yogurt, cream cheese, peanut butter, oats, cream of wheat, bananas
Lunch sandwiches and salad: bread, cheese, lunch meat, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mayo, mustard, pickles, banana peppers, cucumbers, olive oil, vinegar
Snack: seasonal fruit, raisins and peanuts
Dinner: these I of course plan weekly, but we do 2 beans, 2 egg dinners, and 3 meats. Since we do sandwiches for lunch, leftovers, with a little imagination, become another dinner. I find that often I don't use all seven meals I planned and need that many less the next week.
Dessert: once a week
Households: dish soap (clean the stove with this), hand soap (clean the sink and bathtub with this), garbage bags, sponges, laundry soap, toilet cleaner, windex
A lot of "must haves" I never buy like paper towels, juice, pop, coffee, chips (as a snack)... Also if it's not on my list I don't buy it unless it's a crazy sell but in that case I change my menu so I don't need other things from my list. If I forget an item we go on without it. Going back to the store is my weakness. If I go back I will buy more than the one item. The meatless dinners are really what made the food bill shrink. You can make a pretty large quiche with only six eggs, for example. There was a thread going before with cheap meal ideas. I learned a lot there.
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Okay, awesome.
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They wanted to have their relaxed Christmas at home, so I guess I've created a tradition that they like. I just hope their spouses don't hate me for it later.
This made me laugh so hard.
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Here's mine:
Prime Rib
Roasted Veggies
Lettuce Salad
Biscuits
Waldorf Salad
Coffee
(maybe dessert)
Simple. Thanksgiving is a 2-day marathon of prepping, baking, etc as much in advance so that on Thursday there is less to do. Christmas meal planning has always been less hectic to prepare. In fact, it will only take about 2 hours to prep. The oven does the rest! :D JOY!!!
Prime rib and roast veggies! I want to spend Christmas with you. My roasts are always dry and my veggies burn. Tips?
Math Program like BFSU
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Is there a math program that is similar to BFSU? I afterschool so I don't need all the worksheets. I just want something that has hands-on math lessons that can proceed with the child's interest sort of like the flow chart in BFSU. If such a thing exists. My only idea so far is to do Saxon without the drill sheets and work pages, but the hands-on type lessons stop after 3rd. I'd like something that'll go to 8th if possible. :bigear: