[Book a Week 2015: BW41 alfred hitchcock]

 

 

Also note that many places in Europe that I've visited do not keep the heating on at levels like we're used to keeping them in the US, esp. for people coming from warm climates. So make sure some of the layers you have will be comfy indoors too w/out feeling too bulky or anything.

 

 

 

I think this makes it easier to dress. The only thing worse than cold weather is a 100 degree temperature swing when you enter or exit a building. When I attended college in Minnesota I would bundle up to walk to class in the -20 degree cold, then have to strip down to a t-shirt to sit in an 80 degree classroom. When it's chilly both inside and out, it's easy to wear a shirt with a wool sweater, and then add a light waterproof jacket for outside. 

[I feel so bad]

When our bathroom pipes exploded and flooded I was able to turn off the main valve at the water meter. :) 

[Book a Week 2015: BW41 alfred hitchcock]

I haven't posted in forever, and I am behind. I've read 32 books. Can I catch up? Probably not. :)

 

I did finally read the Harry Potter series. Before I had kids, I completely blew off the whole idea of HP. When I worked in a bookstore, I was one of the only employees who preferred to skip the big release parties. Now my ds has been begging for HP as a read-aloud, so I read the whole series. And I'm kind of obsessed. I was expecting twaddle. I was pleasantly surprised. :)

[TLC can't get enough of the Duggars...]

re: sharing faith vs. evangelizing:

 

Speaking as neither an atheist or a Christian:  I love sharing faith traditions with people of other backgrounds.

 

The different paths of both individuals and of established faith traditions are, for me, among the world's great conversations, rich and deep and, for me, fascinating.  I've participated in two standing interfaith groups, one for more than five years and my current one going on four, and can honestly say that the encounters and discussions and what I've learned within them have changed both my worldview and my day-to-day life.

 

Sharing faith is different from evangelism.  Evangelism is explicitly setting out with the intention of persuading others.  Sharing faith is two way, predicated on mutual listening; evangelism is one way and predicated on a view that one tradition is superior to that which the conversion "target" already has.

 

Yes! I have found that sharing faith happens naturally as relationships deepen. As intimacy develops between friends, we naturally share what is most important to us, including faith. 

[Electric kettle]

I agree with finding one that you can clean easily. I had a kettle that was open at the spout only, and after a few years in an extremely hard-water area, I think its capacity was halved. This was before I had heard of vinegar to remove scale. :)

[Julie Bogart Learning Challenges podcast this afternoon]

Thanks! I am looking forward to listening to this. :)

[Tomato Soup Poll- for fun]

Another vote for Pacific tomato and red pepper soup. My 2 y/o slurps it up like crazy. Now I want some with a fancy grilled cheese sandwich. 

[S/o what brands are worth it?]

Bogs boots are awesome. My kids have the soles of other boots flopping off the heel in a month, but their Bogs are still going strong after a year.

[What age to allow play outside alone?]

I am feeling very alone up in my helicopter after reading this thread. :)

[Space race videos]

We like the series "When We Left Earth." It covers Mercury to the shuttle. It used to be available streaming from Netflix--I'm not sure if any of the streaming services currently have it.

[Free D'Aulaires' Audiobook - only through Oct 1]

Thank you! I was planning on buying this, but free is always better. :)

 

[S/O: How much do you love to cook meals for your family?]

I like to cook for people who like to eat. My dh is the pickiest adult that I know, and the only flavors he likes are "extremely salty" and "extremely sweet." I hate cooking now. 

[S/O: How much time is your main breadwinner granted per year]

Dh has worked for his company for more than 15 years. He gets 2 weeks of vacation, but the company culture is such that he only takes a day off here and there and cashes out the rest. So he takes maybe 4 days off per year. 5 or 6 f we have a new baby. No sick leave--he can use vacation time or not get paid. Oh, and he's salaried, so he works 10-12 hour days, plus many weekends, with no overtime pay.  

[What would you call this Science course?]

Evolution and Ecology? I had a college course titled Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, so Ecology and Evolution isn't far off. :)

[Craft Ideas?]

Punch needle embroidery? Spinning with a drop spindle?

[s/o Master- How did you change your name when you married?]

ACD for me. My given middle name was boring and I like DH's last name. :)

[Minimalism: Children's Books]

Our top ten board books:

 

The Snowy Day

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Jessie Bear, What Will You Wear?

Goodnight Gorilla

The Napping House

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

There's a Wocket in my Pocket

Little Cloud

Moo Baa La La La

DK Baby Animals

 

It's hard to choose just ten!

[Cursive]

Thank you for the ideas. :) I found the Peterson Directed Handwriting book online, and I plan on reading it as soon as I get the uninterrupted time. I have already learned that my pencil grip stinks.  :huh:

 

I like the look of NAC--it looks clean and simple, but from the samples, it doesn't look like it has named strokes to dictate. LOE looks good--named strokes, very explicit. Has anyone used Handwriting Lessons through Literature? It looks like the cursive instruction starts with strokes, then moves to letters and then the syllabary. I like the idea of reinforcing phonics through handwriting lessons, and I like the idea of an ebook that I can use with all of my kids. I suspect that no matter which program we use, we will go very, very slowly. 

[Cursive]

I know nothing about cursive. When I learned cursive in third grade, the instruction consisted of "look at this--now do it." lol. 

 

My 8 yr. old has dysgraphia. His printing is barely legible, but I have noticed that when he writes in his Apples and Pears book, which uses a font with tails, his writing seems smoother. He has expressed interest in cursive, but he will need very explicit instruction. I am looking for a program with named strokes so that I can dictate each bit of a letter. I looked at HWT, and I know that it is often recommended for kids with dysgraphia, but...it is so ugly.  :tongue_smilie:  Does anyone have recommendations for a cursive program with a nice look to it, named strokes, and very explicit instruction? TIA. 

[Speech therapy at home]

The website mommyspeechtherapy.com might be helpful. :)

[Your go-to remedies at the first sign of a cold?]

Zinc lozenges. After a meal, so I don't get nauseated.

[WA State Supreme Court: Charter Schools Unconstitutional]

Classes haven't started at most of these schools. Isn't fall 2015 the opening date for most of the approved programs?

 

 

 

The local charter schools have been in session for two weeks.

 

 

 

I have to wonder what will happen to all these children. They can hardly dump them back into the regular public school buildings. We have something similar happening here. Due to the county's hounding of a local private school, it has closed. 65 kids, boom, into the system. This all happened one week before school started. Ours is a small school district. This many kids, many of whom have never been in a ps, coming into a totally new school system, is going to be a wreck. 

 

Since all but one of the charter schools are brand new, I don't think it will be a problem. I imagine that most of the families will go back to whatever they did last year, be it public, private, or homeschool.

 

 

 

Charter schools here are state funded and have their own boards. The board is formed long before the charter is granted, so I don't see how they could turn that into an elected position. In truth, there are many leadership roles in school systems that are appointed, and many of them decide how to spend state funds. I don't see how they are using that rationale, honestly. 

 

As I understand it, it goes back to an idiosyncrasy in our state constitution.

 

We do have some public magnet/choice programs with require certain test scores and even applications. Some kids might not qualify for those schools but they are not charters and they have been operating for awhile. They do have SpEd services at most of those schools.

 

We do have several magnet/choice schools in our district, some of which are very good, some of which...meh.

 

Didn't know any Charter's were actually open here yet, I am wondering how our school and others as ALE's (alternative learning enviroments) are legally different than Charters.

 

Since the ALEs are considered regular public schools, they won't be affected. I considered signing up my kids with an ALE, but I decided against it when the funding restrictions got so tight a few years ago. 

[WA State Supreme Court: Charter Schools Unconstitutional]

I just saw the news on FB--the WA state Supreme Court has ruled that the state charter schools are unconstitutional. I'm not surprised, since they rely on public funding despite not meeting the legal requirements as "common schools," but I feel sad for my neighbors who are sending their kids to charters after having a so-so experience with the local public school. If the ruling stands, and the new charters can't find funding, they'll have to close. 

[Rainbow Resources, how long for shipping?]

I always add a small non-media item to make sure it can't go media mail. It usually takes a week and a half or so. 

[Throwback Thursday: How many of you took Analysis in high school?]

My 11th grade math was Math Analysis, abbreviated Math Anal. on our schedules, which we thought was just hilarious. It covered pre-calc and trig.