melissa6
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Posts posted by melissa6
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I had been reading but not answering, thinking my kids are too old to be in scope for this question. But, hey, if others are chiming in about their big kids, why not me, too?
We need to watch our pennies carefully this holiday, since there's a probability my husband will be laid off as of sometime in February. So, I'm trying to think creatively about how to make the season merry without spending much. We haven't decided on "big" gifts for either of them, but I do have a few ideas about some things to put under the tree for each of them.
My 19-year-old daughter, who has been out on her own living in NYC since this past summer, is probably getting:
- a silhouette of our dog, whom she adores and misses desperately now that she's living 1,100 miles from us. She already has a good photo, but we saw the silhouette artist at a craft fair last week and just thought our daughter would like one. I'm considering getting an unfinished frame and painting/embellishing it somehow.
- her very own copy of my cookbook binder, with copies of all the recipes for things she likes to eat.
- a crocheted throw inspired by one I found pinned on one of her Pinterest boards.
- the traditional Christmas eve PJs, although I have not yet decided on a theme or idea for the customization.
- the equally traditional clothespin angel ornament. (I think I've decided this will be the last one, which is causing me a fair amount of maudlin-ness. When I made the first one for her third Christmas, I did not foresee that I would eventually have to find a time to stop making them. I'd be willing to keep going, but I do realize that, as she begins her life as an independent adult, she may not want her Christmas tree entirely covered with clothespin angels. So, I guess the first year out on their own will be the official last Mommy ornament for each of my kids. And, hey, I managed to type that without crying. So, yay me.)
- (possibly) a circle skirt made of some work- and winter-appropriate fabric. I made her a skirt for her Halloween costume that she loves and looks adorable in, and she needs warm stuff she can wear to work. So, this seems like a good idea, but I don't want to over-book myself, craft-wise.
My 16-year-old son, who is in his first year of full-time college and living on campus about 90 minutes away, may be getting:
- paracord jewelry. He's always commenting on these items when he sees them, and I found instructions for making bracelets, key fobs and such.
- steampunk-inspired cufflinks. My husband and I saw some at the craft fair and didn't love what was available at that particular booth, but we liked the idea. So, we're now on the hunt for something to buy or ideas/instructions for how to make something.
- a nice double-breasted vest made of fabric a little less ornate than what we used for his Halloween costume. He was really happy with the way the costume vest turned out and commented that he hoped he could find other opportunities to wear it.
- his own traditional set of Christmas eve PJs.
- his own traditional made-by-Mommy ornament.
- a wallet ninja multi-tool, which may be incorporated into a tool set idea my husband is noodling around with. My son has been spending a lot of time in the theatre prop shop on campus, and my husband is thinking we might be able to play off of that for the "big gift."
I need to find a book or two for each of them, but I'm fresh out of ideas. I can't keep up with what my daughter has and hasn't read now that she's away from home and buying her own reading material. And, although I normally watch the various series and authors my son reads and note when a new one is coming out near the holidays, I am not aware of any good options so far this year.
These are such thoughtful gifts. It blessed me to read through this. Thanks for posting. :)
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Well, by the 8th baby those blankets start to wear out. :)
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My ds is using AAR and AAS. It is time consuming, but the foundation that is being built is solid.
We are using them both and it is appropriate for mine.
How much time would I need to set aside for myself and child to do both?
We have gone through AAR 2. DD is halfway through AAS 1 as well. Her reading is phenomenal. For her, both was overkill. She was ready to dive in to good books. We may eventually purchase AAR 3. I'm not sure we need it though.
Thank you. :) My two can read but I think we need some help with comprehension and more decoding skills.
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for a child that can read, but needs remedial help especially with spelling? They were taught reading with light phonics instruction using My Father's World K and First.
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I haven't read the replies, but I am one of those people who cannot function in clutter. Something about orderly surroundings and orderly mind definitely matches my personality.
We spent all day yesterday cleaning out our college freshman's room and converting it into space for his younger sisters. That meant dumping out everything in the girls' room as well and organizing and rearranging their belongings. Today is going to be just fine tuning those areas. Last week we totally went through our huge school cabinetand storage cubes and deep cleaned the main living areas.
We start back on Tuesday.
I have developed a system for staying on top of household duties while homeschooling. If I hadn't my dh would probably not have been able to cope with our homeschooling. He is definitely a neat freak. (I thrive in order, but not to the extreme of dh.) When our kids were really little he wouldn't go to bed until every single thing was put away. He is not that obsessive any more, but he still gets antsy when things are not orderly and clean. He works really long hours and it is often incredibly stressful work. In our "dividing of duties," inside the house falls on me, outside and the garage fall on him (thank goodness b/c I detest that part!) So, really spending time devising a system was as important to our homeschool success as selecting curriculum and teaching.
Do you want to share this system??? :D
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I know you from other boards. I'm due the 28th. ;)
I would start with the one that seems most interesting to you. CTG is not my favorite. I chose to start w/ it this year as I came back to MFW. It was not the best choice for my family as we weren't really interested in doing that time period. My kids really wanted to do RTR. School would have been more interesting to us this year if we would have began where we wanted.
We are looking forward to RTR next year. My second time through it.
My oldest is not going to make it to modern history before high school. The last several weeks of EX-1850 is a state research unit. I could have her start reading through SOTW 4 during that time and finish it up over the summer. OR I might do ECC. If I do ECC I will have her read through either two of the SOTW books or get an American history book to read through during that year. Another idea I have is to assign modern/American history readings in the summer. She won't mind this because she likes to read. My girls haven't done ECC. I know, from having done the MFW cycle before w/ my older dc, that they will need the knowledge of where places are and what the cultures are like, in order to fully appreciate what they are learning in history. It is not a deciding factor to me though. Interest in what we are studying is more important.
Anyway, those are ideas I'm thinking through for myself. I don't know what I will pick and will probably wait until to this summer to fully decide.
Blessings to you as you figure this out. Praying for you and your new little one coming. We are getting so close!
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It went really well. I pre-cut the tissue paper. I also did the taping, but DD added the scales, made the eyes, etc. It was surprisingly easy and fun. DD's carp turned out really nice too. Doesn't look much different than mine.
Yay! We got a chance to make these yesterday and they turned out really cute. Thanks so much for sharing!
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Today for history we're finishing up our unit of Medieval Japan. DD is creating sticker paper dolls. (I made extra copies of the girl, so she can use all of the outfits at once.)
And, we're also making these adorable carp kites. (Probably, not Medieval, but still fun.)
Sorry, the pic is so big.And, the mail lady is supposed to bring these today.
Thank you for posting the carp kites. I was planning to do something like this on Monday, and this is so much nicer than what I planned!
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Nope, I would stick to my original start date or move it forward slightly. The fun part is the anticipating for school to start. I learned that if I start school every time they say they want to then they stop wanting school to start.
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I may have misunderstood but the Notgrass timeline does not have figures. The book has pics already printed in it and you write in the events.
I haven't seen the timeline you mentioned but I don't see why you couldn't use a different timeline if you want to. It might take a bit of work up front to organize it.
hth
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Thank you. We watched him last night and find him so much more interesting the "magic notebook".
I'm excited about buying them.
Blessings,
Missy
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My 4 yo wants one of those gear sets they sell. She discovered gears on her bike and she just thinks they are the coolest thing. :)
Missy
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We usually start school when the public school starts. We like to go out for breakfast and then go on a really cool field trip.
:) Missy
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:lol: I can not wait to check out some of these links! I especially needed those literature links!
I didn't see this listed but, http://simplycharlottemason.com/ has quite a few free resources including copywork.
:) Missy
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I'm not the orginal op but :iagree: WOW! I needed this list, too.
Thanks!
Missy
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I like Before Five in a Row mixed with Little Hands to Heaven. With a 2 yo. LHTH will probably take 15 min. longer if there is an art project. :)
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Uggg! I understand! I do this every year, too. After you make your decisions do you get that " what am I going to do with myself now feeling"? I'm always so excited because I finally picked something and then I feel down because I have nothing to research.
I am going to be no help with history. I have just bought my third one to look at for my boys (jr high).
For preschool...the LHTH and Before FIAR is my combination. I like it. I would just borrow the sonlight books from the library.
~~Missy~~
TT Alg 1 then Saxon Alg 2??
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
Would there be any big issues if I wanted to switch to Saxon Alg. 2 after using Teaching textbooks?