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AKamp

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Posts posted by AKamp

  1. My DD has similar hair (not quite as kinky), it was in a braid when she decided to cut the top herself, it rat nested to the point we had to cut it. The top was an inch long (thanks to her) and the stylist cut the rest leaving 2-3 inches. It's so curly that it looks really cute (I was DREADING it). I bought several fun headbands, my favorite are the wrap around ones that tie at the back. It has been the best style so far. We no longer fuss with tangles and knots.

  2. I vote Alaska too! It fits your criteria perfectly. I am in Wasilla. There are many correspondence programs in our area (Matanuska Borough). Quite large hs'ing population, many Christian options and A LOT of activities for hs'ers. Housing tends to be a bit more affordable out this way. It's only (1 hour or so) to Anchorage, but we have several enough box stores that Anchorage trips aren't needed too often. I don't think you could go wrong wherever you live up here:) I lived in Eagle River for several years too, still love it.

     

    Where are those secular homeschoolers you speak of? I am in the valley and there is NADA on facebook, yahoogroups, or meetup. Maybe they're in hiding like me. :001_smile:

     

    Have you joined Alaskan Homeschoolers group on fb? There is quite the eclectic group on there. I do a bit of everything, just depends on what program I feel is a solid curricula for my kids :)

  3. I vote Alaska too! It fits your criteria perfectly. I am in Wasilla. There are many correspondence programs in our area (Matanuska Borough). Quite large hs'ing population, many Christian options and A LOT of activities for hs'ers. Housing tends to be a bit more affordable out this way. It's only (1 hour or so) to Anchorage, but we have several enough box stores that Anchorage trips aren't needed too often. I don't think you could go wrong wherever you live up here:) I lived in Eagle River for several years too, still love it.

  4. I don't have a child with it, but my DH has it. He tried the SCD diet for several months, but had a hard time sticking with. He now pays close attention to how he reacts when he eats certain foods. Overall he does avoid gluten and sugar. He is at the tail-end of a severe flare-up, hopefully. The cause of this one was a Z-Pac Rx for phnemonia. Double check meds that react with UC. There is a lot of info online, and support groups on FB. :grouphug: to your DC and you.

  5. My DH has Ulcerative Colitis. He has been going through a really bad flare-up since Feb. I have done a lot of research on this in hopes to understand it better. I do my best to be supportive. Somedays are hard, I can't even imagine being in his shoes. He still works everyday and supports us, I don't know how he does it. He was diagnosed fairly quickly, went into remission for 5 yrs, and now it's back with a vengeance. I hope you have support and people to talk to with the similar issue. :grouphug:

  6. We will be purchasing a desktop MAC for the main computer. I cannot decide between a Dell laptop (offered through our allotment) or an iPad? Both can be reimbursed, so money is not a deciding factor. There are times when the kids are at their grandparents cabin for a week, so I would like portability. I don't know what can be done on the iPad (other than the educational apps). Oldest DS would mainly use it to type any assignments from IEW, which he could also neatly write, I suppose. We already own a macbook and Toshiba laptop, but they are mine and DH. What would be more beneficial? TIA!

  7. I don't have a huge opinion right now, we are only in the beginning. We switched to MUS after doing TT7. So far I love it. It's not overwhelming for my DS. Sometimes he doesn't pay attention to the DVD, so I will watch it with him then demonstrate it with the blocks, he always gets after that. If he's doing well, I have him do A and B, then a review page (or 2), then then test. I'll add that he does not use the blocks all the time, usually just in the beginning to visually see how the problem works. My DS needs this for hands on and the simplicity of the assignment layout. I was told MUS is very thorough at the higher levels, but I've also heard opinions swaying the other way. We're sticking with it :)

  8. My daughter and I have curly hair. I can manage mine by either pulling it back, adding curl gel, or straightening it. My daughter has super tight curls that get OUT OF CONTROL. I use Deva Curl shampoo and conditioner, once a week. The other days, just conditioner. If she doesn't bathe I use a spray bottle, leave-in conditioner and a wide tooth comb to brush it out. Honestly, I braid her hair often. After a nap I can quickly take the braid out and redo it for rest of the day and I almost always braid it at night if she had a bath (2 braids works the best). It seems more time consuming, but it's better than fighting bedhead. :tongue_smilie:

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  9. I would like to use the workbox system with 4 kids. Should I invest in 4 carts with drawers, or have DH build something (wood) with slots? I'm wondering if I would want the cart so the kids could roll it to wherever they are, if that's even realistic. On the other hand, the custom one from DH would be cheaper. WWYD?

  10. I will admit to the painful here...there have been times when I have wished that I had not adopted some of my children (refusing to get more specific here lest an unintended someone read this!). No one likes to hear that, it is an ugly truth, but there it is. And this, from a former director of an adoption agency who is well versed in attachment, adoption issues, infertility issues and the like! No one wants to admit to not wanting a child they worked hard for and waited years for...but it is a normal part of the adoption experience for many people (believe me, once I started talking about it with clients, I heard it from a lot of people!). It doesn't mean that you don't love or really, deep down inside, want your child...it is simply a reflection of the reality of the hard work in front of you. Adoption is not a piece of cake, it is difficult. It is also the best thing I have ever been through in my life and though I wouldn't change a bit of it, I also would never deny the hard places we've been...it makes it all the more sweet now.

     

    Adoption is HARD work, even more hard when you consider special needs kids (which I have) and the fact that when you adopt, you get a non-biological child who may have a very different emotional, physical or intellectual makeup than you do. There were times, esp. when the kids were little, when I would wonder if their behaviors were the result of my parenting or adoption issues when they were simply being normal. I didn't know the difference since I'd never raised a child before and wouldn't have recognized normal if it hit me over the head. Add into that the fact that I adopted 4 kids in 3 1/2 years and was completely exhausted, sleep deprived and wondering where my life went and you get a temporarily messed up mom. Not that I would have really changed anything...I just feelings that needed to be expressed so I could move on. Grief over the way things should have been in my dream world had to be replaced with acceptance of and finding joy in the reality of my new life.

     

    I would advise you to offer your sister the chance to vent her true feelings without fear of judgement or reprisal. These types of things lose their power when shared in the light of day. What she is going through sounds normal to me for a new adoptive mom who is probably sleep deprived...share her burdens and they will be lightened. If it goes beyond that, encourage her to see her doctor and an adoption aftercare counselor. It is entirely possible that her hormonal system is out of whack, esp. if she went through infertility treatments prior to adoption. This can wreak havoc on the strongest woman! A good post-adoption counselor can also help normalize what she is going through so she can stop internally self-flagellating herself for feeling that way and move on to a healthier, more realistic place with her children.

     

    :grouphug:

    :iagree: I have been there with these feelings. It's horrible, it makes you feel even worse because you know you shouldn't feel this way. I had 3 bio boys, then adopted a baby girl when she was a few months old. There are so many unknowns when adopting, like PP said. They have completely different personalities. She was also born with SN, not too severe, but it still takes it's toll on us. I can honestly say late 2, early 3 was the HARDEST age so far with DD. I struggled, a lot. I can't imagine having an infant during that same time. I had a lot of positive support from family, friends, and DH (she's a daddy's girl), they kept reminding me I was a good mother and our DD was making gains by leaps and bounds. I stuck with it and the days are better, not easy, but better. Let her vent, stay positive and support her the best you can.

  11. Fr. Peter Gillquist, who wrote the book Becoming Orthodox, departed this life yesterday. His book is the story of the journey several pastors jointly took in the early 1980s, which resulted in approximately 2000 people all across the country being received into the Orthodox church at one time in (I think) 1987. The publisher's description includes these words: "It is also the story of every believer who is searching for the Church where Christ is Lord, where holiness, human responsibility, and the Sovereignty of God are preached, where fellowship is more than a covered-dish supper in the church basement, and where fads and fashion take a back seat to apostolic worship and doctrine." It is one of the most common books people looking into the Orthodox faith read (including ourselves), and for many, the discovery is life changing. This has been true for our family and I'm so thankful that Fr. Peter penned this book.

     

    May his memory be eternal!

    Wow, it's a small world. My in-laws knew Fr. Gillquist well. We were all having dinner when my husband heard the news of his passing last night. It sounds like he had a blessed last few weeks, full of family visiting.

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