Entropymama
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Posts posted by Entropymama
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Regarding the sticker issue.. I can see how kids would be less likely to put stickers in an envelope than to give them directly to others. There's quite a mental stretch from the stickers in my hand in a room with a researcher to a group of kids I can't see or know who might or might not get some. OTOH, as someone said about lunches, if the kids actually saw another child sad about not getting stickers, they might share more readily. I don't think it's a sign necessarily of not being altruistic, but maybe of that altruism still being developed. I think for children it can be hard to give things away, and whether or not it's the right thing to do, they might want to make sure the kids were 'deserving'. That is, if the kids were sad, they might share but what if those other kids don't even want stickers? Why would I give up my stickers to someone who doesn't care one way or the other? We can say they should do it on principal, but they are kids.
One of the first posters asked if Christians would change the way they teach their kids if the result proved accurate. I would. One of the reasons I engage in these discussions is for the reality check I get when people express that most of the Christians they know are judgmental and petty. That hasn't been my experience at all, and it's easy to live in my bubble and brush off the concerns of others. I appreciate those responses, even if they're hard to hear. It's a good reminder to examine my own conduct and attitudes and the ones I'm teaching my children.
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Because Rudolph was the one who led the Wise Men to the manger, duh. And if you remove Rudolph, it can only be because you HATE Christmas, and also babies.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
I did notice my cup was red yesterday, but it had one of those insulating sleeves on it, so if there was or wasn't any other decoration, I couldn't see it anyway.
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Do you celebrate Thanksgiving? That could be your 30th meal.
I forgot about Thanksgiving. And I'm hosting! :lol: :lol:
It is much easier for me to devote a few hours once per month on planning and shopping than to do it every day, or even weekly!
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Happy Birthday!
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11/2
Minestrone
Fresh bread
11/3
Pulled pork
Cornbread
Corn
11/4
Lasagna
Salad
Bread
11/5
Italian pork in the crockpot
Hoagie rolls
Veggies
11/6
Taco salad
Apple crisp and ice cream
11/7
Crockpot chicken chili
11/8
Chicken noodle soup
Fresh bread
11/9
Mac and cheese
Cantaloupe
Broccoli
11/10
Slow cooker teriyaki pork tenderloin
Green beans
11/11
Spaghetti
Salad
Fresh bread
11/12
Beef barley vegetable soup
Fresh bread
11/13
Orange chicken
Rice
Green beans
11/14
Chicken burritos
Chips and salsa
Brownies
11/15
Chicken pot pie
Salad
11/16
Potato soup
Fresh bread
11/17
Chicken cacciatore
Fruit cocktail
11/18
Ravioli lasagna
Fresh bread
Veggies
11/19
Beef stew
Fresh bread
11/20
Grilled salmon
Crescent rolls
Broccoli
11/21
Chicken skillet meal
Apple pie
11/22
Bean burritos
11/23
Order pizza for Judah’s birthday
11/24
Hot dogs and tater tots
Green beans
11/25
Shepherd’s pie
11/26
Slow cooker teriyaki pork tenderloin
Fruit cocktail
11/27
Split pea soup
Rice
11/28
Fettuccine alfredo
Broccoli
11/29
Chili
ETA: I know there are 30 days in November. I ran out of ideas.
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:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:
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"It’s not just about Halloween candy today; it’s about how lessons learned at Halloween lay a foundation for an entire lifetime. When you take away your child’s candy, you are saying that the candy is too dangerous for him or her to handle. That she needs adult protection from her own desire to eat it. That she can’t be trusted to figure out on her own how to manage her candy. These messages aren’t just about candy. These messages are about who your child is as a person."
Holy over thinking things, Batman!
It's Halloween candy! :huh:
Here's to hoping many, many other things will lay the foundation for my kids' lifetimes. :lol:
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:grouphug: :grouphug:
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I second Old Navy. My kids aren't as tall as yours but have never fit into most of the jeans out there. I buy the super skinny fit.
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I have, many times, been nearly unable to finish a book because I'm crying. The Door in the Wall, Miracles on Maple Hill, The Clown of God - yeah, that's a picture book. My kids have never cried over a book. I have one who will cry if a movie is particularly sad, but four who won't. I do wish they would be moved by the things that move me, but we're different people.
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It sounds really weird, however, insurance companies can be picky, especially if they are insuring for a high amount. For example, our church's umbrella policy had to be increased recently as we've grown. The bigger we get, the more stipulations the insurance company puts in place. The youth pastors aren't allowed to play physically active games with the teenagers anymore, since they might get hurt and our umbrella policy could potentially be sued for damages. They're protecting themselves.
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I would consider taking out a $30,000 construction loan and hiring someone to finish it all. I have zero doubt you could sell for more than the $85,000 you would then have put into it, and I'm guessing based on what you've described you could get double that. Let someone else do the work, pay the very low mortgage for a few months and get what it's worth.
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Last year was the only year I've done a spelling program. DD10 was complaining that she was having trouble writing because it took so long to find out the words she didn't know, and she didn't want to write to people.
e used sequentiol Selling for the year, just the paper version, not the videos. It is pretty straightforward - you give a "test" each day, they write the words down, and you watch and correct as soon as they begin to make a mistake. The lists are organized into families and they build on themselves. We just did lvl 1 but there are quite a few levels if you want - my dd felt that after that, she could do what she wanted. And her spelling actually did improve significantly within weeks of starting. There is no studying - it is doing the tests that is the studying.
I thought the only thing about the method that wasn't typically "CM" was that it wasn't integrated into texts. However, my dd was motivated to practice this so she could get better at the skill quickly, so I saw it as being rather like math drill. And I liked that it really involved no wasted time, it was only about seven minutes a day.
It was also very cheap, and you don't really need the student book so you can use the program for as many students as you like. All students start at lvl 1, but I think you wouldn't want to use it with kids that are not writing easily yet or reading well.
We used Sequential Spelling when my oldest was in first, but I found it took too much time. We were doing 20-30 minutes per day of spelling! Maybe it's different in the older grades? Or maybe if a sixth grader is doing level one it goes faster! :)
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In regards to spelling, we've always used the Spelling Workout books. They worked for my daughters well enough, but they are natural spellers. My son is in 6th grade and struggles with spelling. He's done dictation and the SWO books. What resources would you recommend?
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I agree that electronics & robotics (and I'll add lego) fit into what CM called handicrafts and/or science.
We can follow CM's foundational principles without recreating a Victorian Era village.
Children should be spending a good amount of time each day on their own pursuits, and these pursuits should be things that build them up, things that strengthen their hands and minds, things that are useful, and things that give joy.
Math has also changed. It's just SO much more. Regardless, it still must be a living subject or we spin wheels. kwim.
Lego counts?! I'm saved! :lol: :lol:
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I'm assuming that the money would be used for that anyway (to supplement what is provided free in Scotland). Given how much independence she is giving up, and that I have power of attorney anyway, I think that I may be able to avoid that particular step: unless there's a reason I'm not thinking of.
I was actually more thinking of the finances being there rather than your having access to them. My dad went through 16 months of cancer treatment before he died and the costs are staggering. I don't know anything about your health care system, but even having extra money set aside to go out to eat or hire housekeeping help could make a very difficult time a little easier.
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Thanks for the suggestions!
I have the Boundaries book sitting on my shelf. Hilariously, I started to read it a couple years ago when we lived within easy driving distance of her and saw her weekly, and put it back on the shelf because I personally didn't see it as "Christian" enough. Meaning, it seemed selfish and against the teachings of being self-sacrificing, serving others, etc. I will have to go back and read the whole thing now and look at it with fresh eyes.
Thanks for the other suggestions as well - I will look into it all.
I read once that you get two chances at a mother-child relationship, once with your own mother, and then again with your own children. I am determined not to bring her toxicity and crazy crazy thought patterns to my own parenting.
If you keep going in the book you'll find an example they give of a lawn. God has given you your own lawn to care for, and if you spend all your time weeding and watering someone else's lawn, you're neglecting what God really wants you to do. They also talk about the passages about bearing one another's burdens. They explain that a burden is something that is too heavy for one person to carry - a tragedy or unusually stressful season of life. It's not your normal day-to-day, being a person stuff. Carrying someone else's day-to-day emotional health isn't bearing one another's burdens and it isn't healthy for you or for them.
It's a great, great book.
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What do you do for handicrafts? My dc took crochet lessons for a while, loved it, then dropped it like a hot potato. I have enrolled them in an excellent art class for several semesters so they've had experience with charcoals, pastels, acrylics, sculpting, nail art and even silk dying. That's been great. Apart from that, though, I'm at a loss. I'm not crafty or artistic.
They did do rainbow loom for a long time, and I suppose that counts. :)
I can't do folksongs. I tried, but none of us enjoyed it and I just didn't see the purpose. Maybe as part of American history? We don't do many hymns either, although I'll play them during breakfast if I can handle the grumbling.
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I just picked up volume six for the Kindle for $.99. It looks like all six volumes are that price right now on Amazon.
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Regarding her and your financial situation; if she is making a profit on the sale of the house I would seriously consider putting it into a savings account or mutual fund with both of your names. This can be used later as expenses for home health aides or medical care become necessary.
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I've heard of the onions on your feet thing, too. I seem to remember someone selling the idea that you put the onions in your socks while you slept, then in the morning whatever was black, growing, disgusting on the onion was from toxins leaving your body. I always figured it was just the stuff on the bottom of your feet.
And just to clarify, I wasn't really asking if it works. It was a rhetorical question.
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We have an apple TV as well. Like the previous poster said, we paid $99 for it and stream Netflix as well as lots of free programming from PBS, BBC and others. It has an internet function which is a little cumbersome but you can surf the web just like on a computer. It's easier if you have an iPhone because you can download a remote app and type in your searches instead of the 'hunt and peck' typing done with the apple TV remote. We play YouTube videos and Amazon Prime videos. We liked it enough to get a second one for our second TV and drop cable.
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I did not consider myself a CM hs'er for a long time because I just didn't like those old dusty books. (Never got very far with AO.) And we didn't do nature journals. Or picture studies. Or a passel of short lessons. But then I heard the book Consider This recommended at a Circe conference. I got a copy and read it, and lo and behold, I WAS a CM hs'er. Consider This educated me more in the philosophy of CM more than anything I had yet come across. I really got a handle on the overarching principles for the first time (as opposed to just mimicking a method or two) which gives me the confidence to apply them to whatever books or subjects I like. Consider This presents CM learning as very whole-to-parts (rather than analytical) up to puberty. It is a not a long read.
Have you seen the schedules at Simply Charlotte Mason?
I'm going to try to find a copy of this, thank you! I signed up for the SCM email for beginners back in August but had a hard time with them. They were just so.. precious. I remember the first one starting out painting this amazing picture of kids waking up early and bounding out of bed to get their chores done because they just couldn't wait to get to their schoolwork. It made everything sound so rosy and glorious, and while I'd love for that to happen in my home, I'm also aware that there are kids who aren't going to bound out of bed for anything, especially school, and that there will always be challenges. She made it sound like CM would solve all your problems. So I had a bit of trouble with that and kind of discounted SCM, but I was hasty and will go back and look at their website more.
Just a quick thought for the OP. Over at the Circe website there's a series of podcasts about Charlotte Mason called The Mason Jar by Cindy Rollins. She put her youngest in high school this year after following CM for her children. He went into the honors program. In one of the podcasts, she interviews Anne White, an AO advisory member, who put her kids in high school. I've really enjoyed listening. They're helpful, informative, and inspiring. They might answer your first question.
Thank you! I'll be looking for these.
I think I may have been too hard on myself. We do many of the things you all are describing - we have a morning meeting time (since my kids are older we are not allowed to call it 'circle time' anymore!) where we do memory work, Bible reading, Shakespeare, poetry, artist and composer study, geography and math drills. The geography and math drills are pretty drill and kill, so I don't think they qualify, but the other subjects do. We read and narrate a lot. But we don't do folksongs and nature study is a challenge, in large part because we live in Minnesota and despite CM's saying you can still do nature study in winter, it gets tough when winter lasts six months and nothing is changing outside.
I want to say again how much I appreciate everyone taking time to answer with such detail. I'm bookmarking this thread and will be looking into the resources you've suggested. Thank you!
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If that were on my facebook, I'd have a hard time not replying...
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Starbucks cup rant
in The Chat Board
Posted
Ok, so the whole cup thing is ridiculous, no debate there. However, I disagree that evangelicals are anti-Semitic as a rule. The FB friends I have who are opposing the red cup are largely Evangelical, yes, but they're not doing it because of "The Jews". I doubt any of them know the owner of Starbucks is Jewish. They're just… easily ruffled.