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Entropymama

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Posts posted by Entropymama

  1. For ds14 and dd12 - both went through Prima Latina in early elementary, then got about halfway through Getting Started with Latin in late elementary before going to a Classical school for a year (so they got daily Latin there). 

     

    I've just brought them back home (from a regular school, so no Latin this year) and am trying to figure out where to put them. I'd thought I'd use Latin Alive, but it's kind of pricey. Is it worth it? Is there anything else good for middle schoolers with a decent amount of prep? It's not going to be a main subject for us, so I'd like to do 20-30 minutes three times per week. 

  2. My dd recently turned 16 and has just finished driver's ed. I was absolutely appalled that the driving portion of the class was to be her and a driving instructor, alone in a car, for two hours at a time. Going who knows where with someone I had never met. Even more disturbing was the fact that nobody else seemed bothered by it. Other parents simply shrugged and said that was how it had always been done, and when I called to ask if I could ride along with them, the employee acted like I was being ridiculous. We ended up getting a female driving instructor, which was better, but the whole thing was just bizarre. How, in our current culture and climate, could anyone think it was okay to put a 15 year old girl in that situation? And why am I being vilified for being uncomfortable about it? 

     

     

    • Like 12
  3. We recently moved to MN. I've lived in 10 different states all over and never heard of hot dish until we got here.

     

     

     We moved here six years ago! Welcome!

     

    I think hot dish is a decidedly MN phrase, bleeding over a bit into WI and IA. 

     

    Incidentally, although I am a firm supporter of 'duck, duck, goose' (being from the PNW), 'duck, duck, grey duck' is actually more accurate. The game originated in Sweden as 'anka, anka, grattanka' - literally 'duck, duck, grey duck'. Lots of Swedes moved to MN, so they got the proper translation. 

  4. I have a 16, 14 and 12 year old. They have all gone through a phase where they had outgrown toys and pretend but not yet found what they wanted to do. There were lots of days of 'boredom'. But they outgrow it, they find interests. I did offer lots of activities and ideas, but that transition is hard and it takes time. 

  5. If the responses on this thread are indicative of public and professional opinion in general, I can't say an answer to the epidemic is forthcoming. 

     

    Many are saying that there is an epidemic, that opioids are overprescribed, that too many doctors write prescriptions like handing out candy. 

     

    Many are also saying that it's cruel to cut off a supply of opioids that are unnecessary or being used improperly, and that too many people are unable to get the pain meds they actually need. 

     

    This dichotomy is why a solution is so difficult. 

    • Like 5
  6. I don't know about the sit down test that Laura posted as I didn't read much about it but the sitting to the floor and standing test isn't a random thing but based on longevity and mortality research with seniors. 

     

     

    Here's an article about the stand up from the floor thing: http://discovermagazine.com/2013/nov/05-sit-down

     

    I remember the first time I heard about it, the instructor said that if you score an 8 or higher, you'd be dead in five years. That was a little extreme, obviously, but there's a significant connection between strength, balance and flexibility (which are measured by this) and mortality. 

     

    I'm 37 and did the chair test in 11 seconds, but was surprised how wobbly I was. I should really get back into yoga. 

  7. Okay. Work with me here. I'm really trying to understand. :)

     

    Here's how I saw it. When Louise was playing with very young Hannah with "tickle guns", she had a wedding ring on.

     

    Then when Hannah is school age and shows Louise the picture of her parents together, Louise says "its ok to be sad that your dad and aren't..." and Hannah says basically, 'I'm not sad. Its just a picture.' (to me it sounded like they recently split up.)

     

    Finally, Louise has a conversation with Hannah (again, school-age) while they are by the lake and Hannah says her dad doesn't look at her the same. Louise says, 'that's my fault. I told him something he wasn't ready to hear. He thinks I should've made a different choice.' To me indicating that she told him what was going to happen to Hannah around that time and he left her.

     

    When Hannah is a teenager and asks her mom about non-zero-sum game, Louise acts a little defensive telling her to call her dad the scientist but then changes her tone and kindly tells her the answer. Seemed like they were divorced there.

     

    In Hannah's diagnosis, treatment, and death scenes Louise is alone. Wouldn't Ian have been with her if she didn't tell him and they were still together?

     

    So where does the movie explicitly say she DIDN'T tell him? She didn't tell him when she asked if he would change anything about his future if he knew what would happen. She didn't tell him when he asked her to have a baby. But again, to me it seemed like she waited until Hannah was older to tell him.

     

    I thought the whole point of the movie was that life and love are about moments of time. Memories. Not about the destination. So Louise chose NOT to change anything and let it all happen. Hannah, telling Ian, him leaving, and Hannah's death.

     

    Guys, this is driving me crazy!! What am I missing?? Is it something in the story not in the movie? Help! :)

     

     

    This thread inspired me to watch the movie, which I did this morning. Thank you! It was marvelous and now I'm going to read the book. 

     

    Here's my take: All the visions of the future happened to Louise while she was interacting with the aliens. It's possible that she could make different choices to change the future, thus making the visions inaccurate. So maybe she went ahead and let things ride and the visions stayed the same, or maybe the visions caused her to make changes and therefore the future was different. 

     

    I really love that it leaves us to make conclusions. Either scenario seems possible based on what the movie gives us. 

    • Like 1
  8. As for cost, I'd weigh the cost of the mortgage vs the cost of transportation if you drive into town a lot. I doubt it's comparable, but it would be worth checking. 

     

    As for space ... we moved into a larger house, closer to stores, activities, etc, with the same number of bedrooms and an extra family room. The space is nice. But I do miss the 'country' and would probably trade to a smaller house with a large, safe, wooded yard for my kids to be crazy in. Just my two cents. 

     

    (We also have six kids, ages 16-3)

  9. Rebooted dishwasher. 

     

     

    I didn't know you could do such a thing! You must have a very high tech dishwasher. 

     

    My day: 

     

    Kids to school - done!

    Dinner in crock pot - done!

    Visit with friend - done! 

    Pay bills - done! 

    Place curriculum order - done!

     

    To do:

     

    Figure out how next week (first week back hsing) is going to go. 

    Have panic attack about bringing kids home. 

    Call DH and have anxious phone conversation. 

    Pray. 

    Feel better. 

    Wash face. 

    Pick up kids from school. 

    Dinner. 

    Church. 

    • Like 6
  10. First, the 911 operator has no say in where the ambulance takes you. They just dispatch first responders. 

     

    Yes, patients (or their parents) can request a particular facility. They may be denied that request for a number of reasons - the paramedics feel the level of trauma requires a particular facility, the requested facility is too far away. 

     

    Yes, there are 'for profit' ambulance companies that are not affiliated with hospitals but will pick up patients and transport them. Sometimes they are county based, like sheriffs, sometimes they are actual companies that have contracts with counties/cities. I do not know if they will only transport to certain facilities. I suppose it is possible. 

     

    It isn't always the nearest facility, it's usually the nearest facility that can provide adequate care. Things like insurance coverage can influence this (if the nearest facility isn't in network, for example). 

     

    I very much doubt a facility's reputation plays into where ambulance drivers who have the autonomy to choose take a patient. It would be hard to justify to your superiors that you drove an extra 20 minutes because you've heard stories about such and such a place that was closer. 

    • Like 1
  11. CW--my Dad was a journalist,and we lived on his salary, in Washington DC and my parents owned a house. He was raised working class during the depression and we lived frugally ( but not poverty level--we had occasional weeks at the beach and one trip to Disneyland and a summer pool membership). One persons idea of a necessary lifestyle is not another's

     

    But I get it--where I live folks spend so much on extracurriculars that it begins to look normal. I think that has a lot to do with why she thinks it is normal--everyone around her does it.

     

    Marrying can't be a financial plan bc you can't count on getting married.

     

    Yes, this. DH makes a very good salary for his line of work, and our kids have all kinds of perks that I never had growing up - last summer they all had season passes to a local amusement park, they wear Nikes and own iPads. We own a large, if older and a bit of a fixer upper, home and three cars. We are not flush, we have to say no to a lot of things, and we won't be paying for college, but we are definitely not poor. We live in an area where all the kids play several sports and get private music lessons and take family vacations to Florida over spring break and out of the country in the summer. My kids feel we are less well off because their perception of normal is skewed in an upper middle class direction. 

     

    I think this same issue of perspective is at work with 20-somethings who live in big cities. When everyone else is doing it, it seems normal, and I imagine it sounds insane to live off ramen and never go out with your friends. I agree that it might make one a bit of a pariah, and maybe it's not worth it. 

    • Like 2
  12. The crazy part to me is the student loan bit. She owes 8,000 pounds, but spends 900 per month on eating out and other frivolities. At that rate she could be out of debt in (probably, depending on what her student loan payment is) 8 or 9 months. That would reduce her expenses and allow her to save more, plus she could qualify for a higher mortgage loan. So, go really frugal (write about it!) for a little while and put yourself in a better financial position. She could potentially even write an ebook about how she got out of debt on a low end salary and make a little money. 

     

    I don't know. When dh and I were in our early 20's, we were poor, like on government assistance poor. And we had a couple little kids. I can't imagine spending like this, but that's more because of my personal experience/family culture than anything. 

    • Like 2
  13. ^^^ yes my friends in virtual charters here get 2500 per year for high school :) and free access to a huge textbook repository

     

     

    Yes, when we lived in CA we got so much money. It was fantastic. 

     

    I am feeling much more confident, thank you to everyone who has chimed in! I've learned in the last week that our district allows homeschooled students in grades 6-12 to take up to two classes at the middle or high school free, plus join the band and play sports. That's taken a lot of pressure off. We don't have to use the classes, but if I get stuck I have that resource to lean on. 

     

    I'm bookmarking this thread to come back to. Thanks again!

    • Like 7
  14. I am jumping back into homeschooling with my younger boys, and I am trying to figure out the progression of TWTM language arts materials. My copy of TWTM is (I think) the 2nd edition and doesn't include thing WWS or grammar for the Well Trained Mind (GFTWTM?  :laugh: ) Plus, I can't remember how or when we used FLL and WWE with my now 7-10th graders oh so long ago. 

     

    So how does it work? FLL 1 in 1st grade and 2 in 2nd grade ... are there FLL3 and 4 now? 

     

    WWE ... does this start in first grade? 

     

    I have a new copy of TWTM coming, but it is taking its sweet time and I'm anxious. 

  15. The older I get, the longer I want to live.

     

    100 doesn’t sound nearly as old as it used to when I was younger. Now that I’m 54, I think another 50 years or so sounds just about right.

     

    Like others have already mentioned, I want to be healthy and have my family near me. I’m trying to maintain a positive outlook on aging. :)

     

     

    I find this to be true, too. My dad died a few years ago at 61, and it put a lot of things into perspective. I'm 37; if I died at 61 I'd only have 24 years left and that seems like an awfully short time. Even if I made it to 70, that's only 33 years - less time ahead of me than behind. So yes, I'd like to live to be quite old, given the health factor. 

     

    Genetically speaking, my mother's side has longevity (her parents are 93 and 91 and independent) but my father's side not so much. I wonder which side I take after, but of course there's no way to know. 

     

    My grandparents have buried two of their children, so that's a sobering thought.

    • Like 2
  16. I am not sure what would be confusing or dishonest about that statement.

    Let's say the vaccination rate for a disease is 95%, meaning 5% of the cohort is not vaccinated.

    If 20% of those who catch the disease have not received the vaccination, it is easy to see that not receiving the vaccination significantly increases the likelihood of being infected.

    Not to mention the benefits of a high vaccination rate lowering the spread of the disease and generally lowering the total number of cases among the entire population.

     

     

    The bolded is where the confusion lies. I understand that if 1,000 people are the sample, and 5% did not get vaccinated, that means we have 950 vaccinated people and 50 unvaccinated people. Let's say 100 of those contract whatever disease we're discussing. 20% of those who contract the disease were unvaccinated, so 20 out of 50. 80% were vaccinated, so 80 out of 950. When you break it down like that, obviously there is a much higher rate of the disease among unvaccinated people, right? 

     

    But that's not how it's portrayed by many alternative-style outlets. Instead, they say, "Look, only 20% of people who got XYZ were unvaccinated. That means 80% of people who got the disease had the shot! So you're more likely to get the disease with the vaccination." 

     

    And if it's not explained clearly, it's very easy for people to be confused. 

    • Like 3
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