SW in IL
-
Posts
431 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by SW in IL
-
-
If someone in my house had to get up early, I wouldn't mind that they went to bed while I was still out as long as they'd answer the phone in case of an emergency. Also, when I'm out much past when other people in the house go to bed, I don't mind if they go to sleep.
But if I'm going ot be home around their normal bedtime or sligtly later (say half an hour to an hour) AND when they don't have to be alseep in order to get up the next day to go to work or whatever, I end up feeling like they don't care if I get home safely when it wouldn't be that much of an inconvenience for them to stay up.
Coloring my view, however, is the fact that our home phone doesn't work properly and the people in the house are likely to sleep through the whimpered half ring it usually gives off. Also, I'm out past anyone else's bedtime so rarely, that I don't feel like it's too much to ask that they wait until I'm safely home maybe twice a year.
Sue
-
I was reading a thread on a non-homeschool related board that started as being about the economy and capitalism that turned into a discussion about how hard it is now-a-days to get a job if you don't have a college degree. And it really got me to thinking...
Around here (suburban Chicago), many people I know are finding themselves in a similar situation to mine... Middle-aged wives (or former wives) who truly expected more from life. Many of us were sent to college in order to find a husband, and most of us did. We settled down figuring that we could always get a job once we raised the kids - without a college degree.
Then the kids grow up (or at least get older), the husband goes off in search of a newer model, and the wife is stuck.
When my husband was working and I was staying home with my son and taking care of my elderly mother, I was the envy of most of my friends. And, I admit, I put on a good act. But my husband spent more than half the time unemployed and has always been unable to save. The result is that now he's 62 and has maybe $1,000 between what's in his bank accounts and his retirement account. He's also unemployed. Oh, and he wants a divorce.
So here I am, in my mid 40's, still trying to raise a teenage son (my first husband's son... no child support) and take care of my elderly mom, with virtually no income (my husband sends me $50 a couple of times/month), little college education, and no job skills worth mentioning.
I think it's also how you were raised. Mine was a white middle-class family living in a middle-class to upper-middle class area for the latter part of my childhood. During my earlier years, we were considered rich... Only later did I realize that by staying in a declining area, working hard and saving money, were my parents able to buy a home in a much better area. My father worked to support the family, my mom stayed home and raised me. Most of my friends and cousins were raised the same way. My parents made it perfectly clear that was how it should be. It was a real shock when I found out that wasn't how other middle-class families lived.
Now, I'm forced to wonder whether those girls who didn't find a husband in college and who ended up getting a college degree instead of a marriage license are really the lucky ones.
Sue
-
I think I'm in the same boat as you, Kris. Whatever it is, isn't bad, but I'm not sure what it is. The last time I was at the doctor, I was so rushed (both by the doctor and by circumstances), that I totally forgot to ask him about that. A friend said it might be athlete's foot... But I've never heard of it getting into toenails so I'm not sure I really accept that explanation.
Maybe I ought to do a bit of research on the Internet. If it is Althlete's Foot, then there are a lot of OTC products. I browsed through them last week but didn't buy any.
I'm interested to see what others have to say.
Sue
-
We did at least 6 months of buying about almost all organic but then finances caused us to cut back to the point that we now rarely buy organic. Pretty much everything other than fresh produce is bought on sale at the local grocery stores. The Organic stores are quite a drive, and with the price of gas it's prohibitive to make the trip. Mostly I simply can't afford to pay the $1.29 for bananas that it cost at Whole Foods the last time I was there (several months)... And There was a brand of hummus that was $2.99 at Whole Foods and the same size and brand was around $1.50 at the local grocery (very small organic section).
We do buy at Farmer's Markets or farm stands when we have the chance. Otherwise, we buy most of our fresh fruits and veggies at local produce stores... Come to think of it, we also buy much of our meat there. I'm sure it's not organic, but it's affordable and that has to take precedence when money is as tight as it is now.
And, to be honest, I didn't see or feel any personal/family benefits when we were eating almost strictly organic.
SW in IL
-
Please forgive me if this subject has been dicussed into the ground. If it has, I never paid any attention because it never concerned me before. We've never lived anywhere that's had a septic tank.
A friend lives in a very small town (population anywhere from around 200 people to 500 people depending on which count you believe) and they have a septic tank. Their tank is backed up, and I'm trying to understand what he's talking about. He says that they can't use the toilet or take a shower. From what I've gathered, the tank is there to collect the waste, and every so often it needs to be pumped out. And if it isn't pumped out, the waste backs up into the house?
Is there a way to know when it's getting close to becoming full? What happens if it's not pumped when it needs to be? What are the health hazards of letting it back up?
Thanks,
Sue
-
We have 20 or so of the Eyewitness series books. I used to try to buy whatever books in the series that corresponded to what we were studying or to my son's interests.
He perused the books quite a bit more from about 8 to 11 years old. The text was just enough to spark his interest or to help him decide that he really wasn't interested in pursing that particular piece of information. We found that the content was factual but there was never enough of it. On the other hand, my son was often distracted by all the pictures/images and felt that the books were too 'busy.'
I still do collect the books when I find them cheap at garage sales, but I no longer find that they're worth spending much money on. My son is now almost 14, so I think it depends alot on the ages of your children as to whether they're worth buying or not.
Just my 2 cents
Sue
SW in IL
-
We've been switching around programs pretty much since we started homeschooling (DS has always been homeschooled). It seems that we've tried pretty much every math program out there at some point or other with varying degrees of success. The last few include Singapore, Saxon and (currently) AOP LIFEPACs.
My son hates all the programs. He's not being at all specific as to why. It's not that he doesn't 'get it' or at least I don't think it is. When I sit down with him he does pretty well. But DS is almost 14 and is currently doing 4th grade math.
He wants to use a different program and mentioned Teaching Textbooks because a friend is using one (Algebra, maybe). I was hoping that some of you who have used/are using this program can tell me a bit more about it... And, especially, how does it work with smart but reluctant learners.
Thanks,
Sue
SW in IL
-
Hey everyone,
It's been a while since I've been able to post on the boards but I've been visiting often to see what everyone is up to. I now find myself with a problem that I hope y'all can help me with.
My son is 13 years old (14 in less than a month). At age 5 he was diagnosed with Type 1 (Juvenile or Insulin-Dependent) Diabetes. He also has ADHD and is on Ritalin-type medication. The ADHD meds are more to even out his activity level and appetite and therefore help keep his blood sugar under better control. He has always been homeschooled.
Recently he has started using his Diabetes as a way to... well, I'm not quite sure how to put it... Gain control of situations... Get his way. He lies about what he eats, lies about taking his insulin shots, lies about testing his blood. This spins out of control to where he literally makes himself sick. I then am able to step in and again get his blood sugars under control until the next time.
Last week we had an appointment with his pediatric endocrinologist (diabetes doctor). His a1c (a test of the level of his blood sugars over the past 3 months) showed higher than it's ever been. He flat out told his doctor that he refuses to let me help to take care of his diabetes and he resents even gentle reminders (to do his blood, give himself his insulin injections... anything). His doctor has agreed that he needs to be responsible for his own self-care, mistakes and all, even if it means going through 'episodes' like the one we had yesterday. His doctor has also said that kids at around his age tend to 'use' the diabetes to rebel.
Last Wednesday, his bike got stolen. I was very matter of fact when he told me. I didn't punish him or 'get on his case,' but I did tell him (truthfully) that we can't afford to buy him another bike right now. And there's a good chance it might be next summer before we can afford it.
He seemed to take it well until Sunday morning when he was sick. Come to find out that he hadn't checked his blood sugar in 4 days (though he lied about it and said he'd checked it that morning... He only has one working meter and the time and date are set properly and it keeps the last 100 readings), and hadn't given himself an insulin injection the night before, maybe even longer. He wouldn't talk to me about anything but did admit to a friend of the family that he did it because I 'refused' (his word) to buy him a new bike. It took all day Sunday to get his blood sugars back down and he still has ketones in his urine. I was on the verge of having to run him to the ER, which we really can't afford because we have no insurance. And, of course, I'm scared that one day he'll kill himself or that all these episodes (and there have been several) will cause complications. We have talked about that, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on his thinking.
So where do I go from here? I have a message in to one of the nurses at the hospital where he goes for his diabetic care, but other than that I'm at a loss. I'm even scared to punish him knowing that there's a good chance he'll just pull the same thing.
Any advice?
Thanks,
Sue
SW in IL
I don't currently have regular access to email
S/O Why universal health care frightens me
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
and I had to choose whether I'm going to buy him a birthday cake or buy myself an inhaler for my asthma. The birthday cake won out.
In any country, people shouldn't have to make these kinds of choices. And it's not just those who don't have insurance. Although I don't have health insurance coverage on myself, we have coverage on my son and I can't afford the deductibles. My son is having to reuse "1 use only" insulin syringes because I can't afford the deductible on a new box at the same time as I have to get 2 different insulins and test sensors so he can test his blood.
That's just unacceptable.
But, at the same time, I realize that in order for Universal Health Care to be considered, there must be a way to pay for it. As True Blue pointed out, as long as we don't restrict illegal immigration there's just no way.
Sue