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Denise in IN

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Posts posted by Denise in IN

    Thread merge fatalities?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    My DD (age 3) was admitted to the hospital for severe dehydration on Tuesday, after 4 days of non-stop vomiting, diarrhea and fever along with ongoing difficulty getting any kind of healthcare for my kids. We'd had 2 ER visits with other children (asthma complications and numb legs) in the last couple weeks because of the Ped's office inability to see the kids. My DS (age 5) also has Scarlet fever, and the other 2 kids also have fevers and sore throats. My DH was away for an Army school, and I wasn't sure he would be able to come home. It took 8 hours to reach him while I was trying to care for all my kids in the hospital room, and I was worried about leaving my DD3 at the hospital overnight alone since the other kids weren't allowed to stay. They DID allow him to come home, and he'll restart the school in a few weeks with no penalty. The next day he was required to return to the school to outprocess, and someone from his unit (that I didn't even know!) took my children while he did what was necessary.

     

    DD was released last night, a bouncy Tigger once again. :) The other kids are here at home, very sick, but we've started those who needed antibiotics and we're now on the road to recovery! DH was allowed to stay home with us while DD was in the hospital, and today for Dr and Pharmacy visits/wrapping up things, but will return to his regular duty tomorrow.

     

     

     

     

    Oh, my. This is a LOT! I noticed you weren't around, but I totally missed that your kids were sick. :sad: I can't imagine what that was like, by yourself in a new place! I'm glad everyone is on the mend Don't forget take care of yourself too! :grouphug:

    Where's Erica in PA been?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    :party: Really?! Now does she own a great dane? :001_unsure: :D

     

    Well, apparently the dog that belongs to Danestress is not a great dane!

     

    He's actually almost lazy for a 7 month old puppy of his breed (Belgian Sheepdog).
    :blink:

     

    Maybe her dog does this :drool5: or this :seeya: or even this :nopity:, but apparently he is NOT :Angel_anim:.

    Hi, it's me again, I need some more encouraging!

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Stacy, I would encourage you to focus on establishing a daily routine. Not necessarily a schedule, but a "list" of what's going to happen every day and in what order. Something like this: Breakfast, chores, schoolwork, 30 minutes free time after schoolwork is done. After lunch, read together 30 minutes, then quiet time for an hour. (Just a loose example.)

     

    Pick a few basic school subjects that you want to start with. You can add in the rest of what you want to do gradually, after you've established good routines and habits.

     

    After you decide on your school subjects and routine, talk with your kids about what your plans. Don't ask their permission or look for them to be excited. Just let them know your expectations. Then, most importantly, establish that until the schoolwork is completed, nothing else happens.

     

    When you're doing schoolwork and the bad attitude/whining hits, I would respond like this: "We're doing school right now, and I expect you to have a good attitude and cooperate. I don't have time to waste on bad attitudes and whining. You can sit at your desk and let me know when you're ready to do your work with a good attitude." Then I would walk away. Be close enough to monitor and deal with the child if needed, but don't try to talk them into cooperation, or "wait" on them. Just go on with your day. Work with your other children, take care of the little ones, do your housework. Be matter of fact and calm, but firm. And, btw, I would not let them have anything at their desk (or wherever they are) except for the schoolwork.

     

    We've had a lot of craziness in the last couple of years (building a house, moving), but we've been able to keep moving ahead with school, primarily because we had already established the expectation and routine of doing it every day. I still run into occasional bad attitudes, but I basically do what I outlined above. With four kids, I truly do not have time to coddle a child with bad attitudes. If they choose that path, they know their life will be rather boring and unpleasant. :cool:

     

    Hang in there. You can do this! The hardest part is forging a new path with different expectations. Kids are going to resist, it's more fun to do other things. :rolleyes: But you might be pleasantly surprised at how quickly they come around once they know that you're going to be firm.

    Poll about your husband's support for/attitude toward homeschooling

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I guess I should answer my own poll. :)

     

    My dh has agreed to let me homeschool, but it would not be his choice. His perspective: Public school is what's "normal", we live in a good school system, school worked for me. Therefore, my children would be best educated in the public school. He sees homeschooling as a good option for those who are in poor school systems or when a child isn't functioning well in the school setting.

     

    I often wonder if this issue has creates more of a wedge between us than I would realize. So much of my time and energy gets devoted to schooling (it's inevitable!), and then of course there's money that's spent on books and curriculum. I do try to be very aware of his expectations regarding education, so that (hopefully) he can feel confident that they're being educated well.

    Poll about your husband's support for/attitude toward homeschooling

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Two questions:

     

    What is your dh's attitude toward you homeschooling your children?

     

    If your dh is not completely supportive, do you think this issue has created a "wedge" in your relationship?

     

    I realize the exact wording doesn't work for everyone here....so if you're divorced/remarried, or for the guys here, feel free to answer this in the way that best fits your family situation!

     

    ETA: I just realized that this discussion could have the potential to go down a path that's against board rules: "No Spouse Bashing The Internet (and this site in particular) is not the appropriate place to complain about your husband (or wife) or to ask for marital counseling. Call a friend instead." That's not my intention at all! So please keep that in mind when answering, so that we can respect the intent of her guidelines.

    Prepping home for sale - replace appliances?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Since the dishwasher is fairly new, I probably wouldn't replace the it, as long as it works okay.

     

    I would replace the oven, since it's not fully functional and doesn't match the others. It would be worthwhile to spend the money for self-cleaning.

     

    Does the stovetop work well? If it does, I wouldn't replace it. Stoves can last a long time, so an old stove isn't a bad thing as long as it looks okay and works.

    Power outage last night...blessing in disguise...

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Did I say blessing? Okay, now our power company has updated our estimated time of power returning to 6pm...on TUESDAY! :eek::eek::eek: Guess we're staying here with my mom. Picture this...6 kids + 2 adults in addition to my folks in a 3 bedroom rancher w/ ONE extra twin bed. Umm...yeah. My grandmother lives next door and has an available double bed, but I sure hate bothering my 95 yr. old grandmother.

     

    OH MY! :eek: That's a long time to be without power! How much snow did you get?

     

    I'm glad you have a place to stay. Hopefully you can do some fun things...in the long run it may be a great family memory. I have fond memories of the times we were snowed in.

    Moms with boys attitude question

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    My older boys are 8 1/2 and 6 11/2. I would agree with what others have said about being consistent, not spanking, and the combo of giving consequence plus following up with talking about what's appropriate and why.

     

    I've found that it's easier for me to be consistent with giving consequences when I don't always have to be thinking up a consequence. I don't necessarily have a specific consequence for each specific kind of offense, but if I have a list of possibilities in mind or on paper it's easier. Some things we use as consequences: time in their rooms (they don't like to miss out on the action), loss of screen time, work, sentences.

     

    I find that when my boys are wound up, rowdy, or angry - basically the times that they're out of control (or borderline out of control), it works best for me to go to where they are and calmly talk to get their attention. If needed I will put my hands on their shoulders (or something along that line, but not a forceful action), just to help get their attention and help them calm down. I'm also working with them to respond to me the absolute first time I call their name (which they should be doing already, (sigh), but somehow we've gotten away from that).

     

    Hang in there - I think it's very important at this age for boys to start learning to recognize when they're getting aggressive or out of control and control themselves. And it's crucial that he learns to respect your authorities and boundaries at this age or it will be a huge struggle once you get closer to the teen years.

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