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Denise in IN

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Posts posted by Denise in IN

  1. Sk8ermaiden, I am so sorry for your loss.  

    Since you mentioned your discomfort with not doing anything, I just encourage you that you know yourself and your kids, and you know what helps you function well.  I know that I feel better when there is some routine in my life, and doing school is one thing that provides that routine for me.

    That being said, I would definitely focus on keeping realistic expectations with all you have going on.  Maybe decide on the basics or minimum that you want to do every day (perhaps math, reading, read-aloud), and then decide on the extras that you can add in on days when you have more time and energy for it.  Doing that can give you routine and accomplishment without adding constant overwhelm.  

     

    • Like 2
  2. You've been through so much this year..thankful the Lord has given you grace to keep moving forward and the support of good friends.  Your courage and resilience are amazing to me, but I know they are born out of hard, hard places.  I am hopeful for you that 2019 will be better all around.  (((Ottakee)))).

    • Like 1
  3. My oldest just finished his first semester at a local university.  He's in engineering, and has had a great first semester!  I'm really pleased and proud of how he stepped up and took ownership of his learning.  He's enjoyed it and it looks like he's going to get excellent grades - bonus!  

    I will say that it's validating to have my first graduate off to a good start at college.  I know why I'm doing this and believe it's best for our family, but man the doubts like to creep in through the high school years, especially when my kids struggle!  

    • Like 13
  4. We built our house, and when I realized how many stairs I would be lugging a vacuum up and down (2 floors plus a basement!), we put in a central vacuum pronto.  I love it and would not want to go back.  However, I have zero experience with pets in the house.

    • Like 1
  5. You've gotten some great advice and it sounds like you're developing some good strategies.  I'm just adding my support, saying a prayer for you and hoping that it is an enjoyable event.  This is your opportunity to create new "traditions" and make this event something that is truly enjoyable for YOU!

    • Like 3
  6. It seems like Google groups might work for you.  I've not managed a group, but belong to several that are used for group communication.  I think the administrator manages adding/removing people.  You can view everything online if you want to, but you can also receive, send, and respond to the e-mails without ever going to the google groups site.

  7. Lots of food.  Lots of sleep.  Lots of physical exercise.  LOTS of patience from the mother, but you don't need to accept rude, disrespectful, whining on and on, etc.  Calm, firm, direct, with as much humor as you can muster.  ?

    • Like 7
  8.  

    10 hours ago, southcactusrose said:

    Thanks so much everyone for your reviews.  I had not been able to find anyone who had taken his courses, so I didn't have a way to compare them to other classes I was considering for my children.  Sounds like they are extremely heavy in work load though as some of the courses I have found, would that be accurate?  

     

    I haven't compared it to any other classes, but my ds works about an hour a day (sometimes 1 1/2 hours, but that's not the majority), 5 days a week.

  9. 15 hours ago, plansrme said:

    My son is in biology, and we're also pleased.  I don't know how many students are in each class, but I definitely get the impression that Dr. Wile knows who is who.  My son is in eighth grade and going to a B&M high school next year, and I wanted him to have some outside accountability and to learn to study.  It has been very effective from that standpoint.  He also enjoys the class and is engaged in the lectures even though biology is not his passion.  Dr. Wile is a gifted teacher, and he handles the old earth/young earth division tactfully.  Bio requires that you buy the dissection kit as well as a few other things that we (1) get plenty of notice on; and (2) either have around the house or can get from the grocery story.  I don't know that it's the most intense biology class you could take, but that isn't at all what we were looking for.  If we were going to continue with homeschooling, I would definitely enroll my son in chem and/or physics next year.

    Sorry, I quoted the wrong post.  Deleting and trying again below.  :mellow:

  10. My ds is taking his Chemistry class this year.  I have been very happy with it.  

    It's a challenging class with a decent workload.  There's 1 1/2 hours of lecture/discussion every week, plus reading half the chapter, doing labs, writing lab reports, and taking a test every two weeks (they cover a module in two weeks).  Dr. Wile grades the lab reports and tests.  I am responsible to making sure he gets the work done and getting lab supplies. Other than that, it's been very hands-off for me.

    Edit to add:  The labs and tests have a due date (Friday night) every week.  Also, class time is available to watch on video if a students misses class.

    I decided to go with an online class because I felt my ds wasn't really engaging with science and needed a teacher who could engage and challenge him.  It has definitely accomplished that goal!  I don't think he'll be a chemist :wink:, but he enjoys the class, works hard on it, and has learned to write a good, thorough lab report.  

    • Like 1
  11. I'm 51, so right there with you on wanting to look good but not look like I'm trying to be a 20-something! 

     

    Some blogs that have really helped me:

     

    Get Your Pretty On

    Putting Me Together

    Now That I Can Do, Mama

    Jo-Lynne Shane

    Grace & Beauty - cyndispivey.com

     

     

    Some of these bloggers are mid-aged, some are a little younger, but all of them promote style that is doable for the average non-style savvy mom!  (that's me, for sure!)

     

    Of all of these, Putting Me Together is probably my favorite.

     

    Get You Pretty On & Putting Me Together do seasonal style challenges that give you a shopping list and about 40 days of outfits.  Both are good and totally worthwhile if you want step-by-step clear direction!  But you don't need to do a style challenge, you can get a ton of help from the blogs alone.

     

  12. Kathy Koch is great! I think I remember Margaret from CO mentioning that they are SILs. Andrew Pudewa is another good one. Ed Zacarro is the math guy I couldn’t remember up th

     

     

    I'm pretty sure it's Kathy Kuhl that is Margaret's sil.  I haven't been able to listen to her yet, but her seminars look good.  And Kathy Koch is exellent!

     

    I love the Classical Ed track:  Andrew Pudewa, Andrew Kern, Chris Perrin, Martin Cothran, Carol Reynolds.  They are all excellent speakers, and the classical panels are fun.  Janice Campbell is very good, as is Sarah Mackenzie.

     

    I'm also looking at Andrew Peterson, SD Smith (Green Ember author), and ND Wilson - their sessions look interesting, especially for anyone with an interest in writing.

     

    I can't go this year (dama performance weekend for one of my kids), but wow, looking at the speakers and workshops, I wish I could!  

    • Like 3
  13. I picked all the names and DH vetoed most of the ones I liked. He got less and less say the more kids we had, but I purposely chose names he wouldn’t hate, too.

     

    We are about the same.  I had a list of boys' names that I loved, and my DH vetoed ALL of them with the first baby.  :glare:   Then we went on to have two more boys...the last one was really hard to name!  With our daughter (4th child!), he consented to a name I loved, one that he probably would not have agreed to had she been our first.  Not complaining!   :laugh:   

     

    The bottom line for us was that we both had to agree to the name. I don't think I could live with it any other way.  Naming our boys was not the easiest process, but I'm happy that we found names we could both live with for the long run.

  14. You do NOT sound foolish, you sound logical, thorough, well-researched.  But I recognize how difficult it is to fight against set views of the medical establishment.  At any rate, I am praying for your appointment today and that God will connect you with the right people and treatments today and in the future.   :grouphug:

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