KJB
-
Posts
746 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by KJB
-
-
DH is out of town.
7:00 am I got up and made coffee for me and cocoa for the kids. I also packed a snack for my little kids and poured some cereal for their breakfast.
7:30 am I woke up four older children to get dressed and eat. Baby woke up around this time, too. I dressed my younger children, got them to eat, and then brush their teeth and get their rain coats on. Rain again!
8:00 am I took 4 and 6 year old to their German school.
8:25 I returned home and took a look at both of older two kids' planners for the week. I noticed I needed to correct math from Friday and plan history and science for the week. I corrected papers and planned the week's work until around 9:30. While I planned, dd 12 took an algebra quiz and ds 10 worked on his spelling workout lesson.
The baby played in the playpen during this time. She played throw out all of the toys and scream until they're returned to her. It was quite a match. She won, of course.
9:35 DS10 corrected his mistakes from his math. He went on to do a fact practice sheet and the first 15 of the next lesson. He's working on a Geometry unit so he spent some time drawing angles and measuring them after he finished his lesson. DD and I reviewed her quiz and the next lesson. She went on to do the odds.
10:30 DD began to work on her History and DS read his science.
10:50 DD left to go to the middle school for PE. DS finished his science and began the first history pocket for ancient Egypt.
11:00 I gave baby a snack and dressed her for the weather. Baby and I left to pick up DD4 and DS 6. DS 10 stayed home alone working on his history pocket.
11:45 The three littler children and I returned home. DS 10 was out playing with the dog. DS6 and DD4 joined him while I fixed lunch. They all came in soaked!
12:00 Lunch began (chicken nachos made with leftover shredded chicken taco meat from the day before) and I threw in a load of laundry and did the breakfast dishes. DS took out the garbage. The kids changed into dry clothes!
12:45 My older daughter returned from PE. She ate lunch. I got my ds 6 and dd 4 to do their HWT. DS 6 then did his Funnix 2 on the computer and DD practiced writing her name. I then did math with DS 6. Baby took a nap!
Meanwhile....
1:00 DD 12 and DS 10 did their Latin together. Then they took turns practicing piano and they each did a grammar lesson. Then, DS 10 read his book (GIC Moby Dick) and DD read her Science and worked on her analogies cd.
3:30 I took older two kids to swim practice with the younger three in tow.
3:45 Younger kids and I returned home. DS 6 played on the computer and DD 4 watched Peter Pan and fell asleep.
6:15 We picked up older two from the pool. We came home, and I fixed pancakes, orange slices, and bacon for dinner.
7:15 All the kids showered/bathed and baby went to bed. We read aloud two chapters of The Shakespeare Stealer and two stories from a Christmas book that dd 4 wanted to hear.
8:00 Everyone went to bed. Older two kids read, ds6 listened to Jim Weiss, dd 4 and baby fell asleep right away.
8:30 I folded my load of laundry and did the dishes. I read my book for about an hour.
9:45 I checked email and then I began wasting time on the internet....
-
I have one child who is high intensity and always has been. I have 5 kids total. She is number 4.
She's a firecracker. She's going to set the world on fire. Literally, I sometimes fear. LOL
Anyway. When she was 2 she was as you describe.
I notice that your other two children are older. Since I have an 11 year age spread between my youngest and oldest, I can relate to that as well.
A few thoughts. YMMV and all of that.
First, the age spread thing is an issue, imo.
You've done the toddler work. You were in toddler mode a decade ago. Now, you have compliant, reasonable, logical humans to deal with *and* a toddler. It makes you think, hmmm, I have these kids over here doing what I ask, and this one over here that's insane. So be careful that you are not expecting too much of the little one because you've been lulled into the older kid parent mode too much.
Also, on that note, when your older two were little, you weren't dragging them to siblings activities. Instead, life was about them and their little toddler activities. It can make the younger child seem less compliant because you're actually asking more of her than you did of your elder children.
And, one more. Now, you are not the only one witnessing insane toddler behavior, but your older kids are too. If your older children are like mine, they don't waste any time letting you know that their younger sibling is a monster. Now, you have to keep in mind that the older sibs are kids themselves and they really don't understand (or care!) about how toddlers relate to the world. They just see the younger sib as a pain cramping their style or causing trouble for Mom. When the older kids were younger, you didn't have the peanut gallery around, which may have made things seem easier.
So enough about the older kids.
I deal with my high intensity child with tons of love and very little attention to her drama. When she goes into fit mode, which is increasingly rare, I ignore her. When she's calm, I love her up. I cuddle her, read to her, make cookies, and make sure she's getting enough exercise to release some of her intensity. This works well at 4.
When she was 2, I was in survival mode. 2 year olds just aren't rational. You can't threaten them. You can't bargain. You can't talk them out of their insanity. You can't love them through it. Nothin'. All you can do is wait it out and keep them safe.
If my 2 year old was refusing to do something, I'd just do it for them. In the case of the shoes, I'd put them on the child or carry the child to the car in one arm and the shoes in the other. I wouldn't discuss it or ask twice. "Put on your shoes. We have to take brother." The tantrum wouldn't phase me. We certainly wouldn't discuss it.
In the case of breakfast, I wouldn't care if she ate only one bite. Breakfast is over when you get up from the table. The food goes away until the next meal. If you're hungry, too bad. Snack is at 10.
I think a 2 year old (even an almost 3) is too young for a reward/sticker chart. They really don't care that much and aren't able to see clear enough cause/effect relationships to have it benefit them that much.
2 is very very young. She's just a big baby. She's acting like a big baby. Baby her. Don't expect her to be reasonable. Don't negotiate with her. When you see her shaking her little fist, realize that *rational* people don't do stuff like that. There is nothing you can do/should do/are able to do to make her more mature. Make her do what you need her to do and save trying to figure her out for when she's a little older.
A lot of the responses here just don't seem appropriate for a child this so very young. You can read all the books you want. They won't make her 5.
JMHO
(And if I sounded preachy, it's only because I've BTDT for the past 4 years and I'm just now pulling out....I wish someone had told me how helpless I really was all that time when I thought I was just doing it wrong with this particular child. I could tell you stories that would curl your hair about how my dd used to behave. It was nothing short of depressing. It will get better. You're afraid it won't because she came to you in a unique way. It's OK to be a little afraid, but temper that with some faith that she's just 2 and it's OK for her to still be a baby.:grouphug:)
-
My one year old sleeps from 12:45ish until maybe 1:30 or 2. She goes to bed at 7:30ish and gets up around 7:30.
She would be happy to skip the afternoon nap, but I would not be so happy. So, she naps.
DD's night routine is a cinch, but it's only because of consistency. She slept with me until about 4 mos, then moved to her crib. I've been putting her down at the same time with the same routine since 4 months. She used to get nursed before bed, but she's weaned now. She eats dinner, takes a bath, has her sippy cup of milk while I read, and then she goes to bed. I walk in, turn off her lights, talk to her about night night time, sing a little song, and lie her down 100% awake. She fusses for about 5 minutes and then nods off.
I'm kind of no nonsense about bedtime. People need sleep. I need down time. My kids (all 5) go to bed. Nobody complains because that's just what we do. We haven't ever had a night time problem or a stay in bed issue.
I would encourage you to adopt a take no prisoners attitude. Decide what the routine is going to be and stick to it. He'll protest, freak out, act like he's being tortured for a bit, and then he'll sleep. And you'll be glad you did it. You absolutely do not need to spank him (doesn't sound like something that would relax the poor little guy), you just need to be consistent about a bedtime and routine that you decide upon ahead of time.
Stay strong sister.
-
Chicken tacos!
(And an amazing cherry kuchen for dessert courtesy of our community kuchen festival!)
-
How much time does dd have?
Stink Alley by Jamie Gilson is a fairly quick read and does a good job expressing the worldview of Bradford and the early pilgrims.
http://www.amazon.com/Stink-Alley-Jamie-Gilson/dp/0688178642
-
I'll give a practical solution for you.
Test your child at the end of first grade with whatever standardized test you like. Take the results and find the weaknesses in your teaching and fill them.
My goal is to meet state standards *and* provide a classical education. It doesn't have to be one or the other. My kids (12, 10, 6, and non-testers 4, and 1) test beautifully and have been on the neo-classical ed route since kindergarten.
I found when I tested my eldest way back after first grade that she needed more work with maps and reference materials so I mended that by throwing in a workbook or two that focused on these skills. I attributed this gap to lack of focus on "social studies" in favor of world history. And, she still tested well above average in this area, but it was a relative weakness and something easy to remedy.
After you get back wonderful test scores, you can think about how much more your child knows that wasn't even on the test. It's a great feeling.
-
Thanks for all the replies!
We're on week two and besides the first three days when my 6 year old begged me to "sign me down" they're doing great!
They've picked up a few words, made a friend each, and enjoyed the free play and outdoors time which is ample.
So far so good.... Whew!
-
Thanks to all!
We went with LL Bean's discovery rainwear and I found some athletic looking black gym shoes for ds at dancewear solutions!
Big sigh of relief!!
-
Forgive my ignorance.
-
for a little boy size 13/1 or so....
I have to be able to buy online and if they ship quickly and to an apo ae address I'd be extra happy. I'd prefer they look boyish if possible and not like a girl's shoe in a dark color, if that makes sense. (They need to look slightly different than my 4 year old's pink ballet shoes which are the traditional style....)
Also, I need to buy little kid's rain pants somewhere online....
Anyone have the magic google touch or know of where to get this kind of stuff?
Thanks in advance!!
-
Wait until the end of September. I've heard (very unofficially, could be wrong) that they are going to upgrade them sometime next month and add in features like a camera and possibly a GPS.
-
The comic book industry has changed as its primary audience has matured. Many titles ARE very mature, and it is hard to figure out which ones are "PG" rated and which ones are almost "R" rated because there are so many different X-Men and Batman series out there. Some Batman books are innocent and some are very dark, violent and full of "adult situations". I don't read them myself, but am married to them -- my dh is an artist for DC Comics and there are some of his works he wouldn't let the kids read.
I agree with happygrrl that you need to make friends with someone in your neighborhood comic book store so that you can find the wonderful comics that truly are out there. Many of the "silver age" and "bronze age" comics are cleaner and more innocent than the current titles, though the women have always been in their tight costumes. Many of the earlier titles are reprinted in collections, which is what we gave our kids to read when they were growing up. There are also some great small press titles that you won't find at Borders, and there are Christian comic publishers -- they are just a bit hard to find.
The story of the X-Men is actually positive -- they are "gifted" kids who are don't fit into society but are given a home and training because of Professor X who teaches them to use their powers for good. Fantastic 4 was my husband's favorite while growing up, and Spiderman is always great, too.
I do have a recommendation for a current series called Mouse Guard, drawn and written by David Peterson. It is very much like the Redwall books as it features woodland animals who wield swords and shields. The artwork is beautiful and the stories are good, and the artist happens to be a terrific guy.
Thanks for this post. My daughter has been writing a series of comics for girls based on characters developed by DC Comics. Her heroine is a woman, of course, and the backstory relates to existing characters. She has a real love for the X-Men and you've made it easier for me to understand why.
Can I ask you, for her, how did your dh end up as an artist for DC Comics? My daughter is really caught up in her story line and has been working on it for a couple of years. I've wondered if she should pursue publishing it but I'm sure that is a very difficult process.
Thanks for any more information about your dh's career path. Dd would find it extremely interesting, I'm sure! (Feel free it PM me if you'd rather.)
-
Don't know if you already know this, but the Famous Men series can be downloaded as audio books for free from librivox.
http://librivox.org/newcatalog/search.php?title=Famous+Men+of&author=&status=all&action=Search
-
'In 1990-1992, only 11 deaths were reported. In 2004-2006, with the advent of air bags leading parents to place children in back seats instead of front seats, there have been at least 110"
Amazing -- unintended consequences, all from an effort to keep children safe.
I was thinking this, also, and I wondered if having infants rear-facing isn't also a contributing factor.
-
I don't know if this will encourage you or not, but I'll tell you what I just told my 12.5 year old dd.
Things are rough for teens and parents because they are supposed to be. If it was smooth sailing, you wouldn't want them to leave. And worse, they wouldn't want to leave. The ways they are challenging to you (lies, sneakiness, whatever) are nature's way of separating children from their parents.
It's too soon to call if you did a good job. You have to wait until they are into their 30s. If they're happy and productive then, your gold. If they still struggle, there are a lot of things out of your control (biology/genetics, circumstances beyond anyone's control, etc.) you can blame it on.
Your parenting mission shouldn't feel like a failure. You're deep in the trenches. You can't possibly have accurate perspective on what you've accomplished when you're so in the thick of your mission. You're running the last couple of miles of a marathon. You always feel deflated and like giving up when you're close to the end but exhausted and can't yet see the finish ribbon. Reach for one of those dixie cups of water and take a sip to refresh yourself. Have faith that the finish ribbon is there up ahead and push on.
If what you're really asking is how to be happy and feel productive, I would ask you what your special talents are and how you can use them to contribute to the world. Do for others (not that you don't) and you will worry less about yourself and your purpose, kwim?
:grouphug::grouphug:
-
I love Charlotte Jackson. I think it's lovely with your other daughter's names.
-
I would encourage her to use skype if she wants to call internationally. You can't beat the price. For family, she can prearrange a time to call regularly and then meet up on the computer at the same time.
-
Rent, don't buy, and give it a test run. If you buy, find one second hand since they depreciate wildly.
We've rented before and it gave us an idea of all the joys (easy to stop and camp anywhere, easy to eat and have a clean bathroom on the road) and hassles (cumbersome and sometimes difficult to take side trips on less traveled roads).
I think it depends on where you live and how much you'll use it. Also, once you have an RV you feel compelled to take trips with it, which might lessen your trips where you stay at nice hotels with room service! We've owned a trailer that we pulled from both up to and down from Alaska. We had marvelous trips and will be RV owners again once we live in the states. However, we have five kids and hotel rooms for our crew are expensive. We also like to be able to prepare our own food instead of relying upon
fast food on the road.
-
My two youngest children (4 and 6) are attending German kindergarten. Your children are the perfect ages. I have a good friend who has a daughter who started first grade in German school and now, two years later, she's fluent and reads the menus for us when we go out to eat! My friend's daughter is ahead in math since she started formal school at the typical American age of 6 where as German first grade begins at 7.
My two have picked up a lot of German but are still far from fluent. We've lived here two years and we've only just started German school. We moved locally and had a baby while here so we've been busy adjusting. I just recently have found a school I love and I think my children will do well.
There are some valid concerns about being bullied by German children and also a different cultural standard for discipline. German teachers tend to be no nonsense and sometimes rigid. They aren't as easy to work with as American teachers would be and they don't care for the over protectiveness of American parents relative to German parents. Just a few things to think about, but overall it's been a good experience for friends of mine and now for my two.
(My older two are 10 1/2 and 12 1/2 and I've chosen to keep them home. German school begins "tracking" in fourth grade and the language deficit is too great for them to track well, imo. My daughter attended German immersion camp the summer we arrived at the Goethe institute and both kids have picked up some German locally. Next year, both of them will participate part time in the Dodds system so that they can take German. We're at Bitburg/Spang, btw.)
-
If you take it, just be careful to not have it stolen.
Especially in Italy, but all over really, tourists are targeted and crime happens. I know dozens of people who have been pick pocketed and thefts of friends of mine include a nice camera that was removed from a camera bag worn around the neck of my friend. They were riding packed train and someone bumped her. She didn't notice the theft until she'd exited the train.
-
We moved here when my oldest was 5, and since then until now they have been in various classes where they have been the only westerners and often the only English speakers. They already had exposure to Arabic before going to a class, so they could understand basic commands, etc., but that was about it. I think their different teachers over the years have been really encouraging of them; they have been teased by other kids on occasion because their accents "sound funny", but the teachers have nearly always called the perpetrators out and commended my kids for putting themselves in an environment where they didn't know the language well.
I would assume most teachers would be supportive of a child in that situation; as far as dealing with the child, we have always told them to do the best they can, even if they can't understand everything right then it will come over time, and how brave they are for giving it their best, etc. There was some balking in the beginning, particularly by my oldest when he was younger, but it passed.
Not exactly the same situation as you, but hopefully helpful?
Thank you, Kate. This is exactly what I need to hear. I think his teachers will help ease the transition but they also seem to have a pretty rigid attitude regarding children's behavior.
My son is kind of used to being coddled by me (*guilty*) because he's #3 in the pack and he often feels left out of his older siblings activities since he's a good bit younger. I really need to step it up and realize that my role needs to be one of support not a ticket to escape when he finds out he has to go every day and they don't speak english. I have a feeling that he'll be ready to drop out by the third day. :001_huh:
I think I'll play up the brave angle. He'll like to hear that and it is very true.
-
In my experience, it has helped to tell teachers that I had one who had difficulties with transitions ahead of time. Not just with the initial transistion, but even in moving from one thing to the next, particularly if the one thing was fun. That way they could prepare my dc by mentioning it ahead of time and discussing what came next.
You're probably right. I just don't want to peg him as a problem when he really is usually well behaved.
It's a big decision to send him because he can be so sensitive. I don't want to miss the opportunity to develop his German, but I also don't want him to hate going every day. I need to brace myself to make him go even after he begins to balk, which I'm pretty sure he'll do. I know my other child will love it, so I'm hoping her influence will help ease the transition for him.
Thanks for your thoughts!
-
Part of being educated is realizing how much there is that you *don't* know.
IMHO.
-
It's too late to offer any more great ideas. Thanks for all the help!!!!!!!
Wall-e lives!!
Anyone want a great house in Baltimore?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Can you tell me about your school district and neighborhood? I have a friend moving to Baltimore this spring. She's looking for a house in a great school district with a safe neighborhood.
I'll forward the listing and your response to her.
Thanks!