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UrbanSue

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Everything posted by UrbanSue

  1. I've rented from someone like your landlord except that he was also rich and locally powerful and well-known. Total. Nightmare. So, I feel for you. I'd assume you aren't getting a deposit back but I would cover your butt anyway while doing what you need to do to take care of your health. Investigate the problem causing as little damage as possible and take pictures before and after. He might go after you for more than your deposit but my guess is he won't formally sue you unless you are lying to us and you've really trashed the place :) I've never rented in VA but the law is typically firmly on the side of tenants. Look up your rights so you are well-versed but if he sends you a bill you can send back a nice, fat dossier of stuff and at least avoid giving him any more money. Also, to repeat someone else's question: have you had massive rain lately? Roof leaks can travel in weird ways. That would be my first guess, especially if there is old water damage below in the kitchen. We had a problem like this once and it turned out to be our tub leaking into our basement but the wet spot was showing up not in an obvious spot and it wasn't obvious that it was coming from the ceiling. We only figured it out based on the timing of the problem. Keep us posted!
  2. I'd get Keens. They will last three times longer and you can probably find them for twice the Payless price or maybe less. Hunt around online. I buy Keens for my kids because they last well enough to hand down and I always wait for at least a 20% off sale and then stack it with a 10% off rebate through ebates or something. Amazon also sometimes has great prices on certain colors.
  3. This. I would lean towards the combination many parents here use: Singapore and Miqon. I'd get Liping Ma's book for yourself and the grades 1/2 HIGs (or maybe Teacher Manuals?--they cost more but are designed for classroom use) and start educating yourself. If you like math and have homeschooled for 10 years you can probably figure out how to teach Singapore but it is a little different. My only complaint with Singapore is that it doesn't use C-rods. I'd at least watch a lot of Education Unboxed and maybe try to incorporate a Miquon-style math lab day each week. Or, depending on how much time you have for math, split your time between formal Singapore instruction and some math lab time. But if you can only pick one, I'd do Singapore.
  4. Great advice in the first two replies. Just want to add that FLL starts at the beginning every year so just go ahead and do it on grade level. It's about 100 simple lessons so it is very gentle and relaxed and designed to be used 2-3 times a week on your 42-week schedule. Definitely use WWE at skill level. I'd wait on your k'er for sure and get the handwriting/reading well underway first. And give your 2nd grader the week 36 evaluation for levels 1 and/or 2 to see where to start her. No shame at all in starting with level 1. It was designed to be used a huge range of grade levels. We also school year-round. We do, usually, 5 weeks on, 1 week off unless a holiday makes 6 weeks work better. I tried six all the time and it got to be a lot. Every family is different but just wanted to throw that out there in case you are getting a lot of burnout routinely in week 6 :)
  5. For the ages you are doing, I think stories are what you want here rather than more facts to digest. You want your kids to have a relationship, so to speak, with the material. They will be ready for more encyclopedia stuff when they come back around to this stuff the second time. If you really can't find anything at the library, I'd choose a handful of areas over the year that spark your interest or that you think your kids will especially love and hit the used book section on Amazon. Lots and lots of stuff is available in good condition for $4 (including shipping). If you have the AG with other activities and whatnot, you will still have a very rich history year. I wouldn't sweat all the extra books too much.
  6. I used the SAM with my 4th edition. I wanted a placement test for my older student. I don't have mine handy but there was some nice, practical information about teaching in there as well. Nothing different from the book, just a nice, quick, reinforcement of some key points, I guess.
  7. Basically I agree with the pp. FLL does start at the beginning with each level but for kids 5 and 6, I agree with the advice to just skip things if you get too repetitive. My first to use FLL loved the repetition, my dd was ready to scream after the third time she was asked to state the definition of a noun. Just gauge your kids and you can take a break, speed up, skip stuff. Whatever. My kids loved the practical stuff in FLL like months of the year, addresses, etc. And, yes, FFL 1 and 2 are entirely non-consumable. 3 and 4 have two books, one of which is consumable. I really like the text book for WWE linked above (the second one). The overview of the entire program found in that book is really worthwhile reading. The text has a long introductory section and then sample weeks for all four years of WWE--basically, every time the skill focus or expectations change, there is a new sample week. I think it's a great resource. But, if you like an open-and-go resource, you can just get the workbooks and skip the text. You don't truly need both. Though if you aren't reading the intro material in the textbook, I would strongly recommend getting some of the PHP writing lecture audios. It seems like a lot of parents are on here after awhile with WWE scratching their heads wondering what they are trying to accomplish :) As for levels and pushing too hard with WWE, it is quite common to use it more slowly or a year behind. You could alternate days with WWE and FLL and use level 1 of WWE over two years, if you want. FLL is designed to be used 3x/week already.
  8. I haven't ever tried LOE but I also like things streamlined and I also like being frugal. If you are already ordering from Spalding, just get their cards. They are inexpensive and sound like the only thing keeping you from just doing Spalding all the way. Just my two cents :) I don't think there is anything else you need. Pencils, obviously. When we do a lesson we do the words the first time on a whiteboard but that's just a personal preference thing. My dd really likes using a ruler to mark her words but most families have rulers already :)
  9. Oh, I forgot Spot It. Super fun and a great multi-age game. I'm ridiculously good at that kind of game and my family won't let me play with them any more :laugh: Also, we like Settlers and I think my 6yo dd could handle it but my 8yo couldn't. Too much to keep track of. So, it just depends on your kid's personality with regard to games, I think.
  10. Spalding also sells looseleaf paper in the 5/8 spacing. My 6yo really likes using it for her other writing in school. Shipping from Spalding is kind of steep, so make sure you get everything you want at once.
  11. We have actual Spalding notebooks which I bought because I was getting a couple of other things from Spalding and the prices were actually fine. And I do like the 5/8 in line spacing without the dashed middle line for younger kids. That is pretty much impossible to find elsewhere. But for third grade and up it's just a regular wide-rule composition book and you don't need anything special for it. I think the Spalding ones are only 50 leaves which is supposed to be better for hand positioning since the book isn't so thick.
  12. Thanks--I managed to figure out what was what. One map I saw seemed to imply that all of El Paso County was being evacuated. He's still at home--just the other side of I-25. Continued prayers for everyone's safety.
  13. Well, that's a nicer way to think about it. And she did have the experience of someone in her family with the unexpected triplets.
  14. As you are reading through the second time, I recommend doing everything: practice the handwriting while reading the precise dialogue to yourself. Drill yourself on the phonograms. When you get to Chapter 5, get out a notebook and start making one. Follow the exact instructions for "teaching program for third grade and older students." When when you get to the Extended Ayres List, read every word and enter it with markings into your notebook. The EAL gives instructions for when to dictate the remaining rule pages. Follow them and keep going. I really didn't get Spalding past the phonogram drill until I bit the bullet and made my own notebook. It forced me to slow down my reading enough to see that all the instructions really are there.
  15. We love lots of these games but a current favorite is Carcassone. I don't think anyone has mentioned it. It's in the "German Board Game" family (I think--I'm not really an expert) and it's great because it's totally fun for two adults to play but even my 4yo can play it "correctly" even though he has no sense of strategy. In fact, his game choices sort of throw in a fun element of the unpredictable for the rest of us to work around.
  16. Do you have a good link for updated maps? I'm pretty sure the newest evacuations are where my dad lives. I'd like to keep up with stuff without having to text him since I'm sure they're kinda busy right now . . .
  17. Not trying to please you--I'm also thicker skinned here than in real life ;) But you are right. This is obviously a sensitive issue for me and I should have been more careful.
  18. You're right. I apologize for mentioning her weight. I'll put a note on the original post. I'm very strict about this in real life but . . . do we have a word around here for when we're posting on the boards and all our normal social conventions go out the window? Someone should coin a term, if not.
  19. I'm not the "give as good as you get" type. At least not in public. I always think I'm going to give a zinger back but, in the moment, I'm so dumb founded at the comments some people will make that I can't say anything. And I never say anything about pregnancy unless the expecting mom brings it up but she might have overheard me talking with the coordinator about how late in the season I could volunteer so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt there :)
  20. Someone in my old mom's group once got yelled at while in line at Starbucks for drinking coffee while pregnant. She said, "It's not a baby, it's a tumor, and the caffeine really helps."
  21. Not really. It would have been just as rude no matter what she looked like. But since I'm sure part of why I look so huge is that I was somewhat overweight beforehand, it did add a touch of irony.
  22. Oh, my. :laugh: That makes me feel better.
  23. Oh, my! My first was a preemie and I think I tend to carry bigger with girls which was my second and she was the only one I went a full 40 weeks with. Oof. I am feeling huge this time and I'll find out in a couple days if it's a girl. Dh is doing his best to convince me that I look totally great :) And I've only gained two pounds. Not sure where it's all coming from.
  24. My biggest surprise after ten years of marriage is how much we still have to work at it. We have an awesome relationship and many, many things have gotten easier but I don't think you ever (at least not in the first ten years!) get to a point where you can click the relationship on auto-pilot and coast.
  25. An older woman whom I'd never met: I didn't notice you were pregnant! When are you due? Me: November 1. Woman: November?! It's only June! Are you having twins? Me: No. Woman: Are you sure? I mean, you're huge! Have they checked? Me: I'm sure. She went on with a story about her niece who had triplets instead of the twins she thought she was having blah, blah, blah. Seriously, what is wrong with people? When are you due? should always be followed up with: You look great! ETA: I originally included inappropriate content about the other woman's weight. It's not relevant to the rudeness.
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