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Mom2TheTeam

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Everything posted by Mom2TheTeam

  1. Donna - I've loved reading your HOD v. MFW comparisons! As a matter of fact, you are who first really pointed me to HOD. I had looked at it before, but after your post, I took a much harder look at it. I think in the thread you were suggesting MFW to the OP because it has the features they were looking for over HOD. However from that discussion (one of the first I read on this board), I realized that HOD had what I was wishing MFW did. It was SO very helpful to me. Pretty sure that OP went with MFW and I'm pretty sure we are trying HOD next year. LOL!! I have also read your posts about FIAR. So, I have enjoyed your comparison posts. :)
  2. I'm a MFW user. I respond on almost all MFW threads, even when I don't have the experience to offer. I often have a different opinion than the other wonderful and helpful ladies. I am leaving MFW....But, I do love their K and 1st. We are doing Adv and I have researched a ton about the overall program. So, I often speak up if I have anything to add, even ignorant rambling ;) I have been reading this thread since the OP started it. I did not respond on this one because my oldest is in 2nd grade. I truly have nothing to add to this MFW thread. The only thing I could have said is that I don't think I will use MFW for 7th and 8th because I don't want to have to try to beef it up. I'm finding that isn't my cup of tea. (Amy, I saw yours and just haven't had a chance to respond...I think Adv is more of a 2nd grade program. I would do it next year. ;)) OP - I agree with everyone...MFW is probably not what you are looking for. Of course, I'm talking out of mostly ignorance since my oldest is in 2nd! :lol: And, one last thing, if you have never watched White Collar...you should totally check it out! :D
  3. One year we suddenly found a pretty butterfly fluttering around the house around Christmas time. Later, I found a cocoon on the tree... We may go to an artificial, but probably not until the kids are much older. I really have very fond memories of going Christmas tree hunting as a child.
  4. yay!! Thanks for reassuring me. I thought the answer was it would be find since I know many people get their tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. I think I'll tell my husband I want to go tomorrow. I'm feeling extra festive this year anyway...sort of. ;)
  5. I wish we could do this. The woods around us is all owned, either by people or by the county. We actually back to a county park, which is pretty, but we can't cut the trees. Plus, I really don't think they have the kind I like. LOL!
  6. Bottom line: If we get a Christmas tree tomorrow, will it last until Christmas? If you would like to read my babble...please continue. :lol: We prefer to get our Christmas tree mid-Dec, but we've been getting it earlier and earlier. The place we usually get it from allows us to reserve a cut-your-own-tree when we pick pumpkins, but it has to be picked up by a specific date, which is getting earlier and earlier every year. This year it's next weekend. That farm is also an hour away...actually, more like 1.5 hrs away. (It is close to were we moved from 3 years ago...old habits die hard!) And, on top of that they have raised their prices and are now super expensive. They were expensive before, but now are just over the top. However, we like a specific kind of tree that seems to be tough to find much closer than that. :( (And yes, for some reason it's important to me. It's just one of those things.) I found one farm, within 15 minutes or so, that says they have "a few." I'm thinking we should go tomorrow if we want to try to get one from there instead. (Price is almost half the other place!! which is one reason we moved here. ;)) I'm nervous it won't last until Christmas. That is a month away...And, what if we don't want to decorate it yet? Can we put it in water on the deck or in the basement? (because the water would freeze outside ;)) I guess that is a silly question...of course we can put it in the basement and move it if we want to. LOL! So, all this to ask, if we get a tree tomorrow, will it last until Christmas?
  7. I would do as pp suggested and get things like bagels and cream cheese or make muffins. The other option would be a make ahead breakfast casserole that can be easily reheated.
  8. At this point in my life, I would not replace it. However, if my children were older and we were in a better financial place, then I absolutely would want to replace it. Right now, I'm too practical to have it replaced, but I would definitely want it and like I said, several years from now, I totally would, even if I had to foot the bill myself. I think if you really want it, then you should ask for it. I'm sorry it was broken/lost.
  9. I've bought and sold. Most things you can get something of the same quality elsewhere. Whether or not it's worth the extra cost is really just dependent on how much you like that specific brand of product or how much you value the face to face or class/party they provide. I'm still technically a seller for one company simply because I believe in the product and I like it. I stay a "consultant" so I can buy at a discount. I never sell to anyone. ETA - I love the product, but I wouldn't go to a party for it either...I don't like the high pressure sales. But, I have been known to put in an order for someone's party without attending. (for different product than what I "sell.") :)
  10. Yup, I've been known to do that. Not for a long time now though. I have 8 who are all little. We very rarely stay at hotels and if we do, I have to be in the room with them. ;)
  11. As a kid that would have made me very uncomfortable, even if I had known the answer because I don't perform well like that. I also know my oldest who is 8 and in 2nd grade would not do well under that pressure either. That is great your daughter thought of the solution of bringing her own snack! Sad that she has to do that though, KWIM. She should be able to get her snack there if she wants to. I like the two above responses. At 8, I probably wouldn't require my child to learn to say something like "no math questions please," but that is probably a personality thing with each child. If the child was 12, sure I definitely would. My 8 year old wouldn't feel comfortable with that because it's an adult and I wouldn't push him on it at 8...I would in a couple years. But, depending on the child's personality, I think it is a great idea. Personally, I would do the passive aggressive suggestion and let the owner/manager know about the issue in a nonchalant way. If that didn't work, I would ask the owner/manager more directly to speak to the person working the snack bar. I have no doubt the owner/manager would want to know her employee is turning people off to buying there.
  12. I don't have a lot of experience, but I've always thought the purpose of the two is different. With studied dictation I thought it was more for spelling and sentence structure. With non-studied dictation, I thought it was to learn to hold the thought in your head and to hear the punctuation properly. We are just starting with dictation. I don't really know which side of the fence I fall on right now...but I'm leaning toward the SWB way of dictation as I'm not really into spelling using dictation (because it would not have worked for me ;)).
  13. I am a serious suffer of this! So far, I've been able to keep it in check and mostly just research and surf around looking at other stuff without actually buying. Though there is the occasional smaller purchase. I bought SOTW 1 Activity book just because I wanted to see it. :blush: I also own all of the Singapore Math US Ed text books. I got a really good deal on them used. Then, I decided we needed the Standards Ed instead. Oops! I do totally stand by our decision to switch though and I got such a good deal that I was okay taking the risk. That said, we are changing next year. We started with one company in K who we have stuck with for 1st and 2nd. But, it truly isn't working for me this year and I'm not on board for next year. My son is learning though. So, we are sticking with it for the rest of this year. But, I'm enjoying picking something out for next year and knowing I am actually going to hit the buy button! Yay!! (I do confess to finding a used version of a lower grade of what I want for next year and snagging it. Turns out it is what I should have used this year. I don't think I will use it until my current K'ers are in 2nd grade, but I'm happy to have it because I can actually see and hold a version of this curriculum in my hand which makes the whole thing make more sense to me. I love the look of it so far. I would like to change now, but my son would mutiny because we are in the middle of a 50 state study that he is enjoying.)
  14. I need more kids so I can try more programs! I already have 6. :laugh: But, 2 sets of twins...so I will be going through each grade 4 times. Do you think I could sell my husband on more so I can try out more curricula? ;)
  15. I really like the looks of this. I feel like i have heard of it before, but never looked at it before. Hopefully someone who has actually used it will chime in for you. :D
  16. I replied to your other thread. :) We are purposeful real estate investors. No, I would not buy a vacation rental for many reasons. We were even told by an agent at a location we were looking at buying in not to do it to make money or be an investment. Those properties are beat up and tough to manage. He told us the only reason you should buy a vacation rental is if you want to own your vacation home. Otherwise, they rarely actually make money. I would not own a vacation rental. (I knew you didn't mean timeshares and I'm not talking about those either...I wouldn't buy a property that you own as your own to rent out to vacationers. ;))
  17. We have owned several rental properties for the last 12 years or so. Usually, we move and turn the house we live in into a rental by default. But, we would buy a property specifically as an investment if we hadn't been moving already. Earlier this year, we bought our first official investment property. We have owned 3 total. We currently own 2. We plan to buy another early this year. We do not use a management company. Around here, it is too expensive to be worth it. Plus, my husband is handy. He fixes most things himself. We would still manage ourselves if he wasn't. We haven't had that many issue managing it ourselves. I will say, it isn't for pushovers. Sometimes you have to lay down the law and you have to be strict. You can't be relaxed about getting the rent money. Right now, we have some tenants who are in a tough spot. They were fine when we bought the house...they were already renting it when we bought it, perfect for investors!...the wife was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. She is the primary bread winner, makes a good bit more than him anyway. They do have kids. They are struggling. We feel badly for them. It doesn't change the fact that this is a business and if they can't pay the rent, they are going to have to move. It's hard to be strict about it when I know they are struggling. It's hard to seem like we don't care or are insensitive. We absolutely do care! But, we are doing this because we need to make more money, not as a charity. So, think about our situation. Would you be able to kick these people out? When we first started, I would have really had a hard time doing it. Now, I feel awful, but it will probably have to be done. I will have to be the one to do it because my husband is a softy. I'm not looking forward to it at all, but it might have to be done and I will absolutely do it without much hesitation even though I feel badly for them. Getting tenants...there are several ways. We advertise in the paper and in CL. We have also listed with an agent. We check credit and do a background check. We are picky, which is one reason we don't want to use a management company. ;) If you do buy and you are getting a mortgage, make sure you run rental comps to make sure you are going to make enough over what your mortgage is to make it worth it to you. Remember to take HOA and insurance in account when figuring that. Also, your insurance will be higher on a rental. We have done very well with our rental properties in the last 12 years. We are excited to expand our little business sometime early in 2014. Our plan is to eventually own enough so my husband can work part time and then to be our retirement eventually. :) ETA - My preference on who to rent to is couples with only 1-2 children, preferably age 6+ with no pets. Ideally, we would find a slightly older couple with no kids and no pets, but that isn't realistic. More children = more damage. Pets = damage. Of course, not always, but it is more of a risk. We have rented to families with more kids, younger kids and with pets. It's the way it goes sometimes, but less kids and no pets is usually a safer bet...not always. We have 6 kids all 8 and under and 3 cats. I'm not dissing big families or pets. I'm just saying my experience in owning rentals for the last 12 years. I wouldn't want to rent to my family. Ha, ha! Oh, and no smokers!
  18. In the area I grew up, it was jr. high, not middle school, it was 7th and 8th. I don't remember when I first heard middle school, but it still sounds a bit odd to me. And, I still find it very odd to include 6th graders in jr. high/middle school. To me, they are elementary school still. LOL. The area we live in now is about an hour and a half from where I grew up. I honestly have no clue if they call it middle and I don't know when it starts. (I voted other because we didn't have middle school.)
  19. We don't have a strict 4 and 3 like others said, but we do WWE each day, at least 4 days often 5, and FLL several times a week. I do skim the lessons quickly and skip any or combine those that overlap like others said.
  20. :lol: I usually notice that. I liked a few posts up-thread. Opps! Just to add my 2 cents since I've been reading an liking posts....My husband and I have not discussed it. However, I plan to have a no sleep-over policy. It hasn't come up, but if I have to I just plan to say, "We don't do sleep-overs. Would your whole family like to come over for a movie and/or game night?"
  21. I am so very sorry. :grouphug: Depending on the state they were in at the time of the assault, they can report it to the police. Some states have no statute of limitations on this. My state has no limit. Even if they do, it still may be within that, especially the last occurrence. This hits VERY close to home for me. She should consider reporting it. It could help her heal and potentially protect someone else.
  22. I prefer a stick. My first car was stick and so was my second and third. After that they were automatic for various reasons. We still own the 3rd. It's a Corvette and I rarely drive it. Though, that is because I have 6 kids and it only seats two. I went through a time when I was driving it daily to work. I rarely go out alone and when it's just me and my husband, he drives. So, I feel perfectly confident to drive a stick, but I don't do it often anymore...even though I could.
  23. It is exhausting! I have "only" 6. My oldest was 1wk shy of 7 when my last was born. It is a different life having all littles. Some days, I really can't wait until the youngest is at least 5 or 6. But it is fun too. We already use Singapore also, but we use Standards Ed. We haven't used R&S for grammar, but I like R&S spelling and I've heard really good things about their grammar too. I don't have any of the books for Bigger except for a couple of the story time books. I have a few for Beyond, which isn't what I want to use. This is only our 3rd year HS and my oldest is only in 2nd. Since I don't have any of the history or science books, I want to get the whole program together. I can't justify it while we are still in the first half of MFW Adv since we aren't jumping ship. BUT, as soon as we are more than halfway through, I'm ordering! I can't wait!! I haven't decided on DITHOR yet. I wouldn't mind finding that used and already spiral bound. I love things spiral bound, but my options for having it done...done well...aren't great.
  24. That is how I feel about MFW. I just don't want to supplement and add. I want it all in there integrated together and easy. My issue is 6 kids...it's a lot of guides to use even though it would only be 4 at a time eventually. I'm totally jealous! Did you buy it used? I haven't wanted to buy just the guide because I want to get the whole program together. I don't have the money for that until we are closer to being done with our current program. Hopefully by early spring. But, I really want to see the guide. Let us know what you think when you see it!! :laugh:
  25. I wouldn't let my 8 year old read any of them because I would not want to have to have them stop in the middle. And, I'm not really partial to letting an 8 year old read any of them. However that said, I think most people would think book 3 is okay for an 8 year old. I personally wouldn't let my 8 year old go passed book 2...if I was letting them read them at all. ;) I'm pretty conservative with content. :) ETA - I forgot to say, my kids are also very sensitive and always have been...especially my oldest who is 8. I let him watch parts of the first and second movie. The end scared him in both and I turned it off.
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