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maryanne

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Posts posted by maryanne

  1. Homemade fried chicken is rare these days, I just mentioned it because of the breeding on the nuggets.

     

    For bone in, skin on thighs I would preheat the oven to the 425-450 range, dry off the skin with a paper towel, season with a mix of salt, black pepper and thyme. Maybe a pinch of cayenne. Then roast for 30 minutes and check them for doneness. Depending on the size they could need up to 15 more minutes. Very little hands on time but not something for those fix dinner in 20 minutes days either. Bonus though, the chicken fat that will run off is great for roasting the veggies in.

     

    Mmmm

     

    This is sounding promising.  What veggies would you put with it?

     

    The frozen chicken nuggets weren't about the breading; they were about the ease of preparation and neutral go-with-anything flavor.

  2. Instead of chicken nuggets for the side on chowder, you could make homemade fried chicken. If that's too time intensive, you could do roasted chicken thighs which takes some time but it's very little hands on time.

     

    I've never in my life fried chicken or anything else remotely similar. (yeah I know that makes me weird)  The chicken nuggets are pre-made, and I just heat them on a baking sheet in the oven.  I'm pretty sure frying chicken would take the same large burner as the soup, though.

     

    I would definitely be interested in more information or a recipe for the roasted chicken thighs.

     

    Thanks,

    Maryanne

  3. I think that we have a cultural tendancy to read snobbishness into exceptionally smart people. Smart, clever, pick your word, people aren't any more or less likely to be smug or snobby IME.

     

    I got tired of it being ok to acknowledge when someone is exceptional artistically or athletically or musically but for it to be horrible to acknowledge when someone is exceptional intellectually in some way.

     

    Yes, no one should be an asshole about their talents, hard work or achievements. But it doesn't follow that knowing one is well above average in something (intellect, cleverness, swimming, playing the violin, whatever it might be) is in and of itself being an asshole.

     

    I've noticed the same thing.  It's ok to talk about how many points (goals, baskets, runs) your kid scored at the game last weekend, but if you bring up the 95 they got on their math test last week it's bragging. I think clever falls under this same bias.  

    • Like 1
  4. I'm struggling with menu combinations.  How do you decide what dishes to put together to make a meal?  Are there any websites or blogs that have good advice. Right now I'm trying to figure out ideas to go with soups.  Some soups are complete meals in themselves, like vegetable beef soup.  But, what about the ones aren't a complete meal?

     

    For example, I make a corn chowder that contains corn, milk, chicken broth, bacon and onion.  My family eats it really well, but it's mostly carbs. Also it takes a whole lot of it to fill up ds who is 16, active, and eats a lot. I've been serving it with frozen chicken nuggets and a simple salad.  I'd like to find something more homemade than chicken nuggets to go with the corn chowder, but it can't be real time consuming or a take the same pot (large Dutch oven) or the same burner on top the stove (the biggest one) and it should complement the soup or at least not clash with it.  Any suggestions.

     

    Tonight I'm making Pioneer Woman's White Chili http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/simple-hearty-white-chili/ I suppose it could be considered a complete meal, but it seems a little short on veggies to me. A simple salad is the obvious choice, but what else could I do.  What make a interesting salad or other vegetable based dish to go with it?

     

    I'd like to try a cheesy cauliflower soup at some point like this one http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/cheesy-cauliflower-soup/.  It could be a complete meal, but I think I'd still need more food to fill up ds.

     

    I suppose one solution to filling up a teenage boy is just to make a bigger pot of soup, but i'd need a bigger pot. :mellow:

     

    I welcome both general advice on menus and specific advice on these soups.

     

    Thanks,

    Maryanne

     

    Edited to remove extra spaces

  5. This is where I post my annual reminder that it's perfectly legal for potential police recruits to be rejected due to high IQs, a legality that is regularly taken advantage of.

     

    So, hail to the NOPE on that 'retaining good employees' tip.

     

    From the linked article:

    "But New London police interviewed only candidates who scored 20 to 27, on the theory that those who scored too high could get bored with police work and leave soon after undergoing costly training."

     

    So how is discriminating against people with high IQs because they could get bored on the job any different from discriminating against women because they could get pregnant or choose to leave the work force to raise a family? Do average IQ people never get bored and change jobs?

     

    It really blows me away that this sort of discrimination is legal!

    • Like 1
  6. This thread and the one about Thanksgiving have been interesting to follow and have given me a lot to think about.  As best as I can tell maybe the equivalent for me would be a group of frat boys, atheists, or any other group of non-Christians getting together and setting up a baptismal pool and taking turns dunking each other to mock the Christian ritual of baptism. 

     

    The thing is even though I'm Christian and baptism is pretty significant religious ritual to me, the only part of a mock-baptism that would bother me would be if they actually said "In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."  Even then, though, I wouldn't expect them to stop because it offended me, although depending on the circumstances I might leave.  Otherwise, I leave it God's hands to deal with the mockers in whatever way he sees fit.

  7. Think similar to this:

     

    Teal Cowl Sweater

     

    So it would be entirely solid one color.  Leaves really no way to accessorize.... But maybe that's okay.

     

    Wow, this stuff is *so* hard for some of us folks!

     

    I think of teal as a little lighter/brighter and greener than the linked sweater, more like this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tealwhich I think would be a more flattering color for you than the sweater.

     

    If the picture in your avatar is you, than your coloring looks similar to mine.  I can't tell from the picture what color your eyes are; mine are brown, my hair is dark blond, and I look good in warm colors.  I can wear teal (but turquoise is better).  I would wear coral lipstick and warm brown eye shadow and it would work for me because teal and coral are complementary colors. So if it was me I'd wear the most flattering teal sweater or shirt I could find/afford and wear it with brown or dark denim/navy* bottoms and accessorize with smallish brown accessories: earrings, hair barrette, watch band, shoes etc.  and definitely coral lipstick.

     

    *If my husband was wearing navy and husbands and wives would likely be kept together I'd choose navy bottoms.

     

    • Like 3
  8. Wow! Ok. I didn't know I was asking such a controversial question.

     

    First, a little more information: The nickname is very cute and seems appropriate for the real name, but neither the real name nor the nickname are quite as common or standard as Margaret & Maggie. A speech impairment is not the only SN this girl has, but I don't know if the speech issues are in addition to other SNs or a symptom of a larger SN or if it even matters.

     

    Would it be ok if I start using the nickname with her and waited to see what, if any, reaction the Mom has? I want to treat the little girl right, but don't want to disrespect the Mom either. I usually am content to call people what they tell me to call them, but this seems trickier to navigate than some random kid who says "call me Joe, not Joseph" (or vice versa).

  9. At one of the activities my dc and I attend there is a girl who is maybe 5-7 years old who attends as a tag along with an older sibling participating in the activity.  I'm just getting started getting to know the family so I don't know any specifics of the girls special needs.  Last time we met, the girl spontaneously came up and hugged me, and my heart just melted.  I don't think of myself as especially huggable.  Anyway I asked her name and she told me her name was <nickname>, but her mother who was nearby told me "no her name is <firstname>. <Nickname> is just how she says <firstname> because she can't say it correctly."  Think Maggie vs. Margaret (not her real name).  Now I'm in a quandary about what to call her.  Do I use the name that she told me or the name her mother told me?  If I ask the little girl which she prefers and she can't say her real name then she is going to answer with her nickname even if she prefers her real name to be used by others right? But if I ask the mom, she is she going to tell me which the little girl prefers or which she, the mom, prefers?

  10. This is an interesting question to ponder...

     

    More generically the question is at what point does doing business with or recommending a specific product or service constitute endorsement of unrelated goals/beliefs/actions of the individual/company. 

     

    I have more questions than answers...

     

    Does recommending a specific A Beka reading or grammar program constitute endorsement of all of A Beka doctrines/beliefs/goals or even any other A Beka curriculum item?

     

    Does a book recommendation constitute an endorsement of everything the author believes or does?  or even everything in the book itself?

     

    Does an ethical vegan hiring a handyman who shows up to work wearing a leather tool belt and eating a McDonald's hamburger constitute the vegan endorsing the use animal products or McDonald's business practices.

     

    Does a pro-life homeowner hiring a pro-choice painter to paint his house constitute endorsing the painter's pro-choice beliefs?

     

    Does listening to, laughing at, or purchasing Bill Cosby's comedy routines constitute endorsement of all that he believes or does?

     

    Does issuing a government approved same sex marriage license constitute personal endorsement of same sex marriage?

     

    Does a government issued automobile license tag with a confederate battle flag issued to members of Sons of Confederate Veterans because they met the generic standard for a special interest tags constitute government endorsement of all that SCV stands for?

     

    Why or why not?

     

     

    • Like 5
  11. Yet in light of a child dying, still a non-issue.

     

     

    It is an issue. Being inconvinenced isn't as important as a child's life but it is an issue.

     

    I say this as a mother of a picky child w/sensory issues and several allergies (including peanuts). One of the few on the go proteins my son can and will eat are things made with almond flour. So when nuts aren't allowed he usually goes without protein. When he doesn't eat protein he doesn't feel well.

     

     

    You're right.  It is an issue.  It's not as big an issue as a potentially fatal reaction, but it's an issue.  

     

    So, again, thank you to all the moms of non-allergic kids who help look out for our allergic kids.  We didn't choose this, and our kids want nothing more than to be like all the other kids.  Thanks for making it possible for them to eat in cafeterias with others, and participate in school, and activities, and life.  

     

    Thank you for acknowledging that it is an issue for those of trying to accommodate other people's allergies.  It's not always an easy simple substitution.  As I posted in a previous post I once spent quite a bit of time and effort, including multiple trips to multiple grocery stores, hunting down single serve prepackaged hummus so that my daughter could eat without endangering someone's life. I'm just glad I had the time, money, and transportation to do it.  Not everyone does.  It is an issue. It just isn't as big an issue as someone dying.

    • Like 3
  12. I usually stay out of contentious threads like this one, but after reading most/maybe all the posts I can't help myself.  First a personal anecdote:

     

    A few years ago I signed my dd up for a week of summer camp in which parents were asked to provide lunch and 2 snacks for their dc. Parents were also asked to avoid common allergens in the camp info, but no specific allergens were listed. To me common allergens are these: peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, wheat/gluten, and eggs, so I set out to find foods for my daughter to take to camp that didn't include these items.  At the time my dd did not eat much meat and did not eat any lunch meat/sliced deli meat and other common sandwich meats.  Of course a traditional sandwich with meat, cheese and bread was out of the question anyway due to the wheat and dairy.  Fortunately my dd loves hummus and I make a really great homemade hummus that doesn't contain any of these allergens... 

     

    Wait ...   What .... 

     

    All food also needed to be prepackaged! Homemade hummus was out!   ... What was my dd going to eat?  

     

    Thankfully I had several weeks notice and had the time to seek out and discover that prepackaged single serve hummus does indeed exist, although not every grocery store in my area carries it, and even those that do are sometimes are out of stock.  At least I had the time to do the research, go to multiple stores, eventually find it, have dd try it and go back and buy more for camp within the expiration date.  No one at camp that week died of starvation or allergic reaction.  Success!

     

    So what's my point in telling this story.  It is difficult to avoid common allergens. On a meal for meal basis, it is just as difficult for families who don't have family members with allergies to avoid common allergens as it is for families who do have allergies. We all shop at more or less the same grocery stores with more or less the same selections of foods. What's the difference between families with allergies trying to avoid allergens and families without allergies trying to avoid allergens?

     

    1.  Families with allergies are avoiding allergens on behalf of someone they care dearly about.  Families without allergies are avoiding allergens, when asked to do so, for someone they may never even know, sometimes at the expense of familiar and acceptable foods for their own loved dc.

     

    2. Families with allergies deal with it every single meal of every single day. Families without allergens only deal with for school lunches, or potlucks or group snacks etc. This makes it both easier, because it's not every day, and harder, because it's often only occasional, for the family without allergens. Things you do all the time get easier over time.  Families who deal with it every day get to know what works and get used to eating safe foods.  Families without allergies are often unfamiliar with what the safe options are much less used to eating them. People, in general, and children, in particular, usually prefer familiar foods.

     

    3. Families who have allergies deal with one set of restrictions that mostly don't change from day to day, while families that don't have allergies deal with varying restrictions in different places at different times, so what worked last time they dealt with it may or may not work this time.

     

    So, allergy families,  please forgive us non-allergy families if we kvetch a little about how difficult it it to avoid some things. Be patient with us.  It is difficult.  It is inconvenient. For everyone.  Discussions like these help to educate all of us.  It helps us find the balance between adequate safety and unnecessary inconvenience.  It helps us understand why some rules are necessary, and some people appear inconsistent.  Asking questions like the OP and others in this thread about how common or how serious it really is doesn't mean we're ok with children dying.

     

    I don't mean to single out the posters I've quoted below, and I'm certainly not accusing them of giving non-allergy families a hard time for complaining about having to avoid peanut butter or any other allergen.  Their posts just stood out to me for acknowledging how difficult it is to avoid problem foods when necessary.

     

    Hoping we can all be more understanding of both sides of this issue.

     

     

    Here is the bottom line. If you don't have to deal with it on a daily basis there is no way to truely understand. I think most parents want to do the right thing. At least that's what I've seen when it comes to accommodating my children. But it's hard. It's hard to remember all the steps.

    When my daughter was in Kinder we had a kid with an airborn peanut allergy. I thought the airborn part was bunk (now, after experiencing them with my son I relalize I was wrong) but I tried my best to follow it. That being said a couloir of times I messed up. Potentially big time. I wasn't trying to be defiant or whatever. If you don't live it you are never going to get it right all the time. Even if you do deal with it every day if it is another kid with different issues you will still mess up, no matter how hard you try.

    I always bring food for my son. He has so many issues that it wouldn't be fair for me to expect anyone to accommodate him. If someone calls
    To find out what they can make/buy whatever I always tell them I will buy and send him with something. Ingredients change all the time. If they get the wrong brand it will make him sick.

    Now after two years we are in a groove but in the begining I would   s   tand in Whole foods and cry . Every. Single. Week. It was so hard. I would shop seperatly for  hi m so I didn't get distracted. I needed my full attention on reading the ingredient lists.

     

     

    I remember three instances very specifically around the time my son was first diagnosed.  One was thinking I could make tacos easily enough, but on a whim checking the packet of taco spice (this was a major name brand) and finding whey protein on the label.  WHEY!  I cried because it was like the straw that broke me.  Not that making one's own taco spice was so difficult, but it was just the last thing.  I couldn't even buy a packet of taco spice without worrying about dairy.  And he couldn't even eat tacos anywhere now without me worrying about this!

     

    Second time, I thought I was getting pretty good at allergy-free cooking and I made a whole meal, which was healthy, and then specially made allergen-free with biscuits to go with.  My then-toddler wanted exactly none of it.  I watched him not eat for awhile and felt sorrier and sorrier for myself until I tossed my biscuit back on my plate and left the room..  To this day, any time the kids start getting on my last nerve, I tell them I'm getting close to tossing my biscuit!

     

    Thirdly, we did learn pretty quickly that McDonald's fries have whey/dairy in them also, and that was no big deal to avoid, but now I ask at every restaurant about their fries.  I had a server at Johnny Rocket's look at me like I was crazy and say, "Um, they are potatoes fried in vegetable oil with salt, ma'am."  I told him about McD's fries and he was blown away.

     

    Things have really, really improved, even in the last 5 years in terms of allergen-free stuff I can buy (expensive though it is).  Sure, some of it is highly processed junk, but it's nice for him to be able to eat "cheese" or a donut every once in awhile and feel normal.  Cooking without allergens seemed so hard at first, but now it's just how we eat.  Plus, I've come to realize that we have it pretty good.  He can do wheat and soy.

     

    edited to correct spelling and punctuation.

    • Like 8
  13. What a lovely name.  And, in just 3 names she is named after:

     

    her mother Catherine Elizabeth

    her aunt Philippa Charlotte

    her paternal grandfather Charles

    her paternal grandmother Diana

    her maternal grandmother Carole Elizabeth

    and of course her great grandmother Elizabeth

     

    ... not mention many other royals in the family tree.

     

    • Like 11
  14. StarKist Tuna Lunch-To-Go

    http://www.amazon.com/StarKist-Light-Lunch-4-1000-Ounce-Pouches/dp/B00374WJFA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429799667&sr=8-1&keywords=Tuna+Lunch+To+Go

     

    cheese & crackers

     

    baby carrots, actually I would think that most fresh fruits and veggies would be fine w/o refrigeration until lunch time.

     

    single serve containers of canned fruits and veggies-sometimes the groceries around here will have 6-packs of single serve cooked/canned green beans or peas similar to the individual containers of applesauce and other fruits that are more common.

     

    Ds (15) will eat a small can of pork & beans, cold, straight out of the can.

     

    shelf stable single serve hummus like this http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Garden-Traditional-Hummus-Dip/dp/B000V5IMSQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429800438&sr=8-1&keywords=single+serve+hummus

     

     

     

     

  15. Since I don't know of anyone in real life actually trying to reproduce a classical education from the ancient world or even from the Middle Ages or Renaissance, I tend to think of Classical as it used nowadays as content-based and focused on Latin and Great Books and Neoclassical as method-based developing the skills of the Trivium without necessarily including the Classical content.  I do not see them as mutually exclusive so any particular implementation might have elements of both.  I think that Neoclassical, as I have defined it, could be used along with more modern or global content, while Classical is inherently Western-centric. Both have the potential to develop the Trivium skills.

     

    The WTM certainly has elements of both, but in my opinion leans more towards Neoclassical because, although it includes a lot of Classical content, its organizing principle is Trivium-based stages. Based on my definitions (which may or may not be shared by anyone else) Classical Conversations and most other new homeschooling curriculum that claim to be Classical are in reality Neoclassical.  Veritas Press and Latin Centered Curriculum are the most Classical modern homeschooling curriculums that I am familiar with.

     

    I'm looking forward to seeing how this topic develops.

  16. We have Olivia, Isabella and Annaliese. We pick names purely on how they sound. What would you name our new baby girl? First and middle names welcome! :)

     

    I'm not sure how you pronounce it, but when I see Annaliese, I hear it in my head as Annaleezah, which makes all three names 4 syllables with an "L" sound somewhere in the middle and an "uh" sound at the end.  So I would continue that pattern.  It's a more subtle pattern that won't jump out at everyone, but makes the names sound good together.  I especially like Julianna or Cecilia. Some other the names that work well would be Amelia, Carolina, Elinora, Natalia, Eliana and more.

  17. Feel free to commiserate, agree, argue my logic, offer advice, or whatever else you want.  It won't bother me b/c I just need a place to vent some frustration with someone else that will understand.

     

    DS is 16 and a sophomore. We've been homeschooling since halfway through 8th grade/13yo.  I work full time and try to teach as much as possible b/c DH, while home, just isn't physically capable of being a FT educator.  I know DS has ADHD, probably combo type (self-diagnosed but you could almost write the DSM criteria based off him).   I strongly suspect we're also dealing with dyscalculia and maybe even some type of processing disorder.  Unfortunately, any type of evaluations and formal diagnoses are NOT an option b/c of DH's personal views on the subjects..  There's absolutely nothing I can do to change DH's mind on this matter and believe me, this was my hill to die on for years.  All it ever lead to was arguments and tears and a very conflicted marriage.  Yes, it does DS a disservice and it makes things much harder than they need to be but I work with DS as much as possible to teach him tips that will help him be successful and don't allow him to use any of it as an excuse.  

     

     

    To be perfectly honest, I'm tired of the stress, the frustration, the arguments and fights, bribes and discussion. I'm tired of DS's apathy about it all. I'm tired of DH's inability to pull his own weight on what was ultimately HIS decision. I'm tired of feeling like I have to do it all because I just can't.  I'm just tired of it all and I've reached a point where I really just don't care anymore.

     

    Maybe I just need to be the one to call it quits on my part and let him unschool from here on out. At some point he'll realize he can't pass a college entrance exam and get motivated on his own, right?

     

    Oh believe me, he knows that game very well.  To well unfortunately, because he plays it on a daily basis.  We're actually working hard to stop that kind of attitude or at least teach him when it's appropriate to use it. He knew exactly what kind of answers were expected; he chose not to provide them.

     

     

     

    I do check, and if he's not done what's required then he loses tv/game privileges and I make him go do it.  But if I'm not home to follow through, DH usually doesn't enforce it.   That's an entirely different issue.

     

     

    Please hear this in the gentlest most tactful voice you can imagine, but I think you may have marriage problem that needs to be solved before you solve the homeschool problem. What I see in these bolded bits:

    1. You work full time (I assume out of necessity)

    2. Your dh decided that your ds would be homeschooled

    3. Your dh can't homeschool ds himself

    4. Your dh refuses to consider a learning disability dx and appropriate help.

    5. Your dh is undermining your authority to homeschool by not enforcing consequences.

    6. Your ds knows all of this and is taking advantage of it.

     

    I think your dh has asked you to be a miracle worker, but is not willing/able to support your efforts.  Maybe you have already talked all these points through with dh ad nauseum or maybe he's dealing with physical or mental health issues that make it impossible for him to do anything different.  I don't know, but if you really are in this alone you're going to have to find a way to address all this with ds with consequences that you can enforce without assistance from dh. Would it help enroll him in online classes where expectations and deadlines are set by the teacher? Can you set up your computer systems so that he can't access games and things while you are at work? Are there other privileges you can remove for inadequetly done school work?

     

    I hope I haven't stepped on any toes here.  Maybe you've already considered all this. If I am out of line please forgive me.  I hope you find a way to make it work for you.

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