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2ndGenHomeschooler

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  1. Yikes! That’s a lot. I’ve heard that girls are less than boys though. 🤞🏻
  2. My oldest got her driver’s license yesterday. She is 17, turning 18 in about three weeks. What can we expect to pay to add her to our insurance policy? We drive two older, paid for cars. She doesn’t have a car of her own yet. We live in the northeast. I thought it might be nice to know what to expect before I talk to the agent tomorrow and am shocked. Ha! Also, our insurance company has a “good student” form we can fill out. Has anyone done one of these as a homeschooler? It asks for the school name and address and has a place for a “school official” to sign.
  3. This is an extremely busy week and a half coming up for me. My girls are working a temporary job at a tulip farm, senior pictures for the oldest, black belt test for oldest, end of co-op drama production and last day of classes, driver’s test for one, permit test for another, we’re down to the final month of school,….oh, and I’m still hobbling around on a sprained knee and then I got sick over the weekend on top of it. Not covid, but has slowed me down. And none of the kids drive yet. So, all that being said, I’m not going to think about any of my regular goals this week. Only goals will be wrapping up all of these things on the to-do list and keeping up with school in the middle of it. I am SO looking forward to things slowing down a bit at the end of next week! I’m exhausted. Which is probably why I got sick.
  4. So I twisted my knee at karate last night. Something popped in it. It’s not terribly sore or swollen or bruised but is definitely weak and unstable. I’m guessing a mild sprain. That’s going to mess up my walking goals for the next….however long it takes knee sprains to heal. Ugh. I was enjoying, and needing, those walks too…..
  5. Congratulations on the job offer! Exciting! Good luck as you make your decision. My reasons for the goals I set are similar to yours. I have been through some difficult things the past few years and wanted to make this a year of healing, physically, mentally, and emotionally. So I chose goals that I thought would help me heal, move forward, and recover pieces of myself that I had lost. Focusing on weekly and monthly goals in this public, yet anonymous way has been helpful. May is a very busy month for us. I have three kids in high school and a middle schooler. One is graduating. The older three all just started jobs. No one drives yet but we have a license test and a permit test scheduled this month. One is in the final weeks of preparation to get her black belt. Co-op is wrapping up, the musical two of the kids are in is happening in two weeks, senior pictures are on the schedule, senior recital and regular recital being prepared for, we’ll hopefully finish up school this month…..the list for this month is never ending. So my goals will also be limited. I’m not sure what is realistic but this is what I’m thinking right now. Outside: I’m at 83 hours for the year. I’d like to add another 40 this month. Weight loss: I’ve lost 5lb this year. Hoping for 2 more this month. Exercise: I’m not sure what my time will be like but I’m going to shoot for three, 30 minute walks each week. Decluttering: I’m taking the month off from this one. I’ll pick this up again after we’re done with school. I need to finish cleaning out my flower beds though and get mulch down. Maybe get some plants divided, and annuals in. The goal for this week is finishing the clean up. Reading: The goal is one book this month.
  6. I’ve been making slow progress towards my goals. I didn’t post an update last week from the second week of April but I did ok. Last week I received a phone call on Monday morning that turned my week upside down. My only goal the rest of the week was getting out of bed every day and putting one foot in front of the other. The problem is an old one that hasn’t gone away, and has the possibility of getting worse, but it is a long term issue that will potentially follow me for a lifetime. I gave this latest “bump” a week, and tomorrow I’d like to start getting back on my feet and get my focus back on my family, my goals, and taking care of myself. Tomorrow I’ll look at where I’m at, what’s realistic, and see what I can do to start making some forward progress again.
  7. April Week 1 was a mix of good success and…not so good success. Outside: 9/5 hours. I was surprised to surpass my goal by so much. It’s getting easier to get outside with the weather warming up and it’s becoming a habit to head out the door for a walk each day, even if it’s a short one. Exercise: 6/3 hours walking. Doubled that one too. I think I walked every day. I had a goal to stretch 30 min this week but didn’t at all. Weight loss: .75/.5 pounds I was excited to exceed this goal as well. This is not a lot of weight loss for one week but I’m happy about it because I’ve not made any major changes. Just a few small, easily sustainable ones. Reading: I didn’t finish the book I had started but I did read more of it. Decluttering: The goal was the coat closet but I ended up doing some other things instead. My kids cleared some stuff out of their rooms and I gathered up some things from around the house and we took a good sized trunk full to Goodwill. Week 2 goals- Outside: 10 hours Exercise: 4 hours of walking, 30 min of stretching (I’m going to be more purposeful about this one this week. My body needs it.) Weight Loss: .5lb. I need to do better with eating fruit and vegetables this week. I’m going to stick with the goal of a fruit or vegetable at each meal and 32oz of water a day. Reading: Finish current book Decluttering: Coat closet
  8. I *think* April might be a slower month for me as far as traveling so a good time to focus on some goals. I made at least one 500+ mile road trip in each month so far this year. This is not at all a normal thing for me and I’m looking forward to staying closer to home this month. Outside: 40 hours. Looking at my progress with this goal so far, I’m not sure I’ll make 1000 hours by the end of the year. But I’m going to keep working on it and finish when I can. As the weather warms up it will be easier to be outside. I’m looking forward to that. Hours will be achieved mostly by walking, hanging laundry outside to dry, and gardening. If it warms up enough I’d like to move some schoolwork out to the patio as well. Exercise: The goal for this month will be 3 hours of walking and 30 minutes of stretching each week. I’ve been wanting to add on to my walking and I’ve been feeling pretty stiff lately so stretching seems a good first step. Weight loss: 2lb. In addition to walking most days, I want to get back to improving my diet and drinking more water. My iron and Vit D levels are quite low so I’ll be working on being consistent in supplementing. Hopefully those small changes will lead to some weight loss. I’m starting to feel the effects of the extra weight on my joints and I’d like to get on top of this before it gets worse. Reading: I was going to give this goal up but I actually managed to read a whole book last month and was reminded how much I enjoy reading. Goal for April will be to read two books. Nothing specific, just whatever catches my attention. Decluttering: I was going to start in my bedroom but our weekend projects have meant a change in priority. Yesterday I cleaned out board games and puzzles. I ended up with a bag of trash and pile to donate. What we kept fits easily in the new space. The goal this week will be to clean out the sunroom coat closet. DH spent the weekend turning our small sunroom into a sewing/crafting/art area for our teenagers and the closet will need to be able to store so me things. It is currently full of mostly unused items. Looking forward to getting in there and cleaning out and relocating whatever’s in there. Also on the list for this month is decluttering the pantry and sorting the books and music in the bonus room. Week 1: Outside: Lots of rain in the forecast so goal is 5 hours. Exercise: 3 hours walking, 30 minutes stretching Weight loss: .5lb Achieved by walking, also the goal for this week is a fruit and/or vegetable with each meal and at least 32oz of water a day. Reading: Finish the book I started last week Decluttering: Coat closet
  9. March goals recap. Outside: 22/25 hours. 48/1000 for the year Weight loss: 2lb/2lb. 3lb/20lb for the year Exercise: I lost track of this one this month. I know I’m making progress with consistently exercising but I haven’t tracked it. Reading: 1.5/4 books. I thought about dropping this goal but maybe I’ll keep it. I’ve always loved reading but over the past few years as life has gotten crazy, I lost that piece of myself. I’d like to reclaim it. Decluttering: No progress. I will HAVE to make progress this month. I brought home some furniture and other small things from my grandmother’s house last week. It will all need to find a home and that means some reorganizing and decluttering. I got started on some of that today. Still plenty to do though. Each thing I move means another area to be cleaned out. I’m working on nailing down April goals. Trying to figure out that balance of realistic, pushing myself a little, and allowing for some rest.
  10. I’m finally home from two weeks of traveling. Five days for a speech tournament that was 500 miles from home, home for two days, then 600 miles from home to help my parents clean out my grandmother’s house. Lots of driving, and long, tiring days. I came home sick from the last trip. Mostly from exhaustion I’m assuming. So I’m taking the next few days “off” from goals to rest. I’d get outside but it’s back in the 30s again. I’m planning to look over my goals and progress and be ready to join back in on April 1.
  11. Week 3 Progress: Outside- 5.5/3 Exercise- 4/3 Weight loss - goal was to maintain and I think I did that. Decluttering - didn’t happen. I got home from one trip last night. Heading out again early Wednesday. Helping my parents clean out my grandmother’s house. Might be an emotional trip. Since I’m only home two days I’m keeping my goals fairly small. I think I can manage a daily walk while I’m away though. Week 4: Outside: 6 hours Exercise: 3 days Weight loss: maintain Decluttering: taking the week off from this one.
  12. Granny_Weatherwax - So sorry to hear about your foot! Hope it heals quickly. Week 2 progress: Outside: 8.5/6 Excited to surpass my goal this week. I ended the week with a 2 hour hike this afternoon. It was cold, only barely above freezing, but sunny. Exercise: 7/5 days. I walked every day this week. Eventually I’d like to add other types of exercise but for now I’m enjoying my daily walks. Weight Loss: .4/.5 pounds Happy to see my weight starting to creep down. Decluttering: didn’t get to this. The weekend was suddenly quite busy and when I did have time I was too tired. Week 3 goals: The next two weeks will be quite busy. I have two, 5 day trips planned. This week I’ll be out of state with dd15 for her first speech tournament. She’s excited. But it’ll be a busy few days so I’m not planning on making much progress toward my goals. Outside: 3 hours Exercise: 3 days Weight loss: goal will be to not gain much Decluttering: I think I can finish the bathroom cabinets tomorrow
  13. We filled our oil tank yesterday. Almost $1000. We last filled up about 5-6 weeks ago and it was about $450. We thought that was bad. I’m glad it’s March. Maybe we’ll get a little longer out of this tank. We live rurally and going anywhere is a drive. It’s too expensive to live in a city that’s walkable or has public transportation. We already live on a pretty tight budget in a HCOL state. The last car we bought was a used car for $1000. There is simply no way our budget will allow us to buy a newer hybrid or electric car. DH hasn’t had a raise of any kind in 3 years. We’re hoping for 1.5% this year which won’t even begin to cover COL increases. DH does have the option of working overtime but his job is rough on his mental or physical health so there will be major trade offs there. Attempts at transferring to a new job have so far not been successful. This could be a rough year. I’m looking line by line of our budget looking for places to make cuts. They will be small things as we already cook from scratch, don’t eat out, buy almost everything used, and have only one activity we pay for. I fully understand, and agree with, sanctions and boycotts on Russian goods. I just hope our government remembers that not all of us have the resources to weather those sanctions easily and looks into options for easing the burden on it’s citizens. It will be difficult for us and even worse for others we know.
  14. I didn’t put quite as much thought into the week as I should have when I planned my goals for last week. It was quite a busy week and I didn’t account for that as much as I should have. I made progress, just not as much as I would have liked. Outside: 3/5 hours Exercise: 4/5 days Weight Loss: 1 lb (Not sure how that happened. I didn’t do well with with my plan.) Decluttering: Done Reading: I think I’m dropping this goal for now. There are too many other things going on in my life. Maybe I’ll pick it up later. Week 2 Goals: Outside: 6 hours Exercise: 5 days Weight Loss: .5lb Decluttering: finish bathroom cabinets
  15. I think she’d likely start in community college. I need to look into the duel enrollment options around here. I know a lot of the local, homeschooled high schoolers attend community colleges but I’ve not looked into it as an option for my own kids. I have a friend whose dd went this route. I’m seeing her today actually. I’ll ask her about it.
  16. My 16yo informed me this week that she would like to become a Psychologist. Up until now I thought she wanted to be a writer or baker or possibly own a cafe. So this is quite a change. I can see this being a much better fit for her than her previous “dreams” but have no idea where to start in helping her achieve this goal. I’m not sure if Psychology is where she’ll actually end up or if she’ll decide to go into counseling or therapy instead, but working in mental health is definitely the direction she’s going in. I have barely a high school education myself and never attended college. I have plans to attend when my kids are older but this is definitely outside my wheelhouse. DD is finishing up 10th grade now. She is an ok student. Not great in math or science. But she also doesn’t put much time into studying. I really think going into the mental health field is a true goal for her and if we have a plan to help her achieve it I think she’ll put in the effort required. What kinds of classes should we focus on her last two years? What level of work will she need to be doing? We have two years to get her ready for whatever comes next. I’m trying to sort through our options. Community college classes, online classes, a new hybrid high school that may be starting nearby in the fall?…..We’ve had a pretty “traditional” homeschool around here up til now, just using materials from Notgrass, Apologia, Guest Hollow, MUS, IEW, etc. I’m wondering if I should change things up.
  17. We did this a couple of years at our previous house. We didn’t have any “real” equipment though. We had only 3 or 4 trees to tap and everything we could find was large sets of spiles for more than we wanted to spend. So DH went to the hardware store and picked up some small pvc joints, rubber tubing, and 5 gallon buckets and rigged it all up. He drilled holes in the bucket lids just big enough for the tubing and the buckets sat on the ground. We boiled the sap off into syrup inside on the stove which I do NOT recommend. But we got about a gallon of syrup out of those 3 or 4 trees and had a good time doing it. We have more maples here at our new house and a nice patio right out the back door where we could set up a spot to boil, but we haven’t tapped here. Maybe next year.
  18. I can’t believe it’s March already! I’m looking forward to warmer weather. We made it in to the 40s today and it doesn’t look like we’ll have a single below freezing day (just overnight) for the next week. Yay! I have one definite out of state trip planned as well as another possible one so that’s going to effect my goals for this month. March Goals: Outside - 25 hours Exercise - 5 days a week. Might be hard during the out of town weeks. I’m not going to put a time on this. I’ve been walking for 30 minutes most days. I’d like to bump this up to 45 minutes to start the month and maybe get to 60 minutes by the end of March. It’s too cold out to just sit outside so my outdoor hours are spent walking. That covers exercise too. Weight loss - 2lb Plan is drinking plenty of water, eating more vegetables, and exercise Reading - one book each week Decluttering - declutter both bathroom cabinets Week 1: Outside - 5 hours Exercise - 45 minute walk, 5 days Weight loss - .5 pound Reading - 1 book Decluttering - bathroom cabinet drawers. Surely I can find 10-15 minutes to get this done this week.
  19. February Goals: Outside - 14/20 hours Exercise - 15 min/5 days a week. I think I achieved this. Except the week I had to travel unexpectedly. I lost track a bit but I’m pretty sure I got the 5 days a week and most days were more than 15 minutes. Weight loss - Goal was 2lb, I think I lost one Decluttering - I still didn’t make any progress on this. But DH did a little decluttering so maybe I’ll claim that. Reading - Nothing. I’m considering dropping this one but I really want a “fun” goal. The big goal I achieved this month was one I didn’t share. I earned my second degree black belt on the 27th. I spent a lot of time the beginning of the year working on preparing for that test. I’ve made progress on another unmentioned, personal goal as well. This one is by far the most important, but also the most challenging in every way. Is there a separate March thread or do we post March goals here?
  20. I ordered some a couple of days ago since the first ones I ordered never arrived. I got an email notification this morning that they’ve shipped and will arrive by the end of the week. I’m not sure what happened what the first order.
  21. DH says if it happens again he WILL be speaking to people about it. And he won’t mince words. I’m not sure what policies are in place. That will be another good thing for me to ask about when I speak to the head of the group today. The activity takes place in one large, open room. Probably close to 50/50 teens and adults. So has always seemed pretty safe to me in that regard.
  22. I guess I wasn’t sure if I should insist that this man no longer work with the kids. Maybe it’s not time for that. He’s not my favorite person to begin with but not because of personal space issues. More a personality issue. But I’ve heard that this isn’t the first time this type of thing has happened with this man. DH and I decided that we’re not going to make a huge deal about this right now. We’re going to tell all three DD’s that they are to loudly and firmly tell this man to back up if he gets too close in the future. Or tell us later if they’re not comfortable with that. We’re also going to let the head of the group know that we are not, for the time being, comfortable with this man working with our DD’s. This is an activity that requires some level of physical contact and it’s completely normal for teens and adults to participate together (sorry to be so vague but that’s as much as I’m comfortable saying). But there are still lines for what is necessary and acceptable and what isn’t. We’ll let the head of the group handle the man however he sees fit, but let him know that we expect him to closely supervised. For now, we’ll see this as a learning opportunity for our DD’s and have some conversations about how and when to stand up for themselves when someone else is getting to familiar. Hopefully this man will also learn something about interacting with kids/young women.
  23. Yes, she does. I guess that’s a possibility but don’t think anything else has happened. At least not to dd. This man doesn’t tend to be great at personal space. He always seems to stand just a bit too close to everyone. Some of us aren’t sure if he simply doesn’t understand the concept of personal space or if he simply doesn’t care.
  24. Please don’t quote. I have a situation with dd17 that I’m not quite sure how to handle. I’m curious what other parents would do. We were at an event tonight and my daughter was in a small group with some other teenagers. There was an adult leading the group. Another of the adult leaders needed to get by dd17 but instead of simply turning sideways and going by, he put a hand on her back and got quite close to her with his face close to hers as he moved by. I didn’t see this happen but the other adult leading the small group mentioned it to me afterwards. This other adult thought a line had been crossed and I agreed. They offered to go with me to speak to the person in charge of the event. We did that and the person in charge will speak to the man. How far do I push this? There’s a chance that this man may not know that this is no longer acceptable behavior. So possibly let the leader of the group take care of it and assume it won’t happen again? Or should we go further than that? Also, how do I discuss this with DD? I mentioned that someone noticed something that may have made her uncomfortable, but dd couldn’t think of anything. I don’t want to turn this into an issue for her if it wasn’t. This is an event we participate in regularly and I don’t want her to be uncomfortable going if she doesn’t need to be. But at the same time I’m wondering if maybe telling her exactly what the other adult witnesses would be better so that she can be aware. I plan to mention this to DH when he gets home from work tonight and get his take on it. And the head of the group and I will speak about it again tomorrow. For now, I’m trying to sort out my own thoughts and was wondering how others would handle this. Please don’t quote. I will delete later.
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