Above The Rowan
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Posts posted by Above The Rowan
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I've been married once before, and getting through the divorce was a nightmare of paperwork, not to mention expensive.
I'm currently in a common law marriage (we live in Ontario, and it's automatically assumed for tax purposes after 1 year, and for family court purposes it's automatically assumed at 3 yrs of cohabitation). I am really unsure if we will ever get legally married. We have a house, a car, and are raising my two kids together. As far as I'm concerned, we're in it for life. I don't need paperwork to solidify anything. That paperwork in and of itself did NOT guarantee my first marriage would work. I don't need it to guarantee this one, either.
Maybe we'll do it one day. I definitely won't have another "big fat white wedding" - that was a waste of time and money. But maybe a courthouse or backyard wedding. One day. We'll see. I'm perfectly content as things are.
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He also has a video on YouTube where he recites The Jabberwocky. It enthralled my kids so much that we went on a bit of a Gaiman bender. He's amazing to listen to.
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AMERICAN GODS
It's all-caps-worthy. Anansi Boys is my second favorite, of the ones I've read.
Yup.
American Gods is brilliant.
All of his writing is brilliant - he is hands down one of my all time favourite authors.
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The judgy comments are annoying.
But I'm starting to get MORE annoyed by the questions about how to start or "how did you get the curriculum from the school?" questions. It's really sort of overwhelming to explain to people that we don't answer to the school board, where I go to research curric, and how we choose stuff.
My ex husband (who was skeptical about homeschooling at the beginning) emailed me to see if I would mind that he passed my email address to a coworker because they would like info about homeschooling and how to get started. I died a little. I find those convos very exhausting. I will take judgey mcjudgersons any day.
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My two worries are:
1 - My own (in)ability to keep to a schedule or routine. This is my personal 'thing' to work on for this year.
And
2 - Making sure my kids get enough social time with friends. And making sure they have friends. I know, talking about the "S" word is poo-poo'd by homeschoolers but sometimes it's a valid concern. Sometimes loneliness is a thing. And sometimes it's downright exhausting to be the Social Coordinator for a 9.5 year old and a 7 year old.
Otherwise I'm feeling really good this year.
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We go to Montreal often. It's hands down one of my favourite cities to visit. I have never run into people who would make me feel like I have to run to Ontario before nightfall. Nighttime is when Montreal comes alive.
Use the Metro (subway) it can get you anywhere you need to go. Our hotel desk clerks always knew how to get us where we needed to be.
I have not yet gone into a store or restaurant in Montreal where employees didn't speak English. Is a very multicultural city and very English. I would go so far as to say a truer idea of Quebec would be to go to Quebec City or visit some of the more rural cities in Quebec.
Definitely make time to visit Ottawa. It's about an hour from Mtl. I lived there for years and it's an amazing city. Clean, lots to do, great food, and downtown Ottawa is so much fun!
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This has been an unexpected but welcome bonus to being divorced.
The kids go to their dads place only occasionally (one week over Xmas, one week in the summer usually in July, and a few oddball long weekends here and there). But when they go - my husband works a typical 9-5 schedule so all day there are no kids and no husband. Just blissful alone time.
The gods have blessed me and the kids are going for a second week witj their dad this week coming. Their week in July, we had a roof leak and major repairs to do so it just wasn't a relaxing break. THIS week coming, no stress just downtime.
Sometimes I am thankful they have another home to go to once in a blue moon.
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If your floors tend to shift or flex you can get an underlay that protects your tiles from movement.
But looking at that picture, my money is on improperly mixed mortar and improperly mixed grout. If either are too wet then as it sets, the excess water dries and the grout will crumble and the mortar will come away from the tile.
Tile should also be "back-buttered", a thin layer of mortar on the back of the tile as well as the proper amount of mortar on the floor. Helps prevent air pockets which will cause your tiles to "Pop".
I'm not sure I would ask this guy back again. I wouldn't feel confident that he knows what he's doing, tbh. I would probably call in an experienced tile setter and have them properly installed.
Hope you get it all fixed up!
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Oh, oh my. Is that what I think it is? A home & education magazine not totally devoted to Christian topics? Not showing me total perfection of children who love to sit quietly and read under the trees?
I'm a little giddy here.
What she said!
Thanks for sharing, I ordered also and am excited to read it.
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Generally, no. But my partner is 7 years younger than me so I have moments where I "feel" the age difference and get a bit touchy. I look and feel good for my age, and wouldn't go back to my younger me for anything. I'm a much happier, healthier and calmer person (and better decision maker lol) so I like where I'm at right now and don't hide my age or do anything crazy to fight my aging.
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My kids have learned the most from talking to survivors. The father of one of my dearest friends, at the age of 5, would be sent to hide in the forest here in Northen Ontario for weeks at a time when the Indian Agent was on their reserve rounding up children. He managed to elude being sent to a residential school but his siblings were not so lucky. Hearing their stories has been a wonderful learning opportunity for my kids.
We live in an area with a large First Nations population and have reserves all around us. So making sure they grow up with an understanding and sensitivity towards this particular aspect of Canadian history has been a top priority for us in our home. We have a lot of open and frank conversations with the kids about these things, and haven't really used a resource or curriculum.
I bought the Donna Ward native history package and will work through that this year but it will need some "extra explanations" since it's a bit whitewashed and sugarcoated imo. Good jumping off point though.
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I dunno. I had my second baby at 7am, and was home from the hospital by noon (including an hour drive from the hospital to my house). I felt amazing, had a shower and put on a wee bit of makeup (not fully glammed, but heck I did NOT have a hair/makeup stylist there to do it for me lol) and as far as the PP bleeding that someone mentioned upthread, I didn't really deal with that much either.
Now...after my first, I was a MESS for weeks. But baby #2, I was up and at it pretty quick.
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I voted 'other' here too.
I think he would, he swears he wouldn't.
He said that because if I die the kids would actually go to their biological father, he would lose much more than "just" me, and he wouldn't want to go through that again. He said he can't imagine making a life with another woman/family as if this one just *poof* disappeared and ceased to exist. That made my heart sad.
I would want him to be happy, he's one of the most amazing human beings I know and I am blessed every day that he walked into my life. He deserves to be happy, so I would want that for him.
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I voted 'other'.
After my divorce, I said I would not legally marry again.
But I'm currently in a committed common-law relationship with someone I love very deeply. We just bought a house together, and we raise my kids together, and for all intents and purposes we are 'married' to one another. But I'm not in any big honkin' rush to walk down an aisle again, to be honest.
I really think that if my current partner passed away, I would not want to do this "step/blended" family thing again, but would probably date or have a non-living-together relationship. I like being on my own, and am pretty independently-minded so I don't think I'd have a relationship of this level again, no.
But. Who knows. I swore I wouldn't 'remarry' after my divorce, and here I am in what I would completely consider a marriage. So you never can say never, I guess.
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We are always listening to music in our house - and especially in the car when we're going places. But my kids don't "know" any of the Top 40 pop stuff, we're more of an alt rock/old grunge/punk kind of family. My kids would be more likely to go into a class like that singing something from Alice in Chains or NOFX than something on a Top 40 channel.
Does the song for the class HAVE to be a current pop track? What about a country song they like, or classic rock, or... anything else?
We'll listen to some of the pop stations on our satelite radio in our truck, but my kids wouldn't know the lyrics offhand even if we find them catchy while driving. We listen to just about anything - old rock, my grunge faves, country, some pop. But this would be a tough assignment for either of my kids.
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I find myself very CM-influenced, and yet I scored a 0 for CM lol. This quiz felt a bit odd. And I don't think the results really are accurate for our family.
There's no way I am more unschooly than CM or Classical. I think some of the questions were difficult to answer, and I agree with those who've mentioned Waldorf. I don't find any of the questions that I assumed were targeting Waldorf, actually addressed their basic Steiner philosophy, which kind of skews the result, IMO. I answered things thinking "CM" and scored fairly high on Waldorf which is a philosophy I don't really align with at all in real life. I mean, we're planning to use OM next year, but we want NOTHING to do with the Steiner method itself. I can not get behind some of his "spiritual belief" stuff.
Anyway, as a quiz it was a bit tricky to answer, probably because I am decidedly ecclectic in my homeschooling lol. I tended to answer mostly the "inbetween" answers like "somewhat disagree" and "somewhat agree".
Score for Charlotte Mason Education: 0
Score for Waldorf Education: 13
Score for Traditional Education: -12
Score for Unit Studies Education: 0
Score for Montessori Education: 14
Score for Thomas Jefferson Education: 16Score for Unschooling: 19
Score for Classical Education: 16-
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I am pretty sure our provincial law is 13 yrs old, so that's what we do.
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I'm in Canada, we wear 'em here. Or at least I do lol.
I have short legs (I'm just under 5'2) but I still love them - I just have to make sure they are very fitted, and in petite length (otherwise they will likely fit me like an ankle length pant haha).
I wear denim rolled-cuff snug fitting capris, pretty much all summer. If not those, then I wear my cargo style fitted capri pant. I hate shorts with a passion, and am not generally a fan of skirts either. Capri pants are my summer staple piece of clothing. I don't care much for dressy capris for myself - but my style is fitted concert tee or tank top with capris.
I definitely think they depend on the cut, fit, and fabric though. if they fit too loose, they can be unflattering.
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I would vigorously disagree about seeing a Dr regarding vitamin work ups before seeing a psychiatrist.
Vitamins will take weeks before one would see any noticeable effects. If the OP could have another episode while driving that could be a very serious situation.
Vitamin deficiencies don't all take weeks to see progress after they've been diagnosed. When I was diagnosed with a B12 deficiency I saw improvements within 5 days of taking my supplements.
Also, don't forget that most anit-depressants need a good 2-3 weeks to show improvements also.
I'd talk to your GP, get a full blood workup, start with talk therapy, and move to meds if you feel they are necessary.
I'm in the process of dealing with anxiety that has become nearly debilitating recently, even though I've had it for 30 yrs+. My coping techniques stopped being helpful, and so my Nurse Pracitioner and I have been working quite hard to figure out a solution (as well as a cause). I refuse to take anti-depressants for a few reasons, so I'm seeing a therapist through my nurse practitioner's office as well as going for an MRI to rule anything physiological out. I do need to stay on top of my B12 or else that can make me much more susceptible to anxiety blowouts that are almost unmanageable.
Something you COULD ask for is a prescrip for a benzo (ie Ativan), which DOES work immediately after taking it. I keep mine with me for panic attacks that are completely unmanageable with my usual techniques. Also for attacks that come on lightning fast with no pre-symptoms. Dissolves under the tongue, hits within 10-20 mins, and takes all the edge off of the attack and stops it in its tracks. You don't take them regularly (and definitely don't want to take them more than just occasionally), just as needed. Mine make me sleepy a bit, so I keep them mostly for my nighttime attacks which tend to be my most intense.
Good luck, anxiety is brutal but it's definitely manageable :)
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I thought it was a good finale. I was a bit tense when they made it seem like Glen might be dead.
I, too, don't really "get" the whole thing with the Wolves. I just wasn't getting my head wrapped around them at all. I'm a bit curious to see how they play out next season.
Father Gabriel...he's just so ridiculous, it's almost like he's on there for comic relief. His character annoys me, but so does the acting of the fella who plays him. Just grates on my nerves.
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My partner and I balance each other out. We have a rock solid relationship and family life, and I think that comes from both of us being willing to do a little more when the other is not able to do as much.
Overall, I'd say I'm a good "wife" (we aren't legally married, so maybe I don't count haha). He's a great partner, also.
If we're talking "housewifeyness" then I'd get a failing grade. My house is a mess (not dirty, but definitely untidy), I hate cleaning and he cooks more often than not these days since I just don't feel like it by the end of the day, and we're both grown-up metalhead punk types so neither of us expects Martha Stewart out of each other.
We're happy, the kids are happy, so thats all we tend to focus on.
ETA: We've been cohabitating for 3 years. This is my second "marriage", in my first I was the epitome of happy housewife - at least on the outside looking in, and that failed miserably for everyone involved.
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The limited seating is making me nervous! I can't register til payday this week, so hopefully the sessions I want are still open in a couple of days.
Some friends and I were just having a discussion, should seating become closed for various sessions, we were thinking of getting together to watch it all together and share the cost. Would be like a mini-conference in our homes - with pj's and wine lol.
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The barn/tornado thing was weird. Just a strange scene, with a really abrupt move from "oh no all the zombies are trying to get in the barn!" to "chirping birds and peaceful sunrise". Just strangely done.
All I could think was that it was a "saved by an act of 'god'" thing that came right when the group was feeling down and dark and losing hope.
Still. I agree with the PP - suspension of disbelief can only stretch so far.
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I disagree. It isn't the ultimatum that's the problem. If you are in a relationship with someone who dismisses issues that are very important to you and those of your children, THAT is the problem. I don't get how you can have closeness and a healthy relationship in that scenario. In that case, the ultimatum didn't cause any deterioration of the relationship, it just brought it out into the light of day. I'll take that over hiding it & covering up problems so that things look pretty any day.
I agree.
My ex husband refused counselling of any sort. I didnt give him an ultimatum. He made a choice and I made clear what the consequences of the choice would be. Hence - he is now my ex.
I couldn't remain wih someone who didnt take my needs seriously. I made that clear to him and he made his own choices.
Naturally disorganized but WANT to get it together? Help?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Hey all!
I, up til now, have been very much "fly by the seat of our pants" kind of homeschooling. This is the start of our third school year homeschooling and I've really just been kind of feeling my way around it til now.
But I have a 4th grader and 2nd grader and for a number of reasons, they want/need to be taught separately as much as possible.
Which means that I, a chronic procrastinator and hater of plans, really need to learn how to get organized. Between schoolwork, a few regularly scheduled events and outings, and just life stuff, I'm a mess this year and it's really causing a lot of friction in the home.
So, for anyone else who is not naturally an organized person - have you read any books or blogs, or have any tips of learning to be more routined?
Thanks for any ideas!