We leave ours up year round. Of course we swim from April to mid Sept maybe even Oct some years. Wasn't worth the hassle of taking it down . We ran the pump a couple of times each week just to circulate the water around and from time to time I would throw in some shock. We just opened it up and are getting it back in sparkly shape as the water was cloudy. Kids pretty much live in it.

IF nothing else, this thread reassures me that I can teach my children. I will never doubt that again. I just thought my crazies were mine, KWIM ?? I didnt' think other people from various parts of the country and various lifestyles would have so many similar stories about whacked out teachers.

My 11th grade English teacher would breeze in, write SAT voc on the board and leave. She was having an affair with the Valedictorian from the year before. He would come to school, pick her up during our class and they would stay together (sometimes in the parking lot ) thru her planning period and lunch. Then she would teach the afternoon. Next year our AP English teacher strode in and said you are all some smart cookies so we are gonna learn in 4 weeks all the crap you should have learned last year while so and so was $@&$ her boy toy in the parking lot. AP English turned out to be a very cool year. Apparently they had been together a couple of years. I know she left her husband and kids but I don't know what ever happened. There was at least 20 years between them.

Its the norm around here if the teachers in SS are accurate. They talk about various lunch policies sometimes before SS starts. One teacher has migraines and keeps her lunchroom very quiet so as to not trigger an episode. I find it interesting. One thing I will note is I wonder if this is connected to the extreme out of control loudness I am shocked by in college. I've gone back to school and I am absolutely shocked that pretty much every student expect those old fogies like me have NO IDEA they are being loud. when we are in conference (8 students and instructor), it is so loud that you can't hear yourself think. I have to actually say "Guys/Girls we are being really loud,Can we lower the volume?) Class which is typically 100 students (all between 22-55 with the majority in that twentyish bracket) is deafening until someone tells everyone to hush. My little group is always shaking our head because we learned to speak quietly indoors. I wonder if this lunch policy is widespread enough and gone on long enough to be the reason why these people can not talk quietly. I know we had the traffic light system (put in place by my sil no less because she suffered from headaches too - She was my 2nd grade student teacher) and before that we had the lights out. Assigned tables with assigned seating and dismissed by tables and single file thing too. I don't imagine that has changed much. I have a hard time in SS as the majority of them are public school teachers and they talk shop quite a bit. I feel like an alien most times because they discuss stuff that they do and I keep thinking "Lord I would be the that horrible parent up in the office ranting to the principle!!!" Sometimes I wonder if anyone gets child development training anymore in teacher college.

I test yearly. I don't even know what is on the test to be able to teach to it. We use the Iowa test. From it, I can tell if my kid is working in subjects way ahead or way behind in comparison with each other. For instance, one year his spelling was like 2nd grade and his math 6th. I then took steps to concentrate on spelling and recognizing misspelled words the next year. I just use the test to see if there seems to be wide gaps between subjects, overall low/high compared to grade level, and if the three R's seem to be getting done. I don't worry about the science or the history because we have a different scope and sequence and many years haven't covered the material on the test for those subjects. But I do try to make sure they seem to get all those little topics in English and math. But truly, the whole community would be better served if we just tried to teach kids to READ,WRITE, ADD and THINK! They could answer the freaking test questions if they actually learned stuff!

I officially end it on paper at 180 days. Then we go until we finish the books or what I had planned . :). Since I concentrate on mastery,sometimes we have to stay on the same topic longer than planned. I usually start up in August, run through the year with mini breaks till may and then use June to "finish up" if we are close to finishing or the highschool kid needs to complete the work for credit. The good thing is that if they finish a book or the coursework say in April, then they are done with that! I don't start another subject. ( now if they finish in dec, oh yeah but at the end, take a break). If we really struggled, then we will stop it in may and start back up in aug with it. But I don't get hung up on making sure every page is done and every item checked.

Around here, the public school does about 4 weeks review, 4 weeks test prep, 2weeks testing, and have about 2 weeks of half days, parties, and other non academic actual teaching days. The rest of the time they set the goal to finish 70% of the book. This I know because a teacher friend was bemoaning how much math she would have to teach during the "review" period because they never covered those topics the year before because that teacher didn't meet the 70% goal. So i wouldn't get stuck on finishing books as a measure of successful homeschooling. You covered a lot of material, especially for the first year after brick and mortar school. That really was a lot of work.

Maybe that is why he wasn't worried. Some parts had headed to warmer areas. Nothing around to get in the way of chopping. :coolgleamA:

Thanks for that explanation. Maybe it works differently here or was just done out of courtesy or something. Nice to know that in case it happens again.

Can your ped not call in and order fluids? We have had that done before. Just wondering why the peds can't place the order and the hospital do it?

Any numbness ? Tingling? Sensation ? Can he move his face? Smile, twitch, etc? Any pain? No real answer but I know a doc would check those sort of things

We just had a stinky boy issue because........ He wasn't actually washing any stinky parts... He was just sort of running soap and water around without scrubbing it into the area it needed to go. I think. I'm not really sure he was using soap or water. He may have just been standing in the tub counting the drops from the shower. Who knows, but really truly washing wasn't happening despite sending him in there every day and after you know, teaching him how to shower for what, nearly everyday of his entire life!!! So daddy threatened to bath him every single day. If dad smells any stink,he said he will scrub that stink off! Stinky boy has been trying much much harder in the shower and hasn t been stinky other than after sports practice. (Which even with deodorant people stink after active sweating!). I never realized the child would forgot how to take a bath! But bathing correctly has helped tremendously.

Do you have any storage space anywhere?. Say the attic, under stairs or even a crawl space? I saw a house that had a door in the floor to the crawl space and had finished out part of it to house books. Other tricks I have tried - book shelves with doors, bins under the beds, installing a shelf high in the top of the closets and stacking books there. I have a cute shelf that has baskets that stores current school books. I have a friend that uses those big storage ottomans and storage benches as well. I do only keep Teacher manuals and certain programs that I know I want to use with the younger kids. I keep only really expensive collge texts that would cost a lot to replace but are only updated for silly things like a new picture not update for real content. But it is still a lot of books. Our history and literature are only what I can't get readily from the library or on kindle. I do have a line of classics that are at least matched. My hubby is a minimalist and the books absolutely kill him. He says you can just never make them look good. LOL! Oh!!! I saw an ikea hack using that really thin narrow shoe holder cabinet to hold books!

So very true. In my area, it would draw attention cause women and children just don't say that. It is still unusual out in public. I would be shocked to walk around a city and think extreme language normal . I certainly wouldn't see children cussing parents. Just not the norm here. At least in public. Who knows what goes at home. But in public, that is still just not done for the most part. Somebody would notice and step in.

Never go quietly. CUSS big giant sailor words. Make one blush kind of words People will turn and stare at that while they may ignore other words Walk with keys in hand like PP said above Never leave the building without keys in hand. Never wander in the parking lot looking for your car. Stand at the door and FIND IT. Then walk to it. Walk with purpose. Head up, Stride heavy, turn your head and scan as you walk. As my dad said, walk like you would be way too much to bother with. Approach vehicle from behind, look in the windows and check the seats and floors BEFORE unlocking. Open door and then lock it as quickly as you can. Don't dilly dally about getting in. Kids need to GET IN and shut the door. I just make it a rule. Get it and get in now. I do not have time to stand around while you take your sweet time messing with your car seat. If you see someone and feel they are might be watching you, go back inside. Corral the kids in the parking lot. Don't let them sidetrack you or distract you. train them to look for the car and to get there. The mission is to get from the store and in the car as quickly as possible. Learn to judge "stuff" as to how well someone could hide behind it and then jump out.. Given that everyone tired to scare the daylights out of me growing up , this one was easy. If someone makes you feel icky, weird, or not right DO NOT BE POLITE. You don't have to be polite. You don't have to consider their feelings or how they feel or what if they get upset. SO what??? If you feel funny on the elevator get off! Who cares if they will feel . You are alive and out of a confined space with some stranger that makes you feel weird Don't be hesitant to voice Firmly and loudly your feelings. Remember you don't have to be polite. The old man that creeps up behind you and gets too close at the store may very well be a nice man without a clue but he will think twice the next time that maybe he should SAY something before tapping someone else on the shoulder and scaring the crap out of her. :leaving: (I'm not sure if he scared me or that knowing someone got that close to me and I DIDN'T know it scared me) Tell people you don't know who are purposefully approaching you that NO, you don't want any and hold your hand up and out (like a stop sign). People not looking for trouble will not continue toward you. IF they do, walk away back to the store Yelling loudly . Never get closer to a car that has stopped and they are talking to you. BACK up and away and shout the answer. Don't let anyone get in arm's reach. Just because they want to stand beside you on the aisle doesn't mean you have to let them. Be careful in places where you are suddenly swarmed with two or three people. just extract yourself and put distance between you and them. Never go with anyone else. IF there is trouble with me ( wreck, dead, hospital), there is a chain of command and only certain people will come for you and they know who those people could be). IF it is dad, I AM THE only who will come get you. I will come. IF they threaten you that they will kill me, don't believe it. Just don't. Remember that no matter what, I will turn over every rock, stone, follow every lead and move heaven and hell to find you. I will never ever give up. Neither should you. Have you ever know me to give up? Do not believe the lies of your abductor. after all if they were truthful people, would they have kidnapped you? I'll add more as I think about it. Some of it is just now a natural thing to do and I don't even think about it til someone says something.

well. I don't know where the "tools" come from but I do know it involves allowing your child to act on gut instincts. Even if I couldn't explain why I didn't want to be around certain people or certain family members, I was allowed to follow that instinct. *I* was respected in that sense. No pushing me to like them, no pushing me to be with them because they were so and so or any of that. Just a polite excuse given and even my whacked crazy mom would supply cover excuses and give me things to do that would remove me from that person. Now sometimes as I got older, I was told to suck it up as being in the same room was polite and I couldn't just be blatantly rude for a non substantiated gut feeling. But it would have never involved forcing me to be alone or in contact beyond sitting in the same room and having a polite conversation. I was taught some basic manners after all. But if I never warmed up to hug or kiss a family member that was okay. Honoring that I believe led me to believe in *myself* and not cause me to second guess myself when I have that gut instinct warning bell go off.

Emphasis mine as I want to address this one point (I'm going to agree to disagree with the rest)- Yes they would. Your presence will not ensure safety. I have had two attempts on my children. Both times I was there. I don't want to go into too many details because I don't want IRL buddies to make a connection but yes, twice I had people attempt to remove my children in my presence. Each time, cops were brought in by security, surveillance tapes pulled, warnings put out. Just being there does not mean you will never have someone grab a child and make a break for it. Even more reason why every time I go out with my kids, I talk out loud of the things I am doing for security - "oh see that man just standing around over there, let's go this way and take this door instead of passing by him" "hmm.. let's stop a moment and let this person pass us before we go to our car" "hmm.. that lady looks like she is going to try to hit us up for donations in the parking lot, let's stand here for a moment in the big wide space and tell her no go the other way" (recent robberies involved a woman approaching for donations and then a second person joins them when you are between the cars). "Sorry person, we can't accept candy" "excuse me you are in my personal space, step back" Constant out loud chattering/talk about do this/do that. This walkway is overgrown and poorly lit. let's take the other that is clear" "Let's take that walk in the woods but we have our emergency pack, phone, and whistle and mace and walking stick. Never know when you might need to fend off wild dogs or beat the hell out of someone. Be prepared." The opportunities for someone suspicious do not come up often, but when they do, I talk out the thought process if possible and do a brief explanation when we are in the car about why I did what I did. How else will anyone learn to be safe and take precautions if no one tells them? I'm not hiding in my home. I do take precautions, I do analyze the risk and I do know when I need to not do something or go some place. My children are a blank slate on that knowledge though. I feel I should impart as much of that to my children as possible. It may just come in handy one day.

This !!!! We have had two attempted stranger abductions. Yes, I am not making that up. My kids are fairly spread apart so one was when the oldest was an infant and then when the third was around 4 but looked 2ish. The attempts were foiled because of the skills my father taught me when I was little and the support of the people around. He was always telling me things when we were out and about - look around when you are out, purposely turn around and look behind you, look people in the eye, address them with hello and a curt nod without stopping, approach your car from the rear and look in the windows and take note of the back seat and floorboards. His favorite saying was give people the impression when you are walking that if crossed or bothered you could whoop their ass without missing a step. He always let me even as young as 4 deal with sales people and adults. It was like he was a personal coach that would clue me in on what I should do and when things looked "wrong". He would point out the oddball people in crowds and tell me to look around, use my brain..... Do they belong, are they with people, do they look nervous, does it look right??? He taught me in crowds you really shouldn't see the same person from store to store and when at events, when you look around, people should be looking at the event, not you. If they are, take note. He taught me to listen to that inside voice. If I was walking alone, did it feel right? Are the bushes too overgrown? Are there places someone could hide? Enough light? People around? He taught me it was okay to look around and decide Nah, I don't like this set up and it doesn't feel right. Despite being southern, he taught me to walk and talk without apology or politeness. Walk with purpose and intent, head up, looking around...... He was the first person to tell me that it was okay to walk away from people asking for help ( you know like my dog is lost help me find it, help load this in my car, help me carry this to my car). Told me never get in arm's length ever of someone when out and about, never step closer to someone asking me for directions, told me there were far worse things than being shot or stabbed and to take my chance with the gun....... Never get on an elevator without giving myself permission to GET OFF if i didnt like who got on regardless of whether it would hurt their feelings or not. If he was alive today, he would be having a thousand ducks over everyone with their phones in their hands, earbuds in and such....the potential to be distracted by such devices is high. He taught me a lot of little things over the years that when added all up gave me a skill set that has helped several times when I found myself in situations that could have ended badly for me. I don't believe I am paranoid or too crazy. :) I go where I want when I want. I teach my kids much the same stuff. Keep a look out, realize where danger could be, don't worry about being polite when your inner voice is screaming.

Thank you guys! We only have two seasons maybe three on a crazy year and they range from cool to hot and hotter. I was just worried, I would pull them out and they would be unusable but you give me hope. I'm going to do that this weekend as I brought in even more books last weekend and have no space!!!!!

Would this hurt anything? I am currently in the middle of 'GET RID OF IT ALL" and can't think straight. I am seriously thinking of packing up every single book into rubber maid containers and storing them in the attic or garage. The only books out would be our current "year", our classics series (we have two very nice series), a set of pretty encyclopedias, and reference books(maps, dictionaries, etc). I would store each container by time period and have a separate one for each kind of science. Each kid would still have a book shelf in each room that would hold kid literature, their personal favorites and then I would need a place for preschool early reader type books Any thing I am overlooking about putting them all in containers? it would still be available just maybe a little more work than grabbingsomething off the shelf. But if I wanted it, i would be able to get myself. I do have a library program for my ipad and have most of the books cataloged in there. I could make sure every book that went into containers was in it so i could just look it up on the ipad and locate it. ​ Thoughts?? I don't want to ruin my books if they sit in a container for 3 years before they get pulled out of storage and put back on the shelves. But I'm not seeing a down side at the moment. And yea I am just that organized that yearly rotating of books would not be any issue. Just another yearly thing we would do.

http://www.hrsa.gov/about/contact/ They might. They have loans and scholarships.

Came back to see if there were any responses. Interested myself.

We just spent $140.00 on a 14 inch square cake double layers with a smaller offset double layer square on top, heavily decorated with a flower bouquet - each handmade, edible and placed carefully. The flowers covered the top square, flowed around the top square, and then continued down the cake and flowed out onto the board. Wsh I could upload a pict but I don't have one. It was gorgeous! I would think. Depending on size you could easily ask 100- 150 without batting an eye.

UGH, I'm here and sweaty! Week 2 day 1 on everything but repeated WEek 1 day 1 on the sit ups. Did manage to force a crunch sit up but it wasn't pretty!!!

New standards dictate what is called "time out" when the pt goes under and before anything else is done, the OR nurse calls time out and reads the pt name, condition, what they are doing and whatever else pertinent info is needed. The surgery and what site is given. Each of the team member is supposed to verbally agree with the check off. Hopefully, that was done and that is why it was caught. BUt it is called time out and you can suggest that in your letter that they follow the time out rules and double check the consent and pre-op check off routine. Glad it was caught.