ezrabean2005
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Posts posted by ezrabean2005
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You did great. You are doing GREAT.
When going through the same thing, this is a book that changed my life:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EF5L2VW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
It is expensive (in my world) for a Kindle book, but if you have a Kindle, PM me and I can lend it to you so you can read it for free.
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We had this exact issue one year with DH's ex-wife. We simply filed the paper return and we included a letter stating why we were claiming the dependents that we did. We also included a copy of the divorce decree with the language highlighted so it was easy to find.
Our return was accepted with no problems and later that year, the IRS required the ex-wife to return part of her refund since she did not properly claim the dependents.
HTH. It was annoying, but not too difficult.
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Definitely buy it on Craigslist.
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Here's the one we have: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JSC012M?ref=emc_b_5_i&th=1
I like all the seating options (with or without the carseat, forward or rear facing, etc.).
We walk to get our groceries frequently. When we do, I wear DS6mos and (with the carseat installed), I can fit two weeks of groceries in the basket and top. Even with all the groceries, it still moves really easily with the three wheels. For us, we do most of our errands by walking so a stroller is really important. When it just holds DS, he is comfortable and it's handy not to have to wake him up. We can just wheel him into our apartment and he can finish his nap in the stroller.
ETA: We only paid about $150-$175 at TRU for ours because it was hot pink and was the last one :) DS doesn't care....
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You have always been in my heart, Rose. I'm so glad for the update. You are a warrior and the mom I wish I had.
Take good care of you.
:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:
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I PM'd you Jan :)
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This would be unacceptably lenient to me - I'd insist on a hug repayment plan than extends over the next 5-10 years :-)
(A mom needs to make sure she's still getting her hugs when they're in their teenage years!)
Great point!! :)
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Thanks for all the comments, I am definitely considering everything you are saying. It was lost at our bakery in the customer side. He asked to read on it and I said yes. Instead of putting it back in the school bag where it belongs, he thinks he put it on a nearby bookshelf. No one has found it or turned it in - so we are fairly certain it is gone.
I like the idea of adding it to my Christmas list and trying to find a refurbished one for less. My first one was used, so that part is no problem. I like the idea that he could then pitch in if he wanted to.
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Thanks for the replies, I think you all are on the same page as what I was thinking. We've already done a pretty extensive search. He is so careful with things, we were both surprised when it was gone and he realized it was lost. In my family of origin, the legalistic side would always win - as in making him pay without considering his heart or mine.
I do appreciate his offer, but I think I will just tell him he owes me in hugs :)
Thanks for the great advice,
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I have a little issue that I wanted the Hive's perspective on. DS11 and I use a Kindle Fire and a Kindle Paperwhite for schoolwork each day. You need to know I LOVE my Kindle Paperwhite. It is the one thing I'd save in a house fire after people and pets. I always have it with me and use it many times a day.
DS11 lost it. He feels terrible because he knows I really liked it. He has said he would help pay for a new one.
I really don't feel like he should pay for the whole thing because 1) we still have the Kindle Fire and I can use the Kindle app on my phone (so it isn't technically needed), 2) originally a dear friend gave it to me, so I didn't pay for it, and 3) the replacement cost is $120 so it would wipe out any savings DS11 has (which we've always encouraged).
On the other hand, he did lose it so it makes me think he should do something to make it right.
My heart wants to let it go and just deal. What would you do?
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We've lived in an apartment (different ones) for the last 10 years (our youngest is 10.5). The apartments that were great were usually (slightly) more expensive. Most people are gone during the day. If it is well-built, you won't have as much noise from your family or others. If you are on a corner you will likely share a wall with a laundry room or garbage chute (both good things). Good apartment policies on smoking, noise, etc. are worth a lot especially when the management is present each day (like in an onsite office). There also might be periods of having louder neighbors who move away, to be replaced with quieter ones.
When we moved to our current, wonderful apartment, we watched the grounds, management, etc. for about a year to see how it was (how quickly snow was plowed, how often vacancies were occurring, how clean the grounds stayed - especially since this place allows pets / dogs). A bit of research, reading the resident handbook/policies, and several tours at different times of day can tell you a lot about a place before you sign a lease.
HTH. Honestly, if we could stay in our apartment forever it would so great. I love it here.
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We are all supporting you as you do the right thing and support this girl. I have BTDT myself. Therapy and deep intervention was the only "cure".
You can do this.
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I had this problem at the beginning. One thing I did was to rotate the subjects so that the kindle was not used for every single thing. I also ensured that each reading was short / age appropriate with discussion / written work in between. Finally for the more challenging books (challenging to the specific child), we'd "buddy read" taking turns by page or by paragraph until they got into the book more.
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Two flour sack towels layered. They dry quick and when the dishes are put away the counter is clean and cleared off entirely.
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We've owned this in the past (it was given to us). Truly, there is so much more out there. It was created for a time that resources were not as easy to access. I would suggest finding a good math curriculum that is feasible for five kids that eventually becomes independent, create a writing expectation that builds up slowly to eventually be one page / essay a day, and create a booklist that you are happy with. With those tools, the independence of the Robinson Curriculum is created with resources that you won't wince at.
The Rainbow Curriculum that Hunter posted gives a really great place to jump off from as you try to "level" books and skills. Good luck!
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We have floor to ceiling bookshelves at home. Not the whole room, just three of them in the whole house. These keep all the "other" items that are great resources, but aren't needed every day. Daily items are in a single rolling crate and supplies in a pencil pouch. A small whiteboard and marker fit in the rolling crate. We use kindles when we can (pdf's, textbooks, literature, etc.) One drawer holds all stationary supplies for the year bought during back to school sales (notebooks, folders, etc.).
A timeline and world map are on the wall in our living room.
I would second keeping all of the "other stuff" that is in your home to a minimum. Quite often if things were cluttered, it wasn't the homeschooling supplies per se. It was all of the other stuff that made finding homeschool stuff difficult. Purge mercilessly and it all is quite easy to find when needed. Oh, and train yourself and the kids to put things back where you found them.
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We're in the just outside of Minneapolis. Feel free to PM me too.
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Big hugs, Hunter.
Stay safe.
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Hunter,
Can you tell me more about how you used the WY_GNTK books? I own most of them and could use them as a spine potentially. Money is such an issue right now that I can't buy a bookshelf for my existing books and I can't buy new sets of books that would allow me to get rid of a lot of my existing books. I do have a Childcraft set that I could also use as a spine by doing a little from the holidays book, a little from the craft and activity book, a little from one of the literature books (or one selection of each since the three books are for varying levels), and then do one of the other nonfiction books as the unit study of the month. I could use my audio Bible cds for Bible mostly. I would read the section and then go check out supplemental books that they either suggested or the real copy of their adaptation (in the literature books). Using these I could keep us together (all except my 8th grader probably). Or I could just let them read whatever they want. Or I could use the WY_GNTK as a read aloud and activity guide for each child and use the World Treasury of Children's Literature (which the library carries and which I own volume 3 out of 3) as a family read aloud spine (also checking out the full book from the library instead of the excerpts). I think I would be more likely to include geography this way, but I might feel a little all over the place. I also wonder if my 6th grade will not be happy with either scenario since he likes to pick his own books out.
I guess for now I am keeping what we are using for curriculum for math and grammar. I am fantasizing a bit about TT because I've decided that for now I think I could live with easier math and fill in any gaps later if needed, but TT costs lots of money so it is irrelevant right now. I found a book about grammar that includes exercises in our library, but it doesn't have any repetition, so I don't know if I like that well enough to use it. I am doubting that something spiral with exercises exists in the free world. We have enough lessons in Hake 4 to keep us going for a few months maybe, but then I'll have to decide whether to spend the money to order the next one or drop the formal study of grammar and writing and pick it up again later.
Having to do things for free or next to free is scary. Either you dig up what you can with no idea if it will fit with anything else you will have after that, or you completely drop the subject and hope that they can get by without formal instruction as some people claim. I am wondering how studying a language would go using library resources that have to be returned in 2 weeks.......
Sorry if I missed it, but what do you have for curriculum right now? Do you have an ereader? If you are able to list subjects that you are lacking in, we could help with low cost resources or a scope & sequence that any library books could help with. Do you school year round or are you off until the fall?
What worked last year? Why does that same thing not work this year?
It does sound simple and romantic to have everything in one notebooks / place / resources, but what is difficult is being able to be consistent. What if the book that everyone finally got used to is checked out or moved to a different branch? What is the problem you are trying to solve? Is it your children being focused? If so, the outside pressure (from a library) might help for a little while but it is very difficult to parent and homeschool in public. I have to do this everyday (we homeschool at my job / café) and if I had the option not to, I would take it in a hot second. It is a lot of additional pressure to be interrupted and distracted by being in common space 100% of the time. It doesn't sound like the extra pressure would be helpful to you or your students.
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For other minimalists, have you found TWTM rotation to be a tool to keep down book bulk? Have you felt like you only needed to worry about a year at a time?
Yes, absolutely. Do you still use e-books? The list you posted upthread looks perfect for you. Especially TWTM 1st edition, Rays, and SOW with reference books. Those are like "Hunter's printed resource trinity!" :lol:
I'm glad you have the balcony available. It can help you prioritize. What is irreplaceable (things that are difficult to find / wait too long to resend / expensive), should go in your backpack. The second tier books (nice to have ones, but easier to replace or you have something else you could find) would go on the balcony with your fingers crossed for no rain. Keep your backpack light or you will drive yourself crazy lugging things around all day, especially if they do this multiple times.
Big giant hugs. That sucks. Keep your bedding dry and clean if you can, you'll want a nice place to rest after this. Even food can be repurchased more cheaply than bedding (sheets and a blanket in the fridge? :laugh: ).
If it was me with one current student, we'd use our rolling cart (which currently contains all of our books / papers for this year). I am torn though. How much of the other resources I love would I leave behind / potentially have to recycle? I couldn't leave SOW for sure. The first edition Saxon books for use over the next years would be hard to leave, but I could conceivably have time to replace them by the time I need them (at a rate of one each year). I think the rest would be any printed schedules I have (which could be reprinted or saved to a thumb drive and even printed from the library). Can I say that I am glad the majority of the 600+ books we own are e-books? The idea of having to choose between them or rebuy them makes me twitch a little.
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Here's what happened:
DH played "library" with him where DS requested books and DH would go get them (since DH was librarian). He had a list of books and was supposed to time DH with a stopwatch to see how fast he could retrieve them. The last one on the list was "Rusty & Ryan". DH goes to look for the book...takes too long and comes back with "Rusty" the dog saying this was the only thing on the shelf.
DS was so happy he actually started to cry! He couldn't believe it.
I'm on my phone so I can't post photos but I have a great one of DS reading Calvin & Hobbes out loud to and petting Rusty under our dining room table.
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We finally have the schedule and employees (as small business owners) to add this precious boy to our family. We have all wanted a dog for 10 years or so, but the intensity of the business would not allow it. He's a Chihuahua mix (about 20 pounds).
DS10 doesn't know yet. It has been so hard to keep it a secret when we went to meet the dog, had a home visit from the rescue, and today DH picks up the dog from his foster mom to bring home and introduce to DS10!
Just so excited and I wanted to tell SOMEONE! LOL
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I know this is a bit of a sensitive area for some, but I think overall, those of us who are experienced want the younger moms who are just starting out to realize that the relationships with the kids and the amazing things they do just because they are five years old (or seven, or ten, or sixteen) are not to be missed. There is plenty of time for academics. Kindergarten - third grade work should be a small part of your child's day and your day. Don't miss out on the fun of being the mom of a young child in favor of spending countless hours researching the next best thing for your child, whether it be curriculum, finding the right co-op or searching for a magic bullet that's going to make your homeschool better (whatever that means to you).
Make sure your homeschooling environment is pleasant to you - but don't worry if your style isn't full on school room. If you like organizing things into little bins, great - have fun. Just don't make the bins more important than the child that is tugging on your shirt asking you to join in building a LEGO creation, or a trip to the pool, or whatever. Your school area, be it a room or a couch, should serve you, not the other way around. If getting everything back the way it belongs after your one hour of kindergarten work takes longer than the school work itself, please simplify your system.
None of us is encouraging the "slaker" mentality. I, too, really want to encourage younger moms that things really will be okay! I'm sure some of you will do school work more relaxed than I did and some will be more purposeful than I was, but I want you to realize that it will be okay, no matter which way you choose. I'd also dearly love for you to realize that when we experienced homeschool moms say "everything will be okay," we are not patronizing you. What we realize is that the definition of what we consider "okay" is bound to change over time and, in fact, it will vary by family. We know you will find yourself doing things differently five years from know and that the things you are stressing over will seem like small potatoes in comparison to what you will be facing. We don't want to scare you, we just know things aren't always what they seem to outside observers. The family you think is slacking off? The mom knows that her older son is no longer involved in drugs, so if he would rather build something in their wood shop and doesn't do calculus before he graduates from high school - it's okay! The teenager that sleeps or plays video games all day and the mom that seems to do nothing about it? You see, that mom is on her knees praying for her child, she is taking them to a therapist on a regular basis and trying to get their insurance company to cover medications as depression rages through her teen's life. That mom who hasn't gotten around to teaching her eight year old how to read? They've been in and out of the hospital dozens of times - she knows her child is alive, so reading at a later age? It's okay! The kid who is reading at a high school level in third grade when your child is still sounding out two syllable words? It's okay, that mom isn't pushing her child too hard, she's just trying to figure out what the next thing to do will be for her child's best interest. She is trying to balance academics with maturity, social skills and a full home life. The mom who puts her child in a computer programming course when you think she should be emphasizing good literature instead? It's okay! Maybe you'll find yourself doing the same thing in two years.
No matter what, we want you to enjoy the journey! We want to "pat you on the head" as the OP put it, because we recognize that the time you have now is precious. Life will change your circumstances, but most of all, it will change you. We know some of the joys and sorrows that are ahead for you, and we want you to know that you will come through on the other side. We want you to know that who your children are is more than the sum of what they can do. We want you to know that who you are is more than the sum of what you do as a homeschool parent.
We want to to succeed. We want to "pat you on the head" as a way of recognizing your innocence and encouraging you on your journey. We aren't going to tell you to stop doing what you are doing (well, if you're my BFF, I might), but we wish we could give you every bit of knowledge and information about life that we have because we'd like to spare you some of the stress that we felt, that you would realize that while planning a first grade curriculum is stressful, it's a manageable stress and we wish you didn't have to go through that. But, you see, we realize that you will one day know what unmanageable stress is like. We know.
So please, enjoy your journey. Savor every moment and please, come to us when you need encouragement. We know, we've been there.
***TechWife's post for my fridge***
Well said.
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DS10 has gone to VBS last year and this year. It is primarily fun games, snacks, neighborhood friends, dancing, and videos. He is very happy and excited to go. He comes home and it sparks interesting conversations about the more serious religious ideas they present. He is able to verbalize what they believe and what he thinks as well (whether he agrees or disagrees and why). I asked if he would ever want to go to the church's Sunday School each Sunday to see friends / hear more. He said, "I think once a year is plenty."
I can send DS because he is well versed in the lingo, values, and ideas. We have discussed it often at home since he was small. I would not send a more sensitive child who may be more susceptible to the child evangelism that occurs. If any of that scared him or he did not feel comfortable, he wouldn't go. Overall, it is a great time for him.
Cloth diapers I can sew myself?
in The Chat Board
Posted · Edited by ezrabean2005
We used flats and covers for our kids. DS(7 months) still uses flats and covers. Flats are a large square of fabric that you can fold any way. They are truly the only one sized diaper. I use a snappi to secure it under the cover.
We chose flats because we live in an apartment and we line dry our clothes. It is very easy to get them completely clean since they are not a bunch of layers and they air dry in only a couple hours even on a damp / cold day (MN here too).
We have saved a lot of money. The flats and covers were about $60 and disposable diapers here on sale are about 32 cents each. It increases our electricity by about $5-7 per month for washing.
BTW....CONGRATULATIONS!!!