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rwjx2khsmj

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Everything posted by rwjx2khsmj

  1. Kohl's is my go to place for wardrobe stocking. They have a variety of brands that cover a range of sizes and quality. Their prices are usually pretty good and they are always having a sale. They always have my staples, good jeans, solid color tee shirts, great shoes. Plus they have trendy things at reasonable prices.
  2. We do FLL for a grammar intro then R&S for grades 2-5. Analytical Grammar follows in grades 6-8. After that we move on to Elements of Style and The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing. R&S is a complete program (grammar and writing). I've got children that love to write so we add on assignments from history or Writing Strands. For the most part a lesson in R&S takes about 20-30 minutes. At lower grades they read the lesson aloud then do the exercises orally. For older grades they read the lesson silently then do the exercises aloud. There's a lot of repetition within a lesson. The classroom exercises are often very similar to the independent exercises. When that's the case we do odd numbers only or if my child answers the first five correctly we skip the remainder. If there is diagramming, we usually do that on a dry erase board. Writing lessons are done in notebooks.
  3. Yesterday morning one of my dogs attacked a neighbor's dog on the neighbor's property. I was jogging. The dogs were off leash. Bad, I know. In the year that we've been doing this we haven't had a problem. It obviously won't be happening again. I paid the vet bill for the neighbor's dog, no question. The dog will be fine. The neighbor is still very angry with me, understandably. He wants me to have my dogs put down. Is this a reasonable expectation? Would you make the choice to put your dogs down in order to placate a neighbor? Guys, I wish this were a nice letter and gift card situation. It's not. The neighbor has made it very clear that nothing short of two dead dogs is going to remedy the situation for him. Would you kill your dogs to placate a neighbor? Can he legally force me to have them put down? ETA: Thanks to Whereneverever I went to look at the state laws. The way I'm reading them it seems that because my dog attacked but didn't kill another dog, not a person or livestock, the dog isn't in violation of the law. Now, if the dog went onto the property and went after a goat or horse that would be a totally different matter. Also, this would be the dog's first offense That seems to matter as well.
  4. We shared the first book as a read aloud. My ds11 enjoyed it as much as his sisters. We haven't read the others.
  5. Books on CD are wonderful on long trips. My children actually prefer them to movies. Frisbees, jump ropes and bubbles are great for rest stop breaks. In the car, markers, pipe cleaners, aluminum foil, paper, pens/pencils, provide entertainment. I recommend packing two bathing suits per kid because mine hate to put on a damp suit. Stuff as many plastic grocery bags as you can into a tissue box and throw it in the car. I always go through a ton of bags for wet bathing suits, soiled clothing, trash, collecting treasures, etc. Also be sure to take a roll of paper towels. Give everyone a refillable water bottle and let them pick a favorite snack to share for the road. I also let each of mine bring a small blanket, pillow and one carry on bag filled with the items of their choice. Pack at least one more outfit than you expect to need. That way if something happens and the movers don't show up on time, you'll have clean clothes to wear at the laundromat while you wash the rest.
  6. I didn't start any kind of formal programs until my dd turned 7. If she asked to do school we would. If not she just played with manipulatives, numbers, lots of learning toys, computer games, jump start, etc. I had lots of things available for her from birth on but we didn't do formal learning until age 6. She had no trouble "catching up" and is now 8 and moving into 4th grade.
  7. The Betsey-Tacy books? Anne of Green Gables? Tumtum and Nutmeg? Sarah, Plain and Tall?
  8. If your daughter hasn't read classic literature before you may want to give her a gentle start. Much of classic literature has a more challenging style and vocabulary than more contemporary writing, especially current young adult offerings. I'd hate for her to decide wonderful books are boring because they are too different for her to enjoy at the beginning. My dd14 has been dipping her toes in classic literature for the last four years, some of it she enjoys, some she suffers through but she no longer feels overwhelmed by most of it. To begin I'd pick selections that are at or slightly below her reading level. As she gets use to more challenge, pick up the pace and level of book. Some of the books on the classic lists are challenging for well educated adults, IMO. Some suggestions: Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt Anne of Green Gables and others by Lucy Maud Montgomery Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest Gaines Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare Christy by Catherine Marshall Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day by Scott O'Dell Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Hound of the Baskervilles & others by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkein O! Pioneers by Willa Cather One of Ours by Willa Cather Sarah Bishop by Scott O'Dell Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly Watership Down by Richard Adams White Fang by Jack London Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings
  9. I don't eat pecan pie but a few years ago I went on a quest to find the best pecan pie for my dh and mother. After 10 or so contenders, this recipe came out on top. It gets rave reviews and I use it all the time now. Pi-cahn Pie 1 9" single crust pie crust 3 large eggs 1/2c brown sugar 1/2 c light corn syrup 3 T unsalted butter, melted 1 t vanilla 2 T bourbon 2 c pecan halves or pieces Spread crust in pie pan. Beat together all but pecans until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour pecan filling into crust. Bake until center of filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool on rack 1 hour.
  10. You can get discounted tickets for homeschoolers at the group sales office which is on the right before you go down the stairs to the visitors center. I recommend taking a family tour to start your day then look at the activity/tour options and pick the top three. We loved the Revolutionary City activities. The Raleigh Tavern Bakery, gingerbread and apple cider, is a must stop. If you've got children, like mine, that will wish for costumes and props bring the costumes and props along. The price of renting them at the Williamsburg gift shop is high and the same or similar items can be purchased much cheaper elsewhere. A kerchief cap and plastic musket were enough to keep my two youngest very happy.
  11. It's been awhile since I checked in so here's the whole list. This week I finished Peace Like a River and Legend. Legend by Marie Lu Peace Like A River by Leif Enger Tear Down the Walls! A History of the American Civil Rights Movement by Dorothy Sterling The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh Falling Home by Karen White Showdown Trail by Louis L'Amour The Ruins of Lace by Iris Anthony Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare The Round House by Louise Erdrich The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles Thirteen Days/Ninety Miles: The Cuban Missile Crisis by Norman Finkelstein City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare City of Glass by Cassandra Clare City of Bones by Cassandra Clare Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott One Shot by Lee Child The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother by Eve LaPlante Elsewhere: A Memoir by Richard Russo Literary mothers- Here are several that have stuck with me, more for their human flaws than for their perfection: Marmee (Little Women), Clover (Calling Invisible Women), Alice (Map of the World), Beth (Deep End of the Ocean), Fantine (Les Miserables), Vivi and all the Ya-Yas (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood).
  12. We did SSL first then PL the following year. It was a good fit for us.
  13. The biggest help for me was to sit across from my leftie to assist with writing. When I helped him upside down I was able to use my right hand to guide his left and the movements were easier for both of us. Cursive was also easier the printing. As far as other tasks, I give him the tools and only offer help when needed. He doesn't need much. With notebooks, he picks what he likes (spiral) and turns them upside down when the spiral bothers him.
  14. My daughter has super curly hair so I decided to try curly girl with her. She loves it. Rather than crying while we try to get a brush through her hair she has long, gorgeous ringlets. My hair was wavy on a good day. On a bad day it was just frizzy. I began with curly girl and I love it too. It turns out that my hair is curly. All the years I spent trying to control it were just silly. For just about the first time ever, I love my hair.
  15. A delicious meal that you don't have to cook is worth a brag. We went with traditional Irish fare (NOT!) and had sushi, steak and broccoli for dinner. The nori on sushi and the broccoli were our nod to St. Pat.
  16. It works fine. The texture is a little different. I don't know that peeling was easier. There are brown spots wherever they touch anything.
  17. I apologize for taking so long to reply. I'm not a daily visitor. The big notebooks were too much to keep track of for my crew. Finding the right notebook, locating the right tab, filing and organizing became too time consuming. I loved the idea, but it just didn't fit our needs. After the first year we began using 70 page spiral notebooks. Each child picks a color at the beginning of the year and sticks with that color all year. In fact, they've stuck with the same colors for four years. When they finish one they move to the next. All work is done in the notebooks and nothing (in theory, and usually in fact) gets ripped out so nothing gets lost. If we are doing final drafts, letters, etc. we have "fancy paper" for that. I like that at a glance we can see what we've been doing over time.I also like that there's only one book per kid to keep track of. When we do history we grabTimelines of the World, The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, the globe, SOTW and the AG. We locate the places we will be talking about on the globe. If the AG includes a map we take a look at that too. We read the selection aloud and answer the questions in the AG and discuss the selection. Sometimes we pick at activity from the AG, sometimes we don't. This is totally interest led. More often than not, we end up making food related to the area studied. After we read and answer the questions, my dd8 writes a summary sentence into her notebook for the selection. Getting the main idea is something we all discuss. Sometimes she illustrates it, sometimes she doesn't. When my ds11 was her age he always did the illustration. That was his favorite part. We take a look at the timeline for the period we are studying so we can understand where this selection comes in relation to the other things we've talked about. My dd13 & ds11 use the Kingfisher to outline the corresponding selection. Ds11 does main idea outlining. Dd13 does a full outline. I try to be sure that I have a good selection of the recommended books from the AG. I usually assign reading from the corresponding literature to my dc. Our library has an excellent interlibrary loan. I suppliment the reading with movies when possible and we watch those in the evenings instead of regular t.v.
  18. We do history via TWTM. We are finishing our first history rotation and starting through a second time. We do use the Kingfisher (orange/red cover). Ds11 is learning to outline. Dd13 is a pro at outlining. We do a modified TWTM program using SOTW. The large, binder style notebooks didn't work for us.
  19. No pictures this week but we all had highs and lows.
  20. I use my convection ovens when I'm baking things like cookies or cakes and I want to put multiple pans in the oven at once. For something that cooks quickly it doesn't reduce the cooking time much but everything gets baked evenly. So for pizzas, cookies, etc. I can cook three pans in my oven at the same time. I set the heat 25 degrees less and set the timer for a minute or two less. For things like turkeys, pork or beef roasts, etc. that need to cook for more than an hour, using a convection oven can cut the cooking time considerably. My convection oven has a convection roast setting with a thermometer that is wonderful.
  21. There was a lot in The Lace Reader that I enjoyed. The characters are interesting and the plot is unexpected. There was some that I found confusing or irritating. I have found myself thinking about it since I finished it. That's always a sign that I found the book to be worthwhile. If you are looking for a psychological thriller, I'd recommend it WAY above Gone Girl.
  22. This week I finished two books. The first was my Valentine's blind date from the library, The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott. This book was another telling of the Titanic that focused on the press and the congressional hearings following the sinking. The writing was fine but not inspiring. The second book, was for the library book club, One Shot by Lee Child. Macho hero, action adventure is usually not my cuppa but I really liked the no nonsense style and fast paced plot. I also liked the hero. Thankfully, he did not remind me of Tom Cruise, although I've heard the movie is not awful. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother by Eve LaPlante Elsewhere: A Memoir by Richard Russo
  23. My dd hated PP, as well. We switched to OPGTTR and she flew through it. I used a blank piece of white paper to cover part of the page as we moved through the lesson.
  24. This week I finished The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman. A very engaging story. I felt like I learned something and spent some time thinking. Both good things when reading fiction. This book wasn't as weirdly mystical as some of Hoffman's stories. I was surprised because I was really expecting it to be WAY out there. Maybe I was just expecting it so prayers, amulets and such didn't seem so bizarre. Currently, I'm reading The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry. I've been reading lots of selections lately about relationships among women. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine Marmee & Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother by Eve LaPlante Elsewhere: A Memoir by Richard Russo
  25. We have moved frequently. The first time we had more than just the odd bottle of cleaner or book case left behind was when we moved into our current home. I really do think that they ran out of room ont he moving van. There was enough stuff left in the house to furnish another. Dishes, utensils, pots and pans, glassware, air mattresses, a living room set, ... The list goes on. I was thankful to be able to be so generous in giving their stuff away, but I was frustrated at having to empty someone elses stuff before I could unpack my own.
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