Noreen Claire
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Posts posted by Noreen Claire
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After this Saturday, when DS7 will participate in his first Sacrament of Reconciliation, I will be keeping the younger three boys home from church. DS 10 is the only alter server, so he and DH will probably continue to go for as long as they continue to have Saturday mass. (We attend a slowly-dying congregation, and there is usually +/-10 ft between each group of parishioners in the pews already.) I will still request/pick-up books from the library, but we won't go hang out in the children's room anymore. DS5 will not attend speech therapy at the public school (they have not yet suspended classes).
The younger 4 boys are getting very good at coughing into their elbows and washing their hands.
We are pretty well stocked for food & supplies, and I have some cough meds and things coming from Amazon early next week. I will make any quick trips to the market for fresh fruits & veggies first thing in the mornings, so as to minimize exposure to larger crowds. We have milk delivered to a box outside the kitchen door on Tuesday mornings.
DH's two schools (he teaches both high school and community college) have both closed as of today for at least the next two weeks. The only person I am truly concerned about is DS24, as he works in the busiest supermarket in the city. He was called in early today, and says that it's very busy. I keep reminding him about wearing gloves, washing his hands, and using hand sanitizer (they have it in the back for employees). Unfortunately, he is my kid who nearly died from whooping cough as a newborn and then H1N1-related pneumonia in 2009, and has had pneumonia several times in the last ten years. He's also an asthmatic and a vaper, though he's cut way back in the last 6 months. I have no doubt that, if he catches covid-19, he will most likely end up hospitalized, or worse. My anxiety is high right now.
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As someone who went a good loooooong time with a picture of Chris Evans as Captain America set as my phone's wallpaper, it is entirely possible that it is innocent.
On the other hand, as someone who's first husband cheated - blatantly - in the small amount of time that we were actually married, I would try to get to the bottom of it, one way or the other.
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I had my annual physical yesterday morning. It had been rescheduled a couple of times, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I only got my flu shot yesterday.
By the afternoon, I noticed that my arm was very sore, unlike vaccines in the past. By the time bedtime rolled around, I was feeling cold. I shivered all night and developed a headache. DH got me another blanket and 800mg of ibuprofen over an hour ago. My temperature is currently 99.6°F by mouth. My arm feels better and I'm not shivering anymore but my headache is still there.
DH just left to setup his classroom for a substitute for the day, and should be back before the kids get up.
Do you think I managed to pick up the flu at the doctor's office, or do you think it's a reaction to the vaccine? I've never had a bad vaccine experience before, but I know my kids are always warm and cranky the day of/after getting their shots. I had the flu four years ago, and was down and out for 10 days over Thanksgiving. It was awful, but I don't remember if it came on this fast.
What say you?
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My 5 year old is anxiously awaiting the final book on audible. He *adores* the books!
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Thank you, @MercyA! I'll check those links out!
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I took my kids to the Museum of Science on Monday. While I was reading the descriptions of several displays to my younger two boys, a woman approached us and said, "Wow. I thought that was a recording! Was that you reading? It sounded so professional!" I muttered something about reading lots of books so I've had lots of practice. She pushed her stroller away while repeating, "That sounded so professional. I thought it was a recording!"
Can I get a part-time gig somewhere reading the display captions in a museum? Or audiobooks? Or something? How does one even try to find out if this is a possibility? I will eventually go back to teaching and send the kids back to school, but in the meantime I wouldn't mind bringing in some extra cash!
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On 2/23/2020 at 12:37 PM, desertflower said:
But I wanted to chime in and say if you have any child who is sensitive the book titled "the girl who drank the moon" may not be a good fit. Let's just say I am so glad I preread that one before reading aloud to them.
Oh, this is one of my favorite books, and I give it as a gift as often as I can. Thank you for saying this, as I never would have thought about it being an issue for sensitive children. Will have to keep that in mind...
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I have nothing really to add, except that I had both DS7 and DS10 take the CogAT and the Iowa last week, and have been going over the results this morning. They seem fairly reliable to me.
(I wish I had actually tested them with a higher-level of the exam, to see what the actual ceiling would have been for each. That might have been more helpful, in our case.)
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We've always done the usual of giving up candy, or alcohol, or soda, or whatever. This year, DH is seriously considering giving up meat.
I've been trying the last few years to add something in, instead of just giving something up. This year, I think that I'll add in an extra daily read-aloud to my kids after dinner, which will have the added benefit of limiting their nightly screentime. We will also try to do a decade of the rosary during our after lunch basket time on school days.
I also need to give up swearing. Again. 😔
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I can't remember the values for 6x7, 6x8, or 7x8, without starting at 6x6 or 7x7 and then adding up. I have *never* been able to memorize those three math facts. ..... I have a degree in math. 🤷 It's a hole that makes no sense! I work around it, obviously. 🤣
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1 minute ago, Ktgrok said:
Because carrying around the cash tends not to happen, but I could have their debit card in my wallet so if they spot something at the store they can use it, rather than us trying to track me paying for it, then them paying me back. Or alternately, me not having cash on hand to pay them for a chore that they did, so then I owe them. So right now, I owe my 7 year old 9 dollars. I think. He's says it is 9 dollars, and he's pretty good about that, and I can't remember exactly how much after he did a few chores I said I'd pay for, but then I used my card to buy stuff on target because he didn't have his wallet, etc etc.
The ones I'm looking at have apps so the kid can basically have a budget set up - at a minimum they have separate spend/save categories, some have even more options.
If we had one of these then when a kid say, cleans my baseboards for $2 I can instantly transfer the money from my account to their account. And I can set up on some of them a set percentage of their money to go to savings, giving, etc.
That makes sense. I rarely take my kids to the store with me unless it's a special trip with just one kid, so they can take their money with them because we know ahead of time and they have an idea of what they want to spend it on.
Also, my DH always has cash (I rarely do!), and is almost always able to immediately pay out allowances or chore payments, so I never have to think about that part! If that weren't the case, an app/debit card might make it much easier.
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I just took my 10, 7, & 5 year olds to the credit union to deposit their allowance money and exchange coins for paper money (they like the machine counter). I think it's beneficial for kids to handle cash, like counting, splitting between save/spend/donate, pre-planning to have enough money for outings, etc. Though, my credit union would issue a debit card for each kid's account if I wanted. Is there a specific reason you prefer kids to have a debit card? Asking honestly...
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I am with you, this week (or longer 😔) has been rough. Ugh.
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First, I am so sorry that this has happened to your daughter, and also that she had to go back to work so quickly after giving birth.
My oldest has had seizures since childhood, but is male, so no clue about preeclampsia-related seizures. However, if she does get prescribed Keppra *specifically*, please make sure she also gets prescribed vitamin B6 to take concurrently. Keppra can have an adjustment period that includes rage, anger, depression, and/or anxiety. Vitamin B6 can help mitigate these side effects. (We have lived this experience.)
Good luck to your daughter. May she recovery quickly.
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4 minutes ago, maize said:
Do you have room for a six foot trampoline? Might keep the kids busy without needing to drive to the YMCA. And you'd have funds left over.
We do. However, DS10 has already broken his arm once and I remember, waiting during the procedure to straighten the bones, reading all of the literature on how trampolines ARE THE DEVIL and ever since they scare the crap out of me! My brother (not quite 6ft tall) flipped almost completely out of safety surround of one once - he got caught on the netting on the way down, thank goodness!
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Just now, maize said:
You haven't managed a household? Raised children?
How the heck is that not work?!?
What is it about the fact that your labor is unpaid that means it is not a major contribution to your family and to the world?
How does putting in thousands of hours without monetary remuneration make you undeserving of spending money that is legitimately yours?
The value of our life work is not measured by how much money someone pays us for it. And the fact that you are not earning money in no way makes you unworthy to use money for your very own personal priorities.
Yes I am giving that guilty voice in your head a lecture!
Yes, yes! I have this conversation with my BFF every few months; she says the same things. I know this stuff, but... I worked as a single mom with multiple jobs, finishing my BS and getting my Masters, raising one kid and running my own household, all by myself for 10+ years. DH and I have been married for nearly 11 years and I left the workforce 8 years ago. I *still* have money issues - not bringing in my own income and having to discuss/rationalize purchases with DH is still a sore spot for me. I'm working on it, but it isn't easy!
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Thanks for your responses so far!
We don't "need" the money to pay bills/debt (though, if you asked Mr. Money Mustache, he would beg to differ). However, as I have only worked for one semester out of the last 8 years, I feel guilty spending money on myself.
1 hour ago, maize said:I'd stick half of it in savings to boost my much-too-small emergency fund and use the rest for whatever I had been wanting to do and couldn't afford--probably something for the kids because that's what brings me joy.
I like the "both" method! Win-win for everyone!
1 hour ago, Arcadia said:I found $50 in my 9th grade textbook many years later. Stuff it in there to straighten the note. Whatever money I find that I know is mine for sure goes into fun money for me. $400 would be more than I need to spend at one time so I would use it to get a big ticket want item like DSLR camera lens and hopefully have some cash left for frappes or bubble tea.
There is always something that I really want ... up until I have the money, then I can't bring myself to spend it on myself!
1 hour ago, Rosie_0801 said:Half would sit and wait for my friend to finally agree to go to the black smithing class a few towns over, and the other half would get dd and I down to the beach to explore rock pools before the summer is over.
That sounds excellent!
1 hour ago, mmasc said:Honestly? I’d buy myself the $170 Ecco shoes that I really want and wouldn’t spend that kind of money on even though they’re very good-for-your-feet shoes. Not sure what I’d do with the rest though.
Oh...I could really use some new shoes. That's an idea.
1 hour ago, CuriousMomof3 said:I would just put it in the bank.
I'm afraid that I would just nickle-and-dime it out, and it would be gone and I wouldn't have anything to show for it.
1 hour ago, Beth S said:Windfalls are easy to spend.
I've read that it's best to splurge with 5% of the amount, & use the rest for debt payoff or retirement fund.
Most advise to sit on the $$ for at least a month & think about the wisest way to spend it.Waiting is a good idea. I will make a note in my calendar to make a decision in a week or two.
1 hour ago, Ottakee said:I would first make sure that I had a solid emergency fund. Then maybe spend $50-100 and invest the rest or possibly use it for vacation.
I was just talking to DH about possibly going away for a weekend together...
1 hour ago, Katy said:I'd put it in my Amazon account and buy myself whatever I wanted until it was gone.
This would buy a lot of books an loose-leaf tea for me on Amazon, that's for sure!
1 hour ago, sassenach said:This is so frivolous but we had that happen last year and I bought Taylor Swift concert tickets with it 😂. Two of them were for Christmas but one was for ME.
Hope you enjoyed the show!
1 hour ago, Bambam said:It would totally depend upon our financial situation. If we had overwhelming bills with high interest rates, I'd probably pay it towards them. If we had no debt, I'd probably save it. If I only had one kid, I'd possibly help them buy a car, but if I had multiple kids, I wouldn't unless I could afford to help them all that much on buying their cars.
But I'm not big on things, and practicality wins on most things.
Oldest DS has been driving a totaled car for about a year, and this would be a huge help to him. The next kid won't be old enough to drive a car for 5+ years and has already started saving for a first car, so not a problem.
59 minutes ago, TheReader said:Well, normally, I'd say "go shopping" and buy whatever thing. For me, maybe I'd put it towards a new sewing machine (I really want one with more "throat space" so I can quilt larger quilts on it).
Realistically, with that much, I'd probably feel bad having it all for me even if it really was all for me. So I'd likely use it on something we all could benefit from -- a membership somewhere, or something for the house/yard, or....I don't know. Right now my boys (all of them, DH included) are eyeing some VR thing......if I suddenly had $400 to spend, that's probably what I'd do right now.
Or, well, right this very now, we've got a LOT of unexpected expenses, so of course the smart thing would be "put it towards the bills" but.....ha. That's boring.
I have been considering a membership to the YMCA, just to get the kids more active (swimming!) during the winter. The problem is that I would then have to get four young kids and all their belongings over to the YMCA two towns over when I could just be in my nice warm house having a cup of tea!
7 minutes ago, rebcoola said:It would depend right now we have no debt and and a good amount of savings. The kids are in activities if they weren't I would do that if it helped me. So right now I would probably spend it on tattoos for me.
Oh...... I would love more ink!
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Hypothetically, if you found $400 today (it is in your name, had been set aside 25 years ago and 'lost', definitely yours), what would you do with it?
I was thinking about either helping DS24 buy a new used car or getting a membership somewhere for a few months for my younger boys to work off some energy. My BFF said to 'unfind' it immediately and invest it. DH would probably say to use it on bills. (Boo! No fun!) My mother said use it for something for myself. What say you?
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I do insist that DS10 use cursive in all school assignments, except math. He still confuses the letters 'b' & 'd' in manuscript writing, but never in cursive. That said, his cursive is only slightly more legible than his printing, which is atrocious. He continues to get faster and more automatic in his cursive, so I'll continue to require for now.
DS7 is a lefty, and continues to print all of his letters/numbers bottom-up and right-to-left, often writing entire words backwards. He just started cursive this September, and it is lovely and perfect and much, much faster for him. I haven't yet required that he use cursive in other subjects yet, but I will in 3rd grade.
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DH and I are still waiting for forms, but DS24 and I will get his done tomorrow. I'm hoping I can get ours ready to go to the accountant by the weekend...
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On 2/1/2020 at 4:23 PM, Cake and Pi said:
Our plans for next year are still solidifying, so I'll probably wait another month or so to share.
I'm curious, do you all still post on the regular grade level threads as well? Is there some point where a kid is just too accelerated to share outside of the AL board?
I've only started posting in the AL forum. I appreciate it when people with accelerated kids post in both places, because it shows that, even though they may be ahead in some areas, they may be on-level/behind-level in others. I don't know if it helps anyone else, but it is reassuring to me!
DS10 (6th grade)
Math: AoPS intro to algebra
Logic: continue w/ Blast Off w/Logic series and misc. Mind Benders books.
Science: Astronomy/Earth science (w/help from DH, an astronomy teacher)
History: Medieval-Early Renaissance, using Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, The Story of Science, and Light to the Nations P1; reading lists from Living Math U2
Latin: finish Little Latin Readers & start Henle; also considering Portuguese Saturday school.
Language arts: Spelling Workout F; Grammar for the Well Trained Mind (2nd time through); Writing With Skill level 1
Literature: assigned books from the WTM reading list plus whatever else he wants to read, he usually has several non-school books going at once
Sports: He plays sports fall, winter, and spring. We will put in place a daily workout routine of bodyweight exercises and cardio, maybe add in some readings and call it "health class".
Misc.: He'll keep working through Code Combat for Python coding; typing program online; he's going to start some weekly cooking & baking lessons with me; we will learn some needlepoint skills together as a family (he's already a knitter). I need to find a way to fit piano and/or saxophone lessons into the budget (possibly online)
DS7 (3rd grade)
language arts: First Language Lessons 3, Spelling Workout C, Zaner-Bloser 3 handwriting, copywork/narrations/dictations across the curriculum
math & logic: Beast Academy 3, books from LivingMath U2, MindBenders/BalanceBenders/Math Analogies/etc.
history: SOTW2 / read alouds from LivingMath U2
literature: read-alouds from the WTM recommendations (to go along with SOTW2), plenty of read alouds, audiobooks
science: astronomy/earth science (WTM recommendations)
Latin: start Little Latin Readers, possibly Saturday Portuguese school
misc: This kid need plenty of unstructured time for following his own rabbit trails -- he pulls random nonfiction books off of DH's shelves and reads until he either doesn't understand anymore or gets bored; he's self-teaching Python, BBC Micro:Bit, and Raspberry Pi, etc. What he really needs is an organized physical activity, but his social anxiety won't let him join teams. Maybe piano lessons.
DS5 (1st grade)
phonics: finish Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading
math and logic: Singapore Math 1A/B and MindBenders-type books
language arts: First Language Lessons 1, Writing With Ease 1, and Spelling Workout A, Zaner-Bloser 1
science: (along with DS7 & DS10) earth science (library books) & astronomy (led by DH, an astronomy teacher)
history: (along with DS7) medieval & early renaissance (SOTW2 & lots of library books)
misc: he's playing soccer & maybe t-ball, weekly trips to the library, continue speech therapy weekly at the public school; maybe cub scouts; practical cleaning/cooking lessons; start CCD; possibly Saturday Portuguese school
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Have you seen this thread? (The post linked here has the total list of all the resources discussed in the thread, but the thread itself is one of the two that I revisit most on this forum.)
Other than that link, I'm probably not able to be of much help, since DS7 doesn't want to "do" math (work out problems, solve equations, etc), rather he wants to "think and talk" about math. He picks up random books from the library or his father's/DS10's bookshelves, reads them until he's found something interesting, and proceeds to ask a million questions and discuss the topic at hand until he's satisfied/bored/whatever, and then he starts the cycle over again. He read half of A Cartoon Guide to Calculus and then wanted to talk about limits, functions, and transcendental numbers for days. He read a Murderous Maths book and then explained to me how to add fractions with different denominators; once he showed me that he could do it, he was bored and moved on to something else. He picked up an intro to logic book and then proceeded to explain to me Wittgenstein's truth tables over breakfast. BUT, he hates to sit down and "do math". *insert rolling eyes emoji here* Patty Paper Geometry is on my shortlist for his birthday this spring, along with some Zaccaro books that he's enjoyed from the library.
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1 hour ago, Matryoshka said:
If you're up here in Market Basket land, Market Basket has really good prices. My mom is a bit south of where they have stores, and she'll drive up here to shop sometimes. They used to have gross shrink-wrapped produce, but they've improved their stores a lot, and the produce has gotten much better. If you have that many Market Baskets near you, at least one of them's got to have been renovated. I still get most of my produce frozen at TJ's or fresh at Whole Foods, because they have better organic selections, but if you're not worried about organic, they've got a lot. I haven't been in a Stop & Shop for years, but I have heard many say they're much, much pricier than Market Basket. Whole Foods is of course really pricey, but I do go in and shop the sales, and they also have some things I just can't get elsewhere. If I can get something that is sold at both MB and WF, I buy it at MB. If your Aldi is the one on 101a, that's the one I couldn't find a thing to buy in...
The reason that I don't regularly shop at MB is because I worked for 7+years in the perishable warehouse for Shaw's/Star Market. I saw *many* a trailer's worth of produce get rejected by the Shaw's inspectors where the driver was then told to drive over to the MB warehouse so they could take it. Granted, that was 15 years ago, but old biases are hard to shake.
Also, MB is always PACKED full of people, and I get overwhelmed in their stores fairly easily. Oldest DS works for them, and they are great for their employees... I just need to get over it and shop there.
The Aldi near me is on MA/NH border. I'll check it out when I'm in the area tomorrow afternoon.
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1 hour ago, Library Momma said:
I do about 90% of my weekly shopping at Aldi and I probably save about $100 a trip versus other area grocery stores. We have Stop and Shop, ShopRite, Price Chopper and local IGAs that I sometimes shop at as well. We also have Trader Joe's and Whole Foods but I wouldn't ever consider doing an actual weekly grocery shopping at those stores - They are far too expensive. I use them for specialty items. Aldi's version of Fig Newtons are the best - Much better to me than the name brand and they are only .89 a package as opposed to around $3.00 a package for the name brand in other stores. They also have seasonal things that I would never treat myself to at other stores because they would be too expensive to just throw in the cart. Things like Meyer Lemons, Snapdragon apples, etc. I especially love the German treats around Octoberfest and Christmas.
I've been shopping almost exclusively at Stop & Shop for years. It's right up the street, it has nice wide aisles, and is usually fairly empty. I work the sales and use the app for coupons, buying in bulk to fill my extra freezer, and they have gas points that save me quite a bit at the station around the corner. I just learned that they are closing in a few weeks! 😭 The thought of having to learn to shop somewhere else is anxiety-inducing. We have, within a 15 minute drive, six (?) Market Baskets, an Aldi, a Whole Foods, two BJs, and two other (one smaller, one larger) Stop & Shops. I've never been inside Aldi, so maybe it's time to check it out...
Corona Projects: Making Lemonade
in The Chat Board
Posted
I would like to say that I will use my time to knit through my stash and finish some the mending and knitting projects BUT DH will be home from both his teaching jobs for at least the next two weeks and, honestly, I fear that I will just have *more* work to do. It's harder to get school work done when he's home, and I tend to cook more complex meals when he's home for dinner. There will be more people in the house, so more dishes, cleaning, etc...