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Susu

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Everything posted by Susu

  1. This is an older thread but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. I love my Miele canister. I bought my first (a used floor model) about 6 years ago. It went through 3 moves, vacuumed up drywall debris, and went through every kind of abuse I could imagine...vacuuming after extensive home renovations, being used by pre-teen boys, etc. I actually enjoyed that vacuum, and that is saying something. I have had every cheap vacuum you can imagine, and would end up buying a new one just about every year. So when I plunked down all that money on my Miele, I wasn't quite sure I was doing the right thing. In retrospect I wish I had bought a new model rather than the used. I didn't save much money, and I always regretted not getting that spanking new one. And who knows how old that floor model was, and what it had been through? But it worked great for several years, until I started having a minor issue with it. I didn't have the warranty since I had the floor model, so I just lived with it. It still worked great, just had an aggravating habit of turning down the air flow causing me to have to use the wand control to switch back to high power. Totally usable, just aggravating. It finally became my second vacuum because I thought I didn't want to spend the money to repair that issue. I have a golden retriever and a cat, so we have lots of fur and I vacuum several times per week. On impulse I bought a Dyson upright (Animal). I was told it was great on pet hair. I hate that vacuum. For one thing, a bagless really does not do a good job. Yes, it fills up the canister, but it also disperses smaller dust and bits of pet fur into the air. After using it for almost a year, my house has dust and bits of stray hair, in every crevice. I am always finding it. After vacuuming they go airborne and get into hard to reach places. And I hate uprights. You can't maneuver them under furniture, and into crevices and furniture. It does have attachments, but they are unwieldy and I have already started having a hard time lifting out the wand. After spending nearly $500 on that thing, I was quite unhappy. Less than a year later, that Dyson has become an expensive piece of junk delegated to the basement. I finally took in my old Miele, which I had pretty much junked and had been using on the dusty cement floor of my basement (we live in an old house on an Army post). It was repaired, but like I said, I hadn't really kept it as carefully as I should and really needed a new one for upstairs in the living area. I bought a brand new Miele (with full warranty this time). Yes, it costs lots. But I got 6 hard years of use out of a used Miele, and it still has plenty of years left in it. It costs less than buying a new "cheap" vacuum every year or so, even considering replacing the hepa filter once a year. I am also a new believer in Hepa filters. After vacuuming just a few time, I am already starting to see less stray debris in my house, and I feel like I am breathing better. The vacuum repair guy told me there was no real competitor for Miele. They really do last 15-20 years, and he has been in the business 20+ years. That's my experience. Susu
  2. I have the Apologia book for next year, but am wondering if enrolling in the online academy for just Science would be worth it? Anyone with experience? My son is going into the 7th grade this fall... TIA Susu
  3. I just got an iphone, and since I am within the 30 day guarantee period, I am going to upgrade to the iphone 4 when in comes out on June 24. I had a Blackberry Pearl before this, and I did enjoy it (it was my first smartphone). However, there is no comparison for me...the Iphone rocks! I am really excited about the Iphone 4 because it has the only thing that was really lacking on my iphone...a rocking camera! The Iphone 4 has a 5x zoom, and a flash, HD picture quality, and a front facing lens as well as lens on the back. You can even do video chat with another Iphone 4. I hope it really is as good as the hype. At any rate, being a mac person, I was all about an iphone. I loved my Itouch, but hated carrying around both my phone and an Itouch. It is great to not only have them in one device, but a camera as well. I like a gadget that does it all! Now I don't have to worry about a camera (I was always leaving my camera behind.) The camera on the 3GS is good...much better than my Blackberry camera. But it is not as good as my Cybershot. I am hoping the Iphone 4 will be as good as they say it is...then I will not have to worry about carrying around my bulky camera.
  4. Hi, I am an old hand at homeschooling, but could use some input with pros and cons for deciding how I am going to do History this fall. I put my upcoming 4th grader in public school for a semester, so she has been out of the homeschooling loop for the past half year. So now I am trying to decide where to plug her in for the fall. My 4th grader has done ancient and some medieval history in the past. She is "over" ancient history, and didn't really connect with medieval either. I think she'd really enjoy modern history, so I am considering SOTW 4. If not, my next choice would be SOTW 3. As a background, she is an average student with a non-verbal learning disability. Her reading is pretty solidly average...that is, on the lower end of average. I would expect to probably read aloud to her a quite a bit. My son is going into 7th grade and has no problems reading or doing the work independently. I don't feel the need to teach them History together. In fact, I plan on keeping them mostly separate for the actual school work. So my question is, do I keep them in the same history era so that we can occasionally do things together, or do I just put him where he would belong in 7th grade, which is late renaissance/ early modern? In other words, I could put them both in late renaissance, or both in modern, and either way one of them would be off of the expected grade level for their age. I know that if I put my 7th grader in modern, then he will finish the next four year cycle after 11th grade. But he could choose an independent study for 12th. On the other hand, my daughter would not be able to finish a four year cycle in high school if she did renaissance this coming year. So my options are to slow one down or speed the other up. Or keep them totally separate and just put them in their grade level. The only thing that really pulls me is thinking that my daughter would really enjoy the modern history period, and at her age, I'd love to really grab her while she is young. If she is bored with history then I may lose her for good. (Her American girl dolls have made her really fascinated with more modern history). So what things should I consider in making this decision? What am I missing? Keep them together or apart? TIA, Susu
  5. My children are ages 22, 19, 12 and 10. I always say we had two "sets"! It's all about perspective. The way I see it, is that I didn't have a group of FOUR toddlers to contend with all at once. I preferred having older kids with my second set. And they did make nice built in babysitters as they got older! They do present a new set of challenges though. At one point, I had to deal with teenagers AND toddlers/preschoolers. But it worked for us. Susu
  6. I've tried many programs, but for my kids (who are not math whizzes), the ones that really stuck were Horizons for Elementary, and Saxon for the middle years. My kids liked them too. I think they are solid.
  7. My son takes taekwondo. He says it is called the dojo but he calls his teacher "Master Lee" and not sensei. He (my son) is not an authority, but that is his experience! Susu
  8. Look up Carol Barnier. She has a book out, "How to Get Your Child Off the Refrigerator and on to Learning". I also have a cd of one of her workshops. She is very enjoyable to listen to and she has some wonderful suggestions. Susu
  9. Rod and Staff. It is quite vigorous and you may have to go down a level from your child's current grade level. (My son is going into 7th grade in the fall and will be doing grade 6) Susu
  10. I always had a low blood pressure (90/60) and I never noticed any ill effects. If you want to raise it, get sedentary and gain weight. :tongue_smilie: I tried that method and it works! lol Now I am losing weight and moving again and it is coming back down. I wouldn't worry about it unless you have other problems. Susu
  11. I don't often play with them, so when I do they really see it as a treat. I read to them, teach them, take them on outings, and sometimes we do boardgames, but "playing" per se is rare. Sometimes I battle my son with the "nerf swords" we got him for Christmas, or we play the Wii together. Those are a lot of fun. Occasionally I will play dolls or Barbies with my daughter, but it is usually short lived! (I get so bored with that! lol) We will play hide and seek sometimes, or have races while on a family hike. Maybe frisbee on the beach. But really, my philosophy is that the kids should mostly learn to entertain themselves, and see a parent playing with them as a real treat. Susu
  12. I don't know about the must haves, but have you checked out the calendar under the list function? It is so cool! I love how you can color chart each event. The calendar is just gorgeous. I wish they offered it for Macbook. I love Ical, but I really love that calendar on Ipad. (I am a big calandar geek! lol) Susu
  13. I grew up in different places in NC, so I had/have a whole string of words we used, depending on the place and the person offering the drink. I can't even tell you what I normally call it, because I tend to change it up. I mostly call it soft drink or a coke, but have occasionally called it soda, though that always sounds kind of weird to me. Just calling it coke sounds most natural to me. I did know some deep country folks from the north coastal region of NC who called it pop, but that did not seem to be the norm for most of my fellow North Carolinians. And I would never call it pop...it wouldn't sound natural on my tongue! I have had people look at me funny when I said 'buggy' for shopping cart. That is a word that is very southern I guess. But it works for me! Susu
  14. You know, to a certain degree, we make changes when we are just ready. I have struggled with this for years, and in the last 5 months I have been able to make those better choices with exercise and food. It is weird, because it doesn't seem mysterious or hard now, when for years it just seemed insurmountable. The main thing is that I simply got fed up with feeling older than I am, overweight, sad. I realized it really was in my power to change it, and that as long as I didn't choose to make those changes, I was making the opposite choice...to just stay as I was and and even worse, little by little eat my way into an earlier grave and years of increasing disability. I let go of magical thinking...looking for a miracle or a magic bullet. It is just plain hard work, but like any hard work, it can be satisfying too as you make progress. My progress is slow...I usually drop less than a pound per week, but it is sustainable. I am not drastically reducing calories, or spending hours working out. And I make room for treats along with making sure I eat a balanced diet. I am following Weight Watchers, which for me is a healthy and enjoyable plan, and I am taking a daily walk. That is it. I know this is something I can do for the long run. And I also know it is something that I will have to do for the long run...once the weight is off I will still need to follow a healthy lifestyle. It is not just about weight loss for me. I really want to feel good, and since I have lost about 18 pounds I truly do fell world's better! I think I have just come to accept that as a middle aged woman, I can't eat like I did as a teen and expect to stay slim and active. Duh, right? lol But it is a big hurdle when you truly accept it and stop being mad about it and trying to pretend it is not true. But there is balance to be sought as well. We have to learn to be kind to ourselves. Not to be overly impatient about our body's not changing quick enough to suit us, and to also learn that it's ok to have a treat! My body is changing in its own time, and I have learned that moderation is a truly great concept! Susu
  15. You can get Prismacolor from Office Depot, or a craft store like Michael's. Or you can go with Amazon.
  16. If you want really good markers, I'd go with Prismacolor. They are pricey, but if you go to an art store, you can buy the colors you want individually.
  17. I voted for peninsula. I like the extra storage. The other seems like it has wasted empty space. I'd want the extra storage offered by the peninsula. The kids can still stand around the peninsula to bake cookies! Susu
  18. I had one of those "better bread" knives with the guide on it, but to me it was worthless. What made the difference for me was a REALLY sharp, serrated, long, bread knife. I have the one from Pampered Chef that is green and it is great! You need a knife sharp enough that you don't need to use pressure. That is the key.
  19. You don't choose, I think Zsa Zsa meant that you have to choose to keep a more youthful, filled out face by letting her fanny get bigger, or choose a nice rear end and let her face get drawn and old... Susu
  20. Zsa Zsa Gabor said it..."As a woman, you have to choose between your fanny or your face. I chose my face." I don't know if it is true. But the only time a woman of my age (45) or older looks worse thin to me is when she is stringy thin. Besides, I think the face fills out after a while with weight loss. Of course, everyone is different. If you lose 5 or 10 pounds and your face looks drawn then you can deal with it. But unless you are already borderline too thin, I wouldn't think 10 pounds would make a huge difference! In fact, I think the "drawn" look is more likely to affect older women who lose a LOT of weight. Susu
  21. Thanks. I am going to call our Family care doctor tomorrow. I don't know how knowledgeable he will be since he is a new guy and I haven't met him yet. But it will be a start. Thanks for all the encouragement everyone. I will hang in there, and you have all talked me off the ledge for now!;) Susu
  22. Is Isight an application? I don't see it anywhere. Is it possible it is not installed? I just got my Macbook this summer, so I am still learning the ropes! Susu
  23. I have a Macbook Pro and an Itouch. I called Apple and they said I could either use a earbud with mic for my Itouch (since it has a voice memo recorder) or I could get a mic for the USB port and use garage band. Either way I could save the file to Itunes and then let the kids listen to it on the ipod! Do you have a simpler way? Susu
  24. Wow...what a great idea about recording my voice reading! I never thought of that, but it would solve some of the issues right away. Hmm...what would I use to record my voice? I am not sure of the best method anymore since the last time I recorded something like a story was on a tape recorder! Susu
  25. Thanks for the replies. I know that I need to get her evaluated, but part of me is dragging my feet. Maybe I don't want a definitive diagnosis...as long as I don't know for sure I can hold up hope that it will pass...kwim? I go back and forth with it. I also don't have a clue as to who would be the best person in my area to see her. We have only lived here a couple of years and the area is not known for great medical expertise. I think I do need to separate them more, and they already do separate for independent work. I suppose I need to not teach them their core subjects together at all, but I hate to do all that reading aloud twice. Some of it is on a high reading level designed for the parent to read aloud. But when I think about it, this only applies to just a portion of the reading. I can certainly assign him more than I do now, and maybe focus a little more on her. We do have one on one times with each of the kids fairly often. I don't think that is the issue really. It is just something she has fixated on and he is pulled into the dynamic. She doesn't seem to have problems with the kids in the neighborhood. Today we went to the dentist and she was bright and engaging and full of personality. It is like there is a dual personality sometimes. Sweet, and smart and engaging one minute, and full of unreasoning rage the next. I don't know how to parent her. I don't know how much is out of her control and how much is not. If it was something like Tourettes, then I don't have a clue how to begin. Thanks for your advice and encouragement. I have homeschooled a long time and know that times like this come and go. But I think with this escalation of issues I was feeling overwhelmed and looking for escape... Susu
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