[Warning rant - junior size girls clothes!]

We've had the best luck at the thrift stores.

[Port Angeles - WA - anyone familiar w/the area?]

only that it's beautiful :)

[Im really upset.....ok I am LIVID!]

If this was the case with one of my children, they would be with me. If it is this severe (and i believe it is!) than why would you trust anyone else with that?

 

I understand there is protocal. BUT the teacher has 25+ kids they are responsible for. Between, education and every thing else, is it no wonder that public schools are such a failure??

 

For the people calling for the teachers resignation, time off without pay etc, really?? I highly doubt any teacher would let this happen on purpose! Maybe she/he doesn't even know it happened.

 

If you want complete reassurance that your child will not be around any kind of nut (or anything else they're allergic to) or allergen, KEEP THEM HOME WITH YOU.

 

:iagree:

[Azure Standard]

Used to order from them but we moved and they have no drop in my new town.

 

Me too. I miss Azure!

[Lost the baby]

:grouphug: hugs to you. I've traveled that road myself. It's hard. Here's another hug.

[For Republicans, are you watching debates...]

No, I am not watching. I will read some news articles and such, but unless a Republican comes out in favor of The Occupy Wall street protesters, I will be switching to the "dark side." I have been a Republican since I could legally vote, but I guess that is about to change.

 

Edited: This is just "the straw the broke the camels back" for me.

 

Me too :)

[How many here have homeschooled at least one child all the way through--grades 1-12?]

I hs'd my oldest all the way from 1-12 (though he did take some outside classes at the CC.)

 

#2 started high school at the local public school this year.

 

I'm still hs'ing the rest, all 1st-6th this year.

 

This is year #15 for me.

[Musical instruments]

piano, french horn & trumpet.

 

I'm currently learning the recorder as I teach the kids ;) and I have a mandolin in my closet that I need to make time for.

[Do you leave your outside lights on all night?]

The lights are "on" but attached to a motion sensor, so really they mostly stay off ;)

[Am I "giving up" too soon?]

I would be quite put out with you if my child got a throwing-up sickness because you didn't want to disappoint your child.

 

If you decide to still have the party, at least let the other parents know that your son was sick this weekend so that they can decide for themselves if they want their families to be exposed.

[How do you make yummy taco meat or meat for mexican dishes?]

I cook my meat with green chilies, and then add garlic salt, onion powder and chili powder to taste. Sometimes I also add a bit of cumin.

[Palate expanders? (Orthodontic)]

Three of my children have had them. For 2 it did wonders, as a result neither ended up needing braces. It didn't really help #3 as much.

 

It was no more painful than than having braces on and they only wore the expander for 4-6 months I think. It's hard to remember exactly because it was so long ago.

[As a friend, how do (or would) you respond]

Yes, I'm realizing the analogy is the issue. I'm sorry. I don't want to be controversial and stir up anything with anybody here. :)

 

It's not that they're telling me I can't like green. It's that I'm not worthy to have a friendship with because I do. :( And it's not that green is a bad thing. They just don't think it is. And it's just that one circle of friends, not an entire denomination. But I've invested 5 years into these friendships so I'm not sure how I feel anymore.

 

 

I've been there. I'm sorry. :grouphug: It hurts.

 

I just had to stop talking about the color green around those "friends", but distancing did still occur.

[What would your 14-year-old self think...]

Yes! Oh, thank you so much for answering! That was beautiful. And you are right. I am where I am because I chose not to close those doors. I chose sacrificial love for my family over my own ambitions. I chose to give my kids the best that I felt I could give them by homeschooling, rather than pursuing my own dreams. I really still do wish I was leaving a mark. But, I think you are where I need to be.

 

Thank you, thank you, for sharing perspective with me! :)

 

You are by homeschooling. It's just not the same one that you invisioned as a child.

[What would your 14-year-old self think...]

My 14yo self would say "Really? Really? You're not a doctor AND you had kids? What the heck?!?"

 

:D

[Tank top to church?]

I would say it was fine, but we are in Texas and it's pretty hot here. Tank tops are normal for all ages.

 

Yup, where I live too. :iagree:

[Do you let your kids choose where to sit in the car?]

Nope. They have assigned seats :D and only Mom has permission to change them up. It cuts waaaaay down on the fighting.

[What is your current read aloud?]

ds7 ~ just started The Wise Enchanter by Shelley Davidsow & midway through The Advetures of Reddy Fox by Burgess, just finished Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow. My oldest dd is also reading The Chronicles of Narnia to him. I think they're on Prince Caspian.

 

Starting The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart today with all of them.

[Is this odd?]

I bought the local library's copy (singular) when it was weeded from the shelves several years ago. It is a small, rural library with limited space. If something hasn't been checked out in 3 years it's taken off the shelf. That's right, no one had checked it out in 3 years. There are not many classics left there. No Shakespeare, no original Beatrix Potter (lots of adaptations of Peter Rabbit), etc. :sad:

 

That's so sad. The big city that we used to live got rid of books like that. It was disheartening. The little town that we live in now has lots of older books because they don't have the budget to buy many new ones at the moment. It looks like they had started on the winnowing process, but then the recession hit.

[If your child struggles with school, pls read...]

:grouphug: I understand. I have one too.

 

I also have two that are at grade level, another that just started public highschool in honors & AP classes, and one that graduated from homeschool w/ almost 2 years of CC under his belt. Every child learns at a different pace. That's just the way it is.

 

My slower child keeps me up at night worrying. I wonder sometimes what I could have done differently, if I'm just a really bad teacher, but the stats. don't back that up because my others did/do fine. She just struggles. It took her almost 5 years to learn to read fluently. Her older sister read at 3. Her younger brother (by 2 years) passed her in math last year. I now have them in different math programs so that we don't have the comparison thing going on. She struggles in grammar. All things academic are just hard for her. But....she's my most creative child. She's my most dedicated child when it comes to doing her work. She's compassionate and loved by many people. When I look at her through those eyes, she doesn't seem "behind" at all :)

[Definition of Poverty]

I'll interject my comments:

 

the "poor" are no longer just the stereotypical single mother, divorced father family living in the bad neighborhood, taking the bus to their part-time, if any, job, spending their money on booze and cigarettes.

 

When you (rhetorical you) say the "poor" are you addressing the cycle of generational poverty that some people experience, or are you addressing the "poor" by today's standards? The paradigm has shifted.

 

I know many people who once (long ago or not so long ago) were NOT poor, they had good job, they have "stuff" (define that where ever you start get offended by a person on assistance owning). This current economy has created a lot of "poor" people on paper. The Middle class (of which we used to be a part of) is dwindling. People who have worked hard all of their lives are now on some form of assistance. They know how to work, they don't need a mentor, they need a job. They need full time employment and because of whatever, it's not out there for them. Not everyone can say Well I guess it's time to run out and get that job now. Bye, hon, I'll be back in a hour. The rules of the game have changed. Many people have gotten caught in the crossfire and are doing everything they possibly can to not lose their sanity (and I don't throw that term around lightly) to keep their family afloat. The government assistance is like a life preserver, it doesn't get them out of the storm, but it might keep them from drowning in the process of finding shore.

 

:iagree:Thank you for saying this.

[Do you and your DH get separate hotel rooms and split the kids when traveling?]

Comfort Suites. Less than $200/night (I think we payed around $90) as we were driving across the country, free breakfast in the morning and the rooms slept 6.

[Parenting is a great big test. And I'm not faring well.]

I think you're doing great. It's just HARD sometimes!

 

:iagree:

[What types of side dishes do you serve with dinner?]

None. Yup, that's correct. Absolutely none. We eat one pot meals or burritos almost exclusively. I hate to cook and I have to stretch a pound of meat for 6 people, so.......

 

It does make it tricky when we have company though because I have to suddenly cook meals that "normal" families eat :D

[Hurricane Irene is coming!]

I voted Yes, if it's cat 1 or 2, but I'll expand that to say that I'd stay if I wasn't in an evacuation zone.

 

I live in Houston outside the furthest evacuation zone, so we're always told to "hunker down". This is actually very sensible advice because the highways are insane when coastal communities have to evacuate. You're much better off laying in supplies and leaving after the roads are clear if you won't have power for a while. Or just staying put if it's not too hot. We stayed after Ike and survived 2.5 weeks without power. It wasn't too bad, but we had potable water and natural gas.

 

This. If I was on the coast I would board up and evacuate, but we're enough inland that we shouldn't flood. Even if it gets up to a 3 I think we'd be better off just riding it out in our house or at my parents. We have a well, a generator and pets/livestock. We'll lose shingles for sure.

 

Unless a tree came down on the house the hardest part for us would be having no AC:tongue_smilie: We've done it before and it was h*ll. It felt like it was raining in the house it was so hot and humid.