From ksl.com today: "The first and most devastating fire was reported around 3:30 a.m. at an LDS meetinghouse at 3219 S. 300 East. South Salt Lake Fire Battalion Chief Terry Addison said a brick was found thrown through a window in the chapel, where the fire began. "Right now it's looking like it is a suspicious fire," he said." http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13023194
You think?
They go on: "The second fire was reported at 6:48 a.m. at an LDS church building at 2702 S. Main Street. South Salt Lake Police confirmed there was forced entry at that building as well. "Right now, they all appear to be arson and they are suspicious in nature," said Gary Keller, spokesman for the South Salt Lake Police Department. "It's premature to say that they would all be connected.""
Is there such a thing as non-suspicious arson?
And is it premature?
Makes me wonder about the investigative skills of the SLC police!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Did I just read that?
From cnn.com today: "Legend has it he captured the residents of an enemy town and forced them to build the castle as punishment." http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/10/30/romania.dracula.castle/index.html?hpt=C2
Punishment for being captured? By the captor? Huh?
Punishment for being captured? By the captor? Huh?
Halloween
Caleb was up sick from 3:00 am until 7:45 am this morning. So we all slept until after noon.
With someone throwing up at night, we didn't feel like we could go out and do all the activities on our list (Day of the Dead Festival at the museum, helping put together a museum-quality dinosaur skeleton replica down in Boulder, Halloween party with friends, trick or treating at the church.). But I didn't feel like I could let the kids down, either. I really feel strongly that Mom's job is to be the safe place, the anchor, and the stability in the family, regardless of what troubles are swirling around. It's my job to make the home, and make it feel stable and safe and happy. And getting sick for the week of Halloween doesn't excuse me from making good memories for the kids.
So, some quick thinking and we came up with an alternate plan. The kids had wanted to do jack-o-lanterns, and they'd saved their own money to buy the pumpkins, so we went to the store and let them buy their own pumpkins. Then we came home, let them draw faces on the pumpkins, and dressed for Trick-or-treating.
Instead of the traditional trick-or-treating, we joined up with our ward and the other ward who meets in our church building, and everyone lined their cars up in the parking lot and opened the trunks, and we went "trunk-or-treating." It's fast way to trick or treat the houses of all the people you know all at once. Less tiring, less dangerous, more fun. This was the first year in Colorado that we had a nice, warm evening--no snow for once. We didn't even need coats, and I was warm wearing a long-sleeved shirt! So the kids went 'round to two wards, got to hang out with their friends from church, and got TONS of candy.
Then we came home and let them eat candy while Tim and I rested, not so much from the walking as from the costuming and shepherding kids the whole way through.
We let the kids eat all their candy at once and get it over with. A sugar hit from half the candy is about the same as a sugar hit from all the candy or from three pieces, so we might as well just have ONE sugar hit, right? So we don't ration or take it away or anything like that. Our dentist approves, too--less sugar on their teeth overall. And if the rare child shows up who can ration their own candy, then they have the self-control to also handle it carefully, and I'm okay with that. So the kids went into the TV room to play nintendo, and Tim and I rested, and then we did a "Pumpkin Fest" (as Anda called it).
We gave each of the big kids a "sharp" (Benji's word for the kind of knife he can't use) and taught them how to carve pumpkins. I was amazed that these kids who willingly dig mud canals in the yard and maintain them all summer were disgusted by pumpkin guts. Daniel, who loves to cook and play with dough and loves to play in the mud and dirt, refused categorically to even touch the stuff. Anda, who usually still prefers to eat with her hands (even pudding), also hesitated (although she eventually got the job done, and done well). Caleb did some and then quit because he didn't like his hands to be so slimy. Eventually we got 5 pumpkins carved anyway. We cut off the bottoms, too, so we could just set them over the candles. Nathanael joyfully said, "OH! Can sing Happy Birthday now!"
The kids lined the carved, lit Jack-o-Lanterns up on the long side of the table and then lined up chairs in front of them and sat there, happily eating candy at their Pumpkin Fest, for a long time while they talked and just enjoyed themselves.
Everyone seems happy enough, so I think we survived Halloween.
I told the kids that Sunday might officially be Halloween, but we don't do these kinds of parties on Sunday, so they were okay with doing it all today. We had planned to have some friends come visit tomorrow, but I don't think they want to take the risk of having the pukey sickness go through their 4 kids, too. So tomorrow might be really quiet around here. And that's okay, too.
With someone throwing up at night, we didn't feel like we could go out and do all the activities on our list (Day of the Dead Festival at the museum, helping put together a museum-quality dinosaur skeleton replica down in Boulder, Halloween party with friends, trick or treating at the church.). But I didn't feel like I could let the kids down, either. I really feel strongly that Mom's job is to be the safe place, the anchor, and the stability in the family, regardless of what troubles are swirling around. It's my job to make the home, and make it feel stable and safe and happy. And getting sick for the week of Halloween doesn't excuse me from making good memories for the kids.
So, some quick thinking and we came up with an alternate plan. The kids had wanted to do jack-o-lanterns, and they'd saved their own money to buy the pumpkins, so we went to the store and let them buy their own pumpkins. Then we came home, let them draw faces on the pumpkins, and dressed for Trick-or-treating.
Instead of the traditional trick-or-treating, we joined up with our ward and the other ward who meets in our church building, and everyone lined their cars up in the parking lot and opened the trunks, and we went "trunk-or-treating." It's fast way to trick or treat the houses of all the people you know all at once. Less tiring, less dangerous, more fun. This was the first year in Colorado that we had a nice, warm evening--no snow for once. We didn't even need coats, and I was warm wearing a long-sleeved shirt! So the kids went 'round to two wards, got to hang out with their friends from church, and got TONS of candy.
Then we came home and let them eat candy while Tim and I rested, not so much from the walking as from the costuming and shepherding kids the whole way through.
We let the kids eat all their candy at once and get it over with. A sugar hit from half the candy is about the same as a sugar hit from all the candy or from three pieces, so we might as well just have ONE sugar hit, right? So we don't ration or take it away or anything like that. Our dentist approves, too--less sugar on their teeth overall. And if the rare child shows up who can ration their own candy, then they have the self-control to also handle it carefully, and I'm okay with that. So the kids went into the TV room to play nintendo, and Tim and I rested, and then we did a "Pumpkin Fest" (as Anda called it).
We gave each of the big kids a "sharp" (Benji's word for the kind of knife he can't use) and taught them how to carve pumpkins. I was amazed that these kids who willingly dig mud canals in the yard and maintain them all summer were disgusted by pumpkin guts. Daniel, who loves to cook and play with dough and loves to play in the mud and dirt, refused categorically to even touch the stuff. Anda, who usually still prefers to eat with her hands (even pudding), also hesitated (although she eventually got the job done, and done well). Caleb did some and then quit because he didn't like his hands to be so slimy. Eventually we got 5 pumpkins carved anyway. We cut off the bottoms, too, so we could just set them over the candles. Nathanael joyfully said, "OH! Can sing Happy Birthday now!"
The kids lined the carved, lit Jack-o-Lanterns up on the long side of the table and then lined up chairs in front of them and sat there, happily eating candy at their Pumpkin Fest, for a long time while they talked and just enjoyed themselves.
Everyone seems happy enough, so I think we survived Halloween.
I told the kids that Sunday might officially be Halloween, but we don't do these kinds of parties on Sunday, so they were okay with doing it all today. We had planned to have some friends come visit tomorrow, but I don't think they want to take the risk of having the pukey sickness go through their 4 kids, too. So tomorrow might be really quiet around here. And that's okay, too.
Princess Peach
I'm usually not this kind of feminist, but I just had to ask my kids today why Princess Peach is always getting kidnapped in all the Mario Brothers games. While I don't mind men learning to defend and protect women (since that is part of their duty in the family), shouldn't she learn how to defend herself?
No, the kids said. That's not what princesses do. (And that from Anda!). And besides, then there would be no plot left to any of the Mario games.
Well, I said, Princesses SHOULD learn how to defend themselves. It would be wise.
Then I had to know: are there any powerful women in the Mario games?
Sure, they said. The final boss. The worst of the worst bad guys who masterminded the whole plot is a woman.
Really?
So good girls are helpless, but bad girls are the most powerful of all--even more than the men?
Not sure I like that plan.....
But I see it everywhere in the media--even (perhaps especially) in things produced with a feminist sensibility in mind. (Like "Grease". I HATE "Grease" because of how they treat women in that show.)
I just don't understand why good girls can never be portrayed as powerful without also portraying them as masculine or wicked. The most common theme I see for women is that their power comes from rejecting their femininity or embracing pure sexualization (either one), and from choosing wrong. It's like Freud has taken control of all things feminine!
What are we teaching the women nowaday? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
No, the kids said. That's not what princesses do. (And that from Anda!). And besides, then there would be no plot left to any of the Mario games.
Well, I said, Princesses SHOULD learn how to defend themselves. It would be wise.
Then I had to know: are there any powerful women in the Mario games?
Sure, they said. The final boss. The worst of the worst bad guys who masterminded the whole plot is a woman.
Really?
So good girls are helpless, but bad girls are the most powerful of all--even more than the men?
Not sure I like that plan.....
But I see it everywhere in the media--even (perhaps especially) in things produced with a feminist sensibility in mind. (Like "Grease". I HATE "Grease" because of how they treat women in that show.)
I just don't understand why good girls can never be portrayed as powerful without also portraying them as masculine or wicked. The most common theme I see for women is that their power comes from rejecting their femininity or embracing pure sexualization (either one), and from choosing wrong. It's like Freud has taken control of all things feminine!
What are we teaching the women nowaday? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Poetry, by Isaiah
They skipped this passage in Sunday School last week, so it's been on my mind. This just might be my all-time favorite passage of scripture, as well as possibly my favorite piece of poetry. I couldn't figure out how they could just pass over it in Sunday School (to talk about the last half of the chapter, which is also gorgeous, but to focus on "pleased the Lord to bruise him" and that's ALL, from the whole chapter, they talked about!). Even in translation, this is wonderful.
Who hath believed our report? and
to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,
and as a root out of a dry ground:
he hath no form nor comeliness;
and when we shall see him,
there is no beauty that we should desire him.
He is despised and rejected of men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
and we hid as it were our faces from him;
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant,
and as a root out of a dry ground:
he hath no form nor comeliness;
and when we shall see him,
there is no beauty that we should desire him.
He is despised and rejected of men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
and we hid as it were our faces from him;
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed.
and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed.
I could spend time tearing it apart like English majors do poetry ("surely" as in a sure-footed donkey, not "surely you don't mean that"; borne our griefs and sorrows, not just sins; "chastisement of our peace" is a fantastic phrase.....etc.). But I think this one stands so beautifully on its own.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Overheard from the tub tonight:
Benji, "I threw up."
Nathanael: "No, I threw up."
Benji: "No. I threw up."
Nathanael: "No! I threw up."
In fact, they both did. Benji came to me this evening, when Nathanael finally seemed to be on the mend, and said, "Mom, I threw up all over the bed."
"Whose bed?" I asked.
"Yours," he said. "But don't worry. It was an accident."
Nathanael: "No, I threw up."
Benji: "No. I threw up."
Nathanael: "No! I threw up."
In fact, they both did. Benji came to me this evening, when Nathanael finally seemed to be on the mend, and said, "Mom, I threw up all over the bed."
"Whose bed?" I asked.
"Yours," he said. "But don't worry. It was an accident."
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sick kids
Nathanael threw up every hour all night last night, and then at least 3 more times today. It got so he didn't even wake up, and after 3:00 am I stopped bathing him and just threw down another blanket and wiped him off with a towel (by then there wasn't anything left in him to puke out anyway), and then cleaned him and the bed up thoroughly in the morning. And that's when the diarrhea hit.
So I didn't get everything done today--I was too busy rocking a baby.
Still, I managed to turn in some paperwork I needed to finish, and during a small break in the puking, I ran down and voted while there was no line. This is the first midterm election where there were enough major issues on the ballot, and enough going on in national politics, that I not only remembered to go vote, I felt strongly that my voice actually mattered and needed to be heard. I even researched the issues.
And I did finish sorting and folding the heap of clean clothes (not linens yet, though). With all the clothes we've been given, I discovered we had much-needed entirely new wardrobes for all six of my kids plus the two daughters of a good friend! Now I can throw away all the clothes we got used 9 years ago that have been through 3-5 kids just in my family. Thank-you everyone who shared with us!
I managed dinner, which mostly nobody ate (I like cabbage, but the kids won't give it a chance). I didn't get to dishes, though, and none of the throwuppy blankets and towels would be washed if Tim hadn't done it. Fortunately, school is one of the few things that are easy to do when I have a sick kid, so that all got done.
I also had a doctor's appointment. Baby is fine and approved to come any time after next Monday, although we'll probably have to wait until December--mine don't seem to come early. He's very busy and for some reason I can feel and see his movements much more than any of my other kids'. Even the doctor was surprised how visible the baby's movements are, especially when he very visibly rolled over and then deliberately kicked her doppler heartbeat monitor off my tummy, and then kept kicking the same place until she wiped the gel off, too. I guess he's as opinionated as my other 5!
So now I just got thrown up on again, and everyone is not staying in bed (I just hate that!). So I'm off to clean up and put everyone back in bed. Again.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Did I just read that?
The message my computer sent me this evening: "HP Support Assistant has determined that your notebook PC's battery has started to loose it's full charge capacity. A notebook PC battery's charge capacity will normally deteriorate over time. Purchasing a second battery can extend the time you use your notebook PC on battery power."
Is loosing it's charge akin to unleashing it?
Is loosing it's charge akin to unleashing it?
Statistics I Wish I Had
America's Got Talent seems to exist because it plays on people's dreams that someday, something will snatch them out of obscurity and give them the attention they've always wanted for their talents. Most people have no idea what that actually entails--they just have this vague idea that being famous for their talents is desirable and means lots of money (neither of which is actually necessarily true).
Without people's dreams, and the idea that it might be them on TV next year, the show would fall flat. So a huge part of what they do is open the door to let anyone come in and audition--and make sure that everyone knows they are welcome to come wait in line and take a shot at escaping their mundane (or downright miserable) life to whatever dream they have of fame and fortune. So they show lots of shots of Middle America waiting in line, and talk a lot about who they discovered at what open audition.
What they don't mention is that they also actively seek out and invite people to audition for the show--perhaps thousands. What they also don't mention is that many of the people who make it onto TV and then through to the next rounds are already professional performers who have "paid their dues" (been working their acts publicly on stage for 10 years or more). Many of the acts we see on TV are people Tim knows from Vegas, where they've been performing on the Strip successfully for many years. At least one winner had been working with an agent who does Talent Development for many years before he hit America's Got Talent (I know that because it was the agent moosebutter was working with for a while).
And many of these people--the already-semi-famous and the invited-to-audition--don't stand in line all day and wait. They don't sing with 10 other people in the room. They get a special scheduled private audition time.
The statistics I know they keep that I wish I had are how many people get on TV who come from the cattle call audition, and how many were of the other categories--the professionals who just haven't broken from the regional into the national market. I am so curious--how many people who get through to the final rounds were invited to audition? How many have already performed in Vegas? How many have over 10 years of experience? I'm thinking the answers would be close to 100% on all questions, but I don't know. All I do know is that most of the people who make it into the later rounds handle both the microphone and the stage in a way that says, "Lots of experience."
In other words, I'm not sure the average American Dreamer has any chance at all. I've begun to wonder if that's all just part of the show--a really fancy marketing device, rather than a real, legit audition. I mean, if they're selling dreams, they have to let people dream to sell the product, right?
Nobody's ever going to show me those numbers, though.
I just wish I could see them.
Without people's dreams, and the idea that it might be them on TV next year, the show would fall flat. So a huge part of what they do is open the door to let anyone come in and audition--and make sure that everyone knows they are welcome to come wait in line and take a shot at escaping their mundane (or downright miserable) life to whatever dream they have of fame and fortune. So they show lots of shots of Middle America waiting in line, and talk a lot about who they discovered at what open audition.
What they don't mention is that they also actively seek out and invite people to audition for the show--perhaps thousands. What they also don't mention is that many of the people who make it onto TV and then through to the next rounds are already professional performers who have "paid their dues" (been working their acts publicly on stage for 10 years or more). Many of the acts we see on TV are people Tim knows from Vegas, where they've been performing on the Strip successfully for many years. At least one winner had been working with an agent who does Talent Development for many years before he hit America's Got Talent (I know that because it was the agent moosebutter was working with for a while).
And many of these people--the already-semi-famous and the invited-to-audition--don't stand in line all day and wait. They don't sing with 10 other people in the room. They get a special scheduled private audition time.
The statistics I know they keep that I wish I had are how many people get on TV who come from the cattle call audition, and how many were of the other categories--the professionals who just haven't broken from the regional into the national market. I am so curious--how many people who get through to the final rounds were invited to audition? How many have already performed in Vegas? How many have over 10 years of experience? I'm thinking the answers would be close to 100% on all questions, but I don't know. All I do know is that most of the people who make it into the later rounds handle both the microphone and the stage in a way that says, "Lots of experience."
In other words, I'm not sure the average American Dreamer has any chance at all. I've begun to wonder if that's all just part of the show--a really fancy marketing device, rather than a real, legit audition. I mean, if they're selling dreams, they have to let people dream to sell the product, right?
Nobody's ever going to show me those numbers, though.
I just wish I could see them.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Foxnews.com has math problems again.
From the beginning of an article: "An Ohio National Guard soldier died four days after being injured in a parachuting accident during an airborne training exercise, officials said. Herbert Mills, 59, of Groveport, died early Sunday morning at a hospital in Columbus, Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak said. Mills' rank was not released."
and the end: "One of the men landed on the airport tarmac, while the other three came down on the grass. The soldiers were ages 26 to 45."
From the beginning of an article: "An Ohio National Guard soldier died four days after being injured in a parachuting accident during an airborne training exercise, officials said. Herbert Mills, 59, of Groveport, died early Sunday morning at a hospital in Columbus, Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak said. Mills' rank was not released."
and the end: "One of the men landed on the airport tarmac, while the other three came down on the grass. The soldiers were ages 26 to 45."
So what was that age range again?
Did I just read that?
Foxnews.com's home page sometimes shortens headlines in amusing ways: "Body Found in Park Believed to Be Ill. Student"
I'd say that student was ill--can't be more ill than dead!
I'd say that student was ill--can't be more ill than dead!
Nathanael says....
Part of Tim's rehearsals always involve making funny noises and playing with various sounds, most of which don't come across as musical out of context. Today Nathanael heard those sounds and came running in to the laundry room: "Mommy! I hear a dinosaur! It's going to get me!"
More of America's Got Talent
Several people have asked, so I'm just making the announcement here so I don't have to keep answering the same question over and over:
Yes, Tim did audition for America's Got Talent this year. He was invited to audition by a lower-level producer, who scheduled a private audition time where he got to skip the long, all-day lines and where he got to audition by himself instead of in a group of 10-15 other singers.
They seemed to like it (but they've liked his stuff every year--he's made it quite far in the process over and over but never been on TV). They sent him on to the second audition of the day (a call back--a sign that he's not cut yet), and then to the interview segment (a sign he's not cut yet, still). The producers had nice things to say about his act.
And the audition ended with, "We'll call you--in March."
Yeah. March.
By the time they call, we will have forgotten what he auditioned for (and they said, "Remember what you're wearing, okay?" Really? For 6 months?).
So now you know everything I know.
Yes, Tim did audition for America's Got Talent this year. He was invited to audition by a lower-level producer, who scheduled a private audition time where he got to skip the long, all-day lines and where he got to audition by himself instead of in a group of 10-15 other singers.
They seemed to like it (but they've liked his stuff every year--he's made it quite far in the process over and over but never been on TV). They sent him on to the second audition of the day (a call back--a sign that he's not cut yet), and then to the interview segment (a sign he's not cut yet, still). The producers had nice things to say about his act.
And the audition ended with, "We'll call you--in March."
Yeah. March.
By the time they call, we will have forgotten what he auditioned for (and they said, "Remember what you're wearing, okay?" Really? For 6 months?).
So now you know everything I know.
Nathanael says....
Nathanael was all excited today because the kids decided we ought to actually celebrate my birthday that was last week. We made a cake, and put candles on it, and Nathanael was bouncing around the kitchen talking about "Singing happy birthday to the candles!"
So THAT's what a birthday party is about!
So THAT's what a birthday party is about!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Did I just read that?
From foxnews.com home page today: "Obama Urges Gay Kids to Persevere In Bullying"
I'm not sure that's going to solve the bullying problem....encourage the victims to bully other people? Sounds fishy.
I'm not sure that's going to solve the bullying problem....encourage the victims to bully other people? Sounds fishy.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Us, lately
So, with the curricula all done, I had a list of things I was going to get to next. Apples, laundry, dishes, floors (as in re-doing the flooring in two spaces, not as in cleaning them), the baby's room needs to be created (right now it's a TV room). Boxes need sorting and unpacking.
The spirit is willing.
Unfortunately, I have a rather large, rather heavy belly that sets into serious contractions if I stand up for more than 10 minutes or sit in a hard chair for more than half an hour. I also have been having a bad spell of fibro for the last 8 months, so I can't hold my arms up or out (even long enough to wipe the table), or stand up long, or sit in one position long, and I have to get extra sleep or I fall apart completely (I even dreamed last night that I was throwing a fit and yelling at everyone because someone told me I had to do an activity that required me to reach out and work on something, and they wouldn't let me sit to do it and didn't understand that I'm in constant pain, even in my dreams). With all the appointments and schooling we've had lately, enough sleep is not a reliable thing.
So I discovered yesterday that the apples HAD to be dealt with immediately. So the kids got an apple cake for dinner. And I did four trays of dried apples and a crockpot of applesauce. Plus we put 3 grocery bags FULL in the fridge (the fridge wouldn't fit any more) and have two boxfuls left that I still need to deal with. I did most of the work sitting down and still had to take almost an hour in my rocking chair to recover afterward (and then dreamed I was in pain last night). The results of all the work were very yummy, though. I love apples.
I started on the laundry problem this week. I made diagrams of all the shelves and cubbies we have in the clothes room and decided where everyone's clothes will be put to make them easy to find (last time I put pants and shirts not together, and the kids never could remember where their pants were). I also printed labels for all the cubbies, so the kids can find their stuff (since all 5 recognize the letters of the alphabet, that works even for Nathanael) and so Tim can put things away, too, and not have me go back and wonder where the socks all went. It helps when we're all on the same system. Notice, though, I didn't actually touch the laundry. I did all the sit-down work! I'll have to have the kids help me with the laundry itself, I think. If I can sit, and they can do the running and moving of things, we might get that room in order.
I intended to fix the dryer today, which works but is making an awful racket, but I can't even pull it out from the wall, and sitting on the floor is painful, and I'm not sure I'm actually capable of fixing a dryer when my belly is this huge.
I have managed to get all the kids to the dentist for checkups. That's 5 appointments, with two of them going to toddlers (one of whom has a phobia of all things medical). So far, 5/5 need a lot of work, which means MORE appointments. For all of them. Daniel had his teeth all fixed at once while under general anaethesia at the Children's Hospital in Denver (They're REALLY good with kids--no tearing them away from their parents to put them under, for example. No needles that they are aware of. No forcing them into hospital gowns. No making them wake up before parents can come in.). Daniel had all but four teeth crowned, and two pulled out. Anda is scheduled to have one pulled and all the rest filled (her teeth are crowded, so they have cavities between them) in a series of 5 more appointments--and if the first doesn't go well, she'll be going to Children's Hospital, too. Benji wouldn't open his mouth, so he has to come to everyone else's appointments to get used to the dentist, and then we'll try again in six weeks--and if that doesn't work, the dentist will send him to a psychologist for therapy first and we'll try again. I'm pretty sure he'll have to go to Children's hospital--I can see decay between his front teeth and in his upper molars. Nathanael's teeth came in with brown bars on them, and the dentist said all of our children's teeth have been attacked by "the Arnold Swarzenegger of dental bacteria"--a superbug that eats enamel like candy--and that's why their teeth are so bad. She said they probably got it from me, since Tim didn't have any cavities until he married me (shoot....I gave it to him, too?). Since Nathanael's teeth aren't even fully formed yet, but are decayed severely front and back, he has to have most of them pulled. He's not even 2 years old yet! So down to Children's Hospital with him, too. Oh, and Caleb, who had his teeth done at Children's Hospital when he was four, has a crowded mouth that is going to require a space maintainer and then probably orthodontic work (when his teeth all come in) AND his teeth have malformed enamel (his adult teeth) that require immediate treatment before they develop decay (apparently they have special sealants for that problem. Phew). So we have dental appointments scheduled out to January and then some.
I still need to get the three big kids to the eye doctor and Daniel to the allergist and Caleb to a neuropsychologist (to get a formal diagnosis on his tic disorder--I think it's Tourettes--so we get accommodations at places like the dentist when he tics in the chair and can't keep his mouth open because of it). Not to mention I have to see the doctor every week or two myself until mid-December, and prepare Thanksgiving and Christmas early as much as possible just in case.
In other words, getting to my to-do list isn't happening.
Instead, I find myself sitting in my rocking chair reading the news. Out of the blue I surprised myself and started contacting literary agents again for my novel that I haven't looked at in two months. I watch the kids do school. Stuff I can do sitting down.
Maybe I need a new to-do list, all of things I can do in my rocking chair.
The spirit is willing.
Unfortunately, I have a rather large, rather heavy belly that sets into serious contractions if I stand up for more than 10 minutes or sit in a hard chair for more than half an hour. I also have been having a bad spell of fibro for the last 8 months, so I can't hold my arms up or out (even long enough to wipe the table), or stand up long, or sit in one position long, and I have to get extra sleep or I fall apart completely (I even dreamed last night that I was throwing a fit and yelling at everyone because someone told me I had to do an activity that required me to reach out and work on something, and they wouldn't let me sit to do it and didn't understand that I'm in constant pain, even in my dreams). With all the appointments and schooling we've had lately, enough sleep is not a reliable thing.
So I discovered yesterday that the apples HAD to be dealt with immediately. So the kids got an apple cake for dinner. And I did four trays of dried apples and a crockpot of applesauce. Plus we put 3 grocery bags FULL in the fridge (the fridge wouldn't fit any more) and have two boxfuls left that I still need to deal with. I did most of the work sitting down and still had to take almost an hour in my rocking chair to recover afterward (and then dreamed I was in pain last night). The results of all the work were very yummy, though. I love apples.
I started on the laundry problem this week. I made diagrams of all the shelves and cubbies we have in the clothes room and decided where everyone's clothes will be put to make them easy to find (last time I put pants and shirts not together, and the kids never could remember where their pants were). I also printed labels for all the cubbies, so the kids can find their stuff (since all 5 recognize the letters of the alphabet, that works even for Nathanael) and so Tim can put things away, too, and not have me go back and wonder where the socks all went. It helps when we're all on the same system. Notice, though, I didn't actually touch the laundry. I did all the sit-down work! I'll have to have the kids help me with the laundry itself, I think. If I can sit, and they can do the running and moving of things, we might get that room in order.
I intended to fix the dryer today, which works but is making an awful racket, but I can't even pull it out from the wall, and sitting on the floor is painful, and I'm not sure I'm actually capable of fixing a dryer when my belly is this huge.
I have managed to get all the kids to the dentist for checkups. That's 5 appointments, with two of them going to toddlers (one of whom has a phobia of all things medical). So far, 5/5 need a lot of work, which means MORE appointments. For all of them. Daniel had his teeth all fixed at once while under general anaethesia at the Children's Hospital in Denver (They're REALLY good with kids--no tearing them away from their parents to put them under, for example. No needles that they are aware of. No forcing them into hospital gowns. No making them wake up before parents can come in.). Daniel had all but four teeth crowned, and two pulled out. Anda is scheduled to have one pulled and all the rest filled (her teeth are crowded, so they have cavities between them) in a series of 5 more appointments--and if the first doesn't go well, she'll be going to Children's Hospital, too. Benji wouldn't open his mouth, so he has to come to everyone else's appointments to get used to the dentist, and then we'll try again in six weeks--and if that doesn't work, the dentist will send him to a psychologist for therapy first and we'll try again. I'm pretty sure he'll have to go to Children's hospital--I can see decay between his front teeth and in his upper molars. Nathanael's teeth came in with brown bars on them, and the dentist said all of our children's teeth have been attacked by "the Arnold Swarzenegger of dental bacteria"--a superbug that eats enamel like candy--and that's why their teeth are so bad. She said they probably got it from me, since Tim didn't have any cavities until he married me (shoot....I gave it to him, too?). Since Nathanael's teeth aren't even fully formed yet, but are decayed severely front and back, he has to have most of them pulled. He's not even 2 years old yet! So down to Children's Hospital with him, too. Oh, and Caleb, who had his teeth done at Children's Hospital when he was four, has a crowded mouth that is going to require a space maintainer and then probably orthodontic work (when his teeth all come in) AND his teeth have malformed enamel (his adult teeth) that require immediate treatment before they develop decay (apparently they have special sealants for that problem. Phew). So we have dental appointments scheduled out to January and then some.
I still need to get the three big kids to the eye doctor and Daniel to the allergist and Caleb to a neuropsychologist (to get a formal diagnosis on his tic disorder--I think it's Tourettes--so we get accommodations at places like the dentist when he tics in the chair and can't keep his mouth open because of it). Not to mention I have to see the doctor every week or two myself until mid-December, and prepare Thanksgiving and Christmas early as much as possible just in case.
In other words, getting to my to-do list isn't happening.
Instead, I find myself sitting in my rocking chair reading the news. Out of the blue I surprised myself and started contacting literary agents again for my novel that I haven't looked at in two months. I watch the kids do school. Stuff I can do sitting down.
Maybe I need a new to-do list, all of things I can do in my rocking chair.
Musician Pay
I mentioned once before that sometimes Tim gets paid in the form of stuffed animals, free admission to things, meals, etc.
Lately he's been getting a lot of T-shirts.
And the last job he did, he got paid cash plus 66 gallons of water.
That was a first.
Lately he's been getting a lot of T-shirts.
And the last job he did, he got paid cash plus 66 gallons of water.
That was a first.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Last words on my curriculum adventures...maybe
I know I keep talking about this, but it was a major major accomplishment. I realize almost nobody will really understand that because, really, who writes their own curriculum for their kids--ever? Nobody. My mom will probably understand and appreciate it all because she's an instructional designer--she's done this before for multiple companies. Mostly everyone else I talk to says, "Oh, I just buy my curriculum." Yeah--that's easier, for sure. But I had two problems with that--I can't afford a curriculum, and I found that most of them were not really academically challenging and interesting to my kids (because they don't make stuff on the 8th grade level with a 2nd grade sense of humor). I figured, given my rather unique children, I could do better than I could buy, and free.
(My basic philosophy, which I call "freeschooling" is that there is BETTER stuff online, for free, than you can get for any price through any traditional curriculum that you buy or that the schools provide--if you know where to find it. I've been "finding it" for Learning Lynx for over a year now, but this time I set out to organize what I found into cohesive, academically sound lessons for my own kids).
So here's what I did: I dug through the internet, searching for age- and intellect-appropriate lessons that were student-ready. There are thousands (and probably millions) of free lesson plans posted online, but I couldn't use those because the setup around here is that the kids turn on the computer and log in to school, and they each do a set amount of online lessons per day that have to be ready for them when they click the link. So no lesson plans, which I would have to prepare in advance and then sit down and formally teach and manage activities and stuff--I can't do that because I'm not organized enough and because I'm schooling FIVE kids each day in five different grades. It takes too much time. So the lessons have to be online links, student-ready, and only take a short amount of time to complete (2-3 minutes each for Nathanael, less than 20 minutes each--and preferably 5 minutes or less each--for the biggest kids because we still have to deal with the ADD issues) with tutoring and coaching from me, but nothing extensive or lengthy, but still be solidly educational and (here was the kicker) superior to what they would get on the same subject in a public school, most private schools, AND most homeschool curriculums that you might purchase. Oh, and they had to be free. 100% free and also accessible as individual links without logging in and using their system to access it (so, for example, SAS curriculum was off-limits because I couldn't share the link for that and have anyone on earth access it, and most of the sample lessons from Time4Learning were out because all the links take you to the same menu page, not the individual lessons; Head of the Class only was allowed because if you do log in, even as a guest, you can then access individual lessons from a regular browser window--you don't have to use their interface if you don't want to). Oh, and they had to be on the right academic level for my gifted kids, but also interesting to their social/emotional/ developmental stage.
So the rules were rather strict, and that sometimes made it hard to find materials. Sometimes, though, there were too many (like on electrical circuits, of all things!), and I was left sorting through them to pick the ones that were highest quality and most applicable to the child learning the lesson.
What I ended up with was 5 complete years of schooling. I gathered, collected, arranged, etc. 7861 individual, student-ready, free online lessons covering 8 subjects.
A summary:
Playschool (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddssdqrh_162hnz9c3fr)--geared toward my gifted 1-year-old, 800+ lessons on reading, music, spelling, art, math, science, social studies, and "fun" (a catchall category for miscellaneous stuff). Math covers shapes, numbers and counting, Reading covers the ABCs and nursery rhymes; writing consists of coloring pages; Spelling covers the ABCs and the letter-sound correlations as well as introduction to the concept of words; science consists of body parts, computer use, animals; Social studies covers family; music covers children's and primary songs; art covers drawing, colors, and shapes, and includes art instructional videos, "fun" covers opposites and more about animals. This is pretty heavy on the videos and light on the interactives because when I started it, my 1 year old didn't know how to use a computer mouse (he does now). It covers a lot of the same materials as the preschool lessons do.
Preschool (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddssdqrh_163cqgf5pdq)--geared toward my gifted 3-year-old, 900+ lessons on reading, spelling, writing, math, art, science, social studies, and "fun". Math consists of numbers and counting, shapes, sorting, and other kindergarten math skills; reading covers ABCs, letter-sound correlation, sounding out words, nursery rhymes and folktales, Mercer Mayer stories, Maurice Sendak stories, and miscellaneous fun tales; Writing consists of learning to write the uppercase and lowercase letters; science consists of animals and nature; social studies covers family and a little bit the community; Music covers nursery rhymes and other traditional children's songs; and Art covers drawing, shapes, colors, and how-to art videos. Fun is, as above, a catchall category for more animals movies, etc. This is really really similar to the Kindergarten curricula I've found, so if your child is in K and not learning reading already, you'd want to use this first before you started the actual K curriculum I wrote.
Kindergarten (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddssdqrh_151f8h562g5)--geared toward my gifted 5-year-old, 1400+ lessons on reading, spelling, writing, math, art, science, social studies, and "fun." Math consists of numbers and counting, odd and even, addition, subtraction, sorting, and a LOT of practice on math facts; Reading consists of learning to read using phonics, and literature lessons covering nursery rhymes, stories, and an extensive unit on Dr. Seuss stories; writing consists of learning to write letters and words, handwriting practice, playing make-believe games, and verbally telling stories; Spelling covers the phonics spelling lists from Spelling City; Science covers temperature, weather, animals, plants, bugs, cooking, materials science, machines, and building; Social Studies covers communities, jobs, places, and life necessities around the world (food, clothing, and houses); music covers the musical instruments and instrument families; art includes how-to art videos, art projects, and drawing lessons. "Fun lessons" cover more of the above and focus a lot on cooking lessons. This is really more akin to most of the first grade curricula I see around, so I'm sure it could easily be adapted to use in 1st or even 2nd grade, depending on the kid.
Second grade (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddssdqrh_155gqms2sd3)--geared toward my gifted 7-year-old who loves Biology, 2100+ lessons on reading, spelling, writing, math, art, science, social studies, Spanish, and "Fun". Math consists mostly of addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts practice (because she's doing Saxon Math 54 for her "real" math lessons); Reading covers parody/fractured fairytales, Shel Silverstein, "The Wizard of Oz," "Alice in Wonderland," "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and a smattering of language things like homophones and similes; writing covers basic grammar and punctuation, cursive and print handwriting, and telling stories; Science consists of Biology; History covers how we learn about history, historical objects as evidence of the past, "history detectives," and family and personal history; music covers and introduction to the musical instruments, an introduction to reading music, and a basic introduction to musical concepts like pitch, timbre, tempo and also a few famous composers; and art covers the elements of art, how to look at art, and introduction to design, and lots of playing with art. "Fun" covers animals, mostly, to complement the biology lessons. Oh, and she's learning Spanish and doing 2nd Grade Spelling lists from Spelling City. Actually, this could be used by anyone 3rd-8th grade.
Fourth Grade (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddssdqrh_15752xgxhg9)--geared toward my gifted 9-year-old who loves history and all language arts, it includes 2400 lessons that cover the same subjects as second grade. Because we're using Saxon 54 as the primary math curriculum, the online stuff I collected is mostly facts practice (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division); Reading covers the history of the English language, word roots, "Stories from Shakespeare," "The Hobbit," "Around the World in 80 Days," and "A Christmas Carol"; Spelling covers word roots, spelling rules, 4th grade advances lists from Spelling City, and fun language things like puns, autoantonyms, palindromes, simile, metaphor, etc; Writing covers writing effective paragraphs, both print and cursive handwriting practice, various kinds of figurative language, an intro to editing, and an intro to descriptive writing; Science covers health and middle school level physical science (physics, mostly); History covers US history (extensively); music covers the elements of music, instruments, note-reading, etc; Art includes paper craft and origami, and brief intro to American Art, design, math in art, optical illusions, and MC Escher; "fun" covers introductions to MANY different sports. And he's learning Spanish. Actually, as written, this curriculum could be easily used by anyone 3rd-8th grade, depending on the kid.
It took me 6 weeks, and in the process I also finished big swaths of first grade (which might be almost completely done; I haven't looked back at it yet), 3rd grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, and 7th grade, and started on 8th grade in addition to what I completely finished for my kids.
It was tedious copying bazillions of links (okay, only 7861 links), and even more tedious formatting them into google docs to make them accessible to anyone on earth who wants to take advantage of all the work I just did and do some completely free homeschooling. But it was also fun, satisfying work. I feel like I managed to make something that is really sound educationally, really fun, and enjoyable for the kids. Nobody complains that they have to do school anymore--they all willingly sit down and do the lessons, which are challenging, fun, and interesting. And, unlike most free curricula out there, it covers a LOT of subjects thoroughly. I'm especially pleased with the language arts and humanities stuff--those have always been my specialty, and those are what I taught for 6 years before having children, and they came out really good. WAY better than most of the stuff out there. The social studies curricula are pretty nice, too. Science I'm feeling my way through. I love to read science, but I've never taught it, so it's getting edited as we go (since it turns out that even a gifted 7 year old needs a little background in order to really "get" things like organic chemistry. She didn't even know what an atom was!)
Still, I feel like I accomplished something MAJOR--like a Master's Thesis in Curriculum Design with an emphasis in Free Online Homeschooling. Only nobody will ever give me a degree for what I just did.
But they should.
Now on to the apples (we picked 5 boxes of apples off our tree out front, and there are at least 5 more boxes' worth out there that we can't reach because we have no ladder), the laundry (we've been given so many new clothes in the past month--dozens of boxes and bags from at least 4 different families) that EVERYTHING has to be sorted and put away, and the baby's room (which needs serious work before a baby can sleep in there!). Oh, and I have novel to finish and start querying to agents. Can't forget that.
(My basic philosophy, which I call "freeschooling" is that there is BETTER stuff online, for free, than you can get for any price through any traditional curriculum that you buy or that the schools provide--if you know where to find it. I've been "finding it" for Learning Lynx for over a year now, but this time I set out to organize what I found into cohesive, academically sound lessons for my own kids).
So here's what I did: I dug through the internet, searching for age- and intellect-appropriate lessons that were student-ready. There are thousands (and probably millions) of free lesson plans posted online, but I couldn't use those because the setup around here is that the kids turn on the computer and log in to school, and they each do a set amount of online lessons per day that have to be ready for them when they click the link. So no lesson plans, which I would have to prepare in advance and then sit down and formally teach and manage activities and stuff--I can't do that because I'm not organized enough and because I'm schooling FIVE kids each day in five different grades. It takes too much time. So the lessons have to be online links, student-ready, and only take a short amount of time to complete (2-3 minutes each for Nathanael, less than 20 minutes each--and preferably 5 minutes or less each--for the biggest kids because we still have to deal with the ADD issues) with tutoring and coaching from me, but nothing extensive or lengthy, but still be solidly educational and (here was the kicker) superior to what they would get on the same subject in a public school, most private schools, AND most homeschool curriculums that you might purchase. Oh, and they had to be free. 100% free and also accessible as individual links without logging in and using their system to access it (so, for example, SAS curriculum was off-limits because I couldn't share the link for that and have anyone on earth access it, and most of the sample lessons from Time4Learning were out because all the links take you to the same menu page, not the individual lessons; Head of the Class only was allowed because if you do log in, even as a guest, you can then access individual lessons from a regular browser window--you don't have to use their interface if you don't want to). Oh, and they had to be on the right academic level for my gifted kids, but also interesting to their social/emotional/ developmental stage.
So the rules were rather strict, and that sometimes made it hard to find materials. Sometimes, though, there were too many (like on electrical circuits, of all things!), and I was left sorting through them to pick the ones that were highest quality and most applicable to the child learning the lesson.
What I ended up with was 5 complete years of schooling. I gathered, collected, arranged, etc. 7861 individual, student-ready, free online lessons covering 8 subjects.
A summary:
Playschool (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddssdqrh_162hnz9c3fr)--geared toward my gifted 1-year-old, 800+ lessons on reading, music, spelling, art, math, science, social studies, and "fun" (a catchall category for miscellaneous stuff). Math covers shapes, numbers and counting, Reading covers the ABCs and nursery rhymes; writing consists of coloring pages; Spelling covers the ABCs and the letter-sound correlations as well as introduction to the concept of words; science consists of body parts, computer use, animals; Social studies covers family; music covers children's and primary songs; art covers drawing, colors, and shapes, and includes art instructional videos, "fun" covers opposites and more about animals. This is pretty heavy on the videos and light on the interactives because when I started it, my 1 year old didn't know how to use a computer mouse (he does now). It covers a lot of the same materials as the preschool lessons do.
Preschool (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddssdqrh_163cqgf5pdq)--geared toward my gifted 3-year-old, 900+ lessons on reading, spelling, writing, math, art, science, social studies, and "fun". Math consists of numbers and counting, shapes, sorting, and other kindergarten math skills; reading covers ABCs, letter-sound correlation, sounding out words, nursery rhymes and folktales, Mercer Mayer stories, Maurice Sendak stories, and miscellaneous fun tales; Writing consists of learning to write the uppercase and lowercase letters; science consists of animals and nature; social studies covers family and a little bit the community; Music covers nursery rhymes and other traditional children's songs; and Art covers drawing, shapes, colors, and how-to art videos. Fun is, as above, a catchall category for more animals movies, etc. This is really really similar to the Kindergarten curricula I've found, so if your child is in K and not learning reading already, you'd want to use this first before you started the actual K curriculum I wrote.
Kindergarten (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddssdqrh_151f8h562g5)--geared toward my gifted 5-year-old, 1400+ lessons on reading, spelling, writing, math, art, science, social studies, and "fun." Math consists of numbers and counting, odd and even, addition, subtraction, sorting, and a LOT of practice on math facts; Reading consists of learning to read using phonics, and literature lessons covering nursery rhymes, stories, and an extensive unit on Dr. Seuss stories; writing consists of learning to write letters and words, handwriting practice, playing make-believe games, and verbally telling stories; Spelling covers the phonics spelling lists from Spelling City; Science covers temperature, weather, animals, plants, bugs, cooking, materials science, machines, and building; Social Studies covers communities, jobs, places, and life necessities around the world (food, clothing, and houses); music covers the musical instruments and instrument families; art includes how-to art videos, art projects, and drawing lessons. "Fun lessons" cover more of the above and focus a lot on cooking lessons. This is really more akin to most of the first grade curricula I see around, so I'm sure it could easily be adapted to use in 1st or even 2nd grade, depending on the kid.
Second grade (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddssdqrh_155gqms2sd3)--geared toward my gifted 7-year-old who loves Biology, 2100+ lessons on reading, spelling, writing, math, art, science, social studies, Spanish, and "Fun". Math consists mostly of addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts practice (because she's doing Saxon Math 54 for her "real" math lessons); Reading covers parody/fractured fairytales, Shel Silverstein, "The Wizard of Oz," "Alice in Wonderland," "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and a smattering of language things like homophones and similes; writing covers basic grammar and punctuation, cursive and print handwriting, and telling stories; Science consists of Biology; History covers how we learn about history, historical objects as evidence of the past, "history detectives," and family and personal history; music covers and introduction to the musical instruments, an introduction to reading music, and a basic introduction to musical concepts like pitch, timbre, tempo and also a few famous composers; and art covers the elements of art, how to look at art, and introduction to design, and lots of playing with art. "Fun" covers animals, mostly, to complement the biology lessons. Oh, and she's learning Spanish and doing 2nd Grade Spelling lists from Spelling City. Actually, this could be used by anyone 3rd-8th grade.
Fourth Grade (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddssdqrh_15752xgxhg9)--geared toward my gifted 9-year-old who loves history and all language arts, it includes 2400 lessons that cover the same subjects as second grade. Because we're using Saxon 54 as the primary math curriculum, the online stuff I collected is mostly facts practice (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division); Reading covers the history of the English language, word roots, "Stories from Shakespeare," "The Hobbit," "Around the World in 80 Days," and "A Christmas Carol"; Spelling covers word roots, spelling rules, 4th grade advances lists from Spelling City, and fun language things like puns, autoantonyms, palindromes, simile, metaphor, etc; Writing covers writing effective paragraphs, both print and cursive handwriting practice, various kinds of figurative language, an intro to editing, and an intro to descriptive writing; Science covers health and middle school level physical science (physics, mostly); History covers US history (extensively); music covers the elements of music, instruments, note-reading, etc; Art includes paper craft and origami, and brief intro to American Art, design, math in art, optical illusions, and MC Escher; "fun" covers introductions to MANY different sports. And he's learning Spanish. Actually, as written, this curriculum could be easily used by anyone 3rd-8th grade, depending on the kid.
It took me 6 weeks, and in the process I also finished big swaths of first grade (which might be almost completely done; I haven't looked back at it yet), 3rd grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, and 7th grade, and started on 8th grade in addition to what I completely finished for my kids.
It was tedious copying bazillions of links (okay, only 7861 links), and even more tedious formatting them into google docs to make them accessible to anyone on earth who wants to take advantage of all the work I just did and do some completely free homeschooling. But it was also fun, satisfying work. I feel like I managed to make something that is really sound educationally, really fun, and enjoyable for the kids. Nobody complains that they have to do school anymore--they all willingly sit down and do the lessons, which are challenging, fun, and interesting. And, unlike most free curricula out there, it covers a LOT of subjects thoroughly. I'm especially pleased with the language arts and humanities stuff--those have always been my specialty, and those are what I taught for 6 years before having children, and they came out really good. WAY better than most of the stuff out there. The social studies curricula are pretty nice, too. Science I'm feeling my way through. I love to read science, but I've never taught it, so it's getting edited as we go (since it turns out that even a gifted 7 year old needs a little background in order to really "get" things like organic chemistry. She didn't even know what an atom was!)
Still, I feel like I accomplished something MAJOR--like a Master's Thesis in Curriculum Design with an emphasis in Free Online Homeschooling. Only nobody will ever give me a degree for what I just did.
But they should.
Now on to the apples (we picked 5 boxes of apples off our tree out front, and there are at least 5 more boxes' worth out there that we can't reach because we have no ladder), the laundry (we've been given so many new clothes in the past month--dozens of boxes and bags from at least 4 different families) that EVERYTHING has to be sorted and put away, and the baby's room (which needs serious work before a baby can sleep in there!). Oh, and I have novel to finish and start querying to agents. Can't forget that.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Writing Curricula
So I created 5 complete full-year, 7-8 subject curricula this year. It took a lot of work and I'm very tired of copying and pasting links.
I realized, as I finished the last one, that I am still very much a middle school teacher. Both the 2nd grade and the 4th grade curricula, save for the spelling lists, are 100% usable as written for junior high. I guess I can't escape what I am! I wrote a 7th and an 8th. Again.
Next year, I have to do 1, 3, and 5th grades. The three years after that I only have to write one new one each year, and then I'll have a complete set of pre-k through 8th grade freeschooling curricula.
Hooray!
I realized, as I finished the last one, that I am still very much a middle school teacher. Both the 2nd grade and the 4th grade curricula, save for the spelling lists, are 100% usable as written for junior high. I guess I can't escape what I am! I wrote a 7th and an 8th. Again.
Next year, I have to do 1, 3, and 5th grades. The three years after that I only have to write one new one each year, and then I'll have a complete set of pre-k through 8th grade freeschooling curricula.
Hooray!
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