I'd say that the one kind of curriculum we homeschoolers constantly change is probably math. We are always trying to find the "best" thing that will "work" for the most kids. And it's really hard. But I think I have that covered this year.
What I am having trouble with is science.
I usually use Mother of Divine Grace School's recommendations. There is a curriculum called Concepts and Challenges and it is listed under Emmanuel Books. I looked at it, but I wasn't that excited about it. I was able to actually page through at a friend's house, so that I didn't buy something sight unseen and spend a lot of money on it. It looked slightly more interesting than the stuff I read in school as a kid. Not awful, just not exciting.
At least not as exciting as this, from Apologia Press.
and this , which is their "notebooking" book to go with their Botany book.
The same company does "Exploring Creation with Biology" and others by Dr. Jay Wile. They are very, very scientifically sound, they simply add one thing: God. They give God credit as creator of a beautiful world and all that nature has in store for us. I happen to like that feature. I have also graded MODG work in the biology course, and thought, gee, this looks like a real biology course. And then I asked my husband, whose degree, it happens, is in biology, and he said the same thing. So it wasn't my fevered homeschooler imagination. Ha!
Another friend and I were thinking we'd do science together this year, mostly to keep each other honest (and to make me do science experiments which somehow always get put off forever). If we both choose the same one, then ta da! problem solved. I just want to be sure that this will work out long term. I think so. Also, if we pick astronomy, we have friend's grandpa who'd be all over the telescope at 2 am thing.
Thoughts anyone?
Friday, July 31, 2009
Shouldn't have looked
Another project that would really help out the end of my kitchen that faces the dining area. Much easier than the real thing, yet still daunting. I love the idea!!
House update
Ok, so we're definitely making progress.
We, with the help of very good friends, finished painting the walls today. They are perfect. I'm very,very happy with them. It is exhausting work!
Tonight, if the children are behaving... we are going to have a friend come and (over)analyze our laminate flooring plans. That way, if we forgot something, we won't go partway and go, oops, forgot that. We hope. I bought the vapor barrier/underlayment, even though it came with some, just to be sure. We have an assortment of friends with skil saws to help cut it to fit, also. I just want to see how the stuff snaps together. After that, crown and base moulding, and a little more touching up. Then a big break before I even think about attacking the kitchen floor's linoleum. Attacking that requires some very large objects to move, including the fridge, water heater, washer and dryer. I could move the stove and dishwasher, too, if I'm CRAZY.
I'm just glad the paint is done!!
We, with the help of very good friends, finished painting the walls today. They are perfect. I'm very,very happy with them. It is exhausting work!
Tonight, if the children are behaving... we are going to have a friend come and (over)analyze our laminate flooring plans. That way, if we forgot something, we won't go partway and go, oops, forgot that. We hope. I bought the vapor barrier/underlayment, even though it came with some, just to be sure. We have an assortment of friends with skil saws to help cut it to fit, also. I just want to see how the stuff snaps together. After that, crown and base moulding, and a little more touching up. Then a big break before I even think about attacking the kitchen floor's linoleum. Attacking that requires some very large objects to move, including the fridge, water heater, washer and dryer. I could move the stove and dishwasher, too, if I'm CRAZY.
I'm just glad the paint is done!!
Monday, July 27, 2009
It's way too hot.
Seriously. I can't stand to read the forecast. If you aren't familiar with the coastal regions of WA and OR, we don't do air conditioning in many homes. Why? Because we only need it one week a year, maybe. Today, all the fans and ac units were sold out at Lowes.
Why was I at Lowes?
To get pricing on a kitchen counter and sink. It was way way too much. Sigh. Back to square one, good thing I'm in no hurry.
Our ceiling looks loverly. Really nice. Now we need to paint the walls. I was waiting for everything to get good and dry.
And it's too hot to do ANYTHING after 10am. Blah. Til like next Sunday if we are lucky. Time to spend lots of time in the water. Yup. It's 10pm, my hair is wet, and I'm still way too hot.
There appears to be a raised part of our subfloor, and I wonder if it is water damage. Because if it is, I have to replace it. NOOOOO!!! But better than laying down flooring and then ripping it all back up. So we shall wait, and then we shall perhaps call in our friends who are experts in this sort of thing. Yay! I have such great friends.
Going to bed now, just thought I'd say hi.
Pray for rain.
Why was I at Lowes?
To get pricing on a kitchen counter and sink. It was way way too much. Sigh. Back to square one, good thing I'm in no hurry.
Our ceiling looks loverly. Really nice. Now we need to paint the walls. I was waiting for everything to get good and dry.
And it's too hot to do ANYTHING after 10am. Blah. Til like next Sunday if we are lucky. Time to spend lots of time in the water. Yup. It's 10pm, my hair is wet, and I'm still way too hot.
There appears to be a raised part of our subfloor, and I wonder if it is water damage. Because if it is, I have to replace it. NOOOOO!!! But better than laying down flooring and then ripping it all back up. So we shall wait, and then we shall perhaps call in our friends who are experts in this sort of thing. Yay! I have such great friends.
Going to bed now, just thought I'd say hi.
Pray for rain.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Home Demolition Derby
We are insane.
My husband says I am nesting. I don't know WHAT he's talking about. Do you? :)
I can't move into a new house unless we fix this one. I know it will take about a year of work to even show our 967 sq ft. townhome. By the time I want to sell it, seven people will live here! So I'm going to do a real good job on the first impression thing, where they walk in the door. The bedrooms may never be viewable.
That being said, this started with us wanting to remove all carpet downstairs. So I bought that awesome laminate at Costco for just over a dollar a square foot on sale. YES! So glad I did.
But then we looked up and said, "I hate popcorn ceilings." We figured if we were going to empty the room anyway, let's do that. So this weekend, our construction guy neighbor and his buddy are going to come remove them, only downstairs. And haul all the garbage away, too. I really don't mind paying them for that at all. Especially since it might be 90 degrees this weekend.
Then we decided to think about paint. In all 10 years of marriage, we have never painted. Never lived anywhere long enough! So here we go... can't wait to show you pics!
And the kitchen counter. We need to rewire and put in a new sink and counter. Exciting!! The best part is, we don't appear to be fighting much over choices. Thank goodness. I hear some people get really stuck on this stuff, but we're not! So far so good! I guess we're both so happy that we even are talking about this stuff and have some extra money to pay for it with (not for long), we just keep going til we agree.
Like baby names.... sigh.
So the order of things is as follows:
Popcorn ceilings: this weekend, maybe next weekend, too.
After they are done, wall painting, only downtairs.
When the walls are done: install laminate
Clean and repaint grout in tile in doorway. Can replace next year.
Have Lowe's come in and do counter and sink. I need my kitchen, can't spend a couple days on it. Well, I could, but I REALLY don't want to, and I don't want to mess it up.
Put in new linoleum in kitchen/laundry room.
This all costs about $700 except the kitchen counter sink part. That's the part that might easily double the bill. But it's not your 20K makeover, that's for darn sure! :)
Before and after pics to follow. We hope to have this all done by August 15th. Thank goodness this is the last week of night shift, and then we can actually work on this together after work!! Yay!
My husband says I am nesting. I don't know WHAT he's talking about. Do you? :)
I can't move into a new house unless we fix this one. I know it will take about a year of work to even show our 967 sq ft. townhome. By the time I want to sell it, seven people will live here! So I'm going to do a real good job on the first impression thing, where they walk in the door. The bedrooms may never be viewable.
That being said, this started with us wanting to remove all carpet downstairs. So I bought that awesome laminate at Costco for just over a dollar a square foot on sale. YES! So glad I did.
But then we looked up and said, "I hate popcorn ceilings." We figured if we were going to empty the room anyway, let's do that. So this weekend, our construction guy neighbor and his buddy are going to come remove them, only downstairs. And haul all the garbage away, too. I really don't mind paying them for that at all. Especially since it might be 90 degrees this weekend.
Then we decided to think about paint. In all 10 years of marriage, we have never painted. Never lived anywhere long enough! So here we go... can't wait to show you pics!
And the kitchen counter. We need to rewire and put in a new sink and counter. Exciting!! The best part is, we don't appear to be fighting much over choices. Thank goodness. I hear some people get really stuck on this stuff, but we're not! So far so good! I guess we're both so happy that we even are talking about this stuff and have some extra money to pay for it with (not for long), we just keep going til we agree.
Like baby names.... sigh.
So the order of things is as follows:
Popcorn ceilings: this weekend, maybe next weekend, too.
After they are done, wall painting, only downtairs.
When the walls are done: install laminate
Clean and repaint grout in tile in doorway. Can replace next year.
Have Lowe's come in and do counter and sink. I need my kitchen, can't spend a couple days on it. Well, I could, but I REALLY don't want to, and I don't want to mess it up.
Put in new linoleum in kitchen/laundry room.
This all costs about $700 except the kitchen counter sink part. That's the part that might easily double the bill. But it's not your 20K makeover, that's for darn sure! :)
Before and after pics to follow. We hope to have this all done by August 15th. Thank goodness this is the last week of night shift, and then we can actually work on this together after work!! Yay!
Conscience Clause
Very important.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16636
We're about to see whether Obama really does lie or not, because he said he supported conscience clauses. Nurses are often treated rotten by doctors, but this really beats all. How do I know this? My mom and my MIL are/were both RN's. My mom had me in a hospital about 90 mins or more away from the one she worked in because the one she worked in started doing abortions almost as soon as Roe vs. Wade was decided. She did not want those doctors touching me.
This kind of thing is like if you were a prison guard, doing your normal job, and then they said, "Hey, firing squad execution at high noon, or we'll find someone else to take your job!" It's insane, because other nurses would have done that job. What were they trying to prove? I'm so glad she's suing them, but if the new health plan Obama is pushing includes abortion for all and no conscience clause, many doctors and nurses will be trying to get different careers. After all that school (and debt), hard work and expertise, they will not do abortions, and if that means not being a medical professional, then that is that. Horrible. Entire hospitals may close. But no one has seen the fine print yet, and Mr. Obama did address it, so it is in the media where you can see what he said. We can reform our health system without fully funding abortion, one would think.
http://www.lifenews.com/nat5189.html
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16636
We're about to see whether Obama really does lie or not, because he said he supported conscience clauses. Nurses are often treated rotten by doctors, but this really beats all. How do I know this? My mom and my MIL are/were both RN's. My mom had me in a hospital about 90 mins or more away from the one she worked in because the one she worked in started doing abortions almost as soon as Roe vs. Wade was decided. She did not want those doctors touching me.
This kind of thing is like if you were a prison guard, doing your normal job, and then they said, "Hey, firing squad execution at high noon, or we'll find someone else to take your job!" It's insane, because other nurses would have done that job. What were they trying to prove? I'm so glad she's suing them, but if the new health plan Obama is pushing includes abortion for all and no conscience clause, many doctors and nurses will be trying to get different careers. After all that school (and debt), hard work and expertise, they will not do abortions, and if that means not being a medical professional, then that is that. Horrible. Entire hospitals may close. But no one has seen the fine print yet, and Mr. Obama did address it, so it is in the media where you can see what he said. We can reform our health system without fully funding abortion, one would think.
http://www.lifenews.com/nat5189.html
Thursday, July 16, 2009
A new financial "crisis"
I've seen more and more news finally in this direction, and I find it fascinating. Here is a video a friend shared with me, and I think it's worth watching. I didn't realize how it all ties in, and how many people are getting uncomfortable with the way all the money and people are tied together. This is not something that can be blamed on one political party or another, it's been going on since the Federal Reserve was created. But now, we can find out. Modern technology is indeed a double-edged sword.
This reminds me of how FDR was able to use a wheelchair most of the time because of polio, and almost no one in the country knew it, unless they worked at the White House itself. No kidding. But because tv was brand new, he could hide it rather well. Obviously a lot of people were not quite the gossip-mongers we have now, also. It's kind of fun to think how magically, he didn't look like he had any physical problems.
But it's also a kind of black magic, what the Fed appears to be doing. Oh dear. Hand caught in cookie jar, anyone?
Thanks for the video, Casey.
This reminds me of how FDR was able to use a wheelchair most of the time because of polio, and almost no one in the country knew it, unless they worked at the White House itself. No kidding. But because tv was brand new, he could hide it rather well. Obviously a lot of people were not quite the gossip-mongers we have now, also. It's kind of fun to think how magically, he didn't look like he had any physical problems.
But it's also a kind of black magic, what the Fed appears to be doing. Oh dear. Hand caught in cookie jar, anyone?
Thanks for the video, Casey.
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