Here is a picture of me wearing my sling.
Nov 30, 2007
Nov 21, 2007
Sick, Sick, Sick
My goodness at the sickness surrounding me. It started with Hannah, then Lily, then Tim, me, and eventually got to Jade. My poor little baby is miserable with a cold. It hasn't gotten too bad for her though. I took her to the doctor yesterday because she was up all night crying like she was in pain. The doctor said that her ears and lungs were fine, but she had a sore throat. So, that is what's bothering her. That and the stuffiness. I hope she gets better soon. Hannah and Lily are about to get over their colds, as well as Tim and I. If we can get Jade well, maybe we can keep from getting sick for a while.
Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Turkey Day! Hannah and Lily have been helping Meme make all of her Thanksgiving goodies. I can't wait to eat it all. ;0) I haven't cooked anything this year. With all the sickness and the newborn, I am just going to eat what everyone else cooks. Having three little ones is incredibly overwhelming right now. I can't seem to find time to get anything done. It's still worth it though! ;-)
Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Turkey Day! Hannah and Lily have been helping Meme make all of her Thanksgiving goodies. I can't wait to eat it all. ;0) I haven't cooked anything this year. With all the sickness and the newborn, I am just going to eat what everyone else cooks. Having three little ones is incredibly overwhelming right now. I can't seem to find time to get anything done. It's still worth it though! ;-)
Reasons to Homeschool
WHAT’S WRONG WITH SCHOOLS AND RIGHT WITH HOME SCHOOL?
In our current educational system, almost every school, public or private, relies heavily on certain tools which actually hinder the desired result of education. These include the obvious, overcrowded classrooms, non-standardized curricula, under-trained and unmotivated teachers, the “bad guys” everyone points at. But there are other subtly destructive ideas at work. These include grading, grade levels and homework. When a teacher gives a grade, be it for a test or a semester, the teacher has admitted his failure. Why didn’t every student learn the requisite materials? The students were there. Every “B” issued is the teacher and school’s way of saying “we taught this student MOST of the materials”. And an “F”? They’re admitting that they haven’t a clue how to teach your child that subject. Many courses are graded on a “bell curve”, in which a certain percentage of students MUST receive an “A”, a “B”, and so forth. Who determined the percentages? What do you do with a class that is almost entirely “expert”, give some of them “F”s? How about the class that is generally sub-standard, whatever the “standard” may be? Give a percentage “A”s when they can’t sign their names? It happens!Grades pigeonhole a child. Your student is “bright” or “slow” or “below average”. According to what scale? Who determines the criteria? What’s wrong with Grade Levels? Children are tossed into a group because they are the same age, and supposedly that alone will allow them to study well together. But what happens is the fastest or brightest students “slow down”, so they don’t soar ahead of the group. Slower students become “remedial”. The “average” student, whatever that is decided to be by whoever is in charge, is the governor regarding speed of study. And homework? When you, an adult, complete your eight hours of work, and you head home, do you want more work to do? If a school can’t get enough information communicated in a standard day of school, what ARE they doing? When should a student pursue his own interests? Music…theatre…sports? When are they allowed control over their own time, their own lives? Who decided it was alright for a school to become the vast bulk of the child’s activities? And don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s “number of hours spent” that determine an education. It’s not. It’s “amount of information acquired, understood and ready to be used”. Home school places the control over the student’s education back where it belongs…with the student and their parents or guardians. It allows the student to study in a safe environment…something few schools can claim they create, not with a straight face. It eliminates the need for grade levels, or homework. It allows student and parent to design a schedule the student can succeed with. It allows the student to move at his or her own pace, without comparisons or stigma. It allows the student to avoid grades, when the home school system used is a wise one. And the big “problem” with home school, that much-overrated concern, “socialization”, is readily resolved by extra-curricular activities such as sports and music studies, and the fact that the student will have far more discretionary hours in a week!
Steven Horwich
Connect The Thoughts
In our current educational system, almost every school, public or private, relies heavily on certain tools which actually hinder the desired result of education. These include the obvious, overcrowded classrooms, non-standardized curricula, under-trained and unmotivated teachers, the “bad guys” everyone points at. But there are other subtly destructive ideas at work. These include grading, grade levels and homework. When a teacher gives a grade, be it for a test or a semester, the teacher has admitted his failure. Why didn’t every student learn the requisite materials? The students were there. Every “B” issued is the teacher and school’s way of saying “we taught this student MOST of the materials”. And an “F”? They’re admitting that they haven’t a clue how to teach your child that subject. Many courses are graded on a “bell curve”, in which a certain percentage of students MUST receive an “A”, a “B”, and so forth. Who determined the percentages? What do you do with a class that is almost entirely “expert”, give some of them “F”s? How about the class that is generally sub-standard, whatever the “standard” may be? Give a percentage “A”s when they can’t sign their names? It happens!Grades pigeonhole a child. Your student is “bright” or “slow” or “below average”. According to what scale? Who determines the criteria? What’s wrong with Grade Levels? Children are tossed into a group because they are the same age, and supposedly that alone will allow them to study well together. But what happens is the fastest or brightest students “slow down”, so they don’t soar ahead of the group. Slower students become “remedial”. The “average” student, whatever that is decided to be by whoever is in charge, is the governor regarding speed of study. And homework? When you, an adult, complete your eight hours of work, and you head home, do you want more work to do? If a school can’t get enough information communicated in a standard day of school, what ARE they doing? When should a student pursue his own interests? Music…theatre…sports? When are they allowed control over their own time, their own lives? Who decided it was alright for a school to become the vast bulk of the child’s activities? And don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s “number of hours spent” that determine an education. It’s not. It’s “amount of information acquired, understood and ready to be used”. Home school places the control over the student’s education back where it belongs…with the student and their parents or guardians. It allows the student to study in a safe environment…something few schools can claim they create, not with a straight face. It eliminates the need for grade levels, or homework. It allows student and parent to design a schedule the student can succeed with. It allows the student to move at his or her own pace, without comparisons or stigma. It allows the student to avoid grades, when the home school system used is a wise one. And the big “problem” with home school, that much-overrated concern, “socialization”, is readily resolved by extra-curricular activities such as sports and music studies, and the fact that the student will have far more discretionary hours in a week!
Steven Horwich
Connect The Thoughts
Nov 13, 2007
I love my sling!
I wear my baby and it's wonderful. It frees my hands up so I can take care of my other two girls' needs and Jade likes riding in it as well. When she falls asleep and I don't feel like carrying her anymore, I just slip it off and lay her in the bed and she stays asleep! Nursing can be hands free as well. I just position her for feeding, latch her on and let go. :) I wish I would have had this when Hannah and Lily were babies. Hotslings is the brand I have. It is fitted, so you don't have buckles or rings to worry about. I'm going to get a picture of her in it and post it here. :)
Swaddling
Nov 11, 2007
Relearning Things
Since having Jade, I have had quite a few "Aha!" or "Oh yea, I remember now." moments. Trying to figure out why she is fussing so much with gas lately is one of those moments. I was thinking that it might be due to what I was eating, but after a search for info on that, I was reminded of the real reason. I have too much milk. That causes her to have gas because she gets choked, gasps for air and gets too much "skim" milk and not enough "whole" milk. It's an easy fix too, because all I have to do is let her nurse on one side for an entire feeding instead of each breast every feeding. I should have remembered that from Lily.
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