deedee1231's comments

Saving Bread Ends - Blog Entry

24 Mar 2008 05:59 PM

I always eat the bread ends. My husband and children won't touch them, but I toast them or use them for my sandwiches.

Homeschool Lessons from Real Life: Recession - Blog Entry

21 Mar 2008 12:47 PM

I absolutely love these ideas! Lately it seems like my children have this attitude of "I want it, so you should buy it." I have explained rising prices and that our income isn't getting any bigger to make up for the increases in prices, but I think a few of these projects might help drive the message home.

Has the California Verdict Affected Your View on Homeschooling? - Blog Entry

20 Mar 2008 09:47 PM

And you know, many of us do have college degrees. I am 1 semester away from earning a bachelors degree in English Lit. My husband holds a degree in Political Science and a variety of certifications and professional lisences. So who is to say we are not well educated enough to teach our children, just because our degrees are not in the specific field of education?

Frugal Fabric Ideas - Blog Entry

20 Mar 2008 09:37 PM

Thanks for asking after us, Mary Ann. So far, we are fine here in Kansas City. Most of the flooding and subsequent deaths (5 deaths in MO) have been to the south and east of us. St. Louis and Cape Girardeau have both been hit hard. I do have some family in some of the more rural areas of flooding (near the Amish community I mentioned, about an hours drive from here) but all are safe.

Our governer, Matt Blunt, has declared 70 of our 114 counties disaster areas and the National Guard is on the scene, along with FEMA and the Red Cross. In 1993 the flooding did make it to parts of K.C., and we had relatives here in the city whose houses were underwater. We also had restrictions on our water usage because of contamination. I am hoping it doesn't get that bad again.

For now I am just praying that no more Missourians will risk their lives trying to cross flooded roadways, and for several weeks of no rain here in the Midwest!

Frugal Fabric Ideas - Blog Entry

20 Mar 2008 09:25 AM

Thank you for the ideas. I actually hadn't thought of looking at new sheets in the clearance bin. I will check into that. I would love to browse around an Amish fabric shop but our nearest Amish community is in the middle of the flood plain that is currently underwater. I will have to look into that as well, after we here in MO dry out a bit!

Decorating on a Penny - Blog Entry

18 Mar 2008 01:02 PM

I have been wanting to make new curtains for my daughter's bedroom. In the past I have used second hand sheets or too-large drapes as fabric for curtains, I just cut them down to size and sew them. I have not been able to find anything large enough to use to make her curtains as she has 5 windows in her bedroom. Do you have any advice for finding frugal fabric for this project?

Has the California Verdict Affected Your View on Homeschooling? - Blog Entry

17 Mar 2008 01:09 PM

I don't think that homeschooling parents need a teaching certificate to be good homeschoolers. The biggest challenge I have had to face as a homeschooling parent has been learning the difference between a homeschool and a traditional school. I have had to work hard to erase the traditional school mentality from my thought process, and from my two older children who were in traditional schools for several years before we began to homeschool.

I think forcing homeschoolers to get degrees in elementary education might actually be harmful to homeschooling. First of all the parent would have less time to homeschool while in pursuit of said degree. Secondly, it would be an unecessary expense to homeschooling families (who are already usually supporting families on one income rather than two) and third, much of what teachers learn in school really does not apply to a homeschool environment but rather to a traditional classroom environment with 25-30 students who all have to pass MAP tests at the end of the school year.

When You Think the Other Parent is a Slacker - Blog Entry

13 Mar 2008 10:23 AM

I have to second everything ruthann8 said. After my parents were divorced my dad stopped parenting all 4 of us. He stopped attending all of our events and on his weekend visits with us he did nothing but belittle my mother and call her names. After a while we just stopped going to his house and he didn't care. He never paid child support although a court order had been established for him to pay a monthly amount. We children would never even have known about the child support issues because my mother NEVER complained or badmouthed my dad, but he called our house and screamed at me when the child support people intercepted his IRS refund. 20 years later, we all have great relationships with our mother and I doubt that any of my siblings have even seen my dad in the last 5 years. I know I haven't.

Homeschool Question: Can My Child Take Art Classes at Community College? - Blog Entry

12 Mar 2008 08:53 PM

Oh dear! Nude models are not on the list of approved subject matter for my 15 year old! Actually, the class that we are considering is Art 100: Fundamentals of Art and it does not utilize live models (says so in the catalog). I do think it is a very good idea to contact the professor about his prospectus for the class before enrolling--just to make sure there are no suprises. I actually had not considered that. Thanks for the information!

Does an STD Make the Crime of an Affair Even Worse? - Blog Entry

12 Mar 2008 10:48 AM

I don't know if it makes the crime worse, but it certainly does add insult to injury.