SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

We pay for it in property taxes, but yes I am very very thankful. We were in a district we didn't like for several years, so I feel your pain as not liking something. I remember you posting elsewhere that you had issues with the curricula. That is very frustrating.

Can't change it, so I don't sweat it. I make the kids do extra stuff at home like read more books and write in journals.

Is it Sunday yet??????

Another week to go Cindy!

Pacing shoes...check
Water...check
Chlorine test...check
Grocery list...check
Liquor store...check
BBQ...??...check

hmmm, what else?

Snacks you can munch while pacing, or are they already on the grocery list?

extra bookmarks....check
coffee......hmm....running low - must get more
extra large mugs.....check

grocery list:

chips, guacamole, queso, pinto or red beans, sausages, brisket, chicken, charcoal, corn on the cob, ham and pineapple kabobs, green chili chicken casserole stuff, brownies, cookies, ice cream.

Now to set up the inflatable pool for the grandkiddos, round up the bubbles and squirt guns, then SEND THEM OUTSIDE!!!!

They are DARLING! I have two with the same age difference (10 and 7), but my girl is older. She's got freckles, too! I LOVE the freckles!

OK...trying the pic posting:


Whoo hoo!! Did it! I hope this will keep you all cool! Happy Heat Wave!

@LLL~gorgeous pic!!!

Loved the discussion, even though I was super late catching it!

I'm ready to jump a plane to Cindy's!!!!

Sandra wrote: "Snacks you can munch while pacing, or are they already on the grocery list?"

Cindy seems to be doing a great job on the snack/food list...

Except for the coffee! YUCK!!

LOLOL

Sacrilege, I know. I am a tea-gal.

I second the coffee Yuck!

It's tea for me. Tazo Awake.

Sacrilege! Well, you guys just enjoy your tea, I'll be with Cindy savoring the coffee!

I don't drink coffee or tea. I am a weirdo who has to have horrible MT dew

I haven't had that in ages!

Now I drink both coffee & tea, every day, but NO NO NO to Mtn Dew! That's just sugar water. LOL

I think its probably worse then sugar water: )

ROFL

I love Mtn Dew!!!! My grandson loves it too.

I drink tea too - but iced tea in the afternoon or evening. Must have coffee in the AM or I'm a b!tch all day long.....

Mary wrote: "I second the coffee Yuck!

It's tea for me. Tazo Awake."

I love Tazo!!!

To be totally honest, I drink more water than I do anything. Just at work, I drink close to 40 oz a day.

My soda of choice: Dr. Pepper...Have you ever tried hot Dr. Pepper?? mmmmm especially on camping trips...dang good stuff!

Don't tell me, no one else has tried it. I know. lolol

Mary wrote: "I second the coffee Yuck!

It's tea for me. Tazo Awake."

Have you tried their Chai??

The kiddos are SO CUTE!!!!!

*add smores to grocery list*

I love their Chai.

I actually do a Tea Swap on paperbackswap. Every month we get a different buddy and we mail teas to each other. It's a great way to try new teas without comitting to a whole box/carton or cannister.

They're adorable Kristen! That's such a cute pic. Don't you love when you get a pic where they look like they love each other? The older they get, the more they bicker. Ugh. :)

And I see those big teeth coming in--I so miss that missing-the-front-teeth look. My poor kids got my chicklet teeth, so they're really enormous in an 8 year old head. I tell them that in about 10 years, their heads will finally grow into their teeth, and then everyone will tell them what nice teeth they have. And when they don't believe me, I show them a pic I have of me at nine years with my big tooth snaggle mouth. See??? Lol.

Yummm Mtn Dew,Dr.Pepper, Coffee, and tea I like em all.

I'm a coffee girl, but I drink iced tea in the afternoon, usually. I have a Keurig that I'm in love with. I drink coffee until about noon, then brew tea over a cup of ice in the afternoon, then I start back up with the coffee at about 8pm.

If I'm drinking pop, my fave is Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper. I was a Coke addict, and couldn't bring myself to switch to Diet Coke, Coke Zero or Diet Pepsi--they all tasted horrible to me, after loving real Coke for so long. But the Diet Cherry Dr. P tastes different enough that it helped me kick my habit. I quit about 2 months ago, and I had a real Coke on Sunday and it tasted horrible--waaaaay too sweet. :)

Mary wrote: "I love their Chai.

I actually do a Tea Swap on paperbackswap. Every month we get a different buddy and we mail teas to each other. It's a great way to try new teas without comitting to a whole ..."

Tea Swap sounds interesting. I bet you get some really good experiences.

Cindy...

Keeping up with the non-alcoholic drink preferences??

lolol

Wait is vodka an option?

Nici wrote: "Wait is vodka an option?"

That goes on the Liquor store list...

Rum
Vodka

Hey, anyone else like Southern Comfort Balls? It's a two-fer, alcohol and snack!

Zaanodes wrote: "To be totally honest, I drink more water than I do anything. Just at work, I drink close to 40 oz a day.

My soda of choice: Dr. Pepper...Have you ever tried hot Dr. Pepper?? mmmmm especially on ca..."

I have not tryed it yet

❥☪LIZZ NEILL☪❥ wrote: "I have not tryed it yet "

Few people have!

I might have to have one this weekend

Zaanodes wrote: "Cindy...

Keeping up with the non-alcoholic drink preferences??

lolol"

Somebody has to do it - might as well be me! Zaanodes - don't forget the tequila!

Haven't tried hot DP. Some things are just meant to be cold! Soda should ALWAYS be icy cold..... Coffee should ALWAYS be HOT! Can't stand those frou frou iced coffee thingies. Woman up people - drink it the way it is supposed to be drunk - straight up, black, and HOT!!!

In my defense, I have never liked cold. I even melt my ice cream...sigh...I know, no one else does.

I drink hot iced tea. Iced tea is made different than a cup of hot tea. I just leave the ice out.

My margaritas are straight up (no ice)...

I wanted to post a pic of my daughter but I can't do it unless I put it online somewhere? Is there a way to post it from my computer?

Nope Mary, you have to have it hosted somewhere online, so the pic has a web address. Photobucket.com is a good free one.

Or if you have facebook, that's how I post my pics. Just go to the pic you want, right click on it and choose "copy image location" and you have your web address for the pic. :)

Laura Lulu wrote: "But, I was ahead of most kids my age, school wise. I always was in that small group of kids who got to go sit in the library for silent reading while the other kids were learning to read, I was always bored in math because they were doing baby stuff. So keeping me back another year would have been bad. I wonder if they do it on a case by case basis? My birthday is only 12 days later than the cutoff now, if I was already reading, would they have taken me in kindergarten, even though I wouldn't be 5 for 2 weeks? Or is it law?

It differs a bit by state, but for most it is basically 'the law'. It is here in Washington state.

My youngest, Gwendolyn, is a November baby. I tried so hard last year (when she was turning 5) to get her started in kinder but it was a no go. She was doing basically everything at the first grade level and they wouldn't let her into kinder. *sigh* She is so excited to start school this fall! I just hope it doesn't bore her. I was a May baby so I was one of the youngest but my school experience was like yours...lots of sitting around waiting. I had one teacher who put tape on my mouth all the time b/c I would finish all my work and then want someone to talk to! I think Gwennie might be in for a bit of the same. LOL. :)

My oldest was failing 4th grade...Come to find out, she was bored out of her mind! Luckily, the school did have an 'accelerated' program that helped some. The program wasn't that good so it didn't do a lot but some is better than none.

Yeah for accelerated programs! :) They can really save a lot of kids from just giving up on school. Or even worse, establishing a habit of 'coasting'. There is nothing that bothers me more than people with talent who just 'get by'. School becomes a model for lots of kids so keeping them challenged and teaching them that they should always strive for thier own personal best is soooooo important. :)

My grandson Logan will be starting Middle School in the fall. 6th grade. He will be in an advanced Math class to begin with, and possibly and advanced Science class. All because of his scores on the state required Assessment of Skills test the kiddos take every odd year.

It helped some with my oldest. Unfortunately, she will be 40 and is still 'coasting'. Her 'classmates' made her feel so bad that she 'dumbed' down to fit in. She never broke that. (In fourth grade, her LOWEST test score was ninth grade.) The school district was not prepared for someone like her...and neither were the other kids.

Hopefully, districts are better prepared now.

Zaanodes wrote: "Hey, anyone else like Southern Comfort Balls? It's a two-fer, alcohol and snack!"


What exactly is that?

*sipping today's first & most delicious cup of coffee, "straight up, black, and HOT!!!" as Cindy says! Though I have been known to drink ice coffee~though just change "hot" in the previous sequence and leave everything else alone.

In our schools, everyone moves up automatically whether they are ready for it or not. Unfortunately, there is no adjustment for individual learning levels, etc. There are great aspects to the education system/curriculum here (the art/music/community activities come to mind first), but it's not so good at all if your ability is on one of the other ends (high or low).

Everyone will continue until they graduate from junior high, then future education depends on the high school entrance exams.

Judithe wrote: "What exactly is that?

Googled Southern Comfort Recipe

http://www.food.com/recipe/southern-c...

Ingredients

3 cups vanilla wafers, crushed
1 cup pecans, chopped fine
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons light Karo syrup
2 1/3 tablespoons dark cocoa, Special dark
1/2 cup Southern Comfort
powdered sugar, for coating the cookies
colored crystal sugar, for coating the cookies

Directions

Place wafers and pecans in food processor and pulse till crumbly.
Add the next 4 ingredients and pulse till smooth.
Shape into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Using wet hands and cool kitchen so they don`t stick and for easy handling.
Roll in powdered sugar and chill.
Or if this method works for you try keeping finger and palms dusted with sugar while shaping cookies.
Better if stored in an air tight container for at least a week!

No cooking out the alcohol!

Dang still didn't get the image thing right!

Kristen wrote: "They are DARLING! I have two with the same age difference (10 and 7), but my girl is older. She's got freckles, too! I LOVE the freckles!

OK...trying the pic posting:


Whoo hoo!! Did it! I h..."

How did I miss this?!?!?!?! That is an awesome picture!!

Judithe wrote: "Everyone will continue until they graduate from junior high, then future education depends on the high school entrance exams."

By then, it can be too late for some.

Those sound sinfully delicious! Definitely bring those to the pool party!

And yeah, it's too late for some...that's obvious through the high school differences and more....and explains why kids spend so much time at juku (cram school) to make up for it!

I still can't figure it out. I signed up for photobucket. I uploaded the photo. I see where you can link it and share it. But the links are super long and it won't let me copy/paste them. So how the heck do you share them?

On paperbackswap all I have to do is copy and paste to get a photo to show up. Of course everything is easier there. You just click a button to bold, italics etc..,