Search Results for: blog finding a new home and great schools

The Gift of Giving

Apparently, I jumped the gun on summer vacation. According to readers in New York, the academic year is not over. In fact, students enrolled in Brooklyn public schools don’t start summer break until the last week in June. Thanks for setting the record straight, ladies, and I feel your pain about having to deal with the chaos of end-of-the-school-year activities, including finding appropriate thank you gifts for teachers. As room mom for my daughter’s second grade class, I was responsible for soliciting monetary donations from parents, and then purchasing a birthday and end-of-the-year gift for the kids’ beloved teacher. Believe … Continue reading →

Genealogy Podcast Roundup – Week of May 21, 2012

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Each and every week, the Genealogy Podcast Roundup brings you brand new episodes of podcasts that focus on a variety of genealogy related topics. This is where to find more episodes of your favorite genealogy podcasts. It is also where to find genealogy podcasts that are new to you. Genealogy Gems released an episode on May 19, 2012. This episode is called “Interview with Henry Louis Gates Jr on Finding Your Roots May 19, 2012”. In this episode, host Lisa Louise Cooke shares an interview she did with Henry Louis Gates Jr., who is the host of “Finding Your Roots … Continue reading →

Anxiety About Math Affects Ability to do Math

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A study finds that children who have a great difficulty with math actually exhibit an altered brain function due to anxiety. That’s right, fear of math itself is enough to make a child, (or adult), perform more poorly when working out math problems. This is a new way of looking at what could be causing what appears to be a learning disability. The study was done by the Stanford University School of Medicine. It was led by Vinod Menon, PhD, who is a Stanford professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging brain scans on … Continue reading →

Disney to Build Luxury Homes Community

Just how big is Disney World anyway? I’ve never been there, but I’ve looked at satellite views of it from Google Earth, and though it’s certainly the largest amusement park I’ve seen, I didn’t think it was big enough to host individual luxury homes. That’s right: Disney World’s building luxury homes on its property. According to Central Florida News 13, Disney World’s building a gated community called Golden Oaks which will host up to 400 homes. Prices for the houses range between $1.5 million and $8 million, with a deposit alone costing $25,000. I don’t know much about luxury housing, … Continue reading →

Exploring Homeschool Methods

Finding a homeschool method that fits your family will focus your homeschool and improve the educational experience. I spent a few years exploring methods before deciding on the one that suited my family the best. Since that moment, my children and I have benefited in numerous ways. I encourage you to research the methods for yourself. A lack of vision and focus, as with any endeavor will result in failure and frustration. However, choosing a method should not be frustrating; it should be a natural fit into your family’s lifestyle. The method is simply framework for how your homeschool is … Continue reading →

Home Schooling – A Blessing In Disguise

When people find out that my three youngest girls were all home schooled they look at me with shock and admiration. Then, they always ask why I decided to do it. My answers are probably similar to many other home schooling parents, even if we all have our unique reasons and ways of handling things. We do it because we believe in doing the best for our children. My personal reason for choosing to pull my two third graders out of public school, and never let my youngest step foot in a classroom, was simply because I felt I was … Continue reading →

Homeless Doll Causes Controversy

Would you buy your little girl a homeless doll… for $95? If you answered “no,” did you do so because you didn’t think your daughter would be interested in playing with a doll whose family has been hit by the financial crises and must sleep in their car, or are you more offended that a doll manufacturer would require that you drop nearly $100 for the privilege of schooling your kid in Homelessness 101? Dropping $100 (not including hair accessories) on a doll? Heck, at that price we’ll all end up sleeping in our cars, and then our daughters can … Continue reading →

The Effect of Downsizing on Teens

Teenagers are creatures of habit. They become set in their favorite activities. They don’t like to change schools. They especially don’t like to change homes. Changing homes and downsizing can be downright devastating. I remember my parents moving to a smaller home early in my senior year in high school. It was a temporary move, but I was convinced that my parents were purposely trying to ruin my life. My reaction was not unique. A New York Times article, When Home Shrinks, profiles a few families and how downsizing affects their lives. In these cases, teenagers were going from luxury … Continue reading →

African American Homeschooling, Increasing the Odds

According to the Manhattan Institute, The national graduation rate for the public school class of 2000 was 69%. The rate for white students was 76%; for Asian students it was 79%; for African-American students it was 55%; for Hispanic students it was 53%; and for Native Americans it was 57%. In addition, Florida had the lowest graduation rate among white public school students with 60%, followed by Tennessee, Georgia, and Alaska. (Black graudation rates are even lower) As a parent of black children living in Georgia, you could say that the odds really are against my kids. Now this is … Continue reading →

Frugal Month in Review: September 2008

Now that September is come and gone and the kiddies are settled back into school and regular routines, it is time to welcome the fall. Still, there is plenty of good stuff that went on in September, including a bunch of ways to save money. September 1st Frugal Living Week in Review: August 25th Through August 31st Food and back to school are the two things on my mind this week. I e-mailed my son’s teacher ahead of time to ask about additional supplies that she might need for the classroom. She said that she usually asks parents for antibacterial … Continue reading →