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Post by karen54171 on Jan 12, 2017 14:48:30 GMT
This is a thread we had on the WW 50 Year Olds board, so even though most of us have moved beyond our 50's, I am keeping it here. Some prefer to post on Facebook, but for those who may also like to post on something that resembles our old format, I decided to start this. Although we were brought together by our love of books, and we love to share our ideas about books and authors, our friendship has grown, and we know a lot about each others lives. We are spread across the country, and that adds a bit of interest as well, learning about other people's way of life through the "book" they write on the thread.
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Post by karen54171 on Jan 12, 2017 15:18:47 GMT
Good morning.
Hope I did not overlook today's thread.
I guess I forgot to post yesterday.
Marsha, lol, funny about your daughter going to West! What is IB? No, I have not gone back for any functions. I am kind of surprised to hear that about Southwest. I will have to warn my DD2 about that, since DGS is in 4th grade at Beaumont, so he will be going to Lombardi in 1.5 years. Thanks for the heads up! DD1 was all into school spirit when she went there, and when DD2 had to go to West Depere, she really hated us! (She had to go there because we moved out of GB, to West Depere.) GB West auditorium is beautiful!
Pinky, wow, you wouldn't catch me and my DH on that ice! We were very happy that we did not have to go out yesterday in the very early morning. 2 meals out, how fun!! We have not been out to eat since Monday, Jan 2nd.
Robin, you all in New York are lucky that when you get rain, it does not freeze. All the parking lots around town yesterday, after the snow/rain/freezing up, were pretty crappy.
Jill, good to hear your Dad is doing good, besides being weak. I am praying for him. What a neat idea, to have a library at the nursing home...that must help alot, since you spend alot of time there.
Anngie, enjoy your warm temps will you have them. Yes, DH and I get the flu shot. With him having heart issues and with me having the interstitial lung disease, our health care providers strongly advise us to get it, and we are fine with that. Better safe than sorry.
Carol2, thanks for reminding me...I need to get going on get clothes together to run to Goodwill. Your in Texas, right? My brother in law said on FB that winter has ended down there in McAllen.
Oh, Robin....about the Halo Top ice cream...we have it here, and when it first came out and was all the rage, I got a couple; DH and I tried it and thought for the taste, the hype was unwarranted. I have not bothered to buy it again. (plus it is too expensive, IMO).
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Post by mikendanni on Jan 12, 2017 15:27:17 GMT
I always get a flu shot (can't remember who asked yesterday). When I was pregnant with dd I didn't get the shot and when I was home on maternity leave I got the flu, and between nursing and coughing I did not sleep at all and what little sleep I got was in the lazy boy chair. By the time I went to the doctor I was so sick that if I didn't have a nursing baby he would have put me in the hospital. I sent dh and ds for flu shots and now we all get them every year. I believe that they keep the flu at bay and if you do get it you can fight it off more quickly.
Weather is a bit better today. There was a little snow overnight but not much and the main roads are wet but not icy. Side roads are still dicy and dh took dd to school this morning and said the parking lot is ice. The school district actually sent a notification out last night that they had been working on the parking lots and sidewalks but they are still very icy and cautioning parents and kids to be very careful and wear appropriate footwear.
Someone asked about the differences in schools - I assume between the school dd would have been at and the one she is at now. We are districted for one of the schools in a higher income bracket and some of the kids at that school are a bit entitled, they tend to be very clique-y. DD is very independent and does not conform just to have friends so she was the kid who never quite became part of the in-crowd, she thinks for herself and we all know that with girls in high school that is not a good formula for popularity. Our district has one school that offers the IB program (each of the high schools has some specialty they offer) so we moved dd there to take advantage of the educational challenges it offers. The powers that be rate it as a "failing" school but with the IB program I don't think that matters. That school is in a lower economic district - an urban school as opposed to a suburban school, just for comparison sake, we aren't really set up that way - and the school is very diverse. The kids at that school are much more accepting, not very cliqueish. the school has a long history (over 100 years) and a lot of pride. The sports at the school are awful, though, which is why dd is able to play softball and tennis. She was never an athlete before but when the sports aren't good at a school there are opportunities for non-athletes to participate.
Marsha
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Post by mikendanni on Jan 12, 2017 15:34:12 GMT
Karen - IB is International Baccalaureate. It is a rigorous college prep curriculum governed through the IB. I believe it was originally developed for military families because they moved around so much it allowed their kids to have a consistent education and it is offered at schools around the world. The work is sent out for scoring, so for example tests might go to a teacher somewhere in Europe to score to be sure that the teachers are all scoring correctly, and if they are too many deviations the whole class' work gets rescored. Teachers have extra training and the school has to be certified by the IB people. Colleges recognize it and credits are offered. The teaching philosophy promotes critical thinking. They connect all of the class through a class called Theory of Knowledge which ties together all of the other classes the students must take. There are strict requirements for an IB diploma so dd doesn't really have any choices in what she takes, almost all of the classes are 2 year so her schedule is pretty much set now for this year and next until graduation. It is highly competitive to get into in some places - my cousin in Scottsdale said she didn't put her kids in it because it was too hard to get into - but here all they have to do is transfer to West and there is plenty of room. It is also offered at Notre Dame and Bay Port but that's it. There is a student in dd's class that commutes from Neenah - he grew up in Austria and this is the closest school to his home in Neenah that has IB .
Marsha
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Post by pinky on Jan 12, 2017 16:21:51 GMT
Hi Booklovers! Thanks for the start up Karen. I finished Ordinary Grace late yesterday afternoon but ended up not going to bookclub. As the day went on yesterday I just didn't feel very well. Hit me quick----headache, body aches, chills and I just wanted to sleep which I did. Feel some better today but not 100%. Guessing as the day goes on I will get better. I sure hope so as we are supposed to go to DD's tonight and stay overnight and go with our DGS to school tomorrow morning. He is in pre=school and this week they are learning the letter G. Of course Grandpa and Grandma start with G so it is bring your grandparents to school day. We will be there from 8:30-11:30 and then we will eat with out DGS that is in 1st grade just because we can and we are already there. Should be fun! I may not be here on the boards tomorrow, not sure when we will be back. Saturday night we are going with youngest DS and DDIL to Sioux Falls to the Eric Church concert. We leave Tuesday for Scottsdale AZ for a week so have a lot going on and getting ready for. I cannot wait for some warmer, sunny weather.
Karen----I haven't heard of the Halo top ice cream so will have to watch for it.
Marsha-----Thanks for sharing what IB means. I am not aware we have anything like that around here, but sounds like a great program. Cool that you and Karen are as close to each other as you are and familiar with the schools.
Forgot to mention I absolutely loved the book Ordinary Grace by Kent William Kruger. I would give it a 5.
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Post by RobinS811 on Jan 12, 2017 16:56:32 GMT
Pinky, sorry that you are not feeling well, and missed book club. They are always fun.
Karen, thanks for starting. Believe me, we get rain the ice, or even worse, melting snow then ice. Actually, the new Alice Hoffman book, Faithful, is about a 17 year old girl who is driving with her girlfriend and skids on black ice, and her friend becomes a vegetable. The setting is the main road where I get off for my office. It was a great book, and interesting that I could relate to all the places they talk about.
Marsha, in our area the only way you can send your child to a different school is if you pay for it. The district provides busing to private or parochial schools, but that's your choice. Not so in Manhattan, where you can go to different high schools, and they have a number of very notable ones, Bronx Science, Stuyvesant, to name a few. I am not sure if any of our local high schools have an IB program, but the top rated colleges know all the better schools here, so a lot of the kids get into where they want to go. Our district has some very upscale areas, and some years the kids are really obnoxious, some not as much. We have basically no black population, however plenty of Asians, specifically because they want top schools for their children. Supposedly we have kids who get free lunch, but I know we had very few applications for our college scholarship last year.
BTW, Marsha and Karen, University of Wisconsin is a very hot school here, Wisconsin, Michigan, Delaware and Maryland all are. My GF's sons both went to Wisconsin, and my son's GF went there.
The word on the Giants trashing the plane is that they didn't, just someone started that rumor on Twitter. There was a mechanical problem on the plane, and they had to bring in another aircraft, and that was why the next flight took off so late. However, they are really making a big deal about Odell Beckham Jr punching the hole in the wall.
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Post by Carol2 on Jan 12, 2017 19:35:33 GMT
I think I've turned into one of those persons who can tell the weather is changing by aches and pains. I injured my shoulder several years ago and now when it bothers me, I know it will rain. I think it is barometric pressure, going up or down.
I had trouble getting going this morning so all I've done is go to the grocery store and run a couple of errands. I don't think I'll make it to the library until tomorrow.
Yes, Karen, I am in Texas, north close to Oklahoma. Our daughter lived in south Texas for a while and they don't have much of a winter. She was in Corpus Christi and had to evacuate because of a hurricane warning though.
Pinky, sorry you aren't feeling well. Hope it is just a 24 hour thing.
Robin, I'm not judging you about the flu shot. It's a personal thing.
Carol2
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Post by Anngie on Jan 12, 2017 21:16:39 GMT
Karen, did I tell you I made your 8-cup soup?! I really enjoyed it. Finished it up today. I didn't add the corn and next time I'll use frozen green beans (not a fan of canned green beans). Thanks!
Marsha, we have what they call AP courses. They're more rigorous and also count as college credits. Some kids can enter their freshman year (college) with a semester already completed.
Pinky, I envy you going to AZ!
Robin, we too, can only go to other schools if we pay for it. Whether it's private or public, it's called tuition!
Carol2, I know what you mean about weather and aches and pains! There is definitely something to it! Don't care for it either! lol
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Post by RobinS811 on Jan 13, 2017 1:15:49 GMT
Anngie, not surprised, after all we are both in NY State. We also have AP courses. My older DS was able to take fewer classes one semester, and my younger one finished in 3 1/2 years because of AP, and he was at Cornell. He was in the school of Industrial and Labor Relations, and they actually don't allow that any more. They want those who commit to the school pay for all 4 years. I agree, canned green beans are not great. I have no problem with canned corn, but not so with most other veggies. Frozen works though.
Carol, I take no offense to people who believe in flu shots, I know lots of people do. It's not that I don't believe in them, but just never have. I did get the shingles shot though.
I have about 30 pages left of The Whistler. I should get that finished shortly.
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