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Post by huskermom98 on May 28, 2023 18:08:29 GMT
Other than a few remaining parties...we are done with graduation! Ceremony was this morning and it was fun to watch DS's friends, teammates and others walk across the stage while friends, family, and strangers cheered them on. I am definitely happy that we had his open house party two weeks ago. Even though DS will be going to school 9 hours away, I'm too excited for him and his future to be sad and crying right now...maybe during baseball senior night it will be a different story...
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Post by huskermom98 on May 27, 2023 18:24:08 GMT
Summer is not too early, especially depending how busy your fall looks. I know our yearbook wanted senior photos by March, but that was the only "deadline" regarding any photos. I thought about scheduling DS's photos during summer, but he was always busy with baseball and then football. I ended up squeezing it in on a day off in late September that thankfully was a nice day because the gal only does outdoor photos (no studio, but I love her work and we love her because she used to babysit the boys so I wanted to use her).
But I definitely encourage you to spread things out as much as possible...the year will go fast...signed, a mom who's oldest graduates tomorrow morning!
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Post by huskermom98 on May 24, 2023 23:50:53 GMT
I'm not opposed to people pulling their kids for a vacation during the school year, but the last week of school--nope. Our district doesn't build in any snow days despite having at least one or two snow/ice days (or in the case of this year, attempted hostile computer server takeover...) The calendar always has a couple of extra days at the end of the year, past the official last day, they reserve for makeup days, so if you know you are traveling I would hope you'd take those into consideration. It would have to be some HUGE event for me to consider letting my kids miss the last week of school.
That being said...it would not be an issue this year because the kids don't get out until June 2 (original date was May 31) yet the computers have all been turned in as of today. What's the point of going for the next 4.5 days?
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Post by huskermom98 on May 23, 2023 20:04:07 GMT
It merged with Discovery--now I can enjoy the old TLC goodies like Cake Boss & Say Yes to the Dress. There's other channels too like Magnolia & Food Network.
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Post by huskermom98 on May 22, 2023 1:02:55 GMT
I've tossed some clothe ones and will continue to toss them as I come across them. We still have a box of disposable ones because ODS was going to need them for most of his German trip last summer until most mandates were lifted a week or two before they left.
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Post by huskermom98 on May 19, 2023 0:41:54 GMT
Wasn't planning to even look, but then I decided to see what's new...then remembered that I don't have any physical South Dakota stamps. So I ended up with SD, WY, CO, NE, and MO because we'll be traveling to most of those states several times in the next few years since DS is going to play football at a SD school (and we'll try to go to as many games as physically and financially possible).
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Post by huskermom98 on May 15, 2023 2:28:12 GMT
I loved the trackpad on my first laptop because there was a button that turned it on and off...so the fat pad areas between my thumbs and wrist didn't activate the pad and cause the arrow to go somewhere else when I was typing (I know I can turn it off in the settings, but the button was so much more convenient). I definitely prefer a mouse but will use the trackpad when it seems more convenient. My biggest issue is scrolling up and down the page doesn't always work as well or as fast as I'd like, or usually what happens is the arrow ends up where I can't scroll. I love the Logitech M525 mouse because it's not to big and not too small and it has the scrolling wheel that also works as a back and forward button.
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Post by huskermom98 on May 11, 2023 19:36:30 GMT
About 5 years ago our district switched things up. It had been HS & MS starting around 7:30 and then half of the elementary schools around 8 and the other half around 8:30. They switched it to all of the elementary schools starting around 7:30 and HS/MS starting around 8:30. The elementary parents complained for the first few years, but it worked out great for us. The year before the switch I had to drive ODS to school at 7:30, come home and take YDS to his private school around 8. When the public school switched start times I could take both at the same time. I was so glad I didn't have to deal with YDS going from 8:30 to 7:30 since he was in private school by the time the public school switched. Now I can't image trying to get my high school boys up and going for a 7:30 start!
I can't imagine school not starting until 9:30--seems so late!
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Post by huskermom98 on May 7, 2023 14:26:12 GMT
Back when I liked what places like Archivers or sb.com offered for iNSD I was usually busy with baseball games for part of the day. Now that I don't have Saturday baseball games I don't care for the activities that various places offer.
It's right up there with all of the scrappy places offering great sales around Black Friday & Christmas--I need to be buying gifts for others, not goodies for me!
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Post by huskermom98 on May 2, 2023 22:02:20 GMT
In almost 25 years I've rarely taken it off. A big reason in the last 10-15 years would be that it's not easy to get off. About 2 years ago I was better about exercising and eating better so I lost a fair amount of weight--my plan was to have my ring resized a little bigger when I could easily get it off my finger. However, once I could get it off easily I forgot about my plan and now I'm back to not being able to get it off. I don't even notice it most of the time, but when I have taken it off I definitely notice that it's gone.
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Post by huskermom98 on May 1, 2023 12:27:56 GMT
My boys' dermatologists office hasn't required them for a long time. My youngest son sees an NP at a psychiatric office that is inside of a hospital and we didn't have to wear a mask at his last appointment in January, nor did we have to wear one while walking through the hospital to get to the office.
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 21, 2023 16:51:17 GMT
Might have already been touched on via the 2 peas board, but I just got the remember, wander and history story kits and the cards feel super thin and the printing looks very different, is this a “new norm” like no adhesive on chipboard and crappy quality kit stamps? The no adhesive chipboard has been a thing for awhile now...and I hate it. I stopped my sub after "Teach" but have picked up a few kits since that are no-adhesive and I'm so glad I don't sub anymore. The WITL was so bad but thankfully I could put all of the pieces in my album & not have to worry about it. I can't comment on the cards because I didn't notice any big difference on the few I've used.
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 21, 2023 1:39:15 GMT
My oldest graduates the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend--but his party is Mother's Day weekend so I'm a little freaked out about that! He's going to be 9 hours away at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City to study civil engineering and play football. I'm excited for him but going to miss him so much...life is going to be boring without all of his activities to go to!
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 21, 2023 1:33:15 GMT
It's been years since I needed to (our bedroom can be quite cold in the winter) but now I can't imagine wearing socks at night since most of the time I have one foot poking out most of the time.
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 20, 2023 15:54:22 GMT
I'm as ready as I ever am for WITL. I'm doing it next week since it should be an interesting week without being a crazy week. I'll get to include prom/post prom and some graduation party prep, but not the actual party or ceremony, or DS' birthday or baseball games (like most years). My hope is that I can still find a little time to work on it before having to shelve it to get party prep done (and recovery...).
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 15, 2023 15:29:22 GMT
My mom had a lot of things for us to use, but a pack'n play, highchair and a small stroller (something in between an umbrella stroller and a huge stroller) were very handy to all of us whether visiting for the day or overnight. My stepmom usually had a pack'n play so I ended up buying one to keep at my in-laws so we never had to travel with one. Everyone had old toys that my boys loved playing with because they were different from the ones at home. Dishes weren't a big deal, but were handy if they had them. A comfortable chair in a bedroom was always appreciated, whether for nursing/feeding or just sitting with a crying child away from others.
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 12, 2023 16:08:27 GMT
I missed that this happened to Rochester--same thing happened to our district in January.
Even though my boys are in high school & rely on their chromebooks, no internet seemed like a silly reason to cancel classes until I chatted with a teacher during a sports event the first day it happened. And it wasn't just "no internet" it was no access to anything that had been on district servers because they were shut down to prevent further access by the hackers...so: --nobody can print anything --nobody had anything to print because lessons were stored on the cloud --no access to student files which meant: -no health info (including food allergies during lunch or medications) -no emergency contact information -no access to IEPs & 504s -no access to busing info/routes --key cards did not work and only a select few had access to physical keys --fire system issues --so many more things that no one could have imagined...
Kids sat around not doing much the first day it happened, but were off the next couple of days. The district worked on getting vital systems back online & how teachers could teach. Everyone had to use hot spots for a couple of weeks before internet was restored (they are still having printing issues). They still haven't said if it was officially a ransomware attack or if they stopped it before it got that far. Either way it was a time consuming mess
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 11, 2023 20:55:50 GMT
I use Photoshop Elements. I tried the full Photoshop and definitely liked parts of it (other parts were not so user friendly for someone who had been using PE for several years) but my laptop couldn't handle it and kept crashing. I went back to PE but upgraded to a newer version and have been happy with that for printing with both my PM400 and a large format Epson.
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 10, 2023 22:58:41 GMT
In addition to several things already mentioned like avocado toast and eggs, I use it on most of the baked sliders that I make.
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Post by huskermom98 on Apr 1, 2023 23:57:35 GMT
I had several orders a couple of weeks ago that were all delayed, most just by a day or two. I had another that was delayed so long that when I checked the progress, yet again, there was a message that it's possibly lost so I can ask for a refund if I want (and keep the item if it does show up). So I requested a refund because it wasn't a cheap item...and then it showed up a day or two later. Some of the delays were understandable because of weather, but the "lost" one just took forever once they claimed it had shipped.
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 26, 2023 14:05:30 GMT
Forgetting about some digital purchases I make periodically, I voted quarterly. I buy WITL & DD, but beyond that I only go to my LSS a couple of times a year, usually because I need something specific...because I have so much in my stash!
This spring will be the exception as I'm working on displays and centerpieces for DS's graduation party...
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 26, 2023 13:58:33 GMT
Farthest without stopping overnight was just this summer when we drove from NE Utah to central Iowa. That 15 hours or so, thankfully we had 3 drivers available. Our other long drive was from Medora, ND to central Iowa a few years ago.
As a child we drove several times to San Angelo, TX from Nebraska (once in July in a van without a working AC...that sucked...) without stopping overnight. DH & I have driven to Washington DC from Nebraska/Iowa 3 times and back 2 times, but usually stopped overnight.
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Pie day
Mar 15, 2023 3:36:21 GMT
via mobile
Post by huskermom98 on Mar 15, 2023 3:36:21 GMT
We tried out the mini pie maker appliance I got DS for Christmas. It worked out pretty good for some apple pies. I didn't care for the crust, but that's because it was store bought & I love my homemade crust.
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 15, 2023 3:30:06 GMT
I'm surprised at how much of this year's WITL I like. I love the star album but I can't wrap my head around the 10x8 size for WITL (love it for DD though). Don't love the peach but I don't mind the printed days. So I don't know what I'll do for an album yet.
I think I like enough of the main kit to get it. I could do without the 4x4 cards (with 4 squares) because I think those will look weird if I have to cut them down to 3x4. I think I'll attach the Kraft pockets to the outside of a page somehow.
I like parts of the mini, but wouldn't use most of it for WITL. I could have used pieces in my recent trip album.
I like the 3x8 numbered chipboard pages & the Kraft pages. I like the circle set but don't feel like I have to have it. I like the page dividers but I'm not sure about them yet (feel like I'd have to cut out middle sections to get the portion that looks good for a 6x8 album).
Don't care for any of the stamps and have no need for the 10x4 cards (and don't like them anyway).
I'm curious how the "buy it all" option will go over--even if I did want it all, I'm not sure I'd want or need both albums.
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 10, 2023 3:35:18 GMT
Having lived in the middle of the US most of my life--only 5 countries--Canada, Mexico, Ireland, England and France. My 17yo son has already surpassed me after his German trip this summer--Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, France (passed through a tiny corner) and England (Heathrow airport only). He has seen Canada when we visited northern Minnesota a few years ago--we were right next to a small river that serves as the border in a state park. He did throw a rock across the river...
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 7, 2023 19:01:59 GMT
Just saw on IG that Ali's doing WITL starting April 24th. I'm not one that has to do it the same week, but I'll probably do it that week for something different (Prom is that Saturday & I've been heavily involved with post-prom). May will be crazy with graduation party/ceremony, DS turning 18 and finishing track while starting baseball. So April sounds good...
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 6, 2023 20:50:37 GMT
I know it's legal in Iowa--at least according my oldest son (but I also remember him saying that Iowa was the only state that allows it...which seems hard to believe...)
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 1, 2023 0:41:24 GMT
Just tonight I was in the "foods" room at my boys' high school and I was quite impressed with the setup! I need to encourage my youngest to take whatever class uses that room because he sometimes likes to cook/bake. My oldest took some sort of Home Ec class in middle school, but didn't in high school. Both boys took/is taking an "intro to woods" class where they made a small table and a cabinet.
The high school also has a few other home ec & industrial arts classes available, but the district also offers a central school that has a lot of career-related classes such as culinary arts, robotics, automotive, agriculture, fashion design, and even aviation (the academic part of pilot school and also aviation mechanics) that students can attend in addition to classes at their home school.
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Post by huskermom98 on Mar 1, 2023 0:26:49 GMT
I had lab work done the last time I had my annual physical and then a few months later to checkup on issues, but I don't remember what if anything I had to pay for it. DS had to have labs drawn for the first 3-4 months after he started Accutane last fall and we had to pay $5ish each time (but the bill came months later).
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Post by huskermom98 on Feb 17, 2023 21:56:06 GMT
My home laptop and work desktop both have it. I have a different laptop that I use for Quickbooks and other financial things for our church, but it doesnt' have a number keypad and I hate it! If I know I'm going to be doing a lot of work, I'll do it at home where I can hook up to a wireless keyboard (and a larger screen too). I'm getting better at using the numbers above the letters, but I have a hard time finding the period button without stopping and looking for it.
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