[with love Heidi]

How about removing the electronic devices to your room to remove the temptation.

[Tamara]

Yes we have decided to do that since miss 10 tried turning on the mldem last night and didnt comply and go to bed until almost 10pm! N is generally good about it and has his charging while he sleep. Not so for miss 10 though! Taking it at night will deal with the playing after hours dilemma but it wont stop the other issue of playing youtube videos on the web browser app that allows for the kiddie sites that require flashplayer (like reading eggs). Unfortunately the tablet security isnt enough to deter her because even though youtube itself isnt on there, it can be accessed through other sites and because it is watched without our permission and supervision (because it is done on the sly), we need to find the best way to eradicate this for security aswell as general internet access purposes.

I am hanging out for net nanny to release their ios version but this wont be out until March sometime and may not even be available in Australia straight away. There is apparently a very good app but it is only for android tablets.

I think mobiflock might just have to be utilised. At least then I will know I can set limits and a passcode that will probably result in a preteen melt down over the fact the app cant actually be deleted. Safety is of huge importance but so is following the house rules – both of which have been continually broken.

[needlewoman]

Oh dear, Jstsewit, you are having a tough time at present – parenthood! It’s amazing that so many people do it, isn’t it given all the grief. Yes, I’m afraid ‘tough love’ is the only way to deal with some issues -kids just don’t believe that you will do what you say/things will happen the way you describe – until you do/or they do. My godson – youngest for some time and baby to two older sisters – was a classic for not getting ready for school/treats and had to be “left behind” a few times to make him cooperate. Intriguingly, it often seems to be more a boy problem, than a girl thing – or that’s what I’ve observed watching at least 100 kids grow up. I don’t have any of my own so can’t claim any real expertise (although did have to put my money where mouth is recently, when babysitting two primary schoolers who were furious that their parents had gone out for the evening, and I had to do a lot of threatening/talking in monotone/back stroking to get them to go to sleep. Got there in the end). And “the books” never tell you how exhausted emotionally and physically the parent feels afterwards!! Mobile devices/toys etc – instruments of the devil from a disciplinary point of view – and from what I can see, every parent in the 21st century is dealing with similar issues.

Sounds like music/instruments are a way of life in your family; hope it all works out – day by day. And that eventually you can all move into your bigger living quarters.

I had a lovely reward for my sewing efforts, tonight; some adorable photos of a 3 yr old wearing one of the dresses I made her recently, and she just looks gorgeous. Parents get so busy, and smiling kids wearing the clothes to be photographed (while they are clean) can be so tricky to organise that I rarely get to see them. And I’m here to tell everybody in this forum, that if you think you’re enjoying sewing for your monsters now, the pleasure associated with making clothes/toys for “their” children is amazing!! I made a lot of things for this little one’s mother, and the memories that come surging back are very heartwarming – especially when the new “parents” are delighted also. So hold that thought when the kids are being grisly.

More practically, J, I hope you can track down the “blocking” strategies you need without shorting the house wiring.

Dear Rastis, so glad the weather is easier to deal with, and that the cavalry has arrived to give you a hand. Bagpipes; love them myself but pretty tricky to deal with when being learned. My mother refused to let me learn the violin because of the racket despite the fact that her mother had been a concert violinist, and it was thought I might have some talent. I learned the piano instead; I don’t blame Mum at all, and given the agonies I went thru with the piano (even tho I loved it), I think she made the best decision.

[Tamara]

Piano really is a great instrument to learn – not that I know. My sister learned the flute as I said before and mum was taught by the nuns to play piano (and wouldnt practise) and hated it. Mind you later on she had to pick it up again and re teach herself to play because of her job as a music teacher in a big city primary school. My sister got into WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts) to do jazz flute then swapped to do vocals because sh fell in love with the fact you could play and sing using the piano. Me? I played by ear but am pretty proud of the fact that I have sat down and reacquainted myself with the harder version of one classical piece I used to play. It happens to be a pre recorded song on the new piano so I sit there and play along. This has been very helpful in the fact that my miss 10 who was a practise phobic now does the same with recording one hand and playkng along woth the other. A great way to learn the piece of music.

I have to crack down on a lot of things with the kids this year. Homework has always been a fly in the ointment so we are working on that in the way of not doing it all at the last minute. Now that I have two kids with homework, they both have to sit amd do it but we have worked it so they have the table to themselves. I am waiting for earphomes for the piano as the ultimate plan is to get one to do the homework while the other puts in their 5 minutes on the piano and then swap. The cornet will have to be played after everything is done so that everyone can concentrate!

N settled down, like five seconds after I left the bus yesterday according to the bus driver. He seemed happy when I picked him up and there were no dramas at school so I’m baffled as to the reason. No doubt he will do it again as there is a pattern. We had an episode last year where he was in the car halfway to town in his pj’s and the car inadvertently broke down (there was a hole letting the fuel out somewhere in its nether regions). All the way up until then, I heard cries and protests of how school is bad and how they didnt want to go etc – and then the car stopped! And the protests were then about going to school and being late etc! So funny then and still very funny now!

First night of babysitting the mini device worked! She actually went to sleep at a decent time – 8pm!

We are just ebbing and flowing with the kids amd their emotions etc at the moment. We as parents do have a tricky run – such a pity they keep running out of manuals! We wing it half the time and the half just look as if we know what we are doing! But you know I wouldnt swap it for anything! Despite it being difficult at times – parenthood has changed me for the better I think.

[Nicole]

A huge Congratulations to Round the World Girl who has a new baby!

[KarenK]

Congrats on your new baby! Such a special time.

[sayiamyou]

Hooray for good and special news! Congratulations to you and your family!

[Greenpip]

Quick question. Back from school pickup where master 7 has been told that to get top marks for weekly talk time/ news he needs to do a sideshow presentation because some of the other kids are doing so. The teacher thinks because they (or their parents – call me a cynic) have made an extra effort in he should reward them. Do you think it’s reasonable for 2nd graders (7 year olds) to do PowerPoint presentation – 3 minutes – each week for home work? This is on top of reading, spelling, maths each night along with special projects from time to time. This is a public/ state school. To me it feels like more of a homework arms race between parents. But maybe I’m over reacting and they’re just very motivated 7 year olds – something my son is not when it comes to homework!

[Nicole]

Weekly? (snorts) ridiculous!

It would be possible because one of my Biggies would help the Littles but I would have no idea how to do a Power Point presentation.

Tell him to make a cardboard model or something fun!

[Lightning McStitch]

Meh, powerpoint is so 90’s. Surely you (I mean he) could do better….. {completely tongue in cheek}

Any kind of presentation can be daunting at any age. A little “prop” may help, but I agree it should be a drawn picture or cereal box model. Something that he can achieve himself and that helps rather than detracts from the information being given.

….managers of the world, that goes for you too!

[Sarvi]

You should have him do something super crazy that will put a complete end to the arms race. A full lighting package with lasers! Multichannel sound with geared seats! PowerPoint is so 1987.

More seriously, though, these people are high. If they want the kids to be advanced or whatever they should be teaching them strong writing and analysis skills… What we once called readin, ritin, and rithmetic. If they really want to bring in computers, that’s great, but teach them to code, don’t teach them to make slides. Nobody builds a career out of making slides.

[Sarvi]

Haha, cross post with lightning!

[Greenpip]

Thank you ladies you’ve made me feel much better about it. Next week’s topic does lend itself to a laser and smoke show now I think about it ;-)- “if I had a magic lamp I would wish for …

Does pose the question did the decline in great oration coincide with the advent of PowerPoint?

Sarvi you have obviously never worked in public administration where alas a lucrative career can be built on skills with PowerPoint!

[Lightning McStitch]

THIS was the pinnacle of powerpoint:

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=yL_-1d9OSdk&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyL_-1d9OSdk&gl=GB

[Tamara]

Powerpoint? Weekly? Are they kidding? My children do a presentation as a competition as an annual event where they have a set time limit to talk about a topic of their choice. They have to be first judged by the class with three “guest” judges and are picked for the “finals” where they have to say their speech IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL!!

Besides the fact that my daughter has gained first prize for two of the four she has participated in, it wasn’t without stress levels exceeding past the roof! They may have to write their speech but it is up to us parents to help them practise and get props etc.

Just way too much pressure for a weekly thing – yearly is bad enough!

Tell the teacher that power point presentations don’t account for the whole grade and that she’s dreaming! Besides if you want to put a child off doing homework or school for that matter for life, pressure is the way to do it!