A long time ago I signed up for Goodreads, because it looked like something I should sign up for, and then promptly forgot about it. Actually, I think I played around with it a little, plugged in a book or two, and then forgot about it. I remembered my account again, many months later, when a friend asked me if I could be found there. Oops, I could, so I logged in and friended her. Then another friend popped in, so I had two friends at Goodreads, and started getting email with their updates. In turn, I started adding a few more books so I wouldn't bore my two friends when they ran into me there.
Now, I have a small but growing list of books in my to-read file. And a large pile of library books on my living room floor. (Sometimes I forget to put the books in the to-read file and go straight to the library website to request them.)
I didn't lack for reading material before Goodreads, but I surely have no excuses now! One list leads to another and there is always something intriguing, isn't there?
Of course having access to more good books doesn't mean reading more, does it?
How would I find you on Goodreads?
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
New frontiers in parenting: Facebook rules
Even before my kids became teens, I was thinking about life with Facebook for them. I entered the world of social media reluctantly myself. Facebook seemed like such a waste of time and energy, I was determined never to fall for it. It wasn't till I discovered that my six nieces and nephews - all adults now and scattered all across the US - lived on Facebook. If I wanted to have a relationship with them, I needed to be there too.
Now I'm there every day, and I love it. I am friends with long-lost relatives, old friends from the past, and newer friends who live all over the place. I see my adult nieces and nephews every day now; I know what's going on in their lives and I can comment freely. Sometimes I see things I'd rather not, but as one friend pointed out, even that helps me focus my prayers for them.
Still, I knew the dangers for teens. So when my kids' teen years approached, I spent some time formulating my rules for social media. When my son turned 13, he couldn't have cared less about Facebook. It was only recently that I got him to sign up, so he could join our church youth group page. My daughter, on the other hand, was ready to rock and roll on her 13trh birthday. I was surprised she wasn't up early that morning, creating her account and downloading photos.
My list of rules, guidelines, and advice for Facebook (and whatever social media outlet may come around next) is pretty long. It's not just about internet safety, but about keeping their hearts safe too. As homeschoolers, my kids are pretty sheltered from middle-school culture, with its gossip and constantly-changing friendships and alliances. They are taking bigger steps into the big bad world and I want them to be ready for it.
Friend only people you know in real life. My kids can't accept any friend requests unless they have personal contact with the person. "Friends of friends" don't count.
Privacy settings are set to the most private. All posts are seen only by friends, not friends of friends. No personal information is listed.
Mom is your friend, and has your password. I do log into my kids' accounts periodically to check for messages and other information that I can't see from their walls. We have always raised our kids to have little to no expectation of privacy from Mom and Dad, so it's not a big deal: they expect it.
"If you wouldn't say it to Grandma, don't say it on Facebook." We have always talked to our kids about the long memory of the internet.
Don't list friends as family members. Your best friend is not your sister, no matter how close you feel today.
Understand that some people will friend you simply to increase their friend count, not because they want a relationship with you. We have already encountered this; an acquaintance of my daughter's - who barely speaks to her when they are in a group together - friended her. She doesn't expect much from that - though it's always possible that a Facebook friendship will pave the way to a real one.
Understand that not everyone you send a friend request to will accept it. Shrug it off and don't let it affect your real-life relationship.
No apps that require personal information about you or your friends. I might have to revisit this at some point, but so far, so good.
No games, period. I might revisit this one sometime, too, but for now, I don't see a bigger potential time-waster in my kids' lives than Facebook games.
While I was working on this, I came across Sarah's great post on the topic: Facebook and Your Teen. She brings up some ideas I hadn't thought of, and I'll be sharing those with my kids as well.
Some parents are afraid of social media. I know mothers who count on their kids' other Facebook friends (adults, such as youth group leaders) to let them know if something goes wrong with their child's Facebooking. I know parents who don't want to intrude on their kids' social lives so don't insist on being friends. This is just crazy to me! We need to stay on top of technology so we can participate and be watchful.
Besides, we don't want the kids to have all the fun, do we?
How are you navigating social media with your teens? Or do you prefer not to?
Now I'm there every day, and I love it. I am friends with long-lost relatives, old friends from the past, and newer friends who live all over the place. I see my adult nieces and nephews every day now; I know what's going on in their lives and I can comment freely. Sometimes I see things I'd rather not, but as one friend pointed out, even that helps me focus my prayers for them.
Still, I knew the dangers for teens. So when my kids' teen years approached, I spent some time formulating my rules for social media. When my son turned 13, he couldn't have cared less about Facebook. It was only recently that I got him to sign up, so he could join our church youth group page. My daughter, on the other hand, was ready to rock and roll on her 13trh birthday. I was surprised she wasn't up early that morning, creating her account and downloading photos.
My list of rules, guidelines, and advice for Facebook (and whatever social media outlet may come around next) is pretty long. It's not just about internet safety, but about keeping their hearts safe too. As homeschoolers, my kids are pretty sheltered from middle-school culture, with its gossip and constantly-changing friendships and alliances. They are taking bigger steps into the big bad world and I want them to be ready for it.
Friend only people you know in real life. My kids can't accept any friend requests unless they have personal contact with the person. "Friends of friends" don't count.
Privacy settings are set to the most private. All posts are seen only by friends, not friends of friends. No personal information is listed.
Mom is your friend, and has your password. I do log into my kids' accounts periodically to check for messages and other information that I can't see from their walls. We have always raised our kids to have little to no expectation of privacy from Mom and Dad, so it's not a big deal: they expect it.
"If you wouldn't say it to Grandma, don't say it on Facebook." We have always talked to our kids about the long memory of the internet.
Don't list friends as family members. Your best friend is not your sister, no matter how close you feel today.
Understand that some people will friend you simply to increase their friend count, not because they want a relationship with you. We have already encountered this; an acquaintance of my daughter's - who barely speaks to her when they are in a group together - friended her. She doesn't expect much from that - though it's always possible that a Facebook friendship will pave the way to a real one.
Understand that not everyone you send a friend request to will accept it. Shrug it off and don't let it affect your real-life relationship.
No apps that require personal information about you or your friends. I might have to revisit this at some point, but so far, so good.
No games, period. I might revisit this one sometime, too, but for now, I don't see a bigger potential time-waster in my kids' lives than Facebook games.
While I was working on this, I came across Sarah's great post on the topic: Facebook and Your Teen. She brings up some ideas I hadn't thought of, and I'll be sharing those with my kids as well.
Some parents are afraid of social media. I know mothers who count on their kids' other Facebook friends (adults, such as youth group leaders) to let them know if something goes wrong with their child's Facebooking. I know parents who don't want to intrude on their kids' social lives so don't insist on being friends. This is just crazy to me! We need to stay on top of technology so we can participate and be watchful.
Besides, we don't want the kids to have all the fun, do we?
How are you navigating social media with your teens? Or do you prefer not to?
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Works for me: Medical records
It's been a very long time since I've found something to share on Works for me Wednesday - so long that I forgot how to do the linky and put my information in correctly! (Look for #81 - the one with no title!) But I am back with something that does work: my medical record sheet for doctor visits.
This is one of those ideas that seems so simple I'm surprised more people don't do it. But judging from the reactions I get from doctors and their assistants, people don't. And I've been seeing a lot of doctors lately with one of my kids, so it's gotten a lot of use.
Every time we have a doctor's visit, whether for a well-child checkup or a problem, I take a medical record sheet to hand to the doctor or assistant. They love it! It has all the information they need without having to go through a question-and-answer process with me or the child. Here's what it contains:
Child's name and date of birth. Every time we go to the doctor they ask for DoB. I was answering that question for one of my kids so many times that once when asked for mine, I gave my 14-year-old's! I got quite the look when I said "1997."
Current medications, including prescriptions, over-the-counter meds, supplements and even "therapeutic" foods such as probiotic yogurt and raw local honey. When one of my kids was seeing a few different doctors for gastrointestinal problems, I got tired of being asked if he ate yogurt. With the information at hand, the docs don't have to ask anymore.
Recent previous medications prescribed or suggested by a doctor that we've discontinued for whatever reason. One of my kids was seeing a specialist last fall for gastrointestinal issues, so I listed the antibiotics he'd taken over the past year as I suspect they may have been contributing to his sickness. One doctor had prescribed something for nausea that made the kid dizzy; we stopped using it but I kept it on the list for future reference.
Current symptoms - why we are in the office that day. The doctor quickly scans this and then asks more questions, but it gets us beyond the basics quickly.
Previous illnesses that I think might be relevant to the current problem. I keep these records in a file on my computer, so I can update as necessary and easily copy/paste information for each doctor's visit right before we go. I don't go all the way back on this: I wouldn't list my 45-year-old tonsillectomy on my records sheet. We want to keep this to one page!
To help with keeping it short, use bullet points, not chatty sentences. It's very easy for the nurse to review when she updates the medication record, and for the doctor to scan to review symptoms.
This has streamlined our doctor visits and helped me keep track of everything I want to tell them. Our doctors love ii! It works for us and for me!
Get more ideas that work on Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.
This is one of those ideas that seems so simple I'm surprised more people don't do it. But judging from the reactions I get from doctors and their assistants, people don't. And I've been seeing a lot of doctors lately with one of my kids, so it's gotten a lot of use.
Every time we have a doctor's visit, whether for a well-child checkup or a problem, I take a medical record sheet to hand to the doctor or assistant. They love it! It has all the information they need without having to go through a question-and-answer process with me or the child. Here's what it contains:
Child's name and date of birth. Every time we go to the doctor they ask for DoB. I was answering that question for one of my kids so many times that once when asked for mine, I gave my 14-year-old's! I got quite the look when I said "1997."
Current medications, including prescriptions, over-the-counter meds, supplements and even "therapeutic" foods such as probiotic yogurt and raw local honey. When one of my kids was seeing a few different doctors for gastrointestinal problems, I got tired of being asked if he ate yogurt. With the information at hand, the docs don't have to ask anymore.
Recent previous medications prescribed or suggested by a doctor that we've discontinued for whatever reason. One of my kids was seeing a specialist last fall for gastrointestinal issues, so I listed the antibiotics he'd taken over the past year as I suspect they may have been contributing to his sickness. One doctor had prescribed something for nausea that made the kid dizzy; we stopped using it but I kept it on the list for future reference.
Current symptoms - why we are in the office that day. The doctor quickly scans this and then asks more questions, but it gets us beyond the basics quickly.
Previous illnesses that I think might be relevant to the current problem. I keep these records in a file on my computer, so I can update as necessary and easily copy/paste information for each doctor's visit right before we go. I don't go all the way back on this: I wouldn't list my 45-year-old tonsillectomy on my records sheet. We want to keep this to one page!
To help with keeping it short, use bullet points, not chatty sentences. It's very easy for the nurse to review when she updates the medication record, and for the doctor to scan to review symptoms.
This has streamlined our doctor visits and helped me keep track of everything I want to tell them. Our doctors love ii! It works for us and for me!
Get more ideas that work on Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.
Sunday, January 08, 2012
New frontiers in parenting: Two teenagers
Maybe this place shouldn't be called Two Kid Schoolhouse anymore: There aren't any kids here.
They're both teens now.
Yesterday Eleanor turned 13. James is 14 1/2.
And now that they are teens we are pushing up against some new frontiers: iPods with wifi capability, and Facebook.
We're treading carefully but not hesitantly. We want to be smart about technology, but not scared of it.
My first observation/question: Why would a parent allow a kid to lie about her age to get a Facebook account? The rules say you can join up at age 13. So why are we seeing 12-year-olds on there?
My second observation: Ask 5 people their views on the iPod Touch and wifi access, and you'll get 5 different opinions. For now, we're going with an app that censors objectionable sites based on the child's age and some information I plugged in. Know of anything better? What works for your family?
More to come, as we navigate the teen years.
They're both teens now.
Yesterday Eleanor turned 13. James is 14 1/2.
And now that they are teens we are pushing up against some new frontiers: iPods with wifi capability, and Facebook.
We're treading carefully but not hesitantly. We want to be smart about technology, but not scared of it.
My first observation/question: Why would a parent allow a kid to lie about her age to get a Facebook account? The rules say you can join up at age 13. So why are we seeing 12-year-olds on there?
My second observation: Ask 5 people their views on the iPod Touch and wifi access, and you'll get 5 different opinions. For now, we're going with an app that censors objectionable sites based on the child's age and some information I plugged in. Know of anything better? What works for your family?
More to come, as we navigate the teen years.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Peace is the word
This morning while walking the dog I found my word for the year:
Peace
I am not a peaceful person by nature. My mother was a real worrier and that was part of her legacy to me. One of my kids is getting it from me. This is a good year to focus on being peaceful. (When isn't it?)
A peaceful home makes people want to be here. We can keep it peaceful by maintaining order so we can find things (including a place to sit down and read - is your couch ever covered in clean laundry waiting to be folded?). It's not very peaceful when I am walking around the house, muttering "Where did I put that book?" or "How many pairs of scissors do we own and why can I never find any?" That second one is usually not muttered.
A peaceful homeschool means we put our books and other materials way when we are finished with them. It means we have a plan for our daily work and go through it methodically. This leaves more time for rest and recreation during the day and does not result in a frustrated mom who says, again, "why can we never get anything done?"
A peaceful attitude means not worrying over what's coming up. My husband is halfway through a year-long pastoral internship; in June he will need a job. We don't know if he'll find one, or, if he does, where it will be. We need to get ready to move. We need to be calm as we wait. Not easy. I need peace.
And I can have it.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
Monday, January 02, 2012
One word for your year?
A few of the bloggers I read are talking about choosing a word for the year. One word to describe the year they are planning to have.
Amber's is transformation. Kristen's is faith.
There are others I can't remember now.
I chose a verse for the year, but not a word. Psalm 46:10:
Amber's is transformation. Kristen's is faith.
There are others I can't remember now.
I chose a verse for the year, but not a word. Psalm 46:10:
"Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
This verse is important to me because this year has the potential for a lot of worry. (What year doesn't?)
My word of the year could be "still." But... I'm still thinking about it. "Faith" would work too. "Be not afraid" is a short enough phrase that it could be one word. I'll see what I come up with.
Do you choose a word to signify your year? Tell me about it.
Here are some more I found:
Janene's is go.
Margi has two: Simplify and Sanctify.
Here are some more I found:
Janene's is go.
Margi has two: Simplify and Sanctify.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
More and less in 2012
More reading (books).
Less browsing (magazines, internet).
More walking.
Less snooze-button-hitting.
More talking.
Less yelling.
More music playing during breakfast, dinner... throughout the day.
What do you want more and less of this year?
Less browsing (magazines, internet).
More walking.
Less snooze-button-hitting.
More talking.
Less yelling.
More music playing during breakfast, dinner... throughout the day.
What do you want more and less of this year?
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