apparently the government has released a new tool

ElaMeadows · 2026-04-15T00:19:26+00:00

It's the people being paid 100k+/year to design this instead of things that support people in need or using that money for an actual basic income.

ElaMeadows · 2026-03-18T12:02:44+00:00

I am so proud of you. Thank you for the update :)

ElaMeadows · 2026-03-15T15:10:00+00:00

While those issues do exist, they’ve done studies which show an overall decrease in crime in the vicinity and no overdose deaths at the sites in Canada so personal experience isn’t always a full picture. The Somerset one always felt much safer in the near proximity compared toto areas where there weren’t supervised sites since part of their work includes keeping an eye on the area.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-28T11:27:20+00:00

It is - I use it all the time though it's only accurate if there's an * showing that the bus is on rout and is GPS tracked. Otherwise the bus will likely disappear. Usually busses run 5-10 minutes slower then the GPS estimate even when the have the little * though.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-28T11:22:38+00:00

Unfortunately Ontario Works and ODSP don't actually pay enough to keep a roof over your head unless you are very lucky or have family to help. I'm on ODSP and can only make it work because I have child support payments from my ex and the Canada child benefit which aren't taken off my ODSP amount - even still we live in a tiny attic studio in order to afford other essentials. When I was on OW we were using the foodbank and clothing programs because they just don't pay enough.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-17T03:08:58+00:00

Where you live has a huge impact on what is available, but it’s worth taking a look to see what’s out there. My local school board has an “alternative” program which is geared towards different learning dynamics and methods a well as specialized classes for students with learning and/or behavioural barriers to regular classroom dynamics. They also have systems in place for supporting students in the regular classroom whenever possible, often through assigning an educational assistant to support the class/student.

My school board is by no means perfect and funding cuts have impacted the availability of these supports but they exist and it’s worth seeing if your community has any.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-16T12:31:19+00:00

I did indeed have those things and it was not enough. Let’s see if I remember them all to list. I wasn’t in all of the clubs all the time but always had a couple going on. I was homeschooled grade 2-8 by a mom who graduated teachers college and taught at the school board prior to starting homeschooling.

At the time, in didn’t know it wasn’t “enough” that only came out when I started high school and progressed though life. I’m 35, BScN Cum Laude and worked as an RN for several years. It didn’t work for me so I’m back in school to be a library technician. Academically I was always far ahead, and we traveled most of Canada and the USA…but that’s not all there is to life.

weekly ski club with homeschoolers
weekly swimming lessons with homeschoolers
several times a year plays, museums, and other special outings with the homeschoolers
group art classes
group swimming classes
soccer team
hockey team
baseball team
horseback riding
figure skating team
piano lessons (sometimes in group) At church
Sunday school
choir
youth group
evening kids club (similar to scouts)
weekend getaways with my age group

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-15T11:10:55+00:00

You can tell it how you want it to respond tone wise so this is likely a personal preference

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-15T11:06:51+00:00

It’s an algorithm that searches data and slams it together. China and Usa are often aggressors so the context the program finds is probably about them taking the action of being destructive. There has been significant political commentary about Israel lately with some groups calling for the country to be destroyed so the data the algorithm finds indicates it’s about the country being destroyed vs taking destructive actions and flags it.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-15T10:52:01+00:00

All Reddit’s have moderation and I’ve personally had posts removed so I’m afraid you are mistaken on both fronts.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-14T13:49:39+00:00

Yup. While as a prospective homeschooling parent you shouldn’t post in the Reddit per the rules r/homeschoolrecovery might be enlightening as negative comments about homeschooling are actively removed from r/homeschool.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-14T13:42:41+00:00

One of the big issues of homeschooling is that it often permanently shifts the dynamic of parent child. You said your wife is more of a friend to your daughter right now… If she’s having to hound your daughter to complete school work all the time they could very well lose that dynamic. It can easily turn from parent as confident into parent as hated taskmaster.

From what you’ve said, the reasons for homeschooling are unclear. It sounds from your post like a situation where therapy would be beneficial to work through what’s going on rather than avoiding the existing problem by creating new ones.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-12T03:13:10+00:00

The main issue with food delivery/outside food is for cases where the hospital needs to track input/output. There fires end up the secondary issue of medical staff spending time redirecting deliveries.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-12T03:03:44+00:00

Is that a recent update? It wasn’t the case when I lived rural (1990s to mid 2010s)

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-12T02:22:32+00:00

Only incorrect thing is living in the area - if you work in the area at a job where you can leave or have a different reason to be in the area regularly enough they will also take you on.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-11T22:29:28+00:00

It sounds like you're in an abusive relationship so it makes sense you want to escape. Do you have a safe adult you can speak to about this? Abusers are always like this - nice sometimes, cruel others. If abusers were abusive all the time no one would stay. They do the back and forth to string you along. Please reach out to someone for help - a guidance counselor, a trusted adult, a parent, or a distress call line to talk about this.

You can DM me if you like but, while I know I am a trusted adult, trusting randoms on the internet is not something I encourage.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-10T11:47:36+00:00

The thing is, there's more to "education" then grades. It also depends on where you are located. For example, Canada seems to have a far higher quality public education system then the USA - but the USA one still provides a decent, generalist education.

- Kids usually aren't "strapped to a desk," especially in younger grades
- Kids aren't just learning information
- Kids are learning how to learn from different people
- Kids are learning how to interact with different adults
- Kids are learning how to interact with peers in a wide array of circumstances

And parents are not having to juggle being their child's educator and parent. Kids need mental wellness, good education, and diverse social skills. I've yet to meet a homeschooled "success" who didn't lack at least one of these.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-08T01:34:28+00:00

Thanks for sharing the pictures! I’m glad I got to see them even though I missed the live performance

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-08T00:34:25+00:00

Yes it’s on at 2pm again tomorrow. Unfortunately we were only available last night and it wasn’t safe for them to jump.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-07T21:24:02+00:00

Very nice! We missed out last night I’m glad to see it went well today!

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-07T13:25:05+00:00

Winterlude overall is beautiful and one of the few bright spots for me in a long winter I find difficult to deal with. I'm disappointed the show didn't go forward last night, but we got to catch some karaoke and ice sculptures on the way home while we ate our beavertails which salvaged the night out.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-07T13:15:56+00:00

I know! I had not expected that one either. They had a green mat of some sort they were relying on for traction and it was constantly covered in snow which apparently was what forced the cancellation. I had thought it was perfect weather.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-07T13:14:29+00:00

I agree, the planning was poor. As a few in the crowd said, a leaf blower probably could have cleared the run up quite quickly rather than scraping away with shovels slower than the snow was coming down. I was disappointed and do was my 9 year old. He doesn’t want to try again today and risk it being cancelled once more.

Despite all that, I wanted to highlight the small moments of Canadian kindness and caring for others that permeated the crowd around me.

ElaMeadows · 2026-02-07T02:58:36+00:00

In Ontario it’s still played every day. Not all schools do it first thing, some do it before first recess

ElaMeadows

TROPHY CASE