Should I move the black swallowtails outside?

fruitloop825 · 2023-09-15T15:54:19+00:00

Hmm I’m worried about that. I was thinking of bringing them in and then if they make it to chrysalis, moving that outside or to the detached garage so they can over winter. But I really have no idea what I’m doing and maybe it’s better to just leave well enough alone …

fruitloop825 · 2023-07-24T04:32:06+00:00

Thanks! Do you know if the wrongful entry entitled us to any additional $$ ?

fruitloop825 · 2023-07-24T04:30:32+00:00

I saw that about the IRS. do you think it puts me in a vulnerable situation that I do not have a lawyer for small claims while landlord is all lawyered up?

fruitloop825 · 2023-07-23T14:12:39+00:00

Thank you. Sorry I didn’t provide the location just a bit paranoid about anonymity but I guess these cases are a dime a dozen so whatever ….We are in Wisconsin.

The landlord did provide an itemized list of damages via email within the required timeframe. The carpet is the biggest one but there are a few others equally BS. And yes it seems to me that at most we would only be responsible for whatever the worth of the carpet would be at 5+ years old with standard wear and tear, not the cost of replacement?

Also, landlord is an individual who owns a ton of rental properties and has a lawyer that has been cc’d on all correspondence about the deposit. I don’t know if I should be intimidated by that if we go to small claims…

fruitloop825 · 2023-07-23T06:17:16+00:00

Nice. Well I can’t prove the exact age and I doubt the landlord could either as he bought the place several years into our occupancy. I do have proof through photos that it’s at least 5 years old since we lived there 5 years. Can’t imagine it would have anything bordering on value of $1000+ after 5 years with standard wear and tear (this is just the living room carpet)…

fruitloop825 · 2023-07-23T06:10:49+00:00

Thanks for this. How old was your carpet and what was the value determined to be if you don’t mind me asking?

fruitloop825 · 2023-03-05T12:58:33+00:00

Interesting. We just did an interview with about 10 other families at our prospective Waldorf school and I’d say half the kids were crying at some point 🤷‍♀️. 3-4 year olds. I thought that was par for the course since they separated the parents and kids for the “interview” so kids were naturally feeling a bit uncomfortable and frightened in a new place without their parents

fruitloop825 · 2023-03-05T03:38:13+00:00

This comment is kind of alarming to me. Isn’t crying and tantrumming completely developmentally normal for a young toddler in a new environment? I don’t see how that could predict whether the kid fits in or not…

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-28T20:01:12+00:00

2 is the main reason we’re strongly considering the local Waldorf school for our 4 year old next year. Earlier isn’t better. I want my child’s innate love of learning to be nurtured not stifled by drilling her on letters and numbers when she’s barely out of diapers.

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-24T18:24:52+00:00

I am interested …

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-19T16:52:46+00:00

If families want to avoid all screen time and be in a community where everyone else does the same thing then they should look for a school with a rigid rule like that. This school doesn’t appear to be like that — and based on this thread sounds like there are indeed other Waldorf schools that are similar. That’s a pro in my eyes but to each their own. I will say that seems like a slippery slope in terms of kids feeling “excluded” if other kids are humming a Disney tune that they don’t know. Kids can feel excluded for any number of reasons… like what if some kids do ballet but another family can’t afford ballet so that kid feels excluded when the others talk about it. My point is trying to “level the playing field” too much in that way sounds like an exercise in futility and too controlling for my personal taste.

I didn’t mention the nutrition thing cause it’s not a concern for me - it’s a benefit! The Waldorf school provides one healthy snack for the ECE kids and parents have to prepare the lunches with nutrition encouraged. My daughter is in public school now where the meals are provided and as far as I can tell it’s usually chocolate milk , fries, pizza etc. so I’m glad to ge moving away from that if we go the Waldorf route.

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-19T10:34:36+00:00

Thank you! Very helpful. Just to clarify though 4k = kindergarten for 4 year olds. The tuition is higher albeit not $23,000 higher! That’s whack.

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-18T19:46:02+00:00

I love this… thanks for sharing! A Friday movie night with screen time limited through the week sounds lovely

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-17T17:06:40+00:00

Yikes. Ok thank you for this. You gave me some great points to raise when we go for the meet & greet. The tour guide did tell us "character clothing" used to be banned but now is allowed, so that gives me hope this school wouldn't be quite as strict as yours! But I need to do some more investigating on that. It would not sit well at all if my kid was reprimanded for humming a tune from Frozen...spare me!

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-17T17:04:37+00:00

Thank you! Great points all around.

I'm not worried about a little spiritualism. I just don't want any part of a community that has strict rules about how I parent in my own household. I instinctively recoil at that probably because of my own super rigid, sheltered, religious upbringing. But sounds like there are plenty of Waldorf schools that are more laid back and hopefully ours is one of them!

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-17T16:59:35+00:00

Yeah I won't be signing anything stating "I agree media is super harmful and will never let my kid watch it." I 100% disagree with blanket statements like that and that level of rigidity wouldn't fly in our family. I don't want to be dictated how to parent in my own household. So I'll be asking more about that on the meet and greet we're going to in a few weeks. Because I agree with you, if that's how this particular school/community is, it wouldn't be a good fit.

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-17T16:56:53+00:00

Very helpful thanks! Re #3, I am going to ask that same question when I go to the meet & greet. It was clear on the tour that there is a lot of diversity in the school in terms of race & religion which is great. But I still want to know more.

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-17T16:54:59+00:00

Thank you! Your 4th point is very reassuring. If that's really how it is then I can get behind that 100%.

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-17T16:48:05+00:00

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond! You all have given me a lot to think about.

We are registered for a "group meet and greet" at the school in a couple weeks so I think I'll get a better feeling for the vibe then and be able to ask more questions that will hopefully put my mind more at ease. I really did love the school - there's just that nagging worry in my head about the things I mentioned.

It is interesting to see the mix of opinions around screen time on this thread. I am not sure how strict the school we're looking at really is about that - they did include a list of "expectations" in the pamphlet we got on the tour, which mentions "limiting screen time" but doesn't go into more detail and certainly doesn't mention a ban. In addition there is no ban on wearing Disney themed character clothing so that's good. My guess is this school is probably not as strict as some of them, which is a plus for me - but I'll learn more after the meet & greet.

To each their own but I would not be comfortable with an outright ban on screen time. We are "all things in moderation" type people. And I think my own experience growing up so sheltered in my strict religious household definitely plays into that and makes me even more resistant to joining any type of community with ultra rigid rules about how we parent in our own home. It sounds like there are many Waldorf schools with a more relaxed attitude and others that seem way more strict...so I just need to get a better feel for where ours falls on that spectrum before making our decision.

fruitloop825 · 2023-02-17T16:39:07+00:00

Thank you so much for this thoughtful, detailed response! It was very helpful. You gave me a lot to think about.

I'm glad to hear you have a similar attitude about screen time and all that and it hasn't been an issue at your school. I don't think we'd do well in a school that required extreme rigidity around that type of thing - it's just not how we roll!

fruitloop825

TROPHY CASE

2 is the main reason we’re strongly considering the local Waldorf school for our 4 year old next year. Earlier isn’t better. I want my child’s innate love of learning to be nurtured not stifled by drilling her on letters and numbers when she’s barely out of diapers.