What do you use to teach a Foreign Language?

Foreign Language Help! Do any of you know of curricula or program that will be helpful? We over the years have had people give us various version of Rosetta Stone, but the kids don't like them! They want to learn things like French, German, but I don't know what to use to teach them.  I don't know much myself; so I need a program, curricula, that will teach them (and me) everything including proper pronunciation. 

Any suggestions you have would be great! Thanks for the help!!!

What is that? A TV Dinner

For dinner tonight we are having a TV dinner. This is all honestly something that has never happen in this house before. You can tell by this dialog.

Me: Dad is stopping on his way home to pick up some TV dinners for dinner.
Superstar: He's doing what?
Me: He's stopping at the store to pick up some TV dinners for dinner tonight.
Superstar: What's a TV dinner?
Me: It's a meal that you buy in the frozen food section that you heat up and eat.
Superstar: Is it tradition to eat those meals in front of the TV?
Me: Yes, I think it is tradition that is why it's called a TV dinner.
Superstar: Can we eat in front of the TV then tonight?
Web-princess: I want to eat in front of the TV too!!
Me: (chuckling) yes you can.

The whole thing made me chuckle because I know by the time I was 9 and 8 I surely knew what a TV dinner was!!!  Next they will be watching some TV show and will be asking why the phone is attached to the wall or why is that CD so big?? LOL

 

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Colorful Words

We aren't the type "really" cuss, but sometimes words like shit and dam cross our lips. They tend to happen out of pure frustration without any real thought. Our kids like all kids have picked those things up. And seeing we aren't ones to do it often they don't do it often. Although I will say when they do it, we do correct them and explain that even though those words may cross mommy and daddy's lips at times they are not words we should say seeing they aren't really polite.

So where am I going with this. Well Hubby took the kids to confession Tuesday night. It was about 10-20 minutes till confession was to start, but the church doors were still locked. Hubby, seeing it was warmer out then it had been, asked the kids if they were okay with standing outside (somewhat sheltered from the wind) near the doors and just wait for them to be unlocked. To which Superstar replied:

I would if it wasn't for these dam holes in the knees. My legs are cold!

OOPS!!! Hubby took the time to explain to Superstar how using dam wasn't appropriate. Superstar then said "Well I learned it from you!" Yes, even daddy can mess up and teach the kids some things that are less then stellar! I'm sure there are things that your kids have parroted from you that you aren't thrilled with so please share!

OOPS for mommy for not mending the pants by putting some patches on the knees. I've been meaning to do that, but haven't. Think of it every time he puts them on, but fail to remember later!

Moody Boys

Do prepubescent boys get moody? Do they have mood swings? And other issues? I've read enough to know that puberty for boys can start as early as 9. SS is 9, will be 10 in about 5 months. So it's totally POSSIBLE that I'm dealing with a prepubescent boy. Early physical signs of puberty in a boys has to do with the male genitals. Of course that being the case I have NO physical signs to go by. What I do have is a little boy that is awfully moody lately.

I want to clarify that he is NOT having tantrums, well in my opinion they aren't tantrums, but just I don't he just gets moody. The other day at the store I accidentally ran into him with the shopping cart. Nothing major, just accidentally ran over his heal. I'm sure if you have let your kids push the cart time to time you've had the same thing happen to you. I immediately apologized, told him I wasn't paying attention, and that I was sorry. Well he just cross his arms, made that angry face of his, and didn't talk to me for the rest of shopping trip and the car ride home.

Another example: Telling SS to get in the bath. He drops the toy he had, sticks out his bottom lip, hang his head, and moves very slowly to his room to get his clothing, then the bathroom, etc. He was doing what I asked, but clearly he is not "happy" about it.

He has ALWAYS been one that needs to know the game plan. If we are leaving the house he wants a list of where we are going. Lately, if the list is not the same as what I said, or if I decided to go to another store or somewhere else, I get from him "You didn't say this ..........." or "why do we have to go here too?". These questions are coupled with the pouty lips, cross arms, and the I'm not going to talk to you for a long period of time. Oh and the looks.... I get at these moments. They are more of a how dare you HURT me this way type looks.  Really I'm not hurting him by having him take a bath or stopping at this store, or leaving the house again for the second time today, etc. (That's another one too I deal with from BOTH kids. If they have to leave the house more then once a day it's a nightmare)

Okay, nightmare is a bit of over exaggeration but the way they both act at times (to leaving a second time) you would think I was asking them to chop of an arm or something major like that. Of course by the time we get where we are going are FINE. It's frustrating cause they are doing what they are suppose to be doing, but they just let me know they aren't HAPPY with it.

I don't have to yell at them or tell them more then once to do something. It's just seem, especially from my son, if its something that he doesn't want to do the attitude I get is how dare you hurt me this way by having me do ______. Or how dare you hurt me by accidentally by _________.

I think the topper came today. He wanted to do the funnix program and I said that was fine, but I needed to finish up what I was working on first. He wasn't happy about it, left to his room, and just shut the door. NOT slam it, just shut it. I finished what I was doing, printed off what I needed for the funnix program and went to his room...knocked on his door and when to open it, but I could NOT physically open his door. In the matter of 5-10 minutes it took me to finish up what I was doing, and print off the paper work I needed he had moved several heavy objects in front of his door, preventing me from opening it. I told him, (calmly I might add) to put everything away so we can do funnix.

I then left to turn on the kids computer and by the time the computer loaded he was standing in front of me. I asked him what the deal was. (why was all that stuff in front of his door).  He said that he did that because he felt that I thought what I was doing was more important then him. What?? How is telling him okay hold on let me finish this makes what I'm doing more important them him??  This again is just one of those moody moments that I've been dealing with. If it's not the way he thinks it should be it's an issue.  Okay I know this is long and more of a rant then anything, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm dealing with a prepubescent boy! I mean do they get moody like that? If so what can I do to help?