sgilli31614 | ExpatWoman.com
 

sgilli31614

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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 June 2016 - 15:47
http://www.viss.ae/Links/home.aspx VISS is the Victoria International School Sharjah
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 January 2015 - 09:37
http://uaehomeschool.wordpress.com/northern-emirates-homeschool-association/how-to-join-neha/ Duneha is a UAE homeschooling group. There are many families home educating in the UAE.
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Latest post on 13 December 2014 - 04:41
You're welcome! We homeschooled for many years whilst in the UAE ( and still hs one of our children), and found there to be many families who home educated, in the region.
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Latest post on 12 December 2014 - 03:54
There is a large group of families homeschooling in the Emirates. There were a few families from the RAK and Ajman area. Here is the link to the homeschooling group. http://uaehomeschool.wordpress.com
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 July 2014 - 13:25
I guess it depends on what you call a large family. We have 4 children, and certainly don't see us as a large family. My 5 closest friends all have 4 children, so it seems average to us... :-) In our close group of friends, 3 families each have 8 children, another 10, and another 12 children- to me, they are large families. For us the only con I guess was that we had to buy a larger car, as our ute only seats 5. The pros? There are lots of them! The kids enjoy each other's company ( most of the time) and we enjoy being with them. I really don't think they have or are missing out on anything, nor do I feel like that for us.
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Latest post on 05 July 2013 - 12:22
I certainly understand where you are coming from. I'm a SAHM to 4 ( 15,14,6,2) and still have days when I think about whether I'm 'done' or not. There are days when I'm quite sure I don't want another, then the biological clock starts ticking and my thoughts are consumed with having another child. Have had one of 'those' days with the youngest today,so my click is certainly NOT ticking today :-)
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Latest post on 11 June 2013 - 11:28
*****Update***** Well ladies, an update. Started building a few months ago and we are about 5 weeks off finishing the house. Currently running only 1 week behind schedule- and still on budget (yay!) Dh has been living in van on site for a couple of months. At this stage kids and I will be moving into the van only a couple of weeks before we move in ( once bathrooms in the are operational) Most importantly- firebox being installed on Friday...brrrrrrr <em>edited by sgilli3 on 11/06/2013</em>
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Latest post on 25 May 2013 - 03:41
No regrets here. We have homeschooled for the past 9 years. People choose to homeschool for many different reasons: special needs children, gifted child, financial reasons, distance from a school etc. For us, it was more of a lifestyle choice. DH traveled a lot for work, and homeschooling meant that we could travel with him without being tied to school terms,and that in turn meant that the times he was home, he got to spend time with the kids. It certainly isn't the right choice for everyone, but for us it has been a positive experience. As for curriculum- we never followed one: instead we made decisions based on what the kids were passionate about at the time.
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Latest post on 21 May 2013 - 11:49
I actually thought home schooling at all in Dubai was illegal. People get around it by being enrolled in the K-12 school but they have to be enrolled somewhere? Homeschooling is not illegal nor do you have to be registered with an umbrella school ( such as K12 or Calvert etc) There is a large, thriving homeschool community in the UAE I'm back in Oz now, and even here you don't need to be enrolled under a school. OP the only issue I would see is that unless you are sponsoring the teacher, having them work for you without sponsorship would be seen as illegal. Are you not able to facilitate the learning yourself ?
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Latest post on 19 May 2013 - 14:36
I have suffered from sleep paralysis for about 20 years, and it doesn't get less scary. It has been a year or so since my last attack. I have found that the majority have happened around times that I have been quite stressed or run down. They are not nice. At. All.
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Latest post on 11 May 2013 - 10:50
I bought mine in 2005 at Geant for around150dhs and it is still going strong- and as a homeschooler it was used all.the.time! Great value for money. The brand is Ednet
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 May 2013 - 11:13
We moved back to Oz and are only a few weeks from moving into a house we have been building in the country. Can.not.wait- BUT- my dream is to pack up the caravan and just travel around the whole of the country:no schedules,no itinerary. Best we live in the new house a while before we head off again!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 May 2013 - 07:51
There is an Australian school in Sharjah. Its location is convenient if you live in the Mirdif area. It is worth looking into. I'm not sure if they are continuing with the QLD curriculum. I heard from a parent that they were looking for IB accreditation in the future. I think this was VISS though, AISS might still be sticking with the Aust curriculum. VISS follows the Victorian curriculum.
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Latest post on 30 March 2013 - 07:19
This is a list of suggestions i used to use when we were still living in the UAE. We are now back in Oz, and #4 is a 2 year old, so I still use ideas from this list! Also, there is a link to a few excellent Pinterest boards with 1000's of ideas. * painting ( oil pastels and watercolours) * painting with shaving cream ( mixed with a little glue) * painting with water outside * marble painting ( putting paper in an old baking dish, add sheet of paper, and drops of paint. Add a marble, and move tray from side to side) * drawing ( pencils, crayons, textas, chalk, charcoal etc) * cutting ( string, papers, ) * cut and pasting ( felt, fabric scraps, cotton, string, papers) * pasting ( glitter, felt, foam strips, cotton balls, stickers, patty pans, match sticks etc) * playing with dolls ( dressing them, dolls house, bath time- with a big bowl of water, soap etc) * threading and beading ( cotton spools, dried macaroni, fruit loops etc) * puzzles ( numerous wooden puzzle of varying difficulty) * blocks ( wooden and foam) * tanagrams ( following patterns) * sensory tray ( currently filled with small and large pebbles. She adds animals, cars, people etc). You could fill with sand , water etc. * Scoop + measure ( a container filled with dried beans,measuring cups, sieve, jugs, measuring spoons, bowls, kitchen scales) * tea set ( made from real china- glasses, vases, plates, tea pot etc) * play dough ( home made- if you like I can send you the recipe- a batch usually last us up to about 6 months, when wrapped in cling wrap, and stored in an airtight container) * blow pens * stamping ( stamps, ink pads, kitchen utensils such as old potato mashers also make great stampers!) * Bubble mixture * reading * whiteboard ( magnetic letters and whiteboard textas) * board games * using a variety of hole punches Some of #4's favourite activities are: *he spends hrs on his balance bike *sandpit *water play *he plays with a set of keys and locks for ages, trying to undo them all *trampoline http://pinterest.com/playathomemom3/ http://pinterest.com/NLieuOPreschool/ (my favourite) Hope this gives you a starting point!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 February 2013 - 06:21
I meant to add that Pinterest is another great place to get toddler activity/craft inspiration from.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 February 2013 - 05:02
As a long time homeschooler, I would say just learning through play and life itself is enough for an 18m old. If looking for some ideas to try with your DS, here are some links to blogs that I have followed over the years. http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/ http://delightfullearning.blogspot.com.au/ http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com.au/ http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/ http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/ <em>edited by sgilli3 on 26/02/2013</em>
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Latest post on 11 December 2012 - 01:21
Ladies what is VISS? I can't find the name of the school. We are Australian and I am considering which schools to register in. Won't go to AIS as its too far from where we live so if VISS is Aussie then I will consider otherwise we will go for IB curriculum. Just like AIS, VISS ( Victorian International School of Sharjah), is located in Sharjah. Here is the link to the school. http://www.viss.ae/viss/Links/home.aspx
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 01 December 2012 - 13:02
Although we home educated our children whilst in UAE, if they were ever to attend a school, it would have been VISS. We had dealings with them as our children sat external exams through them- and we were not only impressed with the schools facilities, but the staff were fabulous to deal with ( most of whom were Australian)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 04 November 2012 - 08:59
You're welcome! It is a great blog- enjoy reading through it again!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 November 2012 - 01:20
I wonder if this is what you mean. I have made them with my kids- there are lots of pics on net,but I originally found pics on this blog: http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/me-on-map.html <em>edited by sgilli3 on 03/11/2012</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 October 2012 - 15:51
My kids are 14 (almost 15),13,6 and 20 months. I *hate* how quickly the time seems to pass. As I type this,the 20 m old has been asleep in my arms for almost an hr (its just after 9.30 pm here), and I loathe to put him to bed. Im enjoying the moment: the smell of his freshly washed hair, the warmth of his pjs against me, the heavy,rhythmic breathing,the silence :-) Enjoy every precious moments with the kids, no matter what the age. Sigh.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 October 2012 - 12:45
Season 2 starts here in Oz on Sunday Oct 14th...can.not.wait!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 September 2012 - 10:19
Im a huge fan of Soneva Gili (yep, thats where my user name stems from) I believe its now known as Gili Lankanfushi- it is only a 20 min speed boat ride from Male airport- and well worth the visit!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 August 2012 - 02:06
Plumie,You aren't going crazy- I do remember the thread and I have searched and can not find it either. If it is the same thread I'm thinking of,as a PP said,it was a discussion by Sugarbeach. I commented on it too,as it was a problem that my daughter had/has. Even though we were seen by the hospital staff over in the UAE my daughter didn't officially begin treatment for the issue until we moved back to Australia.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 July 2012 - 04:29
There are quite a few homeschoolers in the UAE. Here is the link to the Northern Emirates group. I also believe there is a Facebook page for them too. http://uaehomeschool.wordpress.com/
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 June 2012 - 16:19
Hubby is staying in Nar Nar Goon at the moment ( about 50kms from Moe), and said everything shook for about 10 seconds.Took a few minutes to realise what was happening. Scary. Mother in law was on her couch in Cheltenham-said it moved with her on it-and she is no lightweight! Hahahaha- too funny Wuffles. Glad MIL ( and couch) are Ok. ( My brother is in Cheltenham/Waterways so not far)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 June 2012 - 15:46
Hubby is staying in Nar Nar Goon at the moment ( about 50kms from Moe), and said everything shook for about 10 seconds.Took a few minutes to realise what was happening. Scary.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 June 2012 - 14:25
@ A.Rancher- think your was a good suggestion. Thinking of staying in this rental at least until shed finished. Thank you. @ Brigida Hoping that as we are owner-builders we can keep build on track ( though the plumbing,sewage systems and setting up the hybrid power system will be contracted out- so wont have a lot of control there) Our house is actually almost divided into 3 sections, so it is possible to build on part at a time ( garage, living,dining,kitchen in the 1st section)
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Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 11:32
Hello Sgilli, sounds awesome ...but personally living with my brothers and sisters in a small space would drive me insane! The siblings I have know who have been home schooled seem to develop skills to get on well with each other which hopefully will help in this situation Yep- kids are really close- sure they have spats every now and then, but they actually enjoy each others company.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 11:30
Hahaha- I will be waiting to hear when you are back in town! The good 'ol post digger. You def need to visit now I know you can use one! We had some dorper sheep wander into our property recently. Trying to round them up into one area was insane! We were trying to keep them from some trees we planted that were finally taking off. Penned them up, went back next day to check on them and they were out of the pen,spread all over the block. Arrgghh! It took us ages to round them up and herd them toward the farm where we thought they strayed from. Every time we had them running in front of car, one would dash off behind us and the others would follow. Crazy animals!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 11:17
Well if you can get a nice warm shed set up-go for it! The children can start to make friends locally and join in some activities and you can all get planting! All the best whatever you decide Land is in same town where we are ( just out of town a bit) so already have friends here. Perhaps you need to make a trip out to help us with the planting. The offer is there- you are more than welcome ....lol
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 11:06
No wildlife as such where we are- its all farming paddocks ( we will be only house on our road - just surrounded by sheep and cattle farms, and olive groves) Have got most of our fencing done ( needed to as part of our planning permits to show we were actually going to farm our land), and we pick up 80 fruit trees in the middle of July (have planning for 300). Just the logistics of trying to start the (hobby)farm will be easier with us being there full time ( to be able to water crops when needed etc). Both DH and my brother are in the construction industry so thankfully have many good contacts, and have also sourced many from town (like your brother, this is only a very small town, so we try and support it by using local products/services)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 10:53
Hello Wuffles! Neerim Sth way is lovely.Very nice and green! Shed will be fully lined, and van will be undercover, in the carport section of shed. Shed will be like your brothers- large garage/workshop- men and their sheds! Like your brother,building wise its much easier to be on site- especially when doing it yourself.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 10:41
Not sure which part of OZ you are in where living in a Shed/Caravan is considered 'normal?? Lived in OZ most of my life and never heard of people doing it! I think most of the councils I have lived in wouldn't have appreciated this either... but then I am a suburban girl.. Loads to consider.. if you are homeschooling then you need an appropriate area to do this. A Caravan will not cut it for this, so a major strike before you even think about comfort and amenity aspects. I work best with lists.. 2 columns.. pros and cons... Then categorise the cons into 1) minor discomfort/issue, 2)major discomfort/issue, 3)work-around possible, 4)Deal-breaker.. This will give you a better picture of what situation you may be in and at least if you decide to do it you have assessed the 'worst case scenario'.. We are in county Vic- very normal to live in a shed or van when building. Living in a van would be no different than those who do it full time ( in caravan parks) Our shed has planning permission for a loo & shower and will be like many other basic 'weekender' sheds in the country.They only have to pass the occupancy permit on house not shed. Not sure why van would be unsuitable to school in- it has a table. Not sure what an appropriate area to use would look like ( we currently use dining table, bedrooms,lounge, trampoline- whatever floats our boat on the day) I like your idea of dividing list into more than just pros and cons, and having columns such as minor discomfort vs deal breakers!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 09:18
if the children are home schooling, and you are in home country, maybe conceder sending the kids to your mum's or your DH's mum's? They will spend some time with them, but not for long periods at a time due to family members commitments too ( in laws will also help us with build when visiting- they and my mum live interstate) Eldest DD is off next week to stay with inlaws for a week to work on her woodwork project ( I can almost hear the silence now)
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Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 09:14
Yeah I have heard its here. Must look into whether its on free TV or not ( dont have paid Tv channels) We do get GD, old repeats currently that class with dinner time. May have to download some episodes to catch. Im guessing, van+ owner-building+ kids = crazy stress levels ( or am I just being a pessimist?)
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Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 08:59
You too Redlesley! x Anticipating the build to take between 6-12 months ( we are doing it ourselves). That allows some leeway with weather delays and for the times DH has to be away ( he is back to Dubai for most of July). I have a horrible feeling I will actually have to do some of the hard work- not just picking out homewares...lol
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Latest post on 13 June 2012 - 12:38
my 7 yr old is in grade 2 going to grade 3 from sep, sometimes he struggles with slightly complex math problems. i have got him many workbooks and go to different math websites on teacher recommendations. He has done well in other subjects and i am proud of him.but his math grades are just average inspite of hard work,he is very capable but what can i do to develop his interest in maths??? Is there a particular area of math he is struggling with ie: subtraction? Im not a huge fan of workbooks, especially in the younger children, so perhaps trying more 'Living Math' with him ( ie: hands on,fun math stories etc. There is a site dedicated to using Living Math http://www.livingmath.net/Home/tabid/250/language/en-US/Default.aspx I home educate my kids and I find that my Prep student ( almost 6) thrives using hand on math lessons, and showing hera sum,how to work it out etc helps her in mastering a concept. Some ideas: give your DS a whiteboard and let him write up his sums : let him use a mini blackboard : water play ( volume etc) : measuring out ingredients for cooking :pattern making ( beads,tangrams etc) :measuring objects around home ( I made a card with photos of items from around house, and goy youngest DD to write in her estimations, then measure items. She loved it) : we play lots of games such as Monopoly, and Blokus : counting out money : reading. Currently, Im teaching DD about place values and have been reading books such as this. http://pinterest.com/sgilli3/homeschooling-math/ : How about making some file folder games? http://filefolderfun.com/PreschoolCounting.html
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 June 2012 - 09:57
Sounds delish! Will add ingredients to next shopping list! Thanks for sharing Irooni. x
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 June 2012 - 06:45
We caravan a lot with the kids. Are you going to be cooking in the motor home ( powered sites) or cooking outside on gas/bbqs etc ( at non powered sites?) We tend to stay at non powered sites, so I do most of our cooking on a triple gas hot plate ( we use a bbq or weber if staying for more than a few days) I tend to cook a lot of pasta dishes ( 1 pot for the water) then in 2nd pot brown up chicken etc,add some vegies and pasta sauce, then serve over the drained pasta. We also eat :toasted sandwiches, pancakes,omeletts/scrambled eggs, curry ( 1 pot cooks rice with the meat etc cooks in another), fried rice etc. We pretty much eat what we do at home - anything I can cook on stove at home I cook whilst caravaning.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 June 2012 - 06:38
I use a quite a few of the Montessori nomenclature cards, when working on unit studies with my kids, though primarily we follow the Reggio Emilia style of learning/teaching. There are lots of sites which you can print off free nomenclature cards, and heaps of inspiring great blogs out there, of families using the Montessori methods of teaching.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 06 June 2012 - 08:33
I usually get about 9-10 hr. I tend to jump into bed anywhere from 10 -10.30pm and am up with the kids around 7.30-8.00am I can almost guarantee that if I stay up too late, that the LO will wake during the night....How do they know? Yawn. I also love a cap-nap a few times a week.Part cat for sure! I think you are the luckiest from the lot of us!;) Thats if LO doesn't wake. It's rare if he wakes( maybe a couple of times a month) but when he does, you can put me in the tired & shattered category! I function much better with sleep. Seriously couldn't do what you do- getting up at 5.30 am day. I take my hat off to you!
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Latest post on 06 June 2012 - 06:22
I usually get about 9-10 hr. I tend to jump into bed anywhere from 10 -10.30pm and am up with the kids around 7.30-8.00am I can almost guarantee that if I stay up too late, that the LO will wake during the night....How do they know? Yawn. I also love a cap-nap a few times a week.Part cat for sure!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 June 2012 - 11:10
You are more than welcome.x I remember reading the thread with much interest. I typed 'dyslexia' into the search section as that term is frequently used when discussing reading/comprehension issues....ok- and there was some luck involved. Life here is fab. It has been an icy cold day, which I have spent curled up on couch reading with the kids.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 June 2012 - 11:03
Was it this thread Plum2? http://www.expatwoman.com/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=178424
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Latest post on 29 May 2012 - 12:19
I have 2 girls & 2 boys. My girls names are Georgia Lauren & Maya Lakia. If the last DS had have been a girl,he was probably going to be named Gracie Lola.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 May 2012 - 15:28
Thanks Hilsbils- I did think of that option ( and was so proud of myself...lol), but was hoping there was a better way.Bummer. Salitia- I will have a look at that. Perhaps that could be my time saviour!
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Latest post on 19 May 2012 - 15:24
Thanks Plain-Jane. Unfortunately there are lots of pics on there, that will need to be downloaded. Perhaps de-activating the account is the way to go until I can work out a fast way of moving them. Hmm- may have to look into that side of things SalsB
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Latest post on 19 May 2012 - 15:14
Some of the originals I have as they were loaded from my camera,into an album, then I moved some pics from those albums to FB. The ones Im worried about are ones that were taken via phone and pics were discarded afterwards. I used to have a nasty habit of deleting the originals after posting, as I never download stuff from phone -silly,I know.