Unprecedented!

Lori showed up tonight bearing a bag of tights and tank tops for Whitney (they're sizes aren't too far apart!) and ended up staying for dinner and what turned out to be an unprecedented night of fun (not that we haven't had fun before, just not this kind).

While eating dinner I told them about a huge math victory I had today, and how great I felt when I found out I'd solved this math problem correctly. They were intrigued (particularly Landon because this is a 7th grade math problem) so after dinner I typed up the story problem (I'd written in my notebook because I was so pleased with myself I wanted to document it) and had them all try to solve it.


Here's the problem:

Tyrone bought a bag of marbles. 1/4 of the marbles were blue, 1/8 were green and 1/5 of the remainder were yellow. If there were 24 yellow marbles, how many marbles did he buy?


I had a couple moments of panic as their pencils flew, for I feared they would solve the problem easily and my victory would be shamed. Instead, they all struggled to find the answer; working for about 15 minutes until Landon eventually figured it out. The way he figured it out had nothing to do with the way I figured it out or how the teacher ended up showing the class, but he still got it right (the boy has some serious math skills).


I was so happy that it didn't end up being easy for them. Lori said there were problems like this on the GRE!


After they stopped trying to figure it out, Landon explained it to them, then I showed them the way I had figured it out.


Apparently working that problem out felt like a game, so we cracked open my PreAlgebra book and I read problems to them and they raced to solve them. This was great practice for me as well because the problems I read them were from the homework of a class I help in (the answers are in the back of the book). I feel much more comfortable with the material now.


Whitney was in the tub for about an hour of our math evening, and was shocked to find us still doing math problems when she got out! She said, "You're sitting there eating popcorn and doing math?!" We were equally shocked, but it really was fun. Lori pointed out that, "It's fun because we don't have to do it."

**Can you solve this problem?
Have you ever had an evening like this?
Am I'm becoming a math nerd? (I hope so!)**

P.S. Yes, Randy is wearing a bib and Lori is wearing an apron (so was I) because we had spaghetti for dinner.

Comment Window Tidbit: Today was a much better day (up again) so I'm feeling way better than I was when I wrote that post yesterday. I appreciate all the kind comments and insights, it's nice to know I'm not alone.

Junior High--My Week in Review

Now that I've got 6 days of junior high under my belt I'm ready to share some insights.

• There is room for improvement in junior-high hygiene. All of these kids should have gone through a Maturation class in 5th and 6th grade and should know by now that daily showers are strongly encouraged. The level of grease accumulated on some of their heads is highly disturbing and could possibly fuel a small country. Don't even get me started on their fingernails, they give me the shivers.

• There is a WIDE range of physical development happening in junior high. There are some 7th graders that are so tiny they could easily be trampled during the chaos of changing classes. Some of them more closely resemble Muppets than teenagers, and some of them resemble bodacious visitors from the planet Hoochie.
• Speaking of planet Hoochie...do these girls not have mothers or are they putting a sweatshirt over their tank tops when they leave the house each day? I have seen more than I would like to of their perky bodies and feel panicked about what they're accidentally (they seem too young to know, at least the ones I'm talking about) doing to the male students and teachers around them. Yikes! (In my opinion, this is a good argument for all-girl or all-boy schools.)

• Landon is exceptional in every way! I've always known he is a great kid, but seriously, his kindness, focus on school work, good attitude and all around good-kidness is off the charts in comparison to many of the kids I've encountered at school. I am thankful!
• That said, these kids seem to be very nice. All the kids I've worked with so far have been pretty sweet. There are some troubled souls that have given my heart pangs, but for the most part the 7th graders I work with are fun loving, good-natured kids who just want to be liked.
• My math struggles all through my education process make me an incredibly empathetic teacher assistant. I am actually able to understand why the student is confused when the teacher can't. Who knew being a math misfit would come in handy later, and it wasn't even on my resume!
  

• I am better at math than I thought I was! This is huge for me because I've always thought I was missing a math gene, but after helping in PreAlgebra today I now think that maybe I just didn't learn it correctly the first time around. Now I am HIGHLY motivated to be a quick study because I have to turn around 5 minutes later and help students with it; this has got me thinking "hey, this isn't so hard." What the?!
• I saw this quote in PreAlgebra class today and felt validated. "Thus intelligence, including math ability, is something a person can learn, not an innate talent." --Ron Richart, Harvard University
• Teachers are funny.

• Junior high kids need to carry more pencils and bigger erasers. It's quite staggering how many of them come to class unprepared. How is this possible day after day? What could be more basic than remembering to bring a pencil to class?
• I like to buy school lunch. So far I've bought salad twice and pizza once, and it's been very good and oh so easy for me to do. Plus, I have the added bonus of a cup of pebble ice to go with it and life is good.

• 75 minutes feels like a long time to have class! I can see the thinking behind it because the teachers are definitely able to cover more material, but I have to say the time does NOT fly.
• Walking to the math trailer from the main building isn't so bad, even in the rain, because it means I get to go outside multiple times a day and that is good for the soul.
• Sometimes I say say "hi" to people (both adults and children) and they don't acknowledge me. I don't see how my corpulent self could be invisible, so I've decided that their lack of response is about them, not me.

• Backpacks are handy. I ditched my purse after day 1 and now carry a backpack while at school. The purse felt ridiculous because I had to carry it from class to class, this way my stuff just blends in and doesn't appear valuable in any way.
• While in English classes I feel like I know ALL the answers no matter what they're talking about, and that's a great feeling! The ESL class I was in today started reading a simplified version of Frankenstein, and I felt slightly giddy that I know that book so well.

• I don't understand why anyone would wear false eyelashes unless they're on Broadway or something. I saw a 7th grader wearing them today and I couldn't stop staring at them. She looked like she was wearing a costume! But then again, I saw a lady at church yesterday wearing them also and thought she went from looking pretty to looking pretty weird. Of course, I'm no style guru so what do I know about it?

Edited to add:

• As I observe the kids in class, I notice that most of them are fidgety and some are beyond fidgety. There is a lot of pencil tapping, pen clicking, desk tapping, leg shaking, hair twirling, position shifting and on and on. Certainly not all of them are ADHD, but it feels like a lot of them are. And the ones that are are fighting an uphill battle for sure. It is so obvious that they can't focus and have pretty much given up on trying; that must make for a painfully long day for them.
  
• Most of the math students I work with do NOT know their Times Tables very well. This is shocking to me since Whitney (who is in 4th grade) has to spend 10 minutes a night doing flashcards in order to pass them off in class (she passed off her 12's today). After seeing these kids struggle to figure out what numbers go into 24, I am more committed than ever to make sure Whitney knows these inside and out and backwards and forwards.
  

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: It is Fall-o-rific today with rain, leaves blowing and falling everywhere and the smell of burning wood wafting through the air.

Excellent Time Manager...Who Me?

Hey guess what? I have been rather busy the past few days and have loads more busyness on deck, but I've actually been managing my time beautifully and am not panicked or behind schedule at all. No one is more surprised than me!


Over the past few days I have...

Cleaned out the fridge
Prepared and presented Sharing Time
Had a stewardship meeting
Taught Family Home Evening
Thoroughly cleaned the house
Made spinach dip
Coached two soccer practices
Talked to Michelle
Took Whitney to buy school supplies
Took Landon and Austin to meet my mom for a sleepover
Watered the lawn
Sorted through the summer build-up on the kitchen dresser
Cut a cantaloupe and half a huge watermelon
Watched some TV
Talked to Kristi
Slept well!
Almost finished my book club book
Done many loads of laundry

How about that?! This is so unlike me that I feel like shouting from the roof tops (though I have no idea how I'd get up there). I'm not quite sure what I'd shout, maybe something like "I'm really well prepared!", or "Hey, I managed my time well" or "I'm not a total schmuck this time", or "Apparently I CAN learn". Any suggestions? I keep think Natasha (aka the Ultimate Planner/Prepared Girl) would be proud, but then again, I don't think my version of well prepared is even close to as good as hers...I guess I'm baby stepping.

**Do you work well under pressure?
How are your time management skills?
Why are these Asians shouting?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Randy just called me to the bathroom to investigate "an unusual smell". Of course I was frightened and not willing to participate until he said, "It's either skunk or coffee beans." It was skunk smell coming through the bathroom window!

Thoughts Upon Waking Early

My bladder or maybe the birds woke me up at 5:45am on this fine Saturday morning, but upon returning to bed (giddily so) I was surprised to find that my mind was awake (and singing an Indigo Girls song) and that I sneezed repeatedly (either I'm getting Whitney's cold or I developed an allergy over night).

I always say that I wish I was an early riser, but I didn't mean today! Ha. After sneezing 4 more times I decided to get up, so here I am semi-voluntarily awake at 6:00am on a Saturday...so this is what dawn looks like, who knew?

What to do, what to do? I've got cookies to bake for church tomorrow (Father's Day treat), Sharing Time to work on (again!), books to read, shows to watch, a walk to take, Betsy to talk to at 8:00, a potato dish to prepare and on and on.

Updated at 9:20am to add: I'm a fraud. I'm not an early riser, I was a victim of sleep interuptus not finishedus. I blogged for awhile, drank my instant breakfast, then laid down on the couch to read until Betsy called. She didn't call! I just woke up and it's 9:20am!

**Would you have gotten up?
What would you do with this time?
Are you an early riser?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I think 5 parenthetical asides in one small, 3 paragraph post may be a record for me, but I love them so (I really do).

Like Beach Bunnies, But Different

You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging about weekly outings to Seven Peaks this year, and that's because we're not going anymore. They changed their policy about bringing food into the park and that pretty much ruined things for us. Amie and Melinda are still going and have been happy with it, though they have to go outside the park to eat lunch, but the new policy felt like a betrayal to Michelle and I so we got refunds for our season passes.

Instead, we're going to our local pool, which allows food and is much closer. Landon and I met up with Michelle and her kids on Monday afternoon (Whitney was at a different pool with her friend Madison).


I brought cups of Tang-covered pebble ice for Michelle and I and made a believer out of her. I'm toying with the thought of putting Tang over vanilla ice cream for a creamsicle affect, doesn't that sound good?


This grasshopper took up residence on the handle of Michelle's bag, and though it was causing no harm, Eva was scandalized by its presence. Michelle didn't mind it sitting there, but apparently has bad childhood memories of hopping grasshoppers, so she wasn't keen on its random movements once it left her bag.

I actually rescued a grasshopper from the pool later in the day and was quite proud of myself for saving it from drowning. I was thinking this would be a good Karma-type thing, but then remembered the earwig I washed down my shower that morning and wondered if there are certain levels of bug-saving accolades. Surely killing bugs in your house is different than letting an innocent bug outside die, right? Maybe I'm crazy.


I decided that everything tastes better when at the pool (or beach). Landon always chooses
White Cheddar Cheez-its, and I brought Pringles. It could also be that they were both freshly newly opened, but I still think there's something more to it.


Michelle and I were very surprised to see blogging friend Lindsay sitting right in front of us with her beautiful new baby girl. Lindsay recognized Eva playing in the water and then spotted us. It was horrifying to be spotted in our swim ensembles, but it was still nice to talk to Lindsay.

I love the look of the water in the late-day sun!

Poor Michelle had shoes with some flip and no flop. Her recent $1 flip flops pulled apart and had to be trashed.

On Tuesday, Whitney and I spent 3 hours cleaning the garage (again!). She sorted through all the toy bins without complaint (amazing). She was motivated by the promise of going to the pool later in the day and by the delight she had each time she "found" a toy she thought was missing.

So we picked up Landon and his friend and finally got to the pool just after 5:00pm. The boys played great together, and Whitney played so well by herself. She used her dinosaur toy and goggles to create some sort of game. I love it that she's so independent!


Because we'd gotten to the pool so late, I was able to find a good spot in the shade to read my book. I had intended to swim with the kids, but when they didn't need my company and when I wasn't overheated I ended up loving my set-up. I could watch the kids in the pool and read my book in the comfort of my own chair. It was bliss!


Our location near the fence also gave us a handy way to hang our towels. I'm always trying to get the towels to dry in-between visits from the kids (though they never seem to appreciate or try this themselves) and this did the job beautifully. Who would have thought I'd voluntarily go to the pool multiple times a week?

**What snacks do you like to take to the pool?
Do you have issues with grasshoppers?
What's your policy on killing bugs in the house?
Do you try to dry towels in-between swim times?
Is there such a thing as pool bliss for you?**

Creative Friday--Regrouping Edition

It seems like ages since Michelle and I were able to get together for Creative Friday, and I guess it kind of was because April 24th sounds far away to me now. We got together yesterday rather than have to miss another week since Michelle and the kids are driving to Colorado to meet up with her family for a little vacation this weekend.


Yesterday was the first day in almost 2 weeks that Michelle's house wasn't in a state of flood-recovery chaos, so she was giddy. I brought an Alfredo, Tomato, Ham pizza from Pizza Factory for our lunch, and it felt like a tasty reward.


Eva was playing with the new Play-Doh set I gave her for her birthday, but kept wanting Michelle's help with various things. Poor Michelle was getting flustered, and the volume and frequency of Eva's comments and questions was such that we could hardly finish a sentence without an interruption.


At one point, Eva was sitting at the table with us waiting for her lunch (which just couldn't be cooked fast enough...those pesky quesadillas, how dare they take 4 minutes to cook!) and decided to count loudly to 100. She continued to do this during the quesadilla's cooling period as well. Michelle and I were laughing and trying to decide if this was going to turn into Creative Friday--Earplugs Edition or not. I grabbed Michelle's camera and took video of Eva doing this, so hopefully Michelle will post it so you can get the idea.


Michelle and I were finally able to work on our projects and have a conversation in relative peace once Eva moved into the family room to play a Littlest Pet Shop game on the Wii. Michelle was busy cutting and packaging her cute birthday gift tags.


Lisa recently sent Michelle a birthday box and included some of her favorite snacks from Trader Joe's for us to have during Creative Friday. How nice is that?!


I was feeling seriously back logged with my intended correspondence so it was wonderful to sit down and write 10 cards! I was telling Michelle that last week at our last PTA Meeting of the year (woohoo) we had a huge stack of thank you cards to write to all our Walk-A-Thon sponsors, and how some of the women were grumbling about not liking to write thank you notes, but how I had no problem at all with the task and ended up writing many notes with no hesitation.


It was the first time I realized how "in practice" I am and how great it was to feel the ease of it. It's a very rare day that I feel "in-shape" in life, but apparently when it comes to thank you notes I'm in the best shape of my life, ha! Who knew? (As of yesterday I have sent 1204 pieces of good mail since January 2006!)


Michelle ended up having a pleasing stack of envelopes ready to mail, except for the postage.

Our self-portrait at the end of the day.

**Does that pizza look good to you?
Do you ever want earplugs during the day?
What kind of thank-you note "shape" are you in?

Do you love Michelle's tags?**

SPT--Something New

I had a lawn mowing epiphany last summer, and ended up mowing the lawn a couple more times, but Randy still held onto it as one of his duties.


But 3 weeks ago, when it was time to mow the lawn for the first time this year, I found myself itching to do it. Part of it was because it was ridiculously long and I was preparing for Michelle and Kristi to come and stay with me, but part of it was because I really wanted to do it.

I have decided that it's like really satisfying vacuuming with results that last about a week. I love being outside (unless it's beastly hot), love the smell of it, love zoning out in my thoughts, and love the finished product. This is definitely a new love for me!

**Will you do this SPT?
Do you like mowing the lawn?
Do you ever wonder what else you
might love that you haven't discovered yet?**

Up in Arms

On Saturday morning at 7:45 (too freakin early) I met up at the church with some other women from the ward for a shooting class. There were 8 of us, along with one of the men from the ward. We drove to Springville to a shooting range and had a private tutorial from the owner of the place.

We met in a classroom first, where he tried to teach us how to determine which was our dominant eye (mine is my right eye) and hilarity ensued. It was such a comedy of errors as most of the women could not figure it out. It was a tad confusing, and there was much "left no right, but wait if the target disappears when I close this eye then what?" I think everyone got it figured out, but the couple of us who had it figured out thought it was pretty funny.


We were then outfitted in ear and eye protection which proved to be highly flattering to me...not.


We received some instruction from the guy from our ward, though I mainly benefited from Tonya's (dark ponytail in photo below) expertise since she definitely knew what she was doing. She brought her own rifle, pistol and ammo (ammunition for you lay folk) and taught me how to load the bullets, hold the guns, aim and fire. She's very impressive.


Since there were so few of us we didn't really have to take turns, we all had our own little shooting cubby. (I'm sure that's the official term.)


I was rather taken with the whole scene and was so glad I brought my camera. This was so NOT your mother's Enrichment Class!


This is me shooting a .22 pistol, which was surprisingly easy to do. I felt like an officer seen on TV, but different.

I also shot a cowboy-type pistol that I loaded myself and had to cock back before shooting (ala Clint Eastwood).

Here is my target.

This is me being like Sarah Prine, but with a scope! (Remember that scene where the rattlesnake is on the rocking chair with her toddler? I got him!)

Shooting is very loud! Also, you can see a small flame when the bullet first "fires". I tried to get a picture of that, but it was too fast for my camera. There's also smoke and a definite scent that come after a gun is fired. Things like this are just kind of cool to experience, as long as it's in a very safe setting right?

Not something I've ever seen before.

At the end of our session the owner brought out one of his HK MP5 sub machine guns (I had to ask Randy about this because I was clueless). But it's the kind of gun that S.W.A.T. teams use because the bullets come out fast (like a machine gun) but don't penetrate more than 2 walls thickness; so if they're doing a drug bust or something they don't kill the neighbors too (yikes). It was truly bizarre to hold and shoot such a big gun, but it was really easy to do once they showed me how to hold it.


Here's our group photo from the end of our session. It was totally worth getting up so early on a Saturday for (even though I couldn't sleep until after 3:00am #$@!).

Edited to add: This was for an Enrichment group class and was advertised as "Being like Annie Oakley". It wasn't about learning how to kill, it was just about learning something new.

**Have you ever been shooting?
Do you know which is your dominant eye?
What do you think??**