Money Math Lesson

Once upon a time, my aunt and uncle made a grocery store for my brother and me.  Just some shelving filled with a bunch of empty cans and boxes, and a case that served as a holder for our "fruits" and "vegetables" and as a cash register stand, but we played with it up in an attic room for hours on end.

I couldn't help but remember that wonderful little store when I created one of my own for my own girls this afternoon.  My 2nd grader, a math whiz, is having a hard time grasping the whole money thing, so to give her practice, I created a game of it.

We don't have room for a store like my aunt and uncle built so I did the next best thing:

I printed out several sheets of play money.  I suppose I could have used Monopoly money but this was cute and served the purpose.  I skipped printing the coins -- I don't have the patience for cutting those out -- and used real coins instead.  For easier handling, I stashed the coins in snack baggies.

Next, I printed out some price tags and wrote a bunch of random prices on them.

My 5-year-old helped pick products out of the pantry (canned goods, box of rice, box of cereal, etc.) and we lined them up on the dining room table.  We attached price tags with tape.

I gave the girls some money and told them to go shopping.  I acted as cashier, with a bit of money of my own (for change) and a calculator.

Turned out, I didn't need the calculator because my big girl wanted to pay for her items individually -- all the better because it was more practice for her!

The little one worked on identifying the coins and bills to understand how much each was while the older one worked on paying for her items and figuring out what her correct change should be.

It was a fun afternoon and the girls agreed that I should save the play money so we could play again another day.  I think next time, we'll set up a clothing boutique!  That way, we can have a fashion show too!



 

Groundhog Day All Over Again

So the rodent saw his shadow - again.  Hard to believe that the world stops to see a groundhog coming out of his hole.  Even harder that they believe he is able to predict the weather.  Come to think of it, I wonder what his track record is against the meteorologists?!

Isn't it crazy how traditions come to be?  I mean, who came up with the idea that a groundhog would be able to predict whether spring was on its way?  And why this particular groundhog?  Was it a publicity stunt for the sleepy little town of Punxsutawney, PA?  It certainly helped to put it on the map.  People still can't spell it but they've at least heard of it, and judging by the size of the party going on there today, business is booming there this week.

From the Groundhog.org website: "The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, 'For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May...'"

If the snow's swirling here in May, you'll find me on a beach somewhere, sipping a mojito.  Somebody else can shovel.

Declaration of Independence

You know it's not going to be a good day when your seven-year-old declares her independence.  Little sis was dressed and ready this morning before she was, so I sent her downstairs and told her she could pick a TV show.  Normally, that's not a problem because she'll pick something they both like, but today, she chose Little Bear. 

The older one took it as a personal offense: "I'm too big to watch Nick Jr!  I don't like Little Bear!  Can't it be my turn?" (howling all the while). 

Me: "No, honey, it can't be your turn.  There's no time.  You can have your turn tomorrow."

Her: "But I don't want to watch Little Bear!"

Me: "So I guess you'll have to eat breakfast in the dining room and take your turn tomorrow."

Her: (after more howling) "Well then FINE!  I declare my independence!"

I'm not sure what exactly that independence entailed, and I'm not sure she did either.  It must have made her feel good to say it, though, because she finally stopped screeching and ate her breakfast.

Meanwhile, we realized that Little Sis seemed to have lost her favorite Spongebob winter cap.  Picture it: bright yellow Spongebob face in all his glory, topped with a matching bright yellow pom-pom and tied with bright yellow braids (which, to her, are her hair, of course).  The hat was not in the box we use to house winter gear -- not sure why I even bothered to look there because I'm the only one who ever puts things away in it.  It was not in her book bag, either. 

I asked if maybe she had lost it at school but she said she hadn't worn it yesterday.  Her independent sister claimed she had and WWIII broke out about that. 

So, to calm things, I suggested that she look for Spongebob in the lost and found box at school and that I'd continue the search at home.  Apparently the thought of this was just too much -- she broke down sobbing and absolutely refused to get on the bus!  All the other kids had taken their seats by this point, and there's my five-year-old, holding onto me like a spider monkey and crying her eyes out about Spongebob.

I carried her aboard, plopped her in her seat and kissed her on her head before leaving.

The hat?  In the back seat of my car.  Naturally.

I'm contemplating my own declaration of independence but I'm not certain anyone would notice.

I Got Pinned

Have you been invited?  No?  You don't know what you're missing!

Pinterest is the latest craze in the social networking sphere.  How to describe it?  I'd say it's a mix between scrapbooking, looking through magazines and a touch of crack.  Yep - crack.  That's how addictive it is.

Enter the world of Pinterest and suddenly you're finding unusual appetizers for your next gathering, cool ideas to keep the kids occupied on rainy days, a great gift for your hard-to-shop-for-mother-in-law (man, that's a lot of hyphens!) and design ideas for your dream home.  Pinterest is a way of sharing things found elsewhere on the Internet - from blogs, online catalogs, personal photos, etc. and it's catching on like wildfire!

Once in, you begin "pinning" the things you find to your "boards" to categorize them, in a way creating little electronic scrapbooks for future reference.  Through the power of Facebook and Twitter, you can share your pins with others and "friend" or "follow" others to exchange ideas.

Jump in, check it out.  But it's crazy-addictive, so don't say I didn't warn you!

What's A Blog To Do?

My blog is floundering, not by any fault of its own.  I think it just hasn't matured yet.  It's struggling to find out who it is - what it wants to be when it grows up.  It's having an identity crisis of sorts. 

And I, its mother, haven't been very attentive.  I'm busy, you know?  As I tell my kids, I'm one mommy with two hands.  (Octopi have it so easy!)  So while I'm working/tending kids/going to lessons/doing my school work, my blog waits patiently.

I'm not a Julie and Julia kind of girl -- I don't have the time to commit to creating gourmet meals every night for the sake of a blog.  The Happiness Project's been done.  And frankly, I'm not in this for the attention.  I've done PR and I've had enough of the limelight, thankyouverymuch.

Maybe it'll grow into a novel.  Maybe it'll spur creativity in other areas.  Maybe it'll act as therapy!  Who knows?

I'm not sure what this blog will be but I'm sure that, if I keep at it, it will tell me eventually.  Just be patient and enjoy the ride.

Back to School

I've wanted to go back to school pretty much since I graduated.  I love school -- the books, the smell of chalk, the term papers.  (Hey, I've already admitted to being a geek!)  I think that's why I became a teacher.

Today, many years and several career changes later, I find myself back in school.  It took all my courage and then some to make the leap.  Funny, isn't it, how times change?  All of a sudden, this former A student goodie two shoes is scared out of her wits in going back!  And funnier still -- I've been part of this program now for a year and my stomach still does a flip-flop when it comes time to hit send to submit the latest assignment.  I did just that a few moments ago: said a little prayer and sent my paper off into the black hole of the Internet, hopefully to be received lovingly by my faceless professor at the other end.

So why the anxiety?  I've been a marketing communications professional for more than a decade -- plenty of time to bring ideas to the table and strength to the program I'm in.  I think the online factor is part of the problem.  While we do get to "chat" and "connect" in class, it's not the classroom environment I'm accustomed to.  Maybe it's the lack of chalk?  Who knows.

But I think the issue is deeper.  Somewhere in the ten plus years of being out in the world trying to prove myself in being able to do something I wasn't formally trained to do (my degree is in English and I'm certified to teach grades 7-12, but I work in a marketing communications department), I lost my classroom confidence.  Now, in my online classroom setting among other professionals in the field, most of whom were formally trained, I find myself the shy kid in the back, afraid to raise her hand.

It's still the start of a new semester.  I go through these jitters for a while until I start to feel comfortable in the class.  I guess you're never too old to learn something new, or to feel like a kid again.

Sick Momma

How do you keep all the balls in the air when all you want to do is curl up into a ball yourself?  It hit me on Saturday afternoon and I've been down for the count since.  Tried to take a much-needed sick day today but my little one ended up on the sick list with me.  To her credit, she was very good: she played quietly and even allowed me to take two naps (checking on me every few minutes to stick the thermometer in my ear...).  Needless to say, it wasn't the restful day I was hoping for.

It's amazing how quickly kids bounce back with a little Motrin.  Wish I had her energy.

And so, in the meantime, a big basket of laundry sits in the middle of the living room floor, waiting for somebody to take it upstairs and put it away.  Dusting and vacuuming wait yet another day.  The work that's piling up at work?  I'll deal with that when I can lift my head off the pillow longer than a few minutes at a time.