Learning Multiplication Facts

It's Mom Monday, and learning multiplication facts is on my mind. Our Girl is in the middle of "Mad Math Minutes" at school. Here is the bottom line: every child learns multiplication facts differently. For some students, they come easily. For others, it takes a little more work. Our Girl usually doesn't have to do much studying. Learning comes naturally to her. Math facts are one area that make her work. The part that Our Girl freaks out about with the Mad Math Minutes is, as the name suggests, it is a timed activity. As a family, we are using different strategies to help reduce her stress:

We do flashcards,

websites,
Math Magician We like this site, but there is one downside...it is timed. Sigh...that's what brings Our Girl stress.
Fun4theBrain This site is fun, fun, fun. You can pick which skill you want to work on, and then select the game you want to play. Once you answer some math questions, you get to play a little, then you get more math problems.

songs,
To the tune of Jingle Bells (start with dashing through the snow): 3, 6, 9, 12,--15, 18--, 21, 24--, 27, 30,-- 33, 36--singing 3s is fun. Oh let us sing Jingle Bells, to learn our 3s on the run.

and games like sumoku. Do you know this game? You roll the number cube, and then find the greatest number from your 8 number tiles that is a multiple of the number you rolled. Guess who won the first time we played...Our Girl!

 Meanwhile, if you need Our Boy. He'll be the one yelling out the answers to the multiplication facts in the background before his sister can answer them. That is what brothers do to sisters (and what sisters do to brothers)...aggravate.

Wife Wednesday: What's for dinner?

Hubby asks me a question almost every day: "What's for dinner?" It's not that he expects me to cook every night because we both cook. He just wants to know the plan for dinner. He already asked me this morning what is for dinner tonight.

I'm always looking for new recipes, and I love Pinterest for that reason and many, many more. I found a recipe on Pinterest for Loaded Baked Potato and Chicken Casserole. Here is the link, and here is a picture of how mine turned out:

 

It has chicken, potatoes, a little frozen onion, bacon, and cheese. I omitted the green onions, heavy cream, and butter from the original recipe. Here are some tips:

1. Do you use frozen, chopped onion in your recipes? I rarely buy a fresh onion because who wants to chop a fresh onion?

 

2. If you need bacon, cook it outside (or in the garage when it's freezing cold-that may or may not have happened at our house) to keep your house from smelling like grease. We use this electric Presto grill for bacon and sausage.







 

Well...until next time someone asks..."What's for dinner?"

Teacher Tuesday: Snow Day!

There are two words that bring joy and excitement to students and teachers alike: Snow Day!

Monday of this week was supposed to be a teacher workday at school with the students returning Tuesday. However, the weather is COLD here in the south. There is no snow, but we have frigid temperatures. I'm talking negative wind chills here. So...school was cancelled yesterday and today.

Why do those two words~~SNOW DAY~~ bring so much excitement? Did you see all the students and teachers posting on social media about their excitement? We just had two weeks off for Christmas break. So why are we so excited for an additional two days off?

I'll tell you why for this teacher...
It's because those two words brings back memories of childhood. My sister says that I have no memory of our childhood, but I do remember this...

When we were kids, we'd wait by the TV for the school closing announcements. Then when it did snow, everyone from the neighborhood would come to our street because it was the biggest hill. We would get on our double layer of clothes and gloves. We'd put on our hats and sometimes tie plastic bags around our shoes. We didn't own any snow gear because we rarely need it. Then we'd go outside and use trays as sleds to go down our big hill over and over again. I wish I had a photo of that...us on our trays sliding down.

I do have a picture from our yard last night. It just makes you feel cold when you look at our bare pear tree:

Stay warm friends, and enjoy your Snow Day (or Days in this case)!

UPDATE:
Since adding this post, my mom sent me this Snow Day picture from 1977. That's me, my dad, sister, and neighbors. Looks like we had a tub and a swimming pool sled!

Mom Monday: On a Whim

We're planners...Hubby and I...We like to know what we're doing, when we're doing it, who is going. You get the idea.

But as a mom and dad, we've learned that sometimes you need to do things on a whim.

Yesterday, in the rush of getting ready for church...Our Girl asked, "Can we go see Frozen today?"

So after church, on a whim, we went straight to the movie theater. I'm talking...in our church clothes...ate popcorn for lunch kind of whim.

And it was great! The movie was great! The popcorn for lunch was great! The kids didn't even complain too much about wearing church clothes. Sometimes you just gotta do things on a whim.

Have you done something on a whim lately?

Sweet Plan for a New Year

I was thinking of a new blogging plan for 2014.

My blog is Three Sweet Teas and Me: that describes our family in a southern-kind-of way...the blog of a wife, mother, and teacher.

So...the plan for the new year is to blog about each of these areas in a more systematic way.. How about:
Mom Monday: Blog about being a mom
Teacher Tuesday: Blog about my role as a 2nd grade teacher, former Kindergarten teacher
Wife Wednesday: Blog about Hubby & me

Hmmmm...I think I'm liking this idea.

Summer Learning: Telephone Museum and MLK Jr. Center

Today we had to forgo our new Summer Schedule for home because I found a list of activities to do around the city that are free. So, today we had two summer learning adventures. 

Our first adventure was at the Telephone Museum. My source said that the hours were from 11-1. However, the receptionist acted leery about us not having an appointment when we got there. It all worked out because there was another group who had just started a tour. This museum has a guide who leads you through the exhibits. It is a small museum, and we were there about 45 minutes. The guide was knowledgeable, and the kids liked it. We saw early phones, statistics of the numbers of phones throughout the years, switchboards, and the first Atlanta phone book.

Here are our pics:

The 1st Atlanta Phone Book: Only 1 Page
 Early Phones:

 Switchboards:

Outside the Main Building:

Our second adventure was to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. Here we did a self-guided tour. We watched a movie on the Civil Rights, toured the exhibits, and walked around the site.

My sister & Me:

In the D.R.E.A.M. Gallery with a replica of the Lincoln Memorial: 

 The Eternal Flame:

The Crypt of MLK, Jr. and Coretta Scott King:

125 Foot Painting on the Wall of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Natatorium by Artist Lois Delsarte:

Summer Schedule with Kids Day 1

On Monday of this week, it was our first full day home for summer break. And... that... is... when... I decided around noontime that I needed lesson plans and a schedule for my own two children this summer.

So where do you turn when you need some ideas? One word...Pinterest!

I pinned some summer schedules that other moms posted. Like this one from www.thrivinghomeblog.com:

Then I made a list of ideas to put on the schedule. Our Girl was THRILLED with the idea, and she started helping with the plan. However, Our Boy was NOT SO THRILLED with a summer schedule.

Hmmm...so I made a new plan. I created two lists: "Have To" and "Choice." The kids have to do the things listed on the "Have To" list. Then they can choose what they want to do from the "Choice" list.

Here's our "Have To" list:
-practice piano
-brain activities (EX: math games & xtramath.org)
-read
-clean (today was dusting)
-exercise/outside time
-swim lessons

Here's our "Choice" list:
-TV/devices/Wii/computer
-art/playdough
-free time
-Lego challenge
Our Boy's Lego Vessel Flying Ship:

Our Girl's Lego vessel: a bowl that holds trophies

Our Girl's Play dough "steaks"

The kids did like having a plan, and they did like choosing when they did each activity. They did not complain about any of the "Have To"s because well...it was on the list.

Tomorrow I will add *time alone and *make your bed to the "Have To" list.

June wasn't so sure about this new plan because all that planning led to a bath for her!

Look what we found outside today...the kids said it was a Smurf House: