Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Teaching Textbooks

This time of year always gets me planning. Planning for our garden, planning for our summer camping, and planning for... next year’s homeschool curriculum. Now, after almost 18 years of “officially” homeschooling, (Really, homeschooling starts when your child is born 😉) we have a LOT of curriculum in our closet ready to pull out for the new school year. I do like to mix things up a bit, though, because what worked for one- or three- of my children, won’t necessarily work for them all. Hence, the planning. 

There is one curriculum, that we have FINALLY found, that I highly recommend to all my homeschooling friends because it works for almost anyone. I was told about this curriculum by several veteran homeschoolers, and I wish I would have heeded their sage advice earlier in my homeschooling journey. What is this amazing curriculum? Teaching Textbooks! 

For those of us who are not particularly math savvy, Teaching Textbooks is a life-saver. It not only teaches the lessons (it’s a cd-rom based curriculum, so your child does his math lessons on the computer.) it also automatically grades the work your child does. If your child gets a problem wrong the program stops them- no more full pages of incorrect answers because you didn’t catch mechanics errors soon enough-  and gives them the option of retrying the problem and even offers them a “hint”. All the grades are stored in the program’s grade book, so giving a math grade is super easy. 

Teaching Textbooks has taken so much stress off of me, as the teacher, and it’s also taken stress off of my children because of the fun and easily navigated format of their math curriculum. They also get instant feedback- no more vying for my help while I am trying to teach another child their science lesson- This curriculum is fantastic! 


Saturday, February 3, 2018

40th Birthday Smash!

Turning 40 can either be an adventure or another excuse to hide out with Netflix. I decided, after reading some pretty great advice, that it’s important to see this transition as a good thing- make it fun- and showcase your own personality. Make the day special and you won’t dread it quite so much. After all, getting another year older is a good thing; it means you’re still alive and kicking. 

In light of this philosophy, a friend and I decided to bring in the big day with an adult smash cake session. Think 1st birthday. The result: a hilarious morning spent with my daughter and Mom laughing, snapping pics, and having fun together. 

My 40th birthday now includes my favorite birthday memories! If you love to be goofy and enjoy laughing at yourself, consider throwing your own smash cake session. #makegoodmemories!!