Sunday... Satchels and Baggage

[Ramblinrose]

LM...
I needed to add.

Once LO masters lets say his 2 factors, then go on to his 3's.
When you're sure he can do both, mix the factor cards up and as you lay a card down make sure he uses the pennies to group and then answer the problem.

Once LO understands how the process works, you should have flash cards made up without the total at the end. That way you will really know if he's getting his facts and not just memorizing them.

After he gets good at several number factors:
You can also just "call out" the problem and say...
1 + 3 = ?

Then the game is for LO to lay down 1 penny + 3 pennies ending with 4 pennies
Again, make sure he SAYS the problem back to you as he does it. If he doesn't say it, but rather just does it, he looses his pennies.

My guess is it won't take long for LO to learn his other factors. Usually by the time you get to 5's you won't need pennies. The trick then becomes how can LO keep "earning" his winnings

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm home now.

Exhausted.

Once again feeling like I didn't do much today.

The tower didn't show. The guy was a no-show and when I phoned he couldn't come right away so I sent emails to the other two people who emailed today, both looking for antenna and tower. I have again sold it for $20 more than I was asking (because he's asking me to hold it until Tuesday night and make a special trip out to sell it to him.)

So I've removed the ads and will put them back if I have to. But I still have three more leads to try first.

We unloaded all our car and some of ds's and then got up to his apartment and talked him into McD for dinner instead of cooking. We can cook tomorrow night (not that he'll have had more sleep then.)

We dropped him off at 5:45 so he'll have a chance to sleep for up to 5 hours before having to leave for work. That makes me feel better for him.

I'll be so glad when this week is over!

Next up - nap for 30 minutes or so.

[lucylee]

http://www.belk.com/AST/Main/Belk_Prima ... lHandbags&

That, ^ I think, will show the purse I keep wavering on -- keep... take it back... keep... take it back. * sigh * (Mine is black w/brown handles.)

Like LadyM and some of the others of you, I generally only carry my wallet/wristlet with me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Got it at TJMaxx, and last time I was in there, I would have bought another just like it, but they didn't have one. It has the checkbook side and then the zipper side and y'all would not believe all I have in it. For the first time I can remember in my adult life, I have a wallet that will stay snapped shut. I just love it. It is also a shiny silver patent leather kind of material, so it NEVER gets lost in the bottom of my HUGE purse.

The purse I was carrying, which is tearing up, is cloth, probably almost as big as the one in this link -- and as I said, there is less than two pounds difference in their weight -- so... I don't know... I may keep this new one. I just realized, if I take out the removable inside pocket, it might manage my stuff better. I have one of those kangaroo keeper/organizer things, and I wanted to keep using it b/c I have it arranged really well and I know where everything is. And maybe if it were the only thing in the center of this big bag, then maybe the snap would hold shut.
Y'all would not believe all that I have in the purse itself... I saved a Far Side comic once where a bunch of cowboys are trying to hang a man, and looking all flustered. A woman standing nearby is digging in her purse and says, "For Heaven's sake, I have a rope!"

I don't carry a rope, (or water bottles, for that matter) LOL, but I have just about anything else you would need if you were stranded in a desert.
I have all sorts of misc in the small zipper compartment -- like dental floss, fingernail file, cuticle cream, bobby pins, paperclips, ponytail holder, eyeglass cleaning wipe, eyeglass repair kit, tiny sewing kit, breath mints, Kleenex.
Then I have small makeup bags with (1) medicines, b/c y'all know, I have to have my Phenegran & Zofran in case of panic attacks that cause nausea... and allergy meds... and tylenol... and (1) a couple of sanitary pads, just in case.
In the kangaroo pouch thing, there are ink pens, a collapsible umbrella, lip gloss and emergency makeup foundation, several itch creams (b/c I have so much trouble with this excema)... a calculator... oh! a small sandwich bag w/knee high panty hose, in case I want to try on shoes... a small photo album w/my gift ideas for each person (for birthdays/Christmas) on index cards... a paper with our high school football roster on it b/c we don't want to pay $10 for a new program every game, and we don't want to carry our own program every game... reading glasses, plus a double sided zipper case for regular glasses... probably some more stuff I can't think of right now.
Then the wallet...
And the BIG thing, the thing that weights it down -- the 6-ring Dayrunner planner. It is probably about 5x7 inches. It has my calendar, address book, and misc pages for stuff I really never look at. But it is really heavy. I guess it only weighs about 1, maybe 2 pounds, but if I take it out of my purse, it makes a HUGE difference.
I know I should trust my phone for a lot of the address info, and why on earth do I keep a calculator -- b/c I always use my phone for that function... there's probably a lot of stuff I could do without. I did take out a bunch of pictures from the zipper compartment of the Dayrunner. I had pictures of students from at least 20 years ago! Good grief.

I know this is all really ridiculous.
Plus, sometimes I want my nice camera in there... and some little board books for dgs... and anytime we are travelling, dh is always saying, "Can you put this in your purse?"

HOWEVER -- I do NOT make the stadium personnel search through this treasure chest at every ballgame. For ballgames (and usually music festivals), I have a little string backpack I carry, and I take only my glasses, poncho, Frog Togg coolwrap, and a ziplock bag w/dental floss, ponytail holder, suntan lotion, etc.

Oh, (((Kathryn))) I know so well how you must feel leaving your beautiful mantle. And I "recognize" the measuring door. That is one of the neat things about dmil's house. There is a door facing w/heights recorded for dh, his dbro, along with all three grandchildren. Ddil said she and ds definitely want to keep that as is. (Some of the measures are recorded on strips of tape, though, and I am wondering if they might cover that with some kind of clear sealant, to better preserve it. Y'all know of anything that would be good?)

Such good advice from RR re: teaching children math! Must try to remember this myself for future reference!

Well, need to help dh w/garbage detail... I am so glad y'all have played along w/my challenge today! This has been so interesting to me. I probably win the prize for the biggest, heaviest purse though.
Other Ta-Da's for today
* church (dh did not go -- he was just exhausted from the drive yesterday. He drove and I slept most of the time! I drove maybe one hour on the way home. But it is almost a 4-hour trip (one way) on ballgame days, and it is tiring.)
* lunch, nap, newspapers
* watered plants
* ds/ddil called -- I was able to advise her on baking brownies
* ordered Rush Limbaugh tea for dh & ds
* wrote check to pay newspaper man
* s/s bathrooms and kitchen
* took allergy shot
* refilled meds for week

Hope you all have a great rest of the day!

[Lady Maverick]

CLICK!!

That is the sound of LO GETTING IT!!!!

RR - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

i read and followed your instruction and it worked like a charm. LO instantly got it! I'm still a bit shocked because we have verbally and with the abacus gone over these problems multiple times without any progress in him understanding.

Something about saying the problem while physically handling the pennies instantly connected with him. Now he can give the answers up through 5 without any finger counting. HE KNOWS!!

I wish I could (((((HUG YOUR NECK)))) IRL. I am so very grateful for the help.

[BookSaver]

DH and I were out for late lunch during the excitement here yesterday. I came to the forum just after 4:00 and discovered the problem already solved before I knew it existed.

The sewing group thing at the fabric store went ok, although there were not many customers so it was kind of boring. However, it was a beautiful drive into The Big City, which I savored because I am not looking forward to winter.

Last Sunday when DH and I went over to the lake, the weather had turned so cold and gloomy that we couldn't stay long. We were afraid that would be the last trip until spring. However, this weekend we are having a heat wave, so we were glad to take a picnic and spend the afternoon.

Note from earlier in the week for Dee ~ I think you have a very good idea about taking pictures of what you're leaving up north. You might want to send the pictures to yourself in an Email.

Today's topic: I call it my "Mary Poppins Bag" -- does that answer the question? I have tried several times to downsize to a smaller one, and every time have run into problems that relate to living half an hour's drive from everywhere. Invariably when I switch to a smaller cross-body travel bag, that's when there will come a need for something that got left out, such as the 120" tape measure or the checkbook. I have even taken to carrying a thumb drive, small Swiss army knife, and a P51 can opener, and yes I have had to use each of those items several times this year.

I do take a risk when I go to Lego Club at the library, because I use a Harry Potter backpack for the club supplies and I just throw in the barest minimum essentials from my purse -- driver's license, insurance cards, travel size brush with mirror, lipstick, packet of tissues, small calendar, travel pen, cell phone, library card. The 1 time I didn't take the calendar, someone wanted to schedule a meeting.

I no longer use a shoulder bag, though. It's a satchel like a doctor's bag, with the top being a metal frame that snaps closed. I would rather have a zipper closure, but haven't been able to find a zippered bag the right size, and have not taken the time to build one.

Just realized that this actually IS a downsized bag from the large tote I carried when I worked at the theatre. Then I always needed a couple water bottles, 2 or 3 scripts, perpetual shopping list, snacks (never knew when I'd have time for a meal), and files with size charts and costume designs for all the actors. OK, now I feel better that my Mary Poppins Bag is significantly smaller than it used to be.

[Lady Maverick]

a side note......

I found enough pennies for LO to do each of the problems and then he kept them in a stack. Very motivated as his penny stack got higher and higher.

When it was time to verbally say the problem and answer without using the pennies, I started giving him quarters because that is the coins we had available. Each time he read the problem and said the right answer he earned a quarter. BTW - he got them all right the first time!!!

This whole process took less than 10 minutes and less than $5.00. WHAT A DEAL!!!!

I'm still shocked......yesterday I would ask what is 2 + 0 while holding up two fingers on one hand and no fingers on my other hand. I wrote it on 3x5 card and showed it to him. Over and over we went through these problems without success. He didn't understand what I was asking and couldn't tell me the answer.

But after going through that 10 minute process he now reads the problem and INSTANTLY understands. He KNOWS it.

Happy doesn't begin to describe my joy.

[Ramblinrose]

LM....

This is what I fondly call ..."the Helen Keller at the water pump" moment.

I live for these when I teach

Love it when it happens....You made me smile as well.....

[Ramblinrose]

By the way... He KNOW, or in Helen's case she KNOWS are the exact word's that Helen's mother screamed when after the water pump incident Teacher brings Helen to her mother and has Helen touch her mother's face, Teacher spells MAMA in Helen's hand and for the first time Helen spells the correct word back to Teacher.

I saw this movie when I was 12 and knew I wanted to be Teacher. Helen lived in the dark until Teacher, who was almost as blind as Helen, found a way to bring light and open up the world to Helen.

Among the many remarkable things Helen learned to do and did in her life was to write more than 8 books...most of them 100's of pages long. Think about the thought process that that took. She could not hear or see, yet from stringing beads onto a string and feeling Teacher's wiggly fingers in her hand, Helen somehow understood the concepts that Teacher was trying to reach her with....Physical learning leads to understanding mental concepts that most of us take for granted.

[lucylee]

HAPPY DANCE for LO & LadyM -- and Teacher, RR!!!

That is exactly what I thought of when LadyM said, "He knows!" -- Helen Keller at the water pump. Beautiful! Sooo glad this problem was solved so quickly for you, LadyM! This board certainly is a valuable resource.
Thinking of Helen Keller... how anyone in her situation could graduate college, (Radcliffe, b/c women were not accepted to Harvard, right, RR?) -- it is just amazing. I have seen the play performed on site at her home. It definitely brings chills and tears.

BookSaver, I may have lost the prize for largest purse to you!

DH is in such a mood. * sheesh * He is tired, his knee hurts, he says if we go out later, he will have to s2s again b/c that is the only way he can keep his hair from standing straight up. *sheesh *
I admit, he does have a weird sort of cowlick (from going back to bed after his first s2s this morning). I said, "Can't you just wet your comb and fix it?" DH said, "I have lived with this hair 63 years. I think I know my hair. This is as good as it's going to get. Unless I s2s." * sigh * DH doesn't have crazy hair like me -- I don't understand his problem. It's fairly thin (thinner than it used to be, truth be told) and unless it grows out over his collar, it's straight. What is his problem? With my Roseann Roseannadanna hair, I am just not very sympathetic.
However, I think he is determined that we DO go out tonight, b/c we do NOT have dgs tonight, and we have a very busy week ahead of us:
M -- Wmart, plus yearly termite inspection
T -- ? (Pack?)
W-F -- Bluegrass festival, and dgs will be traveling w/us to meet ds, since ddil can't go
F (late) -- return dgs to ddil, while ds stays at festival
Sat -- college town for major ballgame, no way dh wants to miss that
Sun (hopefully late) -- keep dgs again while ddil goes to work and ds is on his way home

And sometime this week, Monday or Tuesday, I really do need to go have some face time w/dmom. Except for the parade, I don't think I've actually seen her in person since MY birthday, a month ago!
I am a terrible daughter. (But we do talk at least every other day, on average.)

[lucylee]

BTW -- RR -- that Hipzbag is really neat. I don't think I could ever learn to travel so "light" -- but it's really cute!

On second thought, dh seems to have decided a damp comb would work well enough. * whew * Hope getting out makes him feel better!