New Year's Resolution's "Do you make them?"

     Now if these guys were around NO ONE would over eat!! Just think of it... Xmas Party and a little too much egg nog with a third helping of cherry cobbler. Driving home and darn if the car doesn't stall, what to do?You don't want to be out "walking" with these guys around!! LOL Just one more reason to hope they never figure out how to make "Jurassic Park" REAL!
     I have been exercising and watching what I eat for two years now, at first I really, really hated it and everyone around me. But I also kept it to myself for the most part, hubby knew cuz he was doing it with me and friends knew cuz they would see me. All in all I didn't want to toot my own horn... still don't! I am still working on my not so beautiful belly that my boys help make into a jiggly mess and wanting to get those last 10 pounds off before I turn 40  in 2012! Nope not dreading it... you know life does really get better with age. I have a awesome,supportive, hot hubby! Two boys who are loving and helpful to me (most of the time!) and others (all the time, funny how that works!)
     Just sitting around (ya right, if you know me then you know I just can't sit still and vegggggg out!) trying to get together our school schedule, work schedule and trying to run the house without going nuts. If trying to sell the house has taught me anything it is that I really do like the house clutter free and not too many nick-nacks. (as my grandma Simmons used to say) Also realizing just how much STUFF we have and the books, I have told you that I am a curriculum junkie right? ANYTHING that promises to help the boys I try, now going thru and getting them out; deciding if they are keepers or to be sold, donated whatever. Also going thru my bookmarks on the computer, really I really only use one site for spelling and vocabulary games, a couple different online math game sites and really, really wanting to downsize the amount of "things" I have to look at! When I am in this kind of mood the boys and hubby keep me out of their rooms, hide their "junk" I mean collectibles and go into the fetal position until it passes!
     So bring in the new year with a refreshed outlook on the upcoming year, and enjoy your family while they are with you. The boys will grow up and someday move out of the house, ((GULP)) not something I am looking forward to at all. Just ask hubby, he is already a little frightened to see what I do when I have more time on my hands!!

     Have a restful (if possible) rest of 2011, and start planning now for the BEST year ever for you and your family!

Is It Summer Time Yet?

I will be the first to say it! I need a break! I am sure that I am not the only one, right? Please tell me that you all are feeling it too???? That spring time fever that not only hits the kiddos but us parents as well. I find myself looking out the window and wishing that I could go out in play in my garden instead going over math facts for the millionth time. One way that I have been able to give myself that much needed time to myself is to enlist the help from online sources. I love finding new sites, games or whatever to help the boys do their lessons with less help from me;) On a search for some new online math games to make our day a little less boring and BLAM overwhelmed with what is out there and most of it is FREE. Gotta love that internet right! We not only found several math games for right now but a couple to help explain polygons to my 3rd grader for next week. Now if I could find something that would download Algebra lessons into my 8th grader's brain we would be all set. LOL Just kidding, or am I?

Seriously, homeschooling is a full time job to me so I am always in the mind set of "How can I make this a great learning experience for the boys?" OR "Is there a better way to learn about how to figure out the area of this square?" I have been incorporating hands on lessons when ever possible, but at this time of year I am running on low. It may be time for a Spring Break after all, seeing how we usually go year round with breaks off when we all can go and do things together.  Or if family comes for a visit, but our breaks are far and few in between.  Just wondering if anyone else has any of these problems?

Are Fractions Fun?

Umm...are fractions fun? Well for me personally they were not hard in anyway but I don't know if I ever considered  them fun! But math was the one subject I never had any problems understanding, because you do the formula correctly then your answer always comes out right. Now English on the other hand was the one subject that I would run the other way! ((shutter))I mean really capitalization, quotation marks, spelling not to mention the poetry that never made any sense to me being important, and who really uses that knowledge now anyway. LOL ~ Yes I wish that I had listened better in school when it came to everything English!  Oh well, I am learning it now with the boys! 

Now back to the fraction talk! I talk a lot about my oldest when it comes to fractions because well... he had a lot of trouble with them. Fraction lessons to him were like going to the dentist when you don't brush and floss! Something that had to be done but it was ever so painful! Online math games and just typing "fraction fun for kids" into Google I found several sites that offered free fraction math games. Some were fun while others even bored me to tears, that's why I would go through the sites with him for the first time. Ya know, just to make sure that they were going to actually help him and not damage the ever so fragile fraction relationship that we had nurtured up until that point. We also use Time4Learning.com for a great supplement curriculum which has wonderful animated fraction lessons, which are great for my visual learner.

Some other "hands on" fraction activities that we did for him was cooking. I know pretty simple its right there just find the right measuring cup or spoon. But if you want to half the recipe or make 3 times the amount you have a mini fraction lesson right there. Fractions in this form were easy for him to figure out and who doesn't like a math lesson that ends in chocolate chip cookies?! So that's my take on fractions and how it worked for us, now how about sharing some ideas that helped you??