Homeschooling: Kindergarten Math

July 19, 2016

Today was a big math day for us.  I love math days.  Math is awesome.  I want my kids to love math too, so I try to make it fun.  When I am choosing a curriculum, unit, worksheet, or activity, regardless of the subject matter, I try to make sure it’s going to be fun.  Sometimes, when I pick up a curriculum book or see a worksheet online, I feel like I would be bored to tears if I had to do it.  I’m not going to torture myself by trying to make my kids drudge through something boring and monotonous.
We did a lot of math today, and NONE of it felt boring or monotonous.  We even did two worksheets.  Some of you need to change your attitude about math – at least around your kids.  If you show interest and enjoyment in what your kiddo is learning, chances are they will show interest and enjoyment as well.  This is going to vary some, especially as kids get older, but I definitely see that my kids take their attitude cues from me.  On the other side, if you talk about how much you hate something, your kids are generally going to hate it too.  If you tell them math is boring and hard and terrible, they will believe you.  So stop it!  Learning about numbers is FUN.  We are skip counting, adding, learning about money, and even solving story problems.  STOP right there with those mental eye rolls – story problems are awesome!  “Jan needs 10 dollars.  She has 5 dollars.  How many more dollars does Jan need?”  The answer is not that Jan needs to get a credit card.  Maybe this is why so many people are bad with money.  Somebody needed to tell them in Kindergarten that math and numbers and story problems are awesome.  I’m not here to have an argument about algebra or calculus with you (although, I love them too).  But I do wish more parents fostered a love for numbers in their small children, rather than training them, by example, that math is just a dumb chore.
I get that some of you just don’t love math.  For me, it’s history.  I never enjoyed history in school.  But rather than avoid it and have a bad attitude, I’m so excited to learn alongside my kids.  I’m trying even harder in this subject area to make it come alive, because the traditional way of doing things just did NOT work for me.  This is one of the BEST things about homeschooling!  I can change it up and do what works best for US!
Math is probably the subject we change things up in the most.  I love that I am able to see my daughter’s strengths and weaknesses so quickly and change the plans as needed.  We can advance in certain areas beyond her “grade level,” and go back in other areas to pick up something she has missed.  Today’s math lessons are a great example of this, so I wanted to share with you an example of what we use and how we adjust.

Our main math curriculum is called Math U See.  I started her in the Alpha level in the spring, and after a few lessons, realized we needed to go back and start with Primer instead.  We skipped at least 10 lessons and then got going.  It is BEAUTIFUL to be able to tailor your child’s schooling to what THEY need.  I did my research before picking our math curriculum, and I hated the more traditional school books.  I am very impressed by the simplicity and reasoning behind Math U See, and I believe it is challenging, yet still fun and flexible.  It comes with a teaching DVD so that another teacher is teaching your kids the lesson, which takes a lot of pressure off as well.  Sometimes your kids (and you) just need someone else to explain it.  As of now, we have covered (and enjoyed) subjects such as place value, skip counting, certain addition facts, and solving for an unknown.  (Excuse me while my heart skips a beat…solving for an unknown in Kindergarten…I love it!)
This week, we have added in some other math items to supplement, though.  Through going over our daily calendar time (this particular day it was in the car), I realized Tenley was struggling with the teen numbers.  She will often transpose the numbers (calling 13, 31).  To be fair, that set of numbers is weird.  We should pronounce them “ten-three, ten-four, etc,” but we don’t.  Since she’s not retaining it with me just explaining it (over, and over, and over….), enter Pinterest.  I found these awesome number reinforcement worksheets, and since she can read, they are perfect.  Plus, we’re getting in some handwriting at the same time, which she can be hesitant to do.  Sneaky learning is the best.  I printed off 11-19 and we will do one each school day.
I also found some awesome resources for learning about money.  We have talked about this a little bit on our own, and she knows what money is.  She knows that you earn money by working for it, and we have taught her to break up her money into 3 categories: save, give, and spend.  But it is obvious she doesn’t understand the values of each piece clearly.  I understand this will be a process, but we are starting now!
While she was working on the money puzzles, she grabbed her Money Mini Book as a reference.  (Great way to problem solve, girly!  Use the resources around you!)  I also printed, laminated, and cut out these money clip cards, for her to use with clothespins.  Pinterest can be so helpful, and I am SO thankful for these fellow homeschooling mamas who have made these resources available FREE!

As you can see, we are kind of all over the board here.  We have gone backwards to pick up some skills she maybe “should have” known already.  We have moved forward into some advanced skills.  And we have grabbed some practical items to learn about on the fly as well.  I absolutely love having the ability to control what she is learning, depending on what she needs.  I also love having the ability to go with the flow and not plan so much.  We have a loose plan, but we are able to be flexible, and adjust based on needs and desires.  I still have a lot to learn, but I am so thankful God has us on this journey for this season.  It has already been more of a blessing than I ever had imagined.

How did YOU feel about math in school?

Judah's Story: Our Miracle Baby

July 23, 2016

Judah Stephen Helm was born on July 14^th, 2014, at 11:38pm.  He weighed 8 lbs 3.5 oz and was 20” long.  (Let’s just be perfectly honest here and admit that I had to look all of that up in his baby book that I barely even recognized because I haven’t added to it in so long.  He’s only 2.  But, he’s the 3^rd baby.  My brain has to hold other information now.  However, I DO remember the date all by myself.  Win!)
This baby was, and still is, an amazing picture of perfection.  I have never felt so much love flood over me so quickly, as in the moment Judah was born.  I have never felt such peace, honor, and responsibility to protect.  Might I remind you, this was baby number 3.  But I had struggled with mild postpartum depression previously, and a general gradual movement into the hard core momma love thing.  This, though…this was a miracle.  Everything surrounding this little guy’s grand entrance was a miracle.  So let me start over.
In the fall of 2013, I found out I was pregnant.  Yay!  This was planned, and we were excited.  Around 7 weeks, I experienced some bleeding, but it went away.  I googled it to death, and asked a few girls, but decided it was nothing.   One week later, on a Sunday morning, I woke up to bright red blood.  I went into survival mode and quickly and silently got ready, quietly woke my sleeping husband to tell him I was going to the emergency room, and left.  He stayed home with our older kids.  The emergency room visit seemed to take forever, but I wouldn’t allow my mind to think about what was happening.  I knew that once I let go, I wouldn’t be able to gather myself easily, and I didn’t want to be like that there…alone.  After an ultrasound, hormone level testing, and exams, the doctor told me it was an “inevitable miscarriage.”
Once home, I collapsed in the open bedroom doorway, clinging to my son and sobbing.  I couldn’t say anything – I just couldn’t talk – but my husband knew.  That night, I couldn’t sleep.  I went to my kids’ playroom for comfort and just cried and prayed.  I was so thankful for the two children I already had, and couldn’t imagine going through this pain without having them.  So I prayed for other mommas-at-heart.  And I begged God to save my baby’s life.  But I praised him no matter what the outcome.  He is good.  All the time.
The doctors said that bedrest wouldn’t make a difference, but I decided otherwise.  Less moving meant less bleeding, so I put myself on strict bedrest until the appointment with my OB.  Once there, he put me on an oral supplement of progesterone, and the bleeding stopped almost immediately.  I literally believe we were probably hours or minutes away from loosing our baby.  But the progesterone turned things around, and God saved Judah’s life.  The rest of the pregnancy was completely normal and routine.  All tests and ultrasounds came back normal – a healthy baby boy was on the way!

I had a birth plan in place, as I had with the other two.  My first two births were completely drug-free and I went into labor on my own, 1-2 weeks before my due dates.  I assumed this birth would be similar, but at 41 weeks and 1 day, I was a crazy pregnant lady.  I was SO done.  My sister-in-law, who I’m pretty sure had a due date AFTER mine, had birthed a sweet baby girl 11 days EARLIER.  I had even gone into the hospital that same day in false labor, probably just with sympathy pain.  I had been sitting at 3cm dilated for…oh, I don’t know…FOREVER.  I was done being patient.  I went in for an ultrasound appointment to check up on baby – something routine for mommas who are past their due date.  The appointment was ON the labor and delivery floor.  What a tease.  Last minute, I decided to cancel the appointment and ask my doctor to break my water instead.  This was so not me.  I was going to wait, and I knew that breaking my water would make the strong pain come earlier than normal.  But I was a crazy pregnant lady…and God was writing Judah’s birth story.  Looking back, I am SO thankful we did not have that ultrasound.
At 6cm, I asked for an epidural.  My doctor was totally confused by me at this point.  I mean, nurses make it pretty clear that they don’t expect you to follow your birth plan the first time around (which, I DID, thank you very much), but by baby 3, they figure you know what you’re getting yourself into.  But you don’t argue too much with a crazy pregnant lady, so I got the epidural (OUCH…not the shot…the stinking contractions while sitting in that position).  It.was.AWESOME.  Relief!  Laughter!  Ahhhhh…. I was ready to push in almost no time at all.  My doctor nearly missed it, but he showed up, and I pushed, and Judah was out!  FINALLY!!!

They put him on my chest, covered him with a blanket “to keep him from being cold,” and we nursed.  (Can I just say the epidural was worth it, if only to not have to feel them pushing on my belly after baby was out!!!!)  I played with his left foot and counted his toes.  I literally remember thinking, “Everybody says they count their baby’s toes, so okay…1,2, 3, 4, 5…this is dumb.  Of course he has 10 fingers and 10 toes.”  And I stopped counting.  My doula told me later that she saw me do that and her heart sank.
See, what I didn’t realize is that he didn’t have 10 toes.  My baby was born with one normal leg, foot, and toes, and one short leg with a tiny foot and 2 toes.  My doctor, nurses, and doula saw it right when he was born, but I didn’t.  I had even leaned up, touched his head, and basically watched myself push him out, and hadn’t noticed what was wrong.  My husband was video taping, and didn’t see it either!  My doctor later told me that immediately when he saw Judah’s leg, he started praying.  “God, give me wisdom.  God, give me the words to say.  Lord, help.”  He knew we needed to nurse and bond.  So he gave that he-might-get-cold excuse to have nurses keep him well-covered.  We nursed on both sides, as my doula took cues and strategically helped the blanket placement as well.  I did not even realize something was wrong until nurses had taken him to weigh and measure across the room, and my doctor asked me if I had seen Judah’s leg.

In that moment, God held me.  He held my heart.  He held my emotions.  He held my reactions.  He held my mind.  I had peace that passed ALL understanding.  People were waiting for me to loose it.  And I just wasn’t.  God gave me strength, courage, and love that were all His.  I immediately said that this was our baby boy, and God had entrusted him to us, and that I was so thankful and humbled to see what God had in store for him.  I would not have been able to focus during this time if I had been battling with physical pain.  Praise the Lord for knowing I needed that epidural – for the aftermath.
God put the exact people in that room that needed to be there.  He led them.  And they carried me.  My doula (who is a good friend) and I lovingly joke that my doctor is our Birth Pastor.  He has prayed with my husband and I through this journey.  We can rejoice in the Lord together in complete trust in Him, even when we don’t understand.
God also designed my labor and delivery music playlist.  I chose some Christian songs to help me through the time, and listened to them a lot leading up to that moment.  The lyrics and truths in those songs were so relevant to that situation, it still gives me chills.

Throughout my pregnancy, God was obviously strengthening my faith, a “gift” which I had never felt super strong in before.  He really and truly prepared me for this moment, and I didn’t even realize it.  Until that moment came.  And I am overwhelmed with awe and wonder of our loving Father God.
We eventually learned that Judah has PFFD, or Proximal Focal Femoral Deficiency.  We have been told by doctors, specialists, geneticists, and google that we will never know the reason why he has this.  It is pretty rare, and the causes are unknown.  The medical world does have a few “best guesses,” however, and I have my guess as well.  See, I’ve learned that limbs begin to form in utero around week 7.  (First of all, how amazing is that?!)  Week 7 is when I started having bleeding.  Something happened.  My body was letting go.  But God answered my prayer and saved his life.  My miracle baby.  Leg, shmleg.  He’s alive.  And for that, I am forever thankful.

 

God has big plans for this little guy.  And I am so grateful that I get to be his momma, and that I get to be along for the ride.

Hayden On the Move; No More Paci

Just wanted to post a little update on how Hayden's physical therapy is going.  We love his therapist, Melissa.  She comes once a week for an hour and is very helpful in giving me tips on how to work with Hayden to encourage his gross motor skills throughout the week.  At the beginning of all of this (a little over a month ago), Hayden wasn't rolling over, HATED being on his belly, and couldn't get from-here-to-there on his own in any way.  He is now rolling over all the time and uses it as a way to get himself across a room.  Plus, he is now a belly sleeper!  I love that because it helps him sleep-in some mornings.  He doesn't have a problem being on his belly at all anymore.  When he is sitting on a hard surface, he can now scoot himself on his bottom anywhere he'd like to go.  It's so nice to have him more mobile!  Yeah, he can get into more things, but he is learning to obey and is MUCH more content to play on his own and explore.  It is so great.  Below is a video taken a little over a week ago when he had just gotten the hang of scooting.  Our next thing to tackle is getting him to be able to get to a sitting position from laying down.  His muscles are getting stronger and stronger, we can tell each week.  It's just a matter of time before this little guy will be running around destroying everything...Oh My!  Hayden, maybe you can hold off on the whole walking/running thing until the house sells.  :)

Another update on both Tenley and Hayden: they are both now paci-free!  I started noticing that Tenley's 2 top front teeth were beginning to buck out a little bit - not bad, but I could tell.  I don't believe she's doing any damage to her adult teeth, but I also don't want her baby teeth sticking out.  She only used her paci during naps and nighttime, but she sleeps at least 12 hours each night and takes a 3 hour nap, so she really does have it A LOT!  I did not warn her.  I just noticed her teeth one morning, then at nap time I told her that her paci was hurting her teeth, so she couldn't have it anymore.  She asks for it still, but when I give her the reason, she doesn't fuss at all.  Yes, she is my easy kid, haha.  Now for Hayden, I can already tell he is much more...stubborn...than Tenley.  After reading recently the struggle my friend, Cassie, went through taking her son's paci away at age 3, I decided to nip this thing in the bud and take it away now, at 14 months!  He didn't care a whole lot for the thing anyway, but did use it to fall asleep and then spit it out.  I wanted to avoid any greater attachment that we'd have to break, and he has done just fine with it.  YAY!

1 year old! (a month late)

Hayden Titus Helm is ONE!  Hayden turned one on December 28, 2012.  We celebrated with my side of the family on Christmas.  That was a lot of fun.  Tenley learned the Happy Birthday song and sang it to Hayden and Jesus all month long.  "Happy to you...Happy to you...Happy to you, Hayden!"  I guess "Birthday" was just too hard to even attempt.  We will probably not always combine Hayden's birthday and Christmas, but for now, he had no clue.  It also helped that Tenley was getting presents at the same time, so she wasn't jealous.  Not so for party #2...

We celebrated with the Helm side of the family on January 13.  I wanted to remove the party enough from Christmas to keep it separate, but still sort of close to his birthday.  Tenley loved being able to sing "Happy to you, Hayden" again, but threw in a lot of "Happy to you, Jesus" phrases too.  That's okay!  She'll figure it out.  Tenley is still trying to cope with the fact that some toys are Hayden's and not all of them are hers.  Yes, they share everything, but after Hayden's birthday parties, we moved some toys into his room.  Before, they were all in hers.  She is okay with it for the most part, and brings him toys that are "his."  She has also started to read him books - especially ones that are "his."  It's really cute.

He loved his no-sugar banana cake.  :)

As Hayden's first birthday was approaching, I went back and forth every day as to whether or not I should call First Steps about his gross motor development.  I hate comparing kiddos because they all have their own individual timelines, but I also don't want to ignore something that could potentially be a problem.  At 12 months, Hayden was sitting up well, but not rolling over consistently.  He could not get himself into a sitting position if he fell, and he HATED tummy time.  Like, the second he was placed on this tummy, automatic tears, screaming, red splotchy face, MAD.  So, he wasn't crawling or even attempting, not pulling up on things, not cruising or walking.  It actually took him a really long time to even bear weight on his legs.  That was something we had to intentionally work with him on every day when we realized he wasn't getting it on his own.

So, I called First Steps around his 1st birthday.  They evaluated him and are setting him up with a physical therapist who will meet with us once a week for an hour.  As far as we can tell, he has no real physical problems.  He's just very content with sitting.  Some kids just move from milestone to milestone in gross motor skills without much help, but with Hayden, he just needs intentional, consistent help.  I'm okay with that!  He is so happy and so laid back, but we've decided it's time to push this guy a little bit in order to help him explore his own world around him.  He may not like it at times, but that's okay.  We haven't met with the physical therapist yet, but we are already doing 2-3 mini sessions of our own at home every day.  I feel a little silly even having someone come in to help, but I am open to seeing what they can show us.

As for everything else, Hayden's doing super.  He is sleeping 12 hours at night...wahoo!!!  This is a new development!  I think more solid foods has helped!  He naps once a day for 3 hours, or sometimes two shorter naps.  At his 1 year appointment, he was 28 3/4" long and 19lbs 13oz.  To me, that's a little tiny guy.  At 12 months, Tenley was 30" and 22.4lbs.  Same head size, though.  He'll grow into it.  Haha.
We started consistent solid foods around 11 months, and he is still eating purees, with a few exceptions.  He is nursing 4 times a day.
He says "Hi!" and waves, and sometimes I could swear I hear him say "Hayden."  He plays Peekaboo and PatACake, and is drooling like CRAZY, even though he still just has 4 teeth.

1st time sledding...he was not impressed.  TOO COLD!!!

1st snow of the season - playing at home

This picture is sideways - I couldn't figure out how to turn it.

Reminiscing

I was just looking through some pictures of the kiddos and thought I'd share.  The first two are of Hayden and Tenley both at 8 months old.  I think they look more alike than I realized!  

 




These two are of both of them at Hayden's current age - 10 months.  You can see the beautiful little chunk my Tenley girl is (this was her thinning way out), and then how thin Hayden is!  I think people are crazy when they mention anything about him being chubby, and you can see why.

                           
                                    

Looking through all these old pictures of Tenley, some of them make me wish I could go back to that moment just to hold her at that age and during that activity again.  It reminds me to work at not taking any moment for granted with Hayden (or Tenley!), because they are both growing up so fast.  I needed the reminder to forget about putting them in the perfect cute outfit or the cutest shoes, sweater vest, hairdo, or bow.  Who cares how they compare to other people's kids?  And I'm not just talking about clothes here!  I'm sick of the comparison wars that moms all over the world silently struggle with.  Let's fully enjoy our babies now.  They are perfect gifts from the Lord.  Let's treasure every moment possible up in our hearts, because the moments are gone all too soon.

Halloween 2012

This Halloween, Hayden was a whoopie cushion.  It was a very appropriate costume for him!  He can be really gassy.  And Tenley loves to say "fart."  Awesome.  This costume was a hand-me-down homemade costume from Aunt Jessica Wade.  Thank you!!!  We get lots of great boy clothes from her.

Tenley was Foofa from Yo-Gabba-Gabba.  She's never seen the show.  I can't stand it.  We watch Veggietales because it is my favorite too.  Anyway, my mom, the deal hunter, found this costume for $1.  It is super cute, too!  She enjoyed dressing up, but most of all, loved getting candy.  The only thing she got to eat was a fun size package of M&Ms.  I don't think she even cared about eating it - she just loved the idea!  I'm sure I will not be so lucky next year.  Instead of going trick-or-treating, we just went to see both of my sisters.  Barb was at home, so we got to see a lot of kids dressed up around their neighborhood.  Sheri was at work, so we walked around Barnes and Noble all decked out.  

Hayden's favorite part was playing in the dirt.

Hayden 10 months

                              

10 months: 29", 19.5lbs

Hayden is sleeping about 11 hours at night, wakes to eat, and then goes right back down to sleep a couple more hours usually.  His favorite time to sleep is 7pm-7am and then stay awake.  I'm trying to move him to an 8-8 schedule (or ideally 8:30-8:30), but it seems like no matter what time he goes to sleep, he wakes up at 7am.  That's not terrible, but for now I'd rather keep him up a little later, feed him at 7, and have him take a short nap to finish out the night.  He naps twice a day, for about an hour and a half each nap.

This month, Hayden got 2 more teeth - his top front teeth.  We tried baby cereal again, which he still didn't like.  So we tried carrots a couple days before he turned 10 months, and he loved them!  He still does the tongue-thrust thing, but I can tell it's a reflex rather than a dislike.  He tried peas too, which he sort of likes.  He also tried puffs, which he usually just plays with in his mouth and spits back out.  For now we are only doing solid foods once a day, about 5 days a week, and at a different time than when he normally eats.  It's really not for nutrition at all at this point - just for developing skills and having fun.  One thing I hadn't thought about in regards to eating was Hayden's love of throwing everything.  He will throw anything he can get his hands on...including carrots, spoons, cups, and puffs.  Oh boy.  He is going to be one messy eater.  We'll slowly work on correcting this during meal times.

yummy carrots

                                   

awesome eyelashes

Hayden is not crawling yet.  Kind of like with standing, it just seems like he doesn't care to.  Eventually he decided to stand, and it may just be the same way with learning to crawl.  For now, during tummy time, he will push up and look around for awhile, but then just lay down.  I joke that it's just because his poor little head is so big.  He's a little less than 50th percentile in both height and weight, but his head is in the 90th.  I love my ole mr. big head.  For now, if a toy he wants is out of reach, he will fold himself in half, flat on the ground and reach to get it, then pull himself back up.  This kid has great flexibility and is working on those core muscles, but he is just content to sit and lay!

He loves to try to join in our conversations, but isn't saying any real words yet.  "Dadadada" and random babbling are his favorites right now.  He is starting to mimic our hand movements, like clapping and waving.  It is really cute.