I don’t want y’all to assume by this title that I’m throwing P out.
Because the truth is I’m keeping him forever. Not only does he take Caroline to school most mornings allowing me a little extra time in my pajamas, but he’s also the only hope she has to have any real help with her fourth grade math homework.
I wish I was joking.
Yesterday she came home with a homework assignment to complete two levels on IXL which is an online math site. The first one was on identifying place values. I can deal with that. I understand tens, thousands and hundred millions place.
But my frustration level started to rise because she was doing a lot of kicking the coffee table and bouncing around and what should have taken fifteen minutes took forty-five minutes.
Serenity now.
And then we finally started the next level which was about converting place values. Honestly, I didn’t even know there was a need to convert a place value. What am I supposed to do? Lead them to Jesus?
If place values need to be converted, then that’s why my iPhone has a calculator. But apparently it’s part of the fourth grade skill set and dang if I could figure it out. Sure, it was fine when it was something like convert four thousands to however many tens. Then it started asking questions that dealt with numbers in the billions and I was all CHECK PLEASE.
Or maybe I was like WINE PLEASE.
I can’t really remember.
Fortunately, Mimi and Bops showed up about that time and I figured Bops would know how to help her with it since he was in the business world for forty years or so. And, yes, he could figure it out but then the IXL kept saying our answers were wrong and OH MY WORD I HATE THE COMPUTER NOW.
Then P came in and knew how to find the answers too, but none of this was really helping Caroline actually learn anything. It basically became thirty minutes of my dad and P coming up with the correct answers while Caroline asked if it was time for soccer practice. And so I finally texted her teacher and basically said that we give up. It beat us. The IXL on converting place values killed us all dead.
The point is this is fourth grade math.
Which means I’m going to have to start saving up for a math tutor for the next eight years. I’d like to think that I used to be smarter than this but then I remember that I failed Algebra II in eleventh grade (a fact I’ll never share with Caroline because ENABLER) and realize numbers have always been my nemesis.
But today was supposed to be about my big closet clean out this weekend. I took five large bags of stuff to Goodwill this afternoon and felt good about myself in that smug way that you do when you’ve accomplished some feat that’s pretty much completely meaningless to anyone else.
Here’s the thing: I think cleaning out your closet twice a year is a necessity. Or maybe it’s just a necessity for me since it’s really the only area of my life where I have the slightest bit of order.
I know I’ve talked about this before but I clean out my closet every fall and every spring. And I’m merciless. I get rid of pretty much anything I haven’t worn in the past year. The exceptions to this are the denim vest I’ve had since 1993, the pair of Levi’s I wore when P and I were dating even though I’ll never wear my jeans that high-waisted ever again because BLECH, and a fifteen-year-old size 2 paisley sundress from Harolds because THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES, SIZE 2.
And so even though the temperatures here are still supposed to get back in the 90s this week, I have now made the transition to my fall/winter closet.
This is the after pic. I didn’t take a before pic because OH THE SHAME.
And this is a closer look at my necklace hanger thing because so many of y’all asked about it.
My friend, Annie Downs, made it for me years ago out of a picture frame and some hooks and screen because she’s basically MacGyver. I adore it because I can easily see most of my accessory options. I say “most” because I still have some other bracelets and such crammed into a dresser drawer because that’s just who I am.
Just for laughs, this is P’s side of the closet. A few years ago my friend Jen was visiting and happened to be in our closet. She asked if I don’t allow P to buy any clothes.
Listen. He is free to buy whatever he wants. It’s not my fault that he thinks a complete wardrobe is comprised of four plaid shirts, a pair of jeans and some Magellan fishing shirts from Academy. I just see it as more of our clothing budget that can go to more important causes like Free People or Anthropologie.
Anyway, I thought I had more to say about cleaning out my closet but apparently the math homework has driven it right out of my head. So I’ll just say it’s a good thing to do. It helps you see what you have that you might’ve forgotten about and figure out if you need anything new to complete an outfit.
And it also might make you feel embarrassed by how many white tank tops you own from Old Navy. But you’ll justify it by reminding yourself that they were only like $3.00 a piece.
Which converts to something like 300 ones in place values.
Or maybe it doesn’t. I wouldn’t really know.
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This post sounded very much like my husband and I on the week end trying to figure out our daughter’s math homework. We sat there for a half hour coming up with different solutions, finding the answers only to realize there was no way she was capable of doing it. In the end we didn’t have her finish it because it didn’t make sense for her to bring in something that we did for her (and took half and hour to get done, might I add again). And…she is only in second grade!!!
The math homework!!! Ugh!! Once my boys hit 4th grade, they go to my hubby for that. If I try up help, my son and I probably have simultaneous melt downs.
Great job on your closet! I have so much OCD pulsing thru my veins that I have to color code mine. People make fun of me but it REALLY helps when you are looking for a certain item! All of my closets are this way as well as my drawers. I love it!
Glad to know that I am not the OCD color coder.
When we moved into our new house I color coded my closet…ROYGBIV….and it’s been the idea ever.
*BEST idea ever. (I need more coffee!)
I teach 4th grade Writing, my students know it doesn’t do them any good to ask me for help in math! Our newly built Old Navy opened this weekend. I waited until last night to go and was not impressed.
You should put empty seltzer bottles in your tall boots so they keep their shape when they’re in the closet.
Actually I saw on Pinterest they are using old swim noodles. Just cut the length of the boot top. Smart!
Wine bottles work too:)
The thing that struck me as funny about P’s side of the closet vs. yours is the difference in hangers. Plastic hangers vs. the leftovers from the drycleaning delivery.
It’s just a sorry place over on that side of the closet.
Whew…I made the cut!
P
Looks like she didn’t toss you this time!
Hahaha! I think the sweeping and mopping up the Sheetrock dust saved you! Love how you are such a strong outdoorsman, but you love Jesus and your little girl! You and Melanie are such a great pair! Caroline is so blessed.
Fortunately for me, my daughter became a math wizard.. Got straight A’ through college Calculus 3! Not my genes and she knows it. She stopped asking for my help in the 6th grade. I knew I was done when she told me that I was doing it different than she was being taught and that I was giving her the wrong answers. Oh well. Great job on the closet organization. I so need to get in and do the same. I keep throwing my shoes in each night and saying to myself that I really need to get in and organize… unfortuately for me my OCD takes over and not only is everything arranged by sleeve length, but also by color..
I know I’m showing my age, but shouldn’t elementary students be learning math with a pencil and paper? What in the world are they going to do when the computer system goes down and they have to do some mental math?! Lord, help us.
I only clean out my closet every other year, and I always have one of my sisters here to help, because they are both younger and more fashion-conscious and don’t hesitate to tell me what needs to go.
You have an impressive boot collection, BTW.
I had an idea for how to handle Caroline shopping. When my mom had trouble dealing with me shopping since I only wanted the latest labels i.e. ESPIRIT at Dillard’s, she would take my sister or someone older I admired. That way Caroline will be influenced by that person’s ideas, even if they were yours. Hope it helps!
I recently saw an idea online which I’m trying this year. I flipped all of my hangers around so they were hanging “wrong” (backward?) on the bar. Then as I wear something I put it back on the bar “right”. In a year if there are any hangers still “wrong” on the bar those clothes obviously don’t get to live at my house anymore. Did the same thing with hubby who had something like 48 shirts and only wears like 12.
I love this idea! I would like to say that I clean out my closet twice a year but I, um, don’t. But my hubby cleans out his even less. (“That could be a good work shirt!”)
Since my oldest hit 3rd grade, I tend to drink wine at homework time and my husband is “math guy.” Last night I did sight words and silly hat decorating with my kindergartner and a glass of Merlot and it was way fun. For me, anyway.
Regarding the closet cleaning, I do the same thing for the same reasons. Only I can’t see your pictures because my Safe Eyes Filter is blocking them out. Are they porn?
Sandy
HILARIOUS!!!
I would very much like to say that my husband’s side of the closet looks like that but I’d be lying. The man has the same philosophy as P; however, HE. WILL. NOT. GET. RID. OF. ANYTHING. Could I have used anymore CAPS and periods? Probably…
I want you all to know that my husband washed one pair of jeans on Saturday because he said that was the only pair of jeans he owned. I guarantee that if you open up the armoire where he keeps his jeans, you will see that he is a LIAR!! So then, I told him that if that was the only pair of jeans he owned, we’d be sending the other 8 pair in his armoire to Goodwill. “YOU WILL NOT TOUCH MY THINGS…I DON’T THROW OUR YOUR THINGS!” Yes, that’s how he said it.
*sigh*
whoops…that was supposed to say *OUT
I am going to try and follow your good example on the closet issue. I usually clean mine out about every ten years. But more importantly, THANK YOU for the snake warning yesterday! I love your blog and am sad I had to miss out on a post, however I am terrified of those creatures and very much appreciate the warning!
Oh, the homework!! I am so not looking forward to math homework. I can barely get my strong-willed 6 year old to work with me on her spelling words. Because she *knows* everything, apparently.
Love your jewelry organizer!! Very cool.
4th grade math is the worst!!! But there is salvation for you my dear. Did you know that if you have a library card (you and your kids) from Landa Library that you can use their tutoring service? Girl, it saved at least one life in our house during Katy’s 4th grade year. It is an online (live) tutor. And it is FREE! Get your membership, go to the website and log on. Katy loved it because she would go online, chat with person (normally a high school or college student her in town) and they would work through the problems. It was fantastic. We have not gotten there with Emily yet. So far, so good. Although we have the same time issue. What should take 15 minutes sometimes takes 45. It is just the age. They will get better. Katy is like a homework Gandhi. She has crossed over into some peaceful, meditative homework zone that does not cease to amaze me. Just hold on, and log on. Good luck!
This is a great idea! Wonder how many libraries around the country offer this service? With internet chatting, it’s a great way to get help with little hassle. Thanks for the info.
Math Homework – not for the faint of heart! I remember just leaving the room when my son brought home Calculus homework. Yeah, sorry kiddo, no help from me!
Khan Academy (http://www.khanacademy.org/) has been our math lifesaver. Seriously! It has saved hours of tears and gnashing of teeth – at least on my part, since I get to be the math whiz (uh, not so much) in our house.
I feel your pain. My daughter started 8th grade this year and I started paying an algebra tutor because I understand (from failing algebra myself) that it is the basis for all that other math she will need in high school. I just try not to think of all the new clothes I could buy with the $30 an hour I pay for it!
Wait until 5th grade math. Your forehead will be flat from the head pounding. Thank God for daddies who know math and khanacademy.org – as Shelli says above…..serious lifesaver.
You’re the David Allen Cole of blogging. You have written the perfect Big Mama post…a funny Caroline story, fashion, and a picture of P’s hunting shirts. Thanks for the smile today….Steve Goodman
I just did this with my closet this previous weekend, my friends love when I do because they get all the stuff, some even still have tags on (yes, I have a little bit of a problem)
And I dread the day I have to help with middle/high school math homework- can we say TUTOR?! I am definitely going to have to enlist in one of those. I cannot remember anything but the basics.
There are some things they do in math these days that just don’t make sense, even if you have a house of *two* parents who “do” math. My daughter had one math assignment that was impossible to solve by anything other than trial and error. After spending more than an hour trying to help my daughter find the answer, my husband ended up writing *a computer program* to find it. He told the teacher exactly why it was unsolvable by anything but trial and error, but still the assignment kept coming home. They kept using the computer program to solve it…
I bet one of the math tutor place would help as other suggested. I must say that is one place where having more than one child can actually save time! My oldest is great at math can can often help his younger sisters much faster than we can just because he is familiar with the new teaching “techniques.”
I am hating – HATING – fourth grade math. Hating it. What are they doing? And why does it seem like brand new information to my fourth grader, who supposedly learned it in school just that day? It’s not fresh on her mind – it’s like she’s never seen it before. And just for fun, she’s reduced to tears within 30 seconds of starting math homework. I’m not far behind. I can do math, but I can’t do 2012 fourth grade math. It’s a whole other animal.
This is hysterical! I love how you make the simplest things so funny and yet so true! I’m homeschooling our kids (mainly because we live in Ecuador) and doing Geometry with my 9th grader is bringing early onset of wrinkles! Thanks for the laugh this morning. Your posts truly are word gifts!
“What am I supposed to do? Lead them to Jesus?” Im dying over here!! Hilarious
ME TOO!!!
Mel, I always get a chuckle from your posts but this one caused me to almost spit out my Coke all over my laptop! The whole “convert a place value” stuff was priceless. Made my day.
I have the utmost empathy/sympathy for all of you struggling through your kid’s math. As one who is severely math, shoot, plain arithmetic, challenged, I totally understand your pain. Fortunately, my husband was an engineer and could understand the problems and how to solve them.l What he struggled with was two daughters who could have cared less about math, and routinely cried over said math homework. Ah, memories!
Both of my girls, at one point when asked what they planned to major in at college replied “whatever major that has no math classes!”. FYI, at Baylor at degree in English only required one math course, and a BFA in theater required none.
I’ve noticed that your clothes hang on plastic hangers while P’s are on wire hangers. You need to fix that. No wire hangers!
You lost me at “convert”!!! :/
Oh how I long for the 4th grade math…we’re in 9th grade story problem purgatory and 11th grade algebra 2, I want to cry nightly. And I got a B then, but my best friend’s dad was the math teacher, so built in help!
I can’t tell you how many hours I have stressed over my girls’ math homework through the years. My oldest is now in college where they have FREE tutoring… almost 24/7. Glory Be!!! Youngest will have to make sure they have free tutoring where she wants to go before we will allow her to apply.
First of all, we both know that the Algebra II teacher was notorious for not being able to teach. And really, who can be bothered with all of that nonsense when there were powerful poems to be written about secret crushes and broken hearts.
My youngest is in Algebra this year, and his hiatus from school, otherwise known as MONO, has put a kink in the math-knowledge-study-skillset chain. His grade is not exactly meeting my standards, so I said, “Do you think that you should go to school early for tutoring?” God bless him. He actually thought that was a question and that the answer was “no.” He learned (at a very loud decibel) that it wasn’t. No sir, not even close.
But.. how can you find anything if it’s not color-coordinated? Do it! It will make you feel accomplished every day!
I need to know which Goodwill you donated to – I’ll buy your last-year clothes : )
My old college roommate actually used to just throw her clothes in the trash – she was spoiled beyond belief & didn’t know they could be donated.
I’d rummage through the trash & wear her “old” clothes. I have no shame!!!
Hope you are doing well.
Happy Fall!
~ Nicole
I had a college friend like that too. Her sweaters she threw away were gorgeous! Her mom or grandma would buy her newer ones she said! I have been known to go through friends’ goodwill bags;)
this made me laugh out loud! don’t worry–my friend had to take home 4th grade math homework handout in eighth grade because positives and negatives outsmarted her (her words, not mine, and she was laughing (: )
I couldn’t do fourth grade math for all the money in the world. Never was good at math. But your closet clean-out interested me. How can you get rid of something you haven’t worn in a year? It hurts me to get rid of anything. I’m at the cleaning out point again myself, but at least half the things in my closet still have the price tag on them. I also noticed that you have all the good hangars and P has the ones that leave little pokey paces in the shoulders.
And I thought you would appreciate my bargains from Nordstrom Rack this weekend. Two, TWO pairs of Frye boots for $79 each. I do not even car that they were “worn and refinished.” They look brand new. Score!
If it makes you feel better I teach college algebra and I have never heard of converting place values. In addition to saving up for a tutor also pray for great math teachers in the future!!
Fourth grade math is soooo hard! My son brings his homework home and asks me questions, and I have to get the “family math paper” every time. I don’t know how to do his problems! They are teaching math differently than when I learned it, and I didn’t even learn it that well to begin with! I was going to say that numbers are also my trouble area, but I have misspelled almost every single word that I’ve typed…so apparently, I’m in a bad place all around.
I love cleaning out closets. I did it before we left on our summer trip. There’s already more work to be done. Sigh.
I have a bachelors in mathematics and a masters in statistics and even that post was making my head spin!!!
Good job on the closet purge!
Like others – I have a bachelors AND master in mathematics AND was director of math for large school district then an elementary principal for six years and have never heard of converting place value either. Also looked at TEKS for fourth grade math and converting place value is not mentioned anywhere which was not a surprise to me! I did a google search for converting place value and actually ended up at IXL – it was first site listed – which says to me that converting place value is not a common thing. So knowing that it is not a 4th (or any grade) TEK makes me wonder about Caroline’s teacher or possibly even school – why are they using IXL? Is it just an easy way to dish out assignments? Have they really assessed what concepts are being taught on site? I would encourage you to have a conversation with the teacher and/or principal about what is included in 4th grade curriculum and why IXL was chosen to be used by students and why teacher thinks converting place value is important.
Now having said all that, I can tell you that converting place value is very similar to converting from one metric unit to another which is a fourth grade TEK. There are a couple of fairly simple to understand methods for converting within the metric system. I hope that when Caroline’s class starts working on those conversions that her teacher will utilize one of the easy strategies. Wish I was closer and I would volunteer to tutor Caroline!
Just looked at TEKS again and missed this one the first time – 2A) interpret the value of each place-value position as 10 times the position to the right and as one-tenth of the value of the place to its left;
So the “converting place value” should not be done more than one place larger or smaller and the IXL goes further than that. Again back to my argument earlier – why is the teacher using this site which is obviously not closely tied to Texas standards.
I’m so thankful I graduated from college! i don’t recall converting any place values and I’m a total math failure too. God showed mercy on my and i made it by the skin of my teeth. Your post made me want to cry & laugh at the same time!
I just wanted to say that I teach 4th grade math! If you ever have a question or need help with Caroline’s homework let me know, I’m happy to help.
Yes, the curriculum is totally different this year…all of the curriculum has changed to the Common Core Standards. So, all over the US kids learn the same standards in each grade. Most states switched to the CCS but I’m not sure if Texas did.