Anya Turns 4

My little Anya is now a big 4 year old! Her birthday was Monday. She laughed and ran away nearly every time we sang to her. In the last year Anya has changed from a very shy and quiet child to much more assertive child. We know when Anya is not happy now. Instead of annoying me by saying, "mom, mom, mom, mom...," she says, "Mom, you have to talk to me!" Of course, my guilty conscience responds to that better. Happy birthday, my little bunny. I love you.

Math and Home School and Saxon and Blah, Blah, Blah

So, in some ways I am learning math all over again. In some ways, I am just having my memory refreshed. But this time around  instead of just memorizing math principles. I am learning why. I am learning why because I actually really want to know, but also because Johnny demands that I tell him why no matter what. So here is an example of the why in math that I never bothered to think about in high school.

Negative Numbers: Did you ever wonder why when you subtract a negative number from a number the two negatives make a positive? I never did before. But I knew Johnny would need to know, so I had to think this one through and ask my mathematician husband. It is actually so the rules are consistant. Think of it this way:

 For all real numbers, a - a = 0

So (-a) - (-a) = 0, 

when you subtract  a number from itself then you get zero whether it is positive or negative. This rule has to remain constant so

a - (-b) = a + b, 

because

(-a) - (-a) = (-a) + (a), 

which equals 0.

Tada. It feels nice to be able to prove why a math concept is true instead of just know the rule.

On another math topic: there is a way of teaching math called Saxon Math that has taken over how math is being taught-- and that is BAD. Here is why.

A man named Saxon did not understand math very well. But he did not know that he did not understand math. He made this theory that a student should not have to know how to do a math problem unless it is taught to them. So what has happened? Children are taught every way to add, every way to subtract, every way to multiply and divide.  If you do not believe me check out your child's math book (it doesn't have to be called Saxon anymore. Saxon has taken over). We bought a fifth grade math book for Johnny. All it had was a year's worth of different ways to multiply-- boring, yes. Now, you may think your kids are learning things earlier than you did because it includes scientific notation and exponents. I don't think I hit that until 7th or 8th grade. But that is it-- just every way to multiply. You may be thinking, "this woman is nuts. Why is this bad?" I am going to tell you why I am not nuts and why this is bad. Before Saxon, kids were not told every way there is to do a single problem. Mostly, we were given just one way. Then on tests, we would have problems pop up here and there that we would have to think out and find a different way to solve them. On standardized tests, we would be given a lot of those , "You have never seen this problem before" problems. That was a-okay for most kids, because we had already had to use the "think this problem out" skill. We knew what to do. American test scores were pretty good. In fact, American's were generally considered around the world to be "very inventive" We thought up the machines, the Japanese made them better. Not bad, I think. That is all gone with Saxon. Saxon does not believe a student should have to think a problem out. Saxon believed a student should not have to do a problem unless the student was shown how to do that particular problem. Math changed from a subject that greatly improved one's critical thinking skills to just a bunch of memorizing. In fact, an absurd amount of memorizing. So we tossed aside the saxon theory based math book, and swapped to the traditional way. Here is what I am finding with my own kids:

1. Johnny had an algebra problem where in order to find the answer, he had to divide 81 by 3 (81/3). 2.Johnny said, "the answer is 81/3". 

3. I said write it down and divide it out.

4. Johnny hates any division that he doesn't already have memorized, and Johnny HATES writing it out.

5. So Johnny said to himself. 3 X 10 = 30. There are 2 (30's) in 80. So that is 20. Then there is 21 left, and 3/21 = 7.

6. Johnny yelled out, "The answer is 27. Do you want to know how I did it?"

If Johnny had already been shown this way of diving (removing the tens and then dividing the left over) he would have missed the opportunity to think it out. Johnny has learned important critical thinking skills. Johnny is being trained to solve problems, not just to compute a memorized problem.

Guess what? Japan used to do math more like Saxon. Japan now does math more like the old fashioned American-way (before 1995-ish). And guess what? Americans are continually falling behind the international level. So Saxon math is BAD!

My favorite Helper

I know, I know, I know. I should not have a "favorite helper, " but I just love that as soon as I open the dish washer to load or unload, little Josh is there "helping". And I LOVE his company so much that I don't even mind clean dishes being dropped on the floor, and dirty dishes unloaded.

The First Snow

Joseph was the first to make it out. He had on fuzzy pj's, a hat, mismatched mittens, and boots!

Anya got the scarf, hat, mittens, and shoes, but she missed the coat note too.

Then Rachel missed the "You need a coat" note as well.

Okay, so it is family tradition. We don't wear coats or clothes in the snow.

Joshua so wanted to get to the snow. I finally let him touch it. He jumped up shocked and cried whenever I moved him close to the snow after that!

The Last Faith Post Has Arrived

Remember when I said I had one more author to post about faith? Well, she has come through. Meet Maria Stahl, an amazing hard working woman full of faith. She travels all over the country every week and still makes it home to work in the temple and to attend church on Sunday. She grew up in Montana, but has lived in Utah, NYC, and Washington D.C.

“Faith is knowing the sun will rise, lighting each new day.” A while back Diane asked me to write something on faith, and every time I thought about this, this line from a children’s song would came to mind. The Bible dictionary states that “To have faith is to have confidence in something or someone” I like that word “confidence”. Webster Dictionary states that confidence is a firm belief; trust; reliance; the fact of being or feeling certain; assurance.

When we think about the word Faith in a religious context how do we have confidence in the things that may not be seen? As a child, how do we know that sun will rise? We don’t. It just happens. We don’t learn until many years later that the earth rotates on an axis every day. And then we learn that besides rotating on an axis it also rotates around round the Sun. If we are just learning, to have faith, sometimes we have to just accept that certain things will happen, not knowing why. As we actively learn more about our Savior Jesus Christ, we gradually learn to understand more about those things that are not seen and can truly have confidence that it will happen. I cannot see the earth rotate around the sun. I can see the effects of it though, every day. I was not there to see the atoning sacrifice that Jesus Christ gave for me and all of us, but I have learned to see the effects of it in my life and in those around me. I have confidence in that because I have learned to recognize it, just as I have learned to recognize when the sun will rise.

The opposite of confidence is diffidence or shyness. One who is shy is easily frightened or startled, not at ease with people, or shows distrust or caution; is wary. This definition reminds me of horses. When I was a kid, I grew up on a farm in Montana. We had some horses. Young horses would “shy” away from items that may come up to them on the side where their peripheral vision is not good. They will jump first before directly looking at whatever was on their side to decide whether it will hurt them or not, even if it was a plastic bag blowing in the wind. The difference in riding a shy horse verses a confident horse is great. As a rider on a shy horse you always have to have a firm hold of the reins, and be prepared for a bumpy ride, verses the trained, confident horse that has learned to look and be aware before deciding what to do. That ride is usually smoother and much more enjoyable.

As I think it is with life. Those who learn to have faith in Jesus Christ are able to ride through life a little smoother. That doesn’t mean that there may be things that will make them sad, hurt them , or make them want to run away. But with faith they can learned to have confidence to take the time to stop and look at it directly to understand it more fully.

Faith is knowing the sun will rise, lighting each new day. Faith is knowing the Lord will hear my prayers each time I pray. Faith is like a little seed: if planted it will grow. Faith is a swelling within my heart. When I do right, I know. 

Faith is know I lived with God before my mortal birth. Faith is knowing I can return when my life ends on earth. Faith is trust in God above; in Christ, who showed the way. Faith is strengthened; I feel it grow whenever I obey. I hope that this year , we can all strive to strengthen our Faith.

2 Notes

1. Joseph is a very verbal 2 year old, and he just fascinates me with all of the things his two year old brain thinks about. Like when he took my Valrohna chocolate disk and said, "it is a boat." The chocolate boat then floated through the air and into his mouth with a few engine sounds to boot.
2. I saw the obgyn. There was a baby, 9 weeks, 2days. The baby had a beating heart and was even wiggling. All looks well.  I am due Aug 5th. 9 kids sounds HUGE! But when I hold this new little one, I know it will fit right in and just belong.

New Years Resolutions

Resolutions 2011:

1. 1.Potty Train Anya: Done before the end of January.
2. 2.Potty Train Joseph: Didn't happen at all. (Why was I able to potty train my first 5 kids all before 2 1/2 and I have not been able to do it with my 6th and 7th? I am wondering if I have just gotten lazy?)

Resolutions 2012:
1.Find and incorporate healthy vegetarian dishes into our weekly diet.

• Why? Because I have always tried to do meatless dishes 3 to 4 days a week, but they have never been healthy. It is always something like pancakes or bread and fruit, or milk based soups. We have done beans and rice, but I have too many kids that just won't eat that to make it a realistic dinner.
• Do I think I will succeed? Maybe, if I can find recipes that I can easily buy ingredients for and they do not take more than 30 minutes of preparation. And only if I get this started in the first two months of the year. If I haven't gotten into this habit by the end of February, I am sure I will fail with this goal.

2. Teach My Children to take better care of and to respect things.

• Why? Because they lose all of the game pieces and don't care. Because they brake something in the house and think, "no big deal". And frankly, I am tired of the destruction. This many kids can cause a lot of damage. And I think my kids can benefit from respect lessons.
• Do I think I will succeed? Yes and No. No, because I am so out numbered. Yes, because I am mad. My kids will find that they will be in a lot more trouble for general destruction and carelessness.

3.Potty Train Joseph.

• Why? Because he will be three in July, and at some point I always win out on this matter.
• Do I think I will succeed? Absolutely, no question. This will happen in 2012.

4.Make music lessons a bigger deal.

• Why? Because I am jealous from everyone's Christmas letters about how talented their kids are and how many instruments they play etc.
• Do I think I will succeed? No, because my motivating force is jealousy, and I am very likely having another baby, which always makes that hard.

5. Teach Rachel how to get her shoes on the right feet.

• Why? Because she is almost 6!
• Do I think I will succeed? As long as I am diligent the first few months of the year.

6.And of course to EXERCISE MORE!

• Why? well, I always need to.
• Do I think I will succeed? I hope so. Maybe but I am not very good at this one. I keep thinking someday. Once I did, and was going strong until we moved. I was going strong last year too until I injured my foot. So maybe for a little while until something stops me like the birth of a baby.