MeMe 5 Things About This Mom

Ok, MommyFest is promoting lots of fun, including post ideas (memes) to help blogger moms get to know each other This one is 5 things about this mom so here's 5 more things about me that you may not already know. Since I've been feeling like being more real, and less like putting on a perfect face, you probably won't already know these.

1. If money weren't an issue, I think it would be ideal to visit the places we are learning about. Instead of reading about a culture, go experience it. Instead of reading about history, go visit the locations where things happened; usually the best living history experiences and museums are located near where the event happened. Reading my blog and seeing all of the classes and field trips that we take, you'd think I'd love to travel, wouldn't you? And I would but...there's a problem. I do NOT travel well. I get every kind of motion sickness there is. I am a picky eater and have a sensitive digestive system so finding food away from home isn't always easy. Emotionally, I can't handle seeing poverty. And I miss home terribly once the sun goes down. Traveling usually means I'm a wreck emotionally and physically.

2. I'm horrible at time management because I cannot accurately gauge how long various tasks will take. Imagine that you have an hour before you have to leave for swimming class so you start a craft project/experiment that you think will take you 30 minutes but it really takes an hour and a half to do the project and clean it up. It means you frantically try to get your three kids out of the house without a second to spare, leaving the mess waiting for when you get home.

3. I'm grateful for standardized tests. They help alleviate my fears that I'm not doing enough to teach my kids. At least, through standardized testing, I know they have an adequate command of reading, writing, and math. With those three things, you can learn anything else you need.

4. I can teach myself nearly anything by reading directions, watching videos online, and trial and error. Because of this, I'm not worried about teaching high school subjects with the exception of chemistry and physics, which I do have trouble with.

5. I can't figure out how to teach at an early elementary level. I've learned to rely on curriculum for language arts and math so they don't get overwhelmed. A quick 1st grade intro to contractions (don't, can't) would turn into a 2 hour lesson on every contraction they might encounter in their lifetime, including the difference between its and it's. For science and history, I just pick a topic and head to the library and go from there. We read, do projects, and go on field trips. Often the reading level is beyond their interest level and the projects turn into mommy doing them as a demonstration, but they seem to pick up enough. Seeing a glazed look in my kids' eyes isn't uncommon.