Handsome Dude is learning how to count tally marks.
I’m so proud! My boy! He can be taught!
Anyways. He has some trouble with switching from counting by 5’s to counting by 1’s. Allow me to elaborate, if I may.
Let’s say the boy is counting t0 16 in tally marks. There would of course be 3 groups of five and then one single line. Right?
Right.
So, he says, “5, 10, 15 . . . 20.”
Me: No, that is not a 5. That is a 1.
HD: Ummm . . . .
Me: What is one plus 15?
HD (looking quite stressed): Ummm . . .
Me: What comes after 15?
HD (whimpering): Ummm . . . .did you ask me what comes after “sebben”? (seven) Because I know that one! Ask me what comes after sebben!
Me: No. What comes after 15?
HD: I know what comes after SEBBEN! Not fifteen! SEBBEN!
Kindergarten. Stressful.
I have three exciting announcements and since I am supposed to be starting the children’s history lessons, we must get through this blog entry post haste.
1) Handsome Dude turned six last Saturday.
Six!? My baby.
2) Daisy Mae turned nine on Sunday.
Where has the time gone? I ask you? I seriously need a pause button.
3) On Friday night, Daisy Mae was baptized at our church.
We are very proud of her. She asked to be baptized for her birthday.
We had a very busy weekend!
***
David and I are building a woodshed. Which means, of course, that David is building a woodshed. The ground where we are building it is not level, so we are having to dig.
Like with shovels. Aren’t we manly?!
You might ask, “Taylor! Doesn’t David have a bulldozer? Wouldn’t that be the smarter choice in dirt removal?”
And you would be right. Except, and you had better sit down for this, the dozer is not working. I think the dozer has worked for about 42 minutes since we bought it.
Wise investment, it was.
So, we dig every night when David gets home from work. I am certainly a great help and get about one shovelful of dirt into the wheelbarrow for every ten David does.
And you know what he said?
“I appreciate your help.”
He is looney. I am not helping. I am just there to keep him company. It all evens out because for every 1,000 words I say, he says 1. We are good for each other.
Here is a picture from a window for I am far too lazy to actually go outside.
I would like the people to know that I have callouses on my hands now. And I fall asleep at about 9:08 pm for the sheer exhaustion of it all.
***
In other farm and ranch news, David brought home 7 new hens-a-laying. Does anyone remember his odd hen fettish last year when he kept bringing home scads of hens? And is scads a word? I vote yes!
Anyways. Let us hope that we will not have a repeat of last year.
Also, we have baby bunnies! They are cute. And hoppy.
Alright! I best start teaching my stellar pupils.
Later, dudes.
I use the word scads all the time, therefore its a word.
So happy for your sweet Daisy Mae. Everybody’s growin’ up!
Happy Easter to all the Lumberjacks and Jacklings!
So proud of your Daisy Mae. Scads is indeed a word.
I don’t feel so alone anymore. We have a chainsaw that hasn’t even worked for 42 seconds. Holla! And scads is certainly a word! Bless your little daughter for wanting to be baptized.
I’m sure you are more helpful than you realize. Give yourself more credit. Plus, if you weren’t involved, David would have no way of knowing if the wood shed would be highlighted on “The Lumberjack’s Wife”
Also, have you tried using a number line for HD? I know he’s 6, but maybe he’s more visual right now and perhaps that might be helpful. I will also offer up that I do not hold a BA in Elementary Education. However, I am a graduate student and therefore have a few good things to say.
Seriously, ask me a question.
True. He probably hopes everything about his life ends up in this stellar blog.
Yes! Number line! He actually suggested that to me! haha. You and he are both smarties. I do think it helps him. I just thought it was cute that he was trying to negotiate with me which number I was asking him. Because he knew sebben!
Question: What is the best way to determine which hens out of out 60 hens are laying eggs?
This is what I need to know, O Grad Student.
I’m getting a master’s in social work, not philosophy.
Have you tried hen diapers? Or hen isolation (although I do know that solitary confinement is considered one of the most psychologically and socially harmful forms of imprisonment and you might have terrible results when trying to reintegrate your hen into the social system)?
We have tried the isolation thing, but I fear the hens are feeling stressed and won’t lay well.
Thoughts?
My dad if we just stop feeding the kids, they won’t grow… But I don’t like grumpy kids! Happy b days of both types to your kids!
Tally marks are hard. Everyone struggles with them at first. I agree with using a number line (I have a few extras if you would like one!) You are growing quite a collection of animals, maybe people (hint me) should visit for a field trip! 😉
Yes! Come visit with Shelly next Friday and come bearing a gift of a number line.
Call me, maybe.
my sisters husband also offers 1 word to her 1,000. but he can talk non-stop to a complete stranger. whenever she sees him talking to other people, she always says that he is “using his words”…cracks me up every time!
You make me laugh! And the comments are as good as the post today! 🙂
I think you “helping” David is an example of guys tending to appreciate shoulder-to-shoulder time (doing something just side by side) while gals tend to like face-to-face connection. My husband feels like we just spent quality time together when we read next to each other or watch a movie together or worked on the same chore and I keep thinking “but we didn’t even SAY anything!” Whatever works for them, I guess.
Scads IS a word!!!!!!!
scad
1 [skad] Show IPA
noun, plural ( especially collectively ) scad ( especially referring to two or more kinds or species ) scads.
1.
any carangid fish of the genus Decapterus, inhabiting tropical and subtropical shore waters.
2.
any of several related carangid fishes, as of the genera Trachurus or Selar.
Origin:
1595–1605; origin uncertain
Oh, and congrats for Daisy Mae!!!!!!!!!!
Well, I hope the woodshed faces away from the prevailing winds so that rain and snow won’t blow in all the time. It looks like it faces the house (from the lazy photo), so you will be able to see if there is enough wood out there to get you through the next storm, and also if the wood-getters are having any trouble getting wood.
Don’t hens sit on the same nests all the time, as if they expected to hatch the eggs they lay? I have no experience here, sorry.
There is a way to tell if they are laying by looking at their rear
egg plopper outer area.
Google it. 😉
B has a point
I also have an extra number line from back in the day when I was a PSR. It is also laminated. Ms. Hannon gave it to me. I will give it to you if you would like.
I got to this part, “she asked to be baptized for her birthday.”, and my eyes blurred right up. That. Is. Precious. You are one blessed mama. Thank you for sharing and may the bulldozer get well soon.