The Tefillin Boy and the Math Whiz.
So day two at Camp Mommy was not quite as exciting as day one, but that's to be expected. When you put everything you have into day one, it's usually day two that suffers. But day three, man, we all have high hopes for you, day three!
The girls made playdough people using playdough, sequins, beads, buttons, googly eyes and pipe cleaners - just like these helpful people did. We love helpful blogs, written by mommies, who have already done all the work. My hat is off to you, Picklebums, and not only because, well, pickle bums. That's just funny stuff.
I forgot to mention yesterday, but we started following a list I pinned ages ago called Lego Quest. Each day, another Lego challenge is extended. Yesterday's was to build an eight seater van. And the boy was successful.
Today's challenge was to build something monochromatic. Once we learned the definition of monochromatic (vocabulary! I would so win at this pretend homeschooling thing), he built this very cool orange helicopter. And the little girl next to him, his faithful sidekick, built a little red bed that she tried to shove inside the orange helicopter. Some pushing and shoving ensued, until I offered to take their picture. All of a sudden, we're all smiling.
And then, at one point this morning, we swung by the drive thru at the bank and we discovered that our very own TDBank is offering to deposit $10 in any child's savings account, should said child read ten books by August 31st.
August 31st? Ha! All I can say is, challenge accepted, TDBank, because one of my kids sat and read five books today, with plans to read the other five tomorrow and a trip to collect his paycheck on Thursday. Besides eating, reading is pretty much all he did today. Granted, these aren't long books but as he pointed out, it doesn't specify, Mommy. So there you go.
I did have to gently break it to him that the bank does cap you at ten books. He kind of thought that he would receive ten dollars every time he read ten books. He was sad and happy at the same time, because ten dollars is still ten dollars. He does get extra points for asking if he could maybe read another ten books and go to a different bank branch, but sadly, those points don't come in dollar form because trying to pull one over on the bank is bad form. Very bad form, actually, but who's keeping score?
Moving along, a high point of my day was when the 9-year-old disappeared into his room with tape, scissors and paper, and emerged and 90 minutes later, as, apparently, a bar mitzvah boy.
He made his own tefillin. For fun. He's just so cute, I can't. His tefillin bag - complete with his name spelled in Hebrew - that he made from a torn pillow case is currently drying underneath his enormously heavy Lego book, but shall be on display tomorrow for all to see.
One would almost think that nothing could top my love for a creative 9 year old, but I have to tell you, today's moment-of-the-day was about me. I did not, like yesterday, learn a new song on the piano. No, it's even better, if you can believe it. Today (today!), I taught my boys math. Me. Math. I am the girl who scored a 68, a 67, and then a very passable 66 on her math regents in 9th, 10th and 11th grades.
I know, my father was very proud too.
But this afternoon, I successfully explained how to multiply four digit numbers by two digit numbers. And I know I was right because I checked my work, and also because the worksheet came with an answer key, but that is so neither here nor there.
Tomorrow, we move on to multiplying four digit number by three digit numbers. Hold on to your pants, it's about to get crazy here.
i don't like the fact that u said aunt jessica. thank u for talking about my tefilin. "and emerged 90 minutes later like a bar mitzvah boy" loved it. also, this blog just make me laugh.