Time for Margaritaville!!

After my last post on how "wonderful" our life was in lala land a mean spirited fairy waved her evil wand and put a nasty curse on our week. Now I am trying many different spells and potions to eradicate said spell. It seems that the margaritta mix works the best. I think it has something to do with the salt warding off evil algebra spirits. It also makes mommy very happy!! Part of this nasty curse is that I have this uncontrollabe urge to pull out my hair whenever I see the point-slope formula or need to explain the importance of fungi. Come on, seriously?! Do we really need to know how they sexually reproduce? I just want to know which ones are edible, not if they dimmed the lights and played soft music before ending up on my plate.So, when my husband wakes up to go to work tonight he will find his once beautifully tressed wife is now a middle-aged bald woman with a penchant for margarittas. I will slurringly tell him it was our lovely daughters algebra and biology that drove me over the brink.
I need to get more salt.

Update on New Schedule

Wow! What a difference! We are starting our third week of this new schedule and I am amazed at how well Amy is doing. She and I had agreed that the schedule that is posted on our whiteboard would be followed each day. We both agreed that if we were still in our pj's at 9:00, when classes start, that we would have to stay in our pj's until classes ended. There were other agreements as well, such as lunch breaks, PE, etc.
So, the first week she tested out the schedule and me as well to see if the boundaries were in place. One morning she stayed in her pj's and when 9:00 rolled around I reminded her of our agreement and she stayed in her pj's until her first break. She then chose to use her free time to shower and get dressed. The second test came a day later. She was invited to a soccer game after school and was super excited about it. Well, 9:00 rolled around again and even though she was dressed, she was still upstairs in her room listening to her music. So, when she sauntered down at 9:30 I reminded her of our agreement again and asked if she wanted to work later and miss her soccer game or work through part of her lunch. She was amazed that I was being this strict, but I think she was also really glad that I was not caving. So she worked through her lunch and was a happy camper.
Her grades are improving in Biology and Algebra and she just seems more content.
I was talking to my husband about it and he said that he needed alot of boundaries when he was a teen and that he loved schedules. So maybe she takes after her dad. I hate shedules. But I am finding that they are a wonderful tool to use!

Direct Variation

This is for a couple of people who have asked about Direct Variation.
One thing that helped Amy was to remember that in the formula y=kx the k is the constant of variation. So if you have y=2x the constant would be 2.
Here is an example of one of the problems to find the constant.

8x+2y=0
First move the 8x to the right side, since you are moving it to the right side it becomes a negative.

2y=0-8x
Now you need to isolate the y by dividing the 2y by 2. Remember whatever you do the right you have to do to the left so you need to divide the 8x by two as well.

2y/2=0-8x/2

Now you are left with y=0-4x
Since the zero added to the -4x does not change it's value you now have
y=-4x
this is a direct variation because it follows the formula y=kx the -4 is the k in the formula.

I hope that helps a little, it is a really confusing concept!
More later!

Day Two Of New Semester

A new semester almost feels like the start of the new school year to me. It is a time to fix the areas that weren't working, set new goals and to put the past to bed. This week has started out really well. I revamped our schedule and also put together notebooks for Amy. These notebooks are divided into Chapters and Units so when she needs to study for the tests she can find the information and her notes quickly. I am also sitting down with her and showing her how to take notes like a college student. I figure she might as well learn now! Our new schedule has us getting up earlier and having an actual schedule to abide by, but today it was so worth it. At two o'clock Amy sat down to look over her emails and to contact her teachers and she looked at me and said, "I feel like I accomplished so much today!" It made me feel as if I did my job as a "learning coach" and a mom. I know there will be days when things do not go as well as today did, but I am glad that she and I agreed about the changes that needed to take place and that Amy is on board with them.
More later!

End of Semester One!!!!

So, Miss Amy finished up all her finals, finally, and ended up with an A on her Algebra final. I was sooooo happy that I took her to the comic store and let her pick out a graphic novel that she had been wanting. Her semester grades are B's and A's and I am very pleased.
Since we do not have any classes scheduled until Monday, we took advantage of the California sunshine and messed around in our garden and then hit the beach for an impromptu photo session. I am posting those pics for you to enjoy a virtual day at the beach.
We are just going to relax for the remainder of this week and not even think about classes until Sunday night. I definitely need the break and Amy does too!!
Enjoy your week!

Finals Week-Pure He**

So, first semester is now over. I went into this freshman year with the mindset of letting Amy take the reins and see how she managed her time and classes. Well, this week with finals it all came crashing down. So today we had a come to Jesus meeting and things will be alot different in the second semester.
I felt so bad today, because I felt like I had failed Amy by letting her "learn the hard way." But after our meeting we discussed the changes that need to be made on both our parts and she said she will be happy with the structure and rules.
Rules, I do not like them-I am a bit of a gypsy, but when it comes to the success of my daughter, I will toe the line.
So here is our schedule for next semester, granted there will be flexibility based on appointments and life in general, but here it is:
7:30 Rise and Shine! (Shower, eat, etc.)

9:00 Classes begin-I explained to Amy that if she or I are still lounging in our p.js at 9:00 then we stay in our p.js until school is finished.It takes us both forever to get ready!!

9:00-9:45 Language Arts, nice way to start the day!
9:45-10:30 Algebra (this semester she will be keeping a notebook with daily work that she needs to show me.)
10:30-10:45 Break for snack
10:45-11:30 Biology (same here, daily notebook, daily work)
11:30-12:00 Spanish
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-1:45 Health/Game Design on alternate days
1:45-2:00 Review for tests next day, email or call teachers with questions,prepare for upcoming portfolios, etc.
2:00 Classes over for day

This leaves her plenty of time to be creative with her writing and photography. It also will give her time for family chores and hanging out with friends.

Wish me luck!!

Christmas Break!!

I don't know who is happier that Christmas break is here, me or Miss Amy! She worked up until five o'clock on Friday and then shut down the computer, closed her books and sighed a huge sigh of relief. Highschool is hardwork!!
Over the break I think we will hit Knotts Berry Farm and the rest of the days we will just let unfold.
I know we all need the rest and time to catch up with family and friends.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!