Math and Economics

We got an early start this morning on school. We did Math first, which is normal because both boys LOVE it. I abhor it. Thankfully I seem to hide this very well and they haven't picked up on that at all. I try to treat each subject as an adventure so that they think learning is fun. :) With Math I have to grit my teeth and smile but they are enjoying it. They took a test today and Judah got 100%. Thomas missed 2 out of 18. I thought that was GREAT!! He, however, was devastated. :( I tried to tell him that he did GOOD but he didn't believe me. He went off to play and a few minutes later I realized something that might encourage him. I called him back over and pulled him into my lap. I pointed to the test and said something like, "Thomas you are FOUR years old. Do you realize that this is 6 year old Math? You are 4 and you're doing first grade math and you only missed 2 problems out of 18. That's GOOOOD!" He smiled and went off to play. Apparently the perspective thing helped him a great deal. I was so glad. Both my boys really want to answer everything right. I have explained that it's OK to get an answer wrong because you haven't quite learned it yet. The only time I get upset and scold is when they miss an answer because they weren't paying attention. If you know the answer and fail to follow instructions or are goofing off and miss it or miss it because you're not concentrating...then that isn't smart.
Thomas has been thriving under the new, no pressure to learn thing. I am so grateful that I now know how to teach this kid in a way that he can learn. I didn't want to burn him out or cause him to be discouraged. Michael was VERY VERY discouraged during his public school life. He would get overwhelmed and then shut down. The teachers continued to pass him through the system and, because of that, the system failed him. The system only works if you understand what is being taught each year. If you don't understand 4th grade chances are 5th grade will be even more confusing and overwhelming to you. :):)

After Math we headed out to the store for an economics lesson. I like to think of this as practical schooling. :):) We have found a new GEM of a store. Bargain Foods in Pelzer, SC. (Jane, have you ever been there?) It's AMAZING!!!!!
The store is in a big warehouse. They sell outdated, OR overstocked, or almost outdated foods for a VERY low price. Here's where the economics lesson came in. We were getting juice. All juice there is 99 CENTS a bottle. (full sized 64 ounce bottles) 99 CENTS!!!!! Amazing. I had actually been buying very little juice for the last 3 years because it's SO expensive, even at Walmart. The exotic kinds of juice I found there cost about $2.65 a piece (sometimes almost 3 dollars) at Walmart. So, I put 4 bottles of one kind of juice in the cart and explained to the kids- "Look guys, (they came eagerly, waiting for me to explain why I was so excited) these are 99 cents a piece. At Walmart they are almost 3 dollars a piece. So, we just got 4 for a little over the price of 1 bottle of this stuff at Walmart!!!!" Their eyes lit up and they said what I had been saying, "That's a GOOD price Mommy! That's a GOOD deal!!" We also bought about 12 boxes of cereal. Most cereal there is 99 cents a box. AMAZING! They were about 2 months outdated but I'm sure they are fine. We'll see. If I have to throw a box or 2 away it was still worth it!! The choices at our Walmart that don't have partially hydrogenated veg oils ( and NO BHT!!!!!!) are quite limited. Actually I believe there are about 3 to choose from. Cheerios, Kix, Special K Red berries...you get the pic. Today at Bargain Foods they had quite a few organic ones on the shelf. We bought both boxes of organic cocoa puffs. Last month I figured that I had saved about 24 dollars on cereal for the month by getting it at Bargain Foods. :):):) Bread is also a GREAT DEAL there. I got 9 loaves of Pepperidge Farm bread (normally somewhere in the $2.79 range at Walmart for....are you ready for this????.... 89 CENTS a piece!!!!! Doesn't that BLOW YOUR MIND??? Now, the bread was supposed to be sold this week, but, like juice, bread can be frozen till you need it. :):):) They all went into our deep freezer. I got a couple boxes of Organic Poptarts. The kids have been asking me for YEARS to try Poptarts and I've said, "Nope!" every time because of the PHVOs (partially hydrogenated veg oils) plus all the sugar. :) I don't want them to develop tastes for things that are terrible for your body. We aren't fanatical. We eat at McD's every once in a while. We let them eat hot dogs about 3 times a year, etc. but we are teaching them that moderation is the key. Very limited intake on PHVOs, nitrites, nitrates, BHT BHA TBHQ, MSG is definitely the way to go. I don't ban them completely but we teach them that they are bad for our body. They understand this. They have never had soda. We tell them that they can try it when they are 10. heehee. :):) I drink maybe 3 per year, maybe. Michael drinks them every day but they are not with him most of the day so its OK. :) He can get away with it. LOL
Anyway, back to the economics lesson. We PILED 2 carts full of food, supplies, (both inside and underneath) and the grand total was 180.60 cents. AAAAUUUGGHHH!!! I LOVE when they tell me the price there. It makes me feel like I've won the lottery or something. :) There are still things I will need to pick up from Walmart but (save the weekly perishables like Milk, cheese, produce, etc.) shopping for the month of March is complete. It was so funny to hear the kids saying, "Mom LOOK! That box of pasta is only 39 cents. That's a good deal!" "Mom does this cereal REALLY not have bad stuff in it?" We had a pretty good time. Only had to deal with bad attitudes a few times. One boy wanted to push the cart but couldn't see over it and was very upset to learn that he wasn't going to be allowed to push it down crowded aisles. We had a couple of chats about thinking of others by doing what we could to not bump into them. :):) The older boys also had an argument at the checkout because they wanted to help each other unload and one was VERY possessive about unloading HIS cart-HIMSEEEELF!! But, overall I was proud of them and thought the day was a success. :)
I will say that the only frustrating things about the store are this: a) it's kind of like a huge indoor food yard sale. LOL Sometimes things are not grouped together very well. You have to hunt around for certain items, and because it's a store that sells near expired/overstocked items they don't always have the same things in stock. Instead of going to the store with a list you have to go to the store, find great deals, and build your menus from what you find. :) and b) because some things are outdated everyone is reading labels/cans and the aisles can get very crowded. That said, after all that and the length of time it takes to get through the huge store with three children, the best words in the world are "Ma'am your total is...!!!!" I LOVE that place!!

Gotta go!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Blessings!- Angela :)
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