By Heather O.
The blog was broken, which is why nobody has been blogging lately. Not that we’re super duper active bloggers lately anyways, but this time, there was a reason. Really.
And the thing is, many times I had things to blog about, and I’d come over here and want to talk about them, and the blog would be broken and I’d think, “Dang, where am I going to dump this?” and I either put something abbreviated on facebook, try to forget my stewing by watching a show, or stew some more and eat some chocolate for comfort. So when I found out the blog was fixed by our best guys (and again, “our best guys” means “The Wiz’s husband when he gets around to it after he finally has nothing else on his plate”), I got excited because I thought it meant I could finally get all my thoughts out of my head and we could have some awesome, cool discussions that have nothing to do with the presidential campaign because I live in a battleground state and I say FOR THE LOVE OF BETSY ROSS enough already.
But at this moment, this very BLOGGABLE moment, I’ve got nothing.
I have been blogging a little bit over at Living With PKD , so if you want to read about kale and poop (and really, who doesn’t), you can head on over there.
(You won’t be disappointed. If you’re looking for kale and poop stories, that is. If you’re looking for other things, well, then you might be disappointed.)
(Just out of curiosity, if you’re *not* looking for kale and poop stories, why would you be over there in the first place? Weird.)
As far as other parenting, non-kidney news goes, school has started, which is always exciting. My son’s teacher has this little incentive reward thingie goin’ on where if students have “green” behavior all week and turn in every homework assignment, then they get to eat lunch with the teacher. Outside. As in, NOT in the stinky cafeteria. And their parents can come. And bring them food from a restaurant. And with the fall weather this amazing, it’s quite an incentive indeed. J is loving it.
Of course, if I eat lunch with one kid, I have to eat lunch with my other kid, so Fridays I get to have pretty much the coolest lunch dates ever. This has been going on for 3 Fridays now, and I find I really like spending time with my kids during the school day.
And I’ve also decided that I’m really glad that I’m a grown up. I may have to pay my mortgage, but at least that doesn’t require me to bend my mind around math homework anymore, homework that includes fractions.
Because fractions? They are of the devil.
We are rapidly approaching the time when I won’t be able to help my son with his math homework. The other night, DH wasn’t home, and J said, “Where’s Dad? I need his help.” I said, “He won’t be home until late. Can I help?” He shook his head and said something like, “Nah, it’s a math problem. You won’t know how to do it.” I got indignant, of COURSE I can handle 5th grade math, just who did he think he was, Mr. Smarty Pants?
Then I looked at his homework.
I said, “Yeah, we should probably wait for your dad. He’s in a meeting—wanna text him?”
And then I had a mini anxiety attack just looking at his math textbook, so I left the room, abandoning my son to his math-ly fate.
He emerged unscathed.
I’m so impressed by anybody who doesn’t get beaten up by math.
But be proud–I have yet to reveal to my son that the fact that I had to take algebra in the 7th grade and then AGAIN in college has helped me not at all in life. Seriously, like, not at all. Fractions, sure, they’re kinda useful, especially when you’re trying to cook (which I’m not great at either, truth be told), but algebra? “My favorite class!”–said NO ONE EVER.
And if it’s possible that you are reading this and thinking, “Hey, I said that!” then I bow to you as a symbol of my humility, because if algebra was your favorite class, you must be way, way, WAY cooler than I am, because it also means that you can do cooler stuff than I can, like play pool, or make an airplane out of bamboo and chewing gum, ala MacGyver.
(Who I’m sure was probably really good at algebra.)
(And who, as far as I can tell, doesn’t have a first name. Or, he doesn’t have a last name. Seriously, does anybody ever call him anything else than MacGyver? Like, is he Jim MacGyver, or is he MacGyver Jones?)
(Suddenly this is very important to me.)
(I should go to bed.)




I think he’s just Macgyver.
Algebra is really useful for a range of professions, none of which are professions I’ll ever be involved in. I don’t remember most of it, but I’m hoping to give myself a refresher before my kids get to that point in school. Luckily for me, they’re still at the point where they’re learning how to count, so I’ve got awhile.
Comment #1 by kaduseyOctober 5th, 2012 at 8:24 pmWell, algebra was my favorite…until I took calculus!
Then calculus was my favorite. I took lots of other math after that, too, but I still have a soft spot for calculus.
Comment #2 by Huffalumps and WoozlesOctober 5th, 2012 at 8:42 pmHis name is Angus MacGyver. I looked it up just for you.
I enjoy algebra, but geometry was my favorite. But I’m weird and do random (lame) math problems in my head when I’m walking somewhere. But I quit doing math after that. No way did I want to conquer trig or calculus. Though I may later on when I eventually go back to school. In a billion years.
Comment #3 by Erin MarieOctober 5th, 2012 at 9:04 pmA lot of those other classes didn’t make sense until I got to calculus, especially trig. But by the time I got to the point in calculus that I needed trig, I had forgotten it all.
In better news, MMW is back, all fixed and shiny!
Comment #4 by CS EricOctober 5th, 2012 at 9:21 pmYay! You’re back!
I don’t do math anymore. That’s why God gave us computers. And accountants.
Comment #5 by MDearestOctober 6th, 2012 at 1:39 amStatistics is my favorite! You get to use a badass calculator.
Comment #6 by SallygirlOctober 6th, 2012 at 1:48 amMy daughter is in 6th grade and is doing Pre-Algebra! I am officially too dumb to help her, and she waits for her dad to come home every night to help her. The conversation between you and your son? Happens every night in my house!
Comment #7 by LizOctober 6th, 2012 at 6:22 amHooray, you’re back!!
And, hooray for algebra!! (We all use it all the time, we just don’t realize it. Like when you quickly glance to see how many eggs you have in the carton…you are doing algebra in your head. So, give yourself a pat on the back!)
And, for me, the Lame-O, how does one “subscribe” to this blog so that posts come to my email and I don’t have to check here everyday for a new post??
Comment #8 by StrollerbladerOctober 6th, 2012 at 11:48 amOh, passed the “I can help with math” a while a go. It’s no longer Algebra at our high school, it’s “Secondary MAth I” or “II” or whatever - and no textbooks with examples of problems. My daughter has to go before school to get help from the teacher.
I took Algebra in college to refresh my memory. I actually did well after struggling with Trig in high school.
Lunch on Fridays. Not bad.
Comment #9 by mormonhermitmomOctober 6th, 2012 at 5:31 pmDo algebra all the time. I wish they would have given you more examples in school to show you how much you use it- then you wouldn’t get so frustrated thinking- when am I ever going to use this??? You use it every time you think, this is how many I have in this and this is how many I need. Of course I use it more, because I am a nurse and that means a lot of this is how much I have in this and this is how much I need!
Comment #10 by DebOctober 6th, 2012 at 5:52 pmhttp://www.wolframalpha.com/ Officially the BEST math help site ever!
Comment #11 by JC FranzenOctober 6th, 2012 at 11:26 pmStrollerblader, you can use Google Reader, which I don’t use but I’m told is cool. Also, I don’t know how to susbscribe to this blog because I’m old and dumb. And we are using an antiquated wordpress platform that doesn’t automatically update stuff like this, and we’re too dumb to fix it, and Mr. Wiz doesn’t have the time or the inclination for a total overhaul of the blog. If we were smarter, it would be easy for you to “follow” us. My PKD blog does all of this stuff automatically–there are these cool buttons at the bottom of my posts that I never bother with, they’re just there. Like I said, if we were cooler, you wouldn’t have to wonder. Sorry. We’re lame.
Comment #12 by Heather O.October 7th, 2012 at 7:00 amI will have to Google Google Reader!
)
Comment #13 by StrollerbladerOctober 7th, 2012 at 11:09 amI freakin’ hate math, except fractions, which is the only math I’m good at, thanks to cooking. My kid is in 2nd grade, math doesn’t come naturally to her, it is a fight to get it done, she is still struggling to memorize basics (1+2=3, etc) and the math coming home is too hard for her.
She’s the best reader in the class, but math is no fun at all around our house. I’m trying to keep a positive attitude about it, “math is great! math is important!”, but I want to cry every night too.
Comment #14 by m2thehOctober 8th, 2012 at 7:08 amYes! Angus MacGyver. He doesn’t like the name Angus, which you learn ONCE is one of those flashbacky episodes where he goes back like to the middle ages. I loved MacGyver, and even have a soft spot for mullets because of him. I could (but won’t) go on for a very long time about Mac.
Comment #15 by MollyOctober 10th, 2012 at 6:25 pmI love math
but then I’m an engineer, I better love math. ha. If we still lived by you, I would totaly help J out!
Comment #16 by TrixieOctober 11th, 2012 at 9:28 am