I have discovered a new version of hell. You take two people with raging PMS and force one to tutor the other in trigonometry. A great way to induce insanity. I hated Maths enough while I was at school, wthout having to force feed it to a reluctant daughter. But Daughter-One has her Maths final in a few days and she really wants to pass.
My only break from it this week was when I went to Daughter-two's sports day. It brought back memories of the brief few years when I was the athletics star at my small country school. I had forgotten all about that, and how every new person arriving at the school would be made to run against me to see if they could beat me. I never did better than third at the county championships though. It was a short-lived thing; when I shifted schools at ten my brilliant career was over. I was too shy to want to stand out and it was easier just to jog along with the rest of the PE-hating girls.
The focus is much less on winning these days it seems. At the long jump some of the kids seemed to barely grasp the concept and were just running into the sand - but they all had to get applauded. At least they all seemed to have fun. And in the age sprints there was some real competition, and a few tears when people didn't win.
Daughter-Two threw herself into it with gusto:
Deafened by the cheers, screams and applause I wandered home to tackle simultaneous equations with the other Daughter.
By Thursday I was desperate for a change and the arthouse cinema down the road was showing a film I wanted to see ("An Education"). Trouble was, Thursday is supermarket shopping night and the cupboards were bare. But we managed to get around the supermarket, home to unpack it and off to the movies in record time. (There was some collatoral damage - I was racing down the aisles grabbing things from my list and throwing them in the trolley while The Husband followed behind picking up the things I knocked off the shelves as I went).
The movie was great. Highly recommended (and convinced us both that the planned trip around the world after we sell this house in five years time should include a few months living in Paris).
Unforunately I didn't get any rest that night as the dog had eaten something that disagreed with him. I suspect the collar that he devoured several days previously. (The day I came back to find him sitting in the sun looking mighty pleased with himself and only an inch of collar left attached to his chain).
He woke up three times in the night whining, whimpering and panting and needing to be taken outside. Oddly enough I was the only one in the house who woke whenever he did it. Clearly, once you are a mother you never lose the knack even for an annoying member of another species.
Despite all this, I did get some work done! These are in store this weekend at Designer Digitals:
Oh, I do dread having to be anything close to an authority figure in math. As it is, I'm struggling to stay ahead with 2-digit additions and subtractions... Loved the pictured of DD2 -- she's so vibrant and full of life!
Posted by: Heather T. | October 25, 2009 at 03:22 PM
I feel your pain in the math department. I never got it in school but give me a math problem on a test for a job and I can out score teh doctors on the answers.
I know am teaching my oldest basic algerbra in 3rd grade..no fun.
Posted by: meanmomdigitalproductions | October 26, 2009 at 02:38 AM
It's the mommy ears! Other people in the house can't hear whining! I wouldn't be able to help anybody with math, that's for sure. Good for you for trying to help!
Great new products and I can't wait to see what's coming this weekend!
Posted by: anke | October 28, 2009 at 03:30 PM