Teaching Textbooks Vs. Math-U-See

From the very first day we started homeschooling (6 years ago), we used Math-U-See. I loved how you watch a video of the lesson, and then you do the worksheets that go along with that lesson. We had no problems with Math-U-See until my oldest son hit pre-algebra/algebra.





My son would watch the video which took like 15 - 20 minutes, the videos up until this point had been relatively short about 5 minutes at the most, and then he would try to do the worksheets but he was finding himself stuck on lots of problems and really just not grasping the concepts.

Re-watching the videos at this point was not really an option, because then he would be spending about an hour on math and not doing any actual work.

Having me teach him the lessons really wasn't an option either. I love doing math, up until a certain point. I will teach my kids; counting, skip counting, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, fractions, decimals, etc., but once you get to adding the alphabet into your problems, i'm out.

So, needless to say we were both a little frustrated with math, and we needed a change badly, like yesterday. So during the middle of the school year, i switched him to Teaching Textbooks online. What a difference it has made. He enjoys doing math now, and he is finally understanding all the different concepts.


There is also a big difference price wise as well, Math-U-See pre-algebra costs $182 vs. Teaching Textbooks online pre-algebra costs $67.08!


I love how Teaching Textbooks also grades all the work, all i do is login to my parent portal and check his grades to see how he is doing. No more grading paper after paper, they do all the work for me!


Now, this doesn't mean we are done with Math-U-See, in fact i just bought the next level up for 2 of my kids for our next school year. I plan to continue using Math-U-See with my children, until they hit the pre-algebra level, and then i will switch them over to Teaching Textbooks.





Have you used Teaching Textbooks or Math-U-See? I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.


*Stock photo provided by Unsplash.*

My Homeschool Co-op Experience

When we first started homeschooling, i had thought about joining a co-op, but at the time it didn't make sense as we were pretty unstable (moving state to state, pregnancies, etc.). Come January 2019, 6 years into homeschooling, we finally joined a co-op for the first time.





Towards the middle of January, i had heard about a new co-op starting the first week of February. I had been praying so hard in the months leading up to that, that something might come along for our children, as i was just feeling like they were needing something more. Some other people to connect with, who live similar lives.


I went to the information meeting the week before the first classes were to start. I was honestly pretty nervous (being that i'm a really shy introvert) and was continually trying to talk myself out of going to that meeting all day long. But i'm glad i forced myself to go and even more pleased that we joined this co-op.


Most of my kids were on board for joining a co-op, a few were hesitant, but after our first day all of my kids loved it and couldn't wait for the next week.


Now, because we have never been a part of a co-op before, i have nothing to compare it to. I do know, that since this was this co-op's first year, things were pretty much trail and error. And i believe next semester will run even more smoothly.


If you have been wanting to give a co-op a try, but have been on the fence about it, I say go for it, the worst that could happen is you absolutely hate it, and if that happens you can always drop out. You won't know until you try, right?


*Stock photo provided by Unsplash.*

April Favorites

Hey There!

Today i'm sharing all my favorites from April!






Takeya Water Bottle - I love this bottle, i put ice & water in it in the morning, and by the afternoon/evening i still have ice in it!



Spring Fragrance Oils - I really love the Rain and Freesia scents.



Mrs. Meyer's Multi Surface Cleaner Mint - I loved this so much the first time i tried it, that i returned to the store to buy the remaining 3 bottles they had. It smells so fantastic!







Tulips - We planted a TON of tulip bulbs last fall, and they really started to bloom in April. I just love tulips so much!





Trader Joe's Roasted Plantain Chips - These things are so delicious, and highly addicting. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, i recommend hitting it up to try these chips out!





Those are all my favorites from April, i hope you enjoyed it.


*Stock photo provided by Unsplash. This post may contain affiliate links.*

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Hey there!

With Mother's Day just around the corner, i thought i would share some gift ideas for the special mom in your life...

1. Flowers - Flowers are pretty much the classic Mother's Day gift right? That's usually what i send my mom. I love the selection and affordable prices that Proflowers has to offer.
2. Chocolates - What mom doesn't love chocolate?! See's Candies are absolutely delicious and they have several Mother's Day gift boxes available.
3. Makeup - If your mom is into makeup, but you aren't sure what to get her, how about an Ulta or Sephora gift card.
4. Books - Books always make a great gift.
5. Jewelry - Noonday has an amazing collection of jewelry.
6. Coffee/Tea - A new coffee maker, a gift card to her favorite coffee shop, or if she likes tea, DavidsTea has the most amazing teas.
7. Clothing - Old Navy, Zulily, and Maurices are my favorite places to buy clothing.

I hope you have enjoyed this short list of ideas.



*Stock photo provided by Unsplash. This post may contain affiliate links.*

Goals for April 2019 *Update*

Hey there!

Last month i shared my goals for April, and today i'm going to tell you how i did with my April goals...

1. Lose 7 pounds - I failed last month to lose any weight, in fact i gained weight, so i'm really going to hit it hard this month. I've been struggling since the middle of February to lose weight at a good and steady pace. I lost some this month (3 pounds), but missed this goal. 
2. Read 4 books - I'm doing pretty good hitting all my book reading goals and i want to continue doing well, so i'm setting a smaller goal this month. I was able to accomplish reading 4 books in April! 
3. Get 10,000 steps every day - I'm lowering it down this month, only to take some pressure off of myself. I'm starting to feel myself getting burnt out from big goals. There was only one day in April where i didn't get over 10,000 steps.
4. De-clutter my closet - My closet is in desperate need of attention. My goal this month is to get it cleaned out and organized. I was so happy to clean out, organize, and de-clutter my closet. I'm so glad i made this one of my goals for the month and that i was able to do it!

I feel like the past couple of months i've been super struggling with reaching all my goals, i'm really going to push myself harder this month to reach my goals. How are you doing with your goals?



*Stock photo provided by Unsplash.*