Math story problems for moms

Image by Pixapopz from Pixabay

After a month of attempting to my help my 8-year-old son with his homework, I have to say I'm a bit worried about whoever writes his story problems for math.

Actual math problem: Jack sees 12 birthday presents on the table, and 30 presents in the closet. How many birthday presents is he getting in total?

Wait, what? Why is this child getting 42 presents for his birthday? Can we just set the bar a little lower, please? I've never gotten 42 presents for anything, except my wedding, and I had to split those.

Here are some story problems that reflect real life a lot better, in my opinion.

1. Mom is supervising 3 hours of remote school and 2 hours of homework per day. How many total hours of unpaid labor per day is she working?
   
2. Mom has decided everyone should wear their clothes for 3 days in a row since no one is going anywhere. How many loads of laundry is she still doing?
   
3. Mom had done 2 jigsaw puzzles with 500 pieces for each puzzle. How long did it take her to finish each puzzle?
   
4. Mom can only binge-watch television after her two children go to sleep. How many hours of television can she watch each day?
   

Answer key:

1. 12,765 billion hours.
2. Somehow it's the same amount of laundry!
3. She will never finish because there's always a missing piece.
4. One hour if she's lucky.

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.

Remote learning isn't remotely stressful, right?

Image by 192635 from Pixabay

After a lovely 52 days of in-person school, the school district decided to move to remote learning on Monday due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Colorado. I took a week off work to make sure my kindergartener and second-grader got set up for a smooth transition. I carefully set up both their laptops on the dining room table and gathered their passwords in a neat pile.

• Monday: First 30 minutes pass quietly. This is going to be no problem, right?
  My son gets mad because my daughter has a break and he doesn't.
  His teacher calls me ater school to see why he was crying.
  
• Tuesday: The laptop is mysteriously showing the ceiling on the webcam. I have no idea how to fix it.
  We switch laptops, which causes my daughter to be 30 minutes late logging onto Zoom.
  
• Wednesday: The children start throwing their snacks at each other during break.
  My son decides to wear his Chewbacca hat on camera.
  
• Thursday: I can't find the correct worksheet in the bin filled with reams of paper.
  I finally make a fake worksheet that looks the same.
  
• Friday: The children are obnoxiously eating their breakfast during class.
  They get into a wrestling match and are separated into different rooms.

Made it through one week! Only 123 days more to go, not that I'm counting every minute. No, I'm not remotely stressed. Why do you ask?

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.

Is that a feeling of hope?

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

When I heard Joe Biden had won the presidency this morning, I sat down and cried tears of relief. I don't think this country could survive another four years under President Trump, who has systematically tried to dismantle democracy. 

I went about my day with a feeling of lightness. I ran errands. I went to the post office. I went to grab a cup of coffee. I could barely even recognize the feeling bubbling under the surface. Was it hope?

I'm registered as an Independent, so I don't even follow politics that closely, but I also have read the Constitution at least once. My hope is that President Trump has exposed all the loopholes we need to fix. Any norm that relies on common decency is clearly not enough. We need to make it a law for presidents to release their taxes or divest their businesses.

To be sure, there will still be challenges ahead. My children's school is moving to remote learning on Nov. 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Cases are surging in Colorado, and Denver is moving to a 10 p.m. curfew this weekend. 

A long winter appears on the horizon, but at least I can picture a spring at some point in the future. A spring with President Joe Biden who respects the rule of law, who believes in science and who will try to stop Americans from dying from COVID-19. 

I don't even care about Biden's political agenda. I just care that there is a sane adult in the White House. 

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.

Quiz: Are we living in 2020 or the Middle Ages?

Image by Pezibear from Pixabay

Sometimes the world can be a disorienting place, especially in times of global pandemics. To help determine which time period you are living in, here is a handy quiz.

1. Is there a plague sweeping through the land?
   Yes
   No
   

2. Is the leader of the country ignorant of science?
   Yes
   No
   

3. Do some people think it's a punishment by God?
   Yes
   No
   

4. Are the caretakers of the sick dying at alarming rates?
   Yes
   No
   

5. Are people wearing funny-looking masks?
   Yes
   No
   

If you answered yes to all the above questions, it's still hard to tell if it's the Middle Ages or not. However, if you are taking this quiz on a computer, it must be 2020.

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.

Back to School in the Time of COVID-19

Graphic courtesy of chiplanay on Pixabay

"Don't forget your mask," I say lightly. 

I try to use the same tone of voice as I use for "Don't forget your water bottle!" and "Don't forget your lunch!"

My children have survived the first week of in-person school.  Sometimes I think they are more resilient than I am. 

Perhaps it's simple math. I have been alive for more than 40 years, so one year of wearing a mask to school is more of an anomaly than it is for my 5-year-old and 7-year-old.

I thought I would be thrilled to have some quiet time while my children are both in school, but instead I found myself missing them. I had gotten used to their constant presence in the past five months since their school district shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now they are back in school. Deep breath. With the same class sizes as last year. Deep breath. 

We live in Colorado, where the pandemic hasn't caused quite as much devastation as other states. At least not yet. Deep breath.

At least I am mastering a very important parenting skill known as "Pretend Everything is Normal Even When You're Freaking Out Inside." Simply because the alternative is to never let them leave the house.

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.

A Strange Year for Kindergarten

Image by Thanks for your Like from Pixabay

My five-year-old daughter is ready to start kindergarten, a milestone that I have looked forward to for a while. No more bills for preschool! No more making lunches everyday! No more separate schedules for my daughter and my seven-year-old son!

Then came the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. Now I'm worried public school will never look the same again.

Last year, I daydreamed about dropping both kids off at the same elementary school in the 2020-2021 school year. This year, I'm still waiting to hear back from our school district on whether the start of school will be in-person classes or virtual learning.

Last year, I worried whether sending my daughter to preschool three days a week would prepare her for kindergarten five days a week. This year, I'm worried about sending her to any school for five days a week.

Some parents are choosing to delay kindergarten by a year in the hopes that everything gets back to normal next year. But if preschool is canceled, parents are still on the hook for monthly tuition, a fact which I only discovered in April 2020.

I also don't know if next year will be any better. I'm optimistic that we will discover a cure for COVID-19 at some point, but I don't know if it will arrive in time for the 2021-2022 school year.

My children have a few weeks before school starts. At this point, I'm trying to prepare for any scenario.

What have you decided to do for your children's upcoming school year? Share your responses in the comments below.

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.

Vacation in the Time of Pandemic

Estes Park, Colo. Photo by Nina Snyder

The coronavirus pandemic upended plans for elementary school, summer camp and karate lessons in our household. We decided to take a break and go the the mountains for three nights to preserve some sort of summer for our children. After all, living in Denver without being able to go to the mountains in like living in Kansas City -- without the good barbecue.

However, vacationing in the time of a pandemic brings its own challenges. How many masks do you pack per person? I've never had to think about that before, but settled on two. Is it safe to go out to eat? Should we stay in a hotel?

We ending up renting a cabin in Estes Park, Colo., to maximize social distancing while still being able to enjoy Rocky Mountain National Park and other attractions in the popular tourist town. The national parks are open, but require reserving a time slot in advance. We packed up the car with a cooler full of food and fond memories of past vacations.

When we arrived at our destination, the check-in desk was a ghost town and all the outdoor seating on the porch had been removed. I worried briefly that it was a bad omen, but our five-year-old daughter immediately fell in love with the cabin.

"This is the nicest place I've every stayed," she said when she saw the bunk beds. The first night passed peacefully, although my seven-year-old son thought the quiet of the woods seemed spooky. He crawled into bed with us in the middle of the night.

So far, the rest of the vacation has been smooth, with some minor hiccups not related to the pandemic. Despite a car full of Colorado natives, no one remembered to pack a water bottle, which is essential for hiking at high altitude. The line of cars snaking into Rocky Mountain National Park also stretched just as far down the road as last year, even with the timed-entry system.

However, the majesty of Rocky Mountain National Park proved as majestic as ever -- even with our masks on. We even managed to eat out for buffalo burgers on a shaded patio.

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.