Grain-free Pizza Crust

I was so pleased this past weekend to come up with a recipe for a grain-free pizza crust that everyone really liked.  It's still a work in progress so I will be updating with the changes I make.  But here's what I did:

Ingredients
1 cup blanched almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut flour
pinch of salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg

Method
Whisk wet ingredients together.  Add dry ingredients to wet.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Pour batter onto lined baking sheet and spread till it is about 1/8" thick. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Add toppings (I put on my homemade sauce, a very little bit of cheese made from raw milk from grass fed cows, sauteed mushrooms, onions, and peppers and a couple of slices of Applegate farm chicken & turkey sausage).

I was very pleased with how it turned out.  Other almond flour pizza crust recipes I have tried were just too much.  Just super dense.  Coconut flour pizza crust recipes were just too coconut-y.  This is a nice, mild pizza crust where the toppings really stand out and don't get overwhelmed by the crust.

I would like to get the crust a bit more crispy which means either more oil or another egg. I'll post when I try the modifications next time and hopefully I'll get a picture too.

Magical Memories

The dojo where my boys take karate is right next to a branch of my bank.  I needed to make a deposit yesterday and as we walked up to the ATM, Z1 excitedly asked if he could press the buttons (and then Z2, never wanting to be left out, started vying for the chance).   I told them there were plenty of buttons to press and that would both get some turns.  Just at that moment, my mind flashed back so strongly to a very happy memory of my childhood.  

A few years ago, some friends of mine were working through the exercises in Connection Parenting by Pam Leo, one of which was to recall some happy childhood memories.  I found this exercise very frustrating.  For every would-be happy memory, there was something that would taint it.  Sometimes even ruin it.  I couldn't come up with one purely happy memory and that made me sad but also informed me of the fact that I had a lot to do if I was going to practice connection parenting.  

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when the exuberance of my boys to press buttons on the ATM jogged such a wonderful childhood memory!  I remembered my own father taking me to the bank and the magical way the ATMs would make the room glow.  I couldn't see anything on the screens until my father hoisted me up and let me sit on the machine.  Then, more magic, the words and pictures would appear.  My father would tell me which buttons on the touch screen to press and I would gleefully press and watch to see what would happen.  I remember how much I looked forward to the simple act of going to the bank.  I am not sure my father knows how much of an impression it made on my young mind.  How his involvement in something so magical for me penetrated so deeply.  

I am currently reading Mitten Strings for God by Katrina Kenison and the entry I read yesterday was all about magic.  The author talked about fairies and other things that didn't really connect with me in any way.  But I get it now.  I understand how powerful it is for me as a parent to be involved in the magic of my children's childhood.  

I was truly grateful, you know?  Such a mundane activity as going to the ATM with my children (as opposed to going alone) brought back to me a powerful and happy memory. I'm grateful that I can be their mother.  That I am open to what they have to offer me.  That I can be here to raise them but that they are also here to raise me.  An amazing, magical gift, I would say.  

A New Car

One question I get asked a lot now that I am expecting baby number 3 is what new car we will be getting. It comes in second after I am asked if I am having a boy or girl.

I tossed around in my mind the idea of selling one of our cars in order to purchase a minivan. After the stresses of the winter before last, I am totally sure I need an all-wheel drive vehicle. I don't have a driveway and I am not willing to struggle with a shovel trying to dig myself in and out of parking spaces with three kids in tow only to have someone who doesn't even live on the block, take the spot. The only all-wheel drive minivan currently on the market is the Toyota Sienna. I drive an '05 Subaru Outback wagon and I really do like the car. It gets good gas mileage, has plenty of cargo room, and best of all, is an all-wheel drive vehicle but still a car.  Even with selling my car (which is in very good condition and has less than 45,000 miles on it), we would have to come up with a significant amount of money to afford a Sienna that had a decent amount of miles on it. A 2005 Toyota Sienna with 50,000 miles on it is running about $19,000. The Blue Book value for my car is about $12,500. Add to that the fact that the hubby would prefer to get rid of his Toyota Corolla (2002 with 60,000 miles on it) instead because the Subaru is all-wheel drive and is good for hauling things. For the Corolla, we could probably expect to get $6,000 at most. No way that could cover the price of any minivan at all unless we look to get one with well over 80,000 miles on it, definitely not all-wheel drive or one with a salvage title (which my insurance company would not insure—I checked). So it really doesn't make sense to sell our cars in order to purchase “new” ones because realistically, our cars are already paid for and are therefore worth more to us in our possession.

The fact of the matter is that the Subaru comfortably fits our family of four. It will not so comfortably fit a family of five.

I've done a bit of research so far and what I have found is that it is indeed possible to fit three carseats across in a Subaru Outback but the car seats are very specific. In the outboard position will be 2 Diono RadianR120 seats—super narrow seats. In the middle will be a Graco Snugride (or possibly a Combi Corcorro but I would prefer a bucket seat for easy transportation in the early weeks) which are also very narrow seats. The seats will fit really tightly but they will fit. It will be a bit of maneuvering if I need to get the baby out to nurse or something and the boys are in their seats. But the most important thing is that it is possible. Also, it will only be a few years before Z1 will not need a car seat and so for that reason, we will not be getting another car.

This car thing is something I've spent lots of time thinking about—along with other “space” accommodations that sometimes make me worry about if we are doing the right thing considering our resources by bringing another little one into the world. I'm reminded that many folks have done great things for a large number of children in a family on a small budget. And that three is not that large a number, considering. I try to remember that a lot of the givens in childhood today are not really requirements but extras that don't really make or break a childhood. Still at the same time, there's still the very real desire to give one's children more. And so I think about it. Can't help it. Even though fitting car seats into a car is really, really a first world problem. I'm reminded of our trip to Ghana where we were lucky to have seat belts much less carseats and how most babies traveled on their mother's backs—on motorcycles or in cars. I think about how my mother basically held my baby brother in the front seat on all our car trips. We all survived. It's not that I don't think carseats save lives and are the safest option for traveling with children but I do believe that in a way, it's all a real hustle. In order to fit three carseats comfortably into a car, it must be bigger. Just like everything else in our society, it seems.

Anyway, the Graco Snugride already has arrived. I'm waiting for Amazon to ship the other two seats. All in all, the seats cost about $600 which is very reasonable compared to buying a new car. I was anxious to get the seats because I am the official car seat installer in our family (since I actually read instruction manuals) and I wanted to get them in before I get too big. I am hoping to sell the boys' current car seats at a local consignment store and buying some other things the baby will need.   

I am also hoping to get the car hard-wired so it can play my Ipod through the car's speakers (and not through that radio receptor thing which never worked well) and to get a hitch installed for a bike rack.  

He's Advanced!

I had an interesting experience a few weeks ago that had me laughing till my sides hurt.

It was at a small get-together and as usually does amongst parents, the topic of education came up. As a homeschooler, you kind of get used to third degree grilling about what you are doing and you learn to expect the ubiquitous question about socialization. To my pleasant surprise, this group of people were either homeschooling themselves or at least open to the idea of homeschooling.

I was speaking to another mother and her major concern was that her son was advanced. How could homeschooling work for him? I pointed out that as a homeschooler, you have the ultimate freedom as to how you structure (or unstructure) your child's education. There are so many flavors of homeschooling that you can pick the approach that works best. You can pick the speed with which you cover subjects. There are no rules saying that if a child is 6 and in first grade, he must stick to first grade curricula. You can go as quickly or as slowly as your child needs. I gave Z1 as an example of someone who can spell and read on a fourth grade level but when it comes to reading comprehension, history, or science, I would say he is on a 2^nd or 3^rd grade level. I know for sure that he would probably be bored with most of the academic stuff in first grade at a typical school. (In fact, this is perhaps the most common complaint I hear from parents who send their children to school: that their children or bored or could do the school work 2 years ago.) So I tailor his school work to his individual ability and to the particular ways in which he learns. Certain curricula are actually too hands on for him or have too much review of a concept. For Z2, however, it might be a completely different story and I will adapt accordingly. The discussion really seemed to warm her up to the idea of homeschooling and we talked a bit more about curricula and approaches.

What was so funny about this interaction? Well, it was not until she was ready to go and was standing at the door with her husband and son that I nearly fell out. Her baby boy was EIGHT MONTHS OLD. How in the world did she determine that he was “advanced”? I just couldn't . . .

You know, the words “advanced” and “gifted” are bandied about with regularity in my neck of the woods. Everyone insists that their child is not your average child but different and special. To a certain extent, of course, this is true. But I honestly believe that truly gifted children are not a frequent occurrence. In fact, of all the children I have worked with over the years, I can count on one hand how many impressed me with very unusual ability of some sort. I'm reminded of one little boy who at age 5 totally understood the concept of multiplication being repeated addition and could repeatedly add any number any number of times well past 150. It was impressive. So when someone tells me their 8 month old is advanced, I can't help but balking. And breaking into a fit of laughter. Seriously? She was very serious.

A label is a label, after all. Even a positive label can carry a serious burden with it. In school, I was always labelled a “smart” kid. One of the “intelligent” ones. I took on that label and embraced it. Yes, I also worked really hard at school but underpinning all that hard work was the belief in that label and my proof was the grades I got. I didn't choose classes based on interest. I chose them based on a confidence that I could probably do well in them. So when in college I received grades of 35 (out of 100) on chemistry exams, my self-esteem nose-dived. I couldn't, with those grades, hold on to the label of being smart anymore. And frankly, I gave up on chemistry and other challenging classes and believed I was too stupid to understand it at all and wondered why all these years I had been lied to. That label had basically put me in a box and if I wasn't fitting into the box, I had a hard time figuring out who or what I was.

Interestingly enough, this past weekend I had the opportunity to work out a chemistry problem similar to one I am sure I encountered in college chemistry. It was a question about the concentration of a solution and how much salt would be required to produce that particular concentration. For some reason, that question that in college would have befuddled me made complete sense. So much so that I was able to explain it to a student in a way that she could totally understand. To the extent that I was (maybe a little overly) eager to do similar problems! I slowly realized that it wasn't me. I wasn't the reason why I didn't understand what was going on in chemistry. It was the teaching. For the first time in my life, the way I was being taught didn't match up to the way I learned but I had no way of knowing that then. Instead, I believed the lie that who I was (i.e. the “smart” girl) was really a lie.

Of course, over time, I've rebuilt my self-esteem in that area but it's taken a lot of energy and work to get to that point. It was a long fall and it is a long journey to pull myself back up to a place where I respect my intelligence but don't let the level of my intelligence define everything about me.

When I speak to my children, I acknowledge that they are indeed intelligent and special but I am adamant against pinning labels on them. And believe me, it's very easy to do especially when you have two siblings who are so vastly different from each other. The temptation is certainly there to label Z1 as the cerebral one and Z2 as the instinctive, silly one. What happens with that? When Z1 does something off-the-cuff, there's the attitude that he “should know better” instead of an acknowledgement of the fact that he's 6 and does some silly stuff at times. I'm working hard to make sure to eliminate the labels that actively work to keep myself and my children in boxes. Every moment is a moment to redefine oneself, if one wishes.

So I thought I'd share that experience . . .

Photo Credit

One thing I absolutely love about my pregnancies is how industrious I become.  I have some project going all the time.  I love the productivity!

Exercise and Allergy Relief

I am so grateful that I can be active during this pregnancy.  Though my intensity is nowhere near pre-pregnancy intensity (and I sometimes find that annoying), the movement helps me tremendously.  Allergy season is upon us and I cannot take my regular medicine since it's not recommended in pregnancy.  I've been drinking nettle tea, lemon water with local honey, and just whatever I can to minimize the severity of the allergies.  But nothing takes care of the allergy symptoms better than exercise.  And in this case, a little goes a long way.  So I huff and puff at the gym.  Build up  a bit of sweat.  And my nasal passages clear.  My lungs get clear.  My eyes stop watering. The sinus swelling goes down.  And I get to enjoy the feeling for hours and hours.  Doesn't matter if I'm moving maximum weight or less than a 1/4 of that . . . I still get the same benefit.  

My attitude towards exercise has changed so much from when I first started.  The aesthetic has become such a small part of why I do what I do.  It's surprising actually because that was the whole reason I started!  I exercise because it makes me feel good physically and mentally--and that gives me enough motivation to keep going when it gets challenging.  And getting through the challenging parts provides motivation in so many other aspects of my life.  Kind of amazing.  

Learning to trust the Process

Not necessarily because I want to, but because I have to!

The moment I found out that I was expecting our third was an interesting moment in my life. I had a lot of conflicting thoughts and many worries. To a certain extent, I still do but I am so very happy about this baby on his/her way.

One of the issues I thought about was my fitness, training, and admittedly, my weight.

Without a doubt, a healthy pregnancy involves weight gain and even though I understand that from an intellectual point of view, it is very difficult to let go of the emotional angst that comes with the weight gain. I can see that I am putting on weight in a healthy way but I'm still nervous about putting it on. How difficult will it be to lose the weight? How long will it take? I know that if worse comes to worst, I can always go back to Weight Watchers, which is how I successfully lost weight last time. But I eat a paleo diet now and it was difficult for me to reconcile paleo (high fat) to Weight Watchers. I mean, how can I really trust that my paleo diet will ensure that I lose the weight? I always hear that it's difficult to overeat fat and protein but let me tell you, it just is not the truth for me. I love to eat. A lot. I will continue to eat after I am full just because the food tastes good. I have not yet gotten to a point where I can trust myself to eat and then stop when I am full. There is a whole list of foods that I totally avoid because I know once I start, I won't or can't stop until the entire bag is gone. I have absolutely no self-control around those foods. So yeah, I'm nervous. Weight Watchers worked so well for me because it imposed limits on how much I could eat. I wouldn't eat the whole bag because that would be well over 3/4ths of my daily allowance. I am a stickler for the rules and guidelines and if they are in place, I seem to function better. Eating paleo and trying to lose weight is like jumping out of a plane but this time without a parachute. Just hoping I eventually land. I'm just not sure about it. I do know that this pregnancy has involved me eating a lot more sweets (in the form of fruit) than I usually do. I've also been eating honey pretty liberally (one of the few sweeteners allowed on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet). It's obvious to me that to lose weight, I will need to cut those out or at least significantly reduce how much of it I have. But how soon can I do that while nursing? The bottom line is that I do not trust myself. I do not know exactly what my body needs to be healthy. I am learning what my body doesn't need but I honestly do not know what it does need. Also, I think sugar is addictive so can a craving for something sweet really be trusted? But there is nothing left to do but to trust the process. Continue to eat nourishing foods. Get good sleep. Relax. Move. And I hope that will do the trick.

And then there's my weight training and fitness. I had planned to stay active throughout my pregnancy and, for the most part, I am. However, I have had to slow down significantly and although I know I should be relaxing and enjoying not pushing as much, the truth is I love to push. I love to set personal records. I do not like taking it easy. But I really have no choice in the matter. Running is really uncomfortable. Most of the movements I used to do for my high intensity interval training are a no-go too. I run out of breath easily. Heck, even walking 15 minutes to the gym feels like I have *worked*. I definitely have had to drop the weights that I use and on certain lifts (most recently vertical push and pull exercises) I feel too much strain so I refuse to do them. I'm worried about losing some of the gains I've made. When I finished Power Training for Strength, I was deadifting at a maximum 170 pounds. When I started lifting weight, I could only deadlift about 80 pounds. I mean, I have been seeing some really great gains with consistency and discipline and I worry about how much of those gains I will lose. When will I actually get my life back together after the baby is born to start seriously lifting again? I just have to accept that my body is already doing a great deal of work by growing a baby and realize that backing off is not defeat or a sign of weakness. And I also have to be grateful that I am having a low-risk pregnancy which means that even though I'm not as active as I'd want to be, I can be active.

There are many questions in my mind but I am trying to relax despite my concerns. I am regularly practicing yoga (accepting that most of my yoga DVDs are no longer suitable and I need to stick to prenatal ones). And I've finally incorporated a meditation practice into my life that relaxes me and helps me be more patient and understanding. I have been working with Shimoff's book Happy for No Reason. I've been keeping a gratitude journal every day, no exception. I write down three or more things for which I am grateful. And surprisingly, even on days that I don't think I have much to be grateful for, I come up with things. Usually far more than 3 things. So if nothing else, not being able to do fitness related things has given me time to do more meditative, healing things. Spiritual fitness, I suppose one could say. And that is a wonderful gift that this baby is giving me. Another thing for which to be grateful.  

Latest Projects

The brown hat is the Brattleboro Hat.  I found the buttons at a local fabric store. They were only 50 cents a piece!  The red hat is the Urban Shells Beanie and it is tiny!  I really liked the pattern though.  Both hats were projects to use up scrap yarn.  

The shawl is Carol's Clever Little Shawl.  It was a very pleasant knit although I don't think it's my style anymore.  It's very warm and cozy though.  

The scarf is the 5th Avenue Infinity Scarf.  That was a very pleasant knit as well.  I enjoyed knitting it very much.  Although by the time I finished it, it was no longer winter since spring decided to come early.  I look forward to using it next winter though.

The shawl and the scarf were knit using Paton's Classic Wool yarn that I got at Michael's. It seems like Michael's is no longer carrying it though which is a bummer.  It was a really nice convenience to just go down the road and get a good quality, natural fiber yarn.  

There's one more hat that I just finished but I haven't photographed yet.  It was another stash-busting project and I should have a picture soon.  I've got my next two projects lined up already.  I ordered yarn from KnitPicks for those.  Meanwhile, I'm trying to use a couple of ounces of wool/acrylic blend yarn I have to make some kind of newborn size sweater.  It won't be for my baby since he/she will be a summer baby but it'll be a nice thing to have on hand for any winter babies that will be born.  

Keeping my fingers busy has been good for me lately.  I like the feeling of productivity so I'm keeping the projects small-ish.  

So thankful for homemade yogurt!

I'm  so thankful that I had some homemade yogurt tonight.  I made a smoothie with it a couple of minutes ago and I think my stomach is settling down enough for me to get some sleep soon.  My GIT was doing really well all day until I had dinner: beef stew with kale in it and also mashed cauliflower.  Kale and cauliflower are cruciferous vegetables which give many people GIT distress.  And I ate both of those in one sitting and boy, am I in distress.  I'm not thrilled at the prospect of eliminating all those vegetables from my diet.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that it is not really an option.  I need the vitamins and minerals I get from them but I don't need the digestive problems (because I also need to sleep and I need to not feel like shit).  I know very well that there's a serious imbalance in my GIT tract and that's why I can't handle so many foods.  That is why homemade yogurt is so helpful to me.  More helpful than any other probiotic pill or powder that I have ever taken.  I need to be more diligent about making and drinking my bone broth and the yogurt.  I don't really have a choice in the matter.  I tend to not order the bones and the raw milk to make this stuff because it's pretty expensive and it's pretty inconvenient to go and pick it up but I have to approach it as medicine.  I think it would be more worth my while to put the money into whole food supplements than into pill supplements.  So that's what I'm going to focus on.  

Photo Credit

Revenge of the Bridesmaids

I am having one of my insomnia bouts due to my digestive health.  Always fun.  

I ended up watching a move that's streaming on Netflix called Revenge of the Bridesmaids starring Raven SymonÉ.  It got pretty good ratings and I figured it would be something light and funny to take my mind off how I'm feeling.  

It was . . . not funny.  I guess I'm older now and it takes a lot to make me laugh.  The humor has got to be intelligent.  It can't take the easy route and go for the cheap laugh.  Especially when the cheap laugh is at the expense of Black women.

Ms. Symone is a beautiful woman--just lovely.  I respect how long she's been able to stay relevant in the entertainment game.  And I know that she is the one who makes decisions about the roles she takes.  I hate that she decided to take this role in Revenge of the Bridesmaids.  The role is, basically, sarcastic, sassy, trouble-making Black woman.  Manless to boot because she is all those things and **gasp** is not rail thin.  She is the butt of insults throughout the movie.  While the other characters have and are deserving of love interests, she is not.  All she is good for is supporting others in their love interests by making a fool of herself.  

I guess this is a role Ms. Symone always plays, i.e. the sassy, bumbling clown and I shouldn't be offended.  Well, I'm not really offended.  Just kind of disappointed because I believe she could do and be better if she wanted to. 

But after all, it was an ABC Family movie.  Not that deep.  But, you know, as a Black woman you just get tired of the same old tropes being trotted out over and over and over again.  Whatever.  

A documentary about Barbara Jordan is soon to be released.  I'm excited about it. We desperately need alternative, positive images of Black women.   

No Homebirth this Time Around

Giving birth to Z2 at home was an amazing experience.  Homebirth is and always will be my ideal.  But after weeks of fighting with my insurance company, I finally got them to tell me how much they would pay and it is less than half of the midwife's fee.  I thought about how I could work out a payment plan or something to come up with the balance before I hit 36 weeks. I thought about maybe purchasing additional insurance (which is quite difficult and could get just as pricey as the midwife's fee).  But I have finally accepted that I am not in a financial position to swing this homebirth.  I thought about going unassisted but I am not totally comfortable with that especially since the hubby is really only marginally cool with even midwife-assisted homebirth.  

My other options are to go with the certified nurse midwife practice with which I had Z1. They deliver in a hospital and the idea is just repugnant to me.  As luck would have it, one of the last two freestanding birth centers is only about 20 minutes from me.  I called today to set up an appointment and good thing I did.  I found out that you can't birth in the birthing center if you don't have your first appointment within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.  They had *one* appointment left within that timeframe (I have until May 1st) and that is next Friday, March 30, 2012 at 4:30.  Not the most convenient time for me but I'm feeling lucky that I actually got an appointment.

So I e-mailed my midwife and on Wednesday, she will fax me all my documents (positive pregnancy test and lab results) which I must take with me on Friday. 

The birth center is not currently giving tours but the two pictures I saw look good.  My intention is to labor at home as long as possible before I go there.  And I'm hoping to leave as soon as I give birth.  I have some more questions that I will ask on Friday but I'm pretty sure this is it.  

I have to be honest when I say that I am relieved because the stress of trying to figure  out how I could afford the midwife was getting to me.  And the last thing I need is stress.

But I won't lie and say that I'm not supremely disappointed that my homebirth won't happen.  Nothing was more magical than lying in my own bed with my two boys after giving birth to Z2.  Amazing.  And there's that feeling of giving up on something you really want.  One more thing it feels like I am giving up on.  And wondering what next?  I feel powerless to make my desires come true and that is not a very good feeling at all.  And there's also that feeling of having my "crunchy mama" card revoked, silly as that may sound.  Having homebirths, in a real or perceived way, is a hallmark of being a natural, in-tune, alternative earth mama.  I'm finding myself kind of hesitant to share my decision too widely with folks.

But, there is just so much we could do for this baby with the $5,000 we would be paying for his/her birth. I guess this is what being a grown up is about--making hard decisions and sometimes putting aside what's most ideal for what is most practical.  Having and raising another child is a pretty big expense in and of itself.  The best situation is to bring him/her into the world with the least amount of stress (and the most resources) possible.  

Simple Pyramid Project

We have been studying ancient Egypt.  To end our study, we made a pyramid from sugar cubes.  

The project comes from the book Ancient Egyptians and the Neighbors: an Activity Guide by Marian Broida.  It was a very enjoyable project.  We imagined what it would be like to build such a structure if we were building with heavy bricks instead of sugar cubes.  What a a lot of work!

The only modification we made with the instructions was that instead of brushing the paint on, we actually dipped the sugar cubes in the glue (we used regular white school glue).  It took quite a bit of glue to get the sugar cubes to stick because the sugar tended to absorb the glue.  This might have been different if we had used a glue that was not water based but Elmer's glue is.  

The hubby and the kids may take the project further over the weekend, painting it and decorating it to look more authentic.  I'm just happy that I got the project done because I am not a project person!  

Sometimes . . .

I catch myself saying please, please, please despite not being sure that anyone "up there" is listening or cares.

Like, someone's offering a brand new Ameda Purely Yours breast pump on Freecycle.  I will definitely need this when I go back to work and because I want a bit more freedom than I had with my two boys when they were nurslings.  It's not an inexpensive item.

I know the chances of me getting it are pretty slim.  I probably am not the first to ask for it. But I still crossed my fingers and said "please, please, please."

Then I thought to myself, "Who are you asking?  Who do you think is listening?"

I don't really have an answer for that but I'm hoping.  I kind of need something fortuitous to happen.  Now.

Making Math more Fun

Math is one of the subjects in which I feel a child should have a very solid foundation.  While I was willing to freestyle other subjects like history/social studies and science, I really wanted a methodical, systematic and clear approach to math and I felt the best way to do this was to use a curriculum.  So far, I've tried three different ones: Right Start Math, Singapore Math and Math-U-See.  Math-U-See is the one we are currently using and I'm very pleased with it.  It's not a lot of fun, though.  It really digs in to lay the foundation with lots of practice and review and so for Z1, it can get kind of tedious.  I have a couple of ways that break up the tedium while still providing good math instruction.

1. Daily Word Problems Math by Evan Moor.  Z1 uses the Grade 2 book.  The book is basically a word problem for every day of the school week.  The questions are not too challenging as to frustrate him but they do make him think and he is enthusiastic about doing them and gets super hyped when he avoids being "tricked" by miscellaneous information.  
2. Logic Countdown by Bonnie Risby.  This is a great way to introduce logic and Z1 approaches it like a game of sorts.  It covers analogies, sequencing, relationships, syllogisms and more.  
3. Picture books about math--these types of books serve as a great way to break up what could be a really monotonous math session.  Luckily, our library has many of these type of books available and if we go to one library in particular, they are all handily grouped together. These are the ones we currently have out.  

•  Pattern Fish by Trudy Harris--both Z1 and Z2 enjoyed this book.  It introduces various types of patterns (AAB, ABB, ABBA, etc)
• Math Fables and Math for All Seasons by Greg Tang--these books are great because they encourage children to think about numbers in different ways.  I especially like Math for All Seasons for Z1 because it encourages him to group numbers in creative ways to make for easier calculation.  
• The Case of the Missing Zebra Stripes-- a collection of games, puzzle and riddles all related to the zoo.  This book induces lots of thinking!

Another resource we use is IXL but Z1 tends to find it rather tedious too because his math work is more involved.  Z2 really likes it though because it doesn't take long for him to progress and get prizes.  I've found some other math games here and there but nothing really stellar.  If Z1 is getting really frustrated, I'll let him play those math games and it helps him to reset.   

So these are some ways that I break up math instruction to cut down on frustration and boredom.  I am thinking that since Z1 is learning multiplication, I may start doing a 90 second timed quiz and maybe having some kind of prize for a certain number of tables he gets correct.  I've never done anything like that before so we'll see how it goes.  

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Oh, no! Not Whitney. :(

I'm still hoping that someone says it's not true but sadly, after reading several reports, I'm starting to believe it.  I am taking the death of Whitney Houston really hard.  I had such hope that she could pull it together and do something magical again.  I feel so sad for her daughter and her mother especially.  I can only imagine the pain they are going through.

May she rest in peace.