Sometimes life gets busy.  You don’t prepare for the proceeding day because the preceding day is still nipping at your heels.

And then you forget.

You don’t plan and the day is here.

(My secret homeschool weapons lurk inside that cabinet.)

There are 4 eyes looking at you.  (Much more dramatic than saying 2 pairs of eyes.)

Expecting you to be ready.  Ready to go.  Ready to drop the dishes, forget going to the bathroom, and never get thirsty. 

After all, you are their mom and you are their teacher.  Not to mention the fact, they know you are an adult so that makes you similar to Wonder Woman (except they have no idea who Wonder Woman is because that was a decade or so ago).

Due to school (our school, that is) resembling a sitcom with several commercial breaks caused by various unplanned programming emergencies such as a nursing baby, a poopy diaper, a Hot Wheel stuck inside a wooden dump truck, the ding of email, Twitter, or a dog viciously ringing the bell to tinkle outside . . . . I have come to appreciate certain learning weapons books . . . like . . . .

Evan Moor’s Daily Word Problems Grade 1 Math.  Short, sweet, and to the point.  If I don’t have time to do Asher’s entire math curriculum, at least I know that I didn’t rest on my laurels.

It looks like this:

And the little boy who uses this workbook looks like this:

When he is done with his Daily Math practice, he stores it in the magic cabin TV cabinet turned storage unit.    With several other Timberdoodle products, I might add.

What is Mr. Smackdown going to learn from this workbook?  (Mind you, one word problem a day . . . )

• addition and subtraction facts
• column addition
• 2- and 3-digit addition and subtraction
• counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s
• reading and interpreting graphs and charts
• reading and writing numbers and number words
• fractions
• time
• money
• measurement

The book mimics real life math problems.  (Ummm  . . . and just like in real life, I do have to read some of this to Asher.)

Gotta. Love. That.

To further reinforce what the boys are learning in their trip around the world (and is another non-planning and no-preparing workbook) . . . we also have been using Evan Moor Beginning Geography.  (This is really Ezra’s book . . . but Asher has joined in.)

I have about zero map skills and not an ounce of compass skills.  I think the imaginary magnet in my body is seriously off.  Send me outside and for the life of me . . . I can’t tell you which way is north, east, west, or south.

I will not let my children become me.

What’s in the book?

From map proficiencies to learning about animals around the world, Beginning Geography will acquaint your kindergartner with the beginning geography skills he will need to understand the cultural and physical world around him.

You can check out the first 24 pages here.

The best part is that when we do geography . . . they have no idea we are actually doing school! 

Simply said . . . Timberdoodle rocks.  I have yet to find a product that they carry that fails in our house. 

I think I’m just going to have to trust them fully next year and purchase a complete curriculum kit.  (I’m not being paid to say that.) All of my picking and choosing and totally custom fitting curriculum for three children has proven exhausting this year . . . no mentally challenging. 

To see what all Timberdoodle has, sign up for a free catalogue. 

Would you like to win an Evan Moore title?  I have an extra copy to send you . . .

Daily 6-Trait Writing (for grade 6+)

(Mandatory) What can your 6th grader learn from this workbook?

1. Become one of my fans through Google Connect if you aren’t already! (It’s over there on your right . . . see all of the little people?)
2. Visit Because Mom Said So and tell m
   e what you discovered.
3. Tweet about this giveaway using the following :   @GranolaMom4God: Evan Moor 6th Grade Daily Writing Giveaway http://t.co/mmwDX5Y
4. Put my button on your blog.
5. Like Timberdoodle on Facebook.
6. If you have bought from Timberdoodle before give yourself 2 entries.
7. Follow me on Twitter.
8. Subscribe to my blog (I have a few other kid-related giveaways coming up).

Remember, only #1 is mandatory. The rest of the entries are optional (bonus), but you MUST comment separately for each one.

The Fine Print: I will email you when you have won. You must respond within 48 hours.

Contest ends March 28, 2011 at Midnight (not that I will be awake)

As a member of Timberdoodle’s Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

(P.S. This blog post was only supposed to take a 1/2 hour to write, because that was how long I had to be alone.)

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