My four year old is convinced that Mom's bonkers and my husband thinks I'm just a little delirious after fighting off a horrible infection for the past 14 days.

Why?

Well, hearing me sing the following has them raising their eyebrows:

I saw the PTPA sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the PTPA sign
Life is demanding without understanding
I saw the PTPA sign and it opened up my eyes
I saw the PTPA sign
No one's gonna drag you up to get into the light where you belong...
But where do you belong?

All craziness aside (and yes, it's the seal and not sign), have you seen the PTPA Seal of Approval at your local Sears Canada store? If so, snap a photo or two and submit it to PTPA and you can win some pretty amazing prizes!
{ GRAND PRIZE: WIN A NURSERY VALUED AT $929 }

You may already know that Sears Canada's The Baby's Room has received the PTPA Award (Parent Tested & Parent Approved).

A selection of PTPA award-winning merchandise – a Stork Craft Carrara nursery (Stages 4-in-1 crib and 2-Drawer Change Table), T-fal Steamer & Blender, Angel Care Movement & Sound Monitor and a Crane Animal Shaped Cool Mist Humidifier! Total value: $929.95 CDN!

 Grand Prize winner to be drawn February 1st, 2013.
WEEKLY PRIZES:
Three (3) weekly prizes of $100 Sears Gift Card so you can buy whatever you want or need at The Baby Room! Winner’s name to be drawn for 1 gift card each week on the following dates: January 17th, 24th and 31st, 2013.



Enter here: PTPA Facebook Entry Form


Tweet @ptpa, FB, use the #SpotTheSeal hashtag...and have fun!

For complete details, visit the PTPA blog here.

I'm married to a frugal farmer, but there are certain things in life I simply will not scrimp on. Ketchup and toilet paper.  I know it sounds crazy, but those are two things I am really particular about.

I've tried dozens of different toilet paper brands and for many years, I thought that by choosing the "green" toilet paper, I'd be saving A) money and B) the environment. Truth be told, we went through a lot more toilet paper with the toilet paper I wanted is to use.  Neither my wallet nor my heiny thanked me for it.

My husband reminds me that in some countries, toilet paper is a luxury. This said, I'm pretty sure he notices the difference between thin, sandpaper-like toilet paper and the soft, luxurious Charmin toilet paper. I am pretty sure he prefers the latter!

Since the holidays are also about comfort and entertaining, "Charmenizing" your home is perfect! What a great way to make guests feel comfortable, welcomed, and taken care of. During the holidays (and even on regular days), our home is filled with visitors. Always.

This year, we are Charmenizing our home! What does that mean?

Every detail from the toilet paper, tissue, linen, and bedding will have our guests in m ind.

Oh! Here's an interesting Charmin tidbit I learned about at the P&G Event in November:
Charmin has an app that can help you find clean washrooms when you're out and about! Don't laugh! I'm totally in love with this app! I for one, have a strong aversion to public toilets and public bathrooms. I'd sooner hold it until I get home than suffer from some of the odiferous washrooms I've had the displeasure of using on road trips or shopping trips. Let me tell ya, I am the Queen of squatting and hovering.

Sadly, my 4 year old daughter has developed my intense dislike for public washrooms. I don't want her to hold things in or have to make me pull over on the side of a deserted country road. Finding a public bathroom where she can sit and not squat is a good thing. Have I mentioned that I have all the "good" bathrooms between Manitoulin Island and Sudbury mapped out for us? I really do. That was one of the first things I did as a new parent with a baby in diapers. Find clean washrooms for road trips.

To check out Charmin's Sit or Squat App, click here.

I'm really excited about Charminizing our home for the holidays.
Oh, I'm not going to keep all the Charmin goodness to myself. I'm sharing it with you guys! One of you can win the following Prize Pack items to Charminize your home!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure - As a #PGMom, I receive special perks, however all thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.

I am a multitasking Mama.  I can talk on the phone, tweet on my BlackBerry, close a deal with a client, cook supper, and tend to my almost 4 year old...all at the same time.  Multitasking is my middle name.

...Except when it comes to operating farm equipment.

The sad truth of the matter is that I cannot drive stick shift.  I have a mental block when it comes to driving standard.  My best friend tried to teach me when we were in high school and I stalled in the middle of a bridge and was stuck in traffic.  My anxiety over inconveniencing others has ultimately led to me not being able to drive standard. I know. Pretty crazy.

I just cannot get my brain wrapped around when to shift gears. What the heck is the difference between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd?  Clutch? What is that?  Why do we have to do all of those things simultaneously anyway?  Why can't farm equipment companies just make all tractors automatic? Seriously!

My husband, the beef farmer, seems to forget that I was born and raised in the city and that I wasn't born knowing how to operate a tractor.  Though I do help him out on the farm, I suffer from terrible anxiety.  Those HUGE machines are expensive.  I'm worried I may wreck something.  That's my biggest worry.

Imagine this, if you will.  The transmission on our combine harvester died and Hubby got stuck in a field over the hill and in one of our far fields.  He BBM'd me (because modern day farmers have BlackBerries, you know!) and asked me to please pick him up...with the tractor.

What?! I'm supposed to pull that GIANT combine with a little tractor?! I'm supposed to go on the HIGHWAY and pull it over the hill? Oh, my goodness. What have I gotten myself into? I'm not so sure I'm meant to be a farmer's wife!

Me: Can I write cheat sheets on Post It notes and plaster them all over the tractor?
Hubs: Ummm...That's what those symbols are for.
Me: No. I need actual notes. Like "press this at this moment" or "pull this to shift at this time".
Hubs: (rubbing his head) You'll be okay.

I almost cried all the way back to the farm with this monstrous combine being lugged behind me. I was so scared I'd break something!

When we finally arrived back at the farm, Hubs said, "Honey. You did great! Umm...but, you didn't shift gears at all the entire way. You remember you were supposed to shift gears, right?"

Now, how I got the combine into the driving shed is an entirely different blog post. *sigh*

It was a day like any other.  The sunshine was streaming through my office window, the breeze blowing the curtains to and fro, and the birds chirping outside on a warm sunny day.

**WARNING** Not my usual happy, light, fun post :)


It's been just a few months since my grandmother passed away and so far I've been holding things together just fine. Things are busy, life must go on, and there's a little person who needs me to function like a normal human being.  It just hits me sometimes though. It comes in waves. The overwhelming sense of loss and the sadness just take me by surprise.
My cousin found one of my grandmother's pieces of writing. It reminded me of just how much I miss her. I thought of the last time I held her hand and how much my heart hurt.

Hubby, Little One and I have been absent from our church for a good part of the Summer. Summer is really busy on the farm and Hubby rarely gets a chance to leave the farm. He needs to maximize daylight hours and get the most out of his days. There's always so much that needs to get done.

In church on Sunday, our minister's words just hit me. I know I don't talk about religion much on my blog, but every time we attend church service, the words just make so much sense and totally apply to what I'm going through at the time.

I've had a lot of things going on in my life lately. Worries. Stress. Anxiety. People see me in public and think I  "have it together". I really don't. I've also been creating more worries, stress and anxiety for myself and my husband. The basement hasn't been finished yet and it's been in the works for the past four years. I can't keep up with the weeds in our vegetable and fruit gardens. My flower gardens are a mess. I can't keep up with my house work. It's insane. I want things done and I want it done now.

Then I heard the words come out of our minister's mouth. He reminded us of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)

I was reminded that we need to have patience. Patience is not a virtue I possess and have been struggling hard with. I know I need to work harder at it and this has been so apparent lately in so many facets of my life. My mother-in-law always tells me to "Let go and let God".

After the church service, we had lunch with Grandma (aka: my mother-in-law).


My Dad had spent the morning landscaping my front yard. I almost cried. I'd been trying to get to it for a while now, but was too busy. He just came over and did it. I am so thankful for my Dad.

Hubby took some of the afternoon off work and put farm chores aside to spend some time just lounging around with his family. Little One, Chance, Spike, Hubby and I played in the sprinkler and relaxed on the porch drinking iced tea. Well, Spike and Chance didn't drink iced tea. They had water.



Our little girl loves her Daddy so much. She cries every time Daddy or Mommy have to work. She just wants us to be together and hang out. She was SO  happy today. We just sat on the deck, but she loved it. She kept putting Hubby's hand on top of my hand and kept saying, "Daddy, hold Mommy's hand. Kiss Mommy. Group hug!!!" and she gave us both a big hug. She's so sweet. I love my little girl.

I have to remember that I really do have a lot to be thankful for. Taking time out, having Hubby spend time with Little One and me, and me going unplugged for much of the weekend certainly helped.

I leave you with this video. Totally brings me back to my high school days. I loved Warrant and was in love with Jani Lane! RIP Jani! For some reason, whenever I'm feeling my not so peppy self, this song always comes to mind.

Rushing in the morning on an already hazy, humid mosquito filled morning, I could feel myself getting tense.  Little One was dawdling - stopping every few feet to pick up a white-headed dandelion (which she calls "giant wish flowers").  I scooped her up, put her in her car seat, hopped into the driver's seat, and drove up our lane way.

Little One: Mine too! Mine too! Mine too! (screaming, tears rolling down her cheeks)
Me: Oh, dear. Now what?!
Little One: (pulling at her seat belt straps) My seat belt! Mine too!!

At this moment I feel like the world's most horrible Mom. I never forget to buckle her into her car seat. NEVER!

It was one of those days.

Above photo taken a few months ago.  Please excuse the helmet. She takes car safety very seriously.  Either that, or she thinks my driving is absolutely horrible.

We started singing the entire score for Gilbert & Sullivan's The Gondoliers. Little One mentioned that she was thirsty.

Me: We left your sippy cup at ThatCoolTeacherMom's house. She's going to return it when she sees us next.
Little One: Mommy, where's my Princess p3nis?
Me: (in shock) Pardon me? Your what?
Little One: My. Princess. P3nis!
Me: Ohhhh! Your Princess THERMOS! (this is the second day in a row that she's called her Thermos a p3nis)
Little One: Why? Why is it not a p3nis?
Me: Honey, you know what a p3nis is. That stainless steel thing that keeps your drinks hot or cold is called a Thermos.
Little One: (laughing) What is a p3nis?
Me: Honey, you remember! What do girls have that boys don't have?
Little One: A vag!na.
Me: Boys have a ______?
Little One: P3nis!
Me: That's right.
Little One: What's a vag!na for?

(Urgh. She's only three years old. I think I'll just stick with the non-$exual functions of this part of the anatomy for now)

Me: Well, a vag!na is a part of the female body and you pee from there.
Little One: What's a p3nis for?
Me: (Haha! Oh, boy. Trouble!) Males - boys and men have them and when they pee, pee comes from there.
Little One: Mommy, and [insert Little One's real name here], and Lola have VAG!NAS!
Me: Yes. That's right, honey.
Little One: Daddy and [insert LO's friend's little brother's name here] and Grampy have P3NISES!
Me: That's correct. Oh! What does Chance (our dog) have?
Little One: (quietly thinking and then laughing) I don't know!
Me: Chance is a boy! He has a...
Little One: P3NIS!
Oh, the questions!

Little One is three years old and I explain things as openly and honestly to her in a way I feel is age-appropriate.  I know some people do not feel that proper anatomical terms are appropriate for children, but I do not believe calling girl parts "cupcake", "flower", "hooha", or "peach" and boy parts "turtle", "birdie", "lizard", or "wee wee" appropriate. Neither way is right or wrong...or better or worse.  For me, I'd just like Little One to know the proper names of things.

We've got bodily functions down. Let's hope the $ex questions don't come for another few years.

Our three year old has got the craziest hair I have ever seen.  Do you remember reading Mr. Mugs  when you were in elementary school?  Well, her hairdo reminds me of Mr. Mugs. No matter what we do, her hair is always in her face.
The resemblance is uncanny! Don't you think? She looks like that adorable sheepdog I used to read about when I was a kid. 

Pretty little clips or decorative ponytail elastics simply do not last long in her hair.  She'll leave them in for a while to entertain me, but within no time, they're gone.  Sometimes they're gone forever!  She conveniently misplaces them or hides them.

I gave her a haircut before Christmas, and it actually turned out okay. What was supposed to be a straight trim turned out to be a rather stylish layered bob! A complete fluke!

Still, the hair in her face persisted and it really bothered us.  "Please push the hair away from your eyes, Honey" and "Please don't suck on your hair!" were common phrases up until a few days ago.  Yes, Little One had developed the rather gross habit of sucking on her hair because it was always in her face.

I was shocked when Hubby went to the bathroom, returned with scissors, and chopped off the hair that was always falling and covering Little One's face! 

"Oh! No! You gave her bangs! I never wanted her to have bangs!"
I was cursed with the "little Asian girl bangs" when I was a kid.  It seemed pretty standard for my generation.  Every kid had those straight bangs.  I wanted to avoid that with Little One.

"There! Now she can see!", said Hubby.

I have to admit, she looks kinda cute.

I recently wrote a PTPA Blogaholics post about the trials and tribulations challenges (read: soon-to-drive-me-to-mental-breakdown-maybe-it's-time-for-a-Malibu-and-pineapple-now difficulties) I've been having with our three year old just in the past few weeks. By the way, I was just kidding when I said my child is driving me to a mental breakdown and to the bottle. Totally kidding. She's a sweetheart and I love her to bits. She's just gotten into this feisty, stubborn, whiny mode lately.

Whining drives me nuts. I hate to say it, but it does. I cannot deal with the whining. Whiny kids make my ears bleed. There. I said it.

Secret Mommy confession:  I actually locked myself in the bathroom the other morning so I could have two minutes to myself.  Of course, my three year old had to get out of bed and start banging on the door. Then she started crying. When I opened the door to see why she was screaming her head off, I saw that there was a puddle in front of the bathroom door.

Great. I just made my child pee all over the floor because I needed two minutes to myself. *sigh*

Poor kid. She's been doing such an awesome job with the toilet training and wakes up dry in the morning. She only had a few accidents when we were visiting her cousins on our mini vacation in Haliburton. I guess new environment, lots of distractions, and too much fun with the cousins totally threw her off. She didn't get to the toilet on time twice or three times. This time, however, it was Mommy's fault that she peed in front of our bathroom.

Anyway, I have to focus on all the things I absolutely love about 3.

Little One comes up with the funniest expressions. She's had a word explosion and is such a chatterbox. She is now able to correct us when we're wrong. "I'm not Honey! I'm [insert Little One's real name here]!" or "Lola (Grandma in Filipino), it's not 'You make me happy when skies are blue! It's you make me happy when skies are gray!'"

She also knows how to reason and understands consequences. "Daddy! You're a bad boy! Go to your mother's house!" (I have no idea where she got that from! Honestly!)

Me: Why weren't you nice to your friend?
Little One: Because she hurt my feeeewings!

"When I'm an adult, can you buy me a latte?"

Yes, she comes up with some gems that totally make us laugh.  I need to remember that this period of Little One's childhood is so special...and it's fleeting. These are but mere moments in time that can never be retrieved. I won't have her this little for much longer. This makes me really, really sad.

I also need to remember this:

 If you really want to see what I was going on about earlier, here's the post. I welcome comments, tips, advice, and anything you can say to help me keep my sanity. Please and thank you.

It's the new year.  We ushered in 2012 in bed with headaches, aches and pains, fevers, and coughs. All three of us were sick.  First it was Hubby, and then the next day, Little One and I felt ill.  Fortunately for us, it only lasted 24 hours.  The farm is not going to look after itself if we're sick.  Farmers don't have "sick days", holidays, days off, or "weekends".

I know I shouldn't grumble.  Hubby says we're "stewards of the land" and really loves farming, it's in his blood, and believes this is the right thing to do.  This said, I would love to be able to go on vacation as a family someday. With this being a one man operation (plus a city girl for a wife and a very busy toddler who help in any way we can, but almost always just get in the way), it looks unlikely. We are in desperate need of a vacation though.

Anyway...

While I was busy purging our house of unneeded things (a tradition I've adopted every New Year), the dog decided to purge my compost bin of all its contents...ALL OVER the kitchen floor!  I had eggshells, coffee grounds, and avocado pits all over my kitchen floor.

More mess to clean up. Yay.

I then decided to make several different batches of food to serve as supper for the remainder of the week.  I figured that if I did that, it would save me time during the rest of the week.  As I was cooking two different supper dishes at the same time, the phone rang.  Normally, if I had my hands tied, I'd let the voicemail pick up.  Of course, Hubby had to answer the phone and he had to hand it to me.  Yes...while I was in the midst of pots boiling and things going into the oven.

It was my friend SuperAmazingMommy.  We chatted as I cooked.  Of course, my amazing little toddler (who has been on a roll with the toilet training for the past almost three weeks) came running down the stairs.  She had her brand new bathing suit on.  Why does a three year old need to wear a bathing suit in the middle of the winter?  Why, in hopes that her mother will take her to the indoor pool 74 minutes away from the Island!



SuperAmazingMommy and I were discussing something that has been weighing on my mind these days - school.  I'm on the fence on whether to send Little One this year because she was a preemie.  Technically, she's three months behind most kids her age, but doesn't seem to display any signs of being delayed.  Still, the thought of my tiny little munchkin being in school all day, five days a week, and having to make a long commute on the bus (because we live in the sticks), makes me feel ill.  It seriously makes me anxiety-filled.  She is so tiny and still needs her afternoon naps.  Without them, she is on grumpy kid.

SuperAmazingMommy reminded me of what our Neonatal Specialist (who is also our pediatrician) said.  "There is no rush.  Too many parents do their children a tremendous disservice by rushing them." This goes for potty training as well.  I've been feeling the pressure from all ends on the potty training issue.  I forgot that Little One's Neonatal Specialist told is not to rush her and that she would potty train when she's ready.  She said not to even consider it until after she's three years old "corrected" (which would be in February).

Just as I said, "Well, [insert Little One's real name here] has been a toilet training superstar!  No diapers.  Peeing and pooping in the toilet and not the potty. No accidents at all", what should happen?

I heard a thundering gush like the sound of Niagara Falls coming from the stairs leading to the kitchen.

"MOMMY! I had an accident!"

No one ever tells you the ins and outs of parenting.  Sure, some people offer a few pearls of wisdom here and there, but no one really ever tells you the reality of it all and how difficult and unpredictable things can be when you have a little one.

I am always amazed at parents who seemingly parent so naturally. It's as though nothing bothers them. They never stumble, slip, or fall. I am secretly envious of parents who have it "together". Seriously? You don't have moments where you feel you need to lock yourself in the bathroom and cry? Oh, wait. Did I say that out loud?

Then there are the not so serious moments of parenting slip ups. Though they may not be detrimental to my child's well-being, they're still the mistakes that in hindsight make you think, "Why did you possibly think that was a good idea?!"

Case in point:
Getting into the Holiday spirit, I wanted to get Little One excited about Christmas too. She loves hearing about Baby Jesus in the manger and the star of Bethlehem. She just turned 3 the other week and is more interested in that than in jolly 'ol Saint Nick (which is totally fine with us). This said, she has expressed an interest in the festive holiday with all the music and decorations. She loves the lights and sparkly everything.

"Mama, I yuuuuv Chrimass!"

"Oh, that's good! I'm so  happy to hear you love Christmas!"

I took her to see Santa Claus at the mall and the poor kid cried bloody murder. The tears! It was heartbreaking!

"I don't want him! I don't want him! Mommy, I don't like Santa!!!!", she screamed through her tears. "I don't want him! He's bad! He's a bad guy!!!!"

No photo with Santa this year, I suppose.
When I think of it, I can't really blame her. I teach her to never go with strangers, yet I plunk her onto the lap of a strange man in a red suit with a huge beard and a bunch of elves standing beside him? Yeah. Totally unrealistic expectations. What was I thinking? Well, I guess I wasn't thinking.

Then, I wanted to share something special from my childhood. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, it's been a long lived tradition for me to watch all the Christmas classics on TV. This year, now that she just turned 3, I wanted to watch Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, etc.

I bought her a collection of Christmas classics on DVD.

"I want the reindeer one!"

When we got to the scene where Rudolph and the dentist elf meet the Abominable Snowman, Little One started screaming.

"I don't like him! Turn it off! I'm scared! I'm scared! I don't like monsters!!"

I tried to explain that he wasn't really a bad monster and that in the end, he helps the elves decorate the Christmas tree. She wasn't having any of that. To be honest, I totally forgot about the "monster" scene. Actually, I didn't really think she'd be scared of him.

We haven't even watched The Grinch or Frosty, and she has already decided she HATES all Christmas DVDs and will not watch them.

She is totally uninterested. What fun.

When you're a newly married couple, people always ask, "When are you going to start a family?"
When you have your first child, people always seem to ask, "When are you going to have Baby #2?"
I can't help but feel a little bit of anxiety when people ask these rather innocent questions. Though I do wish for a younger sibling for Little One, I can't help but be scared.

Actually, it's not my toddler who is having issues with this whole potty training thing. It's me!

Part of it is due to me feeling guilty. Guilty that I have to work all day and not spend the time I need to be with her to teach her how to use the potty. She's pretty much potty training herself.

No. Seriously. She is.

Little One wears panties at home or goes around au naturel and tells us, "I have to go toilet!" She's been pretty good at #2, which surprises me. I've read that some children have a harder time with #2.  It's #1 she forgets about and has little accidents sometimes. Occasionally, I'll step into a warm puddle and moments later will hear, "I peed!"

Another thing is that though I should embrace each and every milestone and enjoy each stage of childhood, Little One being almost potty trained makes me a little sad. It signals the end of her babyhood. Of course it means the end of diapers (wooo hooo!), but the end of babyhood too.

Yes, I realize she's no longer a baby and I don't treat her that way. It doesn't make it easier though. I feel like having to work and being with students all day means I spend more time with other people's children than my own child.

One last potty issue is that I feel pressured by other moms who say things like, "Oh. She's not potty trained yet?" or "My child was out of her diapers before she turned two!"

Little One's pediatrician and Neonatologist mentioned that by 3, children are "ready" to start potty training and they "understand" what it's all about. She said that many parents rush their children and think that "Oh! The magical number has to be 2. By 2, they need to be out of their diapers!"

The more reading and research I've been doing, the more I realize that Little One is on the right track. She's showing interest in going on the toilet, she knows what to do, she tells us (most of the time) when she needs to go, and she's pleased as punch whenever she has a successful trip to the potty.

I guess what I really need to get into my head is that all children are different. They don't have to go by the same time tables...and, don't compare! This would be a lot easier if people didn't compare. Why do people do that? I know that we don't say, "Well, your child must be delayed because Little One was doing that a year earlier than your child" or "Wow. I can't believe he is so far behind! Our child was walking, feeding herself, saying the alphabet, talking, and writing her thesis and defending it before she was 2!"

Fortunately for Little One, I don't project these feelings onto her. I don't want her to grow up with a complex or anything. Instead, I keep the annoying things people say to myself (Ha! Or now on the blog!) and hope I don't die of stress or an anxiety attack.

Who says things like that? Why would it even matter? What pleasure do people get in comparing babies, toddlers, children?


Do any of you have inspirational potty stories to share? Tips, perhaps?

*Photo of Little One just after she got into one of our students' toiletry bags. She's covered head to toe in toothpaste. Nice.

...The Crypt being MY BRAIN!

It seems these days, my poor Mommy brain isn't functioning as it should. I know what you're thinking. That's because I'm up at 4AM, blogging. Right? Truth be told, I'm not usually up this early (or this late...depending on how you look at it). We just got back from an airport pick up. A new ESL student arrived tonight. The airport is 2 hours from the Island. You do the math.

I'm so wired now, I can't sleep!

I was just thinking about how my brain seems to have gone to mush. Do you know that today was the first time I realized that BOGO means "Buy One, Get One"!?!?! I feel so stupid! I've seen commercials on TV for Payless BOGO days. It never even occurred to me that it meant "Buy One, Get One", even though I knew that Payless Shoes offered those deals! Duh!

The other day, I said "Steffi and Liz is" instead of "Steffi and Liz are". That really bugs me. I don't usually make slips like that. I majored in English and Linguistics. I teach grammar for a living! Incidentally, did you know that a "mistake" is different than a "slip"?
"Mistakes are errors in choosing an objective or specifying a method of achieving it whereas slips are errors in carrying out an intended method for reaching an objective." (Sternberg, 1996)

Just sayin'.

 Then I do really strange things like orchestrate a Surprise Birthday/Going Away party for one of my students and make the 4 (for the "24") backwards on the cake! I didn't even notice it until the other student pointed it out to me. My friend, who happens to also be a teacher commented, "Well, you teach literacy. Not mathematics."
Bwahahahahahaha! I'm so embarrassed. I'm thinking that I clearly need more sleep.