Thanks Blogger

Has it really been since April, when I posted last. Thank you, Facebook.
With Facebook, everyone can read what's on your mind or what you've been doing and you don't have to keep reminding everyone to come to your blog. I love it. I do feel a little sad to have stopped blogging...but times change.
Thank you, Blogger for being there for me. Maybe if Facebook ever starts charging, we'll become friends again :).


Today, we doubled the kid's playground. This involved clearing all the weeds and raking the leaves, making a sandbox, trucking in 3 truck loads of playground mulch, loading 550 pounds of sand into the sandbox, cleaning their playstructures, pruning and landscaping the tree in the middle, raking the mulched area and then...best of all...watching the girls enjoy it!!! I brought Nico out too. He played in the sandbox, tested the sand to make sure it met his approval (yum yum) and slid on the slide. FUN FUN!!!

Are You Left-Brained or Right-Brained???

In general the left and right hemispheres of your brain process information in different ways.

We tend to process information using our dominant side.

The left side of the brain processes information in a linear manner. It processes from part to whole. It takes pieces, lines them up, and arranges them in a logical order; then it draws conclusions.

The right brain, however, processes from whole to part, holistically. It starts with the answer. It sees the big picture first, not the details.

The left-brained person is a list maker. If you are left-brained, you would enjoy making a master schedule and doing daily planning. Likewise, learning things in sequence is relatively easy for you. For example, spelling involves sequencing; if you are left-brained, you are probably a good speller. The left brain is also at work in the linear and sequential processing of math and in following directions.

By contrast, the approach of the right-brained student is random. An assignment may be late or incomplete, not because you weren't working, but because you were working on something else. Oh yes, the mention of spelling makes you cringe. Because the right side of the brain is color sensitive, you might try using colors to learn sequence, making the first step green, the second blue, the last red.

The left brain has no trouble processing symbols. Left-brained students will probably just memorize vocabulary words or math formulas. The right brain, on the other hand, wants things to be concrete. The right-brained person wants to see, feel, or touch the real object. To use your right brain, create opportunities for hands-on activities. Use something real whenever possible.

When you process on the left side, you use information piece by piece to solve a math problem or work out a science experiment.

If you process primarily on the right side of the brain, you use intuition. You may know the right answer to a math problem but not be sure how you got it. You may have to start with the answer and work backwards. On a quiz, you have a gut feeling as to which answers are correct, and you are usually right.
In writing, it is the left brain that pays attention to mechanics such as spelling, agreement, and punctuation. But the right side pays attention to coherence and meaning; that is, your right brain tells you it "feels" right. Your decisions will be based on feelings.

Left-brained students have little trouble expressing themselves in words. Right-brained students may know what they mean but often have trouble finding the right words.

Right-brained students need to back up everything visually. If it's not written down, they probably won't remember it. And it would be even better for right-brained students to illustrate it. They need to get into the habit of making a mental video of things as they hear or read them. Right-brained students need to know that it may take them longer to write a paper, and the paper may need more revision before it says what they want it to say. This means allowing extra time when a writing assignment is due.

The left side of the brain deals with things the way they are--with reality. When left-brained students are affected by the environment, they usually adjust to it.

Not so with right-brained students; they try to change the environment! Left-brained people want to know the rules and follow them. In fact, if there are no rules for situations, they will probably make up rules to follow!


I am defiantely Left-Brained!! What are you?

Recycling

In the past, I have just thrown away the ash from our fireplace. Thanks to the smart thinking of Paul and Oma, it is now serving a greater good...in the garden and on the lawn!! Instead of buying expensive fertilizer, the ash is great for lowering ph levels and giving nutrients to plants that like alkaline conditions.


Also, with the encouragement from Oma, I am saving our coffee grounds and spreading them on the azaleas and acidic plants. I hope it makes a difference!!

Getting Outside

Well it seems like Spring is actually here!! On the weekend we cleaned up the yard and today, I transplanted some irises. I love being able to plant flowers that I don't have to spend money on. Boy, am I getting cheap.

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