Kate
Kate is the mom to Jack (2006), Liz (2007), and Alice (2011) and an avid Cubs fan through marriage. She's an assistant professor of mathematics and STEM education at St. Ambrose University and also moonlights as a mathematics teacher at South East Junior High in Iowa City. Between soccer, running club, tumbling, and piano lessons she likes to cook, run, and do yoga. She's also a sucker for 5Ks with cool swag and awesome medals.
5 Yummy Ways to Use the Apple Cider in Your Fridge
Every year when the leaves begin to change and pumpkin spice everything hits the store, I get swept up in the changing seasons and buy a jug of apple cider. I say to myself,...
You ARE A Math Person! Tear-Free Homework Help This School Year
As we get back into the swing of the new school year, there's something very important I need to tell you–you are a math person. Or rather, you CAN be a math person, and...
Geocaching 101: A Quick Start Guide to Fair Weather Geocaching
Have you heard of geocaching? It's a great activity to enjoy with family and friends of all ages! My family prefers to take the "fair-weather" approach to geocaching, so if you're like us and...
Cookie Butter Recipes: It’s Not Just for Eating By the Spoonful
I admit I was a little late to the cookie butter game. I'd seen bakers use it on my favorite reality TV baking competitions, heard my friends and neighbors sing its praises, and given...
The Post I Didn’t Want To Write: Truths About Pediatric Cancer
I'm so mad I could spit. (Don't tell my kids I said that.)
This is not the post I wanted to write.
One of my students–at 13 years old–just died of pediatric cancer. (I don't remember...
Currently… Scenes from My Life, Snow Day Edition
Time: Who Knows?
Date: Sometime between New Year's Day and Spring Break
Currently . . .
Reading:
This article about how screen time before bed is a horrible atrocity, while my kids have their nightly 30 minutes of...
Thanksgiving Recipes: Carbs, Carbs, and More Carbs
In the great debate between Team Turkey and Team Sides for Thanksgiving, my allegiance lies firmly with Team Sides–in particular Team Carbs. On the one day a year when you're free to eat whatever...
Social Media and Babysitters: The Conversation I Never Thought to Have
Class had started. As I walked up and down the rows of desks to check homework, a student said to me as I walked by, “Your kids are cute Mrs. Degner, but they’re crazy.”
“They take...
Guide to U- Pick: Apple Orchards and Pumpkin Patches near Iowa City
My family and I are seasoned u-pickers. You name it and if it’s within 50 miles of Iowa City, I’ve probably picked it! I’ve rounded up u-pick orchards and pumpkin patches in the area...