Sep. 17, 2008 - School Days
I have been off work for a month now. We have been working at putting the house in order, getting into a routine around here, and doing school. Of course, that has been inbetween my doctor's trips. I ended up with an abscessed tooth that needed to be removed. And I am allergic to penecillin and pregnant, so I am taking this really strong medicine that makes me sick. Hard to get into a routine. Add to that the fact that Andy has been laid off for quite a while and tensions are running high around here. And not a lot is getting done.
Our first day of school went smoothly. The kids were all exctied about new pencils, notebooks, folders, and various school supplies. Day two excitment was still high, but beginning to decline. Day three I hid in the pantry and called my mom to ask her why she never told me it can be this hard. And I made her promise it would get better, even if she had to lie. Day four was okay and day five was a co-op day.
I know that they are not excited by math worksheets or language arts exercises. Even Spanish does not thrill them when it seems so much like WORK. One insists she can't read, the other forgets how to count, and last but not least I have one sitting on top of the bathroom door way holding the door open so that no one can go in and shut the door. One who is super focused but won't read, one who can not focus, find a pencil, or sit in her chair with out falling off, and one who needs talked down off the funiture and makes his worksheets into paper airplanes. Granted, the last one does not need to be in school, but I do not trust him on the loose anywhere in the house while we are busy. I am sure it is too early to say that he is hyperactive. I mean, he could calm down, right? RIGHT?!? I already have a highly distractable child. One is enough. The school room is not big enough for two of them. I am not energetic enough for two of them.
Due to this, our school days run a little bit south of traditional. While doing numbers, my daughter contorts her body into the shape of the number. She sings her answers instead of writing them. She does her addition problems while hoping on one foot and language arts to the tune of Beethovan's Ode to Joy. add to that the not-run-of-the-mill "why" and "What happens when..." questions I hear daily. The scariest are usually followed by an "Oh, never mind. I just figured it out... "Why was there a screen in my window? What happens when it isn't there anymore? Why do we need to have that thing I found on the doorway? What happens when you pull it off? Oh, Never mind. I just figured it out.. What happens when pencil marks get on the monitor? What happens if you put a beanie baby on a light bulb and turn on the lamp? What happens if you accidently write on the wall with nailpolish?" A day here is never dull. That is not just the school day, either.
I have not been feeling well, and today decided to take advantage of my husband being home. I laid down for a nap. The door to my room popped open and my son handed me the end of a white ribbon. I mumbled something along the lines of "What's this?" He said he just needed me to hold it. He climbed the secret passage way, ran through our attic, back down two flights of stairs, around the living room, into the sunroom and finally finished up in the basement. The whole time he was holding the spool of ribbon, unraveling it as he zoomed along. Enter Daddy, stage left...into the tangled mess of ribbon. It was not pretty. I heard it in my half slumber, and realizing that I was a part of it, let go of my ribbon. My husband does not handle this kind of creative game well. He took the ribbon and sent them outside to burn off some energy. I am not sure that will work, but at least they were quiet and I could rest.
