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Never say "I guess this has been a pretty good day" unless you are about thirty seconds from switching to the next day. A lot can happen to make you eat your words. Yesterday, after getting home from the play and resting for a bit, we get ready to go to church. About ten minutes before we are set to leave, my two year old, Hannah, comes out of the boys' room with the small silver balls from Caleb's Magnetix Set. Now, for those of you who do not know what those are, they are small rods with magnets embedded in the ends that you can attach to small silver balls and make all sorts of cool shapes. It is educational because you can make atom structures, DNA models, etc. It is also dangerous. I heard a couple of news stories about small children ingesting at least two of the magnetic rods, having them magnetize in the intestine and causing death. So when Hannah came strolling out with pieces to the set, I calmly asked her did she eat any of them. Her reply was "Yeeessssss" while batting her eyelashes. She seemed to know that it was going to cause a series of events unparalled in recent history.
After a quick call to her doctor, the nurse advised me that we had better get an x-ray just to make sure she didn't swallow them. "Better safe than sorry" she said. At this point, my mind had raced to the point that my little girl was going to have to undergo major surgery to remove these evil foreign objects and she was so little and why did we even buy those stupid things in the first place and did the van have enough gas to get us to the hospital and WHERE ARE MY KEYS?!?!
Thankfully, my dh was able to meet us at the hospital (which is no small feat because he is working a ton of overtime this week) so off we go. We get there, explain the story to about 50 different people and finally are called back by a nurse who had to be 16 years old or younger. She had braces (which I am not knocking, but it seemed to fit with the underage theme we had going), a ponytail on top of her head, metallic blue/green eyeshadow, a florescent print tropical blouse, several plastic brightly colored necklaces and plastic bright green nursing shoes. She also had the most high pitched, annoying voice you have EVER heard. As she took Hannah's vitals, she could not get the ear thermometer to work and said "Like, this thing doesn't like me...it's ALWAYS mean to me." Finally, when she was to the point of listening to Hannah's heart and lungs, even Hannah was eyeballing her, debating whether or not to ask for her credentials.
Long story short, the x-ray showed that Hannah had NOT ingested any of the Magnetix (I am going to begin teaching her about telling the truth) and we were free to go. Of course the doctor reminded us about throwing away the recalled Magnetix toy and we slinked out of there like a scolded puppy. Deep breath...time to go home and relax, right? Wrong.
Apparently, the heavens had popped a seam and we were in the midst of a downpour that would rival the great flood of Noah's time. Well, we would just have to be a little slow going home, right? Wrong. As we neared the bottom of the hill, I heard a loud "POP" and my windsheild wipers stopped in mid-stroke. I am not kidding. I turned them off, turned them back on, off, on, off, on, cursed silently, off, on, massaged my temple, off on, finally gave up and called my dh who was behind me wondering what in the world was going on, then rested my head on the steering wheel while repeating "I will not throw a temper tantrum, I will not throw a temper tantrum." After following Dewayne's tailights across the street to a gas station ( I literally could not see), we assessed the situation in a calm, rational manner. Actually, I think by this time I had reached the mental marker that causes everthing to amusing becuase it is so unbelieveable that it is actaully happening. Speaking of amusing, imagine driving down the road with three kids in a mini van, in the pouring rain, with the window rolled down, arm stuck out the window, squeegie in hand, trying desperately to clear off enough water to see some semblance of a road to follow. Now imagine doing this for the entire thirty minute (stretched into an hour and a half because of the circumstances) ride home.
The details of the rest of the trip can be summed up like this: Went to Micky D's to wait out the brunt of the storm, got terrible service, bad food; jumped back in the car to head home because there was apparently another thunderstorm right behind us (as told to us by my mom from her nice comfy recliner); got almost home, only to be stopped by a road block and told that power lines were down, we would have to find another way home. That sent us out of our way by about 20,000 miles. Needless to say, when we got home, kids went straight to bed, Dad crashed on the couch, and Mom...well, I settled in to a nice, warm bubble bath, hoping to soak away some of the day. The old saying goes, "That which does not kill you makes you stonger." I can honestly say I must be the strongest person in the world right now because that night almost killed me!! |
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The old saying begins "The best laid plans of mice and men...". I am convinced that if you have children, you should never make ANY plans. This morning began great. We began our day with a pancake breakfast before heading off to a local college for a drama/musical performance of "The Secret Garden". It was time to introduce the kiddies to a little culture...well, after arriving late due to a traffic jam we are led into a pitch black theatre, stumbling over people's feet, legs, and bags. We even managed to knock a few of them in the head as we jostled our way into our seats. During intermission, we took a bathroom break and found seats in a less crowded section of the theatre, then even sat down BEFORE the house lights were lowered.
The play was very good, although I thought the kids may be a little bored sitting through a two and a half hour performance. To my surprise, all of them really paid attention to the story and were full of questions when we left.
After we left the play, we made our way to the local Chick-Fil-A for a little lunch. Then it was off to Sam's (our local buy-in-bulk store) to gather a few needed items for our camping trip this weekend. After we had spent almost 45 minutes trapsing back and forth trying to find everything, we get to the counter, unload everything, then realize I left my CHECKBOOK on the counter at home
It just goes to show that you can plan things perfectly but a traffic jam, children loving a field trip more than you thought they would, and a forgotten checkbook, teaches you to roll with the punches. All in all, I guess it has been a pretty good day... |
. Fortunately I was able to put the total on my credit card and move on. The thought of having to leave the cart full of items I had so lovingly selected was almost more than I could bear. So we decide that it is definately time to go home.|
I think one of the biggest reality checks for me this year has been assuming the responsibility, good or bad, for the total education of my children. I must confess that until this year, I was one of those moms who took credit when their child said "Please" and "Thank you", but was quick to blame a bad attitude or sharp tongue on the "influences of school". My 8 year old son went to public school in K and 1st grade and before that he was in daycare from six weeks old. My 7 year old stepson went to public school for two years (he had to repeat Kindergarten after a hearing loss was discovered...he missed a good part of the year because he couldn't hear well). While I did everything I could to stay involved in the education system, realistically it is difficult to work a full time job, manage the home, help with homework, be a wife, and still have time to call the teacher and/or principal to keep abreast of the good and bad. I usually only heard about problems and after they had went on for some time.
So now, I feel the enormity of the responsibilty to guide the development of my children emotionally, spiritually, mentally, socially, and academically. It would be a daunting task if I did not have an enormous God. My husband and I spent time in prayer, discussing with family and friends, and actaully listing pros and cons on paper to make sure we were doing the right thing. In the end, it was the peace I had every step of the way, despite my shortcomings and failures, that sealed the deal. Only a "peace that passeth all understanding" could have led me to calmly take my children out of a familiar, accepted setting and assume the task of home education. Because I feel God's hand in our decision, I can rely on Him in times of trial, doubt, weariness, or exasperation. I just wish I called on His power more... |
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So I have been comtemplating beginning a blog for some time now. My dear husband kind of wishes I would so I maybe would vent a little BEFORE he gets home
I am a Christian, and like a lot of Christians I know, I struggle from day to day in my walk. I am high on the mountain one day and deep in the valley the next. I take full responsibility for not being as obedient as I should in my daily walk with God because the Bible says to draw near to God and he will draw near to you. So, if God and I are not close, guess whose fault it is?!?
My goal with this blog is to hopefully have an outlet to express my feelings, get feedback from others, and peruse the other blogs for encouragement. May anyone who stumbles upon this blog leave here feeling that someone else at least knows the joys and heartaches of being a Christian, a mother, a wife, and a homeschooler. God bless you. |
. First, a little background info on me. This is my first year homeschooling. I have a second grade son and a first grade stepson. I also have a sweet little girl (well, most of the time) who is almost two. I have really enjoyed this year for the most part, aside from being scared to death that I would permanently warp my children somehow. We had the guidance of a dear friend of mine whom I constantly harassed for months before beginning this venture, so I felt a little more prepared than most when we began classes in July.