5 am came bright and early. Ok not so bright, it's dark and cold and rainy outside, three of my favorite things. We actually had sleet, real live sleet, in Austin yesterday. Imagine my delight. I'm a northern replant so any time I can get my hands on cold, damp, wet, drizzle, rain, thunder, sleet or best of all, snow, I'm a happy dancing camper!
Banker was frantic at bedtime last night about the week. He says he's excited about his week but he's on the edge of tears, glistening eyes are never the best way to head off to sleep. He's been giggly and relaxed and laughing with his friends this weekend, live, on the phone, on Skype, on the Xbox but when he faces me, he's distraught.
I need to be able to identify pre-teen mother-aimed "you ruined my life" (because I have to make my bed, empty the dishwasher, get offline) angst from home school "you ruined my life" (because you've ripped the only source of education from me and now I'm going to be a failure in life) terror. The prior being so rare, it's appearance simultaneously with the latter does make them indistinguishable, at the moment.
I need to reassure him we are fine without overtly and perpetually telling him how fine we are. constantly. OK, I'll work on that today.
He thinks he hasn't learned anything or done anything. He is focused, obsessively, about the 12-3pm slot being unaccounted for. FINE. I'll occupy and orchestrate his 12-3 then slowly reverse it back down I guess. I can't expect the public education system to fall away from him in 3 days. I need to remember that. It's been in my head, worrying and planning, plotting and fretting for years... he's been living it 3 days, and he's 12, I get that.
This is one of those hippie v the banker moments. I say, "be free, go with the flow, find your path, do what makes you happy...." he looks at me blankly and says, "sure, but what am I SUPPOSED to be doing between 12 and 3? I cannot do NOTHING!! just write it down already, mom". *I hear, 'in triplicate'.
Here's my to-do list today:
- I am going to make a to-do list.
- I am going to tick the first two things off my to-do list so it looks more complete than it is.
- I am going to continue to enjoy the dark and silence this morning until light and noise interrupt me.
- I am going to smile and be supportive and review the work he slipped into the "work to review" slot in the new filing system.
- I am going to suggest he work ahead because we are on a field trip tomorrow and we are taking Friday off (local school holiday and he'll have a friend here),
- I am going to review the zillion "come play here" emails I got about clubs and groups locally.
- I am not going to say, "we're fine" or "this is going to be great", even once today.
- I am going to add the online grammar class I learned about this weekend to his Daily.
- I will have quiet faith.
- I will Skype my mother, my friends and will finish sewing the binding on that stupid quilt that broke my machine earlier in the year.
- I will continue to enjoy my more content committee, and fight them less.
- I will make something fantastic for dinner, photograph and blog it over on www.tracyloopers.blogspot.com because that's something *I* love to do.
I hear rumblings upstairs, 6:35am, although it may be a dog. I'm going to refill my coffee and sneak another quiet moment in before it all begins.
UPDATE
I've created a WEEKLY folder for Banker. His weekly schedule is in there, any add on links are in there and now...he's going to be delighted, I will add an "ADD ON" sheet.
This weeks has englishgrammar101.com in there, he can revisit verb identification, do the lessons, score and print it out for me.
Typingweb, he can start working through the course...he can type so it ought to go well, there's loads of records to log; net speed/gross speed/accurance/time and all sorts of things Banker will love to track.
I found him some Latin help at Textkit.com but I really need to find him a live person.
I am also stealing an idea from a friend and I've added Microsoft on the DAILY list, I want him to write. I write, he should write. It's good for the soul. I told him he can write about anything, "hopes, dreams, thoughts, frustrations, how annoying it is to have to write something daily..."
UPDATE
He got up at 8:50. We had a morning meeting to review the work for the week. He had some concerns, "can I work ahead"?; "am I allowed to do two video physics lessons in one day then review it later"?; "can I do both maths in one day"? YES, dear, you can. Banker got a little teary at the thought of being able to work as hard as he wanted. Didn't I make that clear?
I told him that was rule #1 of this whole exercise. Learn as much, explore as much, enjoy as much, investigate as much, as you can and as you want. Enjoy your life, my sweet.
He sang! SANG while he worked. HE SANG! He sang through math, through social studies, through science. He hummed through English and made a song through typing practice.
Singing is always good. Singing is joy in your heart. Joy in your heart is the very very best thing.
He's gone to read his Nook for an hour, Sherlock Holmes, then he's done. We are going to run errands and still be back hours before we would have.
MY to do list is shrinking, I actually had a very long, peaceful shower and got some sewing done while he worked. Dinner is slow cooking in the bottom oven, the veggies are prepped. I cooked him two hot meals today, three actually, he ate mine too at lunch.
Today. Is good.
I've created a WEEKLY folder for Banker. His weekly schedule is in there, any add on links are in there and now...he's going to be delighted, I will add an "ADD ON" sheet.
This weeks has englishgrammar101.com in there, he can revisit verb identification, do the lessons, score and print it out for me.
Typingweb, he can start working through the course...he can type so it ought to go well, there's loads of records to log; net speed/gross speed/accurance/time and all sorts of things Banker will love to track.
I found him some Latin help at Textkit.com but I really need to find him a live person.
I am also stealing an idea from a friend and I've added Microsoft on the DAILY list, I want him to write. I write, he should write. It's good for the soul. I told him he can write about anything, "hopes, dreams, thoughts, frustrations, how annoying it is to have to write something daily..."
UPDATE
He got up at 8:50. We had a morning meeting to review the work for the week. He had some concerns, "can I work ahead"?; "am I allowed to do two video physics lessons in one day then review it later"?; "can I do both maths in one day"? YES, dear, you can. Banker got a little teary at the thought of being able to work as hard as he wanted. Didn't I make that clear?
I told him that was rule #1 of this whole exercise. Learn as much, explore as much, enjoy as much, investigate as much, as you can and as you want. Enjoy your life, my sweet.
He sang! SANG while he worked. HE SANG! He sang through math, through social studies, through science. He hummed through English and made a song through typing practice.
Singing is always good. Singing is joy in your heart. Joy in your heart is the very very best thing.
He's gone to read his Nook for an hour, Sherlock Holmes, then he's done. We are going to run errands and still be back hours before we would have.
MY to do list is shrinking, I actually had a very long, peaceful shower and got some sewing done while he worked. Dinner is slow cooking in the bottom oven, the veggies are prepped. I cooked him two hot meals today, three actually, he ate mine too at lunch.
Today. Is good.
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