Wow, what a Labor Day weekend!
TUESDAY
We had a great 3 days, loads of playing, chickens, puppy time, eggs, friends, cocktails and plans for the future. WOW.
I will be honest, it was hard to get motivated today, I need a day off :)
Alouette is laying 1 egg every 30 hours or so, the other chickens are lollygagging about and resting on her laurels. I'm not above eating them. I think they know it and start to squawk and honk loudly when they see me, in a veiled attempt to lull me into a false sense of thinking they're trying to lay eggs. That's my current theory.
The Banker is working hard today, it's language arts day. I'm trying to ensure we're back on track so we can move into some of the 'elective' things he wants to do. It seemed we were fighting upstream last week and I don't want to feel that way.
I simply removed Mondays classes from our roster this week so there's no trying to make up the classes we didn't do Monday (labor day) sometimes you simply have to play the day away with friends without consequence. I like that.
I am going to download the second Hunger Games book for the Banker to start reading this week, hopefully we'll have a less stressful reading program than we had over the summer. I bought it for his Nook, I hope he enjoys it! I bought the second and third books actually so he can finish the trilogy. My mom told me about some teen book that is all the rage (she's further in the loop than me!), she's bought him the paper book, "Divergent", my niece is a huge fan of that series apparently. We like a little familial pressure to perform ;)
The CoOp starts this Friday and I am dreading it. That's all I'll say about that right now. I don't want to jinx it or send bad vibes to the Banker. I can do anything 12 times, 11 if I catch something and as long as it's not chaos, the Banker will have a great time and that is the whole point there. I may pack a flask. No one need know.
In other news, Pug puppy Alice is a joy, a sheer and utter joy. She hasn't had an accident since she arrived and has rung the bells to go outside a number of times. I can't see an accident happening. She is still very young, 3 mos, so no doubt she could forget or just squat but since the other two are regular bell ringing goer outers, Alice is on their schedule anyway. She does start to charge around the house like mad when she's playing with Lola in the evenings and when I send her outside when she's frantic like that she always produces, like any youngster, having too much fun to want to stop and go to the bathroom. Only a week and I can't remember our house without her in it.
We are supposed to go to a park tomorrow morning but we are blowing that off. I want to get the work this week under our belts. My mother arrives on Monday and that'll give us loads of reasons to divert over the next two weeks so we may as well work while we have the house to ourselves and no diversion to goof off. We can take time when she's here to play.
I haven't made any noises about getting a minecraft play time together, I've been busy playing myself. I have that on my short list of things to do this week, maybe we can do one at the Microsoft store at the Domain in Austin in which case the Banker can cyberplay and my mother and I can shop at my new favorite cooking store there, Sur La Table. We'll see.
I'm cooking a big roast dinner tonight for some reason, 102 degrees isn't going to get me down because sometimes I just feel like roast chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, glazed carrots, gravy and stuffing. Mmmmm. I have a hankering and when the mother has a hankering, everyone eats well ;)
/Tracy
WEDNESDAY
I have a treadmill in my house now. Hubba surprised me on the weekend with one. We have an elliptical but I can't use it with my crazy ankle and hip. When I turned 48, something happened to me and I found myself starting to swell, not unlike a balloon being inflated. Peri-menopause symptoms, said my Dr. WTHell? Now, after no change in my lifestyle or intake I'm 2 sizes bigger and rounder and moodier (yes, it was possible apparently) and menopausal and figured a way to help me (enjoyably!) cut a pound or two (other than removing a limb) was to start walking on a treadmill. It's Austin, Texas, it's always too hot for me to walk outside. I walk 1.25 miles in the morning and again in the afternoon. Unfortunately, walking on a treadmill makes me starving hungry and after the walk this morning I walked downstairs and ate half a BLT with cheddar that I made on a half loaf of ciabatta I made, a banana, a glass of milk, a cookie and 14 milk chocolate covered pretzels. Yeah, this is going to work beautifully. *thud*
WEDNESDAY
I have a treadmill in my house now. Hubba surprised me on the weekend with one. We have an elliptical but I can't use it with my crazy ankle and hip. When I turned 48, something happened to me and I found myself starting to swell, not unlike a balloon being inflated. Peri-menopause symptoms, said my Dr. WTHell? Now, after no change in my lifestyle or intake I'm 2 sizes bigger and rounder and moodier (yes, it was possible apparently) and menopausal and figured a way to help me (enjoyably!) cut a pound or two (other than removing a limb) was to start walking on a treadmill. It's Austin, Texas, it's always too hot for me to walk outside. I walk 1.25 miles in the morning and again in the afternoon. Unfortunately, walking on a treadmill makes me starving hungry and after the walk this morning I walked downstairs and ate half a BLT with cheddar that I made on a half loaf of ciabatta I made, a banana, a glass of milk, a cookie and 14 milk chocolate covered pretzels. Yeah, this is going to work beautifully. *thud*
FRIDAY
It's first day of Co-Op today. I'm trying not to fret. This isn't about me, after all. It's about The Banker. He is taking volunteer hours (which everyone should) he's taking high school art (to mess with his academic brain and loosen him up a bit) and then Spanish (which everyone should, any foreign language). It's his fruits and nuts semester. I told him he can do 'serious' class/es next semester at One Day or Bronze Door ($$!) I'm going to spend 3 hours a week with little children. I planned this badly but am not going to moan about it anymore. As long as the Banker is happy, I will be happy.
This, by the way is the moment in time I intend to use in later years as part of my 'becoming a burden' to the Banker. This story, this experience is why he has to take care of me when I'm old and feeble. I'd thought about it over the years and tried to determine which moment I could pinpoint as the one moment he owes me for. This is the one. It's not that I don't like other people's little children it is that I don't like other people's little wild children. I am not going to prejudge too heavily today though. I haven't even met those children. Perhaps they'll be delightful.
Baby Pug Alice is still doing wonderfully, no accidents and doing well in the crate. She loves the chickens, doesn't chase them anymore and completely and fully believes Lola is her mother. I have been really consistent with the crate and feeding and schedules which is why there's been no accidents in my house. She comes to her name, is relatively obedient, for a little girl, and loves to have a good cuddle.
I have been working her up to almost 3 hours in the crate in the morning then 2 in the afternoon after a play and a feed. She has to do her longest stint yet today, 3 1/2 hours and I fully intend on using her as an excuse to bolt out of there after CoOp today. Sure it's lame but it's what I am going to do. I can't remember a time she wasn't here, crazy little dog. Lola is doing a beautiful job training her and keeping her occupied at my request. I can't imagine having a puppy without Lola around to do the actual work.
We had a great day yesterday, changing the subject. FriendE came with her boys, FriendJ and FriendZ. True to form the children vanished with laptops and we only saw them when their need for food and drink surpassed their need to do whatever it is they were doing. Mining emeralds apparently. Minecraft of course. I made an enormous platter of sandwiches and chips and sent them away upstairs. Sometimes I really love my gameroom.
FriendE and I chatted about homeschool things, she'd purchased a book we looked through. It was nice to have the chat with someone in the same boat. We both feel overwhelmed and underwhelmed by our science options and choices. We designed the perfect 8th-12th grade science curriculum, now if someone would merely produce it, we'd be set!
An interesting thing happened as well. FriendE brought her crochet. I haven't crocheted for a while, choosing to switch to the much faster and more instantly gratifying sewing/serging and embroidering. I haven't played with my hooks or sticks since the fire in the craft room. She had seen a pattern online she wanted to do but wasn't prepared to pay $9 for the instructions. I agreed. We deconstructed the pattern, we can do that, and wrote our own version and voila, our own pattern and that poor girl who spent all that time and effort writing her .pdf to sell, well, sorry for your luck, dear.
I had a small epiphany about it actually. I realized I really do enjoy knitting and crochet. It's infinitely portable and something I can do in addition to the food and the writing while we are in school mode and in the same room as the Banker. Something I cannot do with the machines. Hmmm, sometimes it takes a simple question, "hey, do you think we can figure out this pattern so we don't have to pay this girl?" to make you rediscover something you thoroughly enjoy doing.
I'm going to play with my sticks and hooks more again and I'm sort of delighted about it. I am also completely delighted with my treadmill and am continuing to do 1.25 miles, twice a day, with my headphones on, unplugged from everything except the noises in my head. I love it. I may not be able to ever go out or ever be on my own but this machine buys me 30 minutes of 'leave me alone' time and that is never ever a bad thing.
I'll report back on how our day progressed, of course.
/Tracy
FRIDAY, part deux
Sometimes, when we fret and worry about something we've never experienced, it becomes bigger than life. I am a firm believer that most of the time, the fear of the thing is so much worse than the actual thing. Well, usually. Not today. Today it was worse. Much, much, much worse.
The Banker had a great time, he loved helping out the little kids for his volunteer hour. He knew one of the little boys in the class which made them both feel a little more special. He absolutely loved Art class and got kudos for a job well done from the teacher. He loved his Spanish class and excitedly told me about the homework he has, the similarities between Spanish and Latin and generally bubbled over about the whole experience. It warms my heart to see him so joyful about this.
I was in hell. I thought I would hate my experience but had no idea how much I would hate it. All my nagging little fears were incalculably multiplied. I have to do it 11 more times, 10 if I can manage to catch something horrible. I wonder where I can catch something horrible. Leprosy? Plague? I'm easy and don't really care which. Summarizing my experience? OH, I.absolutely.hate.it. For fear of anyone involved potentially seeing this, I won't do any detail, it would be disrespectful and I don't want to do that. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings...a blog or my opinion are never worth it. All I will say on the matter is the Banker is happy and glowing and excited and for that, I will continue to do anything. I on the other hand, spent 3 hours of my day today watching to run screaming, I'm not being over dramatic here, I literally wanted to run...screaming...
I think I'll go have a little nervous breakdown now, just a little one, in my room, all alone. I told the Banker how much I hated it. He knew by my face and my frantic exit from the facility. I told him how much I hated it with a smile and a giggle of course, you can't take this too seriously and the level of which I hate this is actually comical. I hope I made him feel better about me hating it. He does worry. He was concerned I'd quit and then he would have to. I assured him I would never quit something he enjoyed so much. I can do 11 more. Or 10, there's always the potential for Scabies? Rabies? Lice?
When I go to my room for my little breakdown, I may actually shed a tear or two, stress tears of course. Then I'll be over it and will suck it up.
Besides the fear I had/have of breaking the Banker and ruining the rest of his life, this moment in time is the worst home school moment (so far).
/Tracy
It's first day of Co-Op today. I'm trying not to fret. This isn't about me, after all. It's about The Banker. He is taking volunteer hours (which everyone should) he's taking high school art (to mess with his academic brain and loosen him up a bit) and then Spanish (which everyone should, any foreign language). It's his fruits and nuts semester. I told him he can do 'serious' class/es next semester at One Day or Bronze Door ($$!) I'm going to spend 3 hours a week with little children. I planned this badly but am not going to moan about it anymore. As long as the Banker is happy, I will be happy.
This, by the way is the moment in time I intend to use in later years as part of my 'becoming a burden' to the Banker. This story, this experience is why he has to take care of me when I'm old and feeble. I'd thought about it over the years and tried to determine which moment I could pinpoint as the one moment he owes me for. This is the one. It's not that I don't like other people's little children it is that I don't like other people's little wild children. I am not going to prejudge too heavily today though. I haven't even met those children. Perhaps they'll be delightful.
I have been working her up to almost 3 hours in the crate in the morning then 2 in the afternoon after a play and a feed. She has to do her longest stint yet today, 3 1/2 hours and I fully intend on using her as an excuse to bolt out of there after CoOp today. Sure it's lame but it's what I am going to do. I can't remember a time she wasn't here, crazy little dog. Lola is doing a beautiful job training her and keeping her occupied at my request. I can't imagine having a puppy without Lola around to do the actual work.
We had a great day yesterday, changing the subject. FriendE came with her boys, FriendJ and FriendZ. True to form the children vanished with laptops and we only saw them when their need for food and drink surpassed their need to do whatever it is they were doing. Mining emeralds apparently. Minecraft of course. I made an enormous platter of sandwiches and chips and sent them away upstairs. Sometimes I really love my gameroom.
FriendE and I chatted about homeschool things, she'd purchased a book we looked through. It was nice to have the chat with someone in the same boat. We both feel overwhelmed and underwhelmed by our science options and choices. We designed the perfect 8th-12th grade science curriculum, now if someone would merely produce it, we'd be set!
An interesting thing happened as well. FriendE brought her crochet. I haven't crocheted for a while, choosing to switch to the much faster and more instantly gratifying sewing/serging and embroidering. I haven't played with my hooks or sticks since the fire in the craft room. She had seen a pattern online she wanted to do but wasn't prepared to pay $9 for the instructions. I agreed. We deconstructed the pattern, we can do that, and wrote our own version and voila, our own pattern and that poor girl who spent all that time and effort writing her .pdf to sell, well, sorry for your luck, dear.
I had a small epiphany about it actually. I realized I really do enjoy knitting and crochet. It's infinitely portable and something I can do in addition to the food and the writing while we are in school mode and in the same room as the Banker. Something I cannot do with the machines. Hmmm, sometimes it takes a simple question, "hey, do you think we can figure out this pattern so we don't have to pay this girl?" to make you rediscover something you thoroughly enjoy doing.
I'm going to play with my sticks and hooks more again and I'm sort of delighted about it. I am also completely delighted with my treadmill and am continuing to do 1.25 miles, twice a day, with my headphones on, unplugged from everything except the noises in my head. I love it. I may not be able to ever go out or ever be on my own but this machine buys me 30 minutes of 'leave me alone' time and that is never ever a bad thing.
I'll report back on how our day progressed, of course.
/Tracy
FRIDAY, part deux
Sometimes, when we fret and worry about something we've never experienced, it becomes bigger than life. I am a firm believer that most of the time, the fear of the thing is so much worse than the actual thing. Well, usually. Not today. Today it was worse. Much, much, much worse.
The Banker had a great time, he loved helping out the little kids for his volunteer hour. He knew one of the little boys in the class which made them both feel a little more special. He absolutely loved Art class and got kudos for a job well done from the teacher. He loved his Spanish class and excitedly told me about the homework he has, the similarities between Spanish and Latin and generally bubbled over about the whole experience. It warms my heart to see him so joyful about this.
I was in hell. I thought I would hate my experience but had no idea how much I would hate it. All my nagging little fears were incalculably multiplied. I have to do it 11 more times, 10 if I can manage to catch something horrible. I wonder where I can catch something horrible. Leprosy? Plague? I'm easy and don't really care which. Summarizing my experience? OH, I.absolutely.hate.it. For fear of anyone involved potentially seeing this, I won't do any detail, it would be disrespectful and I don't want to do that. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings...a blog or my opinion are never worth it. All I will say on the matter is the Banker is happy and glowing and excited and for that, I will continue to do anything. I on the other hand, spent 3 hours of my day today watching to run screaming, I'm not being over dramatic here, I literally wanted to run...screaming...
I think I'll go have a little nervous breakdown now, just a little one, in my room, all alone. I told the Banker how much I hated it. He knew by my face and my frantic exit from the facility. I told him how much I hated it with a smile and a giggle of course, you can't take this too seriously and the level of which I hate this is actually comical. I hope I made him feel better about me hating it. He does worry. He was concerned I'd quit and then he would have to. I assured him I would never quit something he enjoyed so much. I can do 11 more. Or 10, there's always the potential for Scabies? Rabies? Lice?
When I go to my room for my little breakdown, I may actually shed a tear or two, stress tears of course. Then I'll be over it and will suck it up.
Besides the fear I had/have of breaking the Banker and ruining the rest of his life, this moment in time is the worst home school moment (so far).
/Tracy
No comments:
Post a Comment