Happy Easter Weekend!
We are having an egg hunt on Sunday morning, also husband birthday, before we go to friendP's for Easter Dinner. I love being included in a holiday meal and it makes me/us feel like we have family here. Even husband's eye roll at me planning a weekend outting, ah, it feels just like family! It matters and it's a huge deal to me. Banker is really excited to go and be part of the celebration and feeling of family, husband is indifferent. Same old same old. He used to be excited about things and I wish I knew how to bring it back...an enthusiastic response to anything would be such a small thing but the payoff would be so very high with Banker...and with me. It's exhausting to be responded to so frequently with abject apathy. It sometimes feels like giving into a good laugh and having a conversation that didn't include constant, serious, correction is a weakness or something. I miss playing with him a lot of the time. But, I digress.
Ah, weekend. Easter Weekend, husband birthday weekend. No stress at all. We are going to buy chicks (maybe today) for the Banker as a surprise for Easter. I've wanted chickens for a very long time. I don't think we are allowed to have them in my neighborhood but I don't care. The HOA is after us for so many other things I say let's go all the way! Husband says he's in a fight with them, I don't care. In for a penny, in for a pound, we're doing it. I merely smile and nod and don't really care in the slightest.
Back to the (hopefully) imminent arrival of chicks! I have all the stuff to keep them alive, I hope, in the garage. The garage is historically warmer than my house, I'm an a/c junkie, so they should do better in there, in box, with a light and we'll hope Lola doesn't eat them immediately. My plan, hahahaha, is to introduce her to the chicks and let her see them every day, as often as possible and let her (hopefully) get used to them running about and the noises they make. I may be deluding myself but I'm going to give it try. If, however, I fail miserably, I do have a home lined up for any chick that lives. I am not prepared to play the dogs in dogs out chickens in chickens out game. Everyone plays nicely or they simply cannot stay. Easy.
No school today :) or "officially" this weekend, ALTHOUGH, I did assign the next English Literature book...with a crushing (to him) 2 week deadline to read and write me something about what he read, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.
"BUT it's 385 pages!"
"Yes, my sweet, it is, you'd better read often and read long then hadn't you?"
"BUT I only have two weeks?"
"Yes, my sweet, here you go, on the calendar in RED!"
"BUT, I had 5 weeks to do the last book!"
"Yes, and you failed your due date miserably, obviously too long a time doesn't work for you, perhaps you need a little pressure in your life"
"Oh great, thanks mom, trying to kill me"
"Not yet, dear"
We have no field trip planned this week, he had better get it done or we'll have words and no one likes words.
So, in quick summary;
- I hope Boyo starts his book without comment from me this weekend.
- I seriously hope we find some chicks.
- I hope Lola doesn't kill them.
- I hope they don't die immediately.
- I hope husband smiles and has a free giggle.
I hope Banker finishes his book report so he and I can move on and have a happy weekend. - I am VERY pleased to report Banker did finish his book report yesterday.
- I hope I don't moan too much at him because he took advantage of my stupid foot issue and stayed online playing for hours past when I asked him to get offline, poor Banker, offline until I cool down.
- I hope I bought enough wine for this weekend.
/Tracy
We have had some gentle pushing, academically speaking, back and forth. I would like it if it had anything to do with ideology, considerations, theories or challenging public convention but it's not, it's little things that, frankly, are pissing me off. A little fire is a good thing but make it about something that matters. Banker doesn't think he should have due dates that matter, I do, Hello I win!.
He's been futzing around not finishing his Literature book, he goes out side to read but stops, "to save for later". Bull, my dear. Yesterday, granted, it was a long day and I had plans to be gone early so he was trying to be sure he was completely done everything so he could play the whole time I was out, which he did. Still, when I say something needs to be done, it does.
I wonder if my contemporary home school people have the same due date issue. I think it's the only consistent thing we've faced. I get that there isn't the threat of a failing grade, or of telling his mother ?! I wonder whether I overlap and take personal things away, restrict online play until due items are submitted? On one hand it makes sense on the other it muddies the mother/teacher/guide line and I don't want that line muddied. I guess to some extent it has to be just by fact I am more than one influence on him simultaneously now.
If he got a bad or late grade in public school would I punish him somehow here at home with extra chores or work or restrict his "screen" access? I don't know, he didn't have them. How sad is that?
The other, being eaten by an ant moment; I noticed he wrote his name in crazy spelling on everything for the past week or so. It bugs me for some inane reason, no rhyme or reason, your name doesn't have a K or any Z's so leave them off... oh and add back the vowels, you're not gangsta enough to pull this off.
Ok, two things, spelling of his name, and everything actually. He added "do Gernal" for the bring forward of his journal entry for the week. Really? it's up my nose. I quietly pointed out that paperwork in this kitchen is all school related and as a result I will grade it, schedule alterations and notes included. I don't care whether it should bug me, it does.
Now that I've sat and thought about it, I am going to muddy the waters. You don't hand something in on time, no "screens" until said item is completed, handed in AND graded. Don't want some shoddy piece handed in to satisfy a criteria. It has to be done AND it has to be good, sorry Bucko.
I'm the mom so I can be the meanie, at my whim. He's a preteen so he'll think anything I do, think or determine is irrational and stupid anyway, added bonus. I'm the teacher so I also have carte blanche to be persnickety (his 5th grade teacher horrified him with that tidbit) and demand the most unreasonable completion dates and answers to questions, (full sentences when when you look at the wording of the question, a single word or number is still a grammatically correct option, she bugged me, but I digress) I can, frankly, do whatever I want to do and having the mother and teacher hats on I should drive home the fact that as wonderful as the Banker is, as hard working and as dedicated...he isn't going to win.
Spell properly and kiss your screens good bye until I have a book report in my hands...a book report that is complete, well thought out and that is representative if your skill and talent.
It's going to be a charming moment when I share that little tidbit with him.
We are going to take a break during the day at some point to run to the store to find Easter and birthday cards for husband as well as a little birthday present for him. Husband is the hardest person to buy for, he has everything he wants, he just goes out and buys it...I have a couple of little ideas so we'll check them out.
I think I'll drop the 'no screens' bomb on the Banker when we get back, no sense wandering stores with a hissy preteen. Then I anticipate a particularly quiet rest of the day. Maybe later I'll flip around my new Netflix account and find a fabulous movie to watch on my iPad out side in my lovely new seating area ... ahh, that sounds nice. Add wine to the shopping list and bingo, happy mother!
ADDENDUM:
Threats by mother: 1
Happy "LOOK how hard I'm working to get that book report to you" child: 0
/Tracy
