Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Lights Are On, But Nobody's Home.

Umm, so yeah. I guess I blog here? Occasionally?

VERY occasionally these days, as evidenced by the fact that my Blogger dashboard did not recognize me and I had to submit all my security information to get back in. It's like searching all through your purse for the front door key when you just know that there is someone inside who would let you in, if only they would look out the window.


In addition to not posting, I have not been reading or commenting on blogs either. And then today I had to do something I try to avoid at all costs. I marked "All Read" for all the blogs in my reader, even though I had most definitely not read them. But once I passed 700 items in my reader, I knew I'd never catch up and I needed to wipe the slate clean.

I apologize to all my internet friends who had any kind of brilliant post up in the last two weeks. I'll try not to miss the next epiphany.

I did not plan to disappear off the face of the internet for this long, but September - golden, lovely September - is kicking my butt.


School is really in full swing now, and that means homework, projects, and approximately 42 pieces of paper to be sorted through every single night. I have never signed my name so frequently, not even when I was in my dreamy, engaged phase with Rob and I would practice signing my married name all over my Senior Seminar notebook. I should have saved my energy.


In addition to "big school" (as Sally calls it), there is Sally's home school. I thought we'd just review some letters and numbers, color a worksheet, read a story, and call it a day. Oh no. She wants crafts, people. She wants the real deal.


And she doesn't like to be told how to hold a pencil which has been a surprisingly difficult thing to teach her. She presently looks like a little crone, clutching her pencil in a claw-like grip. She swears her hand doesn't hurt, so whatever. By the time she's an adult, she won't need a pencil anyway. We'll all have chips in our brains to beam our very thoughts directly onto a computer in 140 characters or less.


We've also got Bun's speech therapy, which is going well and is a whole post to itself. The other children enjoy treating him a little like a parrot, getting him to repeat words for them. And sometimes they aren't even the words he's supposed to be learning, oh the clever boots.

We've also had our annual "Fiver's Big Adjustment to School Moment." It happens every September, and no matter how I try to convince myself that this year will be different, it never is. It's just the way of things.

On the bright side, I did discover, once again, that jumping to conclusions only leads to injury for me. Fiver's teacher is so right there on him, and I completely did not give her the benefit of the doubt.

I've also discovered how much I loathe sports/activities schedules and the havoc they create with any kind of afternoon/dinner/weekend plans we may have. I have three children in one sport each, and you would think that I am trying to schedule a dinner with heads of state just to eat with all of them.

I'm so scattered that I even burnt dinner in the crock pot last week. The CROCK POT! A tool with which most humans will never, ever burn anything, even if they try. A feral monkey could use a crock pot with more success than I found last week.

So, that's what's doin' around here. A whole lot of scurry with not much to show for it. But, the good news is that October is right around the corner.

I'm looking forward to having a whole new month to feel crazy about all the things I want to do and the .25 minutes I have to do them.

How about you, my friends?

9 comments:

  1. Honey, I hear you. I only have two children, and Phartacus just hit third grade so I know it's a drop in the ocean compared to what's coming, but suddenly my weekdays are insane. Sports and papers and cub scouts, oh my!

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  2. I almost emailed you yesterday just to say "hey," but I didn't. I should have. Someone "needed me" I suppose. Hang in there. I burn crock pot meals all the time. Truly I do. It's the devil that crock pot.

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  3. I totally understand...thus the reason I pretty much only post on Fridays and pretty much only read on Fridays except for occasional moments like this one!!!

    Okay, from a former teacher and home schooler, if the pencil thing becomes a big deal...break it. I mean tiny, if she has to use a tiny stub of pencil, the only choice is to hold it properly. I used to do this all the time as a pre-k and kindergarten teacher.

    I'm also with you on the sports. We are going crazy around here between schedules and fees, I'm not sure if we are going crazy or broke first but they are both coming!!!

    Hope you find some time for yourself in the midst of all of it! Blessings!

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  4. You could be me, writing on my blog. September used to be my favorite month, until my children started school and the reality of schedules and routines hit us like a semi. Thank you for sharing your feelings so that so many of us out there know we are not alone!

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  5. I've missed you, and I completely understand...we are all still adjusting over here, too.

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  6. Well, I'm glad you had a chance to let us know about all the crazy.

    We have 4 kids playing sports, but the girls are on the same team, so three schedules. And last night we completely missed a tee ball game because I didn't see it on my calendar. The calendar that I looked at to verify time/location of softball game. Parenting fail. I did not tell TJS that we missed a game.

    I hate homework. I hate juggling the needs of 3 kids and trying to make dinner and now trying to potty train LCS. If there was a service for potty training I would pay whatever they charge to escape this grim task.

    We eat at 4:30 or 5:00 most nights to accommodate sports. Which means I am starving again at 8:00. Boo.

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  7. Would you feel better if I told you that I made Chicken & Dumplings in my cooker tonight, and it was one big FAIL? More accurately, it was one big dumpling.
    I'm sure glad Middle Sister is on dishes tonight.

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  8. Crockpot - add extra liquid

    Sports schedule - dinner = sandwiches in the car

    Crafts at home - that's why I send mine to preschool ;)

    No time for anything - well, I think that's what they call being a great mom!

    May your October be blessed and more peaceful!!!

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  9. ha- my words exactly!! here's hoping for a calm October for us both! ;)

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