A Fly On My Homeschool Wall

I'm not sure that we did much school this week. I am sure that we handled behavior emergencies; found, shopped for, altered, and mended Halloween costumes; dropped off, picked up, had a roadside emergency, dropped off, and picked up again the teen car from the shop; dealt with the actual flu (Rose Red); dealt with fevers and flu-like symptoms by taking enough garlic to keep an Italian restaurant in business for a week (Mister Man and Little Princess had fevers--the rest of us took it prophylactically); took Lola to urgent care for yet another case of nursemaid's elbow; took Beowulf to his second round of developmental/behavioral testing; sent teens to parties; celebrated Halloween; cleaned the garage (thank you, Sir Walter Scott!); almost finished the dance props; purchased new white dress shirts for the boys; got to an almost-final level of organization for the upcoming dance performances; went to the dentist (Lola and Baymax); cancelled MOCSA due to too many commitments ...

The owls were made by Nature Angel, and the pumpkins by Belle and Pixie--at various out-of-the-home activities The sun came out this week. What a difference! I was starting to think I'd never be happy again, but it was the weeks and weeks of dreary, premature winter rain and cold. One afternoon of sunshine helped so much that I can say truthfully that life is still quite challenging--Ladybug urinating all over (and I mean walls, floor, and everywhere) a public restroom being a less-than-high-point of the week--but it doesn't feel as discouraging and impossible as it did even a matter of days ago. It's cold and cloudy again . . . but it's going to be okay. The week is a blur as I've been burning the candle at both ends in order to meet the needs of the many ages and stages of my family.  It is getting more and more real that Pixie is working to move nearly 1,200 miles from home next August, and she is drawing nearer to me in response. I am not bot...

The focus of this week has been Ladybug's baptism.  We know she is truly not ready to make and keep the covenant of baptism; she is mostly keeping a social/cultural form.  However, we have pondered, prayed, and counseled with our bishop about this, and all accountable adults involved feel that allowing her to go ahead and be baptized at this time will open the door to further progress for Ladybug. So today, Saturday, is the big day.  She'll be baptized with two of her friends from her primary class, and we will have a big family lunch back at our house afterward. My mom and dad saved the family lunch. Here's how: This week Sir Walter Scott got a flu shot.  As a nurse he gets one every year, and they usually don't bother him, but this one threw him for a loop.  He felt terrible all week, but as he'd already taken a day off last week because of Rose Red's non-emergency, he didn't feel he could take another one so quickly (they get points for every time...

Last week ended in a mental/emotional breakdown for me. Sparing all of the gory details, I will simply say that I am grateful for a priesthood blessing and the support of many kind women at church who saw my fragile state and responded with love and encouragement. And I'm grateful for my parents who heard my plea and helped stave off the breakdown by spending several hours with my kids on Saturday.  I honestly thought I was okay when they left for the evening. But I wasn't. I'm better now. For now. And I'm searching for long-term solutions. Cleaning toilets is not his assigned chore, but he follows Pixie around and begs for a turn when she does it.  She sent me this photo, and it melts my heart. Monday I canceled school for the morning and took Brother to the walk-in pediatric mental health clinic for an intake meeting. Brother played dominoes during our long wait to be seen. It was frustrating because no matter how many times I told the inta...