A Week, Briefly (12/7/20)

 
It has been an extreme week around here.
 
Life has been either extremely joyful or extremely challenging.

For example, tonight my crew are playing with the wooden trains.  Mister Man is reading a new library book, and older kids are doing their own thing, but 5 of the 6 young ones are playing with complete cooperation and solid problem-solving skills.

It has been an extremely joyful hour.

On the other hand, Pixie is not doing well; quarantine, covid, a broken foot, and the impending end of the semester have conspired to crush her into a serious depression.  We pick her up in a week, and I've got an appointment scheduled with the doctor for the first day we're home.  In the mean time, I'm checking in with her several times a day, and I've been encouraging friends to check on her as well.

But I'm worried.

Reading the scriptures with Baymax--extreme joy!
 
Then Ladybug is just collapsing under the holiday season.  Wretched old behaviors are back.  We're all tired of them . . . and I'm quite sure she is, too.

This is a drawing Ladybug made this week of the family she wished she had . . . an intact biological family.
 
When a kid is grieving for a lost family the way she is right now, how can anyone blame her for regressing into trauma behaviors?

A bit of awesomeness is that Beowulf's meds are starting to work!!!!!!  He did some math lessons on his own . . . almost smoothly.

 
He actually finished Book 1 of 5 in Grade 2 Arithmetic!

Everyone did quite a bit of regular school for the second week in December. (Even though all of the pictures seem to be of Mister Man and Little Mister Frog!)
 
Mister Man and I do Writing With Ease while playing with Little Mister Frog.

Latin  . . .

 . . . and more Latin.
 
In addition, we read more Christmas stories and learned some more names for Jesus Christ (Bright and Morning Star was my favorite).  We finished The Best Christmas Pageant Ever--even my little Baymax cried through the final chapter.  We also finished Sergeant York.   We are thoroughly enjoying a repeat read of Pippi Longstocking as we continue to work our way through Nurse Matilda.
 
 
 
Pastel drawing by Little Princess
 
We took our daily walks, and I would usually call them collectively a hike, but I would like Hike #52 to be a treat!  So we aren't finished yet.  There were simply too many errands to take care of today to squeeze in a hike.  I hope to get our final one in next week.
 
However, we did put up our outdoor lights and had our little "lighting ceremony."  Popcorn, hot chocolate, singing, dancing, lights, whooping, and hollering . . .
 

 
That's Brother on the ground looking through the pipe at the lights coming from the house to the tree.
 
This weekend Belle is taking the ACT again.
 
Sir Walter Scott had a hard week with several covid patient deaths.  His floor has become an ICU overflow, so he's seeing fewer and fewer of the recovering patients, as regular med/surge floors are being converted into covid units.  He said it has been emotionally overwhelming with little to no time to recharge before heading into the trenches again.
 
My goal is to do Ladybug's and Lola's hair for Christmas . . . an all-day project.
 
It was snow, but the storm dissipated into just plain, cold gloom.

Comments

  1. DawnDecember 12, 2020 at 6:33 AM

    I do hope that Pixie feels better once she is home with family. I have noticed that our friends and family with COVID are struggling with depression and none of them are isolated since they are in family units where all or most of the family is sick together. I feel for your husband as well. As a caregiver it is never easy to feel like there is little you can do. What a nasty, fickle and confusing disease.
    Whooping and Hollering over Christmas lights sounds like a perfect evening.
    Blessings, Dawn

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Happy Homeschool MomDecember 21, 2020 at 7:37 AM

    I hope your Pixie starts doing better at home. I cannot imagine what your husband and other s who are caring for these seriously ill with this illness are going through and pray for them daily. I keep praying that the treatments will continue to get better and the cases will decrease. The stress and loneliness and isolation and depression caused from this pandemic is horrible.

    I love the idea of a Christmas lighting ceremony! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete

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