Now, school has officially started for our household and life as I knew it has been forever altered. When I started working I posted on this blog that I was working on finding ways to make yoga pants presentable. Now that I'm not working, all my dresses and skirts feel ridiculous. It's pretty much shorts or yoga pants everyday, because I feel like I need to constantly be ready to run or dig in the dirt (neither of which has happened since the big life swap). But as the Boy Scouts say, I'm always prepared.
I'm sure you're all deeply fascinated in my wardrobe choices. However, when I read other peoples blogs it's because I'm nosy and I want to know how their lives work. Sometimes it's so I can get ideas, sometimes it's so I can laugh at their ridiculousness, some of it is pure nosy gossipiness, and some of it's to make myself feel better that I'm not alone. With that in mind I'll give you the nitty gritty of my last two weeks. Just picture me in shorts in every story. Got your image? Good, let's begin.
If you don't care about the nitty gritty, stop reading here because I'm done talking about my shorts.
Wait.
Not quite done. Did you know they make plaid yoga pants? Yep. I bought a pair immediately upon discovering this. So, if it's not a shorts day, it's because it's plaid yoga pants day.
Now I'm done.
Back to our regularly scheduled nitty gritty. The online school we are attending is lacking in the communication department and for a plodding planner like myself it's left me in quite the tizzy. I thought we started school the 11th. Turns out we just had 6 hours of training, no wait they changed their minds again, and it was only 3 hours of training. The schedule was sent with only a few days notice. Thank goodness Grandma was able to take baby at the last second, terribly sorry I had to bail on watching my friends kids at the last second :(
Super proud of myself for being so flexible, especially when I realized it was so I could learn important things like how to send and receive email (the schedule was sent via email, so I think the people that needed this training probably didn't make it.)
Training complete we were told to play around with the online system and that we'd receive our curriculum by the 15th and start school on the 18th. You should have heard me bragging about the awesomeness of life and how great school was during this week! I look back now at the fool that I was. I hadn't even received the curriculum, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. Between my 3 boys we received a lot of curriculum! Over 120 pounds of curriculum actually. Much of it was received on the 18th, the day we started. Great timing for planning, or so I could have any possible clue of what I was doing. But, no worries, I'm super smart and so easy going I could handle anything!
School took 8 hours the first 2 days. I ended the days feeling soooooo weird. My kids were happy, doing well and yet I wanted to cry and quit. By the end of day 2 I was questioning every decision I've made in my adult life because I was clearly an insane person to take on the task of teaching 3 kids and entertaining a fourth at home every single day for the whole school year. My dear husband says I'm dramatic and that 8 hours is not so bad. I'd like to see him try it. By the second hour of being pulled in every direction at once and never getting a bathroom break I predict he calls mercy.
I sat down that night and pondered what was so awful. Why was I so upset? I came to realize that it was a combo of lack of knowledge, lack of communication and a big heaping spoonful of unrealistic expectations. I researched, I prepped, I made lists and I went to bed feeling a moderate sense of calm. Panic attack avoided, at least for now.
The next 2 days went better, I was able to focus more on the positives and able to let some stuff go. I am heading into the end of the first week with a glimmer of hope remaining. Or a sliver. Which is smaller? Whichever it is, that's the amount of hope I have. There is a lot of prep ahead of me so that I can feel more in control. I went to office max and all their adorably coordinated school supplies provided me the retail therapy needed to feel that I could someday be organized again.
I also need to end this week with a nod, or perhaps standing ovation, to the teachers that have been in my children's lives to this point. I have a whole new level of respect and appreciation for what you did for my kids and for what you had to put up with. One of my sons is apparently the worlds biggest cry baby, I can't handle that with 3 kids in a classroom, how did you do it with 25? Another son is sooooooooooooo slow at every activity. Sometimes I need to shake him to see if he's still breathing. No one has time for that! Also, class prep takes forever and I am constantly wrong about how long things will take. I know most of you teachers have a few more years of experience :) but this has to be a constant battle. Finally, individualized learning. I'm a big advocate. I've asked you to provide it for my children at times. I don't know how it's possible in a large classroom, ever. I struggle with 3 and wish every minute that they could all be doing the same thing. So, to you wonderful teachers that have influenced my children, THANK YOU!
I'll share a little bit of how our days work (once I figure it out), and keep you updated on the online school saga that will be my life until May 2015. Any questions? What would you like to hear about from me this year?
The whole Time for B aspect of my blog is definitely going to have to be a focus because as much as I adore my children I can already feel that I'm losing myself a bit. Gone are the gym days with my sweet friend and the midday naps before I picked my kids up from school. I think I need some 6am friends to exercise with and at least 2 long uninterrupted bubble baths a week. That seems like a good starting point.
Oh yeah, you can stop thinking about me wearing shorts now. I've switched to pajamas.
Thanks for reading :)
