I must be *really* tired.

I've had three ridiculously busy days in a row. I'm tired.

I'm lounging on the love seat with my new laptop. I was watching the Braves exhibition game on Sports South (they won!) but it ended 20 minutes ago. Some other thing came on. A 1977 basketball game...in black and white...with the tiny basketball shorts and everything. (The Jazz and the Knicks.)

Seriously, I'll take those long baggy basketball shorts any day. I can imagine today's players in those tiny uniforms. It would be obscene.
Woo...what a sight!
Big fros...tiny, tiny shorts. We're talking one inch away from tighty whities. With knee socks..with stripes.
Grown men in striped knee socks, tank tops, and tiny little shorts.
Even the refs are wearing tight high-waisted pants and snug shirts. Apparently, there was also a fabric shortage during the Carter years.

I would change the channel. But the remote is way over there on the couch and that would involve me putting down the laptop, getting up, and lumbering over there.

Maybe I should go to bed. But now I'm curious as to who won this game. So far the Jazz is up 114-92 and some dude is breaking his career record in points scored per game.

I really hope I don't dream about 70's era sports figures.

Oddness

M says that the new printer makes a long, high pitched beep when it is finished printed. So i asked..."Does it beep after each page or just when the job is done." He said that it only beeps when it all finished printing.
ooooooookaaaaaaay

I've never heard it beep.
I thought that maybe my ears were just "getting old." (example: that cell phone ring that only youngsters can hear.) I have no delusions of grandeur. I'll be 37 this year so...I could have old ears.
So I tested the other boys. J, age 11, can't hear it. S, at almost 4, can't hear it. A, age 5, could hear it.

hmmmmmmm.....both M and A have Sensory Integration Dysfunction. I've read that some SID kids can perceive stimuli that other people can't. I'm just shocked to find out that it's true for my boys.

On the plus side...they can tell me when the printer is finished.

If you're doing a service....

in the way that God wants....he will make it successful.

That's what I've been telling myself for the past 3 years that I've coordinated testing for our homeschool support group. Every year, I would nervously crunch numbers and try to have faith that it would all work out. That there would be enough money. That there would be enough room. That there would be enough administrators. That the tests would arrive on time.

I try to have an atmosphere of fellowship and fun...with a silly achievement test thrown in just to make sure we don't go all crazy. Basically, it's snack and play time with periodic breaks to math problems and read some stories.
Low stress...high fun.

Year one...36 kids were tested and the the group seemed huge. WOW!
Year two, I tore up my ankle and just getting through the three days was amazing. The parents all pulled together and took care of everything. They dismantled the testing cubbies, returned all the tables to the right place, cleaned up and packed up while I sat helpless and guilt filled. It was a very humbling experience for this type A personality mom.
Year three was another year with over 50 kids. We actually broke even. And I didn't get hurt or burn down the church with the coffee pot that I forgot to unplug.

I've spent the week working on this year's paperwork. We are the only support group to provide special needs testing and the only group to provide testing for all grades K though 12 even if it costs us money. It's a pain sometimes...but it's a great service for homeschool families in our area. (Our state requires testing every three years.)
As I continued though the test applications....I ran out of room on my spread sheet. That's never happened before. I had to scoot my tallying blocks down 15 more rows.
Hmmmm......

We currently have 63 children testing this year. 63! Oh my gosh! Children of all ages, all homeschooled and all together in one spot for three days. And that's not even counting the little ones in the nursery.

One of my favorite things about testing is seeing the kids of all ages playing together on the playground in between tests. Last year, four corners was a hit. And even the big kids were up to a swing jumping competition.

Oh my....63. Kind of scary and exciting at the same time. Woo...I may be able to offer a refund this year. Cool!

Momma took the Zoo to the Zoo

And a grand time was had thanks to the "leash" that I remembered to bring.

Baby S is really pushing that "I'm three...obey me!" button. In fact he's leaning on that button so hard that he might not make it to his fourth birthday.

The leash gave him some autonomy but still allowed him to remain securely tethered to my left hand. I got some looks but for the most part, my fellow Zoo patrons were all thumbs up. One child even pointed out that her sibling needed one of those. (She was right...her little sister was thisclose to falling into the poopy monkey island water. (That's poopy water and not poopy monkeys.)

We walked our legs off, saw lots of critters and flowers, and spent a good half hour rolling down the grass hill of the amphitheater. That was worth a membership right there!

Grass stains wash out eventually.
We're officially in count down mode until Zoodad's visit. Less than 3 weeks. Woohoo!

Another reason to homeschool

So I don't have to deal with Principal's like this one in Arizona. My niece was in a similar situation with her kids. Her hubby came home for R&R during part of Christmas break. But the kids went to school during his last 5 days home.

I couldn't believe that she sent them.
I wouldn't have. School doesn't matter nearly as much after a parent has been gone for 6 or more months.

Thankfully, it's not an issue for us. We're taking our Spring Break late and long so we can all snuggle and cuddle and pretty much just inhale as much ZooDad as we possible can.

And thankfully, that AZ principal had a change of thought and decided to make an exception. I just wish his heart could have been softened without all that shame and before worrying a family unnecessarily.

201 days

That's how long it's been since we last saw ZooDad.
Then he has the audacity to say that his R&R might be pushed back a week.

Thankfully, the crazy woman giggling on the other end of the phone made him decide that he should push to change the TDY date to not coincide with his planned trip home.

Good decision made by the man. Quite Wise.

Me....I'm up to my ears.
four kids
husband deployed
5 hours of therapy a week
and coaching t-ball
with one playing machine pitch and another in kid-pitch
and teaching two co-op classes
and planning to teach three next year
trying to coordinate standardized testing for our support group
and an Easter egg hunt for another
and teach my kids
and plan for next year
and not get so tempted by the school sign up stuff
which I'm not, since I also tutor a 7th grader. (The horrors I could tell you are another post. Just math class has me horrified. Oh...my....gosh.)
and trying to redecorate the bathroom before hubby returns
including tiling the floor and stripping wallpaper.

And it all does seem so overwhelming. But it's not. Not really. The only thing overwhelming me is laundry.
I loathe laundry.
If someone would come over to wash and fold my clothes....I could take care of everything else. I could even mop the floor.

or maybe not.
Let's not get too carried away.

What does one do...

when one is the parent of a kid with this kind of sense of humor?

Yes, that is a real, human, shrunken head. And yes, that is my 11-year-old giving it bunny ears. The boy has a wicked sense of humor.

That shrunken head has been in the museum collection (but not always on display) for over 50 years. My mother saw that same head when she was a child. My much older siblings saw it on school trips. I always visited him when I went to the museum until the new building was built and the head was put into storage. I distinctly remember the docent explaining how the head was shrunken in the first place. (Peeled off and boiled in oil then hot rocks were added to further shrink the skin.)

The new museum was a "classy" sort of place who just could not be seen showing a shrunken head. At least until they decided to do an exhibit called "The Weird, The Wonderful, and The What is it?" I love how they added the line, "And yes, he is definitely part of the What is it? The legendary Shrunken Head."

Hee, hee, hee....I was glad to share this rite of passage with my children. Three generations of shrunken head aficionados.

While my oldest was posing and hamming it up, his younger brother was more pensive. In true Asperger's form, M asked...."I wonder if they know his name? Do you think anyone remembers his name? Do you think God will let him go to heaven with no head? Do you think it hurt when they cut off his head?"

A dose of reality

As bad as things can sometimes get. My children at the very least have two parents who love them and place their needs above all others.

A lot of children don't have that gift.

I grew up fairly poor. We had a lot of financial issues and my father was an alcoholic...but I was loved. I knew I was loved and I knew that I had people to take care of me and wanted the best for me. (I have some stories that I'll start telling of my childhood. It got crazy at times.) I want more for my children. I want them to have a better childhood than I had.

But these children...they'd be happy to have my childhood.
UNKNOWN FATHER

This is what is going to be the downfall of our civilization. How do we fix this? Throwing money at it won't work. How do we fix these people? How do we save these children? All I can think of is doing my best to make sure that my sons never end up as "Unknown Fathers."
But even in my own family, I have members who could quite easily be in these stories. They have support and love but their children were not brought into this world in the best of situations. Even with love and education...they still made bad choices.
(sigh)
And the smallest and most helpless are the one who have to pay the price.

Hat Trick

Day three....therapists sit down to talk with me. They are concerned because M is showing some signs of depression and offer the name of a child psychologist that works with children with Asperger's.

He has been sleeping more. He can't concentrate. He is irritable and weepy. More so that usual. But since M seldom laughs or really smiles anyway...it's hard to tell.

So today, I'll spend time tracking down doctors to get referrals done (Both boys need to see the developmental pediatrician.) and calling Tricare to get approvals made. (And fighting them over a couple of things.)

We're cancelling school so we can get some housework done. Mom is happier when the house is tidy. And also so I can spend some time just reading, cuddling, and playing games. Grammar and Math can wait.

Boys of Almost Spring ----Worst Mom Ever

Baseball has begun.
It wasn't a great as we had hoped.

I'm coaching t-ball with a Dad helping. He's used to the older kids. I'll have a better plan for next week so the boys can get few more basics. It doesn't matter how well you hit if you have no fielding skills.
But they did learn the bases and all the infield positions. Not bad for a bunch of 5 and 6-year old boys.

M has practice the same time as A. So I won't get to see his practices since I'm coaching. This bothers me. M has young coaches again this year. I don't view this as a bad thing. I just wish he had a "Dad" like figure to coach him while his Dad is deployed. He seemed to have fun but I can tell that he's not happy about me not being there.

J's team...well...the coach seems very....um...driven. More so than we're used to.
He also forgot J. He was about to dismiss practice when J finally yelled out that he had not batted.
Instead of apologizing, the coach seemed annoyed. I'm hoping that he was just embarrassed that he missed a child. J was upset by it. No one likes to be forgotten, even with good reason.
He's a good kid. He doesn't cause a scene. He doesn't act up. He does what he is told to do. Sometimes this allows him to blend into the background. Thankfully, he has not decided to "act up" in order to get attention. I encourage him to stay that course. I told him that I would keep an eye on the situation and would intervene if necessary. I'm going to pray that I won't have to.
Of course, to add insult to injury...I didn't see the incident or his batting.

So ...it's a mixed bag. I'm doing triple duty as Mom, Dad, and Coach and feeling like I'm selling all four kids short. I'm just stinky Mom this season. Too many boys and just not enough me.
(sigh) Only 9 more weeks to go.

Earlier in the day, the boys' speech therapist expressed concern about A and M's motor skills. It seems that they have had a serious regression in sensory issues in the 6 weeks they've missed OT. (due to insurance issues...not my choice.) A is covered in bruises. He fell down the stairs twice. He's bumped his head numerous times. And he can't seem to stay seated in his chair at all.
M is twitchy, unable to concentrate, and can not focus his eyes as well as he used to.
I feel guilty that I haven't fought this harder than I have. Tomorrow, I'll finally get the needed paperwork to appeal (again, a delay not caused by me but I still feel bad about it.) and hopefully they will be back in OT by April.

So, two stinky days in a row. M had his Ophthalmologist appointment on Monday. His eye alignment is way off. Way. off. So bad that his doctor cried out about it. (As in, "Oh my gosh....what in the world is going on here?") We go back in 3 months for another re-check. If he's not doing much much better...something will have to be done.
A third surgery could be in the picture. It's been 2 years since his last one which was just on his right eye. His first surgery was on both eyes. Now he's having trouble with his left eye.