You Might Not Want to Read This

In this post, I warn you now, I will detail, for my own sake, the many things on my mind today. My post may wander, twist, and wind in unforeseen and illogical directions. This is your warning ... no one is forcing you to read this!

First off, I have to go to the dentist today. #1 - I hate leaving the house on Mondays, and #2 - I hate going to the dentist. I have to drop the kids off at a friend's first, and one of the kids is already complaining and begging me to not make her go. After the dentist, I have to take the 17-year-old son Christmas shopping. If you know anything about 17-year-old boys, you can imagine what a joy this will be. Not to mention I have to spend MY money for him to buy presents for his siblings because he hasn't even received his first paycheck yet ... speaking of which ...

I had our plans set for our gift exchanges with our children ... I have one adult who doesn't live here, one late teen who is only here part-time, and one stepchild who is never here. I had to work around all of their other parties and our own parents' parties. I had it all worked out. then the older son came home from his brand new job yesterday to tell me he has to work that day, at the exact time of the party. Crap. The good news? The new arrangements work better for everyone anyway, so it's not actually that much of a problem.

Thanks to a lot of stuff in my life (and mind), I don't often sleep well enough to wake up feeling rested. Today was no exception. My day is already so full of things that I want to complain about (but won't), I can't even imagine trying to type it all out. So I won't. But I'll say this ... I spilled my coffee on myself, the stairs, the plate holding my PopTarts (comfort food for days like this), and my calendar. ARGH! That was just the dried up frosting on the dry, crumbly cake of my day so far.

I spent 4 and half hours at the church yesterday. I did not go in there knowing I would be there that long or that I would work so hard while there. UGH. I normally love going to church and come out energized. I almost fell asleep in the car on the way home.

My youngest son fell off his chair last week and broke his wrist. With 5 kids between us and a combined 70 years of parenting all of them ... this is the first broken bone among them. The next day we found out my brother has prostate cancer. I spent a good amount of time crying.

That's my brother Mike. He's my oldest brother and the one that I'm closest to right now. In a matter of five months, he and his wife have lost 3 parents (our dad and both of hers), Mike retired from the police department, she hurt her back, and now this.

I guess I'll stop there for now, otherwise I won't get a nap before I have to leave the house. Which, as you know, I hate to do on Mondays.

So ...

So, we came to the conclusion that we wanted to give Classical Conversations a try. Good choice for us! It is a good fit. It's pricey ... like paying private school tuition, but I was looking for what was best for MY kids and this seems to be it for this year. (Next year is to be seen.)

So, my dad passed away on July 8th. 'Scuse the language, but that sucked. But, it solidified the relationship between by oldest brother and myself. That part is good. Another older brother was, unfortunately, in Alaska during that time and couldn't be here. My mom, two brothers, and I were with Dad, holding him, stroking him, telling him we love him, as he finally slipped away. We called my sister, who didn't want to be there, and she came to join us. I had spent so much time there over the two weeks leading up to this, all I wanted to do was go home. Here I am thinking "I don't ever want to go through that again" when ...

Two weeks later, my oldest brother's father-in-law passed away. In his hands. And less than two months after that, his mother-in-law passed away also! And THEN, my best friend's father passed away too.

So ... since my last post (in APRIL!), I've done very little other than school my kids, care for my dad, and attend funerals.

So, I'm back. Maybe.

Moving On

We've been using Math-U-See so far this year. I've purchased 3 levels, all too easy for my kids. Unfortunately, this program is geared more toward children whose strength is NOT math. I think Math-U-See is a great program and I have recommended it to others. But it is not for us. My children excel in math. So, this week I purchased Saxon. I can't wait to start!

Very quick update

Well, out of that November post, I only have one update I care to share: regarding my dad's liver resection. It didn't happen. :( They started the surgery only to find that the tumor had grown in a different direction and had attached itself to his colon. It's now 4 months later. The last measurement of the tumor showed it to be about 11 cm (huge). He's now in pain, which he wasn't before. He takes Vicodin often. But he's still up and around, caring for himself (anything he can't do, Mom is still there to help), and participating in church and a few choice social activities. He even just made a 3 1/2 hour trip to Michigan, then back again, with my mom and brother, to attend a funeral. He's a walking miracle, because most liver cancer patients do not survive this long.

Now, my brother is attempting to plan an anniversary party for our parents. August 6th will be their 50th. 5 months away. We don't know if he'll still be here or not, but I guess it won't hurt anything to start planning. My heart is just not in it. :( But oh what a party, if he IS still here!