Recent challenges of motherhood

Obviously I can not cover all of the challenges of motherhood in one entry or even in this one blog but here is the latest from the weekend.

So Nic told me before school on Friday that he was going to have a bunch of homework to do this weekend. I scribbled it on the whiteboard as a reminder and said we talk more about the fine points after school.

Well after school we did just that. We found that he had done VERY poorly on a grammar quiz and was given an opportunity at redemption in the form of a re-teaching worksheet. He needed to type up a poem, write 5 other poems, do a math worksheet and start on a scrapbook project/ book report. This added up to HOURS of homework and we were all feeling overwhelmed. Add to that the fact that Nic had failed to bring home the rubrics for two of the projects and we were pretty much screwed.

I shot a note off to his English teacher at about 4:30 asking for his assistance and he caught my note before he left for the day thank God! He sent some info we needed along with some due date info and said that he would help Nic remember to bring some more info home on Monday. Progress in the right direction for sure! We took a few minutes and Nic came up with a plan of attack on the additional items and we went on with our day. I gave him Friday off more or less and sent him to a friend's house to spend the night. It was his only real opportunity for that before the WORK commenced on Saturday.

Saturday I picked him up at 10:30 and by 11 he and Will were hitting each other and not getting along so I forced Nic to adjust his work plan and start right away instead of his proposed 12 noon start time. He managed to get through typing a poem he had already written and did a nice job with it. Then we moved on to the math homework which he seemed to have left at school or lost. I was over the top ticked off at this point and let him know it. He really already knew I would be mad but in about 5 minutes we had both calmed down and come up with a plan. We copied the worksheet of a friend and Fred was able to erase all the friend's work, reprint the worksheet and provide a clean copy for Nic to work on. Once he had the worksheet he got it done 100% and we moved on.

The poor grammar quiz was pretty unsettling. He did REALLY badly. His redemption opportunity was significant but was going to take work so he spent some time on that. He then had these 5 poems to work on. They aren't due until Thursday but obviously we needed to get BUSY on them now. He did one, started a second and then we called it a night. We went out for a yummy family dinner to Go Go Burger and got home in time to chill a bit before bed.

Today we got busy right around lunch time. Will had some homework to finish so we all worked at the table on our respective assignments. Will wrote a story about wind, Nic wrote a poem and found prepositional phrases and I read Entertainment Weekly to map out my fall TV watching schedule. All important tasks if you ask me.

Well, Nic's pal called and wanted Nic to come and play so he was motivated to work on his projects straight through. He managed to pump out three of the five poems and finish the grammar re-teach worksheet by 4:00 and was able to go to his friend's house for about 90 minutes of fun. He then returned for a tasty spaghetti dinner and saxophone practice. Now that everyone is clean and has clothes picked out for tomorrow and a plan for lunch we are in really good shape to start our new week.

I am optimistic that we are on top of the homework for the week and that with some planning we can get through the scrapbook/book report project without too much drama. I think that the reality that Nic is the least organized member of our household had slapped me across the face and I, as his mother and biggest cheerleader, need to nag and cheer him onto a successful turn-around of this challenging trait.

The good news is that people can change and that Will is nothing like him. Enough about that. I'll come up with something more positive before I write again!

Wow!

I said goodbye to my son last month and I never came back?! Lucky for me he did and we have just been going going going ever since. I have ignored the blog for too long and I am sorry. I have a plan in my head to get back on track so we'll hope it happens. I have found that since I went "private" I am less compelled to write because so few people are subscribed to read. Oh well, for you lucky few... Here goes!

The end of summer was a blur. Nic at Leadership Camp, Will's birthday, My birthday, dentist appointments, friend in the hospital, 6th grade boot camp, swimming, then SCHOOL! The boys have been back for almost three weeks and it is going OK so far. Yes, we have had a few rough evening with homework drama and stuff but overall pretty smooth transition so far.

Will is in 4th grade and has the Goddess of 4th grade as his teacher. All of the other 4th grade teachers are goddesses in training. I think that is just a hoot and I can't wait to make something for his teacher that proclaims her goddess title to all who enter her room.

Nic is in 6th grade and has 7 teachers. I have not met a single one and am suffering because of that. Tonight is curriculum night so I hope to put some faces with names tonight. Nic has been doing well with middle school but did have a little stumble when it came to lunch offering in the cafeteria. There are just so many choices that cost so much money. We are still working on that part but I think my message is clear. Or should I say that I hope for his sake that it is clear.

I am getting into the swing of being home alone during the day. I seem to be here so rarely. My local BF landed herself in the hospital just before school started so I have been trying my best to help her as she recovers from this MS setback. I was also called on day of two of the new year to substitute for a kindergarten class on days 3-5. We struggled through and I think I did a pretty darn fine job with them all things considered. I affirmed that I am sooooooo glad that I did not follow through on a degree in Education when I was at Marian. Subbing is so much better for me and the kids. I have not had the chance to sub again since that first week due to running middle school carpool and various other stuff but maybe next week. I would like to do it about once a week just for a few extra bucks. I spent what I made last month on some bathroom decor items that I have been wanting but have just not prioritized. It's a done deal now and I am pleased.

So my latest endeavors include working on the PTA directory for the elementary school and trying to do a little crafting. I am working on an album about myself called "Me : The Abridged Version" that was inspired by a great book that I read a few years back. The Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. I am rereading it (although I had to buy a new copy because I passed my first copy on to a friend) and am trying to contain myself to short but insightful entries about me from an alphabetical perspective. It's thought provoking and fun to write some entries for sure. Maybe if I like the way it turns out I'll share. maybe...

Ok, I need to accomplish a little more with my day today and save some banter for tomorrow. Check back, I'll do better... I promise!