Day #202: It's Been a Long Week

 I cannot believe it is only Tuesday. I cannot believe such a thing is possible.

This is the first week of the "normal" school schedule. The past couple of weeks were lighter because of parent teacher conferences. I'm exhausted.

This is what the schedule looks like: log into Zoom at 9:10, done by 9:30. Log in for small group at 10, and must be exactly at 10 even if mama is up to her elbows in a dirty diaper because the 10:00 Zoom is for small group and that is only 20 minutes long. Then off Zoom until 1. There is independent work. Independent work is nothing to sneer at. Login to Zoom again at 1, the 1:00 meeting is very short usually which is incredibly annoying because it is a) naptime and b) there's another Zoom at 1:45 so the off and on is no fun. The 1:45 is a specialist slot which means it only happens on Mondays and Tuesdays. I think.

Of course the independent work is accessed through the Seesaw app which is another thing. And there's an assessment going on which is a whole different app but we finished that last week thank the good Lord.

The seat work has been all about this writing assignment, we are working through the writing process and it is a LOT for James plus super hard to break down into steps. As a would be writer I kinda don't like how the writing process is outlined for kids because the prewriting is not enough and the publishing/sharing is too much for what writing looks like for most of us, but I do get it. There's also independent reading...whic is a different issue. James LOVES independent reading but putting a timer on it creates a whole other set of issues. I don't like having to turn independent reading into A Thing with him because he loves it and turning it into something he loves less makes my heart hurt.

So we are exhausted. There have been many meltdowns. Mama has yelled too many times. And we also hug a lot.

Wednesdays are "asynchronous" as they are teacher prep days, and I am sincerely hoping that is code for "shorter."

Somehow, magically, I've been reading 100 pages a day of my own for Mama reading and I'm not sure how because there shouldn't be that many hours in the day but I'm doing it and I'm very grateful because it is helping my sanity very much. There's also been a lot of Frasier to binge. So under media consumption I will say Efren Divided was AMAZING, so timely and so well done. The whole time he was south of the border my heart was in my throat. And I was scared for the ending because, well, in the real world these stories don't end well, but it was empowering and that was great. And then I started Summer at Meadow Wood which is a summer camp book and that's been a really nice way to spend these days when we are transitioning into fall...today is the first day of fall and you can feel the weather shifting but it was also a lovely and sunny afternoon.

Today I'm grateful that Daddy is on school backup, that my kid got to talk about how his family is special even though getting through the writing assignment was awful, for a library trip and new books to share with my kids, that James loves reading so much it makes me want to cry, that I didn't have to cook dinner and pizza is a thing that is real, and that Max is so tired maybe there's a prayer he'll sleep tonight. And that tomorrow *may* be a lighter day.