Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Things I'm learning this week

It's not all about long division, geometry, and past participles around here, folks. Nope, I'm doing lots of learning, myself.

For example, I've learned that a toddler and a bottle of red salad dressing can make a very, very large mess on our already ugly beige carpet. Likewise, a seemingly small amount of toothpaste goes a long, long way when Ian's involved.

I've also learned that buying a violin for my own kid when I'm a violin teacher turns me into one of those indecisive pain-in-the-rear end Suzuki moms that used to drive me crazy during the10 years I worked at the music store. The good news? We are now the proud owners of a very nice 3/4 violin, which at the rate Abby is growing will last us around 8 months. Then we get to start the whole process over again.

I've learned that even my littlest of boys belongs outside as much as possible. Hallelujah for the return of sunshine, blue skies, afternoons outside with dozens of neighborhood kids, and Max wearing "fip fops" every time he heads outside to play. And while Ian still has to learn that running, walking, or riding his cute little toddler bike in the street is not ok, I am so grateful for these wonderful afternoons where I've been able to send my kids outside to wear themselves out.

I've learned that chalk art on the driveway is another sure sign of spring. And it makes me smile every time I look outside.

I've re-learned that having piano festival and violin federation on the same Saturday is more than a little nutty. Add my husband flying to Turkey the morning of both and I have a recipe for Crazy Town.

I've learned that when I committed in September to homeschooling for an entire year and said "No matter what, I won't make any permanent decisions about my childrens' education in February in March," it was very nearly prophetic. Because in the midst of fever-y babies, spelling tests, and fighting children, a public school right down the street, Sesame Street for the boys and a nap for me seem pretty darn appealing.

I've learned that a 20 minute nap on the way home from violin lessons will power my baby for three hours past his bedtime.

I've figured out that applying for health insurance plans has taken years off my life. (How I love me some irony....) And there's nothing like detailing all medical procedures, surgeries and hospitalizations for the past two years to make me feel like a train wreck. Also, for us, there's not a worse time of year to have our group insurance terminated (stupid job) than February.

And, I've learned that even two years post-op, writing the words "Cranial Vault Reconstruction with a Frontal Orbital Advancement" still has the power to make me shudder a bit.

And today I've learned that even though the crazy at my house sometimes makes me feel like I'm about to go over the edge, after witnessing what many other people are facing, I've decided I'll keep my crazy. At least it's comfortable, thank you very much.

4 comments:

  1. I had to write out the Cranial Vault Reconstruction with a Frontal Orbital Advancement" the other day for the first time and nearly burst into tears! It's been nearly 18 months since surgery and the thought of it still makes me want to scream. BTW, I found your blog way back then when I was preparing to see my little guy through it all and have enjoyed reading since then! Thanks for sharing your life with us and reminding me that motherhood might be messy but it's all worth it.

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  2. I had to write Cranial Vault Reconstruction the other day on a form for the first time in a long time and I nearly burst into tears! I found your blog nearly 2 years ago as I was preparing my little guy for surgery and have enjoyed reading since then!

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  3. I'm definitely having the February/March homeschooling funk too, and I had it last year, so I guess it's now a tradition. I read about it in several places before I started homeschooling, and it's definitely a real thing. Right now I feel like it will never get better, I will never get my enthusiasm back. But last year I did, and so I'm just trusting that it will happen this year too. I suspect that spring break coming up in a couple of weeks will do the trick.

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  4. Aw... remember when we were pregnant with Tessa and Max and we went to lunch and had a good chat? We need to do that again. Not the pregnant part - the lunch part.

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