That Week There was a Leak {week 20}

Monday  Monday was CC.

I always walk away astounded at all the information the kids are learning at CC.  I also always walk away knowing that I don't like most other people's kids.  Geesh.  It's obvious that a lot of these kids have never had to and don't know how to sit still or quiet in a classroom. Exhausting (and annoying) doesn't even begin to describe being in the classroom with some of these kids.

As for our future with CC, I think we'll stay at it and at the same campus. The benefits seem to outweigh the negative aspects, and I promise to try and quit whining about CC.  That includes a cease fire on whining about the bratty, disrespectful kids.

Here is Claire's class doing a science experiment on inertia:

Each Monday, every kid makes a short presentation to their class about a particular subject. Here is Claire presenting this past Monday on our family traditions surrounding Christmas:

Here is a terrible shot of Cade's and my Essentials class.

Tuesday  Despite the fact that I had two kids crying by 9:30 AM, Tuesday ended up being an OK day.  Jack & Claire were just about done by 11:30 (lunch time).  And Cade and I just had Essentials to work on after lunch (which was kind of a drag -- lots of hand holding)

Wednesday  We battled bad attitudes and frustration throughout the morning.  I've noticed that I have a difficult time stopping what we're doing to deal with the bad attitudes and frustration.  I have a tendency to push through it in an effort to accomplish tasks and get assignments done.  Doing this helps no one.  I need to stop the day when I sense a bad attitude or frustration taking hold in one of my kids.  Make things come to a grinding halt.  And address the issue.  And not pick back up with school until behaviors are properly addressed and dealt with.  I've also decided that I need to write down some action steps and consequences for bad attitudes and frustration.  Because in the moment, I seem to never be able to remember how to deal with these situations. I feel my frustration level rising and then I'm seemingly incapable of making wise, emotionless decisions.

Thursday & Friday  Thursday and Friday were a big loss.  On the previous Sunday, we found water leaking in the garage.  We incorrectly thought it was the refrigerator leaking and called a Sears repairmen out Monday morning.  He quickly informed us that the water was coming from the house, not the fridge. Uh oh.

Tuesday the plumber came out to assess the situation.  Wednesday a leak detector came out to locate the pipe that was leaking.  Thursday, demolition started in the garage (thankfully they dug out there vs digging up our wood floors inside the house).  Demo included a concrete saw and a jackhammer.  It was kind of loud inside, and my Mom needed me nearby so I could help with the situation.  So no school happened Thursday.  Thursday was also the day it snowed a little.  While the the poor public school kids had to sit inside, we ventured out for a little.  Jack stayed inside.

{here is some of the demo.  The hole is in the far back corner with a piece of plywood and a 5 gallon orange bucket on top}

By Friday lunch, the leak still hadn't been found and it seemed apparent that they were going to need to dig in the kitchen.  Beneath the cabinets.  Through the wood floor. Uh oh.

As far as school, we met Friday head-on with terrible attitudes, frustration at high levels, and lots of crying.  I was *done* by lunch.  In combination with the above leak problems, I was fairly useless.

General Thoughts  After a particularly rough day last week, I had posted on the Well Trained Mind Forum some issues I have with the way our homeschool runs.  I was seeking a group hug as well as some advice in my post, and I received both.

While I was thankful for the group hugs and encouragement I received, I was thrilled to receive a priceless reminder:  work with the kid(s) you have, not the kid(s) you want to have.  Basically, that reminded me that I may want an overachiever.  A student who works extremely hard and is self-motivated to learn and absorb all the information they can.  But I may not actually have that kind of kid/student.  I may have one that requires hand-holding. And prodding.  And reminding.  And... the list goes on and on.  I can wish that I had the ideal student(s), handle the kid(s) the way I would if they were that ideal in my mind, and I will continually be disappointed and frustrated (as will the kids).

I need to "mourn" the fact that I may not have kids that are carbon copies of my husband and me as young students.  Even though these are our kids, God has created them in a unique way.  And I need to treat them and handle them uniquely.  In a way that meets the kids where they are at. Not where I wish them to be.

On a different note, if attitudes, frustration, and crying don't stop, I may need to stop doing this.  As much as I want to help my children deal with their emotions better, I don't know if I can do that AND be with them every day.   I'm not sure how helping them would work if the kids were at school 7-8 hours a day.  But I can't continue to exist the way I'm existing.  I'm exhausted, frustrated, and grumpy most days.  If this is just a phase (this being our first year and we are still transitioning to the homeschool life), then I can push through.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  But I don't know that.

Humph.