I HATE Thursdays.
Thursdays involve a normal workday for me...up at 5:30am (that's the goal, since I need to leave the house at 6:15, but I wouldn't say I always hit that ;)), work 8 hours, pick the kids up at 3:30, drive to speech at 4. Before we get to speech I have to get their assignments out so the ones who aren't doing speech can do their homework since there won't be time when we get home...which also means the night before or that morning I need to make sure I pack pencils, a glue stick, a ruler, and the pictures Danielle needs for her homework. Head home after speech at 5. Get home a little before 5:30 (I am so thankful we live close to our therapists!) and scramble to get dinner and feed the dogs while 4 kids
It is miserable and I do not do a good job at being patient with them, which makes me want to change things. I told Mark last night that I can't do Thursdays anymore. :) And I proposed a solution.
Right now Alex is not going to speech because we are still trying to work out the insurance issues. So from now on, I will leave Alex, Tim, and Danielle at the after-school program at school. They will love it because they will get to watch a movie (after they do their homework). I'm going to see if Emily's therapist can see her at 3:30 instead of 4. After speech, I'll pick the kids up at school (a little before 5) and head home. We should end up being home before the time we get home now. Dinner prep will still be a little crazy, but the kids will have had a little more time to just relax at school so that may help. And yes, I've tried crockpot meals, quick meals, no-cook meals...it's still crazy. I think the only thing that would make it less crazy is if I picked something up (pizza or fast food) which I really don't want to do.
Some days I just want to throw in the towel. No more therapy, no more school, no more work. The kids and I will stay home and play all day. But somehow, I'm guessing that's not what's in any of our best interests long-term.
But boy is it tempting.
7 comments:
Sounds like a good plan to me. You'll definitely be less stressed not having to try to do homework sitting in the waiting room, maybe you can zone out a little and prep yourself for the marathon when you get home.
I'd still try for the easy crock pot meals though.
Have you tried getting speech therapy through the school district for Alex while you wrangle insurance? I know you have the kids in private school, but if he qualifies they have to provide services. Same goes for Emily as well, it will get her a little extra with no cost to you (well out of pocket, you've already paid it in taxes) Call the elementary school they would normally attend and ask but I think you have to put things in a formal letter. Just a ideas in case you didn't know.
I tried to get Alex speech through the SLPS a couple of years ago. I spent 6 months getting the run-around. Plus if he gets speech through the school system he will be in a group therapy session with kids with all different kinds of speech needs, not just apraxia. One of my neighbors has a son with speech apraxia (small world! :)) and they are in the local school district. They are planning to move to the county because the schools here just can't meet his needs.
If we got desperate enough I'd try again, but it's a huge hassle for what I think will be little return. :)
Courtney,
Have you thought about "soup and sandwiches" for those hectic nights? When mine were little, we had an assemply line - one set bread on a plate, one spread the peanut butter, one did the jelly and closed the sandwich. It allowed them to think they were "helping make dinner" while working on hand-eye coordination and cooperation. The soup was always an easy thing - can be something as simple as swansons broth, leftover chicken, frozen peas and carrots and a bag of egg noodles. Clean up is relatively easy if you lay down wax paper before they get started. The looks on their faces when they told people that THEY had made dinner was irreplacable! If you need easy crock-pot recipes, email me adn I will be HAPPY to share with you! :)
Too bad you're not closer to me!
Mom
When I worked and had little ones at home, we always did pizza on one nite that was the busiest. And if we weren't busy- we did it on Weds- hump day. Domino's on Grand at Arsenal had a $5 carry out special, so it was convenient to pick up on the way home.
I wonder it they still have the $5 carry out price?? I LOVED those days when pizza fit our schedule!
Sounds good, but I would still add the crock pot, then you just have to walk in and serve it up. I put all my stuff in the crock pot the night before and put it in the fridge, then in the am I pop it in the cooking part and turn it on.
I did that today and when I got in from co-op I had a pork roast all ready, tada! :oD
I hate days like that too which is why I do everything in my power NOT to have them. Being too busy just seems to push me over the edge. I would just bite the bullet and pick up pizza every other week and do the crock-pot the other days if I were you. And leaving the kids at after school will probably help too cause you can breath and think (with no noise) while E is in therapy. Sometimes I ask to go to the grocery store by myself for breathing and thinking time in the quiet car. I don't even turn the radio on. It's divine:).
Very cute stories about the tooth and the beagles. We are dropping teeth and growing new ones at a lightning pace around here lately.
The tooth fairy is going to be broke between the three younger boys. Solomon is practically toothless right now. He told me "if I loose any more teeth I won't be able to bite anything."
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