I can't even begin to describe the amount of stress we have been under in the On The Upside household during these first several weeks of school.
Man, oh man!
It is no secret in my house that I do not like:
- Rising early!
- Enforcing bedtimes!
- Packing lunches!
- Supervising reluctant children to do their homework!
- Communicating with teachers to get things straight!
- Packing lunches!
- Rising early!
- Supervising reluctant children to do their homework!
I am way better as a summertime mom - I am!
Or a Christmas-time mom!
Or a Spring-break mom!
I try to be calm and chipper and ... calm ... but, I am STRESSED!
And ... I am not chipper.
I don't know how long or when, if ever, I will land back on my feet and feel as though I am - we are - LESS STRESSED - but ... I hope it is soon.
I hope that Alexis will soon relax about what we pack in her lunch and quit analyzing each and every item that goes in there! It's a process I can do without. It's taking up way more time and far more energy than I want to devote to any one task - EVER! And ... we are doing it every night - packing Alexis' lunch - just PERFECTLY! "Can you pack me pasta?" No. "Why don't you ever pack me pickles?" Get the pickles out of the fridge. "Can I take a chocolate pudding and a butterscotch pudding?" No. "Why didn't you pack me a snack?" I. Don't. Know!
I hope Little Billy eventually brings home his gym clothes to have them washed - I'm not asking that boy one. more. time! I hope he doesn't make enemies with those "bad kids" he's been telling me about - especially that one that said he 'wants to punch in somebody's face'. I hope he eventually figures out, at some point soon, that ... he is going to have to write his name at the top of EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF PAPER HE EVER HANDS IN - FROM HERE ON OUT!
And - Courtney and Chloe - I don't even know where to start, but ... I just hope we all survive their junior year in high school and that they continue to get to and from school each day -safely and without any accidents!
I'll settle down in a couple of weeks - I think.
It always takes me a minimum of 6 weeks to get back into the swing of this school thing. I won't ever actually "like" it or be all that "good" at it - but ... I will eventually adjust and adequately create the illusion that I am okay and in control.
I might even get my chipper back.
There's really no guarantee of that.
Right now ... I am just aiming at landing back on my feet, a heart rate that is more normal, stocking up on plenty of pickles and ... breathing without swallowing my tongue.
On the upside ... I'm in survival mode - like a Ninja warrior. I'll work on the chipper later.