I dropped them off at school, got them settled in their classrooms and left again....very much wondering how they were going to do.... Dan took me out for breakfast (along with Seth and Courtney) and then we headed home.
My day was....quiet. I was restless. I didn't know WHAT to do with my day. I did some laundry. I vacuumed. I baked a 'Welcome Home' cake for the kids for when they would come home. I couldn't get myself to read because I felt guilty about spending workable hours on leisure. I am going to have to grow into this new schedule. Courtney kept asking where the kids were. Lincoln looked forlorn.
Finally it was time to pick them up! And that's when I heard all the fantastic stories.
Eric liked school but he found it very hard. He was completely exhausted. He decided that he liked all the subjects, but he HATED French. Nothing made sense to him. He said he just sat there and didn't understand anything that was said. He had to go to the bathroom quite badly and the teacher said he could go if he could say 1 French word. Eric couldn't come up with anything so he decided just to sit there and hold it. He said that by the end of the lesson he was going to EXPLODE! Later there was a group project and everyone wanted to be his partner. At the end of the school day the teacher allowed the boys to have an arm wrestling competition. Eric was second in the class. He LOVES his classmates. He LOVES school. He HATES French.
Lindsay made friends immediately. She came home with 3 cards from 3 different girls. She also had 2 friendship bracelets. Lindsay got to have music and the teacher let her play one of the songs she did for her piano recital. Lindsay also found the work difficult but absolutely LOVES the social aspect of school.
Paul....oh Paul. Paul told me that all the work was VERY easy. He finished it VERY fast (yup, that sounds like Paul). He had to sit quietly so he played with his pencils. He started sword fighting with them and making faces at some of the other boys. Of course, they all loved it. Once again, that sounds EXACTLY like Paul. Poor teacher--but I did warn her..... Needless to say, Paul has made friends already--though he doesn't remember their names. When we homeschooled, we worked all the way to lunch without a break. So when Paul was at school today, the bell rang to signal the first break (10:00) and Paul, assuming it is noon, promptly grabbed his lunch and devoured it. Then everyone went out to play for recess. The bell rang again and all the kids ran back to the school. But wait, one kid still remained on the playground--Paul. Once Paul realized that he was alone he ran to the school. The doors were locked and there stood Paul pounding on the doors, trying to get in. He didn't realize that the bell signalled the end of outside time. Realizing that he was missing, his teacher let him in. At noon he realized his lunch had already been eaten and all he had left was a licorice. Poor guy. But Paul LOVES school. He says it's WAY better than homeschooling. He's looking forward to tomorrow already.
I found out that it gets BUSY when the kids get home. Listening to their day, cooking supper, deciphering agendas, tackling homework, reviewing catechism, doing piano lessons, completing chores...we got through it just fine. All the kids, especially Eric, were exhausted. They all went to bed before 8. Eric had no desire to even stay up until then. He was so done.
But they did well. I am proud of them. I have to figure out how to enjoy my days without guilt pressing down on me. I do get a lot of housework done. All this will fall into place. There is a lot of adjusting that needs to be done. But I'm thankful for these answers to prayer. We all did well.
I had no doubt that it would all work out well in the end!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd you were worried because the school didn't know Paul was missing for an hour.....I can up that one!!! Courtney and Seth are playing quietly in the computer room and Grandpa steps outside to get a couple of pizzas from our makeshift freezer. Courtney seizes the opportunity and locks the patio door....Grandpa pounds on the patio door and she just smiles. It is nasty cold out there....and she continues to smile. ....So Grandpa tries pounding on the computer room window, but Seth is so absorbed in some stupid game that he doesn't hear him....or he ignores him....he is four after all and with that comes the air headed phase of life!!! So Grandma walks out of the bedroom and speaks to the kids....or so she thinks. Neither answer, so she checks the computer room and Seth is still busy on the computer. Where is Courtney, Grandma asks. Oh, she's in your bedroom with you, answers Seth dreamily!!! She had been shortly before, trying the tredmill and pounding on the organ.... Grandma runs and checks the bedroom. No Courtney. She searches the condo over. No Courtney. I check for her pink snow boots with the flashing lights!!!! NO SNOWBOOTS. Now I panic!!! I holler for Bob and he is no where to be found. I pick up the phone and try his phone which gives me the message that he is not available. I scream in fear and suddenly hear pounding on the furnace room door. I open the patio door and holler for him. He comes shivering out of the furnace room and rushes into the house. I tell him I can't locate Courtney. He doesn't really appear too sympathetic. However, he did head off down the many long corridors of the building in search of the lost wanderer....checked pool, parkade etc. In the meantime the door opens and in saunters Courtney, runs to Grandma and cries. She fortunately knew her way back from where ever she investigated. I asked her where she had been and she just looked at me....I delivered a message about safety and never leaving without parents, grandparents or uncles and aunts and she cried. However, did she learn? NO. I think not, for shortly after, Grandpa is about to haul a chair down to the car and she puts her pink boots back on. I grab the boots, talk to her about strange people picking up kids and taking them away and confiscate the boots. At this moment, she is laying on the floor watching some idiot show on the boob tube and grinning at her grandfather, has renamed her something cruder than scallywag!!!! Didn't I tell you I could up the School's record??
ReplyDeleteMOM