After last week this week feels like a silver lining. Compared to "normal" weeks it really wasn't spectacular, but it was really really good compared to last! After posting last Saturday panic started overwhelming me, realizing that there was just one Sunday between us and the next work week. The things I had not accomplished all week towered over me, threatening to bury me, and was made more menacing by all the things coming up I needed to get done.
Wednesday we had a meeting with our area's education agency to have one of the boys evaluated for dyslexia and possible processing disorders. I had to collect (which also meant catch up with!) all his grades and assemble his curriculum to bring along. This was all very nerve-racking because we work independently of the public school and I always struggle with worries that we're "not doing good enough" (though when we had Aidan tested last summer he proved to be ahead of the national average for his grade level).
October is also our prep-month for the All Saints' Day party; games had to be devised and decided on and costumes had to be made and assembled. It is time consuming, but one of the most anticipated parties of the year for us. Since most of the Halloween stuff found in stores has very little to do with saints, our costumes take quite a bit more work and imagination. And I hadn't started any of it.
None of my fall decor was put up either. Now, for "normal" people, this would not be a big deal. For me, seeing the spring wreath still hanging over the mantle shelf becomes a thorn under my skin this time of year. We also host Thanksgiving every year for my husband's family so it has become my ritual this time of year to deep clean/touch up scuffed walls/clear clutter that formed over the summer and decorate each area for fall as it's cleaned.
Though I was hoping for a beautiful long fall to finish up preparations for the seasonal changes, Mother Nature decided to switch gears abruptly instead. This left me scrambling for winter coats, hats, and gloves, and lamenting my sloppy shoving-of-warm-things into the front porch bench last spring. I needed time to reevaluate our cold-weather gear and purge what was no longer needed and organize the rest.
In addition to these time-sensitive jobs, I still had the piles (I wish I was exaggerating) of laundry, dishes, and books everywhere that needed attention. Piles of shorts needed to be moved to totes to make room for long-sleeves and sweaters. Piles of craft materials needed to be used or put away.
After evaluating all these things, including the rising panic in my heart, I came to a quick, easy, conclusion: we had to take the next week off of school. I called it our "fake winter break", obviously because of the weather. As soon as I made the decision a weight was lifted from my shoulders. The thing about homeschooling is that home has to happen alongside the schooling. When one falls behind the other has to pause to catch up. I smothered the inner struggle to follow the schedule because I know, deep down, the schedule I come up with in the summer is only my best guess at where we should be.
Monday I got the porch cleaned and scrubbed and reorganized all the cold weather things. Sandals and roller blades were stashed away and the baskets were filled with hats and gloves. Addie had great fun rolling over the piles I made.
Tuesday I succeeded in getting all grades and curriculum completed, assembled, and packed into a backpack for our meeting Wednesday. Bonus: I also got the kitchen completely cleaned up, dishes put away, and laundry washed and folded. Gavin helped with dishes, Aidan with laundry. Liam cleaned upstairs. We had a lovely evening with friends who accompanied us on a nature hike and treated us to brownies and lemonade after.
Wednesday my Mom came to stay with the littles so we could head to the AEA appointment. It went well, but there will be a series of meetings and assessments before we have any kind of diagnosis. Mom and Aidan tackled more laundry (there's always more laundry) while we were gone. On the way back from the appointment I made a last minute decision to stop at a thrift store. You guys, I found the perfect sized mirror to replace the one that had shattered last week...for SIX DOLLARS! I had reached the conclusion that we were just going to have to bite the bullet and order a new one online when we had the money, and boy were they expensive. I was elated, despite it's mauvey tones and need for some TLC.
Thursday most of the kids came down with colds, which comes with this time of year. I got the mirror painted and hung up to save it from tragedy. Now I just need to finish patching and painting the wall and hang the rail to cap the tile.
Throughout the week I got most of the costumes assembled, and the tote of fall decor is sitting here waiting for me. I haven't had to cook all week because my husband's workplace has been on shutdown and they've had three meals a day catered to them. As new food comes in the leftovers are free for the employees to take home. As hard as this week is with incredibly long hours, I'm so very thankful for the break it has given me from the kitchen.
Sneak peeks of this year's costumes!
And now on to the grocery store and the last of this week's to dos!
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