Ok.

Evaluations are due today.

I have 8 left.

I got a lot of weeding done in the garden yesterday. My body is sore.

Also my farm sitter and her sister came by to hang out for a couple of hours with their kids - 4 of them ages 16 months to almost 5. They're adorable. I used to teach the sister a long time ago and she has moved away. It was nice to see her.

I did an exercise yesterday morning. During the hour in which I started some laundry, picked the cherries, milked the goats, and emptied and partially loaded the dishwasher, I also jotted down every task that jumped out at me - you know, when you are doing a thing, and you see another thing, and you think "I need to.." 86. 86 things. In one hour. Ranging from "put those jars in the dishwasher" - which I did, to "clean out the stalls" which I did not do. This may be part of the reason I am constantly exhausted.

It probably would have been a higher number if I had not spent the time jotting all those things down.

I went to my pottery class early yesterday to catch my coteacher for summer camp so we could talk about the weeks I am working since she has not emailed me as she said she would. (Camp started May 30, but I am only working two weeks of it) Apparently she notified the camp at the last minute - after being sick for four days - that she would not be there because of covid and has not communicated further or responded to the camp director, so she is either hospitalized, dead, or fired. The camp director told me to go ahead and plan my weeks and she will either be my coteacher or find me one. This is not really what I expected. But I guess it will be fine.

The camp director offered me the third week I had applied for (which was filled) - since it is now down one teacher. I am thinking about it. Gas is so expensive though, and the studio is so far - I will lose 25% of my pay to gas. Plus the time commuting. Otoh, there are things I can do on the way there or home that are a detour of a couple hundred feet.

It's going to be a gorgeous day to work in the garden, but I have 19 more evaluations to do and I'm afraid to put many off for tomorrow.

I found another pair of jeans to get rid of.

Tatoulia, thank you for not taking away your mother's hospital cats.

CM, do what works for you!

I gad a good day with Bean, but I am tired. We made bread and worked in the garden. He liked the baby goat. He also voluntarily touched the fuzzy wall hanging - which is a big deal.

I have found three pairs of jeans with holes in them that can go. Unfortunately none of them can be cut off for shorts. Dd gave me a pair of shorts, so I literally have one decent pair that fits. The rest are too tight or too ratty to wear in public. I don't want to do camp in skirts in two weeks.

I tried to go to the local goodwill on my way home, but they still have no changing rooms and will only give store credit for returns.

I need to do some useful things.

Hey everyone! Hello new baby goat!

Cm I like your plan! Definitely would be great if you could stay engaged! SubC great thrift shopping!


The post about mom's hallucinations was that she saw 15 cats in the hospital. Good for her!

I got a full bag to the car this weekend for goodwill. I got my flower boxes done, too. A colleague will be in town next week for work stuff and we are having dinner one night. We will either eat at a pub down the street or we will get takeout and I'll have her here. She's never been to my house before. I wanted to make sure my flower boxes were done before she gets here. I told her we can stop at liquor store since I have no idea how to buy wine for anyone.

Ok off to bed. I had terrible stomach pain yesterday and all night tried to keep from throwing up. It was brutal. I had to have a bag by my bed all night. I don't think it was actual food poisoning but man that meal made me sick. I I'll go to bed now.

Hi,

It occurred to me later that I could switch things up, post now and then in the main part of the boards here, maybe help some newbies with practical matters. That way I wouldn't feel overwhelmed emotionally but wouldn't have to detach completely. And I can read posts here still, chime in briefly if the mood strikes.

The upsetting thing I alluded to earlier may have some chance of being less dire than the worst case scenario. Let us hope.

I finally made some progress on the evaluations.

39 to go.

I allowed tomorrow off for Bean, so that is 13 per day on the other days I have left. If I do a few during his nap tomorrow I can whittle it down. I did 21 today and I am wrung out.

New jeans are in the dryer. Feed put away. Dishes kept up. Baby goat is getting her medicine on schedule.

Not doing too well on the evaluations.

Baby goat has an eye infection. No big deal except I had to drive 40 minutes to the vet pharmacy. I was also out of feed, so I hit the drive through feed store on the way even though the prices are slightly higher. (With gas these days, the close place would be about the same.) and I stopped at the thrift store on the way home.

Two hours and 45 minutes later I have medicine, feed, and six pairs of jeans that fit for less than $26 with tax.

I am now challenging myself to do some evaluations before I eat lunch.

I'm sorry CM,

We'll be here when you need us.

Today's focus is - drumroll- evaluations!

(Bean is coming tomorrow)

I'm sorry ladies, but things are once again terribly uncertain and stressful. And I'm sick and tired of telling the latest in my never ending series of life complications. Talking about it actually makes me feel worse.

The only thing I can do is pray this latest thing isn't as bad as it sounds but it doesn't look good. It's not my physical health, although stress is not good for that.

Going to take a little break, don't worry, if I can bring myself to I'll check in now and then. I didn't want to leave you hanging.

Also meant to tell you - I have a new baby goat waiting for me at home! It's a girl!

Mar, good luck on your table.

Tatoulia, I'm glad mom is home..

We're on our way home now. Stopped at a hotel. I should work on the evaluations, but I am very tired and rung out. Cried a bit in the car today. It has been hard because his parent's house is not a safe space for me.

Also, I have eaten so much sugar the last few days. Mil let me see the pineapple "stuffing" recipe to be sure I could eat it. It was basically pineapple upside down cake with no cherries or sour cream and bread crumbs instead of the cake batter, but all the sugar that would be in the cake batter.

The nuts for the salad were coated in sugar, breakfast is basically cake or cereal - and all the cereal has at least 13g of sugar per serving. There were strawberries - which she sliced and drenched in sugar before putting out, the corn bread had added sugar and apricots. it was all tasty, but everything was dessert.

I'm in a little better mood about my mess. I hope my table is usable for the end of this month.

((Hugs))

Hello!

Tatoulia,
Glad for your mom is already at home.

Yes, I've considered buying a shredder, but I've not enough money right now. Maybe later.
Great the shredding event! I wish there was also in my city.

SubC, I'm sorry. How are you now?

SubC I am sure you are drained from the funeral. I hope you found comfort in the church that meant so much to you and your family.

Mom made it home this AM. Was supposed to be last night but they were having trouble finding transport home. So she spent the night. She said that she was in a place where all the nurses were singing and that the room next door had fifteen days and they were cute. As long as her hallucinations are pleasant, who am I to correct her?

I'm at a friend's house, laying down and playing with my phone. I'm also feeding her cat. I'll head home soon.

Tatoulia. I am very sorry.

Memorial service yesterday. It was at the church where Dh and I were married. His grandparents are also buried there in the memorial garden, and the minister who married us was an old and dear family friend - who died a few years ago trying to help someone who crashed their car on a hill across the street from his house in the middle of the night. We spent the rest of the day with Dh extended family - the part I love. Slept ten hours last night. Still worn out and crying. Evaluations are still behind. (I allowed yesterday off in my math)

Today at his parents place - his brother left yesterday, sister leaves this morning. Just his parents and favorite aunt and her (second) husband - who is a very nice man, but didn't become part of the family until "recently" my kids all remember their original great uncle and everybody calls him by his first name only.

Ok, going to put some clothes on and go face the people.

Checking in. Mom ate a tide pod and is in hospital. Not sure what they are doing for her. No more tide pods for her. I'd like to get her the laundry sheets I use but I think she'd have trouble learning to use them and will view them as dryer sheets instead. I guess back to the bottles of liquid detergent.

Ps I'm sorry if I seem cold about this. I just learned that if she's not bleeding, crying, or unconscious, I don't have to worry as much. Doing something boneheaded like eating a tides pod isn't going to rankle me. BF met me at her place and sat with us while we waited for the ambulance.

Receipts/proof of purchase, all the same. I didn't realize you are outside of the US! So glad to have you here.

Try to find a place to shred the paper and/or consider buying a shredder if you think you'll use it and you have room in your budget. This could help you get rid of the receipts faster.

I have a shredder but when I have lots of stuff, my BF and I hire a shredding truck and we do his business papers and whatever I come up with. There's a shredding event in my city on June 18 and we can bring up to ten boxes of shredding, so we'll get some stuff ready and bring it there. They will also take old electronics, clothing, and paint. A pretty decent event and easy enough to get to.

Going to bed. My cleaning ladies were here today so I came home to a nice, clean house.

Hi all!

Subc,
It has been said that it can be unnecesary disinfect purchased items, but I don't feel safe if I don't do it. My other option is putting the items in "quarantine" for several days.

Tatoulia,
Maybe receipts. Idk exactly how to say it in English, hehe. Piece of paper that one receives when making a purchase, listing the products, prices, and the total cost.
I have no a shredder. And I don't like to burn them because it produces smoke and pollutes, I prefer to put them for recycling.
Idk if Office Depot offers shredding service in my country, it would be great!
Yes, I've a box for paper and cardboard.
It's ok, you are not intrusive :)
Thank you.

Mar, what exactly are proofs of purchases? Are they receipts? Can you shred and/burn? Check to see if your town has a shredding day where you can take a box of stuff to be shredded. Also check your local staples or Office Depot or some other such places to see if they have a shredding day. getting rid of those will be much less time consuming. For now, can you put in a bag or box while you look for resources? As to the paper plates etc are those used or new? Used can go in the trash bin.

I hope I'm not being intrusive, I'm just so excited for you to get started. Don't orient to the result, orient to the task. So focus on a task on the table, not the whole table. Today I'll put the receipts in one big bag to deal with later. Then when you need a break, do a little googling to find out how to have the receipts shredded.

Coffee clinks to everyone!

Mar, I think you should talk to your medical care provider. It is likely you can stop disinfecting purchased items. That might help a lot.

I added some of the things I did to the lust, sonic I have done 13 out of 18 things.

One thing I have not done is pack. I also have not done my last group of evaluations for today, but I am less behind than I was this morning because this group us 5 and yesterday's unfinished group was 7. I am super tired.

Dear SubC, CM, Tatoulia, Lila,

Thank you for your valuable advice, it is just what I need: ideas! Because it is difficult to think when one is overwhelmed

Each surface of the house has stuff on it. I want to declutter first the tble to eat at it again. But it is always full because it is where we put purchased items waiting for being disinfected. There are also plastic bags, bottles, medicines, papers, disposable cups and dishes, groceries and even Christmas decorations...

Oh, I have so many things put on temporary places for months or years...

Yes, there is an area with less difficult stuff: proofs of purchases. They go to the box for recycling. The problem is I need check them and break them to eliminate identifiable data and the process becomes very slow.

Tatoulia, good tip for readable stuff :) Thanks

Lila, glad for your success with your table!

SubC, 14 things in a single list, wow!

So the last load of laundry I needed to do before we left is in the dryer.

Unfortunately "laundry" was one of the 14 things.

I have finished one other and started several.

There are 5 more I can't do until tomorrow morning.

I also did things that I realized needed to be done but didn't make the list.

Lila, you are doing really, really well!

I did not do those evaluations last night so now I am behind.

We have to travel for a memorial service tomorrow and I am leaving the farm sitter a mess. There are 14 things on my list for today.

Have you guys ever seen the 4 square graph about things that are urgent vs. important? You make 4 boxes (like an xy axis with boxes in the quadrants) starting at the zero intersection, you go up or down depending on how urgent the thing is, then you go left or right depending on how important the thing is. Then you just do the things in the positive numbers quadrant.

If it's neither urgent, nor important, you just don't do it (ex - read that magazine article about birds in South America)

Things that are urgent, but not important, will simply expire if you don't get to them (Dry raspberry leaves for tea) so you do them third, and things that are important but not urgent come second (they tend to become urgent as time goes by, but some won't - like "read story to Bean")

We are wired to try to do the urgent things first, so we miss a lot of second rank things because we are doing 3rd rank things.

Only I think my house is such a wreck because I find it neither urgent nor important. I can still do it later and there are things that matter more to me (see, "read story to Bean")

Mar, re the table, my posts here go back awhile to when my kitchen table and counter were covered n stuff for many, many months... a year maybe? long time not eating at the table etc. But I recently, I think for Easter, got it done. It was a lot. And when it got to the point I was 3/4 done I just could not deal with the rest and put it in a laundry basket in my bedroom and cleaned off the table and used it! It was so nice, and so motivating to see it cleared. It stayed clear awhile. Items do gather there but it seriously only takes me 10 or 15 minutes now to get it cleared again. That method worked for me because a laundry basket in my room is easier to eventually sort than then table.

Today I did my famous, recurring pill-bottle-sort. Why are there so many pill bottles and how do they keep multiplying?? But I pulled out the lock box, put like with like, then got rid of anything expired, some duplicates and some I won't use. Consolidated like pills with like. Got it under control and put back away (about a dozen bottles thrown out - not the actual pills - I dispose of those as local police direct).

I finished opening boxes that came in the mail, had my son take them out and flatten them, saved 2 or 3 for use as donate boxes.

Washed a load of clothes and put them away.

Made a new recipe I wanted to try instead of going out and buying the food already made.

I have a whole lot to get done this week and very little motivation, but I will try to get moving in the morning.

Hello Mar! And CM, SUBC, LILA, ROAD!

Mar, I like to start with the easy stuff, trash, recycling, other stuff that can just go. If there are magazines or newspapers, I give myself a finite time to read them before going into recycling. Example: if I don't read by noon tomorrow, they are gone. Then group like stuff with like stuff. Take dishes and utensils to kitchen.

Just an idea to help get you started. Do any of these ideas appeal to you?

Lmk! Good to hear from you!

Mar,I get it. I'm renting a room from a friend. It was supposed to be temporary. It's now been 7 years. Her house is not large and she has a lot of furniture and misc. There are shared areas, and I feel guilty for how my overflow has, well, overflowed into them. She is patient because we both struggle.

I run into that problem too, of okay, I need to clear off X area - but even if I can reduce the amount, there's still some that can't be reduced and I don't know where to put it.

Mar,

I don't know what us on your dining room table, but maybe it's still there because it is some of the more difficult stuff? Can you find an area of less difficult stuff to clear off and move the things from the dining table?

Still haven't done today's last evaluations.

Lila, thank you.

We had a teen give a speech at graduation in which he talked about moving to our school. He thanked us for giving him a place (after his previous school) where he felt safe and comfortable just being himself. He said "you would think that would be the bare minimum - simply letting someone exist - but sadly it isn't." That was the point where I started crying.

I hope updating your wardrobe went well, and tgat your trip next week is productive.

I'm having some trouble with mental processing tonight.

I'm going to make a couple of quick lists interrupted by tasks - very ADD style.

CM, we crossed before. I hope you got some more work done on your quilt.

I am hopeful to hear about progress around the chest of drawers.

Yay for Larry!

Need to do another class tonight before I go to bed to stay on target. Don't know if I'll make it.

The table is covered of stuff and cannot be used. I try to clear it but don't know where to put the stuff. More than eight months.

Hi Lila! Nice to meet you :)
I am not new, I arrived here some years ago but I don't write often :(

Today I continue trying to declutter the dining room table

hi everyone!

Okay who is Mar?? Hi Mar, are you new? It sounds like you know some folks here!

SubC, I wish my teen had a teacher like you. Just one teacher like you in high school would have changed their life. It breaks my heart. Teen quit and wants a GED. Working on it.

Road, sorry you have to deal with graduation loss. When my disabled son did not grad with his friends it made me literally sick seeing all the friends posts on FB. The good news is, he is still a great kid and it didn't make much difference to him in his life. He is happy and I got through it. You will too!

hi CM and Tatoulia, I need to catch up better.

I am going to a major cancer center several hours away next week. We'll see what they say and do. This week I am home, no tests or anything, so am trying to catch up on stuff. Doing well this morning.

Today so far (it is just after 10am) I:
opened boxes and packages (I had a stress induced online shopping spree and am dealing with it now)
Tried on some clothes I ordered and set aside most of them to return
started a little kitchen cleaning and fridge sorting
started to get the bathroom trash ready to empty but I need to find the bags

Re: the shopping spree: I think I ordered about 20 items of clothing. I was cancer stressed. It was a distraction. It took me hours to browse websites and find things and order them, and it was just to get my mind off scary things, I think. I did get some good sales. My plan is to try each thing on. Anything I don't love goes back. Anything I do love, for each item I keep, one thing from my closet goes into the donate bin. I have to say, since I wear the same few things every day, they are getting actually threadbare in places so are ready to donate anyway but then I would be naked so this will work out okay.

I think I am going to try a new recipe or two today as well.

Will update more.

What are you doing/decluttering today?

Hi, I hope all of you are OK!

I wrote a post, I wish you can read it and comment.
Oh, I'd like to be more constant in coming here. This is a nice place.

(((Hugs)))

So, I have done 2/3 of today's allotment of evaluations. I did the math and I need to put in about 3 hours a day to get them done on time.

I am motivated in this first batch, because I had a student in three of my classes who is going to go from "student" to "friend I met at work" as soon as I turn in her last evaluation and close out our professional relationship. (Yes, she's 18. No, I apparently don't know how old I am. We're planning to take a class together in July. Her mom supports this. Yes, I am also older than her mom.)

I'm not really good at the age thing - when Dd was 14 we shipped her off to Europe for a month to visit friends from church. They were her friends. They were in their 50s. Obviously we knew them well enough to trust them with our child, but they were not our friends. She stayed in touch with them for years after we did.

I am slowly adding paper to the recycling and running loads of laundry while I work.

It's been busy time. Last week there was also a lot of rain, and chilly temperatures. Thursday morning Larry came and now we have the storm windows up, and the front door useable again.

We had one or two beautiful days. Then it shifted to hot and very windy yesterday and today. More rain and possibly some severe weather is on the way yet again the early part of the week... 😑 My roommate is out of town so I must remember to check battery powered lighting options just in case.

Progress on the quilt continues. Hoping for more over the weekend, having the space to myself. Also some computer catching up.

Started doing some whatever in my room. Don't know whether to call it officially decluttering or more just assessing. Although I did pull out a few miscellaneous items and throw away a small bag of just junk like sprung hair elastics and expired medicines, etc.

I'm working on getting everything out of this chest of drawers my roommate said it'd be okay to donate to the garage sale. It's kind of bulky. I have a wire shelf unit that will be slimmer and have wheels. Hoping that will work better. If it goes really well, the new shelves will also allow me to get rid of a set of plastic shelves in the room, paring down and consolidating the items currently kept in both places.

Unfortunately when I was working, I also had some moments that were quite frustrating, like when stuff got jostled and started to fall from a shelf. Thought it might hit my lamp and make a mess of broken glass. Luckily it didn't, but I was so angry I had to step away for a bit. And I've just been grouchy the last couple of days but better today.

I've decided that for the bunny club garage sale if I only get a few things taken over it's okay, because we're running into a time crunch. And my church's sale will be a week later. Beyond that, there are always the thrift shops.

Next week may be really crazy.

I know writing the evaluations is a lot of work, SubC. Hoping you can find the strength to do some today.

I made it to Macys to make the return. Downtown was crowded but Macys was empty, so it was quick. I'm waiting for BF right now so I'm doing a very quick load of darks. I have to help him get stuff out of the business. Then he'll take me shopping for mom's groceries. I have a pair of pants to return to j crew. I'll deal with that tmr.

Road, I am also sorry to hear about the fighting.

You have done the best you can with graduation. It will be ok.

I'm sure your Dh will be ok too. It can be scary to stand up to your employer, but this is why teachers have unions. (I do not have a union, but I have Dh. Nothing bad would happen if I got fired, I would just have to give up some good things that cost money.)

Tatoulia, good job with the drop off! I am sorry to hear about your mom.

I have all the materials organized for evaluations, but they refuse to write themselves. I have been putting them off by pulling weeds, but now it is hot.

Bah humbug.

Road, I'm sorry for all the hard feelings today. I do hope your son gets one more year in school. I'm sorry husband was mean to you. I'm proud of all the dishwasher runs today! Good work!

Hi all,

Beautiful Day here today. Only spent a few outside though. Went to my Ps and we sat out on the balcony. They are really happy living at this place. Making friends, getting involved in activities. I ventured into my back yard finally. Omg. What a mess. Well, parts of it are lush and beautiful, and other parts (veggie garden) are flush with 20 Types of Weeds and surrounded by sagging black snow-fencing. Total eyesore. Feel bad because that's what our neighbors view is. Found some volunteer romaine and enough fresh dill to feed the neighborhood. I see there's a stand of feverfew in there which I will need to get rid of - don't want that beast on that side of the house... garlic and onions everywhere.

Missing the grad today was harder than I thought it would be. I'm totally staying away from Facebook. Do NOT want to see all the kids his year with their grad stuff going on. Didn't anticipate that for some reason. Also didn't consider there would be a lot of people expecting to see him at the ceremony and wondering why he wasn't there. He will be able to "graduate" any time over the next few years so he will still have that experience - probably next year - and will still have friends he can experience that with. The state contacted the school and seeing the superintendents name on that doc upset the H. He works for the Dist. And so I have always handled the school stuff alone for the most part. Even though he has agreed And seemed on board with what we are trying to do, seeing the big bosses name copied in on the correspondence freaked him out and the next thing I knew he was saying a lot of not nice things to me. We argued. A branch of that argument involved my health issues which was also not nice and kind of scraping the bottom of the whatever. Disappointing. We are at level one of dealing with the state about to go to level 2 but they have still only offered that one thing so I am not real hopeful we will get too much more. Argument also (predictably) elicited another threat about a Clearout of the basement. Something tells me this type of exchange x1000 might have something to do with the "structure" near my adrenal gland.

Well, tomorrow we have a couple grad parties to go to. No plans for the holiday yet.

Ran the Dw a couple times and did quite a bit of picking up around the house. I think the dogs have fleas. I had one pill left and gave it to the puppy but still need to get the other one. Forgot about it today.

Hello, All. SubC that is sweet that you and the other teacher have gotten to know each other by proxy. Road and Lila, praying for your health. CM I would love to have one of your quilts! Imagine the joy of the person who will receive it!

I brought a bag of stuff to goodwill today. No purchases, only output. BF and I had a late lunch together. I was going to go to Macys to return something but dark clouds formed overhead and it started to rain. I'll go tmr.

I was up early today and did two loads of laundry. But I need to explain myself. We got out of work at two yesterday, but I had 12 business lunch. We ate outside at a steak house and my filet was very tasty and afterward, I just had to come home to nap. So getting home at 8 AM isn't such an accomplishment after all.

I am actively looking to reduce things in my apt and my house seemed particularly clean after the ladies were here on Wednesday.

BF seems okay but a bit quiet. He's still at the business but with much( more free time on his hands. I'm still a little nervous about when he's not right here for me but I'll adapt.

I'm also adapting to having more time with him.

Mom is definitely losing her marbles. I'm in denial on it.

I am trying to get my head around my classes being over.

Road, it sounds like you are making progress on the school issue! Will your son get to do graduation next year? (Or when he is ready?)

Change takes time and bodies take a while to detox.

I found more snowmen yesterday. There are 4 outstanding. A student told me there is one left she can locate in my room and the other three are a mystery - janitorial staff? Another student moving them? A student took them home because there were the other creature hunts going on..?

I made them a cake. They appreciated it.

The day was a rollercoaster. I had a conflict with my boss again and this time I spoke up because it was about my kids, not me. I don't know if it helped, but I can move on because of it. I did stay and angry clean my room for a while. (Helped with the snowman infestation) I am bringing home a lot of stuff. I swore I wouldn't do that, but it's just easier. Especially since I am doing demolition in my room this summer.

After school I found ANOTHER surprise left by a senior - who had already stopped to thank me and say goodbye. I actually sat on the floor of the hallway and sobbed. (I originally wrote "special senior" - but they are all special.) picked myself up and worked on my room a little more, then had a great conversation with another teacher who didn't seem to be able to go home.

It's funny - we've worked together 7 years, and I say hi to her in the hall all the time and we exchange little comments about kids or events, but we've never really had a conversation we're so wrapped up in our students. But we feel like we know each other, because my kids adore her and talk about her all the time - I know what lessons she is doing every week and what activities and what they discuss and learn in her room and little details about her life, and apparently they do the same about me in her room.

She was in my classroom for the first time. Her eyes went straight to the tiles that are covering the upper third of my walls year by year and kid by kid and she said "oh my god! This is amazing!" We talked about the kids and laughed so hard!

Ok, off to wrap things up! I will then crash super hard.

Hi all,

Subc, full days tomorrow and Thursday, then Tuesday. Weds, thurs and Friday Next week are shortened days And then that's it.

I sent that email to an admin at the director level, then it rapidly escalated to the exec dir of special services, and then the asst. superintendent. Something tells me they REALLY don't want someone from the state coming in. I had to field a few phone calls even though my goal was to do no more comm. with them verbally. Everything needs to be in writing. We've gone back and forth two rounds with these emails. They did grant us one of our requests, but nothing substantial (yet). They did include that offer in an email and also said this am it's still on the table so I don't feel they can revoke that now. He will at least get that which is more than we had last week. We do have to sacrifice the grad ceremony. luckily, he doesn't comprehend that concept enough to know what he's missing. I'm not happy about it but it would have been bittersweet anyway. So now we wait for them to offer a better compromise, or we proceed to this facilitated IEP mtg., and possibly go a few more steps before we fold. We really have nothing to lose. It's stressful but worth the effort I think. I really kind of hope I don't get any emails or calls today.

3 more health related appts. In the next week or two. I did finally tell my parents what's going on (after my mom caught me off guard). That was rough but it's better that they know now. I basically feel the same - which is crummy. I still have the same amt of joint pain, lower back pain, crampy fibroid jerks, low mood, etc. I was hoping quitting all the things would alleviate some of those symptoms but hasn't so far. All the chemicals in Diet Coke, Advil, 2x week+ fast food, all the dairy, all the potatoes... I mean, I'm sure it is having a benefit, but not in any way I can feel. But I will keep going. My goal is in a few months to have checked every box in terms of consulting with different healthcare providers, and for my next set of labs to show a difference. I did hit 15 pounds (I rock!) and next landmark is 30. Go me. Lila, I will take a look at that app. The lose it app is surprisingly good at crunching data, but the user interface for groups is terrible. You don't even get notifications when someone responds to your post.

I'm heading off to " stitch some Xes " And maybe catch an hour of sleep. I always thought I was only getting 4.5-5 hours a night and now I have the data. That's not cutting it! Body needs to heal.

Everyone have an awesome day. Carpe those diems.

Two more days of school. Thursdays have been my favorite this year.

Yesterday was a whirlwind of packing up. A few of my little kids told me they will be changing schools next year. I will miss seeing them grow.

I stopped to see Bean on my way to class last night. Dsil sent another box of outgrown clothes back with me.

I finally got two things on the firing cart for my class I am taking. A third is drying on my shelf. I'd like to make a couple more this week, but we'll see. Despite my best intentions, I have not started evaluations - or graded papers for tomorrow 😳 this is no longer avoidable!

Road - I love old school. I am a Luddite. (I first typed "I live old school" by accident and thought about leaving it, because I do.)

How many more days of school does your family have this year?

I taught one of my seniors for the last time yesterday.

I found three more snowmen, fired the last load to go home, and was gifted some cookies. I also cleaned more stuff out of my room. This is the week where I take a deep breath and fill my tiny wastebasket every night.

Today is the last day for my Wednesday classes. It is the day I bring donuts, so I have to get going early (so I can stop and buy donuts) speaking of buying - Our cc finally showed up yesterday.

I didn't feel well last night - I had a headache right behind one eye - the kind that makes your stomach feel bad after a while, and I panicked that I was going to miss the last week of school. But I took an Advil, drank some water, went to bed, and feel better this morning. Probably dehydration - the school building is hot, and with masking back, I don't drink enough.

oops! Sorry Road, I almost forgot... it's My fitness pal and it is a free app! I love it.

Good job Road! You are fighting for your son and I think there is no more noble cause! Cheering you on.

I spent the day driving an hour and a half away for teen to have an appointment. I am tired and I have a meeting tonight. So, no cleaning/decluttering today.

Hi all,

Little update, I decided to fight back with the school situation. I talked to two people from the state, several friends, printed out And read guides and handbooks, got the H to do the same, drafted an email, got some people to review it, revised it and sent it today. I decided I have nothing to lose by resisting. They offered no compromises or alternatives and were all spineless during our meeting either by lying about their reasons Or by remaining silent. I got some clarity on what the stages of intervention are and a sense for how far I'm willing to go or not go. We can get help with a new IEP from the state, we can request mediation, we can file a complaint. And it goes from there. My weakness is I don't know the regulations very well. I wish we were in a position to hire an advocate or an attorney. If it doesn't work out it's not the end of the world and we will adjust. But I am relieved I found a way to TRY to get a better outcome for my son.

SO ! Now that that crunch is done (or the hardest part? Is done) I am shifting gears to Helping my son have the best end of the school year experience and transitioning into summer... Even though there's still a lot of unpleasantness to come, getting that email sent is a huge relief.

I had another u/s this am - proud of myself that I keep chipping away at it. I have more things to do and more to process but I'm in good shape in terms of dealing with things.

Hey Lila, which app are you using? I didn't recognize that. The app I'm using is limited in that it doesn't track some of the stuff I am monitoring, but generally it's working for me. ::: health & healing... all cells, all souls... ::: my mantra. Also I am letting these unwanted cells And "structures" know they need not stick around. They can dematerialize and scoot off... Everything here is in balance and moving toward total health. Ommmm:::

Also brought my son to a follow up with the neuro. I asked for and got a referral and an order for an extended eeg. But this guy kind of threw up his hands and basically implied he's going to have to send us elsewhere because he can't explain what's going on. Personally I would like to see him try a little, but better to know he's not invested and look elsewhere I guess.

Decided to start sending some cards to my good friend who has helped me so much lately. She's in the dumps with Covid right now and I know she really loves getting things in the mail so I started collecting a little pile of cards that suit her and will start sending some to her. So old school! ☺️

Decided to just chill tonight since last night and today was so intense. Wish I could toss back a couple glasses of wine but that's not happening right now. So I will settle for water.

Tomorrow is a new day. 💕❤️💜

Good morning.

Road, when I had kids at home the laundry never ended. Now it is possible but rare - we don't have a dog.

I hope something works out for your son. This year I have two graduates who asked if they can come back and volunteer in my class next year. - yes!

Lila, good job making use of the spices! Groceries have gotten so expensive (women have been saying that for hundreds of years). I was shocked by the bill on Sunday, but Dh bought a lot of processed foods. I remember my dd telling someone I fed a family of five on $100 a week (almost 20 years ago) and them being completely shocked and saying "how?!") (We homeschooled and the kids were in charge of the sugar content, per unit pricing, and running total) step one - budget the first $100 for seeds.

The next four days and the school year is done.😮😁😢

I finally got out to work on my pottery last night and I hurt my wrist and elbow. Pacing!

Speaking of pacing - gotta go!