August..where have you gone?

 

Harvest

August, with its clouds of scented blooms,
August, with its great stacks of giant clouds,
August, with corn plants standing like rows of soldiers,
August, with watermelons, full and heavy, dozing in the sun,
August.
~ Mary Naylor~

Summer was very fleeting……I think I need another summer to make up for the one I just missed!  Other than not having to get up earlier on Sundays for religious education at the parish, or earlier on weekdays for school…..I barely enjoyed a summer “break”.  My summer was spent unwinding from the previous 9 months of clutter and chaos……and stress.  Yet, stress seemed to build on me this summer.  One son spent most of the summer sick.  It wasn’t a very fun summer for him at all.  Can we have a do over??

We leave for the only wedding of the summer tomorrow morning…hoping it will fare well with the son that has OCD – anxiety, and is terribly phobic about driving.  It is an hour and fifteen minute drive.  That doesn’t sound long to me, but it’s liable to be if this son loses his composure.  Stress.  Did I mention Stress?  It should be this family’s middle name by now.  One older son is recently adding to that stress because he dislikes the stress of the home life here – and I seriously don’t blame him.  I have completely lost my patience after nearly 4 years of dealing with the anxiety ridden son and it has all paid it’s toll on our family life.  Of course, I get blamed for most it – I don’t manage things well, or patiently, (um, I don’t have any patience left, remember?….nor nerves….the one I had left was mangled earlier this year)….so….we could sure use some peace around here. 

The older two are also heading back to college in one week.  The oldest leaving earlier because….well, you know…stress.  Again, I don’t blame him.  I just hope we haven’t totally ruined his life.  You know how parents do that.

Ok, all snark-ism aside, it’s been a terrible summer, let’s face it.  The only good thing about it was VBS, and it wasn’t perfect because my one son was sick the month it happened.  Still…he enjoyed it.  He’s such a trooper!  Why can’t we all be like him….what a great little example he is.

So, say some prayers for us as we go to a wedding tomorrow (which, btw I am looking forward to, so no one better ruin it!).  I know it will not be without it’s stress, nothing I do anymore seems to be without extra stress piled on.  I really should talk to a therapist about that…besides just my blog folk :)  But, really you are the BEST to talk to – you listen and you don’t talk back and I can’t see you rolling your eyes. 

God bless!

St. Josemaria Escriva…in your kindness and strength of faith, please pray for us.  Please pray for all my sons, that your Godliness and strong manhood and responsibility and respect for your parents will also be theirs.  Through Christ our Lord.  Amen

Another day, another day, another day……

  Completed my state notification for home education today and have it ready to send out.  I have been cleaning, clearing and taking inventory of what books we need, and so far, other than math work-texts, I needed just one King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, by Roger Lancelyn Green.  We have a wonderful Dover edition of King Arthur but apparently it’s not the one needed for the Literature 8 Book Club this upcoming year.  I’m excited my 8th grader will be “in a classroom” with young people his age and a teacher for discussion of literature pertaining to his medieval history this year. 

   So I’m down to ordering math texts, and a geography map book.  It’s is awesome to have done a program for so long that most of the books are sitting on the shelves waiting for the next student’s use.  This will be our 16th going on 17th year of home school and 11th year of enrollment with Mother of Divine Grace.

   Other than my youngest son still being ill with some horrible protozoa intestinal bug that has basically ruined the rest of his summer, I am trying to focus on being productive while waiting to get him to the specialist. We have seen his family doctor every week since the onset, and continued testing – have given medication and are awaiting yet the results of another lab to see if he is still carrying the bug as he still has the symptoms, or something else, as his poor intestines are still no better and he has cramping, more officially diagnosed recently as proctalgia fugax, (quite literally a pain in the butt!) No matter the latin verbage, it is a 20-30 second grip of cramping pain.  If the infection is still present they will hopefully medicate again, if not, I fear the poor thing has to suffer through another 6 days of waiting for help and further diagnosis and then more testing.  How I have prayed this could just pass and he could be healed, but God apparently has other plans.

    In the meantime, I am dealing with a 21 yr old testy adolescent at home, who has little patience with parents and family life right now.  Not very fun for my summer break :(   There are definitely days I feel God had some sense of humor making me a parent.  I do not feel the least bit a good parent whatsoever and it takes a lot of energy and is extremely stressful…enough that I say to myself, really??!  This is it?? How did this happen…this lack of joy!?

   So ends my update for now.  I hope to report something more cheery in the near future!  One wonderful that did happen was VBS this last week and my youngest ailing son was able to participate, enjoyed it amidst the periodic cramping and misery.  God bless his little body and soul.  May St. Mark and St. Thomas both pray for him!

Homeschooling with Joy - new book

Looks like a wonderful home school companion book:

A Plan for Joy in the Home by Laura Dominick