The Friday Post

This post will most likely be all over the place, because I am all over the place and my mind is filled with stress.

I am trying to keep a handle on all of the things, but, I will be honest, things are getting  a bit sticky over here.

The main problem is our upcoming vacation.  And why are vacations so stressful?  And we pay for them?

The other night while David and I were trying to hoist the Darla/Darcy calf up so she could stand, I had an epiphany.

Me:  David!  We are going on vacation!

David:  Yup.

Me:  What are we going to do with this calf if she is not well?

We both think for a minute. And we both know that we will have to put her down.  And you know what is fun?  Spending a couple of weeks trying to nurse a calf back to health only to have to end her life because she didn’t make it in time for your vacation.

So, that was a collosial bummer and when I would go and give little miss her food and water I would plead with her to stand up and get a hold of herself because we were soon travelling far away to see Mickey Mouse.

And then David had a great idea and it is a happy solution.  We are giving her away.  We found someone who will “adopt” her.  We are giving her for free-they are taking her to a vet-hopefully she will continue to get well and be a blessing to their family.

You may proclaim, “Taylor!  Why didn’t you just take her to the vet?”

And, oh, if it were only that easy.  It is really hard to find a vet willing to take care of large animals these days, and they certainly aren’t local.  Plus, David and I both work full time away from the house and even farther from the vets and it is just not an easy situation.  The consenus is that she needs a steroid shot.

So, I hope the best for little miss.

This morning, I went out to check on her for the last time.  She will get picked up today.  And when I say “picked up,”  I mean in the most literal sense.

 

Meanwhile, the children are all busy as well.  Basketball is in full swing.  Little Miss Hadley Beth scored 20 points in a game last week and 24 in a different game this week.

And why won’t she do my hair in cute braids like that?  Oh, she does not like it when I call her Hadley Beth.

Me:  But why?

Hadley:  I do not like my middle name.

Me:  I love it!  In fact, we almost named you Beth.  Beth Taylor.  But I told dad I wanted to call you “Bethie” sometimes and he said no.

Hadley:  Well, thank you dad.  I am really glad I was not named Beth TAYLOR.

And then I thought about the time back in 2005 when I was broke and a stay at home mom to two little girls and really wanted a nice picture.  So I saved my dollars and bundled the girls up and drove them to the faraway mall where the Kiddie Kandids place was and spent those dollars on precious pictures of them for me to treasure and on the way home Hadley BETH pooped the biggest poop in her diaper you would ever imagine and it went all the way up her outfit and up her back and on her neck and I spent hours upon hours detoxing her and the car seat.  And now here we are with that child saying she wouldn’t want to bear my name as her middle name, bless her heart.

Let’s move on.

Kate flew in yesterday.  And tomorrow, David and I, plus maybe some more of our offspring, will be driving Kate 2 plus hours to go and meet her new boyfriend and his parents.

You guys.  Have you ever gone to meet new people with David as your companion?  It is exhausting.  And here is why.

The guy doesn’t talk.

So guess who has to carry the conversation?  And I mean:

CARRY.

IT.

And guess who gets nervous and says awkward things the entire time?  Because my life is weird and how do you even introduce that to someone?

“Hi!  Nice to meet you!  Oh, yes it has been a stressful week!  We are getting ready to go to California, but we have this downer calf.  She is caked in mud, but who has time to bathe her?  Also she cannot get up unless we hoist her and we have to bring her food and water and lift her up so we can clean the poopoo out from under her, and if she doesn’t stand up in time, we have to put her down because we would like to see  Mickey Mouse.”

And then, there is school.

I love teaching first grade.  This we know.  But I will let you in on a little secret:

It is exhausting.

I am happy to report that Mack can read the word “and.”  In fact, Mack has had a breakthrough and has mastered about 5 red words (sight words) and read three decodable books yesterday.

Three.

He is all puffed up with pride and announcing to his classmates that he is a reader and he is pretty sure he is ready for second grade now.

(He’s not.)

Mack is in my most intensive reading group with one other little gal.  This gal has been out sick, so Mack has been basking in all the glory of his one on one time with myself and my title aide.  And I truly wish you could experience reading with Mack one on one.  The entire time I am trying to balance him and steady him and bring him back to me and he is so wiggly and all over the place.  I think I need to take a motion sickness pill from now on before I work with him.

But when he finishes his Bob book, he beams sunshine of pride and joy and it makes it all worth it.

The kids are all amped for Christmas, I am stressed about sub plans, and no one really wants to listen.

One of my little guys hasn’t been doing well behavior wise.  His behavior is somewhat new, due to trauma at home.  It is hard to keep a balance on it all-making sure he is ok and also trying to keep him accountable for his learning and keep up with the class.

Yesterday, he was STRUGGLING to listen and was refusing to work and just doing a lot of scribbling, snapping at classmates, etc.  I pulled him to the back table with me to try and help him get his work done and he was a hot mess and could not follow any directions at all.

I just looked at him and said, “Are you ok?”

Little pumpkin shook his head “no” and burst into tears.  So, he told me his sadness and I gave him hugs and tried to talk him through it and we moved along with our day.

About 10pm last night, I got a message from his mom.  Poor mom is struggling with him at home behavior wise as well and she has a world of stress on her shoulders.

She wanted to let me know that when she was putting the little dude to bed he told her about how he was having a bad day and that I helped him.  She messaged to me to say how thankful she was to know he had me at school and that he loves me as his teacher.

And that is what I needed in life.

Because I do love these kids and I do try and it means the world to me to know that they feel it.

Yesterday-

Student:  Mrs. M!  Today is Thursday!

Me:  Yes, it is.

Student:  Tomorrow will be Friday!

Me:  Yup.

Student:  And then you will say that funny thing?  Remember?  Remember?

Me:  Huh?

Student:  You know-like, yay!  Friday!  Day?  Yay?  Yay Yay?  Friday?

Me:  Oh!  Fri-Day, Fri-YAY!

Student:  Yes!  Friday, Friyay!

So.  Happy Fri-Day, Fri-Yay, Reader.