First week of school and work

I can hear the laundry banging away. I must have missed a golf ball in a pocket of Tom's pants. I really have to stay up on the chores or I can see they can easily get out of hand. I walk in the door and send the kids off to do the chores they should have done before I got home from work. I have been going from work to football which means not getting home until 8:00 pm. Dinner needs to be made and eaten within the next half hour.

I don't like going to bed just having eaten a big meal. This family lives on steak or hamburger dishes; spaghetti, chili. I can get it done quickly, but there is no way to avoid the time. I realize though it is only for football season. After football I gain an extra hour or more in the evening. It is being organized that will be key. Having planned meals during the week, with all the ingredients on hand.

When I was in real estate, I had more time and I planned my time. I will get back into the being really organized quickly, I can see already. I am up to four days a week now. Another employee is no longer with the company. We were asked to pick up extra days. They are not sure if they will replace her any time soon as they have just started training me.

Meanwhile, the boys both started school. Trevor is his usual scatter brained self. Leaving important papers and books at home, not tuned in totally in class. I am hopeful that will improve if we stay on top of it. A computer, a new one that takes games, is on the line if he can make honor role all three trimesters. B's will do it, just nothing less than that.

Riley only got lost twice trying to find a classroom. He loves his teachers and thinks they will all work out well. You do tend to get better teachers when you take the accelerated classes. His math teacher is from Ireland on a one year exchange. She was the only one to pronounce his last name correctly. She gave out homework on the first full day of school. Riley didn't tell his dad or me until I got home, so he started late on his homework. I told him to expect 3 hours a night of home work now that he is in high school. Especially with his class load.

He has accelerated English, World Studies, Geometry (higher math class), Life sciences (which I think is a biology), and wellness. five classes, all core classes, no electives this trimester. We will see how he does. One of his teachers thought it might be a tough load. But really its all standard fare. He can get the electives in on other trimesters. He is healthy now. We don't anticipate his missing any school. This is the time to get the important classes done. He can take electives as fillers later.

He is in accelerated English. They will be reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I know he will like that book. They will also tackle the Odyssey, which I am thrilled about. He will like that book also if he can get through the language issue. Battling witches and monsters is just what he likes to read. They will also read a book of their choice and do a fun project or report to coincide with the book. Sounds like a great class.

World Studies wants him to attend a cultural event and then write about it. It can be a play or a music or even a sport event. It needs to be unrelated to school. A ticket stub and pamphlet from the event for proof of attendance is required. So we are off to the symphony for school, love it.

It is an open campus at lunch. You are not allowed to drive, but the students can go off campus to get lunch from any of the fast food places around campus. I have learned never to shop the nearby grocery store at noon. The cafeteria on campus cannot handle the volume of students all arriving at the same time for lunch.

Riley and I had discussed his options. I had put money in his cafeteria account, but also sent him off with cash. He told me he was the first in line at Burgerville for a milkshake and chicken strips. He was so proud of himself, going off campus. I asked how much he thought he might need eating off campus each day. He said $10. What? I don't think so. Tom was also appalled. Riley said it would leave him a little change. No, $5 max, or $20 a week. That is what we can afford.
He can do kids meals some days, or learn to split a meal with a friend. He never finishes his fries. Order off the dollar menus. Anyway, he melded right in, said he knew at least one person in all his classes.

He had called me at work all excited, wanting to tell me all about his day. I was so torn when I said I had to go. We had customers coming in the door. I could hear the disappointment in his voice when he said goodbye. I called back as soon as I could. I could still hear his enthusiasm, but the edge was gone. When I got home, it was homework time for math. He said it was new stuff, but as I watched him work, he whipped right through it. It did not stump him. He had 40 problems done in 30 minutes. He was tired so he left ten to do in the morning, which he accomplished without problems.

Getting him up took a little work. Both boys lay in bed for a while. I told them we would have to try for earlier bed times if they needed more sleep. Hard to do when we are already pushing 9:00 pm just getting homework and dinner in between 8 and 9. Once football is over though, we can grab that extra hour for sleep. If I can convince teenagers to go to bed at 8:00pm again.

The bus has been late picking them up before school, making them late for school, but I am sure that the schedule will be adjusted accordingly after this week. Mostly it effects Trevor as it makes him have to rush to class first thing. Trevor does not rush. He saunters. Its a problem I see when he is at football practice. Even when he brings on his A game, he still slows down afterwards to a saunter. Its the best word to describe the casual stride he uses to move his body from one destination to another.

A good friend of mine has a daughter full of energy. Even when the child is still, it seems as if she might leap up at any minute to do something. Trevor stops to smell the roses. He tends not to see the garbage to be picked up, but that is probably because its too far from his head. Roses reach out to be noticed.

On the days I work, Trevor and I must remember to remove his gear from my car, so he will have it to take with him when his Dad takes him. The first day of my job, Trevor forgot to eat and went to practice hungry. Worst thing he could have done. My family runs on its stomach. Full stomachs equals happy family. One of the other boys mentioned Trevor had a rough practice when I went to pick him up. The next day I called home and reminded Trevor to eat, not watch TV or play computer games to the oblivion of all else.

Tom is making a great effort being home early enough to get Trevor to practice on time. We may not love this house for the lack of land and noisy design, but the convenient location makes up for a lot. Tom and I both can be home with little commute time. It gives us that edge we need to be someplace on time. The boys also have the ability to get to where they need to be independently if we absolutely can't do it.

So far the new school year is going well. It helped that the bus was late, so when the boys came back having forgotten things in the house, they did not miss it. Work is not difficult and it is a great time filler and distraction. I was just not getting enough work from the school district to fill my time. I do not feel I have the energy or money to go back to school for that certificate of Teaching. Besides there are a lot of teachers already out there laid off. This new job is just right. I can also feel that I can be firm and tell them the days I need off. They seem to be pretty good about it as long as they have advance warning. The employee pool is a bit slim as there is not a lot of wiggle room when they do need to change people around. I was looking for just a part time job. This has become four days a week over night. But I was going stir crazy last school year when the boys weren't at home.

I can honestly say we had a busy summer. Not a lot of down time. It felt good to be busy. It feels good now to be busy.