It'll have to wait about 30 more days, because for now, my day looks something like this:
6:15 -- wake up, issue Brandon's wake-up call (again and again). Make sure he stays on schedule for the next 45 minutes while giving one of a few standard lectures here and there about putting forth ones best effort or paying attention in class. . . or sometimes about *not* doing various things.
7:23 -- Karlon makes the first run for me while I get myself and Jon dressed. I leave with Jon around 8:30 to get him to school between 9am and 9:15. Turn back around and come home on M, TH and Fri (or sort papers at Brandon's school until 11:50 T and W).
Meanwhile, Ashley has morning work laid out for her and works on that while I'm gone. Karlon is extremely helpful in that he listens to some of her reading minutes and helps to explain difficult ideas and vocabulary words if necessary.
11: 20 -- arrive at school parking lot to get a good, up-front space in the circle for pick-up (otherwise, get stuck in the parking lot for a half-hour). Pick up Brandon along with Ashley's best friend Eliana (for carpool). Arrive back home 12:20-ish, drop Brandon off with instructions for getting started on homework, turn directly around and drive to Cedar Park to retrieve Jon. Arrive back home around 1:30pm.
At this point, I stop keeping track of time, and there never, ever seems to be enough of it. Lunch for 4 people (Jon ate at school), homework, flash cards, reading minutes with Brandon. Writing and spelling with Ashley, which is an extremely involved multi-sensory program but worth every ounce of effort. . . reading and homework with Jonathan. . . dinner. Math, science and social studies with Ashley. . . then more reading minutes on top of all of that.
Ashley finishes up and goes to bed maybe between 10:30 or 11pm. Then I have to do the next day's lesson planning which takes between 30 and 45 minutes. Then I lay out clothes, pack backpacks, snacks, and Jon's lunch.
Although I know I should go to bed at this point because it's always between 1 and 1:30, I seem to not be able to do so without some time to just rest my mind for a little while. Read a book or look at a magazine. Surf ebay. Blog.
So my thoughts have turned to what I'd like to do with my summer once it gets here. I feel like I want to clean out drawers. . . or paint something. It's a restless, spring-feverish kind of feeling. Almost giddy readiness for summer. But it'll have to wait another 30 days.
Looking over some of my entries from last year, I can remember how worn and tired I was. It's not like that this year, even though clearly I'm stretched far thinner than I was before. I feel like I've put in a year's worth of good, quality blood, sweat and tears and I can be proud of my work. When summer does finally get here, it will be a happy celebration of a complete, well-written chapter closed and neatly tied (but always available for reference).
Next year will be so much easier! Jon graduates to first grade and will be on the same campus as Brandon. I'm still not sure what's going to happen with Ashley (she is first on the waiting list since she's a sibling of a currently enrolled student), but either way, it will definitely be easier without 2 round-trips to Cedar Park and back every day.
The world of elementary education is my whole life right now. (I imagine reading about it must be about as exciting as watching somebody else's Grand Canyon slide-show). BUT. . . just 33 more days and I'll be filling the pages here with all sorts of interesting summertime adventures!
Correction (it's now after midnight) -- 32 more days and counting! Wahoo!
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