Random bits of catch up

Hello blog. I won't even bother with the old 'long time, no see' crap that usually precedes my posts. Let's just agree to the fact that our relationship is a flighty one. Perhaps a numbered list will serve as a post today?

1. J-man continues to grow and do lots of amazing things. This year has posed many new challenges to my role as a parent. Most notably, the fact that school absolutely sucks for him. He's a smart boy. Exceptional, really. But school isn't his bag. It's become apparent that he learns differently than most of the other kids, and the classroom is not his ideal situation. I've spent these first 9 weeks in and out of meetings and conferences with the ex-ed department discussing his services and we seem to be getting nowhere fast. The system is designed so that it takes nearly a year to get the appropriate steps completed so that he can receive the things he needs- namely, a reading coach. Meanwhile he continues to struggle in class, or simply do nothing at all, and then bring home nearly his entire day's worth of work to be completed at home. It leaves me struggling with whether I believe that mainstream school is where he belongs. Yet, with our busy schedules, I also doubt my ability to dedicate enough time to education to even entertain the idea of homeschooling. And have I mentioned that working the system requires a degree of its own? It's baffling, and no one can provide me with a schedule, timeline, or roadmap. *sigh* So we press on, me butting heads with a lackluster teacher, and trying to encourage my boy to do his best while secretly wondering what value can be had by him cutting and pasting and coloring worksheets at home when what he really needs in order to learn is a solid foundation in reading. A skill he has yet to even begin to master. Math? No problem. The concepts of science, social studies, even story comprehension, he gets it. But unless he can read the questions, read the stories, read the damn instructions on his work, none of it really matters. He can't do the work.

2. The above situation has caused me to take a long, hard look at our home life. The world, and the economy dictates that I HAVE to work. We, along with most of America, don't have the luxury to allow me to quit my job and be home with munchkin full-time, living the June Cleaver life of wholesome meals, bake sales, and sparkly clean houses. My job has, for the past several years, allowed me to work only three days a week, plus occasional Saturday shifts, which has been a blessing. But those days are long. I'm gone from 7:30 in the morning until after 8:00 in the evening. By the time we get home, it's already past bedtime. That, of course, means that no homework gets done on those nights. Or, if it MUST be done that night, we have to skip bedtime, which sets the next day up for complete failure.

I've been resenting my job, and the long hours, for a long time. And now that I can clearly see the way it affects Jonas, I've made the resolution that it's time to move on. I love my job. I love what I do and where I do it, but J is my first priority, and if that means eating Ramen noodles exclusively for the next few years, I have to believe that it's worth it.

Sooo...

3. I landed a new job as a transcriptionist. I know, right? All these years later, I'm finally going to put that education to use. I started the transcription training program back when J was just an infant with grand hopes of breezing right through it and working blissfully from home before his second birthday. Now, finally, I'm going to be doing that, and no one could possibly be more excited and nervous about it. I wasn't exactly the star pupil in my studies. I squeezed by the final with the lowest possible passing grade-- an 85%. Not the stellar grades that make companies jump at the chance to hire you, or even give you a second glance. After nearly 100 applications and company testings, I finally found one willing to give me a chance. So, in about a week I'll begin a new chapter of my working life, after 8 long and mostly fabulous years at the vet's office, I'll be a work-at-home mom.

4. New jobs are scary things. I don't feel the need to expand on that. We've all been there. We all know.

5. J is now officially in cub scouts. This is a fun little adventure for us. He seems to be enjoying it much more than he did Karate, which was a big expensive failure. Note to self: Do not commit to a contractual sort of thing when a 5-year-old is involved. They are fickle and their interests are fleeting.

6. My knitting mojo has flown the coop. I've got a project stalled on nearly every pair of needles I own, with no real hopes of finishing any time soon. I still love knitting, but when I have 10 minutes to myself and the option to either knit, or just sit and breathe. I usually choose the breathing thing.

7. After gaining something like 30 pounds in the last year or so, I've gotten back on the healthy eating wagon (pay no attention to that cheeseburger behind the curtain) and I'm about 1/2 way back to my goal weight, and to fitting my fat ass in my jeans again. I refuse to go buy new fat girl clothes after finally donating them all to Goodwill.

And that's the last few months in a nutshell. Not very exciting, but good to get them all back into the open. Now, when I decide to pop in here and rant about something, at least you'll have some sort of idea of what the heck I'm talking about.