What a week

Its been a heck of a week.   I just spent the last 30 minutes driving around, and emailing my 12 yr old, wondering where in the world he was.  He was over 30 minutes late getting home, which isn't normal, since he walks.   It's cold outside and the big buffoon refuses to wear a coat.  Nobody would answer at the school so I finally I called the superintendent's office.  After tracking down my kid, he matter-of-factly tells me he is at steel drum practice (as he should be on a Thursday afternoon!).  A huge sigh of relief for me, and I feel like a fool since my next call was going to be the police dept.  Nerves are on high this week, this day, and as ridiculously simple as this is, I needed it!

I feel like I am massively behind.  I had this same 12 yr old home on Tuesday with an alleged illness. Truth is, he did have a head ache and a sore throat, but the honest reality is that he'd been discovered the day before in a huge school unraveling.  Seems that after 1st quarter ended at the end of October, he decided to quit doing school work for the month of November.  He had 4 in-class quizes in science that I innocently inquired about, as they didn't have grades, and then the shit hit the fan.  How on earth does a kid not turn in an in-class quiz 4 times and why wouldn't a teacher say anything?  That little discovery resulted in emails from 2 other teachers that had similar tales.  The icing on the hellish cake though was that my very disorganized, lovely slob of a son, managed to lose all of his chapter 2 math work, which had to be checked in for a grade this week.  His teacher made him redo it.  She's a bit of a bully he thinks.  I am coming to not really like this lady much, or to respect her ways.  She said he admitted to not ever doing any of this work, but there were several pages he and I both recognized, as I had helped him on them.  So I know well enough he wouldn't admit to that, ever.   So, he was home Tuesday, doing math for 14 hours, some science too.  Oh, and there was a language arts page that has been done too, and another math quiz was made up today for a whopping 100%. Take that you non-believing math teacher.  He brought home a science test from a week or so ago too yesterday, with a big firm A on it.  Ms Lady Science was shocked I suspect, but hey?!?  The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

This same boy of mine needed to have an ear looked at by a doctor today.  Damn I hate the ears.  No self-diagnosis or self-treating of them.  And naturally, he missed his freaking math class.  I only know this because Mr. Language Arts emailed to tell me so.  I'm really not appreciating such a close relationship with these teachers.  They are going to jinx the Gunn name for my next son, who starts at this school, next year -- and this kid is ultra organized, ultra brilliant (not that the oldest isn't smart, he just has other motivations and aspirations) and smart beyond what most boys that age will actually show.

So my weekly sob story is done.  It has been frustrating, and stressful.  My pantry is bare because every time I think I will go shop, someone needs a doctor, or help on the 13th math page of the day, or a dance practice, or a basketball game.  I managed to get 2 very huge client quilts done and binding on this week in between all of the stuff we call "life".  Seems like a small miracle.  I started on one of my MQX class samples today when I had the head to quilt.  Some days it is a losing battle if your  head isn't into it.  I will finish this tomorrow.  I suspect it is about time for things to get back to normal.

I haven't really started shopping for xmas yet.  But I am very soon to sit down to Amazon and pay some exorbitant shipping fees so that I can avoid entering a mall.  It is the small expense I will go to so that my slippers can stay on, and I don't need to find a coat and de-ice my car.  Yes, winter is here already.  I am a cocoon in my own home.  Now, let's get busy and do some quilting.  I'll dig out some pretty pictures for another post soon...but my computer has been acting poorly today too.  Good grief, when it rains, it truly does pour!  Sew on my quilty friends!