Sunday, May 17, 2020
I am putting knuckle to keyboard on a journal entry page for the first time in a week. I mean those words literally. I have completely blank pages for a few days. I plan to write some notes in those pages later today. I do not know what I am going to nickname this new type of chemotherapy drug I started last Friday, but it will not be nice. This is the eighth day in a row I get out of bed and then have trouble breathing. The difficulty breathing passes after a few hours, but I am tired because it takes so much effort to breathe. This morning I almost passed out trying to blow my nose. The lack of oxygen is definitely affecting my motivational mojo.
Tomorrow is my seven-year-old’s, Mika, eighth birthday. I wonder how many times I will need to rewrite Mika’s age during the next few weeks. Mika still has four days left for her school year and Mika is doing tomorrow’s schoolwork today. Mika has already tried to get out of doing schoolwork this morning by asking me if she could push the schoolwork back to tomorrow. I told Mika I was not going to fight with her about schoolwork on her birthday, so she needs to do it today. I also have a very big carrot dangling for today.
A few days ago, Mika asked me what I was getting her for her birthday. Usually, the answer is a big, fat nothing. I pay for a birthday party and a birthday photography session; I think that is enough. This year, however, I am not paying for either a party or a photography session. Children’s venues are still closed, and the JC Penney portrait studio cancelled Mika’s appointment a week ago. My older daughter, Megan, is going to give Mika a photography session tomorrow. I am sure the girls will have fun changing clothes, hairstyles, and locations for a couple of hours. I will probably record some of the fun with the video camera.
After Mika asked me what I was getting her for her birthday, I asked her if she deserved a gift. Mika, of course, said yes and I asked her what she wanted. Mika looked at me and asked, “Is the toy section open at Target?” Even though I was not planning to shop again at Target for several more weeks, when I saw the smile on Mika’s face when I said yes the toy section is open, I volunteered to take her to Target to choose a birthday gift. I suggested we make our trip to Target tomorrow after Mika and Megan finish their photography shoot. Mika told me she did not want to make the trip on her birthday, she wanted to do it the day before. I agreed we could walk to Target after she finished her schoolwork today.
When Mika came downstairs this morning, she asked me what today is with a sly smile on her face. I told Mika today is Sunday and asked her if she remembered what we are planning to do today. Mika smiled and said we are going to Target after she finishes her schoolwork. All I can figure is that Mika must really miss going to a store, because she is actually doing schoolwork in only four times the time it should take her. Mika has spent a few nights at her sister’s house, so she has been outside our neighborhood during the past nine weeks. I am not sure if Mika is simply excited to go to a store or excited to choose her gift.
It is 11:00 a.m. I am breathing better, and Mika has completed one of her four schoolwork tasks. I am hoping we will leave by 1:00 p.m. for our trip to Target, but that is likely overly optimistic on my part. It takes Mika an hour (on a good day) to read 30 minutes because she takes 15 minutes to adjust her reading space and then I need to stop time for bathroom breaks and talking. Mika just started her math worksheets and then she has an online reading assignment and an online math assignment to do. Mika would be done with all three tasks in less than an hour if she would quit looking for ways to put off completing her work.
My piece of advice to you is to join the club. Millions of parents across the country are learning how their child relates to schoolwork. I learned homeschooling Mika is not an option for me because we would end up hating each other within a few weeks. Sometimes the best way to tell your child you love them is to promise never to homeschool them.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.
I am putting knuckle to keyboard on a journal entry page for the first time in a week. I mean those words literally. I have completely blank pages for a few days. I plan to write some notes in those pages later today. I do not know what I am going to nickname this new type of chemotherapy drug I started last Friday, but it will not be nice. This is the eighth day in a row I get out of bed and then have trouble breathing. The difficulty breathing passes after a few hours, but I am tired because it takes so much effort to breathe. This morning I almost passed out trying to blow my nose. The lack of oxygen is definitely affecting my motivational mojo.
Tomorrow is my seven-year-old’s, Mika, eighth birthday. I wonder how many times I will need to rewrite Mika’s age during the next few weeks. Mika still has four days left for her school year and Mika is doing tomorrow’s schoolwork today. Mika has already tried to get out of doing schoolwork this morning by asking me if she could push the schoolwork back to tomorrow. I told Mika I was not going to fight with her about schoolwork on her birthday, so she needs to do it today. I also have a very big carrot dangling for today.
A few days ago, Mika asked me what I was getting her for her birthday. Usually, the answer is a big, fat nothing. I pay for a birthday party and a birthday photography session; I think that is enough. This year, however, I am not paying for either a party or a photography session. Children’s venues are still closed, and the JC Penney portrait studio cancelled Mika’s appointment a week ago. My older daughter, Megan, is going to give Mika a photography session tomorrow. I am sure the girls will have fun changing clothes, hairstyles, and locations for a couple of hours. I will probably record some of the fun with the video camera.
After Mika asked me what I was getting her for her birthday, I asked her if she deserved a gift. Mika, of course, said yes and I asked her what she wanted. Mika looked at me and asked, “Is the toy section open at Target?” Even though I was not planning to shop again at Target for several more weeks, when I saw the smile on Mika’s face when I said yes the toy section is open, I volunteered to take her to Target to choose a birthday gift. I suggested we make our trip to Target tomorrow after Mika and Megan finish their photography shoot. Mika told me she did not want to make the trip on her birthday, she wanted to do it the day before. I agreed we could walk to Target after she finished her schoolwork today.
When Mika came downstairs this morning, she asked me what today is with a sly smile on her face. I told Mika today is Sunday and asked her if she remembered what we are planning to do today. Mika smiled and said we are going to Target after she finishes her schoolwork. All I can figure is that Mika must really miss going to a store, because she is actually doing schoolwork in only four times the time it should take her. Mika has spent a few nights at her sister’s house, so she has been outside our neighborhood during the past nine weeks. I am not sure if Mika is simply excited to go to a store or excited to choose her gift.
It is 11:00 a.m. I am breathing better, and Mika has completed one of her four schoolwork tasks. I am hoping we will leave by 1:00 p.m. for our trip to Target, but that is likely overly optimistic on my part. It takes Mika an hour (on a good day) to read 30 minutes because she takes 15 minutes to adjust her reading space and then I need to stop time for bathroom breaks and talking. Mika just started her math worksheets and then she has an online reading assignment and an online math assignment to do. Mika would be done with all three tasks in less than an hour if she would quit looking for ways to put off completing her work.
My piece of advice to you is to join the club. Millions of parents across the country are learning how their child relates to schoolwork. I learned homeschooling Mika is not an option for me because we would end up hating each other within a few weeks. Sometimes the best way to tell your child you love them is to promise never to homeschool them.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.
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