I have had a bit of trouble finding time to blog this past 24 hours. Yesterday Beth and I worked on schoolwork all morning—mostly math and language—and then went bowling with a bunch of other homeschool folks. I can’t bowl worth a whit and I’m even sore today from pulling something. Jeezz, what an old lady I am! After bowling we returned home to fix and eat dinner and then I rushed off with Beth, dropped her at swim practice and then went grocery shopping. My husband arrived at home just as we were leaving, which was terrific timing as Dora was in reverse at home. After shopping, I quickly unpacked groceries and then participated in a 75 minute ATN conference call, ending at 9:15 my time. There wasn’t anything left of me after that to write a blog.


Beth swam over 1.5 miles in practice last night, and she didn’t show her face until after Dora left for school this morning. Homeschooling is already proving to be wonderful. After Beth glanced out the window and noted that I had done her morning chore of feeding the horses, she moved even more slowly. Still in her pj’s, she asked if we could hit the chair for some catharsis. She has apparently been needing to offload some angst, but felt constrained to do so by the constant presence of Dora. I suspected as much, and this was yet another factor in my decision to bring her home.


Yesterday Beth informed me that her throat was sore, a problem that has apparently been there for two weeks. News to me … Today it was still bothering her, so we dropped everything and went to the doctor, where my suspicions of allergy-related drainage were confirmed. Because her throat hurt and probably because our chair time was abbreviated due to having to leave for the doc’s office, Beth didn’t get much into her usual wailing. I’m not sure what still lurks beneath, but I am gratified and humble that she feels safe enough with me to vent her angst in my arms. Some of it is, I think, just “normal” tweener stuff. She’s got hormones gearing up, she’s working hard in swimming (and is very competitive) and heck—life is just hard and weird sometimes. She basically said as much—“I just don’t feel right.” Some days, neither do I, but isn’t it comforting to know that I can “not feel right” and still be with the ones I love?


Beth is on allergy meds, both oral and intranasal. She's doing her first schoolwork of the day right now (after a TCBY lunch--Yum!), and soon we are heading to the mall to get Dora's picture taken at Penney's.


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