Life Keeps Chugging Along

Isn't it funny how life keeps moving even when you want nothing more than to curl into a ball and have the world stop around you? Sigh.

Things keep moving forward. Tomorrow is my mom's third chemo treatment. Aside from feeling like she's been run over by a truck. losing weight, and nausea when she hasn't taken her meds, she seems to have missed many of the side effects that could be plaguing her. (I'm knocking on wood and throwing handfuls of salt over my shoulder as I type that so not to jinx her.) She has a PET scan just before Christmas - I wish they would have been more sensitive to the timing of that. It could be very good if we see positive things happening or very bad if we don't... Sigh. So there is that ahead.

Two weeks ago, she called me to come shave her head. That was a LOT harder for me than I expected it to be. She was very stoic about it all. When I got back to the safety of my own house, I was a mess. I could probably still find myself crying about it if I thought about it for very long. There is something so tangible and heartbreaking about losing her hair.

I was in a miserable situation with a student teacher this semester, as well. The man assigned to me had very limited experience in an Am.er.ic.an classroom (he immigrated here 5 years ago) and absolutely no experience in middle or high school Then he announced that he had never really spoken in front of a group before this experience. Which? Why would anyone think this job would be the one for them with all of that stacked against them? The most frustrating part for me was that he was also incredibly arrogant for someone in his position. I had reached the point of dreading going to work each day. Things came to a head two weeks ago, and I asked for him to be moved to another placement. Such relief when he was finally gone.

I've also struggled with the boys' school again this year. There is an entirely new IEP team in place this year, so I am back to the starting board when it comes to getting them to address the boys' needs. Sigh.

Such is the way of things, I guess. Life tends to pile on the crap to wade through when you're at the bottom.

The boys had this week off from school. It has been welcomed, that's for sure. There were plenty of PJ days and piling on the couch to watch movies. Definitely a salve for my weary soul. We have 15 school days until winter break. I am so looking forward to that, too. Until then, there is nothing to do but keep on keeping on.