Where do I begin on my first non-photographic post in over a year? Hmmm...maybe I'll just post a picture and be done with it. ;-)
I cannot tell a lie - I am glad to see 2010 go. It's been a wild ride, baby, and I'd really like to get off the crazy train for a while. It's amazing how much things can change in a year. When I look back to this time last year I'm amazed at how much has changed. A year ago we were having our son tested to find out why he was having so many struggles at school. The end of January held the answer for us: severe dyslexia and severe dysgraphia (a writing-related learning disability often associated with dyslexia). For me, the diagnosis was a relief. I felt like we had been in a raging ocean, treading water and trying desperately to keep our head afloat. I knew we were in trouble, but I didn't know where the shore was. If I swim north am I going toward where I need to go or away from it? For me the diagnosis was like a lighthouse, shining in the darkness, letting me know where I needed to go.
February held many decisions for us. Do we hire a tutor to work with N? That would cost us about $5000 a year for a minimum of 3 years, which wasn't covered by insurance. Would I take the training to work with him, which would cost about $5000 when all was said and done? We took the less expensive path, and in March I took the first 2-week training course in Alphabetic Phonics, an intensive, sequential, multi-sensory language program to remediate dyslexia. The rest of the spring was spent figuring out this curriculum, planning my lessons and teaching them.
Summer was fun. The kids and I went to Atlanta to visit Dwayne's parents, and we all went to South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana in August. I had never seen Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, or Yellowstone before. We stayed at a dude ranch and the kids got to ride their first horses. They loved it.
The fall brought many changes as a flailing economy, the need to replace one of our cars, and some rather pricey home repairs made it clear that I needed to go back to work. I had done some subbing at a local preschool in the spring, and I was able to get on there when they had a couple of positions open up. I am so blessed to be where I am, but it has been a hard transition for me. This is the first time in my life that I've had to balance work and kids, and frankly I've had a hard time adjusting. Not only am I working every morning, but I go get N early from school three afternoons a week and work with him. Planning his lessons and teaching them is basically another part-time job, and my responsibilities at home are virtually unchanged. Oh, and did I mention that I'm co-president for PTO? And a room mom for one of my kids? All this makes one very full plate. I'm feeling better now that Christmas has passed - maybe I'm starting to get my "sea legs"?
As I type this, glad that 2010 has passed, 2011 weighs on my heart as well. Right now DH and I are struggling with some difficult decisions regarding some of our involvements. We long to know the right decision, but the answers are not clear to us. Two nights ago I sat with my son as he told me through tears that having dyslexia is "horrible" and he "hates it". No pressure on mom the tutor, right? Well, in the midst of these crises, I have this week's lessons to plan. I had better get to work. Maybe I'll have a few more non-photo posts this year. I hope to find balance this year, but it's starting out to be a wild ride, too. I would really like my life to be like yoga - peaceful, quiet, balanced. Too often it's like wild bull riding - just hold on for dear life and pray you don't fall off.
Here's hoping your year is more on the yoga side!
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