October 17, 2017
Even though we don't do a lot of planning ahead because so many of our plans go awry or get cancelled at the last minute...I still sometimes have to plan ahead. And for my efforts I really think I get very close to an ulcer. I couldn't be more ridiculous if I tried, I mean seriously! Let's see... coming up we have a special night to honor our oldest as she receives her Academic letter for Varsity level Academics. She's doing this as a Sophomore, having accomplished the standards as a freshman. Yeah, we're a little bit proud of her. She's part of the Individual competition portion of the Academic Decathalon at school because they already had six people over the GPA of 3.9, they have to round the team out with the rest of the GPA markers apparently. Huh? So my kiddo just got kind of punished for having too high a GPA? Uh-huh...okay, whatever. She is getting honored on Thursday night. We will be watching our younger daughter get punished for being too good at Volleyball at 3:30 that day, then rushing on over to watch with great pride as Madison is recognized for her work. Since there are no Athletics at her school, this is the letter that will grace her Letterman's jacket. So we'll order that too and by Spring when it's too hot to wear she'll have it sitting in her closet waiting for the next cold spell, like December or January her Junior year to wear it. The timing couldn't be more perfect! Where did I leave that sarcasm font? Why am I being this way? Maybe because they want the kids to wear their Monarchs pride, but yet things like class rings or charms are relegated to ordering in Senior year and wearing them for one semester before school is over. Good grief really? My plan, and I don't see an ulcer in my future on this one, is to order her ring at the end of this school year so she can enjoy it for her Junior and Senior years. That's right sports fan, Momma is busting out of the box on this one!
And did you catch that part about my other kid being punished for being too good? Yeah, here's the scoop on that. It actually has nothing to do with whether or not she plays in the game. Surprised you didn't I? Nope, not the mom taking the bitter pill over here. No, because she is considered to be the equivalent of a Varsity player in the Coach's brain, she doesn't get to paractice because the Coach doesn't want her starters to be tired for games. Go ahead, go back and re-read that, I'll wait.
So while the other girls are practicing, she has six sit out, including my daughter, so that they aren't tired for the games, then doesn't play them. Wait, correction, doesn't play them together. Last game, she put two starters on the floor with two "JV" type players, and two "Fresh/Soph" type players. Then changed them out to the same equivalents in the second game and then the third game to fifteen that means nothing but is intended to let girls that are learning get some real competitive game time experience. So today, we are playing an undefeated team, that will likely stay undefeated if she chooses this method of player assignment. I'm thinking she will because she was literally bubbling over with how excited she was by her strategy in the last game, against a team that was 0-3. Today will be painful to watch. Thursday will be just as painful because the girls are playing the same team that already beat them, back when she wanted to make a point and played her "Fresh/Soph" team against them and we lost the whole thing... or was that her "JV" team? Not sure it matters anymore. I choose to gather my chicks and herd them out the door as soon as the game is over and not bother to talk to the coach, I am not one to hold my tongue; my filtering system has apparently been broken somewhere along the way and no one can find a part that old to fix it...best if I just keep walking.
Which brings me back to the idea that we can't wait for Club Season to start. Sydney is chomping at the bit wanting a real coach, while Madison is in a holding pattern just waiting for a chance to play more competitive ball. But with the Club Season comes some new wrinkles for me, and I don't mean in my clothing. You'd think by now I'd have a head of gray hair, but I don't. Club Season just might do it for me though.
We know already that Sydney's team is going to a tournament in Orlando, Florida in June. Looking at Madison's schedule, we know that if her team wins a bid to go the Junior National Qualifiers, she will be in Detroit in June as well. What might happen in our house is that Mom will take Sydney to Florida, while Dad works and Madison keeps Bradley when he isn't in school until Dad gets home from work. And then Bradley will be with Mom and Sydney for Dad to take Madison to Detroit. Hmmm... okay, a potential plan. Or this could happen... Sydney is at her tournament from the 16th to the 20th of June. Then the age groups of 15's, 17's and 18's are in tournament at the same place, with the 16's and the other half of the 18's age groups are going from the 25 to 28th. Anybody else see that large gap there in the middle? If Madison's team doesn't win a bid, they are going to FL. If that happens then we are living in Florida for almost two weeks. Currently, I am trying to figure out how late we can possibly get to Floriday because Sydney starts play on the 17th but Madison has SoCAl Finals on the 16th. Guess who will have to fly separate! No safety in numbers for this crew, or at least, more hands to help carry all the gear to take Bradley from Los Angeles to Florida.
He has to have a car seat and a stroller, sorry folks, his stamina is such that he can't make it all day...okay over a good twenty minute walk. (Despite Dad and I taking him for walks to build him up, one of us has to carry him home). He has a nebulizer, a lot of medicine. Diapers, because I'm not counting on my miracle skills to get him potty trained in the next decade let alone how many months. Miracles happen, but I am counting on the diapers until I don't have too. And then there is his Pediasure and his pump. I can try to Bolus him every night and every feed, but how irresponsible would I be if I didn't have his pump in case the Bolus wasn't working or he got sick because the change of weather or too many germs, or whatever other million things that go wrong, go wrong. His pump has to go too. His food weighs a good 16 pounds, 32 pounds for two cases. Five a day, fourteen days... math says 70 cans? Holy Crap, I feel the ulcer already. Forty eight pounds of extra luggage, what could possibly go wrong? I can see our bags going through x-ray now, each one with another portion of his Pediasure, the girls lugging extra weight with them in their bags, so fun!
Getting through Security is already giving me Hives. He has to have his Pediasure, how do I get THOSE through Security, and he has to have enough to last in case our luggage takes a detour without us. And then I keep seeing these lovely stories of airlines being absolutely the worst of humanity when it comes to our kids. I guess I should feel better, at least they aren't just targeting the disabled anymore, they are going after anyone they don't like. Still... The scenarios are not pretty running through my head.
And then here at home. We have a zoo now. All because one of the adults in this house (yeah okay me) agreed to get one of the kids in our house a rabbit as she had been promised, and because the other one really didn't have a pet of her own because one cat chose that other girl and one cat chose that adult with the rabbit thing... we have to make sure that we come home to live animals. Rabbits eat all their food everyday. You can't just leave a whole bag out and wish them luck! The cats I've considered, but they both would eat it all the food in the first two days then be so fat they'd just melt that right off in the next twelve...really a win-win for them. No, that's not good either. In their overly burdened state they'd probably dump their water and that would be the end.
At some point, there is a no turning back, no refund moment on tickets and hotel etc. that's what scares me the most. If Bradley suddenly can't go, then what do we do? Without a disposable income of excess money, that can be catastrophic for us.
I know that people do this, and they do it successfully every day. I don't know any of those people, but it doesn't mean they don't exist. Challenges are challenges and they must be overcome. I just have to figure out how to do it. So while this is milling around in the back of my mind, and believe me, I see me as the exhausted hamster lying on a wheel that just keeps turning without me running, sort of flopping me around... This week, I am watching Sydney maybe play some volleyball, and I am watching Madison be recognized for a truly amazing achievement, and both these girls have worked incredibly hard for what I will see this week. This week I am honored to be there to watch it happen, the great and the other stuff. Just to be there to be their very proud mom. And maybe Bradley won't quite understand the moments, but he'll understand very well when their enthusiasm bubbles over and they hug and hold onto him for pictures and for hugs and love. He gets that part, and he truly loves that part too. The rest will come in time, or so I hope. June will roll around whether I like it or not, and one way or another, events will fall into place and more than likely some poor soul at the airline we choose and the hotel we choose will be so grateful they won't have to answer my numerous inquiries that they might have fruit or flowers waiting for me on my way home. It could happen!
We knew life with Bradley would bring Challenges, and we knew that with two sisters, life would bring even more...turns out they aren't the real challenges, life is the Challenge and successfully chartering the path is the true work. Turns out they are the fun part of the challenge, getting there is maybe not as much fun, but it sure is an interesting path. Surely Bradley will be okay sharing his Tums with me over the next few months. Right?! UGH!!!!!
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