I have been having massive guilt about saddling Mac with just a single parent and one who is shite with patience,

Aw, msbelle. Mac is incredibly lucky to have a mom like you. Nobody said you had to be a saint to love him, or be a good mother to him. Anyway, I think "short on patience" describes everyone dealing with a whiny recalcitrant teenager, saint or not.

What Zen said.

Oh, right, I have wine to pick up. That'll be nice.

I refrained from posting earlier because I was like, "I am actually so pleased and a little surprised with how well Casper is handling the transition to 7th grade (which is in a 7-12 high school)." But then she was weeping audibly while doing her math homework, which is ADDITION REVIEW. I sent her up to lie down and hope she falls asleep. Meanwhile, Dillo is not studying the genres and subgenres of writing, but rather playing with his wand. (Not a euphemism: a Harry Potter wand.)

Also, calling msbelle, I have just booked plane tickets to Dallas for October 16-18. It is for my brother's wedding, so my guess is we will be crazy busy, but Saturday morning might be a good time to meet up? My sister will also be in town.

Learning+change is hard, you guys. All week, my boss has been shoving stuff in my head before she goes, and I am WIPED OUT. I am having almonds and beer for dinner.

I am having almonds and beer for dinner.

Classic! That's, like, a bunch of potassium. Or something. Isn't it?

It's something, that's for sure!

The Winter Tabby, a WIP being updated every two weeks. Up to 7 chapters.

Thank you!

My sister was one of those A+ high schoolers with extracirriculars and a ton of church stuff. Then she went to college, realized she'd never learned how to study, discovered beer, and lost her scholarship. It took a year at another school, away from her future husband, for her to get her act together. Happy ending--she graduated from her original college choice, married her sweetie, and now has a graduate degree and two grown children. It was tense for a while, but it all worked out.

I'm drinking a Cabernet Sauvignon with delightful chocolate notes and a lovely mouthfeel. It's gonna be a challenge to not finish the bottle tonight.

Aww msbelle, I think you and I are proof that massive guilt is pretty much one of the hallmarks of parenting. It is not proof positive of bad parenting. I agree mac is lucky to have you, and it's clear how much you love him even when he drives you nuts.

So this afternoon has been OK homework wise, despite my whining earlier. Isaac at least has a reasonable homework load tonight. He asked to rewrite his "About Me" poem so I'm getting a chance to see it. It has lines like "Who fears the Apocalypse, monsters, and the darkness" and "Who would like to become a dragon rider." What was that you were saying about imagination, Maria? Yep, that's my boy.

Meanwhile my girl is getting her bottom row of brackets put in. I'm expecting her to be a little cranky later, but I hope it doesn't mess up homework too much because I have to write part of a grant proposal tonight.

Which I guess boils down to "parenting is hard, but there are lots of good moments too."

So this is what I have to look forward to, huh? ::starts panicking::

Um, sorry Sheryl!