yet another reason to be happy that my kids are homeschooled

I had a doctor appointment this morning. That meant that i had to find a sitter willing to take all 4 kids (thanks Tristan!) and I needed to be organized to get them ready and to that sitter and then hit the ATM so I could make my copay for my appointment. Now, if I had my children doing the public school thing, the 3 oldest ones would have been off already (two at the local elementary school and one at preschool) so I wouldn't have needed a sitter because a lone 2 year old is MUCH simpler to take to the doctor than 4 kids is. So yeah, sometimes sending my kids to public school would be easier.

But then I have to stop and think. I have some mobility problems from last spring's illness. With this, some days are better than others. I also have problems with my heart and lungs, and am prone to certain illnesses because of these problems. I pretty much live on antibiotics, allergy meds, and asthma medications (both quick-acting inhaler and a long-acting medication to try and maintain) along with rounds on and off other stuff as needed. Currently, I am dealing with pleurisy (infection of the pleural membranes, it can be fairly painful and this is not the first time in my life I've had this particular issue) and am having a hard time with my allergies and asthma acting up because of all the pollen. So, I am having trouble catching my breath and doing much of anything. Just making lunch for my kids is difficult, standing tires me and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (the kids' favorite, we have it at least twice a week at their request) leaves me short of breath. As a result, we've been eating a lot of takeout the last couple weeks, my house is badly in need of a good cleaning, and I'm so behind in my laundry that it will take a month to catch up again. Oh well, we'll get things back in order again.

I manage to keep up with schooling and am meeting everyone's basic needs. That is my sole goal during times like these. And so far, I've been able to do exactly that on a daily basis. My husband is completely supportive of me during these difficult times, and helps whenever he can by picking up the slack with the housework and taking care of the kids. He is truly a godsend for me, a true blessing. I honestly don't know what I'd do without him right now.

Anyway, today was a doctor appointment for me. I dropped off my girls at my friend's house to play so that I could discuss all this stuff with her about what is going on lately. Now, my doctor that I see has been my doctor for almost 15 years. She knows all the stupid things I have done in my life, and is able to make connections to my current health that some doctors wouldn't make because she knows things about me (mostly because my grandmother was also a patient of hers and that woman would rant like a mad woman at me about her ungrateful grandchild and all the stuff I did) I like not having to explain everything I did from 16-21 to a new doctor, as my doctor doesn't have a lot of these things in my chart. But, my doctor has been known to try and put me on anxiety medication regularly because she is convinced that I have panic attacks from "having too many kids" and "not being sensible and putting the kids in a real school like normal parents do." We obviously have our differences on this thinking, and sometimes I wonder if it is clouding her judgement when treating me. However, today I didn't hear any of this opinion she has. She asked how the kids were doing and a couple general questions about how life in general is (probably to see if stress and anxiety could be a factor) and then we got down to business.

After a thorough exam, we came to the conclusion that I have pleurisy, and I got antibiotics and stronger asthma medications. She did, however, suggest that I take a school year or two off homeschooling, to focus on my physical health so that I can be a better mom. I told her I would consider that angle, as it wasn't one that I considered in the past.

Well, I have considered it. Sending them to school for a couple years may help give me time during the day to rest and recover. However, the work of making lunches and getting them to and from school on time (even if its just dealing with the bus stop if I can get the district to assign one at my street corner) would be so much work that it would completely undo the recovering I do while they are at school, especially since I have to take preschoolers to Head Start because they don't offer bussing and they'd only be there half the day. And then I have to deal with homework at night, making sure they have appropriate clothes clean to wear to school, and all the other little things like dealing with fundraisers, field trips, class things, parent-teacher conferences, and only goodness knows what else that pops up.

But with homeschooling, I can easily lay on the sofa and do all our lessons, taking frequent breaks to catch my breath as needed. I don't have to worry if the kids are dressed properly to go out in public, and if we decide to spend the day in our pajamas we can. I can have Melissa sit on the floor in front of the sofa with her dry erase board, and we can do her math lesson together before she does her workbook page for it at the coffee table. She can put a stack of blank paper and the crayon bucket in the middle of the coffee table and they can draw pictures while I read their history lesson to them. I can take a day off on Tuesday and do lessons through educational tv programming, movies, and computer games if I want or need to. I am not bound by a traditional school schedule. If I am having trouble moving to get out of bed one morning, we can curl up with snacks in my bed and watch tv until I can get out of bed better.

Homeschooling may be difficult in the eyes of people who don't do it, but for me it is a lot simpler than sending them off to school. I spent half a school year fighting my health with one in school, and I have to say that this is much easier for me than sending them. It may be difficult and stressful at times when one of the kids just isn't getting a concept in math or phonics, but in the end it just doesn't compare to the crazy hectic chaos that I'd have if I did send them to school. If you have kids and health problems, you probably know what I mean about getting around and doing things at times.