Last night I discovered a Bonus Toad... my 7 yr old had failed to do some of his class work last week, which meant that he was untrue when he told me all weekend that he had no homework all weekend... it made for a late night. The worst of it is, he is so very much like me. My own dyslexia & dysgraphia, combined with my nerdiness & desire for perfection would lead me to a paralysis over writing assignments as a child (and sometimes still). Muh boy ain't been diagnosed as lysdexic yet, but I see a strong potential for it. (like the time he used those foam peel and stick letters to make a craft at Vacation Bible School with the long version of his first name on it (7 letters in stead of 4) and I commented how cool it was that he did it mirror image and then we had a 7 minute discussion about that it really was mirror image...he'd just not realized it.) Because I can see the same gears turning inside his head that turned in mine, I So Very Much want to provide him an escape from doing his writing... but because I have been there I know all the more that with this child I cannot. Even into my 30's I sometimes am brought to the point of tears when faced with having to do major writings (you'd never know it from my uberlong posts, tho :/ ) and all the reading that is involved with filling out the endless stream of Forms society creates (School registrations, taxes, job applications, health insurance...) can leave me feeling intimidated.
{this from a man who can pull a four point in grad school}
Oh how I wanted to give him an out. Oh how I could understand his struggle with it. Oh how I just wanted the stuff done so we could go to bed.
Today's Toad?
Monday.
The getting back to routine. The making everything go just so. The pulling off the appearance that I have it all together as I frantically run from being dad to being employee and back again. The planning and execution of meals that my kids will actually eat that have no drive-thru component.
After Saturday, I feel cheated of my weekend, and much of Sunday (that is, the parts not consumed by Easter Activities - Did I mention that at the giant outdoor Easter Carnival & Egg hunt I ended up with 2 extra kids that I was responsible for?!?)... oh yes, much of Sunday was spent trying to work through the emotional garbage of Saturday... while remaining active in the discussion and study in Bible Class, while helping with Children's Church, while driving, while cooking and being Dad, while teaching the kids how to do laundry, while getting homework done, while... while wishing I had a pause button.
Ack! lookathetime! At least this morning I am going in to work late so that I can be there while Boychild receives a minor award at school.
"...Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that You will make all things right, If I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen" -Reinhold Niebuhr
I'm not much for liturgy, but
This Is Toadsauce.
It helps the toad go down. The full prayer works better.
Actually, I think people did tell me that, but I was too young to want to listen or understand. 
. Eat processed pressed ham and bad potato salad with a smile...
