I'm exhausted already.

Seriously, how bad is it going to be once I actually have to teach 5 days too? Today I got up at 7:30, got Charlie up at 8, got him on the bus at 8:50... 10 minutes after school starts, so that involved yet another pleasant conversation with transportation that began with "Where is my son's bus?" and ended with "I shouldn't really have to call you guys every other day. Get it together." Anyway, by 9:30 I was working on turning the basement into a classroom. You can see the before and after pictures at www.snapfish.com - my email address is holly-heck@comcast.net and the password is dis50ney. Just click on the album called classroom. This was a ton of work. We actually spend quite a bit of time in the basement already, so there's a lot of mess created, and being the stellar homemaker I am, I generally decide that since no one can see it from the "actual house", meaning upstairs, I don't need to clean it. This is a constant source of irritation to my long-suffering husband, who will be glad to know that now it has to be kept clean. So, I cleaned and I cleaned, and then I organized, and ate lunch, and did something horrible to my knee trying to get whatever was under the desk out of there, and organized some more, and about broke my back putting the giant monitor on the desk (thanks, pops... it's BIG!) and had dinner, and vacuumed, and now I sit before you a dirty, sweaty, exhausted shell of the woman I once was. And we haven't started the home schooling yet! :)
I spoke to Charlie's current special ed teacher today, told her what the plan was. She was much more supportive than I expected.. I think I have it in my head that no one from the public brick & mortar school will support our decision because the Cherry Creek people looked at me like I was insane when we first found out about Charlie's autism and I brought up the subject of home schooling. They were so against it that I think I've been conditioned to think that all public school employees throw up the sign of the evil eye and start shouting "burn the witch!" every time they hear the words home school. So, I was glad to hear Mrs. Schornak say that she thought it would be a great program for Charlie. She also said she didn't see why Charlie couldn't continue to get his therapies by coming to the school once a week, which would be so much better for everyone. He can continue with the same therapists, and I don't have to worry about driving him to Colorado Springs for it. She also wants to join Charlie's IEP meeting on the 9th via conference call, which I really wanted since she spends a lot of time with him. I am hoping that his aide Jackie can join in the meeting somehow as well. I did write her a note in Charlie's notebook today telling her he was leaving, and she wrote me back a short and terse reply. I don't know if this is because she doesn't approve, will not have a job after Charlie leaves (don't know how that works) or just because she will miss him. The two of them are pretty close, she spends all day with him and was his aide last year also. Hopefully we can work out some way for Jackie to still spend some time with Charlie in a social way. That's it for school related tonight.
Funny tidbits:
Kayla, after being told that she has school tomorrow: "WOW, like a big girl on a big bus? Hang on mommy, don't answer I want to do it again with a bounce. WOW, like a big girl on a big bus?" (the second time, she added a bounce at the end, and tossed her hair.)
Charlie, while watching me play blackjack on my phone: "Mom, you should never hit on 14 when the dealer is showing a 5. Give me that phone and I'll play." Uncle Ryan can take him to Vegas on his next trip. :)