Daylight Savings broke everyone

By Mir
March 13, 2007

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that, well, everyone seems to have gone COMPLETELY INSANE since we changed the clocks, but I dunno. I think the cosmic balance has been upset. Or Mercury is in retrograde. Or there’s a monster on the wing of the plane. (Wait, not that last one, probably.)

Seriously, the last few days I’ve been having a difficult time for a variety of uninteresting reasons, and then I started looking around and realized that really, it’s fine, because everything and everyone else has gone haywire and by comparison it’s all good.

Regardless, that will not stop me from doing some random bitching.

* * * * *

Both children were home sick today. Chickadee had a low-grade fever, and still looked punky, and then Monkey said his stomach hurt. So everyone stayed home, and for the most part everyone was good. Just sick enough to keep the energy level down, not so sick that it was a complete whinefest. But I kept trying to work, and it’s not as though the kids are either infants or dying, so WHY can I not get 60 uninterrupted seconds? “Mama, look at this!” “Mama can I go do [insert allowable activity which no one has to ask for here]?” “Mama, I’m thirsty.” It’s like the very act of being home on a weekday causes their little brains to atrophy.

Because, seriously. I’m thrilled to know that you’re thirsty, truly, I am, but the refrigerator has not MOVED since you last saw it, and opening it reveals many fine beverages which you are perfectly capable of fetching for yourself, so why is this my problem? If you are laying on the couch moaning, maybe we’ll discuss it. But if you’re playing with your legos, you can get your own damn water.

* * * * *

I happened across a blog today with a little banner across the corner that read “I homeschool because MY CHILDREN ARE WORTH IT.” I had to click away, quickly, before I mailed the owner to say, “Oh my GOSH, that’s SO GREAT, because my kids are only worth public school, the substandard jerks.” I don’t know why that so irked me today, but it did.

* * * * *

In an unprecedented stroke of luck, I was able to find someone to come powerwash the gunk off of my house before the realtor comes to take the listing photos next week. That was great. Unfortunately, I spent a huge chunk of the afternoon digging out the children’s closets, and that only served to confirm that I have about 3 weeks worth of work to do in the next 5 days. I found some water shoes in Chickadee’s closet that were infant size 5. (For reference, she now wears a youth 3.) Perhaps that gives you an idea of just how bad it was in there.

While I was doing that, Monkey was kind enough to find the box of baby books I’d packed up from the family room and remove half of them and scatter them around the house. So helpful.

* * * * *

I am overwhelmed right now, which I’m sure you couldn’t tell at all, because I hide it so well. (Shut up.) Part of what’s been happening is that my eating has gotten just plain stupid. So today when we ran to the store I bought high-protein cereal and low-fat soy milk to put on it. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Eat healthy! I was feeling all pleased about myself, and then I had a bowl of ice cream. Oops.

* * * * *

This has officially been the strangest winter I can remember. And tomorrow it’s supposed to hit 68 degrees. (I stand by my original prediction that we’ll have a blizzard before April is over, by the way.) I love the warmer weather, but it couldn’t wait until the house stuff was done? Now my outside pictures will feature dirty snow that is no longer covering the mess that is my yard. Sheesh.

Also the changes in barometric pressure are messing with me, because I am 90 years old and my delicate joints can’t handle it. Please pass the Geritol.

* * * * *

One week. I’m giving the world one week to get back to normal, and then I’m going to start worrying.

44 Comments

  1. chris

    I homeschool my kids because it is easier than finding all their shoes every morning.

    You are SUCH an awesome mom. You ROCK!!!!!1!

  2. Mir

    Dear Chris,

    Bite me.

    Love,
    Mir

  3. chris

    Dear Mir,

    OUCH!

    Love,
    Chris

  4. Lucinda

    I will *not* be homeschooling my children because I would like them to survive childhood because they are, after all, worth it. That or I must be a terrible mother I guess and my children are obviously worth pennies on the dollar since I already ship them off to preschool.

    I would have been annoyed by the blog too.

  5. amy

    I did homeschool my son for one year and then decided that it might be better if he survived his childhood or maybe I decided that it might be better if I survived his childhood. Either way, sending him off to school was a win/win situation!
    By the way your post about Well Dressed Floundering was magical. Thanks for sharing as always… Good luck with the preparation for the Sale. Been there done that —

  6. Heather

    Yeah, I can see why that’d be annoying. It’s really not the right choice for everyone. It seems a little too isolating to me – that a lot of parents who do it, do it because they don’t want their kids hearing any “different” opinions – particularly on the topic of religion.

  7. Kate

    Hope you don’t end up getting lost in the kids closets, I take great comfort from the fact that you still have those kinds of things hanging out in your house, as I am still struggling to get through the first layer of “too small for BG” clothing.
    Oh and I decided not to homeschool my kids because I believe they should have a better chance to live!! Goodness knows that I would kill them if I had the incessant Im thirsty comments everyday of our lives!!
    Good luck with the rest of your week, hope the house pics turn out well

  8. Tracey

    Ah yes, the homeschool ‘worth it’ banner would have set my teeth gnashing too. My children are getting (according to the PM of our country) a values-neutral education. Public schooling, that is. And a few years ago the local Christian Community School put out pamphlets that basically bagged out public schooling as being for parents who didn’t care.

    What is with these people?

    Patently I don’t give a damn about my kids. Either.

    (Basically I don’t care what choices other people make about their children’s education, but I get really really cranky when they carry on as if their choice means that they REALLY care, and the rest of us don’t.)

  9. Zee

    That little “My children are worth it” banner thingy irked me and I didn’t even see it, nor do I have children! Maybe it’s the smugness of it that bothered you? What I wonder is how “Miss My Children Are Worth It” just knows that her brand of teaching is going to provide her worthy kiddos with “better” education. Does she have a teaching certificate and/or some other kind of objective proof that she’s a qualified teacher? Or does she just think she’s qualified because she “knows” her kids. Now, that’s not to say that mothers are not good teachers, because they certainly are – often – but in some cases I’m not sure parents are always as objective about their children’s needs/behaviors/whatever as a stranger.

    Anyway, I’m not a parent. Whot the heck do I know? Well, I do know that Mercury is no longer in retrograde, but it WAS! It went out on the 7th. Don’t ask me how I know that. :)

  10. danelle

    When our kids are home sick they aren’t allowed to do *anything*. No tv, no “activities”. They stay in bed (not on the couch) and are only allowed coloring books, crayons and books. The incidences of “my stomach hurts” are pretty much ZERO. muwahaha

    Homeschooling? ::shiver::

  11. Linda

    That banner irks me just as much as the women who look at me and say “Oh, you work outside of the home.”, and then look away. I must be the worst mother on the planet because I send my daughter to public school and go to work as well.

    I think it’s great for the mothers who can stay home with their children, I just don’t like the negativity some of them throw out to those of us who do work.

  12. fairly odd mother

    I homeschool my kids because I’m too damn lazy to get them up, dressed and on the school bus in the morning. Seriously.

    And, yes, daylight savings has screwed us all. My 2 year old somehow thinks that 5am is his new waking time. The girls have decided they no longer need to sleep in the middle of the night. I’ve decided I no longer want to be around any of them, but you know what? I homeschool so they have no where to go! DAMN!!!

  13. MomCat

    What a stupid banner! It’s all, “I’m better than you..,” when she really feels inadequate and wonders if her kids learn enough, and doesn’t want them exposed to the evil ways of diversity. I just can’t stand intolerance!! :)

    Daylight Savings Time is getting to me, too.

  14. Sara

    I had 3/4 of my children home from school yesterday, with 2/3 of those children sick. And yeah, it was 80 degrees here yesterday. So basically, I am now certifiable. Today? All are well and it’s a school day for EVERYONE!! Including the 2 year old. I am not homeschooling my children AND I’m doing cartwheels because I have a “free” day. Can you say “going to hell in a handbasket?” Sure. I knew you could!

  15. David

    “Bite me?” *LOL* See, this is why I love to read your blog: you’ve got ‘tude. ;-)

  16. Therese

    I always felt it was better for the children to be taught by the sane person, not the insane mother.
    As for the realtor photos, I am amazed by them. They can take the worst house and make it look like a mansion. They should be glamour photogs!

  17. tori

    I am with you about the joints not being able to handle these weather changes. It is beautiful out but this part of the year is hardest for me because I don’t know what to send my kids to school in. If you send them in short sleeves, maybe they will be cold (even with a sweater to put over it) but you also don’t want them to get too hot and have to suffer the whole day. It makes me obsess over what they should wear, when normally as long as it is clean it makes the cut. You know, because I send them to public school and don’t care about them so much.

  18. Melanie

    Mine’s a public school brat, too. I guess he’s not worth it. I always thought it was just because I can’t afford to stay home and homeschool him, though…
    I am not following your lead and cleaning out my closets, because I think there are skeletons in there. And maybe bears or hippos, I’m not sure, but whatever they are they are BIG because we have no more room in our closets.

  19. Jenn

    Yesterday, it was 73 here. This weekend, there’s a chance of snow. I really hate this time of year.

    Barometric pressure changes give me wretchedly bad headaches, it’s just delightful!

  20. LadyBug Crossing

    LOL!! I send mine to school – public school – because I want them to like me when they grow up. I know – purely selfish!
    xo
    LBC

  21. Woman with Kids

    I’m with Lucinda. My kids go to public school because I didn’t want to go to jail for hanging them by their toes. And, you know, they’re substandard jerks.

  22. tammy

    There’s a whole collection of home-schooling mothers in my exercise class, and they scare me. A lot.

  23. Brigitte

    I’ve never developed the famous “multi tasking” ability that all women are supposed to have, so if my house is ever to get reasonably clean, my baby BETTER go off to public school.

    Oh, the weather changed? We’ve had the plague here, I haven’t stepped out the door in days . . .

  24. JayMonster

    One one hand, I admire people that can actually afford (both mentally and financially) the opportunity to home-school their children. And I don’t think that most of them are fairly represented by the “Because my children are worth it” crowd.

    That being said, those same people are going to be the ones that blame the public schools when their children inevitably become outcasts later (high school, college) because they have not learned any socialization skills what-so-ever.

    Now what would you do if you didn’t have Monkey around to ensure you double checked the books you packed, to ensure that you put in there, only the books you REALLY wanted to pack?

    Just for the record… Low Fat Soy Milk? EWWWW! Your body is rebelling and that is why you craved the ice cream.

  25. Brown Eyed Girl

    OOO you can send those size 5 water shoes to me, that’s Casey’s size.

    I agree everything has been off kilter this week.

    I won’t even ATTEMPT to cover the home school thing. We should all be so lucky, right?

    I can sympathize….really I can.

  26. Heidi

    Zee’s right–you can’t blame Mercury because it went direct on the 7th. But I don’t mind sayin’ how I know that, because seeing as how it’s my real life job.

  27. Jessica

    Can someone make me a banner that reads “My baby goes to daycare because I’m worth it?” or would that be too provoking?
    The cute little buttons that irk me are the “Mommy’s milk bar open 24/7”. I wasn’t able to breast-feed the way I wanted and each time I see that particular icon it feels like a personal little jab…

    If you survive the closets you should totally have a huge yard sale… maybe you’ll earn enough to buy a new pair of shoes or two. Just enough to make the world seem sane again.

  28. Susan

    I have decided that having your house on the market burns off SO MANY EXTRA CALORIES (what with the cleaning and prepping and waking up at three am thinking WHAT THE HELL?!?) that you can eat damn near anything and probably still lose weight.

    Or at least that’s how I’m justifying the ENTIRE SLEEVE of Thin Mints I just finished.

    Mmmm, thin mints.

  29. Christina

    I homeschool but I also use disposable diapers and that makes me an outcast with all the other homeschool moms, go figure.

  30. Carol

    LMAO, I’m SO changing my blogline from “Stayin’ Klassy” to “I send my children to public school – BECAUSE DAMN IT, THEY’RE WORTH IT!”

    I don’t even know what to make of the homeschooling blogline you mentioned. I don’t know whether I should be insulted or not, actually.

    I hope this stressful time passes quickly, Mir!

  31. Liise

    Here in Arizona we do NOT need any more daylight, so we do not conform to that Daylight Savings Time thingy..however, at work? yeah the calendars are ALL hosed up. Made for a veddy interesting and pissy Monday.

  32. Brandy

    I’m new here. Just had to say, I homeschool and that banner creeps ME out.

  33. Stella

    I agree with Jessica I want a bumper sticker that says “I send my kids to daycare because I’m worth it”. Great post.

    Jessica- you should look into copyrighting that

  34. TSM-truth, sincerity, madness

    It’s so funny that you and I take that homeschool bit exactly the same. So what, now you’re saying I don’t think my kids are WORTH homeschooling? Bah!

    Anyhoo, I’m with you. One week…and things better be back in order. Or else!

    Keep breathing, girl…keep breathing.

  35. Laura

    I homeschool too, and it is not for everyone. My son just didn’t respond to being in a typical classroom and was unhappy and lost. I’m not trying to shield him from encountering people who think or believe differently than I do- in fact I’d argue that he’s encouraged to think more critically now, and to look at things from more perspectives than he ever was in his public school.

    I have a younger daughter who I would *never* attempt to homeschool because she has a completely different personality and set of needs. She loves her public school and so do I.

    That banner is utterly obnoxious. It assumes that there is only one right way to do things, and if you think differently it is because your priorities are wrong. It is interesting, however, that a few people responded to her judgemental statement with some sweeping judgements of their own.

  36. Heather

    I think Daylight Savings Time did break everyone. I feel broken for sure.

    And I send my daughter to preschool because she’s worth it, I’m worth it and goshdarnit, people like me better when she’s not with me 24/7.

  37. carolyn

    Home school? No, no, a thousand times no. I love my children, but come on, people. I’m not cut out for it, and neither are they, fortunately. Public school works well for us.

    Just my 2 cents.

  38. Susan

    Okay, here’s the thing.

    I am a WOHM (not by choice) whose kids go to public school.

    If I could homeschool them, I wouldn’t. I am not cut out for it, plain and simple.

    HOWEVER, I truly admire those who homeschool–at least those who do it well–and *wish* I were cut out for it. I usually always understand their reasons for doing it, and sometimes I, too, join in the “public school SUCKS!” rant. Sometimes I want to take my kids home and shelter them from everything evil in this world. And throw them in germ-free plastic bubbles, too, while I’m at it. But I digress…

    HOWEVER (again), I can’t stand the Superiority Complex some homeschoolers have (not all, but many) and their inability to see the positives of public school, or working outside the home, or whatever our differences may be.

    I think, deep down, we all want the best for our kids, and we do the best we know how. I want to believe that most parents’ hearts are in the right places. Why does anyone (working mom or SAHM, public school parent or homeschooler) think it’s their place to judge?

    THAT I don’t get.

  39. Carrie

    I’m a mom AND a public school teacher. I know, big gasp, huh? I LOVE to teach your children. I care about each of them personally and I do an awesome job of meeting the academic needs of 20 or so at a time — I think they are all worth it. I ADORE my own children — but when my little Monkey finished first grade not really reading, I hired a tutor. Because I’d rather be his Mommy and the teacher of life and values, not the teacher of academics at home. Also, because he’s worth it.

    Jeez, stupid banner got me on a rant and I didn’t even actually see it.

  40. BOSSY

    Bossy performs this neat parlor trick where she guesses what time it is before looking at her watch and is usually within three minutes of the correct time even if she hasn’t glanced at a clock in days. Bossy’s husband really loves Bossy’s trick when they are running late and Bossy stands tapping her foot and guessing at the time (correctly) – as you can imagine.

    But – since the clock change: Hello? What day is it? Month? March? Still? And you’re sure it’s night? Because Bossy is vaguely in the mood for waffles and she’s pretty sure she just woke up. Or is it time for bed?

  41. Daisy

    I teach public school: because every kid deserves a great education. My kids and yours are worth it.

  42. Ruth

    I homeschool. I homeschool because I cannot be involved in their local public school for a smattering of reasons that almost always worked together to keep me out. My children went there, three blocks away, and as a whole those poor teachers are micromanaged by their governing bodies and underappreciated by the parents. The kids voted to come back to homeschooling “1000%”. Not surprising. Every single one of them had more than one ignored but valid complaint for both of their 2 years there. We keep in touch with neighborhood friends and we work systematically at their own pace emphasizing comprehension. I have many other spinning plates and “I homeschool BECAUSE MY KIDS ARE WORTH IT” is my mantra to keep myself going. I’d love to not care about their stress levels and send them off with a cutesy kiss, but their pain was escalating. We homeschool because it is the best choice for us.

    Maybe that silly banner was nothing more than a misplaced reminder to self and close homeschooling friends?

    It is sad that in general homeschoolers have been snooty enough to elicit such a negative assumption.

  43. bonggamom

    I can’t stand this timechange either (in fact I blogged about it on SVMomsBlog, check it out) !

  44. Kestralyn

    I suspect that the reaction to the homeschooling tagline is less about homeschooling, per se, and more about our reactions to people who do X and decide that because they do X, you’re obviously inferior to them. I’m not a mom, but I’ve seen so much of this in the blogs I read by parents, those dealing with infertility, and also just in life in general.

    Everyone needs to feel better than someone else, and apparently an easy way to do this is to question and belittle other people’s decisions. I don’t understand why childbearing and childrearing are so completely rife with this attitude, but they sure as &*() are!

    Raise your kid(s) however you want; it’s your prerogative. However, when they impinge on me, I reserve the right to say something.

    Just remember: DBAA! (Don’t be an a%%h*()!)

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