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- 1. Getting back into the regular school groove and balancing everything has been a little tricky for me this year. You’d think it would be easier because I only have one minor child, but for some reason balancing the driving duties to all of her activities, keeping up with the house, working a part-time transcription gig, homeschooling my granddaughter, preparing for two co-op classes every week – it’s taking it’s toll.
The balls that have been dropped are two of my favorites- practicing my flute and blogging! I think once I’m more used to late afternoon cross country practices instead of early morning runs, I can become more organized. Until then, the balancing act is a little precarious.
2. Long-time readers may recall the struggle we have had with Rosie’s running and hitting puberty. The struggle is real folks. It seems like some really, really extremely fortunate and gifted girls manage to keep their speed and have their periods at the same time, but for many of the women I have talked to who were athletes and dancers, this time is really challenging, and it continues to be so for Rosie.
As a parent of a girl runner, I feel like I am once again traveling in uncharted territory. I never had to worry about pelvic development and the stress on hips and knees with Noah. (Flexibility was an issue though) But it’s a real issue with girls. In fact, for all of their running, their gluteus medius muscles can be super weak.
After a quick visit to the sports doctor and the trainer at the high school, Rosie has been stretching and strengthening her hip area, as well as keeping up her ankle exercises. It takes her a solid hour to get all of that done.
In addition to that, we’ve had to deal with some disappointing times, after a wonderful first meet where she got a personal best and earned a varsity letter. So Mr. Pete and I are going to do something we’ve never done before – we’re going to talk to a licensed counselor about how best to support our daughter student-athlete.
Part of what makes me want to do this is my own experience as a young dancer. My mother was very supportive and encouraging and she ran interference with my dance teacher a couple of times. However, there were things that were said to me by my teacher and others that I’m sure affected me negatively years after the end of my dancing days. I don’t want the same thing to happen to my daughter, and I think it’s time to address it during the start of her high school journey.
3. I took Sophie to the Vet this week. I had to start giving her Trazadone on Sunday so that she would have five doses taken before her appointment. She was tired, lethargic and a couple of times I had to check to see if she was still breathing! She even lay still in the car on the way over.
But as soon as we got to the front of the vet’s office, she got a sudden rush of adrenaline. She planted all four feet solidly into the ground and refused to enter the building. I had topic her up and carry her over the threshold and then literally drag her across the floor into an exam room.
It got worse.
I had to carry her to the scale too because she simply would not go. She’s gained four pounds from last year, so it’s nice to know that at least she’s eating well I guess.
Then the vet came in. Not the vet that she bit last year. No, they sent in an unsuspecting and innocent associate! But he was cool. He offered her a doggie biscuit, but Sophie is a dog of integrity and she was on to his game. She refused to take it. Seeing that this was going to be a hard sell, we put the muzzle on and then we had to leave the room.
Ten minutes later I’m relieved to tell you that the vet came out, and no one got hurt. Sophie looks good, although he couldn’t look into her mouth or her nose, or feel her stomach – oh and we couldn’t draw blood. But she did get two shots and her flea prevention treatment so overall I’d call that a success and she is clear to be boarded for a few days.
4. I went through all of that with the dog because in a couple of months we have to load up the fam to go to a destination wedding – and the doggie is not invited. We are traveling into the Great Smokey mountains to see one of my favorite nieces get married to the love of her life. We’ll be staying in this gorgeous log cabin/mansion type thing with the entire family under one roof.
I’m not looking forward to the drive. I’m dreading leaving the house because I’m becoming more and more of a homebody – but I am looking forward to seeing this part of the country and seeing a bit more of the family history as it happens. Will it be snowing then or will we still see some fall color? I guess we’ll find out.
5. I am teaching two classes at our homeschool co-op this year – Logic and General Science. One is at 10:05 and one is at 11:15. One has mostly high schoolers and the other has mostly middle school.
As soon as I was done with the long scourge that was registration, I finally started thinking about my classes and it occurred to me that I wasn’t going to have any time to set up my labs this year! So I did something I should have done two years ago – I asked for help! I got one mom to help me with crowd control, and another mom to actually set up the labs. It’s great! As a matter of fact, my lab mom kind of takes over the class when we’re doing the experiments and that gives me a break after teaching for over an hour.
It’s great for my helper moms too. If you aren’t teaching, you’re supposed to be cleaning. My lab mom was an amazing cleaner last year, but she really wanted to do something else besides clean or be the hall monitor – I think she’s found her perfect niche!!
6. I totally spaced on getting my post out on the Holy Name of Mary Yesterday – here it is.
7. Remember how up in #1 I didn’t want to make mistakes in supporting my student-athlete daughter? Well, I didn’t want to make mistakes in homeschooling high school either. This webinar by Lee Binz was one of the resources that supported me on my homeschool high school journey. How to Avoid the 5 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make Homeschooling their Children.
** The First Mistake may cripple your plans if your child ever changes their mind (and what teenager doesn’t!)
** The Second Mistake may leave your child unprepared for college!
** The Third Mistake may result in the loss of thousands of dollars in financial aid!
** The Fourth Mistake may cause your child to be lost in the crowd during college admission!
** The Fifth Mistake may render your kid unable to gain admission to the college of their dreams!
Find a good female counselor who ran in high school.We were fortunate that we had two women who worked with the girls. They were able to catch the small injuries that could lead into big ones.They kept them positive as a team. You have already found one key- stretch, slow easy runs with a mix of up paced ones.
Is the Athletic trainer at the high school any good? They usually work with football, but ours worked a great deal with ice baths, especially, for our girls. The two things I did learn is that: “running through” an injury is not a good thing and, you want your child to peak in junior year for scholarships. Senior year is also good, since they run early in the year. Girls often lost their periods and the trainer increased some minerals in their diets to support their bones.
That, particular, team went on to full rides for five girls and four guys. Most of the rest(30) ran in college until their I t bans gave way (a very common thing when not in check) or they became too busy. The group, long gradated, include two veterinarians, three college professors, two athletic trainers and a professional symphony oboist 🙂 Two competed in Olympic trails. All of them still considers themselves runners- even my daughter who never had the talent, but had the guts. The girls continue to be amazing friends. Their records. at the high school level, still stand……
[…] race, she developed hip problems. Being a semi-old hand at this, I took her to the sports doctor. The diagnosis was weak gluteus minimus muscles. After some physical therapy and some counseling to bolster her confidence, – Rosie managed […]