household injuries and curriculum creep

I don't know what percentage of injuries happen in the home, but they seem to be happening to me more often lately. Last week, it was a stabbing pain from all the eye-rolling over the political conventions. Today it was neck pain. The Boy (who frankly doesn't need any more phobias) ran across a huge, tan palmetto bug this morning, which I was forced to kill all by myself. (For those of you from Up North, "palmetto bug" is a southern euphemism for "huge honkin' roach".) Apparently, The Husband saw it this morning, but couldn't catch it in time. Patrick and I "luckily" found it upside down, waving its spiny legs in the air. The recurring shudders of revulsion are actually giving me neck spasms...

The library's online system is down for another two weeks, and is wreaking havoc on my history curriculum. "You Wouldn't Want to be a Sumerian Slave" is supposedly at our library, but I can't find it, and we won't know for another few weeks when it's coming back. I finally decided to shell out the $10 to Amazon to get it on Wednesday. I hate that.

Curriculum creep has hit our home as well. I was putting together tools for handwriting/spelling and reading comprehension, and I just put too much on the list. The kids got antsy and grumpy on me this morning. They were already on edge about the dinosaur we found in the kitchen this morning. (Ouch, my neck again!) Anyway, it's back to the drawing board. I think the key to getting it all done is to get the nebulous, touchy-feely stuff done first. That means a little spelling/handwriting to start off, then science and history. Then math fits in neatly before lunch. After lunch, we can do reading. The only problem is that I just can't get up the steam to make them write answers to wh- questions on the reading. We're tired. I just want to read, and they just want to be read to. Worse things have happened.

I keep thinking I can combine some activities for the kids, but no. Patrick can draw shapes that look like letters, but they're not formed like letters, and will be impossible to convert into cursive letters. So, we have to start over with manuscript. My esnipe failed to get me a 4th grade A Beka spelling book for The Boy, so that's back to the drawing board. Oh well. Everyone needs a hobby. Right? ;)