There is a special time that takes place in many homes each day, that precious time when the kids get home from school, the phone is ringing, other kids need to get to appointments and practices, the doorbell rings, the dryer buzzes, homework needs to be started and papers need to be signed, and dinner - if not already half-way started - has to be prepared. At our house those ninety minutes are from 3:45 to 5:15. Yesterday was a doozy.
On Thursdays, Sierra has violin lessons after school, so she, Cinque, and I arrive home where Eli, Evan, and Samara have already gotten off the bus, had their snack, and have started their homework - theoretically. Yesterday we were about ten minutes late getting home, and Eli had a friend over to study quizzing. Once getting everyone settled and started on homework, and after listening to Evan complain about having to read during homework time instead of at bedtime, the DHS case worker arrived at 4:00. She's a wonderful worker, and since things are moving along with Cinque's transition, I was really looking forward to speaking with her; so we sat down to talk.
About five minutes into our conversation, Fred came home and needed help to transition into unpacking his book bag and starting his homework. While I did that the case worker made a phone call, it was all good. Sierra also finished her homework about that time and wanted to watch a video, which was also good because she usually can sit quietly for twenty minutes to do that. So with Fred settled and the video started, we got back to our conversation.
Unfortunately, we were talking in the same space where Sierra was watching the video; she felt that the volume needed to be louder and would scoot to the television and turn it up, but I had the remote and from the other side of the room, would turn the sound back down - while holding the conversation with the case worker. Sierra and I continued this unspoken battle until I interrupted the conversation to threaten her with the ending of the movie if she turned up the sound again. She settled down.
But then Fred started up; he's not big on social niceties. From where he was working, he asked for a calculator. Time for the case worker to make another phone call while I worked with Fred to help him understand that he was not allowed to use a calculator for his homework. That issue was settled and then the phone rang. Checking caller ID, I saw that it was the pre-adoptive family with whom I had been playing phone tag in trying to schedule Cinque's next visit with them. The case worker told me to take the call, which turned out to be a fifteen minute conversation during which time Sierra cranked up the volume on the video and Fred finagled the calculator into his possession.
After hanging up the phone, turning down the video volume, and confiscating the calculator, we resumed our conversation and actually shared some helpful information with each other for about the next ten minutes. At that point, Eli and his friend entered the room, politely stood back and waited for an opening - apparently there were some pressing questions regarding the upcoming quiz meet. I asked them to wait a few minutes and I finished talking with the case worker who then met with Cinque for a bit.
Fred and I checked over his homework, and he cleared out. Eli, his friend, and I sat down to talk through some quizzing details, meanwhile Evan joined Sierra in front of the television - not usually a good combination. True to form, a few minutes later Evan was quietly instigating and Sierra was loudly protesting. Interrupting my conversation with the boys, I issued a warning to Evan and Sierra with a consequence to have to work together to clean the basement if they bothered each other again. We finished talking about quizzing, I got up to check on dinner - thank goodness for crock pots, the case worker came downstairs from talking with Cinque, Stan walked in the door from work, and Eli's friend was getting ready to leave.
On Thursdays, Samara and Stan have basketball practice at 5:30, so Samara is to be dressed and ready to go to practice when Stan gets home - she wasn't ready. She and Stan hurried upstairs to change, we said good-bye to Eli's friend, finished up things with the case worker and she left, and Stan and Samara headed out the door for practice.
I checked the clock: 5:15 - another successful navigation of those precious ninety minutes.
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