School Daze

I have been suffering this whole week from an inner ear infection, it took three days to get an "emergency" appointment with an ENT and I have just begun anti-biotics.  Needless to say, I have not slept well or through the night since Sunday, and I do not function well when my mind has gone Clockwork Orange.  And the pain from this ear infection feels like an alien boring into my brain, 24 hours a day.  No biggie.

My sister-in-law innocently asked me who was taking care of Raphaela when I was sick, when all I want to do is crawl into bed for a week, and I responded, "Really?  The Messiah is late because of me, because he has moved into my house to take over child care, and supermarket shopping, and driving to extra-curricular classes, and taking Raphaela to Gan every morning." I paused, so the cynical nature of my response could be fully appreciated, and then continued, "I am slogging on, every day, because if I do not take care of my daughter, there is no one else to pick up the slack."  "Oh...yeah," said my sister-in-law.

Added to that stress, in less than one week I am meant to decide regarding First Grade for Raphaela; just when I felt sure about my decision and Raphaela's readiness/eagerness, I was bombarded with the strong suggestion that I keep her back for one more year in Kindergarten, one more year of play, one more year of building confidence socially and verbally.

Now I must choose a potential repeat Kindergarten for next year, as well as signing up Raphaela for this monumental transition, and hoping the that the final decision will take place some time between April and May 2015.  I checked out three different schools, one I knew I would never choose, one that was a question mark, and one that was basically always number one on my list.  Most impressed by the elementary school that I had chosen to begin with, I then sunk into a crazed state when the principal warned that their school gets more applicants than the space available.  That there are already 20 spaces taken by "legacies," IE the siblings of children already attending the school.  That there will be an interview process and several months before any parent gets final confirmation on placement.

OK, another several months where I will not be sleeping well.