In a funk...

Have been to two meetings today. I think I'm just tired. Plus I have to teach tonight. Too much to do. Headache. Personal issues - Parent/teacher conference basically was a "talk" about how much my oldest daughter needs mom's attention and that she's okay academically but they're worried that I don't spend enough time with her. Are you kidding me? She is a needy kid, but let's not guilt me into being a bad mom. Of course, I sat there sobbing like a baby. What exactly do they want me to do? I'm sure they're going to love that I'll be across the country giving a national presentation when her class is doing their little program next week.

There's a family who lives around the corner who is mom-less right now. She was sent to training last year for several months, then came back only to leave again for a year. The military is paying for her to go to PA school. The dad is handling the two boys. I wonder if they guilt her? I also wonder about my friend who's husband worked two hours away and only came home on the weekends. He did that for two years and now is off in Kansas for military training. He's off to Afghanistan next. Are military people except from being "bad" parents??? Maybe just me because I have options.

The funny thing is I see my kids more now than I did when I worked full-time. I'd pick them up from daycare and often go to work on weekends to catch up. We didn't do a bunch of "fun stuff". Now I get them off the bus 2-3 days a week, they help me make dinner, we play a family board game at least once a week. Last weekend we went and played putt-putt and go-carting. My oldest needs lots of attention. She needs more one-on-one time. She probably needs to be put back on meds. I don't know. I guess back to the therapist/pediatrician. When she's sad, she pulls the "mom doesn't give me enough attention" and everyone coos over that because I don't come to every school function or field trip. Bite me. There is a dad in the picture. Hello....we're a two parent family.

Whatever.... on to other misc updates:

Advisor kept job (for now) but panicking due to enrollment. We'll be down to less than 20 students over the next three semesters. We'll be lucky to get 6 new enrollees during that time. I suggested (again) advertising. Shock! Now that we're desperate, we're going to do it. Well, in a half-assed sort of way - through emails to depts inside our university and to a few agencies/community colleges/organizations. Nothing over the top, but it may be enough to survive until they figure out what to do. Looks like it will move to full online program eventually. Serious talks. I'm glad I'll be finished and graduated.

My dissertation methodoloist is now Advisor. Dept Chair decided to get add on a different outside person, which means no methodologist. Add another person to the committee? No, he said she could do it. I told her today. I think she was happy, although faked the perturbed thing like "how dare he just assume...." You could tell she was excited. She said that I will have to do a lot of reading!! Woo-woo. It's an ethnography. Let's not get too crazy here.

Oh, and this was the email response to my question about my travel money for the conference:
I'm sorry to say that student travel was cut last year and hasn't been re-instated. I'm so sorry.