Whirlwind

Where did the last week go? Between school, Charley, coaching, and everything else I've got going on, I feel like the last week totally flew by. Charley has been busy at school, and she really loves her teachers. I've been getting to know my students better, and I'm finding that I have a really unique bunch of kids this year. I've also been coaching close to 8 hours every Sunday for the last few weeks, too, so at this point... You could say I'm pretty wiped out!

I think the craziness all started last weekend. With the weather changing from warm to cold, back to warm, combined with some rain storms, Charley and I have been in allergy city. There's been a terrible virus going around, and admittedly, I was afraid I might be coming down with it, but I really think it was (and still is) just allergies. I can't wait for the weather to even out. Now, I'm not saying I can't wait for the cold. In fact, I wish the cold weather would stay away for at least another month...but my allergies can't handle the bipolar, back and forth weather! Anyway, I had planned to meet up with a friend for lunch in Roseville, so while I was there, I decided I should take the opportunity to get my hair cut and a pedicure. Charley was with me of course, so she got her toes painted, too. She was pretty darn cute, sitting in the enormous pedicure chair! Anyway, what was intended to be a short lunch, turned into a full day in the Twin Cities. It wasn't terribly relaxing for a Saturday, but we had fun!

Work has been busy, too. A friend of mine asked me the other day how work was going. My response was, "I've got quite a crew this year!" "Why?" he asked, "What makes these kids different than the other years?" That made me think a little bit. Since I've been teaching, particularly teaching special education, it seems that I've always had the kids that are really bright, but have behavior problems, and need a metaphorical kick in the pants to get themselves motivated in class. This year, I have a couple of those kids. But I also have a couple of kids who are not behavior problems at all. They're sweet, adorable, hard little workers....But they're REALLY behind academically. In some ways it's great, because it allows me to teach more academics, and it challenges me to utilize different strategies. But in other ways, I feel more personal pressure to help these hard working kiddos make progress. It's going to be an interesting year, that's for sure, but I really do look forward to the challenge.

Charley and I are creatures of habit. We generally follow the same routine, every day. She wakes up, comes into my room, and asks, "What day is it Mommy?" I respond, and let her know if it's a school day, a gymnastics day, or a Mommy-Charley day (generally, Saturday). On school days, she watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I get ready, then I get her ready for the day, drop her off at school, and pick her up after work. We then head home, where we play outside, eat dinner, watch TV, and go to bed. It's an exciting life, I know. This week was a little bit different, though! We went to Costco on Tuesday night, which was apparently very exciting for Charley. I guess she went to school on Wednesday, and talked about how that's where you need to shop if you want to buy sorbet. Ha! Wednesday, we met up with one of my out-of-town girlfriends for dinner, and did a little bit of shopping. Thursday night, one of Charley's friends and his mom stopped by to play for a bit, and then, last night, we went to dinner, and to get Charley's hair cut. It was great. But BUSY! And honestly, I need a break.

This morning, I did something that I plan to do again. Probably weekly... I hired a babysitter. One of my amazing co-workers has a daughter in her early twenties, who has tons of experience working with kids. So, I texted her yesterday, and asked if she was free this morning. She came, and stayed with Charley for a couple hours, and it was FANTASTIC. This was significant for me for two reasons. First of all, it was the first time I've had someone who isn't a close friend or family member come over, simply to babysit Charley. She's responsible, she was on-time, and I came home to a clean house and a happy kid. That meant a lot. It was also significant, because it gave me a connection to someone who lives reasonably close-by, who can watch Charley...and Charley loves her! I think any parent, particularly single parents, know that finding a good babysitter is like finding a needle in a haystack. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of teenage girls who would love to babysit Charley, and they tell me every weekend when I coach them. Ha! But they live 45 minutes away, and they're young. Charley is 3 years old, and has severe food allergies. It's nice to have found someone who's a little bit older, and might be able to babysit past 10p.m. every once in awhile. It might enable me to have a little bit more of a social life, and find the balance that I've been seeking! Although, I'll have to cut back on work, if I really want some balance. And I do. So I've got to make some decisions and that likely means cutting back on coaching. Honestly, as much as I love coaching, I do need to maintain my sanity and take care of myself. After all, I'm not really experiencing life if I'm working 7 days a week! And I DO want to experience life a little bit more. That's my goal for the week...telling some of my private lessons that I can't do weekly lessons anymore, because I need the break! Wish me luck. Have a safe weekend, and a great week, everyone!

It's Here...Blog #100!

In honor of my 100th blog post, I decided to go back and read my first ever blog. It was interesting, that’s for sure. Time goes quickly, and I feel like I’m turning into a new person, and…dare I say… growing up. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’ve always been kind of a grown up. Responsible, stayed out of trouble, tried to keep the peace…But I’ve grown in different ways, due to life’s circumstances. So, I thought I would use today’s post to reflect on a couple of areas in which my life has changed drastically, since I started this whole blogging adventure. 

Career: When I started blogging, I was teaching special education for Nevada Virtual Academy. The job had a lot of perks, including a flexible schedule, and the ability to work from home. But considering I was living with a toddler, and wasn't exactly having a lot of adult interaction on a daily basis, I found that in that job I was bored and kind of lonely. Since leaving that position, I returned to a full-time gymnastics career, when I started GO! Gymnastics, but after some time, it was clear that I really needed a job that would give me a steady paycheck, and provided a regular routine. So, I went back to teaching. Is my job difficult? Absolutely. Do I love it? Absolutely. I love everything about my job. In a given day, I can be insulted, yelled at, talked back to, hugged, smiled at, thanked, and told, "I wish you could be my mom," all by the same student. It can be emotionally draining at times, because I invest myself in all of my students... but I wouldn't change it for the world. I feel like I've found a home, in my classroom.

Love: A year and a half ago, I detailed my extensive online dating experience. While the dates were amusing, and brought along necessary experience in the dating world, it wasn't long before online dating in general, got old. Very old. I ventured back into the online world several times over the last two years, but every time, I found myself kind of annoyed by it and it certainly wasn't fulfilling. I learned a lot, though, and met all types of different people. I've found that I'm more in search of companionship than anything else.  Am I in a serious relationship right now? No. I do have someone in my life who's important to me. He gives me butterflies. He always has. And I like that. But that's all I have to say on the subject at this point! 

Charley: Charley has changed from a sweet, silly, headstrong toddler to a bright, spunky, adorable preschooler. She's not a baby anymore. She's a little girl. It's hard to believe how much she's grown up in the last couple of years. When I started blogging, she spent 98% of her time with me. The excitement of her day might've been a trip to Target, or going to the gym. Now, she spends much of her time at preschool, with her friends and her teachers. She speaks in clear, complete sentences, and counts to 50. She is a free spirit, who belts out songs at the top of her lungs, and dances around the room like nobody's watching (although she always checks to make sure SOMEONE is watching). Charley has grown up quite a bit, and I can't believe how much she has changed. It makes me simultaneously sad and proud. I love that little girl. 

Home: For two years, I lived in a small, two-bedroom duplex, where I could hear EVERYTHING that went on upstairs. The place wasn't perfect, but it was a great fit for awhile. I loved the neighborhood, and all of my neighbors. I lived less than a block from Target and Jimmy John's, and was 10 minutes from just about anywhere I needed to go. Now, I live outside of the city. I live in a small town, in a more comfortable home, where Charley is surrounded by other kids. I'm closer to work, and spending more time at home. It's definitely a simpler life, and I like that.

Friends: The friends I had when I came back from Las Vegas will always be some of my closest friends. They will always be the girls that I could not talk to for several weeks or months, but there's a mutual understanding that if we ever need each other, we'll be there in a heartbeat. I've been lucky, too, in the last year. I've definitely expanded my social circle to more parents of young kids, which certainly makes Charley's playdates more fun! I've also spent a lot of time interacting with my co-workers, and many of them have become friends, too. It's nice to work with people that you genuinely enjoy being around!

Priorities: When I started this blog, my priorities were a little bit different. Charley has always come first, and that has been non-negotiable over the years. But outside of that, my frame of mind has really changed dramatically. My main focus outside of Charley and work, was finding a relationship. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but when you go into any type of dating, searching specifically for a relationship, it can lead to rushing, and settling, just for the sake of having someone to call your other half. Now, more than anything, I'm looking for balance. I've made that a resolution the last two years, and I'm still not doing a very good job. My life consists of Charley, work, a LITTLE bit of time for friends, and even less time for anything more than that. I'm trying to make it a priority to find better balance in all areas of my life. What that means, I'm not entirely sure. But it is important to me to lead a more balanced, fulfilling life, where all aspects feel settled and content. I'm not there quite yet, but I'm getting there! 

With all of that said, this whole blogging experience has been enlightening and amusing for me. I'll likely keep it up for awhile longer. At the very least, it serves as a reminder of where I've been in the last couple of years. Anyway, it's time for me to sign off for the night. Have a great weekend!

I Survived!

Well, I did it. I survived the first week of school. And in all honesty, it went pretty well. Sure, there were a few hiccups, and signs of problem behaviors, but overall, it was a reasonably successful week of school. Even though I’m overwhelmed by the number of evaluations I will have to do this year, and the number of meetings that are imminently in my future, I’m hopeful that things will settle in, in the next few weeks, and my life will slow down a little bit. I’m not counting on it, but a girl can dream, right? Anyway, I thought I’d write a little bit about what I’ve been up to. 

On Tuesday, I went to school, nervous and excited to see my kids. The kids were all learning classroom rules and expectations with their general education peers, so I just kind of bounced from room to room, trying to make sure that my students were on-track, and nobody was melting down. Most of the students were glad to see me, although a couple of them didn’t want to be singled out in the class, so with those kids, I just made eye contact and smiled from a distance.  In one sixth grade classroom, I snuck up behind a student of mine from last year. I’m not working with him this year, but when I peeked in the room, he was clearly lost. So, I crouched down beside his desk, tapped him on the shoulder, and he simultaneously jumped and turned his head. “Ms. Pierron! You scared me!” he whispered, excitedly. “It’s really good to see you,” he said, as he squeezed my shoulder. I left the room shortly after, and when I stopped by to check on him again, he was doing just fine. I was happy for him.

Wednesday was my birthday. 31. It’s crazy to me, because I’m not at all where I thought I would be in my life at 31. I take that back. In many ways, I’m exactly where I expected to be at  this age. I have a beautiful child, a great home, wonderful friends, and a job that I love. So, in all of those areas, I suppose I couldn’t really ask for any more. I guess I just never thought that I’d be 31 and a single mom, living paycheck to paycheck. But life is never what you expect, right? And that’s okay, I won’t be in this situation forever. I have a feeling it’s going to be a great year for me. Anyway, the day itself was wonderful. Certainly better than LAST year’s birthday! Last year, I spent the entire day running from one DMV to the next, trying to get my in-state driver’s license. This year, I went to school, and received a bag of goodies from one of my friends, and a beautiful bouquet of flowers from another. By the time I checked FB, I had lots of birthday messages, including a message from one of my favorite little gymnasts. Those little things definitely got my day started off on the right foot. Students were still spending most of their time in their regular classrooms, but a few kids came down for small groups. A couple of them clearly just needed a break, so one of my co-workers put “Just Dance” on the SmartBoard, and let them take a movement break. It was hilarious. I’ve never seen two 6th grade boys so serious about dancing. When “I Will Survive,” came on the screen, my co-worker and I joined in with the kids. I’m sure if anybody walked by, they probably thought were were crazy. But it was fun! And the kids were much easier to work with after their little dance break. The rest of the day went pretty smoothly, and I went out to dinner that evening. After Charley went to sleep, one of my girlfriends who lives a couple of blocks away came over for a glass of wine and we chatted for awhile. It’s amazing how much we have in common, and we just met by chance at the pool a couple of months ago. It just goes to show, you can meet good people anywhere…Particularly in Minnesota!

The rest of the week was pretty typical. There were a couple of miscommunications, and a few student meltdowns, but nothing too bad. This morning, Charley woke up in a great mood, and ready to go at 6 a.m. By noon, I had already vacuumed and steam cleaned the floors, done two loads of laundry, run the dishwasher, and Charley and I had already been to the grocery store, and the park twice. My mom called, and asked if she and my sister could come up for a visit, so they stopped by for awhile, which was nice. Charley and I sat outside, waiting for them to come, and discovered a nice family of bees living on the front of our garage. I don’t know if it was the product in my hair, or if the bees could just sense that I’m severely allergic, but they were circling around me for a good fifteen minutes. I didn’t want to panic, and scare Charley, but truth be told, I was screaming on the inside! I kept walking around, trying to avoid them (which I’m sure looked ridiculous to anybody who might have seen me from a distance), but they just wouldn’t leave me alone. When we went to the pool later in the day, I seemed to have another bee-stalker. Bees and mosquitoes are the reason I don’t consider myself an outdoor person! I think they can sense my fear. Anyway, I managed to make it through the day without a sting or a bite, so I suppose that’s a success!

Alright, I suppose I should get myself ready for tomorrow. I’ve got a full day of private lessons at the gym, and it’s going to be a doozy. On an unrelated note, this is my 99th blog post! When I started blogging a year-and-a-half ago, I never really imagined I’d keep writing for so long. So with that said, any requests for 100th post blog topics? Let me know! Have a great weekend!

First Day Butterflies...

I know the new year technically begins in January, but for a teacher in Forest Lake, MN, the new year begins tomorrow. Every year brings something new. New challenges. New "lightbulb moments." New strategies. And I'm looking forward to seeing what this year has in store for me. As I look at my roster, I see certain names and laugh to myself about things I remember of them from last year. I wonder if they will have made gains over the summer, or if they have regressed. I see new names of students I've never met, and know next to nothing about. I find that I have nervous butterflies a little bit, but not in a bad way. More in an excited, enthusiastic, I can't wait to see my kids kind of way.

Now, before I ramble on about my excitement for the new school year, I should probably take a few

Great fortune for my next year!

minutes to talk about the events of the last few days. It's definitely been a unique Labor Day weekend. Normally, Labor Day weekend in my life consists of a trip to the State Fair, or a visit to our family friends' cabin. But this year was a little bit different. I took Charley to school on Friday, and went in to get some work done in my classroom. The more time I spend in that room by myself, the more I seem to be able to find ways to improve my various "systems." With that said...I should probably spend less time in my classroom. Ha! Anyway, I went in around 7:30, with intentions of leaving by 10 or 10:30. At 12:45, I finally left the building, and managed to get soaked in one of several downpours that took place on Friday. From there, I went to the grocery store to buy supplies for a little Labor Day/End of Summer BBQ I had planned. It's always challenging to buy groceries for a BBQ. It's never really clear how many people will come, or how much they will eat or drink, and I'm generally under the philosophy that I'd rather have a ton of food left over, than have people here who don't get to eat. With that said, I currently have a fridge full of leftover food that I'll be pawning off on my co-workers this week. Later, I picked up Charley, and we went to dinner with my mom and sister at one of my favorite restaurants. It was nice. While I was in Edina, I picked up my mom's dog, who Charley and I were dog-sitting over the weekend. He can be kind of aggressive with new people, but if he's familiar with you, he's a pretty nice, easy dog. Anyway, we brought him home,  got settled in, and went to bed pretty quickly, because Charley seemed to develop a fever while we were at my mom's house.

Pre-Party Charley

Saturday, I spent my morning preparing food. Charley was still a little bit feverish, but feeling fine, so of course she wanted to play. I wanted to make sure she didn't overexert herself, because I really didn't want her to be sick for the BBQ on Sunday, so we had a lazy day. I mean LAZY. Yes, I was baking, boiling, chopping, and taste-testing, but honestly, by the time noon rolled around, I was bored. At some point I need to find a happy medium between being totally over-scheduled and stressed out, and being so bored I spend my Saturday reading through IEPs. Sadly, yes, I was reading through IEPs on a Saturday. The lazy day paid off, because Charley was fever-free by noon, slept all night,  and woke up ready to have her friends come play. It's funny how BBQs go from just having friends over, to having your kids' friends over. I think it's great, though, and we were both excited.

I spent Sunday morning doing last minute cleaning, and getting things ready. Around 11:30, I decided I'd start the coals on the grill, but naturally it was windy, and the coals wouldn't light. I happened to be talking to one of my girlfriends on the phone at the time (safe, I know), and she suggested I put some paper towels in with the coals and light those. Now, I'm sure it went against all grilling-safety rules, but it worked. Phew! When friends started trickling in, I was manning the grill, which was probably not the best idea, primarily because it put me in charge of cooking, and I've only actually grilled about 3 times. Even worse, I don't eat red meat, so cooking burgers was kind of like a joke. I can make a tasty turkey burger, but when it comes to beef, I have no idea what I'm doing. Fortunately, my friend's fiancee offered to take over the grilling, so I could host. It was so nice! And I'm sure the food turned out significantly better than it would have, if I had been cooking! I had a great time with my friends, and Charley had a wonderful time with hers.

Among the people who came to the party are several co-workers from the school, and a few of my closest friends from high school. It was the first time my high school friends have been up to my new place, and I was kind of looking forward to showing them where I'm living. They all seemed to love the neighborhood, and could tell that I'm very happy living here. When they left (they had a long drive home), several of my co-workers hung around for awhile longer. We chatted about school, a little bit, and one of them asked me, "How did you end up in Forest Lake?" It was a legitimate question. I mean, I grew up in Edina, and I'm a product of the Edina Public Schools. I had a great school experience, and I wouldn't have changed anything about it. I basically replied that I have lived in cities and suburbs all of my life, and I kind of wanted to get out of the city. But the truth is, I am not sure exactly what lead me to Forest Lake. I mean, I applied in several districts, but from the beginning...even before I'd gone for my interview... I felt like Forest Lake was where I should be. I'm not quite sure what drew me to it, but as soon as I got the phone call offering me the job, it just kind of seemed like fate. Like my life was moving in the right direction. As Charley and I were driving to meet with a friend this morning, a song came on the radio that seemed very fitting. The song is called Compass, and the chorus is as follows:

Let your heart, sweet heart,
Be your compass when your lost,
And you should follow it wherever it may go.
When it's all said and done,
You can walk instead of run,
Because no matter what, you'll never be alone.

Now, I'm sure the song is really intended to apply to relationships, but in my case, it just applies to my life. I followed my "compass" and trusted my instinct. And I was right. So, I suppose, that's how I ended up in Forest Lake, and I'm so glad I did.

Alright, this post is way longer than I'd intended it to be. I'll likely post later in the week...I'm getting close to my 100th blog post! Maybe I'll hit that milestone in the next couple of weeks. Wish me luck, and have a great week!