Moving On

I really should be sleeping right now, but I just got home about 45 minutes ago, and I generally need to have at least 30 minutes to myself before I get to bed. Why did I just get home? Well, I was working. I've pretty much come to accept that until I share expenses with someone, I will have to work two jobs, if I want to give Charley the life she deserves. It's okay, though, because I always seem to fall into jobs that I actually enjoy (I'm very lucky in that sense), and it's just something I have to do!

Generally, when I've talked about a second job, I've talked about coaching at Kenwood. I ADORE Kenwood... But I currently live close to an hour away from the gym. That's a fairly long drive, and I've been making that drive every Sunday for quite some time, now. For the last couple of months, I've been working 6 days a week, and that additional drive time has worn on me. So, last weekend, I worked my last day at Kenwood. I was actually really sad to go. I knew it was time for me to move on, because it just wasn't working for my family anymore. But that didn't make it easy. I said goodbye to some wonderful families I've worked with for the last several years (and when I say wonderful, I really mean it), and even though I know I'll see them again at some point, it means things are changing, and change can be difficult. When I submitted my resignation, I received a response that was very kind and supportive. It was nice to know that my friends (extended family) at the gym felt the same way about me as I feel about them. And it's nice to know that I'll always have a home at Kenwood, particularly if I move back that direction. It's hard to see that chapter of my life close, but as that door closed, another one seemed to open almost immediately.

Over the last 6 months, I've been approached by several dance studios, asking that I come in and teach tumbling to their dancers. I seem to have built a bit of a reputation as a "gymnastics for dance," coach, and it's worked well for me. But it never really felt right to look at teaching at one of those studios for two reasons. First, I worked at Kenwood, and felt like that would've been an ethical issue for me. But second, I'm a gymnastics coach, not a dance teacher. I haven't been able to coach much gymnastics over the last year or so, just because it hasn't fit into my schedule with Charley. I've primarily taught tumbling, and while I enjoy that, I've noticed that I actually MISS coaching all of the events. I'm a gymnast. I want to coach ALL aspects of gymnastics. But due to my teaching schedule, it just hasn't really been feasible...Until now.

The other day, I got a phone call from a woman who directs a gymnastics program in a small town about 20 minutes North of my home. I teach school with a man who used to coach gymnastics (we joke that he likely coached me, when I was about 4), and apparently he had passed on my name to the high school gymnastics coach. She was calling to see if I was interested in coaching the high school team. Part of me has really wanted to coach high school gymnastics, because I competed at Edina High School for 6 years...and loved it. As we talked, we determined that it wouldn't make sense for me to coach the high school team, because their practice schedule didn't line up with my teaching schedule. "Well, we actually have an XCel team in the community ed program," she said, "I'd love for you to work with those girls, too, if you're interested. I'd only need you two nights a week." I really had to think about it. I explained to her that I'm a full-time single mom, and that the only issue with that idea was the fact that I would need to find and pay for childcare while I worked. "I can take care of that," she told me. I wasn't really sure what she had in mind, but I went into the gym to talk to her, to see if this was really feasible for me. Basically, she set up childcare for Charley, at no cost to me. That's huge, because generally, I would have to pay a sitter $10 an hour, which kind of defeats the purpose of working to earn extra money. There really is something about a small town, in that sense, though...everybody knows everybody, and all the director had to do was make a few phone calls, and she had a family volunteer to watch Charley while I coached. How amazing is that? Anyway,  I decided to give it a shot. I'd already told Kenwood of my resignation, and I truly do rely on that additional income to pay for Charley's daycare. I can't live on a teacher's salary (sad, but true). Basically, it seemed like it could work. At least it's worth a shot, right?

So, tonight I coached. I coached every event. I got to do all of the things that I have wanted to do for a long time, but haven't had the opportunity to do, because of logistics. When I was at Kenwood, they would've let me coach any group, at pretty much any level. But unfortunately, the level of gymnasts I wanted to coach trained frequently and fairly late into the evening. Considering that I teach all day, there just wasn't really any way to make that work, particularly when it meant two hours of driving in addition to my coaching hours. Anyway, I never quite know what to expect when I go into a new gym. I'm not necessarily sure of systems, and how things go. Basically, the director gave me a group of girls, and said, "Go ahead and take them to beam." I was admittedly surprised at her instant confidence in me, but I appreciated it. Beam is my favorite event to coach, too, so I was excited! It was fun to spot backhandsprings on beam, and help kids connect different series' of skills and combinations. I made little technical suggestions, and watched girls who were falling off the beam on cartwheels and back walkovers, suddenly stick 10 in a row. I felt effective. It was nice! I even got a message from her shortly after I left, thanking me for coming in, and essentially stating that it's been a long time since she had a new coach come in who didn't need training, and she was grateful that the teacher at my school had sent her my name. That was very much appreciated.

At this point, I'm tired. I worked quite a long day, and I will now be doing that twice a week. But I will also have a weekend. Two days off...In a row! There have been times in the last 3 months where I've worked 21 days in a row, and although I'm a natural workaholic, I'm also human, and I am so excited to have a weekend to spend with Charley. She's only young once and I want to enjoy it! Speaking of Charley... I feel the need to address her school pictures. Seeing those for the first time was probably the highlight of my week. Let me start from the beginning... On picture day, I picked out three different outfits that she could choose from. She chose the cheetah print shirt. That was fine with me, so I got her dressed, put her hair up in a pony tail, made sure she didn't have any leftover breakfast on her face, and took her to school. They were working on pictures when I got there, and I watched Charley have a few photos taken... HAT FREE. Then I left for work. Fast forward two weeks (until yesterday), and as I walked into the school, I noticed a big poster, announcing that photos had arrived. I was kind of excited to see them. Charley's teacher dug through the stack, and passed me the stack of photos. That's when I saw the hat. Charley's cheetah print hat that I bought her when she was about a year old. "Why are you wearing a hat?!" I asked her. "I had to look fabulous," she responded. I couldn't stop laughing. We received a photo of all of the students in her class, and she's the ONLY one wearing a hat. That made me laugh even harder. She totally marches to the beat of her own drum, that's for sure. My biggest concern is that the parents will look at her picture amongst her friends' photos, and think, "That poor girl. Her mom must've made her wear that hat." Ha! Oddly enough, that is TOTALLY not the case. The truth is, my hilarious child snuck that hat to school and out of her back pack, so she could be (in her words), "matchy-matchy." Awesome. I love her. And I love those pictures. They will be saved to show all future boyfriends. And on that note, goodnight!

Something About This Time of Year...

This week has been busy, but great. It was absolutely beautiful in Minnesota.  Last weekend, Charley and I had the chance to get pumpkins at my dad's annual office gathering, and enjoy the weather. I had a Charley-free night last Saturday (thanks, Mom!), so I actually went OUT for a couple of hours. It was amazing. When school started on Monday, I saw the weather as a good omen.The sun was shining almost the entire week, it was warm outside, and leaves were changing colors and falling from the trees. It was almost picture perfect. It was a pretty wonderful week at work, too. I had a couple of meetings, so I had to get to work early several days this week, but my kids were just fantastic. I had an observation yesterday which I always remember being really intimidating, when I was in my first teaching job. But yesterday's observation was so different from that. The principal sat down with the kids, and participated in the activities they were doing. The kids LOVED that, and they really did a good job. Phew. One observation down, just about a million more to go! 

Anyway, it was a great week. It was one of those weeks where everything just felt settled. When I got home from work every night, I felt like I'd gotten everything I wanted to accomplish, completed. As a single mom...well let's just say that doesn't happen very often! But this week I kind of felt like I was able to do everything that needed to get done. It was nice. I think there's something about this time of year that's kind of grounding for me. The last couple of years around this time, I've found myself a little bit more ready to settle down in all areas of my life. Particularly my romantic life...Ha! I really do think it has something to do with the time of year....Maybe there's something in the air. I mean, in the last couple of weeks I've heard from several men I dated...Like two years ago. I mean...It's seriously been a long time. Two of them I only went on a couple of dates with, while one was a man I dated for four months, and it just kind of died off. I wouldn't exactly call them exes because I never went so far as to commit to any of them, and honestly, I was kind of the one who ended things in all three situations. It's been months (close to a year, in one case), since I've heard from these guys, and just like every other time they've reached out to me, I honestly didn't know how to respond. When someone texts me, it's just in my nature to respond. But when the texts come from people I really have no interest in engaging with, I kind of have a hard time. I think the most awkward conversation went like this:

Guy I Dated for Four Months Who I Haven't Heard From in a Year: Hey!

Me: Hi. How are you?

Guy: Good! Just sitting here, thinking about you.

Me: That's nice. (I really didn't know how to respond to that. If I was interested, I might've found it kind of sweet. But I'm not...at all. I kind of think it is the equivalent of someone saying, "I love you," and hearing, "Thank you," in return...But hopefully not that harsh...Ha! )

Guy: I'm getting married! 

Me: That's great! Congratulations!

Guy: Just kidding! I'm not getting married!

Me: I figured. Anyway, I'm glad to know you're doing well. Take care.

Ummmm...awkward! How did I date that guy for 4 months?! Anyway, I think my point with all this is the fact that there is something in the air this time of year. Maybe it's because by this time, work has generally settled into a fairly good routine, and I have a better vision of what I want my students to accomplish...So I am more in a place where I have TIME to start thinking about those things. And  it seems to be the season when people reach out to try to reconnect. Unfortunately, I'm not in the place where I'm really willing to reconnect with people I was never terribly connected with in the first place. A year ago, I might've been more willing to engage. But at this point, I'm not really interested. I guess I'm just so far beyond the point in my life where I will talk to people I'm not terribly interested in, just for the purpose of having male attention. That phase in my life was fleeting, and passed quite quickly (shortly after my divorce), because I legitimately am more into depth and connections than meaningless compliments from people I don't even really like. And let's face it... I'm totally ADHD... If someone doesn't have anything interesting to talk about and keep me on my toes, I lose interest in about 3.2 seconds. Just saying.  I AM ready to put more effort into a relationship with the right person...but I don't really want to date... Can't I just skip that part? Ha! A girl can dream, right?

Clearly, even though I seem to be in a settling mode, I'm not entirely settled yet. But that's okay. I keep telling myself that once I get into a little bit simpler routine where I might actually have some full weekends, and I stop living my life like a complete workaholic, I'll actually be more capable of settling. I really do think that's true. I've got a lot going on, but I am hoping it will all fall into place, so I can give Charley more QUALITY time and an even better quality of life. My goal is to work all of the logistics out before the holidays. It's good to have goals, right? 

With all of that said, it really was a great week. There were some hiccups here and there, but I really can't complain. Fingers crossed for more great weather this weekend! On that note, have a great night!

Just in Time!

I love that smile!

Tomorrow the annual MEA (Minnesota Education Association) break begins. Essentially, the importance of the break for teachers like me is the fact that it means we have a day off. This particular break came about just in time. I know I mentioned that I've been working fewer hours at the gym, and that has really relieved quite a bit of stress on my end. However, this week we had parent-teacher conferences, so that meant staying at the school until 7:30 or 8 on Monday and Tuesday. Twelve hour days are certainly enough to do me in!  Anyway, today we wrapped up conferences, and students had the day off, which  was probably a good thing, because all of the teachers would've been SUPER crabby, due to lack of sleep! Ha!

Last weekend was busy. I had a friend watch Charley for a little while on Saturday, and Charley had a complete blast. She couldn't stop talking about "Katie Pilz." Apparently she called Katie by her first and last name the entire time she was with her. That sounds like my Charley! Anyway, she came home with a painted pumpkin, a little light-up ring, and a little Halloween bucket. She couldn't have been happier. Katie said Charley had kept her family laughing all morning. That made me feel really great. I also felt wonderful when Katie texted me later to let me know how polite Charley had been. I guess at one point during the morning, Katie had two treats and there were three people. Charley said, "It's okay. You can have my treat." That made me feel really wonderful as a parent. I'm glad my little Charley is so friendly and generous. Most of the time, at least! Ha! Saturday afternoon, we went to the apple orchard with my sister, then Saturday evening one of my neighborhood girlfriends came over to chit chat for awhile. It was a busy day for sure, but it was pretty fantastic!

Picture day! Totally a fake smile...

Sunday, I worked at the gym, as usual. Then, when Monday rolled around, I knew I was in for a long couple of days. The kids all knew it was only a two day week, so they were distractible from the moment they walked in on Monday until the moment they walked out the door on Tuesday afternoon. It was just one of those weeks.  It didn't help that the teachers were staying late for conferences. Honestly, most of my conferences were great. I work with parents who are, for the most part, incredibly supportive and encouraging of their children. I only had one who seemed to be unhappy, but there's always one in the bunch, right? As I drove home last night, I was questioning why I'd left the school feeling so exhausted and...well...crabby. Then I realized I hadn't ingested any caffeine at ALL. That pretty much explained it! With that said, I got home, and Charley and I had passed out by 8:45. It was amazing.

Apparently Charley felt the need to wear a
disguise today... Ha!

This morning, I felt great. I got a great night's sleep, and was able to have a cup of coffee in peace, because Charley slept in a bit. I dropped her off at school, and headed into work for a somewhat relaxing day of conferences, planning, and meetings. I'd been at school for about 45 minutes when my classroom phone rang. I answered. Sure enough, it was Charley's teacher on the other end. Apparently one of Charley's friends snuck in the door with some food from home. Peanut butter. And who did this little girl run up to hug? Charley. The child with a severe peanut allergy. Somehow she managed to get her hands all over Charley's face, and my kiddo was breaking out in hives. I raced down to the principal's office, explained what had happened, and flew out the door. When I got to Charley's school, I was relieved to see that the hives were not nearly as bad as they had been the last time she had a peanut-related reaction. Nonetheless, I took her home, gave her some Benadryl and put cortisone on her hives, and let her relax for a few minutes. She was honestly fine, but definitely shaken up by all of the excitement. After spending a few minutes at home, I brought her back to school, where her director apologized profusely and assured me that she had already addressed the issue with the other child's parents. I think I was calmer and more understanding than they'd anticipated. I mean, I was certainly frustrated...but getting all worked up won't do any good. Don't get me wrong... on the inside, I was panicking. I don't think some parents realize just how serious a food allergy can be! But I just needed reassurance that precautions would be taken to make sure it didn't happen again. Charley spent the rest of the day at school, and I went back to work.

This picture sums us up pretty well!

So, with all of that said, it's been quite a week so far. And yes, I believe this short vacation came about just in time. I'm looking forward to a couple days to myself, cleaning the house, running errands, and maybe even getting a pedicure! It's definitely a much-needed break. On that note, have a great rest of the week!

Cutting Back

I know I've mentioned in the last few posts how I've been really busy lately. I like being busy...In fact, I'm at my best when I'm busy. But everybody has their limits. I just can't work 7 days a week and be a pleasant person to be around! So, I finally made an effort to cut back on work, and it feels INCREDIBLE. Today is really the first day I've had off, but it gave me a chance to see what I've been missing. And wow,  I've been missing out!

Last week at work was a little bit rough. I love my job, and the fact that the kids challenge me. They make me think, and many times think completely outside the box, in order to get them to work. Honestly, I remember thinking that I'd had a pretty good day, each day as I left the school. In fact, I walked away from a couple of days with some hilarious stories, that non-teachers might have a hard time believing. But for some reason, last week was more physically draining that usual. I'm  not quite sure why. Maybe it's the fact that I went on a field trip yesterday... That certainly took a lot out of me! Field trips are fun, and yesterday's was no exception. We went to a fur trading post, and the kids learned a lot about trading and the Ojibwa culture. As a teacher, I found it very interesting. The kids I was working with did a really good job, and they were well-behaved almost the entire time. I think the exhausting parts of the trip were the outdoor pieces (I'm not a fan of being outside in the rain and cold weather, but I'm just being a whiner... The outdoor things were actually pretty cool), and the bus ride. Oh, the bus ride.  After riding on the bus with 50+ fifth graders, I've determined that bus drivers do not make enough money! Overall, it was a great trip, but it truly did wear me out.

Feeding chickens at the apple orchard.

On an unrelated note, earlier this week, one of my friends came over for dinner with her two kids. It was SO much fun. I genuinely enjoy cooking, but haven't done much of it in the last 2 years, because I'm used to cooking for at least 2 adults and seem to have a hard time cooking the right amount for just Charley and me. I'm all about eating leftovers, but you can only eat the same casserole for so many days in a row before determining that you'll never eat it again! Anyway, they drove up from the cities, and I made a simple spaghetti dinner, complete with all the fixings. It was great! The kids played, my friend and I had a chance to catch up, and have an adult conversation on a weeknight. Kind of out of the ordinary for me! With that said, I'm hoping to do more cooking and weeknight entertaining, during the upcoming months.

So, back to the title of my post. Cutting back. I've officially cut back on my weekly private lessons. It's hard when people have specifically sought me out to work with their kids, and I have to tell them I can't do it anymore. But I am human. I need a little bit of time to myself, and more than anything, I need to work less so I'm less stressed out around Charley. Today was legitimately the perfect fall day, and I wouldn't have experienced it if I'd have been working. Charley and I slept in until 7:30 (in our world, that's late), and ate breakfast together. Then, I started some Saturday morning cleaning. Sometimes, in my world, cleaning consists of shoving things into closets, to clear the space I can see. Other times, I do the nitty-gritty, deep cleaning that I really SHOULD do more frequently than I do. Today, I actually had time to do a nitty-gritty clean, and my house looks great as a result! When I was finished cleaning, Charley and I headed out to lunch with my sister. We haven't done enough of those outings lately, and it was nice to catch up, just the 3 of us. My sister commented on how Charley was in such a great mood. "Probably because she slept for 12 hours!" I said. She really was in a great mood. After we left lunch, Charley and I headed to the apple orchard. It was a nice orchard, about a mile from our house, but it wasn't a self-pick orchard, so it really wasn't what I'm used to in terms of apple picking. There really wasn't any picking involved! With that said, Charley had a great time, and we bought some apples that we turned into homemade apple crisp as soon as we returned home. With all of the cooking and cleaning in the last week, I'm beginning to feel my little 'Suzy Homemaker' side coming out, and it's kind of nice! My home looks and smells incredible (apple crisp in the oven is making my house smell like sweet, cinnamony-goodness), and I feel more relaxed than than I have in weeks! Hopefully, with reducing my work schedule, I'll get to have more days like this coming my way. Have a great weekend!

My little apple-crisp maker!