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!