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!

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!

A Chicken with Her Head Cut Off

The last two weeks have been a complete whirlwind. The last time I had to go to school for a week prior to my students' arrival was several years ago, when I was teaching in Las Vegas. At that point in time, I was teaching in a year-round school, so I really only had a couple of weeks off, and I was returning to the same classroom. So all I really had to do was put my new students' names on desks and supplies, and I was pretty much ready to go. This year has been very different! I've moved to a new classroom, and although I'm in the same type of position, my caseload has changed dramatically. That just means that I get to know a bunch of new kids, so I am looking forward to that. But I'm pretty sure I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Seriously.

Monday, the whole staff got together at the school for some training. We had a new teacher join the resource room team on Monday, which was very exciting. It's a huge relief, too, because my co-worker and I just about had heart attacks last week when we looked at how many students we would be working with! Anyway, Monday kicked off a week full of training, setting up my classroom, meeting with co-workers, writing (and re-writing...and re-writing again) schedules, planning for students, open house, and lots of paperwork. I've been so busy, that when I woke up this morning, I honestly couldn't remember what day of the week it was. With that said, it's really been a great week, and I've been to some interesting seminars.

One training stood out from the rest. During training week, teachers generally learn all kinds of things about school performance in previous years, how to motivate students, behavior strategies, and all of the other important teacher-information necessary to get organized for the year and plan for students. Yesterday, though, my co-workers and I went to a totally different type of training. A psychologist for the FBI gave a presentation about active shooters, and what to look for in students that might be at risk of becoming active shooters. The presentation started with a video that was incredibly disturbing. When the video started, I think everyone watching assumed it was live footage from the Columbine High School shootings. It was really upsetting. I literally got sick to my stomach,  watching these kids terrorize a school. It wasn't until after the video was shown, that the presenter informed us that it wasn't live footage...it was a video based on Columbine, and it can be viewed online by anybody, at any time. What does that mean to me? Kids can watch it. Over and over again, if they want to. That's frightening. I found myself asking two questions:
1. What kind of person would make this video?
2. What can be done to stop kids from viewing this type of material.

Unfortunately, we as teachers cannot prevent children from viewing inappropriate, or violent content. That's their parents' job. In any case, it was an eye-opening training, and its content was so unfamiliar to me, that it probably made a greater impact than most trainings I've gone to in my career.

It's been busy...But we made it to the State
Fair!

Anyway, with the week being as crazy as it has, I haven't gotten to spend as much time with Charley as I'd like. I've been working 10-12 hour days, so by the time I get home, all I can bring myself to do is make dinner and flop on the couch. I'm so glad I have Charley to keep me entertained. People ask me about her all the time. "How's Charley?" they ask. "She's a piece of work," is my usual response. She really is. She's such a unique kid. The other day, her teacher, Cindy, came up to me and said, "Charley told me yesterday that we could be friends because our names start with the same letter." Who says that? I mean, what 3 year old says that? She's pretty awesome.

On another Charley-related note, she's become quite the little entertainer. I took these two videos within the last week. Like I said...she's a piece of work.

Alright, it's time for me to get to bed. I've got a big week ahead! With all of my last minute work tomorrow, students starting on Tuesday, and my birthday on Wednesday (31...I can't believe I'm going to be 31)...it's going to be a little crazy! I'm thinking life will return to (somewhat) normal in a week or two. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

New School Excitement, and Unexpected Realizations

I'm going to be honest. I've gotten a little bit spoiled this summer. I mean, don't get me wrong, Charley has had me up by 6:30 every morning, but we didn't have to BE anywhere until much later. That, of course, meant that we have become accustomed to lazy, slow moving mornings. Well, not anymore! I'm back at work, she's back at school, and life has returned to its normal wild and crazy state. And I like it!

Charley has been doing very well at her new school. I was a little bit nervous, because she's been out of school all summer, but it's only been a couple of days and she seems to be adjusting just fine. That's a huge relief for me! I started back at the school yesterday for new teacher training (I was hired late, so I missed the workshop last year), and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It was actually a great training. All of the new teachers had a chance to really get to know one another. There are four new teachers (other than me) and they're all great. We did some unique getting-to-know you tasks, such as speaking to a partner, uninterrupted, for 3 minutes. It was actually hard! I talk a lot, but I'm used to having someone else participating in the conversation. I'm not a big fan of monologues! Anyway, it was fun, and definitely built camaraderie amongst the group. I was pretty worn out by the end of the day, and was happy to get into bed fairly early last night!

This morning, I was a little bit groggy, getting out of bed. Once I got up and moving, though, I found I was able to take my time getting ready, which was kind of nice. I left my house at 7:20, dropped Charley off at school, and was still at school by 7:40. That's a VERY different commute than the one I made last year! I think I'm going to like living closer to work... Anyway, we had a morning full of meetings, and then a luncheon sponsored by local businesses. We walked around, spoke to the local business owners, and got to know some members of the community. One of the businesses present was a local gymnastics facility. Of course, I couldn't just keep my mouth shut and move along like everybody else. I had to mention that I coach gymnastics! Which, in turn, lead to quite a discussion...

The gymnastics world is small. Very small. Everybody who has worked in the competitive gymnastics industry seems to know each other, or at the very least, two coaches will usually find that they share a mutual connection. Well, in speaking with this man, I learned that he knew many of the coaches that I'd trained with, and I'd likely trained with HIM at a gymnastics camp during the summer. When he asked where I'd competed, I explained that I'd been at a couple of gyms, because I followed a particular coach, Fred. Not surprisingly, this man knew Fred, and had coached with him many years ago. "Fred passed away a few years ago," he said. I tried to handle that statement casually, because I'd suspected that Fred wasn't alive anymore, but I found that as the day went on, it really got to me. Now, Fred was not the kind of coach that everybody loved. He was a tall, skinny, African-American man, who was loud, opinionated, and strict. But I adored him. As a child, I spent more time in the gym, with him, than I did at home. He became like an uncle to me, as well as the other girls on my team. Anyway, Fred was my coach for 12 years, and I attribute so many of the positive qualities I developed early on, to him. He taught me discipline, persistence, and he showed me that you don't have to be the most talented gymnast to be the most successful...You just have to work your butt off EVERY time you're in the gym. I was a good gymnast, but never the best competitor. I tended to crack under pressure. But Fred still kept me around, because he saw the potential in me, and I appreciate him for that. He'd just laugh when I fell off the beam 5 times as a 7 year old, and say, "It's okay, she'll do well on floor." He was right. I was always good on floor, mostly because I was well-trained. The news that he is no longer alive was not a huge surprise to me. I'd kind of suspected it. I mean, given the small size of the industry, and that fact that I've coached for over a decade, I should've come across him at some point. I always hoped that I would run into him at a meet, and be able to say, "I choreographed that floor routine!" and show him what I'd learned from him. I hoped I'd have a chance to thank him for impacting my life, the way he did. Unfortunately, I won't have that opportunity, but I'm confident he knew how greatly he impacted his gymnasts' lives.

Phew, so that was kind of heavy, but I felt the need to pay tribute a little bit. After the luncheon, I got to go back to the school and get some work done. I got to the school at 1:15. I had a lot of moving to do, because my classroom got switched, so I'm pretty sure I went back and forth between rooms at least 50 times. "Oh well, I don't need to go to the gym today," I thought to myself. By the time I felt like I'd done all I could do in a day, I glanced up at the clock and it was nearly 5:00! I decided I was done for the day, and went to pick up Charley. Again, Charley had a great day, and she was asked to be the Star Student of the Month for September in her new classroom! She had to answer several questions, including, the ever-exciting, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" What was Charley's answer? "A rhinoceros." I turned the TV off (she'd been watching a show about animals) and asked the question again. "A cookie-maker," she stated. A cookie-maker is better than a rhinoceros, so I went with it. Now, we're relaxing, and based on how exhausted I am at the moment, I'm thinking we'll be in bed by 9. Have a great week!