Last week was busy and down right hard. But there were blessings interspersed through each new day reminding me of God's loving presence and marvelous mercy and grace in my life.
Monday, April 13
My husband flew to Boulder, CO on a business trip. The kids had SAT testing for three days that week, so I drug myself out of bed early to make them a hearty breakfast. I burned the eggs.
A carpenter we had hired showed up without notice while I was exercising in my private home gym. He walked right in, having my house key from a visit last week which he was supposed to have returned. I was only wearing a jog bra and shorts, so I had a sudden charge of cortisol shoot through me as I rushed to put on a shirt.
My tutoring client for the day stood me up yet again, and school was taxing. I still managed to get the kids to all their activities after school (a job which usually requires two parents), signed off Monday folders, graded quizzes (more students failed than ever before), settled for frozen pizza for dinner, and stayed up too late doing school work.
Tuesday
We were up early again for SAT Testing. My daughter made the eggs this time. YAY! My son loved them, but he sure did wake up with some serious bedhead. He often looks poorly groomed at our school, which has a strict uniform/grooming policy, but if his teachers knew how he looked before we combed his hair, they would see a marked improvement.
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| Tuesday Bed Head |
Even my students who struggle most were able to defend their positions with well researched data and logical arguments when the panel tried to bury them with counter arguments. I was so proud of them all as they chose complex topics requiring much research and thought.
I did not feel well when I taught later that afternoon, so when students asked me if I would be attending their thesis presentations the next day, I told them I wasn't sure as I may need to see the doctor.
After tutoring, I took my kids to Tae Kwon Do and continued working on school work. My stomach started hurting with some nausea and back cramps, so I ate snacks to settle my stomach. It did not settle.
Then the pain increased, like back labor but possibly worse. I was convinced it was indigestion, but it just would not go away. I thought about taking myself to the ER around 1:00 am, but since the kids had SATs that week, they needed their rest, and I had no one to watch them, nor could I drive. The pain continued to increase until my life was flashing before me, and I thought I might die. So I called my parents, waking them up just after 4am, and then sent a text to our headmaster's administrative assistant who I consider a wonderful new friend about getting me a sub for the day, and she was already awake and began praying.
My parents got here around 5:30am. Mom stayed with the kids while Dad took me to yet another ER. (Seeing every ER in our county must be a bucket list item this year!) By then I was convulsing with alternating sweats and chills and curled up in a fetal position trying not to cry in front of Dad. When they took me back, it took four tries to get the IV in, so by then I screamed. Dad heard it out in the lobby. I got to take a $5300 ride on a roller coaster (they called it a CT scan) where they learned I had six kidney stones. Joy.
But praise God for the pain meds they finally gave me through that IV. I was released and got home just as my kids were getting ready for school. I spent the day filling my four prescriptions...being questioned by the pharmacist as to why I needed Flomax which apparently is used for male problems....but thankfully never needed a single pain killing medicine. I even got in my weight lifting workout for the day called "The Challenge" for good reason. Praise God I needed no more medication at all after that IV filled with Motrin because I had to be in good mental condition to drive my kids all over town all week long, a two-parent job.
As I did kidney stone prevention research and followed-up with a urologist later, I learned that my best prevention regimen involves a reduction in sweat inducing vigorous workouts, nuts, spinach, and chocolate (my primary staples), and I'm not sure how nice I am without my beloved endorphins and chocolate. So when the urologist handed me a low oxalate meal plan and then said, "Here's some propaganda for you....just drink a lot of water", I was relieved to know that even the specialist didn't expect me to follow that diet.
Thursday
Thursday was extra busy with make-up work to do from what I failed to do during the kidney stone episode. I got stood up again for tutoring after having spent hours preparing, but it worked out for the best because I had to leave early to take my son across town to a marketing research firm (while awesome friends took our daughter to gymnastics for me) where he would be interviewed for 2.5 hours on behalf of the Lego company regarding new products they plan to introduce. I think he enjoyed having a heads up on toys that might come out next year and helping to influence their design. They gave him the Ninjago 70750 - Ninja DB X Lego kit as a thank-you for participating, and he had that 756 piece thing assembled within an hour after we got back home (instead of studying for tests at school...but this whole school year has been a review anyway so he hasn't needed to study).
Friday
I told the kids that we needed to leave a few minutes earlier this morning since I had to meet with the headmaster (about some new programs we will be offering), and my son said in a most serious parental voice, "Be nice, Mom, and try not to get kicked out of school." In his mind, people only go to the headmaster's office when they've done something really bad or gotten their name of the board three times in one day, and the punishment he gives for such offenses can be harsh - like expulsion from school.
Both of our kids had big field trips...aviation museum for her and the zoo for him. My son kept getting sicker all week, so I had to take him to the doctor. Apparently, he now has full blown asthma (not just the kind induced by the most seriously viruses), and he has a terrible cold. I know he must long for summer with all the pollen making him feel worse, so I found these summer throwback pics to give him something to look forward to soon.
Saturday
When my husband finally returned home after all those crazy happenings, it was after midnight, and while my usual bedtime is rarely ever before 1am, I could not even stay awake until midnight to greet him, so I welcomed him home when I woke around 10am the next morning! I was so tired. While I was able to manage most of the crises and big decisions that past week, there were two action items I left on a "honey-do" list for him to take care of when he got home. We women have our limits.
I spent Saturday at school preparing lesson plans part of the day and at a home preparing a meal (a very costly and time consuming one at that) for another teacher who lost a loved one recently, but as I was carrying the creamy lasagna, salad, and bread to her on my cart, it tipped over and spilled all over the concrete.
I called my husband saying, "You will never believe what happened!" And he assumed I had totaled the van or something. I was distraught over losing all that time and resources to a spill, but he was joking at my over-reaction. That week had taken a toll. But at least I got a pleasant surprise in the form of an edible arrangement (fresh fruit and chocolate covered fresh fruit) that afternoon from my loving in-laws.
Sunday
I supposedly celebrated a birthday on Sunday. It was all a blur to me. My daughter began serving as a mentor in the special needs ministry at church (a grown-up job) that morning, so I was nervous for her and filled in during her Agape service time, but she did great. I nearly crashed during church and piddled around all day, completely worn out.
The kids asked me what I wanted for my birthday, so I told them a day without any chores, so my daughter cleaned the half bath (wish she had chosen the master bath instead) while my son vacuumed the van (well - his side of it anyway).
It poured down rain all day which made for a very bad hair day, so I think next year's birthday wish will be a day without humidity!
The birthday wasn't all storm clouds, however. From catching up with old friends and reliving childhood memories to having one day each year in which your inbox is filled with more messages from friends you know and love than from marketers, it was nice receiving so many birthday greetings via social media. Family members also sent nice gifts and cards, and my parents serenaded me according to tradition.
For my birthday dinner this year (a homemade dinner is a birthday tradition, but the menu is always a surprise), my husband prepared my "usual" order at a popular restaurant in my hometown, Harrison's. His chicken was close but still not Harrison's, while his Greek salad put Harrison's to shame. My Oklahoma man has only been with me to Harrison's a few times, but he loved it and knows how significant that place is to my heritage. #WellKeptWoman
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| My birthday meal served on the "You Are Special" plate |
Monday, April 20
On the following Monday I got some really bad news at our school....not so much for me and my job that was getting cut due to enrollment rates falling (to put a bigger course load on full time staff while cutting part-time staff), but for the other teachers and students who would suffer as a result. I wasted long days and nights fuming, writing out actual events & anecdotal evidence, trying to pray, and finally calming down enough to present my concerns and recommendations regarding our students in a kind way which I hope will result in positive changes. That day after I was told they could not afford to hire me next year, I was asked to come work for a home school ministry 30-40 minutes away, so now I am pulling my hair out trying to decide whether or not to pull our son out to home school him again (homeschooling is a better fit for him) since I will have the time and have a teaching role in both schooling communities. It was a hectic week filled with crises and changes indeed.
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