Feeling a Little Better

I woke Meg up at 2:30 this morning so that she could take her inflammation medication.  She did well with it, but was up at 4:30 with a stomach ache.  Doug suggested mashed potatoes which helped, but when I checked on her at 6:30 she was still awake as her mouth was hurting.  Tylenol and ice seemed to do the trick and by the time I got back from taking Cam to school she was zonked out.  I took advantage of the quiet morning to take a nap.  Yesterday had been exhausting and I didn't get much sleep last night.  When my alarm went off an hour after I laid down I wasn't even sure where I was.  Meg was still sound asleep as well, but I decided to wake her up to take her next dose of medication and to do her mouth rinse.  She felt a lot better, which I was glad to hear.  

The rest of the day was a quiet one.  She definitely had improved from yesterday.  She was glad that the numbness was gone and that the anesthesia had worn off.  She spent most of her time working on friendship bracelets and watching Lilo & Stitch.  She did finish a couple of homework assignments before Nick arrived.  

Cameron decided to go to the last middle school girls' basketball game after school.  They had their own version of Silent Night.  Cam was asked to make a poster for one of the girls.  Doug picked him up after the game and then got pizza for dinner.  Meg was bummed that she didn't get to eat any, but we had plenty for her with scrambled eggs and hash browns on tonight's menu.  She went straight to bed when Nick left as she was exhausted.  Overall, she did pretty well for the day after her surgery.  I was so happy to have this procedure behind us.  It was a big endeavor for her.  Glad that she was on the mend.  

A Tough Day for Meg

Today was the day that Meg was not looking forward to as she was scheduled to have eight teeth removed.  We left plenty early as the snow and sleet started well before 6 a.m. and all of the Fort Wayne schools were closed because of the weather.  It took about thirty minutes longer, but we made it to OSMA in plenty of time for Meg's surgery.

Meg was nervous as she hated being put to sleep the last time that she had surgery.  The loss of control freaked her out.  It was nice that we got to stay with Meg until she was almost completely under.  The surgery lasted about a half hour and it went very well.  We met her in the recovery room.  She was tired, but wanted to talk to us.  The gauze in her mouth made us feel like we were playing Speak Out.

It took Meg a little while to get going, but once they changed her gauze and got her to sit up she was ready to head home.  The rest of the day was a quiet one for her as she rested on the couch and watched Netflix and Disney movies.  She tried to eat so that she could take her medicine.  She was able to handle mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs and applesauce.  Grandma brought her a couple of shakes and a smoothie as well.  She kept the ice packs on her face most of the day.  The swelling and the pain weren't too bad.  It was the blood and the numbness in her mouth that bothered her the most.  Overall, the procedure went very well.

Doug drove us to Fort Wayne because of the weather.  I was very glad that he decided to do that as it was challenging getting there and then Meg got sick on the way back.  After he dropped us back at home, he then took Cam to school before heading to work.  Bethany had had a two hour delay this morning and Wawasee was closed today, so he didn't technically have to go to school, but this got him in for the last few classes of the day.  While Doug was on county road seventeen his tire light started blinking.  Within a mile the tire pressure was down to seventeen pounds.  He stopped to fill it, but barely made it to the next gas station before it had dropped to six pounds.  At that point he realized that he had to put the donut on instead.  By the time he called me to tell me what had happened, almost two hours had gone by since he left.  I felt terrible that he had to deal with this on such a busy day, but was so incredibly thankful that the tire got us to Fort Wayne and back today without incident.  Monteith ordered him a new one this afternoon, so hopefully the Pilot will be back and running tomorrow afternoon.

Here Comes the Sun

Today we had a special treat.  The sun made a rare appearance.  Although the temperature didn't rise much above 32 degrees, it felt warmer and looked brighter than it had in quite some time.  I took advantage of the sunshine to walk outside this afternoon.  For most of my journey I was able to take my hood and gloves off.  That was very nice.  There was still quite a bit of snow on the sidewalks, so I used the  streets in our neighborhood to get in 6000 steps before arriving back home.

Tonight Cam had chess after school today in preparation for their regional tournament this coming Saturday.  I picked him up when it was over and then met Meg at Subway in Milford so that they could continue on to tennis.  Doug and I went to dinner once he got home.  He had work to do this evening, but not quite as much as last night.  He decided that he would drive us to Meg's oral surgery tomorrow due to the predicted snow and freezing rain.  I appreciated his offer to do that.  It was so nice not to have to worry about the weather today, but it looks like, unfortunately, that will soon be over.

Best Decision

Last night Paula posted the above on Facebook.  I chose not to comment on her post although there were a lot of others who did.  Most were surprised with the students apathy, disappointed in them and/or angry with their choices not to complete their assignments.  In all honesty, I felt much different than those writing on her wall.  I actually felt relieved.  This post was of no surprise to me.  This was what we on the sixth grade team had dealt with these past two years - working very hard as a teacher for little or no return was frustrating.  I know that I put all of my efforts into coming up with ways to help students change this behavior.  It worked for some, but not all.  Even though there were some small gains, overall it felt as though I was banging my head against a wall.  The apathy demonstrated by the students was hard enough to deal with, but the lack of support from other adults was even more frustrating.  Those who could help, didn't even try or else chastised me for not working hard enough.

I didn't comment on Paula's post last night, because all I would have been able to say is "leave."  Being an educator is draining and takes away from family time.  The relief that I felt when I realized that I did not have to return to teaching was enormous.  I know that not all families can make that decision, but I now feel better, spend less money than I did before, and have become a bigger support to the Heinisch family.  Overall, I can honestly say that quitting teaching was the best decision of my life.  Last night's Facebook reminded me of that.

Will This Winter Ever End?

It snowed again today which was just so depressing.  The weather the last six weeks has been frustrating to say the least.  I have never shoveled as much as I have this winter and I am ready for a break.  I did get to walk before it started.  I was glad to get outside, but it was cold.  The rest of the day was a quiet one.  Cam and Doug got the barstools in the basement back in order which took some time as several were missing parts.  I unpacked from our trip and started laundry.  Meg had cardio tennis and a lesson today.  She said that it went well.  Her trip home was a slow one due to the snow, but she made it safely.

Tonight Doug made his macaroni and cheese while Meg and Nick made her recipe.  Both were delicious.  We spent the rest of the night working on the Vermont puzzle, playing Ticket to Ride and entertaining ourselves with rounds of Mario Kart.  Doug had quite a bit of work today, but was able to finish it up in order to join us.  Not sure what tomorrow will bring, but a break from the snow would be nice.

A Busy Day in B-Town

Meg, Doug and I started our day early walking to the auditorium for her Direct Admit Day.  It was extremely informative for Meg.  She was separated from us when we arrived as the students met with faculty, advisors and students from Kelley.  She liked what she had to hear and thought the case study on driverless cars was extremely interesting.  She left feeling great about her decision to enroll at IU and was excited about Camp Kelley and the short term study abroad program as well.  While she was busy Doug and I listened to several speakers.  We were impressed with Kelley's commitment to find students internships and jobs.  We decided to skip out on the parent and student panels.  We were pretty sure that we had those topics covered.  Instead we took a walk through campus.  It was chilly, but we enjoyed it just the same.

When the morning informational sessions were over, we picked up Cam and Brett for lunch at Oliver Winery.  We brought along Mother Bear's pizza and Pizza Express breadsticks to share.  They had remodeled since we were last there and it was even more beautiful.  After lunch Cam went to Cal's to watch the IU vs. Minnesota game.  In the end he regretted that he even watched the game.  Doug and Meg walked to the business school to tour Hodge Hall.  Brett and I took a walk as well.

Once Doug got back he asked me what I thought about leaving tonight instead of tomorrow.  Freezing rain was predicted for the morning and it would make our commute a tough one.   I was really disappointed as I was looking forward to going to dinner with everyone and finally playing Cam's game "The Donner Party".  We decided that it was the best decision and made the most of the rest of the afternoon.  We first celebrated Brett's birthday and then the six of us went shopping at the mall.  It was a lot of fun.  We ended the day by sharing a big cookie for Brett's 24th.  It was a great way to end a busy day in Bloomington.

Bloomington Bound

Cam and Meg got out of school early and Doug left work at 11:30 this morning, so that we could head to Bloomington.  Meg was invited to a direct admit day at the Kelley Business School at IU and we wanted to make the Friday night reception.  Thankfully, the weather was great for traveling and the traffic was light.  Thus, we not only made it to her reception, but we also made it in time for Brett and Cam to take in an early showing of The Lego Movie 2.

The reception was nice.  We met with staff and students at the accounting and finance tables. The Dean of Kelley spoke as well and there were even appetizers to enjoy.  We picked up Cal and Hannah-Marie afterward and got back to Brett's apartment just as he and Cam arrived from Kroger.  They had really enjoyed the movie and even had time to get groceries.

The Heinisch children opened their Valentines gifts.  My parents had given them money, so I wanted to do something different.  I had found some great t-shirts on Amazon and everyone like those as well as their candy and pop from Rocket Fizz.  We met Parce for dinner at Bucceto's or Buckeyes as my autocorrect suggested.  The dinner was great.  Everyone ordered pizza, calzones or pasta.  We enjoyed catching up with one another and were thankful that it worked on everyone's schedule.  We ended the evening by watching Skyscraper at Brett's apartment.  It was a nice end to a busy day.