Lessons from Last Week

Car insurance is so important/if no one gets hurt you win

I was in a decent-sized fender bender with Sawyer on Thursday and while both cars got banged up, and the other driver is trying to place blame on me (I'm not going to get into it right here, right now), everyone was completely fine and both cars were drivable. Even if I have to eat my deductible, it's still so much better than the alternative. And again, everyone was safe. I saw two horrible accidents within twenty-four hours after and I just can't stop feeling thankful (and being really, really, really careful when driving). 

Don't Wear Tight Pants

I wore extremely tight fake leather pants as part of my costume on Halloween (I was Batman) and ended up with extreme stomach pains and accompanying issues for the rest of the night, to the point where I told my husband that if Sawyer wasn't sleeping I would have had him take me to urgent care, I so miserable. I was totally fine otherwise and hadn't eaten anything weird. Mama just can't hang. 

Just Take the Cold Medicine

Christine, you already dealt with an upset stomach, don't be martyr. Just take the DayQuil (I did, although I was fine the next day, so I'm not sure what the problem was). 

Don't Google Your Child's Health Concerns

So, without going into too much detail, Sawyer had a GI issue earlier this week and I knew immediately without the internet that I needed to run it by the doctor asap, but couldn't get in until Thursday, leaving my over two days to ruminate. My fear and stress got the better of me and I started poking around online and my concerns were confirmed. Luckily, after seeing the doctor he felt that the fact the symptom was presenting in isolation meant it was most likely a fluke, although he sent us for blood work and an ultrasound to be safe. I have to say my kid is a champ- he didn't cry at all during the lab work and he was so chill while getting his ultrasound he fell asleep! My gut (ha. ha. ha) is telling me that things are probably fine, but I will be thankful to get the test results later this week. He's my best buddy and the mere notion that something is wrong makes me feel as sick as I did when wearing tight pants. 

Promise Your Students

I swore that I'd have all of their reading quizzes graded and put in the grade book by Monday and that sense of obligation pushed me to get that stack done this weekend (that stack... there are many more stacks at work). So, spending many hours grading this weekend wasn't fantastic, but it'll be nice to be able to check to so many assignments off my grading calendar tomorrow morning. I really, really try to be honest and straightforward with my students at all times, so it was important to me that I hold up my part of the bargain. 

Take a Minute

Obviously, last week was pretty crappy. Everything was manageable, but two bouts of sickness, a potentially stressful health issue for my son, and a small car accident all in one week was a lot for me all at once. Yesterday my husband had plans all day, so instead of working through Sawyer's nap time like I normally do, I said screw it, watched This is Us and cross stitched for an hour and a half. It felt gluttonous and was what I needed.  

Your Kid Will Never Sleep In, Ever, Not Even For a Sleeping Holiday 

Nope, there was no extra hour of sleep for last night's sleeping holiday (come one, that's really what it is). I knew that was going to happen, but the 4:45 wake up this morning was still sad. I made the best of it, though, taking Sawyer to get pancakes before 7 and to walk around the duck pond before 8. My kid chooses not to observe the WONDERFUL HOLIDAY that is the End of Daylight Savings, but that is his ethical, moral, and personal choice. I have to respect it. 

Sometimes You Have to Be An Adult

Because of the unexpected expenses of at least putting up the initial costs for car rental and my insurance deductible, I made the call to cancel my quick little weekend trip up the coast alone to be fiscally responsible. It stung, a lot (there may have been a tear or two), but I knew in the end the added expense would be more stressful so I pulled the plug. There will be other chances. 

Remember the Good

There were some good moments this week- Halloween, pre-stomach disaster, was so fun this year! Sawyer had a costume parade on Friday too, at his school, that was the absolute cutest. I've also been loving Jeffrey Eugenides' newest short story collection and am excited about an unrelated blog post I'm working on for this week. I got in two short runs this weekend, taking it easy after not feeling well this week, and a few walks too. I was able to touch bases in various forms with several friends over the past few days, and of right now I'm winning my week for Fantasy Football. It's not all bad.