I'm still here

The other night Rich asked me if I was no longer blogging.  "I haven't had time!" I exclaimed.  I don't know what's going on but I blink and the day is gone.  How does that happen?  I remember days, as a child and as an adult, when time would stretch on seemingly forever.  I had to find things to do.  Now, I have a rough idea of how I'd like to spend my day but at the end, I'm usually left with a to-do list that carries over to the next day and then the day after that.  This past week has been filled with tax returns, school activities, a work dinner, investigating a potential business venture and our first big sickness of the school year.

The girls have been in good health this school year and for that I am extremely thankful.  Up until last week, no one had missed school (except Anna - a half day for a urology appointment.)  When I picked the girls up from school last Thursday, Allie told me she had a sore throat, which was making her tummy hurt.  I took her temperature right when we walked in the door and she did not have a fever.  Not even close.  She was eating normally but she looked sick across the eyes.  I assumed the sore throat was sinus drainage and that she was coming down with a cold.  Our part of Massachusetts is in the red zone for the flu, a fact which creates anxiety for me if I really think about it.

Allie stayed home from school on Friday.  She was still fever-free but definitely sick.  She then threw up for two hours in the middle of the day.  Stomach virus?  But then she said she was okay at dinnertime and lamented over her inability to eat pizza.  I was so focused on the flu and watching her for symptoms that strep throat didn't pop into my head until very early Saturday morning.  Specifically when I was awake from 4:00 to 6:00 with her.  I called the pediatrician's office right when they opened, brought her in and bingo, strep throat.  I was totally patting myself on the back for that one.  She never had a fever and strep throat was not on anyone's radar because we are all so focused on the flu.

Fortunately, the strep infection did not spread to anyone else.  There's so much sickness going around, I just want to get to vacation week.  Hopefully, with everyone out of school, germs will stop spreading.

Yesterday morning, I received a phone call from the school.  I had only been home from drop off for about five minutes or so and my first thought was that Anna carrying all of her Valentine's Day goodies had fallen down.  Nope (thank god!)  It was the health teacher.  Apparently, last week Allie's class discussed what made them feel sad or anxious at school.  One girl said that she sometimes felt left out in group situations.  Somehow the health teacher asked Allie if she would ask her classmate to sit with her at lunch.  Allie told me how no one is alone at lunch and this particular girl has a group she sits with.  She thinks the comment was in reference to group projects in class, which are plentiful this year.  Regardless, Allie reached out and offered a spot at her table for lunch and the health teacher was calling to praise her actions and how she handled the situation with maturity.

This isn't the first time a teacher has commented on the girls' inclusion of others.  I know I'm not a perfect mom and there are days I question my parenting, but when stuff like this happens, I know I've done something right.  

I hope to catch up during "vacation" next week.  We really don't have much planned aside from a few play dates and an adult gambling day.  I need to finalize our Disney schedule so I can be ready to book dining when we reach the 180 day mark, a date I keep forgetting.  I also have a huge list of sewing projects.  Tax returns first though.  :)