Day 348: Mrs. D -

Got a call from the doc today: turns out my body is not producing enough vitamin D. This can have all kinds of weird effects -- including causing the current medication I take to not work effectively AND cause massive headaches! So, for the next 3 months I'll be taking a prescription strength dosage of vitamin D and then a daily dosage for the rest of my life after that. It all seems a little overwhelming but reassuring at the same time to know there's an actual reason to why I've been feeling like crap for the last 6 months.

Many of my students call me "Mrs. D". Chris called me today and requested "Mrs. D -". Nice. But it made me laugh. And I needed that.

A solution with humor...for this, I am thankful.

Day 347: It's Not A Tumah!

(Reciting this title requires the best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice you can muster up.)

Nope. No tumors on this brain of mine! :) While I was confident that something so serious would be the cause of these nasty headaches, it was a bit of a relief to have it confirmed today during my headache evaluation. What the exact cause of them is, however, is still undetermined. Thankfully, the doc put a plan together and had a bunch of tests run to hopefully figure out how to eliminate these once a month bullies. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that her plan works and I start to feel better soon.

Plans in combination with modern medicine are a good thing. And for this, I am thankful.

Day 346: Girls Only

Whenever my mom comes to visit, we always go out to dinner on the last night she is in town. Knowing that Nico is not the best restaurant guest at the moment, Chris suggested we have a girls night out.

So off we went - Sofia, my mom and I - to dinner at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants. Within minutes, Sofia had deemed our outing the "Girls Only Party".

She was the perfect party guest and entertained us both at the dinner table. It has been wonderful having my mom here to visit and it was so special to have a night to celebrate the girls. :) And for this, I am thankful.

Day 345: Who Doesn't Roll Around In The Aisles of Target?

Nico had an off day. Actually, it really kind of stunk for him. He's not sleeping well, is starting to get a cold and was crabby as all get out all. day. long. Thus, I was weary when it came time to head to Target for grocery shopping. I had no idea what we were going to get from him.

I take that back. I knew exactly what we were going to get...a little boy who did not want to ride in the cart, cooperate, or have anything to do with being in a grocery store. This was a little boy who wanted to run, crawl, roll and slide down each aisle, touch everything he passed, lick the freezer doors and go into full backward arch pose when I picked him up.

It's ok though. The shopping got done, no one was harmed and Nico used up a ton of energy running across the store. Not much more I can ask for. :)

And for this, I am thankful.

Day 344: I Am A Daughter

Yay! My mom is here! I'm so looking forward to a few days of being a daughter and spending some quality time with Mom. Sofia and Nico are pretty stoked too. :)

And for this, I thankful.

Day 343: Oh man!

Let's just say I'm glad it was dark. :)

For memories both remembered and forgotten...for this, I am thankful.

Day 342: Some Days, It's Just Worth It

Today I administered a quick survey for a friend of mind writing an article for Forbes magazine. I whipped up a quick Google Form with three questions for the kids to answer anonymously: age, gender and what do you want to be when you grow up? I was blown away by the goals the kids have for themselves and so proud to have a window into their dreams. But the very last submission of the day is what took my breath away...

It's days like these that make being a teacher the most amazing job in the world. And for this, I am thankful.

Day 341: A True Gift

I find that having friends who are honest, supportive and insightful is quite a gift. And what a gift to be thankful for!

Day 340: Pancakes Make Everything Better

I was off today. After being gone for a day from my classroom, I felt like I was playing catch-up with my students and trying to push them forward at the same time. I continually ran out of supplies for my lab, misplaced items I needed for instruction, forgot my train of thought and even broke two pieces of glassware. I just couldn't seem to catch my stride. On top of it all, my head still ached and my stomach was upset from yesterday's doozy of a migraine. Yeah, I'm totally having a pity party.

But then it was time for dinner. Pancakes. Pancakes for dinner can make any difficult, out-of-sync, tiring day seem just right again. Even better are pancakes made by my husband and daughter in the shape of hearts and stars because "they're so much more fun to eat"! :)

Pancakes are good...in so many ways. And for this, I am thankful.

Day 339: Options

I woke up last night with a really nasty migraine. It was by far the worst one I have ever had and the kind that scared me enough to actually call the doctor today. The nurse I talked to was unbelievably kind, thorough and encouraging about options about where to go from here. I feel extremely fortunate to have a job that provides me with excellent health benefits so options actually are available to my family and I.

I'm getting a headache evaluation done next week and will finally have some treatment options for these nasty headaches. For this, I am thankful.