Downsizing #5 and Scare Concerning Riley

I have a lot I want to do around the house today and really shouldn't be on the computer but here I am anyway because there are two important things to note and it's always nice to put off cleaning and laundry for a while!
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1.  Downsizing #5
 I've been thinking a lot lately about whether or not I would go back to work with Head Start in the fall. There are many factors involved, but especially the fact that I feel like I haven't had the physical or emotional energy left for my own family. I finally (should have done this first, I know :) asked God to please make it clear to me what is the best plan for my life concerning my job.

Right away some things came up that have made it perfectly clear to me that I need to be with my family in the fall. This week, an issue came up at work, which I can't be specific about because of work confidentiality, but I felt it needed to be addressed and was putting others at risk. I followed the proper chain of authority but all everyone wanted to do was play the blame game. So instead of figuring out a helpful solution, everyone seems to be trying to absolve themselves of responsibility by blaming each other, which not only doesn't help resolve the issue, it also causes tension between people. I've done as much as I can to try to help but I don't have the time or the energy to fight on this one, so I won't. They all have the information and what they choose to do with it is up to them.

The other interesting thing that happened this week concerning my decision was that I attended a short parenting seminar put on by the Early Head Start program. The presenter discussed that the best investment we can make is our children. One of the facts she shared is that, on average, we only spend 23 minutes a week in meaningful conversation with our children. That hit me hard because I know the facts about the success rate of children who's parents were very intentional about their parenting and I feel like I haven't been able to do that very successfully this school year. I've just been getting by and that's not good enough for my family.

So because of that and a few other things, I've decided I won't be going back to Head Start in the fall. I will still be working with Dawnna at Berndt Produce for two days a week in the fall since that seems to work well for myself and my family. I'm excited to be able to parent intentionally again and have more time to devote to my family and friends!

2. Scare Concerning Riley

I received a phone call at work on Thursday afternoon from the principal at Riley's school. They had been at a field trip to DeSmet to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead and right before they got on the bus to come back, the left side of Riley's neck started to swell. He said he hadn't been stung by anything but they didn't know for sure. They tried to call me at that point but of course, I had left my phone in the van that day instead of taking it into work. They got on the bus and by the time they made it back to the school, Riley's neck and side of his face were so swollen that they couldn't see his jaw bone. By then, they had finally reached me at Head Start on the office phone and I left work immediately and went to pick him up. They said he hadn't had any trouble breathing yet but the swelling continued.

He and I went right from his school to see his doctor at the clinic.
She got him right away and it turned out that the quick swelling was caused by a chain of events. He had an incredibly bad ear infection in his left ear. The infection had spread to his tonsils and the left lymph node in his neck. The doctor thinks what happened is that after he was running around on the field trip and got hot and sweaty, he drank cold water. The infection reacted to the cold water and immediately started to swell.

She put him on some high-powered antibiotics and some ear drops. That would lead into the story of my second epic parent fail in 24 hours........but that will have to be a story for another day. I've already spent too much time typing this story already!

Riley is feeling much better now and the swelling is almost gone.
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