Good Friday Omelettes

I recently discovered I am sexist. Ty has had a less than subtle admirer since kindergarten. This beautiful little girl is a determined handful and her pursuit of my son has been relentless. Last week, she caught him in the hallway at school alone and pushed him into a corner to keep him there because he avoids her whenever he can. My first thought upon hearing his complaint was something along the lines of "well, if your eyes weren't so beautiful, she wouldn't pay any attention to you." Thank God my filter was functioning properly at the moment so that thought did not escape my lips. I did ask if he had brought the situation to his teacher's attention so he could get some additional support in how to handle this relentless child who is not hearing his pleas of "please stop, I don't like this". He hadn't said a word at school so I emailed his wonderful teacher and told her he needed to talk with her the next day when they had a few moments available. This would empower Ty to find his voice and know he would be heard. Ty was supported in a conversation with the child and teachers let her know her behavior wouldn't be tolerated. All in all, this really wasn't a big deal because no one made it a big deal. However, if roles were reversed and the kids in question were older? Law enforcement would be involved. I have seen me do it. Two different young men had conversations with friendly officers after refusing to cease harassing my daughters. One of them got to sit in a courtroom with me too. So, I am sexist and evaluating how much that might need to change as my son grows up.

Early in our marriage, Greg and I could not afford to hire babysitters or go out very much. We tended to find creative ways to spend time together and that time usually took place after the girls' bedtime. Greg was on third shift and therefore up a lot later than he is now with a 4am alarm. Anyway, we loved watching Emeril Lagasse's show and would inevitably end up hungry late at night. Given our kitchen was never stocked with anything remotely similar to Emeril's TV kitchen, we accepted omelettes as our best available option. Late night omelettes in bed were born and we made them frequently for years.

Greg found out last week he would be off for Good Friday. Our kids would all be at school or work so I told Ava's mom I needed Ava to go to preschool that morning as well. I stocked the fridge with our favorite omelette ingredients and planned for a lazy morning reminiscent of our early marriage days to finally connect after a few very long weeks of busy life. We have barely seen each other awake this week and major life decisions are being made through text messages. This is a full season and to endure it gracefully, we have to carve out time for us wherever we can.

And then Kate's asthma derailed our plans. Sister was up most of the night, for the third night in a row coughing and struggling. Guess who did not go to school on Good Friday? Life with kids looks like this more often than not and we are rolling with the punches. Again. We still ate omelettes but at the table like normal people and some of those big decisions? We still had to text each other. We do what we have to do because the same children who cannot hear a direct request always hear private conversations. But we slipped away for a quick lunch with our favorite third grader and I snagged a very quick rain puddle session with Ava. If inclined, a link to see the results is sheschasinglight.com.

Kate's asthma attack was truly frightening Tuesday night. I was up all night with her in debate as to whether or not she needed emergency treatment. In the doctor's office on Wednesday she got three medications in a breathing treatment and went home with a nebulizer. The next day, she was still struggling so steriod therapy was added. We have made adjustments to her maintenance medications and are hoping the rain we are getting all weekend knocks the pollen down so she can get a break. Recognizing we didn't even know she had asthma this time last year makes this event that much more shocking. I seriously didn't see it coming. And her attendance this semester? Deplorable. Surgery, flu and now three days with an asthma episode has her missing day 15. Thank God we have perfect attendance from last year to show we aren't neglecting school, just dealing with life and stack of medical bills.

I am meeting two new friends at the local coffee shop Saturday morning to discuss natural treatments for autoimmune diseases. All three of us are battling for our health right now and struggling to find balance between conventional medicine that has us all being prescribed anti-inflammatory medications and in my case, biologics to suppress my immune system. I simply cannot give in yet. Despite what my doctor calls a good run of ten years medicine free, she wants me to assess the quality of my life in pain versus the potential long term ramifications. I am not there yet so we are starting a support group to help us navigate being off all grains and sugar again. Each of us has had success in the past and know what we need to do but aknowledge just how challenging it is to follow such strict guidelines in our homes where everyone else is eating whatever they want in front of us. I am grateful this leg of my health journey appears to include friends who are making similar decisions.