Lora's United States of Whatever

Recovering from sedation January 2015 Every six months we head to the dentist for a teeth cleaning and check-up. When Izzy was four years old, it was time for that ritual to begin for her, and... IT. WAS. AWFUL. Because of her lack of spatial awareness and sensory integration, she couldn't just lay back in the chair and open up wide like the kiddo in the room next door. So the dentist recommended sedation for her cleanings. What?! Sedation! This really freaked me out. I did not want to give my child medication unless it was absolutely necessary... and I also didn't want to fork over $250 to pay for it. However, teeth cleaning is essential, so we did it. Every six months, we did it. Greg and I took a day off of work to take her to the dentist. A trip to the dentist that may take 45 minutes for a typical child took a full day for us. We had to arrive an hour early, so she could take the meds, stay an hour after the exam, so the dentist could make sure she's all right, an...

First day of 5th Grade School is in session! School started for students on August 15th, yet I’ve been back since July 30th. Although I love the start of a fresh school year, along with that comes so much. The transition from a carefree summer to the hustle and bustle of school is a tough one. I’m reminded daily of the many decisions that educators make. Statistics say that teachers make 1,500 decisions every day! Along with many decisions comes the stress of a never-ending “to-do” list and the unexpectedness of working with children. While I’ve vowed to continue writing, this is why I've kept my pencil down over the past month. During one of the last weeks of summer, we visited Bahama Bucks. (If you haven’t been there yet, stop reading this post and go now! LOL! Seriously, though! Their shaved ice is the BEST!) Izz walked up and placed her order for a blue coconut with cream sno-cone quickly while Greg and I hung back and viewed the menu. Finally, Greg ordered a large m...