Friday Favorites – PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Hi friends, and thanks for stopping by for Friday’s favorite show. I’m so happy you’re here!

1

I can hardly believe it’s already Friday, and this week has gone by so fast for me. I’m really enjoying my second week of preschool so far. We’ve met most of the kids, and there are only a few more to start, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like this is going to be a good year, although I’m trying not to say it out loud just in case.

I’m not really sure what happened in the last few years, but things changed after COVID. I’m no expert, but as an early childhood educator, I’ve truly experienced the gradual impact it has on children and their families, and I’m not the only one. I want to make sure I’m not the only one thinking about this, so I regularly reach out to colleagues and people I know in other schools and early childhood settings.

Everyone I talked to said the same thing. The children’s behavior is very different, and not in a good way. Last year was the hardest year in my 35 years of working with children and almost failed me. I usually try to soften things on the blog, but sometimes you just have to say it. This is really difficult!

Now I feel like we’re finally on the other side of that, and things are getting back to pre-COVID life, I think. I was so relieved that many of the reasons I loved working with children started to emerge again. For a long time, I even wondered if I could continue. I don’t remember who it was—the person who wrote the letter Six Favorite Things About Working in Early Childhood Education.

Anyway, I’m happy and very relieved to say he’s slowly coming back, and it’s a big favourite.

2

A while ago, I shared that I have a great system for remembering to take my thyroid tablets in the morning. I would leave the glass on the kitchen bench as a sign that I had taken it. I’m also happy because it kills two birds with one stone. I take my tablets with a full glass of water, so I start the day with medication and hydration. What a winner!

The system usually works. But sometimes not. There are days when I remember to drink the water but not the tablets. And last year, for all the reasons I’ve mentioned, I was often unsure whether I was coming or going. And I forgot to take my tablets three days in a row more than once.

If you don’t have a thyroid, treatment is very important. Missing a dose here and there doesn’t cause instant drama, but over time, especially when you’re already exhausted and stressed, it can start to happen to you. Without enough thyroxine in your system, your body begins to weaken and flop around like a rag doll. So I took the advice of a kind reader who had commented on a post where I shared my not-so-great system and bought a pill organizer. Revolutionary stuff!

Do you know why I never bought one myself before, or even considered it? Because it’s for parents. Ha! How ridiculous is that? After all, I love my pill organizers, and these Gen Xers better start facing the truth. Feeling 29 doesn’t make it so 😅

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I’ll finish off my week’s favorites with a refreshing glass of Aperol Spritz that I had on Thursday night at the Humphreys Hotel. Congratulations on happier weeks at work, and happy weekends!

Happy Friday

In touch with Andrea and Erika