Sunday 31 August 2014

Back To School

      It is hard to believe it, but the week of back to school has arrived.  Summer seemed at times to fly by, and other days seem to crawl by at a snails pace (mom, I'm bored). The hardest fact for me to digest is that my Isaac is headed into grade 3. I feel like I was just dropping him off for his first day of kindergarden and now he is one of the "big kids" in the school.
   My princess is going off to grade 1. She is eager to get back to her friends and her social life after a summer of playing with Isaac and his friends. Akira will continue with her gymnastics training and is up to 8 hours per week. We shall see what this school year has in store for the little diva!
    I am looking forward to getting back to the routine of the school year. It will be especially nice now that I have a set schedule and will not have to worry about sleeping for a night shift or trying to arrange childcare for an evening shift. I will be honest and say that I, as I am sure is true of most parents, am really not looking forward to making lunches every day.
   I would love to say that I am one of those amazing moms who make beautiful lunches with cute sandwiches cut into shapes- I know you moms are out there and I admire you all so much! It's my goal to pack a healthy lunch that the kids will eat. It sounds so simple, but when you think of the things that you aren't allowed to send to the classroom it can get challenging. I don't  know about your kids, but mine go through phases where they will eat absolutely anything and the lunch bag comes home empty every day and then BAM they don't want to eat anything I send...
     I will also need to get organized for suppers this year. It is my goal to plan a menu at the beginning of the week so that Simon and I both know what's going on and there won't be any last minute, "Oh no, what are we going to eat tonight". I find when I don't plan in advance we end up eating over processed, under flavoured junk. I want to try to avoid that trap this school year. I generally think of myself as an organized person, so I hope I can carry that through all parts of life and make some scrumptious suppers.
   Fall is in the air and change is on the horizon. Here's to a school year packed with health, laughter, and the comfort of a set schedule.

Sunday 17 August 2014

New Adventures

    I have been an ER nurse since I graduated from nursing school in 2010. I have worked in the Saint John ER since 2008. I love everything about being an ER nurse. I thrive on the adrenalin rush and the uncertainty of what a shift might bring. I have seen sights I wish I hadn't and smelled odours that would turn the hardiest of stomaches. Tomorrow marks the day that I leave the comfort zone of chaos and start a new adventure.
   I will be heading up the hill from the hospital to Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick for a one year term as the simulated patient educator. It will be strange to leave the world of comfy scrubs and ponytails for business attire and my hair done as good as it gets (yay curls). I love bedside nursing and seeing people go from crisis to feeling well, but I also enjoy teaching. I have been helping out with simulations in the ER for the last year and I absolutely love it!
     I admit I don't like change and my mind has been running a mile a minute since I received the call that I had been chosen for the position. I have been working as a casual in emerg since my discharge from the hospital. Choosing my own schedule definitely has its perks, but having a consistent income will also be fantastic. Another big bonus with this new job is regular hours, no more night shift and no more house with two shift workers trying to juggle shifts!
    I have seen so many amazing things working in the ER. I have seen tiny babies fighting for life, I have watched seniors as they take their final breath on this earth surrounded by family, I have seen all kinds of strange objects in places they don't belong. I have cried with patients, laughed with patients, and lost my temper a time or two. I have had to take a moment to settle my nerves before performing a new procedure, I have had to bite my tongue when I really wanted to speak my mind, and I have learned to stand up for those who are too afraid to stand up for themselves. I have been a part of an amazing team of nurses, doctors, and support staff. Our ER is like a big (though highly dysfunctional at times) family. I will miss being part of the day to day life of this family, but I know I'll be back!
   So here's to change and trying new things. Tomorrow is the start of new adventures and new co-workers. It is a day to face my fear of what is new and step with confidence and willingness to learn a new role.