The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly of 2019

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Hello! Welcome back! I hope everyone's holidays were filled with friends, family, and lots of fun and laughter and allergen free food! This is a closing to the 2019 year and a wrap up of traditional schooling as I have known it! Hello homeschooling 2020! I hope you're kinder to me and embrace me with open arms!

At the beginning of the school year our family had an agreement with the school that my homeroom would be a dog free zone because of my allergies to dogs and my enrollment in this school year was based upon this agreement. It was a known fact that my teacher liked bringing her dog to hang out in the classroom during the day as a reward for the kids for behaving well. Not such a great reward if you're allergic to dogs, now is it? It's funny because looking back at my past years at the school I have never had SO many problems; itchy red eyes, flaring eczema, and just not feeling too well. I thought that my allergies were just going bonkers. However, as we dug deeper into this GREAT mystery it was revealed that my teacher had been bringing her 'family' dog in the classroom on the weekends and after school hours during the evening time. Remember when I posted about there being people you strive to want to be like and then there are those people who teach you what you don't want to be like.  

After meeting with both the principal and teacher it became clear that nothing was going to change. It proved too difficult for the school to agree to keeping the dog out of the classroom. Of course this wasn't going work for us as my parents didn't really feel like paying tuition to make me sick. So as a family we made the decision to pull me from my current school. My parents gave me the option of what school I wanted to go to next and I voted for homeschooling (1 vote won) as we had been looking into it before and this seemed like the most reasonable option due to it being the middle of the school year. I know other kids with food allergies who are homeschooled and love it, but I never thought I would end up being homeschooled because of a dog of all things. Funny how one person can change your path in life so suddenly. Thank you teacher.  

On another note...
We got home a couple nights ago from a trip down South to look at a horse for sale (part of my new PE curriculum  yay!) and tried out a new restaurant called Chile's on the way back home. They were fantastic about our food allergies! Our server even went back to the kitchen to take a picture of the ingredients on a box. It is definitely a skill set to learn how to confidently order food with food allergies. I watched my mom ask a million questions about the ingredients, how the food is prepared in the kitchen, and who is handling it. My mom is teaching me that I have to be assertive and responsible and not feel bad for asking too many questions. Normally she asks for a manager, but the server seemed so on top of it. I would highly recommend Chile's to anyone with severe food allergies or if you are nervous about branching out to try a new restaurants. This is a perfect first step.

To ring in the New Year I also conquered attending a New Years party! Shout out to the Fishers for being so great about my food allergies and always looking out for me. I could basically eat anything and everything at that party which NEVER happens. Mrs. Fisher saved the dessert boxes for me to read. I realize this isn't always going to happen, but for one night it gave me an idea of what most people experience. What an amazing feeling to not have to think about the food or what kids are touching. It's something that a LOT of people take for granted. The Fishers are amazing people and great role models that I look up to. Thank you Fishers for being you! I hope I can do the same for someone. My mom always says surround yourself by good people because that's what life is all about; family and friends. After last night's party I know what she's saying. Being surrounded by people who I love and care about and who love and care about me is an amazing feeling. Everything else that's happened this year with school, the teacher, really doesn't matter at the end of the day. It's the people that I care about that matter the most.

Thank you for reading! I hope everyone had a FABULOUS ending to their 2019! Happy New Year! Here's to a GREAT 2020!

 You made it! Congratulations for hanging on!

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