Sick in Need of a Sub

Welp, I disappeared for a whole month. Oops. February was… let’s just say, not my favorite.

We kicked things off with a family-wide battle against RSV. Scarlet got hit the hardest, which meant I had to take a week off work—right before parent-teacher conferences, because of course that’s how timing works. But hey, we powered through, conferences wrapped up, and I thought, Finally! A moment to breathe.

HaHaHa. Nope.

The universe said, “Let’s keep this fun!” and handed me a mysterious, energy-draining, dry cough situation. You know, the kind where you sound like a barking seal in the middle of your lessons. Just when I thought that was bad, the norovirus rolled in like an uninvited guest at a dinner party. Cue a week of never-ending toddler tummy troubles. I won’t go into details, but let’s just say… I need summer now.

Trying to juggle teaching, my kids’ never-ending illnesses, and keeping my house from looking like a disaster zone has felt impossible. But I know we’re close to making it out of this season of chaos, so I’m just holding on for dear life.

For my fellow teachers who are in survival mode right now—solidarity, friends. And also, let me share a game-changing resource that saved my sanity this month! One of my teammates found The Printable Princess, and she has these incredible “Plans in a Pinch” packs on TeachersPayTeachers. They’re filled with reading, writing, and math activities that actually make solid review materials. Aka: The emergency sub plans you wish you had when you’re up at 2 AM debating if you can survive the school day.

Do yourself a favor—grab them now and thank me later. Because if February taught me anything, it’s that life loves to throw curveballs, and we all need a little backup plan.

Here’s to healthier days ahead! (Please?)