A Day in the Life of Mandy

Just thought I would add this pic because it is so well loved by many of you and I hope it will give you a laugh.

To those of you that rely on this blog to give you an escape from your day........ I am sorry that I have not written for over a week. I have been "busy." No really..... I have been busy. I decided that today's post would be about a day in the life of Mandy. We will take Wednesday of this week.

12:00 am: Wash face, brush teeth, and have a good chat with Mary. Start nightly reading.
1:00 am: Finishing up my nightly reading, responding to emails, and checking facebook.
2:00 am: Sleep
3:00 am: Sleep
4:00 am: Sleep
5:00 am: Sleep
6:00 am: Sleep
7:00 am: Sleep
8:00 am: By this time, I have overslept. I am scurrying around my house trying to get ready for the day. Showering, straightening my hair, picking out the right outfit, and singing the song I just bought on itunes: I'd Rather by Luther Vandrose. I eat some cereal: frosted flakes and rush out the door.

9:00 am: Today I start my day with a school visit to an elementary school. I have been trying to visit one of my clients at school but every time I go he has been sent home for his behavior. I call ahead today. He is there. I check in at the office of the school and tell the secretary who I have come to visit. She says, "Oh. Let me see if everything is okay with him." Oh great.

The school social worker meets me in the office and tells me of the days events thus far (really? it is only 9:20 am.) My client and his classmate charged a teacher and grabbed her head. Then he threw books at another student. He was sent to the quiet booth. I was taken down the hall to meet with the school social worker, school psychologist, and three of his teachers.

10:00 am: My client has calmed down enough for us to meet together. He acts as if nothing has happened. He refuses to talk about it. I get him to finally tell me about it by asking him to make it into a movie. Action!!! I asked if I could give him another movie. He said okay. I told him a movie about a child using his coping skills to calm himself and then he had a good day. He was very calm. Then we played checkers.

11:20 am: I arrive late to a team meeting because I could not find parking. I come into team. Eat some yummy food provided by an intern. We discuss a new client of my co-workers. Mom wants to send her back to her country but is afraid the daughter will run away. We discuss airline chaperone policies.

12:00 pm: Safety training with all the therapists (70 total). We learn about HIV and Hepatitus B. We watch a movie about safety with sharp objects.

1:00 pm: Typing up notes about the school visit. Returning phone calls to another student's school and making plans for another school visit the next day.

2:00 pm: Supervision with my supervisor. Here we talk about my cases and discuss how to help the families and children we serve. Today we talk about the mental health balance between psychology and spirituality.

3:00 pm: I have a session with an elementary age female. Mom is concerned because she has been biting herself when she is upset. We work on relaxation and anger coping skills. She discusses how different she feels from other kids due to her physical limitations. I share the book Journey Through Heartsongs written by a boy with physical limitations. She was intrigued.

4:00 pm: I have a session with an elementary age female. She comes in beaming. She shares that she got all A's and B's on her report card. Her mother tells her how proud she is of her. Last year this kid barely passed. She is also doing well with her friendships. Last year she was lonely and would tell lies to make people talk to her (ex. that her father died in the war.) We celebrated by painting.

5:00 pm: I get off work. Call my mom on my way home from work. We have our daily conversation. Grab a granola bar. Emily G. picks me up in her Alero to go to the temple.

6:00 pm: Still driving in traffic on the GW parkway. It is beautiful and Emily and I discuss the happenings in our lives. She is doing well. I am doing well. It was wonderful to spend time with her. It felt like old times when we lived together.

7:00 pm: Temple.
8:00 pm: Temple.

9:00 pm: Driving home....not traffic!!! However, I realize that my phone is dying and I am unable to charge it because the charging part is broken. Oh great. I get home and walk into Melrose 3076. They are watching transformers. I am not interested.

10:00 pm: Mary and I go to my house and watch the movie Win a Date with Tad Hamilton. Peter and Brian show up for a little bit of the movie. I drink warm apple cider.

11:00 pm: finish movie. It was beautiful again. I want to marry Pete and I am wondering "what are my different smiles? I brush my teeth, floss, wash my face, and start my nightly reading.

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