Happy Summertime!
The sun is shining, the soggy mess is drying up and the temperatures are rising. I am a happy lady to finally be able to play outside again. I feel begin to feel both anxious and depressed when I am cooped up for too long.
Yesterday Timmy and I headed to our farm to spend the day playing and picking strawberries. My little mud puppy could not have been happier running around under the warm sun. The ground was riddled with puddles, which only added to his delight. He is definitely an outdoor adventurer kid.
Today I am packing up the boys and headed to visit my Mom for a few days. I'm looking forward to a few days of unwinding with her. I plan on coming home on Sunday, both to miss the traffic and so that we can go to our pool the first day it opens.
Happy Memorial DayWeekend!
About Me
- Peggy
- I am a below knee amputee. More importantly, I am also Mommy to two boys, a very active 10 year old (Robby) and an mischievous toddler (Timmy). I have learned that being a parent with a disability can create some unusual and sometimes humorous situations. This blogger is available for hire! Let's talk and learn how a blog can expand your business.
Friday, May 25, 2018
Thursday, May 24, 2018
My Little Avenger
My little Timmy uses his words sparingly. There are days when I have full blown conversations with him while at other times he chooses to answer with single words or by signing. He also intermixes his own words and sounds that he has assigned to specific events or places. Most people don't understand his invented language, but I know exactly what is being conveyed.
A few days ago we were at Open Bounce at a local moon bounce facility. Timmy loves jumping, sliding and running around with new friends. I appreciate that for a mere $5 he is occupied and happy for three hours, allowing me an opportunity to relax a little and tap into the free wi-fi. It is amazing how much work I can knock out during these precious moments of quiet!
After bouncing bouncing with some new little friends for about two hours, some bigger kids (meaning seven) arrived. Timmy continued hopping and playing with the ball with his friends, but soon his pint sized bouncers quickly started to leave the bounce house. I overheard the little jumpers relay the story of the big kids stealing their balls and pushing them down. I immediately set down my computer and walked over to check on Timmy.
I saw Timmy running around the moon bounce holding onto a ball, with a bigger kid chasing him. (My little jumper is fast, but apparently a seven year old can catch him quicker than me.) I watched as the child tried to grab Timmy's ball out of his hands. Timmy had a death grip on the ball, refusing to let go. Timmy was knocked down, and the ball was pried from his clutches.
I was ready to go Mama Bear on the situation, but Timmy beat me to it. He quickly stood up, walked right over to the ball thief, and looked the bully-in-training directly in the eyes. Without missing a beat, and as clear as can be, he said "no you a$$hole" before grabbing his ball and leaving the bouncer.
The older kid ran out of the bounce house right after Timmy, running over to his Mom to report that "the little kid" just called him a bad word. I gave Timmy a fist bump, put on his shoes and headed to Chick-fil-A to play in a new playground. While I'm not delighted with his word choice, I am extremely proud that he isn't afraid to stand up for himself and happy to know that his words can be clear when motivated.
A few days ago we were at Open Bounce at a local moon bounce facility. Timmy loves jumping, sliding and running around with new friends. I appreciate that for a mere $5 he is occupied and happy for three hours, allowing me an opportunity to relax a little and tap into the free wi-fi. It is amazing how much work I can knock out during these precious moments of quiet!
After bouncing bouncing with some new little friends for about two hours, some bigger kids (meaning seven) arrived. Timmy continued hopping and playing with the ball with his friends, but soon his pint sized bouncers quickly started to leave the bounce house. I overheard the little jumpers relay the story of the big kids stealing their balls and pushing them down. I immediately set down my computer and walked over to check on Timmy.
I saw Timmy running around the moon bounce holding onto a ball, with a bigger kid chasing him. (My little jumper is fast, but apparently a seven year old can catch him quicker than me.) I watched as the child tried to grab Timmy's ball out of his hands. Timmy had a death grip on the ball, refusing to let go. Timmy was knocked down, and the ball was pried from his clutches.
I was ready to go Mama Bear on the situation, but Timmy beat me to it. He quickly stood up, walked right over to the ball thief, and looked the bully-in-training directly in the eyes. Without missing a beat, and as clear as can be, he said "no you a$$hole" before grabbing his ball and leaving the bouncer.
The older kid ran out of the bounce house right after Timmy, running over to his Mom to report that "the little kid" just called him a bad word. I gave Timmy a fist bump, put on his shoes and headed to Chick-fil-A to play in a new playground. While I'm not delighted with his word choice, I am extremely proud that he isn't afraid to stand up for himself and happy to know that his words can be clear when motivated.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Rotting in the Rain
Well our good weather streak broke after one day. Yesterday the skies opened up and buckets of unwanted water poured from the skies. En route to taking Robby to his PE class, I had to pull over because our wipers couldn't keep up with the rainfall. Usually rains that intense are fleeting. This one stayed for nearly 40 minutes, flooding every mud puddle and ditch in the area.
I am beyond frustrated with the constant rain. Although no precipitation is in the forecast today, it will be a swampy mess as the temperatures work to dry everything out. The smelly swamp is nearly as bad as the dreary rain!
Not only is our bad weather is wreaking havoc on both my yard and my mood, but it is destroying the local strawberry crop. My favorite strawberry farm is struggling to keep the berries from rotting in the field. At this point I'm just surrendering May to bad weather and looking forward to drier and sunnier days. Unfortunately June will be too late for the delicious berries.
If it dries out enough this afternoon, maybe Timmy and I will help save some berries from a rotting demise. Before we pick berries we will head to our favorite toddler playground for a few hours. He is my energetic social butterfly, eager to make friends and play wherever he goes. Hopefully I won't be the only Mom with this idea and Timmy can have a playmate. I hope that playing hard for a few hours will help expend the destructive energy that tends to build up when we are forced to play inside.
I am beyond frustrated with the constant rain. Although no precipitation is in the forecast today, it will be a swampy mess as the temperatures work to dry everything out. The smelly swamp is nearly as bad as the dreary rain!
Not only is our bad weather is wreaking havoc on both my yard and my mood, but it is destroying the local strawberry crop. My favorite strawberry farm is struggling to keep the berries from rotting in the field. At this point I'm just surrendering May to bad weather and looking forward to drier and sunnier days. Unfortunately June will be too late for the delicious berries.
If it dries out enough this afternoon, maybe Timmy and I will help save some berries from a rotting demise. Before we pick berries we will head to our favorite toddler playground for a few hours. He is my energetic social butterfly, eager to make friends and play wherever he goes. Hopefully I won't be the only Mom with this idea and Timmy can have a playmate. I hope that playing hard for a few hours will help expend the destructive energy that tends to build up when we are forced to play inside.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Muddy Puddles
After 10 long days, the rain has finally stopped falling and the sun has decided to reappear. The ground is a soggy mess and everything smells like dead worms and decaying foliage, but Timmy seemed oblivious to those details. I think he was just happy to be outside again.
Undeterred by the mud and determined to make the most of our sunshine, I changed into a sundress and joined my little explorer in the yard. He was delighted to play in our squishy, odoriferous and muddy yard, exploring throughout the afternoon. I could feel my anxiety melting away as the sunshine was beating down on my bare shoulders.
Timmy spent the afternoon running around the yard, happily searching for worms and splashing in the muck. I did my best to keep up with him. While he seemed to have no issues traversing through the mud, I didn't find it nearly as easy. The mud puddles were sticky, holding onto my prosthesis at every opportunity. I felt like I was walking on sponges dipped in glue.
I have decided that I dislike mud as much as, and possibly more, than ice. Mud is deceivingly slippery, a lesson I learned the hard way. Falling is a humiliating experience under the best of circumstances. Falling in the mud takes humiliation to a whole new level.
Yesterday my prosthesis became stuck in a particularly deep mud patch. I pulled hard to release for my next step. Unfortunately my efforts resulted in my coming out of my leg and losing my balance. My prosthetic stayed upright in the mud pile while I ended up sliding down the mud hill in new sundress, face first in front of the UPS driver. There is no graceful way to recover from that entrance.
I hate mud.
Undeterred by the mud and determined to make the most of our sunshine, I changed into a sundress and joined my little explorer in the yard. He was delighted to play in our squishy, odoriferous and muddy yard, exploring throughout the afternoon. I could feel my anxiety melting away as the sunshine was beating down on my bare shoulders.
I have decided that I dislike mud as much as, and possibly more, than ice. Mud is deceivingly slippery, a lesson I learned the hard way. Falling is a humiliating experience under the best of circumstances. Falling in the mud takes humiliation to a whole new level.
Yesterday my prosthesis became stuck in a particularly deep mud patch. I pulled hard to release for my next step. Unfortunately my efforts resulted in my coming out of my leg and losing my balance. My prosthetic stayed upright in the mud pile while I ended up sliding down the mud hill in new sundress, face first in front of the UPS driver. There is no graceful way to recover from that entrance.
I hate mud.
Monday, May 21, 2018
Keys
Tired from the rain, yesterday we packed up the kids and headed to our local indoor rec center to use the pool. Timmy was delighted to practice his pool skills, and being active did wonders for my affect. Almost as soon as I slipped into the warm water I began to feel my anxiety melt away.
After two hours of splishing and splashing, we began to get cold and decided to go home. We pulled our happy little fish out of the water, dried off and headed back to our car. It was only when we arrived at the car did we realize we couldn't find the keys.
Scott (my husband) swore he put them in the pool bag. We ended up emptying the contents of our overstuffed bag in the middle of the parking lot.
No keys.
We went back into the gym, assuming that the keys fell our of the bag when we grabbed our towels.
No keys.
We visited the check-in desk out of the hopes that somebody had found them on the ground and turned them in.
No keys.
Frustrated and exhausting all options (we thought) we called AAA. As luck would have it, our spare keys were in the glove compartment of the locked car. (Sometimes forgetting to take something inside works to your benefit!)
After a long 30 minutes wrangling two antsy and wet kids in the parking lot while keeping my now fuming husband calm, AAA finally arrived. The car was unlocked, our spare keys were retrieved and we headed home. When I got home I changed out of my swim suit, forcing me to take off my leg. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the missing car keys in the bottom of my socket. Scott put them in my leg for "safe keeping" when I switched into my water leg. I assumed that my poor suction was because of the wet liner- it never occurred to me to check in the socket.
D'oh!
After two hours of splishing and splashing, we began to get cold and decided to go home. We pulled our happy little fish out of the water, dried off and headed back to our car. It was only when we arrived at the car did we realize we couldn't find the keys.
Scott (my husband) swore he put them in the pool bag. We ended up emptying the contents of our overstuffed bag in the middle of the parking lot.
No keys.
We went back into the gym, assuming that the keys fell our of the bag when we grabbed our towels.
No keys.
We visited the check-in desk out of the hopes that somebody had found them on the ground and turned them in.
No keys.
Frustrated and exhausting all options (we thought) we called AAA. As luck would have it, our spare keys were in the glove compartment of the locked car. (Sometimes forgetting to take something inside works to your benefit!)
After a long 30 minutes wrangling two antsy and wet kids in the parking lot while keeping my now fuming husband calm, AAA finally arrived. The car was unlocked, our spare keys were retrieved and we headed home. When I got home I changed out of my swim suit, forcing me to take off my leg. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the missing car keys in the bottom of my socket. Scott put them in my leg for "safe keeping" when I switched into my water leg. I assumed that my poor suction was because of the wet liner- it never occurred to me to check in the socket.
D'oh!
Friday, May 18, 2018
Playing in the Rain
The sun never came out yesterday. By early afternoon I just couldn't handle being cooped inside with an antsy toddler any longer. I dug out my rain coat from the back of my closet and located one of Robby's old ones for Timmy. Unfortunately the smallest raincoat I could find was still considerably too big for Timmy. He looked like the Paddington Bear playing dress-up with his yellow raincoat falling below his knees and the sleeves swallowing his little arms. (He was absolutely adorable!)
Thrilled to be leaving the house, Timmy happily helped me locate our strawberry baskets. He was excited to pick strawberries in the rain and I was delighted to take advantage of the 50% off u-pick in the rain offer. Fully anticipating becoming both drenched and filthy, I grabbed some extra towels and my water leg on the way out the door.
Timmy had the time of his life splashing in the puddles and mucking around in the mud. He giggled and laughed throughout our picking adventure, loving every moment of playing in the warm rain. The puddles were so deep that his boots were rendered virtually useless. Instead of keeping him dry they filled up with puddle water, causing him to struggle and slosh when walking. Soon he abandoned his trusty Thomas boots altogether, opting instead to splash barefoot.
With the exception of my water leg becoming muck covered, I remained relatively dry and clean throughout our adventure. I'm so glad I remembered to grab my water leg. I think that venturing into the mud in my everyday prosthesis could have been a disaster. At least my water leg is built for submersion and clean-up was easy.
We ended up staying at the strawberry farm for nearly 90 minutes despite only needing 30 minutes to pick our berries. The rest of the time was spent splashing and playing in the pool sized puddles. Soaked through his raincoat and covered with mud, my little guy had a blast!
Even though the sun never materialized and the dreary rain persisted, I felt my mood lighten. I guess I just needed to think outside the box. Yesterday I was reminded that it can be a lot of fun to play in the rain.
Thrilled to be leaving the house, Timmy happily helped me locate our strawberry baskets. He was excited to pick strawberries in the rain and I was delighted to take advantage of the 50% off u-pick in the rain offer. Fully anticipating becoming both drenched and filthy, I grabbed some extra towels and my water leg on the way out the door.
Timmy had the time of his life splashing in the puddles and mucking around in the mud. He giggled and laughed throughout our picking adventure, loving every moment of playing in the warm rain. The puddles were so deep that his boots were rendered virtually useless. Instead of keeping him dry they filled up with puddle water, causing him to struggle and slosh when walking. Soon he abandoned his trusty Thomas boots altogether, opting instead to splash barefoot.
With the exception of my water leg becoming muck covered, I remained relatively dry and clean throughout our adventure. I'm so glad I remembered to grab my water leg. I think that venturing into the mud in my everyday prosthesis could have been a disaster. At least my water leg is built for submersion and clean-up was easy.
We ended up staying at the strawberry farm for nearly 90 minutes despite only needing 30 minutes to pick our berries. The rest of the time was spent splashing and playing in the pool sized puddles. Soaked through his raincoat and covered with mud, my little guy had a blast!
Even though the sun never materialized and the dreary rain persisted, I felt my mood lighten. I guess I just needed to think outside the box. Yesterday I was reminded that it can be a lot of fun to play in the rain.
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Rain Rain Go Away
This near constant rain is really beginning to play with my moods. Being suck inside and living under a cloud without the sun has caused me to become irritable, sad and downright grumpy. In fact, everybody in this house has a severe case of the weather grumpies.
Timmy is frustrated that I won't let him play outside. I don't blame him, I know that he sees mud puddles ripe for jumping. Despite his pleas, I'm not letting him tackle the mud holes until the thunder and winds die down. This disagreement has led to a near constant whining, which is intensifying my sour mood. We have created a grumpy mood loop.
Yesterday we spent the day cleaning the house and organizing all of toys strewn through the living room. It took us nearly five hours, but his precious tracks and trains are separated by type and placed into the appropriate bin. I am fully aware that the Island of Sodor will be reassembled at the first opportunity, but at least now we have a clean slate and a working system for organizing the parts.
More rain is in the forecast today (what a shock), so it will be another one spent indoors. I think I'm going to pack him up and go somewhere fun. If I have to spend another day in the house I might officially become stir crazy!
Timmy is frustrated that I won't let him play outside. I don't blame him, I know that he sees mud puddles ripe for jumping. Despite his pleas, I'm not letting him tackle the mud holes until the thunder and winds die down. This disagreement has led to a near constant whining, which is intensifying my sour mood. We have created a grumpy mood loop.
Yesterday we spent the day cleaning the house and organizing all of toys strewn through the living room. It took us nearly five hours, but his precious tracks and trains are separated by type and placed into the appropriate bin. I am fully aware that the Island of Sodor will be reassembled at the first opportunity, but at least now we have a clean slate and a working system for organizing the parts.
More rain is in the forecast today (what a shock), so it will be another one spent indoors. I think I'm going to pack him up and go somewhere fun. If I have to spend another day in the house I might officially become stir crazy!
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