About Me

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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, August 19, 2016

Decompressing

After weeks of fretting and more hours than I care to admit preparing, my presentation is now over.  I am happy to report that my hard work paid off and the presentation went well. I think that everybody not only enjoyed themselves but walked away with a little more knowledge and motivation to continue pressing advocacy efforts forward. As soon as I closed my computer to leave I felt a surge of relief, quickly followed by an overwhelming fatigue.

If Timmy had cooperated I am fairly certain that I could have slept through the afternoon. My little Hamlet would have nothing to do with rest, and was instead a bundle of energy and happiness. Eventually his giggles (and a few cups of coffee) helped to combat my fatigue.  With a nap off the table, I spent the remainder of the day playing and just enjoying the moment.

Scott and Robby were so involved with their own activities that neither seemed to bat an eye at me being gone for the night. Of course, neither seemed to care that I was going away so I'm not sure why I was surprised by our dismal reunion. Sigh. I miss the days when Robby was happy to see me come home.  Now I am greeted with an obligatory "hey" when I return. It is nice to be greeted with giggles, laughter, jumps of joy and an applause from Timmy.

This weekend is packed with family adventures, starting with a trip to the fair tonight. I have a feeling that Timmy is going to be awestruck by the lights, smells and sounds. I can't wait to witness his reaction.  I'm sure another project will drop into my lap soon so I wanted to take full advantage of the down time.  It isn't often that I have a weekend with nothing to do!

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Presentation Day

I will be both happy and relieved in a few hours.  I am scheduled to deliver a presentation at a local conference this morning, a task which has been looming over my head all summer. I will be happy to deliver the presentation, file it away on a flash drive and forget about it.

I traveled to the conference hotel last night in order to be fully prepared for today's presentation. Unfortunately work obligations kept me from arriving until late, so my plans of polishing and refining the presentation never came to fruition. I ended up just falling into bed as soon as I arrived. I suppose at this point I need to just accept that my prep is done because I could probably continue to tweak indefinitely.

Wish me luck!

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Boot Camp Member

After a six week Groupon spurred trial, I have officially committed to Boot Camp by becoming a full fledged member. I don't necessarily enjoy working out, but I have found the workouts both cathartic and empowering. I am definitely stronger, which was my ultimate goal for going. When I started I struggled to complete three push-ups. Yesterday I was able to do twenty five without stopping.

I'm hoping that as I gain strength and my body becomes more conditioned, my prolapse issues will become minimized. In a way, this is my last ditch effort to avoid another surgery.  Even if I'm unsuccessful and surgery is still required, I know that the recovery will be aided by my being stronger and physically healthier. 

Yesterday was the first time I took advantage of the free childcare offered at the gym. Because I knew that Timmy would not react favorably to being separated, I brought Robby along to help with the transition. I was hoping that Timmy would be more comfortable if he was with his brother.

It turns out that Timmy didn't care that Robby was with him. He began screaming as soon as the gate was closed and continued to vocalize his displeasure until my workout was complete and I picked him up. I thought that he would be calmed by seeing me at all times. All it seemed to do was rev him up.  By the time my workout was complete, we were both red faced, sweaty and out of breath. 

Unbeknownst to him, Timmy will continue to accompany me to the gym. I deserve thirty minutes a day to better myself, and I won't be robbed of the opportunity by the tantrums of a two year old. I know that he is safe, and eventually he will learn to adjust to being separated (but within eye sight) of me.  If he continues his tantrums every time we go to the gym, it is going to be a long six months!

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Bomb in Aisle 5

YouTube is an odd internet phenomena that seemingly appeals to all ages.  I access the site to stream episodes of Zack and Quack for Timmy when we are waiting somewhere and I need him to both behave and to remain quiet.  I have come to rely upon the videos to tackle simple to moderate home repair tasks.  Robby finds hours of entertainment streaming game tutorials and other nonsensical content. 

One of the strangest series of videos that have struck my little Koopa's fancy feature MREs. MREs are military prepared meals which are vacuum packed and ready to consume in the battlefield.  Each meal bag contains an odd combination of entree, breads, snacks and other assorted necessities. Over the weekend Robby became fascinated with MREs and was ecstatic when his Nana told him that they could be purchased locally. 

On Saturday we packed up and headed to the military surplus store.  Walking into the establishment, it felt like we were transported into a camouflaged version of Oz. Robby immediately began to browse through the cluttered and disheveled aisles. In a quest for the coveted MREs, I followed him while Scott worked on wrangling Timmy.   

Timmy was surprisingly well behaved, content to stroll without touching or throwing anything. I think that he was happy to be part of the excitement with his brother. Both boys were demonstrating commendable behavior, something which rarely occurs simultaneously.

Just as Robby located the MREs Scott ushered me to the back of the store. I could tell by the look on his face that something was amiss. I turned the corner and saw Timmy standing  among the military flack jackets without pants and without his diaper. I was mortified when I saw that in the middle of the aisle was a homemade grenade (poop) that Timmy decided to plant on the store floor. 

I'm not sure why Timmy decided to strip down and poop on the floor. According to Scott's frantic account, it happened quickly while he was looking for a jacket in Robby's size. Regardless of why or how, we were forced to act quickly in order to minimize Timmy's treasonous act against the military surplus store. 

We used the diaper to scoop up the bomb. Thankfully we were able to remove all evidence of his atrocity. Scott carried our naked bummed, and by now extremely unhappy and vocal little boy out of the store. Robby and I quickly picked two MREs, paid and left the store.  Timmy was placed on restrictive leave for his misconduct, although I don't think it made much of an impression.  So much for both boys behaving simultaneously.


Monday, August 15, 2016

Slowly Returning to Routine

On Friday Scott traveled to my Mom's, arriving in time to pick me up at the train station. We had been planning on taking the boys to an amusement park on Saturday. The sweltering temperatures thwarted those plans. It was too hot to be outside, so we filled the time helping my Mom around the house and going back-to-school shopping. (It wasn't exactly the adventure weekend we had planned but we tried to make the best of it.)

Yesterday I helped my Mom move the furniture and paint my nephews' bedroom. My sister and her three kids have been living with my Mom for nearly four years, so we figured it was time to personalize the bedrooms. I know that they will be thrilled when they return from their vacation with their Dad to discover the newly decorated military-themed retreat. 

Summer vacation ends today for Scott, who is scheduled to report back to work at 8 this morning. He isn't happy about the transition back to school but it won't take him long to get into the swing of his new schedule. This is his 23rd year teaching (all at the same school) so he has considerable experience with the back-to-school experience.  Robby has another two weeks of vacation left, days which he tends to spend relaxing at the pool and playing video games. 

With Scott returning to work, I will be on my own with Robby and Timmy. I know that they are both going to miss him, and I fully expect them to be extra needy for the next few days. Unfortunately this week is a busy one for me, stacked with meetings and a conference presentation. I'm going to try, but I don't see myself accomplishing a lot of work until Timmy goes to bed for the night.