Toddler Time

Well my great farm hideaway never materialized.  As I was driving to school to drop off Robby I remembered that our car inspection expired at the end of the month.  Yikes! Instead of going to the farm Timmy and I headed straight to AAA to get the car inspected.  Luckily for us, our AAA center is next to our SkyZone and Toddler Time was starting. 

Timmy and I had a great time bouncing and playing. For the first 90 minutes we had the facility to ourselves. I was surprised that we were the only Toddler Time bouncers, but we took full advantage of the opportunity.  When you think about it, being alone in SkyZone is probably one of the best things in the world when you are a kid. 

We didn't get to go to the farm, but we did enjoy two hours of ToddlerTime bouncing while our car was being inspected.  Sometimes the stars align perfectly, and yesterday was one of those days. I had wanted to escape to the farm so that I could concentrate on playing with Timmy without interruptions. My goal was achieved, but I was able to multitask by getting the car inspection renewed at the same time. 

Hiding at the Farm

This week has been so hectic I feel as if I'm running on fumes. Between juggling a handful of work projects, trying to take care of Timmy and chauffeuring Robby to and from all of his activities, I am hitting a wall.  I've logged a lot of hours behind the computer, on my cell phone and driving over the past few days, and I'm ready for a much needed break.The unseasonable (and unwelcome) heatwave has come to an end, so today I'm logging off my computer for a few hours and escaping to the farm with Timmy.

Timmy adores going to the farm and it has become our happy place. I'm able to leave all my work and housework stress behind for a few hours while I concentrate all of my energies on having fun with Timmy. We jump, climb, swing and explore until we are both filthy and exhausted. When life becomes overwhelming, playing with Timmy reminds me of my priorities.  

Unlike other agrarian destinations, our farm is easy for me to navigate.  The steps to all of the tube slides are evenly spaced and boast sturdy handrails. Other than trying to squeeze my adult sized bum into a pint sized seat, I don't have any trouble climbing on the structures. There is nothing at the farm that I can't do because the obstacles have been seamlessly erased.  

After wearing out my little Hamlet, I'm hoping that we both sleep well.  We have both been experiencing significant sleep issues recently, and I think that a solid night sleep would do us both some good. I wish I could figure out why he has been waking up every few hours! Hopefully a little fresh air, sunshine and dirt will be the sleeping remedy we desperately need

Cartoon Distraction

With everything going on in the country and around the world right now, I find myself counting my lucky stars for having Timmy at home. Not only do I adore spending time with him, going on adventures and watching him explore and learn, but he has provided me with the perfect excuse to avoid the news. 

I am definitely better off watching the Disney Channel and Nick Jr. instead of regular daytime programming. Having a little one who is insistent on having cartoons streaming while he is busy with his trains and other activities has liberated me from the constant stream of bad news.  In this circumstance, ignorance is definitely bliss!

I am not completely oblivious to current events. I allow myself to watch the news once a night and again in the early morning. Other than those two times, I purposely avoid all news reports, talk shows and political debates. I started my limited news boycott a few weeks ago and I have discovered that I find myself feeling happier and more upbeat. I know that the world is still cluttered with problems, but I feel empowered by controlling how much I allow the negativity to intrude into my home.  

Now if I could only get the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song out of my head..

Mudpuppy

We missed our pool time in August because of the unseasonably cool weather. Instead of basking in the sun we were cuddled up in front of the fire pit and under blankets in the evening. Now we are nearing the end of September, the temperatures are topping out in the 90's every day.  With the pool closed and the hoses and water toys packed away for the season, our outdoor fun has been significantly stymied.

I wish we could play in our yard, or through our woods and in the stream. The mosquitoes have been swarming in such force that I am reminded of the summer we visited the Everglades.  We cannot walk to our car without getting bitten numerous times and no repellent seems to be effective.
 
With our yard transformed to a mosquito nesting ground, we haven't been able to play at home. Yesterday morning, after dropping Robby off at school, I swung by the park to allow Timmy to run and play before the heat of the day forced us to retreat inside. He started squealing and giggling when he realized I had turned into the park and was practically jumping out of his seat when he saw other kids playing and sliding. He took off running as soon as he was released from his seat.
 
While I took my position on the Mom bench, Timmy ran and played with his new friends. The other moms obviously knew each other and weren't terribly inviting to an outsider. I smiled but when my attempts at small talk were brushed off, I moved into the shade and began to answer emails on my phone. 
 
I sat quietly by myself and listened to the twenty something spandex moms calling after their little cherubs to get out of the dirt. The moms were practically on top of their kids, hosing them down with sanitizer and wiping them down with wet wipes each time the child touched a piece of mulch or anything on the ground. If their hands were dusty from dirt, they were immediately scrubbed down. 
 
In the meantime, Timmy was digging and piling mulch into the back of his little Tonka truck, which he then proceeded to dump on his feet and legs. Just as the moms were talking about the dangers of getting dirty at the park because it was "filled with germs," Timmy laid down and made a snow angel in the mulch. If I didn't know better, I would swear he did it to prove a point. The other moms may have clean kids at the end of the park play date, but they are missing out on sticky and dusty hugs from a happy little mudpuppy.  

Prosthetic Encyclopedia!

Almost as soon as I became an amputee I discovered the need for a resource that aggregates all of the prosthetic options in a single location. I find surfing between manufacturer websites an exercise in frustration with each website presenting their devices in a different manner. I quickly become tab confused and often end up shutting off the computer entirely.

We live in the age of Google and quick information dissemination yet there hasn't been an easy way for the consumer (individuals with limb loss) to compare their prosthetic options. Instead of continuing to discuss our frustration over the lack of a resource, Dave and I decided it was time to just do it ourselves.  After months of work, I am thrilled to unveil the amp'd Prosthetic Product Encyclopedia.

Our Encyclopedia, divided by functional K-level, organizes all of the prosthetic options in an easy to compare format.  Each device photo is hyperlinked to the manufacturers website so the specific product is easy to locate, eliminating the tab confusion of the past.  We've included the manufacturer suggested reimbursement codes, as well as the average medicare allowable for each product. For the first time, the limb loss/ limb difference community has access to all of their prosthetic options, and the average price, for each device.

I have wanted to create a Prosthetic Encyclopedia for the past decide, and I'm thrilled that my dream has finally come to fruition. I'm hoping that it will help everybody window shop for devices. With the ability to compare products and financial implications, the community is more empowered in with their prosthetic care.  Let me know what you think of the resource!


I should disclose that, although we would like to include every manufacturer, we know that our encyclopedia is incomplete at this time. We feel that it is important to share the reimbursement recommendations and the financial implications of each product and some manufacturers do not publicly provide that information. When the coding recommendations are not public, the products were omitted from the encyclopedia.  (Of course, if the manufacturer is willing to share the coding recommendations for their products we will be delighted to include them in the resource.)