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, May 10, 2019

Mother's Day Weekend

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!  

Thankfully Timmy's behavior has equalized and he is no longer seeking destruction. Yesterday he had a great day at the Animal Park and played beautifully with some new buddies. I'm really hoping that this trend continues!

This afternoon the boys and I are heading up to Pennsylvania to see my Mom. I'm looking forward to the visit and to knocking a few things off of her "to-do" list in honor of Mother's Day. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and Robby, Timmy and I can work outside in her yard. 

Before heading north, Robby has his Friday classes at school. He loves his Friday classes and, even though it would be far more convenient to head up to Pennsylvania before the traffic becomes heavy, I don't want him to miss attending. Instead, he is under a strict directive to come straight to the car when his class is over.  Usually he stays and chats with his friends, but today it is imperative that we hit the highway as soon as possible if I want to make the trip in less than three hours.

Robby has some additional motivation to make it to my car in a timely fashion. If we make it to my Mom's in time, I promised to take him and his cousin to the local Friday night auction. He reviewed the catalog last night and discovered several WWII items up for bid. Hopefully we will make it in time to score some new treasures for his little museum in the basement.

Whatever your plans, I hope that you enjoy your Mother's Day on Sunday!


Thursday, May 09, 2019

Bye Bye Timmy the Terrible

After bringing down the hammer on Timmy the Terrible, the destructive behavior seems to have subsided. I am not sure why we have been dealing with such atrocious behaviors, but I'm grateful to again be playing with my sweet little boy. Hopefully, we have seen the end of Timmy the Terrible's reign of mischief!

Yesterday was less than pleasant in our home. Timmy the Terrible pushed all boundaries and spent a great deal of time in time-out. His confiscated toy box is overflowing with prized treasures which won't be returned until he earns them back. Both of us shed tears (mine were private) as we struggled to reestablish behavior boundaries. I felt like the world's worst mom, but I knew that the response was necessary. 

By mid-afternoon, his misbehavior began to calm. Throughout the evening I saw the return of my sweet and funny little boy. It was almost as if a dark cloud lifted from him, revealing my normal Timmy. He was pleasant and helpful until it was time to go to bed. 

With such a marked difference in behavior, I'm beginning to wonder if the outbursts were spurred by his change in medication. I don't want to make excuses for his misbehavior, but perhaps there is an organic reason for his lack of control. I am definitely going to talk to his doctors' about his behaviors after his last injection.

With Timmy's behavior back in check, today I am going to roll the dice and visit an indoor playground. The weather is abysmal, with rain and dark clouds forecast throughout the day. Timmy has been chomping at the bit to play with buddies, and he should have ample opportunity on this yucky weather day.  I'm planning on bringing my computer and settling in at the playground because I have no intention of leaving until his energy has been completely depleted.


Wednesday, May 08, 2019

Disciplinarian

Like all parents, I have been embarrassed by my children in public. It is always uncomfortable and awkward when they act inappropriately or say something outrageous, especially when I know that they are raised to higher standards. I am always prepared for embarrassment, but rarely have I been utterly mortified by the actions of one of my children. Unfortunately, yesterday was one of those instances.

Over the past week, Timmy has been struggling with boundaries and self-control. He has stepped up his mischief to where his actions border on destructive. Walls have been colored with food, socks have been flushed down toilets and running has taken the place of walking. He seems to have lost his indoor voice, opting for screaming and shrieking. 

Yesterday he acted out when I was working with Abby. I immediately grabbed his hand and removed him from her home. I was appalled by his behavior. He has been raised to be respectful of other people, but his actions yesterday certainly did not demonstrate those values.

I have taken a hard line approach towards his recent misbehavior. He has lost toys, has had birthday balloons popped and has spent hours over the past week standing in time-out. Icecream, trips to the park and opportunities to play with buddies have all been denied as a result of his behavior. Right now I feel like I am being held hostage by his behavior, but until he understands his boundaries I cannot reward him by going anywhere fun. 

For the time being, I am the mean Mom. I don't like coming down on him, but I will assume the role because he needs to learn and understand boundaries. Until his behavior transforms, my role will be more like a Drill Sargeant than a play companion.

Tuesday, May 07, 2019

Rock Collecting

Yesterday was a thrilling day in our household. We didn't go anywhere, but it turns out that traveling to a playground wasn't necessary. VDOT rolled out a new road in our development, causing boundless excitement from my little guy.  

We spent our afternoon watching spreaders, rollers and "ginormous and smelly" asphalt trucks working in tandem on our road. Timmy was delighted with the "road show" and happily waved at any and all workers who glanced his way. They were all so kind, delighting my little guy by waving and beeping their horns when driving past us.  

When the road was complete, Timmy decided to be "helpful" by picking up small pieces of asphalt that had been flung to the side. With his strawberry basket in hand, we set out down the newly laid road, carefully selecting and picking up small rocks and asphalt chunks. As I could have predicted, his bucket quickly became too heavy for him to carry and the task was transferred to me.  

Timmy could have spent hours picking up the pieces, but I insisted we stop when the basket was full. (I frustrated him when I refused to allow fresh asphalt to be put into his pockets.) Only after I promised that we could return today to continue and reminded him that we needed to let some road for others to pick up did he finally agreed to return home. Hopefully the smell will dissipate before we continue with our mission this afternoon! 

Monday, May 06, 2019

The Return of Timmy the Terrible

The weather cooperated on Saturday, allowing us to stroll through a local community fair. The boys love going from tent to tent, spinning wheels and grabbing swag. We came home with bags overflowing with branded trinkets and doodads, most of which either be recycled or broken in the coming weeks.  The fair was a nice change of pace and a fantastic way to spend a few hours. Even though getting everybody wrangled into the car was an exercise in frustration, I'm really glad that we decided to go.

Sunday the weather was abysmal. The rain started to fall late on Saturday evening and continued throughout the day. The sun never made its way through the clouds, leaving us with a dreary and simply ugly day. Adding to the misery of the day, my leg was aching because of the sudden weather changes. 

Against Timmy's protests, we would not let him go outside to play in the newly filled mud puddles riddling our yard. Storms were omnipresent and it wasn't warm enough to splash in the rain. Even though he has a house full of toys, he seemed to be bored all day. 

When I say bored, I really mean destructive. I offered to paint with him only to have him throw random objects on top of the spin art tray, causing the machine to malfunction and spray paint and glitter across the table. When we built with playdough, Timmy took the opportunity to smear it onto the windows. Kinetic sand was spread all over my kitchen floor and my freezer was filled with trains and little cars. When he wanted a snack of cool whip and strawberries I came back to find him gleefully flinging the cream around the dining room, like a wild animal in a cage.  

Trying to wrangle my little tornado of terror was exhausting and felt defeating.  The highlight of my Sunday was tucking Timmy the Terrible into bed last night.