Under the Stars (in the living room)

Timmy has been looking forward to tonight all week. He circled the date on our calendar, and woke up cheerfully chattering about our plans. Much to my chagrin, tonight we are camping out in our living room tent.  

After a barrage of pleas, I conceded and agreed to sleep in the tent on Friday night. (I chose Friday because I suspect I won't sleep well and will need a nap the next afternoon.) I also admit that I was hoping that Timmy would forget about sleeping in the tent, absolving me from my promise. Alas, no such luck with my little camper and tonight I am destined to on the floor in the living room.

Timmy began filling the tent with our necessary supplies before 7 AM, gleefully explaining to the cats each time he carried another armful of blankets, toys and snacks into the tent. Who knew we needed so much stuff for one night in a tent? At this rate, there won't be any room in the tent for us! 

I'm glad he is excited about our impending adventure. With not being able to go outside to play, it is nice to see him so engaged in an activity. His little imagination is in overdrive, guarding against bears and other woodland foe. I don't think I'll be comfortable, nor will I sleep well, but it really doesn't matter when I look at the excited smile on Timmy's face. He won't always want to sleep in a tent with me, and I can always take a nap tomorrow.

CampFire

It was too cold to play outside, so yesterday we spent the afternoon warming ourselves by the camp fire. (Well, technically it was still just our wood stove, but Timmy and I had a great time pretending we were camping in our tent.) From "cooking" food over an electric candle to hiding from rouge bears rummaging through our living room, his imagination shows no bounds.  

I had fun playing in the tent with him, but one reality became crystal clear. I am too old to rise from the floor easily. Getting up off the tent floor to shoo away bears or to secure more supplies became increasingly difficult as the hours passed. By the time Scott came home from work it felt like it was taking me five minutes just to stand up from the tent floor.  

I miss the days when I could just hop up without an issue. Timmy seemed to have no problems leaping to his feet at a moment's notice. Thank goodness the bears were imaginary, because my lack of speed would definitely turn me into bait.

Camping

There is little doubt that Timmy is suffering from a growing case of cabin fever. Unable to mingle in public and with the weather too cold to comfortably play outside, he has been forced indoors for several weeks. I have a feeling that his being cooped up has greatly contributed to his recent mischievous escapades.  

Yesterday, in an attempt to breath new life into our boring routine, I set up the tent in the middle of our living room. Timmy was giddy with the prospect of indoor camping, and quickly retrieved blankets and supplies as soon as the tent was erect. We spent the afternoon playing inside our tent, pretending to sleep and fighting off bear attacks. I didn't realize how long it has been since I have heard his belly laugh.  

Timmy was so enthusiastic about the tent that he managed to convince us to let him eat his dinner while camping. He relished snuggling into his little burrow with his "camping dinner," happily munching and talking to us through the mesh. I don't remember the last time I saw him eat so heartily.

I have a feeling that my creativity is going to be put to the test over the next few weeks. Until he is cleared to resume playgrounds and bouncy houses, I want to keep him stimulated and happy. This week we will focus on camping, but I'm open to ideas for the coming weeks.

Bad Mom

After a long weekend, it is back to reality. Scott was home yesterday, allowing us to work together to get caught up on the housework that waited while we spent the weekend watching Robby's rock shows. Now the laundry is done and the house clean, ready for the busy week ahead.

Today I'm vowing to have a better day than I did on Friday. I hate to admit it, but I was not a very good mom on Friday. Never before have I had such a maternal meltdown and I hope that it doesn't happen again.

While we were playing downstairs, Timmy said "Momom watch this. I can make rainbow lines." Before I could stop him, he had proudly jumped on top of my cell phone. I quickly became enraged when I picked it up to discover the display screen was ruined. The glass wasn't cracked, but apparently he broke the liquid display inside. 

I was furious because he should have known better, and because I said no and he proceeded. Logically I knew that he didn't mean to break my phone, and that he was simply trying to recreate the rainbow effect he had discovered earlier when he pressed the screen too hard. Even though his breaking the phone was not his intent, it was definitely the result.  

Without thinking I herded him upstairs. Furious about my phone, instinctively I grabbed his roller skates and hurdled them off the deck into the woods. I didn't realize how far I could throw something! The skates almost flew into our neighbors yard.

Realizing that I was enraged, I sent him to his room where he stayed for two hours. During that time I fumed, cried and eventually calmed down.  I walked into the woods, retrieved his skates and put them next to the door. He was scared when I went to let him out of his bedroom. I felt pangs of guilt when I saw the fear in his little eyes.

Timmy and I spent time talking about what happened and why I was angry. He knew that he should not have jumped on my phone. I feel badly about my strong reaction but I think it made an impact on Timmy. Maybe now he will listen to me when I tell him to stop?

Scott came home with a new cell phone, which was a wonderful surprise but not entirely unexpected. He has a way of taking care of technology when it breaks down, and he knows that I rely upon the cell phone throughout the day. His thoughtful gesture did a lot to diffuse the situation.  

I am not proud of my explosion and I hope that I never experience that fury again. I felt like the worse mom in the world, despite Timmy's hugs and loving behavior throughout the rest of the day. I lost control. I am not one to yell, so hearing the volume of my voice even scared me!

Show Time!

Saturday we woke up to icy weather. Although we had no doubt that we would make the performance (after all, he was in the band), we knew that my family from Pennsylvania were snowed in. Although he was disappointed, Robby understood that his cheering section was going to be smaller than his friends. Sometimes living in Virginia when everybody else lives in Pennsylvania stinks!  He video chatted with his Nana before we left, and he knew that she was rooting for him from afar.

To our sheer delight, we spotted my cousin Dan as soon as we drove into the parking lot. He, his wife Erin and all four of their kids braved the roads and drove nearly 3 hours to cheer on Robby. Robby was so excited to see them, and was absolutely amazed at the efforts they undertook simply to watch him play. Having a considerably larger cheering section, he felt more confident when he slipped on his guitar. 

Robby's songs were a rousing success.  Despite his nerves and stage fright, he was able to put on a brave face when he took the stage. After a few chords I could see his body begin to relax, and by the end of the first song he was genuinely having fun.

By Sunday the roads had completely cleared, allowing both my Mom and my sister to drive down for his second gig. Although he was still nervous, he was more comfortable than he felt on Saturday. Nerves are good before a performance. Feeling petrified and nearly vomiting is not. Sunday we had nerves without the paralyzing fear.

After his show was over and when we were driving home, Robby started chatting about how much fun he had. He can't wait to do it again. Looks like I might have a budding rocker in our house!

 Here are some links to watch two of his songs:

 https://photos.app.goo.gl/S5e4NTXy72r5wtdV9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jHy3TK18Wece29D67