Rocking out

 I finally have an appointment to begin building my new leg! Next Wednesday can't come soon enough. The bottom of my limb has morphed into a bright purple which is probably not an indicator of limb health. I am looking forward to being pain-free and "normal" again.

I am hoping that I can take it easy until my appointment to avoid any further damage. I would hate for a limb injury to interfere with my new leg timeline. If everything goes as planned, I will be comfortable by this time next week!

This weekend we are heading up to my Mom's, so I'm hoping I'll be able to keep my walking to a minimum. The boys are looking forward to hanging out with their cousin for a few days. (Unfortunately we will only see my niece. My  nephews have to go to their dad's house every single weekend.) 

On Sunday afternoon Robby and Scott are heading north to a Night Ranger concert. I'll be staying at my Mom's with Timmy while the boys are rocking out. This is the first concert that they have attended since the pandemic. I'm nervous about the possible exposure, but the vaccine requirement helps to calm my anxiety. Between wearing a mask and being vaccinated, they are as protected as possible without becoming a hermit.

Have a great weekend!

Election Day

 Scott and I have always taken the kids with us when we vote. Starting as infants, we felt it was important to model good citizenship by having them watch the process in action. Yesterday was the first election that we deviated from our tradition. The polling places have simply become too toxic for children.

I was heartbroken by the jeers and nasty remarks spewed by the volunteers outside the polling place. The "sample ballots" offered by each party are color coded. If you are carrying a pink one, you are a voting Republican. If you are carrying a blue sample ballot, you are a voting Democrat. I have always thought the color-coded system needs to be changed, and yesterday only cemented my belief.

I politely declined the literature from the candidate that I was not supporting. As soon as I said "no thank you" and continued to walk past, the insults began to fly. I'm unpatriotic. I don't care about America. I'm weak. 

I'm none of those things! However, I am fed up. I'm tired of the nastiness and the juvenile name calling. I'm tired of the divide. We should have different view points. Everything benefits from diversity, including democracy. 

I'm glad that the kids weren't with us when we were walking past the volunteers. Such immature, nasty and bullying behavior from adults is difficult to explain to children. Everybody should feel empowered and proud when they vote, regardless of their personal choice in candidate.

Happy Little Lights

 After a busy Halloween weekend, it was nice to have a relatively laid back day. The kiddos continued with their schoolwork while I tackled my own projects. In the afternoon (and because I woke up obscenely early), we were able to unplug for a few hours to play. The weather was crisp and beautiful. It has taken a long time, but I think the seasons have finally turned.

In the evening I took down the Halloween decorations and hung my lighted garland around the door frames. I realize that it is early to be decorating for Christmas, but the colorful bright lights make me happy. I love sitting on the couch in the evenings and seeing the kitchen and hallways lit by the happy little colors. Since the boys don't care if the decorations are hung or stay in a box, I decided to go for it.

Today is Election Day, so everybody is off school. (I am still working of course, but it is infinitely easier when I don't have to manage other schedules.) Have a great day!

Halloween!

Our past two Halloweens had been spent with the cousins, trick-or-treating as a group. I failed to recognize that Timmy associated his cousins with the event. He was devastated on Saturday night when he realized that they would not be coming. I felt horrible as I tried to console my crying little boy, assuring him that he would still have fun trick-or-treating. I should have prepped him, but I just didn't realize the connection he had made.

Although he didn't get to see his cousins, he did receive a surprise visit from his Aunt Sheri. My sister came down for the afternoon, showering him with french fries and attention. Seeing her and video chatting with his cousins definitely helped him feel excited about trick-or-treating again. By the time the sun began to set, he was giddy with excitement.

Tears swelled in his eyes as I was changing him into his little ninja costume. At first I thought that he was sad again, but he quickly clarified that he was crying because he was so happy and excitement. My little guy is like me- he wears his emotions on his sleeves. 

Robby, who wasn't planning on trick-or-treating, offered to dress in costume and take his little brother through the neighborhood. After our neighborhood was complete, Scott and Timmy were going to head out on the scooter in search of more candy. Robby and Timmy headed off to start the night. My heart almost burst as I saw my oldest taking the lead and showing such care for his little brother. In Timmy's eyes, Robby is the best person in the whole world.

He might not have been able to trick-or-treat with his cousins, but he definitely had the time of his life. After Robby and Scott traded duties, Robby and I headed out for dinner. We ended up at a Japanese steakhouse, which was empty. We had the hibachi table to ourselves and we had a great time. I think going out for hibachi while Timmy and Scott trick-or-treat is going to be our new tradition.