Renaissance Faire

 This weekend is shaping up to be a lot of fun. We are scheduled to sell at the Virginia Renaissance Faire which is hosted at a winery about 90 minutes south. Because of the distance, Robby and I are making a weekend of it. We are heading down this afternoon after school to set up our little stand. After we will get some dinner and hang out in a hotel for the night. Saturday morning we will be rested, in the area and ready to travel back to the medieval times. Hopefully Knights and Lords will like dragons and dice towers.

While Robby and I are working the Faire, Timmy and Scott will be enjoying a weekend at home. The pair are already planning an ample McDonald's feast followed by an evening of computer video gaming. Because Timmy is still in his cast for another few weeks his entertainment options are severely limited. Thankfully he has a brother and a dad who are well-versed with computer gaming options and were happy to bring him into the fold. 

On Sunday Scott and I are going to switch places. He will work at the Faire while I stay home with the boys. Robby has his performance on Sunday afternoon and I'm looking forward to hearing him rock for Mother's Day. 

Wish us luck at the Faire!

Hives

Timmy's hives, although omnipresent, have not worsened over the past few days. A steady dose of Benadryl seems to be keeping the inflammation under control and his comfort manageable. I still have no idea what caused the flare and we will probably never really narrow down the cause. We are grateful that it is inching towards healing because he looked so miserable covered with hot red welts.

I'm impressed that Timmy has managed to stay on task with his school work in spite of the itchy bumps. He has complained, albeit justifiably, about difficulty focusing because of the itching. Frequent breaks to ointment his sores have helped to keep him comfortable throughout his school day. Or as comfortable as possible considering that he is covered with hives and has a cast on his arm.

Despite his issues, he seems to be doing well in school. His teacher emailed me a few days ago to compliment his work and work ethic since he broke his arm. I'm so proud that he hasn't used it as an excuse! Today we head back to the doctor for another round of images. I'm expecting that everything is healing properly and that he will be scheduled for another follow up in 2-4 weeks. Fingers crossed I'm right!

Hives

 My day was thrown into disarray when Timmy woke up and I discovered that he was covered with inflamed and angry hives. We can't pinpoint the cause but the result left little to the imagination. My little Hamlet was an itchy and miserable mess. Instead of easing back into the school week, I was pulling him out of class every hour so that I could ointment and monitor his hives. Considering that he was dosed with Benadryl, he did a great job staying away and paying attention throughout the school day.

Because we couldn't determine the cause of his reaction, Scott and I spent several hours deep cleaning Timmy's bedroom. We washed all of his sheets and blankets, thoroughly vacuumed the floor and wiped down his shelves. Hopefully our efforts eliminated whatever caused him to flare up. 

Between monitoring Timmy and chauffeuring Robby to and from his classes, I was busy throughout the day. I'm glad I was able to rest a little on Sunday because this week is going to be full-steam ahead through the weekend. Of course, everything depends on Timmy's health. 

Fingers crossed that he wakes up hive free!

Family Co-Op

We have been selling our FlexyFriends at weekend pop-ups with more frequency because we discovered that it is an amazing vehicle to help pay for Robby's college tuition. Although it is a lot of work, our little family business has become a true collective effort. Everybody, including Timmy, has assumed responsibility for keeping the printers going throughout the day so that we can maximize production. 

Scott, Robby and I are responsible for sales. (Timmy is not quite ready to work the table, but he is getting there.) Usually Scott and I try to split the weekends so that we each have a little break. Sometimes it works and somebody gets to rest. Sometimes we are both working. This past weekend, I was the beneficiary of a much needed break. I helped on Saturday but I enjoyed a Sunday at home with Timmy while Robby and Scott were at the mall. 

Timmy and I spent Sunday baking cookies, painting real flags for his imaginary game and taking Friend on long walks. He has become antsy since his arm has been in the cast for nearly a month. I know that he really wants to run and play. Although we keep trying to come up with engaging and exciting sedentary activities, nothing is fully satisfying my little explorer. 

Hopefully his arm heals quickly because summer boredom is going to be a real issue!