Tired

We are in a stormy weather pattern, and my leg is feeling every little change. We are forecast to have a major snow storm on Thursday and, if my leg is any indication, I fully anticipate this storm to materialize. My leg last night was zinging and jumping for hours. Snow is fun to play in, but the impact on my phantom pain is no joke. I was miserable! 

I hate phantom pain nights, but they are more powerful when weather is the cause. If my phantom pain is from activity or a new socket, I can usually compress and stretch the pain away. When it is weather induced, I am forced to just "ride out the storm." 

I'm worn out this morning, but hopefully my coffee will work its superpower soon. Timmy has Circle Time and Art class, both of which require my assistance. I wish I could go back to bed, but that isn't in the cards for today. Instead, I'll keep the coffee flowing until I feel human again.

 Even though I'm tired, I'm feeling grateful that phantom pain is not my norm. I can't imagine living with this constant agony. My heart breaks for my amputee friends who suffer on a regular basis. I hope that research will find a solution soon, because so many people are hurting.

Magic

True to the forecast, Saturday we experienced a significant ice storm. Thankfully we did not lose any trees or branches. Our electricity stayed on and we remained both warm and comfortable all day. In the absence of any damage, staying inside was a small accommodation for the slick and dangerous conditions. 

Because we couldn't go outside, Timmy entertained himself playing Xbox and watching cartoons. He is becoming quite a skilled little Xbox gamer. Robby, impressed with his young gaming prodigy, grabbed another controller played for awhile with him. (He seemed more willing to play video games with Timmy now that he knows Timmy has some mastery of the game and controllers.) Timmy was absolutely ecstatic to be playing Xbox with Robby.

On Sunday our temperatures rose and the ice began to melt. Unfortunately for Timmy, the ground was still slick so we stayed inside for the day. Hopefully we will be able to play outside today, although if I had my wish I would stay inside for another day to ensure complete melting. 

Timmy didn't mind staying inside on Sunday because he received "the best gift ever" for Valentine's Day. We gave him a magic kit which is something that has been coveted for several weeks. After squeals with delight and a few (literal) jumps for joy, he dove into the kit and spent the afternoon mastering some tricks. 

Prepare to be amazed by Timmy the Terrific!

Valentine's Day

We made it through another week. At this point, I am using the weekend to mark surviving another week of virtual school instead of heralding the beginning of carefree adventure days. I miss going on our day trips and adventures, but I'm optimistic that life will slowly return to normal over the next few months.

Valentine's Day is on Sunday and I am entirely truthful when I say that the pandemic has had no impact on our plans. We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day, so this year will be no different. We picked up a gift card for Robby and a magic set for Timmy, but Scott and I don't gift each other on Valentine's Day. In our family, Valentine's Day is a kids holiday.

Have a great weekend, and Happy Valentine's Day!

No Snow

Our mud slide is frozen solid and covered with a sheen of snow and ice. We were hoping for 6 inches of snow. Instead we received freezing rain and a few flurries. So much for our snow day plans!

I'm bummed out that we are stuck inside today, but I think my leg will thank me for the down time. Sliding through the mud twisted my limb within the socket, and I have been sore and ouchy. I'm still mobile, but I definitely feel the slip with every step I take. I don't think a day of heavy sledding and snowball battles would have done my leg any favors. 

Although the chances are dwindling, I haven't given up hope that we will receive a huge storm this year. Unfortunately, today our wishes will not be granted. Instead of playing in the snow and sledding we will work through our respective to-do lists.

Mud Sliding

All of our snow has melted and our yard has become a semi-frozen mud pit. Undeterred by the turf conditions, Timmy was determined to play outside. Against my better judgement, we bundled up and headed into the mud yard.

It turns out that frozen mud is as slippery as ice. I was walking carefully, but I ended up slip n' sliding down our muddy sledding run. (With the exception of my pride, I wasn't hurt.) It happened so quickly and, once momentum caught me, there was nothing I could do but slide.

Timmy thought that my mud slide was a stroke of brilliance. After making sure that I wasn't hurt, he took a turn down the chute. Squealing with joy the entire way, he slide like a seal down the muddy hill. When he got to the end he ran up, covered with mud and grass, before wrapping his mucky little arms around my waste. "Momom, this is the best thing ever. Mud sledding is better than snow!"

After almost an hour of sliding, he was ready to come inside. He was stripped naked outside and his clothes were deposited directly into the washer. After a warm bath (which left a ring around the tub), he was cleaned up and smiling from ear-to-ear.

Jaw Clenching

I have always carried my stress and anxiety in my jaw. When I'm tense or nervous, my jaw clenches. Over the years I have tried numerous remedies to thwart the clenching and, for the most part, I have it under control. During the day I am usually aware of the habit and it can be stopped. At night, my clenching becomes problematic.

My jaw has been clenching so much over the past few nights that I can no longer chew. My range of motion has been severely impacted, and I feel a constant sore pain every time I open my mouth. To add insult to my discomfort, I'm not even sure why I'm clenching. Historically the cause of my tension and anxiety is obvious. This time, I am not able to identify the trigger. 

I suspect that my clenching is the result of the accumulation of pandemic and cyber school anxiety and tension bubbling over in my sleep. I feel frazzled, but that has been my usual condition for almost a year. I cannot figure out why is my jaw suddenly starting to clench so severely that I cannot talk without pain. Of course, not being able to find an obvious answer is only adding to my frustration, which will in turn cause me to clench more tonight.  

I wish being an adult was as easy as I thought when I was a teen.

Snowy Day

Yesterday was an exciting day in our family, and it had absolutely nothing to do with a football game. We woke up to beautiful snow flurries dancing through the sky and accumulating on the ground. Even though the snow wasn't predicted to stay long, it was certainly and beautiful while it lasted. After I slurped down my first cup of coffee Timmy and I dressed in our snow gear and headed outside to play.

We ended up with about four inches of wet snow.. Because we went out early, we were able to play for about 90 minutes before the flakes began to melt into slush. We certainly made the best of the playing opportunity, and Timmy even managed to roll a nice size snowman.

After we came in and warmed up, Scott headed out to his vaccination appointment. I have to admit that I'm jealous that he was vaccinated. (Because I work from home, I am further down the priority list.) Even though I haven't received the vaccine yet, I felt a rush of relief when he sent me the picture showcasing his vaccination card. For the first time in a year, I felt like a "normal" life may be within reach. 

Today we are back to school and back to our weekday schedule. We have more snow in the forecast for this week, so we are crossing our fingers that it materializes. If we are going to be stuck at home because of a pandemic, we might as well sled and throw some snowballs!