Hamlet's Difficult Day

 My sweet little Timmy is going to be ecstatic when he wakes this morning. After a weekend of temperatures in the 50s, this morning he will wake up to see our yard covered with beautiful snow. He has been lamenting the lack of snow this season and I am hoping it makes him smile. He had a particularly hard day yesterday and could use an extra reason or two to be happy. 

He seemed to have one of those days where everything went wrong. He spilled his milk and he dropped his stick box (which also contains tacks of various sizes) all over his carpet. In art class he didn't know that the lid wasn't screwed onto his glue bottle, causing him to spill all over his project. He couldn't go into the "fun" snack room and he was confused by his science lesson.

Friend, who was outside playing with Timmy in the afternoon, took off running towards the driveway when he spied Scott pulling down the road. Timmy was not prepared for the jolt and, because he was standing in the softer mud, he ended up slipping in the mud. He was then pulled by an ecstatic 12 pound pup through the mud down the hill until the momentum finally slowed. Timmy, mud covered and surprised, laughed with delight and declared that it was the "best thing in his day." 

His outlook began to improve after his roll in the mud and he was content by the time he went to bed. I know that the snow this morning will delight him. Unfortunately, I don't think that the snow is going to stay for long, nor is it deep enough for sledding. I appreciate that much of the country is snow saturated at the moment, so the irony of longing for the flakes is not lost. I have not yet given up hope for a large storm this season. Waking up to see our trees covered with snow only made my storm longing stronger.

Day Off

Yesterday morning Timmy challenged me to stay off of my computer all day. I'll be completely honest, the fact that he made this request jarred me. I immediately began to worry if I was working too much, or if my being plugged in online and meant becoming disengaged with him. I immediately accepted the challenge despite knowing that I was going to need to get up earlier this morning to get caught up. 

Our unplugged day was fantastic. We played outside, walked Friend (a lot) and worked on various art projects. While Timmy was busy drawing and painting, I chilled on the couch with Netflix and a bowl of popcorn. I accomplished nothing of import, but it was a wonderful relaxing day.  

Today we return to reality- well, sort of. Scott took off work today to avoid Professional Development requirements.  (Since he is planning to retire in May of 2024, he will not require the credits to maintain his license.) Instead of spending his day frustrated in various collaborative learning exercises, he is sleeping in and mourning the Bengals loss last night.  

Have a great day!

Going for a Walk

Between the UTI, juggling Robby's end of the semester woes and frustrations and enduring the miserable weather, this week has dragged on and on. I'm really looking forward to the weekend. Saturday is supposed to be cool but bright and sunny. I think Friend and I both need a few hours outside to just walk and unwind (by ourselves). Hopefully both the weather and my leg will cooperate with my great weekend escape. 

I've developed (another) small sore on the top of my tibia which has me concerned. I am optimistic that I caught it in time and that it won't impede with my plans, but I'm always worried because I know how quickly my mobility can be taken by the most benign looking skin bump. At this point, I think I need to start buying blister band aids in bulk.

Art Class

 While much of the Northeast experienced snow, yesterday we were greeted with a steady falling cold rain. The boys are disappointed at the lack of snowfall this year and I tend to agree with them. One or two big snowstorms are always fun assuming that we have both food and power. Hopefully February will bring more than rain. 

Despite the rain, yesterday was not a complete washout. Timmy started his new art class and, according to him, it was marvelous. I was proud of him because I know that walking into a room where you don't know anybody can feel overwhelming. He was nervous but excited as we walked into the studio. After quickly surveying the class, I could tell that he was disappointed that he was the only boy. 

The teacher, recognizing his observation, quickly reassured him that he was going to have a great time and that they were excited to have a male perspective in class. He stood a little taller, smoothed his Starry Night shirt and promptly told me I could leave. An hour later I picked him up and he was grinning from ear-to-ear.  

Yay for art class!

Thank You

 I was apprehensive about sharing my unfortunate foray into public urination. I finally opted to share because, deep down, I suspected that I am not the only person who has experienced a bladder paralyzing UTI. Almost as soon as my story published I began receiving messages from friends and new readers, sharing their own experiences. It turns out that more of us are walking around with wet underpants than I realized, yet nobody wanted to admit it first.

Getting old stinks, and I suspect that this will not be the only time my body controls falter in public. Despite the embarrassment, it is nice to know that I am not alone.  Thank you for your support, and a huge thank you to everybody who took time to share your story with me.

The Urinator

I hesitated to share this story because it is steeped in embarrassment but I decided that has never before stopped me. The struggle with kidney stones and a UTI is intense. Last week, thoughts of urination issues were omnipresent as I was in the throws of a painful situation. 

On Friday Robby began his Enrichment Classes. Unfortunately, his school is nearly 40 minutes away which means that I spend a lot of time in the car. Typically the drive is not an issue and I have actually come to enjoy the quiet time in the car after drop off and before pick-up.  I finally found a babysitter to come to sit at the house on Friday morning so I can drive Robby to school while Timmy attends his virtual classes in his bedroom. 

Because of the urinary issues and the change in our schedule, I didn't prepare for the babysitter by getting money in advance. I knew I was going to have to stop at the ATM on the way home from dropping off Robby. The thought of having to stop concerned me (because of my weakened bladder), but I pushed it aside and carried on with getting Robby to school.

Everything was going great during the drive. My bladder felt comfortable and I wasn't experiencing any pain, so I felt confident when I parked the car and walked into the little store's ATM. As I slipped my ATM card into the machine I felt an overwhelming urgency. I knew I was doomed. 

Despite my efforts to the contrary, my bladder completely released. And it wouldn't stop. My pad filled up and began to overflow.  I stood there, at the ATM, with brightly colored urine (the UTI medication turns your urine bright orange) pooling down my legs and on the floor in front of me. There was absolutely nothing I could do about it. I was frozen in both urine and fear.

Finally, the world's longest pee stopped. I was mortified, turned quickly and took a large step in the direction of the counter to beg forgiveness and a mop. I slipped, losing my balance and fell in my bright orange pee puddle. An unfortunate man getting coffee nearby was the innocent victim of pee splash back from my fall. Mortified, I managed to get up while loudly apologizing to anybody and everybody before trudging my wet and humiliated butt out of the store.

Driving from the grocery store to our house, I tried to figure out how to explain my wet pants to the sitter. I decided my best option would be sneaking into the back of the house so I could change into something dirty but dry in the laundry room. It turns out that, for the first time in our family history, we were caught up on laundry and there was nothing for me to wear. Left with no options, I ran up the stairs and muttered something about spilling coffee. 

I think she believed me, but that is really the least of my concerns. I definitely need to find a new grocery store.

Stone?

I will spare the details, but I am delighted to report that there has been some success on the kidney stone. I suspect that the journey is not yet over, but I am optimistic that it is coming to a close. Fingers crossed, a few more gallons of water and hopefully my body will return to normal. 

Assuming the painful situation dissipates, this weekend we are going to be treated to another band show on Saturday. Although he admits that he does not love the theme of this season's show, Garage Band, he is having a good time and is looking forward to rocking one final time with this group. Next season's theme he will be rocking out to the tunes of the 50s and 60s. While I don't know the songs he is playing in this show, next time I am sure to be singing along. (Not literally, although that would be a lot of fun I'm sure he would be humiliated!)

Have a great weekend!