Not My Fault

I never had to worry about receiving emails from Robby's teachers. His fear of disappointing others has always been enough to keep him in line. Timmy, on the other hand, is my little boundary pusher. He isn't bad, nor is he destructive. But he is curious and he does see things through an unusual lens. Ask him a question and you will get an honest answer. (We are working on filters but it is a process.) 

Where I didn't receive emails from Robby's teachers, I am in regular communication with Timmy's. The emails never reveal true misbehavior or punish worthy antics. Instead, she shares his peculiar reflections and the pathways of his self-driven explorations.

Where Robby was fearful of disappointing others, Timmy seems to embrace the opportunity to challenge the system whenever possible. Because of this, I receive many more emails with his name as the subject. A few days ago Timmy came running out to me after logging out of school. By the way he was approaching I could tell that it was serious. He sat down next to me on the couch, put his hand on my laptop and looked at me with concern in his eyes. 

"Momom. Before you check your email, I need to tell you something. It wasn't my fault." 

Then he stood up and walked down the hallway. When pressed for more details he simply responded, "Let's wait and see what the email says first. Just remember that it wasn't my fault." 

I have waited an email which never materialized. I can only assume that Timmy was simply hedging his bets. This kid is keeping me on my toes!

Celebrations begin...

 Yesterday we officially kicked off Scott's retirement celebrations. The school board honored retiring teachers during last night's meeting. The boys and I were excited to join him for the meeting. Timmy was especially enthusiastic about going to Red Robin to celebrate before the meeting. 

I felt unexpectedly emotional when Scott was called to the front for his recognition. I know that he has been planning his retirement for years, but this feels very sudden. I suppose I didn't really expect him to follow through with his plans. Hearing his name called by the school board left little doubt that our lives are about to completely change. 

Change is not something that I love, but it is certainly slapping me in the face this week. Today is Robby's final band lesson, and yesterday was the first class registration morning that I haven't had to wake at 4:30 to snag the coveted courses. Everything is changing.

Don't even get me started on the fact that I turn 50 on Sunday...

Weaponized Kindness

 Happy (belated) Mother's Day to all Moms, Dads and individuals who fill the role for a child. 

This weekend was busy and productive but also fun and memorable. On Friday Robby and I headed to set up our little booth at the Renaissance Faire. Because the host location is 90 minutes from our house, we decided to make an adventure out of the opportunity by booking a hotel room and staying in the area for the night. It took us about two hours to set up, allowing us ample time to check into our hotel and hit the local Waffle House for a carb-heavy dinner. On Saturday morning we were able to sleep in a little before heading to the Faire.

We were looking forward to the Renaissance Faire. Dressed in our medieval costumes, we were excited to experience the event and sell some dragons. Our happy-go-lucky optimism was soiled by our neighbor almost as soon as we arrived.  

Without even an introduction, a large man walked out of the adjoining tent, stood with his arms crossed and said, "What do you think you're doing?"  I met him with a smile and tried to shake his hand (he never uncrossed his arms) before introducing myself, Robby and our little FlexyFriend business.  Without a visual cue, he simplye responded by saying, "Well this isn't going to work at all. I'm going to get Angie."  (Angie is the event coordinator for the event.)

If there is one trait that annoys me perhaps more than all others, it is the chronic tattler. The individual who responds to any conflict by immediately elevating to a supervisor or a perceived authority figure. Perhaps they did not have the art of conversation back in the medieval times? 

As soon as he declared his intention to call in the coordinator I felt my ire rise. I don't tolerate tattling among my children. Witnessing it from a grown man was infuriating.  At that moment in time I was able to check my reaction. I remembered that I was with Robby and that this was a teachable moment. I took a deep breath and responded.

"Why don't you just talk to me first? If you tell me the problem maybe we can work it out. Just tell me the issue."

He was obviously taken aback by my retort. I think he is accustomed to hiding behind somebody else rather than deal with an issue- and an individually- directly. He muttered something about wanting our table pushed back a few feet, to which I responded that it wasn't an issue. Robby and I immediately set to work to reset our display to accommodate his request while he stood and watched. 

I don't like being supervised by a pro-tattler. I took advantage of our uninvited audience by having a discussion with Robby about the benefits of adult discussions verses running to tattle. He hid inside his tent for the remainder of the day, emerging on occasion to cast a glare towards us. I always met his eyes with a huge smile and a nod hello. 

Sometimes weaponized kindness just feels really satisfying!

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!