About Me

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I am a below knee amputee. More importantly, I am also Mommy to two boys, a very active 10 year old (Robby) and an mischievous toddler (Timmy). I have learned that being a parent with a disability can create some unusual and sometimes humorous situations. This blogger is available for hire! Let's talk and learn how a blog can expand your business.

Friday, September 21, 2018

Weekend Rest

Finally!  

After three consecutive weekends traveling, I am going to be spending this weekend at home. Robby is disappointed because he wants to visit his Nana to meet her new kitten. Sorry Nana, but this Mom isn't going anywhere beyond a twenty-minute circle around my house for the next two days. If I work it correctly, I won't get into a car at all for the next 48 hours!

The reprieve from the travel is a welcome break. I feel like I have been a subpar mom over the past month, constantly tired and playing catch-up with everything. I am looking forward to just relaxing, playing with toys with Timmy and watching BattleBots on the couch with Robby. 

Unfortunately, my break will be short lived. On Monday I pack up and head to the airport again, this time I'm going to a conference in Vancouver for the week. I hate sending Timmy back to my Mom's, but I find solace in the fact that he always has a great time. I am glad that she has my niece and nephews to help wrangle and entertain my little guy, and I know that he will be entertained and loved. 

Hopefully this will be the last work trip and my family can rediscover normal. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the quiet weekend at home. I think we all deserve two days of doing absolutely nothing of consequence!

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Unplugging

With one phone call yesterday morning my plans went from busy to chaotic.  When I wasn't busy with scheduled meetings I was focusing on a single last minute project with an immediate due date. With the majority of my energy focused on the report, I was a great employee but a lousy Mom. Sigh. I guess I can't always strike the perfect balance.

The report was submitted before the deadline, filling me with a sense of relief and elation. Today I'm going to concentrate on the kids as much as possible. They were really good yesterday as I was trying to concentrate and focus and I appreciate their help more than they realize. 

Today I'm going to take the kids to the park this afternoon, and I'll leave my cell phone in the car as we play. Sometimes work projects take priority, but sometimes it is good to unplug and just be a mom. Today will be one of those days! 

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Visiting

Today will be busy with a combination of work and chauffeuring the boys. In between appointments, I am squeezing in a visit with a new amputee. I try to prioritize visits when requested because I remember how difficult it is to reach out for help. I hate to delay the request and, although I will be stretched thin, today I will move my schedule as much as possible to accommodate. 

Visiting a new amputee always fills me with a mixture of emotions. I am happy to help by lending information and support whenever possible. Each time I prepare to meet with a new amputee I find myself transported back in time, to when I was struggling and felt alone. My goal is to provide the support that I was lacking so many years ago. 

Being reacquainted with the difficult emotions is always uncomfortable for me. I don't like remembering that time in my life, and I especially don't like reliving the emotions so vividly. I mourn for my foot, but I also grieve for the scared young woman who was petrified of her life without a foot. In a weird way, each time I visit a new amputee I feel like I am reaching back to my younger self. 

Visiting a new amputee is always an experience which is both rewarding and fraught with anxiety. I am not looking forward to the emotions that I know will emerge, but I am eager to make a new friend and help provide some support. Every effort and revisited emotion is worth it if I can help make the path easier for somebody else.  

Wish us luck today!

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Sacrificing

After a whirlwind weekend of work and play, yesterday was spent catching up on household chores and spending time with Timmy. My little guy's face lit up when he saw me yesterday morning, and I received one of the best hugs ever. I hate leaving him, but he certainly makes coming home a joy!

Even though I worked much of the day, I still feel like I'm playing catch up. With another week of travel on the horizon, I am close to surrendering to the chaos and exhaustion until October. I don't know how other parents travel for work while maintaining their sanity. I definitely don't have that ability to multitask! Hopefully things will slow down because I don't like moving at such a quick pace.               

I've decided that, until the travel slows down, I'm going to just try to relax when it comes to cleaning. I want to spend time with my kids and I just can't work, clean and play with them. Something has to have to be sacrificed, and for now, it is going to be clean floors. 



Monday, September 17, 2018

San Antonio

Robby and I had a fantastic weekend getaway. Even though the weather didn't cooperate, and we both had colds, we managed to pack a slew of adventures into a short period of time. When he looks back, I hope that he remembers the adventures and not the obstacles during our weekend trip.

I have to say, Robby was an absolute rockstar helping me work on Saturday. I was proud of the way that he helped me set up and spoke with people coming to our exhibit. He was polite and engaging. I was an incredibly proud Momom!

After our event was over on Saturday afternoon the weekend was ours to enjoy. We dropped our bags at the hotel and headed straight to the Alamo. We spent the day touring the grounds and meandering through the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley Museums. We had planned on going out to eat along the Riverwalk, but by dinner time we were both feeling worn down. Instead, we headed back to the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the night. 

Sunday morning we took the double deck bus tour, stopping at the Mexican market to take in the sights and sounds. Robby was mesmerized by the smells and activity wafting through the vast market. Hopping off the bus was a spur of the moment decision, but I'm glad we decided to explore.  After the bus tour, we headed back to the hotel and packed up. 

The flight home was long but uneventful. Timmy was asleep when we arrived home, but he was beyond enthusiastic to see me this morning. He has been busy telling me about his adventures with Daddy (they went to his favorite playground twice) and was allowed to pick out a new balloon. It seems that both Chenoweth boys had a great weekend.