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, May 26, 2023

Last Day

 Today is the last day of school!

Well, it's the last day for Scott and Hamlet.  Robby still has a few projects until he is finished for the year, but I have no doubt he will wrap everything up quickly.  Soon everybody will be on vacation - except, of course, for me. Eh. Even though I won't have the luxury of the same carefree schedule, I'm determined to relax and unwind this summer.

I look back on this school year with astonishment. Both Robby and Timmy have grown immensely. This year has brought more independence to Robby. I look at him and I see an emerging college student, ready to fly. I'm not ready, but next year he will be a Senior regardless of my emotional readiness. I suppose I need to just sit back and enjoy the stage. 

Over the past nine months, Timmy has shown tremendous growth in every area. The adjustment to his new school was difficult for both of us.  I remember crying in the bathroom during those first few weeks of school. I'd wake up panicked because we had to do it all over again. I think only he and I truly understand the frustrations of those first few days and weeks. 

I'm proud of us.  Not only did we emerge on the other side (summer), but he has thrived through the experience.  

Bring on summer vacation. We have all earned it!


Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Spirit Week

The excitement in our house is reaching a feverish pitch. Timmy and Scott are beyond excited about the closing of their respective school years. Robby's enthusiasm is tempered because he still has a few more projects to finalize before he is done. Regardless, the end is in sight and summer is on the horizon. 

This school year has been one of growth and transition. Timmy and I began the year in tears, frantic and overwhelmed about the coming months. Now we are in the homestretch and he has stepped up to the challenge. I am so incredibly proud of him. This year was not easy, but we did it. Not only did we survive, but he has thrived.  

We are almost over, but we have a few days left. This is Spirit Week at school, and yesterday was silly hat day. In preparation, I pulled a variety of hats in the morning so that he could have a choice. He rejected all of my options and insisted on wearing Robby's WWII Russian field hat. Sigh. I suppose this is an impact of having an older brother. 

Today is Silly Sock day. We spent the morning gluing googly eyes and using glitter glue all over an old pair of Scott's socks. I suppose I should be happy that they are not military themed.


Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Slippy Leg

 Losing weight is great, but when you are an amputee shedding pounds isn't as easy as pulling out my skinny pants. When an amputee loses or gains approximately 10 pounds, the fit of the socket becomes compromised. Hobbling around with a floppy leg is not fun. It feels as if the universe is laughing at the irony.

Over the past few days I have begun to struggle more with socket fit. I'm lucky that I have gone so long before my fit was completely compromised. I don't enjoy the prosthetic process, but I do not want another summer with an ill-fitting leg. When the temperatures heat up, I know that my leg is going to slip right off if I don't address it now. I suppose there is no time like the present to get started.  

This is our last week of school, or at least it is for Scott and Timmy, so the summertime anticipation is growing. (Robby has a few more weeks left. His end date is dependent upon how hard he works in the next few days.) Scott is looking forward to sleeping in and avoiding as many snarky teens as possible while Timmy is already chatting and dreaming about Cousin Crew adventures. 

I suppose I'd better start planning!

Monday, May 22, 2023

Rocking at the Park

 I had a nice birthday. Despite my feeling non-celebratory, the boys made my day feel special. Next year I turn 50 so perhaps that explains why I was content to just pass this one over. I am already dreading 50 but I have 12 months to pretend that it isn't happening. I am not going to waste 49 fretting over what comes next!

On Saturday we packed up and headed to the park. Robby's band was performing and (thankfully) the weather was delightful. Despite his not enjoying the outdoor venue, he did a fantastic job. (Apparently the stage was unstable and the generators caused some chaos behind the scenes, both impacting his ability to completely relax and rock out.)

In exactly one year we plan to put our house on the market, which means that I have 12 months to get this place in shape for showings. Looking around, I know it is going to be a massive project. I've decided to utilize the next year wisely. Every week I plan to gather at least one box for donation and one bag of trash. If I do the minimum every week, I will have purged at least 52 boxes/bags of 'stuff' from the house before we get serious about selling. I think Future Peggy will appreciate these efforts so I spent Sunday putting my plan into action. 

I cleaned out  the living room, accumulating two boxes for donation and three bags of trash. It feels good to be proactive. Hopefully I can keep this going!