Bomb in Aisle 5

YouTube is an odd internet phenomena that seemingly appeals to all ages.  I access the site to stream episodes of Zack and Quack for Timmy when we are waiting somewhere and I need him to both behave and to remain quiet.  I have come to rely upon the videos to tackle simple to moderate home repair tasks.  Robby finds hours of entertainment streaming game tutorials and other nonsensical content. 

One of the strangest series of videos that have struck my little Koopa's fancy feature MREs. MREs are military prepared meals which are vacuum packed and ready to consume in the battlefield.  Each meal bag contains an odd combination of entree, breads, snacks and other assorted necessities. Over the weekend Robby became fascinated with MREs and was ecstatic when his Nana told him that they could be purchased locally. 

On Saturday we packed up and headed to the military surplus store.  Walking into the establishment, it felt like we were transported into a camouflaged version of Oz. Robby immediately began to browse through the cluttered and disheveled aisles. In a quest for the coveted MREs, I followed him while Scott worked on wrangling Timmy.   

Timmy was surprisingly well behaved, content to stroll without touching or throwing anything. I think that he was happy to be part of the excitement with his brother. Both boys were demonstrating commendable behavior, something which rarely occurs simultaneously.

Just as Robby located the MREs Scott ushered me to the back of the store. I could tell by the look on his face that something was amiss. I turned the corner and saw Timmy standing  among the military flack jackets without pants and without his diaper. I was mortified when I saw that in the middle of the aisle was a homemade grenade (poop) that Timmy decided to plant on the store floor. 

I'm not sure why Timmy decided to strip down and poop on the floor. According to Scott's frantic account, it happened quickly while he was looking for a jacket in Robby's size. Regardless of why or how, we were forced to act quickly in order to minimize Timmy's treasonous act against the military surplus store. 

We used the diaper to scoop up the bomb. Thankfully we were able to remove all evidence of his atrocity. Scott carried our naked bummed, and by now extremely unhappy and vocal little boy out of the store. Robby and I quickly picked two MREs, paid and left the store.  Timmy was placed on restrictive leave for his misconduct, although I don't think it made much of an impression.  So much for both boys behaving simultaneously.

Slowly Returning to Routine

On Friday Scott traveled to my Mom's, arriving in time to pick me up at the train station. We had been planning on taking the boys to an amusement park on Saturday. The sweltering temperatures thwarted those plans. It was too hot to be outside, so we filled the time helping my Mom around the house and going back-to-school shopping. (It wasn't exactly the adventure weekend we had planned but we tried to make the best of it.)

Yesterday I helped my Mom move the furniture and paint my nephews' bedroom. My sister and her three kids have been living with my Mom for nearly four years, so we figured it was time to personalize the bedrooms. I know that they will be thrilled when they return from their vacation with their Dad to discover the newly decorated military-themed retreat. 

Summer vacation ends today for Scott, who is scheduled to report back to work at 8 this morning. He isn't happy about the transition back to school but it won't take him long to get into the swing of his new schedule. This is his 23rd year teaching (all at the same school) so he has considerable experience with the back-to-school experience.  Robby has another two weeks of vacation left, days which he tends to spend relaxing at the pool and playing video games. 

With Scott returning to work, I will be on my own with Robby and Timmy. I know that they are both going to miss him, and I fully expect them to be extra needy for the next few days. Unfortunately this week is a busy one for me, stacked with meetings and a conference presentation. I'm going to try, but I don't see myself accomplishing a lot of work until Timmy goes to bed for the night.

NYC

I had an awesome time in NYC yesterday with my friend Tammy.  We have known each other for 24 years and, although we don't get together often, we always manage to have fun.  I wish that we lived closer to each other but, since we don't, we definitely need to make a point to get away more often. Not only is it good for me to escape my house full of boys every once in awhile, but it is probably beneficial for me to fill a role other than mother, wife or employee.  It's nice to remember that I have more to bring to the world than care taking. Sometimes spending time with a friend and laughing is just what is needed to recenter my life. 

Adventures

Yesterday I decided to squeeze in one more Aunt Peggy Adventure before my niece and nephews return to their school schedule. (During the school year I rarely see them because they go to their Dad's house every weekend.) Wanting to end the summer with a fabulous memory, I pulled out my laptop and began to search for the perfect activity.  It didn't take me long to decide that we were going to the "Glow Party" at SkyZone.
Everybody (myself included) loves going to the trampoline park, so the idea of hopping under black lights sounded awesome. The kids were thrilled when they realized where we were going, and gobsmacked when they discovered that it was a Glow Party. Needless to say, I solidified my reign as World's Best Aunt/Momom.

Now it is time for one more mini adventure, but this one is reserved just for me.  Today I'm leaving my family behind as I hop the train to NYC. I love the city, filled with such energy and excitement. To make the trip even more monumental, my friend Tammy will be meeting me there.  I am only spending one night away, but it is sure to be memorable.  I am so excited I feel like a kid on Christmas eve. 

Happy Birthday #NotALuxury

It is hard to believe that the #NotALuxury movement is celebrating its first birthday. Last August was a flurry of phone calls, planning meetings and social media pushes as we tried to gain traction in the fight against the detrimental medicare proposals. I remember Dave being wary about gaining enough support to snag the requisite 100,000 petition signatures. Confident in our abilities to spread the word and secure the untapped advocacy potential of the limb loss community, I assured him that we would crush our goal.

#NotALuxury began slowly with a few tweets and Facebook posts, but it quickly morphed into an international movement. Social media was flooded with images and outcries of frustrations from amputees of all races, religions and economic backgrounds. To date, we are the ONLY disability oriented petition to ever reach the 100,000 signature requirement.  Not only did we meet the threshold for a response, but we did so in 17 days.

The White House responded and Medicare tabled their draft proposal. A committee of federal employees has been convened to review and to develop best practices for lower limb prosthetics. We won't know the results of these closed door meetings until a report is issued (no timeline has been provided.)  Right now the movement is relatively idle, but the community is empowered through our history of coming together.

Yesterday Dave and I recorded another episode of Amp'd, where we celebrated the #NotALuxury movement while taking a look ahead at potential outcomes and struggles.  Enjoy!

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Not a Shrinking Violet

I have become accustomed to people staring at me, especially during the summer when my prosthesis is exposed. Normally it doesn't bother me, and many times I don't even notice the attention. Every once in awhile the staring bothers me. Yesterday was one of those days. If it hadn't been in the 90's, I probably would have put on jeans just to blend in with everybody else.

I'm not sure why I was self-conscious yesterday, but I do know that the results were profound. Walking around the grocery store and trampoline park, I felt like an oddity in a circus sideshow. I caught every second glance, hushed whisper and look of shock as I went about the course of my day. I'm sure that I wasn't receiving more attention than usual, so the fact that it bothered me was weird. I'd blame it on hormones, but the hysterectomy two years ago squelched that excuse.

Hopefully yesterday's acute awareness was a fluke, and today I will resume my "you're staring at me because I'm awesome" attitude. I hate days where I have to feign confidence! I'm glad that those situations are rare, because I don't think I make a good shrinking violet.

Post-Vacation Relaxation

This past weekend we did nothing of any consequence, and it turns out to be exactly what we all needed.  After our Jellystone adventure, quickly followed by our beach getaway, it was nice to have a few days with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Well, it isn't exactly that I didn't have anything to do. Perhaps it would be more honest to admit that I chose relaxation and hanging out at the pool over housework and report writing.  I think we all needed a few days of calm after the fun chaos of the past two weeks.

It isn't often that I completely ignore both housework and projects in lieu of vegging out in front of the television and reading. I desperately needed to relax after our "vacation."  After all, I managed to maintain my work responsibilities and schedule on both getaways, which led to me feeling frazzled, stressed and exhausted.

Even Hamlet, who thoroughly enjoys traveling and adventures, was content to play quietly at home. We did go to the pool on both Saturday and Sunday, which was enough action to both satisfy and to tucker out our little guy. He was delighted (and surprised) that he has mastered staying upright in the pool while wearing his vest.  (I don't fully trust his abilities yet so I am always within reach in case he loses his balance.) He thoroughly enjoyed showing off his new swim skill to anybody and everybody who happened to look his way. 

Unfortunately my weekend off has come to an end with the beginning of another work week. I think I am going to lock myself in Scott's man cave this afternoon so that I can work uninterrupted. I love having my boys home, but their constant presence makes concentrating difficult.  Wish me luck!