Van Gogh

 My little Hamlet was so excited for his Historical Figures presentation at school. He worked throughout the month on his report. His costume was on point and he was ready to represent Vincent Van Gogh. After a month of preparation and planning, yesterday morning was go time for the presentation.

My little Van Gogh stood up, cleared his throat and stood like a deer staring into car headlights. After what felt like an eternity, he began to hum the theme to Ghostbusters. He shuffled his feet to his tune and finally began to speak. Unfortunately he was mumbling so much it was nearly nonsensical. His eyes began to swell with tears as he battled nearly paralyzing stage fright.

He could have run out of the room, but he stayed planted. I could tell that he was melting, but he never gave up. His teacher was able to get a conversation started and, eventually, Timmy was sharing his information about Vincent Van Gogh. He finished his presentation with his trademark flourish.

"Van Gogh tried to do a lot of things to be happy. None of them worked. So he shot himself in the stomach and died. Because of my presentation I kinda understand how he was feeling. I really suck at this. Anyways, he didn't die right away though. It would have been better if he had shot himself in the head because it would have been right away. Instead, he had to lay around for a few days while his organs rotted away. That's all. Thank you and Happy Halloween."

After school was over our family switched from Van Gogh to trick-or-treating. The boys carved pumpkins and readied themselves for the evening. Timmy and Scott headed out trick-or-treating on the scooter while Robby and I headed out for hibachi. Thankfully the raindrops, although present, were not heavy or disastrous.  They had a fantastic time and brought home quite a haul of candy!

Happy Halloween!

 Happy Halloween!

According to Timmy, this is the best day in the whole year. He loves everything about Halloween. From spooky decorations to wearing costumes and venturing out after dark, he is truly in his element. Unfortunately we are supposed to have rain this evening, which will certainly put a damper on his trick-or-treating aspirations. Fingers crossed it holds off until after 8 so he can enjoy the night.

In addition to his costume for tonight, this year Timmy is allowed to wear costume to school. All month long he has been working on a project about Van Gogh. (He loves Starry Night.) He has worked hard on his presentation and today he will give it to his class dressed as Van Gogh during the "Historical Figures Party." 

While Timmy will go trick-or-treating rain or shine, Robby and I have other plans. He and I plan to go out for Japanese Hibachi. We had such a good time going last Halloween that we decided to make it a tradition. 

Photos tonight!

Halloween Weekend!

Thankfully the phantom pain that plagued me throughout Wednesday night did not revisit last night. I went to bed early and I slept well. Despite some twitching when I was falling asleep, I slept through the night and never woke due to pain. I woke up this morning feeling both refreshed and relieved!

Hopefully the phantom pain visit was isolated because I really don't have time to slow down right now. We are starting Halloween weekend and there are a lot of activities to attend. This weekend we have Halloween parties, ghost camp fires and a costume skate party. We will be busy, but I have no doubt that my little Hamlet will be in his element. He loves everything Halloween related.

Have a great weekend!

Phantom Pain Returns

 Ouch!

Today is going to be rough. Last night I experienced a bout of phantom and nerve pain that lasted into the early hours of the morning. My leg was stinging and kicking for hours. None of my usual tricks helped significantly despite all of my efforts. I kept trying to alleviate the pain, but time was the only variable that helped. Unfortunately, time moves very slowly in the middle of the night.

It didn't take me long to realize that I was in for a difficult night. In order for Scott to sleep I ended up moving to the couch before midnight. From my perch on the couch I just tried to remain as comfortable as possible while I waited for the pain to subside. Talk about feeling helpless!

I worry my lack of sleep will impact my entire day. I have a large pot of coffee brewing and I'm hoping it will be enough to get through the day. Working and being a mom doesn't stop because of pain.

Costume Prep

Despite being busy, our day was rather uneventful. Timmy and Robby were busy with school while I worked through the morning and afternoon. In the evening Robby went to band and Timmy and I played outside with Friend. I don't really appreciate them at the time, but I really do love those laid back and 'normal' days. Today our Halloween activities begin so I don't think we will have another quiet day until after trick-or-treat night.

Timmy is going to be busy during the next few days with holiday festivities. Between parties at school and at our local park, his little social calendar is filling quickly. Today we will be baking and decorating in celebration of the spooky season. We are also working on his costume for school.

Because his school mandated that his costume reflect a historical figure, this year Timmy is going to have two distinct costumes. One for school and one for trick-or-treat night. For school he is dressing as Vincent Van Gogh. True to tradition, I'm not going to reveal his official costume until Halloween.

 

Monday Ready

What a wonderful weekend. The sky was bright and the temperatures were crisp. Since we didn't have any time-consuming errands or projects planned, I was able to relax and completely unwind. I spent hours walking Friend through the neighborhood, enjoying the solitude and watching him chase leaves as they floated through the wind. For my little pup, falling leaves are simply magical toys floating down from heaven. 

Timmy, who has a new quest for knowledge, spent a lot of time reading and working on his maze books. I am amazed and delighted by his new love of reading and learning. His new school curriculum has lit a fire within my little Hamlet. Watching him curl up with a book for a few hours makes my heart sing. 

Robby spent his weekend chatting and gaming with his friends and playing his guitar. We went for a long bike ride yesterday afternoon which was a lot of fun. (I'm so glad I got over my fear of riding my bike post amputation.) Scott spent much of his weekend watching sports and searching forums about sports. 

Have a great day!

Picture Day

 Happy Friday!

This week has been busy but productive. Between Covid and our trip to NYC, I was feeling overwhelmed with projects and clutter. Slowly but surely, I am back on track with everything. It has been a long time since I walked into a weekend feeling like I am entitled to relax.

Of course, before we can begin the weekend I have to get through today. Until I opened my email this morning I had completely forgotten that both boys have school photos today. Their classmates will be wearing new clothes and fresh haircuts. Mine will be strutting in front of the camera sporting antiquated locks and a naturally disheveled look. 

Hamlet, always making his own unique impression, will also be photographed with 1/2 of his face colored a fading smurf blue. I picked him up yesterday and he had colored half of his body (face, arm and leg) with a blue marker. We scrubbed and showered for more than 30 minutes, leaving a blue stain and splatter across my vanity, tub and bathroom floor. We were able to wash away much of the blue, but the shadow remains. 

When I asked him why, he explained that he saw it on the TV when he was watching the football game with his dad.  He told me that he thought it looked fun, but he didn't know that it was a special make-up until his teacher explained it to him. Perhaps seeing my frustration, he cheerfully offered that he was able to take a photo of his face and he uploaded it for his "creative" assignment at school.

Sigh. Oh well. Another mom fail I suppose.