Sick (Still)

The best part of yesterday was finally going to bed at night. Between feeling achy and nursing a congestion headache, I was exhausted all day. Timmy and Robby started to run fevers by mid-afternoon, leaving Scott as the last healthy person in our little family. He spent his evening stocking up on both medication and chicken noodle soup.

For some reason, whenever I become sick I also experience the electrifying jolts of angry nerves through my limb. I'm not sure why it happens, but it is definitely unwelcome. I suspect that it has something to do with the decongestants I take, but I'm not certain. Despite the inclusion of phantom pain into my misery, I ended up sleeping well.

At this point, I am holding on until the weekend. Hopefully Scott remains healthy so that I can continue to rest over the next few days. Next week is Halloween, so being sick is simply not an option.

Sick Day

Please excuse the brevity of this posts. I woke up yesterday morning feeling icky. I muddled through the day, but I felt my symptoms worsening as the day progressed. This morning the ickies have morphed into a full-blown cold. 

I feel horrible. At this point I'm just looking at the clock, anxiously waiting for my respite to arrive home from work. It is going to be a long day!

Blending

At the end of an insanely hot summer, it is refreshing to finally put away the shorts. There is something especially cozy about sweatshirts and jeans at the beginning of the season. Curling up in my comfy clothes, hibernating under blankets, is one of my favorite seasonal activities.  I become an unapologetic hermit in the cold months, especially at night.

 I become accustomed to the second glances and stares, but I never really become oblivious to the attention. Walking around with shorts, I am always "different." It is comforting in a way to be able to become invisible within a crowd.  

After months of walking around with my prostheses visible, it is nice to completely blend in with everybody else. I always feel kind of sneaky at the beginning of the jean season, as if I am walking around incognito because people can't immediately see that I have a disability.  I find the ability to blend in oddly exhilarating. 

Slime Free Zone

Timmy has gone through a variety of phases in his short life, but none have been as long-lasting as his Ghostbuster obsession. For months he has found unending amusement reenacting the movie and hunting Slimer through the neighborhood. His "uniform," initially purchased for Halloween, is well-worn and will probably be in tatters by trick-or-treat night.

Not realizing the risk, Scott and I surprised Timmy with an enormous container of the green goo over the weekend. Timmy was delighted and eager to incorporate slime (from Slimer of course) into his game. Without missing a beat, and with lightning speed, he promptly placed the slime ball onto the top of his head. "Momom" he proudly proclaimed, "I've been slimed."

The main problem with slime, I unfortunately discovered, is that it tends melt quickly over whatever it contacts. In Timmy's case, it was his hair. Within seconds his beautiful blonde hair was caked with neon green, dripping slime. Being slimed might be fun in the movies, but my little Ghostbuster was not nearly as amused when he realized that it couldn't be easily removed. 

We quickly herded him into the bathroom. I stripped off his costume while Scott frantically began to search the internet for slime removal tips. We tried oil, vinegar and conditioner with little success. We only managed to grease him with no success removing the slime that was now caked through his long hair.  

Timmy was crying as I was trying to squeeze slime from his long locks. After nearly an hour and out of desperation, Scott brought me mayonnaise to try. It took nearly the entire bottle, but we had finally managed to remove the slime. Finally, something worked!

His hair is greasy and he still smells like a sandwich, but at least he is slime-free!

Ghost Fun

Another action filled weekend has come to a close. Friday and Saturday were unusually busy, but Sunday was laid back and relaxed. The weather cooperated with our plans because Friday and Saturday were gorgeous, allowing us to be enjoy our outside activities without an issue. Sunday was met with nonstop rain, which was fine because I didn't really want to get out of my pajamas anyway.

Friday night I packed up the boys and we went on a ghost hunt. Timmy, truly in the spirit of the event, went completely dressed in his Ghostbuster's uniform. It is safe to say that he was the hit of the town, garnering smiles and comments from everybody who saw him. We didn't see any ghosts but, as Robby explained, the apparitions were probably staying away because they knew that there was a Ghostbuster in the group. (Timmy readily accepted this logic and no longer lamented the missing ghost encounters.)

Saturday morning we packed up and headed to our local town fair. Timmy, again decked out in his uniform, surveyed the street fair for ghosts and other spooky encounters. When he wasn't looking for ghosts he was spinning wheels and gathering swag. By the time we headed home both boys had accumulated two overflowing bags of assorted branded junk.

In the evening we headed out to the Pumpkin Glow experience. Robby and I have been to this event for two years in a row, but this was the first time for Scott. Although my husband wasn't nearly as enthralled and gobsmacked by the squash sculptures, the boys and I thoroughly enjoyed the event.

Yesterday was spent relaxing and readying the house for the upcoming week. I managed to sort through the festival swag bags, weeding out everything except for the toothbrushes, toothpaste, soaps and toys. Everything else went into the recycle bin (when the boys weren't looking.)

Mom Guilt

A day of relaxing inside was exactly what I needed to help heal my leg. So much ghost hunting over the past week has caused my leg to become extremely sore and tired. Because of the wind yesterday, we stayed inside. Apparently ghost hunting wasn't as fun inside, because Timmy actually occupied himself by quietly playing other activities.

I hate wind storms, but I really enjoyed kicking my leg off and relaxing for a few hours. I felt like I was being a slacker, but my guilt was short lived. I quickly became lost in reruns of Halloween Wars, and I lost track of time.  I may not have been productive, but my goodness my leg is feeling much better this morning! 

The day off was a godsend, because the weekend schedule is going to keep me hopping. Tonight we are heading out for a family-friendly ghost walk through town. Having missed the ghost hunt with his cousins over the summer, Timmy is absolutely ecstatic about going tonight. He is planning to wear his Ghostbuster's uniform in hopes of "helping" our guide.  

Tomorrow morning we are going to a parade and local street fair. Both boys love the parade and accumulating as much free swag as possible. (It takes them an hour or so to fill a few bags with assorted crap, but I have to parcel it into the trash slowly to avoid disappointment.)

In the evening we are going to the Pumpkin Glow experience. Walking through the carved pumpkin displays is breathtaking. It has become a family tradition that I look forward to each year.

Between the ghost hunt and tomorrow's itinerary, I no longer feel guilty about taking it easy yesterday. I'm going to be doing a lot of walking in the next 48 hours. The rest was needed and definitely well-deserved. Perhaps someday I'll be able to take it easy without feeling guilty!

Rain and Wind

The rain poured yesterday, forcing us to take our ghost hunting inside. Although I missed being in the fresh air, one benefit of being inside was the luxury of listening to the television while playing. Listening to the television definitely provided a much needed distraction from our game. (I just keep reminding myself that someday he will be playing with friends and/or independently, and that these times are fleeting.)

Today we are experiencing crazy wind, which is always worrisome. We have lost so many trees recently and I always worry when the winds start howling. Today will be another one spent inside, where we are safer from the falling nuts and branches.  Fingers crossed that we don't have any down trees today!