Braille

I love the theme of our 2024 calendar, obscure holidays and daily celebrations, because it reminds me that there is always something to celebrate. Today I discovered that it is National Braille Day. I was immediately hit me with a wave of nostalgia I wasn't anticipating. 

I fell in love with Braille when I was Timmy's age and I read a book about Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller. Despite the fact that I went to college to teach the blind and I earned my graduate degree to teach cane skills, I haven't worked with Braille in nearly two decades. The years that have flown by since I left teaching and I find my mind continues to translate the written word into invisible dots. 

I don't have a Braille writer, but I do sketch out 'secret' codes to myself with dots. I discovered that I can leave reminders about surprises and gifts in the open because nobody in the family can decipher the codes. I miss Braille, but I don't miss teaching. 

Packing

Yesterday the boys stepped back into their school day routines and, while they were not delighted to be back at the grind, their complaints were kept to a minimum. Timmy even admitted that he missed his classes and his friends. I was delighted with the return to normal but I did my best to keep my smiling to a minimum as I watched Scott leave for work and the boys log in for their classes. 

With everybody back at school I'm starting to turn my attention towards preparing the home to move. Specifically, we really need to purge the trash and start to pack. Because we don't own a pick-up truck or any feasible way to transport large items to the dump they have accumulated in the back of our garage. I feel overwhelmed by the clutter and the tasks ahead but fretting isn't getting anything done. Instead I spent several hours yesterday pricing dumpster services. 

If the weather holds, we will have a dumpster delivered to the house in about two weeks. This will provide us with enough time to consolidate the trash into a central location. Once we get the trash removed I'll reclaim an area that can be used to stow our packed boxes, which will probably be ordered today.

I'm still feeling overwhelmed by 2024 but I'm trying to tackle it head on. I figure if I keep checking small items off of my list it will eventually result in my house being packed and moved. At least, that is the plan for now!

New Year

Despite being nearly one week after Christmas I was finally able to celebrate the season with my mom and sister. Covid swept into their home before Santa, leaving germs and forcing a not-so-festive quarantine. We waited a few days after the last negative test before heading north, but we were all eager for our seasonal get together. I may have missed Christmas but I'm so glad that we were there for New Year. 

We were planning on going to watch the pickle drop on New Years Eve but the rain changed our plans. Instead of going to the countdown we ate junk food, played games and watched television. It may not have been as exciting as those partying in Times Square, but the kids had fun and celebrated 2024 with giggles and laughter.  

It was a quick trip to Pennsylvania because everybody returns to school today. I know that the transition from vacation to work is always difficult but I am happy for the return to normal. The Christmas decorations have already been packed away, the tree is in the woods and the presents have all been unboxed and put into use. The holiday is officially offer.

Typically I mourn the end of the holiday season. This year I celebrated the tinsel removal. It was a difficult season and I'm glad that it is over.

Ready or Not

 Ready or not, 2024 is almost here.  

2023 was one of easing into the change.  It hasn't been the easiest of years but I am going to embrace the positive. Considering that 2024 will promptly take the that was teased in 2023 change and flog me into next December, this past year has been a breeze. 

2024 has been building to be one of huge transitions for our family and I'm terrified. I wish I could say that I'm excited about everything the next 12 months holds and that it will pose the adventure of my life. In reality, the anxiety heralding the changes coming with the new calendar have been keeping me awake for months. 

Ready or not, the seconds are going to continue to countdown to a new year. It will surely be memorable. I'm just hoping it is also manageable!

Bedroom Redo

 Timmy's beloved bunk bed with slide met with an unfortunate fate when the supports holding the slats into place splintered from the frame. We were extremely lucky that the bed did not collapse while Timmy was in it. We were hoping to wait until we moved to upgrade Timmy's furniture but we were forced to speed up our timeline. 

Yesterday Scott and I worked nonstop in Timmy's room. We disassembled the old bed while the boys hauled the pieces out. After the old bed was removed we set out to assemble the new one. The size and weight of the box forced us to unbox outside. The boys ferried the pieces and parts up the stairs and into Timmy's room where I frantically tried to keep everything organized. 

The bed, a bunk bed with loft combo, was a beast to assemble. Scott and I have been assembling furniture from a box together for nearly 25 years. We have become adept at working together to get the job done without creating or harboring hard feelings. Before we start any project we always hug, say I love yous and offer no hard feelings for anything that might be said or done during the assembly. No matter how difficult the assembly process, and we have tackled some projects for which we were woefully ill equipped,  we will not hold onto the anger when we are done. 

Scott and I are good at working together but, unfortunately, neither of us are terribly talented at visualization or understanding minimalist directions. We always put pieces together incorrectly, forcing us to disassemble and reassemble numerous times. Yesterday was no exception, although we felt victorious that we only had to disassemble twice and we only have one 'construction personalization' one the bed. (A construction personalization refers to the situations where we have to improvise with a different screw or piece to make the parts fit together.

Nearly five hours after we started, Scott and I emerged from Timmy's room unscathed. The new bed was upright and sturdy, delighting Timmy. He immediately climbed to the top and surveyed the new view. The project was a beast but his smile made it worth the effort!

Best Present

Yesterday morning our family received what we have collectively decided to be the best Christmas present of the year. Timmy's wiggly front tooth, the one that has been hanging on and frustrating his eating for over a year despite the many efforts to ease it out, finally fell out in the middle of the night. Timmy took a sword to the tooth last summer which pushed it sideways and made it loose. We assumed it would fall out soon but it remained in an awkward position and wiggly state. We were three weeks away from an oral surgeon removing the crushed and stubborn tooth. Thankfully nature, and biting into a piece of prime rib for dinner, took care of the situation.

Liberated from the frustrating tooth, we celebrated by taking Timmy to McDonald's for lunch. He was thrilled to be able to bite into the cheeseburger without the "tooth crunch."  Talk about a Christmas miracle!

Merry Christmas!

 Another Christmas has come and gone. This season has been one of modifying traditions and going with the flow. I should not have been surprised by the unexpected curve ball courtesy of Covid. My nephew came down with Covid, exposing the entire household in Pennsylvania. Because of the recent and active exposure, my Mom and sister were not able to visit us for Christmas. Yet again we were forced to celebrate separately because of Covid.

Despite the pivot from large family feast to intimate gathering, Christmas was a success. Both boys were delighted with their surprises. I was worried but it seems that Santa magic has survived another year. Timmy was delighted with his presents and seemed firm in his resolve that they were provided by Santa. 

Robby transitioned from Believer to Magic Maker Apprentice several years ago. This year he was responsible for hiding Timmy's presents and assembling his stocking. He took his responsibilities seriously and knocked it out of the park! I was so proud when I realized that Robby even ate the cookie and disposed of most of the milk.

This week everybody is on vacation (except for me). I am not anticipating a relaxing week between Christmas and New Year but I am hoping to have some fun. Christmas may be over, but there is still a lot of time to celebrate!