Our Series of Unfortunate Events

Have you every had one of those months weeks days where one bad thing after another keeps happening? Lately, we have had our own series of unfortunate events. Bad stuff can be super hard to share sometimes. You don’t want to over share and honestly it really isn’t that bad. Right? Since there is a ton of stuff I could share, I’m going to stick with the OUCH moments for now.

Poisonous Plant Expedition Leads to the Tooth Fairy?

Each week, our homeschool group has a meet up to go hiking and talk about nature topics. Last week we met up at the nearby reservoir to talk about poisonous plant identification. I was really looking forward to this because I have always stuck to the motto “If you don’t know what it is, don’t touch it. Or at least just poke it with a stick.” I want Emmett to learn more about what to avoid in nature and why, so he can enjoy exploring the safe wildlife up close.

Unfortunately, Emmett got hurt knocking a tooth loose when his chin hit his knee before our meet up even began. Lots of blood. The other moms were super helpful and supportive as we worked our way back to the car and off to the dentist. He had yet to lose a tooth. So it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Damage beneath the gum and tooth worried me the most.

Thankfully he did NOT lose his tooth or have any damage underneath and his tooth felt much better by dinner time.

Beach Expedition Winds Up In Stitches?

For mother’s day weekend we went to the beach. We had a great time despite an incident that happened on the beach playground. My son was climbing one of the ladder structures when another boy started climbing from the other side. Then the boy proceeded to climb overtop of my son to reach the landing on the play set. Then the boy’s foot slipped and he landed on my son’s head. Neither boy cried, they both seemed a bit startled for a moment. I helped Emmett get down safely while the other boy proceeded to play on the play set. During the collision his chin made contact with a rung of the ladder and split open the skin. Just DAYS after he hurt his tooth. I thought for sure he was going to need stitches or something.

We were blessed again to discover his chin just needed to be cleaned, and covered with bacitracin and a bandaid. I took him to the doctor when we got home and she confirmed it was fine, no stitches needed and it wasn’t infected.

Steps to Crutches?

Yesterday morning was a 70 minute drive for us to meet for a hike with a park ranger and our nature study club. It started off a bit hectically. When we arrived, I discovered that we had to pay for parking or you would have to pay an extra fee or some such… And I didn’t bring cash with us. So I went ahead and parked anyway, deciding I’d pay the fee later. My son and I put on our sunblock and sprayed DEET on our shoes, hats, and clothes before heading over to the visitors center. The park ranger told me I could pay with a credit card so I headed back out to my car to get my wallet.

On my way out… the step was much closer to the door than I realized and I twisted my ankle. We had a long drive and I knew Emmett was really looking forward to hiking with his friends and the park ranger, so I stuffed some ice cubes in my sock, got my card from the car, and proceeded to hike a mile with the group.

The ice kept my ankle numb throughout the hike. My sock was soaked from the ice on the drive home. But it was worth it. I’m not on crutches. At most it is a slight sprain however it is most likely a bad twist. I might go to the chiropractor in a few days to readjust my ankle. For now I’m just going to prop it up, walk on it as little as possible, and soak my foot in some Epsom salt.

Fortunate Blending with Unfortunate

So really, all those unfortunate events were not so unfortunate. Emmett and I ate frozen yogurt after the dentist. Thanks to bandages, we still had a lot of fun at the beach. And I get to soak my feet in the bath this weekend. Things can always be so much worse and sometimes it is easier to focus on the negative. But when we take a moment to focus on the positive, it really brightens everything up.