Friday, January 13, 2012

The Best Laid Plans

 

The totally chosen at random winner of the $25 gift card is RedPeril! RedPeril, email me at gemmasreadermail at gmail dot com with your mailing address and preference of Amazon, BN or iTunes.  Congrats!

Today I’m giving away a $25 gift card to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes (winner’s choice).  Just comment below to be entered to win and check back tomorrow for an announcement of the winner!


I had the best laid plans for following my #1 New Year’s resolution – say no to anything that takes away from writing time.  Big Boy was going back to school on Monday, Baby Boy’s babysitter was all lined up to be there.  I had my new manuscript ready to start, a great idea for an opening scene brewing in my head.  I had my Starbucks gift card all ready to order a venti Pumpkin Spice latte and a slice of iced lemon pound cake (the ultimate creative fuel).  But did Monday morning find me writing?  No.  It most certainly did not.

Why?  Well, let me back up a little…

Last year Big Boy wanted a bike for Christmas.  He’d just learned to ride a two-wheeler and was ready for something bigger, sturdier, and less cartoon character themed.  So, The Man and I (with a little help from Santa) got him this:

He loved it.  Rode all over the neighborhood in it.  Unfortunately, during that riding around the neighborhood, one day he went to a friend’s house across the street, left his bike on the lawn overnight, and in the morning it was gone.  (This was when we lived in the neighborhood where anything that stood still for more than five minutes got stolen.)  He was, of course, upset.  But trooper that he is, he took up skateboarding as a means of transportation instead.     

Fast forward to this past Christmas.  My mom wanted to replace the bike that was stolen last year so that Big Boy could ride his bike to her house after school.  She had it wrapped up at her house, where we were planning to visit Christmas afternoon.  Big Boy opened his presents from Santa on Christmas morning, was thrilled with what he got from us, but then said in a kind of sad voice.  “You know, I still miss my bike from last year.”  Hehe!  It was all I could do to not spill the beans that he was about to get a new one. 

Once we got to my mom’s house, the first thing Big Boy saw was a large, bike-shaped present for him.  He immediately tore into it, then took off on his bike riding around the neighborhood for the rest of the evening.  Yay!

At this point you might be asking what this has to do with me not writing.  Good question. 

On New Year’s Day, Big Boy was out riding his new bike when The Man and I heard a scream.  Then more screaming.  And crying.  And Big Boy calling for Mommy.  (He’s 11.  If he’s calling for “mommy” it must be bad.)  We raced outside and found him at the bottom of the driveway (steep hill) in a crumpled pile tangled in his bike.  He’d fallen and hurt his elbow.  We rushed him inside, iced, checked to see that all the parts were still moving and nothing was swollen.  We debated the emergency room, but considering that everything looked in working order, went the ice route instead.  After a bit, Big Boy said he was feeling better and took off to play video games.

The next day he said his elbow felt a little better. Not great, but better.  Two days later, it was still hurting “some”.  Five days later he said, “You know.  This isn’t getting better very fast.  It still hurts a little when I straighten my arm.”

Uh oh. 

So I packed him into the car and we went to the emergency room to get a “just in case” x-ray.  Four hours later, the verdict came in – he’d been walking around for a week with a broken arm!  I felt horrible.  I told him that I owed him a big ice cream cone – maybe even triple scoop – as they bandaged his arm and put it in a temporary sling.
So, what was my Monday spent doing instead of writing?  Calling our insurance, our pediatrician, the orthopedist, and then the insurance again trying to get him an appointment to get a permanent cast put on his arm.  Then calling the E.R. to get a note from the attending doctor to get Big Boy out of PE class.  Then emailing all of his teachers to say he can’t write or take notes in their classes.  Then doing all his homework for him as he dictated.     

Some day I’ll get back to writing.  I swear it.  In the meantime, I’m just hoping that our bike luck doesn’t get any worse.

~Trigger (but not bike) Happy Halliday 

P.S. If anyone is looking for a good book, my entire Hollywood Headlines series will be available for FREE on Amazon.com this month.
free NOW through Jan 17 – Hollywood Scandals
free Jan 17-Jan 26 – Hollywood Secrets
free Jan 27 – Feb 5 – Hollywood Confessions

30 comments:

Cheryl said...

Awww . . . poor guy! You're not a bad mom. My daughter walked around on a broken ankle for a little over a week. And I had taken her to the doctor, gotten x-rays. She had a hairline fracture that they had missed on the x-rays. So you can do everything right but these freak things happen. I'll be looking forward to more good reads when you are able to get back to writing.

Unknown said...

I think we all go through these things like this. It happens don't feel bad about it. My son never broke any bones but he had his share of stitches. I was always the one breaking bone. I have has a few of those in my life. I am suprised he didn't complain about it hurting more and it didn't have swelling in it. Your now a bad mom things like this happens.

Zita said...

Wow! Say, did he get the triple scoop? And listen, just think how you can incorporate this into your next story! More grist for the mill, right? Seriously, I'm glad he's okay. Maybe you should get him a scooter instead? Or just go ahead and buy him a car. :-)

Angela N. Blount (RedPeril) said...

Aww, bless his face. That's one tough kiddo you've got there!

I completely understand how child-related injuries can put a damper on the writing. In fact, Monday was a bad day for me as well for very similar reasons. Oh, it started out perfectly fine. The hubby was all set to watch the babies for an hour so I could escape to my hidey-hole and finish a chapter... And then, the 3-year-old decides to do his best Spiderman impression--leaping backward off he couch and landing head first on the edge of the coffee table. >.< I'm sad to say, I felt very little compassion at first. I let the hubby hold him and didn't even wander over to check, being he was conscious and screaming and all. Then the hubby informed me there was blood... Three scalp staples and an Urgent Care bill later, my night was shot.

Children. I went into this unaware of how challenging it would be to keep them alive and healthy. >.<

Unknown said...

I walked three days on a broken foot so it's easy to miss it if it's a small break. It just feels sore. I broke mine on roller skates when I was in fifth grade. My sister had to carry my books to school for me. I hope Big Boy has better biking days in the future. Shame someone stole his first one and then this year he falls. Poor guy.

amysmith98 @ gmail.com

Jess said...

Here's to your son's speedy recovery!

jcross719 at yahoo dot com

Rebekah E. said...

Poor kid. I hope he heals quickly. You have one tough cookie there.

Alison said...

Poor guy! I hope his arm heals quickly!

Carlene Love said...

Hi Gemma, I'm a newbie here but am so glad I popped in today. I really feel you on this and all the other good folks who have commented about letting our kids hobble around with broken bones for days before realizing it! Yep, been there done that. I think life happens and then we write about it so no worries about Monday. There's always Tuesday, Wednesday, etc :)

traveler said...

What a story. You did a good job and are very devoted. He will recover and be fine and you took good care of him.

petite said...

What an upset but at least all ends well. Hope the family is back to normal and writing has gotten back on schedule for you. best wishes for a healthy 2012.

krisgils33 said...

Sorry to hear that. I'm sure the triple-scoop did the trick. When I was 11, I broke my ankle and my grandfather put ben-gay on it and took me out to lunch. Apparently no one thought me hopping around on one foot meant that something wasn't right. :-)

Gemma Halliday said...

You know, I feel so much better knowing I’m not the only one. Lol!

And RedPeril – sorry about the stitches! You totally just described my younger son, though. He’s two and does everything head first. Literally. He loves to dive head first off of the couch. When he’s lucky, there’s a soft landing. I honestly would have bet he’d be the first to break a bone, not my older guy.

catslady said...

Wow what a trooper. Luckily my kids got through childhood without any broken bones but both needed stitches - one right over her eye and I almost passed out on that one and of course her screams didn't help. My youngest got it under the chin and never said a word through the whole process lol.

Sarah S. said...

I don't have any kids yet, but when I was a kid if I even got a skinned knee I acted like Peter Griffin, from the Family Guy, so I will probably be doing a lot of eye rolling at my future children. Thanks for the updates on your books. I almost wish I hadn't purchased them already...but not really! :)

Anonymous said...

Bless his heart. How terrible. Hopefully he won't be afraid to get back on the bike once his cast comes off.

geishasmom73 AT yahoo DOT com

Erin T said...

Oh boy I can relate to that. I fell and broke my ankle once. I walked around for 3 days before I finally went to the ER. The doc couldn't believe was bearing weight on it. I guess I have a high pain tolerance.

Hope your son is on the mend. Happy New Year.

Na said...

Big Boy sounds like a trooper! Thankfully I've never experienced a broken bone or major sprains but I can imagine the recovery period isn't fun. I hope he recovers quickly and is back to doing what he does best. Also, wishing you a productive writing year. Time to give the distractions the boot!
P.S. I picked up Hollywood Scandals for free today -thank you!

I tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/FieryNa/status/157931708363177984

Misha Gerrick said...

Aw shame! I hope your son feels better soon. :-)

Glittergirl said...

The same thing happens in our home as well...YOU ARE NOT A BAD MOM! My daughter had a broken arm for a week too after slipping at PetSmart in the fish water on the floor! As a baby she also had a double ear infection when I took her in for a "well baby check" appt. In my defense she has a VERY high pain tolerance and she didn't complain. But boy am I with you on the guilt thing. I'm a master at it...

I've had so much fun discovering your blog with this giveaway. I found you through "As the Pages Turn" and it's been fun getting to know you all. glittergirl54 at ymail dot com

Jane said...

Ouch, can't imagine how painful it is to have a broken arm. Hope your son's arm is healing quickly.

Tori Lennox said...

Poor guy! But I bet he's having fun dictating to Mom. :)

Kristi said...

Ouch! Poor guy. Don't feel bad though. I did the same thing to myself. I slipped and fell on the ice, hit my elbow and never got it checked out. It hurt for months. I had fractured it. It still hurts if I press on it sometimes.

Angela N. Blount (RedPeril) said...

Oh, and I forgot to thank you for your ebook generosity! ^_^

Tweeted! https://twitter.com/#!/Perilous1/status/157965359712972800

chey said...

How's he doing? Hopefully things have gotten better and you'll get the writing in that you want to.

Barbara E. said...

Oh my, what an adventure. I've been lucky - never had a broken bone and my son never did either. I think part of that is that we're both too wimpy and not dare devil enough to chance getting hurt. :D

Unknown said...

Sorry just reread my post and I meant you are not a bad mom, I need to start reading what I type, MY head says one thing but my fingers type something else, maybe I need to learn to type or slow down one.

Theresa N. said...

It's tough being a parent and face it we're not doctors, I've always be offer protective and go see the doctor for everything my husband is just the opposite.
Theresa N
weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com

Bessamy said...

Poor little guy! Ouch, that had to hurt. He must be pretty darn tough to go a week with a broken arm. That is impressive for such a young guy. Big ice-cream indeed.

Brandy said...

Don't feel bad. My Son (and Daughter) take Karate and one day Son said his shoulder had been dislocated in class and that his Sensei had slipped it back in. I? Though he was exaggerating. (He was 8years old at the time, and he liked to exaggerate!) So, I told him no he hadn't, but he'd probably just hurt it and since he wasn't in pain and was talking a mile a minute and as usual was bouncing a bit with energy then he didn't dislocate it. That dislocating it would mean he'd be in so much pain he'd want to scream and cry.... Um, yeah. Later that night his Sensei called and said "just to let you know, Son dislocated his shoulder in class today and should probably be iced". I felt like the worst mother in the world! (And since then he's dislocated each shoulder twice-it turns out he has very stretchy tendons.)
Funny about your books! I just bought two of them last month when my hubs gave me an amazon gift card for Christmas! :)