Believe it it or not, yesterday I was actually making a grocery list of items we needed, the majority of which are items for in Robert’s lunch. So this morning Trish started talking about how she wanted to write a blog post and how it was going to be stressful with Taz (11 month old Lab.) and with Robert. So I figured why not make a guy trip out of it and give Trish a mini-break and asked Robert if he would want to with me and it didn’t take him 3 seconds to say, “That sounds good.” So there we are heading into Target and I have Robert in the transport chair, wondering how I’m going to get everything I need and push him. Of course Trish mentioned this before we left and I thought, no big deal “Been There Done That.” Well when I entered Target I saw these new carts they have, they even come with a products adviser:
Maybe should have done something else with the eggs but hey he had a blast. Kept telling me where to put things in the basket, let me know if something worked or not and in Robert comedy fashion every other comment from Robert was a one liner followed by, “Just Kidding.” We actually went by Petsmart first to get Taz Da Spaz a chain leash since every other leash we have purchased he has chewed through, some in more than one spot and others in less than an hour. He’s even gone thought a “No Pull” harness, wrapped around his body in under 20 minutes. Back to our story, so this gave Robert something he looks for and that guy time. He enjoys going to and from program because it’s anywhere from 2-4 guys only in the van and then when he get home it just me and him for anywhere from 1-2 hours. Then on the weekends Trish pretty much takes over and handles him, this gives her a break and him some guy time with me away from the house and rules and the same old routine. After Target we loaded Robert and then I loaded the transport chair and hopped in. Had not even buckled up yet and Robert says, “Are we getting Trish a coffee?” To what is is really wanting to say is. “Can I have a Double Chocolaty Chip, with all the Toppings Frappachino, please?” With it being the weekend and normally this is the only time he gets one (unless its a special weekday) I couldn’t say no to getting Trish a coffee.
So we were out for maybe at most an hour to hour and a half but it gave all of us a little down time, Trish was able to get her post done, me and Robert had a few laughs, the minimalist shopping I needed to do got done and we all ended up with a drink treat. You don’t have to have a week to re-coup as long as your taking breaks like these throughout the week it should help keep the big stuff at arms reach and it make them so much easier to deal with when the time comes. Just don’t let them take to long, a dripping faucet can turn into a major problem if you don’t take care of it soon. Have a great Holiday Season, treat each other with honor, dignity, love and respect, just like you want to be treated. Happy Holiday.
iCareTalk.net 