Oy!
Today was productive. Of course, it's nearly two o'clock on the next day, and it's just now winding down... at least nobody can say we aren't making the most of our time, right? *wan smile*
We got a lot done today - patched a hole in the hallway ceiling, primed the foyer ceiling, finally textured the closets (yay!) although the kids and I had to make an impromptu run into town for more joint compound. Stopped through Steak 'n Shake for a round of milkshakes (an appreciation gift for my wonderful little helpers) and then back for more work.
The weirdness factor has hit exponential values here with the boys. Smidge is really hitting his stride as a two year old. And I had to sponge the sand out of Emily's neck tonight because of it. James is, from what I've gleaned from other Veteran Mothers, Very Eight. Only, he's not Eight yet. I hope to God this means we will be experiencing an abbreviated version of Eight, because I do not think he and I will both survive the extended version. John is, proportionately, being very middle-of-the-road Five lately: irate that James bosses him around, and yet fully partaking in the bossing of the younger sibling at will. Somehow, those two scenarios are not connected in the least. Not in his mind, anyway. Add in Balto and the occasional mid-afternoon thunderstorm and this place is a regular dark comedy! Those are funnier when I'm not the one caught in them...*
There's only one chunk of sheetrock up in the foyer, but Zorak sent me into town just before supper to make a Lowe's run, so he got to run herd on the boys for supper and bedtime. He was a busy daddy! I got the stuff at Lowe's, and while loading the pickup, I remembered our homeschool support group has its Easter party tomorrow afternoon. Pot luck. ACK! So I had to stop and get eggs and stuff to put in the eggs (non-edible - sheesh, it would've been so much easier to buy candy!! But I was good... did you know books won't fit inside the eggs? *sniff, sniff*) Took three stops before I finally gave up on the local shops (all closed) and hit Wal-Mart. (Hey, I tried, right?) On the upside, however, we're good-to-go for tomorrow's breakneck schedule AND the boys (and Emily) now have baskets for Easter. Yay me!
Friday is going to be a good day. We have an HVAC guy coming in the AM to give us a quote, the party in the afternoon, and a whole lotta cleaning to get done in between. We'll touch base with Zorak at some point and switch vehicles so that we can pick up a bed for the guest room and hopefully hit Sears for a washer/dryer set (they're having a sale, and they have things in stock - although we've still not agreed upon what kind of washer to get, so I'm not sure how that's going to go).
I was *this close* to having actual after photos of the bathroom tonight (you know, the one w/ the Cheech and Chong sanitation in the before pics). Then Zorak and I rethought the towel racks and didn't hang them. We've since decided to go with our original plans, but it's too late to do anything now. But tomorrow, I promise, there will be pictures. I do, however, feel the need to add this caveat: the "after" pictures aren't going to look like normal homes' after pictures. We still don't have trim/baseboards up. We still haven't hit Pier 1 (heck, we haven't even hit the Dollar Store, which is probably closer to the truth). So they won't be all "Oooohhh, ahhhhh, what a lovely display", okay? However, the structural and architectural changes will be apparent. Then I'll need some serious decorating help from y'all!
* Note: they haven't ventured outside the bounds of normal envelope-pushing, and they're very good, very enjoyable children. It's just that at the moment, there are a great many envelopes being pushed all over the place, and that gets a bit chaotic.
And that, my friends, is about all I have the energy to say tonight.
Kiss those babies!
~Dy
7 comments:
Well, how nice! That makes two of us up and moving in the wee hours of the next day.(Why are they called wee hours anyway?)I was investigating why the dogs were barking nonstop and got to see a humongous Brahma cow racing up the road in hot pursuit. Now of course I'm wide awake. You sound very productive! I hope you can stay awake for the party though:) When I go to support meetings it's always after market day when I haven't had much sleep the night before. Last time I had a warm black sweater on and it was too warm for the day so the hostess brought out a selection of T-shirts.After I'd picked the red one and put it on I noticed it matched my red eyes perfectly. So don't try that! Marcella
The next time I feel bad cuz I'm tired, worn out, and dazed from all I have to do, I'm coming back to read this and be thankful....
Stay sane!
Hi Dy! My oldest son just turned eight. He is very bright, but not very discplined, wanting to be helpful but only on his own terms. Our five year old is the commedian of the family and very good at getting the two year old ( who will be 3 in July) "riled up" at the worst moments. My two year old is in his throwing stage...He threw a sippy cup through his bedroom window on Tuesday ( nobody hurt, thank God!), but is very sweet most of the time. I love to see what your family is doing along side of mine...Have you found that Emily is different in ways that you didn't expect from your boys?
Yay for all your house progress! Have a happy day!
Mere
Oh, Marcella, I can't imagine having to go somewhere and sit still and stay awake after your market days! I'd find (or put up) a hammock and try desperately to melt through the ropes! {{hugs}}
Mere, that's IT, yes!! You nailed it. The Eight wants to help, but only on his own terms, and what weird terms they can be! And the five, yes, funny-funny-child-who-riles-his-sibling. And the two - the arm on that child! Yet so sweet. I've always said toddlerhood is a great study in various OCD issues. This one seems to have a little manic thrown in there. :-) THANK YOU for sharing this - I don't know if we're both normal or if we're both a little weird, but I'm just tickled not to be alone in this!
Dy
Just curious Dy, is your Smidge saying much? My two year old isn't, ( and is in spech therapy for this) but he is very busy learning how to physically keep up with his brothers, and lining up small cars (the OC thing). Your family dynamic is so similar to mine that I was just wondering...
Sorry, I don't mean to hog your blog comments.
mere
All in good time! For many years my hubby and I lived in houses that were always in the middle of some sort of remodel. No baseboards-sometimes no doors!!! Lucky for me he had about 3 weeks off of work to finish our family room (he had to finish up after work for a while) but if that had not happened I would still have the couch upended next to my sewing table!
The kids will survive this and so will the parents!!! ;)
Mere,
No, actually he's not saying much. And what he does say is just barely intelligible to us. Strangers have no idea what he says unless they rely on context clues. The other two were early talkers - James was uncommonly articulate by age one and just hasn't ever stopped. John was ahead of the curve by quite a bit. Smidge is like the new ESL kid -- He comprehends a LOT, but cannot articulate it well. Cognitively, he's sharp as a tack, and he is probably more adept at the physical things than his brothers were at this age (keeping up, like you said).
I spoke with Zorak about this last month and we've decided to get him in for a hearing evaluation, and I've been working with him on speech. It's helping, but we still haven't found a doctor who will take him and Emily. So I'm not sure what a hearing eval will show.
Did the doctors say what they thought was causing your Little to be lacking in speech skills? If you'd like to email me, please do: tbowmommy AT yahoo DOT com.
RANDI - thank you. I know, in my head, that we'll all come out relatively unscathed. But sometimes my heart gets a little skeptical. I appreciate your words.
Dy
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