Hey There, Cowboy!

Last night Steve said, "You better go easy on him tomorrow morning. He's so sore he's walking like a cowboy!"

Well, that makes me a cowgirl. My legs hurt so bad.

I guess we got out of shape during the lull in behaviors. Amazing what a mile and half will do to ya!

It's been tough going. Steve was home quite a bit in the last two days so he took over. That helps a lot. When my husband works too many 12 hours shifts in a row while I'm dealing with this kind of hard stuff I start to feel completely alone. I know there are single mothers out there who do it with kids from the hard places day in and day out. My hat's off to them. I don't feel that strong.

Waiting for Steve to come home that first day I sent Buster to fill in the pot holes of our driveway. We have some nice fine gravel and he has a little wagon and a small shovel and I needed him to be outside while I got some cooking done. He knew he was in big trouble for the morning fiasco and for calling me ugly things, so he actually went. I watched him out the window put two handfuls of gravel in each pot hole (there were 6 at the far end of the drive). He then came and reported that he had filled the potholes.  I told him I could still see water so that meant they were not full, and furthermore, they needed to be rounded up a little because the first time anybody drove over them they would pack down.

He completely lost his cool.

I told him we would have lunch when he finished and not before.

He screamed at the door, kicking and throwing and acting insane for an hour and half...

and then dad showed up.


Needless to say things eventually turned around. And the facts are, we had to eat before he ever finished because it took that long to get him turned around. So after eating he was back out on the job. I left for choir and Steve monitored things. When I got back he was nearly done and he was happily chatting with the neighbor girls while he worked. They had been warned not to help. He had one puddle left. The biggest one and it was at the very end of the drive. I congratulated him on the smoothness of the road and all that and he was all rah, rah!!...

It was almost supper time when he knocked on the door and said he was finished.  I congratulated him and asked him how it felt to get a man's job done well, etc..... he was all cocky and proud. So glad to be done, feeling strong and quite chipper.  I should have known...

He'd called me a stupid idiot in the morning.... and then he proved it true.

Yup~! I never went out to check that last pothole.

He hadn't filled it.

He lied to me and I believed him and thanked him for work not done.

The next morning Steve was running with him for exercise and came across the evidence. So, it was another day of potholes (between eye doctor appointments and such). He filled that big hole and then he proceeded to fill the 5 potholes at the bottom of the neighbor's drive.

Steve says he knows why God gave us such a LONG driveway. And I say I now know why God never provided the money to pave it. Steve says gravel is cheap. James can resurface the entire thing with gravel if he chooses to need a workout every day.

This morning was no easier than the last two. He went out to feed the cats and dog and found that the cat food bag was new and had not been opened yet. I gave him tools to open it, but he didn't want to - as he flatly stated. I sent him out anyway and peeking through the window I found that he was not going to even try. I went out and fed the animals myself and  had him exercise instead. Five laps of the driveway, ten push ups, ten sit ups, 15 jumping jacks, etc... He was late for school.

I asked him later which would have been easier, feeding the animals or doing the exercise. He says he would rather feed the animals next time. We'll see.

One thing we noticed.... his body temperature is warmer. The exercise is doing him physical good.

Our plan is nothing exciting and new:

He is on a tight schedule. He must be respectful of me or he will wait up for Dad in the evening and reckon with him. When he is lazy about the normal every day expectations he can trade it in for hard labor. And it is just that... a trade. I'll do the simple things he should do on his own and he can work for me .There's gravel to spread and peeling paint to scrape on the house.

*******************

We decided we needed another dresser in this house. Steve mentioned that he liked the one Brianna has best. I went to town and prayed that I could find a dresser and a crib for a reasonable price. I looked high and low...

Even found a dresser at goodwill - old, small and ugly for $89!!!

I'll pass.

There are no used cribs out here.

Six million cribs were recalled in the last few years.

There just aren't any.

I prayed for a deal.

and I got it.

I found a dresser for $599.99

on clearance for $149.00

I love a deal!

It was the floor model.

The style is similar to the one Brianna has,
only it has a bigger capacity and the finish is beautiful.

I found a crib that I like for a reasonable price at the same store.
Who would have thought I would fall in love with Shopko.

The crib is sold out and so I have a rain check and we have to wait.

**
The buddy is learning to sign, "all done".
 He was saying "mama" over and over yesterday
so I tried to get him to say
"dada".
No go...
Until this morning ~ he's saying it over and over and over...
The kid is a sponge.

*****
a LOL moment:

Christina was in the fruit closet getting some oats. Little Miss Muffett who was suppose to be cleaning her room comes in to throw a bedtime story book on the floor of the closet.
Christina was quick to ask, "Is that where that book goes?"

Startled,
 Missy responded with great indignation:
"Christina, NO PEEKING!!!!"