Doings and Goings On

President's Day WEEK is going as vacations do.

The littles quarrel and tattle constantly but still play together all day without pause. Yesterday one of them closed the stopper on the sink and left the water running, flooding the upstairs bathroom. It ran down the vents to drown the downstairs bathroom as well. I put towels down to soak up the mess. The older kids freaked out when they went to wash hands for lunch thinking the flood might have come from a more unsavory source.

Shorty had a doctor appointment this morning which meant a lot of time in the car as we still go to the next county. Tomorrow I will drive him down to a friend's house about an hour away and then head a half hour's drive to pick up one of the kids from a friend's house before making the hour long trip back home. We don't really live in the boonies but it seems like it sometimes. Squeaker has already started rolling her eyes and snorting so we're all kept informed on how put out she is to have to be in the car again.

Lucky brought home an mp3 player belonging to her godfather's seven year old daughter. She asked me to charge it so I did, then promptly confiscated it. I had to explain to her that we don't allow young girls in our home to listen to music filled with profanity and nasty references to cheap, dirty sex. She borrowed that from a seven year old? Good grief.

Squeaker got into several little spats with one of the littles yesterday then yelled at me about how he was acting when I got on her about it. Does she really want her behavior compared with that of a three-year-old?

Today she went a little too far with snarky, rude comments about my messy room after I had spent all day yesterday and part of today on the rest of the house. Actually, way too far. So I made her a detailed list and she is taking over all my household/yard/pet chores so I can have the luxury of tidying my room to her satisfaction. She managed to get through cooking and cleaning up dinner, doing dishes, sweeping, and folding a load of laundry before admitting she was ready to pass out. That was only part of the evening chores. Tomorrow should be fun since she'll be privileged to get up early and put in a full day of it.

I've been having Lucky work a little each day on her science fair project which is due next Monday. It's been going okay but tomorrow she starts working on the report part of it. Writing is a challenge for her but she seems to have a good grasp of the experiment and the result so I'm hoping it will go easily for her.

Stickers finally gets back into her college art classes tomorrow after a long break. That will be good since I think maybe we've given her some sort of creative block. I've commissioned her to paint a new piece to go above our fireplace since she keeps mercilessly criticizing the one that is there now. Yes, she painted that one too.

Copacetic

The last vestiges of holiday induced-tension seems to have lifted and everyone is in good spirits today (except Ana who can't seem to stay awake).

Squeaker is talking on the phone to her younger birth sister who she hasn't seen in four years. She just told her step-dad that I said something that I actually never said---although the intent was accurate---but other than that has been happy and appropriate. On the rare occasions that she talks to her older birth sister she is often snippy and accusatory. She has really been missing her birth family this Christmas and had soaked my shirt with tears and snot a couple times over the week. I'm glad they are getting a chance to catch up. Her sister was only four years old the last time they spoke.

C, now referred to here at Snark Bait as "Shorty", has been keeping to himself a lot today probably sleeping and playing video games in his room, but has come down from time to time to play with The Boss.

Stickers seems content puttering around the house.

Lucky wants to go redeem gift cards which we will do this weekend, but has found enough to entertain herself with Christmas gifts and the dogs.

The Boss moves from toy to toy a pro at keeping himself amused.

Everyone has rummaged for their own food and done a fair job of cleaning up after themselves.

We are about to get into a cut-throat game of electronic Monopoly at which we all agree we can find away to cheat...in good fun, of course.

Feels good. I could get used to this.

Good Enough

I'm going to go ahead and call it a pretty good day.

Sticker's brother C arrived and I promptly set him to work changing lightbulbs (he's a tall guy!). The Boss is ecstatic to have a "big boy" to play with.

Ana, Sticker's, and C plus two of the dogs ran errands in the afternoon. I stayed home with my grumpy kids.

Later I took the kids to the super stuff mart so one of them could print pictures and I could replace our depleted supply of laundry vinegar. If they weren't over their attitudes, at least they acted like they were. Often they do recover from their moody snits while I'm still smarting, frustrated, and annoyed. That's just how it goes. My problem, I guess.

I don't expect perfect days or perfect kids. Most days, I just have to let pretty good be good enough.

Allegations Part 2 and Parties for 2

Stickers moved back in on Wednesday. She has always visited frequently and for long periods of time so right now it feels like a visit except that she brought her dog and has been hauling stuff upstairs and has already done a load of laundry. She needs to enroll in college classes here and has a job in a nearby mountain community lined up for after Christmas. Seems like she has things well in hand. Her 16 year old brother (who also lived with us five years ago) will come on Monday and spend Christmas with us.


We had another CPS investigator out here yesterday, this time asking questions about an incident more than three years ago that none of us knew about (if it even ever happened) due to allegations of a child we don't really even remember. Remember, we did crisis care and had hundreds of kids through our homes some staying only overnight and some for months. Thankfully, the allegations were not against us. Nothing came of it except that we stressed for an entire day from the time she called to her actual visit since they won't tell you what they are investigating. We cannot think of any way such an incident could have occurred with any child in our home. She questioned our older kids but Squeaker was the only one around at that time and of course she knew nothing either. Totally ridiculous. And they wonder why they don't have enough foster homes.

Tonight we celebrate Lucky's birthday (12) which is actually tomorrow. Tomorrow we celebrate The Boss' birthday (5) which is actually Monday. School is out today so let the holiday/birthday partying begin!

Stuff We're Doing

It's that time of the year with lots of new kids into the foster care system so we've been getting calls for placement of young children. Unusual since our agency mostly places older kids. Today we got calls for two sets of sisters each with a baby and a younger elementary girl. The distance we now live from our licensing county is a barrier to actually getting any new-to-the-system kids in our home since they tend to have more frequent visits. It would be fun to have some little girls here for Christmas though.

Squeaker continues her swing of friendly, cooperative behavior. Always nice to be on this end of the pendulum for however long it lasts.

Lucky just returned from science camp. Only two minor injuries while there, one canoe finger-crush incident and one rock wall chin bashing, so not bad.

Stickers moves back home (with us) next week. She's never spent Christmas with us so we are almost as excited as "baby's first Christmas".

The Boss is his goofy little self, stoked about turning five in less than two weeks. Where did my little fluffy-headed baby go? I can't believe he'll be in school next year. I love 5/6 year old little boys...such a fun age.

Off to see the girls perform for their last night of cheer.

Summing Up

Computer back in the shop. Back on the slowbie (again grateful yet impatient). Too hard to blog so will bullet point the day.

Better behavior from Squeaker after non-lecture but "this is the way it's gonna be" talk from me last night. Her appearance in our town Christmas parade is at stake so I think I'll get perfect behavior all week.

The Boss is hyper and crazy lately and asking if he can have a "big boy" come live with us. Also asking for a dad. I'll get right on that, son.

Lucky enjoying her new cupboard-under-the-stairs hidey-hole that Ana made for her this week to get away from Squeaker when she's being mean. "There's no such thing as magic!"

After 5+ years since she left, Stickers is ready to come on back home to us now that she is 18.

The agency imploring us to take more kids because the crisis shelter is packed and there are not enough homes. Would need a three-to-a-room waiver to make that possible since it's brother/sister sibs (girl 6 and boy 8--there's The Boss' "big boy") and we only have one room.

Tappy coming this weekend for respite.

The rude dogs keep getting out from under the fence. Why do we have dogs again?

Otherwise, all is calm and all is bright. Very much looking forward to Christmas this year minus the ever ungrateful Drama Boy and Sparky.

Good Night

We had a semi-eventful night last night but it still ended fairly early and reasonably quietly which is about as good as we can ask for.

Sparky went to a friend's house coming home after dark again, a couple of hours late wearing swim trunks and dripping water around the kitchen. Ana told him to take a shower and get ready for bed which he did without drama and when I went later to check on him he was asleep before bedtime.

Due in part to Sparky's tardy return, dinner was late and some of the kids were dragging by the time it was on the table. The little boys were wildly jumping and wrestling around the entire downstairs before I could get them into the shower where they continued to wildly jump and wrestle.

I sent Squeaker upstairs for a shower while Drama Boy took his downstairs. Half an hour later when Squeaker had not emerged, I went up to check. She was not yet showered but laying on the floor listening to the radio and reading. I asked why she hadn't gotten a shower. She said (well, whined but I'm trying to be nice) that someone was in there already. I peeked in the big boys' room and saw Sparky in bed. Lucky and The Boss were on my heels and everyone else was downstairs. Then she said (or rather, whined) that the bathroom door was locked and she couldn't get in. The Boss walked over, turned the knob, and informed "It's OPEN!". He's helpful like that.

Since it was already after bedtime, I told Squeaker to get ready for bed without a shower and Lucky to get her shower. Squeaker whined (actually, snarled/slammed/stomped...but I'm trying to be nice). After I bathed the littles and put them to bed, I told her to come down for meds. She said rather snottily, "I don't think I want to." When I requested again, she complied. That's a pretty major accomplishment as she used to routinely refuse meds whenever she was angry.

As I got her meds she said over and over again, "What's the last name on those med bottles?" until I finally told her I wasn't going to play those silly games with her. She thinks she can hurt my feelings by saying she didn't want to be adopted. Nope. It's petty enough to irritate my tough hide but does not pierce at all.

Drama Boy again begged to stay. He's panicking at the thought of having to leave this week and asked Ana to go to court on Thursday and tell them that he really does want to live here. Ana told him that his attorney is the one who represents him in court and allowed him to place a call to her voicemail. Only it was the wrong number so he then pleaded his case three times to a total stranger. He managed to find the humor in it as did Ana and Stickers who couldn't figure out why he said the same thing three times in succession with increasing emphasis.

I asked Stickers if all the drama was better in real life or on the blog and she said, "On the blog...it's quieter." And I thought it was because I infused it with my warped sense of humor. Oh well.

And that, my friends, is a pretty quiet evening around here.

My Starfish

One of the best things in my life. The reason I do what I do.

Daughter of my heart, I love you forever.

Ana and "Stickers"

(check out her talent on our artsy blog)