Today at one of S10s soccer games S19 and I were talking. He asked when W was coming home. I told him next Friday. He said, "OK, we have time. Of course even if we have everything perfect she'll find something wrong to complain about. She's unique." I couldn't say anything to that, except maybe "she is".
After the games S10 did ask when she was coming home, though nothing more.
OK, I hope this is the last of these... Today S13's grade came in the mail, not bad (3.2) but not close to what they should be, and the lowest he's had. I think turning 13 in October brought on teenageness! Anyway, S19 saw the grades, and came in and said, "Mom's going to be pissed when she sees S13's grades!" Then he whispered, "Don't worry, it's your fault!" I don't put him up to this! But, obviously, I'm not the only one noticing.
Oh, W texted me and older sons. Asked how it was going, and for one of us to give a phone to the youngers. I told S18 to give youngers his phone, I just stayed out of the way.
And Lin, if you read this...do you think I can make key lime like pie from limequats? I've got a tree full of them! I may just try one and see what happens!
Jeff, are you ready to address these issues? W has lost the respect of the kids, and soon enough she will have to get angrier and angrier to get any amount of cooperation from any of you. Your whole house will turn into a screaming match. Ugly.
Jeff, are you ready to address these issues? W has lost the respect of the kids, and soon enough she will have to get angrier and angrier to get any amount of cooperation from any of you. Your whole house will turn into a screaming match. Ugly.
What do you want to do?
Hide under a rock?
I think you are right. I have no idea what to do. She stopped treating me with any respect long ago. She have any 'discussion' in front to the kids, pointing out all of my 'faults', and I rarely stood up to it, being a conflict avoider. Plus, she either should have been a lawyer, or really thinks these arguments through, because even when I disagree she manages to use some kind of logic to make her point. It is very important to her to be 'right'. And, of course, sometimes her point is valid, at least partly, an sometimes more than that. But, I think that by doing it in front of the kids, it backfires on her. At least the older ones, I think, realize it isn't really appropriate, and I think it has something to do with them losing respect for her. I think the younger two just tune it out (which I must admit to, as well), which I expect leads to them tuning her out when they should listen as well.
If I try to tell her she's losing their respect, I would anticipate that will be my fault as well. Since I don't always enforce discipline the same as she would (though I think that I always back up anything she has put in place that I know about), she will see the disrespect as starting from me, since in her mind, I don't respect her.
So, all things considered, the rock looks pretty good.
What do you think? I mean, I know the rock is probably not a good idea!
hmmm...are limequats unripe kumquats?...I know they make great marmalade...if your in to canning (I never really ventured into that although both mom and grandma did)
If they are small it might take some time to squeeze the juice out of them...but what the heck...if they are citrus you should be able to make some sort of pie with them...I am partial to merangues(sp), myself...
Well H took an online course in sushi making and thrilled us all last night...there is nothing like sitting in your jammies eating sushi and watching Heroes...although we all agreed sitting in a hot tub with a cold beer eating sushi would be a tie...
He actually came up with some good combinations and I was impressed...we had some spicy ones too...my favorite...then I decided to make some teriyaki beef to go with it...everyone loved it as they should....I used NY strip steak and cut it into thick chunks...fried the fat first to get the grease out then browned the chunks, leaving them medium rare...tossed them with the sauce...let them sit a few minutes and then we divied them up...everyone got about 3-4 chunks...just right to go with the rest of it...then we cooked off some frozen Marie Calendar's pies...one peach and one blackberry...very yummy...
Today...HOOTER'S!!!!...I do mystery shopping and they offered a $10 bonus for the shop that already pays $10...so that is $20 plus they reimburse upto $30...so what the heck...I like the philly sandwich...and the kids like wings...and H likes...well he says he doesn't notice and that most aren't that much to look at anyway...but I know better, lol...and let's just say I will keep my eye on S12!...but all in all it is pretty fun to go and critique the food...and the girls and I still have a good time...
I don't know what a limequat really is. I think it MAY be a lime, crossed with a kumquat. They are quite a bit bigger than kumquats, nearly key lime sized. We have a key lime tree, last winter it has a zillion blooms, I was looking forward to a summer of pies! But we had a harder freeze than we'd had in the 7 years we've been here, and the tree really died back. Fortunately, it survived, but I don't know when we'll get limes again! Anyway, they are big enough to get enough juice to try a pie, so I think I'll try it. Might try a marmalade, too, for fun. I will be pretty sour, but it might be neat. I'll make two. If it works, I'll send you one!
I'm not a huge shushi fan, but that sounded good! Then the beef! And then you plroved my point about what 'real people' have time for, and used frozen pies! (Still darned good!)
Hooters! I must confess to liking the wings. The scenery is interesting, though some are just a bit too.....I don't even know the right word. Maybe as we get older we appreciate a little less obvious shallowness? Anyway, I haven't been in eons. Many moons, and a couple, of moves ago, some of us from work had lunch there semi-regularly. I took W there for lunch at some point, I think she liked the wings, but was not at all pleased with the 'exploitation'. There are other good wings, so I don't go there. (H is right in my opinion about many not being much to look at. They have the bodies, but a lot of fairly plastic looking faces, I thought.)
Anyway, thanks for noticing the food question. You have a script for the first show yet?
IMO you should gently point out that even though your way is not her way that doesn't make it wrong. For instance that example you had of washing a pan and she freaked about how to use the soap.
Explain more examples of your W. I get the impression she feels like if she doesn't maintain 'her' way of controlling all of the males in the house she thinks it will all go heywire. If she lets something go just once then one of you will step on the boundary line and soon be out of control!
How's the todo list coming? have you designated some things for everyone? especially the 2 oldest, keep them so tired they won't have enough energy to...ackhem.
Well the funny part is most of the ones at our local Hooters...well lets just say they don't even have "honkers"...but they can sure show the legs and some of them the bum is exposed...but my h says they are all way to skinny to be any fun...I guess he is getting old, lol...I like watching what my D's and classify is the loser guys...sitting at the bar...buying drink after drink...really believing that they are gonna get a date with one of these girls...most are college students with a good head on them...what would they ever see in a drunken 20-30 sumthin guy who the more he drinks the luckier he thinks he is...but it makes for interesting people watching for sure...
Well those pies sound yummy...and I have had lemon marmalade and kumquat marmalade that was not sour...but nice and sweet/tangy...I also love lemon curd and lime curd...which basically to me tastes like the filling of lemon pie but maybe a bit less custardy tasting with more of a buttery under taste to it...
well we didn't have any raw sushi...it was all either crab(the fake stuff that sushi bars usually use), shrimp, or smoked salmon...my favorite was the roll he made me with smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado, jalapeno(fresh), cucumber, radish sprouts, and fresh crushed garlic...man oh man was it tasty!!!
I was remembering some of the contests I won...one was for a kid's favorite sandwich...Better Homes and Garden's...I entered a Grilled Peanut Butter Surprise sandwich...basically a good quality bread, spread natural peanut butter (I like chunky), then smooth on some marshmallow cream, now the suprise...take some hot fugde topping (not heated) and dot around on the marshmallow topping...now put it together...butter the outside...and grill till nice and toasty...it is goey good on the inside and buttery crispy on the outside...of course I only made these once for my own kids...not the healthiest of sandwiches but it had been raining for a week and they were driving me crazy...so I made up a suprise sandwich to keep them happy for a bit...
So what do you think of say a "Kid's Best" show...not necessarily healthy stuff but stuff you have around for those days when you need to make the kids happy more then worry about nutrition?
This is fun...
As for your wife...I feel sorry for her...if she is like my H...one day she will wake up and realize what she has done...facing that is not pretty...I know my kids formed opinions about H...and they didn't hide them at all...he couldn't blame me in the end because I was right where I had always been...he was the one that screwed up...it is just so unreal to me that after all I went through for those years that he really was able to pull it back together and work things out with me...pretty much I feel if he can do it...it is possible for anyone too...he only has one thing left to do for us to clear our path forward and that is file bankruptcy on his debts...I think they are topping the $120,000 mark...lots of legal judgements against him...like he says, he knows he will never have a credit card again...I sure hope not...it makes my life easier!
I think you are right pal. But I think I probably need to do it at the time, at least generally. I think I can bring the pan example out next time as backup, though. Of course, I don't know that she's going to buy that any way other than hers can be right! You are right, I think she thinks that everything is on the edge, and she's the only one holding things together. If we can hold the rest of the week together without any deaths, major fires, or other significant destruction, maybe she'll realize she doesn't have to do it all. Though, since she left the 'list' (not literally, but definitely figuratively, she still did it.
Today is science fair project day! S10 has suggested experimenting with Mentos and diet soda (he got a 'Geyser tube' for Christmas that makes it pretty easy.) I think it will work out great, he can actually do an experiment, and measure results, and have fun doing it. I just need to buy 20 2 liter bottles of soda, and a bunch of Mentos!
The list is getting killed. I think we'll be ok there. I have the two oldest helping them out, though S19 leaves for work soon. He gets to work tomorrow night, he gets to stay at work 'til 12! Then he's going to go to some friends and celebrate New Year's Pacific time! I don't know what S18 is up to, I suppose I should ask!
Hey...for the science fair project you can have son look up info online...it will tell you why the mentos explode the soda like they do...pretty interesting stuff but definitely an outdoor experiment...and doesn't have to be diet soda...just any soda
