This morning

Boy, was S ever in one HECK of a grouchy mood this morning!

When I finally got him up, I reminded him that today was garbage day and that he needed to get both the garbage bag and the green bin out to the curb before he got on the bus. He took great exception to the green bin being his responsibility. I told him that on his recycle week he has to do cat litter, and on garbage week it’s the green bin. He did the little growl-type noise that he does to indicate that he realizes this, but doesn’t like it.

After a little while, I went in to his room to make sure he was almost dressed. I noticed that the uniform pants he was putting on were dirty, so I asked him to please put those in the laundry and I started to reach in to his closet for another pair of navy pants. “Those ones are dirty too,” he said in a very nasty tone. I asked why he would hang up dirty pants, and he told me “Because I always hang up my pants as soon as I get home!” I grabbed the other pair of navy pants and put them in the hamper with the first pair. Next I grabbed his khaki pants, and told him that he would have to wear these ones for today. This is when he informs me that the loop has come unfastened and he can’t do these pants up.

Fine. I tell him that I will sew up the latch and start walking out of his room. “Fine!,” he yells, “I’ll just sit here half naked. Or better yet, I will go to the school just like this!” I stopped, and turned around and tried to explain to him that I was simply going to my sewing basket to grab a needle and thread, and perhaps he could use this time to get his teeth brushed. Of course, by now I am flustered, and had some trouble getting the thread through. (No, it’s not age – I think it was a small-holed needle!)

After a couple of minutes of fighting with the thread, I remembered that he had one clean pair of navy pants downstairs hanging in the laundry and he could use those. I told him this and he growled and went to the laundry room to get them. Of course, once I knew he had a pair of pants, I was able to thread the needle! I quickly repaired the khaki pants and came out of my room to remind him about the green bin.

During all of this, I was also trying to chop, slice and dice the items I needed to put in to the slow cooker for this evening’s dinner. As I got back to the cutting board, and reminded him to take his medication, S says to me, “Do you have my lunch?” Most days he doesn’t even take a lunch, and when he does, he usually asks me to make him something when he first gets up.

I quickly grabbed some cheese and meat from the fridge, opened up the tortilla’s and made him a couple of quick wraps while he was taking things curb-side. He was gathering up his backpacks and clarinet– he wears his laptop on his back and his ‘normal’ backpack on his front - when I came down with his lunch and small green-bag item he had missed.

“I can’t HOLD anything else,” he snarled at me. I calmly opened his front backpack pouch, placed his lunch and book he had in his hand in the front pouch (thereby freeing up his left hand) and handed him the bag without saying a word. I zipped up the pouch and started back up the stairs. I heard another snarl/growl thing, and he went outside, slamming the door as he went.

What a lovely way to start the day.

On the upside, he was able to get everything curb side, he was wearing a clean uniform, had clean teeth, a healthy lunch, and was able to meet the bus on time. (Take the small things when you need to, that's what I say!)

Last night S had a bit of geography homework, which he did tell me about, and was very willing to sit down and get right to work on it after dinner last night. I made sure I stuck around the kitchen while he was getting started, but he didn’t dawdle with it at all – he just got what he needed and got right down to work. I finished tidying up the kitchen and when I saw that he was still plugging away, felt comfortable going in to the living room to work on a few things I wanted to get done. He finished all of the work (at least it looked like he did) and the only thing he didn’t look after doing at the time was making sure he had put everything back in backpack.

Grouch-face… I think I will have to call him that tonight and see what caused this morning ruckus. After he left, I looked at the A-man – who gets up a full half hour before S or I – and asked “What was that all about?” He had no idea.

~~~

On a different subject, it would appear the chicken’s are going into a bit of an egg-producing reduction. Two days ago we got 17 eggs, and yesterday only 15. I guess since we are getting darker earlier, they are being affected by that. Hard to admit, but it would appear slaughter time is soon upon us. I’m hoping the weather warms up a bit so that closing the pool this weekend isn’t too nasty, and then Hubby and I can decide when he is going to start making the chickens freezer-ready. (Again, I will have nothing to do with this process, thank you.)