Cranky

This week has been a challenge.


Today is my husband's birthday.  That is good.  I will be starting a new job a week from today.  That is good, too.  Both of my parents, my brother and my maternal grandmother are all in good health.  The dog has not thrown up on the floor lately.  The Earth's vegetation is still producing oxygen.  If I wait long enough, it will be spring. 


This is me thinking positive.


Yesterday, Husband had to stay late at work because he had to buy new tires before he went in.  (Couldn't wait until the weekend - he had a blowout the other day.)  The arrangement was that me and the kids would eat out after music lessons.  I was looking forward to it.  However, Grant had a bad day.  He kinda had two bad days in one.  And Abbie had forgotten do to one of her daily tasks.  No fancy dinner for us.


Apparently, after yelling across the class room for the second time in two days*, Grant got into a fight with a friend who didn't like the nickname Grant has been calling him for two years.  They were both sent to the counselor, who emailed me the whole story.  I also read the notebook that Grant's teacher sends home.  Her story was slightly different, but what can ya do?  It had also been sent with him to Discovery (gifted program which is one half day per week) where he had the chance to start over, but continued to have a bad day instead.  That teacher mentioned how good Grant had been lately and said that the day wasn't terrible, she had just been spoiled with all his recent mellow-ness.


She didn't say mellow-ness.  I made that part up. 


*It is significant in MY mind that I was told that this happened two days in a row.  The entry for yesterday in Grant's notebook from his teacher says, "Had a great day!!  :)" 


After reading the notebook, I didn't say much.  I just reminded him of something I've said before: "Grant, is it still playing if one of you isn't having fun?"
"No."
"No, it isn't.  It's something else.  It's not nice.  The goal of playing is for both of you to enjoy it.  Don't do something that you know the other person doesn't like"


This would be great advice....except that he has a Y chromosome, and I don't think Y chromosomes really believe any of that.  That won't stop me from pretending that I've said something monumental and helpful.


Grant had an okay music lesson, and Abbie didn't.  She was...unwilling.  It was a, "Do I have to?" kind of attitude. 


I was surprised and pleased when we got in the car, and Grant said, "We're eating at home, aren't we?"  I told him we were, but he did not get emotional at all.  Not even a little bit.  We went straight home, and ate the most un-exciting frozen pizza I could find.  I let them play together until they started arguing, which didn't take long, then I had them read in their own rooms.  We put them to bed an hour earlier than usual.  And they went right to sleep.


Aha!


So.  That was a good call.  One or both of them must be growing.  We will go to bed early tonight, too, and tomorrow (if I can swing it).


Tomorrow night we are having Chinese food for dinner, in honor of the Lunar New Year.  Hope your week is relatively stress-free.  Take deep breaths.