Sometimes I have to remind myself that it does serve a purpose to blog about the mundane crap. Sometimes I sit down to type, and think, “Well, nothing interesting here, just an ordinary day full of knitting and feeding kids and being happy to be breathing.” But every day should not be full of drama, or excitement, or really anything at all. Most days are supposed to be boring, mundane, and ordinary. For that reason, I’ll make it a point to not be absent during these boring days and share instead the very familiar, typical, and opposite of exciting goings on in the Pali house.
My 11yo spends the vast majority of his time at his dad’s house, especially during school time. He rides the bus to and from school from Dad’s house, and really only stays here on the weekends. However, since we both received iPads for xmas, he has insisted that every night we open up FaceTime and be planted firmly in the midst of the other’s living room. Now, at first glance this is kind of sweet – he wants to spend time with Mom, right? And he insists that his brothers (my 5 and 8 year olds) get on the xbox at our house, and he gets on the xbox at his house, and they play games all together. Or they get online at their favorite kid gaming site and play all together that way. So it is kind of cool that technology can allow him to be here even when he’s not here. But many nights, he doesn’t want to play with his brothers, or vice versa, and he just wants me to sit the ipad in the middle of the coffee table and leave it there. He goes off to do his thing, he’s not sitting there with his ipad (nor me with mine), he just leaves his sit in the middle of his living room. I guess he wants to be here, even when he’s not here? This didn’t bother me at all until my daughter so gently pointed out to me that my xmil was listening in to our evening goings on and finding fault with my parenting skills. The finding fault is nothing new or unusual, I just don’t like giving her new fodder if I can help it.
As a result, I’ve started making him turn off the ipad when he’s not actively sitting and talking to me/us on it but he whines and cries and thinks I don’t want him in the living room. I think I shall have to have a little discussion with him this weekend about my privacy and some reassurance that it’s not him at all.
And in other mundaneness that isn’t really mundane at all, jerkface hubby has bought us both new iPhones. The 4s. I shall have a new toy. On the one hand, I am super-excited about the new toy prospect of it as I’ve wanted one since I first saw what they could do. I balked about cell phones and new technology for so long and I really really didn’t want one for the longest time, but I finally got an ipod touch and that’s all it took. I got an ipad for Christmas (thanks x-hubby!) and I think that is part of the reason that jerkface hubby is getting the iPhones. He felt one-upped, but he couldn’t just come out and say so. He also knew that I really really loved the 4s and I wouldn’t say no if he bought one. So, the upside is that I’m getting a new iPhone! The downside is that I’m on jerkface’s cell phone plan. Nuff said.
In other maddening news, he called tonight to say that our new iPhones had arrived (he ordered them yesterday and they were due Monday). He wanted me to drive to Chicago tonight or early tomorrow morning to help him set his up. When I told him this was not possible (plans with the kids tomorrow) and I’d be there Sunday as planned, he proceeded to read me the instruction manual over the phone and expect me to translate so he could understand. Really, dude? It’s just not that difficult. I’m pretty sure my 8yo could have set it up. Possibly my 5yo if there were enough pictures to go with the text (he’s only just learning to read). I wound up putting him on speaker phone and just uh-huh-ing every so often until he finally realized that it really was just that easy and he didn’t need me. He promised to “FaceTime” us soon, so I’m waiting with bated breath.
In further maddening news, I asked him during this call if we could take the boys shopping for new shoes while we’re there since their old ones are stinkified thanks to having to wade through some flood waters last week, and his response was so classic of him. “I’m not sure, I’ll have to check my bank account. I may not have enough right now, they may have to wait until next month.” Dude. Seriously. Fucking put shoes on your kids’ feet before you buy the new toys for yourself. This is why I have the primary responsibility of caring for the boys. Well, it’s one example of many. It’s infuriating and crazy-making.
Well, there you go. There is but a snippet of the every day happenings in the Pali house. I’m going back to knitting – working on some mittens for my 16yo and just finished a hat for my eldest son’s girlfriend. I feel all special, knitting for teenagers and shit. Two of them even! If they’re just humoring me I don’t mind and I”m glad they’re polite enough to do so.