We did find out who broke the laptop though. Justin finally fessed up and told us that he tripped over the cord and it yanked out of the back, tearing out the plug which broke the connector inside and the outside connection. Frustrating. Since Justin confessed, we allowed the other kids to get on the computers and told Justin he could get back on only after he earned enough money to FIX the laptop himself. Consequences. There has be be consequences. Sheesh.
So, I had a GREAT week last week. At my job, my bosses told me that if I did my own 'job', selling enough product to close a job which generated more than $4,000 commission, I would be entitled to a "Fun Day Off" that didn't count towards company vacation or sick days. Sure enough, I recently closed out a job that I did 100% on my own in which I did a buy-resell with enough profit to bring in over $6,000 in profit. So... I got my fun day off!
We decided to go to Orlando and try the Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. We've never been there, we hear it's scary, and there is ALWAYS lots to do in Orlando to spend a day. So, Chris and his partner Wayne and our friend Michelle (who does lots of work for Chris and Wayne's company, almost to the point of being an employee of theirs!) all headed over to Orlando last Thursday.
I was super excited about it because it's not often I just take a day in the middle of the week for just me to do something for ME. It was exciting, I tell ya. I was so looking forward to it.
We left about 10 am. Typically on a Thursday night, we get home about 5:30 and head out at 6:45 for choir practice. We are usually at church singing until the kids go to bed, so they put themselves to bed on Thursday nights. Heck, they are 14, 15, 15 and 16, right?
Knowing that they would be 'unsupervised' outside of what we'd normally have been gone for on a Thursday night only less than 2 hours, it didn't occur to me that I should hire a babysitter. Not for the teenagers of their age. I mean --- really??
Well, maybe I should have! About 4 pm that afternoon my phone started ringing off the hook. I can't get into details of what the fight was about -- but lets just say that Kayte and Justin told Jonathan something that made him very upset and very angry.
Kayte and Justin had at one point in time behaved in such a way that Jonathan felt was more like the way they would have acted when they lived at home with their mother, not in our house. Not on this day, but a while ago and it came up in conversation. Jonathan got mad. He left and went to a friend's house.
In the meantime Justin and Kayte were trying to find him. We knew he had to be at this one friends house and I called his mother. Sure enough he was there. Justin and Kayte didn't' know for sure where he went... so they went looking for him. This entire time Kayla was at work, and was not a part of any of the chaos.
To say that it completely halted my fun would be an understatement. I ended up yelling at kids on the phone, to the point where one time Wayne took the phone OUT of my hands and told whatever kid he was talking to that this was their Auntie Tina's ONE DAY OFF without kids -- to DEAL WITH IT on their own.
Problem is... Justin and Kayte have lived in one world, and Jonathan lived in another. What Kayte and Justin view as 'normal' Jonathan views as horrible. But, it's because of what they were exposed to at such a young age.
Anyways, the whole thing happened while we were in Orlando. I say 'happened' -- although nothing really 'happened' while we were there. They just had an argument. A big argument. As a result, the whole extended family no longer thinks we can leave the teenagers alone ever again. How incredibly frustrating that I can't take a few hours to myself without getting someone to come over and watch the kids... As old as they are.
Family called throughout the evening to find out what was going on at the house. Problem is wires got crossed, someone said they thought Evie was going over there, someone thought Katie was going over to the house. Nobody really needed to go over - but everyone wanted to make sure things were okay.
Tony (Katie's husband) ended up driving over (thank you Tony!) to check in on them right about bed time. Sure enough... the house was clean, the kids peaceful and quiet. Kinda funny when you think about it. But it also gave Tony an opportunity to have a good "Uncle Talk" with them.
Still, it's upsetting to know that I can't leave them alone without worrying that they might get into a fight, or do something, or whatever. We went to a Buccaneers game on Sunday (Thank you Michelle) and you can bet that it crossed my mind multiple times "What are the kids doing? Are they getting into trouble? Are they behaving?"
Sigh
Okay, enough about the kids!
Julie seems to be doing very well. Better than she has done in a VERY VERY VERY VERY long time. She is still lat Memorial Hospital but has been approved for a long-term stay at Northside Treatment center for a 90-Day treatment program. She will be there over Christmas, can you believe it? I'm so happy that she is doing so well.
I keep finding the need to remind myself though that she still has a mental illness... She will always have a mental illness. It is very easy to think "it's over, she's better!" which would not be a good thing. She still has issues, and she always will - she just needs to deal with them appropriately and quickly as they come up. I mean... As well as I thought she was doing this whole month, I found out that she snuck in some medications into the Mental ward (Valium-type meds). She's trying, and she's doing GREAT. But she will always have problems that she's going to need to deal with and fight. Hopefully they'll give her the tools to do that in the long-term treatment center.
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I should really run. I've been working on this blog all day and it's probably a bit disjointed because of it. Sorry about that. I will ask that you all say a prayer for me - Chris is leaving again for another beach job tomorrow. Good money, and he's getting great referrals as a result. It's just tough not having my better half home. He helps me in every way each and every day.
1 comment:
tell the children that i ( nana) will be on call at any time ,when you need me. Grandmothers don't handle bad beheaver very well. we are ferm (spanking ) , fair ( will lisson), consistant ( mean what we say, and do what needs to be done). Soooooooooo if you need me to help in any way, just call. Children be wair. Nana is watching you. Tina ,you deserve R&R every now and then,so does Chris. You work so hard to make life nice for the children. They ( children) need to read, Children obey your parents for this is right. God bless all in your home.
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