One Muddy Mess

Things are moving right along at the house. Last weekend we found this big bee hive in a bush in the front yard.

I started washing down the walls in this room. We had already painted the ceiling and revarnished two out of the three windows in it. The other window had broken glass in it. So it is being repaired. We are also going to do something different with the lights. It's a really big room that we're making into the kids hang out room, so we're thinking about putting in a couple ceiling fans with a disco ball between them.  I'm hoping to finish the walls next weekend so we can move some things into it for the kids to play with while we're working on the other rooms.

I repainted around the mural in the library again. I had to get rid of the smurf blue. This looks much better.

My husband tore out the wall to the greenhouse and dug this huge hole, so we could repair a water leak.

Ok, not really, a local basement company brought in a big machine thing (I have no idea what it's called) and dug out the whole backside of the house to reseal the back wall where water was leaking in. The downstairs, which is the main living area, is built in the side of a bank so the water was coming in and causing problems in the whole downstairs.
 I'd say they left us with one huge mess, but that's nothing compared to the mess the water was making in the house.

Being Proactive

   Last year there was a lot of triangulation over homework between people at school, Tator, and I so I am very nervous about this upcoming year. Last year she ended up playing us all until it ended in a disagreement between me and the teacher where the teacher felt sorry for her and I was basically the bad guy. Since Tator doesn't show her behaviors at school it was hard for her teacher to understand that she was choosing not to do her homework which was where the triangulation came in.

   I take full responsibility for what happened last year. I never went in and talked with her teacher until the end of the year. I didn't know what to say to her so I didn't say anything.

   This year I decided I would be proactive. At the end of the year the principal thought it would be a good idea if him, this years teacher, the school psychologist and I had a meeting before school started so I could explain RAD and what Tator is like at home. I was advised by her therapist to explain to them that I would not fight with her about homework, but really needed them to follow through on her loss of privileges at school if she did not do her homework. (the teacher last year did not follow through)

   So today I met with them. I have been thinking about this meeting all summer long. I was nervous and sick to my stomach. Honestly, how do I explain her behavior when they will never see it.

   I had a hard time finding information about RAD that explained that it is normal for her to have these behaviors at home and be fine at school. But I finally found something. I ran off copies for everyone in the meeting. I prayed and prayed some more then, with a very upset stomach, went to the meeting.

   It went really well and I'm very pleased. I'm not sure that the teacher really understood, but was very open to what I had to say. The principal and psychologist were very understanding.

   Homework was the big thing, I just explained I will give her one chance to do it and then not ask again. I will not fight with her about it. I asked that they be VERY consistent about what happens when it doesn't get done. Her and I have way bigger issues to deal with and because I refuse to make homework a battle, she may win that one.
   She is still spiraling out of control and I'm very anxious about this coming school year. I wish I could say that she is feeling the same way and this is why her behavior is so bad, but because her behavior pattern has only gotten worse since the end of March I have no idea what's going on in her head.

Tearing down walls

We made some progress on the house this weekend. Shawn tore down a closet and ripped down some walls. There is a bathroom back here that we plan to move and remodel.

This is now one big room. Where we plan to rebuild the bathroom, closet and a big pantry. We just didn't tear the bathroom apart yet because it's the only one that works.

I also repainted around this mural in the library and totally hate the color. So I will be repainting it. It looks like someone smashed a bunch of Smurfs on the wall.

My cousin came out and helped us with some of the drywall, so we should be able to paint the closets by the weekend.

We also have someone remodeling one of the upstairs bathrooms.

We're not moving as fast as I'd like, but we are making progress.

Snakes!!!!!

So what do you do when you buy a house that is two and a half times the size of your current house and is so run down you don't know where to begin?

You start with the pool.

Last night we spent time cleaning out the pool. Well I guess I should say Buc, Bunny, Tator and Bubbas started out by trying to save all the frogs and tadpoles that have been living in it for a few years so they could put them in the pond.

 While Shawn tried to get a hose in it to pump the water out.

Buc killed this snake that was living in it

with his foot.

He also killed one just like it with a broomstick that, they said was ready to bite Bunny. Then he caught 2 baby snakes that were slithering around the side of the pool.

Tator and Bubbas had fun playing in the bucket of tadpoles they rescued.

I thought I'd start blogging about our progress as we remodel the house. I know some of my readers are family and would enjoy that.

To my fellow trauma mamas, sorry I haven't been very consistent with my blogging. I'm having a hard time processing everything that's been going on this summer with Tator.