TerryJ2
Well-Known Member
Hi all, sorry I haven't been around lately to be supportive.
difficult child has been sort of average--although he and husband got into it the other night, Big Time. (I was out with-my friends.) husband felt really guilty for losing his temper and quite frankly, all I could think of was, difficult child deserved it, plus, it's validation for me; difficult child can provoke even Mother Teresa, yet husband still leans toward thinking that difficult child is "my" issue. So I was a bit smug the other day.
I've been working 2 wks straight, 12-hr days incl. weekends, on a restaurant lobby mural for a new Egyptian restaurant nearby. It's a montage of every Egyptian tourist site and then some, and the owner, excuse the expression, is a real slave driver. He wanted the entire restaurant done in 2 wks. Yeah, right. It's an old Red Lobster, and you know how much wall space those have ... not to mention that the walls are horizontal wood planks and a bear to paint on. The owner hired another muralist, too--I've never had that happen before! Although the other artist is highly ADHD and drives me nuts, he is much more of a muralist, per se, gridding out things accurately, and he is very, very fast, so since I'm more of a portrait and graphic design artist, I've learned a lot.
I am finished, except for the polyurethane finish, and have rewarded myself with-a really bad cold. I was in bed all day. Sigh.
I am concerned that difficult child's Adderal is beginning to wear off earlier these days--his grades are slipping and he's running around like a top--but we don't want to increase the dose. In fact, we were hoping to start weaning him this summer. I'm thinking about increasing his dose anyway just to see if it makes him too sleepy.
We were invited to the first private "practice" meal at the Egyptian restaurant the other night (we're the guinea pigs--and new family) and the food was phenomenal. Even difficult child, who is highly negative, went back for 3rds.
The next day, the owner came up to me, and with-his charming Arabic accent said, "You adopted him when he was only 2 days old? He gives you a hard time. You've got your hands full."
And that was when difficult child was well behaved! The funny part was difficult child trying to turn his head away from the belly dancers, while they danced circles around him, and he tried to zip his jacket up over his head. I think he was more entertaining than they were.
The owner's kids--6 mo's and 2 yrs--are perfect angels, very much like my easy child. They actually posed for their portraits on the wall! I put them in their parents' laps, riding on camels. I have never, ever, had a child under the age of 10 sit for a portrait before. Unbelievable. They are soooo cute--huge big brown eyes--and the infant girl makes the cutest gurgling sounds. Makes me kind of sad when I think about what I missed with-difficult child. (I posted a note on the General BB about that a few mo's ago, when I spent time with-someone else's baby.) The good thing is that the family has flown over from Egypt to help with-the restaurant opening, and they all help with-the kids. It really helps to have an extended family. I never realized how isolated we had become when we moved to another state so many yrs ago. And boy, the mom (who is American, by the way) is really going to miss them when they leave in a cpl mo's, because she'll have 2 small kids plus the restaurant and it will be back to just her and her husband.
Despite the hard work, and the toll it has taken on my neck and back, I have to say I like working all day, and it helps my relationship with-difficult child. He looks forward to my picking him up at school, and actually WANTS to eat my home cooking. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that, LOL!
Hugs to all of you. I've read a few of the notes but haven't replied to many.
Terry
difficult child has been sort of average--although he and husband got into it the other night, Big Time. (I was out with-my friends.) husband felt really guilty for losing his temper and quite frankly, all I could think of was, difficult child deserved it, plus, it's validation for me; difficult child can provoke even Mother Teresa, yet husband still leans toward thinking that difficult child is "my" issue. So I was a bit smug the other day.
I've been working 2 wks straight, 12-hr days incl. weekends, on a restaurant lobby mural for a new Egyptian restaurant nearby. It's a montage of every Egyptian tourist site and then some, and the owner, excuse the expression, is a real slave driver. He wanted the entire restaurant done in 2 wks. Yeah, right. It's an old Red Lobster, and you know how much wall space those have ... not to mention that the walls are horizontal wood planks and a bear to paint on. The owner hired another muralist, too--I've never had that happen before! Although the other artist is highly ADHD and drives me nuts, he is much more of a muralist, per se, gridding out things accurately, and he is very, very fast, so since I'm more of a portrait and graphic design artist, I've learned a lot.
I am finished, except for the polyurethane finish, and have rewarded myself with-a really bad cold. I was in bed all day. Sigh.
I am concerned that difficult child's Adderal is beginning to wear off earlier these days--his grades are slipping and he's running around like a top--but we don't want to increase the dose. In fact, we were hoping to start weaning him this summer. I'm thinking about increasing his dose anyway just to see if it makes him too sleepy.
We were invited to the first private "practice" meal at the Egyptian restaurant the other night (we're the guinea pigs--and new family) and the food was phenomenal. Even difficult child, who is highly negative, went back for 3rds.
The next day, the owner came up to me, and with-his charming Arabic accent said, "You adopted him when he was only 2 days old? He gives you a hard time. You've got your hands full."
And that was when difficult child was well behaved! The funny part was difficult child trying to turn his head away from the belly dancers, while they danced circles around him, and he tried to zip his jacket up over his head. I think he was more entertaining than they were.
The owner's kids--6 mo's and 2 yrs--are perfect angels, very much like my easy child. They actually posed for their portraits on the wall! I put them in their parents' laps, riding on camels. I have never, ever, had a child under the age of 10 sit for a portrait before. Unbelievable. They are soooo cute--huge big brown eyes--and the infant girl makes the cutest gurgling sounds. Makes me kind of sad when I think about what I missed with-difficult child. (I posted a note on the General BB about that a few mo's ago, when I spent time with-someone else's baby.) The good thing is that the family has flown over from Egypt to help with-the restaurant opening, and they all help with-the kids. It really helps to have an extended family. I never realized how isolated we had become when we moved to another state so many yrs ago. And boy, the mom (who is American, by the way) is really going to miss them when they leave in a cpl mo's, because she'll have 2 small kids plus the restaurant and it will be back to just her and her husband.
Despite the hard work, and the toll it has taken on my neck and back, I have to say I like working all day, and it helps my relationship with-difficult child. He looks forward to my picking him up at school, and actually WANTS to eat my home cooking. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that, LOL!
Hugs to all of you. I've read a few of the notes but haven't replied to many.
Terry
