Hamster Vs. Kitten

The Hamster War still rages and I wonder how I became such a push over.  Austin successfully cared for Jujube over the few days that Kaitlin was away and sadly returned the rodent to her room when she returned from camp.  In fact, it is almost like they have forgotten all about the little thing.  That was of course until Kaitlin "found" a stray kitten last night.  Faith, as Kaitlin has named her, is at least part Siamese and a long hair fluffy kitty.  She is a very sweet cat and loves to cuddle.  For now Faith is locked in Kaitlin's room.  It is quite unfair for the baby to have to stay in there, but we have a dog, pet door, torn back screen,  and missing front screen door.  Out here, she'd be a mini snack for the local coyotes.  Kaitlin is doing everything, from batting her eyes to pouting.  We did concede to keep Faith for just as long as it takes to find a good home.

Does anyone else hear the laughter and snickering?  I repeat, how did I become such a push over?  Food, litter, flea stuff (the cheap kind) and my heart bleeds.  I had wanted to buy the good flea stuff like Advantage or Frontline, but the $80.00 tag for three doses stopped me.  I settled on the same stuff in a different formula (Sentry) for less than $15.00/three.  If it works, then I will be singing the funeral dirge for all the fleas that we know the kitten brought in.

So back to Hamster Vs. Kitten... Kaitlin immediately has volunteered to relinquish Jujube to the boys' room.  Austin, ever the whiny green monster decided that he didn't want the hamster in his room, but could he "just hold the kitten a little?  PLEEEASE?"

We tried to introduce Faith to Jasmine the Wiener Dog.  Jasmine was so excited and just wanted to get close to her, but Faith had other plans.  She scrambled up and over my head, then jumped to the ceiling and back over me, only to run and hide under a table.  Thankfully, that was visual enough for Austin to understand why Kaitlin's room was safer.  After all, Jazz loves to sleep under his bed during the day.  I am afraid to crawl under and search the attraction of that!

The ads are posted and friends are searching, but we really don't have much expectations that she will find a home other than ours.  Can we really afford it? I guess I will just have to drive an extra day each week. 

Don't tell Kaitlin, but I do kinda hope we get to keep her.

Hamster Wars

For months now Austin has been begging us for a pet.  He doesn't consider Jasmine the Wiener Dog a pet.  She doesn't count.  So last week, when a friend who is heading off to complete her Master's Degree asked if anyone would please take her hamster JuJuBe, I talked it over with Nichole and we agreed we could try. But we hadn't yet figured out where we would keep the little guy.

Kaitlin immediately upon learning he was coming home with us volunteered to care for him and keep him in her room.  Fine with me as I was certain those duties would become mine once the boys realized it was more work and less fun.  Fine with me but not with Austin.  Austin immediately posted a fit when we told him that JuJu would be in Kailtin's room.  For those who have not witnessed one of Austin's fits, they can be quite frightening.  He screams, cusses, kicks, hits, bites and throws anything that is near him.  We calmly explained that Kaitlin's room is the safest place where Jasmine would not get him, but Austin had viable answers.  Viable answers meant we couldn't reason him out of it and we simply had to say "no."  He did however like the plan that he was Kaitlin's helper and backup for when she was gone from home.

The fit raged on and into the "Mommy-Mobile" as we headed home from the family dinner.  Each time we would get him calmed, someone would mention it  and the fit would rage another 10 minutes.  Finally, just minutes from home Austin calmed and we figured it was settled.  That is of course until we let the boys hold JuJu for a moment.  Each boy had a chance to hold him.  He bit Isaac.  Kaitlin took him from Isaac and he pooped in her hand.  Her reaction is an odd mix of "eww gross" and "that's so cool, I've never been pooped on by an animal."  Yeah, that Kaitlin is a strange one.  She fits in well here at the House of Insanity.

OH JOY! IT'S BEDTIME!  But not without another minor fit from Austin.  "It's gonna be a long, long, time before I can have him in my room!"  It is Austin's wish for Kaitlin to "go back" to her real mom, so he can have JuJuBe to himself.  Once that was all smoothed over, Austin's attitude changed.  He had just realized that the hamster bites.  "But he'll bit me!"  Now instead of cajoling I had to switch hats and start consoling.  I was finally able to convince him the hamster likes him.  After all it was Isaac who got bit, not Austin.

  What's left is for us to expand his habitat and learn how to care and train him.  Hmmm whose job is that going to be?  Fortunately we have some advice and instruction from his owner.  Perhaps if this works and Austin finds a safe constructive channel for his attention we just might become little critter keepers.  For now, as the melatonin takes its course and the boys sack out for the night the war is over.

Back to School

Summer is over for my kids and so it ends for us as well.  Early alarms turn on showers and boys turn on the charm. "I don't want that for breakfast!"  "Why can't you make pancakes?" "Where's my juice?"  Once fed, the defience begins. "I am not wearing long pants!" "Why can't I wear flip-flops?"  "I will NOT change my underwear!"  Once at the school, Nichole and every other bedraggled parent drops the kids in the hopes that they will learn; Learn anything except how to use the "F" word and the "B" word or how to strut like a gangsta. We are allowed to hope.

For now at least, this is the routine.  I am off to work one of two jobs while Nichole spends her "free time" finishing the honey dos.  It would be easy to be jealous of her, what with her three weeks of vacation.  But I'm not.  I could never manage Mommy duties the way she does.  I am content to work. After all, I am not the one confined in the van with three fighting brothers.

You might expect that such a grand start would make for rough days in class, but its not true.  It seems they are capable of storing all that defiance away for a few hours, only to be brought forth again at home.  In less than 5 minutes they can turn a not-so tidy home into a disaster zone complete with overturned furniture, food crumbs and snack bags littering the floor.  No amount of threats or discipline will get them to clean up.  They take for granted it will disappear overnight and fresh snacks will be waiting tomorrow. 

What does await tomorrow?  Probably more of the same, at least until the new routine is established.  For my part?  I will wake in the morning, shower, spend a little quality time with my littlest, who loves to see me out the door before he bounces on top of Nichole to wake her and start "I don't wannas" all over again.

Why Meandering?

Hi, my name is Maria and I started my blog just today.  I chose "Meandering Mind" because I suffer from self proclaimed short-term memory loss.  I am easily distracted and forget my place on a regular basis.  My intent from this blog is to stretch my imagination as well as find a safe place to put my thoughts "out there."  I am a writer.  So far I have sold a few small articles to niche magazines.  I have never seen my writing in the publications, but hey, I got paid!  One organization bought the same article twice for two different magazines.  That was pretty cool.

I do not prentend to be an expert on much, but I can back most of my opinions on experience and research.  My experience includes nearly 20 years in Law Enforcement, a few years as a small business owner and about one year in sales and marketing for Sunbelt Publications. 

I look forward to sharing my meanders with you my friends, family and anyone else that finds this interesting.

thanks for caring