Well, Bunter seems to be adjusting to all of the medicine, and he is still doing fairly well. He still has a really hard time paying attention. I will tell him not to do something dozens of times, and he will do it anyway. Or, I will ask him to do something...like pick up his toys...and he turns the deaf ear on me.

We have been out of school for four days now. Tomorrow is our last day of the holiday before we all return to school. I have tons of papers that need to be graded, but I can't seem to find a spare minute with the kids running around. We have been running all over the place, and I still have a million things to accomplish.

Today, my uncle's fiance nearly hit me with her car. I was leaving...and with me was my 77 year old grandmother and my two babies. She was coming in, and doing at least 40 miles an hour. We live on a very sandy dirt road, so naturally she slid when she hit the breaks. She nearly went off into the creek that is below the road. I lost my temper and let her have it...verbally. I felt bad for losing it in front of the kids, but that was soooo irresponsible. She is 18 years old, and she thinks she knows everything. She and my uncle have been staying with us for several reasons, but as of tonight, my husband has put her out. She is such a drama queen, and all she does is stir up drama! I never thought I could be so annoyed by someone. I can't say that I am sad to see her go...because, quite frankly, life will be much more peaceful.

Bear has found a new talent. She has started painting. She painted a picture over the weekend that absolutely amazed me. There is a castle, and behind the castle is a pond and mountains. There is a rainbow in the sky, and a beautiful, sparkling sun in the top corner. I sketched out the drawing for her on a 16 by 20 canvas, and she painted it. I only helped her with the small details, and my uncle free handed the blocks on the castle walls. No one can believe that she painted it, and I wouldn't believe it either had I not been sitting right next to her the entire 6 hours she spent on it. Her mind was completely focused on it, and nothing distracted her. Not even her pesky little brother that kept running to the table asking a million questions seemed to bother her. I have never seen her so content before. She was truly in her element. I think I am going to use this as sort of a therapy. Whenever she is having a rough day or one of her breakdowns, I am going to put a canvas in front of her and let her have at it.

As for the fighting, I have developed a new strategy. Whenever they start fighting, they have to hug for five minutes without arguing. If they argue while they are hugging, their time starts over. They thought I was kidding, and they tried me the first time. But they wound up hugging for nearly 45 minutes. They have only had to do it twice since then, and they were nearly perfect both times.

My grandmother lives next door, but we are not on speaking terms. I noticed that she has been watching the kids, and I can tell they have been on her mind. The other day she called them over to the fence and gave them a cupcake. I was a little hesitant to let them have their treats, but she would never hurt them. So, I figured, what the heck. Then, I had them make thank you cards to take to her. I sent them over to her house with their 10 year old brother (of course, I was standing on the front porch watching the whole time), so they could give her their cards. Then, out of the blue, she calls my house for the first time in nearly a year. She asks, in a very polite way, if I would send the kids to the fence. I agreed, and we all went out. I stayed on the porch and she met them at the fence with fudge sicles. They enjoyed every last bite, and we again made more cards. Well, this time, they each made her a book. I let them color a page front and back. Then, I took a plain sheet, and we did their handprints with paint. I included information about their age and such. Then, we wrote on the last page, "Thank you for the popsicles." They caught her in the yard and took them to her. Bunter even invited her to his birthday party, which caught me totally off guard. He did inform her that, "she must go around through the gate and knock on the door, because mommy doesn't let people climb over the fence." The next day, I noticed that she had set up a swing set with two swings, right next to the fence. The kids haven't taken notice yet, but I am almost certain that she is hoping they will. I can honestly say, I think the kids are starting to wear her down. I can see the grandma coming out in her again. Our disagreements really have nothing to do with me and her. It all revolves around my mother (which is a whole nother post). I hope my inclinations are correct, because it would be really nice for the kids to get to know their great grandmother.

Well, I need to get some sleep, so I am signing out.