No Offense

Things have been much calmer here. The two remaining kids have divided up chores and gone about their business. I have been slowly cleaning, sorting and going through oldest's room. I have found numerous half full water bottles, paper, dead batteries, and lots of other people's stuff. Oh, that's where the scissors, calculator, camera, books ..... went to. All of the bedding has been washed. Clothes have been sorted, books sorted, dump runs made, boxes to be shipped stacked neatly. A few more boxes to pack up, another dump/goodwill run, books delivered to the local school, a thorough smudge and it should be done. Hubby patched the sheet rock hole from when boyfriend and son were fooling around. A little sanding and a new paint job is in order. The room will be clean and ready for her to move back. Or more likely will be clean and ready for youngest to move into in a few months.

And then, I can move into my master bedroom. When the kids moved in we finished the upstairs and divided the master bedroom into two rooms for the girls to have. The divider is a stand alone closet that can easily be moved. My bedroom downstairs was supposed to be temporary when I built the house 14 years ago. I've been beginning to wonder if I would be able to move into my master bedroom while I could still climb the stairs. And now...... I'm not rushing. It will need to be cleaned and sorted after youngest moves and the spare bedroom/office is dismantled. It will need a new paint job and then.... I'm looking at fall. I don't want to rush in case oldest surprises me and does move back.

So, when we asked son and youngest how they felt about oldest being gone the answers were:
Son, "doesn't matter to me." Followed by can't believe she didn't finish school.
Youngest, "she was annoying, borrowing my books and bending the pages, bossing me around, leaving and now we have to do her chores - she can just rot in hell - no offense."
Alright then. (I just had to laugh at the no offense tacked on to the rotting in hell). And of course she didn't feel connected she was always with her stupid boyfriend. Youngest is angry and that is pretty normal.

And speaking of boyfriend - he's on his way home. He didn't last a week. I gave him three months being overly generous thinking he might give it the old college try. Not! The engagement is off, the relationship is off and his dad is flying out to pick him up.

Now that oldest is with bio the younger kids have no contact with bio. Bio would call and talk to oldest. She talked to bio at least once a week if not more - the others a few minutes maybe once a month. They won't call her. And bio hasn't called them. Oldest used to bio them. I'd say mother them but that really isn't how a mother would behave. There is peace in these parts that I have never felt before.

Today we are off to a car show. Youngest is excited. She wants to be a car designer or an auto mechanic when she grows up. She is so my daughter.