Moving in and around...

It's been an adjustment but for me, not too bad. For Joanne, pretty bad. For the kids, both good and bad. Here's a synposis -

I was married to Will. Will had a baby with Joanne, Elijah. Joanne married a jerk off named Kenneth. They had a baby (while JOanne had a restraining order against him), Julie. Joanne, Julie and Elijah moved in with me going on two weeks ago now.

They are classic, textbook abuser case. I mean, if you googled right now "domestic violence" you would read their story. I guess he didn't hit her but emotionally, come on. And I asked Elijah if he ever hit her and he said no but threatened her all the time. I asked him if he thought he and his sister should always be afraid if he ever would. And I told him that his mom shouldn't have to live in fear - of anything!

We've had major meltdowns with both kids now - Julie at WalMart and Elijah yesterday wouldn't get up or dressed for church so he lost EVERY prinvilege a 9 yr old would want and it didn't even phase him. The rest of us were up and ready. INSANE. I think it's because he stayed up past midnight watching tv. I got up because i heard some noise and there he was watching tv. HOLA, get your buns to bed youngin'.

Joanne is doing the best she can (which could be desperately improved). We watch super nanny and Dr. Phil hoping she will pick up some tips. She needs transportation and we are looking for a car but her budget is crappy and so you get a junky car. She doesn't want to spend her whole wad on a car ($1,000) because she says she needs insurance, etc but you're not going to get much from 1k, know what I mean.

Today will be the big test day - Elijah starts school. At least he LOVES Cub Scouts and has met several boys from school there. He's been twice already and he is a social butterfly. He loves being with other kids and he never got to do that in Mosier. There are some downfalls to living in AMity. One of them being that he can't throw knives, shoot his bbgun whenever and practice archery at a whim. But that is probably where the bennies stop. Their old place had running water but only in the kitchen sink and only cold. To heat up water, she needed to boil it. I only went into the front part of the house (Shack, old hunting cabin) and let's just say that you would never catch me living there. NO electricity (ok, that is a lie too, they had solar. So it only worked when the sun was shining and in the winter, that wasn't long at all. Their whole house consisted of one room of kitchen and living room and then a sleep quarters. Their was a loft which would've been perfect for the kids but they had tons and tons of boxes stored up there.

And discipline - both financial and parental. Julie gets away with murder. She screams, she gets it so she basically screams and throws baby type tantrums all the time. She will be 5 in two weeks. Money, it's like a water fall cascading right out of Joanne's pocket. For this, I have a little more empathy. When you havne't been able to leave your house for months at a time due to lack of transportation, money, etc. when you finally get some, I understand trying to buy the sinple things in live like undies and sockies and shampoo, etc. But still, it's like i have all of that stuff. Classic...

Well, I'd better go. I'd like to drop Elijah off too. He tells me I'm mean and I say, yep. And I'd rather have you respect me than love me and you can't stop my love! :)

Hugs,