Movie Night

Lately, the only "quality time" Jamie has gotten with me has been the few minutes when I come home from work, then start looking around at what he's done to the house between when I was home at lunch time and get home at 5. Then the scolding and yelling begins, for such infractions as:

• Deciding to help Pablo finish painting the living room - WEARING A BRAND NEW SHIRT AND DRESSY SHORTS, then getting paint all over them.
• Popping open his bean bag chair, then scattering the little styrofoam ball thingies all over the house as he drags the chair out to the garage - with the rip FACING DOWN.
• Not rinsing food off the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
• and so on.

After that yelling and scolding is over, then I fix some quick dinner then escape to the study to try to do my homework. Which gets interrupted every five minutes with questions. "Mom, can I watch TV?" "Mom, can I call Remo to see if he wants to play?" "Mom, can I go outside?" "Mom, can I eat some pop-tarts?" "Mom. mom, mom, mom, MOM MOMOMOMOMOMOMOM"

Then I explode.

sigh

It doesn't help that it has been way too hot for him to play outside. It's been 100+ heat index here. It doesn't help that I have to leave him here alone while I go to work. True, it's less than five minutes away, but the kid gets bored. It doesn't help that many of his friends who live in this neighborhood have been away - either on vacation or visiting absentee fathers, or whatever. It doesn't help that this is a new house, and not all his stuff is here yet, and he isn't quite as comfortable here yet as he'd like to be. It doesn't help that he's off his medication for the summer. It doesn't help that there's so much new and he just doesn't handle new too well.

So, last night. I gave up on homework and took him to see the last showing of "Up" in 3-D for the night. This is a FANTASTIC movie. If you haven't seen it yet, GO! All Disney/Pixar films have been outstanding, but this one ranks right up there in the top 3, I gotta say. We had some much needed Mommy-son time. We reconnected by doing something other than working on one house or the other, or the whole scolder-scoldee dynamic. We snuggled in, had popcorn, and had some quality time. It was the best part of the evening, just being able to be with my boy.

As for Jamie's boredom, he will get some relief over the next two weeks. Monday starts his two-week technology camp at his new school. I have to get him there in the mornings, but his friend Spencer's mom is picking them up and taking them to do stuff - every day. Swimming, lunch, Six Flags or Sea World, bowling, library, Children's museum, or just back to their house to play. Thank you, Jesus, for the Mrs. D's of the world. Later this summer, she's also taking Jamie to VBS at her church. So we can get through this. And soon, this place won't be so new, and he'll settle down. We both will.