The dog was much easier to train.

It was a difficult weekend in the turtle house. The little man is over his ear infection and fighting off a cold which he’s passed on to me.

We did get a lot accomplished though cleaning up the back porch and furnishing the sun room. On the porch, the books have been hauled down to the basement and the table has been assembled. We found a cute little loveseat for the sun room and a perfect spot for a bookshelf. Our goal was to get the rooms furnished while there’s still some last bits of summer to enjoy them. I’m also determined to get all of our photos off the computer and into photo albums. I made it halfway through our Italy vacation before sucking all the ink out of the printer.

Meanwhile the little man has discovered pinching. There has been a steady increase in the violence level in our household. Crime reports for the living room and dining room are way up. The use of force to counteract the violent trend has resulted in renewed attacks upon authority.

You wouldn’t think a little hand could cause quite so much pain but when he grabs the skin on your neck and twists, it hurts. We’re trying a sit him down and walk away approach, which usually results in him crying and wanting to be picked up. Intellectually I get that we’re being tested but all of it makes us quite emotionally exhausted. I was shocked too to see this little mean face as he came back to smack me. I correct him, then he cries and wants to be held, then he pinches me, I put him down, he cries, wants to get picked up. Where’s the damn instruction manual?

Off to do some more research and nurse my bruises….