ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!

Yesterday, Tim sent me a text about noonish asking if I would buy him the new Fable 2 that just came out. I told him "Hey, here's a novel idea...how about earning money by doing your chores so that you can afford to buy it yourself!" He wasn't too keen on the idea of working for it. I reminded him that now he's 16 and I will only provide him with his basic needs, you know, food, school clothes, shoes, haircuts, etc. Anything else, he would have to earn the money and buy it himself. Little did I know I was in for a fight when he got home from school.

Apparently, he wanted me to run out to the store and buy it the minute I got the text from him. Seriously?!?!?! What am I, his do-girl, honey-do, no, I don't think so. When he got home, he sat there and argued with me saying "Mom, you know I never ask you for anything..." (oh yeah, like earlier this week you didn't ask me to get him a new hair color), "...and when I do ask you nicely, you don't do it for me...." (as if I NEVER do anything nice for him, like, uh, I don't know...perhaps coloring his hair for him so he doesn't look like a madman with ya ya eyebrows) "...I wanted you to pick it up before I got home..." and get this rationale... "so I wouldn't be up all night playing it if you got it after you got home from work..." (as if he wouldn't have done that anyway! Pishaaa!)

After about 20 minutes of back and forth, Kyle interjected with "Will you two stop arguing! I'm trying to play my game here!" Oh, yes, I love to be told what to do by my 6 year old. I turned and told him that he was not to talk to me that way, he stopped (he's so good at that...stopping when I ask nicely!) Finally, I told Tim that I would do things for him when it was convenient to ME and not when HE wants me to and he was just going to have to live with it. If he didn't like it, I wouldn't get him the game at all, even if he had earned the money to buy it.

OOOPPPPSSS!!! What was that?!?!? Sounded to me like the changing of a tune... hmmmm could it be??? We crunched his chore allowance numbers and figured that he had saved just enough money for the game. Ok.

So, as I left work last night, I was on my way home and I swear that child has radar! I had just got on the causeway toward home and bling! a text message..."are you going to get it?" from Tim. Oh shit!!! I really forgot. Well, I guess I do need to buy some groceries so my children don't starve over the next couple of days while I'm at work. Now I have to turn around and go to Walmart. (Yes, I rationalize too.) Off to Walmart I went. I didn't get a buggy because I thought I would just get a couple of dinners for the kids and Tim's game (of course). All the meanwhile, I'm texting him telling him to go to bed. (I'm so mean! I didn't tell him I was at Walmart. He thought I was just leaving work...he he he) Next thing you know, I have a 10 pound bag of sugar in my arms (because sugar is my favorite food and that is one thing I won't run out of), a pair of pants for work, 6 boxes of frozen dinners for my little ones (need some variety so they can choose the one they want...seems to work better at getting them to eat) AND Tim's game. $110.00 later and I'm broke again and back to saving for Halloween (yes I know it's right around the corner, but damnit, if he's going to ask me to pay him for his chores so he can get this game, then he can wait to get a costume!).

Off to work again tonight... maybe I'll make $40....that would cover um, let me see..... GAS!!!