Part 107 ~ The Adventures of King Ben & Zeus the Big Dumb Dog

If you missed the start of this series, you can find it here. A lot of things will be the same or very similar.

At 5:45 when Daughter still hadn’t made an appearance, I gave Ben the one trazodone and popped some chicken nuggets in the toaster oven. We had been doing Words.

At 6:00 I went to Daughter’s room, knowing she had konked out, to wake her up. I told Daughter that he’d had the first med, his nuggets were done and I was going to go run his bath.

Ben had a very fast bath. He wanted to continue with his Words. He sat in his robe and I gave him the dinosaur shaped nuggets and he wouldn’t even try them at first. (HIS nuggets have been harder to find and the past few times we’ve made them he hasn’t really wanted them, so we’re trying two different “Dinosaur Nuggets”) I told him he had to at least try them before he said he didn’t like them. Then when he wanted me to Write the Words for him, I told him he had to have a bite first. I wrote the words but I didn’t cut them out until he bit. Gee… a chicken nugget… not bad. He ate the rest of the T-Rex and a few more on the drive. YAY! Success!

He took the rest of his meds at 6:15, dressed in jammas and in the car by 6:40. Daughter was dropped off at work on time and we headed home. After a quick trip to the baño, he and the Big Dummy were tucked, kissed and wished Sweet Dreams.

Then I got to relax and wait for the sunset.

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I included the moon because the light and colors… and the Moon!

I ate, I did the before bed things, I took my pill… and I listened to idjits with fireworks and also the homeless guy, camped in the parking lot near my back gate, hacking out a lung. SWELLLLL! I thought about asking him to move, but that seemed mean. He wasn’t right in front of my gate and the gate is broken, we dont use it. The hacking and spitting all night was annoying, but at least I had a roof and a bed. I let him be.

No idea what time I fell asleep but I was awake around three again. Then back to sleep until Ben did his yelling run-by at 5:15. Five fifteen? DANG! I knew the six thirty was an aberration.

I relocated and texted Daughter, then I Wrote the Words until it was time to leave to pick up Daughter from work, with a pause for meds and to uncover Sven.

Daughter was picked up and we got home to the Big Dumb Dog in the window (“How Much Is That Doggy In The Window”) barking and wiggling and knocking stuff over. I try to clear the area, but he wiggles so much he’s expanded his range of destruction.

Daughter went to her room. Ben had me Write The Words some more. Just a regular morning at Casa Cuckoo.

Writing The Words and hanging out on the couch was how we spent the morning. The only indicator of time passing was the alarm for, and delivery of the 10:45 Seroquel. I noticed the AC wasn’t kicking off anymore, time to turn it down to 65 for the rest of the day.

After the noon half Adderall he found his squirt gun and shot Zeus in the mouth for a while, but the gun leaks and that wasn’t fun. He went back to the Words, but that was getting boring too. We shared some Wheat Thins and he surfed YouTube and landed on an animated DreamWorks logo. “Gramma! I need help!” He wanted me to trace the moon. Sure okay. The first and second attempts were rejected. I told him if I wasn’t doing it right, then he should do it himself. He didn’t like that idea. When my third attempt was deemed acceptable I nearly wept with relief. But I wasnt done. Oh, no no no, but of course not. I had to draw “Ben fishing”. I had to do this on a different paper, then cut it out. My first attempt was deemed too big, so Ben said “Try again.” So I tried again and cut that one out too.

Daughter had come out in the middle of the Moons and Ben Fishing, around 1:30, and had taken over The Spot and was waiting for me to leave. I couldn’t leave until Ben gave me permission. I seriously felt like I was going to cry. I was SO tired of doing Arts and Crafts Time.

He finally let me go around 1:45 and I went to stretch out on my bed. He was in my room thirty minutes later wanting me to cut something out. I told him his mother had the scissors. He just kept saying “Gramma cut it out”. I admit that I got really frustrated, I threw a pillow on the floor (not AT or anywhere near him) and stomped into the living room to get the bag with the pens, slips of paper and DAG-NABBIT scissors. Zeus of course, in my way the entire time I was on my feet because he HAS to follow me EVERYWHERE. I cut out the crescent moon, and asked him “What else?” He said “I need tape.” I told him the tape was also in the living room, with Mom, and stomped out to get the tape. Again, with Zeus in my way. As I tore off small pieces of tape for him and stuck them on the plastic bag he’d brought in, I told him there were pieces of tape in the living room, and that Mom was perfectly capable of helping him with tape. I told him that he needed to give me a break from Arts and Crafts, we’d been doing it all day and I was tired. I NEEDED A BREAK.

I’m sure I could have handled that without the stomping and I probably hurt his feelings, but I am human. I have limits and I had reached mine.

Ben had gone to the living room after my tantrum. He came back to my room a little while later with a bag of Cheetos and his tablet. He just sat on the bed with me and munched and surfed. I think he was trying to get a feel for my mood. I projected calm and happiness… I’m an excellent actress. He asked me for his water bottle. I told him to go get it. He said (say it with me now) “Gramma to do it.” So I handed him my water bottle and told him I was too lazy to get up too. My water bottle was not acceptable to HRH, because of course it wasn’t. Rather than start a big thing, I got up and got his water bottle. I’m sure it was some kind of test, but whatever. It wasn’t a battle I wanted to have. It’s a hot day and while the AC keeps me from sweating to death, the noise gives me a headache and I hate having the house closed up. Even on the coldest nights in Winter, I have my bedroom window partially open. I need fresh air. It may be psychological, but so what if it is?!

A little before 4:00 he started to doze off and was NOT happy when I woke him up. I told him he needed dinner and bath when he told me he was ready for bedtime. I asked if he wanted his bath now and he yelled NO! at me. Then he yelled “Pizza!” I told him Mom was going to make steak. He yelled “PIZZA!!” Okay, okay… pizza. I told him I would tell Mom and went to tell her. He was trying to doze off again when I got back, so I woke him again. Of course, Zeus has to bark any time we play, or hug, or do anything…

I better go ahead and post this and focus on keeping HRH awake. Younger Daughter is bringing Kris the Cornsnake by for her injection tonight, so Ben doesn’t have to ride along for the work drop off. We DO need to keep him awake a little longer. I don’t want him to get up at midnight or 1am. That’s always a possibility, but more of one if he goes to bed early. Plus, the new schedule. We’re trying to keep to the new schedule.

Thanks for stopping by and hanging out. Watching me do Arts and Crafts all day isn’t very exciting unless you’re Ben… and only Ben is Ben. Not a very exciting Independence Day. If you want to know about my most exciting July 4th, read this. I was in Montana that year and very scared. Come on by tomorrow, coffee will be hot and ready.

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HUGS!!

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