Yesterday was a bit rough with the boy because of the behavioral issues. He went over his tablet time and was once again caught sneaking media time without permission. He now (allegedly) understands that any more shenanigans will result in the tablet being locked up for the duration of his stay, but frankly, that would be about as much of a punishment for us as well. The time he spends on the tablet gives us much needed peace and lets us take care of things without him underfoot.
I did also give him a long-term chore to do that he can spread out over the summer – picking stones. I had done a bunch of that already, but that chore took a serious toll on my spine and took me out for a day after each time I worked on it. He is much more capable for this chore and it is something easy enough that he won’t (or at least shouldn’t) need supervision.
Another chore I warned him about – we need to move a wood pile. These are logs that were too big for our wood stove and ones cut from the felled tree. I’m going to use it as a base to build the shape and form of a small hill for landscaping using the Hügelkultur technique. While this won’t be for gardening, I will have plants (mostly flowers – iris and lilies), a Japanese maple, a faux-wishing well, some decorative large boulders, and a birdbath. I’m looking forward to all the landscaping projects unfolding over the next few years.
Aside from needing to remind him, again, that the tablet is off-limits without asking for permission, the boy has been on pretty good behavior so far today. Though I’m pretty sure a big part of that is because tonight is supposed to be gaming night…
Song of the day: This is the Life by Dream Theater
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