What Qualifies As Meaningful Conversation?

"Babe, did you call Mommy yet?"

Suddenly, her shoulders slump. Her face frowns.
She hangs her head down as she walks shuffles over to the phone. Sulking.
The signs are everywhere.
Moments before, she asked if she could go to bed 30 minutes early and read until her bedtime.
She only does that when she is avoiding something.
Cinderella does NOT want to talk to her Mom tonight and now I was forcing her. And because she has not yet found her voice she could not refuse my suggestion.

Her conversation is short and characterized by one-word answers to her mother's interrogation about her play rehearsal schedule.

(This week marks the beginning of rehearsals. One of them has cut into Maleficent's visitation for that day. She was quite displeased by this and had bitched to Cinderella the night before over how she hoped all of her rehearsals don't fall on her days. She apparently can talk about nothing else at the moment.)
The custody agreement states that if Cinderella has not had a "meaningful telephone conversation" every night with the other parent, then it's up to Prince Charming or Maleficent to make sure that happens.

But... what qualifies as meaningful conversation?
I'm pretty sure it dos NOT mean instilling guilt in your child for pursuing an activity that they love.
For being so selfish as to look at it ONLY in terms of how it  affects YOU and your time with said child and for making them think that it's THEIR fault that you are so miserable and unhappy.

I'll be damned if I'm going to forcibly place Cinderella in that kind of phone call.

She is twelve years old. If she wants to call her mother, she can choose to do so.

If not. Then Maleficent can suckit.

Powder Coat

Gretel got into the baby powder the other day.

That is all.

(If you need more, you can click here to SEE the results of said ecapades.)

Here We Go Again

I don't know where to begin.
It's been five months in the making.
Five months since we found out Cinderella has three...THREE!!!!!... cavities.
Five months since we ponied up $400 for the dentist appointment that told us she had THREE cavities.
Five months since being told, AFTER we bent over and let the dentist stick it to us for $400, that Maleficent WOULD NOT BE PAYING her half of that bill.
Oh I'm sick and not working and can't afford it.
(Gee, ya think she would have mentioned that for the MONTHS leading up to that appointment?)
For five months Maleficent has been crying poverty, and unilaterally saying that she won't be able to pay her COURT ORDERED share of Cinderella's dental bill.
And yet for the same five months she has come up with a magical solution where she CAN pay another dentist to have said cavities filled.
She CAN work out a payment plan to pay this dentist.
Her dentist. Cinderella's OLD dentist.
But she CAN'T figure out a payment plan for PrinceCharming.
(Which could have worked out to $50 a month and would be payed off BY NOW.)
And she WON'T accept our saying that we CAN'T afford to absorb her half of the prior bill and that we were counting on that so that we CAN move forward and have Cinderella's cavities filled.
Instead she spent this time instilling fear into Cinderella with constant talks of how she will need root canal if her cavities are not filled and so she needs to tell her Dad and I that her TEETH HURT even though they don't but DO IT SO THEY CAN MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR YOU!!!!!!
The child was in tears as she confessed her Mom's covert op to us.
(We're so proud of her, BTW, for choosing NOT to lie to us about her teeth hurting just because her Mom told her to.)

So... now... we are back to one-sided communication.
Her refusing to answer or return calls.
Feigning illness as an excuse to return to email only communication.
Yet she is well enough to leave a threatening voice mail on Prince Charming's voice mail.
And now... tonight... an email threatening to violate him in court if a dentist appointment is not made by this Wednesday.

Shit-stirring bitch. She's at it again.
I am not sure I have the strength to another round.

The Start of an Obsession

I've joined the Bento Box bandwagon.

Today I packed my first two for Hansel (1st Grade) ...

... and Cinderella (7th Grade). 

Aren't they cute?

[Edited to add: I picked these and their accessories up at www.ichibankanusa.com and www.JBox.com. I've been told that eBay is also a good place to look.]

How We Spent The Holiday

The kids and I are volunteering at a local farm that offers a farm-based education program. Our job is to care for their pasture-fed chickens on school holidays. Volunteers get to keep any eggs found in the coop, as well as bring home some herbs from their gardens. 

We've found one egg each day. 

Yesterday's egg was still warm.