We headed out Saturday to do a Costco run. In an effort to complete my basement emergency hoard. We ran some errands and took food to Lili too. We picked up Lili and dropped her and Fei at the mall while we took the boys to Costco. Jia went to a friend's for the day but before she left there was some big concern about her shoe missing. Her new beloved Vans. She ended up wearing flip flops. Once in Costco we found Jia's shoe...on Kai. Sigh. We whipped it off him and plunked him in the cart. Knowing Jia will flip that a sweaty stinky boy foot was in her shoe ;) Kai was ticked about going in the cart. I was sort of thinking that at least the shopping part would be considerably easier with him contained. Then he was ticked about food in the cart with him. Haha. We went to a dollar store looking for slides or slippers but they had nothing. We were running out of time and had to pick up the girls so took him to Walmart to buy shoes. I bought a larger size for one of the boys to grow into. Sigh. We could have just cut our loses and gone home but we were attempting to go out for Luk's Birthday dinner as requested at Milanos. Figured it was easier than trying to go back to Nanaimo on Wed. Bonus...Luk gets two Birthday dinners. He's requested curry for at home.
Of course the topic of Luk's Birthday and cake choice came up. Where Kai was excitedly jumping in his seat screaming ice cream cake. Oy. We shushed him and reminded him that it's Luk's Birthday and Luk's choice so then Kai cried. Now Birthday talk is secret, done separate from Kai. Still no decision on his dessert but I fear he'll pick ice cream cake just to make Kai happy. Who honestly likes ALL sweets and would like ANY cake.
It was an exhausting day. Kai had some other manipulative things going on. Pitting parent against parent. Doing forbidden things under the watch of the other parent. Some things very clever, spanning days of plotting and planning. Sneaky. I don't like sneaky. Which leaves you scratching your head and going hmmn. How can he orcastrate these things and then not realize wrong shoe, wrong foot, too big, LACES and it just had to feel different? I told Eric the next outing requires either me or Kai to have a babysitter. I don't care which one of us.
If any of the other four had the same behavior there would be repercussions. It's tricky with Kai for sure. This morning I pointed out that his pajama top was on backwards. He happily turned it around. All the way...back to the tag in his neck. The toy he went to great lengths to get has been taken away by Mama for now. I'll try explaining things to him. He'll cry and I'll be left assuming he heard nothing. But we have to try.
Eric says I guess we have to try harder. We're out of ideas. Feeling our way through too many issues at once.
Yesterday was super quiet. Big house advantage, we all went our separate ways and enjoyed our peace.
Max is coming over later. We'll see if anyone feels much like doing anything later. Maybe.
