“Stop begging God to increase your territory when you can't even maintain the territory you already have. Work with what you got first.”

....AND...it's Monday!
OK, so now I remember the downside to taking a day off, It's end.
*sigh*
Not that I have any problem working, oh Nay, Nay!  It's just the whole "relaxing" thing!  Surprisingly, I did not have as much problem  with the whole "Not having anything to do" thing as I had anticipated.  We actually slept in for the first time in six months!  Oh yes, actually didn't roll out of bed until 9 am!! Angi, in preparations, made sure the majority of the house chores had been taking care of Saturday (Yea, we pretty much have to clean EVERY bloody day around here!)  so as to not impede anything we wanted to do for the day.  This was very sweet, as I DEFINATELY did not want to do the whole "couch potatoes" thing! 
Izabella starts school next year, so in preperation I wanted to work on her "bike riding" skills.  She's got the tricycle down pact, but that's not going to carry her all the way to the school, so I broke out the little 12"er I brought home for her over a year ago (Tinkerbell, VERY cute ride!) only to realize (DUH!) it is a tad bit small for her!  BUT, seeing as she still has to work with the training wheels, we used it anyway.  It only took her a few minuets to get the pedaling down, and within about a half an hour, she was turning correctly and slowly starting to get off the "lean" and stabilize.  In an attempt to keep Miranda from being left out, we gave her the tricycle, and quickly everyone was out riding in the street.  However, once I put Miranda in the back of the "Truck" and started pedaling her around (and testing it's capacity for towing kiddo's) Izabella abandoned her ride, in lieu of going in the back and riding with Daddy.  At this point, we opted to take a ride out. 
Mind you, earlier in the day, the older boys, having awoke in their usual "foul" moods over having to actually get out of bed and motivate, started in with the little ones, pissin' and moanin'. Of course Kaleb went after Owen for some perceived slight or antagonizing, and the usual rounds of yelling.  Well, I wasn't interested in our first "family day" being it's reminiscent "@!tc#ing fest" so I told them both to get out for the day, and not to return until dinner time.  Some may find that harsh, and I'm sorry if you do, but we are having "issues" with the whole "teenager perceived entitlement" without the prerequisite efforts to procur them, and am finding myself having to "amp-up" the "Iron Fist" rule.  Tough Love and all that.
Just so you have the whole picture, If you've been reading this Blog, you already know our difficulties with the eldest, but a new twist is in a recent enlightening conversation with Kaleb.  In short, he has somehow convinced himself (in NO small part due to the BAD influence of his older brother) that there is no point in him finishing high school!  HENCE, his recent backslide into cutting class, not doing the work, sometimes not even going to school, and being perpetually late! Basically, his expectation is to just "ride it out" until he turns 18 in September, then drop out.
OH....he has a RUDE awaking on THAT front!  It's kind of like being "Redneck Rich", his expectation being that once he turns 18 and has his "freedom" everything is going to be peaches and cream, so why bother to even put out an effort!
OY! 
 SO, in a small attempt at getting them to realize appreciation for what they DO have, I gave them a day out to see what it was like NOT to have it.  Now, our house follows old world traditions and dinner is attended by all, and is done so, between 6-6.30 (7.30, now on weekdays) (if you're late NO fruitcup!! (SPECIAL NO-PRIZE if you get THAT movie reference!) so they were not to return until then.
After we worked with the girls on riding (and riding in the Truck) we decided to take a family ride, and I am SO thankful to report, THIS ONE worked out VERY well!!  With no particular place to go, we just headed out.  Of course, with me at the helm of the truck (which will NEVER break any land speed records) the pace was plodding at best, several times everyone else had to stop for me to catch up!  Thank heavens Angi took her old three speed, rather then the racing Trek, or she would have been done, and home in bed before I got to the corner! 
With no kids whining for this, no arguing or fighting we ended up at Fritzee Freeze (it's amazing how, regardless of the myriad of directions we could take, we inevitably end up heading in the direction of the shop!) where we had a pleasant lunch and then dessert, and yet again, the children amazed me at how well they behaved!  Even the little ones sat basically still until getting there lunch!  Even more "flooring" was the fact that, once the baby girls had their fill, the older ones split up the leftovers...without arguing! 
WHOA!!!
GOD it was a good day!
Sated, we drifted homeward (after getting part of dinner at the fresh veggie market) and stumbled on a yard sale, where we found a few goodies. Proving just how easily amused I am, I was very excited to find four overstuffed boxes of coat hangers!!!  Hey, 200 coat hangers for $4.00?  Beat that! Not to mention another functioning VCR for only $2.00!! Angela found a very lush Duvey set (I have NO idea how to spell that!) and some toys for the kiddos (Rozy got a cute tea set for her and the little girls that she spent half an hour cleaning!!).  Once loaded down, I realized that,  "UGH!" I was going to have to pedal it all up a rather steep incline!  YEESH! Made it though! 
Now, shortly after arriving home, getting dinner prepped and sitting to chill for a second, the older boys came back...two hours early.  In the mood I was in, this breaching of what I had spelled out in the morning almost went unnoticed.  Were it not for the fact that the moment they went in they broke several of the rules we were TRYING to enforce, by raiding the refrigerator without asking, and both of them yelling at the other kids almost immediately.
Not wanting to loose my temper, I told them simply that they were early and to head back out.  Of course, they ignored this, and went to the patio, and sat.  When I approached them and informed them they needed to leave they made the grave mistake of a smart ass answer, and stated "but we're not in the house" with a snicker.
wrong choice.
There arrival time was now elevated to 9pm, after the girls went to bed, and well after dinner.  Sad too, as it was a real nice barbeque.
Sorry, that may sound petty, but these two HAVE to learn what we have been trying to teach them for YEARS!!  They are so hung up on the false precepts that they are entitled to "be who they want to be", that they are convinced the world will bend to their will in allowing them to do so.  Why am I being so hard on them, some may ask?  Well, not to put to fine a point on it, but I was once a "know it all", smart ass, brain dead teenager  too (and my own mother will attest to the fact that I was probably a lot worse) and what my mother could not drill into my head, life sure as hell did!  I'm just trying to spare these two the inevitable (which Elijah should know by now, in no small part due to the fact that he had to compromise his "individuality" recently in the way of having to to cut his hair, as a prerequisite for work.  A fact he lamented over for DAYS in regards to how unjust, and unfair it was!) clash of harsh reality!
Sadly, what Angela has been saying about "tough love" all along, may very soon, come to pass!
ANYWHO!
Sorry for railing on about all this, once again, it's my therapy!
Suffice to say, that all not withstanding, our first day off was GAH-REAT!
Jumping back to work!  Saturday was swell, sending several rides to new homes, and taking a couple more in, not to mention several repairs!  SAH-WEET!
Our friends came in from the UK, and you couldn't meet a nicer couple!  Their little girls were adorable!  The youngest one in curls!  Owen and Rozy helped them get their tadpole hooked up, and I threw together the tow behind.  We hope they have a great visit!
Today, have several repairs that have come in, and one is an "Ugly Mutt" conversion!  Haven't done one of those in a while!  (BMX bars for lift on a Cannondale Commuter!!  HEH, HEH!  Take THAT Mr. Conventional!) And we took in the oddest of looking recumbants on consignment!  We'll have it ready later today so be looking for this thing to list tomorrow!
ALL RIGHTY-ROO!
I'd best get a move on! Got some heavy chores ta do!