Happy on the home front

Ok, so Christmas wasn't so great as far as the house goes. As for the day itself...I'm glad it's over. I didn't finish 2 pairs of socks or CJ's pullover. I worried about what we did (and didn't) get for the older two mostly because I never know what Ad did or didn't buy. I know what I bought for them and I knew it wasn't much. Having a small paycheck get smaller by $30-$50 a week makes it almost impossible to buy anything for anybody. So, I try to knit things that the recipients want or that I think they will enjoy...

Ad gets furious if I spend any money on anything other than food and paying my car payment or making a payment to 1 of the 3 credit card bills I have that I am trying to get paid off. That is completely understandable. Any time I get behind on any of them he gets fed up with the phone calls and is keeping a running tab on any money he funnels my way to help me out. So, if I buy any yarn or anything else knitting related but can't pay my financial obligations he goes balistic. I understand that. I am trying to knit from my overflowing stash instead of buying new yarn. What I don't get is how angry he gets about my knitting when I am knitting a gift for someone rather than spending money on them. If I asked him this directly he would bitch about the housework and how he does ALL of it and I shouldn't be knitting if there is laundry or dishes to do or vacuming or whatever. And, then there is Jake to keep and eye on and interact with. And so, since these things are never all completely done (except maybe at night after Jake is asleep) apparently I should not be knitting. Oh, wait...I guess I can try to get a few rows in on my two nights off before I pass out from exhaustion and sleep deprivation. Because if I knit while interacting with Jake I am a bad mother...

Then it turns out that Ad got Max a cell phone. I had proposed the idea a while ago. Max is 13 and starting to want to hang out with his friends and so I thought it would be a good way for us to be able to better keep track of him. I was overruled on numerous occassions because of a lack of consistant responsibility on Max's part. Max knew this. We were dangling the idea of his own phone in front of him in the hopes that he would improve. Then, Ad tells me (on Christmas eve) that he got Max something else and it's a surprise. He actually got pissy when I pressed him about what it was. I had to "Wait and see" along with everyone else and he wanted to know why I couldn't just be surprised. And, lo and behold, he got Max the very thing I had suggested and got to play the Hero.

Meanwhile, he got Carter nothing.

He was so busy making sure that HE (without me) got Max the very thing Max really wanted and gushing about how he couldn't wait for Max to see it that Carter was a minor afterthought. On Christmas morning after Max has opened the phone and Carter's face has fallen a little he asks me, "Do you think I should have gotten one for Carter too?" I'm thinking, "It's Christmas morning AFTER they have opened their gifts and NOW you want to know if I think you should have gotten one for Carter?????" Now my answer about the phone would have been the same had he bothered to ask me proir to Dec. 25th (no on the phone for right now) but I also would have said that we need to get him (Carter) something too if Ad was buying another present for Max.

I've ranted long enough. Can you tell all is well here?