Falling leaves and a chill in the air

The maples around the house have finally started to turn, and drop their leaves. I love this part of the year.

The boys spent some time outside this afternoon raking and leaf blowing as well, which is always fun for them. And lucrative. Because we're raising a couple of money grubbers. (I kid. I'm happy to pay them for their work. And I'm happy that they are learning that there is no payment sans work. This whole idea that one should not have to labor to live boggles my mind.)

I dug out my long sleeves today as well, finally giving in to the weather rather than continuing in my T-shirts and sporting my sweatshirt because I was cold. I swapped the boys' clothes over two weeks ago, so I'm not sure why the holdup on my part, but there was some kind of mental block for my own.

I am, at this red hot second, in a battle of wills with the youngest about vacuuming the basement stairs. He wants to empty the dustbuster first and then do it. I contend that it's fine and he should empty it one time after finishing both stairwells. As he needs my help to open said dustbuster, this is a battle I fully intend to win.

I realize how stupid it is reading it, but this boy. He will fight you on EVERYTHING. And if he doesn't get his way, it's an epic showdown. As evidenced by right now him having sat on the stairs he's to be vacuuming for the last hour and a quarter.

He could have vacuumed the stairs twelve times, minimum, if he'd just obeyed.

And that's the crux. 

Today this is my hill to die on. Maybe it's stupid. (It probably is.) But I'm so tired of him thinking everything can and should be a negotiation. Because that's not how life works.

So really, life continues apace.