I'm actually not surprised by that at all. It is probably a Super Dwarf Cavendish. I kept one in a five gallon pot for three years with no signs of blooming, planted it outside the fourth year and let it die that winter after still no sign of bloom. With indoor conditions, a small pot, and 70 degree temps (too cool to get a banana to fruit), you might have it another nine years, lol! Super Dwarf Cavendish is notorious for not blooming until conditions are ideal. Pot that sucker up into a large pot, set it outside, fertilize and water it regularly, and see if you notice any difference. It might not bloom this year, but it will certainly be happier.

Kay.... Going through the teen years can be like the terrible two's but with a much larger child! It can last for years. Don't get discouraged. I have a DS16 and just trying to have, what I consider, a normal conversation with him can sometimes make me want to stick hot pokers in my eyes....or his. It might be a good idea to talk with him at a time that is calm and remind him what the rules are. I have tried to lay down some sentences that I can say to DS16 during a discussion or disagreement that can remind him of the rules....Such as...."Remember who you are speaking to."...."You need to lower your voice."....."Your tone of voice sounds disrespectful to me." and so on. Sometimes he doesn't even know that he is loud or that I think that the way he is saying something in bothering me. All of that being said....do what you can to rule out the things that we all fear as parents of teens....alcohol or drug use, inappropriate internet use, depression, becoming sexually active. I'm sure I have left things out but you get the message. This day and age is tough. I feel for these kids. All the more reason to not let go of your house rules when it comes to respect and safety for the teens. Discussing with him some changes that he might like as he matures is an option. Stress the "As he matures" part. He needs to learn to handle his anger, talk about his feelings and still follow the rules. Each one comes to a calmer place at a different time. Some take a long time. The hard knocks of life can be the only teachers for some kids. Parents lose IQ points big time when their kids hit their teens. I wouldn't rule out getting him into see a counselor if you feel his anger is beyond control. Some kids can't talk to their parents and a third party can really help. It doesn't mean that their is something wrong with him. His brain and his body are on mega drive right now. Watch how he grows in the next few years!....I have heard that every growth spurt, whether it be mental or physical is preceded by an emotional time of turmoil. I think that is true when a child is entering into the just beginning to walk months and the teen years. Just fasten your seat belt. The ride will be bumpy at times. It is a good thing that God gives us these kids as sweet little babies. If we got them as teenagers they would likely mysteriously disappear...or we would. I remember thinking, when my DD20 was a teen and she would be mouthing off to me...."You know child, you are standing way to close with your back to those stairs to be talking to me like that."...Of course I would never push her but a bit of a sense of humor helps!!!

My 9 year old stepdaughter doesn't refuse to DO her homework, but she has been 'forgetting' it or has flat out lied to me & said she didn't have any, when she hid it in her desk. So, in that way... she's not doing her homework. When I asked her why she lied (and I think the forgetting was also a lie & that she just left it in her desk so she didn't have to do it), she told me she didn't want to do it. So, I told her that I don't want to do some of the fun things she enjoys (like baking, helping me with dinner or most recently, carving pumpkins) if she isn't going to do the things we want her to do. It has only been a week and she's been caught in a few lies already... again. I personally think it works better to give it less attention or no attention and shrug your shoulders and say, "I guess you'd rather not watch tv with us, since you don't have your homework done." My husband used to spend half his evening frustrated beyond belief because SD would guess at the answers or write down the wrong answer that made absolutely no sense & DH would erase it, try to explain it & end up yelling at her out of frustration. One evening, he was running around, angry/frustrated looking for another eraser. He was all worked up and SD was calmly sitting on the edge of her bed, humming to herself. I grabbed DH aside & pointed out... if she isn't stressed out or upset over her work not being done, why are YOU? I walked into the room & told SD that daddy is NOT helping you with your work. When it's done correctly, the two of you can sit and play a game or watch TV until bedtime, but if you screw around until bedtime, you will take it back to school unfinished & I will call your teacher & tell her why it's not done. There were a couple of days that she took her homework back to school not done & I talked to the teacher. Her teacher said that it's explained in class & she should not need help, she should know what to do. She then lost her recess and did the work in class. After that, she would get it done correctly the first time.. sometimes with minor corrections, but she'd get it done & want to spend time with dad. While in counseling, she admitted she wasn't doing it right on purpose because it meant dad spent the majority of the evening focused just on her. She didn't seem to care that it was negative attention. He was too frazzled to realize what she was doing & after I pointed it out, he's better at recognizing it. Now, when she comes home and says she has no idea what to do, he knows she wasn't paying attention when the teacher was explaining it. She's had an ongoing problem with talking in class & not paying attention. It really helps to have good communication with the teacher.

I just painted me boys' room, age 6 and 3. I wanted something fun and bright, but was hestitant to go with a theme because they will outgrow it before I have time to paint again. I did a really rich blue wall (medium to dark color - I just found a blue shirt I really liked, then used it to pick a paint color.) The blue really pops with the trim I painted white, their white dresser and warm pine colored beds. Then, I painted 3 stripes about 1 foot from the ceiling - thin white (about 1 inch thick), then a thin band of the wall color, then red (about 10 inches thick), then a band of the wall color, then thin white again. It goes all the way around the room, and adds some serious pizzaz and helps to make the space appear larger. I did the same stripe in my last house at chair rail height, and stenciled some Dr Seuss words on it for a more juvenile effect. You could stencil any shapes you wanted, or use those wall stickups if you wanted a theme. Then I added red/blue plaid quilts, and some fun artwork, some red/blue striped curtains with white curtain rod, etc. It is super cute and they won't outgrow it anytime soon, I hope! To the person looking for surfboards, I saw one seller who makes them on ebay if you search, and they are super cute. I looked at her surfboards and ended up just making my own with plywood and a jigsaw. Not that hard of a project, and I was able to personalize them for my girls.