I have several things I'd like to blog about, but I'm not sure I have time to cover it all. But I will at least get started.
Home is so nice these days. My little girl really seems like she has turned a corner. She's been working on earning a new and larger backpack. The one we bought at the beginning of the school year cannot hold her Trapper and books. She did two weeks of no arguing and doing well in school, and earned the backpack. We ordered it today from Amazon.
She has earned back some privileges. I gave her back her home key. It's not that she is being perfect. She had my watch in her school locker. I found make-up in her backpack. But we get those things corrected, and consequenced, and we move on. When I try to warn her in advance so she doesn't make the same mistake, she is usually offended, but it seems to help. She also was given some games back on the computer. I had taken off any and everything that was fun. She knows I'm watching her tech behavior. Any changes in mood will make her lose them again.
She got some money for her good report card. And she is promised $50 for Day After Thanksgiving shopping. She used $6 for some fake nails. But she has been trying to earn it back. Today, I got both bathrooms sort of cleaned for $1 each. Two loads of laundry for $1 each. The car was cleaned out, $2; and the refrigerator was cleaned $1. I love when she wants money!!! She is a much quicker at cleaning than I am!
She is getting excited about Thanksgiving and Christmas. I asked her to make a list of things she would like. It was primarily reasonable. She took it back because she wants to add to it.
Dee was invited to a birthday party! It's an overnight at a hotel. I told her, the other girls will be talking about boys, etc., but she should be reserved. Parents are watching her closely!
All in all good! I'll write later about Roxy and our foster dog's adventure. And the scare Dee and I had!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Dee has been doing relatively well. She does do spurts of kindness and not so kind. I'm going to start tracking them to see if they are PMS.
Chloe is wheezing again with her congestive heart failure. It breaks my heart. We are enjoying our foster dog, Otis. He was tough to get use to but he fits in great. But...he leaves next week for his new home. We will miss him. I think Roxy will miss him most of all. She humps him all of the time. All the dogs are eating better trying to keep their share protected.
Dee cleaned her room Saturday. She did a great job so she could get my record player/cd player/radio in the room. On the other hand, I'm still living in the land of chaos in my room. She is naturally a better cleaner.
Dee and I ate out last week. I took the opportunity to ask her some questions. I asked how friends were going. I told her I noticed when I pick her up, she is never playing with other kids. She responded, "Mom I have friends. I'm popular." OK. So then I asked her about taking the shots. I asked her if it helped her feel safe. She didn't care one way or the other.
Dee finished the first quarter with a 3.4 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. I'm very impressed. The school gives lots of second chances, but she has used them well.
She and I re-watched October Baby. It is a movie about an abortion survivor's attempt to find her birth mom. One scene shows the adoptive father after he tracks the girl down telling her boyfriend to stay away from his daughter. The boyfriend says, "She is not your daughter. She has a right to find out who she is." I said to Dee, part of what he said is not right. She said, "She is not your daughter." Then she said, "It's sort of true." I told her it was not true. He adopted her and he was her father. She argued, "He wasn't there when she was born." I reminded her I was not there when she was born either. She argued back that I sort of was. I made her finally say I was not there, so it could be straight in her head. So another interesting Dee conversation.
All in all, these are going OK.
Chloe is wheezing again with her congestive heart failure. It breaks my heart. We are enjoying our foster dog, Otis. He was tough to get use to but he fits in great. But...he leaves next week for his new home. We will miss him. I think Roxy will miss him most of all. She humps him all of the time. All the dogs are eating better trying to keep their share protected.
Dee cleaned her room Saturday. She did a great job so she could get my record player/cd player/radio in the room. On the other hand, I'm still living in the land of chaos in my room. She is naturally a better cleaner.
Dee and I ate out last week. I took the opportunity to ask her some questions. I asked how friends were going. I told her I noticed when I pick her up, she is never playing with other kids. She responded, "Mom I have friends. I'm popular." OK. So then I asked her about taking the shots. I asked her if it helped her feel safe. She didn't care one way or the other.
Dee finished the first quarter with a 3.4 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. I'm very impressed. The school gives lots of second chances, but she has used them well.
She and I re-watched October Baby. It is a movie about an abortion survivor's attempt to find her birth mom. One scene shows the adoptive father after he tracks the girl down telling her boyfriend to stay away from his daughter. The boyfriend says, "She is not your daughter. She has a right to find out who she is." I said to Dee, part of what he said is not right. She said, "She is not your daughter." Then she said, "It's sort of true." I told her it was not true. He adopted her and he was her father. She argued, "He wasn't there when she was born." I reminded her I was not there when she was born either. She argued back that I sort of was. I made her finally say I was not there, so it could be straight in her head. So another interesting Dee conversation.
All in all, these are going OK.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Doing Good...
Another catch up post, except all of our activity has me so tired, I'm not sure what I should be catching up on.
Dee is doing better at school. It's just too bad the mere mention of it brings on attitude. I told her she would be doing homework for the next 10 years, so she should just get use to it.
After a month of no phone, she finally got it back. She was mean that night. We connect her attitude to her phone. She wants me to keep it. I told her that maybe she isn't ready for it yet, but she can't blame it on the phone or how would she ever have a phone. She is still thinking on it.
She cheered at the Chiefs game again. Did a good job, and her former social worker came to watch. She was very proud.
I've had to go to bat for her with teachers in her life who make off-handed remarks that she takes to heart. I try to send a kind e-mail so they will just think about it next time.
I'm loving her laundry skills. It's how she works off debt.
Dee is doing better at school. It's just too bad the mere mention of it brings on attitude. I told her she would be doing homework for the next 10 years, so she should just get use to it.
After a month of no phone, she finally got it back. She was mean that night. We connect her attitude to her phone. She wants me to keep it. I told her that maybe she isn't ready for it yet, but she can't blame it on the phone or how would she ever have a phone. She is still thinking on it.
She cheered at the Chiefs game again. Did a good job, and her former social worker came to watch. She was very proud.
I've had to go to bat for her with teachers in her life who make off-handed remarks that she takes to heart. I try to send a kind e-mail so they will just think about it next time.
I'm loving her laundry skills. It's how she works off debt.
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