I haven't blogged in a while on here. Monica returned and is in Texas. She's living with Kathryn and Ranny so she can take care of things as there was so much to take care of and we couldn't give her the help she needed. So Madi is living with us still and going to Ethridge. Kept her life as much the same as possible to as to keep things consistent until Monica can get a place of her own for the two of them.
Madi finished up our year of choir with a concert, school assembly, performances at the mall and a few days ago, a performance of the National Anthem at the Texas Legends Basketball Game. They were really phenomenal! Love those kids.
She'll be a member of the District Honor Choir starting in January when we have rehearsals. And she's also going to be competing in the Regional Spelling Bee since she won our school spelling bee today!! Lots of great things happening for her this year!!!
You could see her confidence growing as she spelled each word. It was awesome that the last two girls (her and Nithy) are best friends. They both are super smart and a lot alike. They really work well together and are just good kids. Both of them go on to the next round which will be in late January. So we'll have some spelling words to practice :)
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Getting to Know You
Today Monica took Madi to see the apartments that she's hoping to move into. Jeremy and Riley went along with them while I put Julia down for her nap. They said that they are beautiful and hopefully all will work out soon for them to move there.
Then Madi and Monica walked to Walmart and Target to get a few items that they needed - contact solution, stuff like that.
Madi has been extremely quiet here at the house. She wants her mom to be with her at all times, but by themselves. Go figure - she wants to soak up the time with her. It probably feels as though it's just for a short time that she'll be here and that she'll leave again soon. Still so wild to think that she is here for a long time. They've been able to hang out together and chat which has been good for both of them.
Madi has wasted no time checking her boundaries and trying to figure out what she can do and what she can't do. We thought she'd hold off for a little while - at least a day or two - but she's pushing to see if she can do things we haven't let her do. Everything from trying to do things we haven't let her do to asking for lots of things at the store to wanting pop. She is definitely testing Monica to see what she'll let her do and if she can override us - pitting us against each other. Which hasn't worked yet and she's very frustrated at us. Not at Monica, but the evil looks we've received from her tell us she was hoping that Monica would be much more lenient than we have been and she's quite disappointed her tactics aren't working.
The two of them will figure it out and it'll be so much easier for them to set boundaries that work for them when they aren't living in our house. Definitely complicates things as Madi has to check with us and with her mom as they are following the rules we had already set up so that things remain consistent. Not easy on any of us, but hopefully for now, it will work. And it's short term so you can anything short term!
Tomorrow Monica is hoping to get her drivers license and is applying for some jobs. Praying that all is speedy and works out excellent for them both.
Then Madi and Monica walked to Walmart and Target to get a few items that they needed - contact solution, stuff like that.
Madi has been extremely quiet here at the house. She wants her mom to be with her at all times, but by themselves. Go figure - she wants to soak up the time with her. It probably feels as though it's just for a short time that she'll be here and that she'll leave again soon. Still so wild to think that she is here for a long time. They've been able to hang out together and chat which has been good for both of them.
Madi has wasted no time checking her boundaries and trying to figure out what she can do and what she can't do. We thought she'd hold off for a little while - at least a day or two - but she's pushing to see if she can do things we haven't let her do. Everything from trying to do things we haven't let her do to asking for lots of things at the store to wanting pop. She is definitely testing Monica to see what she'll let her do and if she can override us - pitting us against each other. Which hasn't worked yet and she's very frustrated at us. Not at Monica, but the evil looks we've received from her tell us she was hoping that Monica would be much more lenient than we have been and she's quite disappointed her tactics aren't working.
The two of them will figure it out and it'll be so much easier for them to set boundaries that work for them when they aren't living in our house. Definitely complicates things as Madi has to check with us and with her mom as they are following the rules we had already set up so that things remain consistent. Not easy on any of us, but hopefully for now, it will work. And it's short term so you can anything short term!
Tomorrow Monica is hoping to get her drivers license and is applying for some jobs. Praying that all is speedy and works out excellent for them both.
Reunited!
It was a blur the last five days before Monica got here. Madi had a sleepover at her friend Elizabeth's on Friday night which was perfect. Kept her occupied and having tons of fun. She only slept about four hours and then took a nap in the afternoon.
We saw that the flight had arrived early so Jeremy woke Julia and I up as we were taking a nap in her room. We all dashed out the door and headed to DFW.
It didn't take Monica too long to come through the revolving doors. Kathryn, Tripp, Poppi, Grammy, and all of us were there. Kathryn and Madi waited at the doors and the rest of us stood back to take video and pictures.
Madi and Monica gave each other a big hug. Monica commented often on how tall Madi is. She can hardly believe it. Madi has grown so much in the last year and a half.
We all headed to our house for some pizza. Was a good reunion!
We saw that the flight had arrived early so Jeremy woke Julia and I up as we were taking a nap in her room. We all dashed out the door and headed to DFW.
It didn't take Monica too long to come through the revolving doors. Kathryn, Tripp, Poppi, Grammy, and all of us were there. Kathryn and Madi waited at the doors and the rest of us stood back to take video and pictures.
Madi and Monica gave each other a big hug. Monica commented often on how tall Madi is. She can hardly believe it. Madi has grown so much in the last year and a half.
We all headed to our house for some pizza. Was a good reunion!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Five Days
Madi is anxious for Saturday. Said she has a wide range of emotions and I told her that she'll hopefully feel more grounded and less anxious once she sees you. That it will be surreal. She's definitely taken to that word and agreed that it will be. After all, it has been what feels like forever! I'm sure it feels that way for her especially.
Today was a good start to the week. Nothing earth shattering. Just a good day.
She was invited to her friend Elizabeth's sleepover for Elizabeth's birthday. It's Friday night so we told her she could go. She'll be back on Saturday morning at 10am. Then hopefully she can get a nap before we pick you up. That way she'll be well rested when she sees you and you can hang out talking or whatever when you're here. We'll play it by ear.
Today was a good start to the week. Nothing earth shattering. Just a good day.
She was invited to her friend Elizabeth's sleepover for Elizabeth's birthday. It's Friday night so we told her she could go. She'll be back on Saturday morning at 10am. Then hopefully she can get a nap before we pick you up. That way she'll be well rested when she sees you and you can hang out talking or whatever when you're here. We'll play it by ear.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Madi's Special Night
Jeremy and I talked about what we wanted to do with Madi to celebrate the time she has had with us and give her a special night that was all about her. We had a gift card to Maggiano's still (given to us last Christmas and still not used yet!). She had always wanted to go there so I asked Jeremy if he thought it'd be fun to take her out to dinner and then do some shopping at Willow Bend. He was all for it.
So tonight she got dressed up and we went out to the restaurant. She loved it!!! We ordered calamari fritte for our appetizer. Madi got to choose the appetizer and one of the main courses. Then we all agreed on the other one. Then had chicken tortelloni and chicken saltimbocca. She really loved the latter and loved the calamari was well. Wasn't real big on the tortelloni. The atmosphere was darker and dimly lit and very relaxing.
Then we headed to Willow Bend and took her to Justice. They had a special sale going on - 40% off plus an additional 20% off the entire store. The girls both have a pj/movie/popcorn party in their classes on Thursday. So we let her pick a new pair of pjs - any one that she wanted - as well as some razzles candy and a mustache mood ring. The mustache is a very popular item in jewelry and items for girls now. Quite odd, but they all think they are hilarious. She was super excited!!
We walked around the mall and spent time in the Apple store checking out the new mini iPad. Totally cool. We also got the most amazing tea samples at Teavana. I'm not much of a fan of anything but water, but LOVE their Samurai Chai tea. Madi loved their wild blossom tea. Jeremy liked all of them.
Restoration Hardware was close by so we spent time sitting in every possible chair, couch and beanbag in the store. LOVED it!!! Madi was thoroughly enjoying herself. Then we went to Z-Gallerie where we saw the most amazing couch that had six sections and formed a pit in the middle. Madi sat in it and had so much fun.
As my mom put it, she was glowing because she had so much fun. She asked if we could do it again tomorrow which unfortunately, we can't. But it was a blast.
So tonight she got dressed up and we went out to the restaurant. She loved it!!! We ordered calamari fritte for our appetizer. Madi got to choose the appetizer and one of the main courses. Then we all agreed on the other one. Then had chicken tortelloni and chicken saltimbocca. She really loved the latter and loved the calamari was well. Wasn't real big on the tortelloni. The atmosphere was darker and dimly lit and very relaxing.
Then we headed to Willow Bend and took her to Justice. They had a special sale going on - 40% off plus an additional 20% off the entire store. The girls both have a pj/movie/popcorn party in their classes on Thursday. So we let her pick a new pair of pjs - any one that she wanted - as well as some razzles candy and a mustache mood ring. The mustache is a very popular item in jewelry and items for girls now. Quite odd, but they all think they are hilarious. She was super excited!!
We walked around the mall and spent time in the Apple store checking out the new mini iPad. Totally cool. We also got the most amazing tea samples at Teavana. I'm not much of a fan of anything but water, but LOVE their Samurai Chai tea. Madi loved their wild blossom tea. Jeremy liked all of them.
Restoration Hardware was close by so we spent time sitting in every possible chair, couch and beanbag in the store. LOVED it!!! Madi was thoroughly enjoying herself. Then we went to Z-Gallerie where we saw the most amazing couch that had six sections and formed a pit in the middle. Madi sat in it and had so much fun.
As my mom put it, she was glowing because she had so much fun. She asked if we could do it again tomorrow which unfortunately, we can't. But it was a blast.
One Week Away...
Seriously was planning on blogging this week and not sure where the time went. Always gets so busy. This week was very good and tough at the same time. Madi had a fabulous week. She had one day of sadness when she got mad that she was held back in the first grade in the Philippines. We had talked about what will come in the next few years and she said she wished she hadn't been held back. We had several good talks and were able to share with her why she was held back and put her mind at ease. Now that she has all the information, she's able to handle it just fine.
We were told that the last few weeks would be an emotional rollercoaster from nervousness, sadness, excitement, fear, happiness. A lot of mixtures of emotions. We've definitely seen that, but overall, she is doing fabulous. It has helped that we've talked tons with her and given her as much information as possible to help her know what is coming in the transition time.
She's excited to see you! And she's excited to get settled and adjusted and familiar with you again.
We were told that the last few weeks would be an emotional rollercoaster from nervousness, sadness, excitement, fear, happiness. A lot of mixtures of emotions. We've definitely seen that, but overall, she is doing fabulous. It has helped that we've talked tons with her and given her as much information as possible to help her know what is coming in the transition time.
She's excited to see you! And she's excited to get settled and adjusted and familiar with you again.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Two Weeks To Be Exact
Madi said you guys had a good and long conversation this morning. So glad the connection was good!!
We had a great day today. My Aunt and Uncle are in town for WA so we spent late afternoon and evening with everyone at my folks' house. My Uncle Rob had his birthday on Halloween so they had a bundt cake for him and I. Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' and it was a fun night. The bundt cake was delicious - of course! Rob and Mel and my parents cooked dinner for us all - fresh grilled chicken, sausage, pasta, a special sauce with veggies and a delicious salad. They are amazing cooks!!
My parents had some magic tricks that their company is using as a gimmick for prospective clients. They tried the magic tricks out on us and it was tons of fun. Then Madi showed us two more magic tricks. We had some good laughs!
Madi tried calling tonight after we got home - not sure if she got through or not. It was later on our end than normal to call - about 9pm our time. If not, we'll try again tomorrow.
We had a great day today. My Aunt and Uncle are in town for WA so we spent late afternoon and evening with everyone at my folks' house. My Uncle Rob had his birthday on Halloween so they had a bundt cake for him and I. Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' and it was a fun night. The bundt cake was delicious - of course! Rob and Mel and my parents cooked dinner for us all - fresh grilled chicken, sausage, pasta, a special sauce with veggies and a delicious salad. They are amazing cooks!!
My parents had some magic tricks that their company is using as a gimmick for prospective clients. They tried the magic tricks out on us and it was tons of fun. Then Madi showed us two more magic tricks. We had some good laughs!
Madi tried calling tonight after we got home - not sure if she got through or not. It was later on our end than normal to call - about 9pm our time. If not, we'll try again tomorrow.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Fridays are the Best
Madi was so ready for today to be over. She was so tired and just wanted to go home and play on the iPod and chill. Don't blame her at all!!
She played for a while this afternoon and said she was able to chat with you via text which is good. She'll try calling in the morning.
We had a good dinner and then the girls went upstairs to play in the playroom. I had Julia tonight and she went down really easy. So I was able to go in and chat with Madi for about 20 minutes. We hung out and laughed and she told me stories about her classes and kids at school. It had been a while since we'd hung out so it was really nice. Julia has been taking forever to get down!! And Riley has as well. Not really sure why, but it has made it very tough to get them down before Madi's lights are out.
Happy Birthday Major!!! I can't believe he is six!!!!!
Madi got her work done during school so she had no homework today which was really great. The girls ate some Halloween candy and they weren't that hungry for dinner. Only three pieces each and they were small/medium. Nothing huge.
Tomorrow we'll spend time with my Uncle Rob and Aunt Mel who are visiting from Seattle, WA. They came in because my Aunt will be getting some work done in the area. We'll probably do dinner together or something really simple.
And Sunday we'll go to church and hopefully get some good afternoon naps in! :)
She played for a while this afternoon and said she was able to chat with you via text which is good. She'll try calling in the morning.
We had a good dinner and then the girls went upstairs to play in the playroom. I had Julia tonight and she went down really easy. So I was able to go in and chat with Madi for about 20 minutes. We hung out and laughed and she told me stories about her classes and kids at school. It had been a while since we'd hung out so it was really nice. Julia has been taking forever to get down!! And Riley has as well. Not really sure why, but it has made it very tough to get them down before Madi's lights are out.
Happy Birthday Major!!! I can't believe he is six!!!!!
Madi got her work done during school so she had no homework today which was really great. The girls ate some Halloween candy and they weren't that hungry for dinner. Only three pieces each and they were small/medium. Nothing huge.
Tomorrow we'll spend time with my Uncle Rob and Aunt Mel who are visiting from Seattle, WA. They came in because my Aunt will be getting some work done in the area. We'll probably do dinner together or something really simple.
And Sunday we'll go to church and hopefully get some good afternoon naps in! :)
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Two Weeks...
It's so strange to see the date that you are coming back on this month's calendar. Madi has been talking a lot about it. She's very nervous about the transition. Feels very torn between leaving and not being with us as she's been with us for what seems like years now. Though she's also looking forward to being with you. Has just been so long and there are plenty of unknowns. Just keep telling her that everything is going to work out and that she will have what she needs: food, a place to live, school, friends and you. That everything else will figure out and that we aren't going anywhere. That I'll still see her at school and while our relationship will change, that it really will be a very good thing.
She asked me today if we need to start packing. And I told her we'd do that in a week or so. That there wasn't anything in her room that needs to be packed right away. She told me that she's just ready to get this over with. And I said that it makes sense. That transition is hard and that there is a lot of change coming. And it will be a lot of change for all of us. She's ready to have unknowns turn into knowns so she can deal better. And that makes sense too.
We've started preparing Riley and talking to her about you coming. We explained that you are Madi's mom and that you've been in school and now you're able to come back to live with her. And that Madi will live with you. Riley said she'd be sad, but that she's glad that Madi will have her mom back. We'll start preparing Julia in a week.
The hardest weeks of the transition are coming up. And I know that it's for the best even if it's the hard thing to do. Madi asked tonight if we'd go to Kentucky Fried Chicken when you came. I told her that that would be up to you and her. That if you guys want to go, that you'll be able to go together. She looked really confused. I elaborated and said that when you return, the two of you will be able to decide things like what you want to eat for dinner and where and that it will be something the two of you can do. She said she really wants fried chicken. Was somewhat strange because in two and a half years, she has never mentioned fried chicken. But I just told her that you'll be able to do different things than what we do and that it will be your decision not ours.
We've also talked about things that she'll probably really look forward to: riding to school without hearing Julia scream at the top of her lungs every morning, not having to wait after school while I have meetings almost every day, being able to do things we can't do since we have two little ones at home, being with you, eating at places we don't eat for whatever reason, stuff like that...
In school, she's been unfocused and having trouble concentrating. Doing some strange behaviors similar to what she had shown when she first came here. Her LEAP teacher talked to me today and said she blurted out "14 days!" in the middle of class. And that her behavior had been strange all day. Then she asked her why she was announcing days out of the blue and Madi told her you were coming soon. I had already talked with her and told her some things that the counselor and I had talked about as far as how the hardest part will be right before you come and right after. Once things are more settled for both of you, it will be much easier. And I had talked to her teacher about some of the changes coming up and told her that she may react differently in class as she has a lot on her mind. They're doing a great job being very loving and understanding and keeping things as stable as possible to help during the transition time. I don't mean for this to all sound sad or bad or like it's a negative transition. More just to let you know a little of how she is feeling so that you can understand where she's coming from. She has just become very comfortable in where she is and now things are changing.
Her grades are still amazing. She's getting along super well with kids at school. She's come so far and it's so great to see. It will be neat for you to see her and to be back in your role as Mom again. Once you get used to each other again, things will be much calmer than they are at the moment.
Madi hasn't been acting out at home. She's quite ditzy and forgetful and talking nonstop, but I really think that is just being an 11 year old! I remember being that way at that age!
Feel free to call her anytime. We aren't ever sure if it's a good time and I know the connection has been bad. I'll make sure she sees her message from you that you sent tonight. We told her she could call tonight, but she was tired and just wanted to sleep. And I totally believe it - she was wiped out by the end of the day and just dragging. Her iPod is downstairs at the moment and charged.
She asked me today if we need to start packing. And I told her we'd do that in a week or so. That there wasn't anything in her room that needs to be packed right away. She told me that she's just ready to get this over with. And I said that it makes sense. That transition is hard and that there is a lot of change coming. And it will be a lot of change for all of us. She's ready to have unknowns turn into knowns so she can deal better. And that makes sense too.
We've started preparing Riley and talking to her about you coming. We explained that you are Madi's mom and that you've been in school and now you're able to come back to live with her. And that Madi will live with you. Riley said she'd be sad, but that she's glad that Madi will have her mom back. We'll start preparing Julia in a week.
The hardest weeks of the transition are coming up. And I know that it's for the best even if it's the hard thing to do. Madi asked tonight if we'd go to Kentucky Fried Chicken when you came. I told her that that would be up to you and her. That if you guys want to go, that you'll be able to go together. She looked really confused. I elaborated and said that when you return, the two of you will be able to decide things like what you want to eat for dinner and where and that it will be something the two of you can do. She said she really wants fried chicken. Was somewhat strange because in two and a half years, she has never mentioned fried chicken. But I just told her that you'll be able to do different things than what we do and that it will be your decision not ours.
We've also talked about things that she'll probably really look forward to: riding to school without hearing Julia scream at the top of her lungs every morning, not having to wait after school while I have meetings almost every day, being able to do things we can't do since we have two little ones at home, being with you, eating at places we don't eat for whatever reason, stuff like that...
In school, she's been unfocused and having trouble concentrating. Doing some strange behaviors similar to what she had shown when she first came here. Her LEAP teacher talked to me today and said she blurted out "14 days!" in the middle of class. And that her behavior had been strange all day. Then she asked her why she was announcing days out of the blue and Madi told her you were coming soon. I had already talked with her and told her some things that the counselor and I had talked about as far as how the hardest part will be right before you come and right after. Once things are more settled for both of you, it will be much easier. And I had talked to her teacher about some of the changes coming up and told her that she may react differently in class as she has a lot on her mind. They're doing a great job being very loving and understanding and keeping things as stable as possible to help during the transition time. I don't mean for this to all sound sad or bad or like it's a negative transition. More just to let you know a little of how she is feeling so that you can understand where she's coming from. She has just become very comfortable in where she is and now things are changing.
Her grades are still amazing. She's getting along super well with kids at school. She's come so far and it's so great to see. It will be neat for you to see her and to be back in your role as Mom again. Once you get used to each other again, things will be much calmer than they are at the moment.
Madi hasn't been acting out at home. She's quite ditzy and forgetful and talking nonstop, but I really think that is just being an 11 year old! I remember being that way at that age!
Feel free to call her anytime. We aren't ever sure if it's a good time and I know the connection has been bad. I'll make sure she sees her message from you that you sent tonight. We told her she could call tonight, but she was tired and just wanted to sleep. And I totally believe it - she was wiped out by the end of the day and just dragging. Her iPod is downstairs at the moment and charged.
Happy Halloween!
Was the perfect weather for trick or treating last night! The girls were all very comfortable in their costumes. Madi was so excited to get candy! What was amazing was that most of our neighborhood was dark because everyone was either not in the spirit of Halloween or they were out doing other things. The girls still got an enormous amount of candy and enjoyed going out.
Madi was asked at school if she was Obi One Kanobi (I'm sure I spelled that wrong!). So she took the hood off. Looked much more complete with the bow and arrows at night. She had many comments about how cool her costume was and how great it looked.
Julia was a ladybug - cutest thing ever. Riley was a glowy girl - wore tons of things that glowed in the dark.
They are all quite tired after being out so late last night. Madi even asked today if she could take a nap tomorrow after school. To which I said "Of course!"
Madi was asked at school if she was Obi One Kanobi (I'm sure I spelled that wrong!). So she took the hood off. Looked much more complete with the bow and arrows at night. She had many comments about how cool her costume was and how great it looked.
Julia was a ladybug - cutest thing ever. Riley was a glowy girl - wore tons of things that glowed in the dark.
They are all quite tired after being out so late last night. Madi even asked today if she could take a nap tomorrow after school. To which I said "Of course!"
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Pictures
We had the Fun Run this past Thursday. Was so much fun!! The girls had a lot of fun walking/running with friends. Madi spent some of her time taking pictures of kids for the school newspaper.
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| Fun Run 2012 - Here we come!! |
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| Getting a little violin lesson! |
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| Costume Contest |
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| Jack O'Lantern Pizza! |
Halloween Weekend
Every year my parents' neighborhood has a fun party on the block. This year they had pony rides, bounce house, food, games, face painting and a costume contest. It was really chilly!!! Madi was super excited to wear her new cape. Grammy and Poppi came by and dropped it off in the morning. It is awesome!!!! So incredibly soft and looks perfect with the rest of the outfit.
We spent some time with Poppi and Grammy this morning. Just hanging out and chatting mostly. After Julia had her nap, we headed to my parents' house. It wasn't as large of an event as it has been in the past, but it was still fun. Riley and Jules rode the ponies and Madi and Riley got to go in the bounce house. The girls all loved the nothing bundt cakes and popcorn.
When it came time for the costume contest, the girls really weren't interested. Riley and Madi did decide to go up front and stand in line for a chance to win a prize. They had a contest for the most original costume and there were several kids who went up. They asked Madi what she was and what her name was. And she won!! She has a gift card to Main Event. Not sure how much it's worth, but it's really great that she won. After all, her costume is original! And awesome.
We went back to the house and had jack o'lantern pizzas from Papa Murphy's, changed into pjs and had a candle lit music time at the table with my mom showing her violin skills! She let Madi hold it and showed her how to use the bow. Madi loved it!
Then we went upstairs and watched the new Tinkerbell movie in their living room upstairs. Had popcorn and snuggled everywhere in the room. The girls had tons of fun and so did we. Madi said she wishes she could rewind the night because she loved it so much.
Today we went to church. I love that Riley and Madi often talk about what they learned and recite the memory verse together. It's really great.
This afternoon Madi finished IXL (She had laps one day this week and had to sit out of recess on Friday for not having her homework done. Actually she had it done, but cleaned out her bag where she had tossed all the papers instead of putting them in her binder. When she cleaned it out, she set them on the counter and we recycled them. And her homework was in the pile so she had to stay in and do it). I helped her with the end of the section by doing the problems and then going over each one with her. Very impressed with how great her math skills have come along. Her multiplication in particular is so much easier for her and she's gotten fast at it while still getting it correct. She then did her Fasttmath work. And got her iPod back!!!
We had planned to give her the iPod back this weekend. We were fairly busy with things on Saturday so we waited until her stuff was done on Sunday. She was so excited to have her games back. She hasn't had her iPod in a month now due to the lying. She now has it for Friday - Sundays but we aren't letting her take it into her room at night yet.
She had earned back the computer, but the day she earned it back she chose to open a blog under the name "Emily" and link it to ChatNow or ChatLog or something like that. Don't remember the whole name. And then opened up her twitter account. When asked about it all, she said she wanted people to be able to talk with her. We asked what kind of people. She wasn't really sure. We talked about cyber safety and the type of people who can be out there and how it is really in her best interest to play some games, chat with people she knows and not open accounts. She shared that she had opened the twitter account in the Philippines and that you didn't know about it. And then reopened it here to start chatting. There isn't anything on the account. And we have again taken away computer privileges because we told her that we needed to have time to go over limits and more cyber safety things that we thought she knew or did know, but wasn't using. She has access to Facebook to see pics when you tell her about it and she can do her homework and projects using the computer. I changed the password to her account so that we make sure she cannot access the twitter, chatnow/chatlog/whatever it is or the blog. I wasn't so worried about the blog. It's all about being able to talk about Artemis and Greek mythology. But being linked to chatting with others... just not a good idea. We'd rather be a little overprotective about it than not enough.
Her grades are doing awesome. Progress reports come home this week. As of right now, she has 100 in all of her english subjects and science. 94 in Social Studies, 97 in something else and 98 in Math. She's really doing great in them.
She's looking forward to seeing you in 20 days. It's going to come so soon!!!
We spent some time with Poppi and Grammy this morning. Just hanging out and chatting mostly. After Julia had her nap, we headed to my parents' house. It wasn't as large of an event as it has been in the past, but it was still fun. Riley and Jules rode the ponies and Madi and Riley got to go in the bounce house. The girls all loved the nothing bundt cakes and popcorn.
When it came time for the costume contest, the girls really weren't interested. Riley and Madi did decide to go up front and stand in line for a chance to win a prize. They had a contest for the most original costume and there were several kids who went up. They asked Madi what she was and what her name was. And she won!! She has a gift card to Main Event. Not sure how much it's worth, but it's really great that she won. After all, her costume is original! And awesome.
We went back to the house and had jack o'lantern pizzas from Papa Murphy's, changed into pjs and had a candle lit music time at the table with my mom showing her violin skills! She let Madi hold it and showed her how to use the bow. Madi loved it!
Then we went upstairs and watched the new Tinkerbell movie in their living room upstairs. Had popcorn and snuggled everywhere in the room. The girls had tons of fun and so did we. Madi said she wishes she could rewind the night because she loved it so much.
Today we went to church. I love that Riley and Madi often talk about what they learned and recite the memory verse together. It's really great.
This afternoon Madi finished IXL (She had laps one day this week and had to sit out of recess on Friday for not having her homework done. Actually she had it done, but cleaned out her bag where she had tossed all the papers instead of putting them in her binder. When she cleaned it out, she set them on the counter and we recycled them. And her homework was in the pile so she had to stay in and do it). I helped her with the end of the section by doing the problems and then going over each one with her. Very impressed with how great her math skills have come along. Her multiplication in particular is so much easier for her and she's gotten fast at it while still getting it correct. She then did her Fasttmath work. And got her iPod back!!!
We had planned to give her the iPod back this weekend. We were fairly busy with things on Saturday so we waited until her stuff was done on Sunday. She was so excited to have her games back. She hasn't had her iPod in a month now due to the lying. She now has it for Friday - Sundays but we aren't letting her take it into her room at night yet.
She had earned back the computer, but the day she earned it back she chose to open a blog under the name "Emily" and link it to ChatNow or ChatLog or something like that. Don't remember the whole name. And then opened up her twitter account. When asked about it all, she said she wanted people to be able to talk with her. We asked what kind of people. She wasn't really sure. We talked about cyber safety and the type of people who can be out there and how it is really in her best interest to play some games, chat with people she knows and not open accounts. She shared that she had opened the twitter account in the Philippines and that you didn't know about it. And then reopened it here to start chatting. There isn't anything on the account. And we have again taken away computer privileges because we told her that we needed to have time to go over limits and more cyber safety things that we thought she knew or did know, but wasn't using. She has access to Facebook to see pics when you tell her about it and she can do her homework and projects using the computer. I changed the password to her account so that we make sure she cannot access the twitter, chatnow/chatlog/whatever it is or the blog. I wasn't so worried about the blog. It's all about being able to talk about Artemis and Greek mythology. But being linked to chatting with others... just not a good idea. We'd rather be a little overprotective about it than not enough.
Her grades are doing awesome. Progress reports come home this week. As of right now, she has 100 in all of her english subjects and science. 94 in Social Studies, 97 in something else and 98 in Math. She's really doing great in them.
She's looking forward to seeing you in 20 days. It's going to come so soon!!!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Fun Sunday
We went to church this morning. The kids service is focusing on their gifts and their talents and talking about what each kid can do that is important and awesome for God. Madi seems to really be loving it!
We came home and she did her Fasttmath and two sections of IXL (for talking in class). She had five minutes of laps on Friday at school. Has been doing an awesome job on her assignments and is enjoying being involved in so much at school.
Later in the day we played Hide and Seek. The girls all love this game and we've played it quite a few times more recently. Julia only counts to three and very quickly so you have practically no time to hide. Then she yells "I find you!" and laughs. Riley doesn't like to count because she's afraid she won't find us and fears that she'll feel bad if she doesn't find us well or that she'll be alone. So that leaves Madi and I to count for the most part. The girls have some really cool hiding places. Under beds. In cabinets in the bathroom - Madi hid under the sink in their bathroom today!!
I went in our room after counting to ten and saw that the hair dryer was in the bin in the middle of the floor. So I opened the cabinet to find Riley inside. She got out and I looked in our closet and she said "No one is in there." So we go to walk out and she points at Jeremy's cabinets in the bathroom. I open the door and Madi is inside. Madi gets out and says very kindly "Thanks for not telling where I was Riley!" And Riley says "You're welcome. I just pointed." Madi was like "What?! You told on me?" Riley started laughing when she realized that Madi figured out that she'd told with her hand. We all laughed hard about that one.
Towards the end of the game, I had Riley and Julia hide under Julia's bed and pulled the trundle out so you couldn't see them. Julia always sleeps on it out anyway so it's usually how the room looks. Madi had fun finding them and then joined them under the bed. I called down and had Jeremy come find the three of them. Julia and Riley did not want to get out from under there!! They loved it.
Tonight we had pulled pork and Madi talked about some of the things that you're hoping to do when you're here. She shared about getting a dog in a year, getting half of what you save buying groceries in money, World of Warcraft, etc... so we talked with her about how these are things you're definitely hoping to do and that they may happen but that she needs to realize that they may not happen in that time frame. That a dog may come in a few months or a few years and not to expect them exactly in a year or whatever. That it is just what would be ideal if all things work out. She kept saying certain times like "We'll do this in ___ years or I'll get ___ in ___ ." So we tried to help her understand that these are all things you're hoping to do and would like to do, but that it may take some time before they happen if they happen.
We came home and she did her Fasttmath and two sections of IXL (for talking in class). She had five minutes of laps on Friday at school. Has been doing an awesome job on her assignments and is enjoying being involved in so much at school.
Later in the day we played Hide and Seek. The girls all love this game and we've played it quite a few times more recently. Julia only counts to three and very quickly so you have practically no time to hide. Then she yells "I find you!" and laughs. Riley doesn't like to count because she's afraid she won't find us and fears that she'll feel bad if she doesn't find us well or that she'll be alone. So that leaves Madi and I to count for the most part. The girls have some really cool hiding places. Under beds. In cabinets in the bathroom - Madi hid under the sink in their bathroom today!!
I went in our room after counting to ten and saw that the hair dryer was in the bin in the middle of the floor. So I opened the cabinet to find Riley inside. She got out and I looked in our closet and she said "No one is in there." So we go to walk out and she points at Jeremy's cabinets in the bathroom. I open the door and Madi is inside. Madi gets out and says very kindly "Thanks for not telling where I was Riley!" And Riley says "You're welcome. I just pointed." Madi was like "What?! You told on me?" Riley started laughing when she realized that Madi figured out that she'd told with her hand. We all laughed hard about that one.
Towards the end of the game, I had Riley and Julia hide under Julia's bed and pulled the trundle out so you couldn't see them. Julia always sleeps on it out anyway so it's usually how the room looks. Madi had fun finding them and then joined them under the bed. I called down and had Jeremy come find the three of them. Julia and Riley did not want to get out from under there!! They loved it.
Tonight we had pulled pork and Madi talked about some of the things that you're hoping to do when you're here. She shared about getting a dog in a year, getting half of what you save buying groceries in money, World of Warcraft, etc... so we talked with her about how these are things you're definitely hoping to do and that they may happen but that she needs to realize that they may not happen in that time frame. That a dog may come in a few months or a few years and not to expect them exactly in a year or whatever. That it is just what would be ideal if all things work out. She kept saying certain times like "We'll do this in ___ years or I'll get ___ in ___ ." So we tried to help her understand that these are all things you're hoping to do and would like to do, but that it may take some time before they happen if they happen.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Fridays Rock!
Was a good week! Not too much to say about it really - other than it went REALLY fast!
Madi is doing good in her classes. She was able to help on Thursday in the library. She painted the one of the pumpkin signs for the pumpkin contest that is coming up. She's doing awesome in choir. They sound soooo good!! She loves the song "Magical Kingdom" by John Rutter. Also my favorite piece that they are doing. It's so fun and neat!
We are planning to go to the Arboretum tomorrow for our annual pumpkin trip! We got a membership last year in October and it expires at the end of the month. So all of us will go for free again. Not planning to renew it this year. Hoping to renew next year and use it again for two pumpkin patch times like we did this year. Spring is always so beautiful too.
Madi added some feathers to her bow and arrows today. Looks awesome!!! She'll have a fabulous costume this year for Halloween.
Madi is doing good in her classes. She was able to help on Thursday in the library. She painted the one of the pumpkin signs for the pumpkin contest that is coming up. She's doing awesome in choir. They sound soooo good!! She loves the song "Magical Kingdom" by John Rutter. Also my favorite piece that they are doing. It's so fun and neat!
We are planning to go to the Arboretum tomorrow for our annual pumpkin trip! We got a membership last year in October and it expires at the end of the month. So all of us will go for free again. Not planning to renew it this year. Hoping to renew next year and use it again for two pumpkin patch times like we did this year. Spring is always so beautiful too.
Madi added some feathers to her bow and arrows today. Looks awesome!!! She'll have a fabulous costume this year for Halloween.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
All A's!!
Madi had a fantastic report card. Earned all A's! Including two 100%!!! No tardies and no absences. The only comment was: "She spends a lot of time socializing with her peers." In other words, she talks too much in class. Very pleased to see her working hard and earning such great grades. A great reflection on how she is doing and how much effort she is putting in. So proud of her!!!
Decisions
I messaged this to you last night, but want to have it on here so that it is very clear as to why we are standing so firm on our decision for what will happen when you get back. We have spoken to a good friend of mine who is a licensed counselor and works at DBU as a professor of counseling for their master's program as well as serves as a personal counselor several days a week after school and on Saturdays. Jeremy and I took some time to think on it and pray to make sure it was the right thing to do. Here is the letter I sent:
Jeremy and I have had lots of talks about how things will be and what will be best for all involved when you come back in several weeks. I’m going to ask that you read all the way through to the end to understand fully where we are coming from.
We have been trying to figure out exactly how everything is going to work when you get back to the States. Obviously we can’t plan much in advance and we can’t know exactly how everything will work. But we can plan what we do know and make wise decisions based on the information that we have. And we’ve talked with a counselor as well as Jeremy talked to your parents today about our decision so that they would understand where we are coming from.
There are three items that are the top priority in regards to you returning to the States:
1. Madi
2. Your relationship with Madi
3. Madi
We believe that our role as parents needs to be transferred to you. That what is best for Madi is that you take the role as her Mom as soon as you are here. It will not benefit her to have you making decisions for her and us making decisions for her. It will not help her to view you as an adult and parent if you are following our household rules and taking the role of one of our children instead of leading as an adult in your home. And Madi being able to see you as her Mom and not her peer/sister/roommate will be very important from the moment you come. She will have respect for you if you take on the role of parent immediately rather than relying on us to help or co-parenting alongside you. She needs to see that you will provide and take care of her and act as the leader of your home – not in ours.
Madi will also need to know that you are the adult that she is to be loyal and listen to. That she can bring her gladness, sadness, worry, fear, and happiness to. That we will turn over the role of parent to you and that we will take on the role of uncle and aunt. She should not be torn between being loyal to you or loyal to us. Or worrying about making sure that you are ok. Or worrying about finances and adult worries. Or wondering how things will go when you’re on your own. And these are all things that she has felt or expressed concern about in various ways. She needs to see quickly that being together will be good and that she can be your daughter and you can be her mom. Without us being in the mix. And that you can make things work outside of our home. And that it is ok for her to be a child.
The most important thing will be for you both to reconnect and discover your relationship new. You had different roles in the Philippines and you will now have other roles when you come back. And you’ll need to learn each other again and develop your relationship without our influence.
All that being said, we have decided to give you a time frame to stay at our home as well as a firm date that you and Madi need to have your own place – whether that is renting an apartment month to month, Budget Suites or renting a house. The reason being that you can not become a unit and function in a healthy mother-daughter relationship if you are dependent on us as well or coexisting with us. It won’t be healthy for any of us.
Our time frame may seem short, but it is actually longer than was recommended to us. When you arrive, you and Madi will be able to stay with us for two weeks. December 1st will be your final day living with us and you will need to have other arrangements made by this date and be out of our home at or before this date.
We will have Madi partially packed the few days or week before you come. And we have already discussed all of this with her throughout this past week so that she can be preparing. Your parents are also aware of this. We wanted them in the loop so that they would understand we’re not doing it out of anger or bitterness or revenge or selfishness. That we truly want you and Madi to have a chance to make life work for you. And having us serve in our natural roles of Uncle and Aunt will be vital to helping you both figure out your relationships and reconnecting. We would be standing in the way to do something different.
It has taken us some time to think and pray about it. And we have not tried to wait until the last minute to talk to you. It has definitely been a process of deciding what is best for everyone involved.
You may feel slighted or frustrated or angry. But we do believe that you will come to understand that your family – you and Madi – and your roles together will be the most vital decision. And that to be in our home for a few months will not allow that relationship to develop correctly.
Please feel free to respond. We are firm on our date and the information and feel whole-heartedly that this will be best. I’ve tried to explain to the best of my ability in this letter. It may sound heartless and I hope it doesn’t. It may sound tough and yes, it is. But your role has to be that of Mom. And Madi will respect you so much more and be able to follow your leadership so much better as a result.
We love her. We love you.
Love,
Jeremy and Jess
Jeremy and I have had lots of talks about how things will be and what will be best for all involved when you come back in several weeks. I’m going to ask that you read all the way through to the end to understand fully where we are coming from.
We have been trying to figure out exactly how everything is going to work when you get back to the States. Obviously we can’t plan much in advance and we can’t know exactly how everything will work. But we can plan what we do know and make wise decisions based on the information that we have. And we’ve talked with a counselor as well as Jeremy talked to your parents today about our decision so that they would understand where we are coming from.
There are three items that are the top priority in regards to you returning to the States:
1. Madi
2. Your relationship with Madi
3. Madi
We believe that our role as parents needs to be transferred to you. That what is best for Madi is that you take the role as her Mom as soon as you are here. It will not benefit her to have you making decisions for her and us making decisions for her. It will not help her to view you as an adult and parent if you are following our household rules and taking the role of one of our children instead of leading as an adult in your home. And Madi being able to see you as her Mom and not her peer/sister/roommate will be very important from the moment you come. She will have respect for you if you take on the role of parent immediately rather than relying on us to help or co-parenting alongside you. She needs to see that you will provide and take care of her and act as the leader of your home – not in ours.
Madi will also need to know that you are the adult that she is to be loyal and listen to. That she can bring her gladness, sadness, worry, fear, and happiness to. That we will turn over the role of parent to you and that we will take on the role of uncle and aunt. She should not be torn between being loyal to you or loyal to us. Or worrying about making sure that you are ok. Or worrying about finances and adult worries. Or wondering how things will go when you’re on your own. And these are all things that she has felt or expressed concern about in various ways. She needs to see quickly that being together will be good and that she can be your daughter and you can be her mom. Without us being in the mix. And that you can make things work outside of our home. And that it is ok for her to be a child.
The most important thing will be for you both to reconnect and discover your relationship new. You had different roles in the Philippines and you will now have other roles when you come back. And you’ll need to learn each other again and develop your relationship without our influence.
All that being said, we have decided to give you a time frame to stay at our home as well as a firm date that you and Madi need to have your own place – whether that is renting an apartment month to month, Budget Suites or renting a house. The reason being that you can not become a unit and function in a healthy mother-daughter relationship if you are dependent on us as well or coexisting with us. It won’t be healthy for any of us.
Our time frame may seem short, but it is actually longer than was recommended to us. When you arrive, you and Madi will be able to stay with us for two weeks. December 1st will be your final day living with us and you will need to have other arrangements made by this date and be out of our home at or before this date.
We will have Madi partially packed the few days or week before you come. And we have already discussed all of this with her throughout this past week so that she can be preparing. Your parents are also aware of this. We wanted them in the loop so that they would understand we’re not doing it out of anger or bitterness or revenge or selfishness. That we truly want you and Madi to have a chance to make life work for you. And having us serve in our natural roles of Uncle and Aunt will be vital to helping you both figure out your relationships and reconnecting. We would be standing in the way to do something different.
It has taken us some time to think and pray about it. And we have not tried to wait until the last minute to talk to you. It has definitely been a process of deciding what is best for everyone involved.
You may feel slighted or frustrated or angry. But we do believe that you will come to understand that your family – you and Madi – and your roles together will be the most vital decision. And that to be in our home for a few months will not allow that relationship to develop correctly.
Please feel free to respond. We are firm on our date and the information and feel whole-heartedly that this will be best. I’ve tried to explain to the best of my ability in this letter. It may sound heartless and I hope it doesn’t. It may sound tough and yes, it is. But your role has to be that of Mom. And Madi will respect you so much more and be able to follow your leadership so much better as a result.
We love her. We love you.
Love,
Jeremy and Jess
Monday, October 8, 2012
Visit with Grammy and Poppi
Madi had a really great long weekend. No school today. Grammy and Poppi came over yesterday afternoon to spend time with the girls and watch them while we had work on Monday. Total blessing!!
Grammy took Madi and Riley to the fabric store to find some fabric that would work to make a cape and a sash for Madi's costume. They found some that they liked for the cape and then purchased the material for the sash. Grammy worked on the sash today as well as two small rings that cover up some of the velcro on the shoulders. Madi was wearing it when I got home and it looks awesome!!!
Madi made a bow and arrow set at my parents' house this weekend with a quiver. And then she printed off the cape instructions for Grammy. Can't wait to see how it looks!!!
She was a little emotional last night and a little emotional when they left - though she handled it better when they left today than last weekend. I think she realizes that she'll see them more often than we've been seeing them and I think seeing them makes her think more of you as well. I gave her a hug after they left and she settled right into getting ready for the day tomorrow. Was a low-key night and she was really tired. Looked quite tired by the end of the day.
Picture day is this Thursday. I'm excited to see what Madi will decide to wear and how she'll want her hair done!
Overall it was a really great weekend. Hoping that this week is another good week for her! I think her PAL comes from the High School to spend time with her on Friday?! And she'll have a chance to meet with Ms. T again this week which will be really nice. Other than that, I can't think of anything else going on!
Grammy took Madi and Riley to the fabric store to find some fabric that would work to make a cape and a sash for Madi's costume. They found some that they liked for the cape and then purchased the material for the sash. Grammy worked on the sash today as well as two small rings that cover up some of the velcro on the shoulders. Madi was wearing it when I got home and it looks awesome!!!
Madi made a bow and arrow set at my parents' house this weekend with a quiver. And then she printed off the cape instructions for Grammy. Can't wait to see how it looks!!!
She was a little emotional last night and a little emotional when they left - though she handled it better when they left today than last weekend. I think she realizes that she'll see them more often than we've been seeing them and I think seeing them makes her think more of you as well. I gave her a hug after they left and she settled right into getting ready for the day tomorrow. Was a low-key night and she was really tired. Looked quite tired by the end of the day.
Picture day is this Thursday. I'm excited to see what Madi will decide to wear and how she'll want her hair done!
Overall it was a really great weekend. Hoping that this week is another good week for her! I think her PAL comes from the High School to spend time with her on Friday?! And she'll have a chance to meet with Ms. T again this week which will be really nice. Other than that, I can't think of anything else going on!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Fun Weekend
Madi spent the night at Elizabeth's house last night and then my parents picked her up at lunchtime to have a Madi day with her! She made a new bow for her costume because they couldn't find one that would work. The reviews were bad or it was too small or broke easy or was too expensive.
She can't wait to shop for her Halloween costume fabric. Has some great ideas!!
Tomorrow Grammy and Poppi come over so she'll go shopping for fabric with Grammy to help make some accessories for her costume.
She can't wait to shop for her Halloween costume fabric. Has some great ideas!!
Tomorrow Grammy and Poppi come over so she'll go shopping for fabric with Grammy to help make some accessories for her costume.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Fabulous Friday
Madi had a call last night from her friend Elizabeth. She was invited to come over her house for a sleepover and of course, we said she could. She packed her things last night and was ready to go! Didn't really get to talk to her much today at all. Didn't see her except for a minute as she was leaving the cafeteria from lunch and a few minutes while I dropped her off.
My parents are picking her up from the playdate tomorrow around noon and then spending some time with her in the afternoon. Expecting that she'll be pretty tired as they usually stay up pretty late.
On Sunday Poppi and Grammy will be coming into town and staying the night again so that they can watch Riley and Madi on Monday while I have meetings all day and Jeremy is work and Jules is at daycare.
Not sure how her day went today, but it will definitely be a nice long weekend for her!
My parents are picking her up from the playdate tomorrow around noon and then spending some time with her in the afternoon. Expecting that she'll be pretty tired as they usually stay up pretty late.
On Sunday Poppi and Grammy will be coming into town and staying the night again so that they can watch Riley and Madi on Monday while I have meetings all day and Jeremy is work and Jules is at daycare.
Not sure how her day went today, but it will definitely be a nice long weekend for her!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Good Day
The last two days have been good. We had some good talks with Madi yesterday and again today. She was able to talk with Ms. T, the counselor, today for about thirty minutes. She really enjoyed her time with Ms. T and said that she'd like to talk to her again sometime. So I'm going to talk to Ms. T tomorrow to see how to have Madi scheduled to see her on a regular basis. Madi said she'd like that as well. I'm not sure what that means or how often it would be, but it would be really great for her.
She and Jeremy had some good time together tonight. I put Julia down to bed and then was finally able to go into Madi's room to have some time with her. Has been really insane getting the girls down at a decent hour so that we could go into her room to read or chat at night. Is a really rare thing to be done before 9pm putting the girls down as they take longer to get to sleep. Anyway - I was able to chat with Madi for about ten minutes and we read some funny things from her Muse magazine.
Hoping to get her the magazine subscription again - both girls really loved having them all year long and was a really fun gift for them to get throughout the year.
Hoping that tomorrow is a great day as well!
She and Jeremy had some good time together tonight. I put Julia down to bed and then was finally able to go into Madi's room to have some time with her. Has been really insane getting the girls down at a decent hour so that we could go into her room to read or chat at night. Is a really rare thing to be done before 9pm putting the girls down as they take longer to get to sleep. Anyway - I was able to chat with Madi for about ten minutes and we read some funny things from her Muse magazine.
Hoping to get her the magazine subscription again - both girls really loved having them all year long and was a really fun gift for them to get throughout the year.
Hoping that tomorrow is a great day as well!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Turn Around
Today was a really great day. We were all a little bit more calm after the events of yesterday. Would make a great book (sort of):
The Case of the Missing Knife
We've had our chef's knife missing for several months. We noticed it missing after we got back from the cruise and after Poppi and Grammy were over sometime in June or May. Honestly can't remember the exact dates. But the knife is our largest in the house. And it wasn't to be found anywhere.
We even did a thorough search of Madi's room while she was gone one day. She was in a role play phase and was acting like an elfen and other characters so we thought that maybe she had taken it.
Yesterday she found it under her bed. She said she didn't take it and that it was just found and that she had no idea how it got there. In the recent events of being lied to about several things and being tested to no end, neither Jeremy nor I believed her. And we weren't shy about saying so. We couldn't understand how it couldn't have been her. She hasn't had anyone over. She's the only one that sleeps in the room.
It was suggested that Lauren, our babysitter, may have taken it into the room when she stayed with Jules while we were on the cruise. I could have sworn that she said she slept in Riley's room. I was very wrong on that one.
Last night Jeremy and I were trying to figure out the pieces and put it all together. We wanted to believe Madi but were having a very hard time trusting her. I went ahead and texted Lauren. When she didn't answer the text, I called and left a message. A few hours later, she replied that she was so incredibly sorry to have put Madi through this. She said she took the knife for protection as she gets very very scared at night when she is sleeping alone in a house. And she totally forgot she had put it there. And then Madi found it - it was weird timing - and it just looked fishy.
Jeremy and I feel so incredibly relieved to know that Madi was telling the truth and that she held her ground when we asked her several times this weekend.
First thing this morning, I apologized to her and Jeremy apologized to her. We did tell her that it is important to be truthful at all times as we would have been able to trust her response more had she not lied several times this past week and disobeyed out of lack of respect. We made it very short and definitely made it clear that we were in the wrong on this one. That we were sorry for making her feel guilty and that we just couldn't figure out the right answer until we got the text from Lauren.
We got to school and she and I had a good conversation just hanging out. Talking about nothing and everything at the same time. She mentioned that she was really nervous about the changes coming up. I told her that we all were and that she was probably the most nervous of all as new things are coming. I encouraged her to talk to our counselor. She'll be speaking with her tomorrow. It will be great for her to have a support system of people to help her adjust.
Ms. T, the counselor, and I spoke briefly this morning. She reminded me that we are going to be on a roller coaster of emotions these next seven weeks. That Madi will go from calm to hyper to sad to scared and back again many times. That the best thing we can do is stay calm and be security and reassurance of what we do know. And help her work through this time. She's looking forward to talking to Madi and I think it will be very helpful to her to have Ms. T.
After school, Madi and I got a little bit of time together just the two of us. She asked about our conversation yesterday and then talked again about some things. I mentioned that I knew that she felt that we didn't love her. She was surprised that I knew she had said that. I told her that Grammy and I had talked last night. And that I felt very sad to think she thought that. I told her that there was nothing she could do that would make us not love her and that she was like one of our own kids and we would always love her - no matter what.
She got very quiet and then said very sweetly "Thanks Aunt Jess. That Means a lot." And I told her it was true. Then we talked some more about random things and picked up Riley from her playdate and Julia from preschool.
Madi had a test today on the 50 states and locating them on a blank outline map. Oy!! This is definitely not anything she is familiar with or anything we'd expect her to be familiar with. Last year they focused on Texas alone. Much simpler and less to remember. She knows that she didn't do well as she could only remember four or five states. She can recite them alphabetically, but can't place where they are.
We have a map puzzle that she used tonight and we got some blank outline maps online and printed them to practice. It has been a challenge to keep up with the fifth grade work as there is more for her to remember to do and it's been tough to really know what is coming. So it's something we have to help her work on and get in a groove with so that she is more prepared for tests. Honestly she hasn't had to really study or work outside of school until this year. And now there are new things (especially and mostly in social studies) that she has had no exposure to.
Jeremy lay down on her bed tonight and helped her with some parts. I helped her with other parts. She told us that she thought we'd be mad that she didn't know it. We explained that there was never any reason for her to know it and that this is just an area we'll have to spend more time on with her to help her get it. That we have high expectations in areas where she does excel. In this area, it's more of our job to help her get it - not to push her hard. She was appreciative. We gave tons of hugs and good nights and had a very affectionate night which was really great.
I truly think this weekend helped us realize that she may be testing us like crazy and she may be pushing many buttons, but she truly just wants to know if she is loved and if we care. It is not easy raising an eleven year old and especially challenging when they are going through some big changes that many kids don't go through. It's a challenging time and it's a big growth period. But she's going to handle it just fine. And we'll all come out stronger and more wise than we were when we started!
The Case of the Missing Knife
We've had our chef's knife missing for several months. We noticed it missing after we got back from the cruise and after Poppi and Grammy were over sometime in June or May. Honestly can't remember the exact dates. But the knife is our largest in the house. And it wasn't to be found anywhere.
We even did a thorough search of Madi's room while she was gone one day. She was in a role play phase and was acting like an elfen and other characters so we thought that maybe she had taken it.
Yesterday she found it under her bed. She said she didn't take it and that it was just found and that she had no idea how it got there. In the recent events of being lied to about several things and being tested to no end, neither Jeremy nor I believed her. And we weren't shy about saying so. We couldn't understand how it couldn't have been her. She hasn't had anyone over. She's the only one that sleeps in the room.
It was suggested that Lauren, our babysitter, may have taken it into the room when she stayed with Jules while we were on the cruise. I could have sworn that she said she slept in Riley's room. I was very wrong on that one.
Last night Jeremy and I were trying to figure out the pieces and put it all together. We wanted to believe Madi but were having a very hard time trusting her. I went ahead and texted Lauren. When she didn't answer the text, I called and left a message. A few hours later, she replied that she was so incredibly sorry to have put Madi through this. She said she took the knife for protection as she gets very very scared at night when she is sleeping alone in a house. And she totally forgot she had put it there. And then Madi found it - it was weird timing - and it just looked fishy.
Jeremy and I feel so incredibly relieved to know that Madi was telling the truth and that she held her ground when we asked her several times this weekend.
First thing this morning, I apologized to her and Jeremy apologized to her. We did tell her that it is important to be truthful at all times as we would have been able to trust her response more had she not lied several times this past week and disobeyed out of lack of respect. We made it very short and definitely made it clear that we were in the wrong on this one. That we were sorry for making her feel guilty and that we just couldn't figure out the right answer until we got the text from Lauren.
We got to school and she and I had a good conversation just hanging out. Talking about nothing and everything at the same time. She mentioned that she was really nervous about the changes coming up. I told her that we all were and that she was probably the most nervous of all as new things are coming. I encouraged her to talk to our counselor. She'll be speaking with her tomorrow. It will be great for her to have a support system of people to help her adjust.
Ms. T, the counselor, and I spoke briefly this morning. She reminded me that we are going to be on a roller coaster of emotions these next seven weeks. That Madi will go from calm to hyper to sad to scared and back again many times. That the best thing we can do is stay calm and be security and reassurance of what we do know. And help her work through this time. She's looking forward to talking to Madi and I think it will be very helpful to her to have Ms. T.
After school, Madi and I got a little bit of time together just the two of us. She asked about our conversation yesterday and then talked again about some things. I mentioned that I knew that she felt that we didn't love her. She was surprised that I knew she had said that. I told her that Grammy and I had talked last night. And that I felt very sad to think she thought that. I told her that there was nothing she could do that would make us not love her and that she was like one of our own kids and we would always love her - no matter what.
She got very quiet and then said very sweetly "Thanks Aunt Jess. That Means a lot." And I told her it was true. Then we talked some more about random things and picked up Riley from her playdate and Julia from preschool.
Madi had a test today on the 50 states and locating them on a blank outline map. Oy!! This is definitely not anything she is familiar with or anything we'd expect her to be familiar with. Last year they focused on Texas alone. Much simpler and less to remember. She knows that she didn't do well as she could only remember four or five states. She can recite them alphabetically, but can't place where they are.
We have a map puzzle that she used tonight and we got some blank outline maps online and printed them to practice. It has been a challenge to keep up with the fifth grade work as there is more for her to remember to do and it's been tough to really know what is coming. So it's something we have to help her work on and get in a groove with so that she is more prepared for tests. Honestly she hasn't had to really study or work outside of school until this year. And now there are new things (especially and mostly in social studies) that she has had no exposure to.
Jeremy lay down on her bed tonight and helped her with some parts. I helped her with other parts. She told us that she thought we'd be mad that she didn't know it. We explained that there was never any reason for her to know it and that this is just an area we'll have to spend more time on with her to help her get it. That we have high expectations in areas where she does excel. In this area, it's more of our job to help her get it - not to push her hard. She was appreciative. We gave tons of hugs and good nights and had a very affectionate night which was really great.
I truly think this weekend helped us realize that she may be testing us like crazy and she may be pushing many buttons, but she truly just wants to know if she is loved and if we care. It is not easy raising an eleven year old and especially challenging when they are going through some big changes that many kids don't go through. It's a challenging time and it's a big growth period. But she's going to handle it just fine. And we'll all come out stronger and more wise than we were when we started!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Friday is finally here!
Has been an interesting time with Madi. I talked with the counselor at school today and also talked with Madi about how she may want to talk with her. That anything she shares is confidential and that it would not be passed on to me. Don't want her worried about if I would know anything that is shared. Would be really great for her to talk with somebody outside the family. And Ed is awesome! She's been someone who has really been wonderful for us as parents and is a great resource.
Ed shared with me that emotionally Madi is starting to prepare to leave us and is pulling back. That for her sake, it's a way of protecting and preparing to move back with you. Madi isn't aware of this and doesn't need to know it, but it definitely sheds light on why she's reverting back to things she hasn't tried in a long time. She lies now and again, but the last week or so has been insane. Her character has truly been terrible and it's been difficult to see her trying things she used to try when she first got here a year and a half ago - can't believe it's almost been that long!!
Ed said that it will be important for Jer and I to talk to her about things. And to reassure her that there is change coming and that we won't be just leaving her stranded. That we can share the things we do know to help keep her stable and secure. And to reassure her that change is scary and that she will be safe and taken care of.
We had an incident this morning with lying. She started talking about various things while I was getting set up for my first class. She talked about how she was told not to write in red pen and check her answers with it or else she would be given a zero. So she kept talking and said that she wanted to check her answers anyway so she did and then scribbled on her paper. She was asked about it and lied to her teacher. Said that she was testing out the pen to make sure it worked. But she told me that in reality, she was just scribbling because she wanted to. All over her assignment.
So I said "So... you lied to him?" She got quiet and said "yes." And I asked her why she lied. She said "I didn't want to get a zero on it." I said "So you purposefully wrote on the paper and did exactly what your teacher asked you not to. And then lied to the teacher so you could keep your 80%." She said "Yes." So I then asked her "Well, are you going to talk to your teacher or should I?" She said she would talk to the teacher. I let her know that I would check back with the teacher at the end of the day to make sure she was being true to her word. We prayed before she went on to the gym to wait for Ms. Von to pick up her class.
I emailed her teacher and Jeremy to keep him in the loop as to what was going on. We had a few emails back and forth and she will be earning a 0% on the assignment as she tested the teacher, purposefully lied and purposefully chose to do exactly what her teacher asked her not to.
I did receive an email from her teacher letting me know that she did come and apologize. Was very thankful to hear that. I'm sure it wasn't easy, but she has got to learn that lying is not the way to handle everything in life. And she is definitely testing every area out with it. Reminds me so much of what we dealt with when she first came here. It could be a very testy couple of weeks before you come. And I would very much expect that she is going to test you like crazy to see if you notice, if you do anything and if you follow through with helping her make the right decisions. It is definitely a full time job to keep up with helping her learn integrity and morals and right character. And I truly believe she is testing us at the moment to see if we still care even though we know you are returning. I'm sure she is seeing that we do. We've had some good snuggle time on the couch and some good talks. Hasn't been anything out of anger - just disappointment in her lack of character.
Ed shared with me that emotionally Madi is starting to prepare to leave us and is pulling back. That for her sake, it's a way of protecting and preparing to move back with you. Madi isn't aware of this and doesn't need to know it, but it definitely sheds light on why she's reverting back to things she hasn't tried in a long time. She lies now and again, but the last week or so has been insane. Her character has truly been terrible and it's been difficult to see her trying things she used to try when she first got here a year and a half ago - can't believe it's almost been that long!!
Ed said that it will be important for Jer and I to talk to her about things. And to reassure her that there is change coming and that we won't be just leaving her stranded. That we can share the things we do know to help keep her stable and secure. And to reassure her that change is scary and that she will be safe and taken care of.
We had an incident this morning with lying. She started talking about various things while I was getting set up for my first class. She talked about how she was told not to write in red pen and check her answers with it or else she would be given a zero. So she kept talking and said that she wanted to check her answers anyway so she did and then scribbled on her paper. She was asked about it and lied to her teacher. Said that she was testing out the pen to make sure it worked. But she told me that in reality, she was just scribbling because she wanted to. All over her assignment.
So I said "So... you lied to him?" She got quiet and said "yes." And I asked her why she lied. She said "I didn't want to get a zero on it." I said "So you purposefully wrote on the paper and did exactly what your teacher asked you not to. And then lied to the teacher so you could keep your 80%." She said "Yes." So I then asked her "Well, are you going to talk to your teacher or should I?" She said she would talk to the teacher. I let her know that I would check back with the teacher at the end of the day to make sure she was being true to her word. We prayed before she went on to the gym to wait for Ms. Von to pick up her class.
I emailed her teacher and Jeremy to keep him in the loop as to what was going on. We had a few emails back and forth and she will be earning a 0% on the assignment as she tested the teacher, purposefully lied and purposefully chose to do exactly what her teacher asked her not to.
I did receive an email from her teacher letting me know that she did come and apologize. Was very thankful to hear that. I'm sure it wasn't easy, but she has got to learn that lying is not the way to handle everything in life. And she is definitely testing every area out with it. Reminds me so much of what we dealt with when she first came here. It could be a very testy couple of weeks before you come. And I would very much expect that she is going to test you like crazy to see if you notice, if you do anything and if you follow through with helping her make the right decisions. It is definitely a full time job to keep up with helping her learn integrity and morals and right character. And I truly believe she is testing us at the moment to see if we still care even though we know you are returning. I'm sure she is seeing that we do. We've had some good snuggle time on the couch and some good talks. Hasn't been anything out of anger - just disappointment in her lack of character.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Better Start This Week
Today was so much better than the last few days have been. Really quite crazy how up and down and right and left tweens are in their behaviors and emotions. We were able to have some good conversations last night and today which helped ease Madi's nervousness over all the change that will be coming soon. She's got a lot on her mind and is trying to figure out how things are going to work out and what will happen and just wants to know she'll be ok. So we talked about the things that will remain the same. And as Ed, my friend and school counselor, says: "Kids want to know that they are loved, that they will be looked after and that everything is going to be ok." So I've tried to really remind her that no matter what happens, she will be safe and secure and taken care of. And that she is very much loved and wanted.
It has been really good for Madi to be able to express how she is feeling as she tends to bottle up her emotion and not talk about her feelings ever. She is finally starting to be able to express "I am mad because..." or "I'm worried because..." It's a really great thing that she is starting to open up more about her emotions and being able to deal with them outwardly instead of inwardly.
She turned in her third project for this six weeks today. Did one the last three weekends. The projects weren't due until this Friday, but now she's totally finished and doesn't have much work to do which is great! We can all relax for a few weeks - yea!!!
Madi had her first choir rehearsal today. It went really well! The kids were more chatty than usual on the first day, but they also sang so incredibly well! There are 47 students on Mondays and 41 students on Fridays which means the choir is nice and big and will sound awesome. I'm excited that you'll be back in time to hear Madi sing at the basketball game as well as her holiday concerts. That will mean so much to her!!
It has been really good for Madi to be able to express how she is feeling as she tends to bottle up her emotion and not talk about her feelings ever. She is finally starting to be able to express "I am mad because..." or "I'm worried because..." It's a really great thing that she is starting to open up more about her emotions and being able to deal with them outwardly instead of inwardly.
She turned in her third project for this six weeks today. Did one the last three weekends. The projects weren't due until this Friday, but now she's totally finished and doesn't have much work to do which is great! We can all relax for a few weeks - yea!!!
Madi had her first choir rehearsal today. It went really well! The kids were more chatty than usual on the first day, but they also sang so incredibly well! There are 47 students on Mondays and 41 students on Fridays which means the choir is nice and big and will sound awesome. I'm excited that you'll be back in time to hear Madi sing at the basketball game as well as her holiday concerts. That will mean so much to her!!
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Wrong Choices = Hard Week
Been a tough one for Madi this week. She hasn't made the best of choices and is living out the result of those decisions. I'll keep it in a nutshell and let her explain the rest. Would be interesting to see if she'd play the blame game or fess up to what happened this week as she's been working very hard to
1. Chose to play a game of tag with two friends in my room while I had a 20 minute meeting. Was told they would be sitting and talking, but they chose to chase instead.
2. Chose to play on her iPod at night for three nights in a row. We have a no ipod on school nights rule from Monday thru Thursday so that she can focus on school work and after-school activities instead. She chose to play on it. The third night she did it, I went on Facebook and saw her activity on it. We took a screen shot so we could show her.
3. In the morning, I asked her if she wanted the good news first or the bad news. Good news was that she was going to get to go to her friend Elizabeth's house for a playdate after school. Then I asked "Have you been on your iPod?" She lied and said "No." I asked her if she cared to revise her statement. She shook her head no. Then I told her that I had a screen shot of the activity from her iPod and asked her again if she had been on her iPod. She fessed up to going on it, but didn't see anything wrong with it. She knew it was wrong, but didn't care that she'd been on it. This was Wednesday. Still have not had an apology from her or any sign that she regrets having been caught or having done it. Consequence: no ipod or computer time unless to talk to Monica or school related until further notice. We don't deal with lying or blatant disobedience. And she doesn't tolerate small consequences well as she just overrides them the best she can.
4. This morning she was talking to Monica and chose to then text Mason to talk to him. As all texts also report to our phones, we knew right away. She didn't apologize for doing it and didn't feel bad for it. She, again, chose to blatantly disrespect the consequence of her previous action. As a result, her iPod is wiped clean of everything except Facetime as she has proven not to be trustworthy in her character.
5. Started a club with two friends. They started inviting more students into the club only to feel that there were too many kids in the club. Something happened between her and one of the other girls so Madi quit the club. She and the other girls are now at odds. Then she started a new club with a few other students. She has a notebook she is keeping rules and consequences in for the actions of the club. The rules are unbelievably terrible and rude. Leaves students out and definitely draws the line between those in the club and those not. We talked with her about how she is asking to be alienated and left by herself because she is pitting friends against friends. We told her that she will not be allowed to participate in any clubs and if we hear of talk about it, there will be consequences. That her goal should be to include people not exclude them and she is asking to be isolated and without friends in her actions.
We had a talk last night and Jeremy talked today to her about her actions. And where she will end up down the road if she can't have respect, character, and obedience in her life. We talked about how she needs to work on having good character and integrity even if noone is watching her. And being the right kind of person and friend. She has a tough outer shell and I know she is hearing what we are saying. She does not act as though she cares and she does not respond as someone who cares. It is really trying.
1. Chose to play a game of tag with two friends in my room while I had a 20 minute meeting. Was told they would be sitting and talking, but they chose to chase instead.
2. Chose to play on her iPod at night for three nights in a row. We have a no ipod on school nights rule from Monday thru Thursday so that she can focus on school work and after-school activities instead. She chose to play on it. The third night she did it, I went on Facebook and saw her activity on it. We took a screen shot so we could show her.
3. In the morning, I asked her if she wanted the good news first or the bad news. Good news was that she was going to get to go to her friend Elizabeth's house for a playdate after school. Then I asked "Have you been on your iPod?" She lied and said "No." I asked her if she cared to revise her statement. She shook her head no. Then I told her that I had a screen shot of the activity from her iPod and asked her again if she had been on her iPod. She fessed up to going on it, but didn't see anything wrong with it. She knew it was wrong, but didn't care that she'd been on it. This was Wednesday. Still have not had an apology from her or any sign that she regrets having been caught or having done it. Consequence: no ipod or computer time unless to talk to Monica or school related until further notice. We don't deal with lying or blatant disobedience. And she doesn't tolerate small consequences well as she just overrides them the best she can.
4. This morning she was talking to Monica and chose to then text Mason to talk to him. As all texts also report to our phones, we knew right away. She didn't apologize for doing it and didn't feel bad for it. She, again, chose to blatantly disrespect the consequence of her previous action. As a result, her iPod is wiped clean of everything except Facetime as she has proven not to be trustworthy in her character.
5. Started a club with two friends. They started inviting more students into the club only to feel that there were too many kids in the club. Something happened between her and one of the other girls so Madi quit the club. She and the other girls are now at odds. Then she started a new club with a few other students. She has a notebook she is keeping rules and consequences in for the actions of the club. The rules are unbelievably terrible and rude. Leaves students out and definitely draws the line between those in the club and those not. We talked with her about how she is asking to be alienated and left by herself because she is pitting friends against friends. We told her that she will not be allowed to participate in any clubs and if we hear of talk about it, there will be consequences. That her goal should be to include people not exclude them and she is asking to be isolated and without friends in her actions.
We had a talk last night and Jeremy talked today to her about her actions. And where she will end up down the road if she can't have respect, character, and obedience in her life. We talked about how she needs to work on having good character and integrity even if noone is watching her. And being the right kind of person and friend. She has a tough outer shell and I know she is hearing what we are saying. She does not act as though she cares and she does not respond as someone who cares. It is really trying.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Student Council Speech
Madi gave her speech yesterday. She was very paced and did a great job reading it. However, the girl she was up against also did a great job. All of the third, fourth and fifth grade students voted yesterday afternoon. Today they announced the students who earned the positions. Madi will still be a member of Student Council, but she did not get the position of secretary. She was bummed and didn't talk too much about it.
Hasn't been a really great week for her. She's been quite difficult and challenging. She is excited that you are coming back, but is very uncertain as to what exactly will happen when you get back. She started to make some good choices in friends, but today decided to stop being a part of a group that she and two other girls created called "Club Epic." The girl who won secretary and the other girl (who voted for the other girl) were the other two girls in the club. Madi said she was trying to help one of the girls solve the issue of the fact that they invited too many kids into the club so it was too big. The other girl didn't want her help and it was all totally confusing. I told her that it was best that they didn't do it as it was clique-ish and left people out and they made it a mess by inviting other kids and then deciding that they shouldn't have that many kids in the group. I heard a bit about it after school and just told her it would have been best not to get involved in things that exclude others.
The same group of girls came into my room to "sit and talk" about their club. I had a short meeting so I was gone for about 20 minutes. Come to find out that Madi and her friends played tag in my room for 15 minutes instead of "sitting and talking." I was irate. Between the cost of equipment in my room and the fact that I trusted them to "sit and talk," my trust in her making the right choices while I am out of my room was taken away. So she is no longer allowed to have friends in the room after school for a while. Riley was involved in it for a few minutes and she lost the privilege of having her friend in the room as well. They played and then went on the computers. Madi and her friends continued to chase repeatedly. Riley cried and apologized and said sorry a million times. Madi said nothing - still has not apologized and tried to blame Riley for making them play tag. Ugh. Riley wasn't innocent, but she definitely did not take responsibility for doing it herself. It just gets so old dealing with the blame game.
There was some good news today - She did get her progress report today - had all A's! Did great there. Two A's were as a result of doing her extra credit projects - in science and in math. Without them, she would have B's. Very glad she did the projects!! This weekend we'll be going to Michael and Jenny's house to celebrate the twins' birthday so we'll be gone most of Saturday. She can work on her project after school each day and will need to finish it by Monday as it has to be turned in next week. The projects she has are really interesting and fun, but it is a beating to try to get her to work on them and do her best. It's easy if she just does it sloppy and fast. The hard part is trying to motivate her to actually work on them while doing the best she can.
Hasn't been a really great week for her. She's been quite difficult and challenging. She is excited that you are coming back, but is very uncertain as to what exactly will happen when you get back. She started to make some good choices in friends, but today decided to stop being a part of a group that she and two other girls created called "Club Epic." The girl who won secretary and the other girl (who voted for the other girl) were the other two girls in the club. Madi said she was trying to help one of the girls solve the issue of the fact that they invited too many kids into the club so it was too big. The other girl didn't want her help and it was all totally confusing. I told her that it was best that they didn't do it as it was clique-ish and left people out and they made it a mess by inviting other kids and then deciding that they shouldn't have that many kids in the group. I heard a bit about it after school and just told her it would have been best not to get involved in things that exclude others.
The same group of girls came into my room to "sit and talk" about their club. I had a short meeting so I was gone for about 20 minutes. Come to find out that Madi and her friends played tag in my room for 15 minutes instead of "sitting and talking." I was irate. Between the cost of equipment in my room and the fact that I trusted them to "sit and talk," my trust in her making the right choices while I am out of my room was taken away. So she is no longer allowed to have friends in the room after school for a while. Riley was involved in it for a few minutes and she lost the privilege of having her friend in the room as well. They played and then went on the computers. Madi and her friends continued to chase repeatedly. Riley cried and apologized and said sorry a million times. Madi said nothing - still has not apologized and tried to blame Riley for making them play tag. Ugh. Riley wasn't innocent, but she definitely did not take responsibility for doing it herself. It just gets so old dealing with the blame game.
There was some good news today - She did get her progress report today - had all A's! Did great there. Two A's were as a result of doing her extra credit projects - in science and in math. Without them, she would have B's. Very glad she did the projects!! This weekend we'll be going to Michael and Jenny's house to celebrate the twins' birthday so we'll be gone most of Saturday. She can work on her project after school each day and will need to finish it by Monday as it has to be turned in next week. The projects she has are really interesting and fun, but it is a beating to try to get her to work on them and do her best. It's easy if she just does it sloppy and fast. The hard part is trying to motivate her to actually work on them while doing the best she can.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
I Was Runnin'
Madi wanted to go running with me last night so both she and Riley came for a one mile interval train. Actually, they chose the interval portion :) I just followed along with whenever they needed a break. They did a really great job!!! Madi is an awesome sprinter. Not much endurance, but definitely strong at speed for short distances! She'd do fabulous on a track team! It was a lot of fun!
Today she is working on a cover made out of duct tape for one of her notebooks upstairs - just for fun! It looks really cool!! She has a math project to finish this weekend. She has to find an article online or in a newspaper that deals with math and then explain what she thinks about it. She chose a really great one about credit cards and it has quite a bit of information she'll need to have explained to understand how the economy works and what it is trying to say about credit, but we have the master of finance in the house so she won't have any problems! And I have no doubt that Jeremy will be able to help her understand it in simplistic terms. Should be a great paper!
Madi's science teacher told her that she absolutely loved her science project and that she adored it. She earned a total of 15 points out of 15 points. I'm sure she'll find that she has great grades this year with all the work she's putting into things. One of her goals was to work harder on her projects and she is definitely doing that. She has really come SOOO far since last year. It's really great to see!! And she's taking so much pride in her work which is also very important. A great feeling to know you've done your best.
Madi earned a 100% on her place value test in math this week as well. Has been another awesome week for her!! She will give her student council speech on Tuesday to find out if she has won the position of secretary. She decided to run for secretary instead of V.P. as she liked what the secretary gets to do more than what the V.P. gets to do. Thought she made a great choice as she really would do a great job on it!!
Today she is working on a cover made out of duct tape for one of her notebooks upstairs - just for fun! It looks really cool!! She has a math project to finish this weekend. She has to find an article online or in a newspaper that deals with math and then explain what she thinks about it. She chose a really great one about credit cards and it has quite a bit of information she'll need to have explained to understand how the economy works and what it is trying to say about credit, but we have the master of finance in the house so she won't have any problems! And I have no doubt that Jeremy will be able to help her understand it in simplistic terms. Should be a great paper!
Madi's science teacher told her that she absolutely loved her science project and that she adored it. She earned a total of 15 points out of 15 points. I'm sure she'll find that she has great grades this year with all the work she's putting into things. One of her goals was to work harder on her projects and she is definitely doing that. She has really come SOOO far since last year. It's really great to see!! And she's taking so much pride in her work which is also very important. A great feeling to know you've done your best.
Madi earned a 100% on her place value test in math this week as well. Has been another awesome week for her!! She will give her student council speech on Tuesday to find out if she has won the position of secretary. She decided to run for secretary instead of V.P. as she liked what the secretary gets to do more than what the V.P. gets to do. Thought she made a great choice as she really would do a great job on it!!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Speech! Speech!
Madi has decided to run for the office of Secretary for Student Council. She's working on a few posters to put up around the school and will be working on her speech this weekend. She's nervous because she is against a girl who also moved here last year and neither one of them wants to go against the other. She said she doesn't like to go against friends because she feels bad if she loses but she feels bad for her friend if the friend loses. She's nervous she won't win it, but at the same time, it's very nice to know that no matter what, she'll be a part of Student Council. So excited for her!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Student Council Election Day
Madi prepared her speech last night. We reviewed it in the car this morning and she read it to us as we drove. Then she rewrote it neater once we were at school so that she could read it without having to read through things she had crossed out. She told me this morning that she said a prayer about the elections. I told her that I hoped that everything turned out great for her! We then prayed about the day and how she would feel good about trying for a spot for her class even if she didn't get it.
Her speech was written excellent! She and I talked over some things that would make her a good representative and I asked her what things she has done in the past that would show she is a leader. I didn't get much time with her to work on it and really wanted her to write her as it would be more sincere and if she spent the time on it, she'd care more about it.
There were a lot of girls in her class who were hoping to be on student council. A few that had been on student council last year and are fabulous leaders and examples in class. The kids all take turns reading their papers or poems or whatever they have prepared for the class. They all vote for one boy and one girl. Some of the kids put up posters - most did not. The posters are usually made from cardstock or posterboard and say "Vote for___!"
One of the kids did the most awesome posters I've seen in a long time. One had Chuck Norris and said "Chuck Norris isn't running for Student Council because he's voting for Andrew!" Another one said "I pity the fool who doesn't vote for Andrew!" They were awesome!!
Other kids brought in bribes and tried to win over classmates by giving candy pieces or small bags of chips with small papers attached with "Vote for ___" or whatever. Most kids see right through this and love the food, but don't necessarily vote just because of candy. So we wouldn't let Madi do it. We told her that if she was voted in, it would be because she was thought of as being able to be responsible and that she'd do a great job.
This afternoon she came into my room with a huge smile and thumbs up. She was SOOO excited!!! We think it is awesome that she was elected. I think it will be a big boost to her self esteem and give her responsibility in an area that will be excellent for her. They will meet one Friday every month after school and she'll be involved in activities and assignments and things for the school.
Has been a great start to the week for sure!!!
Her speech was written excellent! She and I talked over some things that would make her a good representative and I asked her what things she has done in the past that would show she is a leader. I didn't get much time with her to work on it and really wanted her to write her as it would be more sincere and if she spent the time on it, she'd care more about it.
There were a lot of girls in her class who were hoping to be on student council. A few that had been on student council last year and are fabulous leaders and examples in class. The kids all take turns reading their papers or poems or whatever they have prepared for the class. They all vote for one boy and one girl. Some of the kids put up posters - most did not. The posters are usually made from cardstock or posterboard and say "Vote for___!"
One of the kids did the most awesome posters I've seen in a long time. One had Chuck Norris and said "Chuck Norris isn't running for Student Council because he's voting for Andrew!" Another one said "I pity the fool who doesn't vote for Andrew!" They were awesome!!
Other kids brought in bribes and tried to win over classmates by giving candy pieces or small bags of chips with small papers attached with "Vote for ___" or whatever. Most kids see right through this and love the food, but don't necessarily vote just because of candy. So we wouldn't let Madi do it. We told her that if she was voted in, it would be because she was thought of as being able to be responsible and that she'd do a great job.
This afternoon she came into my room with a huge smile and thumbs up. She was SOOO excited!!! We think it is awesome that she was elected. I think it will be a big boost to her self esteem and give her responsibility in an area that will be excellent for her. They will meet one Friday every month after school and she'll be involved in activities and assignments and things for the school.
Has been a great start to the week for sure!!!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Watch out for Dangerous Straws!
The nurse came to find me at a meeting this morning. She told me Madi had a bloody nose right before school ended and she wanted to let me know, but didn't want to interrupt the meeting. So the nurse came and told me. I thanked her! Thought that was very kind of Madi to not interrupt and was respectful. Just glad she was fine!!
Apparently she was standing in line with all of her things and holding her water bottle in her hand. It was a rather long red plastic straw and it sits up inside of a clear cup. They are required to have clear containers in fifth grade so that they know they are drinking water.
Madi sneezed. And as she sneezed, her head went forward and her arm went up which forced the straw of the water bottle up inside of her nose and deep up inside. It cut her nose and caused it to bleed.
Knowing she was ok, I thought this was sad, painful and hilarious at the same time. Her nose is not that large and her sneezes are usually very tiny and not very powerful. Amazing that the straw would find her nostril and even be able to fit inside it! I'm thankful that she was just fine - it hurt a lot, but I'm very glad she is ok.
I just picture it happening and can't imagine what it'd be like to sneeze and end up with a straw up your nose!
Apparently she was standing in line with all of her things and holding her water bottle in her hand. It was a rather long red plastic straw and it sits up inside of a clear cup. They are required to have clear containers in fifth grade so that they know they are drinking water.
Madi sneezed. And as she sneezed, her head went forward and her arm went up which forced the straw of the water bottle up inside of her nose and deep up inside. It cut her nose and caused it to bleed.
Knowing she was ok, I thought this was sad, painful and hilarious at the same time. Her nose is not that large and her sneezes are usually very tiny and not very powerful. Amazing that the straw would find her nostril and even be able to fit inside it! I'm thankful that she was just fine - it hurt a lot, but I'm very glad she is ok.
I just picture it happening and can't imagine what it'd be like to sneeze and end up with a straw up your nose!
Lunchbox and School Council
Has been a nice, short, four day week at school. Kids are getting more into the swing of things. Madi has three projects assigned and has started two of them. She'll have some time on Saturday morning to get the posters started and possibly look into her third project for Math. She had her first night of homework since school started and it was a simple math worksheet that she needed to just finish up.
Student Council elections are coming up and she's planning to run for it. Would LOVE to see her be on it and think it would be really great for her. There are a ton of kids who want to do it, but I'm glad she's working on her speech and wanting to go for it. Would be very positive for her to have a leadership role I think.
She is loving her teachers!! Her homeroom teacher, Mrs. Von, absolutely loves her! She has made several comments about what a sweetheart she is and how great she is doing. I talked to her LEAP teacher the other day and while they haven't started LEAP yet (starts next week), she did meet with them briefly. We were talking about what a difference this past year has made and she told me that Madi is so different and has come a long way. She said she is more mature this year and more self-assured. I would have to agree. Mrs. Campbell, her teacher last year, has also mentioned how great Madi is doing which is awesome. Madi is very comfortable at the school and it is great that she is not the new kid this year. She has made some new friends as we were rezoned so we have 120+ kids that are new to our school. She's figuring her way around and navigating some good friendships which is awesome.
We measured her in her closet a week or so ago, but I don't think I mentioned it. I had measured how tall she was last August when school had started. She has grown about 5-6 inches since last August. Not to mention what she may have grown between May and August when she first came. That's a lot of height!
On Tuesday, she left her lunchbox in the bin in the classroom. As well as her backpack in her locker. Our rule has always been that we don't do special privileges and we don't do anything that other students wouldn't be able to do. So we talked about responsibility and reminded her to get it the next day. Wednesday came and she still forgot it.
Today she walks into the classroom and the lunchbox is not in the bin. She even talks to Mrs. Von who tells her that she saw it last night and knows it was there, but it is gone. Madi said she was sorry and I told her that I knew she was. And told her I wanted her to think about two things: why she forgot it and what she needed to do to remember it.
She asked me if I was mad. I told her that I was not happy about it and that sometimes the best lessons in life are learned through mistakes. So she asked if I was ok with it. I told her I'm not happy she forgot it and that it was taken when she could have remembered it and brought it home. But that if she could figure out why she kept forgetting it (talking with friends, rushing into line - whatever the case may be) that she could form a new habit. And that evaluating what she would do next time, would help her make better choices. That she will remember how it felt losing an expensive lunchbox with expensive inserts and items inside. And that she won't want this to happen again.
The lunchbox was used for six days. We bought it from Pottery Barn. Actually, we gave my parents money so that she could pick one out there and they picked it up for her. Even had an embroidered M on a patch on the front of it. We're talking a $32 lunchbox. We had bought the girls special containers with ice packs and sections inside of it. They were $7.99 and the large container with two small containers and an ice pack were inside. So $40 of items gone.
We talked to her about how it isn't really the lunchbox that is the issue. It is the source of the problem. Being responsible is a big deal and makes a difference. A lunchbox can be replaced, but it shouldn't have to be as she should have been responsible to take care of it. Especially with several reminders and opportunities to do it. And it wasn't done.
We talked with her about how being responsible with what you have sets you up for making bigger decisions as she gets older and being able to get further in life and make better choices and with that comes great opportunity to do great things. She'll have the consequence of purchasing her own lunchbox now and we'll save up her allowance for her so she can get a new one. Until then, she's taking her lunch in a Walmart sack. Not because we don't want her to have one. But living out the consequence of not taking care of her item will help her remember to be more responsible with what she has. Totally stinks that it has been stolen. But it could have been prevented.
I'm still sending out an all-call at school and as her lunchbox has the embroidered patch and has her name in sharpie on the inside, it'd be hard not to recognize it. And it is a rare print that is on it so it'd be easy to identify.
Student Council elections are coming up and she's planning to run for it. Would LOVE to see her be on it and think it would be really great for her. There are a ton of kids who want to do it, but I'm glad she's working on her speech and wanting to go for it. Would be very positive for her to have a leadership role I think.
She is loving her teachers!! Her homeroom teacher, Mrs. Von, absolutely loves her! She has made several comments about what a sweetheart she is and how great she is doing. I talked to her LEAP teacher the other day and while they haven't started LEAP yet (starts next week), she did meet with them briefly. We were talking about what a difference this past year has made and she told me that Madi is so different and has come a long way. She said she is more mature this year and more self-assured. I would have to agree. Mrs. Campbell, her teacher last year, has also mentioned how great Madi is doing which is awesome. Madi is very comfortable at the school and it is great that she is not the new kid this year. She has made some new friends as we were rezoned so we have 120+ kids that are new to our school. She's figuring her way around and navigating some good friendships which is awesome.
We measured her in her closet a week or so ago, but I don't think I mentioned it. I had measured how tall she was last August when school had started. She has grown about 5-6 inches since last August. Not to mention what she may have grown between May and August when she first came. That's a lot of height!
On Tuesday, she left her lunchbox in the bin in the classroom. As well as her backpack in her locker. Our rule has always been that we don't do special privileges and we don't do anything that other students wouldn't be able to do. So we talked about responsibility and reminded her to get it the next day. Wednesday came and she still forgot it.
Today she walks into the classroom and the lunchbox is not in the bin. She even talks to Mrs. Von who tells her that she saw it last night and knows it was there, but it is gone. Madi said she was sorry and I told her that I knew she was. And told her I wanted her to think about two things: why she forgot it and what she needed to do to remember it.
She asked me if I was mad. I told her that I was not happy about it and that sometimes the best lessons in life are learned through mistakes. So she asked if I was ok with it. I told her I'm not happy she forgot it and that it was taken when she could have remembered it and brought it home. But that if she could figure out why she kept forgetting it (talking with friends, rushing into line - whatever the case may be) that she could form a new habit. And that evaluating what she would do next time, would help her make better choices. That she will remember how it felt losing an expensive lunchbox with expensive inserts and items inside. And that she won't want this to happen again.
The lunchbox was used for six days. We bought it from Pottery Barn. Actually, we gave my parents money so that she could pick one out there and they picked it up for her. Even had an embroidered M on a patch on the front of it. We're talking a $32 lunchbox. We had bought the girls special containers with ice packs and sections inside of it. They were $7.99 and the large container with two small containers and an ice pack were inside. So $40 of items gone.
We talked to her about how it isn't really the lunchbox that is the issue. It is the source of the problem. Being responsible is a big deal and makes a difference. A lunchbox can be replaced, but it shouldn't have to be as she should have been responsible to take care of it. Especially with several reminders and opportunities to do it. And it wasn't done.
We talked with her about how being responsible with what you have sets you up for making bigger decisions as she gets older and being able to get further in life and make better choices and with that comes great opportunity to do great things. She'll have the consequence of purchasing her own lunchbox now and we'll save up her allowance for her so she can get a new one. Until then, she's taking her lunch in a Walmart sack. Not because we don't want her to have one. But living out the consequence of not taking care of her item will help her remember to be more responsible with what she has. Totally stinks that it has been stolen. But it could have been prevented.
I'm still sending out an all-call at school and as her lunchbox has the embroidered patch and has her name in sharpie on the inside, it'd be hard not to recognize it. And it is a rare print that is on it so it'd be easy to identify.
Happy Birthday Monica!
Madi was so happy to chat with you even for just a short while tonight. Was so nice for her to be able to wish you a happy birthday!! Hope it is a great one!!!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Labor Day Weekend
Today was good! We went to church. Riley and Madi learned about respect in their class. Riley said she absolutely loves the worship time and it's her favorite! Madi said she agreed. Glad they are loving it!
We came home and Madi started working on her English project for Language Arts. She has two projects. Both are considered extra credit, but highly advised to do them as they can help boost your grade. When she got them, she said she was going to do them. Definitely can't hurt! Then when it came to doing the work on Saturday morning (we've set aside a no computer, no ipod, no tv time until after lunch to leave time for chores and homework on sat/sun), I asked if she wanted to start on her project. She told me that she wasn't going to do them. I looked at her and said that she is given a chance to boost her grade, to demonstrate going above and beyond what they are doing in the classroom and to do a project that really won't take her very long and she wasn't going to do it? Both Jeremy and I gave her a lecture on working hard, doing your best and taking advantage of every opportunity to get the best grade and learn the most that she can. To not just skate by. We reminded her that she had made two goals for herself for this year:
1 - To get all A's
2 - To work hard and do her best on all projects.
We were frustrated as she was simply wanting to be lazy and didn't want to do work. Totally understand it is the first week of school. The project is due in four weeks so she has plenty of time. But her tendency is to wait last minute and then do lazy work that isn't up to par with what she could do if she applied herself. However, she can turn it in anytime and she has absolutely no homework taking up her time so it's the perfect opportunity to knock it out and do a little each weekend so it can be done well over time rather than waiting until the last minute. We didn't care if she worked for an hour or four or whatever. The point was that she should at least try and do it. We both told her she would be an idiot for not taking advantage of such an easy boost to her grade. And that it would be a good challenge for her and she'd learn new things. We told her she needed to push herself. That she has no limitations or needs that hold her back. She doesn't fight any learning disabilities and things come easy to her so she needs to challenge herself and go for it. And thankfully, she started it.
She chose to learn about Leonardo Da Vinci for the science project. She read on a website that he was involved in sodomy. Jeremy had the job of explaining that one - ha! Though Da Vinci is truly amazing in all that he has invented. Honestly never thought of him as more than a painter! I think she'll have a lot of fun with the project. The other one she has to make a poster board into a movie poster. She's reading one of the Maximum ride books and has to cast her characters with real life people and then create the movie poster. Should be another fun one too!
Tonight my parents came over and the girls had a fabulous time with them! Madi set up a store in the playroom and Riley set up a store. It was cute to see them selling items. Madi had it all figured out and had us signing papers as we paid with credit card. Riley sold everything for free.
Tomorrow we have off for Labor Day and there are no plans. A no-homework, no-project day as it is a holiday! Then we'll jump into a great week of school!! So far, it's been an awesome year!
We came home and Madi started working on her English project for Language Arts. She has two projects. Both are considered extra credit, but highly advised to do them as they can help boost your grade. When she got them, she said she was going to do them. Definitely can't hurt! Then when it came to doing the work on Saturday morning (we've set aside a no computer, no ipod, no tv time until after lunch to leave time for chores and homework on sat/sun), I asked if she wanted to start on her project. She told me that she wasn't going to do them. I looked at her and said that she is given a chance to boost her grade, to demonstrate going above and beyond what they are doing in the classroom and to do a project that really won't take her very long and she wasn't going to do it? Both Jeremy and I gave her a lecture on working hard, doing your best and taking advantage of every opportunity to get the best grade and learn the most that she can. To not just skate by. We reminded her that she had made two goals for herself for this year:
1 - To get all A's
2 - To work hard and do her best on all projects.
We were frustrated as she was simply wanting to be lazy and didn't want to do work. Totally understand it is the first week of school. The project is due in four weeks so she has plenty of time. But her tendency is to wait last minute and then do lazy work that isn't up to par with what she could do if she applied herself. However, she can turn it in anytime and she has absolutely no homework taking up her time so it's the perfect opportunity to knock it out and do a little each weekend so it can be done well over time rather than waiting until the last minute. We didn't care if she worked for an hour or four or whatever. The point was that she should at least try and do it. We both told her she would be an idiot for not taking advantage of such an easy boost to her grade. And that it would be a good challenge for her and she'd learn new things. We told her she needed to push herself. That she has no limitations or needs that hold her back. She doesn't fight any learning disabilities and things come easy to her so she needs to challenge herself and go for it. And thankfully, she started it.
She chose to learn about Leonardo Da Vinci for the science project. She read on a website that he was involved in sodomy. Jeremy had the job of explaining that one - ha! Though Da Vinci is truly amazing in all that he has invented. Honestly never thought of him as more than a painter! I think she'll have a lot of fun with the project. The other one she has to make a poster board into a movie poster. She's reading one of the Maximum ride books and has to cast her characters with real life people and then create the movie poster. Should be another fun one too!
Tonight my parents came over and the girls had a fabulous time with them! Madi set up a store in the playroom and Riley set up a store. It was cute to see them selling items. Madi had it all figured out and had us signing papers as we paid with credit card. Riley sold everything for free.
Tomorrow we have off for Labor Day and there are no plans. A no-homework, no-project day as it is a holiday! Then we'll jump into a great week of school!! So far, it's been an awesome year!
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