Michelle's Family

I really am going to get back to blogging more often....I am.  Seems like I'm always pressed for time now, trying to "catch up" with our home schooling, so I just haven't made the time to do it as much.

Weight loss update.  I'm now down 10lbs.  This is the longest I've ever stuck with a diet, so this is major for me!  I'm hoping to see the 180's this week, but I'm not going to hold my breath on that one.  One thing I think I have discovered though is that my body needs for me to come off my diet ever so often.  It seems that If I stay strictly on my diet, my body just seems to STOP losing weight.  My mom told me to come off my diet a couple of days and see if my weight loss would start back.  So I did.  And she was right.  She usually is.  I had the opportunity to test this again last week.  I "cheated" on my diet 3 different times (in a big way...ate out all 3 times).  I still lost 2lbs.  Before cheating, I was actually closer to 4lbs weight loss!  So I'm happy about the fact that I can eat other foods besides Nutrisystem's sometimes. 

Mother's Day was great.  Ronnie, Stephen, Michael and Timothy worked their butts off on the yard, and it's looking so much better.   I've hated our yard since we moved here, and I'm just now beginning to see it turn into something I like. That was a GREAT Mother's Day gift.  However, I have to say Jessica get's my "favorite" Mother's Day award this year.  She told me so sweetly that morning before church, "Of all my mommies, you're my favorite and I love you best."  She'd had 5 different "Mommies" the year before she came to live with me, so I think it's a great honor that she feels this way about me.  I told you all awhile back, that I've learned with older child adoption, it's not about just us picking the kids...it's about the kids picking us too.  I think I've been "picked". 

Josh is giving me some lip since the adoption, and we've....let me rephrase that....I've had to deal with some very tough parenting/discipline decisions.  We believe in spanking.  Normal, non-abusive, spankings.  However, I'm not sure that I need to do this with Josh.  Jessica, no problem.  She actually equated this with being our "real" child, so she almost looked forward to it.  I doubt we'll ever do a lot of spanking though.  So far she had 1 swat on the leg because she undid the top of her carseat while I was going down the I 20 at 70mph, and refused to buckle it until I pulled off the road. 

Josh is different.  I'm not sure what to do with him.  He thrives on positive reinforcement, but he still does naughty stuff.  Timeouts only seem to make him angrier.  In fact, ANY kind of punishment makes him angrier.  So I finally gave him 2 licks the other day.  One for lying (repeatedly....blatantly....and tried to get his sister to lie for him also.) and then one for his angry attitude/countenance.  I wasn't sure what I should do during the confrontation, but after the second lick, he angry countenance melted away and his awful attitude totally changed.  I don't know if we'll spank him much at all.  It will be a very rare thing I'm sure.  But I think I did the right thing that time.  He was soooooooo much happier after that. 

Now for some big news!  Michael got his LEARNER'S PERMIT!  Yep.  You read correctly.  I know what you are thinking.  "Michelle can't POSSIBLY have a child old enough to drive"  After all, I've celebrated my 29th birthday like, 7 times.  But alas, it is true.  My oldest son is now on the road to becoming an independent little squirt.  I'm very proud of him.  He missed only 3 problems on the test (out of 40).  And even driving to church (which in only like 4 miles of country roads away) has become an adventure. He'd kill me if I told you about him running off the road, so I won't mention that.  Or how he almost pulled out in front of a vehicle.  So I won't tell you all about that at all.  He really is doing well.  I think he will be a better driver than his Mom eventually! 

Okay, here the quick update for the rest of the family.

Ronnie's at a work meeting and he took Michael (he drove of course), Josh, Jessica and Hannah.  It's like a picnic meeting and Michael will babysit, if it means he gets to drive, lol.

Stephen's sick and has a fever and sore throat.  His interest in soccer has been renewed this season and he LOVES his coach this year.

Timothy is own restriction for about half his life.  But he can be so sweet.  He wrote made me the sweetest card for Mother's Day. 

Sarah is doing great and begging for my chicken soup that's cooking.  She's so adorable and she's doing wonderful in school.

Josh is doing better in school!  His teacher wrote on the bottom of his progress report, "Wow!  What an improvement!"  In spite of his bad attitude lately, he's been a total "mama's boy".

Jessica is thriving under the permanency of a "forever" family.  She's still obssessed with food though.

Hannah is absolutely a joy!  She is soooo much fun.  She's mimicing everyone, loves Sponge Bob, is talking up a storm and thinks this entire family revolves around her.  It just about does.