Hot Date & Planting Hope

J had a tough time Friday with the Jessi. I found out early in the morning and found myself again wishing I could be a stay at home mom and help her through this. Increasing tapping and blowing up yucky pillow. She got up early Saturday morning and finished her apology letter to Jessi and had a fabulous attitude. We planted sweet potato vines, confetti lantana and tomato plants along with washing some huge rocks I had placed in the cul-de-sac to keep pesky drivers from driving all over my shrubs when they turn around. Tonight I'm making the trip to my parents farm to pick up some cow patties to mix with buttermilk and we'll smear it over the rocks to help moss grow on them. Can't wait!

J worked really hard to not touch G this weekend and she made fabulous choices! The little booger had to go swimming again and she's waiting patiently for our friend, Craig, to come blow up the slide and the tube. I'm not sure it's really necessary because we won't be there much this summer as we'll be at my house. I really want her to get in lots of lake time this year and we're not welcome at G's until Saturday so we'll be going to my house on Friday afternoon and coming home on Sunday afternoon. J doesn't understand why she can't go to G's because he said she's welcome anytime but tells me we can't come up till Saturday afternoons. He thinks I'm going to take her to my house on Friday then pack her up and come to his house on Saturday and then pack again on Sunday and go home. Absolutely not going to happen. She's been dragged from pillar to post all her life and I'm trying to create stability not more moving around. Plus transitions are so hard for her. Yeah...she'll miss the slide and being able to jump off the dock (can't do that at my house, too shallow) but she'll be able to swim and play a whole extra day so I think it's worth it. Again, wishing I could be a SAHM so that she could spend the whole summer at the lake.

Friday night date with my other mom friends was so great. It is so obvious how far that J has come and the progress that she has made. I, too, have made great progress. I also saw the need for modeling attachment parenting. You can read books till the cows come home but sometimes you just need to have it modeled for you. So many times Nancy Thomas methods are used as punitive parenting and it was clear that if parents read When Love is Not Enough they also need (have) to watch the DVD set that models what she describes in the book or attend the NT camps where it is modeled. Unfortunately the AT does not come home with a radish parent so there needs to be in-home help for parents.

Lisa's Gratitude
1. Spring sunshine
2. Spotting the first dragonfly of the year
3. Planting flowers
4. Awesome daughter
5. Tudu

Jordan's Gratitude
1. Planting flowers with Mom & Miss Chrissi
2. Jumping rope
3. Going swimming
4. Riding her bike at the lake
5. Hugs & raspberries