Costco Pizza

Ok, so the day begins with a full cup of compassion but slowly empties and by 9 its almost all dried up. I did great this morning when A asked me ten times why we didn't get Camille a present. In the Stanfield house, we draw names for the 5 or 6 of us. A got Camille's name so we went to look today. There is a lot of pressure to get a really good gift since Camille is expecting something bad. Rotten child. Anyway, A didn't find anything at the 3 stores we went in. So I told her we'd have to go someplace else to look but it wouldn't be today. Totally threw her for a loop. I think she thought we were just crossing Camille off the list. I'm surprised she wasn't all for this. I'm beginning to see the sign of a really good roller derby match between Camille & A. It starts in the morning as they race to see who gets to the van first. Right now Camille definitely has the edge. It has a lot to do with the training she's had with Madeline & Lucas. I have a feeling that A is going to fit right in there.
Huge shout out to all the families that helped with the foster kids wish lists. Not all foster children get to live in bubble world so the foster care agency gets the wish lists from families that need help. We had 8 families that helped with 8 kiddos. It was so fabulous to have my kids see our friends bringing the gifts over to help. Thanks again for those that helped.
Got to meet A's attorney today. Another self esteem boost for myself. She loves the progress A is making. Best of all, she really wanted to know my opinion about A and what i thought was best for her. I love stating my opinion and have someone genuinely seem to want to hear it. I guess in summary I'm a huge supporter of education. I'm very curious to know the process that goes into being able to "get your child back". I believe that the love for A is there but the knowledge on the best way to care for her isn't. Once a teacher, always a teacher. I'd love to be able to help A's mommy or grandma become the best parent for A's sake. Hey, that's not to say that perfect parenting is going on here, it has been better since A is here. The nutrition is definitely improving. Its the little things like when we went to Costco, I would have totally had a slice of pizza if it were Camille & I. But since I am on the healthy diet plan, we skipped over it and came home. I did sneak in the pantry for a cookie or was it two, from my Swirl leftovers.
I began the process of trying to eliminate "ain't" from A's vocab today. I guess I'd never really considered how many different verbs that ain't can be used for. It may take us awhile. Nothing like a good challenge.
Beautiful Christmas concert at the high school tonight with way too many kids. 2 elementary choirs plus 5 middle school. We were there for 1:45. It is a true blessing to be able to hear the kids sing "O Holy Night" and other songs that so aptly describe the reason we are celebrating Christmas. I am so thankful for living in a school district that lets this expression be made. They did sound awesome.
Compassion was gone by the time we got home and I sent the kids to bed so that I could get Madeline some food. A began crying because I wouldn't brush her teeth. I know, I'm a bad foster mom. I told her to skip it. This philosophy always works with my kids. The fine, just have dirty teeth. She manages to get the job done. Its a fine line between being self-sufficient, tough love, and having just a teeny bit of compassion left by the end of the day. Its always easier to handle episodes in the morning. We are in a constant learning process. I definitely include me in that learning curve.