First Day of School (7th Grade)

Tuesday was the first day of school.  We were ALL ready for this day.  The last week of summer was a hard one. The kids are done, we were done, it felt like the longest week of the year.  :-)

We had open house last week and met each of Hope & Maggie's teachers.  7 of them.  And the girls only have 3 together.  My first reaction was "this is going to be interesting".  But after seeing how the girls reacted to this, I now know this is going to be a good thing.  They were happy to not have every class together.

I was terrified because everyone kept saying "this year is going to count".  Maggie's 1st class is Civics. I wanted to cry listening to the teacher. I knew there was NO WAY Maggie was going to pass this class.  And then she introduced the ESE teacher.  Whew!  I talked with her and she said not to worry about the girls (she is with Hope in her Civics class as well).  She said every teacher knows their situation and they will only expect them to do what they understand.

The girls were ready for school. They were excited.  They told us they wanted to eat breakfast at school because they knew it was free.  So, we told them they could try it.  Maggie said they went through the line, picked their food & milk, and then she asked to make sure it was "no money".  They were very sweet to the girls.

They love their teachers.  They have friends in most of their classes.  But the big shocker was Hope. She made a NEW friend.  ON....THE....FIRST....DAY!   If you know Hope, you know this is HUGE!  Hope does not make friends easily.  She does not understand why anyone would want to be her friend. So when she told me this I just wanted to cry and rejoice.  But the kicker is this......The girl speaks Chinese. This is her first year at the middle school.  I don't know who approached who first, But Hope said they were talking with each other and she can speak Chinese, English AND a little Spanish.  Hope said they talked to each other in Chinese.  I was SHOCKED!  Because Hope refuses to speak Chinese at all.

The first week of school has been good.  The girls come home every day wired and non-stop talk.  They are trying to do their homework and we are realizing how much they still need to learn.  Basic math facts for one.

Amazing how much the girls have changed.  So thankful for this.  It's amazing to see the transformation.  God is good!

Sharing my Love and Excitement

To read my post, click on our other blog.

Thank you!

http://ourmiraclesandblessings.blogspot.com/2013/08/sharing-my-love-and-excitement.html

Any questions?  Please send me an email.  tiffsmom95@me.com

One Year!

Wow, what a difference a year makes.  One year ago today, Hope & Maggie were no longer orphans.  One year ago today, we became the parents to 6 kids.  One year ago today, all of our lives changed forever.

Has it been an easy year?  I will not lie.  No, it has not been easy.  Why?  Well, so much has changed.  Hope & Maggie went from living in an orphanage, with no real boundaries, guidance, love, nourishment etc.  To living with a family where there are boundaries, rules, love & plenty of food etc.

It was hard for the girls to adjust. A new language, new smells, new people, etc.  It was hard for us to adjust.  Two preteens who don't speak the language, who have habits that are not acceptable in the states, who don't know what it's like to be loved etc.

We all learned a lot this past year.  We learned to love each other. We learned to like each other. We learned to accept the new "normal".

Has it always been difficult?  No.  We have had some amazing moments with the girls & our entire family.  Experiencing their first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter etc has been amazing.  Teaching them to ride bikes, to swim, to try new foods has been awesome.  Even though the girls were preteens, there was still so many first that we got to experience with them.

We had our 1 year post placement visit with our social worker last week.  I told her how some days are just exhausting.  She told me to sit and really think back through the past 12 months.  She told me that I will see the growth in the girls, and in us, if I just sit back and reflect.

And do you know what?  She was right.

You've heard a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well, I believe that.  I'm so thankful for photos, because it does help me to reflect back to the past year. I can visually see the changes in the girls & in us.  Sometimes when we are in the thick of a tantrum, it's hard to see that there are changes. But there are changes.  There has been growth.

Here are photos.  I don't think I have to explain which ones are from last year and which ones are from today.  All I can say is God is so Good!  He has stayed with us and will not leave us.  He has watched over the girls the entire time they were in the orphanage.  And He is still watching over them.

It's Been Awhile.....

Since I've been excited about something that does not have to do with my family or adoption.  ;-)  Right now I'm very excited about what Omnitrition has done for me.

I was skeptical at first.  I saw my friends losing weight and feeling great and wondered if that would work for me too.

So I started off with 1 product.  Charge.  Charge is described as "Energy & Attitude in a bottle".  Well Energy is what I longed for.

Within 15 minutes of taking my first dose, I literally felt the bags under my eyes puff out and I felt an energy I haven't felt in many years.  I was hooked.

So I asked about the weight loss.  What do I need, how do I use it, will it work for me?????

I did not tell anyone (other than Bill) that I was doing this.  I was still unsure if it would work for me.  Would I stick with it?  Will I see the results others are seeing.

21 days later, and I lost 14.4 pounds and over 12 inches.  I was proud of myself. I felt good about myself.  And I was hooked on what Omnitrition has to offer.

I decided to sign up as a distributor because a few people saw my results and they wanted to try.  My goal in signing up as a distributor was not to sell to others.  It was selfishly for the discount I would receive.  But once people started buying and liking Omni, I got excited because I was finally doing something to help with finances.  I have not had a paying job in over 18 years.  Not only am I excited about how Omni makes me feel, I'm excited to have a part time job.

I would love to share my excitement with you.  I know you're probably skeptical too.  "Is this a gimmick. Does this really work.  Will this work for me.  Can I do this" etc.  Trust me, I had the same thoughts.  But I still tried it. What did I have to lose????  Honestly, I had 14.4 pounds (and 3+ pounds more since).

Omni has more to offer than just weight loss.  Like I said I started taking the Charge capsules for energy.  I still take them and I love them.  I love that I can make it through the day without wanting a nap.  I wish my body produced the natural chemicals so I did not need help with energy. But it doesn't.  I'm so grateful for Charge because now I am enjoying my kids and not complaining how exhausted I am.

I would love to talk to you more about Omni's products.  Whether it's weight you want to lose, energy you want to gain, wanting better sleep at night, needing help with stress/anxiety.....Omni has the product for you.

Please contact me.  My email is tiffsmom95@me.com   I what to share my excitement with you.

Here are a few pictures of REAL people who have used Omni to help them achieve their goals.  What are you waiting for????  Contact me today!

July 6, 2013. 11 Months

I know, I'm 4 days late journaling about the girls 11 months with us.  Honestly this summer has been busy and I just don't have time to blog.

But this month on their Gotcha Day anniversary we were actually in the Caribbean.  We took a 3 night Disney Cruise as a family.  I LOVE the Disney Cruise.  The kids had a blast.  We had some good family moments, and some stressful family moments.  Lets just say, being confined on a boat with 6 kids is challenging.  :-)

I look at the girls and think 11 months ago they were living in China, in what they thought was a good place.  And now, they are in the Caribbean playing in the ocean at Disney's private island.  Can't get much better than that.

Here is a photo from the 6th.  We are scheduling our 1 year post placement already.  Time flies!  Praying that this next year will get even better, that our family will feel more normal and not as stressed out. That the girls will continue to learn what it means to be apart of a family.  There are days when it's hard.  Old habits come back and it's stressful.  We're just praying through those moments.

Thanks for following along.

A New Me! Feeling Healthy & Feeling Great!

I'm a stress eater.  And I've been under a lot of stress these past 11 months (longer if you count waiting for Hope & Maggie to come home).  Anyway, I've gained 15 pounds since last August and I just felt HORRIBLE!

I've never had the energy to make it through the day without wanting to take a nap.

I've never felt I have gotten a good nights sleep.  I sleep a minimum of 8 hours and wake up EXHAUSTED!

I was tired of feeling like this.  Tired of not having energy to enjoy life.  To enjoy my kids.

So I changed!

I saw a friend at church who lost over 60 pounds (at the time) in a few months and asked "How are you doing this?"  She told me.

She started taking Drops to lose weight and some other products from Omnitrition.

I started taking their capsules for energy.  Immediately noticed the energy.

I started taking their night time product and am sleeping soundly at night.

So I decided I needed to do the weight loss plan.  And I did.

May 4th I started and when I finished the journey on June 20th, I was 14.4 pounds lighter and over 12 inches smaller.

I FELT GREAT!

I would LOVE to share with you how it works.  PLEASE email me at tiffsmom95@me.com and I will help you to feel GREAT too.

Don't believe me?  Well take a look at my before & my now photos.  It works.  I'm happier. I'm healthier. I'm eating better.

This is NOT about being skinny.  This is about being HEALTHY!

Email me.  And please if you have friends who would like info, let me know too.  I'm so excited about this company and I want to share it with you.

Blessings!
Debbie
https://www.omnitrition.com/debbieb

10 Months!

Seriously, I know. Hard to believe it's been 10 months since we became Hope & Maggie's parents.  Why do the days/weeks/months go by so fast once you are with your children, but when you are waiting, and waiting, and waiting to meet them it seems to take FOREVER!!!???

I feel like we have gotten through most of the "rough" stages.  Adopting an older child is not easy.  Neither is adopting TWO older children.  We have definitely had our challenges.  But I'm starting to feel a little normal now.  Family life is starting to feel a little more normal.  The girls do not feel like house guests anymore.  (yes, for a while they felt like house guests.  We did bond, but it was still different.....)

We can now be silly with each other and not hear "you're mean" or "stop it".  They know we are playing.  And guess what??? They play/tease right back.  Maggie likes to jump out of places and try to scare us.  Hope likes to be silly and make us laugh.  It's starting to feel normal.

We still have a way to go.  There are still things that we all need to adjust.  Like boundaries, and personal space.  But we're getting there.

Summer officially begins tomorrow at our house.  The last day of school is tomorrow.  Hope & Maggie are sad.  Yep, you read that right.  They are going to miss school.  I like that.  Because that shows me they love school.  Shows we made the right decision in choosing to send them to school.

So here they are today.  10 months later.  10 months after the orphanage handed them over to us.  10 months after they cried tears of sadness and fear.  10 months after their world changed.  All I can say is WOW!  God is So Good.  Even though we have had some rough times, He has always been here with us. He has guided us. He has brought people in our lives to help us, encourage us, love on us.  We are thankful for the help, support, prayers etc that we have received these past 10 months.  THANK YOU!