I wanted to post the lyrics to this incredible song because the one video I could find isn't the clearest.  The radio version is, of course, much more cleaned up and clearer.

 

 

"The Housewives' Song"
Maron
Words and Music by Maron Gaffron

Don't look for your beauty in the eyes of your children
Don't look for your beauty in the eyes of your man
Don't look for your beauty in the eyes of the world
Your beauty, you'll find it in the Lord

Don't look for your worth in your friendships
Don't look for your worth in your pay
Don't look for your worth in the things you do each day
Your worth, you'll find it in the Lord

Chorus
It's like a mirror looking in
When you find the strength to stand
It's not you, it's the Father inside
And when the storm clouds pass on through
And they're only raining on you
Run for cover, in the Father you can hide

Don't look for your strength in your coffee
Don't look for your strength in your routine
Don't look for your strength in your diet and exercise
Your strength, you'll find it in the Lord
Don't look for your rest in the glow of the television
Don't look for your rest on the telephone
Don't look for your rest in the shopping mall sister
Your rest, you'll find it in the Lord

Chorus

It has been so crazy here; I just haven't had any time for posting!!  Here is an example of why; this is my day today:

 

Got up at 6:30 and showered.  Got kids up just before 7 and fed and got them dressed.  Put a load of laundry in.  Took Alicia to school.  Killed about an hour with Donna waiting for the shoe store to open.  Went to shoe store and bought new church shoes for Alicia since the stores in Turlock were out of them.  Went home for about 40 minutes where I did some more laundry and added Mike's college course online with the add card he received last night.  Went to the library and dropped off a book and then filled van up with gas.  Stopped by the house and turned off the sprinklers in the yard.  Went to Modesto to buy book for Mike's class but got disgusted at the line and decided to go back later.  Took Reece to lunch as it was now 1:00 in the afternoon.  Went to Alicia's school and stuck her and Reece in the after-school care while I went to a Home and School meeting for about an hour.  Went to Subway and got a sandwich for Mike and one each for the kids who both claimed to be starving - to death, mind you!  Dropped off food to Mike at work and picked up his paycheck.  Stopped by Karnette's house and printed out the paper I needed to show that Mike's class was paid (I forgot it earlier) and then went back to the college.  Picked up Mike's book and paid for it several minutes later due to a line.  Finally headed home and walked through the door at 6:00 pm.

 

That was just today.  Most of the days seem to be pretty similar anymore.  Did I forget to mention that it also got to 104° today?  Let me just say that it is not fun running around in that heat for me or the kids.  I got a headache and the kids were simply miserable due to the fact that the air conditioning decided to stop working in the back of the van.

 

I guess I should back up a little bit at this point.  Alicia and Reece have both started school.  Reece is really liking preschool and he seems to be doing well in the classroom.  He got into trouble his second day for yelling at another child, but he now knows that he cannot do that.   Miss Marlene said to me the first day, "He's so quiet!"  I told her that she has not really met my son yet.  They did say that they only have to tell him to do something one time and he's got it.  What a big boy! 

 

Alicia has started first grade with Mrs. Tank.  So far I am really liking Mrs. Tank as a teacher.  I do wish that she was as informative as Mrs. King was for the Kindergarten class, but I think that we were simply spoiled by the weekly letters that were given to us last year.  Mrs. Tank is very happy with the class and they seem to be moving along really well.  I still need to upload my pictures of the first day of school from my camera to my computer.  I'm a bit behind on everything!  Also, Alicia lost two teeth the weekend before school started.  She was so proud showing her teeth off to her teacher!

 

I do think that I am going to have to talk to Mrs. Tank about enforcement of the dress code, however.  I had a discussion - a disagreement, really - with Ali this morning about what she could and could not wear to school.  She said, "But so-and-so wears dresses like this..." and I explained that she should not be and that we have to obey the rules.  Of course, we got to school and the child mentioned was wearing a pink dress with flowers and no collar and another little girl had on an aqua dress with multi-colored flowers and no collar.  I just don't understand why people cannot follow the dress code!  It is hard enough to get a child dressed in the morning without having to deal with that sort of thing once we arrive.

 

Last week, in addition to starting back to school, we had lots of company here in our little house.  My dad and stepmom came down from Oregon for a visit and to pick up their Jeep from my Uncle Ken's house.  They arrived on the 23rd, stayed the night on Thursday and Friday, stayed the night at Karnette's house on Saturday and then drove back home early Sunday morning.  They brought their adorable puppy Suzie with them.  She's a mini-daschund mixed with some other small type of dog.  The kids had tons of fun playing with her and really wore her out.  They all slept well!!  My Aunt Betty and Uncle Gene also came down for a visit.  They stayed with Karnette on Wednesday night and Mom on Thursday night and then headed back home to Sacramento Friday.  I got to spend a lot of time with them on Wednesday, but it wasn't all fun and games.  Poor Uncle Gene!  Their water hose developed a tear in it about an inch long.  I ended up running him around to a couple of different auto parts stores so that he could get it repaired and they would be able to be on their way in the morning.  Even though it was a lot of running around, I enjoyed just spending some time with them.  They came over Friday and spent some time with us and Dad and Carol before they had to go back home.  We spent quite awhile just talking and getting caught up with each other.

 

In the midst of all this activity, I managed to switch Ali's clothes to the dresser in her room, Reece's clothes to the big dresser in his room and bag up all of their too small clothes for the Salvation Army.  I also bagged up a bunch of stuffed animals to donate as well.  They did not even notice that a single toy was missing.  That tells me that they have far too many toys.  I can't wait to get in there and bag up some more!

 

I have also been invited to be a member of the steering committee for Heart for Moms, a Christian group of moms that I have belonged to for about five years now.  I am officially the Communications person.  I was very surprised - and honored! - to get the call asking me to take the position.  It will take up a few hours a month, but I am expecting to really enjoy myself and being around other women of faith.  I have been missing that in my life.  Poor Donna can't be the only Christian female in my life right now; I think that is asking too much and putting to much on our friendship.

 

Despite all of the busy-ness, I am still managing to find time for myself.  Yesterday, while both kids were in school, Donna and I went out for breakfast and then got pedicures at a new salon.  Let me just say that we will never be going to the old salon again.  We picked up Reece and then went for a cheap Taco Bell lunch.  We finally had to part so that I could pick up Ali.  Donna's kids are both going full days now and get out at 3:15 instead of 2:30.  I won't be able to do this often, but I feel it is important for me to get out and do something outside of the house so that I can stay sane.

 

I'll have to update on my sanity another day.  For now, I must get baths done.

There has been a flurry of activity, of course!  On Sunday I took Alicia and my niece Anayla school shopping.  My sister-in-law Mary was here and went along with us.  We had a great girls' day out.  I got a few things for Alicia to wear to school, which isn't exactly easy because of her dress code.  I also picked up some stuff for Anayla, although she is actually pretty much set for now.  We laughed, we giggled, we ate junk food and we spent money.  Isn't that how a girls' day is supposed to be?  Yes, yes it is.

 

I went back to the doctor about the ringing in my ears.  We managed to get them cleared and he looked inside and said that I have water on the inner ear, which is causing the pain and ringing.  Now I have to take Mucinex for 2 weeks in hopes that they will clear and I will be tinnitus-free.  Tinnitus is the term for ringing in the ears.  It seems to be helping a bit, but when it's quiet in the house, after the kids have fallen asleep and the TV is off and it is just me and my thoughts, the ringing becomes nearly unbearable.  It is like leaving a TV on a station that doesn't come in, or turning the stereo to a setting with no signal - all white noise.  If I concentrate and recognize it for too long I can feel myself start to get a bit panicky because I can't escape it.  Perhaps it is the same sense that causes me to have claustrophobia, the feeling that I cannot escape and am not in control of my situation.  I am really hoping that the medicine will work by the end of the two weeks and I will be noise free inside my head.

 

The kids finished their swim lessons on Thursday.  Mike went to the final lesson so that he could see what they have accomplished.  He was quite impressed and surprised!  Alicia swam across the pool, doing a forward crawl, with a noodle for a little extra security since it was a far distance for a little girl.  She jumped off the diving board 3 times and swam to the ladder herself, completely unassisted.  Reece did his swim exercises and jumped off the diving board as well, proclaiming that it is his favorite part of swim lessons.  He was assisted to the edge, but not much.  They both passed their levels and received a certificate and an Otter Pop to mark the occasion.  I'm so proud of what they have accomplished in the last two weeks!

 

Reece was supposed to start preschool on Friday - we've already paid for it - but I could not find his immunization papers anywhere.  I have torn the house apart, looking anywhere that they could logically be and everywhere that they should not be (bathroom drawers, anyone?).  I drove to the doctor's office as soon as they opened to get copies and was told that it would take 5 working days.  Five days?!  She said I should have come in with the request sooner.  I told her I wasn't aware that it was missing until the night before, that I thought it was in the safe with the other important papers.  She softened and felt a little bit of pity on me and said they would have it for me on Monday.  That made me feel a little bit better.

 

Today was my mom's boyfriend Dan's birthday.  Is that a confusing sentence?  My mom's boyfriend is named Dan and it was his birthday today.  We all went to his house for dinner and the kids went swimming.  We had homemade lasagna, salad, garlic bread and homemade German chocolate cake.  It was so yummy!  I got to meet one of his brothers and his sister-in-law, who is a complete jewel.  It was a nice, relaxing afternoon.  Then came the evening. Everyone was getting ready to leave and Alicia asked if she could stay the night with Grandma.   She was told yes, but then we remembered that she had no change of clothes and Mom goes to church with Dan on Sundays.  It was decided Ali would have to wait for another night when she is prepared.  She cried the whole way home and was broken-hearted.  I felt badly for her, but she kept it up for so long that I was getting irritated, too.  Finally she quit and sat down to watch "Chicken Little".  My poor little girl.  I'll have to pay extra attention to her tomorrow morning.

We've been pretty busy this past week.  Let me clarify - we've been very busy this past week!  The kids started their swimming lessons on Monday at Pitman pool, at the newer high school here in town.  I had never been to Pitman for anything and that school is huge!  We were late the first day because I couldn't find the pool.  We have been on time every day since.

 

The first day, Reece would not get in.  I do not know what his problem is; he loves the water.  I did make him get in and the cute little teenaged girls instructing the preschooler tried to get him to participate, but he screamed and cried the whole time.  "I want you, Mommy!  I'm scaaaared!"  I made him stay next to the class, even though he didn't get in the water, so that he could see what they were doing.  Alicia, on the other hand, did very well in her class.  It is only her and a little boy, so they get lots of attention.  On the very first day, Alicia jumped off the diving board and swam to the edge of the pool!  I was so proud of her.  That is some deep water.  It's 9 1/2 feet!

 

When we left the lessons, I had a little talk with Reece.  I explained that it is important that he learn to swim and that I will be taking him back every day because I had to pay for him to go.  He promised me that he would go.  We went to lunch at Taco Bell for a treat and then took my niece Anayla to the orthodontist for a tightening.

 

That night was the first night of Vacation Bible School.  I hung around there for awhile and then Donna and I left and got some frozen yogurt and did some catching up with each other.  We really haven't seen each other much this summer because she has been gone a lot and I have been too busy running kids around here and there.

 

The next day, as he promised, Reece suited up and went straight to the water for his swimming lessons, with absolutely no fight whatsoever.  What a little stinker!!  I told the other moms that I was afraid the instructors would think I had brought his evil twin the day before because he was such a cooperative kid the second day.  He and Ali both went through their entire class with little incident.  At the end of class, they both went to the diving boards and Reece jumped off without fear.  I got a great shot of him jumping mid-air.  We had Wendy's for lunch and then went up to get Lindsay and took her to get her braces on.  Karnette stopped by on her lunch to see Lindsay and when it was all over I took her to Karnette's office so she could see.  Lindsay looks very cute.

 

I took everyone to VBS and then went and did a bridal shower spa.  It was so much fun!  I did facials on the whole group and then the guests were able to buy products as gifts for the bride which I wrapped up right then and there.  I even gave them matching cards for their gifts.  I believe I have some new customers!  WOOHOO!!

 

Wednesday we went to swimming lessons, but Alicia did not want to do the "tiger claws" which are imperative for learning the crawl.  She said that it scared her a little bit.  Reece still did really well with his lessons and they both jumped off the boards at the end.  Ali refused to swim correctly to the edge so I told her that we were not going for a treat that day because she needed to listen to her instructor.  We went home for lunch.  The kids had VBS again, so I dropped them off and then came home and hung out with Mike for awhile.  It's not often we get a chance to sit and talk with no kids interrupting.

 

Thursday was more swimming.  I reminded Alicia that if she did not do the tiger claws she would not be getting a treat after swim lessons.  This time she did the strokes (very well, I might add) and I was so proud of her!!  We went to Wendy's for lunch and then I went and paid Reece's tuition for his first month of preschool.  He decided that he wanted to go in and say hi to his teachers and Ali wanted to see them as well, so I toted them in with me.

 

That night, when I dropped the kids off for VBS, Donna asked if I wanted to go give blood.  I said sure, since I hadn't donated since I broke my leg.  We went to Delta Blood Bank and were excited to see the Baskin Robbins promotion - A Pint for a Pint.  We went through our screening and as I was being led to the chair, Donna was being sent back to the lobby!  Her iron was 1 point too low and they wouldn't let her donate!  I rushed through my donation (I finished in 4 minutes - woot!) and then she sat with me the mandatory 15 minutes in the canteen.  We took our coupons and both got a pint of peanut butter chocolate from BR. 

 

Friday we didn't have swim lessons, thankfully.  I spent the day cleaning up the house, not that one can tell.  I took the van down to get the brakes fixed because they have been squealing and the ABS light came on the night before.  While I was waiting, I walked over to JCPenney.  The guy called and said the brakes are fine, they just have some dust on them and I could come and get my van whenever I was ready.  I bought some new sandals for Reece and walked back to the shop.  From the two walks across the parking lot I was as sweaty as could be and so hot!  I thought I would never cool down!  I headed over WalMart (yuck) and got a couple of things I needed then went to get gas.  I stopped and paid the car insurance because for some reason I never got the bill in the mail.  By this time I was really hot and the air conditioning in the van didn't seem to be cooling me down.  I went to Raley's and got stuff for dinner.  I decided it was way too hot to cook, so I picked up some cottage cheese, fruit cocktail and some trail mix.  That is one of our favorite dinners in the summer.  Well, from when I was growing up.  Alicia decided she didn't like it!  Reece, however, told me that it was a great dinner.  What a little sweetie.  I did get myself a javalanche (blended mocha), which finally succeeded in cooling me down. 

 

Then it was back to VBS for the final night.  Mike was in a bad mood at work and we got into it a little bit over the phone.  Finally, I went for shoe therapy and bought some very cute wedges that tie around the ankle for the low, low price of $7!!  I wore them to church today.  I picked up the kids and Reece had fallen in the church courtyard and scraped his right arm up pretty good.  Poor guy, but they said that he handled it really well.  Way to man up, little man!! 

 

VBS is now over for the year and I can breathe a little.  Swimming lessons continue this week and Reece's first day of preschool is Friday.  I will be taking Khori to the dentist (actually, picking him up) on Monday, but I think that other than that it's going to be an easier week. 

 

I hope.