Today was our first day of tule (pronounced too-lee) fog.  It is a sure sign that fall is here and winter is on its way.  It is cold.  It is damp.  It seeps into you and you can't shake it unless you immerse yourself in hot water.  Even layering doesn't really help.

 

We were in the 80's a couple of days ago; it was in the 70's yesterday and I was hot for a good portion of the day.  Right now, at 10:44 am, my back porch shows 57 degrees and the sun has not yet shone, although I could see it valiantly attempting to burn through. 

 

I will be driving with my lights on all day, not because the auto manufacturer made it that way; but for safety's sake.

 

It is also Halloween.  We don't celebrate, but we may go to Alicia's school for Mystery Night.  She is asking to go.  This is the first year that the kids have really realized that they are the rare minority not trick-or-treating.  They wear costumes all year long, but they still want to wear them tonight.  It is so hard to be firm in my convictions.  They know why we don't observe Halloween, but it is hard when that is all you see in the stores and on TV.  I think it's just another test for us to pass.  If I'm not firm with them now, if I don't teach them and show them and bring them up in the way that we believe, what will happen to them when they are older and are outside of our home and have to make decisions without me there to tell them yes or no?  It is so important that we raise our children in the manner of our beliefs, our value system.  Every day I pray and I worry for my children.  What if they turn away?  What if they don't see the dangers of the outside world?  The enemy is working overtime on getting our children to turn their backs on God, and he is starting so early.  But this is food for another blog.

 

Back to the tule fog.  What a way to have Halloween.

I think the van is revolting against driving around with a naked wheel.  The alternator went out this weekend.  It started on Saturday evening; the van kept stalling when I would come to a stop.  That is not good.  Today my brother Shawn replaced it for me.  He had the old one checked; it was definitely bad.

 

I thought all was good, but the van is still stalling!  I don't know what to do now.  I am going to go to Kragen's tomorrow and have them check the new alternator and the battery and see if they're both okay.  I hope it's just one of the two and that there isn't something seriously wrong.  Shawn said if it isn't one of those things, then maybe it's a computer problem. I hope not!!  The alternator and the battery are both under warranty!!

 

I guess I'll find out tomorrow.  I just hope I can get Ali to school in the morning.

I have been a little bit bored today and found myself doing some web surfing.  I thought I would share some of my favorites with you.  In no particular order, of course.

 

Engrish.com  Japanese butchering the English language

YouTube  Video goodness that can keep one entertained for hours!

BeJane  DIY for women (men can learn, too)

Chest Candy T-Shirts  Mostly military, willing to do any shirt...

The Impossible Quiz  Much fun, great waste of time.

30 second bunny movies  Oh, so funny!

About Face  Backlash against the fashion and beauty industry.

SAHM and WAHM  Site for moms at home, or out of the home, with things you thought you'd never need?

My Heritage Face Recognition  Find out what celebrity you resemble, or who your child resembles most - mom or dad?

Answers in Genesis  Scientific answers found in the Bible.  Really cool site!

My Beautipage!  My moneymaker!!!  I had to plug it, I mean, come on!!!!!

For some odd reason, my ankle is really hurting tonight.  Hurting to the point of tears.  Hurting to the point of having to take medication.  I am not sure why it hurts so badly; I was busy but I don't feel that I overdid it.  My house looks horrible, but I got a week's worth of laundry washed and put away in its proper place.  The kitchen counter is clean (not the bar, but the other counter).  I picked up several things, but not all.

 

I don't know.  What a boring post, lol.  I think I'll go play a game.

i think I found my hubcap!!  It's lying alongside the freeway.  Unfortunately, it's in the fast lane and I can't just stop and get it.  I guess new hubcaps are still in order.

 

Meanwhile...I feel accomplished today.  I did laundry and changed the litter boxes, always a red letter day haha, but the big thing is that I cleaned the front porch!!  It is all cleaned up and swept and organized and pretty with decorative pumpkins.  I even swept the boards along the front of the house because they get so dusty!  I killed at least 3 black widows, one of them really small and I am so ready for the bug guys to come this month.  I am going to ask them to spray extra well on that porch.  EEEEEK!!!!!!

I lost a hubcap.  My front driver's wheel is ugly, discolored and bare.  Sometime between yesterday afternoon and this morning, the errant hubcap disappeared.  I retraced my route for the morning, because I think that it was there when I left the house, but it involved a lot of freeway driving and the hupcap is nowhere to be found.

 

I got new tires yesterday.  I had to replace the tire (in that same spot!) a couple of months ago when I got a nail in the wheel wall.  I didn't know there was a "wall"; it looked closer to the center to me, but apparently the tire shops won't fix a flat tire if it's got a nail within so many inches of the edge.  So, I got a new tire.  The technician told me at the time that I would be needing new tires on the rest of the van soon.  Fine, mine were a couple of years old.

 

I took it in yesterday because I had waited so long that the tread was really low and the van was starting to rock, and not in the bumper sticker way (You know, "If this van's arockin', don't come knockin'").   It rocked from side to side as I drove, making me nervous and my passengers a little bit motion sick.  After waiting for about 10 minutes, no exaggeration, for someone to wait on me, I was paying a lot of money for four new tires.  Apparently, their sale made it cheaper to buy four tires instead of three.  Whatever saves me money is how I felt about that!  There isn't a lot to do out by the tire store so Reece and I walked across the parking lot to Wendy's and got lunch.

 

The guy was so nice.  Once the van was finished, instead of parking it in the lot and me having to hike back over, he drove it over to Wendy's and brought my receipt with him.  Talk about great service!!  And now the hubcap is gone, never to be seen again.

 

I wonder if he's the guy who didn't put it back on tight enough.

I still can't find that version of the song "Anyway", but I did find Martina's version.  I've put it on here, just so you can hear the song.  Just imagine it a little less country.

I have a new favorite song!  It is called "Anyway" and sung by Katie Giguere.  Apparently, Martina McBride first sang it, but since I don't like country music, I have never heard her version.  Anyway....(hehe) I am going to post the lyrics here.  I can't seem to find a video of it, but I'll keep looking.

 

Anyway

You can spend your whole life building something from nothing
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream that seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

CHORUS
God is great, but sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it any, I do it anyway

This world's gone crazy and it's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway

And you can love someone with all your heart for all the right reasons
And in a moment they can choose to walk away
Love 'em anyway

CHORUS

You can pour your soul out singing a song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it any, yeah praise Him anyway
I sing, I dream, I love, oh anyway
Anyway

What's worse than having a migraine?  Having a migraine at the same time that your 4-year old has a melt-down - for the 20th time that day.  That is what is worse than having a migraine.

 

I haven't had a migraine in awhile.   I wore perfume today; I wonder if that is what triggered it?  It's entirely possible, but I won't know unless I wear the perfume again.  I really hope that isn't it because the perfume smells so good!   It's BeautiControl's Falling for Her and it smells so good!  Yes, that was a shameless plug for BeautiControl.  Expect that a lot.

 

At first I was hoping that the pain in my head was going to be a regular run-of-the-mill headache that will be irksome, but not debilitating.  It became clearer, however, that this is a migraine.  I reacted sooner rather than later for a change and am currently waiting for my Imitrex to kick in.  I believe that I got it in the first hour so I should be good to go.  I hope so, because it's a beautiful sunny day and beautiful sunny days tend to hurt a head with a migraine in it.

 

Why was Reece having a melt-down?  Did I forget to tell you?  He was upset because Mike ate the candied apple that Reece said he didn't want...the other day.  He just now noticed.  To add to it, Mike decided to get Taco Bell for all of us for lunch.  Reece did not want Taco Bell.  He wanted Del Taco.  Taco Bell is closer and, frankly, we like it better.  Except, apparently, for Reece.  He segued nicely from crying about his caramel apple to crying about the perceived loss of a Del Taco meal.  This was not inducive to my migraine. 

 

Right now both kids are riding with dad on a Taco Bell run.  I hope it's going well for him.

Today has been a blah sort of day.  It started off normally enough; I got the kids up and ready to take Alicia to school.  We were late, however, because we got out the door a couple of minutes late and then the freeway became a parking lot as we neared Ceres.  I decided to get off the freeway and go a different route, something I do quite often.

 

That didn't work out since there was a car on fire in the middle of the very road I needed to use!!  As a result, I ended up going a more circuitous route and it really made a difference in how long it took to get to the school.  We drove into the parking lot a few minutes after the bell had rung.

 

On the way home I called the doctor's office as I had been having some pain in my left ear.  Actually, when I woke up this morning, it had developed into quite a bit of pain.  I couldn't get in to see my regular doctor, so I agreed to see another doctor who takes the overflow from the regulars.  I went in at 10 am with Reece in tow.  I have never been seen so quickly by any doctor in that group!  I was being called in before I even had a chance to get to the waiting room! 

 

Once the doctor came in, it was determined that I had some build-up in my ear (it was 100% blocked) and that would need to be cleared before she could see if there was anything else going on inside of there.  Reece proceeded to get a little scared when they brought in a jug of warm water and tubing with a long metal plunger at the end.  Then they stuck it in my ear and he got very worried!  I am always telling him not to stick things in his ears and here the doctor is sticking a pointed metal thing in mine.  The irrigating felt really good and things were starting to loosen.  I know this is icky; just bear with me!

 

Then she did something that good old Dr. Barker has never done!  She took another sharp instrument, this one plastic, and begin to scrape the inside of my ear.  This did not feel nearly as good as the water did and it was getting rather difficult to keep a happy face on for Reece, who was naturally more concerned about this smaller, sharper thing going into my ear.  She scraped and irrigated, scraped and irrigated and I was doing all I could not to jump through the roof.  Then she asked for another instrument, this one called an alligator clamp.  This one was about as thin as needles and very sharp at the end and she proceeded to stick that into my ear and pull at things.

 

Finally she decided that she had cleared my ear out enough and voiced concern that she would puncture my ear drum.  I, of course, was relieved that not only was she going to stop sticking sharp objects into my ear, but I could also hear and the original pain was now gone.  However, there was a whole new sort of pain that I was now experiencing and still am to this point.  She let me go home with instructions to use over-the-counter medications in a couple of days, you know, after the swelling and redness have had time to go down, and warned that I may feel a little nauseated.

 

She was not kidding.  I got home and my ear hurt more than before from being a bit sensitive and I felt like puking.  I asked Mike to go to the living room and watch Reece while I took a nap.  Thankfully he did so without argument and I took a nice nap for about an hour and a half.  Then I got up and went to a home and school meeting at Alicia's school and picked her up.

 

On the way home she began complaining that she isn't getting enough time with me; Reece gets all of the "good" time, and she wanted to do something special.  It's hard to think of special when you feel like hurling.  I stopped at Panera and got her a grilled cheese sandwich to go.  I also picked up a PB&J for Reece, a french toast bagel for Mike and a mochachip bagel for myself.  I do not want to know how many calories were in that thing, but man was it good!  I also got a green tea thinking that may help settle my stomach, but no such luck.

 

Now I get to try and pick up the house a little bit while the kids are sleeping.  I don't think I'm going to get much done.

 

Tomorrow better go a little more smoothly.

Last night Mike stopped at the store on his way home from school.  Both kids were still up way past their bedtime because for some odd reason they had both taken naps yesterday afternoon.  Of course, when Mike stops at the store he isn't picking up fruits and vegetables.  He came in with a bag full of junk, as usual.

 

He handed Reece a candy bar and eventually Reece looked down at the wrapper.  "It has my name on it!" he screamed.

 

It was a Reese's Whipped candy bar.

 

He was right; it did have his name on it.  He still had to share with his sister.  I'm just proud that he could look at the writing on the wrapper and recognize that it had his name, even if it is spelled differently.  My baby is growing up after all.

Fridays are always a bit on the hectic side for us, especially as Adventists.  Sabbath starts at sundown and while that isn't a huge concern say around June 20th, as the days get shorter the day gets a little more stressful.  As a result, I try to get a jump start on my cleaning by starting it on Thursday so that I'm not rushing around on Friday trying to get things in order before Sabbath.  This was easier before Reece started preschool.

 

Okay, I admit, a large part of this week's problem was my goofing off on Thursday.  I mean, the entire day wasn't a wash; I did get a lot of laundry done and I cleaned out the van which is always quite a feat.  In fact, I not only cleaned out the van and vacuumed it, I also shampooed some of the worst spots on the carpeting in the van, at least what I could get to without removing the seats.  It was what I did after the van that set me back so much.

 

I went out and played with my best friend.  We went out for coffee and talked and laughed as we always do.  Then we went to a home and school meeting, which is the Christian school equivalent of the PTA.  We're planning for our fall festival.  Once we picked up our kids and made our way back to Turlock, it was already after 4 o'clock!  That just doesn't leave a lot of time!

 

This morning I had a steering committee meeting for Heart for Moms.  I love this group of women; they're so God-filled.  It does really cut into my Sabbath cleaning, though.  Am I willing to give it up?  No, I'm not.  I may have to stop going out to play on Thursdays.  Or maybe I should keep the house cleaner the rest of the time so that I can leave the house without weighing the consequences and trying to decide if coming back to the mess is worth whatever I am setting out to do.  After the meeting I came home and did get a couple of things done, although not much because I was helping Mike with something on the computer while he told me over the phone what he needed (he was at work).  I went and picked Reece up at noon and then we killed some time while waiting for Alicia to get out of school.  Now, I did come straight home after picking her up.

 

Then I fell asleep.

 

Yes, yes I did.  I sat down on the couch to read a book with Reece and I was so tired that I just....fell asleep.  For about an hour.  Not a nice, satisfyingly heavy sleep, but more of an I-can-hear-everything-that-is-going-on-but-I-can't-open-my-eyes sort of sleep.  Not exactly restful, that sort of sleep.  About that time, I figured I should think about dinner.  As if reading my mind, Alicia asked if we could have tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner.

 

Well, yes we most certainly can!! 

 

I loaded the kids up into the van and we went to the store for tomato soup and sourdough bread, because, you know, grilled cheese is just not at it's prime flavor on any other bread.  Of course, on the way there Alicia fell asleep.  Much more solidly than I had slept.  I did get to wake her up, though.  No, I'm not jealous of her sleep.  Not at all...

 

We came home and made an attempt to do some cleaning, all three of us.  I cleared off some of the table so that there was at least some wood showing through.  The kids put away toys and I got all of the stuff out from under the couch.  I swear, you could fit a tanker under that thing!  I made our grilled cheese, soup and some salad so that it wasn't totally unhealthy.  The kids loved it, of course, and Reece even asked for seconds.

 

I should mention that off and on through the entire afternoon, the two of them fought.  Over every single, little thing they could find to fight.  There were tears.  There was smacking (between them, not by me).  Days like this can really wear one out.

 

Now both of my dears have fallen asleep on the couch.  They are unbathed.  Their teeth are not brushed.  They have not yet taken their vitamins. I know that they will be grumpy when I wake them for their baths.  But for now, in this calm after the storm, my babies are angels in repose.

Alicia is working on her homework tonight and is supposed to be writing an "h" under the pictures starting with "h".   She was doing fine until she came across a picture of a ham.  She called it "meat" and moved on.  She doesn't know what a ham is!  We're SDA!!  We don't eat any pork products!  I told her that it was a ham and she said, "I don't think that's a good idea..."

 

I wrote a note to her teacher so she could laugh, too.  Seriously though, we obviously aren't using SDA curriculum at the school any more. 

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.

 

 The slumber party last night was so sweet!!  There weren't very many girls there because it's summer and so many families are on vacation.  It was Dennise and her grandma Sallie, Mica and her mom Jennifer, Kayla and her mom Marilyn, Sarah Tank (the first grade teacher) and Alicia and myself.  I was the only mom who stayed the night.  Kayla didn't stay because she was too scared to stay at someone else's house, but the girls had fun playing with her anyway.

 

The girls went swimming for awhile after snacking on egg salad sandwiches and fruit.  They had so much fun!  They kept sliding down the slide that would bounce them into the water off the little bump at the end of it.  They swam until it was too dark to see anything and too late to be very noisy.  Then they came inside, got dressed up like princesses in play dresses and boas and ran around like crazy girls!

 

We moms sat on the couches and talked and talked.  We talked about who isn't coming back from Alicia's class (Gigi, Gracie, Jacob S., Jacob B., to name a few) and the curriculum that Sarah is required to teach.  We discussed our frustrations of constituents not getting their kids in because the tuition is too high and too difficult to make.  Other names were thrown out as possibilities of not going (Kara and Kayla for two).  I'm sad; I was hoping that these kids would be Alicia's friends for the next 12 years.  I feel that our church should be making our education a priority and making sure that no child is refused an Adventist education.  I'm not the only one who feels that way, which was at least a little comforting, if nothing else. 

 

Poor Jennifer kept falling asleep as we talked.  I'm sure that with her job she is used to getting up early and sleeping early.  She looked soooo tired when she finally left.  I was worried that she wouldn't be able to make it home safely!!  She did, however, and that was a relief.  I had intended to do facials on all of the moms, but Jennifer doesn't really do much with her skin, Sarah was reluctant to try anything on her face and Marilyn was worried that she would get so relaxed she would fall asleep on the way home!  Sallie and I were the only ones who actually treated our faces (and what a treat it was!).  I did a foot treatment on Marilyn, which was so pampering for her since she is so pregnant.  Sarah and Jennifer did try the heating masks on their arms and seemed to like it.  I think I did get a couple of new customers last night even if I didn't get any bookings.  That's all right.  I can get bookings other ways.

 

We fell asleep around 12:30.  Sallie read to the girls after the others left.  Dennise, Mica and Ali were all camped out on the den floor, but Ali decided at the last minute that she wanted to lie with me.  Poor Mica got up twice in the night, once to go to the bathroom and once because she had a nosebleed.  Dennise decided that she didn't like sleeping down there and went to cuddle with her Papa.  I didn't sleep too well because the couch, although comfy, wasn't huge and I had Alicia slammed up against me.  Sallie got up early to make cinnamon rolls and was trying her hardest to be quiet, but I'm a light sleeper and woke despite her best efforts.

 

We all got up and had waffles, fruit and cinnamon rolls.  Well, Sallie and I had cinnamon rolls.  Each of the girls decided that she didn't like raisins anymore so none of them would eat the rolls.  Silly girls!

 

A little after 10:00, the lone boy showed up, Alexander.  The girls greeted him like a rockstar.  Why?  Because they had been told that once he arrived they could swim!  He and his brother hurried and got changed into their swim trunks and all the kids went out to the pool.  The girls all lined up for the slide and that was how they got into the cold pool.  That water was cold!!  Alicia is doing so well with her swimming; I am so proud of her!!

 

We had to leave early because my brother Josh and his wife Mary were coming to visit.  I let Ali swim for about an hour and then we packed up and came home.  We had a nice visit with my family as usual.

 

Tomorrow the kids start swimming lessons.  I expect to be taking lots of pictures!

 So far it's been a typical Central CA summer - hot and hotter.  We had a few days of cloud cover, which doesn't offer any relief; it only makes it humid because it continues to be in the 100's.  We haven't been out too often due to the heat and when we do venture out of the dark, air-conditioned house, we wilt and whither and get grumpy, whiny and all-around not too fun to be with.  Well, at least I do.  The kids handle it all okay, but I'm sure they would rather have cooler weather as well so that the playground equipment isn't scorching their bare little legs.

 

We suffered through summer colds a couple of weeks ago, all of us but Alicia.  My niece Anayla had one, too, and rather than go to her house and get everyone sick, she stayed here with me.  We lay on the couch and groaned, moaned and slept while the kids wreaked havoc on my once clean house.  I still haven't recovered from the mess.  Time and patience, I suppose.  I've had some migraines as well; they don't help much with my activity level.

 

The kids start swimming lessons on Monday.  I can't wait!!  I will be there with my camera AND the camcorder on hand to get it all well-documented.  They've been swimming quite a bit this summer, actually, and Alicia is making great strides on her own.  She is able to swim a few strokes underwater (better than her mom!) and is learning to float.  I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do after some formal instruction.  Reece has been wearing floaties, but has no fear of jumping into water above his head and dog-paddling to the edge to do it all again.

 

Reece starts preschool the next week and I can't wait!  He has been so clingy that he is driving me crazy.  I am ready for him to have a little bit of independence and learn some routine and how to handle a classroom.  Alicia starts FIRST GRADE on August 21st.  I think I am more excited than she is as well.  I think that she will love her new teacher, Mrs. Tank, but is also going to miss her Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. King, horribly.  I feel that she hasn't retained some things as well as I'd like her to have, but I suppose that is the bane of summertime.

 

We took the kids on a trip to Gilroy Gardens, previously Bonfonte Gardens.  They had such a fun time!!  We brought Anayla with us so that there would be someone else to ride the rides with the kids rather than just me.  Mike rode on a few, but sat most of them out.  I think it was too soon after getting his splint removed from his leg to be traipsing around an amusement park, but he was a trooper and stuck it out, painful though it was.  Most of the rides were geared toward young children, but we all managed to have fun.

 

Summer will be over before I know it and I'll be back on the routine of early mornings and early-to-bed nights.  I think I'll miss summer with my little ones.