My Spa Day

Today was my day to pamper myself... Working 10-12 hour days - being a single parent most days (the husband travels a lot) and taking care of 2 kids and all their activities - maintaining a clean house - balancing the budget - keeping track of everyone's whereabouts has worn me completely out..... Being a woman - a wife - and mom is tiring... Today - I took the day off..

I first started with a deep penetrating hot mud stress reliving back massage.. Followed by a 50 minute massage.....



I had a forty minute break and took in the sauna, steam room, and jacuzzi - I wore my towel - I have a hard time understanding how women can walk around without anything on... and sit in the steam room.... yuck and no thank you...



I then had a 50 minute facial and



the finale was the waxing.....



and I came home feeling relaxed and limp like a wet noodle... awwwww

Peer Pressure | Amazing Salvation

Peer Pressure | Amazing Salvation

Respect Is Not An Option

One of the things I am having the most difficult time dealing with is the highs and lows of my hormonal daughters.. I don't remember acting this way when I was their age - maybe it's because my parents were stricter.... or maybe I have blacked out that particular emotion - who knows but I am running out of patience .... and I do not like it!

Last night was open house at their school... I was browsing through my 6th grader's class and she was showing me the different projects she and her friends had completed so far this year - then... walks in the boy - the boy she has a major crush on... All of sudden - she is talking to me in a voice of disrespect like nothing I had ever heard.... No flipping idea where it came from... She starts walking away from me when I was talking - it was crazy.. All because the boy that she likes walked in? I did not want to embarrass her so I waited until we were out of the room to ask her what the heck was wrong with her.. and she said she did not now.....

Later we went to the open quad where a band was playing - my junior higher wanted to go hang and dance with a few of her posse friends while I went to the silent auction and gym to view the Art Masters - I told her I would be back in about a half hour or so.... She acted like she did not know me and gave her water bottle to my other daughter who promptly said she did not want to hold it - the junior higher looked at both of us like we were crazy and turned around with her nose up in the air.... I tell you this behavior - although I believe it is pretty typical -it is not something I find acceptable..

Today when I arrived at the school to pick up the kids my 6th grader told me she wanted to spend the night with her friend - I thought it would be fine - her friend was trying to call her mom but kept getting voice mail - I told her that we'll call later to see if it could would work out... My kid did not like that option - she wanted me to just let her wait for the mom and kind of push herself on them and go to her friend's house - the attitude - I tell you.... What was funny was her little friend was watching this exchange and she said if I treated my mom like you are treating your mom - I wouldn't be going anywhere except home to write 1000 sentences saying, "I will respect my parents".... At that moment, I think my kid got it - what she was doing was not cool.. it was stupid... it was disrespectful...

I realize that both of my girls are growing up - finding themselves - thinking their friends - their crushes are more important.... I completely get that... But Respect is NOT an Option..... I will demand respect and if talking doesn't work - if discipline doesn't work..... I could always take them to school in a bathrobe and curlers.... or better yet a bikini..... Now that I believe would scare them straight.... Let's hope for the parents and children of their school it doesn't come to that!

Private Or Public - That Is The Question

I am in the middle of the one of the hardest decision I have had to make.... There are so many factors that affect my decision.. and I am completely torn... Do I keep my kids in the private Christian school they are in and allow them to go through to their senior year or do I pull them out and have them start high school and middle school in the public school system this fall?

Pros For Staying in Private

Excellent education
Uniforms
All their friends are there
High Christian and Moral values
Convenient

Cons For Staying Private
Expensive

Pros For Going Public
Great Tennis team (both girls play)
Prom and dances
Good education
Free

Cons For Going Public
No friends
The "real" world
Christian values are not a priority
20 miles round trip a day - to/ from and to/from...

Another thing that I have to do - for whatever reason our neighborhood tract goes to a different city school district - and it is awful..... So in order for my kids to go to the school they should be going to - they have to take Japanese - yep, you read that right!!!! I'm trying to figure out if that is a pro or con for public....

What would you do?


Public



Private

My Kid Is Going To College....

So Sunday morning I had a major eye opening experience. My friends shared that their high school senior was accepted to California Baptist University for the coming Fall.... WOW that's great I said - well, he (the son) has been telling everyone that he is going...but the tuition is about $40,000 a year and freshmen have to live on campus so that's an added expense..... So unless he can get some good scholarship and grant money - it might not happen... I had no idea that college tuition had jumped so high.... Another parent chimed in and said that even the state schools are around $20K a year....

What freaked me out was that my daughter is very interested in attending Cal Baptist and she will be starting high school next year - How did my baby go from preschool to high school? Tomorrow she will be getting her college acceptance letters... and I am soooo not ready!!! We have been savings since she was born which is good but $40,000 a freaking a year.... So I went on line to see what tuition really is today...

The main criteria in choosing an university is the academics and the location... My girls and my husband and I want them to have the whole "college experience" by going away to school - but hopefully close enough to come home when they want to...

UC Santa Barbara $24,842 - includes tuition and room and board (in state fees)

UC San Diego $25,515 - includes tuition and room and board ( in state fees)

San Diego State $18,994 includes tuition and room and board (in state fees)

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo $18,683 includes tuition and room and board (in state fees)

Although expensive - much better than I originally thought... So I have four (4) years to help my oldest get ready for college.... get ready to become an adult.... get ready to leave the nest... and I know when the time comes I will so not be ready to let her go....