Ignorance is bliss.....or is it?

Just a short vent post here, nothing that affects my life but more of an observation.

Are people so ignorant and lazy that they would spend significant money to go to an event/show/play without actually reading or researching about it first?

I am taking my kids to Disney's Dare to Dream show next weekend. It is one of their "On Ice" shows and I am very excited about it. I started to read the reviews about it and got very curious about the 11 of 1830 one star reviews. I was absolutely floored at some of the things people were complaining about.

First off, if you watch the "trailer" about the show and read the description, it specifically states that it is about Rapunzel, Tiana and Cinderella. People actually complained they didn't have all the princesses.

One person complained that the Princess and the Frog portion contained voodoo.....ummm, hello??? Have you ever even watched the movie?????? And the other person who complained that the soldiers had swords in the Rapunzel portion....again, watch the movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another person complained that it was geared toward girls.....yet again, read the show description before you buy the tickets!!

Yet another complained that they weren't allowed to bring in their camera. They actually gave the show one star for that reason alone. Pathetic....

The best one was the person who complained about the little kids around them being too loud!!! Seriously....seriously???? You are at a Disney show and don't expect kids to get excited!!!! Stay home you whiney baby!!!

I swear, people in the world have nothing better to do!! People amaze me!!!!

Goal Check In #5 and small update

Well it is Monday again and time for our goal check in. I am not even going to bored you with the details since I only accomplished one goal this past week!! It was such a horrible week as far as sticking to the goals but it was an awesome week overall. I was so productive and so ahead on everything, it was very nice!!! I have noticed that as the weeks go by, because I am trying my hardest to accomplish these goals, I am a lot more organized than I normally am. I am not so scatter-brained, which is a wonderful feeling!!

With the Christmas holidays coming up and my term for school entering it's 6th week of 8, things are definitely going to get busier but that is ok with me. I am actually excited to get through the next few weeks since it means I get to see my Mom and family. I am beyond excited to see my nieces!!! We are all looking forward to being surrounded by family for the holidays especially with Hubby being gone. I imagine it will still be rough but it will be nice to be near people who can give me a hug when I need one!!

We made it past our 100 day mark and more and things are good. We have rougher days than others but overall it has been ok. Deployment sucks all around but we are getting by. Thankfully the last month went by so fast with all we had to do and this month will go by even faster!! I am looking forward to the Christmas holidays!! Let's pray though that things don't slow down once January comes!!!! LOL

Goal Check In #4

It's goal check in time again!! As you all know, I am participating in a goal challenge started by my friend at USNchic Goals . I feel like I accomplished a lot this week but it looks like no many are goal related!!!

My goals and their status:

Daily:
1) Fill in the kids chore charts to help them earn their allowance. Actually completed a whole week this week and the kids enjoyed getting their allowance. It has definitely sparked a new level of helpful around here!!
2) Continue the "no video games" during the school week with the exception of Noah's use of Reading Eggs. Doing well with this despite Noah's protests
3) Limit TV time to no more than 2 hours per day (with the exception of sick days) Had a few extended TV days this week due to the sickies visiting but it was needed for my sanity!!
4) Work with Jordan one hour per day on educational activities I am trying to at least read to her more.
5) Spend one hour per class each day on my studies even if my homework is done for the week.
6) Have Noah review his sight words 4 times daily I am changing this to 3 times a day and it will be a perk if we hit 4. We normally successfully do 3 times!!
7) Read the Bible to the kids Doing this daily and we all really enjoy this!!
8) Read my Bible and devotional book (shooting for twice a day) I did horribly this past week. I still said my prayers and did my devotional book at night but other than the Bible reading with the kids, mine was only opened once.

Weekly:

1) Stick to a cleaning and maintenance schedule for the house Tried out the new schedule. Really liked it but it was hard having sick kids. I did what I could and plan on trying to be more consistent after our trip to ATL!!
2) Start working out regularly, at least 3 times a week
3) Eat out no more than once per week Did great with this this week!! Only ate out once!!
4) Submit one box a week to Thred Up
5) Attend church
6) Send something to Hubby: card, letter, picture, boxes, anything
7) Work on Noah's handwriting at least 3 times a week
8) Try to blog 3 times a week if not more I got two done this week, not counting check-in, so it is a start!!

Monthly: 
1) Try one new place every month, even if means driving out of town

2) Buy birthday cards for the month at the beginning of each month and address and stamp them immediately.

Short term goals:

1) Have family photos printed and framed 

2) Print out picture for bedroom and frame 

3) Get Christmas cards done and sent out by December 10th

4) Have Christmas shopping done prior to Dec. 17th

5) Send out TS business email about ending business Why can't I bring myself to do this one?

6) Have Little Man reading stage 1 books without help before the Hubby's return in the spring
7) Join a women's group or women's bible study
8) Get the garage organized prior to Hubby's return Thanks to my awesome friend, this is closer to completion than ever before!!
9) Organize recipe binder
10) Organize household binder
11) Get DVD's situated (DVD case, labels and get rid of the boxes!!)
12) Write out Christmas lists for purchased gifts and gift ideas so I don't over-purchase or miss anyone!! I am working on this one. I swear I am missing someone!!!
13) Start working on reading list with Banana

Long Term
1) GET OUT OF DEBT!!!! (The cards in the freezer is working so far...lol)
2) Complete my Bachelor's degree with a minimum of a 3.5 GPA
3) Start my Master's degree immediately after completing my BA. No break from school!!
4) Plan a vacation with my husband yearly, just the two of us. We tend to lose who we are when we become parents and I think it is important for us to recapture that. Even if it for a few days, it needs to be done!!
5) Learn to speak a different language. I am leaning toward French but think Spanish is the best bet especially if I plan on teaching someday.


Goals Completed since October 27th, 2011: 2 1/2

Oh, the humanity!!!

So I put up our Christmas tree on Monday....

Yes, I put it up 10 days before Thanksgiving and man alive did that sparks some comments on Facebook. None of them bothered me but they did make me laugh, particularly when I was told that every tree lit before Christmas indicates an elf killing a baby reindeer!!!! I know all the comments were made in jest but it really got me to thinking....

Why do people make such a big deal out of someone putting their tree up before Thanksgiving?

Moreover, why don't they make a stink when people comment about how they started their Christmas shopping in June? Or how they are almost done with their Christmas craft projects and it isn't even December? Or how they already have their Christmas cards printed out, ready to mail? Can someone explain to me the difference?

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for what you have, I am thankful all year so why do I need one day to celebrate that. I thank God every day for the blessing he bestows on my life. My life has such an abundance of blessings and I have no right not to be thankful each day of my life.

One of the blessings I have in my life is an extremely busy schedule and when I get a break in that schedule, I am going to take full advantage!! Princess was sick, which forced us to be home, my house was clean so I thought what better time than the present!! The ironic thing is that my tree reminds me of all my blessings and all that I am thankful for in my life. Each ornament has a story, a memory, a reason for being on my tree. I do not have a "picture-perfect" tree with all matchy-match ornaments, bows, white lights and perfection. I have a hodge-podge tree filled with fun ornaments that remind us of so much like the 1976 "Baby's First Christmas ornament" or the USS Carney Ship ornament or the flip flop ornament from VA beach 2007 or our additions from last year, our three personalized Mickey ear ornaments from our trip to Disney.

I like to decorate for Christmas early for a variety of reasons but the main ones are to remember special moments and to focus on the importance of this time of the year. It is a time of the year to go out of your way for people, to have a smile on your face regardless of circumstances, and to bring as much joy and happy to others as you have been given in your own life. I am overly blessed and I want to remind myself to share those blessings with others. The most important reason is because my Savior was born on this special day and I believe birthdays should always be made extra special!!!

So for those “anti-Christmas before Thanksgiving” people out there, just remember this…..for every Christmas gift purchased and every craft completed before Thanksgiving, that is one baby elf that dies…..LOL!!!

Happy Decorating all, no matter when you do it!!

Protocol

So every November I take part in the great Facebook thankful status' adventure. Last week at some point, I remember being thankful for our health care but I am far from thankful for it this week!!!

On Sunday, Princess started to run a fever after a weekend of the runny nose, coughing yuckies. Since we have been dealing with ear infections a lot over the last several months and she told me her ear was bothering her, I decided to make her an appt. for first thing Monday morning. It worked out well since I had to be there for Little Man's asthma follow-up. Once we get there and see the doctor, we discover alas no ear infection, so they decide to do a rapid strep culture on her. 20 minutes later, it turns out to be positive so antibiotics here we come!!

At Little Man's follow-up appt, I ask the doctor if they could do a culture on him to be on the safe side. I have a busy few weeks ahead and I don't need sickness dragging out forever. She hims and haws but does one (I think mainly because she knows if she didn't I would turn right around and make an appt for him for one). She tells me if I don't hear from her by close of business on Wednesday, then he is good to go. I then ask her if I should get one done too and she said no, that he more than likely doesn't have it since we are both asymptomatic so not to worry.

So Tuesday rolls around and Princess is home so she can get her 24 hours of antibiotics on board. My phone rings and low and behold, it is the doctor's office telling me that Little Man has strep also. So I get off the phone with her and proceed to call my own doctor to get a culture done on myself. I go in to the Naval Hospital (again), get it done and again get told that I more than likely won't have it since I am asymptomatic!! While I am there, I grab Little Man's antibiotics.

Which brings us to today. I feel fine, no cold symptoms what so ever but wouldn't you know it, I get a phone call around 1:15 from my doctor telling me my culture came back positive for strep!! So off the the Naval Hospital we go (for the third time) to pick up yet a third antibiotic!!! Can you even imagine how annoyed I am????

So here are my thoughts....if a child tests positive for strep, wouldn't it be smart to test the entire family considering the close proximity they have with each other? And if a child or adult can't go to school or work with strep because it is so contagious until antibiotics are on board for 24 hours, why do doctors think that a family who lives in a small 1500 square foot home couldn't possibly pass the germs on to each other??? And when are doctors going to start listening to patients or parents versus what they learned in textbooks? This makes 3 times this year that I was told that either myself or my child couldn't possibly have something because we are asymptomatic!!

Seriously, if they would have done all three on Monday, it wouldn't have wasted so much of my time!!! Next time (hopefully there won't be a next time but if there is), I am going to be insistent about it!!!

Goal Check In #3

So it is that time again....goal check in time!!! As you all know, I am participating in a goal challenge started by my friend at USNchic Goals . My last check in was better than the first so let's see how I did this week.I am going to steal USNChic's idea to better organize the goals so it is easier to keep better track of them.

My goals and their status:

Daily:
1) Fill in the kids chore charts to help them earn their allowance.
2) Continue the "no video games" during the school week with the exception of Noah's use of Reading Eggs. Doing well with this despite Noah's protests
3) Limit TV time to no more than 2 hours per day (with the exception of sick days)
4) Work with Jordan one hour per day on educational activities
5) Spend one hour per class each day on my studies even if my homework is done for the week.
6) Have Noah review his sight words 4 times daily
7) Read the Bible to the kids
8) Read my Bible and devotional book (shooting for twice a day)

Weekly:

1) Stick to a cleaning and maintenance schedule for the house We have the schedule up and working to stick to it this week
2) Start working out regularly, at least 3 times a week
3) Eat out no more than once per week
4) Submit one box a week to Thred Up
5) Attend church
6) Send something to Hubby: card, letter, picture, boxes, anything
7) Work on Noah's handwriting at least 3 times a week
8) Try to blog 3 times a week if not more

Monthly: 
1) Try one new place every month, even if means driving out of town

2) Buy birthday cards for the month at the beginning of each month and address and stamp them immediately.

Short term goals:

1) Have family photos printed and framed 

2) Print out picture for bedroom and frame 

3) Get Christmas cards done and sent out by December 10th

4) Have Christmas shopping done prior to Dec. 17th

5) Send out TS business email about ending business

6) Have Little Man reading stage 1 books without help before the Hubby's return in the spring
7) Join a women's group or women's bible study
8) Get the garage organized prior to Hubby's return Thanks to my awesome friend, this is closer to completion than ever before!!
9) Organize recipe binder
10) Organize household binder
11) Get DVD's situated (DVD case, labels and get rid of the boxes!!)
12) Write out Christmas lists for purchased gifts and gift ideas so I don't over-purchase or miss anyone!! 

Long Term
1) GET OUT OF DEBT!!!! (The cards in the freezer is working so far...lol)
2) Complete my Bachelor's degree with a minimum of a 3.5 GPA
3) Start my Master's degree immediately after completing my BA. No break from school!!
4) Plan a vacation with my husband yearly, just the two of us. We tend to lose who we are when we become parents and I think it is important for us to recapture that. Even if it for a few days, it needs to be done!!
5) Learn to speak a different language. I am leaning toward French but think Spanish is the best bet especially if I plan on teaching someday.


Goals Completed since October 27th, 2011: 2 1/2

Goal check in #2

So it is that time again....goal check in time!!! As you all know, I am participating in a goal challenge started by my friend at USNchic Goals . My last check in was so-so Check in #1 so let's see how I did this week.

My goals and their status:

1) Come up with (and stick to) a cleaning and maintenance schedule for the house: It is done, typed up and I am starting it today. I hope it works out for me!!!

2) Start working out regularly, at least 3 times a week: Making my chiropractor appt. this week. I need to stop putting it off!!!

3) Spend one hour per class on homework or my studies daily: Still maintaining the two hours per day but I do need to allow myself a "break day" or I am going to burn myself out.

4) Utilize Facebook during the morning and at night IF ALL THE WORK IS DONE!!!!: I am getting a little better with this one....

5) Spend 1 hour per day doing learning activities with Princess:Honestly, haven't worked much with her. Things have been crazy busy so I need to refocus and set time aside for this.

6) Continue the no TV before school/daily activities and focus on making after dinner no TV time also: Life without TV is becoming more commonplace in our house. The TV was only on yesterday to watch Wizard of Oz last night and we didn't even finish the movie (only watched about an hour of it). My DVR is like 97% full, that is how little I watch TV.

7) Have Little Man reading stage 1 books without help before the Hubby's return in the spring: So proud, we are doing really good with this. He is getting to where he can sound out words too!! I hope I have at least one reader on my hands!!

8) Send a card or letter to my closest friends and relatives on their birthdays rather than just wishing them a Happy Birthday on Facebook or sending them a text message. And actually mail it on time!!!!: Yea, another epic fail this week. I got a little further though....they are addressed. LOL


9) Eat out only once per week (not including pizza night). Since the Hubby has been gone, it has been easier to eat sometimes then cook: Did pretty decent with this last week. Grabbed some Wendy's one night because of another fundraiser for Little Man's school and went to lunch yesterday but other than that, we have bee eating at home. It is a start!!

10) Stop being sporadic with the kids chore chart. Hold them accountable and ensure they receive their reward for doing a good job (10 cents per covered box): Another epic fail!!

11) Read the Bible nightly and my devotional book twice daily. Still having a hard time getting up early enough to read. I need to go to bed earlier....

12) Join a women's group or women's bible study: Still trying to find one that fits for me

13) Submit one box a week to Thred Up. We have way too many clothes in bins in the garage!!: Still haven't touched this one

14) Get to garage organized prior to Hubby's return. Anyone want to help with this? This one is still extremely comical every time I read it!!My cheesehead said she would help me out with it but I don't think she has an idea what she is getting into.

15) Try one new place every month, even if means driving out of town Well technically we are trying a new place this month. We are headed to Atlanta in a few weeks to go visit one of my besties!!

16) Work with Noah daily to improve his handwriting: Still working on it!!

17) Mail Hubby something once a week until he returns. Even if I don't have boxes to send him, send him a letter, card, picture, something tangible!! Mailed out 3 boxes this past week and already started on the next ones!! 

18) Try to blog every other day even if I don't have much to say (do I ever have not much to say?): Didn't even think about blogging until today. I need to set a reminder for myself!!

19) Fold all the socks in my sock basket. For those who know me, if I achieve this, it is a major coup!!   I am so proud that I can cross this one off my list. I HATE folding socks but I got it done!!



20) Reorganize my closet an the kids closets. Things are getting pretty messy in there!! This will be done by next week. Mine and Princess' are done and I am working on Little Man's today.

My goal challenge check in

Well last week, I posted about the goal challenge I am taken part in which was originally posted by my girl at USNchic Goals . We have agreed to do a check in on Monday's to see where we stand with getting our goals in place so here is my check in!!

My goals and their status:

1) Come up with (and stick to) a cleaning and maintenance schedule for the house: It is half-way typed up. Had hoped to start it today but plan on finishing it today and starting on it tomorrow.

2) Start working out regularly, at least 3 times a week: Since my back is still bothering me, this one is on hold until my chiropractor appt.

3) Spend one hour per class on homework or my studies daily: I have actually been doing great with this one. I realize I am spending more time too because I love the classes I am taking right now!!

4) Utilize Facebook during the morning and at night IF ALL THE WORK IS DONE!!!!: Still a hard one for me. I am such a busybody. Working on this one!!

5) Spend 1 hour per day doing learning activities with Jordan: We working together on Friday but not over the weekend. We will try again today.

6) Continue the no TV before school/daily activities and focus on making after dinner no TV time also: The one goal I have been successful in!!! YAY!! Music has been on more and more and the TV on less and less. Doesn't seem to phase the kids one bit. Moving my laptop to the dining room table has also prompted me to stop watching so much TV since I tend to feel I need the TV on when I am sitting on the couch with my laptop.

7) Have Noah reading stage 1 books without help before the Hubby's return in the spring: Working hard on this one....2 new sight words everyday!!


8) Send a card or letter to my closest friends and relatives on their birthdays rather than just wishing them a Happy Birthday on Facebook or sending them a text message. And actually mail it on time!!!!: First attempt, epic fail!! Bought a card for my friend whose birthday is today and not only is it sitting on my counter but it isn't even out of the bag!! Have a family member birthday on Friday, going to shoot for that one!!

9) Eat out only once per week (not including pizza night). Since the Hubby has been gone, it has been easier to eat sometimes then cook: This one starts today....

10) Stop being sporadic with the kids chore chart. Hold them accountable and ensure they receive their reward for doing a good job (10 cents per covered box): Getting much better with the charts. Noah got his allowance from his chart yesterday and he reminds me about it now.

11) Read the Bible nightly and my devotional book twice daily. Doing great with this one minus the devotional book in the morning. I need to stop hitting snooze!!!

12) Join a women's group or women's bible study: Looked into this yesterday at church. There is one I am interested in so I think I might check it out next Sunday.

13) Submit one box a week to Thred Up. We have way too many clothes in bins in the garage!!: Didn't even touch this one

14) Get to garage organized prior to Hubby's return. Anyone want to help with this? This one gets more and more comical every time I read it!!

15) Try one new place every month, even if means driving out of town Well technically we are trying a new place this month. We are headed to Atlanta in a few weeks to go visit one of my besties!!

16) Work with Noah daily to improve his handwriting: We work on it a little every day!!

17) Mail Hubby something once a week until he returns. Even if I don't have boxes to send him, send him a letter, card, picture, something tangible!! Just mailed out 2 boxes and have 3 more going out tomorrow!!

18) Try to blog every other day even if I don't have much to say (do I ever have not much to say?): Another fail.....will try harder before next weeks check it!!

I want to add two more goals also:
19) Fold all the socks in my sock basket. For those who know me, if I achieve this, it is a major coup!!

20) Reorganize my closet an the kids closets. Things are getting pretty messy in there!!


 

The Goal Challenge

                       Have you ever caught yourself telling people about the things you hope to accomplish and about the only thing you end up accomplishing is putting that particular thing on a list somewhere, either deep inside your mind or a to-do list or an app on your phone. I am notorious for doing this!! I have so many things I would love to accomplish but then life gets away with me. I reflect on the week as it comes to an end and I realize I am just as disorganized and frazzled as I was when I started. One of my best friends decided to pose a goal challenge to her bloggers so I decided to take part in it. The idea is to write out both your short term goals and your long term goals and help each other keep track of accountability. Almost like a weight loss group but help each other keep on track with getting our goals accomplished. If you would like to join in, please list your goals in your blog and then submit a link in my comments. I hope we can all accomplish our goals and eventually allow our lists to become not so overwhelming!!

SHORT TERM GOALS:


1) Come up with (and stick to) a cleaning and maintenance schedule for the house.

2) Start working out regularly, at least 3 times a week


3) Spend one hour per class on homework or my studies daily


4) Utilize Facebook during the morning and at night IF ALL THE WORK IS DONE!!!!


5) Spend 1 hour per day doing learning activities with Jordan


6) Continue the no TV before school/daily activities and focus on making after dinner no TV time also.


7) Have Noah reading stage 1 books without help before the Hubby's return in the spring


8) Send a card or letter to my closest friends and relatives on their birthdays rather than just wishing them a Happy Birthday on Facebook or sending them a text message. And actually mail it on time!!!!


9) Eat out only once per week (not including pizza night). Since the Hubby has been gone, it has been easier to eat sometimes then cook.


10) Stop being sporatic with the kids chore chart. Hold them accountable and ensure they receive theur reward for doing a good job (10 cents per covered box)


11) Read the Bible nightly and my devotional book twice daily.


12) Join a women's group or women's bible study


13) Submit one box a week to Thred Up. We have way too many clothes in bins in the garage!!


14) Get to garage organized prior to Hubby's return. Anyone want to help with this?



15) Try one new place every month, even if means driving out of town

16) Work with Noah daily to improve his handwriting


17) Mail Hubby something once a week until he returns. Even if I don't have boxes to send him, send him a letter, card, picture, something tangible!!

18) Try to blog every other day even if I don't have much to say (do I ever have not much to say?) 



LONG TERM GOALS:


1) GET OUT OF DEBT!!!! (The cards in the freezer is working so far...lol)


2) Complete my Bachelor's degree with a minimum of a 3.5 GPA


3) Start my Master's degree immediately after completing my BA. No break from school!!


4) Plan a vacation with my husband yearly, just the two of us. We tend to lose who we are when we become parents and I think it is important for us to recapture that. Even if it for a few days, it needs to be done!!


5) Learn to speak a different language. I am leaning toward French but think Spanish is the best bet especially if I plan on teaching someday.


That is all I can think of right now. If I complete something or need to change something, I will update as needed!! I hope you guys will take part in this too!!

Best Buds (Day #71)

Well, I am going to do my best to get this blog up and running again. So we have made it to day #71 amazingly enough. We are all doing well and with the exception of a few stressful things, life is running fairly smoothly. I just really miss the Hubby and can't wait for this deployment to be over with. As much as I hope and pray we end up in Virginia next, I am not feeling another deployment for a while!!

This weekend was so  much fun. One of my besties came down to visit us along with her two children. Her son and Little Man are best buds and have been for years. It is amazing to me how much they adore each other and are the topic of conversation frequently despite the 200 miles that separate them. Their friendship is one that will last through the ages and it is amazing considering how it started.

In July of 2007, I received a message for a woman on MySpace. She was moving to the Great Lakes area so she decided to do a search of people close to her demographics (married, mom, etc..) to send them messages to find out more about the area. She sent me a message after noticing I had a son close to her son's age. And that is where it all began....

We corresponded frequently and I invited her to be a part of a playgroup I was a part of. Our boys, it turned out, were only 5 weeks apart and they became fast friends. Her husband deployed shortly after they arrived and we slowly developed our friendship. At first I was reluctant because she is a lot younger than me and I had had several bad experiences in the past with younger friends but I soon realized that she and I were on the same wavelength with so many things. While our friendship was flourishing, so was the boys.

Soon it can time for the dreaded PCS. Her husband got selected for an Officer Program which meant they would be leaving us. Not only was I sad but Little Man was crushed!! His best buddy was moving away. It was a sad time in our household. Fast forward several months and we soon discovered that we would be moving 200 miles away from them!! 200 miles, about 3 1/2 hours....shoot, I could drive that in my sleep!! Easy peasy!!

Well, here we are....4+ years later and not only has she become a sister to me but the boys bond is stronger than ever!! And adding our daughters to the mix, they are slowly becoming little best buds also. Even though we do live 200 miles apart, we try not to go more than a month or so without seeing each other. If it gets to be too long, the boys start driving us crazy to see each other. It just impresses me how much their lives are connected. They are truly best buds and I think they will be for the rest of their lives.....just like their mothers!!!! I love ya girl, you are my sister from another mister and always will be!!!!           

One month down....

Well, we made it. We survived our first month. No one is physically hurt, the house is still standing and the kids are doing well. So now only how many more months to go????
This has been such a busy month. After the Hubster left for parts unknown, the kids and I took a little adventure up to NY to visit the fam and see Mommy's new crib!! It was a fun week, very busy but absolutely the best medicine to get through our first week as only 3/4 of a family. The Friday after we got back, Little Man started Kindergarten. Can you beleive it? My boy is going to school, full-time, all...day...long!!! Some days, it feels like he is gone forever and other days, I am so grateful he is there learning his day away.

Unfortuantely, his first day of school was cut short by a hurricane that decided to visit us. It was not as bad as originally projected and the kids and I made the best of it. It was a long 3 days without power but my Girl Scout skills came in handy when trying to make other food for my munchkins since they grew tired of sandwiches pretty quickly.
After the hurricane left and life started to return to normal, Little Man went back to school and within days, it was the Princess' turn to start school!! Wow, both of them in school, now that is a sad thing for me!! My babies are growing up and if I blink my eyes, they are going to be grown up and leaving the nest!!!! Maybe I can tape my eyes open so I don't miss a moment!!

I also started school right after the Hubster left and I will be honest, it is kicking my butt. I am doing my absolute best though and I will be satisfied with whatever grade I end up getting since I know I am giving it my all. I never knew going back to school after such a long hiatus would be so difficult. Hopefully I will get in the groove of it after this quarter and it will get easier as time goes by.

In addition to school and New York, we managed to go up to VA twice to visit with our favorite "L" family. We spent Labor Day and the following weekend up there. Ally and I have birthdays within 2 weeks of each other so we took turns celebrating each weekend. We had a great time both weekends and it was great to spend time with some awesome friends.
I have to say though, this deployment is making me realize a lot of things in my life. The first is that I really do have an awesome group of friends. Between cards, girls nights out and the general checking on me phone calls, my besties are awesome. Even though they all live in different states, I know if I need them, they will be here no matter what. The second is that I absolutely adore my husband. I knew I loved him but things between us haven't always been all moonlight and roses lately. Every second he is away, I realize more and more how truly, madly, deeply in love with my husband I am. It is like we are discovering who "we" are again, something that tends to get lost once you have children in the picture. I can not wait until he comes home and I can wrap my arms around him again!!!
So that is the last 30 days in a nutshell. tomorrow starts day one of month two.....will it be easier than month one? I certainly hope so!!!!

Catching Up

Wow, I have become very sucky with the blogging thing, huh? Well I have made a vow to get better at it especially so I can keep the Hubby up to date on things while he is gone. So let's play a little game of catch-up....

Since we are on the topic of Hubby leaving, it is coming upon us very, very quickly. We are down to single digits as to when he leaves us and my heart feels very heavy. We are doing everything we can to spend as much time together and as a family as we can but it is hard. The anxiety takes over, we find fault in each other and we let the dread take over....not a pretty sight but unfortunately a common one in households with the dreaded "D" approaching. I have been doing my best to remind myself that I am stressed about him leaving and to not sweat the small stuff. I just hope he knows how important he is to me and that he is my rock in this crazy world we live in. I am going to miss him tremendously!!!

Anyways, on to brighter topics....the kids both start school in a few weeks. Little Man will being going into kindergarten and they go to school full days here. It will be weird not having him around for 8 hours every day and I know I am going to miss him so much!! Princess starts pre-school a few days after her brother and she is so excited!! She will be going 3 days a week for 4 hours. I am going to miss her also so much but I will get 12 hours all to myself every week!! And what will I be doing with that time, you might ask? Well I will be going to school too!!! YAY ME!!! I am so excited (and very nervous) about getting my BA done so I can start to work on my Master's. Provided they accept all of my credits, I will be able to start on my Master's in about a year and a half!! I have a goal and I am going to bust my tail-end to achieve that goal!!! Who knows, maybe once I get my Master's out of the way, I will aim for even higher!! You just never know!!

The kids and I have been enjoying a very relaxed summer with no schedule. After the year we had running all over the place, I wanted to relax as much as possible. It has been ridiculously hot here but we try to hit the pool daily and we have been doing some fun activities (like growing butterflies which will hopefully hatch any day now!!) Once the school year starts, not only will we have school for the three of us but the kids will both be taking gymnastics again, Princess will be in dance and Little Man will be playing soccer. And I am hoping to find a cake-decorating class somewhere. So we will be just as busy as usual!!! I am actually looking forward to being on  a regular schedule again!! I know it is crazy, but I like having a busy schedule and with the Hubby being gone, it will make the time fly by!!

well, that is everything in a nutshell. My vow is to blog at least every other day while the Hubby is gone. Let's see if I can stick to it......

Please stop....

growing up!!!!

My little man is 5 today. 5 years old.....why does that seem like so much when it is really so little. I feel like he is going to be graduating from high school and heading to college next week or something. I don't want to ever imagine my life without this little person anytime soon but it feels like it is right around the corner.

I wrote a long blog last year about how Little Man changed my life, our lives. You can read about him here: My missing piece

Today, I just want to write a small thing to my love....

Sweet Little Man,
I thank God every day for allowing me to be your Mother and allowing me the opportunity to show you life. I hope that I am everything you want in a mother. I may stumble along the way, I may yell too much sometime, I may get mad at dumb things but I love you with every ounce of my being. I am learning just as much as you are so we need to help each other. We will "grow" together. I will thrive in your accomplishments, cry with your pitfalls and always be here for you no matter what!!! Thank you for showing me how much I can love someone!!! I love you Little Man, thank you for being my sunshine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love you always,
Momma

Noah 5 years old

Reality Bites

So my Mom sent me a picture text message today.......

The house is sold......the house I spent the majority of my life in. The house I "grew up" in. And I feel homeless. I haven't lived there in 15 years but I still feel homeless. I am worried about what this means. I worry my kids won't know what amazing times we had in that house....the laughs, the tears, the proms, the sleep-overs, the ice cream fights, memories, feelings, on and on and on.

But I am so happy for my Mom. It means one of the biggest burdens from her past is gone and now she can move on without that weight. But I worry about her too. Ever since she sent me this text, she seems to be in funk. I can't image the fear she has, moving on to a new adventure at a stage in her life she never thought she would have to do this in. But I have never known my mom to "hide" from strife, adversity or new beginnings. She has also taught me strength which is why I am able to be strong when my husband leaves me behind for his career. I just wish she could find that confidence she has a few short months ago!! I hate that I am so far away and can't help her out!! Maybe when we head up there in a few weeks, I can do what I can!!!

I just hope my Mom knows that no matter where she goes, no matter what she does, she will always have people in her corner, just like I will never be homeless as long as I have family to visit when I need a family fix.   Life sure does throw you some strange curves huh??

Always remember "that which does not kill us makes us stronger"!!!!

Holy MIA Batman!!!!!!

Wow, has it really been since November that I wrote my last blog????
What have I been doing in all that time....geez...you big slacker!!!

LOL, just kidding. I did fall off the blogging bandwagon but I have decided to hop right back on. When I was blogging before, I felt so good about my life even when it was crazy. It helped me to get things out and sort things out when things got hectic. So I am going to give it a go again but if I start slacking, send me a poke or something on Facebook, would you???

Well a quick family update.....Little Princess turned 3 in March and we had a wonderful time during her birthday weekend. She is doing amazing in both dance and gymnastics. She is very excited about starting pre-school in the fall, she even wanted to start now since she knew she could start when she turned 3. I have her registered to go to the same school Little Man attended this year and I am happy to know she will be around people she is comfortable with. I just can't believe she is already going to be in a school setting. It really makes me sad.

Speaking of sad, my Little Man is going to be 5 in two weeks....two week, ugh!!! Where have the last 5 years gone??? It makes me so sad to see him growing up so fast. He is in such a rush to grow up or so it seems lately. He seems to think he is going to start kindergarten right after his birthday. I keep trying to explain to him that he has to wait until the summer is done with but he is not feeling it right now. He wants to start kindergarten right away. He gets excited whenever we drive by the school that he knows will be his, it is really cute but makes me sad just the same. He is playing t-ball right now and played spring soccer, which he did great at. He was moved up to a more advanced class in gymnastics also. We are so proud of him.

As for the Hubby, well he has been working what feels like non-stop. He is doing his work-ups for deployment and will be leaving us mid-summer time frame. We are doing what we can to ensure we are on the right track before he leaves and that means leaning on each other as much as possible rather then push each other away as most couples do when deployment looms near. I am extremely nervous about this deployment but I know we will make it through, hopefully with no gray hair and very few bumps or bruises.

As for me, I am going through a transition in my life. I am thinking and praying on a lot of things but nothing I am prepared to share just yet. I will when the time is right and when I feel I have enough information to share. Let's just hope I stay on this blog a little bit better.....only time will tell!!