Ready, Set, Go!

My MIL should be here in a few hours.  She was originally just coming to say goodbye to her son, but now she gets to help in the fun of moving, or watching the grandkids.  

The boxes are almost all packed.

Paper plates and plastic cups have resurfaced.

The truck is reserved.

Gunner has recruited A buddy.  Yes, ONE buddy.  I'm hoping he is strong as an ox.

Just a cute picture of my boy from our trip to Utah.

Arches National Park

Peace? Or not so much...

Having two girls, I spend a huge amount of my time shopping for back to school clothes.

I look for things that are age appropriate--not always easy to do.

Cover their bodies--I call it in the arm test, they have to be able to lift their arms and not bare their entire body.

Jeans don't need to be cut so low that I got a flash of crack every time.

They need to fit well, be comfortable, and hopefully priced reasonably.

The one trend that I don't get, is this.....

or 

Those were from Justice 4 girls, but don't worry, it's everywhere, like at the Children's Place, where I can usually find cute clothes for Junior and Abs.

You get the picture.  I totally get the whole "retro look", but I guess what I can't get over is that at one time the peace symbol stood for being "anti-war", and our family isn't anti-war.  We're getting ready to ship Gunner off again to Afghanistan, and I just can't get on board with this trend.

I'm probably just overreacting, and maybe people don't view the peace symbol in the same light that I do.  

But, my kids won't be wearing them to school this fall.

Questions--I need answers!

What do you use to wash your face?  I have combination skin, and sometimes Mary Kay works, but other times it doesn't.  There has to be something out there that is wonderful, so I am hoping someone can help me figure it out.

If you have curly hair, how do you keep it from being frizzy?  It's not as bad in Colorado, but now that it is raining every afternoon, I need a solution and fast.  I've tried all the curly shampoos, conditioners, gels, and mousses.  Maybe I am just doing the wrong combo?  It there something new out there?  I have curls and curls and curls.  Millions.

Potty training--The doctor told us to forget about it for a while.  We are trying, but it is hard.  He totally will not do it at all.  I'm sure it's a power struggle, but what can I do for him to get over it and pee and poop in the potty.  We tried stickers, treats, books, cars, prizes, you name it.  I remember my mom telling me that my Grandmother thought I should spank him every time.  I still won't do that, because I know he won't possibly go to college wearing diapers, but I am not so sure he won't be wearing them to kindergarten.  I am open to any and all suggestions.

I want to move my garden with us.  Gunner thinks this is ridiculous and a waste of time.  I am thinking of all the money I have invested in it, not to mention time!  Tell me I am not crazy.

A gross story--the dog kept going after things that were digging holes in our yard.  We figured he would never catch the moles.  Ummmm....he caught one, it wasn't a mole, and he managed to get the bloody carcass into the house.  I turned around and started screaming.  This lead to the girls screaming and Junior screaming.  Gunner walked over, plucked it out of Sammy's mouth and throw it away, while holding his breakfast in the other hand.  Ewwwwwwww......My solution to prevent it from happening again?  He has to be supervised at all times.  Let's hope the next place doesn't have giant rats.

If you ever see me in a store and I am buying a material possession, please knock me upside the head and escort me out of the store.  I do not need anything.

Gunner told me last night that saying goodbye to Em was really hard.  She kept telling him "don't say anything else or I'll start crying".  Poor kiddo, headed off on a big adventure but in the back of her mind she knows it will be a long time till she sees her dad again.  What does every tween pack for London?  Cute clothes, diary, toiletries, and her daddy doll.  

Em's Big Adventure

Em leaves for 10 days in London today.  She went two years ago for just over three weeks, and is headed back to meet her Grandma to travel some more.  I can't complain as my parents took my little sister and my brother and I there one year for Spring Break.  I would love to go back though!

We knew when we agreed to let Em go on this trip, that she would be leaving before her dad.  Just one more sign that it is getting closer.

At Em's request, Gunner is taking her to the airport and waiting with her, so she can wait till the last possible minute before saying goodbye.

I'm sure the big adventure awaiting her will keep her mind occupied while she is on the plane, along with daydreams about Justin Beiber.

I'm nervous about her flying by herself, but she has a direct flight, and we are paying the $100 to have her escorted through customs.  Let's hope everything is uneventful.  It's a great opportunity for her, although I know Gunner has a hard time when we leave him.  While it is never easy to leave us, that's the way it usually is, so he finds it hard when the roles are reversed.

In the meantime Junior has pooped in his pants and he didn't take anything, and Abs is in rare form.  Hopefully one day he will look back on this and laugh.

A status worth sharing

I saw this on someone's fb and had to post it as my own and here.

ABW can't believe the news coverage being given to a spoiled 20-somethingyr old. Here are a few 20 somethings worth knowing about: Justin Allen 23, Brett Linley 29, Matthew Weikert 29, Justus Bartett 27, Dave Santos 21, Chase Stanley 21, Jesse Reed 26, Matthew Johnson 21, Zachary Fisher 24, Brandon King 23, Christopher Goeke 23, Sheldon Tate 27~These 20 somethings gave their lives for you this week. LINDSEY WHO?


It reminds me of a few years ago when some idiot in Hollywood died, and at the same time there were about 14 Soldiers that were killed...guess who received the most coverage, and I believe it was from a drug overdose.  What's wrong with this country?  

She likes to cook!

It's no secret that I am not a big fan of cooking.

Every once in a while I get motivated to make something, bake something, or throw something in the crockpot.  It's not very often though.  Thankfully Gunner is a great cook and enjoys doing it.

I am good at meal planning, so I handle that portion, and I will usually start dinner.  Once Gunner is home, I pass the baton and he finishes it up.  It works for us.

When Gunner leaves, we eat a lot of steamed stuff, or quick stuff like oatmeal. 

 Em can make a mean spaghetti.  Tonight she wanted to make hamburgers, and they are excellent.  Grilled cheese and tomato soup are something else she can cook.

The best part.....she LOVES to cook!  How can I argue with that?  She offered to cook at least twice a week while her dad is deployed.  Hmmmmm....I could get into this.

I'm not a slave driver, so if she doesn't want to, she won't have to, but if she does want to.....I can't say no!  I might be hampering the next Top Chef--okay so maybe not the next Top Chef, but maybe she will at least like cooking more than me!

She just found a box of brownie mix and asked to make those for dessert.  I already see that this deployment is shaping up to be a little bit different.

Another sign....no words.

Facebook--Is it right or wrong?

I'm a rules girl.  I like rules.  I do what is right.

The other night at dinner they undercharged us for our beer, and I pointed it out.

When I walked out of Target with a pillow underneath the cart that I forgot to pay for, we went back so I could pay for it.

It's just the way I roll.  I watched my parents do the exact same thing, and I learned.

Then facebook arrived.

You have to be 13 to get an account, and last time I checked, I didn't have any 13 year old children.

They understand why they can't have it, but they still want an account.  Do they really need to talk to their friends that also aren't old enough to be on there?  Do they really need to waste time playing Farmville or Petville?  Is there some reason they need Facebook that I am missing?

Am I totally a crappy parent because I won't bendbreak the rules?  I see tons of people to do it, but I just can't justify doing it.

There are rules for a reason, and I just don't understand those that break those rules, because their kid wants it.  If my daughter wants to go vote when she's 17, I can't let her.  If she wants to drive when she's 15, she can't do that either.  Does it make a difference that it is a rule and not a law?  I don't think so.

What do you think?  Does your child have one if they are not 13?  If so, why?  If not, why not?  Please tell me I'm not the only one...

Dressing for Bed

Abs got ready for bed....

Ab's Philosophy on Science vs. Christianity

Ab's is reading the Bible.  She tried to move on from Genesis to Exodus, but she found Genesis too exciting and keeps re-reading it.

While waiting for her EEG last week, she noticed that they had a copy of the Bible and she picked it up and started reading.....Genesis.

Out of the blue, she said:

Abs:  It's hard to be a scientist and a Christian at the same time.

Me:  Why?

Abs:  Because you are thinking about how God created people and at the same time thinking about how people evolved.

Me:  So how do you figure it out?  (Seriously, I don't know how to answer her or what to do, so I just ask more questions to make her think it through....is that what I am supposed to do?  Who the heck knows.)

Abs:  God created the things we evolved from.  Once we started to communicate then Adam and Eve named themselves.

Hmmmmm......

MyCAA changes--Right or Wrong?

Read here.

So it covers E1-E5, W1-W2, and O1-O2.

Think it is wrong?  Right?

Should people get extra money just because they don't make as much?  Do people that make more money be more responsible with their money and spend it on education, or are they deserving of it as well?

Who can decide who deserves it more?

Should they just get rid of it altogether if no one is going to be happy?

Do they assume that those spouses married to those ranks aren't educated?  If they are, should they be allowed to use the money?

Should it only be for undergraduate, or should it cover graduate degrees as well?

Gunner's Silver Linings

After Gunner read my post, he had his own ideas on the silver linings of deployments from his end.

--Not finding an empty bottle of shaving cream because someone used it to shave their legs.

--He gets more sleep, sometimes.

--He gets boxes and letters, it's like Christmas.

--Homecomings.

--Using what he has been trained to do.

--No decisions on what he has to wear 24/7.

--Someone does his laundry and doesn't complain about it.

--Saves money on shampoo because he shaves his head.

--He knows where everything is, because it is the last place he left it.  No one has touched it.

--R&R.

--A sense of accomplishment.

Does your husband have any other silver linings?

Beach Time

While in Florida, we went down to Tampa and spent a few days with one of my oldest friends, Peggy.  We met at Girl Scout camp when we were about 11 or 12.  Peggy purchases sun hats for the girls, and Junior felt left out so she let him wear hers.  Thankfully he wore it the entire time, which probably prevented him from getting sunburned like the rest of us, despite being a slave to the sunscreen.

While Gunner was building the sand castle, Junior tried to fill the moat....bucket after bucket after bucket after bucket.

He finally passed out.

They wanted to go back, but unfortunately, we were so drained we could barely move the next day and instead hid out to watch Toy Story 3 in 3D.

Pre-deployment guilt

Right before Gunner leaves, I start feeling a little lot guilty.  While I will have the comforts of home, he will be stuck in a tent somewhere in Afghanistan.

Sure they have steak and seafood nights in some of the DFACs, but who wants to eat seafood in the middle of the desert?

We went to the thrift store today so I could drop off another 16 bags of "crap" that we didn't need.  Make that a total of over 30 bags that I have dropped off in the last week.

I needed some more laundry detergent so we stopped off at Sam's--hey, with 3 kids and one who will be potty training forever, we wash a lot of clothes.

There it was, Gunner saw the Nintendo DSi XL.  He wanted it.  I couldn't say no, since I knew we had the money.  He needed games for his new toy.

We are busy eating his favorite meals and visiting his favorite restaurants.

What extra things do you do before they leave?

A must read...

A must read for every parent.....here.

Disney Junior Style

Much to the dismay of other people in the group, Junior loved It's a Small World.

Going all day will eventually lead to meltdowns.

He looks so innocent when he is sleeping.

He loved Epcot because there were so many hands on things to do.  He played the drums for a while, made a mask, danced, and wore himself out.

It's not Disney, but Junior loved Seussland at Universal Studios.  Everything was so whimsical, and who doesn't love Dr. Seuss?

Junior loves maps.  

What boy doesn't love games where you can shoot?  He was a huge fan of the Buzz Lightyear ride and also my favorite ride, Toy Story.

Hopefully he will have some memories from our trip, because it will be a while before we do it again!

Upsides to deployment?

My husband isn't the type to beg to deploy.  It's his job.  I'm trying to look for the positive side to it all.....

The 16 hours of free daycare is going to be nice and well used this time.

The tax break is nice.

Not charging leave for R&R is a great bonus as well.

Extra pay.

Letters that arrive with "Free Mail" in the upper right hand corner make my heart melt.

A 10 minute phone call when it has been weeks since I have heard from him.

The "buzz" of Yahoo IM.

Webcams.  

People that say thank you.

Seeing the flag and understanding what it signifies.

How he can make me laugh even when he is halfway around the world.

That we make time count each and every day when he is home.


Kids that will stop whining when I pull out a tape recorder while they are throwing a fit, promising to send it to their dad.


I don't have to do a whole load of Army "crap" to make sure that he has clean socks, PTs, and a uniform.


I get the bed to myself and can surround myself with dozens of pillows.


I can eat the same thing for dinner every single night and he won't be there to complain.


I can indulge in brussel sprouts, something he can't even stand to smell cooking.


No alarm clock going off in the middle of the night or late night alert phone calls.

I can watch all my reality tv shows without hearing how I am losing brain cells.  I can fill up the entire DVR.


No TA50 lying all over the living room and the bedroom.


No green socks tucked underneath the couch.


After about a week or so though, I might miss the load of Army crap and the green socks.  


What's your favorite positive side of deployment?