5 stars

An email from Gunner today:

ABW,

here are my 5 star accommodations. wish you were here. I love and miss you

Gunner

I love how even though it isn't much they will make it home. He sent a picture of the whole room (which of course was a mess), and they had put up blankets, to have a little privacy and put them in the dark when they were ready to sleep. I'm sure over the next 15 months they'll make it a place to call...home doesn't sound good, although I guess for 15 months it has to be something more than just a place to sleep.

I heard about the possibility of the tours getting shortend, but like Erin and I discussed, we would believe it when we saw it. We both agreed, that knowing the army, it would be the new people that came in. At least we can say we were right! Tonight is trash night though, which puts us at 5 down and 60 left. Hey, it's progress!

Wordless Wednesday

Pictures from Iraq

Gunner sent these pictures over today. He was able to get on the web cam for a short bit till it bogged down the connection. Junior saw him and started screeching "My Daddy! My Daddy!" and laughing uncontrollably.

Dinner with the outlaws...

It was already a hard day for me.

After school Abs dropped her beloved frog cup from my mom. She cried for an hour over her froggie. It is not repairable.

Then the girls went to Girl Scouts and Junior and I hung out for a bit and then Gunner called. He was so tired he didn't make much sense. Poor guy. He was sad and a little depressed. He spent 15 months at home which was great and more than we thought we were going to get originally, but he had 15 months there till he could come back to us. He's a firm believer in the mission and their progress, but I think it was just a hard day for him as well.

Then I got the girls and we met the outlaws and Erin at TGI Fridays for dinner. Abs was in one of her moods so I already knew it was going to be a hard meal.

I won't even get into the little things that happened, but Erin now knows what I was talking about when I said my inlaws were freaks. I was holding Tucker and Abs was under the table. When I realized what was going on, I handed Tucker back to his mom and grabbed Abs out from under the table. I went to take her outside and my MIL grabbed my arm and said she wanted to talk to her and calm Abs down. I flung it (her arm) away. I took Abs outside and spoke to her and put her in time out. We were outside of the restaurant and there is constant traffic so I wasn't about to leave her side. My MIL came out and started rubbing my arm and telling me in front of Abs that I was being too hard on her. She acted up and I took her out of the situation to have her regain control. That's wrong????? Then she told me that I wasn't being nice to her and while Abs was spouting off stuff and crying, my MIL went over and told her that if she behaved she could have dessert. I told my MIL and Abs that was not going to happen. Abs lost dessert already when we were inside and she was playing Helen Keller and grabbing food off of Em's plate. My MIL kept in on me and kept talking to Abs while she was in time out. If she wanted to voice her opinions she could have done it somewhere else when I had time, not in front of my child, I wasn't going to go that route. I kept my mouth shut but I was furious.

Abs finally was calm and we went back in. The waitress came and I ordered dessert for Em and Junior. Erin and I split something and my inlaws, who never order dessert, ordered one that Abs likes. Erin asked me if I thought they would let her have it, and I knew they would. I made it clear to Abs that she was not to have any dessert, taste any dessert or lick any spoons, and made sure my inlaws heard me. They didn't let her have any thank goodness or I would have lost it.

My MIL was talking about Tucker and Junior and asked which one she was going to take home. I was already upset (trust me there was tons more that happened) and told her she didn't get either of them. Then Abs came up about something else and my MIL told me "Abs is NOT bad and I shouldn't say that." I about flipped! I never said that, I would never say that as I don't care how much of a handful a child is, they are NEVER bad. Their behavior might be less than desirable, but never the child. I said "I NEVER said she was bad." I was furious that she said it at all, much less in front of my children. I held Tucker and started to cry, but tried to keep it in before I really lost it.

My MIL then told me that she would have different hours at work soon so she would take the kids so I didn't have to deal with them. They go to school, I don't need them taken care of by someone else. I am not on the verge of "losing it". I am not a bad mother. I am not unhappy or wanting to pass my children off to anyone. I love them with all my heart. Abs was having a rough day and we were dealing with it. She wasn't getting beaten, I wasn't hurting her, I wasn't being mean or rude to her.

Then we go out to the car and I realize that Junior has pooped. I told them that I needed to change his diaper. She (my MIL) told me he just dropped ice cream on his pants. I informed her that he had pooped and she insisted that it was ice cream. I looked in his diaper, Erin was there and saw too, he had exploded. But what do I know, I am just his mother and primary caregiver.

I could go on and on about all the crappy things that were said and done tonight by them. I was actually kind of glad that Erin was there, although embarrassed, so that someone could see how they are and what they do.

I came home and called my mom and started crying. I missed my Dad. I missed my husband. I was disgusted with the behavior of my inlaws. My mom was relieved when Erin called and told me she was coming over. I don't know what I did to deserve such a great, understanding, caring, thoughtful, outrageous, funny, friend. Thank you Erin for being such a friend and for sitting through the dinner from hell with me and making me see that it isn't me, that they (the inlaws) are truly strange and inconsiderate people.

Found

As I was in bed last night I remembered that I had to use my id card to observe. Whew. Called this morning and was able to declare my love for the school secretary.

Still no word from Gunner. Hopefully he calls this weekend sometime so that the kids can speak to him. Oh yeah, and me too.

I wanted to wear my chaco's this morning and went to do a quick paint job on my toenails. I am better off leaving that to the professionals.

Especially thinking of my dad today, as I do every day.

Lost

Status of my ID card: Unknown at this time.

Of all the things I try to keep an extra careful eye on. I left Ab's play yesterday, put it in my purse and now I can't find it anywhere. I cleaned the car. I cleaned my purse.

So tomorrow before I meet a friend for coffee I will try to go to the id card place with my POA, my book of forms Gunner organized for me and try to get another one. Not exactly something you want running around out in the open.

Done

I finally finished all of my observation hours, with the last 7 this week. What a relief. I still need to compile everything, summarize, and all that good stuff, but at least I have 2 weeks to do that without the added pressure of not having my hours done!

Today starts the training for the Muddy Buddy or training for one of the many other things that I want to do. I say training, very very loosely.

The girls have swim lessons again tonight. They are doing really well. They wanted goggles and I found some at Walgreens that were $12.99. I wouldn't buy them. I found two pairs for $1.49 at walmart or something. The girls tell me they don't work. So much for saving money!

Still no word recently from Gunner. Hopefully soon.

Wordless Wednesday

Intently watching Barney.

Weekend Away

Next weekend Erin and I are headed off to relax at the Deployed Soldiers Family Foundation weekend getaway in Dallas. I think by the time we reach Dallas after driving three hours with 4 kids, we might need a weekend getaway....with a stiff drink!

Anyway, it sounds like a lot of fun and we are signed up to get our haircut. There are also massages, etc. The kids will have age appropriate activities and the hotel where we are staying has an indoor/outdoor pool. I can tell you where my kids will be at night!

These weekends are offered periodically to Fort Hood spouses so that they might have a reprieve from the daily grind. There are tons of volunteers and Tucker will even have his own caregiver! (Once they meet Abs and Junior they might want to get some one-on-one defense on them as well.)

And Erin wrote nice things about me here. :)

Knocking on Wood

I sterilized.

I prepared.

I mowed the lawn.

So far we are all good to go.

Whew.

PhotoHunt--"High" in HI

photo

1,106 steps to the top.

For this view.
Koko Crater on Oahu.

You've got to be kidding me...

Today Erin and I had plans to go to a kickoff event for "Walk to Iraq and back". Abs was up early and got on my computer. I got up and while ABs and Junior were in the living room playing I was searching through the pile of unfolded clean clothes that are in a basket in the laundry room.

I heard Abs doing a weird cough.

I return to the living room to find that she had barfed all over the carpet. Great. At 7 years old can't she make it to the linoleum, the bathroom, the trashcan? Apparently not.

So I send her to her room, get Em up to watch Junior while I try to clean up the mess without adding to it. I can handle blood. I cannot handle barf.

Of course I have no carpet cleaner. I did what I could and sprayed it down with febreeze and lysol. I covered it with a towel. I think I will just throw away the rug and resort to cold hard linoleum floors everywhere.

So do we go on the sick diet again for the third week? Is she really sick or is this one of the "My name is Abs and I barf at random times just to keep you on your toes" episodes?

My inlaws brought over a German feast this morning. I hope I don't regret partaking in it.

I'm so tired of sickness. I'm tired of laundry. I'm tired of changing sheets and clothes. I'm tired of wondering who is going to hurl next. I'm tired and we still have 62 more trash days to go. Tomorrow will be a better day....

Friday

Before Gunner left I scheduled three, hour and a half massages.

My first one is today.

So hopefully (at least for 1 1/2 hours) Emily won't forget something that she needs to tell me (she has a permanent call home pass from her teacher), Abs will keep her hands to herself and get some work done and Junior won't fall or develop some funky rash. Maybe I will turn my cell phone off.

Daily Life

We are over two weeks into this deployment and my donut of misery is still stuck on "a long, long time to go...". LOL Slowly but surely we will make it though.

Gunner moved into a new company not too long ago and last night I went to my first FRG meeting. The Rear D Commander started off the meeting by telling us "I know that there is a difference in the way officers and enlisted are treated. I know that there is a difference between the way that officer and enlisted wives are treated. That's just the way it is." He then went on to say that he has been approached by several enlisted wives wanting their husbands to come home because of certain situations and it just wasn't going to happen and it wasn't up to him. Whatever, don't lump us all together. Just the way he said it and acted, I was not impressed. He does have an extremely hard job and he said his phone is ringing off the hook all day and night because of families and the Soldiers on rear-D that he is trying to keep out of trouble. Not a job I would want. I imagine he was right in saying he slept more in Iraq than he does here at home. A thankless but important job. At least he was willing to help out where needed--he did clarify that he doesn't babysit or do lawns. Yes, once again, this is Gunner's third deployment to Iraq and there are wives out there wanting to know who will mow their lawn! Several ladies said that they had never touched a lawnmower and their husbands didn't want them to do that type of work--well then hire someone! If you don't want to pay, then figure it out yourself. Don't be so helpless. I consider myself fortunate that I am independent and was raised to be that way. My husband is a nice complement to me, but he is not my identity.

They are having a kick off to the Walk to Iraq and Back event this weekend. I am hoping to attend with the kids since there will be lots of activities for them to do and there is a huge playground at this location. I'm sure the girls and Junior will have a good time! I started keeping track of my miles, but will start over since he just left. Anyone who wants to send their miles to me, please do! I told Gunner he had to contribute as well so he better hit the treadmill while he is over there, in his spare time if he has any. I've been a slacker about going to the gym, but now that Junior seems to be doing much better I should have a lot more time on my hands...well at least next week I will.

I found a great opportunity for families in the Fort Hood area and I'll post more on it once I hear back from the person in charge. Erin and I are tenatively planning on going and can't wait!

The kids and I are doing great and just plugging along. I have a lot of different things planned while Gunner is gone and am looking forward to getting it all going and having a good time. There were several wives there last night that talked about how their husbands didn't want them going anywhere or doing a lot while they were gone because they would miss out. I say get out and do as much as you can. The 15 months are going to go by whether you sit at home or not, so make the most of the opportunities out there and volunteer, work, go to school, save money, see something new, try something new, make a change! Just my $.02 for the day!

Voting

I had a voter registration card all filled out for Gunner to sign and he forgot to do it before he left. I called the Secretary of State's Office and they told me that since I am registered to vote, I can sign his registration with my name and just note that I am his wife. Scary. I did it though and it will go out today.

Wordless Wednesday

This was Em while we were stationed at Fort Lewis. We had our favorite Vietnamese restaurant that we went several times a month. Abs was a newborn, so Em must have been about 3 1/2.

Happy Birthday!!!

7 years ago today at Fort Lewis, WA, my little Abs made her debut. She was 9 lbs, 9 oz and was born with a mass of curls. They must have disappeared along with her ability to listen! Happy Birthday Abs!

Tonight the girls start swimming lessons! They are both excited about it, and I hope that they really learn to swim this time.

Junior is still sick. His sodium level was dangerously low so he had to get retested this morning and we will know more after those results are back, what the next step is. Hopefully it is up and he is on the road to recovery. He still had a fever this morning and is sacked out on the couch watching Barney. Thank goodness for puple dinosaurs!

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny stopped by for a visit early this morning. He probably ran into the Tooth Fairy while he was here.

Junior woke up with 102.1 fever so we managed to get into the weekend clinic and he has a double ear infection. Ugh. At least he is on antibiotics now so hopefully he will be back in fighting form tomorrow.

The girls and Junior each got a chocolate bunny. I told them that they could have a little bit, but they could not eat the entire rabbit. Here's a picture of what Abs left. Next time I will be more specific.

My friend Krista called me and told me about a super easy way to dye easter eggs! Thanks Krista! All you had to do was put the eggs in a colander. Then pour vinegar over them, then put dots of food coloring, then run them under cold water. The girls loved it and anything almost mess free is good for me!

Now it's time for ham, mashed potatoes and deviled eggs. Yum.

Happy Easter Gunner!

Lysol

I love lysol in any form. I love the smell of it.

What I am particularly happy about today is that: Lysol will prevent you from having to freak out because your sister BREATHED on your door. Oh the drama of it all.

Junior was sick from 4-7 but seems to be fine now. I've put all activities on hold unfortunately. I'd hate to get all the way to Crawford and have someone get sick or worse I get sick and it turns into a HUGE mess. I even contemplated packing extra towels, barf buckets, wipes, clothes, etc., and going anyway. I really needed a change of scenery.

We went to dinner with the outlaws last night and it was uneventful and I didn't have to cook. I imagine that if what Junior has is contagious that my MIL will have it soon. Junior will take food out of his mouth and feed it to her. He thinks it is hysterical that she eats it. I find it gross and told her not too. She said she didn't mind, afterall he was her grandson. Ummm...yeah....but he's my son and you wouldn't catch me eating his chewed up food!

Sick Diet Take 5,429.

It's 4 in the morning and Junior just barfed. He is clean and back in bed. Laundry is going.

Em was up to go to the bathroom twice. Abs was thirsty. Does anyone sleep in this house?

We were going to Crawford to the egg hunt, then tye dye easter eggs, then send the girls off to go to church with my mom in the morning.

Eating toast all weekend is much more fun I am sure.

Blogging for Peanuts

Just realized that I have been blogging for a year, yesterday.

I'm headed out on an adventure with Abs today and Erin and her family. Then biofeedback at 3. Never a dull moment.

When I woke up Abs this morning and reminded her that we were going on a big adventure, she told me "yeah, right!". That's the same thing she said last time too. This one should be more interesting for her, although I don't know how she can think that estate sales, etc aren't fun.

...I was dressed and ready to go and then spilled breakfast all down the front of my shirt. I can't even blame it on the kids this time.

Wrong Major

I should have been a Physical Therapist.

We waited a year for Abs to get into PT. Finally in December after being on the list at three clinics, we got into one. She loves it and has done really well, but still has a ways to go--gross motor skill delay. Last week the therapist told me that her contract was up so Abs would be without a therapist. She is back on the waiting list till they hire someone, till they find her a spot at the neighboring clinic or we move her somewhere else.

I asked her for some recommendations of what to do and got a two page print out with some ideas. We work on some things already at home, building her core muscles and increasing her strength and coordination. Now I will just have to do double duty.

I was talking to another woman in there who is an ER nurse but can't work because her daughter has a communication disorder and requires lots of appointments. She wasn't complaining, but she was also frustrated that her daughter's speech therapist quit and she was without someone to fill that void. Finally frustrated she found a school in Austin that specializes in communication disorders and was moving there a few weeks before her husband deployed so that she could have the resources available to her. It's very tempting. I just want Abs to get the help she needs in order to make sure that she doesn't get further behind. Once her gross motor skills catch up then we can focus on her fine motor skills, which means appointments with an OT. If we can find one...in the meantime I'll just follow the list I was given and work with Abs every night and hopefully she won't get further behind while I scour the ends of the earth for a PT that accepts Tricare.

Plugging Along

The first time Gunner deployed to Iraq, the three of us were sick, Abbie ran into a car, I quit my hellatious job and I was getting ready to move. That was the first few days.

The second deployment I was pregnant and slept.

This third time....we are still plugging away. I just got home from my mom's where I worked, dropped of Em, picked up Abs and headed home. There is a possibility when Gunner gets back that we might PCS to Fort Carson. I LOVE to move! I'd love to live in Colorado! What I can't imagine doing is making it through a deployment without family close by.

I would never move home during a deployment because I don't think my mom could stand me for that long--something about "I've done my time!". Yeah, okay, I'll give her that.

I'm sure if faced with that situation we would manage, and I do have friends at Fort Carson that were stationed in Germany with us. (Hi Jessica!)

Abs is still hauling around the daddy doll with her. Junior flipped out trying to reach my computer when he saw a picture of his daddy on there. We made it through one trash day and it's already time to put the trash out again, so that's a good thing. One week at a time....

What should we do???

My mom was over for a visit today, it was nice.

Abs returned home with her and apparently talked the entire way home--about a 40 minute drive. I can only imagine what Abs noticed along the way and the ideas she noted. I'll pick her up on Wednesday when I work.

Tomorrow Junior has daycare, so that leaves all day for me to spend with Em!!! I'm sure cleaning is not at the top of her list of things to do. Maybe a movie? I'd say a pedicure but with my feet taped up by the foot doctor, I would look pretty ridiculous.

Hmmmm....

Happy Birthday!

After my dad passed away, my entire family did the LIVESTRONG challenge in Austin. While coming home from the event, Abs was riding with my mom and her Uncle G. This is what Uncle G told me happened.

Abs: We celebrate Lincoln's birthday and he's dead?

Uncle G: Yes

Abs: We celebrate George Washington's birthday and he's dead?

Uncle G: Right.

Abs: How come we can't celebrate Grandpa's birthday?
Uncle G: Why not? Of course we can!

So on March 17th, we get together and celebrate my dad's birthday. This year my mom is coming over and we will get some things done that we are working on and then grill fajitas.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Hard Day

While I never imagined that we would be skipping through the daffodils today while holding hands, I did think it would go smoother than it did.

Abs did not go to sleep last night till 11. She was up before 5 this morning. That led to a tired, cranky, moody, sick little girl. If Abs is thrown off kilter too much her reaction is to barf. Thankfully she had just finished lunch and missed the trashcan. I didn't have enough to do! Poor baby though, she took a small nap and was back in fighting form minus the headache.

How did I know she was in fighting form? She was supposed to be in bed for the night and instead was in her sister's room. Em is really into creating things out of paper and she spent hours making a guitar, complete with a string so she could wear it, a ring to hold her pick, the whole nine yards. Abs cut the guitar into pieces while Em was in a shower.

So then I had two crying girls. One sobbing over her guitar and the other sobbing over being in trouble. Those tears led to missing and wanting their dad. Flat Daddies and Daddy dolls just don't do the trick, and there isn't much I can say or do at that point to make it any better. They are finally all tucked into bed and asleep. I can only hope that they sleep in tomorrow....

Tomorrow will be a better day....

Woohoo!

I scored a 96 on my test!

D Day +1

Day 1--Abs accidentally overflowed the toilet. Not her fault, it's just old. Of course I thought she left the water on after washing her hands and sat there and listened to the gushing while contemplating what it was. Then it hit me. I ran back there to over an inch of water in the bathroom and hallway, and traveling fast. I yelled for Abs and as I am holding up the "thingy" inside and trying to plunge, she is getting all the towels and trying to stop the flow.

She saved the rest of the house, but we have used every towel we own. No big deal, I can wash.

The dryer isn't working very well, so it is taking hours to dry.

Damp, cold towels aren't so bad...sort of.

Wonder what Day 2 holds in store.

Erin told me about the Maine Troop Greeters and how they put up pictures of the Soldiers that pass through. Great!

Except Gunner went through Canada! Always has to be a little different.

Gone

See title.

Finally on take 4 they got it right. I think the long drawn out waiting, rescheduling, returning, rescheduling and waiting and waiting and waiting is the hardest.

More later.

What next...

I got a call today from Ab's teacher. Apparently she just couldn't manage to get anything done today. She gave me her cell phone number and asked me to call. I showed up instead.


Since it was raining and they couldn't go outside, there was little Abs wallowing on her desk with her head down not participating. Poor kiddo. I took her outside to talk to her. She informed me that her brain had more important things to think about today than what the teacher wanted her to do. I told her she could save those things to think about when she was not busy doing school work. Then I cleaned her absolutely filthy face, kissed her, talked to her teacher a bit and went on my way.


Not even an hour and a half later Gunner picked the girls up because Abs had a physical therapy appointment. What he was met with was his first grade daughter who had drawn a beard and a mustache on her face as well as colored her hands.

Good grief, what will this child think of next.

And these are the days of Ab's life.....I can't wait till she has a child of her own!!!

Counting Time

Obviously in order to practice good OPSEC I can't give more details, but we are down to counting time. Very little time. Not enough time. You get the picture.

We've been bums all weekend and enjoying all of Gunner's favorite foods. I don't think one of the foods is on WW, but I will be back on the program once he is gone. I couldn't deny him all the things that he will miss. Tonight we will have German food. Yum. Crepes for dessert.

I ordered the girls dog tags with a picture of them and their father. Once he deploys, the girls will be able to post a picture of their dad on the 'Wall of Heroes" up at school. A high school collected and donated teddy bears for each of the children at the girls' elem. school to have a bear once their father deploys.

Gunner HAS to pack tonight. He can't put it off any longer.

It's started....

Em is 10. Since she is growing like a weed and needed new clothes I thought we would run by Ross and see if we could find anything that we agreed upon that was on clearance. I HATE paying full price for anything.

We searched through the racks and as I would pull out something that was cute, tasteful and within our price range, Em would turn her nose up at it. Em on the other hand would pull out something that was not. My daughter is not going to wear a shirt that says "baby girl". She is not going to wear something that shows her tummy. And the nerve of me, she is not going to wear anything that says anything about how looks are more important than smarts, about how you must be dumb, I am better looking than you, I am cool, the list goes on and on and on. We never even found anything for her to take to the dressing room.

Gone are the days where I can choose her clothing and she will be happy. I am apparently not cool and do not have a good sense of fashion according to my pre-teen daughter. Thankfully she knows better than to pull out anything that does not cover her body parts! We call it the arm test--they have to raise their hands above their head and I don't want to see any belly buttons. Is that too much to ask?

I used to love Gymboree because we could always find something tasteful there. She's too big now. We looked online last night and agreed on absolutely nothing at almost every store. Surely there is a store out there that sells clothing for girls that is made for girls and not sex symbols?

On a side note, I checked Em's tennis shoes last night and the 7.5 women's size is not going to fit by summer. I think I was in high school or college before my feet were that big!

Spring?

Look what we woke up to this morning.

It hasn't snowed since last April.

Just because...

To go with yesterday's wordless wednesday pics. I wish I could see a little more of his baby blues, but I still love this shot.

Someone asked me if I wanted my son to be a Soldier too. I gave my usual response--he can do anything he wants AFTER college. Em wants to be a pop star but knows she has to go to college first and she wants to major in business so no one will try to take all of her money. Abs wants to be an inventer.

Speaking of Abs and inventing....I cleaned her room the other day. It's always an adventure to do that and this time was no different. Underneath her desk I found a pile of unwrapped pads stuck together in some kind of pattern. I shook my head and picked them up to throw them away. She screeched. I was throwing away something she invented. I was scared to ask what it was, but I did convince her that we could come up with a better medium for her to use on her creations.

We have school conferences today. I think Em is doing well, I don't hear anything too negative. She seems to be over her phase of doing nothing but reading during class time. She is in the middle of The Hobbit and is really enjoying that. Abs does well in school, but because her gross motor skills are delayed a bit her fine motor skills are not up to where they should be. That causes some hardship with handwriting, etc. Maybe they could let her spell out words using tampons?

Wordless Wednesday

I got my way!

My Favorite Day!

It's time to vote again in Texas.

Head Sensors

I got this article from Babcock's update. Gunner got this installed in his kevlar a few weeks ago. He came home and showed me and told me to "blog this". Abbie told me the other day that I needed to "blog about the pillows that made her sick"--no idea why she thinks it was her pillow.

Raider Brigade Soldiers first to field new HEADS Sensors
New technology to make future helmets safer

Spc. David Hodge
1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.
February 29, 2008

FORT HOOD, Texas – Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team will be among the first units of the 4th Infantry Division to receive the Head-born Energy Analysis and Diagnostic System Sensor and begin fielding the new technology while deployed to Baghdad. The sensor mounted inside the Army’s Advanced Combat Helmet will be worn by Raider Brigade Soldiers throughout their 15-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The technology surrounding the ballistic helmet is continually improved to lessen the trauma caused by cranial impacts that Soldiers face while operating on today’s battlefield, said Lt. Col. Rick Caya, executive officer, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div. “The sensors help improve treatment of head injuries and development of next-generation combat helmets,” Caya said. The latest addition to the ACH will contribute to lessening the impact on Soldiers in the future, he added.

“The sensors provide the ability to help the U.S. Army improve a Soldier’s individual equipment system,” stated Caya, who hails from Waterloo, Iowa. “It’s a great opportunity to provide downrange feedback for the U.S. Army,” he said.

Although the sensors are not going to directly affect 1st BCT Soldiers during the deployment, the sensors will benefit future units by aiding researchers in developing better equipment and technology to assist Soldiers in combat, explained Caya. “If the Raider Brigade can help in that advancement process in any way, that would be great for Soldiers,” he added.

The six-ounce HEADS sensor is a small, undetectable piece of microchip technology surrounded by thin plastic composite that records traumatic disturbances to the helmet, said Caya. The HEADS sensor fits neatly under the crown pad of the ACH and contains a three-axis accelerometer and pressure sensor that detects sudden movements and percussion, explained Caya.

“We asked ourselves: ‘How can we make a better helmet to save the Soldier?” stated Steve Motoyama, the program manager for the company that designed the sensors. “The HEADS sensors will provide a good opportunity to make future helmets safer,” he added.

The 1st BCT is one of the first units in the U.S. Army to field the electronic technology in Iraq. These efforts ensure that future Soldiers remain the best equipped and best trained Soldiers in the world.

Traumatic Events

I hope that one day my children don't look back on the times that I tried to get a good family shot as a traumatic event. Yesterday Gunner got in uniform, dressed the kids and we headed to my mom's house. We then loaded up my mom and went towards the front of her retirement community, Sun City. We found a beautiful spot with water, rocks and trees. Enter from stage right three screeching children. They wanted to play in the water. They wanted to throw rocks in the water. There were rocks to hop on, hop across the water on. The sun was in their eyes. The rock was wet. They wanted to be in the shade. Eyes were squinted and threats were made. We gave up and left.

(Yes, everyone's eyes were closed in this shot)

We then headed to a park in the neighborhood thinking that it might easier (and with more shade) so we could get the perfect picture there. Junior didn't want his picture taken so Gunner held goldfish and would give him one to eat while I snapped away. I think in every picture there is a half eaten godfish making an appearance.

We decided to walk around the pond and down a trail a bit, which went through the golf course of senior citizens enjoying an afternoon round. That is until we found a tree to put the kids in. Gunner hoisted Em up and she got stuck and started screaming. We gave up that plan and kept walking.

A fallen log! We put the kids on the log and I started to snap away again. Junior didn't want to be on the log, he wanted goldfish. Em didn't wants Abs near her. I have pictures of them fighting on the log. What great memories!

(Em shoved Abs off the log at this point because they were touching)

We kept walking and found a log bench. Em wouldn't sit with Abs at all. Abs wanted to look for "fairy hats" and Junior was busy following Abs. I didn't want to be in the pictures, but it ended with my mom taking pictures of Gunner and I together.....and in almost every picture you can tell I am telling one of the kids to "Stop that!", "Quit Fighting", "Don't touch your sister!".

After that fiasco we headed over to the community center which has a pond with giant Koi. A couple had their granddaughter there feeding the fish and they had a dog. I wonder if they will remember in 30 years that the fish and the dog were more interesting than preserving memories!

Abs always squints and never wants to look at the camera. Junior likes to have his mouth open in every shot (probably waiting for food). Em just doesn't want to be near her sister.

Interesting family pictures are better memories anyway, right?

Scared yet?

Sarah over at Trying to Grok wrote a post about things children do that have her worried. When you read all the stories you will laugh until you cry. Looks like mine are in good company! At least we know that there are some spirited, creative children out there to run the world in the future. The girls can come up with a solution to about anything (yes, most of it involves duct tape) so maybe they will be the one to develop a cure for cancer or some other deadly disease. Who knows!

I wouldn't trade Em, Abs or Junior for anything in the world, but I do look forward to a break every now and then!

Never Again

Tonight I met a friend for dinner. A simple feat right?

Not in Killeen and not on a payday.

We went to TGI Friday's and couldn't get a seat. So we went to Wild Bill's or something like that. Waited over an hour and a half in the bar--standing up. Then we got seated and the kitchen was backed up.

Luckily we had a lot to catch up on so we didn't mind the long waits.

Next time though we will wait for a non payday to venture out. I'm too old for these late nights.

7 things about me

Michelle over at A Cup of Tea With Friends asked me to reveal 7 things about me. I told her that I asked Gunner to tell me 10 things that he considered strange about me the other night and they came way too fast to his mind!

1. I make lists. Lots of lists. (Gunner says I make lists of lists, but I wouldn't go that far)
2. I mowed lawns to earn money in junior high and high school. I took the job over from my brother and made probably $100 a week if not more. It was a riding lawnmower so it was easy money.
3. I broke a tooth swinging between two bunk beds at camp. I had a great dentist and you can't tell.
4. I was a buyer for a grocery distribution company. I hated the company, loved the job and loved most of my coworkers.
5. I went to Vegas after I graduated from college with two friends. We had a great time!
6. I am scared of heights.
7. I love brussel sprouts.

Full moon & Flooded bathroom

My kids were crabby today. Junior cried all morning until he pointed to a Barney figure and said sing. I sang the Barney song over and over and he was happy. I needed to get things ready to walk out the door so I let the girls watch Barney with him for about 10-15 minutes and he actually sat still. Of course once Barney went off he was back to his crabby self. I took him to daycare and he cried because I wanted to take off his hat, he cried when I wanted to take off his jacket, but he didn't cry when I wanted his binky. Guess he chose his battle.

Abs flooded the bathroom. Last night she got out of the tub and there was no towel so she decided that the next best thing to dry herself off was toilet paper. She used almost an entire roll to dry herself off and then flushed. She was really quiet. Poor kiddo. She helped clean it up and now understands that you can only dry yourself off with towels, no toilet paper. I didn't know that I would have to make that a rule in our house.

Em went to the doctor and her foot is still not healed so she is still in the boot. That set her off to be as miserable as possible and make everyone elses life miserable too. I know the boot itches. I know the crutches hurt. I know it is boring. I don't think she will ever skip again. This morning when she was gimping around on her crutches she stubbed her good foot and is now walking with her gimpy foot and the toes of her other foot up in the air. She is convinced they are broken. We will tape them tomorrow to see if that helps some. She said that she *knows* they are broken, so I am kind of worried since she was right about her foot! I might definitely be out of mother of the year for next year too.

Tomorrow is the dreaded EFMP meeting for Abs. Wish me luck. Gunner is going to go along with me--probably to keep me from asking them stupid questions just to waste their time like they are wasting mine. Since I couldn't get an appointment till Friday for Junior in order to get his EFMP forms filled out, I'll have to have another one of these "meetings". Please.

Camp Purple dates came out and if Em and Abs get in, I think I will send both of them this year. It's free and Em had a great time last year!

I worked today and we had our weekly mexican food fix. We don't even order anything different every week, it is the same meal and it is always exceptional.

Predeployment briefings are coming fast and furious. I guess I'll have to go to one. So far the 1/2 days they were promised aren't materializing and we still haven't done our taxes or a few other legal things that we need to get done. I did get 8 hours of observation scheduled though, so that's one thing off my plate and five million more to go.

Wordless Wednesday

Think the Army will notice the extra weight?

P.S. These new bags are great!

Tuesday

Dick Cheney is coming to Hood today so everything is crazy around post. I won't even venture out to main post today.

Abs and Junior mayb have thrown up in the night/morning, but they were running around like wild monkeys the rest of the day. Abs spent the day in her room tying yarn to everything and playing dressup and dinosaurs. She can definitely entertain herself all day long.

So far none of the rest of us have caught it, so hopefully it will stay that way.

I am trying to get my classroom observation hours done and am having a hard time getting anyone to call me back! I'd love to get it all done before Spring Break but it's not looking too promising. I have to do 10 hours in 2nd and under and 10 in 3rd-4th. I have 7 hours so far, but they have to be in different schools, etc. I put out more phone calls and emails this morning and am hoping that someone will come through. I had 4 hours blocked off today to observe but I'm stuck observing my reflection in the computer screen or the sink when I scrub it. Guess I will apply for scholarships and get some ebay stuff listed, and clean Ab's room for good measure. Loads of fun I tell ya...

Back on the sick diet

Never fails, when we have spaghetti, someone gets sick. Andrew and Abbie are home today. Poor Em had to walk to school on her broken foot. Thank goodness she is in a walking cast. I cancelled coffee with my friend. I cancelled PT for Abs.

I'm cleaning bathrooms. Doing laundry. Matching socks. Waiting for the rest of us to get it.

I definitely need a nap today and leftovers from dinner are going in the trash.

It's over....

I took my test this morning and now I just have to wait 3-4 weeks for the results. Think positively!

We went and saw my nephew's science fair project at the regional science fair in Austin. It was jam packed with kids. He did a great job though and I am proud of him.

After the science fair we went to celebrate my sister's birthday at Souper Salad. Where else do you eat when you have 5 children with different tastes and me on WW? I absolutely love salad bars. I did have two pieces of their gingerbread though. How can you pass that up?

I schedules three massages over the next three months and now I have 3 more microderms at the spa that I need to get done. Can't wait!

Last deployment I slept because I was pregnant and Junior took everything out of me. This deployment I will get in shape and pamper myself, start a new career, take care of my three monkeys, hang out and knit with Erin, lose weight with Peggy, send packages to Gunner, and keep my sanity! I wonder which one will be the hardest to do.

Flat Daddy

We got our flat daddy the other day! It is free, but there is a huge backlog so it takes a while for them to get to you. The girls were really excited and Junior was puzzled.

We will mount him this weekend and he'll be ready to go! I'm very grateful for those that donated so that military families could receive one. Maybe I need to make a flat Em, Abs and Junior to travel to Iraq. Let me just add that to my list of one hundred million things that I need to do before he deploys.

Reminds me I need to get our taxes done!

Allowance

I don't really give an allowance, but I came up with this great idea of how the girls could earn money and help around the house (moreso than they already do). It sounded perfect and I was busily making lists of all the possibilities and ideas.

The girls came home and I proposed my idea. It got really quiet and Em said "A dollar? All that for a dollar? I can make more money by selling a book or stuff than I can doing a bunch of extra work."

Where did I go wrong??? When I was growing up we used to get our age multiplied by our grade. So in 2nd grade I was 7 years old and got 14 cents. We were paid once a year and then driven directly to the bank to deposit our "wealth". Once we figured out that we were getting ripped off, the allowance stopped.

In Em's defense, she does keep her room clean, help with Andrew, and help around the house as needed, so I guess I shouldn't try and fix a system that isn't too broken. I'll have to come up with a new plan.

Any ideas? How much allowance is too much? I just can't see a 6 and 10 year old getting $5 a week or more.

Camp

I am trying to decide what to do with the girls this summer while I am in school. They have daycamp on post which I will use the majority of the time. In the past they have gone to acting camp, but I think that might a little much for them since Em has her big trip this summer for most of July.

I usually send Em to Girl Scout resident camp for a week. She absolutely loves it. I tried sending her to one locally and it was not a great environment. The next year I sent her back to one of the camps I used to attend and she had the time of her life. Last year we made the 5 hour commute to take her to a camp I used to attend on Galveston Bay--Casa Mare--and she loved that one as well.

This year they have restructured the GS councils and we are in a new one. This means that that have new camps available for them to attend. I thought if I sent her to one locally that it would be easier on me since I can drop her off on Sunday and pick her up on Friday and we won't have the 5 hour commute, just an hour or so.

Then I thought that maybe Abs is ready for camp. Maybe I should rephrase that as in I am not sure if camp is ready for Abs! I pulled up the quiz they offer to see if your daughter is ready and here are some of the questions:

Do you enjoy outdoor activities like hikes, sports, and sleeping in a tent?
Can you survive without a radio, TV, video games, air conditioner, and a phone?
Can you see daddy long legs, bugs, or armadillos without running around shrieking?
Can you make your own bed and keep track of your own things?
Do you like to meet new people and do things with other girls, not just your best friends?
Do you enjoy sleeping outside and listening to the sounds of nature?
Do you like to help plan activities and the things you do?
Are you ready to sleep in a tent or cabin with other girls knowing your counselor is in a nearby cabin?
Are you willing to help with kapers (camp responsibilities) like sweeping, setting tables and picking up trash?

My favorite is the running around shrieking! They didn't ask if she likes to play in mud, create messes, or wreak havoc on everything around her, so maybe she is ready?

Egg Whites

Who knew it would become such a pain?

Junior is allergic to egg whites and now they are telling me that I need to enroll him in EFMP because of that. I explained that it is just plain eggs I don't want him eating, he can eat anything that is made with eggs.

So this means another doctor visit, another set of paperwork and another "hearing".

Are they seriously going to offer me 16 free hours of respite care for an egg white allergy? And they are offering it for Abs. Wonder what they will give me for Emily and her gimpy foot?

Wordless Wednesday

Collectible Car of the Year

NY Times recently had a contest to determine who owned the most collectible car this year. Over 558 contestants entered their cars ranging from muscle cars to Triumphs to in between and after 4500 votes, a black 1959 Triumph TR3A was declared the winner.

Most people my age probably haven't heard of a Triumph, but they hold a special place in my family's hearts.

My parents met on a blind date and had a whirlwind courtship which ended in a proposal a few weeks after meeting. My dad returned to California and made plans to come back in a few months and marry my mom. While he was back in CA, my dad went out and bought a white Triumph TR4 and then called to tell his future bride. (My dad was worried if he didn't get one then he might never get one!) My mom told him he could do what he wanted but she told me that inside she was screaming "Alright!!". That little Triumph provided hours of enjoyment as they attended rallies and motorcrosses throughout Southern California.

When my parents left to go overseas they reluctantly sold their cherished Triumph. Fast forward many years later and four kids, I remember my dad taking us to see a Triumph that was for sale. The woman uncovered a white 1959 TR3A and my dad smiled. Of course he couldn't let on how much he wanted that little car, so he insisted that my brother and little sister and I push it up and down the driveway while we tried to get it running. I don't think we ever did. My dad managed a fair price (after a quick lesson about how the owner made a poor financial decision and it was costing her the car she loved, so we should think carefully before we made every decision involving money) the car was my dad's.

My dad had it restored and painted a fiery red since during the resoration it was found that the original color of the car had been red. (Also my mom's favorite color) My dad joined the Texas Triumph Register where he became involved in many aspects of the car club, with rallies and road trips being his specialty. My Dad would spend hours planning trips with the car club across the United States to attend different car shows and events. He loved that car.

After my dad was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, my siblings and I tried to come up with the perfect Christmas present for him in 2003. After contemplating numerous items we came up with the idea that we should contact Triumph clubs around the world to see if we could buy tshirts or other memorabilia. Using the internet and all the free time I had since my husband was deployed, I set out to find a tshirt or two. I wrote several emails explaining the situation and what my siblings and I were trying to do. The response I got was not what I expected at all. Triumph car clubs around the world sent us tshirts, hats, fleece jackets, bumper stickers, awards, medallions, collectibles and memorabilia without hesitation and at no cost--Georgia, Canada, South Africa, Italy, England, Arizona, California, and many, many, many more. We carefully wrapped each piece individually and my father spent Christmas morning amazed at the gift these people had given him.

Unfortunately as my father fought a battle with cancer, his little Triumph was not driven as often nor as hard as it once had been. I had always wanted to drive it but had never been given the opportunity. One weekend my dad took me out and let me drive. We drove around his retirement community and he kept telling me "Go faster! It's made to drive. Make her go!". I told him after decades of waiting to drive it, I was nervous!! But with the top down and the sun up, my dad and I drove that little red sports car and every care in the world was forgotten.

When my father passed away, his friends showed up in their Triumphs to attend the service. A fitting tribute to my dad.

The legacy of the Triumph in our family lives on as Em plans to be delivered to her college dorm riding inside that little red sports car.

Deployment Freebies

We went this morning (Gunner had a 4 day weekend--I am loving them being off on Tuesday now instead of Friday!) to get Junior's daycare arranged at the center. While there I showed his deployment orders and they told me about all the free things we get starting now.

Junior gets a 20% discount on his full time daycare bill and this will carry over to the girls too when they need to go to the summer camp because I have class all summer. That saves me about $600 this summer! WOOHOO!

Each of the kids gets 16 free hours of daycare a month. They have Friday and Saturday getaways. This also applies for the girls for after school care, so I can use it when Abs starts her biofeedback and I was stressing about what to do with Em during that time.

Each child gets to play 2 sports a year for free. (It cost us $66+ to register the girls for soccer.)

They also get 4 free Skies Unlimited classes (up to 8 weeks long) for free.

Re-enrolling the kids will be free, so that's a $40 savings.

10 free hours of daycare per child during R&R.

There are also several emergency provisions in place, which I will hopefully never have to move and I do have my mom as a backup as well.

The lady who got me setup with all this stuff was great, but when I asked who was footing the bill for this, she said eventually it will come back to bite us. I'm sure it will as that is a huge source of revenue that is now being depleted. Apparently it is not the same at every installation, but since Fort Hood is the largest they are able to do this. I can't imagine that I will be using everything as I like to hang out with my children, but it is nice to know the options are there in case an emergency arises.

When does it get better?

Abs is going to be 7 next month. She has always been one of those kids that you have to watch almost constantly. Over the past year or so I thought she was improving and could be trusted. I guess at least the things she does now don't cause as much of a mess as they used to.

At our old house I had a brand new gallon of olive oil that I had purchased from Sam's. I lost it when I ran to the bathroom and she figured out how to open it and she emptied it on the kitchen floor. Then there was the Sam's size box of detergent she poured out. Thank goodness that was powder. She once decorated the white cabinets with a lime green sharpie, and there's always the story of how my husband left out the desitin and she painted herself white and the olive green couch while I took a shower for 5 minutes. Desitin doesn't come out of furniture, and it take a while to disappear from your hair too. (Mind you she did this about 10 minutes before we were to leave to go to a Thanksgiving feast at Em's school. Timing is everything.)

Abs then went through the lotion in the hair stage. She found a permanent green stamp pad and smeared it all over her body because she wanted to be a green smurf. She was banned from markers because she used to color her body with them. She's cut her own hair numerous times and even let one of her friends take a huge chunk out. When she was in diapers she used to smear poop all over her body, clothes and room during nap time. (Nap time was cancelled after a few times of that mess) She dumped out a bottle of shampoo into the carpet in housing. There was the time she managed to find a pen and make it explode and she smeared it all over herself, her bed and wrote her name on her antique dresser.

These are just the things I can think of off the top of my head that my cute darling daughter does in her spare time.

Today Gunner took Em and Junior to the commissary and I had just returned home from the gym and wanted to shower. I usually keep a few dinosaur movies on DVR to entertain her in cases like this so she started to watch one about the T-Rex Sue. I started my water and realized I had forgotten to get some towels so as I headed to the linen closet I heard Abbie in the kitchen. Knowing she was up to something I came racing down the hallway and Abbie was running back to the couch to resume her movie. This all happened in about 1 minute. I asked her what she had been up to and she told me "Nothing Mommy!". I went into the kitchen to find a HUGE pile of salt on the floor.

I went back into the living room and tried to talk to her.

Me: Abs, there's a pile of salt on the floor.

Abs: Really, how did that get there?

Me: Ummmmm......(at this point I am thinking that someone else might have actually had something to do with it, but then I face reality). Why did you do it?

Abs: I didn't do anything.

Me: Come on Abs, why did you do it.

Abs: Wasn't me.

(Heidi recommended a book a while back and I got it and actually remembered that there was something about asking questions in there, I really should finish reading it, but I at least got this part down.)

Me: What happened Abs? (yeah it was a simple change of words, but it worked)

Abs: Oh I spilt a little bit of water and I knew that salt would absorb it so I sprinkled a little on the water.

(There was no water on the floor that I saw)

Me: Thanks for letting me know, let's go clean it up.

So we cleaned up the mess together, and I was relieved that it wasn't olive oil or toothpaste (that was last week in the hallway when she was supposed to be sleeping).

I did get my shower without anymore trouble, but I will be reading that book again tonight!