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....