I have enjoyed the weather here in Fayetteville. It seems like it should be Springtime, not the dog days of summer. It rains almost every day, it doesn't get hotter than 95. In fact, the high was 71 today. The humidity is sometimes as bad as Houston's, but I know what I could be facing in San Antonio, and I'm not complaining. Maybe the fact that my husband's not around makes me less concerned with how my hair holds up in the humidity. Today I bought each of the older kids a raincoat and umbrella for their backpacks so that they could walk to and from school if it's drizzling. I'm not heartless enough to make them walk home in pooring rain, but I sat at their school for 50 minutes this afternoon so that I could get a parking spot in a light drizzle. My kids can tough it out to save me that much time. Hopefully Zach won't turn his umbrella into a light saber at school-that's what he was trying today in the car.
I have to admit it was nice to just drop Audrey off at the CDC so I could relax. Due to the light rain, I didn't get to go on the long walk and horse back riding as I had planned. However, I did get to do step aerobics and go shop at Target without kids asking for a toy from every aisle.
I've heard from another Texan that there is TexMex restaurant somewhere around here that is worth eating at. I couldn't find it today, but I'm going to keep trying. My friend said they were going to retire in SA just so they could have Taco Cabana. I miss Taco C, but I really miss the actual Mexican food restaurants in SA. Not the fast food ones.
For those of you from Houston, I miss Guadalajara's something fierce. Neil thinks that my obsession with that restaurant is a factor of memories and comfort food. He doesn't think their food is that great. I try to tell him he might get struck by lightning for saying that. In a city the size of Houston, where else can you go to a relatively new branch of a franchise and have the manager recognize you from all the times you visited his other franchise? We went to the Guadalajara's Del Centro right before we moved from TX. (For those of you still in Houston, BTW, this is now the only Guadalajara's worth going to. The atmosphere is much better, the only crazy kids ever in there are mine and I live in North Carolina now, and there's never a long wait. Plus they take reservations.) The manager recognized me from all the times I've been to the Guadala's on the Katy Fwy. I haven't lived in Houston in 6 years, have probably only eaten there 2 times a year during that time, and he still remembers me.
I spoke with a friend from Fed Ex who says that Fed Ex ships food all the time. We're trying to figure out how to get it mailed here without having to harvest my kidney to pay for it.
Other than that, the kids are good. They are making friends at school and getting back in the habit of doing homework. Sydney was glad today that when her teacher said no one really knew how the earth got here and how we got here, that she knew. But she didn't think it was her place to correct the teacher and explain to her all about creation because her teacher hadn't asked. Syd was glad to know something that her teacher didn't know. Zach is doing well but is missing having Dad around. He tells me sometimes that he's tired of girls. I'm wishing he had a male teacher at school, but he'll be fine. He's learning all kinds of sayings in Spanish, so I help him review his words. It takes a lot more concentration than normal kinder would have because he has to figure out what the teachers are saying. Sometimes he'll come home and when I ask him what he learned today or did, he'll tell me that he doesn't know and he'll just shake his head. He's my sweet boy but I'm not allowed to call him that now that's he's 5. He's "my little man" in front of the rest of the world.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Honor
When Sydney was 4, she used to love watching Kim Possible on Disney. It's an adorable little cartoon about a teenager who fights bad guys. For a while there I had to convince Sydney that if she ever came face to face with a bad guy, that she shouldn't try to beat them up like KP does.
In one episode, her sidekick, Ron Stoppable, goes to Japan to become a monkey ninja. Awesome, right? (BTW, you should look up "Low-Budget Ninja" on stumbleupon.com. It gives you instructions on how to become a low-budget ninja.) While in Japan, Ron Stoppable learns that sometimes the only reason we do things we'd rather not is out of duty, and, therefore, it becomes our honor to do our duty.
On Disney Channel, it would be Ron's honor to assist his master by carrying something heavy across the fragile-looking, mile long wood bridge that spans a rocky crevice. In reality, it is my honor to send my husband off to Afghanistan, or even off to the hospital for 90% of the last 6 years of my life, to take care of our young, and young-at-heart, men and women in uniform.
People ask how I'm doing, and I'm doing fine, which is what I say to everyone, my parents and strangers alike. Some say that they have good days and bad days, but I usually have my good hours and bad hours. The thing is that regardless of the situation or location, everyone in the world can say the same. I don't have the corner on the market (Isn't that a saying?) on having challenges and difficulties to overcome.
I'm just blessed to have a purpose behind what I do. Knowing that the sacrifices I make enable someone else's husband and son to come home keeps me going and keeps me from complaining. More than thinking that life is hard and mine could be worse, I remind myself that it is my honor to support my husband's work of healing others.
I did Chair Aerobics today for the first time today. I always thought that was for the over 80 crowd (Sorry Mamaw), but I had fun laughing with the class. Normally I prefer not to be cheesy and so I keep quiet while group moderators try to get a class to do silly things. Today, however, I didn't want to appear self-important to the younger women around me or to the cute little Cooper Institute trained-grandpa/volunteer who taught our class. It was my honor to join in singing Row Row Row Your Boat with the class while we did some core-strengthening rowing exercises.
In one episode, her sidekick, Ron Stoppable, goes to Japan to become a monkey ninja. Awesome, right? (BTW, you should look up "Low-Budget Ninja" on stumbleupon.com. It gives you instructions on how to become a low-budget ninja.) While in Japan, Ron Stoppable learns that sometimes the only reason we do things we'd rather not is out of duty, and, therefore, it becomes our honor to do our duty.
On Disney Channel, it would be Ron's honor to assist his master by carrying something heavy across the fragile-looking, mile long wood bridge that spans a rocky crevice. In reality, it is my honor to send my husband off to Afghanistan, or even off to the hospital for 90% of the last 6 years of my life, to take care of our young, and young-at-heart, men and women in uniform.
People ask how I'm doing, and I'm doing fine, which is what I say to everyone, my parents and strangers alike. Some say that they have good days and bad days, but I usually have my good hours and bad hours. The thing is that regardless of the situation or location, everyone in the world can say the same. I don't have the corner on the market (Isn't that a saying?) on having challenges and difficulties to overcome.
I'm just blessed to have a purpose behind what I do. Knowing that the sacrifices I make enable someone else's husband and son to come home keeps me going and keeps me from complaining. More than thinking that life is hard and mine could be worse, I remind myself that it is my honor to support my husband's work of healing others.
I did Chair Aerobics today for the first time today. I always thought that was for the over 80 crowd (Sorry Mamaw), but I had fun laughing with the class. Normally I prefer not to be cheesy and so I keep quiet while group moderators try to get a class to do silly things. Today, however, I didn't want to appear self-important to the younger women around me or to the cute little Cooper Institute trained-grandpa/volunteer who taught our class. It was my honor to join in singing Row Row Row Your Boat with the class while we did some core-strengthening rowing exercises.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Avril Lavigne and Hannah Montana
Most of the time, I'm not a fan of Avril Lavigne and only sometimes of Hannah Montana. What the media considers "edgy" in Lavigne, I find crass and a glorification of selfishness and disrespect. I also think it's interesting that while she's this beautiful young lady, in some of her videos, she dresses in feminine versions of classic boy's clothes. Ties and tube althletic socks come to mind. I know that every woman who wears a tie isn't trying to be or look like a man. However, it's my personal opinion that when Lavigne tries to get a guys' attention by dressing in traditionally masculine ways, it makes a statement about those boys. I think the same thing when the Jonas Brothers dress in masculine versions of classic women's clothes. None of these kids dress themselves; their clothes are picked by stylists or are sent by companies as marketing tools. I think it's these grown ups who, whether it's a conscious decision or not, create gender confusion. I'm not assigning judgement, but it's what I see.
I like a lot of Hannah Montana music, but only 3 songs by "Miley". Shortly before Miley's infamous photos, she released a song that was an effort to be more like Lavigne, down to the edgy lyrics, the tone of the music, the wardrobe choices, and the choreography. Once the scandal erupted about the photos, you'll notice that her music has toned back down to suit her 'tween audience.
Anyway, what I wanted to say about these two musicians is this: I let the girls listen to one song by Lavigne and one of the songs by Miley because they deal with the theme of looking past a person's social status and what they look like to learn about the actual person inside. The Avril Lavigne song is about a girl who won't go out with a skater boy she likes because he wears the wrong clothes. He grows up to be a rock star. The Miley Cyrus song is about how there is more to her than the averag teenage girl-she's a Rockstar. We use that song to remind our girls to have confidence in themselves-that what other people perceive and the subsequent behavior doesn't correlate to my daughters' worth and unique personality. Unless it's a positive perception and they treat my girls like the princesses they are.
Every person has a story, even in high school. I remind my girls that their dad wasn't always 6'5", an officer in the Army, or a surgeon. Neil remains grateful for those friends of his from back in the day who saw his potential and treated him accordingly. I'm grateful to those friends of his that I've never met. While I don't know how successful I was at that, I tried to do the same to the people that were around me. Whenever I hear that Avril Lavigne song, I have this discussion with my girls in an effort to lead them to be kind to everyone they come into contact with.
I was spurred onto my soap box by a friend who thought he was "nerdy" in high school. Or "dorky". I can't remember what he actually said. Neil will tell you similar stories, but this was a friend of mine from back in the day. Anyway, this friend took great risks to start his own company so that he can provide for a family he doesn't have yet. The Urban Dictionary defines RockStar in 4 pages worth of definitions, but here's to my husband and my friend who's had a rough day or two: "Your typical joe who does something good."
PS-Just FYI, the context clue/sentence for that particular definition is R Rated, so don't go look it up if you're a PG-13 kind of girl, like me.
I like a lot of Hannah Montana music, but only 3 songs by "Miley". Shortly before Miley's infamous photos, she released a song that was an effort to be more like Lavigne, down to the edgy lyrics, the tone of the music, the wardrobe choices, and the choreography. Once the scandal erupted about the photos, you'll notice that her music has toned back down to suit her 'tween audience.
Anyway, what I wanted to say about these two musicians is this: I let the girls listen to one song by Lavigne and one of the songs by Miley because they deal with the theme of looking past a person's social status and what they look like to learn about the actual person inside. The Avril Lavigne song is about a girl who won't go out with a skater boy she likes because he wears the wrong clothes. He grows up to be a rock star. The Miley Cyrus song is about how there is more to her than the averag teenage girl-she's a Rockstar. We use that song to remind our girls to have confidence in themselves-that what other people perceive and the subsequent behavior doesn't correlate to my daughters' worth and unique personality. Unless it's a positive perception and they treat my girls like the princesses they are.
Every person has a story, even in high school. I remind my girls that their dad wasn't always 6'5", an officer in the Army, or a surgeon. Neil remains grateful for those friends of his from back in the day who saw his potential and treated him accordingly. I'm grateful to those friends of his that I've never met. While I don't know how successful I was at that, I tried to do the same to the people that were around me. Whenever I hear that Avril Lavigne song, I have this discussion with my girls in an effort to lead them to be kind to everyone they come into contact with.
I was spurred onto my soap box by a friend who thought he was "nerdy" in high school. Or "dorky". I can't remember what he actually said. Neil will tell you similar stories, but this was a friend of mine from back in the day. Anyway, this friend took great risks to start his own company so that he can provide for a family he doesn't have yet. The Urban Dictionary defines RockStar in 4 pages worth of definitions, but here's to my husband and my friend who's had a rough day or two: "Your typical joe who does something good."
PS-Just FYI, the context clue/sentence for that particular definition is R Rated, so don't go look it up if you're a PG-13 kind of girl, like me.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sandhill Mountain Biking
I didn't get the trash out today but I did get to go mountain biking.
This afternoon I rented a bike from the Army MWR (Morale Welfare & Recreation) office at a lake down the street from my house. I rode for a little over an hour and had a great time. While I was riding to get to the trailhead, I thought for sure I would face-plant on the gravel rode. Thank goodness I didn't because it wasn't small gravel-it was rocks of all sizes all over the place. It wouldn't have been pretty. I rode the green beginner's trail and it was perfect. Long enough to get a good workout, but not so difficult that I had to get off of my bike often to walk up and down hills. Perfect because it wasn't as scary as I remember it being while mt biking with Neil and friends.
While I can't actually remember exactly how my knees felt when I injured them or after surgery, I do remember that it was excruciating on both accounts. I am not very adventurous because I do not want to have to go through that again. And I really don't think I could afford to-who would take care of my kids if I'm limping around. Regardless, I do not have the "thrill-seeking McMullin gene" that Sydney inherited from Neil, Ann, Kristen, et al. Having said that, there was only one hill that I walked down. It was a somewhat steep, short hill that ended in a sand road. I thought for sure I would flip over my bike if the tire stuck in the sand at the bottom of the hill. I also envisioned myself lying on the ground with my bike twisted around me, calling out "I've fallen and I can't get up" but having no one around to get me back to my car. I'm at one with being a little bit of a fraidy cat. Since Neil agreed with me about the tire in the sand, at least I'm not a total chicken.
The hour went by so much faster than most exercise does and I can't wait to do it again. I can remember Kendra and I discussing exercise back in the day. She made some comment about how great it felt to move your body. At the time, I thought that she could say that because she didn't have to workout all the time to be as thin as she is. Now I realize that she just had a much healthier relationship with exercise and why it's worthwhile. I think about Kendra's comment every time I'm debating with myself about why physical fitness is a good investment of my time.
BTW, Neil is in a holding pattern waiting for a ride to the FOB (Forward Operating Base) where he will be stationed. Currently he's making sure he gets acclimatized to the altitude and trying to catch up on sleep and workouts.
The kids school has gone well the past few days. Zach doesn't like having to sit down so much, loves to get to eat 3 times during the school day, and enjoys computers. Ainsley and Sydney are making friends and getting to know the routine at the new school. They look adorable in their uniforms. They like their teachers and love to walk through the "Indiana Jones" path, as they have named it, to get to and from school each day. Zach even sings the theme song. It's a beautfiul forest trail that we get to walk along. We're starting all of their after school sports, so that is something fun to look forward to every day. At least they are all crashing when their heads hit the pillows at night.
This afternoon I rented a bike from the Army MWR (Morale Welfare & Recreation) office at a lake down the street from my house. I rode for a little over an hour and had a great time. While I was riding to get to the trailhead, I thought for sure I would face-plant on the gravel rode. Thank goodness I didn't because it wasn't small gravel-it was rocks of all sizes all over the place. It wouldn't have been pretty. I rode the green beginner's trail and it was perfect. Long enough to get a good workout, but not so difficult that I had to get off of my bike often to walk up and down hills. Perfect because it wasn't as scary as I remember it being while mt biking with Neil and friends.
While I can't actually remember exactly how my knees felt when I injured them or after surgery, I do remember that it was excruciating on both accounts. I am not very adventurous because I do not want to have to go through that again. And I really don't think I could afford to-who would take care of my kids if I'm limping around. Regardless, I do not have the "thrill-seeking McMullin gene" that Sydney inherited from Neil, Ann, Kristen, et al. Having said that, there was only one hill that I walked down. It was a somewhat steep, short hill that ended in a sand road. I thought for sure I would flip over my bike if the tire stuck in the sand at the bottom of the hill. I also envisioned myself lying on the ground with my bike twisted around me, calling out "I've fallen and I can't get up" but having no one around to get me back to my car. I'm at one with being a little bit of a fraidy cat. Since Neil agreed with me about the tire in the sand, at least I'm not a total chicken.
The hour went by so much faster than most exercise does and I can't wait to do it again. I can remember Kendra and I discussing exercise back in the day. She made some comment about how great it felt to move your body. At the time, I thought that she could say that because she didn't have to workout all the time to be as thin as she is. Now I realize that she just had a much healthier relationship with exercise and why it's worthwhile. I think about Kendra's comment every time I'm debating with myself about why physical fitness is a good investment of my time.
BTW, Neil is in a holding pattern waiting for a ride to the FOB (Forward Operating Base) where he will be stationed. Currently he's making sure he gets acclimatized to the altitude and trying to catch up on sleep and workouts.
The kids school has gone well the past few days. Zach doesn't like having to sit down so much, loves to get to eat 3 times during the school day, and enjoys computers. Ainsley and Sydney are making friends and getting to know the routine at the new school. They look adorable in their uniforms. They like their teachers and love to walk through the "Indiana Jones" path, as they have named it, to get to and from school each day. Zach even sings the theme song. It's a beautfiul forest trail that we get to walk along. We're starting all of their after school sports, so that is something fun to look forward to every day. At least they are all crashing when their heads hit the pillows at night.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
New Pictures Added
I added some pics, but didn't do it the right way. Anyway, make sure that you click on the link that says "Older Posts" so that you can see all of the Pictures that I loaded today. The kids were full of smiles. Audrey and I read books, took a short nap, and now we're hanging with the microwave repairmen. Then we're off for a walk and lunch.
Ainsley, Center Stage
The Haley's have this amazing playroom upstairs. It's one of the reasons that we are renting this house! The girls love to have fashion shows on the stage. Yes, they have a stage with bright pink velvet curtains... 
Audrey's A'nuh Party
Audrey's A'nuh is her pacifier. She had an A'nuh Party, where the A'nuh Fairy came to take all but one of her A'nuhs away. The Fairy was the princess in the cake. She gave the A'nuh's to Neil to take on adventures. Every time Audrey talks to Neil on the webcam she demands that he pulls out the pacifiers so that she can see them. Anyway, we had treats, read a book, and played Don't Eat Pete. The A'nuh Fairy left Audrey with some big girl panties, lollipops to suck on when she wanted her pacifier, and only one pacifier. The funny thing is that apparently Audrey had been hiding her pacifiers away (she knew the party was coming-we had been preparing her for this for a few days) because we have found 4 hidden around the house since Neil left. By the way, I am new to uploading photos to the blog, so I couldn't just add them all at once from Picassa. Anyone with experience, please let me know how to do it! 
Sydney's First Day of 5th Grade
Sydney was excited to start 5th grade! She is fine with the uniform policy because she wears shorts and pants all the time. For the first time ever, we invested in matching hairbows, etc. I did this for Ainsley so that we could satisfy her need to express her "adorable Ainsley style". I was surprised when Sydney wanted to wear a hairbow today. Her self described style has always been "sporty-sporty". But today she is sporting lipgloss and a hairbow. Maybe her sporty days are coming to an end. 
Ainsley's First Day
Despite her misgivings about the uniform policy (she briefly considered telling "someone" to their face that the uniform policy was stupid), she was excited by the time we walked out the door. Zach's Kinder Class
Zach is in a Spanish Immersion Kinder Class. He was very excited to start school this morning, to play with friends, and to carry his new backpack. Monday, August 24, 2009
What's the fun day tomorrow?
When Sydney was two years old, she would ask me that question every night as I tucked her into bed. School starts tomorrow morning, and I am excited to make some fun plans for myself and Audrey. I think our big thrill tomorrow will be to take a walk at a nice trail nearby with some friends. However, I have huge plans in the works.
Let me explain that I absolutely loved my job as the BAMC Auxiliary's President last year. The work I did was so fulfilling, the people I worked with became great friends, and I learned more than I expected about the Army, the hospital, nonprofit organizations, and myself. In order to accomplish all that was required of me, though, any time I wasn't taking care of my kids, my life revolved around the Auxiliary and the hospital. Hectic is the word that I came up with to describe my life in such a way that didn't sound as negative as "I think I brushed my hair this morning." While I miss my friends and the work, I am enjoying the freedom of having no outside obligations.
While Neil is deployed, Audrey gets 16 free hours of child care a month. We call it "3 school" and it is my ticket to relaxation while Neil is away. So on Wednesday, I've made an appointment for Audrey to head over to school. Then I'm going to rent a mountain bike and go mountain biking with my iphone. (Please note that the term "mountain biking" is used loosely here. I'm starting with the "bunny slope" trail and will most likely end up walking anything that looks scary.)
Then next Monday, I'm going for a 2 hour walk on the cool walking trails, then horseback riding and to one of the museums on post. Another day I will drive to Raleigh to take Audrey to the children's museum. Apparently, Raleigh is the "Smithsonian of the South" because it has so many museums. I'll let you know how badly the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce was exaggerating, or if they weren't at all.
Anyway, you get the picture. I'm looking forward to a fun day.
Let me explain that I absolutely loved my job as the BAMC Auxiliary's President last year. The work I did was so fulfilling, the people I worked with became great friends, and I learned more than I expected about the Army, the hospital, nonprofit organizations, and myself. In order to accomplish all that was required of me, though, any time I wasn't taking care of my kids, my life revolved around the Auxiliary and the hospital. Hectic is the word that I came up with to describe my life in such a way that didn't sound as negative as "I think I brushed my hair this morning." While I miss my friends and the work, I am enjoying the freedom of having no outside obligations.
While Neil is deployed, Audrey gets 16 free hours of child care a month. We call it "3 school" and it is my ticket to relaxation while Neil is away. So on Wednesday, I've made an appointment for Audrey to head over to school. Then I'm going to rent a mountain bike and go mountain biking with my iphone. (Please note that the term "mountain biking" is used loosely here. I'm starting with the "bunny slope" trail and will most likely end up walking anything that looks scary.)
Then next Monday, I'm going for a 2 hour walk on the cool walking trails, then horseback riding and to one of the museums on post. Another day I will drive to Raleigh to take Audrey to the children's museum. Apparently, Raleigh is the "Smithsonian of the South" because it has so many museums. I'll let you know how badly the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce was exaggerating, or if they weren't at all.
Anyway, you get the picture. I'm looking forward to a fun day.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Recommended Reading
Everyone who knows me knows that I love to read. I love to read books from all kinds of genres as long as they are closer to PG 13 than not. Finding well written books like this can be hard to find sometimes. I'm not super consistent with what I'll tolerate and what I won't. My general rule of thumb is that if my 17 yr old babysitters picked up the book, would I be ashamed. Wierd, I know.
Anyway, I just read the Eragon Trilogy that I've come to find out is now a "series" because the kid who wrote them couldn't wrap everything up in his 800-page 3rd book. I was wondering how it would all end when there was less than 100 pages and the beginnings of the conclusion were nowhere to be found. Chris Paolini is a tremendous author, especially for someone so young. I think he tries to imitate Tolkien, but there are times when his lack of maturity shows through his writing. Although his second and third books were a little long-winded, he does well at addressing topics such as religion, bravery, honor, loyalty, honesty, family and community.
The book I read today was awesome and a much faster read! I enjoy reading books about India, written by Indian authors. (I never saw Slum Dog millionaire.) Unfortunately, most books about India are absolutely depressing. The Space Between Us had me crying by the end as did some book about Bangladesh independence. The Village Bride of Beverly Hills and other books by the same author were not depressing at all. ( I cannot remember her name.) The Marriage Bureau for Rich People that I read today was funny and upbeat. I honestly kept waiting for poorer characters to have their lives ruined by either a wicked mother in law or a dishonest man preying on poor women's naivete and illiteracy. (These themes come up often.) The author even writes some informative mini essays about India, the caste system, etc, that were supposedly written by one of the characters. These are kind of the epilogue, but I thought it was a brilliant way to enlighten the readers without sidetracking the reader the way Chris Paolini does.
For what it's worth, that's what I've read lately. My next book, along the same lines, is called The Writing on My Forehead.
People keep telling me to read the Kite Runner and something about Elephants. Has anyone read these? Are they sad books?
Finally, Cecilia Ehren, the author of PS I love you, has written quite a few books. I've only read her first one. The rest of her books are on my list.
Anyway, I just read the Eragon Trilogy that I've come to find out is now a "series" because the kid who wrote them couldn't wrap everything up in his 800-page 3rd book. I was wondering how it would all end when there was less than 100 pages and the beginnings of the conclusion were nowhere to be found. Chris Paolini is a tremendous author, especially for someone so young. I think he tries to imitate Tolkien, but there are times when his lack of maturity shows through his writing. Although his second and third books were a little long-winded, he does well at addressing topics such as religion, bravery, honor, loyalty, honesty, family and community.
The book I read today was awesome and a much faster read! I enjoy reading books about India, written by Indian authors. (I never saw Slum Dog millionaire.) Unfortunately, most books about India are absolutely depressing. The Space Between Us had me crying by the end as did some book about Bangladesh independence. The Village Bride of Beverly Hills and other books by the same author were not depressing at all. ( I cannot remember her name.) The Marriage Bureau for Rich People that I read today was funny and upbeat. I honestly kept waiting for poorer characters to have their lives ruined by either a wicked mother in law or a dishonest man preying on poor women's naivete and illiteracy. (These themes come up often.) The author even writes some informative mini essays about India, the caste system, etc, that were supposedly written by one of the characters. These are kind of the epilogue, but I thought it was a brilliant way to enlighten the readers without sidetracking the reader the way Chris Paolini does.
For what it's worth, that's what I've read lately. My next book, along the same lines, is called The Writing on My Forehead.
People keep telling me to read the Kite Runner and something about Elephants. Has anyone read these? Are they sad books?
Finally, Cecilia Ehren, the author of PS I love you, has written quite a few books. I've only read her first one. The rest of her books are on my list.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Grandfathers
Neil finished packing up his gear this morning, got his weapon, and got in line to leave Ft Benning. Apparently it was a hurry up and wait kind of day. He carried a backpack on his chest, a ruck sack filled with text books on his back (A ruck sack is a larger version of a back pack, from what I hear) and, on each shoulder, a full duffle bag that is about as tall as Zach. One of our friends, Kim, was deployed last year, and I have a hard time imagining how she carried the same amount of stuff! Regardless, he has to carry his own luggage everywhere and sit with it whenever he has to wait in a line.
Anyway, they rode a bus to Atlanta and boarded the plane there. The flight across the Atlantic will take longer than normal due to the hurricane parked off the coast of Georgia. He heard they will be going around it. I think it's interesting that they have to actually say that. As if they would consider flying through it?
I got to speak with him a few times today, and it was surreal to think that he was heading off to war. That he was going to get off of the plane across the planet from us. Luckily he's been to Kuwait before, so it's not completely "The Unknown", but still. We talked about how he was doing what each of our 4 grandfathers did so many years ago. Minus the iphone.
We should get to talk with him on Sunday, sometime, depending on the time difference and our schedules.
Anyway, they rode a bus to Atlanta and boarded the plane there. The flight across the Atlantic will take longer than normal due to the hurricane parked off the coast of Georgia. He heard they will be going around it. I think it's interesting that they have to actually say that. As if they would consider flying through it?
I got to speak with him a few times today, and it was surreal to think that he was heading off to war. That he was going to get off of the plane across the planet from us. Luckily he's been to Kuwait before, so it's not completely "The Unknown", but still. We talked about how he was doing what each of our 4 grandfathers did so many years ago. Minus the iphone.
We should get to talk with him on Sunday, sometime, depending on the time difference and our schedules.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Real Estate
Once our stuff arrived here in NC a month ago, I began unpacking the kitchen. I figured that was the fastest way to sanity. Neil worked on the living room, and soon we had two rooms where we could relax. Over the course of the next 5 weeks, I worked on every room. Neil worked on the things that involved him: his stuff, the garage, moving big things, or electronics. He was busy checking the boxes for arriving at a new hospital, preparing for deployment and taking his board exam.
Before the movers left back in July, they unloaded every box into piles in the designated rooms. Unfortunately, I still haven't put anything of mine away. My stuff is still all in piles in my room. I have been too busy organizing and then keeping up with the day to day stuff to secret myself away in my closet. Since Neil unloaded his stuff first, he took the prime closet spots and all of the dresser drawers. However, now that he is gone, I'm taking over his space for my clothes.
Instead of unloading and organizing my stuff, I'm going back through Neil's stuff first. I've been weeding things out for the thrift store (I've thrown out all of his pants with a 34 length), finding dress shirts that need to be cleaned (somehow almost every dress shirt needed to be washed-being squished in boxes weren't good for them), throwing out old socks, etc. I've even found 2 pair of pants with tags that haven't been tailored or hemmed. We'll chalk that up to having better things to do on your day off than head to the tailor...Those and his Bill Khaki's that have been tailored are the only slacks he has left.
Last night, I moved all of his hanging clothes to the highest rack behind the closet door. That way I can have the racks that are front and center. I even emptied out his drawers and will be storing his clothes in little bins in the closet (the Haley's have great built in shelves in their closet) and in the spare dresser in Sydney's room. I'm not sure what will happen when he gets home, but until then, my room will be clean. And I will be so happy to see him in Feb-March that I might actually iron all of the dress shirts that I've had to wash (and I never iron anything!)and share my closet space with him.
Before the movers left back in July, they unloaded every box into piles in the designated rooms. Unfortunately, I still haven't put anything of mine away. My stuff is still all in piles in my room. I have been too busy organizing and then keeping up with the day to day stuff to secret myself away in my closet. Since Neil unloaded his stuff first, he took the prime closet spots and all of the dresser drawers. However, now that he is gone, I'm taking over his space for my clothes.
Instead of unloading and organizing my stuff, I'm going back through Neil's stuff first. I've been weeding things out for the thrift store (I've thrown out all of his pants with a 34 length), finding dress shirts that need to be cleaned (somehow almost every dress shirt needed to be washed-being squished in boxes weren't good for them), throwing out old socks, etc. I've even found 2 pair of pants with tags that haven't been tailored or hemmed. We'll chalk that up to having better things to do on your day off than head to the tailor...Those and his Bill Khaki's that have been tailored are the only slacks he has left.
Last night, I moved all of his hanging clothes to the highest rack behind the closet door. That way I can have the racks that are front and center. I even emptied out his drawers and will be storing his clothes in little bins in the closet (the Haley's have great built in shelves in their closet) and in the spare dresser in Sydney's room. I'm not sure what will happen when he gets home, but until then, my room will be clean. And I will be so happy to see him in Feb-March that I might actually iron all of the dress shirts that I've had to wash (and I never iron anything!)and share my closet space with him.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
School Shopping
The school that the girls and Zach will be attending does the whole uniform thing. Until today, I've always been in favor of that idea. The whole equalization, limiting distractions, teaching professionalism, creating mindless drones-it's all great.
Except I found out that if they want to wear tennis shoes, they have to be all white with no logos and that if their bottoms have belt loops, they are required to wear a belt. Do you know how hard it is to find all white shoes that aren't Keds? I'm not opposed to Keds, but do you know how expensive Keds are? I can remember there was a reason we wore the Target brand of Keds. I happened to find leather Keds on sale, but only for Ainsley. Now that I've had to buy 4 pair of shoes today, after spending 3 hours shopping, I wonder how working parents have the time for this. Or the money. I have yet to find a belt for the girls. Sydney lucked out, though, because her school shoes were buy one get one for $1. She got an extra pair of brown school/church shoes. Even still, I'm not in love with uniforms anymore. I wish I got to spend $60 on shoes for myself today!
To give the girls credit, they wanted me to buy a pair of bright red shiny patent leather peeep toe 3 inch high heels today. What great taste, right? Also, Audrey told me today that she wanted me to take the girls to school so I could take her clothes shopping. They are definitely my daughters!
Except I found out that if they want to wear tennis shoes, they have to be all white with no logos and that if their bottoms have belt loops, they are required to wear a belt. Do you know how hard it is to find all white shoes that aren't Keds? I'm not opposed to Keds, but do you know how expensive Keds are? I can remember there was a reason we wore the Target brand of Keds. I happened to find leather Keds on sale, but only for Ainsley. Now that I've had to buy 4 pair of shoes today, after spending 3 hours shopping, I wonder how working parents have the time for this. Or the money. I have yet to find a belt for the girls. Sydney lucked out, though, because her school shoes were buy one get one for $1. She got an extra pair of brown school/church shoes. Even still, I'm not in love with uniforms anymore. I wish I got to spend $60 on shoes for myself today!
To give the girls credit, they wanted me to buy a pair of bright red shiny patent leather peeep toe 3 inch high heels today. What great taste, right? Also, Audrey told me today that she wanted me to take the girls to school so I could take her clothes shopping. They are definitely my daughters!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Motivation
When I was younger, I thought I was intrinsically motivated to study hard or work hard. I did those things because I wanted good grades or to be successful at what I was undertaking. What I didn't understand was that I really am only intrinsically motivated to do certain things. Things that align with my values, things that are easy, things that I enjoy. It turns out that I was a huge nerd in high school because I enjoyed learning new things, except math because it was too hard. And subjects that I didn't like but weren't difficult, I did because they fell under the category of valuing hard work.
What does this have to do with Neil's deployment? In the last year where, on any given day, I had only 10 minutes with Neil to myself and one full day off every out of every 10, I started to rethink why I did or didn't do certain things. If my world happily revolves around my husband, what happens when he's not there. There are a few things that I do to be a good wife that I don't particularly enjoy (And this isn't about what you think. This is a G-rated blog...). Or I enjoy them in moderation: Cooking, making beds, doing dishes, dieting, mopping, dusting... Is 10 minutes worth spending so much time on things that I do for someone else? Looking at my life last year, you probably couldn't tell, but absolutely it is worth it. But now that Neil won't be here for 6 months, I find myself asking myself why I need to do things I don't really love so much.
That's what led me to discover that I'm not as intrinsically motivated as I thought I was. Aside from the obvious sub-par health and fitness, attracting unwanted bugs, running out of clean clothes, etc, why is being skinny desireable? Why is having a spotless house important? Why is cooking a full meal and doing the accompanying dishes 3 times a day valuable? If I have to ask those questions, what's wrong with me?
So if I don't have Neil around to motivate me, it's time to reexamine why I do the most basic of daily activities. I like to say that Neil has more self-discipline in his pinky finger than I do in my entire body. I worry that I don't have enough self-discipline to make myself do things I'd rather not or that I can't find a reason why those things should be valuable to me or worth pursuing. I don't have all the answers yet.
That said, I've done two full loads of dishes today, 3 loads of laundry, stretched, helped clean a few rooms, and worked on finances. Maybe having 4 kids compels me when I can't find motivation. I can't stop too much to be lazy, even if I wanted to. Maybe that's also why my super hero talent is speed reading. That way I can do what I enjoy (reading) and still get my chores done.
What does this have to do with Neil's deployment? In the last year where, on any given day, I had only 10 minutes with Neil to myself and one full day off every out of every 10, I started to rethink why I did or didn't do certain things. If my world happily revolves around my husband, what happens when he's not there. There are a few things that I do to be a good wife that I don't particularly enjoy (And this isn't about what you think. This is a G-rated blog...). Or I enjoy them in moderation: Cooking, making beds, doing dishes, dieting, mopping, dusting... Is 10 minutes worth spending so much time on things that I do for someone else? Looking at my life last year, you probably couldn't tell, but absolutely it is worth it. But now that Neil won't be here for 6 months, I find myself asking myself why I need to do things I don't really love so much.
That's what led me to discover that I'm not as intrinsically motivated as I thought I was. Aside from the obvious sub-par health and fitness, attracting unwanted bugs, running out of clean clothes, etc, why is being skinny desireable? Why is having a spotless house important? Why is cooking a full meal and doing the accompanying dishes 3 times a day valuable? If I have to ask those questions, what's wrong with me?
So if I don't have Neil around to motivate me, it's time to reexamine why I do the most basic of daily activities. I like to say that Neil has more self-discipline in his pinky finger than I do in my entire body. I worry that I don't have enough self-discipline to make myself do things I'd rather not or that I can't find a reason why those things should be valuable to me or worth pursuing. I don't have all the answers yet.
That said, I've done two full loads of dishes today, 3 loads of laundry, stretched, helped clean a few rooms, and worked on finances. Maybe having 4 kids compels me when I can't find motivation. I can't stop too much to be lazy, even if I wanted to. Maybe that's also why my super hero talent is speed reading. That way I can do what I enjoy (reading) and still get my chores done.
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Dad Factor
Today was our first "regular" day since Neil's been gone. Saturday didn't count because we made fun things to do to build morale in the troops and Sunday is always different because we stick around home, church, and maybe have some friends over for dinner. So today was a test, I thought, of what an entire summer without Neil would be like. I thought we would go crazy looking for something to do. I was wrong. I've decided that Neil's work has prepared our kids really well for Dad not to be home while the sun is shining.
Let me explain by saying that last summer I decided to change how we did things in our routine to accomodate Neil's incredibly long hours in his last year of residency. We cut out all sports/dance, so that the girls only had after school clubs and church group. No crazy running around. We had snacks, did homework, played outside and with friends, had a bath, watched tv and didn't eat dinner until Dad got home every night. Then when Neil was home early or on his day off, we could go have fun instead of being tied to a schedule of games, etc. Our lives revolved around seeing Dad as much as possible. And the Auxiliary, but that's a story for another day...
The kids never felt like he missed anything; in fact, when people would ask about how glad the kids would be when dad would be home for dinner every night now that residency is over, the kids looked at them kind of funny. In fact, my kids are glad that I'm not volunteering for the Auxiliary this year so that I can "actually spend quality time with them." I wanted to ask them if we were talking about the same person.
Anyway, this summer has been different because Neil barely worked from 1 Jul until he left. I am so grateful for that time because it really filled our Dad reserves up. I think that makes a huge difference on the kids' attitudes and feelings. They're like little buckets that you fill up with love. Missing dad takes water out, but they have more water than they're used to right now. So chatting with him on the webcam, blowing him kisses, and sending him text messages is helps a lot in keeping that level high.
As far as my survival goes, I told someone my survival plan today: keep the kids busy, workout more than I did last year, refrain from eating too many donuts and drinking non-diet Coke, relax while Audrey is at free child care on Post, have visitors, celebrate Holidays and birthdays. In theory, it sounds like March will be here before I know it.
In theory, technology with dad and resources to keep my sanity sound like they can make up for Neil being gone. But it can't. For sure they make survival possible and truly help the children's tender hearts. But there is a difference in our home the minute Neil walks in the door. From a very early age, our children could sense the difference between when Dad was home and when he wasn't. There were times that my babies would cry all day, but as soon as Neil got home, they were all smiles. Now that they're all older, as soon as they hear the door being unlocked, they change. They drop what they're doing, they change their attitude to bright smiles and happy voices (And not just to avoid getting in trouble because I try not to save discipline for Dad. He doesn't want to spend his only time with the kids getting them in trouble.) They run to the door to give Dad hugs and kisses. My heart rate actually drops. Dad knows all the right things to say to the kids, he knows how to fix everything, hugs from him overcome the world-weariness in us all. He finesses through the flowers in the garden while I somehow manage to stomp on every one.
I miss Neil and so do the kids. I don't like to talk to people about him leaving because I tear up at the thought of not seeing him for so long. But I decided today that if the last 10 years haven't prepared me to hold down the fort for 2 whole days without losing it, I'd be done for already. We'll see how we are holding up a month from now.
BTW, we went to the library twice, did no cooking, went to the gym, did laundry, finished the second book in the Eragon series, and talked with Neil twice. Not bad for our first Monday.
Let me explain by saying that last summer I decided to change how we did things in our routine to accomodate Neil's incredibly long hours in his last year of residency. We cut out all sports/dance, so that the girls only had after school clubs and church group. No crazy running around. We had snacks, did homework, played outside and with friends, had a bath, watched tv and didn't eat dinner until Dad got home every night. Then when Neil was home early or on his day off, we could go have fun instead of being tied to a schedule of games, etc. Our lives revolved around seeing Dad as much as possible. And the Auxiliary, but that's a story for another day...
The kids never felt like he missed anything; in fact, when people would ask about how glad the kids would be when dad would be home for dinner every night now that residency is over, the kids looked at them kind of funny. In fact, my kids are glad that I'm not volunteering for the Auxiliary this year so that I can "actually spend quality time with them." I wanted to ask them if we were talking about the same person.
Anyway, this summer has been different because Neil barely worked from 1 Jul until he left. I am so grateful for that time because it really filled our Dad reserves up. I think that makes a huge difference on the kids' attitudes and feelings. They're like little buckets that you fill up with love. Missing dad takes water out, but they have more water than they're used to right now. So chatting with him on the webcam, blowing him kisses, and sending him text messages is helps a lot in keeping that level high.
As far as my survival goes, I told someone my survival plan today: keep the kids busy, workout more than I did last year, refrain from eating too many donuts and drinking non-diet Coke, relax while Audrey is at free child care on Post, have visitors, celebrate Holidays and birthdays. In theory, it sounds like March will be here before I know it.
In theory, technology with dad and resources to keep my sanity sound like they can make up for Neil being gone. But it can't. For sure they make survival possible and truly help the children's tender hearts. But there is a difference in our home the minute Neil walks in the door. From a very early age, our children could sense the difference between when Dad was home and when he wasn't. There were times that my babies would cry all day, but as soon as Neil got home, they were all smiles. Now that they're all older, as soon as they hear the door being unlocked, they change. They drop what they're doing, they change their attitude to bright smiles and happy voices (And not just to avoid getting in trouble because I try not to save discipline for Dad. He doesn't want to spend his only time with the kids getting them in trouble.) They run to the door to give Dad hugs and kisses. My heart rate actually drops. Dad knows all the right things to say to the kids, he knows how to fix everything, hugs from him overcome the world-weariness in us all. He finesses through the flowers in the garden while I somehow manage to stomp on every one.
I miss Neil and so do the kids. I don't like to talk to people about him leaving because I tear up at the thought of not seeing him for so long. But I decided today that if the last 10 years haven't prepared me to hold down the fort for 2 whole days without losing it, I'd be done for already. We'll see how we are holding up a month from now.
BTW, we went to the library twice, did no cooking, went to the gym, did laundry, finished the second book in the Eragon series, and talked with Neil twice. Not bad for our first Monday.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Web Cams and Frogs
We got a new web cam, hooked up Ovoo and were able to video chat with Neil tonight. Audrey has been convinced that Neil is still at the airport, so it was good for her to see him and talk with him. She was also excited to see the pacifiers that are off having "adventures" with Dad. It was nice to see Neil and to speak with him. The kids loved saying hi and blowing him kisses. Neil is sleeping on a bunk bed in the Army equivalent of the Harry Potter's under the stair closet.
I have decided, 2 days into this, that deployment with my kids will be much easier than if my kids were all under the age of 7. Today is proof: We slept in a little, ate cinnamon rolls, went to church, came home and finished the cinnamon rolls (nice, I know, but we all only had two). Then I cooked and cleaned the kitchen, rested with Audrey for 45 minutes, finished cooking, and had friends over for dinner. Meanwhile, the kids played, cleaned, read, watched tv, and played some more. We had apple slices and yogurt for a second lunch. Except for Zach: he had a lollipop. I couldn't convince him that a lollipop would not fill him up. Somehow it's already 9:30 and the kids are watching the end of Ratatouille before bed.
We have a billion frogs in our yard. They are tree frogs that are less than 2 inches long and they recently had baby frogs. During dinner we had fun watching 4 baby frogs, each less than 1/2 inch long, sitting on our window sill. I just went to check on them and now there are 11 baby frogs and one grown up frog. I've never thought real frogs were as cute as the hand-drawn version, but these little babies are cool!
It rained again today, which makes rain on all but 3 of the days we have lived here. That's just a guess, but I think it's pretty accurate. I used to hate rain because it made my life as a mother to toddlers inconvenient. After going so long in the oppressive heat of San Antonio, I'm grateful for the rain here. I hear this is unusual. Luckily I won't be here next summer to find out. As far as I know, Fayetteville has as much rain as Seattle.
I have decided, 2 days into this, that deployment with my kids will be much easier than if my kids were all under the age of 7. Today is proof: We slept in a little, ate cinnamon rolls, went to church, came home and finished the cinnamon rolls (nice, I know, but we all only had two). Then I cooked and cleaned the kitchen, rested with Audrey for 45 minutes, finished cooking, and had friends over for dinner. Meanwhile, the kids played, cleaned, read, watched tv, and played some more. We had apple slices and yogurt for a second lunch. Except for Zach: he had a lollipop. I couldn't convince him that a lollipop would not fill him up. Somehow it's already 9:30 and the kids are watching the end of Ratatouille before bed.
We have a billion frogs in our yard. They are tree frogs that are less than 2 inches long and they recently had baby frogs. During dinner we had fun watching 4 baby frogs, each less than 1/2 inch long, sitting on our window sill. I just went to check on them and now there are 11 baby frogs and one grown up frog. I've never thought real frogs were as cute as the hand-drawn version, but these little babies are cool!
It rained again today, which makes rain on all but 3 of the days we have lived here. That's just a guess, but I think it's pretty accurate. I used to hate rain because it made my life as a mother to toddlers inconvenient. After going so long in the oppressive heat of San Antonio, I'm grateful for the rain here. I hear this is unusual. Luckily I won't be here next summer to find out. As far as I know, Fayetteville has as much rain as Seattle.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Stinks on Ice
I really thought that today would stink on ice, like Glen Beck says. We got up at 5am to take Neil to the airport, so that's a bad start right there. Only Neil gets up that early on a regular basis in our family; there's a reason I'm not a dr...
Until this last Monday, we've kept the discussion about Neil leaving very vague so that the children wouldn't become unnecessarily upset. Last Monday evening, we had a family meeting about it. We discussed it again in depth on Thursday evening and Neil gave the children each a blessing of comfort and safety. Friday evening we held family prayer one last time, and then this morning, we all walked Neil into the airport.
It was packed! I'm not sure who voluntarily travels at 0530 on a Saturday with children in tow, but they were there in force. Now we saw why Neil was told not to check any baggage! We found out, as the kids were saying goodbye, that we could have sat in the baggage check line to receive a gate pass to walk with him through security, say goodbye when he boarded, and watched the plane drive away. Unfortunately, the plane was going to begin boarding by the time we sat through the line, so we didn't get to do that. Neil's parents took the kids so that I could say goodbye. I don't really like crying in front of other people, and I didn't want to lose it in front of my kids. Somehow I held it together, though, so I didn't cause a scene.
We went back to the hotel, and I took a nap while Zach and Audrey watched tv. The girls napped in Nana and Papa's room. I did wake to Zach turning on the garbage disposal. Later that morning we went to the mall for retail therapy. Retail therapy for mom does not involve little kids' help, so it was mainly for the kids. (Ann got some cute shoes.) We ate Moe's for lunch, so that made the kids feel better, although we missed Laurel and Rob! Sydney is so proud to have been given her first Bobbi Brown lipgloss by her Nana. It's called Confetti. Now that she is in fifth grade, she can wear some lipgloss to school. I was thinking drugstore, but her Nana came through for her!
Audrey wore big girl panties all day today, even travelling and sleeping in the car. It's my fourth child, so I will not be excited about potty training. It is an inconvenience and is only to be celebrated with the child in the potty. I do not do dances, I do not give candy (very often), I hate it unless I am around her.
Then I think it's the most fabulous thing in the world to use the bathroom and give all kinds encouragement. Because really, she's the cutest little kid I know and deserves to have fun on the potty even though I will not willingly publicize it. That's what makes single people or married couples without kids hate their friends who become parents. Because what self respecting grown up discusses the bathroom in a normal conversation with other adults? Anyway, we're potty training, so don't ask me about it. :)
We relaxed most of the rest of the day, went to Wal Mart, ate dinner, and more relaxing. My biggest problem when Neil is on call is that I never want to go to bed because he's not there. So I"m not sure how to relax and go to bed for the next 6 months. Overall, though, today has been much easier than I ever expected. I owe it all to my belief that families are eternal. Knowing that I will see Neil again, that my children will see Neil again, whether it's in 6 months or in heaven, allows me to move on without quite so much panic. Texting back and forth with him all day today didn't hurt either.
Until this last Monday, we've kept the discussion about Neil leaving very vague so that the children wouldn't become unnecessarily upset. Last Monday evening, we had a family meeting about it. We discussed it again in depth on Thursday evening and Neil gave the children each a blessing of comfort and safety. Friday evening we held family prayer one last time, and then this morning, we all walked Neil into the airport.
It was packed! I'm not sure who voluntarily travels at 0530 on a Saturday with children in tow, but they were there in force. Now we saw why Neil was told not to check any baggage! We found out, as the kids were saying goodbye, that we could have sat in the baggage check line to receive a gate pass to walk with him through security, say goodbye when he boarded, and watched the plane drive away. Unfortunately, the plane was going to begin boarding by the time we sat through the line, so we didn't get to do that. Neil's parents took the kids so that I could say goodbye. I don't really like crying in front of other people, and I didn't want to lose it in front of my kids. Somehow I held it together, though, so I didn't cause a scene.
We went back to the hotel, and I took a nap while Zach and Audrey watched tv. The girls napped in Nana and Papa's room. I did wake to Zach turning on the garbage disposal. Later that morning we went to the mall for retail therapy. Retail therapy for mom does not involve little kids' help, so it was mainly for the kids. (Ann got some cute shoes.) We ate Moe's for lunch, so that made the kids feel better, although we missed Laurel and Rob! Sydney is so proud to have been given her first Bobbi Brown lipgloss by her Nana. It's called Confetti. Now that she is in fifth grade, she can wear some lipgloss to school. I was thinking drugstore, but her Nana came through for her!
Audrey wore big girl panties all day today, even travelling and sleeping in the car. It's my fourth child, so I will not be excited about potty training. It is an inconvenience and is only to be celebrated with the child in the potty. I do not do dances, I do not give candy (very often), I hate it unless I am around her.
Then I think it's the most fabulous thing in the world to use the bathroom and give all kinds encouragement. Because really, she's the cutest little kid I know and deserves to have fun on the potty even though I will not willingly publicize it. That's what makes single people or married couples without kids hate their friends who become parents. Because what self respecting grown up discusses the bathroom in a normal conversation with other adults? Anyway, we're potty training, so don't ask me about it. :)
We relaxed most of the rest of the day, went to Wal Mart, ate dinner, and more relaxing. My biggest problem when Neil is on call is that I never want to go to bed because he's not there. So I"m not sure how to relax and go to bed for the next 6 months. Overall, though, today has been much easier than I ever expected. I owe it all to my belief that families are eternal. Knowing that I will see Neil again, that my children will see Neil again, whether it's in 6 months or in heaven, allows me to move on without quite so much panic. Texting back and forth with him all day today didn't hurt either.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Buried in paperwork
In order for our children to take advantage of activities on Post, there are pages upon pages of forms to fill out. Go figure. Long story short, Ainsley was showing mild Asthma symptoms back in the Spring, so in the spirit of full disclosure, I checked the box on one of the forms.
We got the paperwork filled out, but come to find out that the dr didn't sign it. Then it turns out that it might have been the wrong form. Then I'm told they couldn't find anywhere in Ainsley's chart where a dr prescribed her a particular medicine. Somehow the nurse decided that a PA's diagnosis and a note in the chart of an asthma action plan was not equivalent to a prescription getting filled. (We happened to already have inhalers in our house, so we didn't need anymore.) I was told that the PA only wrote an asthma action plan because I told her what we had been doing at home not because that was the right course of action. Seriously.
Look for a Verizon Math Fail on youtube. It's hysterical and along the same lines. I love to watch youtube videos of Failblog.org when I need a good laugh.
On the other hand, Zach's paperwork was all done, so we went to a soccer parents' meeting Saturday morning. We were sitting next to a couple and we were quietly complaining about sitting in a group of 50 people watching a movie on a 17" tv monitor. When I heard that the husband said that it was "another 45 minutes of his life he wouldn't get back," I knew he and Neil would be fast friends! (That is a signature Neil-ism) They even have a 5 yr old son; we're hoping that Zach is on his team.
The gist of the video was not to be that guy. No "philosophical abuse" of the children: you can't pass along your philosophy of winning at all costs, of giving over 100% in effort, of taking out the knees of the other team's sweeper. What is this world coming to?
PS. If you are looking to be entertained, Julie, I make no guarantees.
Monday, August 10, 2009
The burn
Last year, I was not quite the gym rat I should have been. Once we moved to Fayeteville, I began trying to make up for that. I joined the Fayetteville equivalent of the Average Joe gym from the movie Dodgeball. The people are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. What's especially fabulous about my Cross Fit class is that I'm the only person who comes to that particular time spot. It's like having a personal trainer.
On my off days from Cross Fit, I head over to a gym on Post that has a little tot room inside of a room that contains cardio equipment. I happened to read in some Ft Bragg magazine that they were offering one free person trainer session, so I signed up to see what they could show me to do in that little room.
Since our schedule this week is packed with getting Neil ready and spending time with him, I set up my appointment for today, an hour after my Cross Fit class ended. I happened to progress in my cross fit class today, doing Burpees (hate the word, it sounds like something Zach would say and then laugh) without my knees on the ground and doing Explosions without holding on to anything. It's taken me a month to get that far. Needless to say, I was already so tired by the time I got to my personal trainer appt.
She had me doing jumping squats and jumping lunches, more burpees (seriously, couldn't they have come up with a better name?), and all manner of core to target my non-existent lower abs. I was pretty sure my legs were going to give out. I've never had a personal trainer, but I expected them to show me how to do something, write it down, and go from there. I didn't think they would actually make me work when they weren't getting paid.
I still can't climb the stairs without holding on, and I think I might not be able to sit down tomorrow without help. Off to have Oreos and milk.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Life in Fayetteville
Friends and family have been asking for a while when I was going to start a blog, but I've never done it. I feel pretty strongly that I already have enough excuses to forgo the cleaning and the dishes. However, now that I am going to miss out on adult conversation at the end of every day, I figured that I need somewhere to empty my mind.
Sydney helped me come up with the title for our blog. I never realized how hard it would be to think of a unique name that wasn't absolutely boring or too cheesy. Sydney's first vote was the 411, since that is the name of her self-published weekly newsletter. (It's being posted on doors near you.) Her second choice was something involving "wild roses" but we figured that Zach might not want to be compared to a flower. Or that Neil wouldn't want his son called that. So here we are.
I taught for two hours at church today. Out of a three hour block of meetings... I teach Sunday School for grown ups every other week or so and once a month I teach our Women's class, called Relief Society. Today was the "Sarah Show" as my once a month gig happened to coincide with my weekly lesson. It's been a long time since I've taught grown ups (I've been teaching nursery age, eight year olds, and 14 year olds for the last 3 years), so there's a little bit of a learning curve to overcome. Each time I teach, I re-learn something about teaching at my class's expense. Thankfully my class members are so kind as to not mention it to me.
Since teaching two classes at church is a little unusual, everyone asks if I was a teacher before I had children. (I guess only a teacher would be willing to do this?) People look at me kind of funny when I tell them how I substitute taught for one day in college and never went back. It was a fourth grade class and I couldn't stand how little control I felt over what was going on in the class. I've learned things as a parent that I didn't know back then as far as how to address a group of kids, but I am not an elementary age teacher at heart.
I enjoy speaking in front of large groups and teaching anyone I don't have to discipline for leaning back in their chair, talking out of turn, or generally making mischief. I'm too much of a control freak for such craziness. So teaching adults is a good fit for me. Today, I had my Sunday School class break up into small groups and teach each other the lesson so that they wouldn't have to listen to me for the entire hour.
It's getting dark as I sit in my covered deck and I can hear noises under the nearby trees. That's the signal for me to go inside.
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