Its been a banner year

Sweet Jesus it's 2010 already?

Every year flyboy says the same thing, "this year will be a banner year for the flyboy familiy".

{He uses our real last name, it'd just be silly to refer to oursevlves as the flyboys when you all aren't listening. But then again if I used our real names here I wouldn't be very good at this anonymous stuff now would I?}

He started saying that back in 2005 when we were expecting dash-1, he said it in following years regarding money, more kiddos, promotions, moving, school starting, all that kinda stuff.

As 2008 was winding down we had a bit of a blow when I had a miscarriage, as 2009 started we didn't know that I was pregnant again, we weren't sure what would happen next but as I type this a year later, little dash-3 is sleeping peacefully in my arms.

We spent a lot of time apart, we might not have always been together when we would have liked, or needed to be, but as this year winds down we are. In a year when so many people have lost someone we are ending the year not just together but with one more.

In a year when so many are struggling financially, when jobs and homes have been lost, we might have had some water "mishaps" in the hallway but there is still a roof over our head.

This year has been filled with ups and downs. Some months held more downs then ups, more tears and frustrations then I would have liked but all in all, I look back at 2009 with smiles and I look ahead to 2010 with hope. And I wish the same for all of you.

But no matter what is to come, you were right flyboy, 2009 was a banner year for us.

from day 1 to 31

When flyboy returned home from a trip right before he went on leave I asked him if he knew what his January schedule would be, when would he be home, when would he be gone, where to {I live thru him, at least when its somewhere nice}... you know that kinda normal stuff.

Normal for us anyhow.

When I asked I was surprised by the response, he said it looked like he'd be home for the entire month.

As dash-1 would say, "What, what, what WHAT!?" {It's very cute when he says it, his eyes get all big and he snaps his head around.}

So I started thinking, wow home all month, the last time that happened was.... and I thought and thought. And thought some more, in fact I'm still thinking, and for the life of me, I don't know when was the last time that he was home for one whole month in its entirety.

Certainly not 2009.

And while I will admit, I can't even remember what I wore yesterday, nothing in 2008 sticks out in my mind either. I know we spent January of 2003 together, that month sticks out in my mind. Oh and when he was med down for shoulder surgery for 2 or 3 months in 2004. Other then that I'd bet money that 2007, 2006, 2005 were much the same as this year.

Because pretty much every year is the same.

But that's ok because, again to quote dash-1 {that boy is wise beyond his years}, "this is how we roll.

Maybe this year will be different....doubtful because just a few days later flyboy remembered a couple trips, so our quest for an entire month together, from day 1 to 31 will have to wait.

Or maybe we could just paint one of his airplanes to look like the Partridge family bus and just travel around with him. We could even sing and dress alike. Although I think we'd all agree time apart would probably be more normal then that.

a sigh of relief

The house is still standing.

There appears to be no uninvited guest in my underwear drawer, no rain on the inside of the house, all in all nothing out of place.

Except for the pounds of "stuff" we brought home with us. Now to just find a home for all the stuff.

Thank goodness the playroom didn't burn down.

floods, ants, mice and whats next

We are headed home tomorrow.

For just over a week have taken the family show on the road and hopefully (weather permitting) tomorrow night my arse will be comfortable snuggled on my sleep number.

Which if you care is 35. Delightful.

Anyways as excited as I am to return home, I mean you read the second sentence right? Eight days on the road with family, home is looking mighty fine. However, I'm worried.

Am I worried about being in the car for 8 hours with two loudmouths and a baby who does not so much *heart* his car seat? Am I worried about the occasionally uptight Marine who will be driving? Am I worried about fitting everything in the car? Am I worried about gas prices and finding rest stops?

No.

No I am worried about what I will find when I return home.

Indulge me as I recap the past few things waiting when we have returned home from various trips.

Last year my dear husband came home from a trip the night before I was going to come back home to find that a pipe behind the dishwasher has frozen and burst. Mess mess mess. But thankfully he found that one.

Coming home from a trip home in July was a two fold mess, one was the transmission on my car crapping out at the post office. Really it made it thru all the traffic and mountains to start its demise in the post office parking lot, the timing was great, I can at least look back and appreciate that.

And when I made it home and went to unpack guess what was waiting for me? A crap ton of ants in my underwear drawer They found dash-2's stash of potty treats, which have now been moved to a giant sealed glass jar in the playroom. Ants were everywhere. In my dresser, around my dresser, EVERYWHERE.

Then when I came home from a visit in September, I arrived home from my first solo roadtrip with three kiddos to find it raining. Inside my house. My center hallway to be exact.

It turns out a mouse had eaten thru a rubber water pipe.

{apparently they are designed for cold weather places since they expand to prevent bursting, yet not so useful in a 150+ year old farm house that has the occasional mouse or two}.

The damage was at least contained to the center hallways and so we didn't suffer much damage to our furniture or electronics but mess.

Oh the mess. The entire ceiling was ripped out, dried out, re-done, drywalled, plastered, it was an month long saga to get that sucker fixed up.

Our most recent experience happened after Thanksgiving I went to unpack my clothes and what did I find.... A MOUSE HAD BEEN IN MY UNDERWEAR DRAWER!

Really. Are. You. Serious. Cause the ants weren't enough?

Turns out flyboy had hidden some giant lollipops in there.

{You have to understand, we have small boys, moms underwear drawer is a great hiding place. Though we have now come to the explicit understanding that food is no longer welcome there.}

However, I will say at least flyboy was there for that one. I can deal with rain in my house, I would not be able to deal with sticking my hand in my drawers and finding a mouse. {Thankfully the mouse apparently just ate and ran}

So as we get everything together to go home tomorrow you can see why I am a bit nervous.

We've gotten smarter, we turned off the water when we left, we unplugged every appliance imaginable, but both of us are afraid of what we could find. I'm hoping that we don't turn into our driveway with just a pile of ash and my underpants sitting there.

I mean my underroos have survived flood and pestilences why shouldn't I assume they could survive a fire?

And that's about all that's left to happen to the flyboy house.

Merry christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I've been in somewhat of a blog hiatus leading up to the holidays, well not really somewhat, I clearly haven't been around. Nothing intentional, cookies to be made, cards to address, long drives to visit family and then visiting said family. We are off to the inlaws tomorrow and then in a few days will return back up north to the tundra.

From the mrs, flyboy, and the dash brothers, wishing you all peace and happiness today and throughout the New Years!

I'm cold dammit

It was 17 balmy degrees this morning.

It's gotten just warm enough for icy rain. Delightful. All around the county roads are shut down since everything is now coated in a sheet of ice. Even the inches of snow that we had on the ground has gone from pretty to look at to deadly since it too is now covered in a slippery, crispy top layer of ice.

However watching dash-2 slip slidding across it this morning was rather entertaining. Must be nice to be so light weight you don't sink into it.

I think I'm going to start using aerosol hairspray again to speed up this so called global warming.

{I wonder if this snarky post will now come up in global warming searches and I'll get hateful comments for months like I still do with the uniform one. Bring it on you enviro nuts people. Bring. It. On.}

Forgive me I'm a bit bitter when I'm freezing my arse off.

I'm so over winter and it hasn't even started yet.

And its back

I posted about dash-2's stuttering before Thanksgiving. Shortly after I posted it he stopped doing it. Just as suddenly as it started it was gone.

SWEEEEEET, I thought, see ignoring it would fix the problem.

And then just the other day it started back again. How strange to start and stop like that. And then I thought a little more, cause I like to do that, think that is.

It stopped the night that flyboy came home..... and started back up the day he left again.

Now this could be a coincidence. {And I could wake up tomorrow a size four} Could being the magic word.

Now as I put two and two together in my head the first thing that ran thru my mind was, HOLY SHIT! We really did break him! {You'll remember that was my fear} Sweet jesus we broke him and he didn't come with a warranty.

At least I know that this is less a language thing since it comes and goes, not that it makes me feel any better about it. Flyboy says I shouldn't worry about it, but the mama in me feels bad. Something bothers my kiddo and I can't do much about it.

I've tried to talk to him some about daddy being away, how he has to come and go, but all I did was get that look. {the oh-look-her-mouth-is-moving look} Heart to heart talks with a three year old don't really go to far.

In fact over lunch all three of us talked about daddy being away and the suggestion by dash-1 was made that I could dress up like daddy and therefore they wouldn't miss him. I politely declined. I made the joke that I wouldn't be much like daddy and what kinda things does daddy do that mommy does.

I got the ones I was expecting, flies in airplanes, is a Marine, wears lots of green, wrestles with them, and then dash-1 proudly added "he pees standing up". Yes yes he does.

See this is where a heart to heart with my kids ends up. In the bathroom.

I think I'm just gonna let dash-2 stutter.

oh and before I forget, I'm looking for any suggestions or tips of someone who is also going thru something like this. Anyone else's kids have issues when a parent is away?

Football

These were taken two years ago but they seemed fitting for today. Anyone who is familiar with where they were taken will probably realize that I jumbled up the order today to better fit who it is we are rooting for.

And as you'll notice no one wanted to stand in front of Army.....so young but yet so already so smart. {I kid I kid}

Go NAVY beat ARMY!

Althought in the interest of full disclosure, if navy was playing the Giants we'd totally be rooting for big blue. And I'm not talking navy blue.

square peg, round hole

Sometimes I feel like I'm trying to cram a square peg in a round hole and by that I mean trying to keep my kids from fighting.

Dash-1 and dash-2 are 22 months apart. This means a few things. In the long term it means that they will go strike it out in the big world in rather close succession, leaving some relative calm in the house.

In the short term (or rather this is the long term since it'll be the next decade and a half) it means that there is constant, and I mean constant, bickering and fighting.

"He touched me."

"He looked at me."

"He knocked over my legos."

"He stood in front of me."

"He's sitting on my stair."

And my favorite.... "He's breathing too loud."

That my friends is a small bit of what I listen to on a daily basis. I'm not really complaining, I'm pretty sure this is all in the fine print for being a mom of more then one child. Ok strike that, I am complaining because it drives me friggin crazy.

The one spot it seems that there is no longer fighting is in the car. {Thank you saturn for crapping out a transmission and forcing me to by a new car. } Now one sits in the middle and one sits in the back, and for the most part, outta sight outta mind.

Now this isn't to say that they don't love each other and play nicely {occasionally for five minutes}.

When dash-1 is at school dash-2 whimpers till we pick him up, when dash-1 checks out the advent calendar he wants to rush in and wake up dash-2 he's so excited, when we briefly tried splitting them up from their shared room both went bonkers.

Point is, they do love each other, problem is, they are siblings {much like the mommy fine print I'm pretty sure fighting with your sibling is in the contract somewhere}.

So my conundrum is this.... am I wasting my breath, energy, and sanity by constantly harping on the getting along crap?

I realize that as a parent my job is to teach them right and wrong, hitting your brother is wrong, however, not always getting along and liking him is normal. And you can't fix normal. So they aren't always going to get along right? My kids are demons cause they bicker right?

I get along with my brother and sister. Now.

I remember back in the day not so much, my sister and I were 17 mths apart and fought like cats and dogs. My brother is four years younger so he wasn't so much on my radar. But even now while we get along, we all still bicker and nit pick. I'm thinking this is just the way its meant to be. Shoot my father doesn't even like us all to be in the house at the same time.

{Side story}I knew this brother and sister in high school, flyboy I'm sure will immediately know who I am talking about, they were closer then sardines in a can. Seriously, it was just odd how well they got along. And now I know I'm going to get a bunch of "oh I got along with my siblings, its not weird" comments, this was not the case. The first time my mother saw them together she thought they were dating. Odd, very odd.

So back to this post, I'm curious, those of you out there with more then one kid, please, please share your bickering stories, any tips that you have found that worked, or just that yours do it too.

Or those of you who had siblings and you remember bickering, chime in, let me know that you all grew up to be relatively normal. It's amazing how once you take on the task of raising kids, you start to worry that the littlest thing might screw them up.

I'm pretty sure its just par for course, if not I'll just keep them seperated at all times, we have a screened in porch, they can take turns living out there. It's only 38 degrees today, its not like its freezing or anything.

I'm a moose

I'm noticing a trend both this year and last, if it weren't for dash-2, our Christmas photo could be taken in a mere few shots.

However.... it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining.

Today

Today I climb Everest.

Or the Christmas equivalent of that around here. Today we are going to try to take our Christmas card picture. Actually there is no trying, flyboy leaves tomorrow so its now or never. It WILL be happening today, whether the boys {both the little ones and the big one who earns a paycheck} like it or not.

In fact I can say with certainty that they will not like it. They never do. Any of them.

And I don't care. Not one stinkin bit. I ask them to sit and smile once a year dammit.

Last year it took us somewhere around 58 shots to get a decent picture and we only stopped because the camera battery died. In every shot someone was squirming, or squinting, or blinking, or fussing, it was quite fun. When they were babies and couldn't escape it was much easier. And less stressful. Now its the thorn in our ass of the holiday season but yet, I have to do it. I just have to have a family picture on the Christmas card. Is that really asking so much?

Apparently it is, after last year flyboy swore up and down he wasn't going to take a picture again this year, or that we were going to go somewhere to get it taken, but alas, here we are, gearing up to take it ourselves.

As dash-2 would say.... dweewightful.

Oh and today, I packed up the newborn/0-3 clothes, for what might be the last time and brought out the 3-6 months clothes. How is it that my littlest love just turned three months old?!

Happy birthday dash 2!

Today my sweet boy, you turn three.

{Remember that, three, not five like you keep telling people.}

My sweet, you and I have a special connection. We are both middle kids, we both follow exceptionally loud, talkative siblings, and most of all, our personalities are identical. Although I don't growl at people, though I wish I could. You look so much like your father yet are so much like me.

I can't help but smile when I watch you, you know how to fly under the radar, how to quietly sit back and observe, and how to stir the pot. I see those wheels turning in your head just like my mother saw mine. Except you're far more stubborn. You are hands down our most stubborn child. I'm able to stare down your brother but you, you just put your hands on your hips, furrow your brow, and stare back.

Something tells me come the teenage years you will be quite the formidable opponent. Something to look forward too.

You are a delightful child. When you were a baby I had no idea just how delightful you would be. You were a mellow baby but now you're a funny little boy with a personality that radiates from you, you're quick to make me laugh and trust me my dear, that sense of humor will serve you well in life.

I love you my sweet.

I love your little voice, the way you pop into the kitchen and ask "what smells sooooo dewishis (delicious)?" all while rubbing your tummy. I love your sparkling blue eyes, the way you light up when we read stories, I love how you give me big hugs and tell me I'm your best girl, I love how you put your hands on your hips when your a superhero, I love how snugly you are in your jammies, I love how you tell knock knock jokes {knock knock? whos there? Dash-2? Dash-2 who? dash-2 is a knockin on your door!!! All while fist pumping, its hilarious.}

Simply put, I love you. All of you my dear.

Happy third birthday my sweet boy.

Should I save for college or therapy

This is an honest mommy post and perhaps some will think less of me for it but oh well here goes....yesterday, I was certain, was one of those days that my children will be recalling in therapy years from now.

It was one of those days where nothing seemed right, we did a fun craft to make our advent calendar (yeah I'm five days late what's it to you?) however it took us one fight between dash -1 and -2, three time outs, and one "I hate you mom your the worst" to get it done. Delightful.

I tried to get them to paint some ornaments, no go, I tried to color with them, no go, so I let them be.

Then they would turn on each other.

Back to time out. And more tears. And of course a few more, "I hate you mom".

Oh and dash-1's new one "I want to find a new family". Which lucky for him that would be illegal cause yesterday I would have helped out his cause.

Ah and there was the report from dash-1's preschool teacher about an "incident" {heads up to all you new parents out there the when your kids preschool teacher says she wants to talk to you about an incident, run, its never good.}

And bedtime, which usually goes rather smooth, was a fiasco, with lots of tears and screaming from dash-2.

All in all everyone was just generally being a butthead. The little one excluded. He's at that wonderful do no wrong stage, he just smiles and coos. And doesn't call me a butthead, that goes a long way to help him be so damn adorable.

Days like that suck. Not only are they just utterly painful, they make me doubt my fitness as a parent. There is nothing worse, in the quiet of the night, when all the kids are finally asleep, then looking back and feeling like you failed, time and time again over the course of the day.

I realize that all of us experience this in some way or another, and I'd like to think if anyone is reading this and thinking this has never or will never happen to them that they are lying to themselves. {Or that karma will quickly and painfully bite them in the ass. }

Parenting is the most emotional investing and taxing thing that a person can take on. Hands down. Here you are with the responsibility of shaping and forming an individual to be a decent human being, it can get draining and overwhelming and it makes those kinda days all the more painful.

In an ideal world kids would always be well behaved, they would always say thank you, they would always look at you with love and respect..... in the real world. HA! Not always.

The truth is that sometimes that as you go down the road of trying to shape and mold and lead them to be good decent people you hit speed bumps. And more then likely that speed bump is them being a butthead to you. It doesn't make it acceptable, I can't tolerate their behavior but I do have to try to remind myself that its not always an indictment on my parenting.

{Especially when I talk with my friend who's oldest is two weeks older then dash-1, we'll call her dashette-1. Well her mom is just about at the same point I am... giving away dashette-1. There seems to be something about this stage that dash and dashette 1 are at. They are testing the waters and its driving us crazy. But it does help some that someone else is suffering too.}

The day wasn't all bad, it never is. There were still hugs and kisses, some laughter and fun, but sadly there was more ickiness then fun. But then again I suppose not everyday can be, as dash-2 puts it, dweewightful.

At least today is a new day and dammit, its going to be friggin dweewightful.

Show n tell anticipation

Dash-1 is excited about show n tell. Remember he gets to sit in the middle of the circle, THE MIDDLE and people HAVE to listen to him. But there is more too it.

There is always more to it isn't there?

He's hoping that the next show n tell will be for the letter H. He already knows what he's going to take in. His hamster ball.

I realize most of you are reading this thinking, wow this is a lame post, I don't see the usual humor and wittiness I have come to expect from the mrs. {or at least I like to tell myself that's what you all are thinking}. So let me clarify a few things.

He wants to take in his hamster ball.

BUT.

We don't own a hamster.

Again because I could see where this would be a little confusing because who does this.... he owns a hamster ball and NOT a hamster. Are we all following how odd this is?

Although I am the one in charge and technically I did let him buy it. He used his gift card that grandma sent up in his halloween card. {side note when I was a kid my mom used to eat my candy when I was asleep, don't deny it mom we know, and now she's giving out cold hard gift cards?! Talk about a double standard}

So yeah, my kid has a hamster ball and no hamster, but the ball isn't empty. He needed it and I mean NEEDED it in the way a four year old needs anything, to store his bouncy ball collection.

Now he figures he has show n tell covered for B and for H, whichever comes first. What a thinker.

I wonder what his teachers think of us as parents.....

On my mind

Here's what I'm wondering....

-Is eating a cookie while on the treadmill making the best use of my time or the worst? Am I ahead of burning the calories, behind or just staying status quo? {I didn't do this, I was just thinking about it while walking tonight, however, that being said, I'm not ruling it out either.}

-Why is it that I'm excited for Christmas but still haven't gotten into the present shopping mode?

-How is it that a two month old went an entire 8 hour car ride without sleeping. Granted he wasn't fussing, but he certainly wasn't sleeping {and in case your wondering staying awake that long does not make for a more restful night sleep, quite the opposite}

-Why is mom the family pack mule? How is it that they can jump and play all day but ask a child to carry his plate to the kitchen and suddenly they have gone weak?

-Tiger Woods slamming his car in his front yard tops a story on Iran and their nukes. This makes sense why? Tiger might be a great golfer but he can't blow up a country should he feel like it. Or at least I don't think he's that powerful yet.

-How is it that dash-2 only poops at night after he's gone to bed? Is it his get out of bed free card or something? Really can't we reschedule his bowels to the daytime?

-Can't we put a little bit more time in between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Both to spread out the calorie impact and the family time. If we all started spreading the rumor that the first Thanksgiving really happened in June we could probably start something...

and finally....
-I still don't get that whole shoe in the road thing. There's a pair in the middle of the highway outside flyboy's base, they've been there for two weeks now. HOW DID THEY GET THERE?!

Oh wait, I have another one... why in the world is Paris Hilton famous? Really my mind has been trying to figure this one out forever. Did I miss something? Please someone if you have the scope on that one clue me in.

My little thanks

I am sure you all are tired of hearing my same old thankful list, because I make no secret that I am VERY thankful for my dear husband, my children, my family, my health, our military, and all that good stuff.

But you know something else that I'm realizing? The little things in life sometimes matter almost as much as the big stuff. I mean nothing matters more then my family but you know what I mean.

{Sometimes the little things help me to handle and love my family just that much more.}

So on this, the day of thanks, I am thankful for things big and small.

And now to name a few of my "not-as-important-as my-family-but-still-worthy-of-thanks" thanks, I am thankful for:

-Coca Cola, the original {I wont hold that whole new coke thing against you all, your practically like family to me I can excuse a small mistake} my sweet coca cola you get me going, time and again.

-Pampers, you hold in all the poop and pee around here {well almost all, there is still the occasional poop but again I wont hold that against you} and you do it without causing any rashes or irritation on my darlings sensitive backsides.

-Oxyclean, when pampers has a slight malfunction and the poo goes crazy you are there to clean up the mess. If only I had had you with the first two I'd probably have twice the clothes left over!

-Gerber super absorbency training underwear, you really are super absorbent. I thank you for that.

-Our Little Green Clean Machine {a little carpet and upholstery machine} in the potty training trenches you've been right there with me. Your a battle buddy I can depend on when a certain adorable little boy decides he just wants to pee. Right there. No matter where he is standing.

-Fiber One granola bars, grab and go, delicious, and fiber what more is there to say? And the Coca Cola washes you down quite nicely.

-Betty Crocker gingerbread mix, an egg free cookie from a box?! That taste great. I'm in love. And REALLY thankful.

-Puffs Plus with lotion, lotion on a tissue. GENIUS. Thank whoever came up with that one for me, two colds in two weeks my nose would be even worse off without you all.

-My car. Its hardly a little thing {trust me hardly} but compared to the family it goes on this list. It makes me so happy. First no one is touching anyone, they can't they sit too far away from each other. No fights about who touched who, who is looking at someone, who's foot is on who's side. NONE OF THAT. LOVE IT!

-Built in dvd player in the car. And the really good part.... HEADPHONES! And wireless at that. I hear NOTHING. Not even the kids when the movie is on. Who ever came up with that deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, I'm serious.

-My blackberry. Holy poop batman. I didn't text at all until this September when flyboy got me a razzle dazzle crackberry. And now he regrets it b/c I'm addicted to that thing. Emails right to my pocket? Fan-friggin-tastic.

-Dash-1's booster seat that he can get himself in and out of and not just that but he buckles himself! Now I'm only down to having to get two other kids into car seats and that is wonderful.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! What are your little things your thankful for?

{And no, I'm not getting any kickback from any of these companies. They just make my life a little sweeter and for that I'm thankful}

Hopefully....

As you read this we are in the car. Actually I'll take it one further, hopefully we have left our state.

Perhaps we are trying to find something to listen to in the car, I'm sure the boys are peacefully listening to their DVD with their headphones on but flyboy and I its a different story.

I could listen to talk radio allllll day. I *heart* talk radio. (Not to get political but I really *heart* Glenn Beck and Rush) Flyboy likes classic rock.

I DO NOT *heart* classic rock. When I listen to music I like the recent stuff. Not hairbands. And to make it worse he's turning my kids on to that crap.

Hopefully dash-3 is sleeping or at least quietly sucking on his hands. He *hearts* his hands.

Hopefully its an uneventful drive, I could do without nasty weather, horrid traffic, screaming children, vomit, I could really do without vomit. Or explosive poop.

Hopefully dash-1 can go longer then 45 minutes between pee breaks.

{Really I kid you not, despite limiting his liquids the kiddo went to the bathroom EVERY hour on the two day drive to Orlando. He peed more then me and I was pregnant!}

Hopefully no matter how long it takes us to get to flyboy's parents we are able to just relax and enjoy the ride and being together.

Hopefully anyone else who is traveling has safe travels!

And no vomit.

Wouldnt you know

Thank you all for the kind comments. Dash-2's stuttering was actually much better today, he only had a few little episodes. Of course this was after I warned flyboy about it only to have him come home and wonder what I was talking about.

How do kids do that?

Oh and if you can believe it, I worry about the military but wouldn't you know, my dear flyboy who is a rather well adjusted adult was a military brat.

And like I said, he seems to be well adjusted......

I'd blog more on that but well.... he is my meal ticket. Just kidding my love.

logic vs. emotions

I think too much. My mom is always telling me that and as much as I sometimes hate to admit it, she's right.

{And I know that despite her not reading this she just smiled to herself and is thinking "yes dear, I always am"}

This week I've been thinking about my kids. I think about them a lot, after all, they are cute, cuddly, and loud. Very loud. Makes it very hard not to think about them at that volume. But I've been thinking about them and about what we ask of them.

Actually I'll put it out there in an honest mommy moment.

I fear I have broken my child.

I am afraid that flyboy or I have done something to break his ability to speak. Did we push potty training too hard? Is he feeling some sort of stress from dad being away, even though its only a short trip, is the coming and going getting to him? Has his new role as the middle child caused his young mind to go haywire? Did I yell at him the day before or something?

ARGHHHHHHHHHHH! What have I done?

And here's the thing.... a very important thing.... I know. I know, deep down, that it just is.

It's simply because.

Oh there might be a reason but I know, intellectually, that flyboy and I probably haven't broken our child. But it's funny how that is, how knowing and feeling are very different emotions and sometimes the more logical of the two doesn't win out.

Flyboy and I are black and white kinda people, its easier for us when there is an identifiable root cause, perhaps that's why I'm trying to figure out what it could be.

Or then again.... maybe its guilt.

We ask a lot of our kids. I'm amazed at the strength of military kids, they deal with long absences, short time home in between trips, plans suddenly changing, and some, far to many if you ask me, deal with heartbreaking loss.

I'm amazed, amazed at how an abnormal kinda life is their normal. And because I think of it as their normal sometimes I go back and forth on whether it effects them. Then again I'm 29 and I get pissy sometimes when he's gone, sometimes, even on these short trips, I just want him home this minute, this instant. While nothing is terribly wrong, I just want him back around to lean on.

And again.... I'm 29.

Surely my younguns feel that way.

This is actually one post I hope he doesn't read. I don't want him to feel anymore guilt then he already might. He does his job, he provides well for us, while there might be aspects of his job he loves {I'm on to you flyboy, not all parts of your job suck, you like to fly, you can't hide it} he'd much rather be here with us. But he's doing this for us {and his country but right now I'm focusing on us dammit}.

I hope my kids grow up thinking that this is just a normal kinda life. Dad may have missed out on a lot some but hey in the grand scheme, childhood rocked.

Except the whole punishment, timeout, chores, acne, teasing, heartache, puberty stuff. Those suck for everyone.

And I hope that logically I'm right, we haven't broken our kids.

Ornament Swap post

I am on the ball!

I had everything together so that I could sit down and send out the emails lickety split while the boys ate dinner tonight. Everyone who signed up should have received an email. If not or if there is some problem with the info, let me know.

Oh and wouldn't you know... everyone has a partner.... except me! There were exactly enough to make pairs and not one person was left over.... well except me I guess.

So if by chance there is someone who would like to swap and didn't sign up the other day, now is your chance. Or if there is someone who wants to go for two ornaments.....

I can hear you all out there typing furiously hoping that you are the first to respond. Right?

RIGHT!

Anyways, I hope everyone has fun with this! I'm thinking maybe a valentine swap.... or maybe a "favorite easter candy" one. I'm all over easter candy and its not even winter yet....

That kinda weekend

It's been that kinda day.... for the past few days.

I'm actually thankful its Monday. Weekends when flyboy is away have a weird feel to them, Monday brings back our routine, as back and forth as that maybe.

This weekend we kept ourselves plenty busy, but it still seems off when he's not around. Like they know he should be here but isn't. Hard to explain. {And you'd think we'd be used to it by now} Just different.

And for some reason no one wants to sleep around here. Dash-2 has been up till 9:30 trying to bat his little puppy eyes at me so I'd let him sleep with me, doesn't work, {ok it works for a little bit} and then dash-3 figures that sleeping till four in the morning was getting old. Let's change it up some. Like waking every two hours.

But while we were up we got a lot accomplished...time at the park, although we all remember how that went, walks outside since it was the first weekend without rain in forever and crafting of ornaments.

{Handmade dash-3's footprint}

{A super simple reverse painted glass ball. I *heart* super simple crafts.}

Oh and we made some cookies.

Very cute cookies I might add.

I follow directions pretty well, too well sometimes that I drive myself crazy. I signed up for cookies at dash-1's preschool, it said thanksgiving cookies, I couldn't find a turkey cookie cutter so I had to figure something out. I couldn't just send in plain old cookies.

I'm thankful that {fingers crossed since I haven't heard from him} flyboy should be home this week but honestly.... I'm more thankful that its Monday.

A life lesson at the playground

My heart got hurt a little today. Hurt in that mama bear wounded cub sorta way. A way that sadly I am well aware I will experience many times over during this whole journey of motherhood thing.

I'm aware that what happened wasn't some big giant deal, hardly life or death but still...

it sucked.

It happened at the playground, and might I add this is just one more check in the "yucky things about playground" list I'm keeping in my head. Little dash-2 has started some kind of stuttering of sorts. I've noticed it over the last week and I will admit, I noticed it and was hoping it would miraculously go away like dash-3's baby acne.

{By the by whoever nominates me for mom of the year make sure you include that on my application "Ignored child's stuttering hoping he would fix it himself."}

I'm hoping its just a toddler type of thing, I've done some googling and it seems that this can be normal for kids, simply put their minds don't go as fast as their mouths. And clearly if he's going to take after his older brother this will probably be resolved.

But another reason I kinda put my head in the sand was that I knew, inevitably, what happened at the park would happen eventually and to quote myself from the top.... that sucks.

Today my adorable little dash-2 got made fun of.

He was standing on the play set at the park and he was trying to say "who goes there" all he could get out was "who-who-who-who". And then some older kid, probably 7 or 8 years old starts laughing at him and mimicking him saying "who-who-who, ha did you hear that kid?".

I think my heart stopped beating for a minute.

And then I did what any good mom would do seeing her kid ridiculed by another kid for the first time, I left the park.

I know I probably should have handled that differently, but honestly short of bursting into tears while rocking dash-2 back and forth blubbering that I would shield him for life {which since he was totally unaware that this was going on probably would have freaked him out} or going over and slugging the kid {which again not really an option since that sort of thing is frowned upon in our civilized society} I thought that was my best bet.

My kids tease each other, the jabs about who's a baby or the occasional butt head comment get passed back and forth but this was different.

There are times I wish I could protect my kids from everything, not have to explain the nasty stuff in life. Why some people don't like people of a different color, why a kid in a wheelchair is being stared at, why how someone talks is worth laughing at, and please, don't even get me started on the whole war/bomb discussion, I'm clueless on that one.

But I can't.

I can't protect them and shield them from the nastiness and even if I could I wouldn't be doing my job. My job is to teach them how to deal with it, to show them how to brace themselves for the inevitable blows and to pick themselves up and move on.

Even if that means that as a mama I have to feel the hurt, their hurt, along the way.

And most importantly I have to teach them and model for them not to be one of those nasty people who picks and preys on those who are different or weaker.

I want to raise great kids. Nice well behaved kids who don't run in the commissary and who never growl at people {dash -2 is going thru a bit of a growling stage a side effect of being a dinosaur for Halloween, we're working on it} but I'm amending that and adding to it that I want to raise great kids, who treat others with respect, who don't bully or laugh at other kids.

And who growl but not maliciously.

And God help them if they do, they will feel the wrath of this mama bear.

Dont forget to sign up for the ornament exchange!

Christmas Ornament Swap Sign up

Time for a Christmas Ornament Swap!

The rules will be simple because as I have said before.... I'm a simpleton. But I'm cool with it. Anyways here they go {and I'm hardly an expert at this so if anyone has any suggestions feel free to email them to me}

Rules for the swap

*leave a comment if you want to participate, make sure you either leave your email or have a link to your email on your blogger profile page. {Basically I need a way to get a hold of you to send you your partners info.}

*you can either MAKE or BUY an ornament, however there will be a $10 dollar limit. And if you find a cute one for less go for it. {I think the art of bargain hunting should make a comeback.}

*Ornaments should be mailed sometime in the beginning of December. If you and your partner work something else out, good to go, but the whole point is to have this ornament BEFORE the holidays. {However I know I'm organizing this late... my bad}

*You can sign up for the swap until Monday night {November 23 6pm} My goal is to get the names and emails out to you all by Weds. morning.

I hope we get a good number of people participating, this could be a lot of fun, a neat way to spread some Christmas cheer for not a whole lot. Oh and if your into holiday baking feel free to toss in some cookies in your box. Whoever gets me will be getting some kickass eggless chocolate chip cookies and some cranberry white chocolate cookies (those have eggs but they are delish!)

And please, spread the word on your blogs, the more the merrier!

Ornament swap

Christmas is coming.

Let's here a collective HOLY CRAP!!! I'm seriously lagging. And well.... I figure rather then get my nose to the grindstone I'll find more ways to be less productive around here and do what I enjoy....

Crafting. And everything that is Christmas. {Except standing in lines at w*lmart with a bunch of crazed shoppers. Baking, decorating, crafting = fun all the other stuff = not fun}

Allison is doing a secret santa for us bloggy folks (see the post below for the link) and I'm doing an ornament exchange and a craft exchange and I'm excited. I already have an idea for both. So I figured why not see if anyone else was interested in doing a ornament exchange. I found out about the one I just signed up for it on the last day for signups so why not host one here?

The rules could be simple, everyone is paired with one person, you can email them and check out their blog to get a feel for them and try to figure out what would be cute for them. Or then again you could give them a totally random ornament that you crafted or one from the base your stationed at, endless possibilities folks.

You're all thinkers, I have faith you can figure this out.

But it wont work unless folks are interested. So if you think this would be something you'd like to do leave a comment and if it seems like there are enough interested then I'll put up a clearer post about it in the next day or two.

And folks {ahem} after the post where I asked you all to come out of the woodwork I know there are a fair number of you reading.

Think about it and lets spread some Christmas cheer dammit.

Monday randomness and pictures (even of the flyboy)

Some random things that need to be addressed....

* my laptop, I'm sad to report, has bit the dust so to say. It had a nice run, it was flyboy's old one that we got before his first deployment waaaaaaaay back in the day seven years ago. Apparently it just wasn't meant to fall two feet and bounce back anymore. Sadly until I replace I will no longer be blogging in my jammies from my bed.

{sigh} that sucks.

And for those who were wondering which of the dash brothers just {might} have had something to do with this little fellow my darling dash 2.
* Allison at I heart change is doing a blogger secret santa. Sounds delightful right? Go over and check it out she's got the details and the sign up. Click here!

* At S*m's Club today I saw the biggest dbag in the parking lot. Well I didn't see them but I saw their car. Everyone saw it or rather noticed it.

They parked half in a spot that wasn't even a spot. It was the cart return but yet they just helped themselves and had their car hanging out half in the aisle. I'm puzzled as to what their thought process was.

"Hey here's a great spot, I mean only half the car will fit in it and it's filled with carts, and there is a sign that says something about a cart return here but surely they weren't talking about me. They probably put all that up to throw everyone else off the scent and to save this great spot for me. Yeah that's it...."

And in case you were wondering, no, no the parking lot was not even half full.

* People a couple houses up the street got a memory foam mattress. I don't know them and I don't know why they got it but I saw the box by the side of the road and I wanted to pass on the knowledge to you guys.

I'm a sharer what can I say.


* Oh and the picture of flyboy I promised in the title.


Trust me he's there. He's the big one they are jumping over. That's my boys in their natural state.... wrestling.


* Last week young dash 1 had to have a tooth pulled. His front tooth to be exact. His front tooth that we had already spent several hundred dollars on. But there was a chip and nothing more could be done so out it went.

He's smiling now but trust me. It was traumatic. And of course.... flyboy was away.

Show n tell the mrs' way

Sometime flyboy and I wonder why our kids are so strange. Lately we've been starting to think that we *might* be the problem.

First we are too sarcastic, second we like to tease, and most important, we don't think being kids exempts them from either of the just mentioned things. In fact it kinda just makes it more fun.

Take for instance show and tell. Show and tell is big. Very big. Lots of thinking and anticipation goes into it, after all dash-1 likes to tell me with glee that you get to sit in the middle of the circle and everyone *has* to listen to you. Just has too!

So he had show and tell today for the letter T, in case you need it explained to you like my husband did the item needed to start with the letter T. So of course when flyboy came home this weekend we did some brainstorming with dash-1 about what starts with the letter T.

He was a little slow on the uptake with this, he wanted to take in his bouncy ball collection and sadly I just couldn't figure out a T twist for it so that was a no go.

Here's what I mean about how we might be the root cause of our children's strangeness...

Our suggestions for T items were.... a copy of the Treaty of Versailles (what a success that was right?) now we don't have a copy but you can damn well guarantee that I would have searched one down for him to take it in.

And I'll have you know flyboy and I laughed for a while over that one. We still can't figure out what would be funnier a little four year old standing up proudly displaying his treaty or the look on the teachers face as he was doing this. Priceless. Shoot I'm laughing just typing this.

We also suggested
-a turtleneck (again how funny would it be to just be standing in the middle of the circle time rug with a boring turtle neck?! Who brings that in. Also priceless)

- a chunk of an Iraqi tank that flyboy brought home from one of his deployments over to the sandbox. (Perhaps on a military installation school this wouldn't have been so odd but as the only military kid he definitely would have been an oddball with that one)

- a tightrope (we let this one go pretty early on because we didn't think we'd have time to teach him how to perform on it)

- and the most inappropriate one.... which to our defense we only brought up to each other when the kids were in bed

*drumroll please*

a poster of the most wanted Iraqi terrorist that flyboy got during his first deployment. Complete in whatever language they speak/write in over there, Farsi I think, with big ol red X's over the faces of the people whom have already had the pleasure of meeting America's finest.

See.... I'm almost certain, flyboy and I are the problem here.

Oh and he ended up taking in a truck. How lame. The treaty would have been way funnier.

Walmart you're a tease

I was catching up on laundry today, I don't mind doing laundry because its a chore that can be done watching tv. I make my big old king bed, toss a couple of loads on there and sit away and fold. And in case your wondering the older boys are usually getting into some sort of trouble in their playroom and the little one is propped up on the laundry pile supervising.

My tv watching has lead to this post. I would like to take issue with a few things.

Ads.

First and foremost, W@lmart. I saw your ad wally world with the nifty jingle bells and the checkout lights coming on, all to tell us, the haggard Christmas shopper, that you will have more lines open for the holidays. I remember this same commercial last year. To you, Wally World I have this to say: LIAR!

LIAR LIAR LIAR!

Quite a few times (ok daily) I found myself in your store and there were only two lines open. And often some stellar employees standing around just staring, I'm sure they were working on fusing atoms or something who knows.

Look I go to W@lmart because of cheap prices, not superior service (and certainly not clean restrooms) but really, don't make something the central point of your ads if you aren't going to deliver. It's just mean.

Although on another note, W@lmart, I saw your ad thanking the troops for helping us all live better.... very nice.

Toss open another lane or two and you will have redeemed yourself in my eyes.

And another commercial. Or two.

First that insurance one with the stack of money with the eyes that follows people around. What idiot came up with that one and how much did they pay him. I'm wondering if his company is hiring. It's about time the dash brothers got a job. And judging from that ad they could work there.

And the Glade candle one. How stupid.

I mean really who is that worried that their friends will find out their candle isn't a designer one. I get it I get it, the whole point is that you can fool people but really, they woman just looks like a ninny. I'd like to think that most of the world has better things going on in their lives to concern themselves with a candle.

Of course I've just blogged about commercials so what's that say about me?

I know I'm leaving out some priceless commercials... feel free to add to the list.......

Happy Veterans Day!

To all who have served and continue to serve... THANK YOU!

Looking good for 234 years old

Whether you go by devil dog, leatherneck, jarhead, gyrene, or Marine, happy birthday!

2007- Parris Island

A relief

I am happy, no wait... ecstatic to report, that I did not lose a breast pad last night. And no boobage popped out.

*Whew*

Actual blog posts to resume tomorrow, I just didn't want you all out in blogland to be worried that I {might} have embarrassed myself. Lord knows embarrassment and I are on a first name basis, but last night I skated thru without any.

the ball

Tonight is the ball. In fact when this is set to post flyboy and I will be on our way to cocktail hour. Of course that's if his plane gets back in time.

As you read this I can assure you that several things are going thru my mind, in fact I might even be praying {although I realize that God is a very busy man and my breast pads falling out of my dress are very very low on his list} that all goes well.

I have two big worries, A. a breast pad falls out during dinner or the ceremony or something. Nothing like a nice military ceremony topped off with a little boob action. and B. I start leaking all over the place while talking with my husbands co workers.

How delightful would that be? Talking with someone and hearing drip drip only to realize its me. I'm dripping. And obviously if I'm dripping it's because a breast pad is floating my soup.

I wish I could post a picture of us. A lovely picture of me moderately cleaned up and my flyboy looking very dapper in his blues with his nice shiny wings and six rows of ribbons (and a bunch of stars on said ribbons not to brag or anything) but alas when I even jokingly ask I am met with "the look". So instead just picture a stunningly gorgeous couple you'll be close enough.

And folks, lets all hope I don't lose a breast pad.

I wonder and I believe

Sometimes I really wonder what the world is coming too.

I wonder on a big scale with what happened at Fort Hood yesterday and I wonder when things happen on a small scale like getting ripped off by the wood guy. And somedays everything in between.

I wonder if society is just going to pot. I wonder why it seems like horrible things happen to good, decent people just going about their business. I wonder why it seems like sometimes things just don't let up. I wonder how not to let life pound you down from time to time.

And then I look at my boys. And I realize....

I have to believe.

I have to believe in the good, I have to believe in my children and the chance that they have to chip away at the muck in the world, I have to believe that for every shyster there are two people for whom their word means something, I have to believe that even when monstrous events occur that there will be some peace.

There is faith, I have that too. But this, this is me remembering to believe.

Esty love

Every year I say I'm going to get a head start on Christmas. I plan out my list and figure out that I'll start shopping in August or something. My grandmother would actually have all her gifts purchased by August and wrapped and laid out on the office couch by October so there was some model of this in my life.

Just in case your wondering, the above scenario has yet to happen. And lets be honest... it probably never will. Surely my honesty has to be worth something.

However I do have one gift waiting in the wings. And I'm so excited about it. {I'm not only a procrastinator but I'm a dork too}

Back in August I won a kick ass giveaway, it was for one free print from an esty store Art Shark Design. She has all sorts of beautiful things in her shop, note cards, journals, prints, I'll use her words to describe them, "Romantic screen prints of world cities and more."

She says it best.
I picked a fabulous print of Baltimore, the city that my brother and his girlfriend soon to be fiance live in. Her prints focus on something of architectural importance to the city (Paris - the Eiffel tower, DC the Washington Monument, Philly the LOVE statue, etc) and then have a pair of umbrellas huddled in the foreground.

{Click here to check out her city love prints!}

I saw the Baltimore print and I thought about my brother and his gf. How they could hang it up and where ever life takes them they can look back on it, years and years later and remember where it all started.

I'm sentimental like that. And I might have ordered another one but I can't get into that because my husband blog stalks me.

She also has a cute line of adorable animal prints and notecards. If we hadn't already done up the nursery for airplanes I would have gone that direction. But I did get the border collie notecards for my mother in law for christmas. So I guess technically I have 1 1/2 gifts purchased.

Oh and here's another thing that I love about Megan and her esty store - she ships WICKED fast. I mean really I ordered it on Monday and had it by Wedsnesday. Nothing makes me crazier then when it takes forever to get something.

Let's recap....
Beautiful work - check
Amazing selection - check
Super affordable (my print was 15 bucks!) - check
Lightening fast shipping- check
Will buy from again- check, check, and check

I'm hoping maybe she'll do some screen prints of bases or *ahem* airplanes, how great would those be?

Please, go by her esty store and take a look for yourselves! She's also on blogger check her out here!