Switch to Cloth Wipes - Day 1

So I've decided to switch to cloth wipes to save a little bit more money. I bought 3 spritz bottles today and made my own solution to spray on little man's behind to wipe clean. I haven't bought any "actual" cloth wipes yet since this is a trial to see how I like it. I have several baby wash cloths that I've bought on clearance at various baby stores. I have those at my little diaper station in the living room along with the spritz bottles. So far I've changed two diapers since setting up the station, though we haven't encountered a poopy diaper, it's going fairly well. I like the idea of just putting everything into the diaper pail instead of having nasty wipes in my trash can where my 3 year old also throws things away. (He gets touchy feely with some items in the trash if they intrigue him)




The idea of not having disposable wipes in the house is unthinkable so I still have them for things like wiping my children's faces, quick clean up and things of that nature. Plus there will always be a container in the car for when we are out and about. In roughly 10 days we will be headed to Orlando to spend a week and I can't imagine using exclusively cloth wipes while away from home. Those are a few areas where I prefer the convenience over the cost. Eli seems to enjoy the process of cloth wipes more than disposables though. That is a nice upside for him. Maybe he's just interested in the fact that I'm spraying water on his behind. Either way, it's nice to have him still for a minute while I'm cleaning him. I'm sure this will grow old and he'll be back to wiggling during the process of changing his diaper.



He's napping now but I'm sure I'll have another diaper to change soon enough. I'll try to write again about how this is going tomorrow. This is completely new to me and I want to share as much of this experience with others so they can be educated about this as well. There is nothing better than saving money especially with the economy we have right now.



Here are a few questions for those of you who do use cloth wipes already. What is the difference between wash cloths and actual cloth wipes sold by stores such as Diaper Parties/Everything Birth? And if they are different/better in some sort of way, what kind do you recommend?

Thanks!

Holiday Planning

I want to start making plans for the holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years always seem to just sneak up on me. We are thinking Christmas is going to be a holiday at home. We have not had a Christmas in our own home since we got married so this is going to be a special Christmas. We always move every winter so we're typically in a hotel or at a family members home for Christmas. Now I'm not sure if we're going to go somewhere for any of the other holidays or no. I'm pretty sure New Years will be spent at home.

The big thing for me is I've never hosted a Christmas for family. I guess that's a given since we've never had a Christmas in our own home together. We are hoping that family will come spend Christmas with us. So I'm going to make or buy some Christmas invitations and send them out to family in hopes that we can spend Christmas together with family. This is an attempt to bring family out to visit and celebrate Christmas together. Honestly, I want it to work out and everyone come together but I have my doubts.

Now to find a place that has cute Christmas cards or that can make some for me. Except instead of a "Merry Christmas" I want something that is more an invitation. Anyone ever done this before? I need some ideas. I'm sure since it's only September, I can make something or have something made but I haven't a clue where to start.

But I plan to decorate all around the house, inside and out. I haven't had a year where I could deck out the house. I think this year is going to be it! (Hopefully, you never can tell with the Army!) LOL

I'm losing my mind.

It feels like there is so much going on all the time. I cloth diaper so I'm constantly doing laundry. Jayson is in school so I gotta remember to make his lunch every night. There are daily chores, taking Jayson to and from school. Eli naps twice most days. I do diaper parties and individual consultations. I'm trying to make friends and I am attempting to run a play group. I can't remember anything and to top it all off, I switched from a blackberry to an HTC Evo. I know that sounds silly and minute but it has made me feel so lost. I still haven't figured out how to run my EVO the way I could my blackberry. The calendar works differently so I don't get the same type of notices that I used to. Once I get used to it I'm sure everything will start running smoothly again.

I'm trying to keep myself busy but it feels like I can't remember anything lately. So if you are reading this and I've accidentally stood you up or forgotten about our date, please forgive me I have mommy mush brain lately! I have a lot going on in my head and I need some place to put it. I'm going to start blogging more again to keep my thoughts in order. I hope this helps! (Plus learning how to use my new smart phone ugh!) LOL

Miracle Mile 3-mile Breast Cancer Walk

I will be participating in this years Miracle Mile 3-mile Breast Cancer Walk here in Augusta, GA. The Miracle Mile Walk is a three-mile fun walk to raise money to fight breast cancer. One hundred percent of the net proceeds from the Miracle Mile Walk will provide breast cancer care, including free mammograms to the underserved.

Last year, the Breast Health Center at University Hospital served more than 13,000 women and facilitated the diagnosis of 265 new cases of breast cancer.

It will take place on October 16th and I'm taking donations towards the cause prior to the race.

Jay and I are trying to raise $300 before the walk. We are just starting so our donations are low. We have only $20 right now. So any little bit helps! If you want to donate as little as a dollar, we'll take it! Please email me to let me know if you would like to make a donation!
traci@diaperparties.com or contact me on facebook @traci orzeck

Thanks to you all!

We are a different family than most.

I know I haven't posted in a while but I'm a little down right now and I needed to let it out.  Both my  parents and Jay's parents have split up. My mom works random crazy hours, my dad and I don't speak. My mother-in-law is retired and my father-in-law still works full time. For some reason, no one on either side of our families can find the time (or money, or enter excuse here) to visit. I am not trying to blast our business but I'm feeling down about this and this is my outlet. I understand that my mom and father in law are working, but I don't have to like that they don't visit.

Being a military family, you learn right away that family is your best support system during trying times. I, on the other hand, have learned differently. I have learned that family causes unnecessary stress, anger and sadness. I feel like they don't understand my situation or sympathize with me. My support system has become Annie. When I'm angry, sad, happy or depressed, she is the one I share with (besides my husband, of course). Hearing about all my other friends/acquaintances having family in town lately, just makes me sad that my family, especially my kids don't have those same connections/bonds.

I was fortunate enough to have my grandparents down at the beginning of July. That was a nice treat. But in the 4+ years that my husband and I have been married that was the 3rd time anyone in the family has visited us that didn't require me to give birth to a child. Sometimes it's nice to have family visit. To know that you are loved and supported in the life you have made for yourself and children. Lately, I don't feel like I have that.

So what ever it is that is keeping them away, be it work, bills, or just a difference in opinion, it hurts and my children are missing out on vital parts of life.

Happy Memorial Day

Today, to most is another day off of work. It's the beginning of summer, beautiful weather and cook outs. Those are all great and fun. But I want to take a moment to remind you what today is. Today is MEMORIAL DAY. It is the day for you to take a moment and REMEMBER those who have died for our country. For those who knew the sacrifice but made it anyway.

Every man and woman that is in our military has done so voluntarily and we need to remember what that means. They spend days, weeks, months or even years away from their loved ones. Not because they want to but because they know if they don't, who will? We love our country and our military is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the security and preservation of our rights and freedoms.

So this is my Thank you. Thank you to not only the men and women who have fallen but thank you to the wives, husbands, sons, daughters, moms and dads that have supported and loved those fallen. Because they have also made a sacrifice even if the choice wasn't theirs to make. Thank you and God Bless every one of you.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

Garden Week Five! Exciting!

So I decided to take my next set of photos for the garden! I had to go through my posts to figure out which week this is! LOL I should be keeping better track! Somewhere I missed a week for photos but oh well! Here are the newest!

This is a whole garden shot. Nope still no tomato cages but there are stakes all around the tomato plant trunk. LOL 

The second picture is that first tomato (and another) at it's current size. He's got a little while left to grow but he's looking YUMMY!

The third picture is my middle plant, it's finally got a little 'mater growing!

This is the last tomato plant growing it's tiny little tomato! I'm so excited already have 4 tomatoes bloomin! Hopefully I'll see more!

These are my cucumber plants! They are looking awesome! I may need to put some more ties so the vines don't droop to much once the cucumbers start weighing them down.

It's the start of a CUCUMBER!! YAY!

Baby bell pepper! WOOO HOOO!











Look at all those blossoms!

This cucumber plant is holding on for dear life. I think more ties are in his future!

 

Above is my watermelon plant... it's growing!

  They are all starting to grab a hold of the bamboo stakes I have for them to grow up. It's so awesome how these plants grow!

I'm so proud of this garden! I can't wait to do more! I want to plant a larger one next time! Maybe some cabbage or lettuce! This is so motivating!

-Traci

The Military Wife Poem

THE MILITARY WIFE

The good Lord was creating a model for Military wives and was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared. She said: “Lord, you seem to be having a lot of trouble with this one. What’s wrong with the standard model?”
The Lord replied: “Have you seen the specs on this order? She has to be completely independent, possess the qualities of both father, and mother, be a perfect hostess to four or forty with an hour’s notice, run on black coffee, handle every emergency imaginable without a manual, be able to carry on cheerfully, even if she is pregnant and has the flu, and she must be willing to move to a new location ten times in seventeen years. And oh, yes, she must have six pairs of hands.”
The angel shook her head, “Six pairs of hands? No way.”
The Lord continued, “ Don’t worry, we will make other Military wives to help her. And we will give her an unusually strong heart so it can swell with pride in her husband’s achievements, sustain the pain of separations, beat soundly when it is overworked and tired, and be large enough to say, “I understand’ when she doesn’t, and say ‘I love you,’ regardless.”
“Lord,” said the angel, touching his arm gently, “Go to bed and get some rest. You can finish tomorrow.”
“I can’t stop now,” the Lord said, “I am so close to creating something unique. Already this model heals herself when she is sick, can put up six unexpected guests for the weekend, wave goodbye to her husband from a pier, a runway, or a depot, and understand why it’s important that he leave.”
The angel circled the model of the Military wife, looked at it closely and sighed, “It looks fine, but it’s too soft.”
“She might look soft,” replied the Lord, “but she has the strength of a lion. You would not believe what she can endure.”
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the Lord’s creation. “There’s a leak,” she announced. “Something is wrong with the construction. I am not surprised that it has cracked. You are trying to put too much into this model.”
The Lord appeared offended at the angel’s lack of confidence. “What you see is not a leak,” He said. “It’s a tear.”
“A tear” What is it there for?” asked the angel.
The Lord replied, “It’s for joy, sadness, pain, disappointment, loneliness, pride, and dedication to all the values that she and her husband hold dear.”
“You are a genius!” exclaimed the angel.
The Lord looked puzzled and replied, “I didn’t put it there.”

I am a mother who has never given birth.

I am a mother who has had two c-sections, first emergency c-section and second by choice a repeat c-section. I am a breastfeeding mother who now also supplements with formula. I cloth diaper and make my own laundry soap. I garden. I am a normal woman with feelings.

Jayson was born on March 5, 2007 at 5:35pm via emergency c-section. I went into labor at approximately 10pm the night prior and started counting my contractions. I was happy, excited and oblivious to what was about to happen. I never thought I would ever have a c-section. Around 2 am my MIL drove me to the hospital and we waited about an hour for them to take me into their triage area. Once, in the triage area about an hour later, I was 4cm and counting. They gave me a labor suite and moved me in there. I didn't think I was going to be staying so we didn't bring my bags. My MIL went back for them, while she was gone (maybe 20-30 min) the anesthesiologist came in and informed me that if I wanted any pain medication, I had to decide now because she was going into a c-section and wouldn't be around if I changed my mind. So I said alright, give me the epidural. I knew going in that I wanted the epidural, I was fearful of needles and wanted my MIL with me but I didn't have the choice to wait. So I was given the epidural around 4am.  My labor was great and steady. Slow but steady. Sometime in the morning hours, the doctors brought in magnesium sulfate for my pre-eclampsia that was discovered via a 24hr urinalysis that I had turned in the day prior to labor. Then an hour or two later my labor slowed and they put me on pitocin.  Around 2:30pm my world changed. Nurses and doctors started to bustle around me and no one explained what was going on until I got upset. They had me moving from one side to the other to try to reposition the baby. But if I laid on the side they needed, his heart rate dropped and he would go into distress. I was at 10cm and "ready" to push until the surgeon came in and said I have to have an emergency c-section. My heart sank. I started to cry and say no I didn't want a c-section but they insisted, along with my MIL telling me that the doctors knew best. What was I to do at this point? The baby's head was stuck in  my birth canal and he was in distress. I signed the papers and they took me to the OR once it was ready. I hadn't slept since Saturday night and it was approaching Monday evening. I was tired, heart broken and defeated. When I heard the sound of my baby cry, I felt joy, sadness and desperation to see him. I couldn't see him because of the sheet they had up to block my view of the surgery. I held Jayson from the OR back to my suite. I breastfed with no complications and I slowly healed from my traumatic surgery. I had a beautiful healthy baby boy and I was so happy he was here, no matter how he got here. I love him and will forever have a special kinda of love for that day, along with a small aching twinge of sadness. Do I regret my c-section, no. I have Jayson and it was worth it. Do I wish things had gone differently? Yes, I wish I had been more educated on birth before it happened. But I can't change what happened, I can only learn and be educated for the next time. I was lucky to have Jayson when I did because my MIL flew out for her two weeks the morning before I went into labor. My mom flew in the following day for a week. If I had been two weeks late, I would have been completely alone and still possibly have had a c-section with out any help.

On December 22nd, 2008 I found out I was pregnant with my 2nd child. I was bound and determined to have a VBAC. I searched high and low to find a doctor that would allow this to happen. I waited 13 or 14 weeks before seeing my first OB due to this search. The first OB I saw was not a pleasant experience at all. I told her my fears of another c-section, especially since I again would be giving birth with out my husband due to deployment. I now had a toddler to tend to along with a baby and a c-section made that seem impossible. When I told her these things, she had the nerve to say "Then why did you get pregnant?" I told her "It was a surprise to all of us" and she responded with "You know what a condom is right?".  So now not only am I dealing with having to find a doctor that will help me along with a VBAC but I'm dealing with an OB that tells me that I shouldn't have children while my husband is deployed?! Needless to say, I complained to the office manager and switched OBs. That's when I started seeing Dr. Davis. She was a wonderful doctor. I loved her as my OB. She told me how she felt with out being harsh or cruel. She gave me her opinion when I asked for it but followed my wishes. Until I was about 7 months pregnant, our plan was to do a VBAC. That's when other components of my life came into play. My husband was deployed and it wasn't looking like they were going to give him leave and he would miss another one of his child's birth. So in hopes that with a set date and a Red Cross message, he would be sent home for a surgery birth. I booked a repeat C-section. It was looking awesome! He got approved for the leave from his company, and from his battalion. He had to go see the Sergeant Major of the Brigade to discuss his leave for this date - Aug 17th, for the birth of his child. A sacrifice I made for my husband to be home for this and they denied him the leave about 4 weeks before I was due. His company commander tried to get him on ADVON to get home before I gave birth, that was denied because they wanted people who would go back and set up for the brigade coming home, not people going home for personal reasons. They tried to get him on the first flight home with the main body so he would be here on time. I didn't find out he wouldn't be on ADVON until it was to late.  He was on one of the last flights for his company/battalion, in September. I drove 14 hours from Newark, OH to Fort Riley, KS just 4 weeks after having surgery so my husband could see his little baby boy. I skipped my 6 week postpartum check up for this. This c-section was the easier of the two. Recovery was a breeze and I felt great just a short week after having Elijah. I had help via my mom and mother in law because they knew when to ask for time off of work in the horrible economy and I again was not alone going through recovery of a c-section. What if I had gone through with a VBAC and it had ended in a c-section? What if my family didn't have the option to drop what they were doing to come to me to help through recovery? My experiences were the best they could have been. Don't try to make me feel bad or guilty for them.

For those of you who push natural birth onto other women, you don't know their circumstances. Yes, I wholeheartedly believe that women should be given more education on the birth process but do that before they have been hurt and scared. Do not make those of us who can't change what has happened to us feel guilty or bad for the decisions we have made (educated or not). I would go through with Elijah's c-section all over again for the slightest of chances that my husband would have been there. I knew the chances were slim but that was a sacrifice I was willing to make. That makes me an awesome mother.

I breast feed. I breastfed Jayson until he was 11months old and that's when he switched to cow's milk. He and I weaned together. He was ready to be on his own doing his own thing, since he had been walking for 2 months already. I exclusively breastfed him so I didn't think twice about whether I would do it again for Eli. Eli had lots of "issues". At first he had jaundice very badly and I had to have him on a biliblanket for 4 days to help eliminate his jaundice and help him pass the bilirubin.  I also had to breastfeed him every 2 hours until his jaundice was gone, until the tests came back clear. Not many women would do that but breastfeeding for me was my way of feeling complete as a mother. Eli had reflux and colic. He cried and puked all the time, no matter what I ate or did. He was on medication for reflux until he was 6 months old. Then he got teeth and started biting me. Around the same time I started losing my milk. I tried to increase my supply through teas, drinking lots of water and taking prenatal vitamins and nothing was working. My child was hungry, screaming crying at me and I felt helpless. There was nothing left for me to do. I broke down and I now supplement. Our life is better because of the bottle or two a day that my son drinks. My son is a happy, healthy baby. He's a screamer but that's just him and I've come to terms with that. He doesn't cry because he's hungry and I'd rather not go through that night crying when I realized that I couldn't do what my son needed. I couldn't feed him, he was hungry and I didn't have the milk to feed him. I am a better mom for recognizing my weaknesses and not letting my child suffer over my pride.

I am an advocate of educating pregnant women, women trying to conceive and new moms. Don't dwell on what has happened but what is to come. If I had known more before having Jayson, I may not have had epidural and never had a c-section but I can't change what has happened. I can only share my experiences in birth. Maybe they will remember them and know what to do when the time arises.

Please don't try to make me feel guilty for what has happened to me but understand that I did what I had to do and I have two beautiful baby boys. Share my experiences so other moms know if it happens to them, what to do and what not to do. And if their birth ends in a c-section, do not spread hate and anger but understanding and sympathy. C-sections are usually not our first choice, it is usually our last chance or hope.

37 days...I took Jay to the Airport this morning...

I've gone through two deployments, numerous TDYs, CQ Duty and random phone calls at all hours of the day & night. The military may upset me from time to time but I'm still standing. The time away from Jay doesn't hit me the way it used to. Of course I still love my husband and I miss him terribly while he's gone but I don't dwell on that and let it take over my emotions. If I spend the last week before he leaves in this upset emotional mess, what good is that? There will be low points when he's away that I just miss him and I want him home but I try not to make that a 24/7 type of thing. I go on with my days and I hold my head up. I know some of you might be reading wondering why in the world I'm writing about this when he's only going to be gone for 5 weeks (37 days). It's because yesterday Jay made the comment about me not acting like I'll miss him when he's gone. He needs to understand and I think maybe others need to hear the wife's side. Of course I'm going to miss him. Of course I feel pain that I know I'm going to be on my own with out my partner for 5 weeks but if I let go of this hold I have on my emotions I will go to the extreme other side. I won't be in control and I'll be sad, weepy and depressed. I dropped him off an hour ago and I'm already sad thinking about how long these 5 weeks are gonna be.

I have two little kids I have to take care of. If I act like spending 5 weeks away from "Daddy" is the end of the world, it will effect the kids too. I don't want it to. I want them to be strong through these because this will not be the last and most definitely isn't our first. So Jay, I do miss you but I can't act like it because Jayson will see that and it will make things harder for him. The boys need to see a strong Mommy who doesn't break down when Daddy goes away to super hero training. :D

With that I have to say, every service member and civil servant in this country is a super hero to my family. We appreciate and support you. Thank you to all of you no matter who or where you are! My children & I will always know you as super heroes! :)



Now on a happier note, my garden is GROWING!! LOL I know that's typically how it works but I'm absolutely amazed that I can actually grow stuff. It looks like I might even get a few tomatoes out of my garden! WOOO HOOO! Here are some photos from early this morning:

One last thing, We are trying to sell our motorcycle. If you or anyone you might know is interested in buying a 2007 Honda VTX1300C with around 6K miles please let me know! Here is a photo of the bike up for sale!

Check out the blog I made for Diaper Parties!

I miss & love you so much Jay. I hope these 5 weeks go by quickly and you enjoy them while you are away.

-Traci

Amazing Weekend

Friday was a bit of a hectic day. We tried to buy a van. LOL Yes, I said Tried. We tried and failed. I knew better. We have one income and two vehicle loans. The motorcycle and the truck. We would prefer to keep the truck and most dealerships won't take a motorcycle as a trade in. Oh well, at least we tried right?

Saturday, we went to the farmers market with some friends. It was fun but pretty hot. I got tomatoes, corn, watermelon, a loaf of jalapeno cheddar sour dough and 2 small home made bars of soap for the boys. I was just gonna get one bar of soap but Jayson bit one when I asked him to smell it, thinking it was a candy bar. It was hilarious, we all got a good laugh including the vendor operator. LOL We were there about 2 hours and by that time I was dying. LOL It was pretty hot. Jayson needed to use the potty so we found some port-a-johns and by the time we were done, I was melting! I forgot how hot those things get. It reminded me of using the port-a-john in Kuwait. GEEZ! When we got home, I made sandwiches with some of the bread, a tomato and some lunch meat. WOW! It was amazing! Then we got to cleaning because we were going out that night and our friends were gonna come over to baby sit the boys. For some crazy reason, Jay and I got into an argument and called off going out. Stupid of us because we ended up going out anyway with the kids. LOL We argue to much and make silly rash decisions before talking it out and seeing if we simmer down. Oh well, we live and we learn don't we?  So we all went out to Red Lobster and had a blast. I'm glad we ended up going out with the kids because they were actually really good. Jay's going to training for a while and it was a good thing for us to all do something as a family. We ended the night with Halo 3 & beer. Always a good time in the 'O' Household. :)

Today started out lazy. Jay and I played halo 3. We had watermelon and cinnamon toast for breakfast. The boys played around on the floor with each other fairly well today. It was just a great day. Then I decided I was gonna make lasagna for dinner so Jay & Jayson ran to the store for a few things. I also made an ice cream cake. Dinner was delicious and easy. I for some reason get lazy and stop cooking nice big meals for a small span of time and when I come back to it I forget how easy it really is. The lasagna isn't hard so I don't know why I don't do it more often. It is one of Jay's favorites so I should at least try to make it once a month. Now the ice cream cake was amazingly simple and fun too. I'm impressed! I'm gonna have to start making it for when we have guests over. I hope my friends like ice cream cake!! Eli's in bed but that was the hardest part of the day. He fought it hard. I think the poor baby is teething or going through a phase because he's been a grump when it comes to bed time. I feel bad but sometimes I have to let him cry. If I let him cry for a few minutes then go up there nurse him and rock him, I can lay him down and he goes right to sleep. I guess it's kind of a ritual for us. But if I go straight to the nursing and rocking before he cries, he doesn't go down. Funny how that works huh?

Just a little side note, if you are interested in checking out the banner to the right of my blogs please feel free. It's the website that I am a sales consultant for. I will be receiving my kit of cloth diapers shortly and am open to book some parties so you & any of your friends may take a look at them to see which ones would fit your lifestyle. I'm planning on having an open house after June 1st for anyone in the area that would like to come and check out the different types of diapers. Please feel free to email me about anything on the website or setting up a party date.

Playroom

So yesterday I decided to start cleaning around the house and getting it into better functioning order. Jay is going to be in training so I want things to go as smoothly as possible while he's not here to help me with the kids. So that being said, I unpacked the last 6-8 boxes yesterday and cleaned out the guest room. We've moved the toy box into there and set up the jumperoo. There is still a little bit of shuffling needing to be done but I'm sure I'll have it in good order come next week. I need to go to my mom's to get a bed she offered me for Jayson and then sometime I plan on finding a futon or some kind of seating to go into the play room so I can sit in there and read while the kids play. I like the idea of not having a bunch of toys in the living room when Jay and I sit down to watch tv at night so that's why I decided it's time to set up a play room. Also, I'm tried of Jayson's room being a disaster area. It's a pain to try to put his clothes away when I'm stepping on wrestlers or cars, or trying to put him to bed! Oh It's a nightmare. At least if I get that seating in the play room, I will have a place to sit and make sure he cleans up. He doesn't do so well when he isn't being supervised. I moved so much and cleaned so much that I'm actually sore today. That's kinda crazy to me. I didn't think anything I was doing was that strenuous.

Yesterday, being Mother's Day started out alright. Jay made breakfast and it was delicious but that was pretty much it for Mother's Day. On with our lives! Then this morning, Jay wakes me up at like 5:45am asking me if I had seen his motorcycle helmet. Last time I know it was accounted for was when he drove home from duty for dinner. After that he took the truck for the night so he had some way of bringing the PS3, his laptop and dvd case back. So early on Monday morning was the first time he actually thought "Hey, where is my helmet?" Well, knowing him, he probably left it on the bike, or the back of the truck when he came in for his dinner break thinking he would be riding the bike back out. Well when I said take the truck, he probably didn't think anything of the helmet and it either was stolen or fell off the back of the truck when he drove back to duty. So now we have to buy him another helmet and those things are not cheap.

Now, I sit here wondering when does life calm down? When will there be a day that I'm not mad, heartbroken, sad or dealing with a sick child? Will there be a just happy day again? When did those stop? I'm not depressed I'm just realizing that life is mean. This post-deployment is much harder than our last. I think that is partly to blame and then there is life that is mixed in to add a little bit of craze to the process of trying to become a family again.

Garden Update Week Two!

After seeing pictures of a friend's garden blooming I had to go out and check to see if mine was!

 They are blooming! I'm so excited!! I do need to go get cages to put around the tomatoes and cucumbers (thank you Jamie for reminding me!) so I am running out this afternoon to get some. I think it's looking really good! Except for a few cucumber plants with yellow leaves towards the bottom but I'm working at this! It's my first garden and I think it may come out well! Wooo hoo! This is really exciting! C'mon veggies groooooow!

One Itsy Bitsy Step At A Time!

So after spending yesterday in this mope like state, being cranky and ready to snap at anyone who looks at me funny, I got an ok night of sleep and decided when I woke up that I would find a way to do some wii fit this morning. I know it's not much but I gotta start some where right? I need a shower but with Eli that is very difficult. He doesn't like me leaving him alone and there isn't really any place to leave him that's baby proofed completely so I can leave him unattended, well besides his crib but he gets pissed at that. So I'm going to wait until nap time to complete that task. But since I'm stinky I can probably get some stuff done around the house. I need to sweep and mop the downstairs. I need to catch up on laundry. Lemme tell ya, the only ONLY down side to cloth diapering is having to stop once you get on a roll with laundry to wash some diapers. They need extra care once a month, stripping them so they maintain their absorbency and don't start to smell every time urine touches them. But I enjoy not having to buy disposables. I hated that smell in my trash can. Now I have a separate little can on my dryer that holds my cloth diapers and for some reason those don't smell as bad as my trash can did with disposables.

After my shower, which I plan on running for as soon as I lay Eli in his crib at nap time... C'mon 9:30!! LOL Maybe I'll be able to blow dry my hair for the 2nd time in a row instead of just throwing it up in a pony tail which I've been sporting for about 2.5-3 years now. Wonderful huh? Then if Eli isn't screaming from his crib, I'll throw on some foundation and slowly add until I'm finished. Because with my luck I'll get foundation on, one eye with shadow and Eli will start screaming in his crib or Jayson will cause a ruckus down stairs. Yes, I said ruckus. I'm so old! If I can keep up this hoge poge of a routine then maybe I'll start feeling a little better about myself. Then I can start adding to my very limited make up bag and wardrobe! I'm feeling a little better about myself today. I've actually let out what I needed to let out and now that I know why I feel the way I do, I can start taking the steps to change it. Lets just see how long this motivation keeps up.

Eventually, I also need to go out and tend to my garden! LOL  It's been a few days because of the rain that didn't hit until yesterday! I'll get out there today no matter whether it's raining or not. It needs to be tended to or I won't have beautiful veggies in a few months!

Well, the boys are done with breakfast and begging me to turn on some tv or entertain them so off we go!

I'm still a woman....

even though I'm a mom and a wife.

I still want things, have desires and aspirations. I still have feelings, am self conscious and care about others. I believe a lot of who I am has been set aside so I can be a mom and a wife. I stay home to provide the best for my family. Somewhere in there I lost being myself. I became the responsible, disciplinary serious one in our house and I hate who it's made me become. How do I find a middle ground? How do I enjoy myself and my interests while still being a good mom, wife and housekeeper?

I would love to just go get my hair done, my nails done, buy new clothes, shoes, go out with friends, to the movies, to dinner but I sacrifice. I would love to be a beautiful woman again instead of this exhausted mom, housekeeper, wife. By the time I get to shower, doing my hair is time that the kids just don't give me. I never wear make up. I don't feel pretty. I used to think I was but now I don't feel good about myself. I'd love to lose weight. There is a lot going on in my head and I feel very overwhelmed with it all. The bottom line is everything from losing weight, eating right, to getting my hair cut and buying new make up takes money. And money isn't something I like to just spend on myself. I always feel that the kids need it and my husband deserves it before me. So I've put myself at the end of the list and even when I do end up getting something for myself I balance it by cutting my expenses short and buying something for either Jay or the kids.

I do the finances so I know when we're broke and I can't spend money on me or if I do have a little money to spend I feel guilty knowing we're tight or whatever.

I would love a new vehicle. I want something with more seating and space inside for the kids and all their stuff. I am feeling very defeated lately and it's depressing. The last time I wore make up was when Jay came home from Iraq in September 2009. The last time I had my hair cut was April or March of last year. I just don't take care of myself and I'm starting to really hate who I'm becoming. I feel dumpy and gross. Even when I'm clean and kinda put together I feel ugly. My clothes are ugly, my shoes are old and I don't feel good. How do other moms do it? How do they get to shower, do their hair, put on nice clothes and look pretty every day? I want to know. Someone tell me. Where do they get the energy and the time? For goodness sakes, I went to modeling school when I was a teenager but I just don't have the confidence anymore to look pretty. Even when I get myself dressed up I don't feel good now, I feel like I'm too far gone to come back to that self confidence that I used to have. It's like I want someone to just walk in and show me. Pamper me or make me over. LOL I'd love that. To be pampered and shown how because if someone else stands there and tells me this looks good or doesn't look good it will help me feel more confident in my own skin. I can't do that for myself anymore. Is it because I had kids? Because I gained a little big of weight? Or is this the natural progression of becoming older?

I want to try harder. I AM going to try harder but where do I start?

Spring Fest!!

So yesterday morning, I decided I was going to take the kids to Spring Fest here on Fort Gordon. I asked Denise if she'd like to go so around lunch time we got together. I dropped a package off at the post office and then hung out at home until the festival started. Man, was it it a blast!!! It was family night so arm bands were 10 bucks and Jayson loved it! I took him on the Ferris Wheel and then on the Merry Go Round. While we were riding that, Jay showed up so he took Jayson on a few more rides. They had a blast. We tried deep fried oreos for the first time, delish! After a bit, Eli started getting fussy and Jayson was getting pink from being out in the sun and heat. So we headed home so Eli could settle down and Jayson could cool off and calm down. About an hour later (maybe) Denise, Jayson and I headed back to the festival while Jay, Lindsey (Denise's hubby) and Eli headed to some place to sign up for Warrior Jiu Jitzu. I just have to say, being able to go back to the festival with just Jayson and Denise was awesome. Jayson had that sparkle in his eye and just couldn't get enough of any of it. We rode some rides, had a caramel apple and then rode some more rides until the guys met up with us and we headed home about 9pm. At that time the guys were complaining of being hungry so we contemplated what to eat. Everywhere had long delivery times and so I said Denise and I could pick something up if the guys got the kids down for the night. OMG! LOL Eli went down fairly well from my understanding and Jayson was out by the time we got home. We originally planned on hitting up Zaxby's. Yeah they close at 9, it was 9:30 and as I was leaving that parking lot my gas light came on. So I drive farther down the road into town to find a gas station and a place to eat. LOL We see a Wendy's and of course the gas station is after it. So I go get gas, and go to wendy's which was really busy for a Thursday night at almost 10pm. We finally get back and eat at like 10:30pm. Man everyone was exhausted but we finished up the fight we were watching and we said our goodnights. It was a long yet fun and crazy night. Before Denise and Lindsey headed home, the guys had Denise and I laughing so hard we were tearing up. We were that tired. Everything was so funny. I think it was her soda can making a popping sound that had us cracking up and then we just kept going. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to do it again! LOL I feel a little bit more motivated to do fun things now. Thanks Denise! :)

Now for this morning, Jay is getting promoted. It was supposed to be at 6:30am for the promotion and I didn't think getting the kids out of bed for that would have ended well for anyone. Well at 7, Jay calls me telling me they didn't have his promotion orders and they were going to squeeze them out of the S shop and then have the promotion at 8am. I was sleeping when he called and both kids were still OUT. Again, I didn't thinking forcing them awake after keeping them up late would have ended well for anyone involved so we are missing the promotion ceremony. It's alright because he'll still be a SSG when he comes home, whether we are there to see him promoted or not. I wish we could have been there but there just wasn't enough time between when he called me and when the ceremony started. We are so happy that Jay finally is being pinned his E-6. He has worked very hard for this and deserves it!!

Now lets see what else the boys and I can get into today! :)

I love you baby and I'm very proud of you!

Garden - Week One & Promotion!

They are growing. The onions seem to be showing the most growth since planting them. I'm fairly impressed at how they look. I honestly thought it would take more time to weed and keep random things out of the garden (the trees drop leaves and seed pods). Jayson has seemed to give up on the gardening with me but at least he has fun while we're outside together. I'm excited to see how well they bloom. I'm already starting to think about a fall garden. I wonder if this one will be done by then or if I should consider building another one... Hmmm... Thoughts?


On another note, Jay is getting promoted! YAY!! He's worked very hard and he deserves this! He has some training coming up and then after that he'll be dropping his Warrant Officer packet. We're so excited!! C'mon September! I wanna know how everything is going to play out. I'm very impatient and I already know it's all going to work out. I can honestly say it won't work out smoothly (nothing in our life ever does) but I know it'll work out for the best. I just want to know where to expect to be in the next year or two. I'm very excited about Jay's motivation to excel, it's really amazing to see this side of him. I'm very proud of him. We're throwing around ideas of how to celebrate his promotion. I think we're just gonna do a little something at home. Eventually I'd like to go out on a 'date' with him but there is a lot of planning involved in something like that. I'd need a babysitter and the ability to not worry about how the kids would be for said babysitter. That is my bigger fear, I don't fear the babysitter but I fear my children. LOL I worry how they would act for someone watching them. I need to get over that but it's hard. Eli can be a handful and a half! LOL Anyway, I'm rambling now. Time to go back to reading... I'm on Fantasy in Death and it's proving to be an excellent read. I just am unsure of what to read after this is over. My reading "hobby" is becoming expensive at how quickly I'm finishing books. I need to utilize the library more often. :)

 Jayson took every stuffed animal he has and covered his bed before crawling in and falling asleep.

 Jay was helping Jayson give Eli a pony ride. And Below Eli is enjoying every minute of it!

My boys being sweet to each other :)

Here are some random photos to enjoy! Oh, one last thing, I'm thinking about taking up photography as a hobby. Anyone have any cameras they might suggest for a beginner trying to self learn?

Raised Bed Gardening...

I have wanted to garden for a few years now. So yesterday I went to Home Depot, got some wood and built a raised garden bed. Now it's 12" high which I didn't think anything of except it's taking a lot of dirt to fill. I've put in 200+lbs of soil/compost/garden "soil" but it's still about 2/3 empty. How deep does it need to be?

The plants I have ready to be put in are: Tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, bell peppers, squash and cilantro. Are any of these in need of a deep garden or would it be alright to stop now?

Here is a picture or two of what it looks like now with soil & compost in there. Should I get more soil & compost or is it alright to keep going. By the way it's just on top of the ground. We're in GA so the ground is kind of hard.

I think I'll go out and get about 2-3 40lb bags of soil and 3-4 bags of compost/manure and be done with dirt. I want to plant my veggies! How's it look? Any suggestions?




Oh, Forgot to mention what is in there right now. It's 2 bags of the 2cu. ft. miracle grow gardening soil, 4 bags of 40lb cheap top soil and 1 bag of 40lb manure/compost. All mixed together. Remember, this garden isn't one that should last for years to come, it make only be here until next year so I didn't want to go all out and make sure I had great soil for years/seasons to come, just something to throw together now for fairly cheap.

 

Jayson is so proud of our garden :) Such a big helper

Tomato plants on the left, and the first row of cucumbers on the right.

 

Next row is 2nd row of cucumbers on the left and squash on the right

 

Left bottom to top is: Bell Pepper, watermelon, then the top right corner is onions.

Gardening & Eating Healthy!

So I've decided I want to eat more healthy. From the looks of things, it's going to be a big transition for the family but it's my goal this year, along with a few other things but those are for another post. LOL I've been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and it really hits me hard. I didn't deal with weight problems until after I had Jayson but I now know the difficulty of it. The big thing that breaks my heart is seeing children have to deal with these problems. So I've decided to try harder. One step I'm making is starting my own garden. It's going to be small and preferably transferable. I know that when I move there will probably be some vegitables, herbs and fruit that won't thrive in the new area but I'd prefer to keep costs as low as possible by taking the plants with me, depending on where we go. Over seas duty stations would be a damper on this but other than that I'm sure I can do something no matter where I go. Now to start at the top of the question list.

Being military and knowing I have to move eventually, how do I keep costs down? Can I garden out of pots or small boxes? Something that would be able to move with me? I've even seen small green house pop ups that I could purchase if I needed to for a duty station bad for the plants. This is going to have to be an investment worth it. I really want fresh foods but I have to make sure it won't turned into wasted money. So here is my question for those of you with green thumbs, experience and knowledge, how can I do this for my family?

Next, what vegetables would be the best to plant and grow? I live in Augusta, GA. I have seen several different ones offered at the PX here. There are seeds or plants already sprouted. Which would you suggest?

Any advice, knowledge, tricks of the trade would be greatly appreciated. After those first two questions have been answered and I decide on how I'm going to continue, I'm sure I'll have more questions.

And I chose this "career"!

WOW! My little ones are only 3 and 8 months! Really?? I'm already dreading the running around of different sports events, school activities and tedious errands that awaits me in September. I'm sure there won't be as many as I'm fearing but I know that once Eli hits school age, my life will be full on hectic. I have to say, I give a lot of credit to Annie. She's always on the go! Doing something new, taking the kids to the park, the museum, to school or just running around doing the daily errands of a SAHM. WOW! I had to take two of them down to the hospital, cart them from one end to the other (Anyone know where the parking lot near the Family Clinic is??) just to get some numbers and a signature on a piece of paper for WIC. Then I took the kids over to WIC. I get in there and realize that I forgot ALL my paperwork besides the one from the hospital. Fortunately I was 25 min early and I had to convince the clerk that I lived literally 3 min down the road. I get home, print out Jay's LES, our internet bill and grab Jayson's birth certificate. I get back about 3 minutes late and their computer system is down. Really?? She argued with me because she thought I'd be late and it didn't matter because the computer system went down before she would have called me back anyway. UGH! LOL Anyway, I spent an hour at WIC to finally get all my coupons. I still haven't gotten gas but Eli was so hungry, ready to be changed and exhausted that I just went straight home. I got the kids in, changed Eli, fed him and now he's passed out. I still have so much to do. After Eli gets up, we're gonna run to the grocery store and I promised Jayson we'd go to the park. Why did I do that??

Yesterday was difficult. I don't know if many of you know but we have a dog. Her name is Violet. She's a 9 month old Black Lab. She's a great dog, I just feel like I'm to busy to tend to her. I've tasked Jay with the job of tending to her as much as he can and I'll pick up the slack while he's at work. Well yesterday, I took the kids to the hospital to get some tests done for the WIC paperwork. I got back and completely forgot about Violet. She spent maybe 6 hours in her kennel when I heard her whining upstairs at about 3:30. She had messed all over her kennel. I had to have Jay come up to help me cleaner her enough to get her down stairs with out ruining the carpet on the way. I cleaned her kennel, I thought a few times I was going to vomit it was so bad. She had puked, pooped and pissed all over the kennel. That poor dog. I feel bad. SO BAD. I just don't know if I can handle the extra responsibility. She is an awesome dog. She doesn't run off. She loves to play. We have her off her leash when we're outside playing with her and she doesn't even wander off. Jayson adores her. I'm trying to be better about it. I'm sure after a little while, I'll get into some sort of routine. We'll see.

Jay made me better by making an awesome dinner. He made the chicken, sauteed mushrooms & onions, with mashed potatoes & green beans as our sides. It was an awesome dinner. I think the fact that I didn't cook it made it taste EVEN better! LOL Now to figure out what we're going to be having tonight. Plus I need to write out a grocery list after decided which WIC coupon I'll be using.

I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date.

This morning I woke up realizing I have a lot to do! I have a WIC appointment tomorrow and here they don't have a clinic a part of their office, so I have to go to the hospital here on post to get any blood work, height, weight or blood pressure done. Well, tomorrow is Jayson's re-certification and he needed his height, weight and hemoglobin checked. I loaded up the kids and headed over to the always overly busy military hospital. We left about 9:30-9:45 and it takes us about 5-10 minutes to get across post to the hospital. (Darn slow military speed limits :P) Well, after unloading, walking through the hospital to one of the back offices, checking in, getting Jayson's height & weight check, walking to the front of the hospital to get on the elevator to go to the 1st floor (the basement... dunno why it's called the 1st floor but oh well.) to go to the lab, get Jayson's finger prick and back out to the truck. After I had everyone loaded in, and ready to go, I checked the clock and we were leaving the hospital at 10:18! WOWEEE! Just a little brag, Jayson sat in that chair, chatted up the lab tech and when she pricked his finger, he stopped for a second, deciding if he was going to cry or not. I quickly said "Jayson that's it, it's all done!" And he just started chatting again. It seemed to shake him for a second but then he was back to his old self. Not a single tear! I am so proud!! I told him the whole way back out to the truck, what a big boy he is!! That child amazes me daily!

Well, at some point either this evening or tomorrow morning before my WIC appointment, I'm going to have to pick up the results and get my paperwork signed off. My WIC appointment is early tomorrow but the lady who runs the WIC paperwork stuff said she'd be in at 7 so I could come by before my appointment. Unfortunately, sometime today I'm going to have to go get gas in the truck because as soon as I pulled into our drive way the gas light came on. UGH! LOL I know it sounds silly but I hate having so much to do. I also sometime in the near future need to hit up the grocery store. Today is going to be insane because of it being pay day but maybe tomorrow. When I have several things to do in the time span of a few days I feel rushed. LOL I can only imagine what I'll feel like once Jayson will start school! Anyway, I need to sit down and see how little I can spend by checking local sales ads and making a menu for the next 2 weeks. I'm going to HONESTLY try to only spend about 30-50 bucks on groceries for 2 weeks. If I can do it, I'll be amazed! Of course, I do have my WIC and a big stocked in the pantry so I'm sure I can make it. I also cloth diaper and make my own laundry soap so that should help out A LOT! Now if I only knew how much a propane tank would cost, we could live off hamburgers, hot dogs & grilled chicken. LOL I made from scratch a potato soup last night because I didn't have anything thawed. I just kinda winged it. Everyone (Elijah included) LOVED it! Jayson ate TWO bowls of soup. This child hardly ever finished his first helping of ANYTHING.

Here is my "recipe":
About 5 russet potatoes peeled and cubed
2 cans of condensed milk (thank you WIC)
a big of Velvetta Cheese (about a 1/4 of the large block)
mushrooms sliced (WIC again)
one onion chopped (WIC)
1.5 c of milk (WIC)
1 packet of roasted garlic instant potatoes
butter
celery salt
pepper


I boiled the potatoes in a pot of water until they were tender enough to break a part with little force.  I drained them of all the water, I then added the milk, and mushrooms and heated that to a simmer while chopping and adding in the cheese. Then I added the butter, milk and instant potatoes to thicken up the soup and then seasoned it to taste.

It wasn't a warm weather type of meal if you go by that but it was delicious! I still have some mushrooms left which I need to use up so I'm not sure what to make. I'm out of cheese except a small block of cheddar. Is sauteed mushrooms & onions good with chicken? LOL I don't have any steak so that's out. I need some ideas!

I'm gonna start browsing through some recipes online.. I'll let ya know what I decide :)

Coming in September!

So we went by the preschool and it is amazing!! We enrolled Jayson this morning and took a tour of the school. It was awesome. There are two classes for each age. One is for the 4 days a week class and the other is for the 2 days a week class. He will be starting in September! They will be sending us a packet of info over the summer to let us know when they will be holding Open House and anything else we need to know before the school year begins.

When we first got there, the whole place was so big that we didn't know where to go. This place is HUGE! There are several different buildings associated with the church. We finally drove around to the back and found the preschool. Jayson was so excited because he saw some of the other students coming in for class. There were three small play areas right by there fenced in and he made a point to show us those. We get inside and there are computers for checking in and two offices for the directors. One office was busy with another parent and the other office was open but empty. We wait a minute or two and the person who worked in the open office walked up. I explained why we were there and it was a fairly quick process. I enrolled Jayson in probably less than 5 minutes. (I printed, filled out and signed the registration form prior to leaving home this morning) Then we walked through the school just to see how it looked. It was absolutely amazing. We walked down the hall way and the first set of rooms we saw were for the Mother's Day Out section. They have strollers for taking the smaller children out and about. Then there were the Preschool Ministry, where the children go weekly. Then there were the rooms for every age group based on if they are the two day or the four day program. The rooms look amazing. They have a small amount of children and two teachers. I'm beyond grateful for Annie finding this place! It is amazing! I'm even thinking about going on Sunday to see how I like the church. They have so much to offer. They have tradition & contemporary services every Sunday Morning. They also have bible study for all ages, woman's ministry and men's ministry. There are so many different activities and functions for the fellowship. This would be a great way for us to get into the community and enjoy where we are living.

I really think this would a good thing for Jay and I to do for our family. We spend to much time inside away from the rest of the world. How do I expect to meet people if I don't get out and just do it?? Silly me.

Other things we have going on are Saturday there is Military Child Month Festival at Barton Field & Family Fun Day at the Stables, both here on post. There are plenty of options for us to enjoy ourselves this weekend. Then Sunday night, we have the Free Financial Peace University lesson offered at another local church that we are signed up for. I just need to print out our work book and make sure Jay is on the same page with that. Further down the road there is a Spring Fest here on post from April 29th to May 2nd. There is a Family Night and Military Appreciation Day so those look like fun! I'm glad that at least the MWR here on this post has TONS of activities for all ages now that the weather is getting nicer. I need to just get motivated and go to these things with the boys. That way we can do stuff. I have to remember that I'm now making memories for Jayson.

I need to get on the ball with looking at Williamsburg's website to see what kind of family friendly attractions they have. I'm sure there are plenty. Just need to do the research, and once I have some ideas of what we'll be doing I'll probably use here to get my thoughts into order.

I'm also tossing around the idea of starting a garden. Is it too late for that? I'm thinking about planting tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions and maybe some strawberries. I know nothing about gardening so any help would be good.

Well that's all for today, I'm sure that it's plenty! LOL Now to do some research on gardening and vacation in Williamsburg.

Warrant Officer & Army Acronyms

Just a quick little info blog. I'll explain a few things. Yesterday when I was writing I thought about explaining a few things but just passed it by because I knew my time was limited and Eli would wake up soon. Right now, Jayson and I are ready to go to visit his preschool, Eli is still asleep and Jay is headed up to get ready now. So I have a little bit of time.

ALC - Advanced Leadership Course this used to be called BNCOC, this is just another course to help keep the NCO's on track with what is expected of them and help them excel in their ranks.

BNCOC - Basic Non-Commissioned Officer Course, now called ALC
WOC - Warrant Officer Candidate School - The school that the soldier attends to become a Warrant Officer after being selected.

A Warrant Officer in the Army is pretty much a specialist in the MOS (Job) he is in.

On the WOC website this is their definition:
In 2005, the Department of the Army developed a new definition to encompass all warrant officer specialties and grades.

"The Army WO is a self–aware and adaptive technical expert, combat leader, trainer, and advisor. Through progressive levels of expertise in assignments, training, and education, the WO administers, manages, maintains, operates, and integrates Army systems and equipment across the full spectrum of Army operations. Warrant Officers are innovative integrators of emerging technologies, dynamic teachers, confident warfighters, and developers of specialized teams of soldiers. They support a wide range of Army missions throughout their career. Warrant officers in the Army are accessed with specific levels of technical ability. They refine their technical expertise and develop their leadership and management skills through tiered progressive assignment and education."
(DA Pamphlet 600-3, p. 3-9)

It's parallel to being an Officer. While an Officer deals with more administrative things, a WO deals with more MOS based duties.


This quote from the same website as mentioned above is a little bit more enlightening: 

   "The Army Warrant Officer Corps is comprised of over 25,000 men and women of the active Army and reserve components. Warrant officers are technical experts that manage and maintain increasingly complex battlefield systems. They enhance the Army's ability to defend our national interests, and to fight and win our nations wars.
Candidates who successfully complete Warrant Officer Candidate School are appointed in the grade of Warrant Officer One. When promoted to Chief Warrant Officer Two, warrant officers are commissioned by the President and have the same legal status as their traditional commissioned officer counterparts. However, warrant officers remain single-specialty officers whose career track is oriented towards progressing within their career field rather than focusing on increased levels of command and staff duty positions."


Hope that helps :) I tend to forget that not everyone in the military knows how the Army works and not everyone knows about the military. So if I tend to go off into a military lingo rant, just real me and and say "What the heck does all this mean??" LOL! 

Now to wake up Eli, get him ready and head out to the Preschool!! I'll be writing up my "review" when I return! Wish me luck!

Preschool, WOC & Jiu Jitsu...

With everything being so busy in our lives, I've decided that I should document it some how for my two boys. Maybe they'll have this to come back to and smile over their memories. I feel as if I have already missed out on some of our life but I guess this is better than nothing. I'll dive right into what we have going on now.

These past few weeks have been fairly active. Jay is putting together his application packet for Warrant Officer Candidate school. He's going to ALC (BNCOC) in about a month and will be gone for 6 weeks for that. We've also been talking about enrolling Jayson into preschool and Jay into a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school.

While on the phone with Annie yesterday, I started talking about needing Jayson to get the social interaction and to excel where I can't seem to keep his attention. We, Annie & I, started searching the internet for preschools in the area that would fit my family's lifestyle and belief base. I started to feel defeated and walked a way to tend to somethings through out the house while still chatting with her on the phone. Then she said she had found a church near me that offered Mother's Day out & Preschool for 3-4 year olds. She said she would email me the links. We continued on with our chat while I worked around the house and forgotten about the preschool. Later that day, when Jay got home from work, we were tossing around the idea of sending Jayson to preschool in the fall. It just clicked out of no where that Annie had sent me those links in an email. I pulled it up and we both were very interested in what we saw. Warren Baptist Preschool Ministry is the place we've decided to check out and more than likely send Jayson in the fall. Jayson is extremely excited about going to school. He talks about it constantly. I believe this will be a great opportunity for him as he will learn how to socialize with children his age, positive reinforcement, and function in a class room setting. Eli will benefit from Jayson going to school because he'll have some one on one time with myself while Jayson is in school, plus he'll be retaining a lot of what he sees his big brother doing and learning.

Jay has suddenly gotten a jump on his packet for WOC. He had been tossing the idea around until we finally decided to stop talking about it and just do it. I'm sure it took a lot of guts on his part because it's a big step for his career. We're very excited and nervous about this transition into a new world. We've been in the enlisted world for so long that we're unsure what the Warrant Officer lifestyle has to offer us but we are very excited to find out. Jay is so good at what he does and it shows through everything he has done. He has several people who believe that he is a perfect candidate for becoming a Warrant Officer. I'm so proud of him and I just wish his fear of rejection would subside and give him peace during this process.

As for his hobbies, he has always (since the day I've met him) been extremely engulfed in all sorts of hobbies. He is an artist, an amateur wrestler, comic book enthusiast and UFC fan. So his recent interest is to enroll into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. With the current schedule we have, it seems difficult to fit it in but I hope he doesn't just give up as another hobby unobtainable. After he returns from ALC and we have our family vacation, I believe he'll have plenty of time to take BJJ. Right now he seems a little deflated because he can't do it right now but I'm sure when these next few months are over, he'll become more excited about his opening schedule for BJJ.

Ahhh, Vacation... I almost forgot. As of right now, we have a short vacation booked in July. We will be going to Williamsburg, VA for a week, Thanks entirely to my grandmother. I wanted to do something a little bit more family oriented while still educational for Jayson. I remember as a kid growing up we used to visit historical places. While it sounds boring, it was extremely fascinating and because of those places we visited, it birthed my interest in history. Being a military family, learning about the history of our beloved country gives us a pride and honor in what we all sacrifice for. I hope that my children bear that same pride that I have from being a daughter of a sailor, wife of a soldier and prior service soldier myself. Even with some of the ups and downs in our current government and economic circumstances, I still bear a great pride in our country and what we have made ourselves into.

Eli is crawling, walking along furniture and babbling up a storm. I'm sure he'll be walking in the next few months. He is so determined to keep up with his big brother. One thing I've learned time and time again, now that I am a mommy to two, is that every child is different. I've heard it said time and time again and I didn't doubt it. I just didn't understand how deeply it went. I guess I assumed that of course they would be different but being brothers and of the same parents, they would have a great many similarities. Boy was I wrong, the only thing these two have in common is the fact that they look similar. Just in Eli's short 7.5 months of life, he has been a perfect contrast to his brother. He is extremely vocal, has a temper that tests mine and is stubborn to boot. Jayson at this age was fairly easy to please, easy going and flexible to everything. Eli likes routine and Jayson was go with the flow. These two are night and day. Eli only sleeps in his crib and sometimes his car seat. Jayson would sleep anywhere as long as he was tired enough. Jayson loved to sit and play on his own, Eli insists on having attention paid to him almost all the time. I could probably go on and on about the differences in these two. It just amazes me every day how different these two are. It makes me wonder how the terrible twos will be with Eli, oy vey! LOL

Tomorrow I'll probably post about how we like the preschool and if we enrolled Jayson.

-Traci