Sweet Home.... Alabama?

If someone had asked me to predict the places I would live while being a military spouse, I would have placed Alabama somewhere below Dorothy’s farm in Kansas and slightly above that of the “free thinking, American loving” country of North Korea. It’s not that I would have thought it impossible (because really, in this lifestyle I have learned that nothing can ever be entirely ruled out), but I would have thought it to be highly improbable. Once again that crazy Uncle Sam of mine is enjoying a hearty laugh at my lack of foresight!

So in a little over two weeks, I will (for the eighth time in almost eleven years) watch a large semi-trailer with all of our worldly possessions packed tightly within a few hundred cardboard boxes pull away from “our” driveway and head down the road and out of sight. We will then walk back into an empty house, pack the remainder of our possessions in our U-haul and minivan, take one last look around at the house we have called "home" for the last 22 months, reminisce a little, laugh a little, and maybe even cry a little. I will place the key on the kitchen counter, close the front door behind us, and move on down the road to the next chapter in our lives. It is a process that has become second nature to me, and is now becoming routine for The Crew as well. In true “military brat” form, Alabama will be the fourth state they have lived in… in as many years.

Our Captain (well Lt.Cmdr. actually) of this rag-tag crew will be embarking on the task of obtaining his Masters Degree (or two) from the Air War College out of Maxwell AFB as well as completing his JPME... also a requirement as one progresses thru a career as an officer in the Navy. All in all it is a really great deal for him to take a year as a “student” and have the Navy flip the bill for the degree(s). Not to mention a great deal for us as a family, as we will not have to forfeit him on the weekends, evenings, or longer seperations for an entire year! (Whose laughing now, eh Uncle Sam?)

We will keep you updated as the tides shift and we pull anchor for our new port-o-call. But for now, I will spend my time trying to find the bubble wrap and packing tape that I know I stashed around here somewhere!


Fair Winds!

A Bottle Washes Ashore... With Tales from the Harbour

The Hunters Emerge Victorious.
Summertime has finally arrived. The local splash pool has opened, the parks beckon us to come & play, and the strawberries are ripe. Nothing tastes sweeter than one of these beauties picked straight from the vine and popped directly into the mouth. The crew & I ventured out and met some friends for a little strawberry “hunting” at a local U-pick field. Those strawberries never stood a chance against this group of seasoned hunters… Check out the fruits of our labor!

A Mom Falls in Love… Again.

White fluffy towel wrapped around his face… skin flushed and smelling of the coconut lime soap I had just used to wash him from head to toe… hair clumped in thick, damp spikes all over his head, he looks up at me and asks, “Do you know why I love you sooo much Mom?”

“No” I reply as I dab the towel over his skin and look into a pair of eyes with THE most impossibly long eyelashes, “Why do you love me so much?”

“Because you are so beautiful” he whispers and leans in with a grin to give me a soft damp kiss on my cheek.

The ladies of the world are in so much trouble.
She Leaps Tall Buildings in a Single Bound.. What Good is That?
“Time for bed kiddo!” I say as I follow his brother into the room fresh from bath time.

“Mom” he says to me as he hops into his big boy bed and arranges his medley of friends that include a yellow cat (with bow), dalmation puppy, green trout, brown monkey, and pink boa constrictor, “I’m not a ‘kiddo’ … I’m Z STRAP!” (Z strap being a superhero from the free comic book that came with his new shoes today, not the pre-k version of an adult male undergarment).

“Right” I say, as I smooth the quilt and sheet down. I bend over to give him a final good night kiss and my foot comes to rest on said comic book tucked purposefully under his bed. I reach down and pick it up while I give my boy a sideway glance… “What’s this doing here Z Strap?” I inquire.

“I didn’t want you to see that” he whispers with a little pout.

I find that I do not have the heart to take the comic book away, but instead tuck it in next to his menagerie of animals with the instructions that he is to go straight to sleep.

As I close their door for the night, I realize that in this last two weeks before they turn four, that they are truly “big boys” now. We are officially in the comic book and superhero phase. I close my eyes and try to mentally will time to go slower… but unfortunately that particular gift is not in my arsenal of “super powers”.

Spring Cleaning....

And i don't mean for my house... although, now that you mention it, a little dusting wouldn't hurt! Nope, I mean in terms of my health. I have "discovered" (and by that I mean that a friend found it, read it, and recommended it to me... ere go, I discovered it!) a great new lifestyle in the world of diet and excercise! In today's wording it basically means that I am eating foods that are natural, not processed. Our grandparent's would have just called it "eating right".

So, in a nutshell the lifestyle goes something like this: Eat things in as close to their natural state as possible and omit all processed items entirely. i.e. Oatmeal that you cook... not instant oatmeal. fruits, veggies, lean meats, nuts, some dairy, whole wheats. No white flour, white sugar, or refined sugars. No pre-packaged foods of any kind. I used to think... "No way is that possible! You wouldn't be able to eat ANYTHING!" Seriously~ How can you cut out processing in this day and age?? In all honesty, you would really be surprised at how many options you really do have once you kick that mindset. Let me just say, I have been doing this for just a short time.... but I have seen amazing things in that short time! My energy is thru the roof! I am satisfied and full (although I still have the habit of a snack in the evening, it is now on healthy items so I feel much better about it now!) and I can see the hard work I've been putting in at the gym for the last year finally being revealed... and I really like what I'm seeing! So just a warning... you may be getting posts from time to time as I relay my journey (and by proxy my family's journey... 'cause let's face it, Momma does the shopping!) into the world of "Clean Eating"... Warning! This could change the way you eat too!

Now if I could just find a way to get that other spring cleaning done.....

Trash or Treasure?

Craigslist is a wonderful thing. For those of you not in the "know" basically you post an ad online to get rid of some junk... whoops!... rather "high quality but gently used" merchandise that your children have either outgrown, become bored with, or have annoyed you with to the point that you army crawl past their sleeping forms in the dead of night (doing your best impersonation of the Grinch as he steals little Cindy Lou Who's candy cane) and while they innocently slumber away, you scurry downstairs to the computer and post your ad for all to see. Once the ad is placed (and you've hid the evidence) you wait for an interested party to contact you via email, (no worries there... people love a bargain!) come to your home and view the "great deal" you are offering, exclaim with delight and hand you a fist full of cash as they haul away their junk (hey! it's not mine anymore right?) into their car and out of your sight! Like I said... wonderful thing!


So I had an appointment for a woman to come and view a few things that I was interested in parting with... she has twin 11 month old boys and she was coming from a meeting "downtown" and would it be "okay if we met at say 3:30'ish?". I in turn checked my blackberry to see if I had a small opening in my appointment filled day... (those that know me well, should be sensing a healthy dose of sarcasm here...) and as luck would have it... that worked out just fine for me! Now I have to admit that this particular day I was not at my best... or even at my normal. I had a lovely sinus infection that had me laying on the sofa the better part of the day while shouting encouragement to my children to "not climb so high on that bookshelf" and "try not to play with the really sharp knives!" but I made an effort to tidy myself and the house up a bit before "3:30'ish" (which basically consisted of zipping up the front of my velour tracksuit and blowing my nose once more at about 3:15) when one of the Crew announces from the bathroom that he has "made a mistake"... Right... So I begrudgingly leave the confines of my sofa (or as I like to call it, my corner office) and make my way to the bathroom... and step directly into a lake of pee. Great. As I don my bio-hazard suit my front bell rings. (Apparently her meeting let out early... how marvelous) and I open the door... And this is where two worlds collide.


Before me is The Professional Working Mother. Tailored, groomed, briefcase in one hand, and the other outstretched in greeting. Our eyes meet and I am sure I see a brief flash of regret in her eyes as I switch the mop I'm holding in my right hand to my left in order to shake her hand. I in turn flash her my best "Don't judge me sister, check out that diploma on the wall that I'm still paying for" smile and welcome her into our home. The boys come skipping down the stairs at this point and she being all manner of polite, inquires their age. They grin up at her and clearly state.. "Three!" But of course, being that these are my children, the boys decide that the newbie needs to be alerted to the current threat level of our home and they quickly inform her that "O just peed all over the floor so you better stay out of there or Mommy is going to make you clean it all up." ....Seriously?? "Oh, well... " I stammer "Let me just go ahead and show you the things you came for!".

In the course of our discussion, she informs me how lucky she has been to find a nanny whom she loves and trusts to take care of her children for her and how she often doesn't get home until nearly 8pm each day. In turn she asks how I like being a stay at home mom, and I reply that although it is hard to find time for myself that I cannot imagine life any other way. As she hands me the cash and I help her load the box of toys into her car we turn to each other, I see the curiosity I'm feeling towards her and the role of motherhood she has created for herself mirrored back to me in her own eyes. Just as I cannot imagine what it must be like to have a nanny and a full time job that kept me from home and family until early evening each day, I see the same curiosity in her eyes of how a college educated woman can find happiness spending her days with two three year old boys, and mopping up urine. We say our farewell and as she drives away I turn back toward the house and hear a small voice say "Uh oh Mommy..." and I honestly in that moment couldn't imagine life any other way. What's the old saying?

One person's junk... Another's treasure.

What's that old saying??

I know that March is supposed to go in like a Lion and out like a Lamb, but in one weeks' time? The video of the boys in their first "snow" (no laughing from Michigan please) was taken on Monday morning... The video taken on the beach was taken yesterday (Saturday). The good news is that we are having a great time previewing Spring, but the bad news is that we will be back in our jeans and sweaters in less than 48 hours.... but really, who wants to focus on bad news when it's going to be 82 degrees today??