Big time re-cap

Okay, I am back to this blog. I have had a gnawing sense of guilt about not writing on here, although from what I can tell there are only about 3 or 4 people who read this (not that there is anything wrong with that...) so I don't know why I stress. Regardless of who or how many people read this though, I feel the need to blog so here I go, once again.

(But it won't be a long one this time, I am busy and besides, I have to ease back into this saddle)

I last left you in March, complaining about a spider vein on my leg and the cruelty of the aging process. As far as I can tell, the vein is still there, however I do have a little tan, so hopefully they are camouflaged better now. Very shortly after I wrote that blog, I heard some news from my husband. His grandmother was very sick in the hospital and the prognosis was dim. He was granted emergency leave from Iraq, however due to sandstorms in Kuwait, his flight was delayed and his grandmother died one day before he was able to fly home. We were then faced with attending the funeral, but the flight would have had to have been over Easter weekend, and bought at the last minute. Can you say "out of our price range"? It would have been about $4,000 for our family to just go to New Mexico. Since we were going to be on the mainland we were planning on a quick visit to my family so they could see the grand kids as well.

To make this particular looooooong story short(er), we took a Space A flight to CA. Space A is a military flight with room available. If a plane is going to where you want to go, and if there is room, and if you are the right priority passenger, you can take the flight for free. Since Erick was on emergency leave, we were 1st priority leaving Hawaii. We spent 12 hours at home packing before taking this flight, the next 12 days flying/driving/flying around the US and back to Hawaii where Erick had time to sleep one night in his own bed before having to pack back up and head back to the sandbox. It was basically a "don't blink or you'll miss it!" kind of break. It went very fast and was actually kind of hard to recover from. But we did.

After that trip, I spent the last week in April doing laundry, catching the kids up with schoolwork and lamenting the 5 pounds I managed to pack on while we were traveling. When you are only 5 feet tall, 5 pounds may as well be 15 pounds. And I had just been able to fit back into my little-er post baby jeans. Poop.

The kids and I somehow made it to May intact, in maybe a less picked up house, but we still were functioning. Then I was talking to a friend of mine who had started working out at the YMCA. I found out that since my husband is deployed I am eligible for 6 months free membership PLUS they have FREE childcare. And so I left the house right that very second and followed her to the YMCA to sign up. I have been going since that day in May, and happy to report those jeans fit me once more! I have now set my sights on the size 5's and 3's that are taunting me from inside my closet. Oooh, I can even fit* some little dresses again!

The kids finished school the first week of June which also was the same week my big brother Ed came out here on his R&R from Iraq. He brought his little girl with and I was able to wear my "Aunt Bonnie Hat" for the first time! The last time I saw my niece she was a 5 month old infant, so it was really special to have some time with her. They were here for a week, a busy, insane, fun-filled week. Joe and Lily enjoyed having their cousin around as well as Uncle Ed! For me, it was great to have my brother here, and also a treat to even have a grown up to talk to (although, Ed being a grown up, that is debatable... Just kidding, Ed! Ha ha!).

And that quickly brings us to now, the end of June. I just went to the first meeting tonight for this years soccer season. Joe and Lily are on the same team, also the same team as my friends kids, so that worked out nicely. Joe and Lily are also doing cooking class once a week, and once school starts Joe will have cub scouts again. I really hope the den meetings are not on a soccer practice day or cooking class day! I do Zumba once a week in the evenings, as well as a 30 minute cross-training/personal torture session that I actually look forward to. That leaves only a few possible times for the den meetings to not interfere with what we currently have planned, so we'll see how this goes...

Oh, I am also now conducting a summer school in my home for Joe and Lily. Joe needs the extra help and it won't hurt Lily any either. We learn from 1pm-3pm each day and so far it is going fairly well. We've had some bumps here and there, but I think the kids actually like it! I hope it does the trick and helps get them better prepared for 2nd and 3rd grade.

(That is totally crazy, that I have a 2nd and 3rd grader! Where on Earth does the time go???!!!!)

Let us see, other things to re-cap...

Oh.

New skills Leah has learned:

• crawling up the stairs
• saying "I/you did it!"
• calling the dog by; 1. her name "Jewel!" and 2. kissey sounds that she does with her tongue sticking out, like a kissey-raspberry!
• playing tug-o-war with the dog
• light switch on AND off
• walking while holding on to things
• dancing
• giving momma things she shouldn't have
• climbing on the dishwasher while the door is down
• learning what "no" really means when she is climbing on the dishwasher when the door is down...

So, the kids and I are chugging along and keeping ourselves occupied till October when we should have our main man home again. And since I took time to type this and it is now 0100, I am done for the day.

I am going to go check my crops on Farm Town** and go to bed.

The laundry can kiss my butt.

-B

*They don't look very pretty yet, but darn it, I can pull the dresses over my hips (!) and the zippers finally go ALL the way up!

**This little Facebook time waster is actually very cute and simple. Grow crops, harvest them and earn coins to buy farm-y stuff. Yeah, I know it is a little lame, but don't hate... Hey, Solitaire is a time waster too, and I know people play that all the time!

GGGRRRRR

There are so many cliche' sayings, like "Don't go to bed angry", "Never drink and dial", "Count to ten before you speak"... And those are all great advice. I have no idea if there is some saying about writing when you are angry/frustrated, but I AM both and so here I go.

This will be akin to a PMS rant, however, that is not what this is. I have no M with which to have the P and the S.

Today it is warm outside. It has been rainy for weeks and weeks (Hawaii wintertime) and the weather has recently changed. The sun is shining, birds are chirping: Spring time is here. I have lost a few pounds, only 2 or 3 really, but whatever. I take what I can get (wink wink, honey!). I decided to wear shorts again today, as yesterday was lovely and I wore shorts then as well. Except I have always been the "must shave legs daily" kind of girl. No skipping days for me, I even manage a 5:00 shadow sometimes. So I did a quick shave sitting on the side of the tub. I didn't want to take a shower since I have a full day of working to do, and I will end up sweaty anyhow. It makes more sense to me to bathe before bed. So, as I shaved without the nice hot shower to soften my leg hair, I was mildly concerned about razor burn. I have some nifty after shave spray for women, it even sprays while upside down. So I begin to spray my legs and I pivot to see the back of my legs so I can spray there.

W. T. F.

If you don't know what that stands for, Google it. I warn those of you with baby ears, its strong language.

Apparently I have developed a lovely spider vein, as well as some waaaay sexy bumps and lumps. And I am mad about that. It means I have lost another battle to the aging process that is totally preventable. I could have been working out like a fiend to get back into shape, but I have had NO energy to do that. With the 3 kids, I only have nights aloneto myself. That is when I should have been doing my exercise. Did I? Nah, I just spent that time chilling out, watching movies and folding laundry, most times snacking, sometimes on healthy stuff, sometimes not. I haven't gained weight, (wheeew!) but I haven't lost it as I'd like to. And now, there is a stupid spider vein that I could have laser-ed off, but won't, because that is a luxury most common people cannot afford.

And I did it to myself. Or at least I didn't stop it from happening. Aging is a cruel, evil bitch.

What will I do about this? I suppose I have to just make time to exercise. I will have to loose my chill out time, and I am okay with that. My family says to me that the chill out time is good, totally expected when raising 3 kids. And I agree, that alone "me time" is healthy, but I will just have to turn that into "healthy me time" instead.

I am feeling so defeated now. So unmotivated today, and that is making me sad and even MORE defeated. I can tell I am on a downward pity spiral and that is SO not my style. I almost feel like pulling my workout shoes on right now and starting up the treadmill (not so unmotivated after all?). I won't do that of course, since my 8 month old is napping. Those of you with children (and a little life experience) will recognize how Murphy's Law will snap into action the second I step foot on that treadmill. I know she will wake and need all sorts of things, a new diaper, maybe a new onesie, a boobie and a cuddle. Then my older two will float in with needs of their own, help with a Lego structure, a Barbie who needs her dress tugged on... Most likely, the dog will have to go out to pee at this exact same time. And while I am thinking the worst, I bet the doorbell would ring with the Kirby salesmen trying to pressure me into buying a $2000 vacuum!

PHHHOOOOOOOOW!! (large and cleansing exhale)

Yes, I think it MUST be nearing the middle of this deployment. I think today I have fallen off the horse and it is time to climb back on. The lovely view of the back of my legs has truly bothered me, it has disturbed me. I am ready to get myself back to how I used to be. I have been VERY overweight before, and I bounced back from that. I can do it again, however I am older and with more kids and less energy. But, excuses excuses, I just have to do it.

I SO miss my husband. Not that he can do anything to help me loose weight... THAT has to come from me. But he reassures me, makes me feel beautiful no matter what. He also could help me find more time... But that is not worth thinking about, since we still have about 7 months left of this deployment.

Okay, I am still mad at myself, still frustrated, but I guess typing it all down has eased all the stress a bit. I was 100% frustrated, now I'd put myself at about 40-50% frustration.

PHOOOOOOOWWWW (another deep breath)

-B

"Holy Flying Time, Batman!"

Whoa kids, it is the middle of March! And I'm sure approximately 15 minutes from now it will be April 1st...

Time is warping by and I am glad, but without much evening free time now. I will have a nice juicy blog soon enough, I have been composing little bits here and there in my head. One of these days/nights I will sit and type it all out. For now though, I have a sink of dishes to attend to, a glass of passion fruit wine (yes it is just as good as you think it is -- they also make pineapple wine...) and a movie in bed. I did a lot today and tomorrow will be no different.

Till I can manage to push the pause button on my life...

-B

And we are called "stay" at home moms..

365-15 Stop #6 out of 11 for the day...
Originally uploaded by B_Williams

Each night after my children are in bed I pick up the house, do some dishes and get ready for the next day. There are so many times I think I can take a day off, which my idea of a day off is a day spent on the couch with a book or a movie, napping with the baby and doing laundry or something minor like that. And I get all relaxed and excited to take that day off, when suddenly I will realize I have to go run a bunch of errands and then my day off is gone. Since the name of this blog is A Cross Section of My Life, I give you today for an example:

2130 last night - I realize my son needs a new dresser for his clothes, and Tupperware for his Lego's. I also realize we have a birthday party on Sunday, and that I will be busy all day Saturday. This means I have to go run around tomorrow. ~sigh~

0635 - My annoying inner alarm goes off, you know the one that your body sets. You really have at least 15 minutes more to sleep, but your inner alarm clock starts to ring and you can't really get back to the deep sleep you were in.

0645 - My real alarms sound, both the traditional alarm clock and the cell phone alarm. I don't trust myself to wake to only one alarm, so I use backup. I also heavily use the snooze button for some reason. The clock alarm has a 9 minute snooze and my cell alarm has a 7 minute snooze. I wish I knew the reason for the odd minutes. My theory is you have to actually use your brain a little to figure out how many more times you can hit the snooze button. If it gave you 5 or 10 minutes you'd know right off and your brain wouldn't engage as much, thus you'd stay in the sleep zone longer. At least that is my theory. I digress....

0652-I hit snooze on my cell phone.

0653- Baby Leah wakes up ready to nurse and likewise, I realize that I am more than ready to nurse her. She started to sleep through the night again, so as it was before, I now wake up to a few gallons of milk under my shirt. Okay, it's not that bad, but let me just say that it is once again uncomfortable to sleep on my stomach. It is not too bad though, since I am still breastfeeding it means I can bring her into bed and try to sleep a little while she nurses.

0658 - I stop trying to fight it, it is time to wake up and get the big kids ready for school.

0715 - Joe and Lily are dressed, downstairs and hopefully eating breakfast -- not playing around. Leah has had a diaper change, new clothes and she has been nursed. She is playing with her toys that I keep in a toy box in my room. I am getting my "mom-on-the-go" clothes on. At least that is what they call it on What Not To Wear. Okay, not too bad, I feel like I found a reasonably good looking outfit today, I just need to do some 1000 crunches or so...

0730 - Coffee is brewing and the scent of it IS morning as far as I am concerned! The dog is out doing her morning duties and for once (!) the kids are actually eating their cereal, not messing around. I open the front door for my neighbor's daughter. I take her to school and back each day since we live so close.

0740- The neighbor's little girl arrives and that is the cue for Joe and Lily to get shoes on and grab backpacks. It doesn't always go so smoothly, there are many many times I am having to nag them to eat, to find shoes, to take their backpacks, sometimes to even put their homework into their bags... I try to be more organized but I fail at that quite often.

0748- We are late leaving the house, Joe couldn't find his shoes and we are a few minutes behind. I know it sounds so ridiculous, but even a few minutes can make all the difference. Just a few minutes here or there can mean we will be on time or we will be tardy. As it happened today, they were a little late. Oh well, TGIF.

0805- I am down to one kid now and she is falling fast asleep in her car seat. We drive down to K-Mart and it is a very pleasant drive. I have brought a to-go cup of coffee and my blue tooth so I can call my mom and dad. They will be celebrating their30th anniversary next week and Erick and I have planned a nice dinner out for them. I got to call and tell them the surprise! I love giving people good news or fun surprise gifts, or both!

0830- Once I am in K-Mart, I peruse the shoes. Not like they have amazing shoes, it is K-mart after all. But you never know if there will be a sale or something... Plus I kinda have this weakness for shoes. It's a good thing high heels aren't very practical for me to wear, or I'd certainly be lusting after some Jimmy Choos or Manolo Blahniks.

0845- My cell phone rings - it's the health room at school. Lily says her tummy hurts, so I tell the school nurse to let her sit out for 15 minutes and if she needs to, I will drive back and sign her out. Lily sometimes tries to get out of doing things by saying her tummy hurts, or her head hurts, or her elbow.... Mostly I think she is crying wolf, but you never know.I hurry and finish shopping in case I have to go get her.

0900- Cell rings again, Lily had some water and her tummy feels all better. She is heading back to class. I am heading back to the car and on to the next stop, Goodwill.

0915- My friend has a daughter who just turned 10. She still loves to play dress up ( I did too at that age) and her birthday party is this Sunday. Her mom asked me to find fancy dresses at the thrift store and tailor them to fit her daughter. I have done this before for Lily, so it is no problem. I actually love this idea for a little girl birthday party, and I will most likely do it again if Lily has any more girl birthday invitations. I take my time at Goodwill to find the perfect dresses to tailor. In the end I found a beautiful ball gown which was on sale for half off (it wound up being only $6.50!), two full skirted dresses and two teal tops to make the dresses more appropriate for a 10 year old.

1045- Leah and I return home to have lunch. I let the dog out, nuke a Lean Cuisine and make a salad. Leah has milk and a teething biscuit, followed by some squash. She is ready for another nap after lunch which is perfect for me since I have the dresser to assemble. I like putting furniture together so this part of my day was actually quite nice. I found a fun movie on TV (Death Becomes Her) and I get in to the assembly. By the time I was nearly done, it was time to get the kids from school.

1345- I was able to transfer the sleeping baby Leah from her crib into the stroller with only a tiny whimper of complaint and then she passed back out. The walk was nice, breezy and not too hot. Lily was going to a friends house after school and then to ballet practice where I'd meet her with her shoes and leotard. So the walk home was just Joe and I, plus the neighbors little girl.

1430- Joe and I worked together to finish the drawers for his dresser. Leah played with her toys and supervised our progress. Once the dresser was finished we had about 10 minutes to transfer his clothes into the dresser and then put his Lego's, Bionicle's, Mega Blocks and other assorted toys into the old Tupperware drawers. Then we bopped around the house looking for all the parts of his Cub Scout uniform.

1600- We arrived at the PX (Post Exchange, like a Wal-Mart) and Joseph found his den right away. They had to be courteous and polite when approaching people to buy the coupon books. Joseph ended up selling two of them! Not bad for a little boy who sometimes is shy around people! I was just starting to feel a sore throat forming so the Starbucks around the corner sounded awesome. I ducked inside, changed the baby and bought some strong coffee. Aaaahhh, an afternoon pick-me-up! I went back outside, talked with the other women for a bit and let Leah have some well deserved playtime on a blanket. Which she pulled up and started chewing on, while also getting her white socks super dirty. Since I had forgotten to put the stroller back into the car after the walk home from school, as well as I'd forgotten to put the baby sling in, I was down to carrying her on my hip, along with the diaper bag and my purse. So I ducked back into the PX for an umbrella stroller, new socks and a pair of scissors to cut the zip ties on the stroller.

1720- I have a blister on the back of my heel, right on the Achilles Tendon and my shoe is rubbing it raw. Since I have only minutes to get Lily her ballet clothes, I make a faster-than-the-speed-of-light stop at my house and throw a band aid at the blister.

1729- I make it in time to the dance studio with Lily's ballet clothes and the baby in her car seat sawing logs. She is an 18 pound baby and the car seat must weigh at least 10 pounds, maybe 15. Ugh. I herd Lily into the handicap stall in the bathroom and I help her on with her tights, leotard and ballet shoes. This is the first I've seen her since school was out, and I've missed her! I give her a kiss and send her into dance class. I leave the studio with her school clothes and her backpack as well as a balloon necklace and bracelet she made at her friends house. Oh yeah I am also carrying the baby in the car seat and my purse. I looked like a llama going on an expedition weighed down with too many packs.

1735- I arrive at the Commissary (grocery store) with one of Joseph's recipes from cooking class. He just started the class this past Wednesday and the first thing they made was S'mores. He came home with a packet of S'mores-themed recipes so I told him he could pick one recipe and make it at home. He chose the S'more muffins and I had to buy a couple things, mini marshmallows and graham crackers.

1750- I decided to wait at the self checkout, the quick line which is a 50/50 chance of actually being fast. You never know if it will pan out for you, or if you would be better off going in the regular short line. This time the odds were against me -- I was stuck behind a woman with over the 15 items plus she didn't know what she was doing. Very frustrating.

1800- In the car driving 100 yards over to the PX parking lot. Normally I'd just walk (obviously) but I was pressed for time and my heel is in no shape for walking that distance. Plus, Joe was starving and I had to stop at the Food Court to pick up Burger King for their dinner. So, no walking for us, though it irked me to have to drive that little bit.

1825- Back at ballet class and I was just in time to see her practice her routine for the recital. Joe stayed in the car with his feedbag on, wolfing down his double cheeseburger. Leah was thrilled to get out of the car, as she had been in the car seat or stroller for the better part of the day. I will let you imagine how happy she was to have only 5 minutes of freedom before I had to strap her back in. But I distracted her with a shiny toy and all was well.

1835- Home finally. The weekend can now begin. Except this weekend doesn't sound very relaxing, it too is filled with ballet dances, Cub Scout stuff and a birthday party. Plus laundry, dishes, vacuuming, mopping and general up keep.

I will take a day off next week. At least that is my plan....

2334-I have finished typing this blog. My nose is running on one side, the other side is clogged, go figure. My slight sore throat has now escalated nuisance-level sore throat. Hopefully some sleep will knock it back down. I'm gonna go eat a zinc lozenge and pass out.

Peace.

-B

"Why are there SO many buses, Mommy?"

Last night I was up sneezing and blowing my nose every 30 minutes. My baby daughter Leah was keeping me company, she slept next to me the whole time I was loudly honking into the Kleenex. Once I finally thought the allergies were taking a break (so I could get 45 minutes of sleep before the alarm went off), Leah decided she was awake and ready to give a rousing speech (in baby babble) about who knows what to my half asleep form in the bed. I lovingly dropped her off into her crib, with her lights and songs and a teether to play with. I guess that worked, because around 30-40 minutes later the alarm indeed went off and woke me from sleep. Joe and Lily were up, in the showers and Leah was still talking about something, when I realized I was going to have to have one of those days, a Benedryl Day. Those are days I feel half asleep until I drink a bunch of coffee and then I feel just fuzzy. It isn't all together horrible, but I don't usually get much done.

It was a rainy day anyhow. Grey skies with a cold, misty rain every now and then. It was the kind of day that tea and books are perfect for. With a fleecy blanket. So I did the morning drop off at school and then was back my warm house, a fresh pot of nice coffee waiting.

My husband told me to buy nice coffee. I am a frugal person by nature, so I had
been buying plain old Folgers, French Roast. Not that there is anything wrong
with that... But Erick explained to me that I need to have something to look
forward to. I sometimes stay up late at night to catch up on housework, and I
make some coffee for myself to stay awake. He thought I should have something
nice to drink, not the plain old normal stuff. And he was right! Thanks love!

So, the kids were at school, the baby and I were at home with fresh coffee, and outside it was lightly raining. Leah was sleepy and hunrgy so we spent a lovely 20 minutes snuggled and nursing. Once she passed out I did random things around the house, they must have not been important because I cannot remember right now. Anyhow, by 10:00-ish I realized I would have to make a trip out to Wal-Mart for Joe's birthday. He is having a pirate party and I am doing some really fun things for the kids. We have invited a lot of kids, so we'll see what happens (aaahhh!!). Leah and I both were feeling like crap. When she woke up, she looked the way I felt. Fuzzy and sneezy. Her eyes looked like they were itchy, I can tell she inherited the allergies from me. Joseph also has the allergies (sorry kids).

The shopping was great actually, Leah was in a happy mood even thought she was sneezing every 10 minutes and shooting snot down past her lips! Her nose must have been sore after all the wiping I had to do. But snot aside, she was all smiles! I found all the things I needed (and more) and the sun even peeked out for a bit. I was feeling a little better when I drove home through Schofield Barracks and I once again saw all the "Welcome Home Daddy" signs all over post. One of the big units here is done with their 15 month deployment. And this is the week they are all returning.

Now, I have been through deployments. This is my 3rd. The 2nd one was 15 months, so I know what it feels like to go through that separation, and how amazing it feels to have them come back home. I hear the women in the morning walking the kids to school, talking to each other with excitement in their voices. They are keeping themselves busy these last few days, helping to make the rooms nice for the single Soldiers, manically cleaning their houses, nail and hair appointments, hanging up all the welcome home signs, decorating the cars... And I have been part of all that, and I will be part of that in about 8 months. But I am not part of it now, and right now I miss my husband. I really am happy for the friends I have whose husbands are flying home now. I know they have been alone so long and how good it feels to be reunited. I know where they are, I know what that is like, but I cannot help feel a little blue when I see so many "Daddy is our Hero" or, "We missed you so much Daddy, Welcome Home!" signs. But I just try my best to ignore them.

I decided to walk to pick the kids up after school. I like to walk home, they talk about their day, they unwind a little, and it is nice to get the fresh air. Joseph was the first to ask about the signs. He wondered if his daddy would be home soon, "is that why the signs are up?" I've always explained it to Joe and Lily that the Soldiers have to take turns going to Iraq. And that is what I said to them again. Joe and Lily understand that, but I can tell they felt a little blue like I did. After we came home, it was time to pass out Joe's birthday party invitations. We walked through the neighborhood for most of them, but a few friends were too far and we had to drive. The last invitation to deliver was over on Wheeler Army Airfield (WAAF). Now, when the Soldiers return, that is where all the families can pick their Soldier up and take them home. So once I drove onto WAAF, I saw all the signs pointing to the Welcome Home Ceremony.

~Sigh~

I dropped the last invitation off but by the time I left her house, I managed to get stopped at a stop sign as ten giant buses full of the returning Soldiers came round the bend, headed to the Welcome Home Ceremony. The buses are come right from the airport where they have just landed. Lily lets out a sigh of impatience, "Mommy, why are there SO many buses?!" I'm frozen, do I tell her and Joe that those are all the daddies, or just hope she doesn't ask again and they don't figure it out? Because, honestly, I felt a little like crying a bit. My frame of mine might have been a little off, it may not have helped that earlier I delivered an invitation to a friend whose husband was going to be home that night (he was, in fact, with the group on the buses I saw). I went to her house first and I could feel the excitement in the air, almost taste it. And of course I remembered what it was like when I was on my way to pick Erick up.

By the time I made it to Lily's ballet class (again passing all the Welcome Home signs), I was determined to have a chilled out evening. I dropped her off at class and drove over to the Class Six (a.k.a. the liquor store) and bought some wine and some gin and Sprite. And that is what I am drinking now, the gin. Not much of course, (still nursing) but just a little "boo hoo I miss my man" pity party. I am going to get PJ's on, pour one last drink and read till I fall asleep.

I miss my guy. This isn't our first or second deployment, but somehow it has more rough patches than I thought it would. This week sucks a little, I guess it will be better once the big group is home and I can forget about it again. But to be reminded so heavily of the homecoming still so far away has left me feeling a little more than blue. Maybe I feel navy.

-B

What a fun-filled, kid orientated weekend I just had. Wheeewwwww!!!! Lily has dance class each Friday. We usually go home and have a late dinner and I let the kids stay up late since it is the weekend. But there is a "Family Fun Night" here on post at a arcade-kind of place called Tropics. There are quick junky foods available, (chili cheese fries, hot dogs, soda, beers...) and they also have a Starbucks there, so I am all set. I took the kids there, let them burn 5 bucks in quarters, we can play ping pong, air hockey, foosball, the old school 2 player Packman (where you sit on either side of a gaming table... remember? They were in all the pizza places in the 80's). Each time there is a family fun night, they have nonsense activities, like a banana relay race, or a donut-on-a-string eating contest. This time FORD was there holding a drawing for prizes and I won a hat for Joe. I got him one with flames, that is sure to please him. He loves all things with racing-style flames. That was Friday night, we all had fun and the best part of course was getting to sleep in the next day!

Saturday was the Cub-O-Napolis race at a local field. The kids had finished decorating their cars the night before and they were all pumped to race. The line up with all the kids cars was so cool, some kids really went all out with their designs! Lots of creativity on the field. When Joseph was up to race I had a friend watch Leah while Lily was going to help be part of the Pit Crew. In the end, another dad who was on his own ended up being my partner, I helped him with his son and he with mine. After the kids completed one lap of the race they had to "pull in to the pit" and have their tires (shoes) changed. We had to take the shoes off, the socks also and turn them inside out. Then we had to put those sweaty socks back onto the sweaty feet and tie the shoes again. Not as easy as it sounds!! The second lap they pull in for gas (water), which the pit crew gives them, the kids cannot use their hands. The third lap they have to have their windshield cleaned, so we had to take off their goggles and put them back on. Cub scouts doesn't really focus too much on the winner, everyone was just there for fun. The "winners" did get ribbons, and Joe wasn't one of those. He usually gets bent out of shape when something like that happens, but I was pleasantly surprised to see him just having fun. He might have won the race, but the dad helping me with the shoes had a really hard time getting his sock back on his foot, and then a hard time getting the his shoe back on his foot. Then, Joe was running so fast he lost two tires AND one of his rockets! He overheard someone say "Oh, you lost a tire" and he stopped to look. Then he bopped back and forth trying to figure if he should run back and get his tire, or keep running. Once he started back running, he was already behind in the race, but he just kept going. He had a great attitude and even now his favorite part of that day was when his stuff flew off his car!


Lily ran next in the "sibling" heat. She looked cute at can be, and also just ran to have fun. The siblings didn't have to do the shoe part, so it was just water and goggles. When I changed her goggles, I accidentally put them on wrong, so she ran the last lap of her race almost blind!! Lily isn't graceful AND she is seriously accident prone, so it was a sheer miracle she didn't trip and fall her way into the finish line!

So I went home after the box races to relax and chill out. The first thing I did was check my messages. I was surprised (and a little confused) to hear an urgent message from Kay Jewelers about our account, something to do with our rings. I called back right away and I provided my name, asking what was the matter. I was told I needed to come in right away since there was a problem with our rings. The woman I spoke to didn't have anymore info, (she said) just that it was important for me to drive in. I gathered the kids back into the car and drove all they way to the mall, with our warranty papers in my bag. I walked into the store and told them who I was, asked what was the matter... That is when the manager walked out with a HUGE flower arrangement, card attached and a little golden gift bag. She told me my husband wanted to give me an early Valentines Day gift! She said "Your husband is a really wonderful person!!", and I was thinking, 'Of COURSE he is!!!!!!' When I opened the present I found an opal and diamond bracelet. ~Sigh~ I've always admired bracelets like this one, so of course I loved it! But honestly, if it had just been the flowers and a card, I would have been just as happy! It was the thought, the surprise and the fact that he went to all that trouble for me that made it so special!! The gorgeous bracelet is just icing on the cake! I told Joseph and Lily to pay attention. For Joseph to learn how to be with women, how to be romantic and thoughtful. For Lily to find a man who will treat her the same way. It was so neat, the people in the store were all whispering "Oh wow, her husband just gave her flowers and jewelry all the way from Iraq!!" I felt really special! It was something I'll always remember.

~Sigh~ He's a keeper.

So I had to stop gushing about Erick, because my kids were getting bored! Lily asked my why I kept saying how great her daddy is. (Lily hasn't learned how to be tactful yet). Anyhow, that same night was another Parents Night Out, and it was Lily's turn. We went to Burger King for dinner since we had only a little time before our movie. Burger King has these new "Six-Pack" burgers, tiny little things perfect for sharing. They remind me of the sliders I grew up eating at White Castle. Short story, I was walking the kids home after school when Joe if I knew what sliders were. I said, "Do you mean the little burgers" and he said yeah. I said "Joe I grew up in Chicago and the midwest -- I certainly know what they are!!" That is when the woman in front of me started laughing and she turned around. She said "I miss White Castle too! Those little burgers are so greasy but delicous!!" We had a little moment, her and I, reminicing about sliders. Mmmmmmm, steamed bun, little onions, burger patty with holes for quick cooking....grease.....little ketchup, little mustard.....Ahhh. Crap, now I am thinking about food from Chicago like Superdawg hot dogs, Lou Malnati's deep dish pizza, and all the Italian Beef sandwiches, served wet (when you dunk the whole sandwich in the meat juice)...


-------------------please wait a sec, have to wipe my drool up off the floor----------------------



Ahhh, where was I? Yes, my night out with Lily. We finished our dinner, talked about girly stuff, and we walked to the theaters. We saw Coraline, the new Tim Burton movie. It was really good, it freaked her out in a few parts (after all it is Tim Burton), but she just hid behing my hand and all was okay. After the movie we had an ice cream and, since we still had a lot of time left, we decided to go home and watch anoter movie and cuddle with the dog. Between my warm little girl cuddling me and the dog snuggled in between, I wound up falling asleep, and Lily started to nod off as well. I somehow managed to wake us up in time get Joe and Leah before 11, which is when you are offically late and the daycare people start charging $1 a minute per kid.



In the morning (Sunday) I gathered everyone in the car and we drove down to Waikiki. I have wanted to hike up Diamond Head for a while, just because it is so famous. The kids were psyched to hike inside an ancient volcano, and Joe loved the old cannons and the tunnel. Lily brought a little spiral notebook and pencil so she could record the things she saw that day. Leah stayed awake the whole time it took to get to the top. She ate some pears for lunch up there, posed for a few pictures and then fell asleep on the way down. I have to give Joe and Lily some major credit for climbing these stairs without stopping: Honestly, I could have used a break but I was too proud to admit how much it kicking my butt! That is 99 stairs, and it is really steep! The view on top of Diamond Head really is spectactular and well worth the hike. It isn't a bad hike at all, just a lot of stairs, 282 all together.

And that was the weekend with the kids, the rest of Sunday we hung out at home, did homework and laundry. I am hoping for a slower weekend this next time, but it also helps to make the deployment go much faster.

And now that I've put all that into words, I am going to sign off.

G'nite!

-B

The tax man cometh...

... and he has brought gifts! I just finished doing our taxes (I use www.taxact.com) and I found myself pleasantly surprised with the refund this year. Always a pleasant way to start the new year, paying off credit cards.

~Insert pithy comment here~

I was going to try to find something humorous to say up there, but I am too tired. And it isn't really late either, I just am nodding off in the chair. Some random late night movie is on, and it is lulling me to sleep.

Baby Leah is sick now. An acquaintance had a sick little girl, didn't tell anyone yet she brought the sick child to a get together, alas Leah has a cold and cough. No worries, just a routine stuffy nose and cough. I've had to use the dreaded nasal aspirator every hour, followed with a lotion-y tissue. She is sporting a bright red little nose and a semi-permanent slick of snot on her top lip. All with a smile though. Even with her issues, she is still lively, happy and full of those great toothless smiles. She is snorting as I type, I can hear her through the monitor. I have a vaporizer near her crib, with the Vics Vapo stuff wafting in the steam. And she still is all clogged. Poor baby. Imagine her trying to nurse! She starts out nursing very actively and then has to take a break for air. So sad!

Good day over all here, Joe did well with his homework. No attitude with me, no drawing a blank with math... he just got to it, and finished his work. He had time to play with his toys, make a giant "sponsor" sticker for his Cub-o-napolis car, and even play Silly Pins (hallway bowling) with me and Lily before bed.

Cub-o-napolis is a Cub Scout event where they decorate a box to look like a car. They attach rope, or suspenders to keep the car up around their torso. Then they run a lap around the track. They have to pull in for pit stops; i.e. change tires (shoes), refuel (get a drink), wash the windshield (goggles). Of course no driver performs his own pit stops, he needs a pit crew (that's me). So awards are given for best car, fastest time, most organized pit crew... I can't wait, I think it will be really fun for all the kids. Lily is going to have a car as well. I think they are going to let the siblings participate also.

Lily is still doing ballet, now they are on the bar doing the usual ballet moves. I need to get a bunch of pictures of that. And pictures of Joe at Cub Scouts as well. Lily was getting a little bored with ballet, but I am going to make her finish what she committed to doing. The dance semester ends in April with a Disney-themed show, I will have her stick to it until then.
She has hinted at gymnastics, we will see about that. She is always throwing herself around anyway maybe she needs just a little direction. Who knows if she'll change her mind in between now and April. She is a six year old girl. She is also growing into that obnoxious phase (ugh), but I will still keep her! I love her in spite of her new odd ways!

And that concludes my entry tonight. I need sleep.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz