Big Events

There are times in my life when I can remember where I was and what I was doing.

• Beginning of the 1st Gulf War - eating dinner at church


• USS Cole bombing - driving to work in Maryland


• Sept 11, 2001 - nursing my 2 week old 1st child in Maryland


• Beginning of the war in Iraq - at home in North Carolina, we were the guardians for 3 kids whose mother was in that convoy out of Kuwait into Iraq.


• Saddam Hussein is captured - just moved in Florida


• Usama Bin Laden is confirmed dead - nursing my 10 week old 3rd child in California.

I know that there are many other significant events out there, but none that hit so close to this military family as these. Its amazing what has shaped our lives and the lives of our children.

I don't rejoice in the fact that there is a person who is dead. I rejoice that his rule over people is over. I hope that the people that were following his lead will see that there is a better life than the one they are leading.

Busy Fall

I have to say that I am ready for October to be over with. It has been a long, hard, busy month.
I'm 22 weeks pregnant and feel great, but I run out of steam by about 7:00 every night. Compund that with some yucky hours from hubby's work and I am give out.

We have had soccer

Cheerleading

Girl Scouts and the school Fall Festival.

They Really Do Love Each Other

She came home from a sleepover very tired.

And he just had to be in the same room with her.

My room to be exact.

It doesn't look like she minds to much (and she never got her nap).

Family Pictures

We had family pictures taken this weekend from a local military wife. They were some absolutely fun shots taken and I loved taking the time to do this with my family. In a few months we will have a new baby in our family and I just wanted a snapshot of what we look like right now. A year from now, photo taking will be a whole other experience.

This is us.

For now.

And I love it!

Summer Vacation

Swimming lessons

Visting Papaw's chickens

Getting to know a grumpy hen

Learning to drive

Sightseeing and looking for the Atlanta skyline

Looking Down the Road

I am so happy to be on the downhill slide of this duty station. We are looking for orders back to the east coast and as south as we can get. We have stuck our toes in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and we definitely know where we want to call home.

Our next duty station could be our last. We are weighing our options so that when we request our next stop it will be the right place.

We will need a school that will be willing and able to work with us in handling C's dyslexia.

We will want a place to raise our soccer loving son.

We will find a place that will be home for quite a while.

To Serve

Recently, the kids served each other lunch. They made a menu, fixed what the other ordered, and served lunch. They were so good about it. I was hoping that they would learn to appreciate each other and the work that others do for them.

Of course, they are just to cute.

I wish the great attitudes lasted all day.

My Military Kids - Notes from the Homefront

All kids are different. Their life experiences define who they are. I don't think you can make a kids life easy. There will always be hiccups, how you handle it will echo in how your kids handle it.

My military kids are extraordinary (aren't yours too). They show me time and time again just how resilient they are. So here is a happy list of things that I think define their lives. Some are good and some may not be in your opinion, but it is our life.

1. Practice counting skills by counting the tanks in a convoy.


2. Says "Hi Daddy" to all the helicopters that fly over.


3. My oldest is in her 4th school.


4. They hardly ever see the same Dr. We move and Dr's deploy.


5. They struggle with remembering to ask for Dad's help. They are not used to him being home.


6. My oldest has lived in 6 states, the youngest 4 states. They can tell you which states.


7. They have new friends at each duty station and can't remember very many from previous stations. I do see that improving as they get older.


8. They know what a commissary and exchange is.


9. They know that situations we don't like are temporary - uumm California.


10. We all stand for the National Anthem before watching a movie.


11. They know the words to the Navy and Marine Corps songs.


12. Seeing troops with guns does not surprise them.

There's more. Loads more. Today, I think my kids are amazing and that they are handling so much.

We Love Christmas

This year, since we moved so far away, I offered to do the shopping for the grandparents. We do not open any presents early. That glorious filled look will only last for a little while. I like to have a memory of it.

My sweet boy is developing a personality that is separate from the rest of us,

but a little bit of all of us.

Oh the drama, her heart is great big and she enjoys seeing joy in other people. She is also quick tempered and more emotional that I care for right now.

Naughty or Nice?

They are trying very hard to stay on the nice list!

Merry Christmas!

Two Sided Day

Veteran's day is my birthday, always has been and always will be. I can remember when the only thing I worried about on Nov 11th was my birthday. As I got older, I had a birthday, parade responsibilities and dinner with my family to think about. You see for 34 years, I have been a military dependent. I went from being the granddaughter, daughter, and niece of men in the military to being the wife of a man in uniform.

My hubby with our two great kids. We drove through San Antonio on our most recent PCS move.

My dad and stepmother with the my kids. They are 100% supportive of us and always try to visit us wherever we are living.

I know that it is late postingthis, but our Interent was all messed up. We got it fixed yesterday and I am just now sitting down long enough to think.

A New Adjustment

It has been so long since I have posted anything on this blog. Not only was my last post in August, but the last year has been less personal on the blog. So I had to make a decision on which way I wanted to look at my blog. Could it be a personal space that reflected my family or a space that was more beneficial for the reader or both?

Our military life has made our personal lives stressful for that last 6 months or so, but thankfully things have settled some. In my continued quest to find my spot in our new home, new neighborhood, new state, and new command, I heard God whispering to me "just make a home" and so that is what I have been working on.

My daughter C did go back to school and she is flourishing. She is eager to learn and is making friends and they act all kinds of girly goofy on a daily basis. Her teacher is fabulously organized and is teaching self responsibility. Our goal is to always do what is best for her in regards to school. If we ever feel the need to pull her out of school and homeschool again, there will be no hesitation.

My little boy, J, was very upset that he would be home alone with C gone and his best buddy across the street away at Kindergarten. So we found out about a Pre K program that is at the same school. I have been worried about him going and it has not been an easy transition, but he wanted to try and so we are letting that happen. He is fine during school, but being left there has been difficult, and he is very tired and grumpy at the end of the day. We have just completed our 2nd week and I want him to try for a while longer, but if it does not work then we will move on.

So with 2 in school nearly all day, I can volunteer at the school which I love. I love helping all children and these children are nearly all military kids and so I understand a little of what they are going through. J's class is lively and entertaining, my favorite part is where they read a story and then act out some of the scenes. Imagine 15 four and five years olds acting out scenes to books. To funny.

So I hope that you stick with us as we see where this road leads us. It has been an adjustment and we are hoping for good, positive results all around.

A Quick Update

We had a complete change of plans. Thank you Uncle Sam and US Navy. We moved a little bit further north, on base, and into a bigger house. Not much to complain about there. So between unpacking, spending time at the pool and beach, and getting all that lovely paper work done, there has not been much time for blogland.

This has been our summer. Yay for us! We have family coming during the month of July, so we will get well acquainted with the airport and enjoy parts of sunny California that we have yet to see.

Our school plans are changing a bit and it looks like I could have one homeschooler and one public schooler. We will see, I am not pushing the issue, but I am being pushed by some family member. So my hubby and I made the decision to not let their opinions influence our family. That has already helped with the stress of that decision. I will let you know where the good Lord leads us.

I did find a website that I love and will use with my 4(almost 5) year old this year. if you get a chance, go check out all the cuteness. The Crafty Crow. This links to the ABC section, but there is so much more.

An Idea For Dad's

This year, we are much farther from our Dad's than we have been in previous years. We can't send a card with a promise of a gift when we see them and we can't plan to see one or the other. This morning, I got an email from Amazon promoting gift cards for Father's day. Don't know why that did not dawn on me earlier, but there is still time.

You can click on this link to purchase a gift card for the Dads in your life.

Tomorrow we work on homemade cards so that they can get in the mail late tomorrow afternoon.

Have a great week.
Amanda

We are still here...

Where have the days gone? We are busy and stressed here, everything seems to be coming fast. Could someone turn off the fire hose, because we are drowning in the decision making going on.

For now, we are doing what we set out to do, keeping life for our kids as stable as possible. That is one of our main priorities in homeschooling our children. We may move a lot, but they do not have to constantly face a new classroom. Our school time has relaxed, and C is doing a happy dance over that.

Today both kids had to have a sports physical done in order to participate in MWR activities on base. The nurse practitioner asked, J (4 yrs old) if he liked school and he said "NO" very matter of factly. That kid! Good news is that J is more willing to write, color, and be read to and we can see improvements. He's a good kid and still loves to snuggle with his Mama, so we will keep him.

The Navy seems to be out of money and so they will not pay tuition assistance for R to take classes toward his degree since he is at a training command. That makes no sense, I know! If he were not at a training command he would not take classes because he would be deploying or getting ready to deploy. This just came about this week. What a bummer! You can guess it, another change of plans.

Until later, say a sweet prayer and enjoy the weekend.

What I Needed to Hear

I was reading my daily devotional from Elisabeth Elliot this morning and this little paragraph reached out and grabbed me.

"We read that our Heavenly Father actually looks for people who will worship him in spirit and in reality. Imagine! God is looking for worshippers. Will he always have to go to a church to find them, or might there be one here and there in an ordinary house, kneeling alone by a chair, simply adoring him?"

Elisabeth Elliot

What an amazing woman she is. Some days I feel like she is speaking straight to my heart.

The stress around here has risen with R's school. The test are multiple times per week covering multiple chapters each time. We knew it would be difficult, but it is difficult to see him struggle and not be able to help much.

Things in motion, stay in motion

Whew, who knew that things could change so fast. We are suddenly on a race and I am not sure where the end is.

My loving husband called on Tuesday to say that he had been accepted to a school that he wants to go to. That is wonderful news, because coming out of this school should be a nice bonus and a promotion.

So would you like to see my countdown.

• 6 weeks until I have to be at my Grandmother's 80th birthday


• 7 weeks until much needed yard sale.


• 8 weeks until packers are here


• 8 weeks + 3 days until final check out and hit the road for California

Can you even imagine? Amazingly I have not had a major panic attack, but it will come all in good timing. Our girl, C is super excited about everything but the car trip. She will be my bouncer. Someone to bounce ideas off of and help me scheme to make this trip fabulous.

Our plan is to stop and have a couple of days in San Antonio. The riverwalk area is one of my husband's favorites and he wants to show us around. Then we will book it to the California coastline. We have a few friends waiting on us there and fortunately they already know there way around. We bought a TomTom and I am working on figuring out how to use it.

Now, I need all of your help. I went to Target last night looking for car games and there were none to be had. So what are your ideas for keeping a 4 and 7 yr old entertained on a 3 day trip?

And if any of you have lived in the San Diego are please spill the beans. I want to know everything. Best (and worst) place to live, to eat, to shop, and to have fun. This is a whole new ball game for us and we need you.

So what now?

Christmas is all over. The tree is coming down today. The kids are spending a few days with the grandparents. So what now?

Life still moves on and we have to move with it. For many year, I have felt a big let down at the end of the holiday season and I am determined not to let that happen this year. We will move forward with the rest of the world. I think that it will help that the kids and I have a few days apart from each other. That never happens in this military family so we are blessed to be close enough that they can stay with their grandparents.

While they are gone I will:

• clean out their rooms
• organize garage
• take down Christmas decorations
• NOT watch toons
• eat what I want, when I want
• start planning a garage (you can do that in the south)
• play Wii without them HA!
• get ready for a few more months of homeschool

I miss my kids when they are away from me, but I am glad for a few days to recharge. Daddy is still working crazy hours so I have had lots of time to myself. So what would you do if faced with a few days to yourself and you did not have to leave the house?

Have a great week. Amanda

FYI

A pencil eraser will get colored pencils off a personalized lap tray putting me back in the running for Mommy of the Year.
Once last push of little brother as 7 yr old skips out of room with personalized lap tray takes her out of running for Forgiving Sister of the Year.
Our daily life is a constant give and take.

Homeschool Memoirs -All About You

Homeschool Blog Awards is hosting a weekly theme in their Homeschool Memoirs section. This weeks theme is All About You. The person behind the blog. The one that makes the house a home, writes lesson plans, and says "Stop that" at least 100 times a day.

This is our first year homeschooling and I am up to my neck in not knowing what I am doing. My husband and I feel that we are on the same page with God on this. So we are in homeschooling for the next few years with ever confidence that we are doing the right thing for our kids. We are headed to California next year for 13 months and so you can see that the only stable thing in our lives right now is home. We intend for our home to be a sanctuary through the craziness that will be our lives over the next few years. C, is difficult to teach because of the stubborn edge she has (I am sure that none of you know about that, right?) . J is a sponge and I am really starting to enjoy teaching him phonics. He already loves the computer at age 3, so in a few years he will know more than I do about it. I look forward to it all and can't wait to see what our next adventure is.

Some things about me (in no particular order).

• I love being a wife and mother. I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up because I could not think past being a wife and mother. That does my Bachelor's Degree a lot of good.
• I like the military life. I love moving and being a nomad. I can't leave my furniture in place for very long. My husband is deployed right now and it is driving him crazy that I will not tell him how I moved the furniture around and what the living room looks like now.
• I love to paint. My husband is very happy that we cannot paint walls. I would be hard to live with then. I would love to paint every wall in my house.
• My daughter and I love hot chocolate. Even in the summer.
• I hate bridges. Don't like to drive over them or under them.
• We want to live in the country with water access. We want a yard full of dogs and room to run,play, garden, and horses. Can't do that until we are out of the military, but I can dream

Visit other participants at the Homeschool Blog Awards site to learn about your favorite homeschool blogger.

PS. Check out my first ever GIVEAWAY here. Thanks