Memorial Day Trip: Part 1

This past weekend my family and I traveled to Oklahoma to visit with my mom's family.  We had special plans, as the family does every Memorial Day, to visit the grave sites of our family that has passed and decorate the graves.  My great uncle just happen to pass the day before we were coming to town, and due to the holiday they had to put his funeral together in quite a hurry for the following day.  So, we were able to attend that ceremony as well.

The the local cemetery where my mom's immediate family has plots/buried, they have a large ceremony every Memorial Day to honor those service members who are laid to rest there.  Each year, they raise flags that are donated to the cemetery on behalf of the family.  There are over 2,000 flags that fly for the holiday weekend.  This year we also raised my grandpa's flag for the first time.  There were 6 or 8 companies from local ROTC units present to assist families with their flag and the local Civil Air Patrol does a reenactment of the tomb of the unknown soldier for three days straight.  It is a great tribute to the military and their families.

On a cheerier note, The Boy loves coming to visit because it means there are lots of little kids he can play with.  They have had a grand time playing in the yard and in the toy room.  He's always so sad when its time for bed and they all go home, but, boy, does he sure sleep good!  And, of course, Sissy is in heaven because no one lets her down for more than a minute.

It has been a great weekend that would only be better if my love were home to share it with us. 

Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 1

Well, today was the first week anniversary of my Weight Watchers journey.  And, drum roll please.....

.......

....................

.................................................

I LOST 5.8 POUNDS!

Which is pretty close to the weight of my first born son.  So, to celebrate here is a picture of the cute little guy, weighing in at 5.7 lbs.

Edit Me: Week 2

Second week of the Edit Me challenge from My Reflection of Something and we are tasked with changing another already great photo.  This one was a little harder for me since I had so many ideas.  I wanted to do another older picture look but since I did that last week I wanted to change it up a bit.  it was hard to make a final decision but this is what I came up with. 

Here's the before picture:



And here is my edit after deciding from the 10 or so I worked on. 



Like I said, this week was harder since my original instinct was to go black and white or sepia, but I wanted to bring out the richness of color in the picture. 

So, here are the steps I used with Picnik:

1. Auto-fix

2. Applied Lomo-ish

3. Black Vignette

3. Cross-Process

I tried another few effects and wanted to put a quote on the picture but it seemed like a little too much when I was done; I'll share just because.  Hopefully as the weeks go on I'll get the time to try edits with Photoshop, till then, hope you enjoy!

Check out all the other great edits!!!



Military Monday Blog Hop: Week 25

I've really been trying to put myself out there to meet some new people in the blog world so this is my second time trying a link up.  I love reading about other military spouses and their daily lives, struggles, etc. so I thought this one would be perfect!

I'm Jenn, and I would say that I'm a pretty average Army wife.  I have two kids who I stay home with, with the exception of this current deployment.  Since I moved back home with family I'm able to work part-time.  It's not my dream job but it's easy work and the pay is good.  It's really ashame I won't be staying here in the area because I could really get a full-time position but I'll be content with what I have. 

I love finding things to do with my little ones and am looking forward to summer vacations and r&r with my hubby.  Other than that, I lead a rather boring life.  But, I look forward to meeting some great new friends!

Edit Me Challenge! Week 1

This is my first time doing a link-up and I just love this idea.  Basically, we're given the original photo and we get to edit it as we see fit!  So, here is the before:

And after a little tweeking from picnik.com (Confession: I have Photoshop that I received for Christmas and have no idea how to use it!  haha) here is my edited photo!  Enjoy!

This picture reminds me of the movie South Pacific.  I thought it looked best aged and with a little more contrast than the original.  I first set the temperature to the max then played with the Film Grain effect, I boosted that to almost 70.  Then, a little brown and black vignette and viola! 

There are some other great edits to check out as well!

Sharing a Story

I'm pretty new to the whole blogging thing but I have really been enjoying reading posts from other military spouses.  I follow a few other wives personal pages and today, when I was catching up on my reading, I noticed a wife who had posted a few more times since my last reading.  Her last post was about her husband's infidelity.  While she didn't go into details about the catastrophic event I am in awe of the courage it must have taken her to write about her real-life personal experiences.

Why am I telling you all this? Because some of you are going through something similar, or worse, some of you have yet to go through this. I thought I was safe too. I thought I would never get divorced or my husband would NEVER be unfaithful. I am sorry for anyone who feels pain like this...and I can't do anything to protect you from your life, like no one could protect me. But what I can do is share my insight while it's fresh, so that you don't feel alone.  -The Glamourous Life of an Army Wife

I have been cheated on in several of my relationships and I can really relate to her thoughts, feelings and emotions.  No relationship is perfect and everyone makes mistakes in their own way.  I love what she has to share about her struggles with this military lifestyle.  I encourage you to check out her blog and follow her on her journey.

One Day at a Time

Well, I survived Day 1 on WW.  It wasn't too bad, although there was a moment at work when I had to break down and eat a granola bar because I left my fruit at home.  It was only 3 points so I was able to fit it in my budget no problem.  I had used 15 points before I came home for dinner so I used my remaining 20 points to eat Dad's Beef and Noodles.  I don't really know the total points that meal was worth but I doubled up on my serving of vegetables and I ate half of what I would normal eat of the beef and noodles.  So, I would call that a successful first day.  I also saw my Dr. today and he wants to test my thyroid and see if I'm having any problems with that.  He said that could be the cause of my tiredness all the time and mild depression. 

He did give me something for depression, Zoloft, but I'm hesitant to take it.  Most of it is stubbornness.  Almost everyone in my family is on some kind of anti-depressant medication but I've been able to really manage and work through whatever signs of depression I might have had thus far.  I don't know what it is that I just can't seem to get past.  Maybe its the stress of having two children, trying to work, plan my educational path, live with my parents again, have a husband deployed, a weight gain of over 50 lbs since my wedding day, or most likely a combination of everything.  I am willing to admit I need some help, pills, therapy, whatever works because I am done feeling like I can't accomplish anything.  I have to find the old me.  I'm in here somewhere.

And, on a random side note.  I am now blonde again.  Bye, bye red and hello blonde.  I lost the charger for my camera otherwise I'd post a pic.  I'll work on that....

My Journey Begins...

I officially started a new weight loss journey tonight.  I signed up for weight watchers.  I'm feeling optimistic that I can actually see results in a timely fashion with this program.  It was highly recommended by my doctor and a good friend of mine started last week and has already lost almost 8 lbs.  I have tried almost every diet under the sun so I'm praying this one will work with my schedule and make me a healthier eater for not only myself but my family as well. 

Tomorrow I also have an appointment to see why I have been feeling so tired and worn-out lately.  I'm hoping they can give me something so I regain my motivation and desire to actually be productive day in and day out.  And, lets hope I'm not the 1% of women using Mirena that it fails and I will have myself an emergency leave baby like my pre-deployment boy and post-deployment girl.  Hahaha

Sleep Fairy, Where Are You?!

Caution: this post contains talk of bodily functions of a two-year old.  Consider yourself warned.

I think every deployment should come with a sleeping fairy.  It never fails that I can never sleep, despite how tired I am, once the kids go to sleep.  Tonight is no exception.

I was doing so well, I got The Boy in the bath early, Sissy and I even joined him.  Then, as he was brushing his teeth he found it funny to put the brush waaay back on his tongue.  Bad idea.  He throws up at the drop of a hat on a regular basis and it didn't take much to get him started.  He was more worried about his towel being dirty than anything else.  Once he was cleaned up (again) he was good to go.  He sat on the couch with his "bottle" (it's really just milk in a cup, but that's what he still calls it) and Sissy was playing with hers when he started burping.  He thought that was soo funny till he threw up all his milk.  And then, for good measure, threw up the rest of his food as Grandma and I carried him into the bathroom.  My poor boy. 

After another clean-up and tooth brushing he was back to normal and no wanting to sleep.  And then Sissy didn't want to sleep.  So we found ourselves in my bed watching TV and tickling each other.  It's such a warming feeling to see the baby laughing and cooing at her big brother.  And the smile on his face when he's playing with her melts my heart.  As much as I really need sleep and enjoy the quiet after the storm it's hard for me to pass up moments like these.  These are the moments, sans puke, that make being a mother totally worth every sacrifice of down time and sleep.  My only wish is that The Hubby could be here to savor the moment with me.  I am one day closer and nothing stops time from ticking.

Runaway Toddler!

I didn't get to post this the other day because Blogger was doing system maintenance but I still wanted to share my experience. 

It was Thursday, The Boy and I both have to get up early on these days since we have school and work.  I, not having any luck sleeping the past month, kept hitting snooze.  He came in to tell me he had school so I got up, got in the shower and got dressed.  Now, during this time, like any other morning, Dad is usually watching him and they watch cartoons, go outside, find unhealthy snacks to eat when I'm not looking - the usual grandfather/grandchild stuff.  When I was ready to go I went in the kitchen to ask where he was.  Dad replied that he was watching cartoons in the living room.  I went back and checked - no kid.  The front door was open so I went out to see if he was on the porch - no kid.  I started to panic.  I called his name from the front porch and told dad to check the backyard.  I went further out from the house calling and calling.  Finally, I heard him off in the distance "Momma, Momma."  He was across the street in the neighbors backyard.  I was so relieved to see him and so livid that my dad never noticed he went out the front door. It turns out he had let Jake, the dog, out the front door and was going to get him.  Jake usually runs all over the next neighborhood over and in the woods when he gets out so I'm so luck I caught him before he had time to venture too far away.  And now, the door remains closed and dead bolted at all times.  Kids!

My Mother's Day Blessings

Today was Mother's Day.  Not only am I blessed to have a wonderful Mother who has been a great role model and shown me how to be loving, caring, compassionate and giving but I have two wonderful children who look up to me to do the same.

I am thankful today, as everyday, to have such blessings in my life.  I know being a mother would not be possible if not for my wonderful husband who helped me create our little miracles.  He is truly my better half, my rock when I need strength and my sounding board when I've had a bad day.  I am so lucky that he puts up with me and my deployment mood swings and reassures me everyday that I am doing a great job as mommy and wife. 

I was able to sleep in till 9am this morning, but staying up till 1:30 the night before doesn't really give you the rest sleeping in is supposed to provide, but it was great none-the-less.  Once we were all up and dressed we grabbed brunch at the Golden Corral.  They were super busy but we were able to get a table right away and were lucky enough to get samples of both breakfast and lunch menus.  I'm usually not a fan of buffets but the food was fresh and delicious.  I guess it pays to go when it's busy so everything is replenished in a timely manner.  After brunch we bought groceries, chatted with Luis on web cam and lounged around the house.  Dad wasn't feeling well come dinner time, so Mom and I took the kids to a new Mexican restaurant in town.  The food was the best Mexican food I've had since I left Texas!  I was quite pleased.  They even gave us complementary chocolate covered strawberries for the holiday.  We spent the rest of the evening playing in the backyard and feeding the fish in the pond.  Poor Gabe missed his nap today so he went right to sleep when I laid him in bed.  Once can only hope that means he sleeps in tomorrow, but I doubt it, in which case I'll be up at 6:30am bright and early. 

It's Tough Being a "Single" Parent

I'm sure any fellow milspouse who has ever moved in with family while their husband is deployed can relate the the stress I sometimes find myself in.  Don't get me wrong, my parents are wonderful.  They watch the kids for me anytime I ask so that I can go to work, run errands, or see friends.  They help me pay for our essentials like food, diapers, etc. I am very fortunate that I have such a wonderful support system.

Despite all the bells and whistles that come with moving back in with my parents come the negatives.  For instance, my Dad does not understand or accept, depending on how you look at it, that he can't be the grandparent all the time when his grandchildren live with him.  There has to be a line.  I am forever telling The Boy he can't do or have something because with the grandparents he always can.  Now Mom is a little better at this than Dad, so I'll give her some credit there.

Tonight I just become overwhelmed by it all.  My dad gets so mad when I put The Boy in time-out for telling me "No" or refusing to eat his dinner because one of them mentions the word 'ice cream' as a snack for later.  I am the only parent, despite all the assistance, I am the one who has to be the enforcer -- all the time.  It stinks.  Dad told me today he didn't understand why I wouldn't give him a cookie when he asked.  I told him, in probably not the best way, that he didn't need a cookie, he hadn't eaten anything to speak of besides popcorn and whatever snacks he found while I was at work.  He had slept through lunch and it was apparent that we weren't fixing dinner due to our late lunch.  He just didn't need a cookie and I said "No."  Needless to say that conversation didn't end well, but I am his mother for cryin' out loud.  End vent.

Luis tells me all the time that I am too hard on them and they are trying to help, blah, blah, blah.  I just keep telling myself I'm not the only one who has been down this road, and this too shall pass.


On a random side note: Luis started a blog as well.  He did pretty good for his first one so please take a moment and check him out at A Soldier's Quest. 

Our Texas Trip: Completed

Whew! Traveling for  a week with two kids is a handful.  We had a great time and made some wonderful memories with family and friends so it was worth every stress.  We spent the night in Little Rock and had a good time at the pool with the kids.  They even played nice in the hotel room together.

Once we made it to Houston we decided we had enough time to take a drive down to Galveston to see the ocean. Gabe loved the ocean so much in Florida I figured it'd be a big hit. Negative. It was windy, overcast and the beach was covered in washed up plants. He wasn't even interested in looking for shells. He was ready to get back in the car that he had been sitting in for two days straight almost.

The next day we headed to Austin to visit with some friends there before heading home.  I wish I would have had more time to visit with everyone I wanted too but Gabe had gotten sick the night before and little did I know, would be even sicker the next night - throwing up all over me at our hotel room.

After our stay in Austin, we headed to Grandma's in Tulsa, OK.  Gabe always has a good time playing with his cousins. 

We were all ready to be home and back to our regular schedule.  Although, as I think about it, we never really have a regular schedule.  We're always doing something -- and that's just the way I like it!