I feel that today, like many days so far in this deployment, was a success. Of course, I've learned to set the bar lower, but still.
I've got a sitter coming in twice a week for 3 hours each time, to either help me out around the house, stay with the kids while I run errands or shop for food, or play with the little boys while the big kids and I do some uninterupted school work, or pretty much whatever I need her to do. So today, she hung out with the kids while I stopped by a neighbor's house to dig through her piles of clothes she was giving away (got a ton of pants, and a few shorts and shirts for Aaric, plus a nice microscope), and then I went to get my new Blackberry. I have no clue how to work half the stuff on there, but that's another story.
Knowing I wouldn't be back until near dinner time, I planned for us to go out. First time going to a real restaurant since Michael left. I went to Smokey Bones because kids eat free on Mondays. It went pretty well other than Gabriel refusing to eat or even sit anywhere other than my lap, the server being a bit to slow with the boxes and check, and the kids (understandably) getting wiggly (and "crawl under the benches-y" and "dance in the aisle-y") but whatever, we didn't get any glares from neighboring tables so I call it a success.
Then we stopped by Food Lion to grab the basics for breakfast and snacks for PWOC tomorrow. Real food shopping will have to wait a couple days. Gabriel refused to sit in the seat, he had to be in the main part of the cart. And then he refused to sit. And then he kept leaning over the side. And then he wanted to walk, which of course turned into him running way ahead and me having to abandon the cart and other kids to catch him and wrangle him into the seat and buckle. Luckily, I was heading for the register by then anyway.
So, as I'm loading stuff onto the belt, Xander hands me a pack of Bubble Yum and asks if I want that kind. I say "No thanks, I don't want that kind, put it back please!" and continue with my business. I pay, we head out the door, I'm feeling pretty decent that we made it out of there alive, and I drive home. [I'm aware that I just changed tenses in that paragraph, and it's bugging me, but I just can't bring myself to re-write it. Sorry.)
Xander headed straight for the recliner and hid behind it. Hiding is his trademark pooping MO, so I assumed that's what he was doing. "No, it's just, this is my fort." I told him it wasn't fort time, it was bed time, and continued with putting food away. Then I went to look for him. He was hiding behind a door. I pulled him out, prepared to guide him toward the bathroom, when i saw it.
the huge wad of blue in his mouth. I pulled him up and saw two more big wads on the floor, and one unopened piece. I still haven't found the outer wrapper.
This is the first time that one of my kids has actually made it home with stolen property. I reached in his pockets to make sure there was no more, and found a dollar. He could have paid for it! He had no clue that was there, and (rightly) guessed that I would have said no for tonight anyway. We talked about stealing, and I told him we'd be going back in tomorrow so he can apologize and pay. He still acted like it was no big deal. I said, "Xander, do you know that people can go to jail for stealing?" He replied, "Yeah. I habn't seed a jail before. I wanna see what it looks like!" Great.
Gabriel wanted a juice box. I'd just bought some tiny ones, so I gave him one. Xander went into the kitchen to get one off the counter, and I told him he couldn't have one, because he already had his treat, gum, and that was it for the night. He says, "Mom, juice is not the problem."
I sat him down, got him looking at me, and said, "no, you're right, baby. Juice is not the problem. Your heart is the problem. Disobedience is the problem." To which he rolled his eyes, laid back to the floor and said, "I'm too tiiii-rrrrred."
Around that time, Mikayla told me she was going to take a shower. Gabriel said happily, "bah?" (bath.) I very clearly said, "no, no bath right now." And he said, "yay! bah!" Uh, am I missing something here? So we went through it a few more times, each with him celebrating about his bath. He even went into the bathroom and took off his diaper and pants and got into the tub, and looked genuinely confused when I said no again. Kinda like when he asks to nurse, and I say no. We'll go a few rounds with it. "Neh?" "No, not now." And then, just as cheerfully and hopefully, "Neh?" "I just said no." And again, "neh?" It takes a while, but he'll eventually starting the whining. Or when he brought my camera to me yesterday, and I said, "oh thank you for my camera!" and he said, "no, MINE!" "No, Gabriel, it's my camera." "MINE!" Bright-eyed, and certain that he was right. Not arguing with me, just clearly proclaiming what he believed to be true. I have to admire his optimism.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Finding Joy In the Little Things
The innocent oblivious nature of a 4 year old:
Aaric had been holding it all in, but now, Daddy was on a big white bus that was about to leave the parking lot to go one direction, and we were in the van to go another direction. It hit him as we all discussed our plans for the afternoon. I suddenly realized he wasn't participating in the conversation anymore, and looked back to see that the reality of it all was hitting him. "I'll believe it when I see it," he'd said months ago when we first told him that yet again, Michael was scheduled to deploy. Now he saw it.
Xander piped up, "Aaric, remember what Daddy told us. 'Be good!' You have to be good, Aaric." I said, "Xander, he's fine, he's not being bad, he's just sad." And he says, "Aaric, there's nothing to be sad about!"
Totally oblivious. Sure, we'd told him his Daddy was leaving for a year, and he understood that this wasn't a happy thing for us, but he didn't expect anyone to actually BE sad!
We could take it personally that our child has no strong feelings about his dad leaving for a year (except I kinda suspect he has some strong feelings of "yes! It's 4 against 1, we can do anything this year!") but we don't. If he's totally unfazed by all this, then honestly, it makes my life easier.
The exploding language skills of an almost 2 year old:
Even as recently as last week, if you held a phone up to Gabriel's ear, he's smile and nod and wave, maybe laugh, but certainly not speak. He'd talk into his play phones, but never a real one.
Michael called from the air force base just before flying out, and I put all the kids on the line for him to say goodbye too one more time. Finally it was Gabriel's turn, and I gave him the phone so he could hear and maybe laugh a little. He grabbed the phone and said, "Hey Dada!" Then babbled something, and then, as I reached for the phone, "bye bye!" He talked to him again last night, when he called from Kuwait. The boy has good timing.
Aaric had been holding it all in, but now, Daddy was on a big white bus that was about to leave the parking lot to go one direction, and we were in the van to go another direction. It hit him as we all discussed our plans for the afternoon. I suddenly realized he wasn't participating in the conversation anymore, and looked back to see that the reality of it all was hitting him. "I'll believe it when I see it," he'd said months ago when we first told him that yet again, Michael was scheduled to deploy. Now he saw it.
Xander piped up, "Aaric, remember what Daddy told us. 'Be good!' You have to be good, Aaric." I said, "Xander, he's fine, he's not being bad, he's just sad." And he says, "Aaric, there's nothing to be sad about!"
Totally oblivious. Sure, we'd told him his Daddy was leaving for a year, and he understood that this wasn't a happy thing for us, but he didn't expect anyone to actually BE sad!
We could take it personally that our child has no strong feelings about his dad leaving for a year (except I kinda suspect he has some strong feelings of "yes! It's 4 against 1, we can do anything this year!") but we don't. If he's totally unfazed by all this, then honestly, it makes my life easier.
The exploding language skills of an almost 2 year old:
Even as recently as last week, if you held a phone up to Gabriel's ear, he's smile and nod and wave, maybe laugh, but certainly not speak. He'd talk into his play phones, but never a real one.
Michael called from the air force base just before flying out, and I put all the kids on the line for him to say goodbye too one more time. Finally it was Gabriel's turn, and I gave him the phone so he could hear and maybe laugh a little. He grabbed the phone and said, "Hey Dada!" Then babbled something, and then, as I reached for the phone, "bye bye!" He talked to him again last night, when he called from Kuwait. The boy has good timing.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Are we there yet?
Yeah, i may have to change the title of the blog, because now there's a show on TBS and the commercials are totally obnoxious with what seems like 10 minutes of all of them saying "are we there yet?" over and over and now I think of it when I see the blog header.
Coal in the Stocking
So, this week we're doing a light school week, so that we've got time to get stuff done and get ready to travel to GA, but not lose momentum on school work. We're doing math, spelling, and writing every day. They read at some point every day anyway, so I'm not scheduling it in.
They've both been struggling with writing. Not handwriting, but the process of getting thoughts from the brain to the paper, and in complete sentences. And of course they both struggle in different ways, making my life so much more exciting. So for the writing assignments, I'm going back to week one and having them re-do the assignments, or do the optional ones that we usually skip over. The optional assignment for week one was to do an acrostic for "Mother" and "Father." I read the example, and Mikayla says, "so, we're supposed to compliment you?" I said, "well, you're supposed to use adjectives to describe me, and yes, using nice words would be appreciated." Aaric says, "But Mom, this is school work. I'm supposed to be honest."
They've both been struggling with writing. Not handwriting, but the process of getting thoughts from the brain to the paper, and in complete sentences. And of course they both struggle in different ways, making my life so much more exciting. So for the writing assignments, I'm going back to week one and having them re-do the assignments, or do the optional ones that we usually skip over. The optional assignment for week one was to do an acrostic for "Mother" and "Father." I read the example, and Mikayla says, "so, we're supposed to compliment you?" I said, "well, you're supposed to use adjectives to describe me, and yes, using nice words would be appreciated." Aaric says, "But Mom, this is school work. I'm supposed to be honest."
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Exciting News
Xander was playing out back with a bunch of other 4-6 yr old boys. One boy told me excitedly, "I can't believe I'm out of school for FIVE days!"
"Five whole days!?" I said.
"yep! And I'm going to Great Wolf Lodge!"
"Oh wow!"
Xander wanted to join in and share his good news. "Yeah, well guess what? I pooped in the potty two times!"
"Five whole days!?" I said.
"yep! And I'm going to Great Wolf Lodge!"
"Oh wow!"
Xander wanted to join in and share his good news. "Yeah, well guess what? I pooped in the potty two times!"
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Lowering Expectations!
Yeah, so what happened was this:
Lowe's was doing a special deal on facebook. You watch their fb wall and they'd put up coupons for 90% off certain items throughout the weekend. It was to start at midnight on the 5th/the tail end of the 4th, of Nov. At first, it was a huge failure. The deal then was that they'd put up the coupon code and you had to be one of the first 100 to complete the checkout, to get the deal. Hoards of people swarmed the Lowe's site to get a mixer for $18.10, and the site crashed. It was mid Saturday before they were able to roll out their solution:
They'd post a link on fb, you'd click and if you were among the first to enter your email address in the box on that page, you'd be emailed a 90% off coupon for that particular item, to be used within 48 hours. If not, you got a 20% off coupon, but not all items had that offer available.
So, that's what happened to my daily blogging experiment. I spent almost all of my waking hours saturday, sunday, and monday, refreshing the Lowe's FB page so that I could catch the great deals.
I did get a mixer for $19.55, including tax. i didn't get any of the other offers, though. But when you spend that much time refreshing facebook, and you're all bleary-eyed, and have barely communicated with your family or the outside world for a few days, coming up with a blog post is a little out of reach. and then I needed to detox for a few days. I mean really, i was barely on facebook, didn't check my message board, barely checked email, for most of the last week. Now I feel like I'm leveling out again, though probably at a much healthier level of internet usage (less than before the lowesathon.)
I'm going to try to finish out the month. Maybe not daily, I mean, lets not get TOO optimistic here, but as often as I can.
Tonight I have a pre-deployment briefing to attend. Sometime this week, Michael has to have his big tough box packed up and ready to send on over. We're moving away from that intangible thing that we talk about and know is coming, to the actions that prove to us that it really is going to happen.
I continue to get the emails from the battalion that he's no longer a part of, so I know that they continue to lose soldiers. And I also get emails about "reintegration" and "don't put homecoming dates on facebook!" type stuff, and am both happy for them and frustrated that I'm on the opposite side of things right now.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get my house cleaned up so the sitter doesn't trip over the 14 pairs of shoes in the living room when she gets here in just 2.5 hours. I should probably prepare dinner, too. I hear kids like to eat.
Lowe's was doing a special deal on facebook. You watch their fb wall and they'd put up coupons for 90% off certain items throughout the weekend. It was to start at midnight on the 5th/the tail end of the 4th, of Nov. At first, it was a huge failure. The deal then was that they'd put up the coupon code and you had to be one of the first 100 to complete the checkout, to get the deal. Hoards of people swarmed the Lowe's site to get a mixer for $18.10, and the site crashed. It was mid Saturday before they were able to roll out their solution:
They'd post a link on fb, you'd click and if you were among the first to enter your email address in the box on that page, you'd be emailed a 90% off coupon for that particular item, to be used within 48 hours. If not, you got a 20% off coupon, but not all items had that offer available.
So, that's what happened to my daily blogging experiment. I spent almost all of my waking hours saturday, sunday, and monday, refreshing the Lowe's FB page so that I could catch the great deals.
I did get a mixer for $19.55, including tax. i didn't get any of the other offers, though. But when you spend that much time refreshing facebook, and you're all bleary-eyed, and have barely communicated with your family or the outside world for a few days, coming up with a blog post is a little out of reach. and then I needed to detox for a few days. I mean really, i was barely on facebook, didn't check my message board, barely checked email, for most of the last week. Now I feel like I'm leveling out again, though probably at a much healthier level of internet usage (less than before the lowesathon.)
I'm going to try to finish out the month. Maybe not daily, I mean, lets not get TOO optimistic here, but as often as I can.
Tonight I have a pre-deployment briefing to attend. Sometime this week, Michael has to have his big tough box packed up and ready to send on over. We're moving away from that intangible thing that we talk about and know is coming, to the actions that prove to us that it really is going to happen.
I continue to get the emails from the battalion that he's no longer a part of, so I know that they continue to lose soldiers. And I also get emails about "reintegration" and "don't put homecoming dates on facebook!" type stuff, and am both happy for them and frustrated that I'm on the opposite side of things right now.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get my house cleaned up so the sitter doesn't trip over the 14 pairs of shoes in the living room when she gets here in just 2.5 hours. I should probably prepare dinner, too. I hear kids like to eat.
Friday, November 05, 2010
Recipes!
These are very complicated gourmet dishes.
Ham and Cheese Stromboli:
Thaw Puff Pastry (directions say thaw on the counter for 40 minutes. Who has time for that!? Stick it in the microwave on low for a few minutes. Or, I did the chicken defrost setting for 4 minutes. worked fine) By the way, I only used 1/3 of the sheet for this.
Spread the pastry out and add a layer of ham, covering the whole thing.
Add a layer of shredded cheese of your choice. Italian blend is yummy.
Start at one end and roll it up.
Stick a pat of butter on top and bake it at 400 until it's brown on top and the cheese is all oozy.
Eat. Add marinara for dipping if you want. Either way, it's really good.
PB&J Strudel:
Get the other 1/3 of a sheet of pastry and spread it out.
Spread PB from end to end, but covering exactly isn't important because it'll ooze as it melts anyway.
Spread jam down the middle - it will also spread.
Roll it up, top with a pat of butter, bake at 400 until it's brown on top.
Eat.
Yum.
This is what happens when you watch Food Network and "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" is on, and they're all talking about filled foods - calzones, tamales, and stuff like that. And you start thinking about how good those all sound, and then remember you've got a puff pastry left in the freezer, from when you tried (and hated) the Puff Pastry around Brie recipe.
Ham and Cheese Stromboli:
Thaw Puff Pastry (directions say thaw on the counter for 40 minutes. Who has time for that!? Stick it in the microwave on low for a few minutes. Or, I did the chicken defrost setting for 4 minutes. worked fine) By the way, I only used 1/3 of the sheet for this.
Spread the pastry out and add a layer of ham, covering the whole thing.
Add a layer of shredded cheese of your choice. Italian blend is yummy.
Start at one end and roll it up.
Stick a pat of butter on top and bake it at 400 until it's brown on top and the cheese is all oozy.
Eat. Add marinara for dipping if you want. Either way, it's really good.
PB&J Strudel:
Get the other 1/3 of a sheet of pastry and spread it out.
Spread PB from end to end, but covering exactly isn't important because it'll ooze as it melts anyway.
Spread jam down the middle - it will also spread.
Roll it up, top with a pat of butter, bake at 400 until it's brown on top.
Eat.
Yum.
This is what happens when you watch Food Network and "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" is on, and they're all talking about filled foods - calzones, tamales, and stuff like that. And you start thinking about how good those all sound, and then remember you've got a puff pastry left in the freezer, from when you tried (and hated) the Puff Pastry around Brie recipe.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
At the risk of being accused of being a liberal...
Look, I don't talk politics, okay? I may chit chat with Larry about it sometimes, but that's only because he and I agree 95% of the time*. I try to talk about it with Michael, but even though we mostly agree, I tend to take it personally if he doesn't agree 100% and then I'm left trying to convince him; or else I'm in the mood to play devil's advocate just for the sake of a good debate. Either way, it never ends well, unless I'm talking to Larry, because we get each other when it comes to politics.
When it comes to the big issues, I often feel like I must not have paid nearly enough attention in school, because all I know is what makes sense to me, and going too in depth about all the pros and cons is very intimidating.
So with that said, let me now say upfront : I'm not saying that I know the answers to this issue, and I'm not saying that "socialized medicine" or "government run healthcare" is the answer. I'm not interested in debating this large complex issue as a whole. What I'm interested in saying is that I don't understand why so many people are so opposed to tax dollars paying for health care.
I believe that our health is more valuable than our education. I believe that our health is more important than a whole lot of other things that we pay taxes to cover. I think our health is more important than state parks, for example. I'm not seeing any public outcry about how awful it is that we pay taxes to ensure that every child receives an education. Why do we, as a nation, value education over health? We all believe that education is important. And we have the choice to use the public system, or to use public schools or home school. Most people have at least some amount of problems with our public school systems. Many are fed up with the corruptness of the system. But how many are saying, "the government has screwed this up so badly, and has no business being involved in this part of our lives!?" None that I've heard - even those of us who keep our kids at home value the public education system. Why is it that privatization of our school system is totally implausible, but the opposite is true when it comes to health care? We may not like the system, but we still believe that the education of our children is a basic right that needs to be extended, and that it's an investment worthy of our tax dollars.
Here is what I believe: Regardless of their parents' income, the health care of our children should be a basic right that is extended, and deemed worthy of our tax dollars. And because I believe that good health is important at all ages, I believe that should extend into adult hood.
Kids and pregnant women aren't the only ones who should be guaranteed access to medical care. Emergency medical attention shouldn't be the only type of health care that is automatically approved for all. A forty year old bachelor with a non-emergent health concern is no less deserving than a pregnant mother.
I don't know the answers. But I do think that the "we shouldn't have to fund their health care!" is a selfish attitude. We do fund "their" health care. They, being - the young, the pregnant, the old, the any age who shows up at the ER because they can't afford to just go to the doctor and they know that an ER can't turn them away. I think everyone is deserving of health care. I don't know how the system should be run, and I get that many are scared that the government will indeed totally screw it up. I'm not interested in helping work those details out, I'd probably only make matters worse. I just think that the welfare of my fellow man is a worthy investment. If someone needs help, and I'm capable of helping, I'd like to do so.
And by the way, I definitely am not a liberal, but I don't think that "liberal" is a bad word, either. I'd say I'm a conservative moderate, if there is such a thing.
Now, if you comment, keep it nice.
*This is not to imply anything about Larry's beliefs about health care reform or public education or taxes or anything else discussed in this blog!
***********************
Oh, and what prompted my thoughts on the health care crisis today?
The state of Georgia has only about half the amount of trauma centers that it needs, and the majority of them are clustered around Atlanta. Georgia voters don't want to pay an additional $10/year/vehicle to fund more trauma centers spread throughout the state. It's estimated that 700 lives a year could be saved with an adequate amount of TCs. A woman quoted in the AJC said of the southern half of the state, that we already fund their education, we shouldn't have to fund their health care too. That is the type of thing I'm responding to. Are lives in Atlanta somehow worth more than lives in south GA? Of course not. I find it very sad that the voters of my home state are okay with letting 700 people per year die, because they don't want to pay another $10/year. When you're the one who has a horrible car crash, say, on your way to Florida, you may wish that there was one closer, and not care whether that facility was funded by taxes or the private sector.
And of those existing trauma centers, only TWO are pediatric trauma centers. Egleston and Scottish Rite are both in Atlanta. It doesn't have to be that way. I was pleased to see a map of NC's TCs and find that while there are a few areas with less access, the centers are pretty evenly spread across the state.
When it comes to the big issues, I often feel like I must not have paid nearly enough attention in school, because all I know is what makes sense to me, and going too in depth about all the pros and cons is very intimidating.
So with that said, let me now say upfront : I'm not saying that I know the answers to this issue, and I'm not saying that "socialized medicine" or "government run healthcare" is the answer. I'm not interested in debating this large complex issue as a whole. What I'm interested in saying is that I don't understand why so many people are so opposed to tax dollars paying for health care.
I believe that our health is more valuable than our education. I believe that our health is more important than a whole lot of other things that we pay taxes to cover. I think our health is more important than state parks, for example. I'm not seeing any public outcry about how awful it is that we pay taxes to ensure that every child receives an education. Why do we, as a nation, value education over health? We all believe that education is important. And we have the choice to use the public system, or to use public schools or home school. Most people have at least some amount of problems with our public school systems. Many are fed up with the corruptness of the system. But how many are saying, "the government has screwed this up so badly, and has no business being involved in this part of our lives!?" None that I've heard - even those of us who keep our kids at home value the public education system. Why is it that privatization of our school system is totally implausible, but the opposite is true when it comes to health care? We may not like the system, but we still believe that the education of our children is a basic right that needs to be extended, and that it's an investment worthy of our tax dollars.
Here is what I believe: Regardless of their parents' income, the health care of our children should be a basic right that is extended, and deemed worthy of our tax dollars. And because I believe that good health is important at all ages, I believe that should extend into adult hood.
Kids and pregnant women aren't the only ones who should be guaranteed access to medical care. Emergency medical attention shouldn't be the only type of health care that is automatically approved for all. A forty year old bachelor with a non-emergent health concern is no less deserving than a pregnant mother.
I don't know the answers. But I do think that the "we shouldn't have to fund their health care!" is a selfish attitude. We do fund "their" health care. They, being - the young, the pregnant, the old, the any age who shows up at the ER because they can't afford to just go to the doctor and they know that an ER can't turn them away. I think everyone is deserving of health care. I don't know how the system should be run, and I get that many are scared that the government will indeed totally screw it up. I'm not interested in helping work those details out, I'd probably only make matters worse. I just think that the welfare of my fellow man is a worthy investment. If someone needs help, and I'm capable of helping, I'd like to do so.
And by the way, I definitely am not a liberal, but I don't think that "liberal" is a bad word, either. I'd say I'm a conservative moderate, if there is such a thing.
Now, if you comment, keep it nice.
*This is not to imply anything about Larry's beliefs about health care reform or public education or taxes or anything else discussed in this blog!
***********************
Oh, and what prompted my thoughts on the health care crisis today?
The state of Georgia has only about half the amount of trauma centers that it needs, and the majority of them are clustered around Atlanta. Georgia voters don't want to pay an additional $10/year/vehicle to fund more trauma centers spread throughout the state. It's estimated that 700 lives a year could be saved with an adequate amount of TCs. A woman quoted in the AJC said of the southern half of the state, that we already fund their education, we shouldn't have to fund their health care too. That is the type of thing I'm responding to. Are lives in Atlanta somehow worth more than lives in south GA? Of course not. I find it very sad that the voters of my home state are okay with letting 700 people per year die, because they don't want to pay another $10/year. When you're the one who has a horrible car crash, say, on your way to Florida, you may wish that there was one closer, and not care whether that facility was funded by taxes or the private sector.
And of those existing trauma centers, only TWO are pediatric trauma centers. Egleston and Scottish Rite are both in Atlanta. It doesn't have to be that way. I was pleased to see a map of NC's TCs and find that while there are a few areas with less access, the centers are pretty evenly spread across the state.
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