Seasons of Live

Yesterday was one of those changing of the seasons days for me. A lot has been going around here, and it has been hard not reflect on the changes that are happening in my life. It's amazing how little things will trigger moments where you reflect on life and how you really got to where you are. I haven't been going that in depth with my refections, but I have had a few bittersweet days.

It all started several months ago when one of Genevieve's best friends moved away. This girl's mom and I were friends too. It made me sad to see a friend go. When you live the lifestyle we do, leaving friends and having them leave is just another part of life. It isn't something we enjoy, but we expect it. I have also learned that in the military it doesn't have to be goodbye. People often run into others down the road. With the new advances in the web, Facebook, e-mail, and other things make it so easy to stay in contact.

Anyway that one move started our season of change. By the end of the summer I will have 5 or 6 friends move away. I'm usually pretty good with people moving away and moving away myself, but this time it seems different. It seems harder to loose so many of the friends I have made in just a few months. I will still have some friends here, but loosing some always is hard. I told my Mom a few weeks ago that I felt like I wouldn't really have any friends when the summer ends. She then reminded me that she has NEVER know me not to have friends. She reminded me about a wonderful trait I have to be able to walk into a room and make friends with just about anyone there. She is right, and life moves on. To my friends that are leaving, I will miss you. However, like I said before, it's not goodbye, it's see you later.

Yesterday also brought about a new season in motherhood. I have embraced the season of having a toddler and a preschooler in my midst really well. I know that my kids will grow up, and that doesn't really bother me. I am looking forward to the upcoming seasons in life with them. However, I realized yesterday just how fast they come.

Genevieve cannot start Kindergarten this year. She won't be 5 until the end of November. They recently changed the cut off date to earlier in the year. Even without the change she is no where near the dates to enter this year. I was telling a friend of mine that I think most parents think their kids are smart enough to go ahead and go, and I'm no exception. I believe that Genevieve is at a place now, where she'd have no problems in school next year. However, I have decided that I'd rather just leave things be, and have her one of the oldest in her class. With our life right now, she will have a lot to deal with as a kid. If we keep on our current path, she will encounter moves, times where Dad is away a lot or for long periods of time, and many other things. I would rather her be more mature than one of the younger in her class dealing with these things.

She has been in a Part Day Preschool class for over a year now. She loves Ms. Susan's class. She has had so much fun at school. However, with her growing and learning so much, she is now too advanced for the class. Because of this, we decided it might be best to look for something new for her. We found something we think will be right up her alley. We have enrolled her in German Kindergarten. I went to see the school last week, and it is amazing. She is going to have a blast! I'm so excited because I know she will now be challenged in a new setting. She will be able to pick up another language, and she will learn to interact with a whole new group of people. She will also switch to an all day program instead of just a few hours a day.

I just think how if we were not in Germany, she wouldn't get this shot at something so neat. She will be able to tell people now that she went to a German school. How many people can say that? I'm excited for her, and I hope that she will love it as much as I think she is going to. Watch out German school, here comes Genevieve!

Deals, Deals, and More Deals

So I know I posted a few weeks ago about all the soap I got paid to take out of the store (and I actually got some more this past week). I don't want to make a habit of only blogging about deals that I get, but I have got a few these past couple of weeks, and I just have to share.

I am big on saving money when we can. My husband and I have worked real hard to get out of debt, and now that we are there, I'm pretty intent on staying that way. When I can find a deal or something that is a great buy, then I will take advantage of that. I scan the clearance racks, look at fliers before shopping, and several other things. I'm not as hard core as some other people I know, but I tend to think of myself as a pretty smart shopper.

First deal happened last week. It was totally by accident though. I really can't take much credit. I have a friend who let me use a portable DVD player for my trip home last time. She told me I could use it anytime I wanted. When getting ready for my trip coming up, I mentioned to her about her DVD player. It was bound to happen, and it did, that we would be gone at the same time. I loved her DVD player. Most portable players I have used only last about an hour or two before you have to charge them again. This does me no good on our long flights. This DVD player has a 6 hour battery. When you add in take off, landing, meals, snacks, and naps, that is about how much time I need a DVD player for.

Anyway, I took off last week to look at the store to see how many were left. It is a 190 dollar DVD player (worth every penny if you are flying with my son), and I wanted to wait until the last second possible to spend that money for it. When I went in last week, there were only two left. I knew my luck, and if I didn't go ahead and get it, it would be gone when I needed it. So I went ahead and picked it up. When I got up to pay, it rang up for 67 bucks! When I asked about it, they let me know that it was the right price, and that I got a good deal. It's not a good deal, it's an AMAZING deal!

Yesterday the deals came too. I went to the store to look for another set of PJs for Samuel. Carter's makes these wonderful sets that come with a t-shirt, shorts, and pants. I love them because they can be used in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. I get a lot of use out of them. I had already got one set, and I wanted to pick up another. A friend of mine had told me they were having a sale on shoes, so I went over to that area too. That's when I hit the jackpot. I got both the kids new shoes yesterday. Original price was 40 bucks each pair. I got Genevieve's shoes for 9.50 and Samuel's shoes for 8.45. I think I might actually go back and get another pair for each of the kids in the next size up. It is so hard to find velcro shoes for Genevieve's shoe size. These are, and I am so glad.

With all the deals that I have been blessed with, I'm ready to share some blessings of my own. I have a lot of toys (about 4 bags worth) that I'm needing to get rid of. I think I'm just going to drop them off at the recycle center instead of trying to sale them. I love the idea that maybe by me giving toys away, they can bless someone else. I hope that whoever takes the toys enjoy them the way my kids have.

Wine or Not to Wine?

Tonight, I think it's wine. I have had a LONG day. We all woke up early this morning. It wasn't a bad wake up early. Usually when my husband is gone, I sleep really bad. I stay up really late, and I have to get up early with the kids. I seem to get in a cycle, and I can't get out of it. However, with our schedule during the week, I have been trying to go to bed earlier. I don't mind going to bed before others, but I would much rather go to bed at the same time than later than my husband. Since he has to be up so early (thus going to bed early), I have started doing the same. I worried that with last night being the first night of him gone, I'd be up late. Not so much. I actually went to bed at a decent time.

Anyway, the kids and I got up early, and we did "morning baths." The kids usually take baths before bed, but sometimes when alone, I like doing them in the morning. I don't usually have to fight them as much, and only having one set of hands, sometimes it is easier when we aren't fighting with bed time. While the kids were in the tub, I got a phone call. I totally forgot that there was a MOPS event today.

Today we were doing an easy cooking night. We were going to have our Rachel Ray moments and demoing an easy meal. We all brought meals we could show or something already made. We then got to have our moments and show our dish. We then got to sample the dishes and eat. There was childcare, and we just got to hang out with our MOPS friends. I love these events because it is always nice to just hang out with other moms. I had an easy recipe that is a pasta bake. I can put it in my crock pot, and it doesn't heat up my whole house. In the summer that is a HUGE plus.

We got home late from the event, and it was already past the kids bed time. Of course they were acting like it, so it was a long hour or so until they went to bed. We did PJs, medicine, brush teeth, and Blue's Clues. Both are now out, and fast asleep. So it was with the day I had, I have decided that a glass of wine is in order. So here I sit blogging and drinking my wine. I think I will also go to bed early again so maybe I won't have issues with sleep while my husband is gone.

Couch Potato

I hate to run. I mean I HATE to run. I more than hate to run. I can't run to save my life. I have never been good at it, and I don't think I ever will be. I struggled in high school, when I actually WAS in shape, to run a 10 min mile. I was never fast, and I never enjoyed it. However, some changes need to be made in my life. I am taking charge of my health, and exercise is part of that new life. I don't always like to go to the gym, and I don't really want to build muscle right now. I just want to loose some weight. So drastic times call for drastic measures. I started running.

HOLD THE PHONE! That's right! I started running. Well I call it running anyway. If you saw me out there today, you'd have laughed. For some reason today was the day I wanted to start. I wanted to go alone, and I wanted to actually start something and finish it.

I found a program called Couch to 5K. It pretty much is interval running. It requires you to run 3 days a week, and by the end of 9 weeks, you are suppose to be able to run 5K. Lucky for me, there was an App for my iPod. I downloaded that bad boy today, and there was no day like today to start running. I am turning over a new leaf, and I want to make this a goal. I want to complete this, and I want to be healthy again. It's more than time to get going on this.

There was no day like today to start. I had the App, and I made a play list on my iPod of all my upbeat music and fun stuff to run to. I synced it and got some running clothes on. Little did I know that it was raining outside. I probably would not have gone a couple of days ago due to the rain. However, today I went. I just put on a hoodie, and away I went. I felt really silly only running for a min and then walking. I am sure people were looking at me funny. However, like I recently heard, "You don't get out of shape in one day, and it will take you more than one day to get back into shape." So today was the first baby step into getting back in shape. It is long overdue.