Lazy Days

August 27, 2012


I was planning on writing everyday when I started this journey, but like a lot of things in life, it just didn't happen. I'm kind of sad that it only took a couple days for this to happen instead of weeks or months. However, having two young children at home and a slew of activities makes for long days. I'd like to say I have a good excuse, but I'm fresh out of creative ideas. Mainly it boils down to me being lazy.

Friday didn't hold much promise for anything. In the middle of the night, there was a huge thunderstorm that just wouldn't quit. It made for great sleeping weather, but it appealed to my lazy side.

Samuel was in hourly care all day on Friday. After the whole week of running back and forth to get him to school, I needed a break from all the driving. I took him in the morning and didn't pick him up until after I got Genevieve. I spent the morning cleaning like crazy and the afternoon watching TV with my feet up. It was great.

Saturday brought more rain and a day on the sofa reading books. We took a time out for an indoor BBQ, but other than that I read, read, and read some more. It was nice to be able to take the time to just veg out.

As you can see, I haven't been living up to the crazy hectic life I think I usually have. However, if you can't take a break form time to time, what can you do? It was a nice break while it lasted.

Today was back to the grindstone. I was back to the old take the kids to school, hurry up and get stuff done, and drive, drive drive. As the days slip by, things should hopefully slow down to the nice school time pace.

There is a Season

Before I start today, I want everyone to know that while I may complain from time to time, I am actually very content with my life. I hate being in one place for too long. When my husband and I were first married, we moved yearly. We just liked the change of scenery and the ability to do something new.

Life in the Army suits me well this way. The longest we have ever been in one place has been three years. That was our stay in Germany. We not only stayed there for that length of time, we also stayed in the same apartment all three years. That was huge for me. I passed the time with rearranging furniture, buying new pieces, and more rearranging. It kept me happy.

What seems so sad to me right now is how I'm already looking to the future. I am already thinking about our next move. While I am so glad we got the station we wanted, I can't help thinking about where we might go next. It seems my brain is wired to think so differently than most. I guess that is nothing new though.

I guess where I am going with this is simply this. I am going to try and challenge myself to live now, and thankful for all that I have been given. I need to be still and just enjoy the things here that I love. I need to remember that no matter where I end up, it's not by my doing. There is a reason, and I need to remember that more.

So my challenge to all of us is to find your purpose for right now. You have one. There is a reason I'm a stay at home mom. There is a reason I am struggling with making real connections. There is a season for everything and everything has its time and place. Be still and see what you can hear what your purpose for this season of life is.

Umm Yeah

So I have sat down and tried to blog three times recently. To write in my blog. Each one having something great in it, of course. However, they must don't get finished and posted. So, today I'm finishing a blog post. I know all of you out there miss me, so I'm back.

I guess I'll start off with a joke? What do you call a person who has been stuck with ten needles? A pin cushion? I my case, you call her one happy camper. This past week I went to the specialist for a nerve block shot. Little did I know it also included injections on my shoulders and down my back.

All that said, the result was amazing. I haven't been pain free for years. Finally I have manageable pain again. I think with a few more treatments it will even get better. I told a friend of mine that I was in so much pain and didn't even know it. When it builds over time, you don't notice just how bad it is. In that first absence of pain, I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from my head and shoulders.

I think the shots, and maybe my new meds are doing the trick. We will see in time how things work out. For now I'm just happy with this little bit of time I have.

The Pharmacy Blows!

You'd think the painful part of my day would be rehashing my entire medical history to yet another neurologist. If you have ever been to one, you probably have the same experience as I have had. You go in and spill the beans about everything you have tried, done, etc. My issues go back to 1998, so that is a lot of history. However, that part of my day wasn't the worst part. The hour drive there and hour back wasn't either. The thing that was just the turd in the punch bowl was my wait at the PX Pharmacy waiting to get my meds. Oi! I have now been here over an hour, and I'm still waiting for my number to be called the second time. The first time they called me I had to give them my prescriptions. Then came the bad news. I was to take a new number for pick up. I started out with my first at 101 and I was 118. Now I'm 196 and they are only on 186. This makes me miss my tiny little pharmacy up on the hill that makes you call in the prescriptions.

Greatness or Craziness?

I have been watching a show on Hulu (the only source of TV we have) where famous people go about tracking down people from their past. They trace either just one person or try and go back as far as they can. There are alway interesting stories about these people and where their roots are. This got me thinking, where does our family come from. I did a quick google search, and wouldn't you know there's an app for that. :p I swear there is an app for everything. Anyway, I started with the basics. I knew my parents, my hubby's parents, and most grandparents. I know my aunts and uncles, and so I simply just started to fill in the blanks. I didn't get too far, but I did find a public record showing my mom's birth, and a few social security death notices. When my hubby came in from work I started telling him that I had found this app, and I had gotten a few people put in. He then said, "you have to be careful digging up the past. You will either dig up something cool or a bunch of crap." So here is to my family tree. I know we are all a little on the nutty side, but it would be amazing to see if we are related to anyone "cool."

PTA (Potty Training Anonymous)

It's the little things in life right? Well today I celebrated one of those little things. To really grasp how this little thing isn't so little, we need to go back four years. Let me take you on the journey. Four years ago my son was born. He made his first cell phone call within an hour of his birth. You see my in-laws were at our home an hour away keeping a watch out over our oldest. He was screaming (as most newborns do as they are brought into the world), and my hubby had called his parents to let them know they had a grandson. From the second I laid eyes on him, I knew he was going to be stubborn. You see we didn't know if we were going to have a girl or boy. As my OB put it, we were one of the rare couples that wanted to have the full surprise. We had many ultrasounds due to not getting goods pictures of his heart (that should have been the first clue), and the fact that I was measuring so far ahead. I was always 6 weeks ahead measurement wise. While my doctor and I did not agree on the due date, she knew that I was just really big. My hubby was a recruiter at the time and never got to go with me to anything. I was that woman who brought her infant almost toddler with her to all the appointments. Genevieve was amazing though and kept busy. She was never in the way and was alway good. It just so happened that on the day of the scan (the one where they can tell you the sex) my hubby was able to come. As we were looking at the pictures of our baby, my hubby let me know he thought we were having a boy and pointed out the evidence. I then had to tell him the evidence was actually the baby's nose. My hubby was right though, and we had a baby boy come the end of December. We had picked out names for both a boy and girl. We weren't totally sure on the girl's name and had many conversations about it even up to a day or two before. I just knew that if we had a boy, we would call him Ayden. I loved the name. I was excited when they handed me my not so little baby, and told me he was in fact a boy. The doctor then looked at me and asked me what his name was. As I looked at his face, I just knew I didn't hold an Ayden in my arms. I had to tell her I wasn't sure on the name. She asked my choices and then said that both were really good names. It took me about 10 mins, but I knew that my little Samuel was going to give me heck as much as he could. As a baby, he was calm and mellow. I typed something up in his first year describing him as my mellow child. He was a great sleeper, and he was just so calm. He'd nap while his sister was at school allowing me to nap, and just was a loving little guy. Something shifted in that first year, and the guy I've come to know and love emerged. He has just always wanted to do things his own way and in his own time. He walked and talked much later than normal. His therapist said it was normal for little boys to lag because of the lack of wanting to develop skill sets at the same time. When he did decide to walk, talk, etc, it was really quick. He is smart as a whip, and he picked things up quickly. We didn't even use the therapist for the whole year because he was soon not only developing, he was advanced. This brings me around to the whole point. I have tried to potty train my son for over a year off and on. He would do fine sitting for a few days and then throw a fit the next. As you can imagine, it was very frustrating. I had Genevieve potty trained fully (no accidents on a regular basis) in 3 months. This was a lot harder the second time around. Well, I think my stubborn son might have decided it's time to be a big kid now. He is now at 4 days accident free. I feel like someone who is at an AA meeting or something. "Hello, my name is Emily. I'm Samuel's mom. He is 4 days clean." We have fought at times about doing yuckies, and we have even made up a song to help. He even wore undies to church today. It was a big step to trust he'd be okay, but you have to start sometime. After he gets off the potty and does said yuckies and the song is sung, he immediately asks for my phone. He wants to call his Gammy to let her know that he was a big kid. The conversation lasts for all of 10 seconds, but he likes to let her know. Sometimes he then asks for Pappy and Grandma and Grandpa via phone. They are all great and make a huge deal out of it for him. He gets excited telling them that he was a big boy. Needless to say, I think he might have made up his mind. I hope so anyway. It's the little things like phone calls to grandparents that can make all the difference in the world. Let's just hope this means it is for real this time. I mean the kid did tell me he was going to get married in diapers after all.

So today is a product review. I do this from time to time when I find something I really like or enjoy. Today's topic, my Kindle. My best friend got a new Kindle Fire for Christmas. She was awesome enough to sell me her's at a great price considering it came with the purple cover you see and the skin. Since it was a good deal I was going to buy it even though I don't really read. I knew my hubby could use it (if we found a new cover) to read on overnight duty or while he was away. Needless to say, he won't be getting it at all. I have had it maybe a month now. I have read 8 books and almost through my 9th. It is so much easier to read a book on the Kindle than in book form. I love the special ink that makes it look like a real book page. I have tried to read on my iPad, but because of the backlight, it eventually gets hard to read. I also find that due to how portable it is, I will take it more with me. Depending on what book you want to read, you could be in for a hefty load. I know some of the last books I read were 400 to 700 pages. That can make for a heavy addition. The Kindle is a lot smaller and weighs next to nothing. I won't go on and on why this has been a great addition to my electronic collection, but it is! If you are on the fence about getting one, you should take the plunge. I even have a blog I check to get titles of books that are free on amazon. I have a good amount of books to read after I finish the book I'm on. So run to the nearest store and pick yours up! I don't think you'll be sorry you did. :)

Location:I <3 My Kindle!

Red Van or Blue Van?

Have you ever wondered if you made the right choice? I'm sure most of us have at some time or another. It can be something as small as what you ordered for dinner or something bigger like did I pick the right car. I think at some point in all our lives we are faced with the question am I or did I do the right thing. I'm having one of those moments. I can't and won't go into much detail (I know, what's the point in blogging then). The matter at hand is not important. It is the lessons or insight you gain. You wonder if you should have picked the blue van instead of the red. You wonder if what you decided to do is worth being on that path. I was visiting with my sister today on the phone, and she was sharing about some things she is going through. As I gave her the most awesome big sister advice I could, I realized I needed to take my own advice. Funny how that works. I kept telling her that everything would happen in the right time, and even though we don't always like it, we just have to rest assured that what needs to happen will. I do believe that you have to make certain things happen. I know you can't just sit back and everything will happen. There is work involved. However, I believe that we are put in certain situations for reasons. I haven't always had a simple, easy life. I have had my fair share of shear crap that has entered my life. However, I honestly believe that through all good can be made. Anyway, as I'm taking a mental note of the year to come, I realize I'm in for one heck of a year and next year as well. It is going to be hard. I am dreading the year to come. I'm in a place I really wanted to be, but I'm not enjoying it like I thought. I'm still keeping an open mind, but it's hard. I fear the trials will be great, and I'm not sure I'm ready. I know all the things that are said like, "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I hate that phrase. Also one of my favorites my hubby uses is, "pain is weakness leaving the body." We have the army to thank for that one. I look back at my entire life, and while I know there were places and situations I didn't like or understand, there was some reason that I was there or something good actually came from it. Even horrible things that have happened have somehow been used for a greater good. It is with that in mind that I give up this whole year (and next) to just be open. I'm not sure what the purpose of everything is, but I pray one day I know that my time here and over the next couple of years was a blessing or worth something.

Back in Business!

So the app I have been using to type up my blogs has been acting up since I updated my iOS. I tried another, but it was horrible. I'm so happy to be back in business since the surprise update today. So here it goes, my New Year post. I'm going to just go back to some of the ups and downs of the past year. Since I didn't blog much last year, this can kind of fill you in on my journey through 2011. The year started off like any other...hubby gone a lot. He was gone anywhere from 3 days to 6 weeks at a time. I couldn't complain because he loved his job. It was very busy, had long hours, but he was happy for the first time in awhile. Being in Germany, you develop a family you choose. You have people you know you can call no matter what. People that know you well enough to know that even when you say no over and over, they won't take no for an answer. I remember when I was detoxing my meds, a friend wanted to bring me dinner so I wouldn't have to cook. I told her no a lot. She knew I wasn't a morning person, so she called bright and early so I was thrown off. When I said yes finally, she hung up on me before I could change my mind. We had another couple that were great. Hubby sponsored them when they moved to Germany. We got to know them as I took him to the store to get stuff while they didn't have a car. We had dinner often after getting to know them. We would also play Wii, and were glad to have them over for holiday meals. We would even split up and the guys would play video games while the girls would go to girlie movies. The summer was great. I visited home in April with the kids. A few weeks after I returned home, my in-laws came for a summer visit. They had been to Germany, but it was in winter. We were excited to take them on vacation. We went down to Garmisch and then down to Pisa, Italy. While in Garmisch, we split up a few of the days. Our crew had already taken a few tours in the area, so we wanted to see what we could find. We ended up hiking to a couple of towns away, ate a nice lunch, and headed back because Genevieve was tired. We told her when we got home we would rest and then go swimming. Wouldn't you know she found her second wind, and she ran the whole way home (guessing about 5 miles). We also went up on the tallest mountain in Germany, and we went through and over a gorge. Italy was amazing. We spent only 3 days there, but they were great. We went to the beach everyday. We did go to the leaning tower of pizza (Pisa) before we went to the beach one day. We couldn't go all that way and miss that one. After that, we were in full move mode. We had orders, and we were having to get ready for the move. If we weren't going through stuff to get rid of it or sale, we were busy trying to figure out if we were even going to take it. Packing day came, and we were so thankful to end up with amazing packers. They got our stuff to the US in pretty much perfect condition. It wasn't long after we had the van turn in. If you follow me on Facebook, you might have seen the picture of our van when it did not pass. To the normal human eye, it was amazingly clean. To the eye of a customs inspector, it was still really dirty. Nine hours total, and the van passed inspection and was loaded on a boat. Remember at the start when I said hubby was gone a lot? Well that turned out to be something that paid off in the end. He had enough frequent flyer miles to upgrade the whole family (for free) to business class. It was so nice being up there. We got our fair share of dirty looks at the first of the flight. They saw our two kids and thought they were in for a noisy ride. They were all surprised when not only did they behave, but they were also quiet. In fact one person told me that they forgot there were even there. I always joked that my kids had more airline miles than most 3 and 5 year olds in the US, and it paid off that day. After getting settled into our new home, we have just been trying to find our places here. I haven't found amazing friends that are like family, and my hubby is kind of bored at work with it being a much slower pace. However, we are adjusting and thankful for all we have. For the first time in 3 years, all grandparents were accounted for at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the kids' birthdays. There was no Skype needed. For the first time in 6 years, the WHOLE family (my parents, my in-laws, and my sister and her family) was together for a holiday. It was a nice feeling. I'm not sure what 2012 will bring, but I'm ready to embrace it with everything I've got. I'm hoping that this year will bring a debt free (we have a van payment and student loan) way of life, and make funds available for things like bigger payments to an IRA and more to the church. I'm also hoping too learn more in the way of cooking. I've been told I'm a good cook, but I don't believe it. I want to expand that and work on cooking. I have several things I've found to try already, and I hope to pick up cake decorating maybe. I hope you all had an amazing holiday, and a great start to the New Year. Now that my app is fixed, I hope to be doing this more often. :)

Wow! This is annoying!

So I'm coming to you via a new app. My app that I loved for blogging is having issues. They said they have an update submitted, but I guess it isn't coming to the customers. What really blows is that it was a paid app. I'm hoping to be back to my old blogging place soon. Until then, I will suffer through this one.

I bet you all want to know what I've been up to. Well it has to do with the movie that is on my TV right now. The movie is called Go Potty Go! That's right, I am once again attempting to potty train my son. He refuses to do it. When I say that I really mean it. We have been making some headway recently, but boy is it slow going.

If anyone is interested, I can act out the whole movie and sing all the songs. Maybe I can start doing potty parties for kids and do my version of the video. I'm about to loose my mind either way. :)

Please pray that for the sake of my sanity, this time he decides to actually care about not peeing or pooping in his pants.

Getting Back to "Normal"

So it's been a bit since my last blog. It has been quite a busy few weeks since we found our place. It never ceases to amaze me how much work moving is. We are very lucky that the military has a great system in place. I am so thankful for all the men and women they hire to pack up all my stuff in boxes and to haul them to/from the truck.

You know the saying, "If it's too good to be true"? Well it does sound nice that they do all that for you, but there are also draw backs. You have to really prepare for them to show up. They will pack anything and everything. When you pack, you can go through it. I found a pretzel stick in paper in out boxes this time. Yeah, a pretzel stick wrapped up in paper and put in the box. :p

Well, our stuff arrived about a month earlier than we thought it would. (Big Yea!) We have been working hard this week to get everything settled. We have the kids' rooms done, the kitchen, and the rest is in a state of unpacking. I don't think there are many boxes left that haven't been opened. Now our house looks like it is messy and in need of the show hoarders.

Today though is about getting back to normal. I am excited because I'm headed to my first MOPS meeting this morning. I'm excited because I need that outlet where I can meet friends and start to grow again. I am glad to be getting out of the craziness of our house for even just a few hours.

Some day soon life will seem normal again.

Home Sweet Home!

**Typed two nights ago**

Every time we move I always think the next one will be less hurried and rushed. That was not the case this time. In fact, I think our move to Germany was the most calm. We were not allowed to live off post, so we really just had to pick an apartment that we could live with. It took about 45 mins, and we had a home. It seems much more chaotic when you have choices. While I love being able to pick where and what I want to live in, sometimes I wish it were as easy as our last move.

I realized I haven't blogged since the plane, so I will start at that point. We landed late (for us having been up for almost 24 hours) on Tuesday night, and went right to bed. Usually jet lag isn't much of an issue, but this trip had more issues than normal. We had planned on moving Samuel to a twin bed once we got here (he was still in his crib because he sleeps like a crazy person, he didn't climb out, and I just hadn't got around to it). I really didn't want to buy one more piece of furniture that had the possibility to be destroyed. Needless to say, he has now figured out how to get in and out of the pack n play. We will be moving him very soon (as soon as our bed we ordered arrives).

The next day, thanks to the help of grandparents, hubby and I set off to find a place to live. We knew we needed to move quick since Genevieve needed to get into school as soon as possible. We had made an appointment before we left Europe to look at a couple of places. We headed to the first and really liked it. Of course we wanted to make sure it was the right choice, so we told them we wanted to look at a couple more places. He let us know that 5 other people were coming to look at it too. We had about an hour before the next person showed up. We went to see the others, and we knew we weren't going to find anything we liked better. So we rushed it back to the office and got the lease signed before the next showing.

We wondered if we rushed into the decision due to the pressure of someone else being able to take it. I wondered that really until last night. We all finally made it back to the house, and we were able to settle in a bit. The kids have been telling me all day that they like out new home better than the last one. When you ask them why, it's always the same answer, the backyard. The school Genevieve is going to attend seems great. She was very excited she was going to be in the purple pod. She got even more excited when she learned that her teacher had gone to Germany this summer on vacation. She asked me at home if she could talk to her in German then. I told her she could try and see if she knew any.

I'm really missing my stuff right about now though. Everyone that I visit with ask if I am settled or settling in. While we are, it just won't be home until I can get my stuff. As my best friend commented today, my style right now is cheap garage sale. I know that you can buy some pretty amazing things that way, but that's not the style I'm going for. That said, I'm very thankful for the stuff we do have. It does make living a whole lot easier until then.

So, about the place. We gained about 650 sq ft from our last place. I'm so bad with spacial recognition anyway, but it's been really bad here. I keep wondering if things are really going to fit or not. I really don't know why they wouldn't with the extra space. Our bedroom is much larger as well as both of the kid's rooms. Our living room is a decent size, but smaller than what we had. The dining room is attached to the kitchen. This is the area I have concerns about. I worry that it is too small for our table. My hubby who has named himself "master packer" due to his great skills of making it fit, says there is no question about it. It will fit. The kitchen is HUGE. I always hated our kitchen in Germany. It was narrow and small. This one is nice and open, and has room for a few people to work in it. There is a lot of cabinets, and I don't think I'll even use them all.

Anyway, we still don't have internet for a few days, so this won't be posted tonight. Gotta love those parts of moving. They will start charging gas, water, and electric right away. You want to get your cable up and running, wait a week. At least we get 2 months free. :)

It's All Business

Today's the day!! We are officially no longer residents of Germany. As I type we are all seated in business class. We have been on a roller coaster for this whole reservation since we booked it. We were very excited to find that we could use my hubby's frequent flyer miles to "buy" upgrades for our flight. We thought we had enough, but we were 1200 miles (not even a quarter of a flight to the US) short for the whole family. Thank goodness a guy in his office offered to transfer miles so we would have enough.

After the company changing the plane, a few seat issues, and waiting until the very last second, we were all upgraded. I have never been able to fly first or business class. We aren't even an hour into our flight and we have had 3 drink services, a hot snack, ordered our meals (a lot of choices), and are now about to be served our starter for lunch. What a big difference!

Now that lunch is over, the kids are calm, and I have a chance to put my feet up. I think I will take advantage of these reclining seats and take a quick nap or watch a movie. All I have to say is a HUGE thank you to my hubby for cashing in his miles on us. It made my amazing time in Germany come to a not so bad end. There were still tears, but at least I was able to cry in the comfort of business class. :)

Done Son!

Over the past few weeks, it's been one thing after another. Our lives have been in upheaval for awhile too. At first the kids thought it was really cool to have all their stuff packed up and sent to the boat. Not so much anymore. They are crying about their stuff being gone. While they know it's on the boat making its way to our new home, they don't actually understand.

After the stuff, our van went. That was just as hard for them. Again they know it's on the big boat, but why do we really have to send the van on a boat? Isn't that really silly? Well to a 5 and 3 year old it is.

Yesterday was the big day. We spent all last week packing, deep cleaning, clearing out stuff, and cleaning more. It was a really hard week with a lot of hard work. It was hard to know that the kids didn't understand why we couldn't just do things like normal. They didn't understand why we were so busy and stressed. Well if you aren't in the military, buckle up while I explain clearing housing.

When we lived in Oklahoma, we kept asking the landlord did we need to do this or that. They were a little surprised when we asked if we needed to wash out the garage and storage shed. They were even mor surprised when we asked about planting new grass in the bare areas. They were shocked when both they and the Army (we were in government leased housing so technically it was the Army renting the house) showed up and they took an hour to do the finally walk through. The man from the company said if it would have been up to him, we would have been finished in 10 mins. This was an easy clearing.

We had heard horror stories of clearing here. We have wood floors, and they are very quick to charge for just about anything on them. One of hubby's co-workers cleared the day before us, and it took him over 2 hours to get finished. My hubby and I prepared ourselves for the worst.

We were terrified when he showed up 30 mins early. We were finishing up mopping. We told him to please hold on and we'd be done soon. He went in the kitchen and I tried to answer questions for him. Much to our surprise, it took all of 10 mins and we were done. I told hubby to run out the door before he changed his mind. I'm happy to report we made it out of housing without charges. We were hoping to leave here with some sort of savings in our account. :p

Now we are at the hotel just waiting for our flight. I'm so glad that some friends of ours gave us a bottle of wine. I'm going to drink it tonight. Just a few more days and we are back to the US. it's hard to believe that the 3 years have gone so quickly. Now let's do it all again in reverse. :)

How Clean Can a Van Be?

As I type, we are waiting to have our van inspected. We have poured blood (I can't tell you how many scrapes, cuts, etc we both have), sweat, and tears over this thing. When we dropped the van off to ship here, my cousin went with us to bring us back to her home and eventually the airport. She looked in it, and said something like,"This isn't clean?!" We had no issues shipping the van here and passed with flying colors.

The day before yesterday, my hubby went into major OCD mood and we both spent about 4 hours in detailing the van. Everything looked great, but we were in for a shock. We brought the van over and just had them look at it to see if it would pass. The answer was no. They pulled back the rubber to see if there was dirt and dust, any tiny speck of anything in the carpet was flagged, and there was a lot more. The 5 hours we had put into the van hadn't really done much.

We came home yesterday and spent another 3 or 4 hours cleaning. We pulled back anything that could be, and we scrubbed like mad. We have been cleaning so much our battery died just from the dome lights. That's a lot of work!!

Now we sit waiting for someone to come look at the van and make sure it is zombie virus free. I've got my fingers, toes, and everything else crossed that they pass it because if they say no I really think I'm going to cry.

****Time elapsed****

So it is now bedtime, and I'm happy to report that we did in fact pass our inspection. It did take a long time, but it's over. We are now without a van or car of any type.

Thank goodness all that is over. Now we have to hustle to get our apartment ready for our check out. That's the last hurdle.

Good Day Planned, Kids in Mood

Ever had one of those days? Yeah, my kids did today. Both of them. Thank goodness it wasn't at the same time. I've worried with all the craziness in our lives, that a fun day was in order. Oddly enough it really hasn't been hot over here this summer. Usually it only takes mid 80s to get us to the pool, and we have only been a handful of times. With the weather being crazy hot, we opted for the pool today.

Everything at the pool was fine. Both kids were having fun going down the curly slide (their name, not mine). They were even wanting to spend their day swimming in the "big" pool. Unless you have seen this place, it is hard to understand. There is a lot of grass and a few trees to relax. Over at the back of the complex, are two baby pools. One only comes up to just over my ankle and it slopes to that depth. The other is a bit deeper with a little slide. There is also a water trench for the kids to play in. Usually, this is where we spend 90% of our time.

There is another area to the complex. You have a lap pool, a deeper pool (probably around 4 feet to 5 feet), an area with diving platforms, the slide, and then another pool that maybe goes to 3 or 4 feet deep. This was where the kids wanted to play. It's nice for us because we can actually get in the water for real.

About lunch time, Samuel freaked out and didn't want to eat. About 20 mins of him having a cow, he ate his lunch and all was okay with the world again. We even got both kids to go down the fast slide, and Genevieve was going down it alone.

We decided to head out a little early so we could go eat at Pizza Hut (expensive in Euro, but worth it to us). After we ate, we stopped by the store, and it was Genevieve's turn for the meltdown. What triggered this? A Dora hairbrush. I finally calm her down to get her out to the van. One stop later, and it's all undone again. Who was at the store? The ice cream truck. When I told her no a few times, she started to cry again. By this time, I had just had my fill. So I did what any loving mom would do...I laughed.

This brought on a whole new wave of tears and the phrase, "You broke my heart so bad. It won't ever be happy ever, ever again." When this was said, I couldn't help but laugh again. She did finally calm down, but it took a lot of work.

Tomorrow is back to the pains of moving. We have to turn the van in to ship this week. They are really picky, so it has been crazy. We've already washed it twice, and it's nowhere near finished. It will all be over soon though. I just keep telling myself that.

Nothing Like a Dead Animal in the Morning

I've decided that living out of a suitcase really blows. What's worse is all four of us living in suitcases and with the bare minimum. The good news with only having four plates, cups, etc is there is no reason to run the dishwasher. It's really easy just to hand wash and be done. I haven't done a luggage count, but I know it's got to be at least 8 bags, if not more.

So this morning started out really interesting. My hubby went out to take care of some business. Just a few seconds after he left, he called. All that was said was, "Come out here now." I was expecting to find the car in nonworking order. I was surprised to see a hedgehog dead right by his car. I haven't ever seen one of those over here.

The second weird thing was this afternoon. We are working on the van trying to get it ready to ship. When hubby popped the hood to put on the engine cleaner, I found what at first seemed to be a French fry. Now I wouldn't think twice if one of these turned up IN my van. Upon further inspection, it was not a fry, but it was a rib bone. How'd that get there?!

All in all it was just an odd day. I just can't wait to find my new normal.

Trucks and Boxes (and an Award too)

So this is our life for at least the next day or two. The packers came this morning and have been at it full force. I really couldn't have asked for


better movers. They really have worked hard and have got most of our stuff put into boxes. It's amazing how when you move there is a period of time where it takes to really feel like you are moved in and home. For us it is alway at least a month or two after we get our stuff. We have to have a home for everything, and I have to know where it is without thinking.

Today I realized how quickly all that "at home" feeling can be packed up. By lunch time the movers had both kids rooms packed, most of our bedroom, and about 80% of the living room. If it were up to me, that would have taken a week (or more if I'm really being honest).

Yesterday was busy not only getting ready for our move, but also because my hubby got his award. It was a great day, and it is always great to hear that all his hard work didn't go unnoticed. To see his co-workers there wishing him luck with his next step was just great for me to see. It made the past two years with all the late nights and time away somehow okay. To know that the people who need him really did appreciate him was great to see.

So here goes a different busy for moving. Somehow today it officially feels real with all the boxes and stuff gone. I'm sure we will stay busy and have a lot to do. I'm hoping for a time out this weekend for a trip to the pool. I think it's well deserved. :)

220V Craziness Around Here

So I thought I was doing pretty good at keeping the amount of 220V stuff to a low number. I knew we would only be here 3 years, and at the end most of the 200V stuff cannot return to the US with you. Well, it can, but it just won't work right, nor would I want to try.

As I have been trying to get ready for this next week, I have run into a lot of these items. One might think having the military move you is easy because you "don't do the work." However, I have argued with my Mom many times that I feel it is not easier. When you move yourself, you can do it over several weeks and go through everything while packing. You can decide that maybe you just don't want that any more. You also might find treasures you had been missing. This just doesn't happen with our moves. It is all done in two days. The packers show up bright and early. They enter a room, and they pack EVERYTHING no matter what. I know of people who have had trash cans with trash still in them, ash trays with ash and buttsnin them, etc. If it is there, it will be packed.

This type of situation makes for a lot of pre packing work. Everything has to be ready to go and separate so they won't pack whatever it is up. While unpacking my kitchen here in Germany, I found our garage door opener from our home in Oklahoma. Oops! I sent it back to them.

Anyway, tomorrow is our busy day. We have to get through both kid's rooms and get rid of toys, clothes, etc they don't need. Then I need to pack their bags so we are ready to go. I think my stuff will be a little easier, but I know my jewelry is going to be a nightmare.

I'll report back tomorrow and let you know how much actually happened. :p

No Good Very Bad Day

Ever have one of those days were you wish you could just go back to bed and not get up? That's me today. It's was a hard night last night and a hard day today. I think it was a great candidate for a go back to bed and wake me when it's over.

Some of the stuff I'm not going to talk about on here. I'm just really discouraged right now. I felt like we were moving forward with this move, and now, I feel like we are right back at the start.

Not only do we have that, but Genevieve is also a mess. She is very emotional right now about just about everything. Today she was in tears about things as big as leaving friends behind and as small as her seat belt making her "hot."

I remember what it was like to have to move when I was a kid. I am very aware of how upside down and sideways her life is right now. It's a hard balancing act trying to keep her calm and just giving in because it is easy. I do know first hand what it is like to move as a child, and so I try to remember what I felt all those years ago.

I also have to deal with my own grief with the move. I have to deal with leaving all my friends behind. As I'm gearing up to fly out, they are all getting ready to start up my (and their) usual activities for the year. I got the evite for MOPS, and I was sad to have to respond no. I know that other activities are going to be starting up as well.

I know when we finally get there, get settled, and feel comfortable, it will all be okay. It's just getting there that's hard. So if you have any thoughts or prayers to spare, we could sure use a few.

Location:No Good Very Bad Day