Greetings from St Lucia!!

Well, we got in to St Lucia around 2:30pm local time here, which is an hour ahead of eastern time, but then we had a hellish almost 2 hour drive from one side of the mountain to the other. Then when we finally got here, they had given away the villa to someone else!!! So, we inhaled several complimentary rum punches, as they straightened out the mess. We finally got up to the villa, got stuff settled and then went to eat dinner. When we got back, it was like 10pm, so we took showers and went to bed. We were exhausted from getting up at 3am Sunday morning to leave.

The island is pretty ghetto, and I was getting kind of worried about our accomodations, but the resort sits in a bay, and I guess most of the big resorts are all at the north end of the island. When you drive in to the resort, its like a whole different world. Really lush and green, our villa sits up on a mountain. We are REALLY high up. So high, we can't hear the ocean. But we have a pretty awesome view, and can even see the Grenadines in the distance. The whole island is mountainous, and volcanic.

The villa is open air during the day, and the breezes are WONDERFUL! No humidity at all. Its a white stucco villa with spanish red tile roof, and tiled floors. We have little birds flying in, and Gavin hand fed a little finch this morning. I woke up before anyone else and stepped out on our balcony. Then I decided to go downstairs and out on the private porch and lay there on the couch, just looking at the ocean and feeling the breeze. We have a pool too...which the kids have enjoyed.

I really had to motivate myself to turn on the computer, but I will try to be good about communicating this week, although maybe not as good as I thought!!! We are relaxed and enjoying life (and the frozen concoctions, such as the Mango Crush I've been enjoying.)Now if this place came with a mute button for my kids, I would never leave!!!

I will try to get some pictures out after I take more. Today, we've just been lazy as hell and loving EVERY minute.



Keri

An Ode to the "fair-weather" Facebook Friends...

Yesterday I got a friend request from a girl who used to torture me in Elementary School.

I'm not quite sure why browsing through the lists of potential facebook friends, she would decide that I would be a good candidate. I don't even remember this girl past 6th grade. But what I DO remember, is her making fun of me for years. So why would I want to be friends with you?

I usually dont accept anyone as friends unless I personally know them. I have maybe 4 FB friends that read my blog...but they have to tell me thats how they know me because if I don't, I won't accept.

I can generally break my FB friends in to several groups:

"Actual, honest to goodness, real friends that I still talk to".

"People I went to school with and used to be friends with, and would probably still grab a beer with."

"People I went to school with and used to be friends with and have little than a vague interest in what they are up to, but they may be a contact down the road."

"People I never even uttered one word to in high school, so although I am a bit confused as to why you want to be my FB friend, I will accept you."

"OH HELL NO!" These are the crazy people that scarred me emotionally in a way that I will fully never recover. OR THAT I JUST HATED!!!

I am not about having 8 million FB friends. I think I like it just be able to think about a person I had a fond memory of, and be able to look at their lives in an instant...see how it all turned out for them. I don't care how the "bad eggs" turned out, because I have enough faith to know that karma has come back around and gotten them in some way. And because I am not truly evil, thats enough gratification for me.
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Just a reminder…I am leaving for St Lucia!!! YAY!

So you will hear back from me on Friday, because tomorrow, I will be driving to South Carolina and then back to DC. In other words, NO POST FOR TOMORROW, unless I give you a status update via my Droid phone. But I am taking the laptop and the Wifi is ready in St Lucia. Have an awesome Wednesday and Thursday!!!



Shameless Begging About to Commence: I was nominated on Babble's Top 50 Mom Blogs List. So can you please take two minutes and click here: http://www.babble.com/babble-50/mommy-bloggers/nominate-a-blogger/index.aspx then scroll down to "Glamorous Life" (on the second page) and click on the "like" button.

Go Peddle Crazy Somewhere Else!

So I have a little bit of an obsession about “end of the world” scenarios. Don’t look at me like I’m crazy! We are upon 2012, people!

Andy LOVES to make fun of me that I love/believe in the possibility of any horrible movie that has complete and utter destruction of Earth. He also makes fun of me that I have a Disaster Preparedness Kit in the garage. I keep $200 in $1 bills, antibiotics, cold medicine, vitamins, Ensure, Pork and Beans, Rice, Tuna and drinking water socked away in case we are unable to get out of our house or a random asteroid strikes.

Do I really think something is going to happen in 2012? I don’t know. I think it bothers me more that something will happen in the next 5-10 years that we are unprepared for. Nuclear war is likely. Did you ever see the tv show Jericho? That shit scared me so bad, I stayed up at night thinking about it. I think that’s when I started my kit. I just don’t want to be caught unprepared. I feel like you might have a chance to survive it, if you have the right tools. Lots of people won’t. Look at the Hurricane Katrina event. And they saw that thing was going to hit them for a week before it even got there!

Don't think that the irony hasn't struck me that I am moving to the state in which all of the natural disaster/end of the world movies take place in. It's really kind of freaking me out that I will be there for 2012, and I know I won't have a basement to create my own little bombshelter in. I wonder how far I can dig? I've always wanted something a la "Blast from the Past", starring Brendan Fraser.

In any event, you should have a Disaster Kit like me. Keep two weeks worth of food, rotating it out every few months to keep the dates fresh. Also, pick up some medicine, and keep some cash on hand…people don’t realize that if the power goes out, you can’t buy anything with plastic. No gas, nothing. If you live in an area that has natural disasters, pay attention to the forecasts. Have an emergency bag packed with two pairs of clothes for each of your family members. The only thing I think I am missing is some sort of weapon. I think an axe would come in handy. You can kill attackers, or cut things. More useful than a pocket knife, anyway.

This week, they have been saying in the news that we are at our highest threat level for a terrorist attack since 9/11, and that we shouldn’t travel to England and Europe. Do you think this is likely, and would it impact your travel plans?

So, anyway…I shared my insanity with you today. What weird thing do you obsess over? Or tell me what your prediction for 2012 is. I’m curious.

I wonder what it will be like to not dream in camouflage…

Now that it seems more real to me, I’ve been pondering the realities of living far away from the army. I’ve been a military wife for 12 years and had it dictate most of my life.

What will it be like to not have 10 single guys over for Thanksgiving? (No one drunk, punching holes in my storage bins.)

What will it be like to not have to show my military ID to buy a soda at the shoppette, saving me the tax break of 6 cents? (Less of a pain in the ass when I forgot it, and have to drive home.)

What will it be like to have my car break down and not have 4 willing and able-bodied gentlemen in uniform stop to help me? (Mildly disappointing, I’m sure)

I think one of the things that stresses me out is the fact Andy and I have horrible potty-mouths, as does everyone in the army. I can sensor myself quite well at work. I always have been able to. But around my friends, it become harder to not drop the F-bomb, especially around children. Yes, I am a horrible mother and I swear in front of my sons. But I never really thought it was an issue because I don’t think swearing is that bad..they are just words and ones the kids hear from their friends and on tv anyway. I do realize though, that most of the population frowns upon it. I am reprimanded by my friends who talk to me on speakerphone while their kids are in the room and I inadvertently let one fly. (Ooops.)

Andy is HORRIBLE with dropping the F-Bomb. He says it in front of our parents, which I smack him for. I told him he is going to have to make a concerted effort to NOT swear at work. Can you imagine him giving a briefing on joining the military in front of a group of high school kids at the school? This is my worst fear. My two best friends live in CA, near where we are trying to go. Their husbands haven’t met Andy yet. I have anxieties that they might not like him. This is probably foolish of me, since most men like Andy, and so do most women. He’s a “guys guy”, but he’s a huge help around the house. The man owns a sewing machine for chrissakes. I have no idea how to operate it. But I worry that his rough-around-the-edges, unrefined conversation will offend my BFF’s more office acclimated husbands.

I’ve wasted most of my week doing research on houses, hotels and apartments. I’ve looked at jobs that I can’t yet apply for. I even have our travel route mapped out, complete with where we will stop for nights. WHY? Because I can’t stand to sit on my hands when I have such a big feat ahead. I am ready to go NOW. But I still have two more months until I can actually start checking boxes off my To-Do List.

Blah, blah, blah…I’m effing fascinating

Dude…I am trying here.

I’m putting out the effort to find some new blogs to read. I like to be entertained as much as being the entertainer.

So why the heck does it seem like a needle in a haystack to find NEW blogs (not the ones I already read) that can hold my attention span and interest for more than two seconds before I nod off to sleep OR roll my eyes?

I’m not saying it’s easy to blog. I can NOT be funny on command. I just can’t. I’m sure you realize that from a few of my postings, because let’s be honest…in order to write 4-5 days a week, you have to throw in a little BS.

I find so many stupid blogs that do nothing but promote other items. If you want to make some dough off your blog, that’s awesome. But don’t sacrifice your readability so you can get some free things. The only products I read reviews on, are hotels and cruise ships. I take my chances with the rest and live dangerously, so excuse me if I dont give a shit about how great your experience was with your new stapler. Book reviews are interesting, IF you review them in an interesting way. Don’t tell me it’s a good book without putting your spin on why you think so. I can read the back of the jacket too, man.

Then you have your habitual whiners…lots of military wife blogs…I get it. It sucks ass when your husband is gone. Go do some stuff to keep you busy, and then write about THAT. We all whine and bitch sometimes on our posts…that’s fine. That can even be entertaining. If I like your writing 90% of the time, I will even feel bad for you and commiserate. But when it’s the same post, every day..”I miss my husband…blah, blah, blah…I have nothing to do but stare at the wall”…Why would I want to read that? I lived it! It makes me want to come ninja-slap you across the face and tell you to get a hold of yourself. The wives that are this far up their husbands backsides are the ones who get a rude awakening when they leave them for another woman when they get home. GET A LIFE.

People…If you know of an awesome blog that I do not have on my Blog Love page, please tell me. PLEASE. If you have visited me before and put your blog address in the comment line, send it to me again because I may not have had a chance to check it out yet. Email it to me, write it in the sky…I don’t care. Just give me something else to read!!!!!



Shameless Begging About to Commence: I was nominated on Babble's Top 50 Mom Blogs List. So can you please take two minutes and click here: http://www.babble.com/babble-50/mommy-bloggers/nominate-a-blogger/index.aspx then scroll down to "Glamorous Life" (on the second page) and click on the "like" button.

I Got a Mushroom Print...and More "Like It" For Time News...

Yesterday, something BIG happened. Not big like, "I won the lottery" or "I finally got all the fat lipo'd out of my upper arms." But one of my first posts was posted on the Mushroom Printing website...This blog is run by Aunt Becky, and along with her main blog Mommy Wants Vodka (perhaps my fave blog of all time), they were both nominated for Bloggie Awards this year!

I was very excited because I heart her.

So here is the link to read it, if you haven't already...

WTF is a “jegging” and why would you sell them in a plus-size store?

Posted on February 15, 2011 by KERIESMITH

I am a gal of a rather husky nature.

We’re called curvaceous by some, and that’s just fancy-speak for “carrying a few extra lbs,” I hear your cries. Over the years, the only store I have found that hasn’t shunned and punished those of us who can’t control our food intake, is Lane Bryant.

Their clothes make a concerted effort to mimic those in the rest of the fashion world, giving us options other than pleated Mom Jeans and the ever-popular Mumu. Continue Reading...

Also, our friends over at "Like It" for Time have some new info to put out about how to get more involved in the campaign to make "The Military Family" Time Magazine's Person of the Year. I am writing about 20 letters, so you better get off your heinies and help out too! If you are interested in helping promote the cause, or even being featured as a Yellow Ribbon Family, check out the site and contact Kristen.

MARCH FORTH!

“‘Like’ it for TIME” (LIFT) has announced March 4th, 2011 as “Mail-your-letter-to-TIME-day.” On that day, military families and military supporters will mail a letter to TIME magazine explaining why they think the military family should be the magazine's 2011 Person of the Year. Several “fans” of the facebook page (Click HERE to Like It on FB)  have committed to spreading the word on their personal blog sites, and teachers are even planning to have their classes write letters to the magazine.

LIFT will post a letter along with the mailing address to TIME Magazine at the LIFT website—LIFT Website —on February 28, making the process as painless as possible for participants; all they have to do is print, sign, and mail the letter on the 4th.

The goal is to overwhelm TIME Magazine with letters from across the country. The letters will introduce the editors to the idea, and with luck, they’ll get so many of them it will attract media attention.

Media attention is key to the effort. If the military family community and its supporters make enough of an impact to be addressed by the media, people will have to take an interest.

It's this interest that will strengthen the combined efforts of Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to garner support and recognition for military families. Interest leads to understanding, and understanding leads to empathy.

That it’s no easy task to get thousands of people to mail letters is not lost on LIFT. This campaign is relying on the enthusiasm of military families and their supporters. The hope is that hundreds (if not thousands) will do this small, simple thing for something so important.

An email campaign was considered, but emails are too easy to ignore and delete. A deluge of actual letters people took the time to fold, tuck inside an envelope, stamp, and put in the mail is a bit harder to disregard. It  also speaks to a greater level of commitment on the part of the supporters. Also, it's a lot more fun.

Shameless Begging About to Commence: I was nominated on Babble's Top 50 Mom Blogs List. So can you please take two minutes and click here: http://www.babble.com/babble-50/mommy-bloggers/nominate-a-blogger/index.aspx then scroll down to "Glamorous Life" (on the second page) and click on the "like" button.

Yes, I can finally stop whining about where I'm moving....right after I blog about it!

Well, friends...the verdict is in!

I had an unusually long meeting yesterday at work, and I was dying to get out and check Andy's email to see if the recruiter had responded with our assignment. Andy had called me the same time the meeting broke, so he was on the phone with me when I was opening it...and low and behold, it said very simply, "You are assigned to the Fresno, CA Battalion."

I'M MOVING TO CALIFORNIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is amazing. For the first 20 minutes, I felt a little rocked and even nauseous. I really thought we'd be moving to Florida. So much, that I had only really starting compiling research for Florida. This is a huge move, since we are in Upstate NY, and we have two dogs to bring with us that are NOT lap-sized. It's going to be pretty crazy to load it all up in 3 months and move it across the country.

And it's super overwhelming. Starting over, finding a new job, a house, schools, doctors. The only part that makes me feel calm in this is knowing that two of my very best friends live there. They are like sisters to me, except they are sisters that I picked. lol. We've been friends since we were younger than my sons are now. And I've always wanted to live in NY and Cali...although my NY dreams were more in the city, so this wasn't the experience I had imagined.

Let me explain about the "Fresno" part. That's the name of the region we chose, not that we will be living in Fresno. When Andy talked to them yesterday (yes, I made him call IMMEDIATELY)they asked where we wanted to be, and he told them close to San Francisco, since my friends live there. So they said they will have an actual city assignment for us by Wednesday. I won't hold them to that, but I can tell you Andy will be calling them on Thursday if we don't hear back from them.

In any case, my nerves will calm and clear when I find out the city because I will be in PCS-mode, making plans and arrangements. I work best under pressure. I am not really too worried about this move, when I realize I moved to Alaska with a 6 month old and a 18 month old. If I can do that, I can pretty much run the world.

I celebrated with an Ambien, so I could actually sleep for a full night and I was so exhausted, I racked out about 10pm...which is early for me. It seems real now, that we will be finally getting out of this awful place, because Ft Drum sucks balls.

Where was the worst place you lived and why?




Shameless Begging About to Commence: I was nominated on Babble's Top 50 Mom Blogs List. So can you please take two minutes and click here: http://www.babble.com/babble-50/mommy-bloggers/nominate-a-blogger/index.aspx then scroll down to "Glamorous Life" (on the second page) and click on the "like" button.

Turning Stone Casino

So there isn’t very much to do around Fort Drum, unless you like being outside in the snow. I’m down for skiing or snow tubing once or twice a season, but it gets old, folks. REAL QUICK.

I was first introduced to Turning Stone by a friend of mine who is a bingo fanatic. She really is. Even has her own “bingo bag” with like 20 different colors of ink.

Located in Verona, NY…it’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere. But nowhere happens to be situated on I-90, about 30 minutes from Syracuse. It’s a toll road, so take some pocket change. When you get off the exit and see this place, it looks awesome. A huge hotel complex with golf courses, it stands out with its modern shapes against the local businesses.

Turning Stone has a few options for rooms. They have a Tower, which is my pick. I like to be close to the action. They also have a lodge and an inn, to suit different budgets and tastes. They are pretty pricey on weekends, going for an average of $300/night, but if you visit during the week, you can often find $99/night specials.

This place has restaurants galore! They have a food court and a 24/7 diner. The food selection is great and reasonably priced. They also have a steakhouse, a Brazilian Steakhouse, an Asian restaurant and an Italian restaurant. And of course what kind of respectable casino doesn’t have a buffet? Finish it with a deli, and you have choices for any palette and billfold.

The casino in this place is pretty big. They have $5 Blackjack tables, which is awesome. And they are pretty reasonable with their comps. The one thing I don’t like, is that you have to load your players club card with money to use the slots. That’s right…they don’t take cash in the slots. On the plus side, there are a decent amount of non-smoking sections, and they have a huge poker room. The drinks are NOT free, but they are priced pretty cheaply. They also have one of the top 10 Bingo halls in the country. It’s freaken huge. And before you knock me for playing bingo, this ain’t your “firehall” bingo. The prizes go up to $30k! It’s a lot of fun and a good way to pass the time without blowing hundreds of dollars.

They have two Spa’s here at TS. One is a day spa, and one is over at the lodge..more of a traditional spa experience. The nice thing is that you have a better chance of getting in and their prices are really decent.

Lava is the nightclub. This is modeled after a Vegas-style club, complete with VIP, and stage shows. They have had everything from a midget Brittany Spears lookalike to a fire-breather perform while I’ve been there. They also have a gorgeous outdoor area where you can get a cabana as your VIP area. Bottle Service starts at $200/bottle, and that’s not bad, considering there is no where to sit unless you have it. This place is tons of fun, with a great DJ.

Turning Stone is an oasis in a world of boring. It brings a little bit of Vegas to Upstate NY, and draws celebrity performers. This is a great idea for a mid-winter getaway.



Shameless Begging About to Commence: I was nominated on Babble's Top 50 Mom Blogs List. So can you please take two minutes and click here: http://www.babble.com/babble-50/mommy-bloggers/nominate-a-blogger/index.aspx then scroll down to "Glamorous Life" (on the second page) and click on the "like" button.

Caught in the snowstorm with nowhere to go.

Have you ever been so mad at your child, you lock YOURSELF in a room?

That’s where I was on Wednesday.

I had been at work for an hour already, when my cell phone went off. I didn’t recognize the number, so I ignored it. (I don’t answer phone calls that I don’t know what the number is, I don’t really listen to voicemails other than to get rid of the icon on my phone, and I don’t friend accept people on Facebook I don’t know, so if you “friend” me, then please include a little message that you read my blog or I will reject you.)

So anyway, whoever it was kept calling, and I guess my “mommy radar” must have gone off, because when I answered it, this woman was like, “Do you have a son named Taylor?” At this point, I did the roll of the eyes, “Oh SHIT, WHAT NOW.” Then she proceeded to tell me she had found my son, out walking around the neighborhood IN A BLIZZARD, crying, so she let him come in to call me. I got her address, and after letting my boss know that I was going to strangle my child, I went over and picked him up.

I got him home and I guess he could tell by the steam that was shooting out of my ears, that I was pretty mad. So he started explaining that he had gone back to the house from the bus stop to get his backpack and the bus came. He didn’t have his house key, nor his cell phone on him…so instead of going directly to our neighbor, he decides to walk around the neighborhood to try to find Gavin’s best friends’ house. FOR AN HOUR.The thing is, he has missed the bus several times this year because of going back to the house for things. But we only live twenty feet from the bus stop, so I don’t know how he doesn’t see the bus coming?!!

I just ended up taking him home instead of school, because it was snowing so good that I had a feeling school would be canceled, and it would be a waste of an hour if I drove him all the way out there. Thankfully, they did cancel school about an hour later.

My question is…why can’t we pay to get our kids micro-chipped? I mean, then we could go online and track them when they are playing outside, that our teenagers are where they say they are, and if they were kidnapped, we would know where they were! We could even hook it up to Foursquare, so they could check in along the way. “Taylor has checked in to XYZ Middle School”

This is why I made Andy get a vasectomy.



Shameless Begging About to Commence: I was nominated on Babble's Top 50 Mom Blogs List. So can you please take two minutes and click here: http://www.babble.com/babble-50/mommy-bloggers/nominate-a-blogger/index.aspx then scroll down to "Glamorous Life" (on the second page) and click on the "like" button.

My friends want to smother me with a pillow.

I know I’ve been ridiculous lately. I feel like the only thing I ever talk about is moving when I’m on the phone with my friends. I can hear it in their voices, as they trail off to mental sleep during the conversation. There is only so much you can hear someone whine about the same crap.

But like a crack addict, I can’t help myself, so I’m going to bore y’all.

Back last summer, Andy made the decision to submit his packet for recruiting duty. This was a topic of discussion during his whole deployment, but not an easy decision to make. Andy is a “hooah” infantry type. "Go infantry, or go home," has been his mantra since he joined the army 13 years ago.

But then things changed.

He realized he was missing out on knowing his kids.

He had to get hearing aids at 32, because his hearing was shot after working out at Sniper School for 3 years.

And he missed the hell out of his awesomely hot wife, who makes it a pleasure just to be alive.

He realized that his body isn’t going to withstand this abuse for another 7+ years and leave him able to work when he retires from the Army.

So he submitted his recruiting packet, which would be the Golden Ticket to sleeping in his own bed, almost every night for a 3 year period. It means no more missed birthdays or holidays. It means not having to go to bed wondering if he was shot at or mortared. It also means, we will be living in some normal, non-military community where he works 9-6(roughly) instead of 5am-7pm. After 13 years putting the army first, we come first this time. Don't get me wrong...I know that the army has to come first, so I hold no resentments. If you honestly believe otherwise, you will have a rude awakening as a military wife. But for the first time, we will be a real life civilian-esque family.

We didn’t expect to hear back so soon. He submitted his paperwork in July, and in September, we got orders for him to go to recruiting school in March. The problem was, they don’t tell you where the hell you are going. You have to choose 9 “regions”, some of which cover multiple states. Our choices, in order are:

Fresno, CA (Covering from Santa Barbara all the way north to Southern San Francisco)

Miami, FL (Covering from Vero Beach down to the Keys, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands)

Tampa, FL (Covering from Ocala to Daytona Beach, over through Orlando and the Tampa/Sarasota area)

Sacramento, CA (Covering North San Francisco up to southern Oregon and western Nevada)

San Diego, CA(Covering from Barstow to San Diego, excluding LA)

Jacksonville, FL (Covering north Florida and the panhandle, all of Georgia and southern South Carolina)

Mid-Atlantic (Including New Jersey and Delaware)

Harrisburg (The entire state of PA)

Baltimore(Maryland and DC)

So, we could be moving…IN 4 MONTHS!!!!! To any of these places. I have had to sit here since September, waiting to find out what freaken state I am even going to. Now he leaves in 3 weeks for recruiting school and STILL no word.

We are hoping to find out this week, but even after we find out which region, we might not have a chance to find out the city until we get there. That part is largely unknown until we can find out the region and make some phone calls.

Do you see why I am crazy? The recruiter told us last night that we might know tomorrow…so you know I’ve got a one track mind.

In other odd news…

I have still had pain in my jaw on one side since the wisdom teeth came out. Not severe, but enough that I still have to take ibuprofen. So last night, I was eating PB on toast and I felt the ridge of bone shift. I ended up pulling 3 large chunks of bone out of my gums!!! But the relief was instant. I guess I didn’t have dry socket..it was just these bone fragments down in my gums causing me the pain. Unbelieveable.



Shameless Begging About to Commence: I was nominated on Babble's Top 50 Mom Blogs List. So can you please take two minutes and click here: http://www.babble.com/babble-50/mommy-bloggers/nominate-a-blogger/index.aspx then scroll down to "Glamorous Life" (on the second page) and click on the "like" button.

Um...yeah, me neither...

Did you ever buy a Ped-egg, as seen on tv, and realize you could've done the same half-assed job with a cheese grater?

Did you ever pretend to get another call so you could get off the phone with your mother in law?

Have you ever fed your children so much cereal for dinner that they think Spaghetti O's is a home-cooked meal?
(Haha...it's not quite to that level, but man sometimes I consider it...)

Have you ever sneezed hard and wondered if you shit yourself?

Have you ever silently cursed yourself for not letting your husband have more "guy time" in the beginning, because now he's so well-trained you feel guilty to ask for a girls night out?

Have you ever watched a 12 hour marathon of Law and Order on a Friday night, only to realize you've skipped being your mother and gone straight to your grandmother's social life?

Did you ever question why women say they have "a headache" to avoid sex, and then one day the light bulb went on?

Have you ever seriously considered just buying all new clothes, rather than tackle the mountain of dirty laundry?

Do you ever want a bigger house, for no other reason than to be able to buy more stuff to fill it with?



Shameless Begging About to Commence: I was nominated on Babble's Top 50 Mom Blogs List. So can you please take two minutes and click here: http://www.babble.com/babble-50/mommy-bloggers/nominate-a-blogger/index.aspx then scroll down to "Glamorous Life" (on the second page) and click on the "like" button.

I have kind of crappy luck...

If you haven't realized by now, I have horrible luck and as a result, even worse timing. I guess it wasn't the best choice to start my "positive thinking" exercise now, but how can you ever predict something really awful is going to happen?

In any case, I did pretty well to get through yesterday and this weekend. I had a pretty good weekend, getting a few things accomplished around the house. We are officially in the Pre-PCS(Primary Change of Station, for you non-military peeps) stage, with only 4 months to go until we leave this God-forsaken place.

Since we go on vacation soon, and Andy leaves from there for recruiting school, any last minute chores I need him to accomplish have to be done in the next two weeks. There is quite a laundry list for the poor guy. I am such a control freak, I would do most of it myself, except for the fact I'm kind of lazy when it comes to stuff I know he can't screw up. I'm not saying Andy screws things up all the time...when it's things that are high on his list of priorities, it's done immaculately.

Let me give you an example: He started refinishing my dining room set two months ago. I have a table done, 3 chairs are stained but not varnished and 3 chairs are yet to be touched. He has this weekend to get it done because next weekend, he will be packing. So on Sunday, you would think he would prioritize and get cracking on the chairs...but instead, he decides to go through the kids toys in their rooms and weed them out.

What??!?!?!?!? I have no idea. These things just pop into his head and feels compelled to get them done IMMEDIATELY, or it gives him anxiety and he can't sit down.

So here I am, cracking the whip, nagging him to finish the chairs because this is not something I am going to be doing while he is gone. I have to plan a move. I do EVERYTHING for the move. All he has to do is be my muscle, so this is the time I need him to focus on my list of things to finish up.

I started to get a little anxious on Sunday and I guess it worked it's way in to my subconscious because I didn't sleep hardly at all. I usually ruin my Sundays worrying about going back to work the next day...but I went in the bathroom and turned the shower on and just sat there. The sound of running water calms me and usually makes me tired, but it still didn't work. I tried to think of things that make me happy (no, not grilled cheese. Okay, grilled cheese makes me VERY happy...but I wasn't thinking about food THIS time) but nothing would make me tired.

But last night, I did really well, even in spite of the news we had lost a friend. I don't really want to talk anymore about the incident than what I said yesterday, out of respect for the familys privacy. I was able to really focus on relaxing by listening to music and blocking out all the negative thoughts that wanted to invade my mind. I have to push them out. It's a battle, but I am trying to find new ways to do this. What do you do to relax or meditate? I can't clear my head of all thoughts, but I CAN replace the bad thoughts with good ones.

A Dark Day

I won't have a normal post today. We received tragic news early this morning that a good friend and fellow soldier was killed yesterday in an accident, and are grieving for his family. Prayers or good thoughts are appreciated for his wife and children.

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Nothing that a healthy dose of optimism can't cure, right?

Back in the day, I used to be a pretty light soul with a dark, sarcastic element. I think somewhere along the way, I switched over to a dark, sarcastic soul with a casual lightness. That's why you really nice people who exercise and don't make fun of people, like me...opposites attract. I used to be one of you. Maybe it's just the skepticism that comes with age, knowledge and experience...but I miss that old me a little. There was still faith that tomorrow would bring a better day, and that optimism helped to keep out the anxiety and stress.

I can't say things in my life have gotten worse over the years...I live a pretty steady existence. We have a good income, enjoy the fruits of our labor and have a very stable homelife full of love. But it hasn't always been easy. Most of our issues over the years, stemmed from financial issues...mostly with me finding a good job that I liked every time we moved. It really gets to be frustrating to renegotiate from a $50k+ salary to begging for $30k a year. But the stress I have now is mostly things I can't control, and apparently I am a control freak.

So last night...I am laying in bed (where I do my best thinking) and I had a particularly draining issue arise with a former friend. I have chosen to cut this person out of my life, along with another one because they were bringing lots of negative energy my way. It had me all riled up and I was starting to feel very anxious. Then a commercial for the HGTV Dream Home came on, and I started thinking about how nice it would be to win. As I laid there, daydreaming about what I would do with the dough...I realized that the anxiety was lifting off my chest. I felt the weight come right off. Just thinking about something positive made me feel so much better, and so relaxed that I drifted off to sleep.

This got me thinking...maybe there IS something to this "power of positive thinking" and "laws of attraction". Okay, maybe that was taking it a little too far...I am still waaaayyy too dark to believe that you can get something just by willing it to happen. If that was the case, I would have married Donnie Wahlberg at age 10 (he was 17. I loved me some NKOTB.) But in any case, if thinking positively and having that element of hope could make me feel better...then at least it would alleviate some of my anxieties and relax.

Don't worry..I'm not getting all "zen" on you. It's not like I'm about to get up and start doing Yoga. (There is little risk of me getting up to do anything other than get more coffee!)

But I am going to start my "3 Weeks of Positivity" experiment. Every time I start to have a negative thought...I will revert myself to thinking about something good. I know..it's a little bit too "rainbows and puppy dogs"...but those positive thoughts might just be the margaritas I am going to enjoy in St Lucia! (There is ALWAYS a way to spin it!)

If you are so inclined...do it with me. I will report back on Fridays to see what the results are.

Have a great weekend!

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Revenge is a dish best served cold…and from Friendly’s

I’m a little pleased with myself since I misbehaved over the weekend. My youngest sister and I took our other sister’s foster kids to Friendly’s. My sister had no idea we had them, since she was at work and her husband was at home with them. We just called him up and told him we were coming to get them. My sister and her husband are VERY strict with the kids. Part of that is being new to parenting…and part of that is just mean (haha). So the kids had asked me if I would take them to Friendly’s because they said they weren’t ever there before. So we took them as a surprise.

It took us no less than 30 minutes just for them to decide what to get. We told the kids when we got there, that they could have ANYTHING they wanted. It took a little prodding in the right direction for them to even realize the possibilities that were before them. But two of them ended up ordering 5 scoop sundaes. Amazingly, they ate it all AND finished my sisters’ and my own sundae too. I was a little concerned they were going to vomit all over my car…so we decided to drive them over to my sister’s work and drop them off to her to bring home with her! Lol. First she was mad because we bought them balloons, and then was worried when she noticed “Friendly’s” on the side of the balloons. “You got them ICE CREAM???” She screamed. It was then that I told her she could see all the pictures the next day, like the movie, “The Hangover”…if she wanted to know what happened. LOL!

She ended up not too mad…but I am sure it will be awhile before she lets me take the kids again without prior notice!

In other news, they actually closed Ft Drum yesterday, due to the “snow storm” we had. If you ask me, it was no different than the “snow storms” we get on a weekly basis here, but hey, I am NOT complaining. I spent the entire day in bed, shirking my household and blogger duties. I guess this was the Groundhog’s way of saying, “Uh, no bitch…” to an early spring.

I find myself growing more and more stressed out as February slowly progresses. I realized my suitcases are not going to cut it for this vacation, so that’s one more thing to work in the already tight budget. We are trying to sock away not only money to move in May, but 6 months of my pay so that I have adequate time to find a new job once we get settled. We determined that we will get about $5k from the army, but we would be lucky if that will cover a deposit on a house. So it’s going to end up costing us about another $6k just to move, not including the loss of my income. There are also fun things, like a new sofa in the works. I can’t buy one now because we have no idea what kind of space we will have to work with. Keep your fingers crossed that we find out what state we are going to next week. There is a small possibility we could have an answer as soon as Wednesday.

Become a Foster Parent!

I am so proud of my little sister. She and her husband decided to foster some kids last year, after only being married for one year. They attended the classes, did all the paperwork and in about 3-6 months were offered 3 children, all siblings. They showed up at her house with only the clothes on their back, and now, about 9 months later, it looks like they are going to become permanent members of our family!

Growing up, one of my best friends was adopted. Her two brothers were too…all from different families. As they got older, their parents continued to foster, adopting one more girl and almost adopting a 5th child. It always seemed important to me to take care of the children that are on the planet, and too much stress is put on having biological children. I had always planned on adopting a child, but life happened too quickly.
It’s not easy to open your home to strangers, but children are highly adaptable. I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to warm up to them, but I honestly have to say that I love my soon-to-be niece and nephews as much as I would love them if my sister had given birth to them.

You can also do short term emergency placements, meant to find a quick home for the kids when they need a day or three to find long term placements for them. My mom has started doing this and she loves it. It’s a way to give back to the kids without making a long-term commitment or massive change in lifestyle.

The Department of Defense adoption reimbursement program provides qualified families with up to $2,000 per child for a total of no more than $5,000 in one year’s time for multiple children. Families may be reimbursed for qualifying expenses, e.g., adoption agency fees, legal fees, some medical expenses. This does not include travel. Contact your Personnel Support Unit for more information or read a fact sheet on the National Military Family Association website.
For more information:

http://www.fosterparenting.com/
http://www.adoptuskids.org/resourceCenter/rrtPackets/military.aspx
http://www.adoptuskids.org/images/resourceCenter/militaryGuide.pdf