And life goes on...

It has been two weeks since the Soldier came home and I figured it was time for a quick update. Life will never be 'normal' again.

What is normal anyway?

The last two weeks have been filled with lots of running and craziness. Sadly, we had to put our dog, Rex, down, the we went out of town to visit friends who are moving far away and for me to see a new specialist. We came home to Nutcracker Madness for the 10 year-old.

Life is never dull with six kids...

The Soldier should be having the first of his surgeries before Christmas. For now, he is on duty at the Vet Center. He has a great case manager at the Air Force base, who is coordinating everything. After all of the mess with the Army, I am very thankful he was able to come home. 

I am so ready for a vacation! Preferably on a beach...

*If you are looking for the latest free ebooks, there is now a permanent link across the top bar. I am trying to update them weekly. 

I am linking up today for what is the last MilSpouse Weekly Roundup. I have made some great friends thanks to the Roundup and I am sad to see it go.

Come over to Troop Petrie to join in. 

Love,

A little pick me up...

It has been a rough couple of weeks. Okay, so it has been a rough year... Anyway, I received a couple of awards this week and thought it would make me feel better to blog about them.

A big thank you to A Creed and a Psalm for awarding me the Versatile Blogger award. 

This is actually the second time that I have received this, so you can go to this post to read all about me!

I was also honored to be named as one of the Top 100 Military Family Blogs by VeteransBenefitsGIBill.com



It is nice to know that someone, other than my mom and the kids, read my blog! I am very appreciative to you, the reader. Thanks for making this long deployment a little easier.

Linking up this week with As It Were, or Even If It Weren't for the MilSpouse Weekly Roundup.

Love,

Dear Deployment, I Hate You

I am sure that the whole world has conspired against me to drive me crazy. For all my friends who are reading this and are pretty sure I crossed that bridge a long time ago, be nice or I won't share my meds with you...

If a 400 day deployment for the Soldier wasn't enough, I mean, I am sure it is, right? Hello, 400 days! Who thought this up?

Well now the Army, in it's infinite wisdom, has delayed the homecoming. The Soldier is at a U.S. Military Installation, living in barracks (i.e. not at home) on a medical hold. And in the mean time, the kiddos get to watch the news and see that everyone else's daddy has come home.

Today, they had the nerve to ask him if he had the support system in place to send him home for recovery. I mean really, what do they think I have been doing for the past 400 days? Lets just say, hypothetically, if they don't send him home soon, his support system may to take off for an island and spend the next 400 days sipping drinks with little umbrellas.

And it isn't just the Soldier and the Army. There are six kids here hurrying the crazy train along.

The oldest decided to stay home to go to college. First of all, depriving me of my party moment outside her dorm room and secondly, I now have an 18 year old who thinks she is an adult and can do whatever she wants and come home whenever she wants and not pay for anything. For all of my sweet friends who have preschoolers, save enough now for out of state school. It is worth it.

Because one teenager isn't enough, we also have a 15 year old and 13 year old. It's fun. Yes, that is sarcasm. They have jobs and sports and classes and it could be a full time job just driving them around. When you add in the temper tantrums (yes, they start having these again as teenagers) and the crying fits (these too), it makes it so much more fun. Yes, that is more sarcasm.

The 10 and 11 year olds are working double time to see me admitted. They are convinced that I have have it out for them and that when daddy comes home, it will be all better. It might, but I won't be here to see it. Maybe I can get them to bring me pictures in my private room. In the little Soldier's defense, it has got to be hard to be the only boy while the big Soldier is gone, but I thought little boys were supposed to love their mothers. He would sign the commitment papers if he could.

My sweet preschooler turned 4 last month and has spent the last 400 days (give or take a few) sleeping in bed with me. It doesn't matter where she starts out, she has this internal clock that wakes her up at 3 am and tells her to climb in bed with mommy. So that mommy, who has just fallen asleep after 4 hours of looking at the ceiling (or facebook...), doesn't get any sleep. Mommy is so much more fun in the morning when she hasn't had more than 3 hours continuous sleep for 400 days...

If I could, I would take a nap, but instead I will be driving a child to work, two to dance lessons and one to a volleyball game - ALL at the same time. It's a good thing that I am not in the asylum yet, I am too busy being Houdini in my SUV and making it all work.

Is it Friday yet?

Linking up with Crafty Camo Lover for this week's MilSpouse Roundup!

Love,

Military Friday 7-29-11

Almost missed it again! Fridays just seem to get away from me. That and the fact that we were out way too late last night (I took four of the kiddos to Military Night at the Last Chance Stampede and Rodeo and didn't get back to town until 1am) and got up way too early this morning (to meet a Blue Angel pilot - so worth it). I am exhausted and may have to sleep in tomorrow to catch up. 

Abby and the really cool, super awesome Blue Angel pilot

In case you missed the last post, I am getting ready to fly out to Nashville for the MOPS International Convention, so I will be MIA for a week or so. I am actually going to be on stage in front of 3,000 or so women and would love your prayers. I hope to see many of you there!

 And now for the MilSpouse Friday Fill-in, hosted as always, by the amazing Wife of a Sailor: 

Facebook or Twitter?

I use Twitter for ‘work’, but I love Facebook. It is so much more personal. I spend way too much time on Facebook and probably need detox and a 12 step program.

Hard Tacos or Soft Tacos?

Hard. Love the crunch.

Gardening or crafting?

Neither. I hate crafts with a passion. I avoid craft stores, lest I end up in the fetal position rocking back in forth in the isle. Too many chances for injury with all those paper cutters and glue guns…

While I don’t garden, the Little Soldier  (11) has one every year. He has a blast and we are getting ready to have fresh cabbage with dinner when he gets home from camp.

Fruit or vegetables?

Vegetables. However, I have been trying to make myself eat more fruit.

Motorcycle or bicycle?

I haven’t been on a bike in a very long time…

Linking up for the MilSpouse Weekly Roundup with A Creed and a Psalm:

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love,

Military Friday 7-15-11

Here they are with their very cool HP
scarves that the 'cool mom' ordered
them for Christmas from Hooking Geek

I know I am a little late to the party today, but I have been trying to be the fun parent during deployment (usually the Soldier's job) and took the 10 & 11 year old monsters to the midnight showing of Harry Potter. There is going to be much wailing and gnashing of teeth when the 13 year old & 15 year old get home from camp and 4H Congress and find out we went without them.

They are still in shock this morning and can't wait to tell dad that mom is most likely ill or losing her mind - or maybe has been replaced by a way nicer clone. I am so tired that I am going to need a six pack of diet coke to make through the afternoon.

As much fun as I have been having, I can't wait for the Soldier to come home and take his job back over. Being the fun parent is exhausting! 

If you are a regular looking for the latest free ebooks, they are here and here. (Don't forget to double check the prices, they change frequently).

I love celebrating Fridays with my fellow MilSpouses. I am thankful to be part of a community that supports each other, even in the bloggy world. If you are a MilSpouse, we would love to have you join us. Link up with the MilSpouse Friday Fill-in at Wife of a Sailor and the MilSpouse Weekly Roundup today at The Science of Missing You.

Today's MilSpouse Friday Fill-in: 

1) If you could have a private concert with any singer, who would it be?  submitted by An Air Force Wife’s Blog 

My favorite singer is Anthony Kearns. Yes, most of my friends think I am crazy (the Soldier does too) and the kids complain that it is all we ever listen too (it isn't, but close), but he has an amazing voice and can sing just about anything - from Opera to Broadway to Irish folk songs. (Go ahead, click and listen. I will wait.) I would love to see a solo show of his again and since it is a private show, do I get to pick the songs too? The Soldier did get me tickets to see his latest opera for my birthday and I am very excited!

2) Is there anything you do to supplement your family’s income? submitted by Our Life, One Adventure at a Time 

I write. I have been paid a few times for articles like this one: How to Help a Mom During Deployment. I also do the occasional product testing and I clip a mean coupon. When I am actually grocery shopping (see #5), we save at least $100 a month with coupons. 

3) During your pregnancy (whether past, present, or future), what did you nickname your unborn baby before you knew the sex? submitted by Explosions of Love

Out of six, we only found out the sex of two of them during pregnancy. One was when they told us it was a boy (we didn’t believe them and still didn’t have a name until after he was born) and then with the last one (surprise!) and she was a week old before we had a name for her. We called her Bob for a while… No nicknames during pregnancy though. It was just the ‘baby’ or the alien taking over my body.

4) Have you ever won a blog giveaway?  If so what did you win? submitted by Mrs. O’s Life 

I have won a few. One was a DVD for the kids and one was a book on talking to your kids about sex. Yeah, we need that with all the teenagers we have. I also won an Amazon gift certificate from a really cool blog that I have been trying to find again. I lost all my favorites when my computer crashed.

5) If I looked into your refrigerator right now, what would I find? submitted by Married to the Army

Not a lot. It is time to go to the commissary again, only my Suburban died on the bridge last week and they want $800 to fix the fuel pump. (May was the water heater, June was my laptop and July is the car. I pray I get a break in August!) I wonder how much it would cost me to send the 18yo to do the shopping? Today, there are a couple of eggs, half a bottle of apple juice, a few red bell peppers, ketchup and some ribs defrosting. Dinner is going to be interesting to say the least. Maybe since it is payday, I will spring for a $5 pizza at Little Caesars - fun mom and all...

And don't forget to link up with The Science of Missing You for today's MilSpouse Weekly Roundup! 

Have a great weekend.

Love,

MilSpouse Friday 7-8-11

It's Friday and time for another episode of MilSpouse Friday Fill-in. Five random things that you are dying to know about me, but didn't know it!

If you are a MilSpouse, come over and link up at Wife of a Sailor's awesome blog. 

If you are stopping by for the latest free and bargain Kindle downloads, please click here.

1) Does your Significant Other read your blog?  Why is this a good or a bad thing? submitted by Mrs. Alana’s Miscellany

He does, it is one way he gets a glimpse into life here while he is so far away. Not a bad thing, as I don’t have secrets from him and try not to embarrass him too often.

2) What is one item in your house that holds the most sentimental value and why? submitted by The Albrecht Squad

Tough question… I am not really sure. We have wonderful pictures and scrapbooks that belonged to my grandmother and great grandmother. They mean a lot to me, I love history and knowing where we came from is fascinating. I also have my father’s saddle, which he had made over 30 years ago and that is very special to me.

Sourth Uist Scotland liv.ac.uk/~agmclen

3) When it comes to water fun in the summer do you prefer the beach, the pool, a lake, or the sprinklers? submitted by The Tervo Times

I would love the beach, but we live too far away. My favorite spot is Dash Point in the Seattle area. I miss living there. Someday though, I want to walk on the beaches of Ireland and Scotland where my great-great grandmother and grandfather would have walked.

4) What is the one special thing that you do for yourself to get you through the first week of a deployment? submitted by A Creed and a Psalm

Nothing special. I am usually just trying to survive six overly emotional children while trying not to be a mess myself.

5) What is your biggest guilty pleasure website? submitted by Christine’s Little Blog

I guess Facebook. I don’t do much more on the internet other than check Facebook, work and read email. My life is soooooo exciting!

Linking up with Mowenackie for today's MilSpouse Weekly Roundup!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Love,

MilSpouse Friday 6-11-11

Wow, it feels like forever since I have done MilSpouse Friday. May was a long month and kept me way too busy. The Soldier is gone and back in the sandbox, but he was able to be home for the oldest's graduation. (You can see the news about her graduation here and here.) 

I pray that the rest of this deployment will be very uneventful (i.e. no more broken appliances) and go quickly. I am so ready for him to be home!  

Next week will be a hit or miss blogging week, as I am traveling to see a specialist for my health problems. I really appreciate your prayers and if you have a minute, say an extra one for my mom who will be watching the kiddos. 

For all of you who come over for the free and bargain Kindle books, the latest post is here, with more on my Facebook page. 

And now... The MilSpouse Friday Fill-In!

Again, a big thanks to Wifey at Wife of a Sailor for hosting every week. I really enjoy getting to know everyone a little better. 

Photo from National Trust for Scotland

1. When you vacation what type of vacation do you like to take (beach, historic, adventurous, food oriented, etc.)? submitted by Megan Dub-Yuh
   
   Food is always good… Seriously, I love history and always want to visit historic sites when we are on vacations. I would love to visit the battlefields in Scotland and the GPO in Dublin, Ireland.
   
   
2. What is your best memory associated with a song (you know we all have tons!) submitted by Ramblings of a Marine Wife
   
   When I was about 8 years old, we took a road trip from Montana to Georgia and one of the big songs that summer was Honeycomb by Gary Morris. My sister and I would start singing it every time it came on the radio and keep singing it even after my dad changed the station. We drove him nuts for days.
   
   
3. If you had six months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with your time? submitted by Married to the Army
   
   Work on my book. It might actually get done if I had nothing else to do.
   
   
4. What is one thing about you that people do NOT typically notice at first that you wish they would? submitted by Our Motto is Patience
   
   My amazing super model legs. Um, yeah... just kidding!!
   
   
5. …. submitted by The Three Turners: It’s a summer of sequels, and if you had to live in one of each of the following “worlds” (there are three total) which would you choose and why? 

–X-Men: Be a Mutant, what would your power be?

–Harry Potter: Be a Witch or Muggle?

–Twilight: Be a Vampire or Werewolf?

I suppose I would have to pick Harry Potter, since that is where the kiddos would be :) 

Linking up with "A Blog a Day While You're Away" for today's MilSpouse Weekly Roundup.

Have a great weekend!

Love,

 

Amazon-aholics Anonymous Needed

Hi, I’m Athena and I am an Amazon.com addict.

I love it. I spend a lot of time and money there. I even have one-click ordering and an Amazon prime membership, so I can get two day shipping (I don’t like to wait for things).

In fact, I just ordered all of the kiddos’ Easter gifts and I am not so patiently waiting for my favorite UPS man to deliver them.

I have a few things on my Amazon Wish List. Like around 75 of them. There were more, but I have been building my collection of favorite old movies. (I really like Cary Grant, just in case you ever want to get me a gift…) 

Things like this:

 

And this: 

 

And even this: 

Do you see a theme? 

The nice thing is that I get most everything for free, even my Kindle.  I always get asked how I do it. I wanted to share with you, so you can spend lots of free money at Amazon too :) 

 

I use MyPoints for any online purchase that I can. I am also a coupon addict (with six kids, I have to be!) and download my coupons from MyPoints. I spend five minutes day opening their “bonus mail” as well. For all of these (and more), I get points that I then cash in for Amazon giftcards (or lots of other options!).

Instead of using Google or Yahoo!, I use Swagbucks for my search engine. When you search, you can ‘win’ bucks which then can be exchanged for lots of things, including Amazon.com giftcards. 

And don’t forget about all the free ebooks from Amazon.com too. I have only paid (with a gift certificate of course!) for one book in the past year and that was because the Soldier wanted it.

Free makes me happy. 

So what is on your Amazon wish list? 

 

 Linking up this post for the MilSpouse Weekly Roundup!

Sail on over to Many Waters to link up.

Love,

Military Friday 3/25/11

I am sorry that I have been MIA for a while. Life has just been a mess with kids and my health and the house falling apart around us...

Unfortunately, that is deployment and I hate it, but we are surviving and have hit the half way point. I sure hope the next 6 1/2 months (or so) go by fast and without as much craziness as the first!

For those who entered the giveaway for Mel Starr's "A Trail of Ink", the winner is montanabookworm! Congrats on your win :)

If you are here for the latest free books, I hope to have a post up soon. However, quite a few of them are up on my Facebook page. I post them there as I find them, so it is much faster than waiting for me to get a chance to blog about them.

As for Kindle Bargains, selected games are only $0.99 for a limited time (3/27). I am enjoying the Solitare, but keep losing at Chess. Click here for a list of the discounted games.

It is time for the MilSpouse Friday Fill In and I have missed it :)  Come over to Wife of a Sailor to join in on the fun!

1) What is your must have gadget? submitted by Flying High With My Flyboy

My Kindle, of course! I love it. It has my books, games and even plays my music. I carry it everywhere!

2) How does your adulthood compare to what you imagined it would be like when you were a little kid? submitted by L to the Third

I can’t really remember… I know I wanted to be a vet and take care of animals. That ended when I realized how much school it entailed. As a middle-schooler, I was sure I would never have children. I loved playing with my nephew, but didn’t want any of my own. I was going to be the cool aunt that took him all over the world, but had no real responsibility in the end. Not sure how I ended up here, except that I met Soldier boy!

3) What is your favorite chocolate recipe?  submitted by Our First Deployment

I don’t have one! We do a lot of cooking and bread baking, but not a lot of desserts. I can’t wait to read everyone's posts for ideas!

4) How do you deal with military life when it gets to be to much or to hard? submitted by Combat Boots And Pointe Shoes

I go MIA from my blog for two weeks ;0) 

5) What piece of advice would you give a new Military spouse facing their first deployment?  submitted by The Albrecht Squad

Write letters. Is it bad that I don’t follow my own advice? I wrote long letters, almost like a journal on the last deployment and I think it helped me and I like to think it was helpful for the Soldier too. 

Also, don’t listen to all the negative stuff. I don’t do FRG meetings for that reason. I don’t need that drama, I have enough of my own thank you.

Link up at Turn for the Nurse for MilSpouse Weekly Roundup! 

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Love,