A Blend of Tradition and A Little Something New

During deployments I try to keep the kids life's going as normally as possible. I find the familiarity of there routines helps them and me get through the deployment a little bit easier.

With Justin leaving right before Christmas we knew this holiday wasn’t going to be what it usually is.Almost always my first thought is to go home and visit family for the holiday.Our family lives in Ohio.That’s a four day drive or half day(Very expensive) flight from where we are.My sister is having a baby come the new year and I just cant justify two back to back trips.So we knew we had to make different plans!

Most everyone has their husbands home or is visiting family and I just knew I didn’t want to be sitting at home alone and depressed on Christmas.So I decided to break tradition a bit!I booked a room at the Great Wolf Lodge for Christmas Eve.We have been to Great Wolf once before and LOVED it! They decorate for holidays,have nightly story time and an indoor water park!I’m keeping it a surprise from the kids too!

I will pack up the kids Christmas Eve and we will spend the night snacking on Christmas treats and watching all our holiday favorites!The kids will also open their traditional Christmas Eve pajama’s.On Christmas day after reading the Christmas story and having a yummy breakfast we will head for the water park!

Its not the Christmas I would have picked in many ways.But I can make it a great one for me and the kids!

Favorite Christmas Stories

I wanted to share one of my FAVORITE Christmas books to read to the family.

The story of why we celebrate Christmas is so beautifully written by Carol Heyer.She makes the telling of this old familiar history into something the whole family can understand.You can really feel the truth and the joy that the author has for this time of year.

Carol Heyer is not only the author of this wonderful retelling of our Saviors birth.She is also the illustrator.The beautiful artwork is really what makes me love this book!

One of my favorite illustrations from the book is a picture of the shepherds that came to see and worship the Christ child:

There are so many wonderful books out there that can help us to share the joy and wonder of this Christmas season with our families!

Sad State of Affairs

I read this news article today and it really just irked me. So now I will hop up on my soap box and have a little rant.

“The news of the North Carolina boy’s suspension comes as a Massachusetts elementary school is investigating a first-grader for sexual harassment after the boy struck another boy his age in the groin.

The mother of the accused 7-year-old tells the Boston Globe that her son was fending off another child, who had choked him in an altercation on the school bus on Nov. 22.

“I think my kid was right to fight back,’’ said the mother, Tasha Lynch, 30. “He wasn’t doing anything except protecting himself.’’

 

A few things surprised me about this news story. The obvious being that a boy is being punished  and being investigated for sexual harassment for defending himself.The second and more surprising was that the child was defending himself from being CHOKED by another student and that these boys were in 1st grade!I can(sadly) picture teenage boys and grown men choking each other But 1st graders??Really?? Public school is scary!It is a broken system that produces nothing other than violence,laziness and an expertise at following orders.One of the many reasons we homeschool.

The thing that surprises many of my friends whose children go to public school is the fact that I WANT change for the public schools.They assume I just don’t care.After all my kids don’t go there. But this is our society we are talking about.These children who are assembly lined through this system are the future of my world,my kids world and my grandkids world.

Some of my questions about an institution that only became mandatory less that 200 years ago are 1.How did this  become the norm?When you talk about other alternatives than public school you still get looks as if your eccentric.  And 2. how has it held on this long when it is obviously FAILING? Why are people still funneling their children into something they  know doesn’t work?

I’m not sure what needs to be done.How things can be fixed. I do believe we need a “free market” system so to speak.A system that will encourage schools to compete for students.I believe we need to get the federal government out of education completely.Education should be a state issue.I can tell you one thing I know the education system DOESN’T need.That’s more money!I think the amount of money wasted (and yes I mean WASTED) on the current education system is obscene!The system is failing.Its not failing because it cant afford to educate.It fails because its not set up in a way that makes truly educating people possible.Its like standing beside a car with no engine and throwing money at it and expecting it to start right up.

What do YOU think about education in our country today.What can we do to help all the children in this country get a quality education?

THE MONKEYS AT OUR ZOO

Just posting a few pictures that I have taken recently of all the monkeys at our zoo ;0)

Week 2 Survival Tip

 

 

I saw this picture online and it just really fit how I feel.During a deployment you really are just on the road to survival.A lot of things in life actually can be that way.Be it finding a job,loss of a parent,children struggling in school.Anything really.

At the grocery store today I had an interesting conversation with my cashier. She looks over beside me and counts quickly. “Wow four?!Your brave to grocery shop with four!”

“Yeah well its not so much bravery but necessity.” I shortly explained.

When we are simply trying to survive things get broken down in our lives.What is necessary?What can I put off?What do I really need? So anyhow that got me thinking about some tricks I have learned through the previous two deployments and I thought I’d share.

We all must eat.Most of us military families don’t live near our extended families.So how do we get through the grocery store and remain sane? I have found 4 things that really help me!

First do small frequent trips.When the hubby is home we shop for 2-3 weeks worth of groceries at a time.Spending well over an hour at the grocery store.Can you picture me doing that all alone with my 10,7,4 and 2 years old?! HaHaHa! Picturing it actually gives me a good giggle! Now we shop for 1 weeks worth of groceries and are in and out as fast as we possibly can be!

Next thing  is don’t ever take kids grocery shopping on an empty stomach!They will whine for every yummy thing they see!Feed the kiddlets a big snack before shopping or better yet shop right after a meal!

Speaking of WHEN to shop if you can at all avoid it do NOT shop on pay day!Now in the civilian world pay day could be any day of the week.But with us military folk we are ALL paid on the same two days every month!That makes for a mad house at the grocery and believe me it can get ugly!!

My last bit of advice would be to try to grocery shop alone on occasion.Did you watch a buddies kids the other week for a doctors appointment?Call in a favor! Or better yet trade grocery trips with her! I’ll watch yours Tuesday while you shop and you can watch mine Thursday while I shop! Then you get a break,the kids get a break and your fellow soldiers wife gets a break too!

I hope this helps!

1 Week!

Aaahh sweet success! We have survived our first week of deployment :0) I know it seems silly considering we have fifty one several more weeks to go.But it feels good to celebrate it anyways!

The past few days have all been good.We made it through church this week.With four kids and only mommy we really do have to “get through it” some Sundays.But its always a blessing. I’d encourage anyone going through a deployment (or any other hardship) to lean on the Lord.Make Sunday worship a priority.It will brighten your week and lighten your load I promise!

Here’s to another great week!

Day 4 I Lost My Christmas Spirit there For a Minute

Yesterday was Day 4 since the hubs headed to Afghanistan.The morning was spent with a house full of kids.13 kids to be exact.All of which belonged to 3 homeschool moms :0) My friend Jen and her 4.My friend Heather and her 5 and me with mine. We all had a blast!The kids played.The moms chatted and a good time was had by all!My poor neighbors may not have had such a good time come to think of it,those 13 kids (9 of which were boys!) got pretty loud!

After our friends all went home the kids were still happy because we had our church Christmas party that evening.Christmas music,dessert and fellowship Yay. Yeah well that was the plan anyways.But how often do things really go as planned?! The musical program WOULD have been uplifting if I hadn't been chasing a toddler the whole time.The desserts WOULD have tasted great if things hadn't been so confusing for my 10 year old who was designated to get food that he jumped out of the ever shifting line 3 times to ask me where he was supposed to go…There were well over 150 people there.After his 3rd attempt to find the right line I was getting frustrated.I said FORGET IT! I packed up the kids and took them out to dinner as a treat instead.It helped me calm down and realize that it really wasn’t a big deal.Things like that are always a bit stressful when your by yourself and you have little ones.Instead of letting it ruin the rest of my night I decided to enjoy dinner out with the kids.Then we came home and watched a movie together and baked some cookies.

I’ve learned that we have to be flexible.Our evening didn’t turn out at all the way we had planned it.But we didn’t have to let that ruin our night.

We have to also be realistic.Was it really realistic of me to expect a 2 year old to sit through a 45 minute musical performance?Nope. Was it really realistic to expect my 10 year old to get through the mad rush of over 100 people unscathed and in a timely fashion?Nope. If I hadn't expected those things in the first place maybe I wouldn’t have felt so frustrated to begin with.

Life during a deployment isn't always easy, but it sure is entertaining ;0)