Mommy Fail

Goodness, today was another rough one. It was just...I don't even know. The girls seemed to be in rare form and I was crabby and...it was just all around not a good day. It wasn't until tonight that I sat back and went, "Wow, I handled this entire day the wrong way." And now I just want to cry. Tomorrow is another day and I am so ready for it! I do feel that I have a clear head and tomorrow will be awesome! After all, you just gotta smile. Right? :)

You Just Gotta Smile

Tonight was a particularly rough night getting the girls to bed and to sleep and I was really frazzled when my daddy reminded me, "you just gotta smile." There were never the wiser words. It really doesn't matter what is going on, you just gotta smile. There are going to be times that the last thing we want to do is smile but you never know when your smile is going to be the one thing that someone needs at that particular point in time. Life is not constant rainbows and glitter and we can't always control everything but the way that you handle such things you can control so always remember, as a very wise man once reminded me, you just gotta smile.

10 Things You May Not Know About Military Wives

Parenting Guru: 10 Things You May Not Know About Military Wives

By sarahlynne | Moments Of Motherhood – Tue, Nov 1, 2011 10:30 PM EDT

1. When a deployment is imminent, we just want it to start.That doesn't mean we want our spouses to leave. We don't. But when the date has been set and our husband's bag is sitting half-packed in the corner of the bedroom, we start getting anxious, worried and a little bit angry. We think about the upcoming months and everything he's going to miss and everything we're going to have to do alone. It's overwhelming. Once they leave, we can start to tackle the challenges one at a time and that's so much easier than the waiting. But those last few weeks before he leaves are wrought with frustration, nervousness and a little fear.

2. We are not miserable the whole time they are gone. We don't like that our family is split up, but we can't live in the future or press a pause button on our life, so we focus on other things. Hobbies, children, visiting friends and family, work; our life is still full. Just not complete.

3. But there are tears right underneath the surface. Whenever our children do something new, or something exciting or sad happens, or even when there have been just too many nights that we've stayed in alone, we get really sad. And we can't always be sad because we don't want to upset the kids.

4. That being said, most of us like our lifestyle. We enjoy the adventure of moving every few years, starting over, making new friends and living in various parts of the country and world. We have close friends everywhere. It's stressful yes, but also exciting.

5. We rely on our friends a lot. Even when our husbands are home, we are used to being canceled on at the last minute, not knowing schedules until an hour before an event, or having a job take precedence over the family. So, we have friends who are reliable, patient, flexible and who make us laugh. We love and truly appreciate our friends. So do the kids.

6. Our children are well adjusted and okay. In fact, most of the time, they are amazing in their ability to see the silver lining in every challenge. From the beginning of their lives, they've moved around, started over and had a parent leave for huge amounts of time. We have lots of strategies to help them stay connected, and we analyze how to make each deployment as painless as possible on the children.

7. We don't need or want pity. We look for love, friendship and fun. We don't need you to say "I'm sorry," when we tell you our husbands are away. We knew what we signed up for when we got married. However, we'd be so grateful for a helping hand. Helping us with something that would normally take two people, like shoveling snow or even just bringing in our grill for the winter would be awesome and will relieve the stress a little.

8. Please don't ask us what we are going to do to "keep busy" when our husbands are gone. Just like you have a healthy relationship with things outside your marriage, so do we. We don't need to "keep ourselves entertained" or "find something to do to pass the time" while he's gone. Those comments are insulting. We will just continue to live our life. Yes, there will be a hole in it, but we will not be pining away for six months or a year. So don't try to give us projects or find stuff to keep us busy. We'll be fine.

9. There are romantic moments about military life that rival only the most dramatic movies.We've been spun around by a man in uniform after he hasn't seen us in months. We've seen our children run toward their daddy with pure glee and excitement. We've dressed up like royalty and attended military galas and we've watched ships pull into port, with sailors standing at attention around the perimeter.

10. And sometimes the civilian population can be so supportive and sweet that it just brings tears to our eyes. These moments are precious and get us through all the tough stuff. So thank you. We appreciate all the thoughts, good wishes and the extra stuff you do to make us feel better. We notice it. We see it. And it really does help.

Sarahlynne is a Parenting Guru and has been married to a United States sailor for 3 years and 3 deployments.

______________________________________________________________________________

With this being said, I do not mind being asked what I do to "keep busy". I don't mind the questions at all! It does not insult me or annoy me in any way. Military wives are a special breed and you can't fully understand what we go through until you are one and go through it for yourself. So do the questions bother me? Not at all! I am happy to try and give you a glimpse into my life!! Ask away, friends!!

Oh the Pollen!!

I took the girls to Mother's Day Out at church this morning and then came home to switch the vehicles so that I could take the Caddy to get it detailed. First off I went to Advance Auto Parts to get a cover for the Caddy and then went to get it detailed. The pollen here is TERRIBLE so I had to get that nasty yellow sheen off of the car before I put the cover on it. After that I had to go to Target so since I was already over there I went straight there. I finished my shopping, walk out to the car, and my worst fear had happened.......IT WAS ALREADY GLOWING!!! Yes, in the short amount of time that I was in Target the pollen had over taken the car. Now I need to get it washed again before I can cover it. Ugh!  Seriously, I had forgotten how bad it was here...

It Came to Pass

This weekend has been such bliss with Mark home! Alas, the time came that he had to leave. :( It was, once again, a hard thing to watch. McKenna did so good up until Mark walked away...then she couldn't hold it in anymore. We pulled up to the airport and Mark got out and gave her a kiss and then went around and gave Maisie and McKaela a kiss, McKenna just looked at him with a sad blank stare on her face. Once he shut the door the tears came and she cried all the way home. She is such a strong little girl and so proud of her daddy. Goodbye's and/or See You Later's are always hard no matter when they happen and she has handled each one lately with such grace. She never cries in front of him but waits until he can't see her anymore and then she lets is all out. I am so proud of her and I know that Mark is, too. 

Quarters

Quarters are a special part of my life, for it is because of a quarter that my last 7 years have been the best & most beautiful! ♥ "Why?" you ask. Well, it all started on January 10, 2006. It had been about 6 weeks since Mark and I had met and I was up visiting him in Virginia, where he was stationed. He was at work and I was just hanging out at the house waiting for him to get home. That afternoon I get a phone call from him and all he says is to get dressed, find directions to the court house, and be ready when he got home because we were going to get married. Apparently, while at work he was talking to some friends about me and they told him to flip a coin; heads = leave now and go get married, tails = do not. Quarter was tossed, call was made, vows were said, and here we are 7 years later! My favorite love story. :) Happy Anniversary, Lover! And thank you, Nick and/or Matt, for the coin toss!

He's Home!!

I have a little time right now so I thought that I would blog a little. Last night I got the call from Mark that he was just into Jacksonville. I was still at church so in order to be home when he got home, and hopefully meet him on the road but I don't have that good of luck...usually. I get the girls from their classes and we head home. I am rushing but not letting on that something is going on. Oh, let me back up, the girls had NO IDEA that Mark was coming home! We wanted to surprise them. Back to the present, we get in the truck and head home. The whole time I am looking for Mark's car because by this time we *should* be about in the same place on the road. I didn't see him in front of me so he is either way ahead of me or he is behind me. As I get almost to the bridge I look in my rearview mirror and I see them....the headlights on his car. Now I am SUPER excited! I have decided not to get my hopes up but I just know that is him. Once we get off on our exit we get stopped at the light. I decide right then that if it is him he will be behind me and my gut feeling will be confirmed. A white sedan pulls up directly behind me and then, just as I suspected, come a red XLR-V. I can see him!! I got shivers and butterflies, hot and cold, all at the same time when I looked in my mirror and saw him! 10 minutes and I will be home. WE will be home!! So I keep driving and he is 2 cars behind me the whole way home. He said he didn't even notice until we got to the turn onto our street. haha So I pull in to the driveway and he pulls in behind me. Once again, I got shivers and butterflies, hot and cold, all at the same time. I got about getting the girls out, just as I always do, and he came up to the window and started tapping on it. It took the girls a minute to catch on but then McKenna stopped what she was doing and is staring at the window and says, "That looks like Daddy.....is that daddy?? DADDY!!!" Then the other two joined in. It was an amazing reunion! Life was just how it should be. I don't think that I could have asked for anything more. 

Please excuse me

Please excuse me if I am not around too much for the next few days, Mark got some time off to come home one last time before deployment. :)

I'm a Traitor

I will admit it, tonight I am a complete traitor...I am rooting for the Crimson Tide in the bowl game. *hangs head in shame* In my defense, it was only because of who was playing. I was watching the game and had to root for someone! Not to mention, growing up I was a Crimson Tide fan but then my eyes were opened!! haha Nonetheless, come next season there will be none of this Roll Tide and ALL of this GO GATORS!! Trust me, it hurt my fingers and eyes to type "Roll Tide". Hurt...so....bad...

Hobby Lobby

There has been a lot in the news about Hobby Lobby and how they are fighting the Obama administration on things that they go against their beliefs. Basically, Obama is saying, "I don't care what you believe, I am god now." *rolls eyes* That being said, today was Hobby Lobby Support Day so mom and I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a few things. Come on, you can always find SOMETHING at Hobby Lobby! :) This nation is going down and going down fast and if we don't take a stand for what we believe and we don't stand with those who need our support than we can count ourselves as just as much the problem. After all, if you're not for something, you're against it, right? Actions ALWAYS speak louder than words.

Pampering and Relaxation

I dropped the girls off at my grandmother-in-law's house this morning and Mom and I went and got our nails done and pedicures. Oh my goodness...SO nice! It has been so long since I have had some pampering like that. THEN tonight Seth came over and I got a massage. Holy cow, it was nice! I could get used to this again!

Tragic letter from The Hobby Lobby CEO: results of personal freedoms slipping away

The Hobby Lobby CEO (left) and his wife

When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames. Our first retail store wasn’t much bigger than most people’s living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to God‘s word. From there, Hobby Lobby has become one of the nation’s largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family.

We’re Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I’ve always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God’s laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that’s what we’ve tried to do. We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week’s biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We believe that it is by God’s grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees. We’ve not only added jobs in a weak economy, we’ve raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at 80% above minimum wage.

But now, our government threatens to change all of that. A new government health care mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance. Being Christians, we don’t pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don’t cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one. If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines.

Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy. Our government threatens to fine a company that’s raised wages four years running. Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business according to its beliefs. It’s not right. I know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it’s the same for everybody. But that’s not true. The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or cost. But it won’t exempt them for reasons of religious belief.

So, Hobby Lobby – and my family – are forced to make a choice. With great reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before it hurts our business. We don’t like to go running into court, but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a profit.

My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the government is going to make that much more difficult. The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law. I say that’s a choice no American – and no American business – should have to make.

The government cannot force you to follow laws that go against your fundamental religious belief. They have exempted thousands of companies but will not except Christian organizations including the Catholic church.

Since you will not see this covered in any of the liberal media, pass this on to all your contacts.

Sincerely,
David Green, CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

Yep, guess where I'll be on Friday?? You got it! Hobby Lobby for the support day!

She Survived Hitler and Wants to Warn America

We the people need to open our eyes and realize that this is where we are heading. It kind of felt like she was talking about our country, huh? Pretty scary, if you ask me. We as Christians need to stop standing by and we need to pray that God will have mercy on our country and invite Him back into it.

December 22, 2012 - “What I am about to tell you is something you’ve probably never heard or read in history books,” she likes to tell audiences.

“I am a witness to history.

“I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history.

If you remember the plot of the Sound of Music, the Von Trapp family escaped over the Alps rather than submit to the Nazis. Kitty wasn’t so lucky. Her family chose to stay in her native Austria. She was 10 years old, but bright and aware. And she was watching.

“We elected him by a landslide – 98 percent of the vote,” she recalls.

She wasn’t old enough to vote in 1938 – approaching her 11th birthday. But she remembers.

“Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.”

No so.

Hitler is welcomed to Austria

“In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unem- ployed. We had 25 percent inflation and 25 percent bank loan interest rates.

Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were go- ing from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs.

“My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people – about 30 daily.’

“We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933.” she recalls. “We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living.

Austrian girls welcome Hitler

“Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group – Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone in Germany was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back.

“Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler.

“We were overjoyed,” remembers Kitty, “and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and

everyone was fed.

Austrians saluting

“After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.

“Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn’t support his family. Many women in the teach- ing profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been re- quired to give up for marriage.

“Then we lost religious education for kids

Poster promoting "Hitler Youth"

“Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school.. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang ‘Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles,’ and had physical education.

“Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail.”

And then things got worse.

“The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free.

“We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had.

“My mother was very unhappy,” remembers Kitty. “When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn’t do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun – no sports, and no political indoctrination.

“I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing.

A pro-Hitler rally

“Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time, unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler.

“It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn’t exposed to that kind of hu- manistic philosophy.

“In 1939, the war started and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn’t work, you didn’t get a ration card, and if you didn’t have a card, you starved to death.

“Women who stayed home to raise their families didn’t have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men.

“Soon after this, the draft was implemented.

Young Austrians

“It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps,” remembers Kitty. “During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys.

“They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines.

“When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat.

“Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service.

“When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately es- tablished child care centers.

“You could take your children ages four weeks old to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, seven days a week, under the total care of the government.

“The state raised a whole generation of children. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had.

“Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna..

“After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything.

“When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full.

“If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the med- ical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.

“As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80 percent of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families.

“All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing.

“We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables.

“ Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because peo- ple might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands.

“Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.

“We had consumer protection, too

Austrian kids loyal to Hitler

“We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, and then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it.

“In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps. The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated.

“So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good man- ual work.

“I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van.

“I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months.

“They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness.

“As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia.

“Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long afterwards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.

“No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.

“Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.”

“This is my eye-witness account.

“It’s true. Those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.

“America is truly is the greatest country in the world. “Don’t let freedom slip away.

“After America, there is no place to go.”

Kitty Werthmann

New Year, New (old) City, New Doctors

Well, I spent the morning looking up dentists for everyone. I did find out that the dentist that I really liked from high school is on my insurance now!! I couldn't get ahold of him yet because of the New Year break but he's there!! That is exciting. As for the girls, I am torn now. I think I know who I am going with but we will see. I need to get all three girls in for 1st visits. I know it should have been done a long time ago but I honestly just did not think about it. Pregnancy kills brain cells and considering I have been pregnant pretty much since 2008....I've lost a lot. haha BTW, no I am not pregnant now. Just to clear that up. Anyway, I hope that I am able to find a good pediatric dentist soon! Any tips on what to look for or what to ask??

Hello, 2013

Well, it's 2013, did you make any New Years resolutions this year? I can't really say that I did other than my usual...to be the best wife and mother that I can be. I do have a list of things that I plan to do this year but resolutions always seems to get broken so I keep mine separate. Being a good wife and mother I know that I can do.  Just to name a few of the things that I plan on doing or learning this year...

• Work out and tone up
• Make this deployment a fun one for the girls (the zoo, playground, Pump It Up, etc)
• Read through the Bible
• Blog more consistently
• Take more pictures
• Scrapbook more consistantly
• Keep my eyes open for more Random Acts of Kindness opportunities. 

And I think the biggest thing of all is...

• Stay out of and keep my girls out of my parent's way and their hair...and not to let the girls wreck the house. (Maybe I should have made this one the resolution.)

I hope that everyone's New Year was a beautiful one!!