Checking In

Hello fellow milispouses...how is everyone doing? I must confess I've had a hard time getting motivated with what to write. I am missing that connection with my fellow spouses though. I guess coming down off a deployment, getting pregnant right away, doing a full DITY 6 months pregnant, moving to new state, moving again 2 months later, having a baby 2 weeks after that, and trying to over all get settled down can do that to you.

I am happy to say that we are now in GA and already found some friends that have been stationed here as well. We have also found a wonderful church and are getting plugged in there as well. God has been very gracious. So I guess I just wanted to check in and see how everyone else was doing.

I know some of us have just moved again, gotten husbands home, and had new babies. How is everyone adjusting, settling, getting plugged in. Any hot spots here at Benning I need to look for? I must also confess I am thinking about homeschooling again--just a side note.

It all works out...

Well, I can now say I have done a full DITY move while 6 months pregnant. Yes, we are a little nuts, but we got out of Fort Polk. Prince Charming got home Dec. 29 from his 14 month deployment and it seems I got pregnant within a week. At week 6 I got very sick and stayed that way until the move, fun. Thank goodness he could handle it and I had a very good friend who came and packed up about half our house herself. We hit the road in June with him driving a 26 foot Uhaul pulling a full car trailer while I drove our Expedition and pulled a 6x12 trailer. Two days later we arrived in Columbus,GA.
We didn't have time to sell our house so we rented it out. We planned on living on post here, but the 1 place they had available was not going to work. So here we sat with our Uhauls and no where to go. I had checked on some apartments for backup just in case, so we started making calls. Meanwhile we prayed that God would have something for us. We looked at one but it wasn't for us. Then I called the main office of a complex and he said out of all 12 properties, they had one 3 bdr that was available 'today'...Praise God, we took it. It is a little different going from a 4 bdr house with huge yard to a 3 bdr apt...but it will work. We are in and cozy, and pretty settled for now. And the coolest thing for me is that we are around the corner from all major shopping. God is so sweet, after living in DeRidder for the last 2 years this is a real blessing.
Side note--the DITY was work but not as bad as we thought....we did get to pack our own things and unpack them in tact, didn't have to wait for delivery, and made some money. Anyone else a fan of DITY's?

PCS anyone?

Well it has been a while. Some of us have survived a 14 month deployment and others are still in the middle of one. I am sure we all have plenty of stories to share. Personally, I'm just glad it's over and we are all in tact.

PCS season is nearing...Do you have orders yet? Where are you going? This is a great time to start checking out your future home. I tend to go overboard and want to check out everything I can before I get there. Maybe we can help each other out and offer some insight. I would appreciate anything you have. I am about to get out of Fort Polk (doing the happy dance here) and am heading to unknown territory.
Fort Huachuca, AZ anyone?

A Good Read

At the beginning of this 15 month deployment I had all these lofty ideas of what I planned to accomplish while on my own. Then the reality of a 1st deployment hit. I am now looking at less than 4 months and realize I haven't read anything more challenging than my old favorite romance. Not quite what I had in mind. So, I am determined to do some serious reading to make up for lost time. I keep asking everyone for suggestions and now I am asking you.
I am currently reading 'Homefront Club: The Hardheaded Woman's Guide to Raising a Military Family' by Jacey Eckhart. I'll let you know what I think soon. What are you reading? What do you recommend, on any subject? Let's get a list going.
I did receive an email from a group called Survivor Corps. It looks very interesting. Also they are promoting the release of a new book 'I Will Not Be Broken: 5 Steps to Overcoming a Life of Crisis' by Jerry White. I have not read it yet, although it is on my list. I think of all of us military spouses as survivors. I have looked at the steps and like what he puts out there. The last step is 'give back'. One thing I have learned so far about my fellow military spouses is that never hesitate to do that. In the midst of turmoil, deployments, a fellow soldiers death, they are right there ready and willing to step and in and do what is necessary to help a fellow spouse and their military community. I think we might all receive some insight to being survivors from this work. Ok, check it out and let me know what you think.

Countdown of Events...

So when my husband left for Iraq almost 10 months ago, I had a plan. I would have one thing each month for myself and the boys to look forward to. That has been a great way to spend this deployment.

Our last 10 months has looked like this:
Dec. Christmas just me and the boys (we made this a really fun day, complete with having the grandparents mailing their gifts so there was plenty to open and to do...) We celebrated the real reason we have Christmas by going to our church's performance and reminding ourselves of what a great Saviour we serve!

Jan. My parents and brother and his wife came to visit. We all went skiing at Monarch, CO.
Feb. The boys and I went home to NC for 6 weeks...Carson's Birthday in NC
Mar. Still in NC...Bailey's birthday there. My parents and I flew to New York City for a few days giving me a much needed break.
Apr. We did several smaller things in April, but one was to watch our neighbors' daughters for a weekend so they could go to Hawaii...yeah, I got the shorter end of the stick on that one. But it was an adventure for sure!
May My mom and sister-in-law came to Colorado Springs for the Beth Moore conference, which just so happened to be the same time as Hayden's birthday, so we went to Mr. Biggs to celebrate.
June We packed up the car late one night, okay, I packed up the car late one night, and woke everyone VERY early the next morning for a surprise road trip! We had friends driving across the country and they were making a stop at Mt. Rushmore. Only 8 hours from my house! So, the boys and I took a field trip and stayed there 2, maybe 3 mights. Can't remember how many. That month we also had a mother-son hike with our church that the boys had really been looking forward to.
July We went to an OCF place in Colorado for our Summer Vacation. Spring Canyon is a beautiful place and if you ever get the chance to visit, please do so! The boys fished and the cooks cleaned and cooked the fish for the boys to eat for dinner! There was plenty of rest time and time to just be away from the normal routine and doing something special.
Aug We spent August watching other kids while their daddy's were home on R&R. This gave my boys some time to hang out with other kids and they couldn't wait till the next batch of them came to spend the night! Something so inexpensive and so easy to do made their August go by so fast!
Sept. Oh, I'll have to fill you in on this month's adventure in a few days! I'll have photos to add as well!


But I will list a few things I've learned about traveling across country without another adult:

1. When flying across country, pack a small book bag for each kid with prizes they've never seen before. Every hour or so they can open a new prize. Take gum for ears that need popping.
2. DRESS ALL THE KIDS in the same shirt! It really helps to spot them! The last two times we flew, I had them in their soccer jerseys because they all had the same color and same shirt! Very easy to spot! You'd be surprised at how much easier it so to do the ever-necessary head count when they're all in the same color!
3. When camping, stop on the way at a convenience store for a styrofoam cup of the 32 oz size or greater. SAVE THE CUP for early morning bathroom breaks (I only have boys so I'm not sure if this works with girls or not...but let me say...It kept me from having to take them to the bathroom or send them out in the freezing cold night air at least 20 times in 4 days!
4. KOA! Need I say more?! I have never stayed at one of these before this trip, the one I'll write more about more later, but OH MY GOODNESS! Check out their website! www.koa.com If you're driving across country with kids, staying at these might just save you tons of money and sanity! Note: The bathrooms are in a separate building but are very clean and the price might just make it worth it! Another huge benefit is that the kids can be loud and can run free! In a hotel, I'm constantly saying, "Shhh!! There are people right next door! Don't jump...there are people under us!! GET OUT OF THE CLOSET!!" Here, (I'm sitting in a camper at a KOA Kampsite as I write) I just send them outside to the playground and they use up that energy in a productive way!!
5. DVD players in the car are amazing.
6. Whatever you have your mind set to do, DO IT! I didn't think I could do what I'm doing now, but that only made me more determined to try! I am not saying that I don't need my husband, because I do! And traveling with him is much easier and fun, but I can do this without him, and I can provide fun activities for me and the boys to do while he's gone.

Our R&R is next month, so I have lots of fun planned for that time (okay, I asked him for a list of things he wants to do while home. The list is not extravegant, and that's good. But we will not have to suffer from that age old problem of, "Whatta you wanna do?" "I don't know, whatta you wanna do?") The for November I am going to the PWOC International Conference in TX and my mom is coming to stay with the boys. In December we're going to visit family in NC for 3 weeks. I love January because it is a time to get back to the routine. Carson's birthday is in Feb. and my dear husband will be home in March! We have it planned and have a countdown of events to look forward to. Baby steps...baby steps!


Feel free to add to this list of ways to travel with kids without dad!