- reinstall the downspouts in the back yard done
- reinstall the Bose surround sound in the living room
- get a few things down from the attic done
- put a few things back up in the attic done
- give me a back massage
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Honey-do list update...
Earlier I posted the start of my honey-do list. It's changed, so I figured I should let the world know. Because the world cares...or something. :o)
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A busy day.
Today was both a good day, and a rough day, all wrapped into one. The good:
While we do talk about how mommy feels, I rarely let down my guard until I'm alone. And then I feel terribly alone. It's usually late, after the kids are tucked securely into bed, and much too late for a phone call (my father was adamant that phone calls were not to be placed after 8pm. Period.). Thankfully, even in my most lonely hours, I feel the love and support of those around me. I feel the prayers holding me up. I know I have friends who would welcome a phone call, no matter what the hour. I know that I have only to ask, and nearly anything under the sun will be done for me. And I sincerely thank all of you who are there for me: spiritually, emotionally, physically, electronically...you mean the world to me. ♥
In other news...here's the quote of the day:
"That's ok, mommy. I put my kazoo in that pocket in my underwear."
- My morning walks...always refreshing and re-energizing
- Littlest two monkeys are enjoying VBS, and I'm enjoying a bit of time to get things done
- I got the chest freezer cleaned off...and can actually get to it and get things out
- Swim lessons are fabulous: Little Dude put all the pieces together today and really started swimming! Mighty Man has discovered he can swim completely across the pool...and back. I'm so proud!
- I made it to open workout at the karate dojo this morning...I do remember some of this stuff. Maybe there's hope for my test after all?
- As of this morning, I'm down 6 pounds of the nearly 15 that I gained just before The Lizard left. That feels pretty good!
- Our life is full, we're busy. LM and MB are off to camp, and MM & LD are busy, busy! VBS 9-12, swim lessons 2:30-3:10, other swim lessons 3:50-4:20, karate 4:30-5:30. And busy keeps us out of trouble, for the most part.
- Saying goodbye as The Lizard left the country. Cell phones with iffy coverage just don't let you say goodbye properly.
- The tears.
While we do talk about how mommy feels, I rarely let down my guard until I'm alone. And then I feel terribly alone. It's usually late, after the kids are tucked securely into bed, and much too late for a phone call (my father was adamant that phone calls were not to be placed after 8pm. Period.). Thankfully, even in my most lonely hours, I feel the love and support of those around me. I feel the prayers holding me up. I know I have friends who would welcome a phone call, no matter what the hour. I know that I have only to ask, and nearly anything under the sun will be done for me. And I sincerely thank all of you who are there for me: spiritually, emotionally, physically, electronically...you mean the world to me. ♥
In other news...here's the quote of the day:
"That's ok, mommy. I put my kazoo in that pocket in my underwear."
Monday, August 2, 2010
Excuses, excuses...
I feel obliged to tell you that I did not unexpectedly fall off the face of the earth. I just got a new phone, that's all. :o) Since I got my new phone last Tuesday, I haven't turned on my computer. Unfortunately, blogging isn't all that easy on a touch-pad keyboard...one letter painfully pecked out at a time just isn't my thing. So as a result of getting a new phone, my blogging suffered.
Such is life! So...what happened last week? I'm not sure I remember...stuff, mostly. I did go to karate, and bared my soul about self defense...or a certain willful lack thereof. And Little Miss had a birthday. And I missed the Lizard something fierce. We had swim lessons, and karate, I had my morning walks...in general, life has been running along fairly smoothly. I have a good solid routine. Dishes done every night, cooking done every night, laundry done according to plan with folding and putting away getting done the same day as wash...miracles do happen!
Sunday, Little Miss served at the early mass. After we got home, we (LM, Monkey Boy and I) packed for camp. The oldest two are at church camp all week. It's a little bizarre "only" having two kids to feed, mind, put to bed and otherwise wrangle. It's definitely a different dynamic here at home. And way fewer dishes.
Today, the littlest two monkeys started off with VBS from 9 until noon. Then we had lunch and packed up for a few errands and swim lessons. We dropped off some boogie boards for a friend, returned a pile of books to the library, did swim lessons, shopped at the exchange, shopped at the commissary, returned a pile of granite and marble tile samples, shopped at REI. Then came home, had grilled chicken for dinner and headed out for our Mission Trails hike. It was definitely a fun-filled day.
Unfortunately, the day ended on a sad note for me. The Lizard leaves the states tomorrow for an unknown amount of time. He should be back in a year, and we hope he'll be back for a visit sometime during that year. I've decided that an IA (Individual Augmentee) deployment is much harder than a regular deployment. A shipboard deployment, you leave (for example) on 6 December and return 6 June the next year. Six months to the day, nearly guaranteed. Takes an act of congress to change that. IA he just goes. No hard and fast day he'll leave, no written in stone day he'll return. Throw a dart at a calendar...that's as good a method as any to determine his return date.
So tomorrow, he leaves the states. He'll be in transit for a few days...and then...? Who knows. It's just a gaping expanse of blackness...the uncertainty, the unknown.
Such is life! So...what happened last week? I'm not sure I remember...stuff, mostly. I did go to karate, and bared my soul about self defense...or a certain willful lack thereof. And Little Miss had a birthday. And I missed the Lizard something fierce. We had swim lessons, and karate, I had my morning walks...in general, life has been running along fairly smoothly. I have a good solid routine. Dishes done every night, cooking done every night, laundry done according to plan with folding and putting away getting done the same day as wash...miracles do happen!
Sunday, Little Miss served at the early mass. After we got home, we (LM, Monkey Boy and I) packed for camp. The oldest two are at church camp all week. It's a little bizarre "only" having two kids to feed, mind, put to bed and otherwise wrangle. It's definitely a different dynamic here at home. And way fewer dishes.
Today, the littlest two monkeys started off with VBS from 9 until noon. Then we had lunch and packed up for a few errands and swim lessons. We dropped off some boogie boards for a friend, returned a pile of books to the library, did swim lessons, shopped at the exchange, shopped at the commissary, returned a pile of granite and marble tile samples, shopped at REI. Then came home, had grilled chicken for dinner and headed out for our Mission Trails hike. It was definitely a fun-filled day.
Unfortunately, the day ended on a sad note for me. The Lizard leaves the states tomorrow for an unknown amount of time. He should be back in a year, and we hope he'll be back for a visit sometime during that year. I've decided that an IA (Individual Augmentee) deployment is much harder than a regular deployment. A shipboard deployment, you leave (for example) on 6 December and return 6 June the next year. Six months to the day, nearly guaranteed. Takes an act of congress to change that. IA he just goes. No hard and fast day he'll leave, no written in stone day he'll return. Throw a dart at a calendar...that's as good a method as any to determine his return date.
So tomorrow, he leaves the states. He'll be in transit for a few days...and then...? Who knows. It's just a gaping expanse of blackness...the uncertainty, the unknown.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Success!
Today, I had two major chores on my list: clean out the garage and clean off the pool table. While I certainly didn't get both of them done, I definitely consider today a success. Initially I cleaned out a corner of the garage and reorganized the shelves. I was absolutely shocked to discover that the 72 pints of strawberry jam I put up has been reduced to 15. Fourteen if you don't count the one that got opened today. Apparently I'll need to do that again sometime soonish.
From there, I moved on to the attic. I spent a good portion of today up in the rafters sorting through totes of clothes, marking boxes, consolidating and reorganizing. I was able to move quite a bit of stuff up into the attic, and some stuff (more shorts that actually fit Little Dude) down. After sweating considerably, I moved on to the rest of the garage. While I still have much work left to do in the garage, the fact that the car (for the first time in months) fits back into it's spot in the garage is enough for me to call today a success.
The pool table, however, still needs significant attention. I've been purging pre-school items, consolidating my school collections and streamlining my storage and "treasures." It's an intense process. I did manage to put away 3 boxes from around the pool table in the process of cleaning out the garage, so I believe there is still hope. It's just another one of those big, thankless projects that gets put off far too long.
My motivation for all of this comes in the form of time. I have precisely two and one half weeks until my big trip. While I'm gone, two college age kids will live here. I need to get the house back in order. It was April when the roof leaked and things generally fell apart. It's high time I get my act together and put things back where they belong.
In other news, I may have signed up for the craziest schedule known. Today went something like this:
3:45 drop 1 off to teach karate
3:50 drop 3 & 4 off for swim lessons
4:15 pick up 1 from karate
4:20 pick 3 & 4 up from swim lessons, start them changing
4:30 drop 1 & 2 off for swim lessons, drive like mad to other side of town
4:30ish drop 3 & 4 off for karate
5:00 pick up 1 & 2 from swim lessons (other side of town from karate)
drive back to karate dojo to...
5:30 pick up 3 & 4 and drop off 1 & 2 at karate
run errands
6:30 pick up 1 & 2 from karate
Thursday should be slightly less crazy because Little Miss won't have to teach karate before swim lessons. Wednesday and Friday should be just peachy since no one has karate after swim lessons. There is a reason for all of this madness. Swim lessons for 2 weeks are just $20 for each kid. The times lessons are offered aren't ideal for our schedule, but for $20, I'm willing to go crazy for a couple of weeks. And perhaps by the end of the summer, we'll have 4 strong swimmers instead of 2 1/2. :o)
From there, I moved on to the attic. I spent a good portion of today up in the rafters sorting through totes of clothes, marking boxes, consolidating and reorganizing. I was able to move quite a bit of stuff up into the attic, and some stuff (more shorts that actually fit Little Dude) down. After sweating considerably, I moved on to the rest of the garage. While I still have much work left to do in the garage, the fact that the car (for the first time in months) fits back into it's spot in the garage is enough for me to call today a success.
The pool table, however, still needs significant attention. I've been purging pre-school items, consolidating my school collections and streamlining my storage and "treasures." It's an intense process. I did manage to put away 3 boxes from around the pool table in the process of cleaning out the garage, so I believe there is still hope. It's just another one of those big, thankless projects that gets put off far too long.
My motivation for all of this comes in the form of time. I have precisely two and one half weeks until my big trip. While I'm gone, two college age kids will live here. I need to get the house back in order. It was April when the roof leaked and things generally fell apart. It's high time I get my act together and put things back where they belong.
In other news, I may have signed up for the craziest schedule known. Today went something like this:
3:45 drop 1 off to teach karate
3:50 drop 3 & 4 off for swim lessons
4:15 pick up 1 from karate
4:20 pick 3 & 4 up from swim lessons, start them changing
4:30 drop 1 & 2 off for swim lessons, drive like mad to other side of town
4:30ish drop 3 & 4 off for karate
5:00 pick up 1 & 2 from swim lessons (other side of town from karate)
drive back to karate dojo to...
5:30 pick up 3 & 4 and drop off 1 & 2 at karate
run errands
6:30 pick up 1 & 2 from karate
Thursday should be slightly less crazy because Little Miss won't have to teach karate before swim lessons. Wednesday and Friday should be just peachy since no one has karate after swim lessons. There is a reason for all of this madness. Swim lessons for 2 weeks are just $20 for each kid. The times lessons are offered aren't ideal for our schedule, but for $20, I'm willing to go crazy for a couple of weeks. And perhaps by the end of the summer, we'll have 4 strong swimmers instead of 2 1/2. :o)
Monday, July 26, 2010
San Onofre Beach - Camp Pendleton
This weekend was a chance for me to get out of town, out of the house, and out of my routine. It was a wonderful and welcome break from the upheaval of last week, and I'm so grateful we went! When we got there, it was a little overcast, but still beautiful. We set up our tent, arranged our campsite, and then headed down to the beach to play for a bit.
San Onofre Beach - Camp Pendleton, originally uploaded by Miska195.
Later we returned to our campsite for dinner and s'mores. This was the sunet...
Saturday we spent the entire day at the beach. We were briefed by the head life guard about the rip current, the shore characteristics and other safety items. Then we headed out for some boogie boarding. It was a beautiful day and we all had so much fun! Little Dude insisted on trying a bit of boogie boarding. He learned quite quickly that waves bigger than he were not to be trifled with. After being swept away by two consecutive waves, he opted for the safety of burying himself in the sand.
Otherwise, the day was a huge hit with the kids. They all thoroughly enjoyed the day with the rest of our Scout Pack and playing in the ocean for hours and hours. All told, we were in the surf and sand for 8 hours! Little Miss spent the entire day in the water...but then took a two hour nap before dinner, heh. She was exhausted!
I wouldn't mind doing something like this again. It was so much fun, and I even discovered that I really enjoy boogie boarding! I think I'll try a beach with a little less surf next time, so Little Dude can get out without being attacked by the big waves! Maybe the gentle slope of North Island will be a good start. Life is good!
San Onofre Beach - Camp Pendleton, originally uploaded by Miska195.
Later we returned to our campsite for dinner and s'mores. This was the sunet...
Saturday we spent the entire day at the beach. We were briefed by the head life guard about the rip current, the shore characteristics and other safety items. Then we headed out for some boogie boarding. It was a beautiful day and we all had so much fun! Little Dude insisted on trying a bit of boogie boarding. He learned quite quickly that waves bigger than he were not to be trifled with. After being swept away by two consecutive waves, he opted for the safety of burying himself in the sand.
Otherwise, the day was a huge hit with the kids. They all thoroughly enjoyed the day with the rest of our Scout Pack and playing in the ocean for hours and hours. All told, we were in the surf and sand for 8 hours! Little Miss spent the entire day in the water...but then took a two hour nap before dinner, heh. She was exhausted!
I wouldn't mind doing something like this again. It was so much fun, and I even discovered that I really enjoy boogie boarding! I think I'll try a beach with a little less surf next time, so Little Dude can get out without being attacked by the big waves! Maybe the gentle slope of North Island will be a good start. Life is good!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Getting ready
I've been trying to get things organized all week, but have been frustrated by unexpected events popping up. My brother dropped in Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The fence mysteriously showed up a couple of weeks early on Tuesday. And since I'm the sponsor for a Cub Scout camping trip to Camp Pendleton this weekend, I've had to field numerous questions and help people figure out how to open, print, sign and return waivers.
All I want to do is get the garage cleaned out! I don't want to tell people what they should pack for camping. I don't want to plan their meals. I don't want to plan what toys they bring for their kids. Honestly, people! REALLY??? I have 4 kids of my own to figure out these things for. Act like a responsible adult, not like a poor little lamb, bleating and uncertain where to go or what to do! It's camping. You need to eat, sleep and play. Figure out what you need in order to do those three things, and go from there.
I've taken to telling people they should be sure to bring their tent, a sleeping bag and some clothes. Maybe if I'm sarcastic enough, they'll get the idea that I'm simply getting them on base, not volunteering to hold their hand and come pack for them. Sheesh. Anyway, I feel better now that I've aired that little vent. :o)
Today was the last day of this session of swim lessons for the kids. They've been at MCAS Miramar for the last two weeks. Little Miss moved up to Level 4, Monkey Boy will remain at Level 3, Mighty Man passed Level 2 and will join his brother in Level 3, and Little Dude is this close >< to passing Level 1. Yesterday the whole swimming thing clicked for him. He went from blowing bubbles and bobbing, to doing 10 yards of superman kicking followed by 10 yards of kicking with arms (front crawl). It was so cool to see him "get" it out of the blue! The only thing he hasn't mastered quite yet is floating on his back. He can do it, just not quite long enough.
Next week we'll move to the local high school for another 2 weeks of lessons. I'm hopeful that Little Dude will be a bona fide swimmer after that session! It's so nice to see them finally becoming the little fish The Lizard and I have always been. All in good time, though.
All I want to do is get the garage cleaned out! I don't want to tell people what they should pack for camping. I don't want to plan their meals. I don't want to plan what toys they bring for their kids. Honestly, people! REALLY??? I have 4 kids of my own to figure out these things for. Act like a responsible adult, not like a poor little lamb, bleating and uncertain where to go or what to do! It's camping. You need to eat, sleep and play. Figure out what you need in order to do those three things, and go from there.
I've taken to telling people they should be sure to bring their tent, a sleeping bag and some clothes. Maybe if I'm sarcastic enough, they'll get the idea that I'm simply getting them on base, not volunteering to hold their hand and come pack for them. Sheesh. Anyway, I feel better now that I've aired that little vent. :o)
Today was the last day of this session of swim lessons for the kids. They've been at MCAS Miramar for the last two weeks. Little Miss moved up to Level 4, Monkey Boy will remain at Level 3, Mighty Man passed Level 2 and will join his brother in Level 3, and Little Dude is this close >< to passing Level 1. Yesterday the whole swimming thing clicked for him. He went from blowing bubbles and bobbing, to doing 10 yards of superman kicking followed by 10 yards of kicking with arms (front crawl). It was so cool to see him "get" it out of the blue! The only thing he hasn't mastered quite yet is floating on his back. He can do it, just not quite long enough.
Next week we'll move to the local high school for another 2 weeks of lessons. I'm hopeful that Little Dude will be a bona fide swimmer after that session! It's so nice to see them finally becoming the little fish The Lizard and I have always been. All in good time, though.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Is it too early?
I have a question that has been bouncing around my noggin all day. Is it too early to start a "honey do" list? The Lizard has been gone 3 whole days. There are just a few items I'd like to start with.
Today did not go the way I planned at all. I got a phone call while I was out at swim lessons. The fence guy called to let me know the fence was made and maybe they would come to install it today. What he really meant was "the fence is made and my guys are already coring your cement for the install." Yipes!
All in all, the install went well and I like the new gates. We had one installed on each side of the house, to go with all of the back yard construction, new retaining walls and new fences. I'm glad to have that done before leaving. Now we just have a small part of the fence to finish before we have our backyard privacy back. Hurray!
The rest of today, I decided to hang out inside instead of walking back and forth from the shed to the garage and getting in the way of the fence installation. So I worked on getting the living room back in order and excavating the pool table. April 24 was when our roof leaked and things went crazy inside. I suppose it's time to starting putting things back together! I finally got all of the pictures rehung today. It looks a little less bare in here now. I also went through 4 boxes of stuff and purged a bunch of it. I think there's hope that we may eventually "fit" into the new furniture arrangement. There's been a lot of purging and cleaning going on here recently, and it's very freeing to do that.
Tomorrow I should pack for camping. I should also start preparing for my next belt test. It was supposed to be tonight, but I ended up staying home from karate. Somehow my children seem more important than a belt test. Mighty Man needed some special time to reconnect and find his way back to his "green zone." I'm glad to be able to recognize the need, and put off "important" things for the truly precious and fleeting moments our children desperately need me.
- reinstall the downspouts in the back yard
- reinstall the Bose surround sound in the living room
- get a few things down from the attic
- put a few things back up in the attic
- give me a back massage
Today did not go the way I planned at all. I got a phone call while I was out at swim lessons. The fence guy called to let me know the fence was made and maybe they would come to install it today. What he really meant was "the fence is made and my guys are already coring your cement for the install." Yipes!
All in all, the install went well and I like the new gates. We had one installed on each side of the house, to go with all of the back yard construction, new retaining walls and new fences. I'm glad to have that done before leaving. Now we just have a small part of the fence to finish before we have our backyard privacy back. Hurray!
Tomorrow I should pack for camping. I should also start preparing for my next belt test. It was supposed to be tonight, but I ended up staying home from karate. Somehow my children seem more important than a belt test. Mighty Man needed some special time to reconnect and find his way back to his "green zone." I'm glad to be able to recognize the need, and put off "important" things for the truly precious and fleeting moments our children desperately need me.
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