This Mothers’ Day, we didn’t do anything extra special.  On Saturday I worked until 10PM and the girls slept over at a friends house; needless to say, I came home and crashed.  I had to take care of some odds and ends Sunday morning and afterwards, picked up the kids and went home to do chores.  We had fast food for lunch and a convenient dinner.  The same friend came over and all the kids played Wii while she and I both watched a movie.  I feel oddly peaceful and relaxed.  I had a good time talking with the girls and just hanging out!  I truly enjoyed their company. 

I think that often times, between balancing a job, kids, and house, I completely lose track of what’s important.  I sometimes forget to laugh (by the way, really enjoyed the movie, “The Hangover,” though NOT kid friendly).  I forget that life doesn’t have to fly by faster than I seem to blink.  I think what I’m getting at is that I, and I know many other mothers, need to take time out to enjoy ourselves instead of running through the “to-do” list in our heads during our 10 minutes of peace and quiet. 

We don’t enjoy the simple things (tweens included) that bring joy.  I was out showing a house the other day and we walked into the back area of the yard.  There was obviously honeysuckle blooming somewhere as it smelled wonderful.  I don’t know why but it put me in a much better mood.  I think sometimes our society focuses to much on things and “doing” things, rather than just being thankful and enjoying the hand we’ve been dealt. 

This brings me to a website I would like to share.  Don’t get me wrong, some of these suggestions are cheesy, at best.  One of my psychology professors recommended it my class and I visit it from time to time.  You can view it at:

http://my.opera.com/Evergreen%20Spring/blog/show.dml/411829

How do you find ways to appreciate the simple things in life?  What little things brighten your day and matter to you the most?  Is it time with your kids or a walk on the beach?  Please share your comments below. 

Well, things are finally heating up.  It’s absolutely wonderful as I love summer.  However, because of the heat, parents have to be aware of seasonal dangers when it comes to the sun.  First and foremost on my mind during the summer months are heat injuries.  They can be mild or can cause death.  Heat exhaustion and stroke are nothing to be scoffed at.  The symptoms include:

• Often pale with cool, moist skin
• Sweating profusely
• Muscle cramps or pains
• Feels faint or dizzy
• May complain of headache, weakness, thirst, and nausea
• Core (rectal) temperature elevated-usually more than 100°F-and the pulse rate increased

Heat stroke symptoms

• Unconscious or has a markedly abnormal mental status (dizziness, confusion, hallucinations, or coma)
• Flushed, hot, and dry skin (although it may be moist initially from previous sweating or from attempts to cool the person with water)
• May have slightly elevated blood pressure at first that falls later
• May be hyperventilating
• Rectal (core) temperature of 105°F or more

Okay, so it’s all pretty scary, but it’s VERY preventable.  Try to avoid being out when it’s ridiculously hot!  Don’t wait to mow the lawn until 1 pm on July 15th!!!  If you absolutely MUST be outside, rest frequently, drink water, and make sure that you cool off by sitting in the shade, air conditioning, or hosing yourself down.  Also, don’t forget that once you become a heat casualty, your more prone to additional heat injuries.  Other at risk groups include the young and the old.  If you suspect a heat injury, don’t mess around, don’t be proud, be paranoid and get medical assistance immediately!!!!

Do you have any tips or tricks for cooling off when it’s doggedly hot out?  Do you go to the beach, hit the pool, or just stay inside?  Please share your ideas below!

So…the rumors are really flying now.  I’ll admit it, it’s fun and exciting to hear it.  The bad thing is that chances are I won’t get but seven to 14 days notice that he’s coming home.  Everything that I’ve been seeing proves that.  However, I know it’s getting close and I have to start planning!

I decided I’m going to surprise the girls with daddy’s homecoming.  Those who have been through a few deployments know why.  The second you’re getting ready to walk out the door, you get the call that the flight has been delayed by two hours.  I, for one, don’t want to try to explain to the girls that a flight has been held up in Ireland and daddy’s going to be late!  It’s not my idea of a fun conversation; I can already hear the whining.  Not to mention that my idea of a good time doesn’t involve standing on asphalt in the 100 degree heat for an hour or two.  Call me crazy!  

Moreover, it will allow Jon to get a real shower (from what I understand he hasn’t had one in a few months) and Lysol himself.  Perhaps the pressure washer and some bleach is in order, too … LOL! 

Secondly, this time (you think the light would have went off a few deployments ago) I’m expecting some bumps in the road.  It is what it is and we’ll take it as it comes.  I still have to scour the house (but won’t do that until 24 hours or less before he returns because the kids and dogs will trash it), shave Oreo our dog, FINISH the garage (come on, you guys have to hold me to it), touch up the paint in the bedroom, finish painting in the living room (don’t really care if I get that done), and, well, I don’t know … surely there will be other things. 

What do you do to prepare for your spouse’s homecoming?  Any tips for reintegration?  Please share with us!!

I’ll be honest; spanking just is not effective with the girls.  Vannah could care less and Mallory generally doesn’t need it.  Vannah is difficult when it comes to discipline; she doesn’t care about much of anything.  She’s a very free spirit with a strong will.  I’ve had to get creative with my punishment.  If she doesn’t clean up behind herself, I put her toys in a trash bag, in the garage, and she has to earn them back one by one.  She can’t earn them back with just normal chores; she has to do something special like scrub the shower or wash the sink. 

One thing that does bother Vannah is having things taken away.  I take away the Wii, the TV, and sometimes even her favorite outfits.  It’s effective and the effects are usually long lasting.  If she does something wrong and has one of her favorite items taken away, she generally doesn’t become a repeat offender for up to two days! 

I have a friend with a teen daughter.  The daughter, who we’ll call her AA, got caught sneaking out of the neighborhood.  As punishment she had to scrub a huge kitchen floor.  In another instance, my friend’s son AL, get in trouble on the bus and had to write apologies to the Principal and bus driver and read them out loud then ask for forgiveness.  This is the same little boy got sent to the Principal’s office and had to scrub the sidewalks by hand. 

Sometimes we have to think outside of the box when it comes to discipline; the same thing doesn’t work for every single kid!  What are your creative ideas for discipline?  What works for your kids?  Please share below!

Well, my husband called last weekend.  It was a short phone call, but enough to stress me out.  He has some type of unknown bacterial infection and he just didn’t sound himself.  It is what it is, though.

Part of me dreads homecoming.  A lot of spouses will be shocked, especially those whose husbands/wives have never experienced combat or its aftermath.  I’m also quite sure that some people are better equipped to deal with this psychological trauma than others.  Those of you who have been in my shoes; you know what I’m talking about.  Moreover, I’m not talking about combat from a tent 10 miles in the rear either; I mean seeing people die and be maimed day in and day out and having to keep up the fight (sorry for the bluntness, but it’s true, and God bless our medical officers/corpsmen, I think they have it the worst.)  I can’t even pretend to understand it, because I’ve never lived it, but I know what it means to my family.

The first two weeks are so are great, like a second honeymoon.  Then it all starts gradually.  I think a lot of the conflict comes from the fact that the two of you had completely different lives for the past few months.  For example, if I wanted to watch a “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” marathon, I could do that, without any complaining.  He’ll often be picky about the way I did things when he was gone; the garage isn’t clean enough or I didn’t pressure wash the driveway.  I think this is his way of feeling as though he’s needed and important.   Needless to say it often turns into World War III.

Another contributing factor is the fact that they’ve been so high strung and reactive, that sometimes it’s difficult to turn that part off.  When he first gets home, it seems like he stresses/flips out about the most trivial matters, the proverbial hair trigger.  Throw in some guilt and anger to compound the situation and it can be a rough time as far as marriage is concerned.  I try to keep everything low key for the first few weeks.  I think it helps the kids, when he and I get back into a family rhythm.  Yes there are always bumps in the road, but this is what I’ve found works best for us.  It also helps the kids become more comfortable because they start to figure out that daddy going to work doesn’t mean he’s leaving for months on end.

While homecoming can be stressful, I think with patience and a gradual reintroduction everything will be okay.  In addition, don’t forget that the VA, the FRO,(Family Resource Officer) and the naval hospital have an abundance of help if/when you need it.

Have you had a rough time with homecoming?  How so?  How did you handle it?