My husband Jon, in the rear, deployed in Afghanistan.

I’ll be honest, these past few weeks haven’t been easy.  The girls have gotten sick:  Mal with a UTI, Vannah with a double ear infection.  They also both had the stomach bug the week before.  I wish they gave frequent flyer miles at the urgent care/emergency room.  I could take a vacation to Tahiti if that was the case. 

In the midst of this, I also decided to get new carpeting put in the bedrooms, which caused a semi-psychotic break-down.  Of course I decided to paint the master bedroom as well. My thinking: Why worry about getting paint on the new carpet, you know, when I could just paint while the old stuff was in? 

Well as I was moving the heavy entertainment center in there, I burst into tears for a few minutes; just thought about how nice it would be to have my husband Jon, who is currently deployed,  move the heavy objects. Husbands are very useful for that type of thing. LOL! 

I got over it quickly though, but still it is nice to have him around to move heavy things.  I’m also taking some classes on Thursdays and Fridays, had an ethics class this past Wednesday and have different parts of the family coming in the next two weekends.  The carpet is getting installed this Thursday (and all three bedrooms must have the furniture moved by then, fortunately just the girls’ room is left!)

Thankfully Sarah can be here so I can go to class.  The dogs need their annual vet care.  The to-do list keeps getting longer and longer.

However, while I feel as though it has been ridiculously busy in the house, this week quite literally flew by.  Keeping busy makes the time pass much faster.  It’ll be a hop and a jump and I’ll be in a tizzy getting ready for Jon to get home.  I’ll keep you all posted!

What do you do to keep busy while your spouse is deployed?

As I mentioned in part one, my husband has finally deployed.  Since the girls are older this time, all of us are facing new, and sometimes difficult challenges when it comes to coping with the separation.  Mainly, it boils down to Jon not wanting to upset the girls when he calls. 

Jon knows that when he calls, the girls get upset.  It makes him feel absolutely horrible.  I can understand where he’s coming from on this one.  However, I know how a little kid’s mind works.  They don’t quite rationalize things the way he and I do.  I’d rather have them be upset because they miss him, than be upset because they think dad doesn’t want to talk to them (or something along those same lines.)  The bottom line is that I want him to stay as involved as he possibly can. 

I know this isn’t easy for him.  He has to get into a specific mind set and has a completely different life while he’s over there.  The heartache and homesickness doesn’t help either.  However, I think I’ve come up with a few ideas to keep both sides happy.  The girls and I have started sitting down and writing letters to him.  They tell me what they want to say and I write it, then they sign. 

I am also going to start sending some of their school worksheets with the letters.  That way he knows what they’re doing in school and can see how they are progressing.  They also have the opportunity to showcase the different things they’ve done.  I think it’s a pretty win-win situation. 

How do you keep your kids close to dad while he’s gone, without making it heart wrenching for dad or kids?  Please share because I’d love to hear your tips and wisdom!