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?

The fruits of my labor ... sans curtains

This week has been okay.  Both girls made it through a full week of school, which in and of itself is a miracle.  However, I don’t know if there are other military wives out there that feel this way sometimes, but I’ve felt resentful this week. 

I try to push it out of my head; I know it’s not Jon’s fault but dang.  I bought new blinds for the living room and kitchen this weekend.  It would have been nice if he had put all the tools where they were supposed to be before he left so I didn’t have to spend an hour looking for drill bits.  It would have been nice if I would have known where the keys to the locked toolbox were located.  It also would have been nice to have some help putting those bad boys up.  However, the blinds do look good!!  I measured and installed myself, with some help from my wonderful neighbor of course.  The kitchen looks great too; next pay period I’ll take care of the bedrooms and that should be it!!

Soon I’ll have to start mowing the grass, using the possessed weed wacker and fertilizing the lawn.  I will also try, again this year, to make something grow in the front flower beds.   The running joke among my friends is that I have the black thumb of death when it comes to plants.   I killed a cactus; yeah, it’s that bad. 

This is all on top of the “indoor” duties.  The driveway needs to be pressure washed as does the privacy fence, I still can’t walk in the garage, and we’re back to square one on the laundry crisis. I guess the best way to sum it up is that sometimes I feel like the work pile just keeps getting heavier and heavier.  I’d love to blame someone; to just scream at the top of my lungs, but rationally I know that it isn’t anyone’s fault.  It’s part of living the life.  I know these are normal deployment feelings for me; this isn’t my first party, so to say. 

I guess in the end, all I can wish is for the safe return of all the Marines on the deployment.  When I think about the stuff above, it all seems so petty in the face of what I know they’re going through.  So keep praying and I’ll keep updating !! 

P.S.  For those of you tackling your own DIY home projects, a word of advice. Follow the instructions and do predrill holes!!

How do you keep from being resentful when your spouse is deployed? Please share in the comment box below.

Alright, so Jon’s still deployed … and … fingers crossed … everything has been pretty smooth.  The girls had a touch of the stomach bug on Thursday/Friday, but hey, we made it through four days of school, which at this point, seems to be a miracle.  Jon called last week, late in the week, which made me feel a whole lot better.  He said that everyone was okay which in itself was a relief. 

Meantime, here at home, I just can’t get ahead.  I got behind from the kids being nonstop sick for the past month and a half and can’t seem to make any progress.  It’s getting frustrating!!!!  I live off of Red Bull some days. 

However, hiring the cleaning lady has been immeasurably helpful and taken some of the weight off my shoulders, however I still can’t remember to pay the sewer bill (had it in my purse for three days now), and can’t seem to put an end to our laundry crisis.  This month the dogs need to be taken to the vet as does the cat.  I’m hoping that nobody gets sick, myself included.  The toilet is broken (you know the plastic piece that attaches to the handle) and has been for roughly a week and a half.  After I’m done writing, I’m on my way to Lowe’s so that I can get the part to fix it.   

Other than that, I’m just praying that everyone over there is okay.  Quite honestly, in Jon’s previous deployments, the media wasn’t as precise and “in your face.”  People are sending me tons of articles and pictures about what they’re doing over there and quite honestly, I’d just as soon pretend that he was on a vacation to the Bahamas for a few months.  I’m growing increasingly tired of the politics behind it all; don’t even get me started.

If you’re a military spouse, stop by our Military Mattersgroup on MomTalk to share and connect with other parents facing simliar issues.

Here is a picture of my husband that someone sent me! I couldn't be more excited that he's doing well!!

This has been a tough week for our family as far as deployment goes.  It’s been one of the longer ones; time is dragging by!  Unfortunately I can’t escape the news this week. Jon and his unit are assaulting Marjah.  Every time I flip through the channels I hear something about it.  He called very early in the week and we got to speak for a few minutes, which made us all feel better! 

Concerned friends and family are also asking if I’ve heard from him.  Not yet … but hopefully soon.  No news is good news, so it is what it is.  He was worried about getting me a Valentine’s Day present when he called but I told him, no worries on that.  I took things into my own hands and did some retail stress therapy.  

I love the new furniture!! 

I’m really having to work like a dog to censor what the girls see on television.  They of course know what the Marine uniform looks like, so when I’m flipping through channels I have to be very careful about what flashes onto the screen.  I’m halfway tempted to use the parental blocking features and make certain channels inaccessible, as they’ve been asking questions that little girls their age are too young to ask.  Questions that I don’t really want to answer, as we all know that nothing can be said with 100% certainty. 

Other than that, things have been otherwise calm.  No emergency room trips, no allergic reactions, norovirus, etc.  I’m happy with that.  I’m kind of basking in the fact that we’ve had a rather uneventful week.  It was nice for a change. We’ll see what the next few days hold.

Well, it’s been crazy. 

Two Fridays ago, Vannah got sent home with an ear infection.  We got her seen and taken care of and last Sunday I came down with a norovirus.   I also had to go get Mal a new set of shoes in the mean time, because she lost a single shoe, and had none to wear to school.  I haven’t been that sick in years; I honestly wondered if I had Ebola. 

I actually broke down and went to the emergency room this past Monday (haven’t been to an ER since 2003.)  Then Wednesday, Mallory got sent home from school with a fever.  Perfect timing considering the fact that my clients needed to be in their home by Friday.  Somehow though, it fell together.  Mallory’s fever finally went away on Saturday.  I’m now waving the white flag of surrender.

I am slowly but surely developing a phobia; I’m going to start bathing in hand sanitizer.  Honestly, at this point at time, a  few  months in an a desolate desert seems rather refreshing.  As a matter of fact, my house is rather reminiscent of a minefield at this point in time.  I broke down and hired someone to come in and clean on Tuesday. 

My husband Jon called.  Of course he called as I was having an exorcist-like bout.  He has impeccable timing.  I could really use his backup help right now.  I wouldn’t have complained about the Hamburger Helper like concoction that he makes; it would have been nice to not have to make dinner.  I’ll be completely honest, because I know there are others out there that feel like I do; it has been one of those times where I laugh so I can fight back the tears. I’m soooo going out for a couple drinks with my girls when he gets back. 

Most importantly though, I ask for your prayers as my husband’s unit lost two Marines since I last blogged.  Sgt. Daniel Angus and LCpl.  Zachary Smith, we will never forget.