Weekend Warriors Part II

Bubba and I wake at around 8:00 Sunday morning. We are both in much better moods. Breakfast proceeds a lot like it did Saturday morning. This time, though, he tries his hand at big boy cereal (I added milk). He did really well! Thank goodness for that leather chair though. ;)

Check out was at noon. Toddler Entertainment Time would have to coincide with Packing Time. I decided to take things slow. After all, it was only 8 and I had until roughly 11:30 to pack and entertain. I didn't want to get everything done and have to sit around wondering what to do.

We hung out in our jammies for a little while and watched Special Agent Oso (something we had never seen but he really liked) and Handy Manny. We slowly got dressed and packed.

Toddler Entertainment Time was in full swing with a ride on the elevator and a walk down the fourth floor hallway and back, a trip around the lobby and a walk to the pool to watch a little boy jump in. I was running out of ideas. We had just gotten back to the room and started to play the animal sounds "game" on my iPhone when joy of all joys, Daddy called!! He was on his way.

We each take a trip to the car to load up. We're finally ready to check out and leave. It's around 11:30 (earlier than I was expecting to be out of the hotel) so we grab some lunch and take it back to base. We all sit on a bench outside Daddy's building and eat. Bubba actually eats the most he has all weekend. After a quick walk to the Shoppette, Daddy abandons us. This is where the true Toddler Entertainment Time begins.

It is a balmy 80some degrees out. Even though I've slathered sunblock all over Bubba, I decide we need to find a shady spot to play. We find a big maple tree with a picnic table. We play ball (for the zillionth time since Saturday morning) in the shade of the tree until Mr. Crabby Pants starts to run off. A quick glance at the time alerts me to the fact that it is indeed almost time to meet Daddy AND nap time. Yay!

With about 45 mintues left to kill, I load him in the car and decide to go for a little drive around base. Since this is one of the last times Daddy will have to come here, I want to see what I'll most likely never see again. In about five minutes, I've seen all there is to see. The good news is Bubba is sound asleep. I find a parking space that's a little closer to the building we need to go to and sit and wait. The sweltering heat inside the car tells me it's time to find an outside spot.

It's 2:00 and time to meet Daddy. I remember that there is a little cafe inside the building we need to meet in. Bubba and I go in to wait. Daddy arrives shortly and we make our way to the basement so I can get a new ID card.

If it weren't for a Commander's Call, Daddy probably could have signed out right then and we could have started the trip home. No such luck.

I head to my trusty maple tree for another game of baseball. Bubba really isn't as thrilled this time around. Daddy assures me that these end-of-weekend meetings usually only last 20-30 minutes. I figure I can handle that. Twenty minutes turns into 30 before I know it. We ended up pounding the pavement (I swear we made a path) for nearly an hour.

We both nearly jump for joy when we see Daddy heading toward us. The sight of his face is a promise that the weekend is indeed over and we can start the trek home.

The change of pace was much needed but I think next time, we'll just tough it out at home without Daddy. Almost-two-year-olds are much happier when they have their toys to play with and their normal routine to follow. Mommies are happier that way too.

Weekend Warriors

We had a nice little excursion to Pittsburgh this past weekend.

The idea to make a family affair out of a Reserve weekend is almost funny. Every single time Daddy goes (and doesn't stay with our friends), he stays in a hotel rather than on base. This isn't his choice, but he's not complaining about it. ;)
The first time he called me from one of these said hotels and proceeded to tell me about the MINT they left on his pillow, I wanted to reach through the phone. Not only was he getting a weekend away from everything, he was getting the "special" treatment.
When he called last month and was, yet again, holed up in a fancy hotel I put my foot down. "We're going with you next month", I said.

It was an adventurous weekend but I think next time, we'll just let him go alone.

When we arrived on Friday afternoon, took care of a couple errands on base and then headed to our new home away from home. We stayed at the Sheraton Four Points. It was a wonderful hotel. It would have been more wonderful if it had been just the two of us.

This brings me to the next stage of my weekend: Toddler Entertainment Time.

After a rough Friday night, Bubba and I wake at around 7:30 Saturday morning. This hotel was off my Fancy Meter. No continental breakfast. I could have ordered room service (for nearly $11.00) OR gotten us dressed and went to the restaurant. He's like most kids and doesn't want to do much of anything until he's had something to eat. I plunk him down in the leather covered desk chair (I was planning ahead and figured I could wipe it down if necessary) with a banana, a cup of milk and some dry Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Not exactly the breakfast of champions but I was working on the fly so it would have to do. He seemed happy so I just rolled with it.

I had planned to meet a school friend that day. She was swinging by the hotel at around 9:45. That meant I had roughly two hours of Toddler Entertainment Time. Since the hotel was still fairly new to him (this was his first time in a hotel room), he enjoyed diving on the huge pile of pillows and driving his tractor on the bed. We did end up going for a ride on the elevator and took a quick walk around the building.
Thankfully at around 10:00 M arrived. She was smart and brought presents (aka bribes) It takes Bubba a while to warm up to strangers. He's normally very shy around new people. This time, the new person brought a plastic bat and ball. Jackpot! She also brought his favorite-animal crackers. I'm not sure how she knew but she sure guessed right!

After a quick baseball game, we headed to her house to run outside and play with the dog. He was in heaven again with a big dog to fetch with and a dirt pile to play in. He enjoyed the dirt so much that I literally had to scrub him and change his clothes before we could go and get some lunch. He was having fun so that's all that matters.

M dropped us off at our hotel at around 3:00ish. Little did I know that I had nearly two hours of Toddler Entertainment Time ahead of me. This time, it didn't go as well because the toddler in question was hot, sweaty, dirty AND hadn't had a nap.

Daddy finally arrives! We decide to just stick close because I can tell Bubba isn't up for another car ride. The notel's restaurant was very nice but it wasn't what I would call kid friendly. There was literally nothing on the menu that he would have liked. We didn't want to be rude so we drank our Yuenglings and ordered an appetizer. Our usually very well mannered restaurant going toddler morphed into another kid. He was running away (no high chairs) and throwing fits when we would bring him back to the table. Remember, no nap.

I was so tired that I finally lost my patience and took him back to the room. I remembered to grab my beer. LOL We made it back to the room in about 45 seconds. He was just happy to be out of the restaurant. I was just happy to be out of public so I could cry. Daddy arrived about 10 mintues later with our leftover food. He then proceeded to go to Sheetz so we could all actually eat.

Thankfully bed time went much smoother Saturday night. I think we all needed it. If I had only known what I was in for on Sunday, I would have gone to bed much earlier.

TO BE CONTINUED...

That's What Friends Are For

Have you ever just been in awe of something that someone has done for you?

I am so thankful for a good friend tonight. It's the times when you're in a tight spot when you find the ones you can really count on.

We honestly weren't expecting the call for Daddy to go to training this month. In the back of my mind, I let myself believe that there was a possibility but I've learned the hard way not to expect things (especially when you're dealing with the military). I never really thought that he'd leave this month.

Next week Daddy was going to go through the uniforms he has here and find others in storage. He knew he'd need a couple new sets of Blues so he wanted to take inventory and then order the necessary pieces so he'd have them in time to leave in late July.

Wrong.

We've had to step it up a bit. Since we are no longer close to a base, we've had to rely on AAFES.com for a few things. The last time he ordered a ribbon rack, etc. it only took a week, at most, for the items to get here. This is what we were planning on tonight when he logged in.

Wrong.

Pants are "not available at this time" and shirts will take up to two weeks to get here. We don't have two weeks. This is not what we needed right now.

The closest base with a Clothing Sales is Wright-Patterson in Dayton, Ohio. Yeah, let's hop in the car for that drive...for PANTS!
I immediately think of two friends in Alaska. I call the one who I think is a little less busy at the moment (sorry Miriah) and explain the situation. She *immediately* agrees to go to the BX, drop nearly $150 on the things we need and ship them ASAP. I'm floored.

What an incredible friend. Not only does she agree to do it but she literally leaves the house at that moment to do it. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. How on Earth am I so lucky to be blessed with such wonderful friends? I only hope that I am given the chance to repay her with more than a simple thank you.

Sleepless Nights

Daddy and I, as parents, haven't really had many of those classic sleepless nights. I realize how fortunate I am to be able to say that. Bubba was a great sleeper right from the start. Sure, he'd wake to be fed when he was teeny tiny but we never had a marathon screaming session that ended with everyone in tears.

Recently, I feel like we're eating our words. We're getting a second chance at that newborn stage but this time, it has nothing to do with newborns and everything to do with teeth.

I hate teeth. I've come to realize that not actually remembering getting our own teeth is probably a good thing. The payback for not remembering is having teething children.

After nearly three weeks of what I would call questionable bowel movements (LOL), we now have four eye teeth. (I know they are his teeth but WE ALL earned them.) Just as I started to bask in the glory of eye teeth and normal poop, the molars rear their ugly heads.
Did I mention I hate teeth?

All of the tooth talk leads me to a recent night. I knew that his teeth were starting to bother him but he doesn't do any complaining during the day. He gnaws on his fingers but doesn't whine about them one bit.
Daddy worked last night so I was, once again, flying solo. I knew it was going to be a long night when I was still tossing and turning at 12:00.
I am awakened (if you want to call it that) at about 12:30 by a very whiny boy. I try to ignore him and see if he'll lay back down on his own. The cries intensify. When it comes to night waking, we try to have him self sooth to a point. Once he passes a certain point, he's wide awake and it's nearly impossible to get him to sleep again. I go in and he immediately lays down. I cover him and tell him goodnight.

The quiet doesn't last long though. He starts up again at just about 2:00. When I go in, he's standing there giving me the most pitiful look ever. I gather Bubba and his choo-choo blankie and we cuddle in the chair. He can barely keep his eyes open. After twenty minutes of cuddling we have success, once again.

I am awakened AGAIN at just about 3:00. I decide that if I don't put my foot down this is going to continue all night long. I ask him to lay down and tell him goodnight. Again. This time he responds by screaming at the top of his lungs. Nice. I give him kisses and tell him night night.
He screams louder when I leave the room. I let him cry/scream/fake it for ten minutes.

After the ten-minute tirade, I give in and get the Motrin and teething tablets. He calms down after the tablets and I cuddle him again. By this time, I have a enormous headache and I'm begging for sleep.

This is where I reeeally give in. I whisk him off to bed with me. I secretly love this. When he was just a few days old, cuddling in bed with him was the only way to get him to really sleep. I get teary just thinking about it.
ANYwho, we go lay down. I can tell he's on cloud nine because he starts jabbering and wanting to play with the clock, etc. I am in no mood. In my mommy voice, I tell him to lay down and go to sleep.

This is where all of the crying and sleeplessness is worth it.

He curls up next to me and takes my hand in his. He holds my hand to his chest and gives it a little squeeze. (I used to cuddle with him *just* like this when he was a newborn.)
Then he starts gently rubbing my arm as if to say, "It's ok, mommy. Just relax and go to sleep."

We both finally drift off snuggled together. Boy, will I miss those nights.

It's Not Easy Being Green(er)

Like most people my age, I didn't grow up in a "green" household. Who did, really? Back then (LOL waaay back then), being green meant being rich. Thankfully, things have come a long way and now we can all reap the benefits of living a cleaner, greener life.

I am what the urban dictionary would call crunchy. Here are some of the things I do:

Cloth diapering-This one doesn't apply to everyone (especially if you don't have a baby bum to cover) but I wish everyone that *did* have a baby bum to cover would give it a try. Cloth diapering has come a looong way. It's not all prefolds and pins anymore! A simple Google search will yield tons of results. I won't go into detail here but if you're curious about it, just start reading. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I am thrilled that we made the switch when our son was just little.

Line-drying-Here's one just about anyone can do! You don't need a baby bum for this. If you DO venture into the cloth diapering, hang those suckers up when it's nice out. There's nothing like some good, old fashioned sunshine to make your whites whiter.
When I was little, we had an old wringer washer (it wasn't exactly like this and it DID use electricity but this was the best picture I could find) and my mom line-dried clothes in the summer months. Oh, how I despised laundry days! LOL
Now I'm singing a different tune. A recent dryer issue sent me outside to hang clothes. I'm a convert. Sometimes the "alone time" I get while hanging a load of clothes is all I need to revitalize. Not only that, but we're saving a ton of money with the dryer stuck in the off position.

Recycling-If you live in the boonies like I do, check with your local churches or businesses to see if they run a recycling program. Just because the recycling truck doesn't come down your street doesn't mean you can participate.
Recycling has come a long way as well. A lot of programs don't require much sorting anymore, making it really simple to collect all of recyclable materials. All we need to do here, at our house, is collect the plastic and metal items in one bin and the paper (junk mail, magazines, newspapers, etc.) in another. You really can do it with minimal effort and a small space.
Please check with your local facilities as "rules" vary from one place to the next.

Composting-This is something that I am fairly new at but I'm really getting into it. I'm finding myself searching for more things to add to the collection bucket. Here's a good resource I found if you're just starting out.
We simply collect our kitchen scraps (like egg shells, coffee grounds, fresh fruit and vegetable cuttings, banana peels, etc.) in a plastic ice cream bucket with a lid. When it's close to full, we take it out to the pile. We didn't spend a lot of money on a fancy compost bin either. Keep an open mind and you'll be surprised what you can find that will work for a "bin".

Cleaning-I've turned to making a lot of cleaning products. If you're not aware what a little baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice can do, I encourage you to find out.
If you're not into making your own cleaning agents, you're not out of luck. Nearly every company has a line of green cleaning products now. One that I really like is Method.


These are just a few of the things that we do around here. Of course there are things like turning lights off, shutting down the computer, unplugging those cell phone chargers when you're not actually charging your cell phone and using more energy efficient lightbulbs that make a huge difference as well.

I'd love to hear how you're going green too!

Mother's Day

I was thinking of posting something special for Mother's Day but then a friend of mine beat me to it. Read this entry A Week of Celebration? For ME??? first.

It's like she was reading my mind. When you're struggling to have a baby of your own, things like baby showers and Mother's Day are pure torture. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing more precious and exciting than a new baby but having to endure new baby after new baby while wondering if you're ever going to enjoy that same happiness is heartbreaking, to put it lightly.

I'll never forget my "first" Mother's Day. I was about six months pregnant. Our pastor decided to play a little game after the service for Mother's Day. He had Great Grandmothers stand, Grandmothers Mothers, etc. to determine who had the most children and grandchildren. Every mother got a rose.

I felt a little twinge in my heart for those women that never got to stand.

He then asked anyone that had become a mother that year to stand. We all applauded for a friend who stood with her infant. Then he said, "Anyone who WILL become a mother this year, please stand." (He knew we were expecting but no one other than choir members in the congregation did.) I could barely hold back the tears as I stood. Everyone applauded with a look of surprise.

I always think of that moment when I think of Mother's Day. For me, it's not about having a "day off" (because really...does that actually happen?) or getting cards, candy or flowers. It's about remembering that feeling I had three years ago. I wish everyone could experience that.

So enjoy this Sunday with your family, your kids or your mommy friends. But don't forget those friends that are struggling to become mommies. You can't even begin to imagine their hurt.

Read All About It

Fabulous article! Check it out.

I was doing a little research on the AAP's new advice that children should rear face until AT LEAST two years old (longer if your seat allows it) and came across this article. I wish every parent would read it.