Category — community

“No candles? But don’t those cost, like, 2 bucks?” Yeah, well so does a loaf of bread. Guess where my last $2 went.

Ah, the budget. Forever in the forefront of my mind. Always being reworked, borrowed from, stretched and sometimes broken.

Back to school and Christmas are the hardest times on the ol’ budget and I’m neck-deep in back to school prep right now. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still very real things that need to be celebrated and done, like birthdays. 2 days ago, we had just such an event. When the budget for the 15th was written, I requested an extra $100 for the upcoming bday. My request was fulfilled. However, I had NOT accounted for some uniform items that the girls starting their Frosh year needed. So, the bday $ went to buy 2 new, white, button-down shirts and 2 pair of black flats for Dress Day Uniform requirements. *Think, think, think* What was I gonna do about the bday? I kept being asked for a Birthday Party. My blanket answer was, “well, that’ll be a tough one, but let’s talk about it”.  And talk we did. He asked if he could, “please, please, please have friends down to the beach for a beach day”. Hmmm…the beach is free. I can do that! But what to do about the food and favors? *think, think, think*. Well, we’ll forget “favors” altogether. If they really need something to take home, they can roam the beach for shells, right? Which by-the-way, 10 & 11 yr old boys really don’t care about. Now food-*think, think, think*. Well, I earned $27 from a book I sold on Amazon.com. So, $20 for a cake at Costco and $7 for a 40-pack of CapriSun juice pouches. I’m GOLDEN! I knew I had a huge bag of carrots, and plenty of celery and peppers to cut up and ranch dressing in the fridge (had to attempt to add something healthy to the mix) and there was plenty of PB&J and bread. Another mom donated bags of popcorn and pudding cups.

And we had ourselves a party!

Now, the agreement was that if I did give him a party, that would be his present. Since I got off so inexpensively I told him I’d take him to ToysRUs to spend a gift card he received and if he needs a little help with whatever item he chooses, I’ll pitch in…but not until after payday.

I’m proud of our $27 party!

Doing the Dance of the Children and Staying on this Tightrope of a Budget~

The last weeks of summer are upon us and I’m trying to keep everyone busy. We live in such a great area with so many fun things to do, but the really challenging part is to stay within a budget and not have the summer drive us into the poorhouse. With a little time and effort, I continue to find great things for us to do and explore that are either free or inexpensive.

A few days ago I had to drive one of my older girls out to Santee to visit a friend that had moved from our area. I’d never been out there before. We passed a large park area when we were driving and decided to check it out on the way home. We had accidentally found Santee Lakes, a great, outdoor area with fishing, water play, movies in the park, play areas and much more. We spent a couple hours at the water and playground and decided we’d make a plan, in the near future, to spend a day there.

Today, I was searching for directions to the New Children’s Museum for Kateri because a friend of hers is having her wedding reception there. I’d never looked into the Children’s Museum before. Once I was on their website I roamed around and found that they have Target Free Second Sundays. That’s tomorrow! Thanks to Target for making it possible for every family to get a chance to visit the museum without it being a financial issue. So tomorrow afternoon I’ll be packing up the kiddos and exploring the museum. If your in the San Diego area, join us!

I hope everyone is enjoying their last weeks of summer. We’ll all be knee-deep in school and homework before we know it!

Doing the Dance of the Children and Trying to Keep them Moving~

Over the last couple of days I’ve had 2 questions on my mind. I’m hoping to hear what your experiences have been (if any) with either or both of these-

1) has a child of yours ever had a friend who repeatedly blamed them for things they didn’t do?

2) Have you ever been at a playground (or in a shared playing experience) and had and unpleasant parent ruin the experience to the point that you felt that it was time to leave?

I can’t wait to hear how you’ve dealt with these things.

Doing the Dance of the Children and always looking for the best Dance steps~

Yesterday I was the lucky recipient of some sweet and kind gestures. The point of this blog isn’t to write down the compliments I received but instead to share how I feel about people opening themselves up to giving and receiving compliments.

We all see and hear things that make us happy, put a smile on our faces or spark a comment or compliment in us. But I think that we rarely act on those things. Many times I’ll see a someone who’s dressed beautifully or carrying something that I find beautiful or who has said something intriguing and I’ll want to respond to it-to tell a woman or even a man that they look beautiful or that I love the bag they’ve picked to carry on that day or that their child has the sweetest look on their face. But I think many of us stop ourselves from saying those things because we are afraid of the response we might receive or that the person will think we’re “weird”.

But when we take a moment to say those things-to not be afraid of the response and simply let those things come out of our mouths, more often than not, a little joy is shared. And when we can learn to receive those compliments and let the person giving them know that they are appreciated, then a little more joy is shared.

I got to have a few joyful moments yesterday because people took the time to let me know that they thought that the way I do things for myself and my family was beautiful. I even got to bring home those daffodils pictured because a checker at my local Trader Joes thought I was a good M.O.M. and I’m so grateful for those things. They make me feel freer to share the compliments I feel for others.

Let’s try to take a minute to share a little joy today. When we give it, we will also, surely, receive it.

Have a great day~

I’m realizing that sometimes I have so much going on that I stop talking all-together.  Once I realize it, it’s hard to know where to start again.

This time I want to start by sharing a great event that I attended last Thurs.  National Mom’s Nite Out.

This event was put together in San Diego by Deb of San Diego Momma, Mel, A Dramatic Mommy and Charity and was held at Busters Beach House and Longboard Bar, in Seaport Village (love that place!).  It was a great event, complete with swag, great food, give-aways, $5 drinks and a silent auction who’s proceeds went to support the March of Dimes.  Way to go, ladies!  I had fun meeting everyone and networking with other, local moms who find themselves with an on-line presence.  

One of the best parts of the night was that this event was sandwiched in between 2 other events I had on Thursday (told you it’s been busy!) and Clay was a part of both the other events (HSC-23 Change of Command and the COC party), so we decided it made sense for him to tag along and then we’d head to the COC party afterward.  Hee Hee!  He was the only guy in attendance.  At first, he got some unwelcome glares, but as the evening moved on, he let the ladies know that he was just tagging along with Mommy of Many and would stay out of the way.  He ended up being a welcome addition to the evening and it gave him a glimpse into another part of me (the ladies night out part).  

Thanks to Deb, Mel, Charity and all the great sponsors for making this night possible!

Charity and Mel getting everyone excited about a give-away

Tonya, Anissa (also proud military spouses and busy mamas) and me 

San Diego Mamas having a great night out

Me and Deb

Thanks again ladies!  I hope to see more of you in cyberspace and at other great, San Diego events!

Have a great day~

If you keep up with this blog then you know we’ve been having the house redone.  We’ve been here for 7 years and were eligible to have the house repainted, re-carpeted, retiled, etc. So we moved everything out, took all the pictures off the walls, removed all the nails, packed up all the books and nick knacks and got ready to have this house made to look new again.  I was so excited to see how fresh and new everything looked and felt.  Then, one day after the tile was relaid in the entry,ONE DAY…. this happened

A baking stone was dropped on the new tile and a big chunk was broken out of one of the tiles.  I was so angry!  I couldn’t believe that I could only have a new looking house for 24 hours!  I was also totally worried about what housing was going to say.  

The next day I went in and told them what happened.  Within 24 hours the worker was back, replacing the one tile and making it look fresh again.  

This is one of the top reasons we choose to live in housing.  Every time something needs to be replaced or fixed, I simply pick up the phone.  Imagine how much more difficult it would be to be  parenting on my own for the next year, if I had to worry about every time something broke or needed to be replaced!  Between the ease of maintenance and the support of neighbors, I can’t imagine living this military/Mommy of Many life without being in housing!

Good night~

Over the last 3 days, the pace of life has been pretty quick.  

The squadron is getting ready for the Change of Command in early May and there are always events that lead up to that.  Thursday night was the COC dinner and Clay’s farewell from the squadron was also included in the night’s festivities.  

He was presented with the above plaque which has a picture of him, flying his last flight at the squadron which was just 2 days before this.  Our time with this squadron has been wonderful.  It’s full of great people who look after one another.  Even though Clay has been farewelled, I will get to continue to attend the squadron’s functions because of the type of orders he is leaving on.  I look forward to continuing to attend social gatherings and OSC (Officer Spouse Club) meetings with this group of great people!

That night, we came home from the dinner, changed into our work clothes and got down to business, finishing the packing up and cleaning of our house.  The painters were coming the next morning.  I was able to go until 1 am and then crawled into bed, setting the alarm for 4 am to get it finished.  It was (miraculously) done in time for the painter  and I headed out the door with the 2 youngest kiddos to keep them busy, outside of the house, for the day.  I hadn’t been able to take them to the park in awhile, and to be forced out of the house, with no looming laundry and no hope of computer work, was the perfect opportunity to focus on spending some fun time with them.  We spent a whole day of “fun time”.  ”Fun Time” is exhausting!  

Clay finished his work day and met up with us to take the kids to dinner while I got ready for a farewell dinner with the great ladies from my bible study.  One of the women is leaving for a year to Germany.  Her husband is a reservist and has orders.  She has packed up the kiddos and they are heading over.  She’s taking my godbaby with her, which I am NOT happy about!

We all had a wonderful dinner (at my favorite restaurant!) and were able to spend some time chit chatting and making her promise to use Skype 

After dinner, I met my family in our freshly painted house and we carefully went to our rooms.  The painter was coming back, first thing in the morning and we needed to be ready to go again.  With this mini remodel, we requested that the bedrooms not be done.  This helped us in 2 ways.  First, we didn’t have to move EVERYTHING out of the house and secondly, we could tip toe into our rooms at night and not have to get a hotel.  

But Clay had to rally the troops on his own, yesterday, because I was attending our CO spouse’s farewell.  Normally, this is a luncheon, but Lisa asked that we all do something a little different in honor of a cause that is close to her heart.  So, we all met up for the March of Dimes, March for Babies walk.  

The squadron’s name is the Wildcards and everything is western themed, hence the cowboy hats. However, it was the first time since I decided to try a work out routine, that I’d put on workout clothes.  This quickly brought to mind the whole work out fashion issues I’d had a few months ago!  I chose to solve the problem with a long tee shirt.  :-)

I got to walk along with one of the newest members of the Wildcard family for part of the way.  I hadn’t worn a front carrier in a couple of years.  It felt great!  There’s nothing like snuggling a little baby!

After our walk, we had a picnic lunch in the park.  

Then it was off to find my family and figure out what our plan was for staying out of the house for another day.  We met up at MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) for some fun time in their game room.  The kids love going there because there’s a bowling alley, a game room where no quarters are required and a movie theater where you can pick which movie you want to watch (first come, first served)!  It’s a great place to have a party or spend the afternoon.  While Clay kept the kids busy there, I grabbed Gabi and took her shopping for a bday gift for the party she was attending that afternoon.  Gift picked and then off to the dance party.  It was great to see a room full of 4 and 5 yr. old girls dancing and pretending.  LOTS of fun!

We came back to the house in the evening and it has been freshly painted, new carpet has been installed, the bathroom, kitchen, dining room and laundry room have new vinyl and the entryway has been retiled.  In a few days new window coverings and appliances will be delivered.  Whoo Hoo!  It’s been exhausting, keeping the kids out while still fulfilling our daily obligations, but the house is looking GREAT!  Pics to come soon, I promise.  The only problem is that now I don’t want to move our stuff back in.  I just want to leave it all looking fresh and clean. ~Sigh~  

Today, we are staying out of the house again and have been invited for a bbq and pool party.  The kids are excited and I’ll be happy to relax and watch them play.  Tomorrow begins the unpacking of the boxes and making the house look like we live in it again.  

I hope you’ve each had a great weekend and that your pace of life has been a little slower than ours.  

Have a great day~

Well, yesterday was a test of what I could do.   It was my first time back to church with the family and then we had a baptism and luncheon afterward.  I hadn’t done hair and make-up in 3 weeks!  Getting back to our parish with my family was great!  It’s a small parish and we’ve been parishioners there for almost 11 years.  I was the recipient of many a warm “welcome back”.  These people have become like family.

I had the privilege of becoming a Godmother (for the 4th time) yesterday.  Sweet, little Lauren Marie was baptized at the parish that’s attached to my children’s school.  We hadn’t been to a Roman Rite baptism in quiet some time.  Everything was beautiful and I’m happy I got to be a part of it.  Afterward we headed to the family’s house for a luncheon.  My little ones are friends with the other children in the family and my older girls have babysat for them, so it was a nice, quiet, comfortable afternoon of visiting.  

I love this pic of the little ones gathered around the sleeping baby.  So sweet!

Even so, it tested my ability to be up all day.  We got home around 3 and I headed to bed.  I was able to stay there for a couple of hours and then get up to take care of serving dinner.  I’m wondering when the afternoon napping will come to an end.

This morning I’m back to my regular alarm schedule of 4:15 am and can’t help but wonder how soon I’m gonna want Gabi and Lex to lay down with me.  I suppose the day will tell!

Have a great day~

I’m sitting here trying to figure out how I can feel tired after almost 2 weeks in bed.  I feel like a terrible blogger and an even worse podcaster.  I always have these big expectations for what “should” happen and hate it when I fall short!  

Over the weekend I had a very close and long-time friend visiting to help get things back in order before I had to crawl out of bed this week and try to take over.  She did a remarkable job!  Things that I’ve let go over time are now back in tip-top shape.  But most amazingly, she managed to get ALL the laundry in the house washed, dried, folded and put away!  This alone is worthy of sainthood!  I crawled out of bed for short bits of time to help with what I could, but it always, ultimately sent me back to bed.  But in her wisdom, she brought the work to me.  I folded socks like I haven’t folded socks in years.  Whoo Hoo!  This house looks great!  

Yesterday was my first attempt at “normal” life.  I got up and helped get the kids going for school.  Clay’s back to work but has adjusted his workday so that he can drop the kids at school and then be back in time to pick them up.  I’ve yet to try driving again.  I made it from 5am-12pm before I really had to call it quits and lay on the couch.  How in the world did 2 weeks away from the routine make me forget how much energy my 2 yr. old has?!  Luckily, Mariah had a 1/2 day so I was able to climb in bed for a nap when she showed up.  I was able to help out with serving dinner but was in bed for the night by 6:30.  Crazy times for this M.O.M!  

Today I did the same with the morning and then a friend (might I add “GOOD” in front of friend?) came to pick up Gabi and Lex for the late morning and lunchtime.  I folded some laundry and headed to bed for a lil nap.  I guess the big lesson here is that it’s been 2 weeks since surgery and I have to face the fact that I truly am no Wonderwoman!  I MUST listen to the cues my body is sending me and obey.  I just, really did NOT expect to be laid out like this!  I see the Dr. this Friday and will be happy to hear if it’s all normal and that I’m on track for a full recovery by a month’s time.  

On the bright side, I’ve caught up on some movie watching.  I hadn’t watched an entire movie, start to finish in one sitting, in years (minus the ONE movie I’ve seen in a theater in the last year)!  

Here’s some of what I’ve watched-

Legends of the Fall (an event, not a movie!)

Hello Dolly (I love musicals)

Secondhand Lions (great story!)

Blood Diamond (Happy I’m not in the market for a new diamond!)

Chocolat (for the 75th time.  Johnny Depp as a gypsy.  Uh huh!)

Secret Life of Bees (loved the book. loved the movie)

The Changeling (Fabulous example of motherhood’s persistence)

The Duchess (a true story of inconvenient love)

Brigadoon (an old favorite)

Jeremiah Johnson (if you haven’t seen it……do!)

Last of the Dogmen (again, an oldy, but a must-see)

That’s about it, but it’s been a good run!  Any suggestions for these early nights in bed?  I’m sure there are a million movies I haven’t seen! Share your favorites!

Ok, one step closer to normal……I’ve blogged!

Have a great day~

So, here I sit (for no more than 1/2 hour at a time) in bed.  This means that surgery went well and that I’m on the road to recovery.  It also means that when I’m not asleep, I’m lying down because sitting or standing for too long bring great discomfort.  Ugh!  I’ve also learned that having surgery is nothing like having a baby.  After a baby I’m on my feet and ready to go!  The pain meds and softners and the such that they give me go untouched and I hit the ground Dancing.  Guess what…….not so with surgery!  BRING ON the pain meds and all such softners!  I had meant to get out of the hospital and document each day of recovery, here, for all to see.  Hmmm……it was a good plan but an illinformed one!  The first few blogs would have looked something like this;

Day 1-hooked to many things still.  Pain meds please!  zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Day 2-out of the hopital.  Staying with amazing friends who are treating me like a princess!  Gave me their room!  Pain meds please! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Day 3-tried to sit up for ANY length of time today.  BAD idea!  Pain meds please! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Day 4-had company.  Sat up for more than 1/2 an hour.  Pain meds please! zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

So, you get the idea!  I came home after a few days of being treated like royalty and it was JUST what I needed.  Many many many thanks go out for those couple of days!  BUT, I got home and the pampering didn’t stop! I was walked to my room where a new (to me) flat screen tv was perched atop my curio and all hooked up to the wonderfullness that is Apple TV!  Uh huh!  This means that all 14,ooo + pictures that are on my lovely iMac can now roll across my wonderful, new TV playing to all my favorite songs from my iTunes library.  Oh yeah!  And it didn’t end there.  On Valentine’s Day, 6, yes 6 of my favorite truffles from Mr. DeGroot showed up wrapped all pretty and tempting me to indulge in sweet, richness from my sickbed.  I’m gonna have to be careful not to gain tons of weight while I lie here and not only because of wonderful chocolate.  Each night a yummy meal is being delivered to our door by the many fabulous people in our lives!  I tell you, people….watch out!  A monster is surely being created!  I am literally being locked in this room with the TV, my phone, plenty of books and a laptop!  Clay has done a marvelous job of keeping the little ones away from the door and I text him when I’m ready for food, coffee, more water or any odd request I may have.  It’s FABULOUS!  I may NEVER get better!

~sigh~ alright, I know that my reality and Dancing days are only a couple of weeks away, but until then, I’m gonna enjoy this pamered life!  This Mommy of Many has never experienced anything like it.  Whoo Hoo!

Have a great day~

Since I returned from my, VERY FUN, trip it’s been all business!  The younger kids were SO happy to have me come home and had a million things to show-and-tell me.  It made me realize the wisdom of a friend’s words when he pointed out that I should think about staying a few days away from the house.  I hadn’t thought about how the little kids are really on me.  I’m always picking them up and they climb into my bed in the middle of the night.  Luke-Xavier can be physically demanding (in a very sweet way….of course!).  So, I’ve arranged to stay with friends for the first 2 days after surgery.  We’ll see how it goes after that.  I’ve been so fortunate to have many people offer to help out.  This means that I can go in today without worrying how my kids are getting to or from school, what they will be eating or who they will be with.  I think that this has all been a beautiful example of how important community really is!  It’s also a wonderful example of how life as a military family can work.  

Thank you for all the good thoughts and prayers and to everyone who has offered a meal or a hand with the kids.  My family and I are truly grateful and thankful!

Have a great day~

This has been quite a week!  I thought I was going to have lots of time between scheduling my surgery and actually having the surgery.  In the short time between finding out that I will be going in next week and now, I’ve come to realize that the time frame is a blessing in disguise.

Thank you for listening to the show and for visiting the site.  Your questions and comments are always welcome!

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 MOM 57 [10:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (111)

It’s always amazing to me how things fall together!  

About 2 months ago, I made plans to go to Washington state to visit my friend, Pilar.  When all of my surgery news fell in my lap I thought that I should cancel my trip.  But, I now see that it’s the perfect time for me to have a few days away to gather my thoughts and tie up any loose ends.  

So, today I am trying to get things in order for my family, pack and go to my pre-op apt.  Busy day, but it’s a blessing in disguise because it keeps me from over-thinking.  Then, I’ll board the plane and have a few days to really get my head around everything and to make any plans for the kids that haven’t been made.  The trip ends up coming at the PERFECT time!  

I really appreciate everyone who’s sent messages about their own experiences with hysterectomy.  What a great network!  

Have a great day~

This story has been years in the making.  I believe it’s been about 6 years since it started.  It wasn’t until this morning that I realized that it was not just a tale of a tree’s growth, but a tale of community.

Years ago, we had a wonderful neighbor, “Miss Casey”.  She was always willing to loan the neighborly cup of sugar, sandwich baggie or tsp. of vanilla.  She also lent in the nurturing of my kiddos’ imaginations.  It was not uncommon for her to help them bake a special treat, throw a pretend wedding or even help put together a neighborhood circus.  One day Mariah took lemon seeds to Miss Casey and together they planted each one in it’s own pot in the hope that they would each become a beautiful lemon tree, full of ripe, yellow lemons that could be used for lemonade stands that would bring in lots of summertime $ to be spent at the ice cream truck.  One by one the lemon seeds sprouted and grew and one by one they died.  Except one. After about 4 years, it looked like this

We realized it needed some room to grow and decided to make it a family project to replant it in a larger container.  So 2 years ago we put together “How to Make a Lemon Tree Happy” in words and pictures

Scrub out a large container

Drill holes in the bottom for drainage

Break up old pottery in the bottom of the container for even better drainage

Add soil and miracle gro

Carefully remove the root bound tree from it’s old pot

Add LOTS more soil

Pack it down and pose with your tree

A happily repotted lemon tree with lots of room to grow!

Now, fast-forward 2 years-

Mariah’s little lemon tree heavy with lemons

Gabi and Luke-Xavier getting ready to pick the lemons.  They weren’t even born when this all started!

Some of the lemons weren’t ready to be picked, but he didn’t let that stop him from working REALLY hard at it!

Our basket full of lemons, all because of a little girls’ idea and a wonderful neighbor who took time out of her day to show Mariah that dreaming is worthwhile and can produce some sweet fruits (even if they ARE lemons!).

Community, dreams, time and love…..all such wonderful things~

In the fast-paced, busy world of being a mom it’s easy to lose track of yourself. After 7 months of focusing on the kids and the house and another month of getting used to having Clay back, it was time for me to remember that I need a little “me” time. I was able to take a 4-day trip to Northern California to visit family and friends and gather my thoughts. As moms we wear many hats and can’t always get away, but we need to remember that it’s always important to find a way to nurture ourselves, even when at home. I feel strongly that part of that nurturing process is having a good community of people in your life. Take the time to make and keep connections with other moms who share your ideals. A good support system and strong community help build a stronger you and the stronger and more whole you are, the better you can be for your family!

Thank you for visiting the site and for listening to the show! I appreciate your comments and suggestions. You can email me at Jen@MommyofMany.com or by using the contact link on the right.

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 MOM 50 [13:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (230)