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~

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~

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~

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~

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~

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~

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~

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~

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

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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~

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~

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.

Click HERE to leave a review for Mommy of Many at iTunes

Today’s Tale started two days ago and goes something like this;

So the washing machine guy finally showed up (again we are 1 day shy of a week) and let me know (nicely enough) that it will likely be Monday before the parts are in and the labor can be done. He also let me know that my washer is the biggest POS he’s seen and would never recommend this model because he’s always working on them (where was he when I was buying it?!). I pointed to the fact that there is hardly a floor in the laundry room right now, imagine what it’ll look like come MONDAY. He chuckled and said to hit the laundromat. I chuckled back and said that pigs will fly before I pump $50 or more into a laundromat when I spent $1000 on the machine and extra for the extended warranty.

So, Gabi (being the inquisitive young lady she is) wouldn’t get out of the way while he was working and I finally had to send her to her room. Out of rebellion she peed on the desk chair so that she could come out and take a bath (stubborn but brilliant!). Great! One more load of laundry that I can’t do!

Fast forward a day and things were looking a little better;

Arianna and Maddi attended a community event at our rec center. While they were there, I happened to drive by on my way to switch the loads of laundry at our friend’s house. The director was talking with the girls and saw me drive by and asked them where I was going. This prompted them to tell the whole, dramatic washing machine story. She told them to have me come into the office the following morning.

Well, I have complained from time to time about the way our housing is managed but all I could do was sing their praises when an hour after I was in the office, I was loading laundry into the machine that they brought over, put into place and are loaning me until mine is fixed! Talk about service! I see a box of chocolates in their future!

Word to the wise; if ever your washer goes out and there’s water and a load of laundry still in it, get it out ASAP! I left mine and had to deal with it when maintenance showed up with the loaner machine. Ugh! I have never smelled anything so awful!

So, there it is, the dramatic, yet true, tale of my washing machine drama. And yes, the picture above is an actual photo of the amount of laundry waiting to be washed. Keep in mind that each bedroom is holding a full laundry basket who’s contents are waiting anxiously to join in the pile.

Have a great day~

Thank you for listening to the show and for visiting the site!

Click HERE to leave a review for Mommy of Many at iTunes.

Saturday morning I packed up my little ones and JJ and went to our church to help get boys who had come into town for a retreat, to their destination. Even though my van is a pain to park sometimes, it sure comes in handy when you want to haul a bunch of people somewhere. So, we got it loaded with boys and gear and drove up and out of San Diego. It was about an hour and 1/2 drive into the countryish, mountainish terrain. Luke-Xavier and Gabi chattered and made noise the whole way. Luke-Xavier has been going through this phase where he says, “poop” after everything. Example; “More pasta. Poop”. We’re long past the stage of telling him to stop or that it’s not nice and now I’m just trying to ignore it. So, we’re on our way to this retreat and I thought it would be a good idea to offer a prayer for a safe journey. So, we quiet the noise in the van down and take a minute to ask for a safe trip and a fun time for the boys. Everyone said, “Amen” and then we hear, “Poop”. Imagine the burst of laughter from a van full of boys at a 2 year old ending his prayer with “poop”! Luke-Xavier was very proud of himself and you could just see on his face that he felt like one of the boys. I think that little charmer is going to give me a run for my money when he’s a little older.

So, we made it up to the camp and I was really thankful for having offered to drive because it was so beautiful. I haven’t really taken any drives in the last couple years. I’m constantly in the car and never really going anywhere!

I drove back up on Tuesday to do the pick-up and get boys back to the church where they would make their way to their planes. When I got to the camp, I was told that JJ had been in pain for the last couple of days and that I should take him to the Dr. to make sure it wasn’t his appendix. You could see by how he was walking that he was in pain. So, we got the boys to the church and I dropped my family off at home (I had loaded up a few more of the kids for the return trip because I wanted them to see how beautiful and peaceful it was) and headed to the ER. 5 hours later…….finally a bed! 2 Drs. came and examined him and felt that it was his appendix and put an order in for a CT scan. Another 5 hours……finally the CT scan. It ended up being inconclusive and still we waited while several more people came by to poke at JJ’s stomach. May I just take a moment to offer a thank you to cell phone makers and Apple for creating the iPod? Seriously, I would have gone mad if not for being able to text people what was going on and being able to listen to some music. I listened to ER Drs. argue with the surgeons about what to do with him. It was an interesting exchange. Finally, after the change of shift, it was agreed that he should be admitted for observation. Sometime around 11:30 we made our way up to pediatrics to a room. All I could do was hope that there was somewhere to lie down. Whew! I was beat! So, JJ endured many more stomach poking episodes. I left him around 1pm to come home to shower and check in. My sister had been with the kids and miraculously, didn’t have to work until 7pm. How the puzzle of my life fits together is always a wonder to behold!

After a shower, I decided to bring the kids over to see JJ. We got there to find out that they were going to feed him and then watch how he dealt with the food and possibly send him home. So, I shuttled the kiddos back to the house and made a quick dinner. In the time I was home, I had 3 friends and neighbors come by to see if there was anything they could do. I swear that I can never leave San Diego! The community of fabulous people that have been put into my life would be impossible to replace. Thank you to everyone who checked on us and offered up assistance!

I went back and agreed to bring JJ home and watch him here. He tolerated the food and has slept well. So, now we just keep our eyes open for any signs of fever, increased pain or nausea.

That’s the adventure of the last couple of days. Whew!

Again, thank you to everyone for your words of encouragement and love. Really, you are all truly appreciated!

Have a great day~