Mommy of Many®

10 years ago Clay and I had the awful experience of losing a baby to miscarriage. We had 5 healthy and beautiful children at the time which made the whole experience completely unexpected. The healing process was long and rocky. We learned a lot from that little baby that never spoke to us. I felt like the 10 year mark was a good time to share what we learned and some good resources for those that are looking for support. The 2 websites mentioned in the show today are;

Americanpregnancy.org
and
miscarriagesupport.org

Thank you for visiting MommyofMany.com. I look forward to your comments and questions.

You can always email me at Jen@MommyofMany.com

No is a powerful word and as parents I feel that we need to feel confident in using it to set limits for our children, even when it means that we go against all the hype happening around us. It can be hard to stand firm, but I feel that it’s crucial so that our children learn to appreciate the true gifts in life.

Thank you for coming to MommyofMany.com. I look forward to your questions or comments. You can email me at Jen@MommyofMany.com

Have a great day~

Yesterday I was able to attend the squadron’s Change of Command ceremony. For those who aren’t coming from a military background, that’s when the existing Commanding Officer is exiting and the Executive Officer becomes the new Commanding Officer. The ceremony is wonderful and full of tradition. This is only the second one I’ve been able to attend because in the past I didn’t have a babysitter etc. These ceremonies are the times when you are able to remember that your family is part of something great. Just as in any home, the husband going to work becomes routine, so it’s easy to forget that we belong to an organization so full of tradition.

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On another note, Kateri headed back to school this morning. The break is officially over. It was so nice to have everyone here for the Holidays! Christmas was peaceful and New Year’s was beautiful. Seriously, it was a beautiful, sunny, So. Cal. day.

Now we focus on getting everything in order for Clay to deploy in March. ~sigh~

Have a great day~

When I read or hear or see something great, I want to pass it along.

I love Reader’s Digest. I’ve been a subscriber for many years and have always read it cover to cover. I love to read but since Gabi was born, I’ve had a hard time being able to sit down with a whole book. I’ve managed a few, but for the most part, my reading enjoyment over the last 3 years has come from picking up my Reader’s Digest and going through the articles. This month’s issue has an article on debit card use that I found eye opening. Whenever I’ve been asked “debit or credit”, I found it more annoying than anything else. I always figured there wasn’t much of a difference. This article made me think again.

Have a great day~ 

Yesterday was a very nice day. Some wonderful people thought of our family and a “Secret Santa” showed up at our door with some gift cards to help with all that comes with Christmas. I was dumbfounded! We always manage, but there are certainly times when we wonder HOW we’ll manage. I was just trying to think of a creative and tasty chicken breast recipe that would seem festive, because I had forgotten to buy a turkey when I did the grocery shopping and I couldn’t go get one, because the food budget was gone, when this Christmas Angel shows up at the door. See what I mean? We would have had a perfectly good Christmas dinner, it just wouldn’t have been turkey. But now…….turkey! So, I want to say that I am very thankful to whomever thought of us and to everyone else, I want to say, Merry Christmas! The Spirit is alive and well!

Here’s a little story that Clay thinks I should share; A few days ago, his squadron had a Hail and Farewell that was a tailgate party before a football game. He invited JJ and some friends to go along. After the game, he called me to say that JJ was on his way home with our neighbor, who had gone, but that he was staying behind because there was a full keg and some BBQ left. Well, I went high and to the right! He had been gone for several hours, enjoyed the tailgater and the game. Why in the world did he need to stay behind to drink himself silly?! I let him know that the doors would be locked if he showed up drunk…..blah, blah, blah and a little yadda, yadda, yadda thrown in for good measure. JJ showed up about 1/2 an hour later and said he’d had a good time. Well, Clay came through the door about 1/2 hour after JJ and started to ask why I was so upset. I yelled that I couldn’t understand why he couldn’t have just come home with JJ and why he had to stay behind just because there was a full keg?!!!!! Well, he REALLY made me angry then, because he started laughing. Yes, laughing! Then he says, “keg?! I said that they had a full cake!”

So, my New Year’s resolution?……………working on my listening skills.

Good night~

What a day! It started with phone calls around 7 am from room moms to let us know that school was canceled due to a sinkhole in front of the school. The kids had mixed reactions because the girls were supposed to have their Christmas performance yesterday. They’d been working with friends on their dances for weeks. Tristan was happy to not have to go. I was happy not to have to pack lunches!

Later in the day, a friend of mine dropped by with a Christmas gift. Clay and I are still laughing! She gave us this, very pretty, cross that can be hung on the wall with the phrase, “with God, all things are possible”. However, the bag not only held the cross, there was a very nice bottle of wine inside. She let us know that if the phrase on the cross didn’t work that we were to drink the wine. LOL! I’ve got great friends!

We ended the day with roving carolers. Over the years of being in this neighborhood, I’ve seen groups of neighbors do this, but last night it looked like a group of college kids. They had a van following, so I’m pretty sure they weren’t from here. I sent Gabi out with a plate of cookies. She was greeted warmly. I took pictures, but they didn’t turn out well enough to make an appearance at the top of this post. Dang it!

So all-in-all it was a good day. Today the kids are heading back to school and they’ve rescheduled the girls’ performance for today just before Tristan’s performance. Yikes! I’m going to be at the school all day!

Wish me luck~

I loaded up the kiddos and headed to North Island for a predeployment meeting, this evening. They played (not so quietly) with the toys we had packed, while I tried to listen to the various speakers that were giving presentations. Most of the info that was presented was stuff I’d seen or heard in the past but a refresher in what resources are available to us, as dependents, is always good. But there was one piece of info that REALLY stuck out for me. The website militaryonesource.com sounds like the ultimate “one stop” for all things military and dependent related. They have LIVE people available 24/7 to answer the phones and answer questions on all topics needed. The presenter said that they have people available to answer questions and hand out resources in “140″ languages!!!!!! I quoted the number because I don’t want to be wrong and I was floored when she said that number. So, there you have it……a valuable tool for anyone who is in the military or a dependent OR if you are the parent of a soldier or sailor.

Good night~

Yesterday afternoon, I had conferences for 3 of my kiddos. This is a once-a-year requirement with the school, to touch-base with the teachers and get a good feel for how things are going. And, of course, you receive the first report card. So far, so good! The girls seem to be easing into 6th grade and all of it’s demands fairly well and Tristan is just knocking-it-out-of-the-park in 2nd grade. Good job guys! I had a bit of a wait between my 2nd and 3rd conferences, so I decided (not having brought a book or magazine and not needing to make any phone calls) to clean out my bag. This is the same bag that I found the elusive tuition check hidden in. So, I was unsure of what might be learking in the depths of it’s pockets. Hmmmmmm………lost house keys? A pack of gum? Hidden $20 bills? A small child I had forgot about? Alright, I found the gum and the keys. Dang it on the $ and a ~big sigh~ of relief on the child! Apparently this bag has developed a small hole in the lining of one pocket and my keys were able to wiggle right through. I guess I’ll put, “New Bag” on my Christmas list. Any volunteers to help Clay with the bag shopping?

So, on to today-This morning I’ve got to get the kids moving and off to school. It’s the final 1/2 day in a week of short days due to the conferences and tomorrow is off for Veterans Day. Then Max and Gabi are scheduled at the dentist. Both of their Tonsil-Ravaged mouths seem to be doing well now. Max had MAJOR dental surgery earlier this year to remove, repair and cap his little teeth. He had terrible tonsils that had kept an acid wash in his mouth that rapidly decayed and destroyed his teeth. His health has improved since the procedure and so has his confidence. We had started to see the same effects on Gabi and had her tonsils removed promptly and the damage to her teeth repaired before it got to the point Max’s was at. Today they are just heading in for a cleaning. Of course, this will mean juggling Luke-Xavier while trying to convince each of them that the dentist is NOT going to hurt them. Once all of that is over we will head back to the school to get kids. This afternoon brings; volleyball practice, a play-date, soccer practice, Girl Scouts, John Robert Powers and a gathering that I’m not sure I will make it to. Whew! The time change has still got me all off kilter. Hopefully when Clay returns, we can get things back in order and get used to having it be dark so early.

Ok, that’s it from MommyofMany’s headquarters. I hope it’s a great day for each of you. Until tomorrow, I’ll be here listening to the rhythm in my head and Doing the Dance of The Children~

New babies can be challenging. Babies don’t care what number they are in a family. Whether first, third, seventh or even ninth, they come into the world with their own individual needs, wants and personalities. New moms, while deeply in love with their new blessing, can be exhausted and challenged by lack of sleep and trying to figure out their new bundle’s schedule. In this show I talk about the importance of community, family and friends and give a couple of ideas that are helpful to a new mom.

You can share your ideas by leaving a comment or email me at; Jen@MommyofMany.com
Check back for daily blog and weekly podcasts. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy!

 

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We are being challenged in S. Cal. with fires. Both schools that my children attend are closed today. I would encourage everyone to remember the firefighters and the families who have been evacuated, in their prayers.

Thanks~

Alright, I’m no computer whiz, so I am hoping that I am going to add a link to this blog that will lead you to an interview of a woman, Trish Berg, who is the author of a book about supper swapping. I had never heard of her and found her link on another blog. When I listened to her interview, I wanted to share it. I think it’s so important for women to band together and share with/help each other. I know that I love to share baby clothes. It saves $ and it saves space. Plus, let’s be honest, we ALWAYS have too many clothes for one baby to wear. So, I call friends who have a baby who is the size and gender of the clothes that are in my garage and then they are put to good use, instead of taking up the room in my garage (or cupboard, drawer, closet, storage unit, etc.). When they are done with the clothes, they pack them up (free to throw away anything damaged or add anything they bought) and either hand them back to me so that I can pass them on again OR they can hand them to another mom who’s baby can use them, with the understanding that they will again be returned or passed on. The mom who starts the clothes sharing always knows who has the clothes and can have them back if she needs them for another child when the mom using them is done. I love it and I always like to see what’s been added. BTW, I have baby boy clothes from newborn to size 12m. that are waiting for someone to use them. Any takers?