Mommy of Many®

If there’s one thing I’ve learned while living the life of a military spouse, it’s that surprises are par for the course.  You really never know exactly what’s going to happen, even when the plans are laid out before you.  

We are one month into this year-long deployment and Clay’s 3 week’s of training in Washington got stretched out a little bit and he’s not actually heading overseas until the last day of this month.  HOWEVER, training has ended and he’s left with a few extra days on his hands.  He’s decided to spend them here.  Yup….as I type, he’s on a plane, heading home for a few days.  Kateri (who’s not home for the summer) and JJ, both know, but the other kids will all wake to a surprise visit from Daddy!  

I’m taking full advantage of this and have my “honey-do” list all prepared.  It’s surprising how many things can pop up in only a month’s time.  Yes, being in military housing means that many, many things are taken care of with a phone call, but there are always those little things that can’t get done until Dad gets home.  So, he will be kept busy!  ;-)

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Good night~

The flooded bathroom because of an overflowing toilet.  This is where I have to be thankful.  Yes, thankful!  Thankful that I’m in military housing and simply had to throw towels down, shut the door and pick up the phone.  They were here in  20 minutes.  The culprit….an apple.  And apple?!  Of all the things I thought he’d find….an apple?!  I’m pretty sure one of the kids must’ve grabbed an apple, taken a few bites, told me they were done with it and I must’ve said, “no, you took it, you’ve gotta eat it”.  So off to the bathroom to flush the evidence.  

~sigh~ 

M.O.M. is thankful for the ease of housing maintenance and challenged by this first week of summer.  

Have a great day~

What you see above is the scene I came home to after a morning at the dentist with one of the kiddos.  I was informed that white out had been used to draw on the table AND the wall.  With much scrubbing the table is now clean but the wall….the WALL!  The newly painted, beautiful wall?!  It’s not coming off.  I’m so angry!  You know what?!  It’s not that I’m even angry about the stupid wall.  Yes, that can be fixed with the extra paint that’s in the garage.  I’m angry that Max has been up to all these antics.  Ok, the cereal bowl was cute, but what’s going on in his lil head these days?  

~Big breath~

I know the end of the school year was tough for him and I know he is missing Clay.  I know these things.  I know children act out in different ways, but it’s starting to get to me.  I make sure he gets phone time and even face time with Dad, via Skype. I’m giving him lots of hugs and kisses and trying to ask “why?” when he’s doing something naughty.  I guess all I can do is ride it out and hope that being home for the summer and the influence of his big brothers will be enough to pull him out of this time.  

Ugh!  

I think today it’s all of you that need to wish ME the great day~

And so it begins.  After some changes to the original plan of Clay leaving on the 17th, he has now officially boarded a plane.  He gave the kids his best “Dad” talk, grabbed his sea bag and began his deployment.  The kids are remarkably good with his coming and going.  I’m the constant in the house and always have been and they know that everything’s “ok” as long as I’m around.  People have asked, over the years, how they do with the deployments and other than a few bumps here and there, they just keep rollin’.

So, now it’s all me.  My head has been so crammed with all that needed to happen to get him out the door successfully that I left the airport realizing I didn’t know what my next move was.  I headed to Target to retrieve the bag of stuff I bought last night, but had forgotten to actually pick up and take with me (a good example of my scattered head) and realized that it’s time to get my routine going.  It’s the end of the school year, so that means lots of kid stuff and then summer is on us.  Judging from last summer (when Clay was also deployed), the summer will be jam packed and move quickly.  JJ will come home and the kids and I will get into a good routine of searching out the fun things around us in this beautiful place.

Alright, off the computer and onto the day! Day 1……..

Well, even though we “found out” that Clay would be here during this week for daily classes and would then fly out this morning, it has, of course, changed.  I was suspicious of them putting him on a plane at the beginning of a 3-day weekend that celebrates a federal holiday.  And I was right!  Yesterday we were told that we would not be putting him on a plane this morning but on Monday morning instead.  I actually think they mean it.  The kids are SO over the idea of a good-bye.  Last week the girls turned down any plans to be with friends or to babysit because it was the last weekend with Dad before he left for a year.  Last night, they did the same.  I’m pretty sure no one has decided to cancel any plans for Sunday night.  But like I’ve said, you learn to go with the flow in this life.

Back when I was pregnant with Luke-Xavier, Clay was given a 36-hour notice that he would be replacing someone on an Air Ambulance mission in Kuwait, servicing Iraq.  They assured him that he would only be there for 3 weeks.  I had about 6 weeks left in my pregnancy and rolled my eyes at this 3-week time line.  Well, he got over there and even as the 3-week mark pushed close I was still “assured” that he would be returning.  I was still rolling my eyes.  Rightly so!  3 months later I greeted him at the airport with our 6-week old baby in my arms.

I hope you are each enjoying the long weekend and that it’s a chance to visit with friends and family and catch your breath before it’s back to the grindstone.  We are taking advantage of the extra days that Clay is here to tie up the lose ends on projects that were started and not finished.

To life~

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the military after all these years, it’s that you don’t actually know the plan until it’s being put into play.  

You’re probably wondering where the pictures of Clay kissing the kids good-bye are, or the pictures of him walking away.  Well, even though today is Day One, Clay will likely be home tonight.  So much for fanfare and good-byes!  We found out, yesterday that he would be checking into the program…..in San Diego.  So, while he is technically “gone”, we don’t yet know what day he will truly walk away.  ~Sigh~  You learn to go with the flow in this life!  So, we kept the day as normal as usual and everyone went off to school this morning, wondering what to expect for the rest of the week.

I guess we’ll all find out together.

Have a great day~

I really thought that during all this prep time I’d be able to sit down and write about all the things we’ve had to think about and do.  Boy, was I ever wrong!  At the end of each day, I’d think of all we’d done or the lengthy list in my head and I couldn’t make enough sense out of it to write or talk.  So, I’d mentally check off what had gotten done and add and add and add to the list that still existed and crawl into bed thinking I’d lay it all out the next day.  Now, here we are, 2 days before Clay walks out the door.  The list is still just as long, my house is full of family and friends (which I love) and there are a million ways I could talk about the process of getting a large family ready for Dad to walk out the door for a year.  But the truth is that there are too many things to take care of in these 48 hours to spend the time to put a show together or write lengthy blogs about all we’ve learned or remembered to do.  So, the  process will be laid out in hindsight.  Truth be told, we’ve dealt with deployments from the very (VERY) beginning, so a lot of it is automatic.  But, there’s much to share, especially about prepping the kiddos and taking care of the needs of the kids who are away.  So, bear with me and I’ll be here to lay it all out in show and blog in the near future.  Until then, it’ll be these little snippets.

Have a great day~

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~

As you know, we are preparing for Clay’s next deployment and it’s just around the corner in May.  With the help of some great friends who offered their house and yard and the many great people who came to help say, “See you next year”, we had a great party!  

Thank you to everyone who came to wish Clay well and offered their assistance to our family while he is gone.  Thank you to John and Casey for offering their great house and yard (look at how beautifully it was decorated!) and thank you to Nelson of Dakine’s Hawaiian Catering for helping me out on such short notice!  If you’re in the San Diego area and are in need of some great food and great service, check them out!  

We still have a little time before Clay walks out the door, but it’s so jam-packed with a mile-long to-do list, that taking this one evening to visit with friends and family was a nice distraction.  

This is my favorite picture of the evening! 

Good night~

It’s been Go! Go! Go! at the Lang house for the last week.  All the kiddos were home so that we could celebrate Easter as a “whole” family (in Max’s words).  We had 5 days together before Kateri had to head back to school.  We are lucky enough to have JJ for a few more days.  The little kids really get a lot out of having the oldest kids home.  And I must say that Kateri and JJ do a great job of making sure to give the little kids extra attention, when they are home. Here are some pictures and descriptions of what’s kept the Lang Clan busy over the last week-

This pair of ducks showed up last week and the kids have been enjoying them, ever since.  They spend the day resting on our front lawn.  They wander the neighborhood for their daily exercise and then show up at our front door to let the kids know they’d like some more attention.  It’s been a lot of fun for the kids!

JJ loaded up the 4 youngest kiddos and took them on a bike ride to the store for kites.  Then he took them to an open area (not pictured) to fly them.  Here, one of them is being flown over our house.

Kateri and JJ helping the kite back into the air.

We attended an Easter party and egg hunt at a local park.

Luke-Xavier finding eggs

Gabi, on the run to find some eggs!

Max’s, Happy Egg Hunting face!

Clay with some of the kids and a friend, goofing around at the park.

The younger kids enjoyed coloring eggs to give to the Easter Bunny.  Kateri lent a hand and the ducks came to keep an eye on things.

Of course there was Easter, itself.  It’s a time of celebration and remembrance for us.  We attended Easter Sunday Liturgy and then went to one of our favorite places, The Island Club, for brunch.  It was a beautiful day!  We really could not have asked for better weather!

The kids woke to their filled baskets.

JJ and Tristan helped to serve Easter Liturgy

The whole Lang Clan on Easter Sunday.  It was a beautiful day and it was so nice to have everyone together!  With Clay’s upcoming deployment, this will have been the last time that the family was able to be together for a little more than a year.  So, we took the time to enjoy it!

As you can see, it’s been a flurry of activity at the Lang house.  I love it!

Have a great day~

Happy Easter!

I’m exhausted from a day of beautiful weather and enjoying the family.  The prep work to make this day happen has caught up with me.  After 4, separate, dress-shopping trips and countless trips to various stores for basket fillers, I’m happy that the day was enjoyed by all.  But now I’m listening to the vacuum as it struggles to pick up the mess of Easter grass that’s been left on the living room floor and I’m ready to start the week of Spring Break that’s ahead.  

I hope it’s been a beautiful and blessed day for each of you! 

Thank you for visiting the site and listening to the show.  I always welcome your show ideas, questions and comments and you can reach me by using the “contact” link to the right.  

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Since I’m out and about and trying to Do the Dance of Life, I find that my head is very full and busy.  So much got put on the back burner in the last month, that trying to play catch up is making my head spin.  I’m falling back on my list making skills to get me through.  

Easter is around the corner and we are finishing up the travel arrangements to get Kateri and JJ home for the break.  This will be the last time that either of them get to spend time with Clay until he returns from deployment, next year.  I know a year sounds like a really long time and that a lot happens in a year’s time, but it seems like they fly by and I’m feeling confident that it’s going to seem like the blink-of-an-eye before we are talking about next Easter and Clay’s return. But between now and the day he leaves, there are so many things that have to be done.  There’s so much to prepare for that we don’t want to have deal with when he’s not actually here to make the phone calls of sign the papers.  It’s always hard to think about things like the kids’ future from far away.  

Next year, JJ will be in his Senior year of high school and Clay won’t be back until just before JJ’s graduation, so we have to think about planning for college NOW.  It’s stuff like that, that keeps me adding to the lists and worrying that I’m forgetting something.  

Well, today, I just need to make the lists and focus on today.  So, pen and paper are at the ready and one step at a time, one day at a time and it’ll all fall into place.

Right? (this is where you all chime in with statements of agreement!)

Have a great day~

Finally!  

I’m so excited to have a new show up!  There have been some hurdles that have kept me from getting a show done, but it’s finally here.  Thank you for visiting the site and for listening to the show.  Your comments and feedback are always appreciated.  Have a show idea?  Let me know!  You can use the contact link to email me.  

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 MOM 55 [7:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (157)

Here it is, the last day before we hit the grind again.  I’ve enjoyed the time off and have even had the opportunity to follow the wind a little.  The day after Christmas, I got in my little car and drove the few hours to my sister’s house.  I spent the night, visited with my nieces and nephew and then headed to Sacramento and the Sierra Nevada foothills.  I haven’t made that drive in years and I’ve never made it completely on my own before.  Talk about climbing out of my box!  It was an easy drive full of great music (Elvis and I had a moment) and lots of quiet thought.  I discovered that I enjoy driving in the wee hours of the morning before the sun comes up.  But given my normal wake-up routine, I suppose it’s no surprise.  I was able to spend a little alone time with my dad, who I hardly ever get to visit with and I even had one night where I got 11 hours of sleep.  After a few days, I answered the phone to a tearful call from Max and I knew it was time to go home.  The drive home was just as easy.  It felt good to get back.  Of course, I walked in to a mountain of laundry and a note on the fridge that said, “we need food and lots of it”.  I looked through the cupboards and freezer and concocted a meal.  Then it was back to the Dance.  

Now, Clay, JJ and Kateri are on a trip.  The older kids haven’t seen their grandparents in quiet some time, so they are all enjoying a little family time.  

The other kids all start back to school tomorrow.  Tristan and Max are going back to the Catholic school and I’ve been busy getting them outfitted with their uniforms and school supplies.  Today it’s time for haircuts!  I’m really happy to think of the kids back together at that school.  We have had kids there for 8 years and it feels like going home.  Next year, Gabi and Lex will both be in preschool there and I may even be working there.  Talk about change!  But for now, I will just enjoy going back to a routine that I’m used to with people who know us well.  

Kateri and JJ head back to school at the end of this week.  We will see them again at Easter.  I know the time will go quickly.  However, that also means that the rest of the time that Clay has at home will pass quickly.  He will be deploying again in May.  It’s good that the kids will be able to see him again before he goes.  

I hope each of you had a nice time off, that your holidays were peaceful and that this new year is full of opportunities that are realized and taken!

To life~

As detailed in the blog post below, we are readjusting to having 2 adults in the house again. Clay has done a good job of looking around and seeing what worked well while he was gone and also what could be changed to help the family work more efficiently.

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