Mommy of Many®

This week marked the end of Clay’s deployment! He and all those who were with him returned safely. The kids got to watch the helicopters come into the squadron and run out onto the flight line to greet him. Now our family is in a period of readjustment as the kids get used to having 2 authority figures in the house again and I deal with handing over some of my workload as well as some of the control. I think we’ll make it through this phase smoothly because of all the practice we’ve had with previous deployments.

Thank you again for all the support and encouragement that was sent out during the deployment and all the kind words of congratulations now that he’s back!

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 MOM 47 [12:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (281)

Last night I painted this banner. My original plan was to have it say, “Welcome Home! Your kiddos, far and near are SO happy you are here”. Guess what?! There are too many names to paint to worry about room for a phrase!

The kids and I arrived at the squadron about 15 minutes before the birds came in. I had planned on picking the boys up from school and taking them for haircuts and then out to the squadron. We are SO lucky that we were out the door because I got a call as I was picking the boys up that the Det was an hour ahead of schedule! We rushed straight to the squadron.

Earplugs were handed out and Max thought he should try some.

A happy Max, earplugs in place, waiting for the helos to arrive.

Here they come! It was a BEAUTIFUL day! Check out that blue sky!

Clay, getting out of the helo.

Maddi was the first to get to him. The other kiddos followed close behind.

All the kiddos (minus Kateri and JJ who are away at school) with Daddy. I’m stunned at how much some of these kids look like him!!!!!!!

Gabi clung to him!

Home and in front of the banner.

Within 2 hours of the helo coming in, Clay was home, changed and playing Dad. The kids were SO happy to have him pushing them on the swings (yes, the poor hill will get some attention now that he’s back).

Enjoying a movie with Dad.

These happy kiddos did a silly dance for Dad.

Clay is exhausted and trying to rest while the kiddos cuddle and climb on him.

As you can see, homecoming has gone well. The kids are SO happy! Clay and I are exhausted, me from working for the last 4 days to get things “in order” for his arrival and him from little sleep over the last few days. Starting tomorrow morning, it’s back into the routine with both feet!

Thank you for all the happy thoughts, prayers and well-wishes for today and all through the deployment! Your support makes a HUGE difference!

Have a great day~

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It’s an exciting morning around the Lang house! These kiddos are jumping with anticipation!

Pictures and stories to follow soon.

Have a great day~

As you might be able to paste together from different shows and posts I’ve done recently, Clay’s deployment is coming to an end. We’ve had our sign making party and the kids made their paper chain and for the last few days it’s been time to get down to business in the house and the yard. I’ve been very proud of myself with all I’ve accomplished (though, with a small house and all of us living in it, it’ll never ACTUALLY get done, but it’s the trying that I’m going for). My list of things to get done is getting shorter. BUT, of course, the list of things that have begun to go wrong is starting to grow.

We had to have our neighbor come over to help coax the lawnmower into action. The same neighbor had to come back within the hour because I had hot water shooting out of the back of my sink. Of course it was the weekend, so I couldn’t just pick up the phone and call maintenance (if you live in military housing, you have the luxury of being able to pick up the phone and call in, just about anything…..even burnt out bulbs! It’s a handy feature for spouses with small children and deployed spouses!). I’ve had to move everything out from under the kitchen sink because there’s an unexplained and random leak somewhere. For the last few days I’ve been periodically opening it up to ask, “wet or dry?”. But here’s the kicker. I’m not sure you’re ready for this. I know I wasn’t!

My washing machine stopped working!

Luckily I knew just where to find my warranty paperwork and the company had all my info, still fresh, in their computer. I’d like to point out, again, this machine is ONLY 1 1/2! I NEVER had issues like this with any other machine I’ve owned. When the machine started beeping at me and flashing a “code” on her sassy, digital panel, I grabbed the paperwork that I’d seen the repairman refer to and looked up the code. I checked to make sure the hoses weren’t “kinked” as suggested by the paperwork and pressed power. Nope, still flashing the code. I grabbed the phone and prepared to sit on hold for the rest of the day. Luckily I was answered fairly quickly. They tried to assure me I could have an apt. for today, but I was having none of that, not after the fiasco of being sure I had a next-day apt. last time. I have an apt. on Friday that I won’t expect any trouble with. The really fortunate thing is that whatever is wrong with it this time, still allowed for me to spin out the load that was in it. If you’d had to deal with the stench of the load and water from last time, you’d be jumping for joy right now. So, no laundry until Friday and that’s if Repairman doesn’t have to order parts from Timbuktu that take 3 weeks to show up.

I’ll keep you updated.

Have a great day~

We have successfully marked 6 months of this deployment off of our calendar. We are mere weeks away from homecoming. The time has moved quickly which I think is because of the time of the year we’ve gone through. Summer took up a lot of the deployment time. Now that we’ve made it through “back to school” and adjusting to new schools and schedules, we are right at homecoming time. We’ve had a few bumps along the way, but we made it through them and I would call this a successful deployment for the Lang Clan!

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

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 MOM 45 [12:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (148)

Last night was our first OSC (Officer’s Spouse Club) meeting of the year. We sat with our calendars and mapped out all the events and meetings for the rest of this calendar year. I am usually really good about all the planning ahead that life takes, but lately I feel like I’m standing on the side of the road watching the cars rush by. HOW did this year go by so quickly? How is it that we have dates for our Christmas parties?! I’m trying to figure out what different frame of mind I’m in, that it’s so difficult for me to grasp the speed at which this year is flying by. I just want to sit for a moment and feel like I can grasp today without worrying about the exact dates of what’s happening for the rest of the year. I guess it just comes down to having to say that I feel rushed and overwhelmed.

Is it just me?

Have a good day~

Today we cross over the 6th month of this deployment. The ship is headed back toward home and the kids’ paper chain is getting short.

Looking back on this deployment, I can’t help but feel that it went very quickly. I know that having the summer full of kiddos and activities made the time pass! I think we’ve done well. There have been a few bumps, but most of the time I was able to put life in 4-wheel drive and plow right over them. Hopefully this is an indication of how any future deployments will go. The kids have handled the whole thing pretty well. I know they miss Clay, very much, but we’ve had pictures and phone calls and we pray from him everyday. I think that the constant talking about him and including him in our regular conversations makes a huge difference for the kids.

So, here’s to a successful 6 months!

Have a great day~

P.S. I appreciate your patience with the show! A couple of factors have kept me from getting one up. It will be soon!

Tristan is in his second week of kayaking. JJ started while he was home this summer and Tristan became very interested in it. Luckily for him, they are able to start at 9 yrs. old. So, He just slid in with his age! It seems like it’s going to be a pretty good fit, sports-wise, for him. He’s played both soccer and baseball, but team sports just don’t seem to be the best fit for him. I’m really excited because I LOVE the water so much and am always SO happy when my kids pick a water sport. My heart is still a little sad and tender from when Kateri quit diving for the high school to be in drama. However…..she was awesome in the plays she did! Mariah teased me a little by saying that she was thinking about the school’s swim team. Then she changed her mind. But, I’m getting off track! My only point is how much I love water sports and watching my kids participate in them. So……here’s hoping that Tristan continues to enjoy kayaking!
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It’s Sunday morning and our routine got all screwed-up. But, it’s for good reason! Clay’s in port and for the first time in weeks, we were able to talk. I hung up around 1 am. I wouldn’t have had any problem getting up and going, regular time, except Luke-Xavier woke up around 3:30. Guess what?! He’s still up! So, I had to resign myself to catching bits of sleep while he was interested in a movie (for about 10 minutes at a time). Anyway, the kiddos were also able to talk to Clay, this morning. Everyone’s getting excited about homecoming. We are going to a get-together for sign-making a little later today. It’s good for the kids to start understanding that the end is near and to be excited about incorporating Dad back into their lives and routines. Before we know it, the deployment will be over and it will seem like he was never gone.

Have a great day~

I can’t believe how fast the summer has gone and that 5 months of this deployment are under our belts. We’ve made it through with only a few speed bumps. I want to thank all the people in our life who have made our summer so much fun and who have taken the time to think of us and include us in many fun activities. It’s no small task to invite the Lang Clan to share time with you and we have been fortunate enough to have many invites. Thank you!

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 MOM 42 [14:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (214)

We are just past mid-deployment and I can feel the kids getting antsy. Everyone misses Dad and they are tired of Mom’s rules. I’m a bit tired and worn-down myself. So, nerves are exposed and we are trying hard to work together toward a peaceful and productive household. ~Sigh~ We are not always successful. But, still we try!

I had the privilege of talking with Paige and Gretchen of MommyCast.com for their 4th of July show and wanted to put a link to the show. So, after you’ve listened to this week’s short show, click on over to listen as the MommyCasters ask me about being a military spouse and also interview a single mother with a military career.

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Thank you for visiting MommyofMany.com and for listening to the show!

 

 MOM 37 [5:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (244)

Yesterday was 3 months since Clay left for this deployment. With the kids coming home and the end of the school year, it’s all really flown by. I suppose that it doesn’t hurt that everyone has been healthy and we haven’t had any major issues.

To mark the 3rd month that we’ve made it, my dryer decided to give me trouble! Of course! I realized that a load I had put in the night before was still running! I did a test run and saw that the drum was spinning. Did another test and felt that the clothes were, indeed, getting warm. So, what could be the problem? I pulled the dryer from the wall, took out my lint tool and reached as FAAAARRRRRR into the trap as I could, figuring that there was a lint build up. I did pull out some lint, but not an amount that should have given me trouble. Then I removed the dryer hose and dumped it out and cleaned it with the lint brush. Then I got scared, realizing that the hose goes outside and what if the problem was a mouse that had built a nest inside the hose and was blocking the way!!!??? What if I kept shaking it out, onto the floor and a mouse ran out!!!!???? I squealed and threw the dryer hose. Good strategy, huh?! I gathered my wits, realized that there was, in fact, no living creature in the dryer hose and continued. I was at a loss! I sent JJ outside to check the out-take and handed him the lint brush.

Soon I hear, “Hey Mom! Come here!”

This made me SURE that there MUST be a mouse (getting the picture that I have an extreme rodent fear?). I went out and around and looked at the side of the house.

Hmmm…….could the problem have ANYTHING to do with the fact that the out-take was smashed, flat against the house? Could a certain, bat-loving, banging-on-everything, 5 year-old boy have ANYTHING to do with it? Hmmm……

So, JJ pulled it back into shape and we gave it a test run. Voila! Dry clothes once again. The bonus is that the laundry room got cleaned and the dryer is lint free.

Have a great day!

The last week has been VERY full! JJ got home, Zach came to visit for a few days (and actually LIKED it here!), Kateri started working at a local coffee shop, Maggie (my sister who is visiting for the summer-or longer) started working at one of the million Starbucks in the area, I refocused on life with the kids and the amazing amount of work that I was overlooking AND I had the genius idea from the last post. Life is good! But, since I’ve refocused I realized that I couldn’t clear my head. My mind was rushing from idea to idea all day and night. Finally I took out a pad of paper and wrote everything that I needed to remember down. I ended up with a page and a half! Craziness! At least it’s all out of my head and staring at me from the paper. Now I can physically check things off and not have to think about them anymore. I’ve found that writing things down is such a helpful tool.

Tomorrow I get to go to the Apple Store, one of my favorite places, to work with one of my favorite people. Seriously, I love the people there! I passed along the number to the particular shop I go to, to an acquaintance and was so happy to hear that her experience (after going to a different location and being given the runaround) was just as pleasant as mine have been. No joke, if you use a Mac and you are in the vicinity of the UTC store….GO THERE!

Yesterday I was able to talk to Clay while he was in port. It was so nice to have a good chunk of time to reconnect! JJ was also able to catch up with him. It was really good for all of us. Clay and all with him are doing well and are very focused on the task-at-hand.

Alright, here are a few pics of what’s been going on around here;

Tristan and JJ serving at Liturgy (first time of serving together)

13 kiddos heading to the beach. THIS is why I drive a 15-passenger van!

JJ, Gabi and Luke-Xavier enjoying an afternoon in Old Town

Kateri and Zach checking out the pictures they had taken

Kateri and Gabi sharing a sisterly moment

Luke-Xavier looking angelic (notice, though, that he’s taken off his clothes, yet AGAIN!)

As you can see, it’s been good, just a bit much for one person to juggle. I’ve kept the balls in the air….mostly

Good night~

This week’s show is sponsored by Aveeno Baby!

This week I was able to do another installment of the Women and the Military Series by talking to Trish Dooley, a military spouse, mother of two and retired Navy Chief. She shares what it’s like to balance family, military career and supporting her husband’s military career.

Thank you for visiting the site and for listening to the show! Please take a minute to visit our sponsor-Aveeno Baby!

 

 MOM 32 [10:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (134)

This week’s show is sponsored by Aveeno Baby!

With 2 months of this deployment behind us, I thought it was a good time to brush up on the ways I can keep my kiddos feeling connected to Clay for the rest of the deployment. Here are some great ideas on how to help your kids feel that their deployed parent is a daily part of their lives.

Have a great idea for a show? I’d love to hear it! Go to the “contact” page or leave me a comment.

Thanks for visiting the site and for listening to the show! Please take a minute to visit our sponsor, Aveeno Baby.

 

 MOM 31 [15:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Wow! The School year flew by! Kateri arrived home Saturday evening and JJ will be here soon. The whole year was a learning experience! We will do some things better next year, but it’s been good for all of us. There’s no question that both kids are in the best schools possible. They’ve met wonderful people that will be a part of their lives forever.

We’ve made it past the 2 month mark for this deployment! So far, so good! We are still waiting on a return date, but if it keeps going the way it has, we’ll all be fine.

This week’s show is sponsored by Aveeno Baby! Please take a minute to visit our sponsor.

 

 MOM 30 [15:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (194)