Mommy of Many®

If you follow this blog, then you know that fitness has become something that’s important to me. So when Jump Start asked me to review their new Wii game-Get Moving™ Family Fitness, I thought the timing was perfect!

The game features Brooke Burke, who demonstrates each game before you get started. The visual is helpful for the children. There are 15 sports challenges that can be played in 11 exotic arenas.

Over the last weeks, the kids and some of their friends have played and explored the game and were asked to give their opinion. Here’s what they’ve thought-

The kiddos up through 9 years old all said that they really liked the game and that it was a lot of fun, with lots of things to chose ie; different sports and different scenes. They all enjoyed playing basketball the most, saying that it was “like you were really playing basketball”.

The 11 year old who played gave the game a mixed review, saying that basketball was her favorite part, but that some of the games were hard, such as the Step Aerobics. She also suggested that tennis and golf be added.

Tennis-That’d be fun!

Overall, it’s a great game to add to your Wii collection. Anything that gets everyone moving and interested in having some fun with sports is a great idea!

Good job Jump Start!

*Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of JumpStart® Get Moving™ Family Fitness at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.

Summer’s peeking around the corner and that means it’s time for the San Diego County Fair!

A couple weeks ago I was invited to pick a day, grab the clan and come check out the fair. Yesterday was the day! We hadn’t visited the fair in a few years and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. What we all found out is that the fair is WAY more than just rides and food! We stayed for nearly 6 hours, but there’s so many great things to do and see that we could go back for a couple more days and have plenty to keep us busy.

Of course, the first thing we did was tour the bathrooms. Seriously, in the first hour the kids requested 3, yes 3, bathroom stops! Luckily they were easy to find and were actually clean. After that trend was over, we rented a wagon, loaded up Gabi and Lex and headed to the fun.

The kids watched sheep getting sheared

We saw sheep that we had never seen before. Check out those dreads!

Cows…

After finding all those bathrooms and checking out the livestock, it was time to decide what to eat. I know that I see dollar signs when I think of feeding my kids at the fair, but for $50 we fed 8 people. And believe me, they ATE!

Max chose a turkey leg (yes, it was shared, but he did a pretty good job of tearing into it)

The corn couldn’t be resisted

Luke-Xavier couldn’t keep away from it! I think he ate more food than any of us.

Even when posing for pictures, he was still eating!

Of course, you can’t go to the fair and NOT try something fried! The girls chose a fried Klondike bar

But the REAL deal of the day was this;

I wouldn’t have guessed that you could find ANYTHING at the fair for $1! Shaved ice was enjoyed by all!

After filling up we checked our program and headed to some fun shows and events. The kids enjoyed a western-themed dog show

We headed to “The Farm” where tons of different fruits and veggies were being grown, a bee hive could be watched and the kids learned about composting.

They were seriously interested in watching all the bugs at work. I was surprised that they didn’t mind the smell!

Then it was onto “The World of Horses” where we met Cisco-a Clydesdale, Rose and Tulip-mini horses and Butterfly-an Appaloosa. The kids got to be hands-on and learned a lot about the horses. Tristan learned to clean hooves, Gabi got to brush Cisco, Max and Lex enjoyed the mini horses and Maddi and Mariah were invited into the pen with Butterfly and her trainer to try giving commands and reward behaviors. They all had a great time and we appreciated all the time that was spent explaining and teaching!

I think that Rose and Tulip were checking Max out more than he was checking them out!

After all that horsing around…we headed over to the children’s area of The Farm. There were TONS of fun and free things for the kids to enjoy

Gabi really liked trying to milk this cow

Lex couldn’t choose which pony to ride, so he grabbed them all and took them through a maze of hay

The kids pitched hay into wheelbarrows and learned about keeping an animal’s area clean

Even the big kids enjoyed the Children’s Area

Mariah tried her hand at roping

Maddi roped Lex

You can imagine how much Gabi and Max enjoyed “making music” with all of these old parts!

There’s a huge tent set up with lots of great activities. It’s a great place to sit for awhile, let the kids play and to get out of the sun

I walked around and enjoyed all the artwork from the local schools. My favorite was this patchwork USA project

It was time to gather everyone up and head home but we HAD to stop for a pic with the monster truck.

We had a GREAT time at the fair! Grab your sunscreen, comfortable shoes, some bottles of water and plan a day!

We’re glad we did!

Yesterday was full of lots of physically challenging birthday party fun!

Tristan and Max were invited to a party at a skate park. Neither one had ever been to a skate park before. I wasn’t sure how it would go, but they did great! Both ended up with war wounds to show off for the their morning of adventure. But even with the scrapes, cuts and crashes, I think they’d go back and try again.

Then it was onto a party at Solid Rock Gym, an indoor rock climbing gym. I brought Tristan thru Lex and REALLY wasn’t sure how it would go. The last thing I expected was for Lex to do ANY climbing or for Gabi to get all the way to the top of a climb. All the kids had a great time and became more adventurous and confident as the afternoon went on. Maybe next time I’ll give it a try. For yesterday I stuck to belaying for the kids.

Onto Sunday! I wonder what adventures it will bring.

I don’t often blog about work, but this week we came up with a craft that was fun, educational and can easily be done at home.

We have been talking about farms and ranches, the different animals on each and the duties of the people who live and work there. We came up with the idea to have the kids learn about sheep and wool. So we made each child their own wooly sheep to shear.

Then we explained about the process and that they would be shearing their sheep with their hands.

Then we had them collect their “wool” and explained that it gets sent to factories and is made into different things that we use at home. We gave them the choice of making a sweater or a blanket.

It was a fun and easy project that taught them about sheep, wool and some of our household items.

Have a great day~

There are simply too many topics to write about over the last 24 hours, to pick one and give it a title. So here is what’s in my head on this day in my life.

First off, I’m wishing that writing didn’t take time. Why can’t I just think the thoughts, look at the screen and have them appear…wait…that might be a dangerous invention! But you know what I meant.

As for JJ getting back to school, all is well. He will be going back to school on Saturday and no hoops had to be jumped through or begging done to make it happen. There might, possibly, be a chance that I need to clean out my email and that I could’ve been looking at last year’s itinerary. But that’s neither here nor there and I’m admitting nothing. He’ll be back at school when he’s supposed to be and that’s all that matters…right?

I was also able to get his passport taken care of yesterday. It was completely painless and devoid of any lengthy or time-consuming lines. 20 minutes in and out. Pictures done. Eyes on Spain!

When I got home from the post office, I checked my email and found an email from the casting director of a new game show, asking me if I could come up to LA for an audition this afternoon. Initially I was SUPER excited. Super Excited! I thought, “how fun!” and “whoa!!!! I already took tomorrow off and Kateri is here to do the kids’ routine and dinner etc. Yippee! Perfect!”. Then I shared my excitement for a day trip up to LA with a couple of friends and received an email from one of them, who had Google-searched the show, that put an end to my excitement. One word, that’s all it took. Underwear. Underwear?! Underwear! Apparently the title of the first attempt of this game show is/was Fashion Strip and involved participants stripping down to their underwear, putting together outfits from items on stage and walking a “runway”. Uh….!!!!! I promptly emailed the casting director and asked if THIS was what I was being invited to audition for. And I let her know that the world was certainly NOT going to see me in my underwear, no matter how fashionable…ever! She was prompt in her response and said that the show had changed it’s platform and that no “nakedness” would be involved. Hmmm…the bubble had burst. Yes, I had already taken today off for other reasons and yes, Kateri is here to pick up the pieces and keep everything running at maximum smoothness, but I think there are better ways for me to spend this day than driving to LA to audition for something that I don’t have all the facts for.

So…it’s Kateri’s last day in the US before she heads back to Germany to retrieve her personal items and then head to Austria for a semester of school. We’ve both been so busy during her visit, that we haven’t gotten any down time together. So, kiddos are at school, JJ is working on some reading and helping a neighbor with her yard work, so Kateri and I will be spending a little time together before tomorrow is here and she is gone again.

So, that’s this day in my life…so far.

Have a great day~

Now that Black Friday is over and we are in full, “it’s time to think of gifts for the kids” mode I wanted to share a great gift idea for those looking for a fun and educational idea for their younger kiddos.

Jump Start Pet Rescue for wii! My 3 youngest have been having a blast with it. And I’m truly surprised at the fact that it’s not only fun but educational. It’s recommended for ages 3-6 but my 7yr old and our 8 yr old friend have been enjoying it too.

The kids have been enjoying JumpStart.com for awhile now and getting Pet Rescue was another way for them to have fun and learn with all that the Jump Start family of products has to offer.

Good luck with all the holiday shopping! I hope all your gift choices can be as easy as this one!

Have a great day~

Yesterday the kiddos had their Halloween carnival at school. The school always does a nice job of putting on a little carnival for the kids. They get more excited about dressing up for that than they do for actually trick-or-treating. Honestly, I wish we could get them all done-up for the carnival, enjoy the day and then call it quits. But today, after soccer, after volleyball, after grocery shopping, after carving pumpkins and after getting dinner into the oven, we will put everyone’s costumes back on them and send them out into the neighborhood to trick-or-treat for candy that I will ultimately confiscate and have disappear. Then, tomorrow, we will throw away the pumpkins we spent time on today and start getting ready for Thanksgiving. I think I’m letting my true Halloween feelings show…oops!

But yesterday was lots of fun and I do love to see the kiddos all dressed up and having fun. After the carnival, we had a birthday party to go to, which made for really tired kiddos. But there was something in the air yesterday, because even though I was super busy and pretty darn tired, I felt really good. Sometimes the San Diego air has a magical quality to it that makes me feel so good. Yesterday was one of those days.

My older girls went to a friend’s Halloween party last night and I had all the little ones in bed, so the house was quiet. But I kept hearing a funny thumping noise. After a few times, I went to investigate. I REALLY wish I had taken a picture because what I found was Pumpkin Head dog. My dog had put her head into one of the trick-or-treating jack-o-lanterns to check out the contents and the handle latched over her ears. She was thumping into the wall, unable to see. My immediate reaction was to get it off her head and THEN I thought about the camera. Poor thing! But it sure was funny! So tonight I will be sure to put all the jack-o-lanterns out of dog’s reach!

Happy Halloween! I hope it’s a great day~

I wanted to share this wonderful service that was offered to me.

A couple of months ago, I met a photographer, named Hollie and she told me that she belonged to an organization called Operation Love ReUnited which is a group of photographers who offer photo shoots to the families of deployed or deploying soldiers and sailors at no cost. They then put together an album from the shoot and send it to the deployed service member. The family may purchase photos from the shoot at a reduced cost.

When we met, it was only 2 days before Clay was to deploy, so there wouldn’t be time to put together a predeployment shoot, but over time, we found a date when all my kids would be home and were able to schedule a shoot for during deployment. We are also able to request a shoot of homecoming and if the photographer is available, they will come to the homecoming.

The kids and I had a lot of fun getting ready for it and Hollie was a trooper while working with so many people in such a large age group!

The results are fantastic and I can’t wait for Clay to receive his album! Our shoot was close enough to his birthday, that I was able to combine the whole event and give him a surprise birthday gift.

Here are my favorites from the day

Thanks Hollie for a fun experience and for the great work!

I encourage any of you who are gearing up for deployment to take advantage of this service!

Have a great day~

What a great, full and exhausting weekend! It’s taken me this long to be able to get my bearings enough to even write about it.

I got to start my weekend on Thursday night, by flying up to Washington state to meet up with a good friend, spend the night and then the 2 of us would head to the concert.  I had already had a regular M.O.M. day at home…wake-up @ 4:15, morning routine, took kids to the beach, packed, etc. Now, here I am in another state at 9pm and I’m feeling my second wind!  We started talking, drinking wine and laughing our heads off.  Then we decided a movie was in order.  So…2:30 am rolls around and it’s suddenly time for bed. Yikes!  We spent Friday driving…and driving…and driving some more.  We finally got checked into our hotel and headed to the concert.  We were like giggly school girls! I had forgotten to bring my iPod adapter of the car, so we each had an ear bud and laid the iPod between us (shhhhh…I’m not sure this is the BEST way to drive!). By the time we got to the concert, we had visited many songs that we hoped we’d hear and had decided that Maggie May would, most likely be the encore. We found our seats and settled in.  After the first few songs we realized that we had purchased tickets in the “Please Don’t Act Like You Want To Be Here” section.  Seriously! The whole place was having a great time and we were surrounded by serious-faced, arms-crossed, cotton-in-ears, old fogies! It made us giggle which was REALLY not appreciated.  We were even called “Very rude, young ladies”. Yeah, that made us giggle even more!  But, the concert was GREAT!!!!  Pilar had liked Rod’s music before but I do believe that now she is a bona fide FAN. Yes!!! As for me, well, I was caught swooning…just a little. And we called it correctly, Maggie May was, if fact, the encore.  ~sigh~ I can’t wait until I can go again!

But then it was onto the Dance of the Weekend! We drove back to the hotel, listened to a man across the hall yelling and yelling and yelling and finally fell asleep with the music of the night playing through our heads. A few hours later it was up and out to the airport so I could head to Sacramento and revisit my high school days.  My 20 year reunion had arrived. 20 years!

I gave that reunion a lot of thought. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the whole thing.  Yes, there were people I wanted to catch up with, but so much time had passed and my life had been so full over those years.  I got married, had 8 more kiddos (I delivered Kateri in April of my graduating year, so everyone knew I had at least one kiddo), lived in 3 states, started Mommy of Many, etc. etc. Who were these people and were we going to have anything to talk about?  When I think back to high school, I really don’t get the warm, fuzzy feelings that I hear a lot of people talk about.  I always felt like I was struggling through each day.  The school work seemed to overwhelm me and the social aspect was a game I didn’t always understand the rules to.  But, something inside me still wanted to go and give it a try.

I must say, I’m glad I did! Yes, a lot of time has passed and a lot of life has been lived, but we were a room full of people who had shared (however loosely) a few years of our lives in the same place. There were many faces that instantly brought back memories. There were people whom I had forgotten had touched my life.  I enjoyed conversation with a couple of people who I am sure I had never had a conversation with before.  All-in-all, it was a really nice night and I’m glad that I carved out the time to go.  I look forward to keeping in touch with some of the people that I was able to reconnect with. Unfortunately it didn’t work out for me to have my kids with me for the family picnic that was the next day.  I needed to get to the airport and head home!

My kiddos had been home and under the guidance and competent supervision of Kateri.  But I think everyone’s patience and tolerance was wearing thin.  It was time for Mom to get home and get things back in order.  I got in, had a cup of coffee with Kateri and braced myself for all the happy bombardment of being home.  Whew!

What a great, whirlwind of a weekend! I now feel a little more connected with my past and the people who were a part of it and am ready for the VERY NEXT Rod Stewart concert that I can manage to get to. Good Stuff!

Have a great day~

Whew! We are back from a wonderful time of visiting family and friends. 

I will admit that it was a rocky start.  It took us 6 1/2 hours to make the 4 hour journey to my sister’s house.  At that point I was pretty much ready to spend the night, turn around and come home.  But, after a little sleep, we kept going and it ended up great!  

Here’s a little of what we did

There was a lot of time spent with nature. Whether it was exploring the wooded area around Gramma and Papa’s house….

watching little fish in a duck pond….

splashing in a creek…..

.

is that the proper term for this water? I’m out of practice with any water terms except ocean, beach and bay….

catching bugs….

and even a snake! Thank goodness it was tiny!

We even got chased by geese!

We packed a friend’s car full of kiddos, bikes and scooters….

and headed to the park. 

there was plenty of outdoor fun…

and time with friends.

We all got worn out! But only Luke-Xavier had the luxury of crashing in the middle of the day.

Gabi entertained us on several occasions with impromptu songs. 

It was so nice to let the kids run around.  We stayed with a close friend of mine who was gracious enough to open her house.  It was so nice to have 2 moms working together, overseeing kids, meals, laundry and the day’s plans.  There’s something about doing all the chores together that can’t be beat!

After visiting, Gramma and Papa, old friends, sisters, Aunties, new friends and Uncle Ted, it was time to head home. 

We put the iPod on with plenty of kid songs and rocked to Raffi while enjoying hot chocolate and other junky, travel goodies.  Lex loved it! 

Now, we are back home, the car and bags are unpacked.  The dishes and laundry are going and we’re jumping back into our regular routine.  It feels good to be back where the ocean breeze is blowing through my open windows.  When I go up North, I revel in the mountain air and even toy with the idea that we could relocate and be closer to everyone.  But somewhere around San Clemente, while driving south on the 5, I realize how I just can’t replace the feeling that’s in the air down here.  It’s nice to know I can throw the kiddos in Lil Car and take these little trips and get the best of both worlds!

I hope everyone had a happy 4th and is enjoying their summer so far!

Back to the Dance~

1 dad home before deployment

1 visiting uncle

1 lawnmower

1 weed whacker

One 15-passenger van

14 people

1 birthday

2 trips to the beach

16 hot dogs 

8 grilled chicken breasts

2 salmon steaks

3 bags of asparagus risotto

2 lbs of broccoli

1 ice cream, birthday cake

2 half gallons of ice cream

2 loads of after-dinner dishes

15 teenagers playing soccer in the street after dark

1 movie

1 late-night round of fresh squeezed lemonade

1 queen-sized inflatable mattress

4 extra people, sleeping, scattered throughout my house

This is what yesterday looked like at the Lang house.  This morning I’m moving through a quiet house, full of sleeping people and picking up the remnants of what the girls found to do after I’d already gone to bed.  I turned off the movie that had been playing all night, wiped up the stickiness from the lemonade they’d made and started load 3 of the dishes from last night. 

I love summer!

Have a great day~

Congratulations to Mia, whose Granny (Granny Annie-cute, huh?!) was the 3rd emailer for our give-away!  Mia will be receiving a free, 3-month membership to JumpStart.com.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Have a great day~

My 4 youngest kiddos and I recently had the opportunity to try out a new website by the makers of Jump Start educational software, JumpStart.com.  I was excited to check it out because we’ve been buying and using the Jump Start series of CD’s since our older kiddos were young.  Maddi (who’s almost 13) saw what we were doing and said, “I remember Jump Start!  I loved those games”.  After I registered each of the 4 kiddos who are in the target age range for the site (3-10ys) I had them come to the computer one at a time to introduce the site.  As M.O.M., I was looking for the ease of use for the kids, the educational properties of the site and how it would hold their attention.  There’s nothing I hate more than having the kids discover a website that they like but that’s not easy for them to use.  I don’t have the time to keep running to the computer to fix whatever they’ve messed up or to click them back to the page they want to be on.

Tristan, who is 9 1/2, went first.  I showed him the site, we listened to the introduction (which is attention grabbing!) and he got started.  He loved it from the beginning!  He remembered Frankie (one of the main characters) from using our Jump Start CDs.  The hour flew by and when his timer went off and he knew that it was one of the other kids turns, he asked if he could continue on another computer (the answer was “no”. ).  He’s gone back to the site with enthusiasm several times.  The site is still being built and more areas that are targeted at the older kids will be added, but he enjoyed what was available.

Max (6 yrs) couldn’t wait for his turn (I think that he couldn’t believe I was ASKING him to sit at the computer for an hour)!  I sat with him, just as I had with Tristan and went through the login and the introduction.  He jumped right into the site, creating a “jumpee” which is a character that the kids create by adding different clothing, shoes, hair and skin tone.  Then they get to name it.  Max’s became something super boyish like “Max Volcano Lizard” or something like that.  He had no problems navigating through the site and made his way through the different “lands” collecting coins and “Jump Stars”.  The coins can be used to purchase new looks for the “jumpee” the kids create (math anyone?!). He loved the site and has asked to go back to it everyday since he was introduced to it.

Onto Gabi (4 yrs) and her turn.  She had come in and watched a little of the time that the boys were on the site, so she was getting a feel for it as they had their turns.  But I sat her down and went through the login and the introduction.  She was excited to create and dress her “jumpee”!  I think she spent a good deal of time being entertained by changing it’s clothes and hair.  I sat with her for most of her turn but didn’t have to help her navigate at all.  She understood the concept of using the map if she wanted to find a new place to go.  There was one area in particular, that had a big slide, that she loved (Storyland?).  I will admit that she was done playing before her hour was up.  She spent about 35 minutes on the site and then said she was done.  She’s asked to go back to the site each day since her first visit and has spent about that same amount of time on each visit.  She especially loves her “jumpeez” blue ponytails and pink ribbon!

Finally Luke-Xavier (3 yrs) got to have his turn.  I knew I’d have to sit with him to help him get the feel of the site and to do anything but just click from place to place.  We logged in, listened to the introduction and went to designing a “jumpee”.  He really didn’t care what it looked like as long as it was a boy (he had seen Gabi’s and didn’t want “a girl one”).  We spent about 15 minutes on the site and he enjoyed seeing each of the places to go and listening to the description of each place and what to do, but he didn’t really “play” any of the games.  If he were to get on the site, it would definitely need to be with guidance from myself or one of the older kids.  But, he has also asked to go back to the site, each day since his first visit.

All-in-all I’d have to say that the site is attention grabbing and well put together.  It’s still under construction and new and exciting places for the kids to visit are on their way but there’s plenty to keep them entertained as is.  I had to find the educational value in the site because it’s not overt.  The kids definitely don’t feel like they’re playing educational games when they’re having fun moving through each land, collecting coins and earning “Jump Stars”.  I’d say it was best for Max and Tristan because they could really understand the concept and goal of each game where Gabi and Luke-Xavier were just happy to see the exciting graphics and hear the excitement in the announcer’s voice.  All 4 kids will continue to use the site.  There is a portion of it that can be used for free but to get the full use of the site, you do have to register and pay.

BUT……you can WIN a FREE membership for your child by being the 3rd person to email me at Jen@MommyofMany.com with “Jump Start” in the subject line.

Good luck!  I hope you check out the site with your kiddos and enjoy!

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~

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~