Mommy of Many®

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~

Yesterday we found out that HS-6, a squadron aboard NAS North Island, lost a bird and all that were on board.  These incidents are always so far-reaching in the lives they touch.  2 1/2 yrs ago, Clay’s squadron lost a bird and all who were on board and it took many months for things to feel normal again.  It not only touched the workplace, but each of our homes as well.  You find yourself examining your life and the life of your family.  It brings sharply into focus the fragility of this life we live and the imminent danger that our loved ones and friends are in.  Yes, both these incidents happened during training exercises but the training was for the purpose of the impending deployments.  While yesterday’s loss wasn’t as close to our home as the one 2 1/2 yrs. ago, we still knew people on board.  

While the loss of life is never a positive, I’m choosing to use this incident as a chance to be reminded of what’s in front of me and to cherish what I can of this life in the time I have.  

May you each find a moment to cherish the good in your lives and may the families that are touched by this incident find peace in the coming together of the squadron for their support.  

Lastly, may the Lord bless each of those who were lost.

~

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~

If you keep up with this blog then you know we’ve been having the house redone.  We’ve been here for 7 years and were eligible to have the house repainted, re-carpeted, retiled, etc. So we moved everything out, took all the pictures off the walls, removed all the nails, packed up all the books and nick knacks and got ready to have this house made to look new again.  I was so excited to see how fresh and new everything looked and felt.  Then, one day after the tile was relaid in the entry,ONE DAY…. this happened

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~

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~

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~

Easter is on it’s way!  This means that my older kiddos head home to celebrate.  This year it’s especially important for everyone to be together because of Clay’s upcoming, year-long deployment.  This is the last time the whole family will be together for a long time.  Kateri got into town 2 nights ago.  JJ’s plane came in last night.  But, when my phone rang at 4:30, yesterday morning, I knew it couldn’t be good news.  Sure enough, it was JJ, letting me know that he had fallen asleep at the bus station and missed his bus.  We’re always looking for the best, fastest, cheapest way to get him home and this time around had decided he would take a bus to the airport in Baltimore and then take a nonstop flight from there.  After hearing his words I said, “talk to your dad” and handed the phone to Clay.  JJ let him know that he could catch another bus in 4 1/2 hrs.  FOUR AND A HALF HOURS?!!!!!  Well, that not only would make him miss his plane, but every other plane to San Diego for the whole day.  So, the computer and phone started buzzing with the search for the best way to get him home.  We thought we could get him a ride back to the local airport and just buy him a one-way ticket from there.  But, he didn’t have much cash on him (even though we had sent plenty.  He’s amazingly generous and ended up with not much left for himself).  We tried to get him a cab and pay for it via credit card, over the phone.  NOPE!  Clay called the school to see if someone could pick him up.  NOPE!  It seemed that he was going to have to catch the next bus, show up at the Baltimore airport and spend the night in the USO.  Thank goodness for the USO!  Then the phone rang and one of the dorm fathers from the school just HAPPENED to be going to Baltimore and could pick him up from the bus station and get him to the airport.  He actually made it to his original flight and was home by 9 pm.  I was very thankful for the way things worked out, but can’t help but wonder if a lesson can be learned if everything always works out.  

~sigh~  

For now, I’m just happy to have all the kiddos at home for a few days.  We will have a reflective and prayerful Good Friday together and a joyous Easter.  I love these times!

Have a great day~

This evening we took the kids to an event, put on by the Family Readiness Group (FRG), that was at our local Chuck E. Cheese.  The kids had a great time and being a week night, the place was almost empty.  We used to take the older kids to Chuck E. Cheese every once in awhile, but as they’ve grown and the younger kiddos have come along, we’ve found ourselves going less and less.  This event had me thinking about those days when I would clip coupons and look for a great deal for a family day out.  All this thinking led me to remember a paper that Clay wrote on the very subject and with his permission I am going to reprint it here.  It was written about 4 years ago which means that Luke-Xavier, who enjoyed himself immensely tonight, hadn’t even joined the family yet!

First, here are a few pics of the kiddos having fun

the boys with Chuck E.

Luke-Xavier using ALL the blue sprinkles on his cookie

Clay, caught enjoying his time at Chuck E. Cheese

Enjoy the story!

It was a lazy, late Sunday morning at the Lang household.  We were in and out of Church early.  My obligations for the day were fulfilled.  I was looking forward to a quiet afternoon of couch, chips and collisions.  The collision part meaning playoff football.  My wife, Jenni, was clipping coupons out of the Sunday paper.  My last peaceful moment of the day was broken with Jenni’s exclamation, “hey, a coupon.”

Still not quite knowing that my peaceful universe was about to be shredded, I replied with a well meaning, if slightly sarcastic, “Well, honey, that IS what you are doing, right?  Clipping coupons?”  “Well, yes, but this one gave me an idea,” my beautiful bride innocently replied.

Warning alarms blared in my head.  In my marital experience “I have an idea” ranks up there with “I’ve been thinking.”  I quickly switched over to survival mode, slowly, surreptitiously, sinking into the couch.  My attention switched to overdrive; suddenly everything Howie Long had to say was of global importance.  My survival depended on it.  Please Howie, take me away!  I had become a fox, securely hidden in the remotest depths of my den.

My bride, having a bit of marital experience as well, quickly turned into a foxhound and charged into my den, dragging me back out.  “No, this is really a good idea,” she bayed.  With a morbid fascination compelling me to ascertain the instrument of my destruction, I asked the question, “Ok, what is your idea?”

“Well, this coupon is a, “buy a large deluxe pizza, get another for free.”  Plus, you get 40 free tokens,” she started…. Tokens?  I thought, Pizza?  That could only mean…  “At Chuck-E-Cheese,” she finished.  “So I was thinking (first, an idea and now, thinking – I’m hosed), being you don’t have anything going on, why don’t you take the kids?”

OH SHT!  I panicked.  Well, I would love to take them honey.  Except I just accidentally jammed both my thumbs into my eyes and swirled them around in the sockets so actually I have to go to the hospital now.  Or maybe I could just lay here on the couch and recover; perhaps I could just listen to the game until the pain goes away.  No, that won’t work Clay.  Nope, the best defense is a great offense.  Remember who you are:  Lieutenant Commander Clay Lang.  Naval Aviator, Ranger School graduate, Reconnaissance Marine, member of the team who took down the soccer stadium in Mogadishu, bringer of stability and security to East Timor, the man who flew into the pitch black dark to rescue (wait, I already told you that one), and most importantly, the Lord and Master of my domain.  Time to bring the offense and exert some AUTHORITY around here.

“HEEELLL No!”  I exploded.  “If you think that I’m going to give up my day off, my chance at a couple of beers and playoff football to go to some commercialized pizza joint run by a big rat you need to think again.”  I told her.  And now for the finale – I’ll sure tell her, “Take the kids to Chuck-E-Cheese, you must be out of your dang mind!”

So I’m driving the kids to the Chuck-E-Cheese on Sports Arena Drive.  I have shoe horned all eight children into the Suburban – sometimes I think I am the only person in San Diego who has a legitimate requirement for a full-sized SUV.  There is some initial squabbling about who sits where, but I quickly rectify that by breaking out the seating chart.  I am still hopeful that there will be some ruckus that will enable me to at least threaten to turn the car around, but my luck has already been shattered by a coupon in the Sunday paper.  The eerie, uncannily quiet trip is one I would imagine being similar to the last stroll of a Death Row Inmate.

We arrive.  That commercialized, magical place where “a kid can be a kid.”  And a parent can lose his mind.  The kids have already run ahead and by the time I arrive they are being held at the end of a long entrance area, the “safety stop.”  Security checkpoint, I thought as the fraulein in the green and red polyester getup begins her interrogation.  “Are these all yours?” she asks.  “Yes, but there have been rumors.”  I innocently reply.  There is no mistaking them for my children as they all have one common trait, the it just got flattened with a frying pan, nose.  She looks up at me from under her ring-adorned eyebrows.  She is not amused.  What do I care?  I thought.  I’m not the one wearing a hat with a big rat on it.  Eager to strengthen our new bond, I ask her while she is affixing matching plastic security bracelets if they ever thought of just micro chipping everyone.  After receiving the “gee, I’ve never heard that one before” look, I decide it’s time to move to the register.

Ordering time.  A few pizzas, drinks for everyone, and let’s not forget, more tokens.  And the total is – wait I have a coupon – sixty-five dollars.  As I shell out the cash, I notice a birthday party winding down.  Much of the food has been left, the kids have been too busy running around, losing their minds.  Even half the cake is left.  I humorously ask if I can cancel my order and just take over where they left off.  I again get the look beneath the big rat hat.  She hasn’t heard that one before, either.

Now the fun begins.  As I try to herd the kids into a yet unbussed booth large enough for everyone I spy a recently vacated high chair belonging to a family preparing to depart.  I politely ask if they are done with it.  Again, the look.  At this point I am starting to wonder if I have an enormous phallus growing straight out of my forehead.  “When we’re done with it,” I’m chastised.  As I go to check on my children, the family departs and a mom quickly swoops in on the high chair.  I’m out of luck.  Well I’ll just hold Gabbi (age 1) I thought, as I turn the kids loose to play.

Mayhem.  Absolute mayhem.  As Kateri (my oldest) divvies up the loot (tokens), everyone takes off in a different direction.  I try to take a minute to appraise my surroundings.  Yelling, screaming, pushing, shoving.  Kids walking up the ramp of the game were you roll the balls into the holes.  They are dropping the ball into the 800-point slot so they can win more tickets.  Maddi (age 7), hollers down from the top of the play structure that someone threw up in there.  I put Gabbi, the contortionist, down so I can check if Maddi has crawled through someone’s yak.  Max (3), is walking from video game to video game, putting in a token and walking away.  Tristan (6), wants to ride on the little four-seater merry-go-round.  There is a girl on it who is screaming that it’s her ride and she doesn’t want anyone else on; her mother explains to Tristan and another boy that they can’t ride until her daughter is done.  Max has put half his tokens in the machines and given the other half away.  He wants more.  Gabbi is trying to sit next to a little girl on a mechanical two-seater car.  Her dad takes Gabbi by the arm to pull her off.  We lock eyes.  He lets her go.  Gabbi runs past the security checkpoint.  The fraulein is off flirting with a couple of young men in Raiders hats and baggy pants, sporting their ink – Boyz in the Chuck-E-Cheese.  I see a woman changing a diaper on the floor right next to the play structure.  I pick up Gabbi; she’s ripe.  I tell Kateri she’s in charge – good luck – as I head towards the restroom.  I already know there won’t be a “diaper deck” in there like there is in the Women’s restroom.  Arianna (9), is playing a driving game.  A little boy runs up and grabs the wheel.  His father, a heartbeat behind, collects him.  He tells the boy it is not his turn yet and looks at me apologetically.  I ask, “you get sent here with a coupon too?”  Finally, an understanding laugh.

Pizza is here. By the time I load the platoon into the booth, the pizza is scarcely warm.  Across from me I see a chubby girl.  The pizza she is eating is sending down rivulets of translucent orange fat down her cheek, culminating into a large droplet under her chin.  If this were Alaska, she would be forming an orange icicle.  Her parents tell her if she doesn’t eat her food, she can’t go play.  My appetite is gone.  What am I doing here?  Why here instead of the half-dozen, half-empty parks we passed on the way?  Wouldn’t even need a coupon.  Unfortunately, it wouldn’t have flown with the kids.  For the umpteenth time, I eye the beer and wine on tap at the register.  I wonder if they could just run a hose from the tap to my booth.

Back to the mayhem.  More running around.  More settling disputes.  More tears.  More tokens.  Finally, mercifully, the tokens run out.  Now comes the hard part.  What pieces of worthless, made in Taiwan, crap do we buy with all these tickets?  For one, a whistle (it will never make it home). Another, a kazoo (ditto).  Next, a clacker (refer to the whistle and kazoo).  A plastic slinky, a rubber snake (this one WILL make it home, in fact, it will find its way under Jenni’s pillow).  JJ (12), wants to save up his tickets for a cool pen.  I pay the difference now.  There is no way I want to leave with any incentive to return.  Now we’re off to the security checkpoint.  Fraulein peels herself off gangster number one to make sure all my children are still mine.  She looks upset that I interfered with her romance.  I feel bad – not!

The ride home is much more reassuring than the ride to.  I now have the kids that I am accustomed to.  Gabbi has already fallen asleep in her car seat.  Max is right behind.  It is hard to believe that I have just spent sixty-five bucks when I could have experienced just as much mayhem by simply taking them for a car ride.  What is it with that place?  I ask myself.  It’s simple.  The countless commercials embedded in every kid show.  The smiling faces, fabulous games and prizes, wonderful food, singing and dancing creatures.  I only wish they would show the other side:  The vomit, the grease, the junk.  Three out of eight toys have already been broken.  Now I will just need to intercept a couple more before they make it to the house.

The answer is ridiculously simple; parent guilt.  The continual feeling that not only are we obligated to do everything within our mental and physical (and let’s not forget fiscal) ability, but that if we do not, then we are setting them up for almost certain failure down the road.  When you couple that with the simple fact that parents will spend outrageous amounts of money on their children (my friend has a personal trainer for his ten-year-old son), you end up with an extremely effective marketing tool.  The formula is brilliant.  Three easy steps:  1. Inundate every show that children watch (even those that they are not supposed to, but researches show that they do) with advertising.  2. Sit back and let the pleadings of the children mix with the guilt of the parents.  3.  Count the money as it rolls in hand over fist.  And as a bonus, throw in a coupon and you’ll reel in some more.  I feel more than a bit sheepish as we drive past those same half-empty parks on the way home.  What does it matter that you saved twenty when you still spent sixty-five?

Mom gets the unrated version as the children stream into the house.  Someone puked in the play structure.  Max gave all his tokens away.  A girl wouldn’t let Tristan ride the merry-go-round.  I get the “what were you doing if you weren’t supervising the children?” look.  Since she is six months pregnant with our ninth, I am happy to give her a little peace and quiet at home.  If only it didn’t involve Chuck-E-Cheese.  I almost feel guilty about the one good thing that came out of that place – the rubber snake in my back pocket – almost.  She often comments that I am nothing but a big kid myself.  Who am I to prove her wrong?  This is my home, where a kid can be a kid.

Slowly, the caffeinated beverages wear off on the children and we are able to get them off to bed.  Only two complained of stomachaches, so for that we are fortunate.  Later that night as I watch news clips of the great game I missed on Sports Center, Jenni comments, “When I was putting Tristan to bed he told me that he wants to have his birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese.”

OH SHIT!  I panicked.  “What?  I don’t care if it is double coupon day for his birthday.  The last thing you are going to do is to get me to throw Tristan’s birthday party there.  I’d rather throw a pool party at a leper colony.  Throw Tristan’s birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese.  You must be out of your dang mind!”

When people ask me what my website and show are about, I always say that it’s the combination of being a Mommy of Many and a military spouse and how that combination works.  Well, no single event has put all of that into focus better than the Coronado Salutes the Military Ball, this past Saturday!  

So, it’s Saturday at the Lang house.  There are usually several things that happen on Saturday and they all involve running kiddos here and there.  This Saturday was no different.  I did several drop-offs and pick-ups in the morning and then got my head around scrubbing the house.  Clay was also in work-mode and was helping get everything out of one of the bedrooms so that it could be rearranged and cleaned out.  Big job!  I was standing on a step ladder at 4:30, when Clay’s phone rang.  I could hear him greet the person on the other end and knew it was an old friend who he had flown with and who had moved away.  He finished his conversation, hung up and approached me with this, “The Sandberg’s have extra tickets to the Ball.  Can we make it?  Cocktails start at 6 and we have to be seated by 7″.  My first thought was, “The Sandberg’s are back”.  Then I looked at the clock, said, “I don’t have a dress!” and ran to my closet.  Nope, no dress!  We made the decision that we could do it and that I would run to Macy’s and go straight to the Del (Hotel Del Coronado).  So, within 10 minutes, I was in my car with my make-up bag, a brush, hairspray, my good, black pumps and my evening clutch, ready to storm Macy’s for a dress.  I felt like an episode of Instant Beauty Pageant!  But I had less time and no free credit card!  I arrived at the mall and ran straight to Macy’s 3rd floor and to the check out desk (imagine what I looked like with a huge bag over my shoulder, pumps in my hand and a wild, “I need a dress!” look in my eye).  I quickly explained that I needed to be at a ball in about an hour and needed help finding a dress.  I showed them the shoes I’d be wearing and we got to work!  Seriously, the girl that helped me is getting a letter of thanks sent to her department because she was on it!  I told her my size, grabbed a couple of dresses and ran to a fitting room.  She continued bringing me dresses and within 1/2 hour, I had what I needed!  I left the dress on, got rung up, was pointed in the direction of the bathroom and ran to do hair and make-up.  Whew!  Seriously, where was the camera crew?!

Clay had to go out to the squadron to get the proper uniform (I’m still not sure why it was there) and then rush to the exchange to grab a new pair of wings for his jacket.  

By 6:15 we were on the phone with each other agreeing to meet in the lobby.  By 6:30 I had valeted the car and was standing in the lobby, fully dressed, composed and ready for an evening of fun.  

We spotted our friends who had the tickets and followed them into the Grand Ballroom at the Hotel Del Coronado.  Beautiful!  

This was the 24th year of this event.  The Chamber of Commerce of Coronado puts this together to salute their military neighbors on the island.  Various businesses around the island host tables and various invites go out to the military community.  This is the second time we’ve been invited and it’s truly an amazing night!  This year we were at a table hosted by Business Products Express.  They hosted 5 tables and we were fortunate enough to be at the table with Matt Bartell and his wife, Jody who own the company.  They were so much fun!  The Marine Corps Band performed and the speakers were great.  We ran into several people we knew, had a wonderful dinner, danced a little and called it a night.  Wow!

While we pulled it off in only 2 hours, make no mistake that we did get some complaining phone calls from the kids.  They were caught in the whirlwind of watching us make the decision to go, shout some orders for dinner and run out the door.  When I walked through the door that night, I could see the result of  their unhappiness that we dashed off.  I decided that crushed cereal would be better off swept up in the morning.  Back to reality, Cinderella!  

Matt Bartell, standing on a chair to compensate for the tallness of the Sandbergs, the Sandbergs, me and Clay

Me and Clay with Matt Bartell, owner of Business Products Express and our host for the night.

Well, there you have it!  The crazy combination of being a Mommy of Many and a military spouse and how that combination works.  Sometimes I’m Doing the Dance of the Children and sometimes I just get to dance!

Thank you to Brian and Kris for thinking of us.  Thank you to the Coronado Chamber of Commerce for putting this together every year and thank you to Matt Bartell for hosting the tables that he did. 

Have a great day!

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~

Yesterday I was able to take the lil ones to watch Clay fly.  It was a beautiful day for it!  I hadn’t taken the kids to watch him fly in a long time.  There’s an outlook off the freeway where you can watch helicopters load ships.  What a great combination; blue skies, the ocean, and watching Daddy do his exciting job!

people watching the vertrep action from the outlook 

Clay’s helo and the ship that was being replenished

The helo gettting loaded

Gabi and Lex watching the action

All the fresh air and excitement wore them out!

Have a great day~

Since I returned from my, VERY FUN, trip it’s been all business!  The younger kids were SO happy to have me come home and had a million things to show-and-tell me.  It made me realize the wisdom of a friend’s words when he pointed out that I should think about staying a few days away from the house.  I hadn’t thought about how the little kids are really on me.  I’m always picking them up and they climb into my bed in the middle of the night.  Luke-Xavier can be physically demanding (in a very sweet way….of course!).  So, I’ve arranged to stay with friends for the first 2 days after surgery.  We’ll see how it goes after that.  I’ve been so fortunate to have many people offer to help out.  This means that I can go in today without worrying how my kids are getting to or from school, what they will be eating or who they will be with.  I think that this has all been a beautiful example of how important community really is!  It’s also a wonderful example of how life as a military family can work.  

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~

In the last month I’ve said that the new year was going to bring change to the Lang Clan and that I’d talk about it as we went along.  I’ve let you know about Clay’s orders for a year to Iraq.  Now it’s time to touch on another subject.  I’ve been waiting to talk about this because I wanted more info before I presented it.  Now I have the info and dates I need.

For the last few months I’ve been talking to doctors and having ultrasounds and appointments because of endometriosis.  It’s something I’ve dealt with since JJ was born,but our children have been close enough together that the symptoms had been curbed.  I’ve been on hormone therapy twice, when we had bigger spaces and the symptoms would come back.  When I stopped nursing Luke-Xavier, back in August, I noticed that my pain came back.  Over the last 5 months everything has picked up rather quickly.  After speaking with my doctor and having my options laid out before me, I’ve made the decision to have a hysterectomy.  I made this decision based on knowing that Clay is going to be gone for a year, that my symptoms have rapidly gotten worse and knowing that I need to be whole and healthy for myself and my children while I am the primary caregiver.  BUT, I thought I would have my appointment yesterday and then have a month or so to prepare myself, emotionally and mentally.  Nope!  I am having surgery next Tues.  That’s right!  So much for any preparing or planning!  After 20 hours of emotional highs and lows, I am getting my head around it all and can see that sooner is better.  With Clay leaving in May, we need to be able to have me recover and feel strong and healthy before we are dealing with all the emotions and paperwork of his leaving.  

When I say I’m Doing the Dance, I mean it!  There is always some sort of Dance to be done over here!  

Since finding out about all of this and getting the word out, I have to say that I am amazingly blessed with the people in my life!   I have women from my spouse’s club, women from the neighborhood, women from bible study, women from school and even moms of my older kid’s friends, offering to help.  Wow!  I know that everything will go as planned and that I will be fine and that my family will be fine.  I will take you along the journey with me and let you know how this all plays out.  It’s a new phase of my life!  

If any of you have had this experience I’d love to hear about it!  Please share!

Have a beautiful  and blessed 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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