Mommy of Many®

A couple of nights ago I had carpooled to a meeting with a neighbor.  We both hold small positions on the board of the NOSC (Naval Officers Spouse Club) and enjoy being involved.  We’d had a great meeting, done a little visiting and were in conversation as we headed to the car, when she said something that struck me.  She said that it’s our husband’s SSN’s that are asked for from us and not our own.  This stopped me in my tracks.  Even though I know this and can rattle off Clay’s SSN without thought and sometimes trip over my own, I had just never put it into a solid thought.  It led us to a discussion on identity.  There are so many strong, successful, brilliant women who are military spouses.  They’ve started businesses and written books.  There are so many amazing military spouses who have quietly followed their husband’s careers and patiently and lovingly set up each house, gotten the kids settled into new schools, joined the local social groups that keep their families feeling connected to their communities, even though they are dandelion fluffs who will be blown into a new place the moment someone takes a deep breath. They find the best restaurants, best neighborhoods, best schools, best boutiques and best friends.  And yet, there is, often deep down, the knowledge that we are following.  Our identity takes second place.  This is an interesting thing to dwell on at this time in my life.  

As military spouses, our identities can so easily become second to our husband’s career.  Where we live, where we shop and who we know is all wrapped up and determined (in some part) by what orders our husband’s have.  It can be difficult to carve out a piece of life that is just ours, just about who we are.  I was amazed at how much thought this one statement provoked in me. I remembered that it was WHO military spouses are that made me start the Women and the Military series of shows.  I think I only got through 4 of the amazing women I had planned on interviewing.  Hmmm…..I think I need to dig out that list again and get in touch with some of the other women I had thought of.  Truly, military spouses are deeply amazing.  I’ve known women who actively support their husbands, raise the kids and run successful businesses.  Truly amazing!

Here’s to military spouses, who we are and what we do!

Have a great day~

A few days ago I asked for some patience from everyone while I get everything back up to speed with the shows.  When  I changed servers, only about half of the shows moved.  This means I have  A LOT of manual work to do.  It’s going to take me awhile to have it all going again.  Shows #32-#54 should be fine, but the first 31 need my attention.  BIG JOB!  And of course I will be doing it in my spare time.  Yes, you can laugh now.  

However,  most people come looking for the first show, so I’ve made sure it’s back up and going.  Looking for it?  Just click here

It was funny for me to go back and listen to it.  Dang, Kateri’s almost 20 now!  Time sure flies.  Maybe it’s time for an update show.

Thanks for your patience and for coming in search of the show!

Sometimes you just have to stand up and blow your horn.  We all do things we feel good about, that make us remember who we are.  We are more than any of the labels we each wear, even though our labels are important and help define us.  Every once in awhile you get a moment to grab onto and live in that makes you beam.  Yesterday I was the lucky owner of one of those moments.  I was able to buy the January issue of Military Spouse Magazine which happened to contain my very first, published column in it.  Buying that magazine and remembering that I do something other than pack lunches, wash clothes, wipe noses and bottoms, drive kiddos in a million directions, etc. gave me a feeling I wish I could harness.  It’s easy to forget that my daily grind isn’t who I am.  

Today, I’m hoping you can each find a moment to remember that even though your labels are important, that somewhere (often deep-down) inside, there’s YOU.

Have a great day~

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~

I’ll start with the flood

People often ask me why (and sometimes, how) I get up at 4:15 am. I always give a rundown of what my morning consists of; checking the computer, answering emails, blogging, writing the Morning Memo, making the coffee, starting a load of laundry, making the school lunches and taking a shower. All of these things being done before the family is up, make for an easier and smoother day. But, from time to time, I cut myself some slack and I hit the alarm and give myself a little extra time in bed. Yesterday was one of those, rare, days. Because of my snooze time, I didn’t have time to shower until after the kids had gone off to school and the little ones were settled with breakfast and a movie. When I came out of the shower and went to check on things, I was instantly reminded of why getting up at 4:15 is necessary! Gabi and Luke-Xavier had decided to have a tea party while I was busy. This meant dragging out the plastic tea set, pulling a chair into the kitchen, filling the cups and tea pot with water and carrying them to the front room. I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but somehow they aimed the faucet in such a way that the whole kitchen floor was covered in water. All I could really do was sigh and grab some towels. The floor was in need of a washing anyway. So there you have it, a really good example of why 4:15 am and I are friends.
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The kids have begun their trek home for Christmas. Kateri arrived Wednesday night and will be here for a month. JJ gets in next Friday. Even though there are more bodies in this little space, it’s more peaceful when everyone is together. Kateri does a really good job of picking up the balls that fall as I juggle. I suppose it’s because she’s the oldest and watched as I did everything, so she has a kind of intuitiveness about how it should all be done. No matter what it is, I’m happy for this time!
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A full calendar can sometimes equal an empty brain!

I’ve had events every night for several nights. It’s the time of year when everyone is having parties and wanting to gather people together. I live by my calendar and if things aren’t written down, they simply don’t happen. BUT on the flip side, if they ARE written down, you better believe I’ll be there. Even if I wrote down an event that I have nothing to do with!

That’s right, the other night I got dressed, grabbed the gift I had purchased and wrapped and left for a military spouse function. When I arrived, I recognized a few faces, but quickly realized that something, just wasn’t right. Clay is in the flight community and I had (somehow) written down an event for the surface community. Ugh! At least I had a gift! I spent a few minutes saying hello to the people I knew, meeting a couple of new people and then slipping out the back door. I’ll be double-checking my calendar from now on!
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Speaking of the calendar and events-

Each month I set up a coffee for the Naval Officers Spouse Club (NOSC) in the coastal area. This gives me a large area and many coffee shops to choose from. I usually pick some place close to the water because it’s beautiful and I have a particular love for the way the ocean smells and feels and if I can set up a social event that has anything to do with being near the water, I’m going with it! So, we usually meet at little coffee shops that have the ocean in the background. But this month I took the opportunity to have everyone taste some amazing gelato, have some coffee and meet some great people. Chuao is a local chocolatier who presents fresh and interesting flavor combinations in their chocolates and their gelato flavors are just as interesting and intriguing. I set up a tasting for the NOSC and we were not disappointed! We learned a little about how gelato and sorbet are created and about how the flavors were put together. It was great to be able to try each of the flavors but my favorite remains the cambur chip. Yum!
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Today is the squadron’s Children’s Christmas Party. For the last few years, Clay has flown to the North Pole to pick Santa up and deliver him to the party. The kids always get so excited when that helicopter flies in and they know that Santa is going to step off. There’s nothing like the excitement of little ones!

This year we have a couple of other things going on at the same time, so all of our kids won’t be with us, but the little ones will still enjoy the event. As these kids grown, the dynamic keeps changing.

Tristan has his first kayak race today. Kateri will be taking him to cheer him on and help out and Maddi would rather watch Tristan than see Santa come in on the helicopter. I’m glad they will be there for him! He’s really having a great time being on the water!
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Well, that’s it, for now, from here. It’s been a whirlwind of being busy and not being diligent enough to sit here and write about it. Sorry! I haven’t even been able to get a show out because I had gotten sick and didn’t have the voice for the show. It would have been raspy talking interspersed with coughing. So, now that I’m getting better I’m looking forward to talking about getting ready for Christmas and the whole holiday season and the traditions and stories that get passed on to the kids.

Have a great day~

I am sure that some of you have the house, inside and out, completely decorated and ready to go for Christmas. I am not there yet. I started opening the boxes yesterday. It’s a days-long process for me. Yesterday I started by taking out all the artwork that the kids have created over the years and beginning to hang it up. It’s always a trip down memory lane. I love it! There’s nothing like looking at hand-print wreaths from when Kateri was in grade school! It does tend to make me feel old, though. So, today, it’s on with the decorating! I’ve got the little ones in front of a Christmas movie, while I try to get everything organized and in place. We pack the movies away with the decorations so that they are exciting for the kids instead of being watched throughout the year and becoming “boring”. Then, it’s onto the many, many Christmas cards that need to be addressed. I love doing it, just wish I had more time! Starting last night, I am out for social functions EVERY night until the 12th. Yes, it’s fun, but it also becomes tiring. My sitter is happy to pad her pockets with some extra Christmas cash, though.

Tonight is the squadron Christmas party at a local hotel. I love the military functions! It’s always nice to get dressed up and to visit with everyone. So, off I go to continue decorating and then to prep for an evening of adult time.

Have a great day~

What a week!!!!! From Tuesday to Friday we packed in Knotts Berry Farm, Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping and a Tesla show (we are loving their new album! Check it out!). You’d think I’d be tired, but I’m still running off of the energy from each of those events. The crash is not going to be pretty!

We’ve visited Knotts Berry Farm during their annual military promotion, several times. It’s one of the annual events the kids count on. It’s always a lot of fun and each year the kids like to see who’s gotten big enough for which rides. One of my favorite things is to take in the show at Mystery Lodge. We always take the kids out of school on a Tuesday or Wednesday and head up for the day. Going during the week has made all the difference in the lines! We’ve kind of spoiled ourselves!

The Whole Lang Clan, ready for a day of fun at Knotts!

Tristan, Max, Gabi and Luke-Xavier with Snoopy

One of my sisters joined us for the adventure. We both got to ride with the little ones in Camp Snoopy.

Max and Gabi had SO MUCH FUN!

Several of us enjoyed the merry-go-round! Luke-Xavier insisted on 3 rides in a row.

And onto Thanksgiving! We’ve been going out for Thanksgiving since Gabriella was born. After trying it once, we knew it was the best way to go. We get a beautiful view, no mess and no clean up. We have been fortunate to have beautiful days each year and this year was no different.

The entire Clan dressed for Thanksgiving dinner.

The 4 youngest kiddos, finished with dinner and heading out to the beach

Now Kateri and JJ are back at school and my sister is back home. We enjoyed having everyone with us, so much! I can’t wait for the next few weeks to pass so that I can have them back again! It’s time for me to focus on Christmas and to decide not to stress that it’s so close. Lists, lists, lists!

Have a great day~

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m so thankful to have all my kids together for this holiday! Everyone is safe and healthy. It’s been a good year. Clay returned, safely, from a 7-month deployment and is home to lend a hand in all things. All my endeavors have been met with positive reactions.

I hope that you each have a wonderful day and are able to take a moment to focus on the blessings in your lives.

 

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Last night I attended the first of a string of ornament exchanges and Holiday parties. I have to admit that I wasn’t really ready to jump into the Season even though I know it’s around the corner. But there’s nothing better to get you into the spirit than a little Christmas music, some great food to overindulge in, a beautifully decorated house, Christmas presents and a real tree. How this amazing woman was able to have a REAL Christmas tree BEFORE Thanksgiving is beyond me, but she did it! By the end of the evening I was ready to get home and pull out the decorations, hit the stores and write the Christmas cards. There is truly a feeling that goes with the Season!

I am realizing that the whirlwind is upon me. Tonight, JJ gets home for a week of Thanksgiving break. Kateri comes in on Monday. Next week will come and go so quickly! We have plans for family activities like spending a day at Knott’s Berry Farm and of course a big dinner with lots of friends for Thanksgiving. Then, the week will be over, the kids will fly back to school and I’ll stand in the whirlwind that is “the last days before Christmas”. There will be the flurry of decorating. The shopping for everyone. The endless wrapping. The writing and addressing of Christmas cards. The string of parties. The calendar is already so full until the end of the year! It seems that as a military spouse, this time of year gets overloaded with parties. Yes, there are the parties with civilian friends and people from school, but it seems that the social gatherings with others whom we are connected by the military are abundant.

So, it’s time to shop for a great party outfit, or two, double check the calendar and try not to get stressed!

To the Holidays!

Have a great day~

In the fast-paced, busy world of being a mom it’s easy to lose track of yourself. After 7 months of focusing on the kids and the house and another month of getting used to having Clay back, it was time for me to remember that I need a little “me” time. I was able to take a 4-day trip to Northern California to visit family and friends and gather my thoughts. As moms we wear many hats and can’t always get away, but we need to remember that it’s always important to find a way to nurture ourselves, even when at home. I feel strongly that part of that nurturing process is having a good community of people in your life. Take the time to make and keep connections with other moms who share your ideals. A good support system and strong community help build a stronger you and the stronger and more whole you are, the better you can be for your family!

Thank you for visiting the site and for listening to the show! I appreciate your comments and suggestions. You can email me at Jen@MommyofMany.com or by using the contact link on the right.

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Yesterday we celebrated Gabi’s 4th birthday. I can’t believe she’s already 4! Maddi, who’s very thoughtful and loves to plan special things, set the table for a party and then made a nice breakfast. We got to celebrate for Gabi from the moment she woke up. She was pleased!

After a full and busy day, we celebrated with a “pink, princess” cake.

Clay has taken some leave so that he can focus on being back home and spend some time with all of us. He took the 2 little ones to the park for a little “Dad” time. They had fun!

However, Dad being home also means work. Clay built this gravel box before he left, but we didn’t have time to line and fill it. While he was gone, the weeds took over and I turned a blind-eye to it. He got the kids rallied to clear out the weeds and get it ready for the gravel. I can’t believe how hard they worked! Sometimes I wonder if they realize we don’t live in the country! They were filthy and happy by the time it was cleared out.

It’s been a productive and happy time. The kids are really taking in as much of Clay as they can. It’s nice to have all the things that I didn’t take care of (clearing weeds, changing the battery in the truck, etc.) looked at and fixed!

Have a great day~

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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 MOM 48 [12:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (301)

October is the anniversary month of this site and of my show! I can’t believe it’s been a year since I, excitedly, sent out a zillion emails to anyone I could think of, letting them know I had started Mommy of Many! I can’t forget the feeling I had after putting together the first show and then wondering if I’d be able to find things to talk about (silly me!). Now, it’s been a year and I feel like I can’t shut up!

One of the most exciting things to come of this site and the show just happened 2 days ago when the editor and co-founder of Military Spouse Magazine emailed to ask if I’d be able to offer up a few tips for large, military families. Now, if you follow this site AT ALL, you know all about our exciting adventure, this summer, with having Mariah on the cover of Military Spouse Magazine and my stress over getting all 9 kids photo shoot ready for a family photo inside the mag. It was a lot of fun and the pictures ended up GREAT! Anyway, offer up a few tips?…….yeah, I think I can do that! So, I told her yes and then told her about Mommy of Many. Hey, you’ve gotta shout about yourself sometimes! She graciously came over and looked around and OFFERED ME A MONTHLY COLUMN in the Family section of the magazine! Yes, you just read that correctly! So, naturally I had to think it over, for about 1/2 a second! So, starting in the January issue (providing I don’t suddenly become struck with stage-fright) my writing on various “How do you do it” topics will show up INSIDE the magazine!

Whoo Hoo!

Can you guess what everyone’s getting as Christmas gifts from the Lang house this year?

Have a GREAT day~

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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