Category — miltary spouse

It was a very, very busy day. I won’t bother with the details.

But, it’s ended with me cuddling on the couch with the 3 youngest and the books that they each picked out and THAT is some VERY…good…stuff!

Good night~

A day of working in the house became a day that neither my kids or I will ever forget.

It’s not often that there’s an entire day to work around this house, uninterrupted by kids’ sports or play dates, errands or unplanned outings. But the other day, that’s exactly what I had. I started doing laundry, load after load and bustling around, cleaning out cabinets and organizing shelves. After a couple of hours, I noticed that my kitchen window was fogging up. I immediately thought that the dryer hose must have come undone. I gave a quick peek over the back of the dryer and discovered that I was right. I turned the dryer off, unplugged it and grabbed the broom. Heck, if I was going behind the dryer, we were gonna get it clean! First I swept in front of and under the washer and dryer, got a good sized pile of lint, sand and socks, pulled the dryer out and hopped behind it. I picked up the dryer hose and noticed a collection of lint inside of it. I turned it over to shake it out and sure enough, plenty of lint and MOUSE DROPPINGS came tumbling out! I’m pretty sure I yelled and then just started babbling nonsense. But among the terror-filled nonsense were the words, “I don’t want to do this! I don’t want to do this! This is NOT good! THIS IS NOT GOOD!!!!!” Mariah came running into the laundry room, looked at my terror-stricken face and then peeked over to see what I was yelling…and crying about. She got a smug look on her face and just said, “ohhhhhh”.

Suddenly I realized that I was standing in a corner, with mouse droppings and the open hole to the back of the dryer that could be where a mouse or mice were lurking. Jumping! Quickly! to the top of the washer! I continued crying and trying to think. I yelled for Mariah to bring me the vacuum. I knew that I had to clean up the lint and droppings and reattach the hose. FREAKING OUT! Crying! Trying to be logical and knowing that I had NO CHOICE but to continue the job. I sat on top of the dryer until Mariah brought me the vacuum. I hopped in front of the washer and dryer and decided that I’d start by cleaning up the pile of lint, sand and socks I’d swept up. I’d get my head around the droppings and lint afterward. I turned on the vacuum and through wracking, freaked-out sobs, used the hose to begin the clean up. after a few seconds something blocked the end of the hose. SOMETHING BLOCKED THE END OF THE HOSE!!!!! It took a second for my brain to register what my eyes were seeing. Well, if I was sobbing and incoherent before, you can only imagine what was being shouted when I realized that a dead mouse was stuck to the end of the vacuum hose. Mariah says it was something like, “s#*t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, repeatedly. I knew that if I turned off the vacuum I’d have to sweep the mouse up, so I yelled (lots of yelling during this!) for her to bring the trash can from the kitchen. I then held the hose over the trash can and turned it off, letting the mouse fall into the can. Tristan was immediately summoned to remove the bag of trash.

I couldn’t go any further at this point. I was so upset and knew that I had no choice but to go back and finish the job. But I needed a minute of private freaking out before going back. I went to my room and became disgusted with the thought that my clothes had mouse dust on them. I quickly stripped out of the tainted clothing and put on another set of work clothes, made two frantic phone calls, pulled myself together as best I could and went back to the laundry room.

God bless Mariah!!!! She had vacuumed up all the lint and droppings from the back of the dryer. THANK YOU!!!!! That is, until I realized that we’d been using the BAG-LESS Vacuum. I swear I’ll deal with that soon. Swear! *Shaking and making a very unattractive face*.

Ok, so…the floor was clean and the mouse was gone. Now to reattach the hose. I, once again, became very upset at the thought of climbing back there and facing the hole to the dryer. I finally just went next door and asked our neighbor for assistance. Being a girl has it’s advantages! There is DEFINITELY a time and place to play dumb and I chose THAT moment. Good ol’ Mr. Mike came right over and took care of the dryer hose. The instant that his boots were inside the front door, the kiddos started telling him the tale of Mommy’s freak out and the mouse I had found. Luckily, it didn’t phase him one bit. He just laughed and said, “Yup, those critters like it in there”.

After 2 glasses of wine and cleaning the laundry room floor with Lysol wipes, I was able to breathe normally again.

And that, my friends, is my Mouse Tale.

Then End~

After several days of heavy rain, the sun came out, shining brightly and begging me to take my kids out of the house for the weekend. It was too chilly to go to the beach, so I decided to take them to visit the Cabrillo National Monument and the tide pools in that area. Day 1 was cut short because one of  the other kids missed a ride they were supposed to get. So we arrived, walked up to the lighthouse, did a quick tour and then left to retrieve the stranded kiddo.

But on Day 2, we packed some food, put on our tennis shoes, grabbed the camera and headed back out. First stop-the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

I can not think of a more beautiful, final resting place! The boys really wanted to spend time walking all through the grounds, but we’re going to save that for another visit. This time we just took a peek and I explained why the cemetery was there.

Then it was onto the tide pools

The 5 youngest Lang kiddos, ready to explore.

After getting a little wet and enjoying the rocks, water and small sea life, we drove up to the lighthouse.

It was a beautiful day to be up there!

Yes, many household chores went undone this weekend and I couldn’t be happier about it!

Have a great day~

United Through Reading is a program that believes in uniting families through reading. They have a military program that is offered through the USO at selected USO sites. A service members can stop into the USO and pick a book for each of their children and then make a video of themselves reading the book or books.

Yesterday, we received 2 packages at our doorstep. They were each filled with books and Beanie Babies (not sure if the Beanie Babies are part of the program or just a fun addition). There were 9 books inside, one for each of the kids (Kateri and JJ, I will send yours along). They were accompanied by a DVD of Clay reading some of the books and talking to the kids. They loved it! The 4 youngest sat down and watched the video. They followed along with their books as Clay read. Maddi took her book, retreated to her room and came out an hour later, declaring that she’d finished it and proceeded to tell me the whole story.

When Clay first left on this deployment, he made a video of himself reading one book and the video and book were sent to us. But the DVD was very small and I couldn’t get any of our players to read it. This new one is regular sized and played right on my computer. Everyone was happy to get the replacement!

Lex with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (it was read SEVERAL times last night)

Gabi, Max and Tristan with their new books

Gathered around the computer to watch and listen to their stories

Clay reading Love You Forever to the kiddos

Happy faces

Thanks USO for making this program available. And thank you to the DFW International Airport Community which helped make our video possible and all the generous, everyday Americans who help to support this program and make it possible for so many!

Have a great day~

School is out, which means I’m off work. JJ got in from school on Friday and Clay arrived yesterday. Kateri spent 4 days going back and forth to the base in Ramstein, trying to get a mac flight home. After 4 days of being bumped because of her low priority, she’s given up on using that option. We are on hold to see what will actually happen with her traveling.

So now I am on “break”. Ha! The only thing breakish about it is that I don’t have to be dressed and out the door by 7:30. Instead, I’m getting up, showering, starting the coffee, the laundry, the dishes, the breakfast and then realizing that at 8 am I’m still not dressed and ready for the day. I am looking forward to catching up on the many, little tasks that have fallen behind since I am out of the house but the workload is greater and the expectations high when everyone is home. I didn’t work outside the house while Clay was still here or when Kateri and JJ were still living at home. My new schedule and the way I run things is new to them. When they’re home I feel a little pressure to make it all the way it “used to be”. So…more cooking, more cleaning and more organizing. It’s so good to have everyone together and the little kids are especially soaking up the attention from Clay and JJ. I will take lots of pictures and give them all many things to do together to keep them busy. But this time is going to move quickly and the break will be over and we will all go back to the way it’s been…JJ and Kateri away at school and Clay back to Iraq to finish his deployment. I must switch gears quickly.

Here’s to a beautiful Christmas week to all of you and to all that us moms do to make it all happen!

Have a great day~

This week has been full of all that makes the Holiday Season fly by. I’ve been to 2 gift exchanges, one for the school’s Ladies’ Club and one for my neighborhood, my preschoolers have had their Christmas program and today we’re on our way to the squadron’s Children’s Party. This is a party that they always look forward to. How could kids NOT be excited about Santa arriving by helicopter?! So this morning we are pulling out Christmas sweaters and the kids are discussing what Santa might be bringing them.

Tomorrow is St. Nicholas’ feast day, so tonight the kiddos will put their shoes out (I better remember to buy candy canes!) and tomorrow, after Liturgy, St. Nick will make a special appearance at the church. Every year we have a pot luck and celebration in honor of St. Nick. I like that the kids get to identify that Santa’s character was derived from a REAL man who lived and became a saint.

Now, the real challenge is to get this house decorated for the season. I’m running horribly behind this year!

But before I worry too much about the importance of the Christmas decor and after the Children’s party, we will be celebrating Mariah’s 16th birthday. Today is her special day! Whew! 16 years! So, it’s cake and sushi after the Children’s party. Busy, busy day! No wonder I’m behind.

Have a great day and don’t forget to put out your shoes~

I didn’t mean for this to happen. Every day I think of the funny moments that happen around here. I make a mental note of how certain things get done or that we are WELL into this year of deployment and how it’s all successfully happening in this house. I’ll shoot a quick Twitter update, or refresh my facebook status but then…I come home from work, get the kiddos settled with an after-school snack, give them a stern talkin’ to about their homework, drive whomever needs to get wherever they need to go, make dinner, serve it, give instructions for pj’s and bath time, make sure the teeth are brushed, line everyone up for the nighttime prayers (there’s plenty to be thankful for and to ask intervention on), lie the lil ones down, kiss their lil heads, glance at the LLLOOONNNGGG list of “must do’s”, pour a glass o’ vino, read emails, add a few things to the list and head to bed. WAIT!…what happened to sitting here and documenting how I’m Doing the Dance of the Children?! Heck, I even have someone assigning a daily song for me to do the Dance to. And yet, I find it challenging to write about each day. They are all so dang full!

I am floored that we are 2 days into December! My list grew by MANY entries when I realized all that must be done before Christmas and the arrival of the 3 missing members of this Lang Clan. I’m slightly overwhelmed!

So, the blogging has been makin it’s appearance on the ish. You know…Wednesday-ish. Next week-ish. Hopefully identifying this will change it.

Here’s to facing the fact that the Holiday Season is in full swing, that the year has blown past us and that life is WAY TOO full!

Good night~

I want to thank Sheri Ledoux of Knott’s Berry Farms PR department for her quick and thorough response to my disappointment. I have been assured that the promotional offer for the Armed Services will apply to the spouses of deployed service members who are holding a valid ID card.

Looks like the Lang Clan will be heading to Knotts on our annual trip after-all. Whoo Hoo!

Have a great day~

Now that October is over and I’m taking down the ghosts, skeletons and witches that the kids have made over the years, I realize that we didn’t make it to the pumpkin patch this year. Uh! It’s always a challenge to squeeze it in because of the busy afternoons and the jam-packed weekends, but somehow, we always manage. But this year I got too comfortable buying the awesomely-priced pumpkins at our local market. Once they were on the front porch, I let the urgency of getting to the pumpkin patch slip and here we are, looking back at October with no visit to Oma’s. I’m a little sad.

I’m even sadder when I look ahead, through this November and see that there will be no annual trip to Knott’s Berry Farm. Sad! We’ve been going to Knott’s, every November that we’ve been in California, since Arianna was small enough for me to carry her in the backpack. Knott’s has a Salute to the Armed Forces each November and the whole family looks forward to this trip. BUT, this year the park has changed it’s guidelines for entrance and the military member must be present for their families to take advantage of the offer. Excluding the dependents of deployed service members doesn’t make sense to me. It makes the sting of deployment even greater when the children who look forward to a tradition are not able to participate because Dad is gone. Ugh! Why don’t I just take them on my own, without the promotion, you ask. The wonderful offer that Knott’s puts out every November is for the active duty member and one guest to get in for free. They are then able to purchase up to 6 additional tickets for $15 each. Regular admission for adults is $44.99 and kid’s tickets are $23.99. Kid’s tickets are based on height. So, I have 4 “adults” among the 7 children that I currently have at home and 3 “kids”. I’ll let you all do the math to figure out the difference in the price. But you can see that it’s a great difference. Once you do all that math you’ll see why the Lang Clan never storms a theme park without an awesome promotion, especially around the holidays.

So, while I’m thankful that Knott’s puts on this really wonderful deal each year, I’m confused at their thinking. If a dependent is holding a copy of the Active Duty member’s orders and an ID card, I think it’s a shame that they will not be able to take advantage of this offer. And I’m really sad that for the first time in 10 years, we will not be going.

Have a great day~

Here we are at Thursday. The week is flying by. I’m lacking creativity and still don’t have any great titles for my posts this week and there aren’t any pictures. Hopefully the words will be enough.

I haven’t taken many pictures lately because I haven’t really gone anywhere. No NOSC events. No Ladie’s Club events. No morning coffees. But I knew that I’d be stepping away from the social calendar with Clay deployed and me starting to work again. The kids and I are consumed with school, sports, homework and chores. This doesn’t mean we’re not having fun. I love watching their sporting events and they have fun playing! There’s simply just not enough time to try to squeeze in regular outings. Though, I DID have an evening out, last night…

Tristan and I went to radiology at the hospital. No, I didn’t get dressed up and there wasn’t any wine, but it was evening and we were out. A couple of weeks ago he hurt his foot during PE and since it was still bugging him I took him to his Dr. and she gave a write up for an xray. Since our days are so busy and evenings are full of homework, sports, dinner and chores AND radiology is open 24/7, we waited until all the busyness of the day was done and then headed over around 9pm. I must say that if you need xrays FAST, after 9pm is the time to get them done! We walked in, walked to the xray room, had them done. Tristan put his shoe back on and we left. It was the FASTEST trip to the hospital that I’ve EVER made and I had all the parking I could ask for. Those of you who are familiar with NMCSD know what an oddity THAT is!

So, today’s a regular day…school and then 2 soccer practices. Gabi’s birthday is tomorrow so we’re bringing treats to her soccer team and picking up the cake to bring to school for tomorrow. I’m hoping to tackle some stuff around the house and be ready to leave for the memorial I’m attending in N. Cal. this weekend. MUCH to do!

I think I’ll start with a cup of coffee.

Have a great day~

Clay left in May for training and prep to head over to Iraq and spend a year hunting IEDs with the Army. He came home for a few days at the end of June before going over. He’s been in theater since the 1st of July. I never know whether to count from when he left in May or when he left at the end of June but either way, he’s been gone for a few months now. This deployment has been so different from others. First of all, I usually have a good visual, in my head, of what’s going on out there and what his job and missions entail. This time his job is so different from what I’m used to him doing, that I just really don’t have a basis to pull from. He also doesn’t talk much about what he’s doing or what happens in each day. But, at the same time, we’ve had more contact during this deployment than during any other. With Skype coming along, things have changed greatly! Not only do the kids get to have face time with Dad, he can actively help parent. Gone are the days of the weekly letter or the monthly in-port, late-night phone call. The kids are really enjoying this perk of technology! When they get excited over something they immediately ask if they can “tell Dad”.

With year-long deployments, there is the opportunity to come home at some point around mid point for a short visit. Clay’s hoping to make it out here for Christmas. This would be truly amazing because it would mean that after 22 years of military service and many deployments, that he would have NEVER missed a Christmas at home. This is almost unheard of! I don’t know when he’ll have the word on whether or not his time is approved, but wouldn’t that be amazing?!

All in all, the deployment is moving along quickly for all of us. Our days are so full and busy that each one rolls into the next without any dragging.

Onward we go!

Have a great day~

“Slept in” till 6

Get dinner into the crock pot

Kids to kayaking by 9

Find ride home for kayaking kids

Run to Target for bday gift

Soccer pics

Soccer game

Take child to bday party

Second round of soccer pics

Take child to friends house so he can get to his soccer game

Run home to get ready for the HSC Ball

Get picked up for the Ball

Have a night of fun with people I haven’t seen in awhile

Have a great day~

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks getting everything ready for school and the busy schedule that comes along with the school year. Today’s the big day and all the loose ends are finally tied up. Everyone’s uniforms are in order, new shoes have been purchased, the required school supplies are labeled and packed in bags and backpacks and everyone’s been signed up for sports. Whew! After catching my breath, I realized what a big part many people play in making it all happen for me and the kids.

Being a military spouse and a Mommy of Many means that there are a huge number of variables at play on any given day. With Clay deployed, going to schools or flying crazy hours, making the kids’ schedules happen is my job. Piece by piece it all falls into place. But this couldn’t happen without the many people who step in to fill the gaps.

I really wanted to take a minute and say thank you to the great neighbors, friends, coaches, teachers and fellow moms and dads that make the Lang Clan successful. Without your generosity of time and caring, we wouldn’t be able to make it all happen.

Thank you!

Have a great day~

After making one, long list, several shopping trips, some phone calls and an early morning trip to the airport, JJ is back at school. He left yesterday morning and will have a week of soccer camp before his classes begin.

What a summer! He got home and charged straight into making sure his brothers were kept active. He really did a great job with them! I don’t know what it’s like to be a boy. I grew up as the oldest of 9 kids, but the 7 directly behind me were girls. By the time my brother came along, I was in 7th grade and completely self-centered. I never really got to know what it meant to have a boy around. When Kateri was born I was so thankful that she was a girl because I really didn’t know anything about boys. With Clay deployed as often as he is, JJ has seen the need in his brothers to have a strong and positive male influence. He did a great job! He kept them active and challenged them to do well in all they took on. Even after he hurt his knee, he found ways to do things with them. He really did a great job!

Poor guy, though, he was in a really good routine of working out and staying active when he hurt his knee. Luckily, he has the go ahead to charge forward into the soccer season at school.

Whew!

Now it’s time for me to focus on all the last minute details of getting the other 7 kiddos ready for school. I have 2 weeks left to get it all done. I’m a little behind in a few things and need to spend today catching up. Now that I have Kateri, safely, in Germany and JJ back to school, I can get into the routine that we’ll have set for the school year.  This will be the very first time that all my kiddos will leave the house each day. I decided it was best for me to also leave each day and took a job as an aid in one of the classrooms.  It’s been 16 years since I’ve worked outside the house on a regular basis.  I’m a little nervous about staying on top of all that needs to happen in the house.

~big breath~ One step at a time!

Have 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~