Things on my mind right now

1. It's been a warm, sunny, lazy day around here, and we all needed it.  The boys are playing contently together (imagine that, not beating each other up) in their room, and I might take them out for pizza later.  Just one of those perfect life kind of days.

2. I used to be angry that my professors all lied to my face, saying "Suuuuuure, there are definitely plenty of opportunities for music educators!"  But of course they'd say that, I was paying tuition.  Now, I'm angry at myself for not following my other, more lucrative, interest: accounting.  D'oh.

3. I like to watch nature do its thing.  Sometimes, there is nothing better than watching a bee go about his business, or watching the leaves blow in the wind.  And no, I'm not high while typing this.

4. The battery for this laptop is doing poorly.  It doesn't hold a charge for two full hours any more.  Sometimes I get 90 minutes, sometimes less, but I doubt anyone has a compatible one in stock for this dinosaur.  I might end up with a non-wireless laptop... totally defeats the purpose.

5. My license expires on my bday this month.  I can't get a new one from NH, so I will end up with a CA one.  This morning, I put make up on, straightened my hair, picked a slimming outfit, then checked the DMV's website to see when they opened.  Apparently, today is Cesar Chavez Day, which means all the DMVs are closed.  FAIL.

6. Late night for Hubby tonight.  I knew this last quarter would be more time-consuming!  But at least he comes home at the end of the day.  :)

7. I'm getting ready for a ski trip with my brother and sister next weekend (sans kids- Hubby is staying home with the boys).  We're headed to Squaw, my first west coast skiing experience!  I got a great ski package from the Army MWR (helmet included), so I'm really psyched.  They're going to be coming to visit for several days, too.  The boys always have such a good time with them, I can't wait!

8. Today is the first day this year that the windows have been open all day long.  I love having fresh air circulate in the house.

9. Baseball season has started here.  The little league fields down the hillside are packed, and we can hear the crack of the bats and the parents cheering from our deck.  It just adds to my perfect day.

10. I've been thinking a lot about our life post-Navy.  Not sure why now... probably because the boys are both here now and growing up.  I daydream a lot about our future house, where we'll live, what the boys will be like once they are in school, etc.  It's not as far off as one would think.  Hubby and I have been married nearly 7 years- he has less than that to go until retirement, and it seems like we were married just last week.

I'm done, Biggest Loser

Well, I like the concept of the show, but I think my time as a regular viewer of the Biggest Loser is over, for several reasons.

1. Jillian is leaving.  Boooo.  I like her and her style.
2. Enduring a commercial cleverly disguised as actual show content is just painful.  And it makes me feel like I need a shower to wash corporate America off me.
3. The crying has got to stop.  I hear enough whining with my two boys during the day!

So, sorry producers, but you're going to lose a viewer (two, actually, since Hubby feels the same).

Countdown

Hubby starts his final quarter here tomorrow.  It's a little bittersweet- I'm excited to be going back to the east coast, but I've really loved the whole shore duty thing.  These past two weeks were nice, having him home either at a very reasonable hour or for the whole day.  I'm definitely feeling spoiled, heehee... but isn't that ironic that I should feel spoiled to have my husband home every night.

Anyway, the big move is in the works.  We are getting our cars ready (new tires, minor repairs, etc) and our stuff ready.  Just sold a bunch of stuff on craigslist, but for some reason, we still have a lot of things.  Not bad if we were staying in one place for a long time, but as the past dictates (and the future predicts), we never stay anywhere longer than two years.  It's much easier when you don't own a lot!

I'll miss CA in some ways.  Just today, I was sitting outside in capris and a sleeveless shirt, and got a little sunburn on my arms.  In March.  That's totally unheard of in NH... in fact, I think they recently got some more snow.  I'll definitely miss that.  Won't miss the power outages, though.  We had one today for whatever reason.  For a place with mild weather, I'm surprised at how many times we lose power.  Eh, there are other pros and cons, but that's what's on my mind right now.

We I am looking at houses to rent in CT.  The search is going pretty well- I've found some great places- but it would help to have orders (*ahem ahem*).  I'm optimistic that whenever we get there, we'll have some nice houses to choose from. 

The massage school around here has students giving 1 hour massages for $35.  I'm soooo taking advantage of that soon.

Eh, that was random.  Anyway, must go back to playing referee.  Phineas and Ferb just ended and I can hear the boys hitting each other.  Fun times!

Milspouse Friday Fill-in #35

1. What is your must have gadget? submitted by Flying High With My Flyboy
   My computer.  Without it, I wouldn't be able to keep in touch with people as often as I'd like.  Although, my 8 inch skillet also gets a lot of use with the boys (pancakes, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese...).
 

1. How does your adulthood compare to what you imagined it would be like when you were a little kid? submitted by L to the Third
   It's pretty much the same, except we're a military family.
   
   
2. What is your favorite chocolate recipe?  submitted by Our First Deployment
   I've made Reece's Pieces pudding parfaits (my own creation).  Make a batch of chocolate pudding and one of vanilla pudding.  While whisking the vanilla pudding, add a 1/2 cup of peanut butter.  Layer the two puddings in a bowl and top with whipped cream, Reece's Pieces, and a cherry.  The vanilla-peanut butter part tastes just like Reece's Pieces.
   
   
3. How do you deal with military life when it gets to be to much or to hard? submitted by Combat Boots And Pointe Shoes
   I laugh.  What else can you do?  Of course the car's battery dies just as you try to drive your husband to the pier.  Of course your computer's hard drive dies just as you try to Skype with your husband on his very infrequent port calls.  I suppose I just prefer to see the irony in things, and most of the time, it makes me laugh.
   
4. What piece of advice would you give a new Military spouse facing their first deployment?  submitted by The Albrecht Squad
   Stay busy, but stay out of drama.  Make friends outside your husband's command, especially ones with husbands who aren't deployed (you never know when you're going to be preggers with a flat tire, and stereotypically speaking, it helps to know a dude to change it for you).  Find a really good sitter and use him/her at least once a month.  And expect the unexpected.
   

The Biggest Loser and Chocolate Cake

Last night, Hubby and I watched the Biggest Loser, like we usually do on Tuesdays.  Has anyone else noticed how much the contestants this season cry?  It's a little ridiculous.  So we decided that every time someone cried, we would take a shot.  Our choice?  Chocolate Cake, of course!  (Btw, 1 part vodka, 1 part hazelnut liquer)

Ten minutes into the show, we had already taken our first shot.  By the time the weigh-in rolled around, I think we had taken 6 shots each (I lost track).  I was feeling pretty ready for bed, so we quit, but if we hadn't, the weigh-in would have been another four shots.

It was a fun game.  This season, we've been making fun of the contestants more than actually watching the show, just because of all the whining and crying going on.  We'd toast "To fatties!" and knock the shots back.

I think this may be the last season I watch, partly because I really like Jillian and think the show will lose something after she leaves, and partly because I'm sick of watching people whine and cry.  I guess we'll have to switch our game to Jersey Shore.  Every time they say "GTL", we'll knock one back.  To guidos!!

Back to the grind

As I type this, LB is screaming from upstairs, "Mommy!  Juice!  I want some juice!  Mommy!  MOMMAAAAAAYY!!"

So awesome. I love being screamed at.

This past weekend was great.  We drove the kiddos down to AZ to visit Grandpa & Mimi... do you know how long it is from Monterey Bay to Phoenix, AZ?  Let me put it this way- it's way longer than a kid should be sitting in a carseat.

Overall, the boys did well.  There weren't major meltdowns, fights, or anything of that matter, but they really did run Grandpa & Mimi into the ground.  We were offered to stay at their condo, but decided on a hotel room instead.  I'm pretty sure they didn't mind after seeing how active the boys are!

During our stay, we went to an abandoned gold mine, hiked near the Superstition Mountains and saw some cool indian hieroglyphics, played in the pool, rented a boat for several hours and zoomed around Lake Canyon, and had some good times with the inlaws.  Did I bring a camera?  Yes.  Did I take any pictures?  No.  I have no idea why... just wanted to enjoy the vacay, I guess.

The boys were troopers on the way home, not complaining much and keeping each other busy and entertained.  Overall, it made me optimistic about our cross country move- however, I think our limit will be 8 hours a day, max.

So that's where I've been and what I've been up to.  How was your weekend?

Happy International Ask A Question Day

It's true, Brownie Locks said so.  Today is International Ask A Question Day.  So my challenge to you, readers, is ask me a question.  It can be silly, it can be utterly stupid, it can be honest, whatever.  Ask away, and I'll do my best to answer! 

And here's my question to you, if you're in the answering mood.  Which post on your blog is your favorite?  Leave a link if you'd like so I can read it.  :)

Welcome to the boys club... now get back in the kitchen and clean something.

Tonight, we all sat at the dinner table like we usually do, trying to persuade LB to eat his food and marveling at how much JC can eat.  Once the meal was over, Hubby and I figured we'd put in Toy Story 2, since the boys will probably be awake for a little longer tonight than usual (thank you, daylight savings time).  Hubby asked, "Do you boys want to go upstairs and watch Toy Story 2?"  LB said, "Yeah, Toy Story 2!  Bye Mom!  Have fun in the kitchen!" and my little 18 month old JC said, "Bye bye."

I suppose that's my official uninvite to anything fun.  It pretty much sums up exactly what I'd been feeling, but have been telling myself that it's all in my head.  With Mom, the boys get chores, eating nutritious foods, taking reasonable naps, and learning to be responsible with the potty.  With Dad, they get roughhousing, movies, and doing "guy stuff", like work on motorcycles and such.

A blind man could see that, to a kid, Mom = boring, while Dad = fun. 

It's no wonder they said what they did, but it made me want to cry.  I don't like being viewed as the boring, nagging, no-fun mom.  I want them to want to do fun things with me.  And I suppose I'm perpetuating it by blogging instead of joining them, but I feel incredibly left out.  Clearly, I'm here to get stuff done, while Dad's here to do fun things with.  Not fair.  Not fair at all.

Milspouse Friday Fill-in #33

1. During military separations (whether short or long) how do you keep yourself positive and motivated? submitted by Married/Single Parent
   I email / write / call my husband every single day, just to let him know how we're doing.  It makes me (and him) feel like he's not missing out on everything.  The guys in his division used to joke that they knew when communication was down if he hadn't heard from me!
   
2. What is your favorite concert you have ever been to? submitted by Young but Not (Completely) Dumb
   Boyz II Men, in 2009.  It was Valentine's Day, I was preggers, and Hubby had recently deployed, so I went with a bunch of the wardroom wives.  So fun!  But I also recently saw the Monterey Symphony perform the Rach 3, which was AH-MAZING... then there's the Jurassic Five concert at UNH that Hubby and I went to, which was a friggin blast... wow, tough question.
   
3. What do you miss most about your “hometown”?  submitted by A Florida Girl and Her Soldier
   My family, the weather, the people, the big trees, the smell of the air, Dunks, my hair stylist, etc.  Just about everything.
   
4. If you could run in any race, which charity would you choose to support? submitted by Wookie & Co.
   The last race I did was for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  I did it to support my neighbor back home who had breast cancer.  I usually choose charities that hit close to home, so probably the MDA or the USO.  There are so many to choose from, and I want to help them all!
   
   
5. You find out Willy Wonka is your father, what 3 course meal do you INSIST he create in that stick of gum?  submitted by A{muse}ing Mommy on a Pink Park Bench
   I would immortalize my Spain trip and ask for: spanish hot chocolate, tortilla espagnola with a side of patatas bravas, finishing with a dish of crema catalana ice cream from Mascarpone (omg, best ice cream EVER... I swear, I could eat that every day for the rest of my life).

Just put me in a bubble already

My allergies are kicking my butt lately.  Oy.  The last time they were this bad, we were living in Ohio, which someone mentioned is the allergen-belt of the US.  This place comes pretty close.

I know that I'm allergic to grass.  Any time it gets cut, I sneeze all day long.  My eyes itch and my nose gets stuffy.  The same thing happens around cats, but not too badly. 

Spring always gets me, too, so there must be something blooming across the US that doesn't agree with me.  Maybe some kind of tree?  It never fails (with the exception of Hawaii, but I'll get to that).

Kiwi & strawberries sometimes make my throat itchy and make my eyes water. 

Fortunately, I don't have the dreaded peanut allergy or lactose intolerance or anything like that.  Just seasonal allergies, I guess.  Hawaii was a nice place to live.  My allergies generally left me alone during that time... except when I was preggers, which was more than half my time there.  Then I had that lovely I'm-allergic-to-pregnancy-hormones rash, which was a blast and a half.

I wonder if Tricare will cover giant hamster balls for people...

Magic happened this afternoon

JC went down for a nap at noon.  LB and I went upstairs to the den to watch some TV.  Then, the stars aligned and the heavens blessed me with some quiet because I, very shortly after, fell asleep. 

I took a friggin nap!  I must have slept from a little after 12pm to 2pm.  Every once in awhile, I would wake up just a tiny bit (from holding my breath... wtf is that all about??), and LB was still alive, still watching TV, JC was still asleep, and the house hadn't gone up in flames.

It was the best two hours of my entire day.  The boys have been getting on my last frayed nerve lately- Hubby came home with some chocolate for me last night.  Just typical kid stuff, I think, but it's driving me bonkers.

Sidenote:  Did anyone play a board game in the 80s called Bonkers?  I don't remember how to play, but I remember thinking it was the bestest game ever.

Anyway, I feel a million times better.  Less cranky.  I even baked some cookies for the boys, which they are housing right now.  Probably because I ran out of flour, so they are mostly butter and sugar, ha.  Hopefully this refreshed feeling will last until bedtime, because I like enjoying my kids and not constantly yelling at them.  :)

I'm paying $40 an hour for counting and therapy?

I'm seriously glad I only paid for three personal training sessions, because I believe I just wasted my money.

Janka put me through some good workouts, but nothing that I couldn't find on the internet or learn by watching Biggest Loser.  But you know what I learned that I wouldn't have otherwise?  About her personal life, yay!

I got to hear all about her second husband and how they're divorcing and he's a dickhead and they have a little boy together and he's already engaged and how he has three other children from three other ladies, and blah blah blah.  Then, I got to hear all about how psychics (as in, multiple psychics) have been helping her see that there is a man out there for her, and she'll meet in him July, and blah blah blah.

Do you see how I feel I've wasted money?

I understand that there is something about me that makes people want to spill their guts about their personal lives.  It happens all the time.  With friends, strangers, in Walmart, on busses, everywhere at any time.  But it's usually for free and all I end up wasting is my time.  However, I feel pissed because I wasted $120 and my time.

And I'm too much of a wimpy bitch to let her know that I think she's unprofessional and that I don't want to sign up again and that I only learned how f*cked in the head she is.

Sheesh.

The motivation factor was totally lacking, which is one reason I wanted a personal trainer.  And she counted, but not all the time, which I guess is okay since I have to do it myself when I'm alone, but how confusing if she counts for one set and not the other.  It became more like a therapy session for her that I was paying, which I guess made me angry enough to have a good workout.  I'm glad it's over.  Next time I feel the urge for a trainer, I'll check out some internet videos or something.

I finally earned my gold star.

LB and JC went to the dentist for the first time.  Both sat very still and quietly while the techs cleaned their teeth, and they did everything they were instructed to do.  LB even said "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Dentist", which made me feel like I'm not a complete mothering failure.  :)

It's nice to know that even though they give me shit, the message is still getting through, and I'm raising polite little boys.

Any other moms out there have those moments where you think to yourself, "holy crap, I did a good job"?

Milspouse Friday Fill-in #32

1. Do you or your {spouse} ever wish your {spouse} was in a different branch of the military? submitted by The Turner Family
   Once, we did.  While we were in the shipyards at Portsmouth, VA (the friggin armpit of America), Hubby debated going blue to green.  I'm thankful he stayed in the sub community, but it was a very trying time for him.  There's nothing like a crappy job on a crappy base with a crappy command.  That was probably the worst year of his entire career.
2. What duty station(s) are on your “No Way, Hell No, Not Going, Have Fun Unaccompanied” list and why? submitted by Every Branch
   Guam.  I know there are some people that like it, but it's just not for me.  Too far from the east coast, too small, too humid, blech.  Oh, and see #1- Portsmouth, VA is on my "never again" list.  I've been pleasantly surprised with almost every station we go to, so I'm optimistic about any place... except Guam.
3. If you could be one age forever, what age would you choose and why? submitted by Three Krakens
   Aww, I have to choose?  I'd say now, 30.  I'm wiser than I've ever been.  But I do miss my 16 year old body.  Hm, maybe I'll split the difference and say 23.
4. If you were a breakfast cereal, which one would you be? submitted by the C.W.
   Life, because I'm full of it!  :)  Full of "life", that is, not "it", which usually implies "shit"... although sometimes I am full of shit, so maybe that wasn't a good choice.  Moving on...
5. What is your morning beverage of choice and why?  submitted by NH Girl Displaced
   Really?  I submitted this and have no answer??  Hm, usually it's juice or coffee because I can't stand orange juice.  Unless it's from this wicked awesome cafe in the middle of Hercules park in Sevilla, Spain.  They have the only OJ I can stomach- I don't know how they do it.  Maybe little spanish pixies pluck the oranges and juice them on diamonds and rubies while shitting rainbows, I don't know, but it's amazing stuff.