Military lifts ban on Social Networking Sites

I survived a Tsunami..well...sort of

Well, I am sure you all have heard about the Tsunami warning we had here on the islands of Hawaii. I was awake when the earthquake hit Chile so I had a head start on most ppl here on the island. It was around 1 am or so, so I was able to run out to Wal-Mart and get some supplies before things were really crowded and hectic. The sounded the horns at 6am and told everyone that was near the coastline to evacuate. That included my family. We headed to my husband military base and were able to stay there with great ppl, keep up with the news, get some much needed sleep, etc. The ban has been lifted as of a few hours ago and we are now back home. It was pretty scary trying to figure out what to do with a big gazillion foot tall wave coming at ya, but, luckily all is well now. I hope that we won't have to deal with anything like this for the remainder of our time here on the island!

Teething...Not Cool!

Teething Ring...check

Orajel...check

Tylenol/Motrin...check

Cool cloth...check

Sanity...ugh..what's that?

I have to admit this teething thing is NOT COOL AT ALL! The lack of sleep coupled with night weaning has added some beautiful bags under my eyes. I am starting to get that raccoon look. Nice. Pretty soon I will be running into walls and mumbling strange things to myself if I don't get some rest.

My oldest daughter got her first teeth at 6 months of age. No problems. I didn't even know she had them until the babysitter called me at work to tell me. This time around is a different story! My poor child is nibbling on any and everything she can get her little swollen gums on. Even me! I feel so bad for her being that there is not much more that I can do.

She will be nine months old soon! Let's hope that those pearly whites hurry and pop through. For my sake and hers!

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Sesame Street Live

My husband and I were brave enough to conquer Sesame Street Live with a 4 year old and a 7 month old. It was brought to our military base via the USO Experience for Military Families. What an awesome experience! Besides waiting for over an hour to get inside, because I am definitely an early bird when it comes to these types of events, my children loved it! The USO (United Service Organizations) has been offering this free traveling tour featuring some America’s favorite Muppets, and we all know that Elmo is like all the free candy in the world to most toddlers.

They sang songs with positive themes that addressed feelings, missing a parent during deployment, etc. They gave every child a free elmo toy and had free dvd's and reading materials for parents to share with their children to ease the stress and anxiety of deployment. There were also activities before and after the shows, and the children were able to meet the characters. For the past two years the USO have traveled throughout the US and Europe at more than 64 military installations. You can visit their Sesame Street/USO Experience photo album and their website for more information on the USO.

There is a new blog on the block.....

There is a new blog on the block. Yes I am new on the block too and I hope I don't go into foreclosure soon, but http://4quartersofamother.blogspot.com/ is where Mandeek makes me smile almost daily! She adds a humerous touch to my day as I read about her life, and I look forward to continuous reading of her blog. So, Mandeek this is to you...my Mandeek Monday so to speak hehe. Keep making me smile.

Feel free to follow her and I am sure she will return the favor. Happy reading!

FREE Nursery Water Bag and Pouch

As a mom of 2 young children I always have a tote bag attached to my hip. I can't go anywhere without bottles, sippy cups, diapers, toys, etc. I have lots of bags already but I can always use another! So, when I saw this offer I had to jump on it.

Nursery Water is giving away up to 100 bags per day while their supplies last. The bag also comes with a cute little storage pouch. You can't beat that! They run out quickly so go snag yours while you can. There were 20 bags left when I requested mine earlier today. Inventory is reset at 12pm EST, so check back if you don't get yours on your first try.

Will I Ever Lose the Baby Weight?...Tips Anyone?

My House...The Battlefield

Help! This green-eyed monster called sibling rivalry has invaded my 4 year old and made my 8

month old her target! She takes away her toys, blocks her path when she is crawling, and makes faces at her. She is constantly terrorizing her, for lack of a better word, but maybe terrorizing is fitting in this situation. I swear that by the end of this week I will only have 3 strands of hair left on my head! I have heard of children being jealous of one another, but this is BAD. I am trying some different techniques to diffuse the situation. I will let you all know how it goes. Until then, keep your fingers crossed!

Military Wives and Depression

I started thinking about this topic earlier this week after speaking with a few military wives. I have been a military spouse for over 7 years. I have seen tons of soldiers, mostly those that have been deployed to a war zone, be diagnosed with

sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions. I am sure this number will likely continue to increase being that we are fighting multiple wars. I know that the Army, and I'm sure other branches of the military, have started to take notice and have implemented programs and services for soldiers to get counseling and deal with their issues. But where does this leave the spouses?

I have met lots of military spouses, even through forums on websites created to establish a network of moms/wives and girlfriends/fiances in the military community. I have noticed that lots of them have to take meds while coping with a deployment, or multiple deployments, or some other issues that have come to a head in their lives via the military. Yes, we all have issues in our marriages, some big some small. But if you are a civilian and have never lived the military life, trust me, you have no idea. Out of the seven years of my marriage my husband has been gone for about 4 years! Although, I have not had to take meds to deal with his abscence during those times, I can see how many people have to. Taking on ALL things "husbandy" for a year to 15 months in some cases, and suddenly turning into MIGHTY MOM can put a lot of stress on a person. Also, coupled with uprooting your family from one foreign place to another every 3 or so years, in my current case, overseas in Hawaii, with no family and having to make friends all over again is a big stressor. I know that there is sometimes a stigma associated with a soldier who seeks mental health treatment so I imagine that may be the case when the spouse seeks treatment.

I have decided to do some research on this subject for a future post to discover resources that are currently available for military spouses who are having to go through this difficult journey. If you know of some resources please feel free to share them with me, even anonymously if you choose. Also, if you are a military spouse going through this I would love to talk to you about your experience. Feel free to comment!

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My Trip(s) to Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is the most visited attraction on the island of Oahu. Of the

many things to see and do here, this has been one of my faves. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a BIG history buff. I taught fifth grade history and luv luv loved it! So when we arrived here on the island this was on the top of my list of places to visit.

This is my husband and I with our oldest daughter in 2007 (before we even knew there would be a daughter #2). A lovely tourist took this snapshot, probably after feeling sorry for my husband and I taking turns with my Kodak cam.

One of my good friends came to visit last April and I took her there also. It brought her to tears.

This is my mom and sis with my daughter in January 2010. They enjoyed it! My whole fam loves history.

So yes, I have gone 3 times total, and honestly, it didn't get old. The fact that I am into culture and history played a role as well as being a military wife. Knowing that my husband has put his life on the line several times, recently returning home from Iraq after being injured, definitely put this place into perspective for me. This is a rare treasure, yet somber. Knowing that hundreds of men were entombed below me weighed heavily on my heart. Our soldiers put their lives on the line everyday for our freedom no matter where they are, and I was more than honored to pay my respects to those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor. If you are ever able to come to Oahu, this is definitely a site to visit.

Wordless Wednesday

I live in Hawaii so it's still Wednesday (night) here hehe. This is Bellows Beach one of my fave places on the island!

She Peeled a Banana and I Cried

A few days ago I was in bed and my 4 year old entered my room, earlier than usual I might add. She asked me if she could have breakfast and I told her that I would be up in a few minutes. After 5 or so minutes I got up and asked her what she wanted for breakfast. She told me that she had already eaten and she was full. I asked her what she ate and she told me that she had peeled a banana and had it for breakfast. My daughter has always had trouble peeling a banana as most children her age do, so this took me by surprise. I looked in the garbage can and there it was. The banana peel lay on top of all the other crap that was in there and I found myself tearing up. My little girl is growing up and she doesn't need me. Okay I know it is just a banana, but I am so used to doing mostly everything I was overcome with emotion at this developmental milestone. I never thought I would be affected this way when it came to a banana! Imagine what will happen when she learns to tie her shoes!

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Contests and Giveaways

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Fessin' Up

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$20 Wal-Mart Gift Card Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Well, just as I promised and here it is! I said that once I reached 25 followers I would host my first giveaway. I am well beyond 25 and hope to keep counting woohoo!!!!....So, one lucky follower will win 20 bucks to Wal-Mart! All you have to do is:

1. Follow me publically on my blog AND leave contact info

For EXTRA entries:

3. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway. (2 extra entries)

4. Write a blog post and leave the link to the post below. (5 extra entries)

Thats 8 entries total! Easy right?! Winner will be chosen randomly on March 1, 2010. Good luck!!!

Giveaway ends March 1 and is open to all followers.

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To Pierce or not to Pierce

So my baby is 8 months old now. Time is really flying by! I have been contemplating getting her ears pierced and have yet to take the leap! I am wondering if I have waited to long to do it, since she is at the age where she may be pulling at her ears. How old were your children when they got pierced? What was your experience like?

Did you eat my baby sister?

My toddler has finally asked the dreaded "Where do babies come from?" question, although not quite in those words. She asked "Did you eat my baby sister?" "How did she get in your stomach?" Needless to say I was NOT prepared for it. Totally stumped! Anyway I was wondering if any of you have had to deal with your little one (or big one) popping this question on you. How did you react? What did you say? Maybe I can get some suggestions from you the next time this question comes up. I am sure it will!

And I broke out in hives....

Yes! You read it correctly. I broke out in hives. Okay I have never had an allergic reaction to anything besides washing dishes (A dishwasher is like oxygen to me. I have to have it). Anyway, I didn't feel like cooking dinner yesterday and decided to order a pizza from one of the most well known pizza establishments out there that I have decided not to name. About 5 minutes after eating a slice, my right hand started itchng like crazy. Then my right arm. Then my left arm. Okay now I am itching all over!!! Hives just broke out EVERYWHERE on my body. I swear I would rather be in pain, rather than go through that again. There is nothing like itching with no relief! My throat starting closing up and I could hardly breathe. It felt like some had their foot on my chest. My hubs and I grabbed the kids and rushed to the ER. I was bombarded with the usual questions in this situation...have u changed detergents lately, worn anything new (I wish!), switched body wash blah blah blah. Of course the only thing they could attribute it to was that maybe the pizza franchise decided to add something to their pizza sauce. I eat from there often with the same toppings all the time, so I dunno what was up. They gave me an IV of benadryl, zantac (i dunno if thats spelled correctly but hey) and some steroids. After getting high and woozy off the benadryl I slept for a few hours and when the hives went away for the most part, they let me go home a little after midnight. WORSE experience of my life!! Needless to say I wont be chancing eating from this establishment anymore. I felt better, but then I broke out again this morning. Instant replay. I am taking my benadryl and steroids faithfully and hope to get over thing "thing" soon. I don't know of any allergy, especially food allergy that I may have so this threw me for a loop. Anywho, just wanted to share that with ya, and I hope I am better soon. Sorry about the funky pic I am too lazy to find another.

Dunkin Donuts Contest

Do you think you can create the perfect donut? Dunkin Donuts has contest. Check it out!!

https://dunkindonuts.com/donut/

Facebook Games.....New Drug of Choice?

I know we've all been bombarded with drink requests, food fights, gift requests, etc via facebook. It seems like whenever I log on to the social networking site my sidebar is full of these. I'm not a big gamer, although I occasionally play a game here and there. It seems like a lot of my FB famalam are going overboard though. This means that my home page is littered with how many lonely bulls someone found on Farmville or the new stillettos someone received from a sorority sister. I'm not complaining, but hmmmm.... This got me thinking. Are some people addicted to these Facebook games? How often do you play games on facebook? Is it affecting your time management? Do you think you could have an addiction?

Mom versus Supermom

Okay. We've all had those days when the kids are trying out for cirque de soleil, you have to create a pathway just to walk through your living room without being beheaded from tripping over your kids' toys, you have to cook dinner, you have to work, you have to clean, blah blah blah. And of course, you have to find time to blog hehe. But, you just want a breather. I have had a few of those days recently, but my husband was so kind enough as to let me "do me!" I got a pedicure, did some shopping FOR ME woo hooo, and just relaxed. It was well worth it. I must admit I felt kinda strange walking in the store without kids. I kept looking around thinking that I forgot a child lol. So...take off your supermommy hat and find some time for you. When was the last time you had time to yourself?

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That Box Thingy in My Kitchen

As a mom I am sure you can relate to the constant barrage of toys and many other things I don't care to name invading your home space. Before I was married it seemed like everything could stay immaculately clean. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating juuuuust a little. My house wasn't immaculate, but I had a nice, clean, comfortable living space. After having children, of course we accumulated the never ending amount of of kiddie toys, pacifiers, etc etc etc. Now it seems like I am always cleaning something. I started this post while thinking about when I'm going to clean out my fridge. I totally went off topic, but now I'm back from lala land. The fridge is one area of someone's home that you rarely get to see when you visit them. And for good reason. It's none of your business what's in it unless they allow you to go in it. Well, it is about that time for me to clean out my fridge and I was just wondering how often do other people clean theirs. I clean my fridge every few months. It's not all sparkling and shiny, but someone woudln't be afraid to eat from my house if they saw it either. I have shelves that I always use for certain items, and the occasional spill from a clumsy husband or child (I never spill anything wink wink) is gently wiped away soon enough to not leave that sticky residue behind. I have seen some fridges that have not been cleaned in a very long time. I admit that I would never let mine get so bad that unidentified species have invaded it and moved in relatives from 3 generations, nor do I have to wear a facemask, but I do what I can. So...the question is... How often do you clean your fridge??? Be honest!!

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Gimme my boobs back! ~Night-Weaning~

I am literally writing this at 1230 AM while my little one is attached to me like metal to a magnet. Sometimes I'm like "Why oh why did I start this whole breastfeeding thingy?". Yea, I know the whole 'breastmilk is the best milk' slogan blah blah blah, but I almost feel like I set myself up for being sucked dry to the bone. I have turned my child into the Little Monster that Could not Wean. Honestly, night weaning SUCKS! At 8 months old I am ready to give it all up. I am tired! My baby isn't having it though. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the bond I created with my little one and knowing the benefits of breasfeeding. Heck, some people couldn't do it for this long. But, my time is up! Just when I am all comfy and nestled under the sheets, that all too familiar scratch and sniffer wakes me up. Do you remember those scratch and sniff stickers? That's what I feel like. Only we didn't suck on them. Okay, I'm digressing. Anywho, what's a mom to do at 3am when her baby is crying for a boobie snack? It is so much easier to give in rather than listen to the crying of a tired baby, especially when she's not really hungry. She just wants comfort and is used to waking up and eating. So I am curious. How did you wean your baby from breastfeeding, especially at night? Any and all suggestions are welcome!

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