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Thursday, December 31, 2009

2009 Recap and what 2010 has to hold!

So, last year I posted a recap of the previous year on my myspace page, and this year I figure this would be the most appropriate place! This is what 2009 held for us!

2009
-Moved from Oklahoma to New Jersey
-Rented our Oklahoma home out to some really good renters!
-Kaelyn turned three and had her first birthday party at Chuckie Cheese!
-Bought our second home! LOVE THIS HOUSE!

-Kaelyn started dance, made some FABULOUS friends and had her first Recital!
-Anna got her tongue fixed and had her first birthday
-Ryan completed his training for the KC10, and went on a "mini-deployment"
-I started homeschooling Kaelyn and have really started to enjoy staying at home, although a career is still in my future!
-We became a 2 car family!!
-Ryan's family visited!
-Finished our basement!!
-Anna had swim lessons...hates it!
-Kaelyn started swimming with minimal assistance
-Ryan started his masters
-Spent Thanksgiving with Ryan's Family
-SURPRISE!!!
-Spent Christmas and New Years with my Family

2010
-Pending deployments/trips
-Kaelyn will have finished her first year of homeschooling
-Looking to start a new college degree....considering nursing!
-More on our surprise
-Trip to OK for a wedding!



I know it doesn't look like much, but it's been a GREAT 2009 and I can't wait to spend 2010 with my great friends and more time enjoying my family! Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Georgia on my mind!

I am in my lovely home state of Georgia now, and hopefully I can get back into the habit of blogging, although I don't think I ever established a habit of blogging! All this traveling has taught me few things. The first of which, is that people don't think kindly of a woman and two small children traveling by themselves. I got a lot of comments along the lines of "That poor woman" or "Where is your husband?". After explaining that I am a military spouse and don't always have the luxury of a husband who can serve as pack mule, I got the look. The one that simultaneously says "I am so glad I am not you, but I am so glad that you can say that with a smile". Then they usually ask if they can help! Thank you, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, for your help!

Just like with make-up, accessories and dessert, LESS IS MORE.
When you are the only adult traveling in a party of three, less is still too much. Kaelyn (3) is unreliable in her willingness to carry or roll her carry-on and depending on how long of a day, she could also be half asleep and crying as you make her walk from the plane to baggage claim (ie California trip). Anna (15 mos)  isn't at an age where I trust her to walk, so she is carried along with my purse (aka diaper bag) and our book bag. I've tried to find ways to streamline it, and on our return trip I think I am going to be investing in carabiners...I really want the one called a Mommy Hook.

 I went from four bags on our Cali trip, to two bags on our GA trip (not including Kaelyn's diaper bag). I think this gem of a hook would be great to hold my purse, Kaelyn's bag when she inevitable decides she's tired of carrying it, and our coats! That would free up a whole arm, and take me down to just one bag! I've also had the brainy idea of sewing on a ribbon loop on both ends of the girls blankets so that they can be carried this way as well. For those of you trying to figure out why I don't use a stroller, easy, when I'm the only one responsible for getting through security, a stroller is too much (I already take up 8 of those little trays, I can't be expected to get a stroller through as well). We also encourage/expect our girls to learn to walk with us in crowds from an early age.


Homeschooling and traveling takes a lot of PLANNING!

I don't generally plan our weekly lessons, we have an end goal set, but our daily goals are not planned. This makes it difficult to know exactly how much to bring and what items will need to be packed. I know, I know, I know, why not just stop homeschooling while I'm traveling? If we get out of the habit it would be difficult to reestablish it. That and our cousins are public school students who don't have the luxury of setting their own schedule, so we do homework with our cousins and no one is left out or distracted!

PRAYER, PATIENCE and a GOOD ATTITUDE!
I can't stress these enough. Kaelyn even hears these when she gets impatient with lines to get seated on the plane, "Kaelyn, when we fly we need to have lots of Patience and a very Good Attitude to have a great experience". I want my kids to understand that when life presents you with a tough or less than ideal situation (ie traveling alone with two small children), YOUR ATTITUDE affects whether you have a Good experience or a Bad experience, and you can choose to have a good one!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Hiatus

So, for the last few weeks I've been on the road traveling since we expected Ryan to be traveling over the holidays with Uncle Sam as his Travel Guide. Hence the absence....and I'm leaving yet again on Saturday to go to my family for Christmas!!! Georgia you are on my mind!

Thought it might be nice to tell a funny on Anna, my sweet darling chubby child who doesn't know when or how to STOP eating!! She has some GREAT thunder thighs and chubby cheeks! While at my mother-in-laws, who runs an at-home day care, Anna watched an older child exit through the gate, go to his bag, grab a snack from his lunch box, and come back in the gate. Shortly after that child returned, Anna took off. I didn't think anything of it, seeing as her Aunt was in the next room, but when Anna came back, she had the older boy's lunch shoved in her mouth and a bag of his snacks in her hand!

Yes, my daughter is THAT kid, the one that will sneak back into the classroom during recess and EAT other people's lunch.