Parenting Milestones

Today I have become a true parent. The three C-sections, seven years of breastfeeding, even trips to the ER in no way made me a parent. Today I told my kids to get up and do the dishes. Yep, I have finally made it. I not only told my kids to do the dishes, I did the unforgivable. I told them the "when I was your age" story. I was not only channeling Mom and Dad, I was channeling my Irish heritage and telling a good loooonggg sob story about how much worse it was for me and Chy. The story involved burning hot sudsy water and repeat washings when things weren't up to Randy's standards. And my favorite: Cheyenne. How she always got out of doing the damn dishes with one thing or another and how I was suffering so greatly to have to submerge my delicate hands into water only sadist could stand. I had them staring at me with bug eyes my friends. Then I sent them off to do the job that all people hate. I sat on my well rounded rump and enjoyed finally becoming a parent. I even thought about pouring a glass of wine to celebrate, but I figured that would push them over the edge. I'll save that for when I have to channel Mom and Dad and make the three of them live in the laundry room for fighting. OOh then I will celebrate not only being a parent but being a damn smart one to boot. XOXO

Our Amazing Kids

Some recent quotes and comments from the kids:

MAEGAN---Friday when the movers where bringing in our stuff, there were boxes with "master bedroom" on them. The movers would come into the kitchen with boxes and ask me where to put them. Maegan was sitting watching all the goings on and asked me what master meant. I explained that mine and Alan's bedroom was called the "Master Suite." She in turn told asked me who the master was. I told her that Dad and I were, at which point she looked me dead in the eye and said "No Mom, God the Master."

ADAM--- He was outside playing with all his friends. He came in very upset, and I was trying to figure out what the problem was. Apparently his best friend Elijah was listening to his iPod and wanted to play, but wouldn't take the earphones out and really play. Adam's comment: "Doesn't he understand that you can't be a good friend and have fun if you are always plugged in?"

MADIE--- She has been wanting to watch Bridge to Teribithia for quite some time. It was finally on one day and she had a chance to watch it. Two days later she is curled up on the chair with me and she starts crying. She finally explains that in the movie the best friend dies. After she catches her breath, she says to me:"It really sucked Mom, they make you fall in love with a person and then take them away. What kinda movie people make these shows. They are awful. I want to watch good movies with good endings. Let the dieing happen in real life, I was make believe in the movies."

I have no idea how we have managed to raise such wonderful children. Okay I take that back. It is a constant struggle against the forces of evil I tell you. A parent struggles and struggles to find that balance between crazy over zealous protectiveness and hippie run amok. I whole heartily believe that a village is raising my three. They would never have been as wonderful without the guidance of our families and friends. My village in VaBeach, Joy, Cathryn, Tammie and Peyton helped so much. And now here... God has his plans I tell you. Maegan and I have been inundated with love. Everyone knows she works with me and Friday two different moms came to the shop to get Maegan and take her to the library. And today, a mom came and got her and took her to play group. So I send it out there to the cosmos, thank you. THANK YOU! I thank God, and all you wonderful people who have blessed our lives. Oh and I love you too....

Holy Cow, has it really been four days? YIKES!! Well we have our stuff. I am beside myself with joy, anxiety, confusion and being overwhelmed. Talk about a huge task. The last time we moved Alan was home when the movers arrived and he had most of the house just about set up. Now sitting here I realize what a phenomenal job he did. It has been four days and we have two beds set up, the kitchen put away and the furniture where we want it. The table still has no legs attached, Adam and Maegan's beds are completely disassembled and the couch is on the floor not on it's feet. I will say we had some major losses this time as well. The move was hard on all our furniture. A leg on our couch was completely ripped off, fixable if we lived where there was a Lowes...our Ikea dresser was in pieces. The movers fixed it to a usable piece, but it will have to be replaced. We lost another chair in this move. A leg and rung were snapped in half, that leaves us three chairs...Just a lot of big damage, so far no broken tchachkis though we have yet to unpack all of them. We did discover that we have way too much. After living without for so long and then being inundated by all this stuff, Lord have mercy. We are getting rid of stuff left and right. For example, we have about thirty cups for the kids. REALLY?? Who in the hell needs 30 freakin' cups for 3 kids? I discovered that when you have less you tend to actually get dishes done EVERYDAY and that you use less. So this family has a new goal. Simplify.....How we are going to accomplish this???

So today is going to be a killer for the family. Adam has soccer, I have lector training, Alan has a school advisory council meeting, I then have cooking club, and we have to be home by 9pm so that Alan and I can see who is voted off Dancing with the Stars...whew. Lots to do, and all of it to be done between 5 and 8pm. Jammed packed. But it promises to be a good day. The whole family is suffering nasal drip, and I am talking drip here, drainage, sore throats and headaches. I think it is all the packed stuff. I am sure there are things on the barges as well as the pollen and allergens we packed from VA. We are all suffering I tell you. The school nurse called me yesterday at work to tell me she gave Adam some benedryl for his itchy eyes and throat. I swear Adam goes to the nurse every other day. So much more than last year. I think he gets a bit overwhelmed at school and she is a good haven to go to.

Speaking of the school, can I just say, amazing. Nothing compared to Thoroughgood, but still more than I imagined. There is something to be said for small schools. The counselor visits the classrooms once a week and has an open door to all at all times, the nurse is available for talking, visiting and sickness at all times, and the principals are so friendly to the kids. The kids can go chat with them as well. It is just such an open campus. I really am glad the kids are attending. I think Adam visits the nurse for a few reasons, 1st grade is so hard, the nurse is his connection to feeling physically better, and he knows her. She goes to mass with us and sits in our pew. She teaches CCD, but not his class, so he sees her everywhere. I really think that helps a bunch. I am so grateful for her that is for sure.

So lets see this weekend the kids started CCD, Sunday school. Madie's teacher is her friend Isiah's mom. Her name is Monique and they live three doors down the road. Adam's teacher is Brianna. Her husband is Alan's tech, the chief actually. So we know them from the pharmacy. And Maegan's teacher is a random lady, but she comes into the shop every few days so she and Maegan are really hitting it off. They all seemed to enjoy the classes. I am not teaching, which is such a blessing. The one kids I was going to teach bowed out, so I called and said, great. I am overextended as it is. So I am off the hook, thank God. Not that I would have minded teaching, but I have way over promised myself to too much, in the hopes of meeting new people and being part of the community here. So I am thankful for the reprieve.

Well I am off to unpack the big computer and get my desk in order, at least that is what I want to do. If it gets done is another matter. Snot is dripping out of my face at a rapid rate and my head is pounding, so we shall see. At the very least, the table needs some legs so we can stop eating on the floor.

I send you all my love...ooh and if I can get the desk unpacked, there is a camera in there, whoo hoo...

Birthday

To my sisiters. So sorry about the short calls last night. You see, I should be able to stop watching TV long enough to chat to two of the most important people in my life. BUT, we don't have tivo, not allowed on base. Which means that I can't stop a show, can't record it, well blah blah. And honestly I only ever watch two shows. Grey's and Army Wives. You happened to call during the season premier, and all I can say is GEORGE! I was crying and having a hard time letting go. So again, sorry I was too caught up in a make-believe man and his death. Freakin' TV. It sucks you in my dears...

So today is the day. I am writing way early today so as to get a blog in before the guys come. Alan, my ever multitasking husband, forgot to call the other guys to come take away our loaner furniture. So we may have a bit a hard time getting things in and moving the loaners out. Of course if I were in charge I would have called them the second I got the movers call, but that is just me.

So now I am chilling waiting for the guys. Then tonight after everyone is gone and our house is a mess we are taking the kids to see "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." Tonight is the first night it is showing and we had so much fun last Friday going to the show we figured we go again tonight. Not like our stuff in boxes won't still be here. Then while Alan unpacks I am taking Adam to soccer tomorrow morning. Lots of stuff going on. The good thing, Alan gets to take off today to help out, THANK GOD!! I know I could check furniture in, but it will be so much nicer having help.

So until I get a chance to blog more, I love you all and will talk to you soon.....

First and foremost thank you all for the birthday love. I have gotten so many birthday wishes from you all. It is so freakin' nice and has made my day. I was laying in bed last night giving thanks to God for another year when I started thinking. My Asian friends tell me that in the orient they begin a child's life at 1 year, they don't start counting by weeks, or months. A child is born it is a year. So for instance if I were in the orient I would be 34 now, not 33. So I have celebrated being alive for 33 years and am embarking on 34th. Which really got me all worked up because I just aged myself another year. At this rate I'll be forty way too soon. So after fretting about how old I was for a good five minutes, I got hold of myself and decided that I really am 33, not 34 and life was good enough for me to sleep. Whew.

Now on to the really good news. OUR STUFF IS HERE. Yeppers. We got a call yesterday from the "men" and they said they would be here sometime tomorrow to drop all our crap off. 14 crates full of stuff. 14. Can you believe that? What is worse, the average house down here is 11 to 13. Yeah we have too much stuff. And can I tell after living first in Peyton's house and now here with the bare essentials, I can't wait to get my stuff. I don't need it, that is for sure. But by golly I can't wait to have it. It is more exciting than Christmas my friends. We get to sleep in our own bed tomorrow. I am rolling up the egg crates and packing them away. I already packed up the small box of kitchen stuff they let us borrow and cleaned out our clothes and the kids toys from the borrowed dressers and nightstands. All of our borrowed stuff will be moved out at 7:30 am tomorrow morning. I am hoping to get some pictures of the loaner furniture before they come and get it tomorrow. Lord knows how that will go. The only depressing thing about this is that in a short 28 months we will be back in this same position with the loaner stuff. I am keeping a list of all the things we really needed this go round and that way I know what to not let the movers pack for our trip out. I am also keeping all the egg crates, damn foam...

On top of that, I did get to change the hours to the store so I am only working M,W and F. So nice, as I have thousands of things going on.

So tonight for my birthday we are going to eat at the Bayview, the nice restaurant. They have Mongolian Barbeque on Thursdays. My first Asian food since being here. Hey if any of you have good chinese food, or schezuan type recipes send them on. We have no "ethnic" places here. Just run of the mill restaurants. I am hoping that I kept my Italian cook book as well as my Tex Mex one. I am dying for the taste of "American" food. Of course, I make food which ends up being a ton, I eat my whole 1/2 to 1 cup helping of it and then Alan eats the rest. Well whatever the girls don't eat. Needless to say my man is getting bigger. He keeps telling me at this rate he will get kicked out of the Navy for being too fat. Ah the dilemma

So tomorrow I will be off line as I work to get the house in order, again YIPPEE. And then this weekend will be full with Adam's soccer game, a date for the birthday with Alan, a membership drive I have to go to on Sunday and I teach my first CCD class on Sunday as well. How in the hell did I get so busy so quickly???

I send you all love and I will talk to you all soon

So yesterday was so crazy that I didn't even get but a few minutes to check email. Sorry about not blogging. Now I have a good 13 minutes before I have to leave for work. News on our end. I have worked it out with the powers that be to only work M,W and F from 8:30 to 1:30. That way I can still take Adam to soccer practices and be a part of the both the cooking club and book club. The only two things I am doing only for me. Of course the clubs only meet once a month, but at least it is something at this point. Alan has been at work from the early morning until 8 or 9pm each night. So much for family time huh. Na, it should change soon. The Joint Commission is coming, so big wig group that accredits hospitals or something. So he has been having to clean up the pharmacy and make changes, all of which should have been going on for years of course. So I see him for little snippets each day. The kids seem to be content, of course they are busy with their very involved lives. Adam is now part of the "character counts" club. I have no idea what they are doing, something about building core character traits, and Madie is hoping that she will be selected to participate as well. I am betting on Madie being a part of the club. She was student of the week the first week and Mrs.F is always telling the class to follow what Madie does because she always does it right. Needless to say Madie is so happy she is finally the star. All the kids tell me that Madie rights the nicest and she is Mrs.F's favorite. My kid is in hog heaven.

So I am off to work another day. This job would be fine if I wasn't doing everything else in the world at our house. I told Alan last night that being a single working mom is NOT what I had in mind when we moved. He made some sort of comment that got him into an ass load of trouble and well lets just say frigid is how the house seems today. Well it thawed a bit last night after we talked about his inappropriate comment and all that. Good times in Cuba my friends, good times.

Tonight is another packed night. Maegan and I work til 1:30 and then Adam has the character thing at school until 3. Then homework, and off to Girl Scouts for a meeting at 6. Then back home for dinner and bed. Yikes long day....Love you all

Being a working mom sucks!!

Holy Cow. How in the hell do women everywhere do this? This whole working mom thing? It sucks, and I have older kids now and I can take my youngest with me, and I have a great husband that does tons of crap around the house, and I only work four hours a day. BUT oh my. My brain hurts, I am tired and good Lord I don't remember having to be nice to so many people at one time in a long, long ass time. I am so tired.

Okay are done listening to me complain. Can I just say to all you moms out there who work real jobs day in and day out and manage the house and well are super woman. There is a special place in heaven for you my friends. There really is. God bless each and everyone of you.

That's it, I am tired and the kids are home. I love you all...

Holy Moly, I haven't blogged in a few days and I have things to tell you. First we'll start with Friday:

After school and after my lovely husband got home from work, we decided to go to the movies. Now these aren't just regular old movies. Nope this is an outdoor movie theater. There is movie theater seating in the front then bleachers in the back. In between the bleachers and the theater seats is a section open for you to bring your own camp chairs or blankets. It reminds me of drive-in movies only better. The sound is so much better and there is no windshield to look through. Then there is the snack shack. They have a ton of snacks for purchase, everything from cotton candy freshly made, to popcorn and ice cream. The popcorn is the butter your own and they have about ten different toppings to add to the popcorn if you'd like. I opted for cheddar cheese. As for prices let me just give you our order and how much that cost. I was floored. we had two medium popcorns, three ice creams, bag of gummy bears, Gatorade-the big size, and three waters. All for the low low price of $11. Yep we spent a whole $11 for movie night Friday. Oh did I tell you the movie is free too? And I am not talking about crap movies here. We saw Aliens in the Attic Friday, it has been out for awhile, but not too long. And did I mention its free? Anyway, we had a ton of fun. The other thing that rocks is that there is a movie each night. They start at 8 or 10pm. Very cool.

Saturday:

We started the day with a soccer practice at 8am, with the potential of having a game at 8:30. One thing I have learned in the short four and half weeks we have been here is this: Time to the host nationals is relative. The saying goes that we are on Jamaican time. The bad part is that the base relies on the host nationals for jobs such as youth sports and what not. So while only military and DoD children can play the sports, the host nationals actually schedule the games. And I say schedule loosely here. We had a schedule given to us yesterday as we were leaving the field by the team coach. As we were walking to our car one of the directors took it from us and said it wasn't right. Yikes. The poor little ones just want to play. So while the yahoos tried to pull their heads out yesterday morning we had the kids warm up with one team and then we played ourselves because for some reason the powers that be thought it would be a great idea to have five small teams rather than four bigger teams. That means one team is always out. I asked why they did this and was told by moms that this way the kids get more play time. Really? They get more play time? Seems logical...to idiots. Needless to say the organized sports seriously lack some guidance, but as I have my hands full I will try not to complain too much.

Anyway, Adam and his Green Gator team played like crazy with each other for about an hour. In the mean time those of us sitting in the sun cooking discovered that watching our little ones kick a ball back and forth was not that enjoyable and why in the hell did we sign up for this. Oh that's right the beaming smiles on the kids sweaty red faces.....I forgot. I think the sun fried parts of my brain.

After soccer I had to go be a fill in Girl Scout leader for the Daisy's. While I did that Alan and Madie reorganized ALL MY STUFF. Why oh why does my wonderful husband think I would want him to reorganize my crap when I love my system. I knew where everything was and good Lord he redid it all. After he and Madie "cleaned" I spent a good hour looking for my paper work. Things like our passports, and social security cards. It was not helpful but I tell you they were so proud of themselves I had to stop being so angry and say thank you. With the advice that the next time they feel the need to organize me, THEY FREAKIN ASK.

Then it was off to the pet wash. The Brownies, in an attempt to raise money without really raising money, had a pet wash that was donation only. Madie went and had a ball. In the three hours that she was gone washing she said they washed a whole three dogs. I wasn't here, that's latter in the story, but apparently Maegan made an appearance at the wash as did Adam. It was held at a house just, well not down the road and not in our neighborhood, but well sort of on the next block. I swear pictures would help sooooo much. Ah soon

So they washed, Alan did something, I have no clue what, I think laundry and I well I spent the afternoon with a few new friends.

When you attend anything around here you are bound to know a few hundred of the faces. Alan's hospital has a new Commanding Officer (CO), named Captain Wright. Alan and I had the pleasure of meeting him and his wife Sue at a meeting about a week ago, and one of thier children, Emily, is in Madie's class. So Friday night while getting yummies at the shack I caught up with Sue. She and the family were there to see the show as well. We chatted it up and hit it off. Then yesterday morning while me and the clan were at the store we bumped into the Wrights and Sue invited me to hang with her at the ceramics and pottery shop. She offered to help me get started. So while everyone else was busy I got the chance to hang out with a new friend. She showed me at the ceramics stuff and then we sat and gabbed. I have no idea if she got done what she was hoping to, but it was so nice to just sit without kids and just get to know someone new. She had breast cancer three years ago and it has made things a lot clearer to her. That said she is so down to earth and just good people. When we were done chatting and realized we both needed to head home I poked my head into the pottery room. I had seen a couple go in and her face looked familiar. I thought she might help me with pottery as I would rather do that than ceramics any day. So I went in and again met the nicest people. They are a couple who met here in Gtmo in '94 being refugees from Cuba. They had come over the border seeking refuge and ended up getting married. She is still a Cuban citizen, with a visa in the US and he is in the Navy now. Somehow they got stationed here again. They told me all about the real Cuba and how Gtmo is nothing like the rest of Cuba. He said that it is much more a tropical island and there are fruit trees everywhere, no cacti. He said if I really want to see what Cuba is like I should go to the Dominican Republic. It looks like Cuba, the poverty is close to the same, only thing different is the safety. It is so much safer in the DR than in Cuba. He said that for me to get into Cuba and visit would be constant danger, not from the government but from the guerrilla troops. They have been trained to hate Americans and they shoot first. Scary. I have since changed my mind about visiting Havana...YIKES....Needless to say they are a wonderful couple who have offered to take me under their wings and help me with pottery and anything Cuban I would like to know. I am hoping to have them teach me some cooking.....Yummmm

And then we had our first family game night, and we all had a ball. We played Chinese Checkers and of course I won. I cheated of course, I mean you all know me, so in reality I think Alan won. Why cheat when playing with your kids..TIME my friends, time. We had been playing the same damn game for about two hours and the younger two had just about had it. So I speeded things along a bit. None the wiser, sooner to bed for the kids, sooner to relax for the parents. Good night...

Sunday

Mass was much better today and in about thirty minutes Alan and I are going out on a date. The Bayview Club, the nice restaurant here, has brunch on Sundays and today they are featuring Cuban Cigar rolling. I plan on buying some if possible of course. But I am looking forward to just having time with Alan without a meeting being held or kids climbing on us.

So until tomorrow I send you all my love

What a week. I can't believe it is already Friday again. The month is flying by I tell you. So here in GTMO we get cable provided by the government. We have about 50 channels and we can purchase the movie channels as well, but really it is only me and Maegan who ever watch it, so what is the point. Anyway, it is basic cable. No Disney, HGTV, Noggin. That kinda thing. Oh and no Tivo, DVR things. The kids keep asking me to stop the show, yeah right...What they do have? Commercials. And they kill us all. Depending on where the channel is coming from. For example we can get the news coming out of New York and Miami. But we also get channels piped in from Chicago and there is another channel that is piped in but we haven't figured out where it is coming from. So the commercials come from all over. We are being taunted by Jack in the Box, Whataburger and a few others that make us all crazy. But the worst. The absolute worst are the movies. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is out today, that movie with Jenn Aniston, The Informant. I am telling you there isn't a ton to do on Friday nights and we would love to hit the movies, but it takes a long time to get a movie here and once it does it is on a rotation for about two months before it is replaced by another one. Needless to say, all I hear is that the kids want to see Cloudy, or the double feature 3D Toy Story coming to theaters on Oct2. I guess what I am saying to you all, enjoy the movies my friends. When we come back in May Lord knows we will be seeing an ass load of them.

Okay so this weekend is going to be FULL.... We have soccer tomorrow morning, still have no clue where or what time...then we have a Brownie Scout Pet Wash fundraiser. Yep, we get together at the leader's house and wash pets. I am sending Alan, can you just imagine me and my allergies around 50 wet dogs? And then Sunday we are off to watch the Cubans roll cigars. Lots of fun. In the mean time...

Madie and I are on a walking mission. Yesterday we finally walked two miles. We have been doing 1 1/2 but we pushed it to two last night. We hope to build up to four or five by the end of Oct. We shall see how that goes. We want to walk to school, at least that is our plan. School is only 2 1/2 miles away, but we do have some pretty steep hills to climb so that will be a big push. There are windmills here and a trail you can climb up to them. From our house it is a total of five miles to the top. Until then we will keep on truckin around the neighborhood park.

Monday Maegan and I start work at the thrift store. We work for about four hours on M,W and F. So it shouldn't be too bad, but I am a bit worried about keeping Maegan busy. There are things she will be able to help me with at the store, and I plan on packing her backpack with activities, but I am worried she will be quite bored. Which will in turn make me nuts because she will be all over me. I was talking to Alan last night, and while I need to have a job, it has been a good nine years since I worked, and can I say. YUCK, I really have no desire to work. Of course I guess that is what just about everyone feels hugh. Ahh now I am finally living the life....I love you all

Adam, Adam, Adam...

Oh my let me tell you about the boy once more. You all knew that a boy is not something I exactly hoped for way back when. That said, can I just say, my Adam is such a freakin' boy, my worst nightmare. And I LOVE IT!!!

So yesterday Adam had his first soccer practice. He is on a team of mixed boys and girls, ages 4-6. It really sucks for him. He is pretty darn good at chasing a ball, kicking it and by golly he actually makes goals, ALOT. Anyway, since there aren't enough kids here that are interested in playing soccer the teams are broken up strangely such as his team where he has a 4yro who can't follow the simple direction of follow the ball, to Adam and his buddy who charge the other players with the ball being passed between them. Needless to say it is a comedy to watch. However, that said he loved it. Between school, playing and soccer this kid is never going to get clean again and he is just beside himself with the joy of life. Thank you God for this gift....

And the other thing about my boy. He is so open and just a, well this is what he told me two nights ago. It started with a request to talk to me by myself later that night. He reminded me three times that night and when he finally got a chance to get me alone he confided in me this gem: " Mom, you know that girl Katerina. She and I are in love." I replied with a nod and hummm, okay. At which point he says to me, " We are really in love mom, we already got married and everything. I know it isn't real, but we are planning on getting married later, like when we are old, you know about 15. Okay mom?" I was trying to take it all in. My son's first love... and besides living in that moment and loving it, I was thinking. Dang it we have been in the wedding spot before and there was a lot of kissing, yikes. So I said to him..."I am so glad you found someone to love Adam. I am so happy for you. But absolutely no kissing. NONE, not even kissing on the cheek babe, okay save that for the real wedding." At which point, with a serious look on his face he said, "okay mom. Thanks for letting me tell you. Night, Love you." I will never forget his little face and the seriousness of his demeanor and his trust in telling me. Now how do I keep that alive in my little man???

Other than that, we have been cleaning, there is black dirt and white dust here, everywhere. And grocery shopping. We went the other night, only to discover the store closed 45 minutes after we got there. So we finished it tonight. I didn't find mason jars or lids, so when I am in VA I am going to have to buy jars. My plan is to sell salsa at the next craft fair. At any rate my list for getting things in VA is growing. I finally found the scales and I am happy to tell all of you that I now weigh 240. That is 104lbs lost. 96lbs to goal. I have been stuck here at this or close to this weight for a bit now, which is supposed to happen, but still. So I really have to kick it up a notch this week to jump start the metabolism again. So I thought I would start by working everyday of the week. Yep that is right I got the job at the thrift store. I start on Monday. I talked to the group of ladies that run the store and they all seem like it is a no brainer job. Then I went in to talk to the lady working there now, and she had nothing positive to say. Apparently the Jamaicans and the Filipinos do nothing but steal, lie and try to bargain with you. They also try to pass off their native money as American. She was very angry at the whole experience she had while working there. Took that with a grain of salt. After talking to the board of operators again after talking to her, it looks like she never communicated with them, blah, blah. This is all I know. I get to take my kid. I can change the hours to suit me and I still get paid for it. Not too bad. Plus it looks like I may only have to work for the first year, so I am fine with working for now. We shall see how it goes....

Okay so I am off to clean the kids and send them to bed. Tonight I get to watch my show. Ghost Hunters. I was so excited to find out the cable here has SyFy. Yippee. I send you all my love....

So it is only the third Tuesday of the school year and already we are booked...

Alan and I went to the PTO (parent teacher organization) meeting last night. Holy Cow. I volunteered last year at the kid's school, but I was never involved in the background, but I figured if I want to be a part of something I might as well go all the way right. So I met a ton of moms, no dads, Alan was the only one. Anyway I met a ton of moms and got a chance to see what the school is planning for the year. One incredible thing they are doing this year is having a circus group come in and teach the kids. Apparently this group of guys make a living by going to schools and during the kids PE classes they teach the kids how to juggle, spin plates, devil sticks, diablos and acrobatics. They start the week off by doing a performance for the school, and for the troops, then they spend the week teaching all the kids how to do these things, and then the kids put on their own show at the end of the week. I really can't believe that a DoD school is willing to pay these people to come teach our kids how to be circus performers. I guess it is the military fall back plan, hahha..

Okay so the kids were out of school yesterday and can I tell you, Adam....My sweet baby boy Adam. He was gone all day. Literally all day. I saw him for breakfast, he came in for a whole ten minutes to swallow his lunch and then I saw him again right before we left for the meeting. OH MY. We were a bit late to the meeting so that I could scrub Adam's face and hands. That was all we had time for, but can I tell you. DIRT. There was black dirt all over this boy. His pants were tan, BLACK. His shirt that was blue, BLACK. His knees, BLACK.....I tell you I haven't seen him so dirty ever. It was like looking at Mike Rowe on Dirt Jobs. He was a mess. When we finally got back from the meeting and got him in the shower the water was black. And still I didn't get all the black off his knees or elbows, and I scrubbed... Needless to say the boy is having the time of his life.

It also looks like I have a job. It isn't the best paying one out there, but I think it is the best for our needs. I will be the manager at the Treasures and Trivia store. It is the second hand store for the base, which means it can get pretty busy. There are a few reasons why I chose this over the day care thing. The store will let me bring Maegan, I can set the store hours, I get an employee discount, and I get first dibs on all the stuff that comes in. The child care gig sounded very appealing. But I thought I better do some research on why no one wanted the job before I took it. And after talking to about ten moms I discovered that not only is there a ton of paper work, but the work itself is very disruptive of family life. All the reservations I had about becoming a child development home were well founded. In fact I talked to three moms who had in fact started doing the CDH thing and quit after the first month. So while the store doesn't pay huge, it will at least be enough for me to pay for our groceries for the month, and that way Alan's entire pay check can go to paying bills. We are hoping to be debt free by the time we leave the island. We shall see though....

I think that is it for now. I know there were other things I was planning on blogging, but Lord knows the thoughts fly out just as quick as they fly in. I am off to read to Adam's class. Yippee. Finally I get to do something with the kids. I send you all my love....

I posted these pictures the family took last Dec for calendars, because I have heard from both sisters about how much they miss me, and quite frankly I am missing them and ALL of the families I call my own.

Today has been a hard day for me. In VaBeach we found a church that we just absolutely loved. The people there opened their arms to us and the priests were some of the best liturgist I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. Today we went to church for the first time and while the church building is exactly what a small Caribbean naval base church should look like, the priest and music were so blah. I know I shouldn't let that damped my mood, but lets face it. Attending mass when the priest is monotone and obviously not having a good time, well it just makes going to church a duty rather than a celebration of Christ and church. I was in quite a funk before mass, but mass sure didn't brighten my heavy heart. That said I did get the kids signed up for CCD, Madie will be learning about First Communion, which she will not do here. She refuses to have her first communion with out her godmothers, grandparents, aunts and uncle present. So she is simply learning about it. The other two are enrolled as well. As I was enrolling the kids I got roped into teaching the one and only eighth grader confirmation. Yep, they confirm here at eighth grade not senior high. Alan got roped into facilitating RCIA. SO we are at least getting involved, maybe that will make us more excited to go to mass.

Okay so my heart is aching, not because of mass, I mean it didn't help any, but it isn't the reason. I am SAD. I miss the real world so much. I have made a few connections with some ladies and I am sure I will make some good friends soon, but I want to be able to go. I want people to call me, because I suck at making the phone calls, and really I just am lonely, PMS-ing, and missing my family and friends. We have had so much going on, and yet I just can't seem to get out of my funk. I am blaming it on the hormones for now, but we shall see.

The last few days have been crazy. Friday we had a ton going on, I already posted all that, but then Sat we had our first girl scout Brownie meeting. Madie had a ball. There are three girls from her class in Brownies. For me, I met a terrific lady named Gail whose husband is a civilian DoD firefighter. She seems the most down to earth here, and she isn't part of the military so she and I have a lot in common. But while I was sitting there talking to the coordinator it became clear that the Brownies need another leader, as one is leaving in Nov. So of course I am now a Brownie Scout leader, the only Le Leche League leader on island, an eighth grade confirmation teacher, a HSO member(hospital support organization) and everything else. See I really am trying to meet people and get involved. Anyway, we had Brownies then Alan and I had a "wetting-down" party to go to. A "wetting-down" which is now not sanctioned by the Navy is a tradition where a sailor who has made a new rank gets hazed. This "wetting-down" was for a LTCDR making Captain, and was a huge party thrown by the new captain to honor her new rank. Apparently the unspoken rule is that as the honoree you have to provide food, and alcohol for everyone, and the amount of alcohol purchased needs to equal the difference between your old pay and the new pay, for a month. Crazy! At any rate we went and met some new folks. A huge turn over happens during the summer so alot of us our new. We had a bit of fun.

It just seems like we have been so busy and are getting busier. Adam starts soccer Tues and his games are on Sat. He is so excited, and I am hoping that some of his friends are on the soccer team as well.

Also, I had an interview with the Child Development Center(CDC) director. They need shift homes, homes that are open to kids from 6pm to 6am. I would get paid whether we had kids in the home or not. The draw back is that I will need to be here in the home everyday from 6-6. I can transport the kids, but you all saw our GTMO special, no more can fit. And with all the other commitments I have made it would make it quite difficult to still be a part of that. I could be a CDC house during the day, but it gets no special incentives, such as getting paid when I don't have any kids. The other thing I am battling in my head is this:

As a family we have been looking forward to having this time together in Cuba. One of the reasons for joining the Navy was so that Alan would have better hours and we could be a family. We haven't been able to do that until getting here. For the first time since leaving Texas we really are eating dinner together every night, getting dishes done after we eat, doing bath time, reading stories at bedtime, playing games with each other, exploring together. TOGETHER. We haven't had that ever and so giving that up isn't something I really want to do. On the other hand, it will be more than tight around here if I don't figure out a job soon. I do have all kinds of ideas for the craft fairs, such as selling salsa and pico de gallo, selling purses, and making mosaics out of sea glass. But will those crafty things actually make us money, and if they do, will it be enough to bypass me getting a "real" job??? Another prayerful day....

So now I am sitting here pouring all my worries and sorrows to you fine folk. So sorry you are subjected to my moods, but seriously following a blog written by me, you surely knew that my moods would come flowing out sometime, right??? I send you all my love...

I just read some the comments and I have been requested by my Dad to send pictures of the house. As soon I figure out how to do the flip camera down loads on this I will post pictures of the house and the parks that the kids love to play at. There is one park directly across the cul d'sac from us and one behind us. Adam is outside all the time. He has a friend from class named Elijah that he plays with. It is like being home in Henrietta. Adam comes in for water and to eat that is it. The girls, well they think the park across the street is nice but they love the one behind us. I really don't like that one, as I have to stop what I am doing to take them over since we have to cross one of the main streets to get there. Again pictures I am working on. But the good thing about the park is that it is down in a sort of valley that is surrounded by a huge grassy area. I just discovered that I can walk around the grassy area three times while the kids play and it equals a 1 1/2 miles. So I am walking my ass off now and the kids get to play. Very good for all of us. Okay so I will work on pictures from the flip camera and hopefully Saturday I will have new pictures for you all. I love you all....

Funky looking coral from Cable Beach. Thought you all would like the pictures.

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Not much happened to us today. Maegan and I made play dough and I applied for a job at Navy Federal. I am keeping my fingers crossed about this job, it is part time with flexible hours...Really I am praying my ass off about this job.

While today was slow, tomorrow will be crazy. Alan has to be at work at 0630, but I need the car tomorrow, so that means we are all getting up at the crack o'dawn. Then Maegan and I are going to the library for story time, apparently it is the absolute best here, complete with puppets. Then after school the kids and I are meeting a young girl named Katie, she will be babysitting the kids while Alan and I get involved in some kind of hospital committee. Here the "Old" Navy comes shinning through. He was sent an email that pretty much instructed him to make sure his significant other came to the meeting as well and that we were both involved in this committee. I have no idea what it is for, nor does Alan. But in order to please the powers that be, we will be at the meeting with bells on.

Then after the meeting we will be getting the kids in long sleeve shirts and spraying on the bug spray for the outdoor theater. GI Joe is showing tomorrow night at the Lyceum, our outdoor movie theater. We have been promising the boy we would go since before we left the US. So, tomorrow night we are all heading to the movie.

I am a bit nervous about the babysitter thing. I haven't spent any time with Katie, I have at least met the whole family, and she lives a whole three doors down. But we have no cell phone so if something happens they can't get hold of us. Her dad works at the hospital as well, so I am sure he and his wife will be at the meeting we are going to, which makes me even more nervous. But I am learning to let go and we shall see what happens. I guess this is what our parents did, but I tell you I really hate this. But the up side is if the kids love her, than on the 20th we are going to have her come watch the kids again while Alan and I have brunch at the NICE restaurant. They are having some Cubans come in a hand roll cigars. Not something we should miss I think. Although what I have been told about why Cuban cigars are so sought after, I am thinking this won't be the real thing. And for those who don't know the cigar story, apparently the cigars are so good because they are rolled on the thighs of whores. Again, not something I hope to see.....

Also, still no new camera, so for now the pictures will be done. I mean I can always send old pictures of the kids. Let me know what you all want to see.

So until Saturday, I love you all, I miss you.

Thought I would share some other, not as awe inspiring photos.

This is a rocky outcropping that I thought looked amazing. This is at Cable Beach

I like this photo because you can see just how clear the water is.

This is a picture of some dead coral. It is at Cable Beach as well. The walls of this beach are all old coral. It is so interesting to look at. You can see all the different types. I will add some more pictures of the coral up close tomorrow.

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Today we had Open House at the kids school. We got a chance to go into their classrooms and see what they do all day. The classrooms are huge, two classrooms are used for each class, so there is plenty of space for the kids. Each of the classes has a library the kids get to use as well bathrooms and fridges. The kids get snack everyday as well as a chance to go to centers and do something they really love. For Adam he said he always picks the legos and Madie loves the math as well as the science centers. Needless to say they are really enjoying school. It is totally different than Thouroghgood. Madie really struggled to get some of the concepts and get reading under her belt. This year seems like a breeze compared to last year. She is thriving in this environment that is for sure. Adam, I have no clue what they do everyday and if he is learning. He is not exactly a font of information. I have volunteered to help his class so maybe I will see what he does there all day. He is definitely not getting his little butt kicked by the assignments like Madie was last year. That said the assignments are nothing like they were for last year. I keep waiting for it to get more challenging for them, but it hasn't so far. Which leads me to believe there really was a reason that VaBeach schools were rated 6th in the nation. I have to say I kinda wish we were still there. It kicked their butts but talk about an education.

We also met some new friends at the library today. I have been invited for the morning coffee at Lori's house on Tuesdays. My first play date, can't wait....

Until tomorrow, I send my love to you all

Since it is such a slow day for us today I thought I would share some of the less glamorous side of the life here.

This is a picture of the commissary and Navy Exchange. It is small like Walmart before it got Supersized. The building has a courtyard in the middle and the banks a Subway and a few other little store line the outsides.

This is a picture of the bowling alley, the teen hang out spot, and famous military restaurant conglomerate. All housed in one oddly shaped building

This is our everyday restaurant, Windjammer.
The food is okay, what you would find if you ate at say a Petro station, well maybe not that good. It is decent, just not great. The Windjammer is also home to Pizza Hut, they are the same restaurant, you either order off the Jammer menu or you have pizza. This is also where most of the balls happen and there is an Irish Pub located inside.

No wasted space in GTMO. Like I said very surreal.


So today it looks like the garage they have been making out of our carport may be finished, yippee. I also just heard people talking on the other side of the wall, so maybe we will be getting duplex neighbors soon. Alan said that the Chaplain that was living there left the weekend before we got here.

And that my friends is all I have for today. I send you my love...

Our kids showing off the GTMO Special

Notice the nice checkered taxi effects.....NICE!!

GTMO craft fair

Okay so National holidays are huge here. They really go all out. We had a craft fair, jazz fest, car show, swimming, and a triathlon all this evening. So we loaded up our "GTMO Special" car with water and water shoes and headed down to the festivities.

We got to Ferry Landing just as things got started. The craft fair was a huge success it looked like. One of our new friends Chris and her friend Christine were selling Cuban tiles they have found and cleaned up. The tiles are thick, like an inch and were made over a hundred years ago. The girls are finding the tiles all over the base and then are cleaning them up and framing them. Very original and money makers. I am hoping to get one soon, but as they are pretty expensive, I am waiting. Maybe I can just convince her to take me with her on one of her explorations.
Also at the fair was sea glass jewelry by the bucketfuls. And while I want to learn how to make jewelry out of sea glass I am not aiming at selling it. I did get some good ideas for things I want to make though. There was also pottery and ceramics, as there is a pottery/ceramics shop here and you can go create.

But what really got me was that there were no purses. NOT A SINGLE ONE. There were crocheted things, but nothing sewn. Nothing like what I can do. So now I am anxiously awaiting our house hold goods so that I can get sewing. There are about six to seven craft fairs a year and if I am the only one offering a certain service then maybe I can make some money. For all of you who didn't know, right before we left TX I made a crap load of purses and tried to sell them at craft shows, but everyone had purses, so I sold a whole two out of fifty and I had spent upwards of $500 just to get them made. So discouraged and mad I put them away. BUT now I may actually get to make them for a profit. Keep your fingers crossed.
So after the craft fair we went to Glass Beach. Glass Beach is a little out cropping of boulders that just has a ton, no an ass load of sea glass. Seriously, it is everywhere. There are of course rare colors as well as more common colors. Anyway, we all went glass hunting and came back with quiet a bit of glass. I mean we could go with a huge bag and spend about two hours and have more glass than we would know what to do with. At any rate we found some gorgeous glass and even some really beautiful rocks. Be expecting something made out of sea glass for Christmas my friends. In fact we didn't bring our Christmas ornaments. We put them in storage so that we could spend our three years here making home made ornaments and we are going to be starting with sea glass ornaments.

Now the rest of the family is asleep and I am enjoying some quiet. So I am off to spend some time by myself but before I do, I am leaving you with this.

While Alan was here without us he came to the realization that we needed to have a car. That walking everywhere, while being good for us, was not an option. He has to make a trip out to the JTF facility at least once a week, and that was just too far to think about walking to. At any rate he had to purchase a car. For all of you who don't know the money situation has been more than tight with us since joining the Navy. So he and I talked about the amount we could feasibly afford and armed with a whopping $2000 budget he went out to look for a car. Well here in GTMO they have what they call GTMO Specials. So he got us a good ole Gtmo Special. He called and told me about it before we got here and I showed the kids a picture of what a Ford Escort should look like, and can I say the "special" looks lots better than some we have seen. Needless to say the kids were not happy at the NEW car. Why would they care you ask? This is how the conversation went when we got into the car:

" Mom, what is that smell? Dad there is no button to roll down the window, will you do it for us? Mom, really why does it smell? What do you mean that there is no button to roll the window down? How do you do it? Mom, can you smell that? So I have to roll the window down with this? How does it work? MOM I SAID CAN YOU SMELL THAT?? Dad is this an old fashioned car? Is 1996 old??? Mom this car is GROSS!"

And the best is that after all of this little Maegan pipes up and says that this is a "Fashion Car" Her fashion car and if we could only paint it pink it would be like Yarpay's call in High School Musical.

So we drive our fashion car and I laugh everyday at the antics that arise because of our new wheels. We also inherited a ton of extra crap from the cars previous owners. I have found CD's a CD case full of them, a whole case of paint balls, speakers, shoes, shoe inserts. The list goes on and on. So without further ado here is a picture of our Fashion GTMO Special, as displayed by our kiddos.

Oh and for all the good weight wishes thanks so much and I promise as soon as a new camera is purchased I will get pics of me and Alan included. I sen you all my love

As you can tell I got the picture thing out of order. Sorry, I have no clue what I am doing as you can tell. It will get better I assure you all.

This is the hidden beach, called Pebble beach. We had a ball here. We found all kinds of shells, and a ton of sea trash. Lots of bottle caps and chewed up flip flops. I tell you, all the trash ends up here.
This picture is over looking the cliffs by the lighthouse. This is the original reason I had Alan pull off the road. I then got the kids and Alan to pose in front of the crashing part of the cliffs for me. But seriously look at that water!! Never thought I would see this kind of sea in my entire life.

So a few nights ago the moon was full and I had the camera. This is the real GTMO. See all the brown, the hills, the shrubs. I swear I am living in parallel world between Lawton and Cuba.

This a picture of the beach we originally went to before we hiked around and found Pebble beach. This is called Cable Beach. Seriously these are the beaches and we are supposed to just jump right into the water. I haven't exactly built my nerve up as of yet.

Again Cable Beach. That area of land in the back ground is where we decided to hike and off behind that boulder popping out into the sea is Pebble Beach. Again look at that water. Amazing. We could see straight down. No fish whatsoever.

This picture was taken spur of the moment while we were taking an exploratory drive around yesterday. The water here is so blue and clear. I could see all the boulders under the surface that the waves were breaking on. Most of the sea that surrounds our area looks like this.

This is a picture that Adam insisted I take of the sky. He was going on and on about how beautiful the sky was and what wonderful colors God used. The house well it is ours, only in the picture, the side of the duplex that is ours you can't see. Better pics coming

This is Madie on her first day of school at WT Sampson Elementary School

Same for Adam. You can tell he isn't too happy to be going.

Okay that is all for the pictures for tonight. It takes forever for the internet here. It is like dial up back home. It has taken me over an hour to get these few pics downloaded. Which means my laptop is dying.

So tomorrow I will add more. I have a few pictures left to share and then we will be on a picture sharing holding pattern. I did laundry yesterday and threw Alan's shorts into the wash complete with my camera. So it is d-e-a-d DEAD! That said I did go to our NEX and they have an Olympus camera that is water, child, drop, freeze and shock proof. So I think we may be switching brands and going with the Olympus camera. I do plan on snorkeling while here and I would be able to do that with the new camera. So, until we have enough cash enjoy what pictures we have. Until tomorrow, Stay safe you all...

These next few photos are from around the base. Like I said we went on an exploratory adventure yesterday and found all kinds of things. The kids found a real live snail coming out of the ocean and crabs galore. We all discovered that we could really get into the whole hiking thing, especially if our hikes end like yesterdays did with a hidden beach. We of course came to find out that the "hidden" beach is actually called Pebble Beach and everyone knows about it. Oh well it was deserted when we went.

Our First Week and a Half

So we finally made it to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. GTMO. It seems so surreal, us being here. Can this really be something I said yes to? What was I thinking?

My first thought as the plane lands is, "SHIT!" What have I done. But wait, I look out the plane's window and all I can see is the sea. Only it is unlike the sea I know. It is a blue, green, purple color. Not green or brown. It is absolutely breath taking.

Then we step off the plane and the heat and smell hit me. First of all, GTMO is as hot as Texas in August. Thank GOD I have lost 100+ pounds because I would be miserable. But since I have lost the weight I am actually okay with the heat. Then there is the smell. You know that part of the zoo that is tropical, the birds and the bugs are usually housed somewhere around that part. Anyway, that smell is what GTMO smells like. Alan tells me all of the islands he visited smell the same. It is an odd smell. No cow or horse manure here. No smog, just jungle, well sort of a jungle.

The other thing that I noticed as I was making my way to our new house was the landscape. It is just like the Wichita Mountains, only throw in a palm and banana tree every once in awhile. Okay then we head onto our new digs. Can I just say I was very surpirized and I promise to post pictures soon.

A few days pass we get the kids enrolled in school, the house stocked and things are finally flowing okay. That and we get a chance to spend time with Alan. Then the weekend comes and we go exploring. First we go to a beach called Kittery Beach. It is only about five miles from the house, but since the speed limit on the paved roads is 25mph and the fact that the beach is located down a very dust winding dirt path it takes us about 20 min. But we finally get there. We pull up and sitting to the right of us is a huge Marine lookout tower and signs everywhere that say we can't go beyond the beach, nor can we take pictures of the surroundings, only the beach and sea. More than intimidating. The ocean is literally ten different shades of blue and green and the beach, well the beach is actually rocks and coral of every imaginable size and shape. The "sand" is black. I say sand in the loosest sense as this sand is more like small pebbles.

So we leave Kittery and head to Windmill beach which is supposed to be one of the great beaches. Same thing here. Only no Marine lookout. No instead there are restricted areas everywhere and Camp 4 of the prison is overlooking us. That is right my friends, THE prison. The one Obama wants to close down. Yep it overlooks the sea and Windmill beach. Again there isn't much of a beach. It is mostly rocks and coral. But it is less crashing sea and all, so we get in. The water is not what we expected. It is piss warm. Not luke warm and not hot. It is piss warm. For all those of you who pee in pools you'll know what I mean...

So that was last weekend. The kids started school Monday and can I tell you, it is a bit bizarre to me. Of course I am a mom who pokes her head into everything and needs to be involved. So being told that I really shouldn't come to eat with the kids and that NO they don't need room mothers yet, well it put me off. I was ready to yank them out and home school. But I do want them to meet some little folks and make some friends so I restrained myself and the kids have had a marvelous first week.

Madie was named student of the week for her class and she is in love with her teacher, Mrs. Figueroa. She hails from Puetro Rico. Adam, well he was the one nervous and not happy about starting school. But in true Adam form he knows everyone by sight, forget names, and he has made a tone of friends. In fact he is outside right now playing with "that Brown Boy." It took me three days to figure out that the brown boy's name is Elijah. Needless to say he is thriving.

Maegan and I are starting to get out there. I have made a few connections and I hope that by joining both the cooking and book clubs I will make friends fast. Maegan on the other hand, is stuck. I am hoping that by becoming a member of the PTO(parent teacher organization) I will meet other moms with kids Maeg's age. In the meantime we play our hearts out.

I will post some pictures as soon as I figure it out. Until then enjoy the one picture I loaded. It is a picture of our adventures this morning. This is out at Cable beach. As you can see not much beach but what beauty. I send you all my love....