It Starts Young

I find myself explaining a lot of military humor to people who aren't normally associated with military endeavors. 

It's gallows humor, definitely.  And then there's the teasing aspect - I can make fun of the Air Force, but God help someone not affiliated with the military trying to.  Just doesn't roll well, you know?  It's okay for us to call people PowerPoint Rangers, but if some TV pundit tried it I'd be at the front of the spitting line.

And it's not just my husband or myself with these humor issues - my kids pick them up.  I think they pick them up in the womb.

In fact, just a few weeks ago we had a bit of an issue with this.

Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: A Force of Nature, A Fact of Life

Every human being on the planet experiences some level of depression, anxiety, and stress.  Like I said, it's a force of nature and a fact of life.  As a mental health therapist I treat people every day with one or all of these diagnoses.  And I, myself, have experienced these and also gone to a therapist.  As a graduate student our professors always told us, "Therapists need therapists, too."  We're human.

As military spouses we often face challenges that leave our heads spinning.  Like we're on a roller-coaster that NEVER ENDS!

So how do you know if/when to seek help?  Well, it's different for everyone, to be honest.  My suggestion is this: read the common symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress that I have written below.  Do a "self-assessment" - i.e. if you have more than a few of the symptoms and these symptoms are affecting you daily life, I would suggest seeking help.  Trust me, it NEVER hurts to seek help.  I have done it myself and my therapist was wonderful and very helpful. 

A "special" Mother's Day

Ok, I'm tired, I'm grumpy, I'm frustrated - and in need of a SpouseBUZZ vent!

Mother's Day in the life of a 'special needs' mom is always interesting.  Yesterday was no exception!  I feel for special needs moms.  They carry the weight of the world on their shoulders .  I don't consider myself worthy of this title anymore, as we've passed the chemo stage of life and are just 'orthopedically challenged' at this point.  But it seems like there's always something popping up - or in this case leaking out!

Gone, but not THAT Gone

I've had some very interesting conversations lately.  Air Force Guy is not getting ready for a deployment right now (as if anything is ever set in stone in this lifestyle), but we do know that he will be spending the rest of the year TDY.

This is the first time we've had an extended TDY that is not a deployment while living in a civilian community.  And the results and explanations coming out of this have been very interesting, to say the least.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day: A Guest Blogger Honors Military Spouses

Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day, a day to recognize the service and sacrifices of military spouses. SpouseBUZZ is pleased to welcome guest blogger, Lieutenant General William Caldwell, Commanding General, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Ft. Leavenworth. I'll turn it over to General Caldwell:

In 1984 President Reagan proclaimed the Friday before Mother's Day of each year to be Military Spouse Appreciation Day. We owe you, American military spouses, a great debt of gratitude for your strength and perseverance, especially during this time of war. Truly, your strength is the strength of our Nation.

All of us who have been deployed have drawn comfort from care packages, love letters, journal entries, holiday decorations, and prayers. Knowing that our Families are well looked after allows us to focus on our task to bring peace and stability to troubled areas of the world. The very security of this great nation is in the hands of our spouses at home.

We’ve watched you nurse your wounded warriors back to health in military hospitals. You’re there, still full of hope, when Troopers with head injuries don’t recognize their family. You encourage them. You decorate their rooms. You read their favorite books to them. You are the first to notice when they can squeeze your hand again for the first time.

The spouse on the home front pays the bills, fixes the car, gets the kids to soccer practice, helps with the homework and building the kids pinewood derby car...  you are our true heroes.  You have unique experiences that only other military spouses can comprehend.

Some spouses, like Deanna Salie, have had to comfort children when there was someone in uniform at the door, and when dad didn’t come home. Deanna’s husband, Army SFC David Salie, gave the ultimate sacrifice in Baqouba, Iraq, on Valentine’s Day in 2005. In one of David’s “just in case” videos he made for Deanna before he left for Iraq, he asked Deanna that in the event something did happen to him, “Hold our kids tight for me, and make sure they know who their daddy was and what he stood for.”

All military spouses know why their loved ones serve, and they share in their hardship and sacrifice and ask for little in return. It is humbling to those of us who wear the uniform to know that our best friends, our spouses, are serving along side us. Those of us in uniform serve because we love our Nation; our spouses do it for love of us.  Our service men and women could not continue in this profession without your help, and for that we are eternally grateful….and so is our Nation.

Thank you for your guest post, General Caldwell. It's nice to see "the brass" reaching out to military spouses. And thanks to all military spouses for what you do each day to support your spouse, and each other.

We've Known Each Other That Long...

As the week hurtles toward Saturday and my law school graduation ceremony, I am taking stock of the past two years and thought it might be fun if you did too...

Observations: The Extended Military Family

We often focus on the sisterhood (and brotherhood) of spouses here at SpouseBUZZ because, well, that's what SpouseBUZZ is all about. But over the past couple of days, I discovered that these bonds reach far beyond our fellow spouses, and it was a wonderful discovery.

The SpouseBUZZ team (minus two) began making their way to Washington last Sunday for a meet-up (little bit of business and a lot of pleasure). The nerve center was airforcewife's house. I arrived at the nerve center on Monday afternoon and was greeted by the smallest and youngest segments of airforcefamily - the kids. Before I could even get my door open, airforceboy was reaching in my car to give me a hug, and I got three or four more before I reached the front door! As soon as I stepped out of the car, the youngest airforce daughter excitedly approached me to show off her new caterpillar, and we had a discussion about the various colors of caterpillars. Once I finally got out of the car, the middle daughter ran to my car. "Hi, Ms. Andi. Oh, that's our neighbor's parking place, can you move your car here?" And with that, the traffic director guided me into a new parking spot.

Two Homes (or three, or four)

I don't know if this is normal, but I have a hard time letting go of homes.  Of course, anything outside of CONUS is easy.  But if we move within a day's drive, I try to pretend that I still sort of live in my old home while making a life at my new home.  The result is a special sort of multiple personality disorder that results in a ridiculous amount of driving and scheduling stress.  Throw in some part of my family anywhere nearby and the amount of time behind the wheel increases even more.

Army Wives: You Write the Script

Last week when we talked with Katherine Fugate, creator of Army Wives, we didn't have enough time to get to some suggestions for story lines/plots. But Katherine did say that her goal is to tell your stories and that true stories are appealing to her. Apparently, they read stories sent to them and give them consideration. We told Katherine that we would open a thread at SpouseBUZZ soliciting your ideas for story lines based on your own experiences. So here's your chance to write a script. Who knows, maybe one day you'll see Denise or Pamela or Roxy portraying your story!

Please leave comments (anonymous if you choose) and we'll be sure to pass them on to Katherine. Army Wives is a drama, but it has humor and touches on many aspects of military life - the challenges and the joys. So, feel free to share funny or serious stories.

If you don't have a personal story to share, you can also leave ideas, suggestions for story lines, list topics you would like to see the show address or suggestions for improving the show.

After the jump is a funny story from a real Army wife.

The Military Name Game

Yesterday I happened across this at Loquita's Blog, which she quoted from Life As I Know It:

The guys always refer to each other by last names, except those who are close or see each other outside their service. The wives, on the other hand, always refer to their husbands and everyone by their first name, which means I have absolutely no stinking clue who they are referring to. I was recapping the meeting with Will and I said, “Lindsey and Joey…” and he cocked his head and asked me who Joey was. I told him Lindsey’s husband. I don’t know their last name. He doesn’t know their first name. Mystery couple…one of many.

Yep, been there.  I never know who belongs with whom.  And I know of a couple of wives who wanted to keep their maiden name until they realized what a pain in the neck it is in the military to have a different last name from your sponsor, especially in social settings.

And then I had a wife who had no idea who my husband was from either his first or his last name.  Turns out the platoon had given him a nickname, and that's all she knew.

Ah, the name game.

Next is the Ninja. Or the Cowboy. Maybe a Pirate.

Last night Air Force Guy and I made a startling realization.

Thanks to his military career and the subsequent military career changes, he's been able to check three of the "little boy dream jobs" off his life sheet.

He was an armor crewman, then he got do PSYOP and work in Intel, then he got law enforcement credentials.

Now all he has to do is find a way to be a Ninja, a cowboy, a pirate, and a starship trooper and his list will be complete.

And as for me...

Have Fun. That's an Order.

A guy in my husband's company is hosting a cook-out today, and yesterday the commander gave a subtle order that everyone in the company must attend.

Only in the military can you get an order to attend Mandatory Fun on a Saturday.

Something New to Add to the Job Description List

A while ago Air Force Guy ever so sweetly sat down with me and made a "true life resume". 

I was feeling kind of down - you know how that happens when your most immediate fulfilling goal is getting the laundry put away before more laundry is created (still haven't mastered that).  Usually I don't get into those ruts, but every so often I throw a bit of a hermit pity party.

So, AFG decided to list all my "actual" job skills versus what I actually put on my resume.  Trust me, doing this every so often is a great mental boost.  Whoda thought that even though I barely scraped by in every math class I ever took, I'm a Chief Financial Officer and in charge of budgeting! 

Today, though, I realized we had left one of my "acquired by force" skills off the list -- referee.

How We Identify Ourselves

Think of all of the ways that you identify yourself.  How do others identify you?  Is the list long or short?  Distinguished one moment - down right silly the next?

I started thinking about this subject when I did something yesterday that now seems very silly.

The Phone on My Hip

Like many military spouses, I carry around my phone like it is some kind of life support device.  If I don't have it, I don't just get irritated - I feel naked.

And there's a reason, too.  I was trained long ago to realize that call opportunities don't come at set times, and it was easier to carry around an umbilical cord - errr, cell phone - and be available whenever AFG was able to get to a phone in whatever ugly place he's in.

I stay in this habit even when he is working somewhere close and coming home each night.  Like now.

17 years, and I keep learning

This past Sunday DH and I celebrated 17 years of wedded bliss!! 

In typical military fashion we celebrated the milestone apart from one another.  He is currently at his new assignment, and I am trying to prepare a home to show, and sell. 

The crazy part is, I was really not bothered that we were apart, I am sure we would have preferred to spend the day smooching, and remembering the day 17 years ago TOGETHER. 

But, like most military couples, we have learned that Christmas can be celebrated in July, Valentines Day is everyday, and heck sometimes it is ok not having a witness to turning yet another year older.   

We will celebrate ten-fold when we are reunited...

I am amazed that the lessons in this life never cease. 

Did You Hear That?

Earlier yesterday I believe the Heavens opened, the clouds parted, and choirs of angels sang the Hallelujah Chorus.  Or whatever it is that angel choirs sing when a moment of supreme wonderful-ness happens on Earth.

I think -- I THINK -- I have found a babysitter.

A 22.5-hour day

Recently I had the chance to be involved with a small-talk, side conversation with some senior spouses (O & E) and something started percolating around in my head (not too unlike the old Maxwell House coffee commercial showing the fresh perked coffee splashing inside that tiny little glass handle).  A smidge of the conversation involved how busy everyone was and all of the things that went into making everyone's day soooo busy.  Kids--to and from school plus after-school activities; family things--shopping, washing clothes, dry cleaners, trying to make nutritious meals without making daily trips to the commissary; church groups and the various clubs and committees there-in; and, support to their DH, not necessarily of DH in his job, simply the support of their DH, because he was dad, father, husband, bread-winner.

I asked what I consider of importance and have commented on in this venue a few times.  It basically went like this, "Since everyone is so busy, how do you reach out to the younger spouses, not just new in your unit, but new to our world, and see to their needs?"  The spontaneous answer was quite interesting ...

Things That Crack Me Up

Since we are no longer living on a base and we are living in a community that is not largely military, I've started a new past-time:  watching my kids interact with kids who have never been associated with the military.

Let me tell you, it can be hilarious.

The Universal Military Rewards Card

My wallet literally exploded yesterday, and it wasn't because I have wads of money in it either, trust me. No, it's because everywhere I move, I accumulate new reward/bonus cards, something that every grocery store, drug store, movie theater, novelty shop, etc. seems to require these days in order for you to get discounted rates on items, or to receive special "perks." I should be the most rewarded individual on the planet given the number of "reward" cards I've racked up over the years.

This morning I woke up to find my wallet walking the picket line. It had evicted the cards inside, refused to do its job until some relief was rendered and sent its version of an SOS, hoping someone would get involved in the "free Andi's wallet" movement.

Where's the Spouse Leave on the LES?

This weekend things came to a head.  I found myself thinking something I had promised myself years and years (way more years than I want to admit to) that I would never consider.

The Post I Ignored for Sixteen Months

This is one of those posts that I've put off writing for many, many months. It's a post which will garner a lot of discussion through comments and email, or very little. It's also one of those posts which may cause me to get into trouble with my husband. But hey, I'll take one for the team here.

It's a post about....

A new milspouse friend

I work in a place that has over 200 employees and multiple departments.  The other day I had a chance meeting with a milspouse.  She works in a different department and we "met at the copy machine."

We started chatting and I found out she is a spouse of an Army Reservist.  Her husband was in Iraq when the war started in 2003.  She has two kids close to my kids' age.  She has a female yellow lab, we have a male yellow lab.  She lives about 3 miles from me.  Who knew?

"Live Intentionally"

Burned out?

Stressed out?

Feeling overwhelmend?

Ready to pull your hair out?

Yeah, we've all been there. I just finished listening to our recent show with Ellen Miller, and boy does she know how to motivate a person by providing some pretty simple and sensible advice. Sometimes, the solutions to simplifying our lives are more basic than we might think. Click here and see if our chat with Ellen does you as much good as it did me. 

p.s. I said "no" yesterday, and it felt good...

It's Friday Night

And I just saw a great music video...it made me think of you all.

Who doesn't love Bruce Springsteen?  And just wondering...would you all like to have a Friday Free for All with links to great music videos?  Doesn't have to be the Boss...:)

PS:  Lancelot looks quite a bit like the Boss...must be part of the reason why I like him so much.

the boss, I mean...

Advice from the Trenches

When taking a roiling horde of children to get passports done, be sure to take some kind of calming medication.  Valium might work.  Or large quantities of wine.

For you, or for the kids.  It really doesn't matter much.  Either they will be quiet and good for the ten hours you wait in line, or you won't care how they're behaving.

I wish someone had told me that before we had to go to the Post Office for our passport applications this morning.  One way or another, it would have kept my blood pressure within acceptable levels.

Also - the Post Office won't let you use their bathroom.  I'll throw that tidbit in for free.

Oh. My. God.

This morning I thought, "Wow!  Things seem to be going really smoothly lately!  How nice!"

That is a very stupid thing for airforcewife to do.  Very stupid. 

Happy Easter

Today is another Holiday.  For those of us who practice Christianity, one of the most important holidays of the year. 

So I wish you each well today. 

I am reminded once again that many of those in the "Sisterhood" or "Brotherhood", will be spending today without a loved one. 

My Husband used holidays as a way of measuring his time away.

He had calculated all of the holidays, and instead of dreading them, with each passing holiday, he would think of it as a step closer to being home. 

What are you doing today to celebrate Easter?

the old dog, must learn new tricks. Watch me jump through this hoop!!

The DITY move progresses.   I might add it is progressing at a snails pace.  Between single parenting, and the extended illness, the unexpected bout of Southern snow (twice), well I am about 2 weeks behind schedule. 

I keep trying to keep those things in perspective, and I have decided that my schedule is the only one that counts since I am essentially the person in charge. 

I am really working at trying to create some sort of balance here. 

The War Before

One of the hardest things for me to hear from people when my husband is gone or deployed is, "I'm sorry." 

Stewing in Funk-ville

Okay, maybe not stewing, but having a REALLY hard time finding my way out of Funk-ville!

Do you ever feel like you just can't catch a break?  I'm sure you do.  And in all honesty, my life is not exactly "bad," but I feel like I am riding this never-ending merry-go-round that has hidden "surprises" around every third turn.  I don't even know if that makes any sense.  I am writing as I type, which is not always a safe thing to do when lots of other people will read this.  BUT, SpouseBuzz is about the good and the bad and all the in-betweens.  So here's my in-between... I think.

What Else?

Have you ever noticed that when something goes wrong, it is never just ONE thing that goes wrong?

Because I had an experience in the kitchen today that will forever live on in the annals of cooking history.  I think I might need to undergo hypnosis to get over it. 

Also, is it just my son, or is wanting to wear the same ratty sweatpants every single day (dirty or clean) normal for a 5 year old boy?  Honestly, this is getting ridiculous.

milspouse confession

I wear my pajamas and slippers  almost EVERY morning,  when I drop my 6 year old off at kindergarten.

The Continuing Saga of Life With a Crazy Russian Mother-in-Law

Until my mother-in-law lost her mind, I hadn't even heard of a "Sandwich Generation" - the people who are taking care of both their parents and their children at the same time period. 

Then Air Force Guy and I got shoved firmly (and with quite a protest, I tell you what) into Sandwich-hood with a bang. Air Force Family does everything with a bang, though, so that's not unusual. 

What is turning out to make our Sandwich Generation experience a bit unique, though, is the fact that we're a military family sandwich.  A military family sandwich with  foreign parents.   RUSSIAN foreign parents.  Crazy Russian former parents.  And the fact that we're 3000 miles away from her and moving every few years makes explaining the strange things that come up and the cultural idiosyncrasies of her friends just a bit more involved and difficult than if we lived close enough to do real damage control.

Case in point - our conversation last night with my Father-in-Law.

Clearing Your Head

Looks like AWTM realized something this past week. So did I. I realized that sometimes you've just got to clear your head.

Last week was challenging, to say the least. It started off just fine, but by Tuesday, everything that could go wrong was beginning to go wrong. Everything I touched seem to crumble under my feet, and the trend continued until bedtime Friday evening. 

I can dish it out, but I can not take it

My own advice. 

Geesh, have I  turned into " THAT"  person?

Memory Is a Tricky Thing

I had a goofy memory last night as I was setting all the clocks forward, something I hadn't thought about in years.  I remembered that my husband came home for R&R during OIF II right before it was time to "fall back" in October.  And at the time, I got such a kick out of the idea that our R&R would be an hour longer than everyone else's.  I love that time spent together was such a precious commodity that I was thrilled to have an extra hour invented out of thin air for us.

It's funny the things we remember and the things we forget.  As I was spending time with Heather S this week while she was waiting desperately for her cell phone to announce her husband's arrival home from Iraq, I was trying hard to remember what I did to pass the time on the day my husband came home, three years ago yesterday.  I can't for the life of me remember.  He returned in the evening, and I remember every detail of being in the gym when he marched in and going to the barracks afterwards to share a beer with his tank crew.  But the events leading up to his return, what I did with myself until 5 PM, those memories are completely lost to me.  I don't remember if I was nervous, jittery, calm, or cool.  I don't remember if I was at home or out-and-about.  I cannot remember it at all, but for some reason I can remember being excited about an extra hour of daylight savings during R&R.

I find it odd that I cannot remember what I did on homecoming day, conceivably the happiest day of my life.  It was so overwhelmingly important and life-altering at the time, and frankly I'm shocked that three years later it's a void in my mind.  Memory is a tricky thing; stuff that feels deathly important one day can be completely forgotten the next.  And though I was a blogger at the time, for some reason I didn't write about what I was doing or feeling that day.  At the time, I probably never imagined I could forget homecoming day, but now I really wish I had preserved those memories.  I'll remember to do better next time.

"Oh, Just Trying Out the World"

At my grandmother's funeral, I bumped into someone I hadn't seen in over 20 years. She asked me what I'd been doing and I said, "Oh, Just Trying Out the World." I don't think I've ever uttered that phrase before so I'm unsure where it came from, but later when I thought about it, it made perfect sense. Because that's exactly what I've been doing throughout the years.

Five Years Ago: The Answer Was There All Along

An interesting thing happened to me this week. A news producer acquaintance of mine asked me to share some ideas with him about what might make a great home front story. There are thousands of those to be found so that wasn't the challenge, the challenge came when he suggested it tie in with the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. And no, that wasn't the interesting part. The interesting part was that after three days of deliberation, I had no ideas whatsoever.

None.

And I couldn't figure out why, until I sat down to write this post. That's when I realized the story had been right under my nose all along, and I hadn't even realized it.

Living in a Military World

There are many reasons I enjoy my time living in the military world, and I was reminded of a big one yesterday.  Keep in mind, it has been many a year since I've "lived" military, as our last few homes have been in civilian communities, with civilian friends and relatively civilian lifestyles.  As much as I love those friends, there are wonderful benefits to living on base and having your closest circle of friends understand your life.

Last night, I went to a Bunco game here on base.  As PCS season is coming right up, the primary topic of conversation was moving:  do you have orders, where are you going, have you scheduled your move?  I explained, repeatedly, that my husband was deploying.  Not one single person responded with a pity.  No one asked how I was possibly going to survive.  No one sympathized with stories about their husband's grueling travel schedule.

I understand why civilians respond the way they often do, and it doesn't upset me.  But it is exhausting, especially when you are having the same conversation over, and over, and over again.  As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about what a fun evening I had and realized how different my night would have been if I had been playing with my non-military friends.  And I was thankful that, at this point in time, I am living in a military world.

Bringing in the Bulldozers

I live in military housing, old military housing.  Our house is small and hasn't been maintained much during the last few years as the privatized housing company makes their master plan for renovating or replacing the houses on this base.  This weekend, as I was trying to scrub years worth of little fingerprints off of my kitchen cabinets, I realized that our house is probably being torn down after we move in June.  Obviously, I stopped scrubbing, but then I got thinking.

PCS, the weather and Plan B. You ALWAYS need a Plan B!

It is my final Spring in the Midsouth and I have been savoring every single moment of clear skies, daffodils, and forsythia in bloom. 

I woke this morning, opened the blinds to see all is covered in a blanket of white.  It was 73 degrees here 2 days ago.  Which means,  I had plans this week.  I was  going to spend my time out of doors, power washing the house, and start  painting  the exterior. 

A surprise indeed.  Snow, about 2 inches. 

It is a good thing I am a military wife, and have learned to come up with a Plan A, Plan B, and of course that pesky Plan C. 

Thanks, Mom

Over the years, the many and varied PCS moves gather a rhythm completely of their own making.  When notified, we're excited about the impending new locale, we scour the Internet for information, we launch rapid-fire questions to our SB buds, and then we face the inevitable.  AWTM and Andi are both looking directly into the eyes of the PCS monster right now ... and their posts below give you a peek under the tent flap into this process.  Ours ... was last summer.  We moved from a huge metro area to the intermountain west.  Moving ... you just have to find that rhythm and you just get on with it.

Within a few months post-move, when the dust settles and you're working through all the small crap of getting a new routine ... out of nowhere you find yourself beset by the grumbles.  Dang it, this used to be easy!  Oh crap, where in the world did we put the junk drawer stuff?  Why won't this fit in the new frig?  You've shoveled what they're saying is about 80 inches of snow and all you want is to be warm, on a beach, with Uncle Jose (Cuervo) ... And just when the last place you just departed is seemingly the best place you've ever been, it happens ...

The Heart

February is Heart Health month and it is almost at a close.  I would like to add something to what has already been written about heart health.

To the emotional/mental side of the heart, I add...some commentary on the military spouse/parent's heart.

My husband needs to work on his delivery

So DH had to go back to Walter Reed today to get his cast removed (finally!).  I always worry when he is driving without me because he has a tendency to get sleepy (it's about a 4 hour drive).  On his way home he pulled over like a good boy about 5pm and called to tell me he was taking a nap.  I finally got ahold of him again about 6:50pm to make sure he was awake.  He was about 90 miles away from home - no biggie now that he's rested a while.

Then my phone rings again about 8:00pm...

What Would Melody Do?

I'm not entirely socially adept.

"What? Oh no, airforcewife! I'm utterly SHOCKED! I thought you had calling cards, wore your hair in an elegant chignon, and had white gloves of various lengths for different social visits! You seem so prim and proper!"

Sure, you know that's what you were thinking. I'm good at hiding the truth.

Luckily for me and anyone who has had to attend some kind of airforcewife sponsored shindig, I have a secret weapon.

Hey, It's Free!

One of the very many perks of living on or near a base is definately PCS season.

Ah, yes.  PCS Season.  Otherwise known as, "I'm 700 pounds over my weight limit and desperately need to downsize" season.  For those of us not PCSing, it is also known as "Second Christmas."

Many's the time in my over 10 years as a military wife that I've found items that I absolutely COULD NOT fathom being without before I stand before the Throne of God and account for my life.  I never knew how unfulfilled I was without that papa-san frame, but when I saw it sitting conveniently on the curb across from my house I realized that it was what my life had been missing.  Ditto for the particle board tv stand and the three pedal cars my son spent an entire summer enjoying.

So when we moved away from base, I had to find a way to assuage my guilt at just throwing perfectly good items away and also score some neat free stuff I never knew I was missing.

I joined the local Freecycling list.  And I had no idea what I was getting into.

Meaningful Programming

Last night, my husband and I were watching television when one of those commercials targeting bald men came on. Use this product and you'll get your hair back. One no-longer-bald man said, "Life is about having fun. Life is about looking good."

Ordinarily, that statement would have went in one ear and out the other. A company is simply marketing its product in a way they believe is effective. But on this night, it stuck me as a bit shallow because my husband and I happened to be watching The Military Channel. Ever watch that channel? If not, you should.

SpouseBUZZ Fit Club - Report In!

How did you do this week?  I had some good, some bad, and some VERY FRUSTRATING.

The good?  I managed to exercise every day but yesterday when I was barfing up everything I'd eaten since 2002.  I kept up the hamster stair-runs, I managed pilates three times, and I added in two days of intense cardio.  And the family went for long walks on Saturday and Sunday, too! 

The bad...  Although I've been good about sticking to the eating portion of what I'm trying to do, I did slip three times this week.  One night I had fast food.  And two mornings I've had slices of honey toast because I kept forgetting to buy milk for my delicious Special K with Chocolate Cereal. 

And now the frustrating...

And You Thought I Needed Your Advice... Why?

I'm a "sandwicher".  I am taking care of my kids and taking care of my old, cantankerous, Russian Mother-in-Law at the same time.

And it really sucks.

As if the stress and strain of trying to care of a old woman whose mind is no longer with us across 3000 miles during deployments isn't enough suckiness, we get the added suck of career advice from people who think they know what's best for everyone involved even though they've never lived a military lifestyle.

And, since you asked, why yes I did have one of those confrontations today!

Please tell me - why do I do this?

Why do I keep doing this?  Today I realized that I really, really don't like one of my current volunteer obligations.  I'll keep doing it, because I said I would, and I'll probably do a pretty good job.  It's not a hard job, and I've got the experience, and it will be over in a month.  And it isn't really time consuming.  So what is the problem?

The problem is that I just don't care about this particular job.  There's nothing about it that speaks to me.  It isn't a subject that I feel passionate about, it isn't benefiting any particularly needy or deserving group, and I honestly know that my efforts aren't making any difference in the big picture.  If I quit today, the only negative outcome would be that people would know that I quit.

But quitting isn't really an option. 

Weekly Gratitude

I know, I know I have failed posting my weekly gratitude segments.

I have been reminded of a lot this week here at SpouseBuzz, and I have a lot to be thankful for.

I am thankful for body that is strong, my family, humor, and I am thankful that there are others that REALLY understand what those things mean to me. 

What are you thankful for?

SpouseBUZZ Fit Club - Report In!

Good news to report this week!  My butt is getting noticeably firmer!  Those stairs - they are a wondrous thing.  I think my pants might be a little looser, but I'm not sure enough to report a definite yet. I hope I'm not just dehydrated.

I'm up to two times a day hamster running on the stairs, and I'll move it up to three next week.  Unfortunately, I've only done yoga twice this week, and I skipped one day of stairs because I was feeling like donkey poo.  I also need to find a yoga DVD that I actually like, because I feel a gazillion times better when I've stretched myself out several times a week.

Valentine's Day didn't help the diet (damn you, peanut butter cup eggs!), but other than that I've stuck it out pretty well.  No fast food, I switched to nut mixes for snacks, and when I absolutely HAD to have something sweet, I made cheesecake cookies with Splenda instead of sugar.  They were quite yummy.  And I've only had diet soda twice this week - which for me, the original diet soda addict - is a minor miracle in itself.  I'm all about water and tea now.  I hope I can keep that up, I've noticed a definate increase in my energy levels and a stabilization of my moods.  I'm sure Air Force Guy is happy about that.

And then there's that miracle of diet foods - Special K with Chocolate.  Oh how I love it.

So, report in SpouseBUZZers!  How did you do this week?  And what suggestions do you have for us?

Reason #5280 My Husband Will Never Make General

I think armywifetoddlermom started a good series here.  It's especially good because I can participate.  In fact, I think I can give many people a run for their money.

Like the time I went through an entire receiving line at an 06 promotion with a booger hanging out of my nose.

A big one.

That was embarrassing.

Reminders

Andi's post her Grandmother has reminded me of a few things....

We are traveling this coming weekend to our new duty station. 

DH has been blessed with a position, that happens to be in our home state, the home of most of our relatives, and friends.  This has been a thrilling notion for our family.  We will now be able to see family more readily than we have in years.

 

Family.