Wordless Wednesday

 Baby Girl decided she wanted to dress up like Daddy.

 Huzzy helped her lace up her boots.

Posted over at Wordless Wednesday.

Fuzzy, Wuzzy, Huzzy Bear... or Why I'm Sleeping In The Garage From Now On

I know that when I write things on this blog I am releasing it into the big wide world of internets and I can't reclaim it. That is why I won't be posting things like when the ship is leaving, or where it is going. I opted to use nicknames for Huzzy and Baby Girl instead of using their real names. We all know that if I use their real names the terrorists win, and we can't have that now can we?

Anyway, calling my daughter Baby Girl was easy enough. I tend to call her that quite a bit (though I used the nickname more when she was really a baby). For Huzzy I didn't know what to go with. I didn't want to use "hubby", which generally gets a lot of use. I forget to be honest which blog I first read that used "huzzy", but it wasn't the last. I saw it a few times but it wasn't overused and so I decided to adopt it as my own as well. No harm, right?

Apparently there are people out there who actually read this blog though. Not only that, but at least one of the guys Huzzy works with has a wife at home that managed to stumble over this blog. I think this is pretty neat in a "It's a small world after all..." kind of way. Huzzy knows I have a blog and teases me about it from time to time but has never bothered to look at it. At all. He knows it amuses me but he isn't interested and I can't blame him. He may start looking though, since he was informed by a co-worker than his online nickname was now Huzzy.

He told me the story of how he was told this by a co-worker and at the time, Huzzy seemed to find it vaguely amusing. Not the nickname, but the fact that he found out from someone he works with and not me. For what it's worth I've given him the web address and if he's too lazy to check on it, that's his fault.

ANYWAY.. It seems he doesn't "mind" the Huzzy thing, but it does remind him of the rhyme. You know...Fuzzy wuzzy was a bear? I never even made that connection. But you can bet your ass he's hearing it now.

Me: Aww, did you want to be my Mr. Fuzzy Wuzzy Huzzy Bear?

Huzzy: *glare*

Me: Fuzzy Wuzzy Huzzy Bear!

Huzzy: You're sleeping in the garage tonight.

Me: That isn't nice Fuzzy Wuzzy Huzzy Bear!

Huzzy: *glare*

Me: I can change your nickname if you want. Do you want me to call you Petty Officer Huzzy Bear?

At that point he tried to lock me out of the bedroom. Not very nice of him really.

So if by chance you work with my wonderful Huzzy bear, be sure to call him by his full nickname. Petty Officer Fuzzy Wuzzy Huzzy Bear. He'll thank you, I promise.

Do you like to dance?

Of course. Everyone likes to dance. Some of us just look like like we're having a seizure when we're trying to "get down". I had to stop dancing in public when bystanders started calling 911.

Ask me anything

Sneaky Bastard

So the big D is trying to sneak up on us all. That's right, we're getting closer to the dreaded deployment. We still have some time to go, but unfortunately work-ups make you feel as if the deployment has already begun. In my opinion, work-ups are worse.

For those of you not familiar with work-ups, allow me to explain. Generally, work-ups tend to vary depending on what exactly the ship is doing. Usually it consists of the ships coming and going on a fairly regular basis until they are ready to actually deploy. That means they may be gone anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks to a couple months. The ship will pull in, they'll be home for a little while and then leave again.

It doesn't seem so bad, right? I mean, they get to come home! Yeah, you'd think so. The reality is that work-ups will mess you up far, far worse than the actual deployment. When Huzzy was doing work-ups for the last deployment I learned my lesson on that one.

 Work-Ups Are Worse Than Deployments Because....

1.  It's impossible to get into a routine. When your sailor is gone on deployment you generally have 6+ months to get used to the idea and establish a new routine. Many spouses will take up a hobby, start a workout regime or otherwise find ways to keep busy. When your sailor is gone on a deployment this is much trickier. Dates change, schedules shift, and who wants to take up a hobby that might impede your ability to stay by the phone waiting to find out if they're coming back early/late/ever?
2.  No one thinks to get a POA for work-ups. When Huzzy leaves on deployment we make sure that all our paperwork is up to date and ready to go. POA's are made, copied and filed. Car maintenance is taken care of. Major house issues are likewise fixed as much as possible. When he leaves on work-ups we tend to forget that stuff like this can happen at any time. He could leave for a 3 day workup and the house could blow up. That's a little dramatic, I know. The point is that most of us (myself included) assume that on the little under ways nothing will happen. So if something does happen, we aren't as prepared as we would have been should the unthinkable had happened during an actual deployment.
3. The kids don't understand at all. Not that they really grasp the idea of a full deployment, but having mommy or daddy here and gone so much is (in my opinion) much more distressing to them. They may not understand what's going on, but they will quickly realize that they may wake up and find mommy or daddy is gone. Then back. Then gone. Deployments are hard as hell, but the parent that is gone constantly is more stabilizing for a child than the parent who is here, gone, here again. Kids need a routine as well (see point #1).
4. Your Sailor is Stressed. This kind of goes without saying. They're going to be stressed regardless, no matter how much they hide it or deny it. Facts of life- when there's a change coming stress is going to come with it. Now, they may not be stressed more than they are on a deployment. It really depends on the command. However, they are coming home more often, and so you both (and your children if you have any) have to deal with this. Your sailor is busy with work and trying to make time for family as well. Meanwhile, all they can think about is the upcoming deployment and being away from everyone. Again.
5. You are Stressed. Don't deny it, you totally are. This coupled with #4 means you guys are probably going to have some minor fights/arguments/disagreements before he leaves. Probably right before he leaves every time he leaves. Huzzy and I don't really fight often, but when work-ups are coming and the big D is on its' way we do find ourselves getting a little more testy than normal. Again, this is all pretty similar to the actual deployment. But with work-ups you go through this crap every time they come and go.

Work-Ups Are Awesome Because...

1. You aren't going 6+ months without seeing your sailor. Yeah, the deployment is on the way. Still, it's nice knowing that for now your sailor is going to be home...shortly. Just think of it as an extra long duty day. Extra, extra long.
2. You can actually lay in bed reading a book at night. Undisturbed! (Unless you have a baby crying or something, but that's a different story) Maybe you can make it through that book you've been wanting to read before the ship pulls back in again.
3. You get a pass on care packages. The last time Huzzy did work-ups I admit I did still send him some stuff. When they were going to be gone for over a month. But those short underways? Forget about it! Load him up on cookies and brownies before he leaves, then relax. No point in mailing out stuff that won't get to him until he gets home anyway.
4. The dirty laundry he brings home won't be as bad. True, it will still smell. Compared to how their uniforms smell after a deployment though, the post work-up load will smell like roses.
5. You still have time. The deployment isn't here yet, and sure, he'll be gone for a while here and there. That said, you still have time. Beautiful, precious time. Now is the time to plan family outings and pre-deployment events. Take pictures, lots and lots of pictures. Create memories that will help you and your family get through the deployment that's on the way.

Do you think work-ups are better or worse than deployments? Why?

I survived Black Friday 2011

I don't know about the rest of you, but I actually look forward to Black Friday. Last year I was unable to go because at 5 months Baby Girl was unable to watch herself and we didn't have a sitter. Not this year. Mommy went shopping.

I wish I could say we went out and shopped like crazy, but that's just not what happened. We had already decided on going to Target. They had just about everything we wanted and it was well-priced. During the Thanksgiving cooking extravaganza I took a break and hopped on the computer. Unbeknownst to me, (I must have missed this ad) they had all their BF pricing live on their website...all turkey day. Well, that seemed too damn convenient to miss, so a few clicks here and a few clicks there and... done! Aside from a gift card and two small gifts we are completely done Christmas shopping.

Still, we had a baby sitter and didn't want to give up our time out-without-baby. So at 930pm we went to Walmart. Yes, you read that right. We had no business being there at all, we were done shopping and went anyway. I went because I find it hilarious how crazy people get on Black Friday. I wasn't missing any of that. I must have been at the wrong one though, because I didn't get pepper sprayed or shot. Seriously, what is wrong with people? If you are willing to cause someone serious bodily harm over a toy then you really have missed the whole purpose of the holiday season. I suggest you go back and watch a few classics. Start with Miracle on 34th Street and It's A Wonderful Life. Finish off with some Muppet Christmas Carol and maybe National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. 

Anyway...

Huzzy for some reason decided that he had to have the new Zelda game for the Wii. Apparently there's one that comes with a special edition gold remote. It's epic. I can understand his need for this toy. I grew up with Zelda. I still know where all the dungeons are and how to beat them in the original game. Including the second play through you can do after you beat it the first time. Zelda will always have a special place in my heart, right next to Final Fantasy and World of Warcraft. Still, I didn't think his chances of getting one were that good.

Yeah, we risked our lives for this.

It seems Walmart had it on sale for Black Friday, and it would be available for sale at 10pm. We got there and they had the whole area roped off with caution tape. There were cops everywhere. I started getting excited. This is gonna be fun, right? I was joking with Huzzy about placing bets on which of the people around us goes nuts and gets arrested. I tried to convince him to walk around counting law enforcement officers but he stood his ground. Unfortunately it was the wrong ground.

Walmart didn't bother to tell anyone there there was a line forming for it. You couldn't tell, because the whole area was one big mob. So at 10pm they started letting people in...on the side opposite of us. We were within arm's reach of these displays, but we couldn't go in. Needless to say we were both very, very annoyed. And I was very, very vocal. It was just a game, and I didn't care so much if we got it or not. But I would have liked to be told that there was a damn line to get in. Huzzy remained hopeful and stood in that line for 45 minutes, only to get there and find all the games were gone. Which I totally knew was going to happen, but there was no stopping him. While he waited in line I started wandering the store. It was 10pm...the toy sale had officially started as well.

I've never been so glad to be in a store without a shopping cart. There was literally no way I was getting around these people if I had a cart to push. People were just not moving at all. I'm pretty sure Walmart broke fire code that night, but money kept pouring in for them so who cares, right? People were mean, nasty and just plain rude. I was in too good of a mood to care. There I was in Walmart on Black Friday surrounded by people who were frantically trying to get everything on their list...and I didn't actually need to shop for anything. I enjoy crazy-people watching.

After Huzzy's heartbreak at the video game display we left and drove to Target. That's right. We went to the retailer we knew we didn't have to go to because we already bought our stuff. We are so damn cool. The line was so long it went into the next shopping center over and we found ourselves outside in front of Home Depot waiting for midnight to roll around. I spend a little over an hour waiting in the cold. I had the best time ever.

We started talking to the guy behind us who was there to shop for his two kids. He told us all about what they want and how ridiculous this was. Poor guy didn't know he could have ordered the stuff online earlier in the day. He just wanted to get in, grab the stuff and go home to sleep. The next day was a normal work day for him, and he had to be up at 4am. I don't remember exactly what else we all talked about. I know we all tried to see if we could order something on Target's website through our cell phones before they actually opened (We couldn't, their site was running waaaaaaaay slow), and we generally made fun of the whole experience.

The only thing I remember specifically is that he wanted to get his little girl a Barbie jet toy thing. I guess this was huge for her this year and was on sale. I kept telling him we were going to run in and grab them all, then sell them to him for like $100. I was joking of course.

When we finally got in we wished him good luck and he dashed off. I think I saw him turn up the aisle where the jets were at. We didn't have anything better to do really since our shopping was done, so we went looking for them. There were only four there, so we grabbed one. And then tried to find the guy. I would have felt so bad if he didn't get the toy for his kid after all that waiting in line, and I know he had lots of other stuff on his list.

I'll tell you I walked that whole store through, every aisle twice but I couldn't find him. Finally I went back to the display and saw that there were still two there. Apparently it wasn't as popular as he thought. I put mine back down, praying he got one for his little girl.

So to that exhausted, tired father who stood behind us in line talking about his kids and how much he wanted to get them their bikes and toys - I tried. I tried to find you I swear! I hope that you found everything your children wanted and have a wonderful holiday. It was a pleasure waiting in line with you for over an hour. Huzzy and I thought you were swell. Happy Holidays.
PS - I know you said you work for FIOS, so please please tell them to install in my area. PLEASE. My cable company is slowly bleeding me dry. kthxbai

After all that we actually left Target with nothing. The check out line was so horrendous it wasn't worth the couple things we were maybe possibly thinking of picking up just because we were there. I was ready to go home. Huzzy wanted to try another Walmart for that game. You can guess how that ended. We actually stopped in at a Toys R Us too, and again left with nothing.

So a bust I guess. We didn't get much of anything. Huzzy and I had a great time though. Who cares about the crap you go out to buy? Black Friday is all about the experience.



Did you go out for Black Friday shopping? Was it worth it?

Turkey Day 2011

Hello everyone! Just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with family and loved ones.

And also, Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to military members and their families. Thank you so very much for all you sacrifice for the rest of us.

I'll be out shopping tonight and tomorrow, so I'll be reporting in at some point Friday...or maybe Saturday depending on how exhausted I am!

Gobble, gobble.

Preparing for the feast!

Only a couple days left until Thanksgiving, and so far I'm still on track. This is pretty much an all week affair here. I'm definitely one of "those" people. I have to clean the hell out of my house before I have people over. I usually prepare twice as much food as is reasonable "just in case". I stress most of the week over it, but it's a good kind of stress, if you can believe it.

Three tier snowman filled with oatmeal raisin cookie goodness.

So yesterday I spent a good portion of the day baking cookies. That's the easiest thing to cross off the list. I can start that stuff days in advance and there's no worries it'll go bad before turkey day gets here. So far we have oatmeal raisin (which turned out pretty damn good), and Reese's Pieces peanut butter cookies. The latter turned out kind of... Hmm. Well, they taste good, but they look terrible. They're pretty thin and flat. I was not happy with them at all. Huzzy ate three or four before I caught him and yelled at him, so at least I know they'll get eaten. Boys don't seem to mind much what the food looks like at any rate.

Snowman cookie jar filled with the Reese's Pieces cookies.

Today was pie day. I made an apple pie that actually looks really good (I want to eat it!). I wish that I didn't burn the hell out of my index finger and thumb making it though. I slipped. Oops. Anyway, after I recovered from my life-threatening injury I made the pumpkin pies. I actually made two, but I'll be trading one for a pecan pie. One of the guys Huzzy works with apparently wants one of my pies and is willing to trade. That actually makes me feel really good about myself. At least I can do something right - even if it is just a dessert.

 Yummy apple pie.

Yummy pumpkin pie x 2!

Baby girl is down for the night and Huzzy is on duty. It gets really quiet here at night when he's gone. That's ok though, because I have a LOT of cleaning to do! Let me tell you, doing dishes with burned fingers is not a pleasant experience. At least the swelling has gone down. I'd post a picture of that too, but trust me you don't want to see it. It is not attractive.

Alyssa has spent the last few days running wild and loving it. Her new favorite word is "Elmo". Honestly I'm starting to think that Elmo is like crack for toddlers. She loves that thing.

This is my Baby Girl, happily tearing apart her bedroom. 

Toddler rooms are just not meant to be clean.

How are your holiday preparations going?

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Patience - I haz none

So the quitting smoking is going... Well, it's going. I haven't smoked a single cigarette since I quit, not even one little puff. It helps that none of my smoker friends live nearby. I guess. But really, I super miss them right now. Or their cigarettes. Or both. I'm pretty sure it's both. Whatever.

So I haven't been smoking. I have, however, been cranky as hell. Poor Huzzy is doing the best he can to put up with me but I'm pretty sure he's looking forward to going to work tomorrow. I've never had a lot of patience to begin with, and this just makes it a million times worth. It's like I have negative patience. I'm already cranky and impatient before I even know what I'm cranky and impatient for. So yes, I'm fairly certain Huzzy will be enjoying his day at work tomorrow. It may even be a long day. Who knows. If he's smart, he'll just go out to a bar after work for a little bit. I wouldn't blame him a tiny bit. Until I start thinking about how much I miss smoking, and then I'll hate him until he bursts into flames. Or goes and gets me smokes. Probably the latter.

I know, this post is nothing but me complaining. Oh well. Told you guys this was going to happen. On the bright side, I really am doing so well with it.

Lord, please grant me patience. It'll be a real downer if I kill someone this close to the holidays. Santa might mark me off as "naughty" and I've really been counting on getting that pony this year. Amen.

Some free stuff

There's a ton of magazine deals going on right now. You can get free subscriptions to Baby Talk and American Baby, both are pretty cool magazines if you or someone you know is expecting/has young children.

You can also go to Magazines.com's Facebook page and get a code for $5 off a subscription. You can also go through Ebates to score an extra $5 off select magazines with the code HOLIDAYMAGS. By using both codes you can get a FREE subscription to certain magazines. (Note - HOLIDAYMAGS code will not work on every magazine. You must go through ebates for this.)





Thanks, Hip2Save!

I made it out alive

So I've now gone over 24 hours without a cigarette and I think I'm doing pretty good! I haven't killed anyone yet, and Huzzy still seems to like me alright. He's probably just happy because he's on duty today, and today will be much, much harder. Looks like it's time for some retail therapy. (Hello, Target!)

The Holiday Party last night was a blast. We didn't get to stay for more than a couple hours though, stupid early morning duty. I did manage to leave Alyssa with a babysitter without having a nervous breakdown, so yay me! From what I hear, she was actually pretty well behaved.

The Enterprise did a great job putting this thing together. The food was good, the decorations were good...The music wasn't to my taste, but it was loud and there was alcohol so really, it was all good. They had an ice sculpture of the ship, a cake of the ship (with moving parts no less) and a damn chocolate fountain. Those things are amazing and I want one. NOW.

They also had free photo booths and free caricature drawings. There were some blackjack tables too, but we didn't even get that far.

 

When we got there they took our picture. It was like prom again. AWESOME. 

 This cake was amazing, though we didn't get to stay long enough to eat it.

But seriously, LOOK at it. It doesn't even have to taste good, the damn thing moved.

 I love when I get to take stuff home. I would have taken the centerpieces if they weren't bigger than my child. I think someone would have noticed me trying to take that. Still, these glasses are nice!

 Photo Booth picture! I love these things, plus they has dress up hats, masks and things to wear. 

Very cool. I want one!

 Huzzy refused to stand by the ice sculpture or the cake. This was the best I could do.

 Ice sculpture! So pretty...and wet. It was dripping quite a bit. I wonder what they do with these things after the party is over?

The whole "caricature" thing isn't really a big deal for me, but it was kind of neat.

And really I was pretty tipsy by the time this was done, so I didn't care so much.

So, so glad we went. It's a shame he's stuck on duty today, but what can you do. That just means he'll be home Saturday and Sunday. Score!

The only thing that stuck was missing Bones last night. I'm going to have to scour the web and try to find a way to watch it since we don't have a DVR. Stupid Hulu won't let me watch it until 8 days after it airs, which means there's no way to watch it before the next new episode. That makes zero sense to me.

Great American Smokeout 2011

The time has come...again. Yes, I am one of "those" people. I smoke. I've been smoking for years, and I have tried many times in the past to quit. Sometimes successfully...for a while. The longest I've gone without smoking was 11 months or so. You would think after going that long without I would be completely done. Unfortunately, breaking free of nicotine addiction isn't as simple and easy as some nonsmokers think. Most smokers try to quit multiple times before succeeding.

Smoking wasn't always as taboo as it is now. We knew it was bad for us, but we didn't care. Now everyone cares. First hand smoke. Second hand smoke. I've now heard of the danger of THIRD hand smoke. People still smoke, and people will always smoke. However, they are making it as difficult as possible for us. They want to redo the labels (careful, they're kind of graphic), increase taxes, and limit where you can smoke. Basically, they want to do anything they can to make it harder and more uncomfortable for people to smoke.

That is not why I want to quit. What people seem to forget is that this is an addiction. You can try to force someone to quit, but it won't work. In order for someone to really get over something like this, they have to want to. If they themselves do not want to quit, they will fall right back into it. So put the nastiest images you can on the packs. Raise the taxes even further. Tell people all the horrible ways they could die as a result. But the only way they are going to quit is if they are ready.

I like to think I am ready.

Smoking has always been my stress relief. I can live without that morning cigarette. I can live without having a smoke after food or a drink. I just haven't been able to get by without that cigarette when I'm totally stressed out and need to hide from the world for a little bit.

I've been wanting to quit again for a while. Something just always seems to come up. Huzzy was doing the amazing, wonderful, understanding (yet enabling) thing of not pushing me when he knew stressful times were coming. The last deployment was the biggie, I should have quit before then. Oh well. And now we have work ups and another deployment in the near future and I wonder if I'm just setting myself up for failure.

Still, it's November 17th, and that my friends is the Great American Smokeout. The one day a year we're all supposed to at least try I guess. So this is me trying.

According to Cancer.org :


Withdrawal symptoms can include any of the following:

• Dizziness (which may only last 1 to 2 days after quitting)
• Depression
• Feelings of frustration, impatience, and anger
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Sleep disturbances, including having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and having bad dreams or even nightmares
• Trouble concentrating
• Restlessness or boredom
• Headaches
• Tiredness
• Increased appetite
• Weight gain
• Constipation and gas
• Cough, dry mouth, sore throat, and nasal drip
• Chest tightness
• Slower heart rate
•  

I apologize in advance. I'm going to get stressed out, snappy, weepy, and generally not be someone you want to be around while I try to quit. I hope that you can understand.



And for those of you wondering, this is why I want to quit.

This little girl is very important to me. I'd like to be here with her as long as possible.





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Mommy Needs Her Quiet Time!

Note: If you don't like spoilers (Bones and Once Upon A Time), you probably don't want to read this post!

Most parents can attest to the fact that once you have children you rarely have any quiet time. If you are lucky you might get some peace while the little ones are sleeping. There does seem to be a little trick with this however. If you are doing anything you'd rather put off until later (dishes, laundry, cleaning of any kind) the children will most likely continue to sleep peacefully. The second you attempt to do something enjoyable the demon spawn will awaken. It's as if all children are wired to destroy anything you like to do that doesn't involve them.

I've mentioned before my thoughts on children watching television, and I still say that in moderation there isn't anything wrong with it. Unfortunately in my house I don't even get that much. As long as my daughter is awake PBS is the only channel allowed on. Amazing though it may sound I am just not that interested in watching Sesame Street. I used to watch quite a few shows, but now I am lucky to keep up with the two I like.

Bones is my greatest current obsession. I had never seen it until I was pregnant with Baby Girl and I couldn't watch it during my pregnancy because the "blood and gore" would make me nauseous. After she was born I got into it big time. I was watching all the reruns on TV and eventually started buying the DVDs. The 7th season just started up a couple weeks ago, and I am thrilled.

I'm really hoping that they manage to avoid the so-called Moonlighting curse. As of right now it looks like they are still managing to keep the characters beautifully in character even with the addition of "I love you"s and a baby on the way. Watching Angela and Hodgins with their baby is adorable, and I swear it's not because I'm a victim of baby fever.

I'm curious to see where they go with this new squintern Cam hired. I think the deep 'southern boy' thing is a bit much for me but who knows. I may grow to love it. If they flesh out his character as well as they've done with all the others I'm definitely not ruling it out as a possibility.

Once Upon A Time is pretty darn new with only four episodes out so far. I'm not sure why I tuned it that first night. Usually I don't get into shows until they've been out for years and people are hounding me to watch it. I've still never seen Lost. I really think this show has potential, I just hope they do it right.

I didn't know anything about the show at first let alone who was in it. I was surprised to see Jennifer Morrison in there as a pivotal character. I guess I shouldn't have been but after seeing her on House for so long that was the only character I could associate her with. She's a much better actress than I gave her credit for, and I actually really like her in that role. Most of the characters fit extremely well their casting department nailed it.

I've been told the way they are telling the story is much like Lost did (not that I would know what that means). I think they do a great job of blending flashbacks with what is currently going on, and that's probably the main reason I keep watching. I just have to know! What did Snow White do to ruin the Witch's life? Who are some of these people and what are their stories?

I really like what they did in last night's episode. That sneaky Rumpelstiltskin off killing fairy godmothers! What a jerk! I was a little sad that it veered so far away from Snow White, but I understand that's just the way it is. Only so much time for storytelling!

Speaking of Snow I have to wonder where all her spunk went. In the flashbacks she's so much more a take-charge kind of girl, what with robbing the prince and all. So why now is she such a meek shell of a character? I'm assuming there is some story here to explain it, so much hasn't been told yet. I will be waiting (im)patiently.



What is your current TV obsession?

Secret Santa

I'm really excited about the holidays this year! I even decided to partake in a Secret Santa hosted by Wife of a Sailor. I just got the name and information for the person I'm giving a gift to. I don't want to post who it is here, but I will after the gift is mailed out and received.

It's been a long time since I've done a Secret Santa. It's a lot of fun and in this type of environment it helps you to meet more people. I'm really surprised how many ladies I've gotten to know through blogging, and hopefully it continues. The blogging community is much, much larger than I really expected. Or maybe I never really thought about it. At any rate, I'm really glad I decided to get into this.


Anyone else doing a Secret Santa this year?



In other news, baby girl is teething. Bad. I thought it was just one molar coming in, but on closer inspection it looks like four new molars are breaking through. I feel so bad for her, I can only imagine how painful/uncomfortable it must be. On the bright side it gives me some insight as to why she's been such a terror lately. Hopefully these new pearly whites will finish growing in soon and then she'll be back to her cheerful little self.

This morning we went to breakfast and she was horrible. She's definitely got a healthy set of lungs, that's for sure. I'm pretty sure I'm partially deaf in my left ear now. Perks of motherhood, right?

Bullies already?

Baby Girl is only 16 months old. I really didn't think I was going to have to deal with bullies this young. Oh, I'm sure I'm blowing this all out of proportion (or that some people will think so) but I have to wonder if this is how it all starts.

It's Veterans Day, and my sailor is at work on his ship so it's a Mommy-Daughter day. I was thinking of taking Baby Girl to the Children's Museum, but with the holiday I expected it to be pretty packed. I love that place and we have a membership so we go pretty often. The best time is, of course, when everyone else is at school or work. Today would have been a nightmare. I did want to take her somewhere though, and finally decided to take her to the Bounce House.

We've been there before too, and Baby Girl has always enjoyed it. I figured we could go and if it got too crowded we would just leave. I don't think we've ever lasted longer than one hour anyway, it is pretty exhausting. They have a toddler area set up with toys and things for the little kids, as well as one inflatable that is only for the little kids.

We were there for about 20 minutes when it started to get pretty crowded. Most of the parents were dropping their kids off and just hanging out at a table with each other. The majority of the kids were running around with little to no supervision. Fine. You parent how you want, I'll parent how I want. I'll admit it, right now I tend to hover over Baby Girl. This is as much for her safety as those around her. She doesn't have much interaction with other kids (as I've mentioned in previous posts) so I keep an eye on her. I want to make sure she learns to play fairly, share, and be kind. I also need to make sure she isn't picking random things up off the ground and shoving them in her mouth. This still happens occasionally.

Baby Girl gets very excited when she sees other kids and wants to follow them and do what they do. So when she saw two little girls and a little boy head into the inflatable in the toddler section, she followed. She was climbing up the ramp right after the little boy when he turned around and pushed her. I told him that wasn't nice, she wanted to play too. He went into the inflatable and a few moments later Baby Girl followed.

The children were older than Baby Girl but not much too much. They were maybe three years old. They were all bouncing when my daughter went in and she stood up and started laughing, getting all excited. The little boy walked over from the far side of the inflatable and pushed her down. When she started to cry he continued to push her towards the entrance. I told him to stop pushing her, and that she could play in there if she wanted to. He gave me a dirty look and said "Let's go" to the girls. The little boy left the ride, followed by his groupies. I looked around and no parents came forward. No one approached the boy and reprimanded him for pushing a baby around. The whole thing made me so angry.

Look, I'm not stupid. Things like this happen, and are going to happen to my own kids. Hell, my own kids might push another kid. You can bet your ass though they'll get an earful and be properly punished. The little boy who pushed my daughter annoyed me, but the parents who weren't there pissed me off. Sure, maybe they have an excuse this time. Maybe mom or dad had to go to the bathroom and missed the whole thing. But I have to wonder if this boy's attitude is telling of his upbringing.

Have his parents not taught him how to treat other children? Or is he just a difficult child who is disobeying their teachings?

As a society we are starting to see how dangerous bullying can be. There are organizations like StopBullying.gov, It Get Better Project and sites directed at children to help them understand bullying. There's a lot out there. Most of it is directed at children who are school age. What about before they get to school?

It starts with the parents. I believe it is our responsibility to teach our children how to properly treat others. Yes, I know some children have problems or other issues that may lead them to bully. I'm not talking about kids who are dealing with tragedy or problems at home. I'm not talking about children who really need therapy of some sort. Most children are going to go through periods of hitting/biting/toy stealing/etc. If parents (and grandparents, and aunts/uncles/babysitters....) show their children how to behave I think we'll have a lot less problems with bullying as the children grow up.


Anyway, that's my 2 cents on the topic.

Veterans Day 2011

Happy Veteran's Day! For those of you interested, you can learn about the history of this holiday. Don't forget to thank a veteran today.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #64

 

1. Freedom is expected, taken for granted... So many people just expect to be handed freedom, they don't think about what it costs.


2. Veterans are people too. While it's nice that many businesses will do specials or discounts for them on this day, it's also worthless. What many veterans need are jobs.

3. This Country makes me proud and angry all at once. Mostly proud. But I still can't completely shake the anger and shame at some of what goes on here.

4. Veterans Day means being thankful. Understanding what others have given up so they could go fight for your freedom. Listening to an old man's war stories again. Making a veteran feel what they are - a hero.

5. A hero is someone who puts on a brave face and does what must be done. They do this despite the fact that they too are afraid.




Fill-in courtesy of Wife of a Sailor.

What Happened To Thanksgiving?

I love the holidays, I really do. I complain a little about Christmas decorations going up to early, or Christmas music starting up before Thanksgiving, but in the end it doesn't matter. I'm just as excited as the next person. If it wasn't for Thanksgiving I would have my Christmas decorations up already. People still celebrate Thanksgiving, right?

Since Huzzy will be home on Thanksgiving, he decided to invite some people over to the house for the holiday. Awesome! I really have to start cleaning now, but I also have to decorate. Unfortunately it seems that Thanksgiving is already gone from the stores...and it's still two weeks away!

I like seeing the Christmas stuff and getting excited for what's to come. But do they have to get rid of the Thanksgiving stuff so early? There's a couple towels, a pilgrim or turkey here or there, and that's it! So much for decorating this year. Looks like I will have to be happy with what I have.

Do you decorate for Thanksgiving? Where do you get your decorations?



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Somedays The Funniest Person I Know Is My Kid

Baby Girl can be quite a handful. From what I've been told, that can be said about most toddlers her age. No biggie. I'd be lying if sometimes it didn't get to be a bit much. I spend my entire day with her, all day every day. I sometimes wonder if I know how to talk to other adults (are there other adults?). I have gotten frustrated, I have gotten mad. I learned quickly that sometimes you have to walk away, because that small adorable human being you've created is going to slowly drive you insane otherwise. Most of the time I love her but...we all have those moments.

Thanks to Daylight Savings Time, Baby Girl has been having trouble adjusting the last couple of days. Naps and bedtime are a pain in a way that they haven't been in a long time, and she's increasingly cranky throughout the day. Today was no exception.

Even on her cranky days, she manages to do things that leave Huzzy and I laughing no matter what. It doesn't matter what else is going on, somehow she manages to make you laugh.

Sweet Tea


We went to out this morning to do some shopping and stopped at the Mongolian BBQ place we used to frequent pre-baby. This place is absolutely amazing, I just wish we could eat there more often. Baby Girl is a little older now and we decided to test the waters and see how she would do there. I have to admit, she did very well. Towards the end she started to get a little fidgety, as was expected. I started giving her a little of my sweet tea using my straw. I put my finger at the end of the straw so it would hold just a little bit for her, then release it when the straw was far enough in her mouth.

This might seem silly, but Baby Girl has very little sugar in her diet. She only drinks milk and water with few exceptions. She has never had juice. Her favorite foods are spaghetti and green beans, though she is starting to develop a love for "cookies". More on that later.

Anyway, I was giving her little tastes of sweet tea, which she loved. After a few tastes she decided to share with Daddy. Instead of just drinking the tea from the straw, she decided to wait until just the right moment and blow into the straw instead. Luckily for me, the straw was pointing towards someone else...Huzzy. Poor guy was suddenly sprayed with sweet tea and baby spit. Lucky him! I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time. Between her giggling and the look on his face I couldn't control myself. Sweet, precious memories. He of course thinks I pointed the straw towards him on purpose. As if I had any idea she was going to do that! She's never done it before, but then there's a first time for everything I guess.

Nookie?


Baby Girl has been getting better at parroting us. Now is the time to start watching what I say. She says quite a few words now, it's like she's had a verbal explosion in the last week or so. Most of the time she's just copying us though, I doubt she understands what she's saying.

Usually the only "treats" she gets to eat are fruits or raisins, but I'm not completely without heart. Sometimes she gets a cookie. Those Gerber cookies that make me feel slightly less bad because it's not like I'm giving her chocolate chip cookies or anything. When I give them to her I make sure to say "cookie". And bless her little heart she tries to say it too.

Except when my daughter says "cookie" it comes out sounding like "nookie". There's nothing better than her yelling "nookie" in the middle of the grocery store. Mommy fail. I try to get her interested in something else to keep her from saying it in public. I don't need the weird stares from other people wondering what in the hell I'm teaching my daughter.

Huzzy, on the other hand, thinks it is hysterical and will try to get her to say it constantly while we are out. He thrives on my embarrassment. Next time I will be pointing the straw at him on purpose.

Two!


Children are incredibly smart. Or incredible parrots, depending on how you look at it. Baby Girl says letters all the time, though sometimes out of sequence. She can say "A B C D E" in order, but after that it's just a mess. Still, I think that's kind of impressive for a 16 month old. If it isn't, don't correct me. Let me think my kid is special.

We've been trying to get her as interested in numbers as she is with letters. While playing or telling her to sit down in her chair or just about anytime we can, we will count to three. Baby Girl is not really understanding this.

A couple weeks ago we were sitting down for dinner and Baby Girl stood up in her highchair. This is pretty normal here, she does it all the time if we forget to strap her in. We tell her to sit down and sometimes she complies. On this occassion she did not. Huzzy started the old I'm-going-to-give-you-to-the-count-of-three routine.

He started: "One...."

She answered: "Two..."

I left the table. I had to, I couldn't stop laughing. How do you discipline this kid?

So "two" has become a pretty favorite word. She won't say one or three, but she will say two all the time. At dinner last night we tried working on her counting again. Huzzy kept saying "one" and holding up one finger. She wouldn't say it. So I started copying Huzzy. I figured if she saw us both doing it she would play along. Instead she grabbed my index finger with one greasy little hand, and Huzzy's index finger with her other greasy little hand and said

"TWO".

 She's tricky this kid.




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