I know I’ve been super quiet lately. Sometimes life just needs you to slow down for a minute and live. My beautiful babies are getting way to big already. The other day I was giving Little Bug a bottle and she pushed my hands out of the way to hold it herself! She’s only three months, where has the time gone? We are getting her baby pictures done very soon, with the same wonderful lady who did Blue Eye’s photos. Michaela Stewart Photography is a wonderful photographer. And with little bug starting to roll places, we needed to get her pictures soon! I can’t wait to see what we come up with.
In other news I got a B on my first paper!! This is one of the toughest teachers I’ve ever seen in my life. He grades as if you were trying to get into UCLA Berkley. Which he reminds us over and over that some of his students have. I’m not trying to get into a University. I’m a mom of two that wants her associates so that I am never the excuse of why my children don’t go to college. Moms always want better for their kids then themselves right? Well, I’m no acceptation, I want my babies to go to college, even if I’m happy with just my cosmetology license or with being a stay at home wife. đŸ™‚
I’m starting to think my son is more like me than I originally thought. He’s not even two and he has managed to scar underneath his eyebrow and another under his lip. Well, last night he managed to take of running and fall into his sippy cup. He busted his chin open and now he has a golf ball sized lump on his chin. It’s so sad, but my little daredevil will be okay.
Hubby is doing good. We’re coming up on PRT season. I say we, because our whole life changes for a couple weeks. We eat healthier, we exercise, and hubby watches what he’s doing so that he makes sure he’s okay with his prt. I don’t mind, in fact, I wish we ate healthier all the time. I do enjoy when we can go for walks in the evenings. I’m sure you military wives can relate to some extent!
I also have my first craft booth! I’m excited to see how it goes. Wish me luck. And if you don’t see me on here for a day or two, I’m getting ready!
-MB
Soaring…. Flying…..
Okay, believe me as a mom, this is one of the scariest sights in the world. While editing this picture though, I can’t help but notice the sheer joy and trust in my son’s face. This is one of those moments when mommy closes her eyes and prays, and lets the boys play.
Flying Baby….
It’s a very rare quiet moment in our house. Blue Eyes is asleep, Little bug is content in her swing, and even hubby is out cold. The pups are out on a walk with BIL and I have a few minutes in the living room to myself. I was asleep. When little bug and I went to eat, we fell asleep on the bed, but hubby woke us up. So I get the house to myself for a few short minutes. I feel sleep deprived, but not exhausted like I was with Blue Eyes.
As I’m sitting here to write, there are a million things calling my name. I have laundry that needs done. Somehow little bug puked on every single swaddling blanket we have. There are still dishes in the sink, which I have been putting off doing all day. I have toys all over the living room, and I don’t even walk into the area I consider hubby’s. His pool table made it into the house one day and that room has been his ever since. But in all the chaos, and unfinished work I feel a few small minutes of peace. Those short moments definitely keep you going.
I downloaded a new picture editor. It’s supposed to be really good, but I haven’t quite figured it out yet. So I’ll stick to my old one for the time being. While my family was here, we all went swimming at the neighbors. Okay, they went swimming I held little bug and took pictures of everyone. My little boy is fearless! I mean absolutely not a hint of acknowledgement that he doesn’t know how to swim. He trusts daddy to catch him when he jumps. It’s great for when he does learn to swim, but we missed the lessons by a few days for bug’s birth. I’m hoping there will be some more classes later this summer because I dread him having an accident. Daddy was super good about being right there, but my crazy kid wanted to go down the big boy water slide, and get tossed in the air, and all of those other things moms sit there and pray for. We have a floaty for him, but the day the pictures were taken, my little niece used it.
Little Bug is crying yet again…. she can’t possibly be hungry when I’ve fed her twice in the last hour. I know she’s not dirty, yep changed two of those diapers. Blue Eyes isn’t messing with her, he’s down for a nap (after fighting it for an hour). What on earth can Little Bug be crying about? Absolutely nothing. She’s a baby, that’s what babies do. She’ll be okay in a second when she realizes the swing is on. And as crazy as it is, she wants to be swaddled in 106 degree weather. Well we try to keep the house at 75, but still that’s hot!
I’m exhausted. Don’t worry I won’t get blunt here, but do you have any idea how hard recovery really is? You spend hours in a hospital having a baby, and a day or two after depending on how healthy mommy and baby are. The nurses were amazing and even took little bug once or twice so I could get a little sleep, but coming home… coming home is the real challenge. The first day or two you feel like your body got ran over by a truck, or maybe like you pulled every sensitive muscle in your body. No, you definitely feel like hell froze over. You still have to feed your little one every two/three hours. And it’s sensitive! Sometimes just the cloth from your clothing is enough to make you cringe. I was definitely not prepared for that with Blue Eyes, and no matter how hard you try, you forget some of it until the next little one is here. Being on demand is hard work. You have to try to come up with ways to entertain blue eyes, all while trying to keep little bug from screaming from impatience.
Thankfully Blue Eyes has discovered the wonderful world of Cars. He’s so cute. He brings me the movie case and makes the “vroom vroom” sound so I’ll let him watch it. Don’t get me wrong, that child knows more words than I’ve heard, he’s just selective about when he uses them. I will say this, Blue Eyes is super amazing when it comes to Little Bug. He looks at her and giggles. Tries to hold her and share his blankets. The only time we really have problems is days like today, where he’s a little sick and just wants to be held. Then you have to try to get him to lay across your lap so that you can also hold little bug.
Hubby has been around a lot because of baby leave. We weren’t sure he would get to use it, but 10 days of leave has been a grateful welcome to me. He’s still had to go in to work three/four days, in dress uniform to top it off! But considering it was to make sure his officer’s package was submitted, so we’ll take it. It usually takes an average of two or three submissions to get picked up (accepted) so we know it’s a long shot, but we can still dream. Last year his command royally messed up and didn’t submit a single person’s package. This year the NEW CO has talked to every single applicant to make sure that doesn’t happen again. So we have one year submitted! Well anyways, hubby’s leave will take him right up to the 4th of July. I have never understood why the military doesn’t have that day off. It is after all the celebration of our country… At least he can spend the evening with us!
As I suspected, Little Bug is out cold now. So while there is a few minutes of peace and quite I’m going to try to get some chores done.
-MB
My wonderful Blue Eyes adores his baby sister. That’s not to say I don’t have to watch him, on the contrary, I have to watch him even closer for that reason. More than once we have caught him trying to unswaddle our little bug and pick her up by the diaper. Or else we catch him trying to share his blanket and completely covering her face. Or his version of hugs is to roll on top of her head. I’m happy to see that he really loves his sister, but oh lord do we have our hands full.
Now that Bug is a week old, I still sit there in shock that we have two kids. It sees like just yesterday we found out about Blue Eyes. Now there are two…. My body definitely believes it, even if my head doesn’t. Recovery seems a little easier with Bug than it was for Blue Eyes. At the same time, my stomach hasn’t thinned out as fast as it did the first time. I feel better though. This time I know we are done with kids. Well at least for the next couple of years. So if I want to work out and lose some weight, it’s not a hopeless battle. Hubby even brought me some beautiful orange lilies. Okay, maybe they aren’t lilies, but I really have no idea what they are, but they are beautiful. They make me happy. I don’t like the color orange, but I love it when it comes to flowers. All of my hate towards the color orange melts and I love the beautiful color it leaves for flowers.
Flowers from my hubby
Daddy bought Blue Eyes a little pool this week. Oh my goodness, he turned purple playing outside and cried forever when we made him come in. I was amazed at the water features of the little pools. There is a flower that sprays over the surface and a little entry way that he can walk under and get drenched. The puppies walked in circles around it trying to figure out if it was okay for them to get wet. I have a feeling one of these days we will have several puppies in there playing with Blue Eyes.
Blue Eyes playing in his new Kiddie Pool
I received a request the other day from a fellow blogger. She was wondering if I’d be interested in hosting a blog post from her as a fellow blogger and a future Life and Career Counselor. After reading her potential blog, I was impressed by her research to help Military members finding new careers in their life after the Military. She doesn’t just focus on the Military member, which many people do. She also provided sites that will help Military spouses in a new career. I have found several of these were things I faced when I was first out of the military and trying to find a job. One of the things I personally found hard, was translating my military skills into something that the civilian world would appreciate. These are a few of the sites I found to help my process: Military.com and Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
The Next Step After Your Military Career: Transitioning Into Civilian Life
Guest Blogger: Smile as it Happens
Life in the military was structured and planned. Now that you’re transitioning into the non-military life, you may have doubts about finding a great job and adjusting to life as a civilian. Rest assured that you will be able to find employment because there are many services and programs available to veterans and their families. The first step is overcoming certain misconceptions about finding a job, and I’m here to debunk some of the most common myths associated with job hunting. With effort and determination, you can find your dream civilian job, and it won’t be as frustrating or overwhelming as you might think.
Myth #1: There might be many resources for active service people and veterans, but there aren’t any programs for my spouse.
Truth: Actually, your spouse will find the help he or she needs with programs specifically geared towards military spouses. While it’s true that you have many options as a veteran, your spouse can benefit from organizations tailored to his or her needs. The Military Spouse Partnership program, for example, offers comprehensive career advice including resume help, interview tips and more.
Myth #2: It’s too hard and takes too long to find a job.
Truth: For the last few years, the worldwide economy has been making its way back up, and while there are still some industries on the mend, many companies have been steadily hiring new talent. Many top companies have streamlined their application process so that you can apply online through job boards and other databases. Some have turned to platforms like JIBE, a mobile recruiting company which allow users to upload resumes and important documents directly from their smartphones to the company’s site.
Myth #3: Companies only hire those with consistent work history, and my time in the military will prevent me from getting a job.
Truth: Companies are looking for people with solid work histories and the ability to show up regularly for work, but that doesn’t preclude you from getting a job. In fact, your service as a veteran places you at the front of many resume stacks. Why is this? Federal rules and regulations affect a company’s hiring process as much as anything else, and veterans are often given preference. If you have a service-related injury or have served during certain time periods, then you may receive further consideration. Your military career is a benefit rather than a hindrance to finding great employment.
Myth #4: Only the people who apply for the most jobs actually get hired.
Truth: This has never been true because companies aren’t looking for volume: They’re looking for talent. One strong, well-crafted resume will beat out hundreds of hastily put-together ones. If you take the time to ensure that your resume highlights your skills and attributes and then submit it to companies specifically looking for those traits, then you’ll find a job more easily than someone who simply applies at random to dozens of different jobs. As a veteran, you have a lot to offer employers, and they’re looking for you. It only takes a few good resumes to the right types of companies to find a good job doing what you love.
About the Author:
Emma is a mid 20-something year old with a passion for life, love, fitness, and helping others. She loves to be active and get involved in as many sport and community activities as possible. Emma is currently studying to become a Career & Life Coach, and loves to network with people from around the world! Check out Emma’s blog at http://smileasithappens.blogspot.com/!
baby’s cowboy hat
The first part of my test didn’t go so well. I hadn’t been taught a couple of the things you needed to know, so I just stayed as clean as possible and winged it. Like I had no idea we would be nowhere near our table, so you need an extension cord. Otherwise your curling iron will come unplugged. Mine did twice. I never did finish the curl section. Everything else was super timed although the timer would go off at random times and you were never sure if you were supposed to stop or not. Half of the girls just kept working through all the timers. It was a little strange. Hopefully they all passed. About half way through we got a break. By this time I was having minor contractions and my feet were really swollen. My friend that had gone up with me was asking how I was doing and the other girls looked at me in shock because I’m due any day now. I feel like I look huge, but apparently it’s not as bad as I thought.
Apparently State Board doesn’t communicate really well, because the test lady never found out till we all walked back in from break. She asked me to please not go into labor and we’d be okay. :0) The second half went way way better. I grabbed a quick lunch with my hubby and blue eyes before going back to take my written. I sat down and the first four questions were on one of my biggest weaknesses. I answered as best as I could and marked the ones I didn’t know. A half an hour into the test, I had been through almost all of the questions and I was starting to second guess the ones I already had answered. So I took a best guess, prayed, and hit submit. Thank goodness they only made us wait about a half an hour until the results were ready. My friend was the first one called and we were super excited it was a pass! My name was second and I got nervous when she had me sign paperwork before telling me I passed. We had a nice drive home and I had contractions every evening since.
So for the last couple of days we’ve been getting the house clean, fixing up some older projects, and I’ve been crocheting a lot. I feel like I’m actually starting to get decent at crocheting now. I’ve been hesitant to post new projects because although I follow patterns, I tweak them so much they aren’t the original anymore. So do I share with you all the original, or my pattern? And if I do share with you my patterns, will you understand them? So I think for this time I’ll just post the picture and if you like it you can shoot me a comment.
project I completed for a lovely lady with a little boy.
Blue Eyes put blankie in the dogs water again. When mommy took blankie to put it in the washer, it was so sad to see the reaction. He screamed the whole way to the washer, and from there I decided to capture the results.
And so the blankie meltdown begins
The realization that blankie cannot leave the washer
Look how sad that face is
The tears begin
And here’s the full fledged tantrum
Blankie is all clean!
Blue Eyes feeling sick
My big test is on Tuesday and thankfully one of my friends is going to be up there with me! I’m so excited that we should be licensed by the end of the Tuesday! I’ve been going back through taking practice tests over and over so that I feel ready again. My friends that have already passed say I should be good, but you’re always going to worry about something that you really want. I also need to go back through my kit and make sure I have absolutely everything I can possibly need. I also need to try to find a black shirt that will fit for one day. I am NOT buying a overly large shirt for one day. And then it’s test time! As soon as they say pass, I’m okay with this baby arriving. I’m sure everyone else is ready too. I remember when I got to this point with Blue Eyes, I seemed to cry over everything and I was so uncomfortable that I’m sure I made everyone else miserable. :0) We’re at the final countdown though. I’m down to 16 days. It seems so near if you look at the number, but when you wake up to waddle to the bathroom every night, it feels like forever. I can’t wait to reach my toes again, or be able to get down on the floor with Blue Eyes. I can’t wait to be able to put the kids in the stroller and take all of our pups to the park again. Poor dogs, they get exercise but not like they used to. On the nice side, I have had a lot of hobby time since I can’t move around too much. I also get to spend way too much time on pintrest. Oh my goodness are there some hilarious pins about pregnancy! It’s entertaining if nothing else.
Military Bride 