Look Who's Back!

 

Well, hello there! My intent to keep up with the blog was thwarted by homecoming readiness activities. You know things like, finding the perfect dress, making signs, and freaking out over every little detail.

It was perfect. I don't know why I freaked out. Having my sailor back in my arms made everything else obsolete.

I could not have asked for a better homecoming. Liam running up to his Daddy and squeezing his leg was the best ending to deployment. I was so worried about how he'd react to having Daddy back. Again I stressed for nothing. They picked right back up where they left off. Only now Liam is talking in full sentences and no longer needs most of the assistance he did when Pablo left.

I have to give a huge shout out to my photographer, Holly of Shutterly {Sweet} Photography. She captured our homecoming moments perfectly. All of the emotions and love of our day can be seen in her photography!

Now that I'm not sending out care packages every month and now that I'm not absorbed in being the sole caregiver to a two year old, I'm going to try and keep up with the blog once again.

Although, we are getting ready to move to a bigger place (with a backyard!!) and that may keep me from posting on a weekly basis. We'll be sifting through boxes and unpacking, but my plan is to try and post at least once a week after we're settled in. I'll warn you now - these may not be the greatest posts you have ever read, but I will at least be posting something.

Thanks for sticking around, friends! 

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3 Weeks Down: Surgery, Preschool and homeschooling.

We have reached the 3 weeks mark! We are almost to a month and I have to say that I feel like time is clipping along quite nicely. I'm hoping it stays that way!

My awesome new car decal!

My husband received his first care package along with some cards and stuff that my parents mailed him! He loved the package and said he's enjoying the snacks!

Our map showing where Daddy visits!

This past week I had to have a spinal block done to try and alleviate my sciatica. I have Lumbar Spinal Stenosis and my sciatica has been constant for about a month now. The block still has not kicked in, so I've been trying to take it easy.  If I can't get relief from the block then the doctor is talking about doing surgery! I'm trying to avoid that at all costs! Surgery is definitely not something I was planning on this deployment!

During this down time I've had a chance to think about Liam turning two! It's only 3 months away!  My husband and I were thinking about sending him to Preschool when he hit the 2 year mark, but our budget is not at the point where we could easily do that this year.  So, after I started thinking about it, it hit me! Why not just have Preschool at home with him? I mean my philosophy is mostly made up of the belief that children learn through doing and playing! Liam gets lots of interaction with other kids thanks to play dates, my moms' group and church, so I wasn't worried about that.It's not like preschool is foreign to me...during college and right after I graduated I taught preschool. I even created and taught a Spanish program for preschoolers at the school I was at.

My dapper almost 2 year old!

Now to decide on a teaching method!  I learned all about them in college, but it has been a while. Off I went to the internet to do some research.  If we were going to send Liam to preschool the Montessori schools in the area are on the top of my list. So, I started reading up on Maria Montessori and also looking at comparisons of preschool programs. That's when I stumbled upon the Steiner Method, also known as a Waldorf Education. I really liked the idea behind it. It wasn't really child centered, but more of a child involved way of life! I felt like it went right along with my ideals. There are aspects of both Montessori and Waldorf education that I love. I knew for sure that I was not going to do strictly one or the other...more like a little of both.  I then started looking for a curriculum, but just could not find one that was exactly what I wanted and not a lot of money.

After thinking about it long and hard I decided to write my own! I knew that the basis for what I want to teach Liam was going to be everyday life and lots of free play! I also loved that a Waldorf education is based on the seasons and festivals. Keeping those things in mind and our love of books I came up with a simple Waldorf Inspired preschool learning guide! 

I am so excited to share it with you all in my next post. It still needs a bit of tweaking and I'm trying to create a Pinterest board to go along with it. That way all the resources are in one place, if you choose to follow along! We'll be starting "Preschool" the second week of September after we return from a trip home. 

If you would like to learn more about the Montessori method and the Waldorf method check out Global Mama's series Hunting For A Preschool! She gives an excellent break down of the methods and their critiques. Who knows maybe you'd prefer the Reggio Emilia method or the Charlotte Mason approach!  

 

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2 weeks down: Care Package #1, International calling and France!!!

We hit 2 weeks down on Sunday! Woohoo!

Ever since my husband left I feel like all I've done is go from one doctor's appointment to another! Some days there were 2 in a row! After today I will be down to just a couple this month! Shew! Today I had an outpatient spinal block to try and calm my sciatica and hold off on back surgery. It went well and I'm praying it will last until my sailor returns! Surgery while he's gone is not something I look forward too! Lol 

Speaking of my sailor! We got to Skype with him today while he was in FRANCE! His ship is in port for a little bit before heading back out to sea. He found free wifi in town and we got to Skype. The connection was poor, but I loved getting to hear his voice and see his blurry face!!! 

This deployment my husband invested in an international SIM Card for his cellphone. It is pre-paid and he can add minutes as needed. It has already paid for itself! My husband was able to use it on the ship when they pulled in. The convenience of using his own phone is so helpful! He doesn't have to wait in line at a phone bank or wait to Skype in order to contact us. I absolutely love it!  

The company we bought ours through is Telestial. My husband picked the Passport SIM Card. Keep in mind that your phone has to be unlocked and that texts, pictures and data cost extra. You can also buy an unlocked phone and SIM card on the Telestial site. I highly recommend this for deployments! It is cheaper than the international plans through cellphone providers and so convenient! 

Oh and I almost forgot we got our first care package sent out! I sent a smaller one this time with not a whole lot in it. The main reason for that is that he stocked up on stuff before he left and has only been gone a short time. The space on the ship is limited when it comes to storage. I'm sure later on he will be making requests for things he's ran out of! So, here is our first care package....snacks, k-cups, PC Gamer magazine, a laundry bag (that he forgot), a USB stick with pics and videos on it, cold medicine and a glasses cleaning cloth! I also added a jewelry box with three pennies I found on the ground the day he had to report to the ship. I'm not superstitious or anything, but I thought it would be cute to send them to him for good luck. ;) I also included a little baggy full of sauces (BBQ, Soy, Honey mustard) for him to liven up the bland ship food and a tub of Chick-fil-A Sauce too!

As far as how I decorated my box goes... I just used Chevron duck tape and scrapbook paper for the flaps. The stickers are scrapbook stickers, as well! I bought a big book of different colors of scrapbook paper to use to decorate my care packages this deployment. I just tape it on and then add decorations. Super simple! My husband informed me that the boxes just get trashed, so I don't go too overboard and I make sure pictures are easy to remove, so he can keep those and trash the rest. I hope that helps! :)


I hope the rest of our days, weeks, months pass as quickly as these last two! Until next time!! 

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One week down!

Oh... Hello, There!

Yes, I remember I have a blog. I was just soaking up all the time I could with my sailor!

Photo Credit: Shutterly {Sweet} Photography

Photo credit: Shutterly {Sweet} Photography

And would you look at the calendar... It's been a week since I had to say see ya later to my handsome husband! The following day we watched the ship sail out from the Chesapeake Bay and onto the Ocean.

 

Liam and I are still trying to get into a routine of our own, but the week went by surprisingly fast. I think the first week is one of the hardest.  I just tried to stay busy and work on a schedule for us. I have also started putting together the first care package.  I've already booked our homecoming photographer too! From what I hear finding a photographer for homecoming is already starting to be a challenge and we just got started! Ha! 

So, for those of you dealing with a deployment or facing one soon I thought I'd share the link to my care package idea board on Pinterest! You can find it here. There are LOTS of great ideas on there. I'm going to try and post my monthly care package, as well. :) 

Another idea I came across on Pinterest to countdown deployment can be found here.  You take a photo each month with a chalkboard wall that says what you did that month complete with drawings, etc. Since we rent I knew I couldn't do a chalkboard wall. So, off I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond. I found a dry erase wall decal that is perfect! You can find it here.

 I can't wait to share our photo each month with my husband (and you guys too)! 

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Vacation Time!

I just wanted to let you guys know that I will not be posting for a week or two. My husband is on leave and we are heading to California for a week. I am just trying to soak up all the time I have with him before he leaves for Deployment!

I hope you guys all have a wonderful 4th of July and we'll be back before you know it! :D

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An Enjoyable Screen Free Week!

I was MIA for a very good reason this past week! Liam and I participated in screen free week. Liam went 100% screen free, which did not take much effort since he hardly ever watches anything. I reduced my screen time. I mostly cut back on my social media time. I have to say it was refreshing and I learned that I can do without. :)

This week just happened to coincide with our "back to the past" trip. We took a 2 day mini-vacation as a family to Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg.  I don't think any of the settlers had smartphones, so it was nice to play along. I did take lots of pictures though.

If you'd like to learn more about Jamestown here is a great resource with info about visiting, as well.  You can also learn about Williamsburg and plan your visit here.

Our first day it rained off and on the whole time we were at the Jamestown Settlement. We still went out and saw the fort, Powhatan village and the ship even though it was rainy. Lucky for us there was a huge museum that we dried off in afterwards. The museum and all the "living" history parts are included in your ticket, so it was a full days worth of exploring.

We ate at one of our favorite restaurants in Williamsburg, Food For Thought. The food is amazing and the tables have fun conversation cards on them. The below picture is great, because we had our picture taken in the exact same spot when I was pregnant with Liam.

 Our second day in the area we walked and enjoyed the sights of Colonial Williamsburg. We didn't buy passes like we normally do, because we thought Liam is a little young to appreciate all the history. He loved seeing the animals and running free, but I don't think he would have had fun going in and out of the buildings.

 Before heading home Liam got to try his first taste of Baskin-Robbins ice cream. Needless to say he LOVED it! We had a wonderful little getaway and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to do it. Planning things in the military can be very frustrating, so I'm grateful for any time we get together as a family!

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April- The Month of the Military Child

April is the Month of the Military Child. This month Military Children are celebrated and honored for all they sacrifice.  All 1.8 million of them! It may not seem like it, but a member of the military is not the only one who gives up a part of their lives for our country. Spouses and children give up so much too.

Liam is so young that he does not seem to be affected by the constant in and out of his Dad. He does seem to wake up more during the night and has a harder time going to bed when his Dad is out to sea. I know if he were older it would be a lot worse.  Older children are much more aware that their father is not home. They can never quite settle into a routine at home with the crazy schedule that some ships keep. They're in for a week or two and out for a month, then home for a month and out for a week. Children need consistency and the Navy does not provide that. They never know what to expect. It's hard. On them and on all the spouses holding down the fort.

 I'm not looking forward to this upcoming deployment. We have not done a deployment with a child yet. That does not mean Pablo has not been away. He's been in and out a lot since Liam was about 6 months old. He missed Liam's first time crawling and his first steps. I think that at this age the separation is harder for Pablo than it is for Liam. Liam is blissfully unaware that Pablo is missing so much of his early years. Don't get me wrong. When Pablo comes home Liam runs as fast as he can into his Daddy's arms. He missed him, he just didn't realize it. ;)

All of the separation, the unknown and the constant change of Military life makes Military Children resilient, flexible and strong. They can grow wherever they are planted. I could not have put it better than this 11 year old Military Child. This is beautiful. It brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my face.

 "My family and I got your back." And we do! This little one too!

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Our Weekend in Review 3/23

This weekend we got to spend Saturday with Daddy. We had a lazy Saturday morning and then headed out to the free zoo, also known as PetSmart. Liam was in heaven! He could not stop saying "doggie" and "gato". He could have spent hours watching the cats in the adoption center. It was so sweet to see the look of awe and wonder on his adorable little face. 

 After PetSmart I just had to stop by Target. hehe! Liam got a new ball and since it was so nice out we tested it out when we got back home.

Sunday my husband had duty, so it was off to work for him. And off to church for me and Liam. Here he is in his Sunday best. ;)

When we got out of church it was sleeting and down right nasty.  This picture is of the ice on my windshield and the blossoming Dogwood Tree that was in front of my car. Oh, the irony. It even snowed later on that night.

 And here's a picture of me from Saturday. I take way too many pictures of Liam and not enough of myself. I usually hide from the camera, but how will Liam every know what I looked like when he was little if I don't step out in front of the lens sometimes. Yes, that is Liam's hat on my head. I may have to borrow his style.  :)

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