Deployments are hard on everyone.  The soldier is away from home, away from all of the people and the things that he loves.  A wife has to adapt to being on her own.  Just so you know, anything and everything that can go wrong or break will when your husband is away.  It’s like a test to make sure you are cut out to be an Army Wife.  The kids miss their daddy and sometimes they are just too young to understand anything other than daddy is at work and he is going to be at work for a really long time.  Hard does not equal impossible.  You just have to adapt, or as I say “suck it up and move on”.  Finding things to do to fill up the time is one of the best words of advise that I could give anyone facing a deployment.  When you are busy you don’t have idle time to sit and think and worry.  Time won’t be a luxury for me so hopefully that means that this next year will fly by.  One of the things that I chosen to work on is a 365 project.

What is a 365 project?  It’s taking a picture every day for 365 days, that simple.

This gives me something to focus on.  It gets me to pick up my camera everyday and to be creative.  It will be fun for the kids, or at least Riley, to take a picture for daddy.  And Marty gets to see every single day what we are doing, how the kids are growing and learning, everything from the mundane to the extraordinary.  He may or may not have the ability to see the pictures every day but we will figure that out as we go along.  If he can’t see them on the blog or have access to email we will send them to him and besides, you know we’ll be sending him a box of peanut butter every month anyway.  I wonder, do they even have peanut butter in Afghanistan?

We only have weeks left, yes weeks, but still enough that I can’t count them on just one hand, before Marty will deploy and I want to be able to capture the kids, with their daddy.  I want the memories documents for me and for them.  Pictures that we can look back on over the next year.  Pictures that the kids can see and hold and know that their daddy misses them and loves them.  So I am starting early.  It may end up being longer than 365 days but that’s okay right?  So starting tomorrow Operation: 365 will commence.  I do have 2 kids and I am soon to be a single mom so pictures may not actually be posted daily all of the time.  I will when I can, when the kids let me.  Other times they will be posted, in a group.  One way or another they get out there, they will be posted, and we can bore you with our ordinary lives.  Maybe I will even throw in a video here and there.  At least I know that all of the grandparents are going to enjoy this.



My favorite right now…

My favorite ever…

There is nothing better than being woke up at 6am to a crying 2 year old who wet the bed, to find that your dog pooped in your bathroom and peed in your hallway. Add in that you found the pee in the hallway by stepping in and you have the making of a wonderful day! To say I am not a morning person is a drastic understatement. Surprisingly, even though I only got 5 hours of sleep last night, I am not in too bad of a mood. Last night was the first night I put Riley to bed with out a Pull Up on so I expected that she would have an accident at some point but Harley, she is in the dog house.

I have this great little application on my iPhone called Sleep Cycle.  They call this a bio-alarm clock.  You set your alarm and put your phone on your bed.  It monitors your sleep cycles by your movement.  You set your alarm by a 30 minute increment and the alarm will sound when you are in your lightest phase of sleep.    You can also go back and see a report of your sleep cycle so you can see how much time your spend in the different phases of sleep and how much sleep you actually got.  The alarm is a soothing natural sound that gradually gets louder until you turn ir off.  It’s a pretty cool little app and I have to say that it is much better than waking up to a screeching alarm clock every morning.  I don’t hit the snooze button 50 times and I feel more rested when I wake up.  To my point, I checked my phone and it appears that Riley woke me up when I was in a lighter phase  and hence I am not a crazy unmorning person this morning.

So after a load of laundry and some preliminary clean up, I will bust out the carpet cleaning after Gavin wakes up, I thought it was time for a little fun and would give myself a Modelquin Makeover and Super Mold myself.   I am really digging this outfit and The bag is super cute too and I need something other than my Coach to take to the beach.  After the day I had yesterday, Riley pouring a box of pancake mix on the floor, losing my wedding rings and having to go to the dentist, I deserve something nice today.  And I do still have a gift certificate from my birthday that I haven’t spent yet.  Maybe I deserve a Blizzard from Dairy Queen too?

The very first step in being organized is to have the right tools to get you started.  While there is no right answer for any one person, everyone has to have some type of tool to keep you on track.  You can use a calendar, a planner, a smart phone, a handheld computer, a computer or any combination of the above.  Here is what I use:

First I use online resources.  I used to use Outlook and had it synced to my Palm Pilot and when I first I ditched that and moved to a iPhone.  I still found that I was duplicating efforts.  I would update my Outlook calender, I had contacts in Outlook and then contacts in my other email accounts.  I used a planner.  I had to keep a paper calendar for Marty so he would know what was going on, plus I had to email him so he would put important dates and appointments on his work calendar.  I also had 5 different email accounts (yes FIVE) that I was having to check in seperate places.  There was just way too much getting lost in the process.  Add in two episodes of baby brain into the mix and you have one big mess.  So when we started getting ready to move back to the states I did lots research to find a better and more streamlined process for us.

Hello Google!  Have you ever looked at the services that Google offers?  Instead of asking what can Google do for you should ask what can Google not do.  Let me tell you how I use it.  First I minimized the number of email accounts that I have.  I am not down to 3 main email accounts (two are business related).  Google Mail checks them all for me.  All my emails get delivered into one account.  I can send emails and choose which account I want to be displayed on the outgoing message (now if I would only remember to change this to the correct one).  Some other webmail companies offer this feature for a small fee but Google does this for you for FREE.

I have all of my contacts stored in my Google email account.  I have email addresses, mailing addresses, and phone numbers plus I am working on getting birthday’s and anniversaries added.  Everything all in one place!

I use Google Calendar to keep track of all of my appointment.  I also have access to see Marty’s calendar so I know what he has going on.  I can add and edit events to his calendar and vice versa.  Marty has access to my calendar so he can see what other plans we have so he doesn’t double book us.  Now if only Google would make him check the calendar we would have a real winner because he still manages to double book us.

The best part.  My computer syncs with Google, my iPhone syncs with Google.  So no matter where I make changes, online, iPhone or Outlook everything gets updated all at the same time. 

The only other tool that I use in my organization process in a planner.  My planner shows you one full week, dated, on two open pages.  I am a big fan of Franklin Covey so that is what I use but this is something you can easily get in any school assignment calendar.  I use this for my weekly to do list.  I do duplicate some information here so I also have appointment reminders so I can plan my errands around those appointments.  If I am getting two kids up, ready and out of the house I want to make the most of it.  I always write in pencil because things always change.  Kids get sick, babies decide to have 8 teeth come in at the same time and are cranky and provide you with lots of laundry to do, babysitters cancel, the Army decides at the last minute that my husband needs to spend more time at work than at home.  You name it and it happens.  If you write in pencil you can be flexible with out creating a huge mess.  My wire bound planner is inserted into a leather cover with also gives me sone addtional pockets and a notepad.  So when I do have appointments and meetings I have a place to keep notes of important information that I need to remember.

Of course these tools are only as good as the effort that you put into using them.  Write things down, prioritze your to do list, don’t leave notes all over you desk post it style.  Post its don’t work, they fall off, get lost and you never really get those tasks completed.  There is a great feeling of accomplishment when you cross items off of your to do list.  Seriouly try it out.  You will be amazed at how that simple task of completing a to do list will make you feel.

That is what works for me, as a stay at home mom.  Now if I was back in the workforce this would have a different story.  I would need more than what this process has to offer but for now simple is better.  Sometimes you have to try a few things out until you find the exact tools and process that will work for you.  Just don’t give up.  If one things doesn’t work then try the next and if you need any suggestions please let me know.  I can promise you I have probably tried just about everything out there.

This is not Riley’s first snow but it is her first snowman!

The first time that I really remember snow was when I was in the first grade.  I very clearly remember sitting in my class room at my desk and I just happened to glance out the doorway.  Then I saw it.  SNOW!  I was the first person in my class to see it and I can remember just how excited I was, not just that it was snowing but that I was the first one to see it.  Then I got even more excited when we were sent home early.  I don’t recall if it was that same day or the next, but we got a lot of snow.  I remember my dad driving me around town so we could see the snow further than just from my grandparents front yard.  I saw someone with snow chains on their car driving down the road.  I remember thinking that it really stange and I had to ask my dad what that was.  I had never seen snow chains before and couldn’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would put chains on their car.  There is something from that day that I always remember everytime that I see snow.  I always find it funny that this is the one thing that always pops into my mind and if ever there was something I wished I had a picture of this moment would be it.  I, as every other kid growing up in the 80’s, had a Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine.  I used to love putting ice in it and making my own miniature snow cones.  But I had this idea.  It was the greatest idea ever.  I could make Snow Cones with real snow.  I promptly grabbed Snoopy and went and sat out in the front yard.  I scooped up the fresh snow off of the ground, I put it in my Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine, cranked the handle and poof authentic snow cones!  Now isn’t that just something totally random to think about every time that it snows?  Every time I wonder why I put the snow in the snow code machine when I could have just skiped that step entirely and just thrown the snow straight into my cup.

So, here it is in the final days of February and we are expecting snow tomorrow.  Not just snow but possibly up to 5 inches of snow with some local areas getting 6+ inches.  Even just the possibilty of us seeing that much snow amazes me.  The weatherman seems pretty certain that this is going to happen and I hope that it does because I would have the happiest little girl in the world if she got to go out and just run in the snow.

On a completely unrelated sunject…I think Rozlyn is a liar.  I think Allie was stupid for walking out on Jake and if he really picks Vienna the sausage girl in the end it might just make me sick.  Just one more week and we will know.  And we’ll also know who the new Dancing with the Stars cast is going to be!

This was my first remodeling project ever.  I find it amusing now that when this all started I though that I would get this done in like a week. I don’t even remember when I started this project now it’s been so long but I know that it has been many, many weeks.  It was a long hard road and I can’t tell you how many arguments were caused by the frustration of taking the ‘learning as you go’ road.  Just so you know, if you ever take on a DIY project, nothing ever goes as planned.  Things break, floor and walls are not always level, wiring and plumbing sometimes has to be moved.  The delays go on and on.  I do not suggest taking on a project like this with a 2 year old and a 9 month as your assistants.  They just really slow production down.  In the end though I can now say that  I am so proud of myself for doing this almost entirely on my own.  The hubs helped out with the heavy lifting and the plumbing so he gets some credit here too.  But it is finally done!  There are still a couple of design elements that need to be brought to the room but I know that there are a few of you out there that have been sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to see the before and after pictures.  Get ready for this….you are not even going to believe that these are the same room.

before:

after:

What we did:

• removed linoleum flooring and installed ceramic tile
• painting walls and installed wainscoting
• removed and replaced toilet, vanity, mirror, lighting and all hardware
• installed a new door and door molding

This is now my absolute most favorite room in the whole house.  It is the only room that is really me.  I am still thinking about adding crown molding?  Well see.

What’s next?  The master bath.

Let me tell you a little story. This story is about a pair of boots. These were the little boots that could until they couldn’t. I had this brown leather pair of Candies boots for the last 10 years, yes I just aged myself, Candies from 10 years ago. They have been many places and have seen many things. They have been hiking, they have been to rodeos, they have been to many a BBQ Cook-Off. They have been sloshed through the rain, and water and mud and all that other stuff that you find at a rodeo. They then went into semi-retirement and became my work boots. Last weekend as we were walking through Home Depot my poor little boots that could, couldn’t. The sole fell off. I mean like the whole sole. So I very quickly tossed them aside by aside I mean in the trash. Hello, what girl doesn’t like any reason to buy new shoes? I have seen many news stories about zappos.com. How the CEO who made like 2 billion dollars out of college by selling some self starter business to Microsoft then decided to sell shoes? Online? Who makes $36,000 a year and sits in a cubicle just like everyone else in the call center does. For my near and dear past co-workers who have shared the call center days with me knows how crazy this is. Really. I had a bigger cubicle and more privacy when I was a Workforce Planning Analyst at Sears that this billionaire CEO does? It still just baffles me. Anyway, so back when we were in Germany and I was dying for my UGG boots that you could not find there anywhere I ordered them from zappos.com just because they really were the cheapest price and would ship to an APO. I had a great experience and so I thought I would check them out again for my next pair of boots that can, and will hopefully last me another 10 years. I ordered an oh so cute pair of Ariats a few days ago and they were delivered today by that man in brown that we all love. I pulled them out of the box, admired their beauty and then tried them on. I am not 100% certain that the size is just right. So I picked up the phone and called the wonderful customer service team who parties and eats free food at work, everyday to see what my options were because I know that they will do what they call an advance return. So my new best friend at zappos.com told me that she would go ahead and send out another size for me to try out, for free, and that I just needed to return on of the pairs in two weeks. Great. Wonderful deal right. Then she tells me that she will go ahead and send them to me overnight, for free, so I don’t have to wait to love my new boots. Great right. Then she tells me that she is going to go ahead and invite me to be a VIP member and I will now have free overnight shipping on all orders all of the time. Then she asked if she resolved all of my concerns. Resolved doesn’t even come close. How above and beyond and now in faithfully in love with a online retailer. If I lived in Las Vegas this is where I would be working. You know that they will offer people money at the end of their training to quit. They showed it on tv. They offered each person in the class $2000 to quit, and not one person did. I had this conversation with Marty right after hanging up the phone before I ever said anything about wishing I could work for this company he told me that we would not be moving to Vegas. Way to burst my bubble there honey. Oh did I forget to mention that zappos.com covers 100% of the medical and dental coverage for its employees. One Hundred Percent. I thought only the military did that.

So if you are still reading while I babble please pay close attention to this. I LOVE ZAPPOS.COM. I can not work for them because my husband won’t move to Las Vegas and who wants to live in Kentucky? But I can do the next best thing. You see the link over there —> on the top right corner of the page. Click it. Go to zappos.com and buy lots of stuff and help support this site. I win, you win, and I promise you will love zappos.com too. Just remember, come here and click the link before you buy!

Oh and in case you want to see the boots:

I am not one to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  My birthday is two days after on the 16th, please mark your calendars and send presents.  I feel that my birthday is and should be the most important day of the month and trying to celebrate another holiday so close just takes away from my day.  My day that is all about me!  Seriously, tonight we did go out to eat dinner at Whataburger and only because they had buy one get one free Patty Melts.  For the record I didn’t think that they were that good.  I would take a good old Whataburger or Grilled Chicken Sandwich over them any day of the week even if they are not free.  So ya Valentine’s Day can just take a flying leap as far as I am concerned but I have kids and I want them to feel the love so I do what moms do and sucked it up for them.  They did get some cute little presents from mom and dad and from the grandparents as well.  I did actually make an attempt to get something from Marty and I kid you not the day after I ordered his present he went to the store and bought himself the exact same thing.  He got me an attachment piece for my drill.  Yes I have my own drill that he got me for Christmas.  I am so cool.  How many girls do you know with their own drills.  I have an impact drill too.  Are you jealous yet?

Okay, so on to what you really came her for.  Pictures right?  Here are just a couple of pictures, I will probably get more posted on the LCP Blog in the next day or two when I have time in between finishing up this never ending project of remodeling the guest bathroom.  Which by the way was interrupted today buy purchasing and installing a new hot water heater.  Home ownership is fun and expensive.  The bathroom will be done tomorrow come hell or high water it will be done!

Riley made me take the picture of her dinosaur.  She is so into dinosaurs right now.  She watches Jurassic Park, The Land Before Time or the Land of the Lost nightly.  She doesn’t just call them dinosaurs either, she calls them dinosaurs RAR!  Really, she does the RAR almost every single time.

Kelly Ripa and Buddy Valastro, from TLC’s “Cake Boss” have teamed up with Eletrolux to bring you Cake Off for a Cause to support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.  Kelly and Buddy got together with 5 teams of baking enthusiasts on February 9th and decorated cakes to support this cause.  Visit the website to vote for you favorite cake and Electrolux will donate $1 to OCRF and you will also be entered for a chance to win your very own induction range.  You can get in on the “baking”, too.  When you send a virtual cake to a friend, Electrolux will donate another $1 to the cause per day and will again enter you for a chance to win their new induction range.

While you are there you can also check out some cake decorating tips and videos from Buddy and even sign up to receive a call from Kelly on your birthday!

In addition Electrolux is donating $100 to OCRF for every range purchased this month.

Make sure to stop by and check out Cake Off for a Cause, cast your vote and send me a cake: laura@justlauralu.com