Husband Leaving Again

I've come to realize our life is really boring. We are stuck on such a routine, and I really have no idea if it is a good thing or not.

We wake up and get A to school. Then I will do my mommy thing - errands, meetings, working out, paperwork, housework, etc. By the time school pick up comes around, I go and pick up A. We come home and do our evening routine. They watch a movie and play while I cook and clean. My husband comes home, then we eat dinner and do our bed time routine. This is what our weekdays consist of.

I really don't know if this is a good thing or not. I don't go to base much since I live 30 minutes away. When E and I go out there, it is at least a half of a day worth of errands. I only do it when I have to. Of course living in Italy, there is the language barrier. We don't have other Americans in our town. The closest ones are in about 15 minutes from us. Needless to say, I don't socialize much.

I have taken on a new volunteer role. I am now a Key Spouse for our squadron here. I really enjoyed helping and supporting others in england. I was definitely happy when they asked me to do the same here. I was, of course, more than willing. With that, I have more meetings and socializing but still only a couple of times a month.

Thee is no drama in our life. No unexpected stress and anxiety from people. We really have great friends in our lives. There are never any conflicts or tension between us. It's crazy because I really pushed myself away when I got here from socializing too much and causing the pain I felt I endured in England from people who I actually cared about and considered to be great friends. This is definitely a great thing, but it also makes life boring.

We are in a point in our lives where we are strong and extremely independent. I think most military families who move away from family can understand this. After having the girls, we focused more on our time with them and as a family then having friends and a support system. People don't understand that when we say we have never been away from the girls that we mean it. A stayed with my family once when we went home for about 3-4 hours while Mr. Man and I went to dinner and the casino. When I went into labor for E, A stayed with some of our good friends until E was born. Then Mr. Man went and got her. Ever since, they have been with us. Except, of course, for A starting school last year.

Our weekends are focused around the famlily. We travel, take them to play areas or toy stores, the zoo, science museums, etc. We have fun. We do things we want to do as adults, but we also involve our girls.

Life right now is simply in amazing. Everyone is happy and healthy, and we have no complaints.

It's amazing to see how your life evolves as you grow, mature, and bring new family members in. 10 Years ago when we started this journey, I never would have thought this is where it would lead us.

With that said, Mr. Man is gearing up to leave us for a couple of months again. Over the summer he left and was gone for 3 months. He is actually doing the same TDY, but he will be only gone for 2 months. He was tasked for this last minute due to some other people being removed from the roster. At first I took it hard. Anyone who knows me knows that I have always been supported of my husband's career and his duties, but this time it was different. Yes, I was and am supportive of his duties. But this time around, the reason for him being tasked for this TDY was because of two individuals and their irresponsible decisions. I was bitter and angry for a few days before I finally accepted it and found peace. I've never been one to be upset when he has had to leave. I have never cried when he has left or moped around. That was never me. The hardest part about this one is that 1. he isn't making money from it. What he is getting is barely enough to cover his expenses there. But 2. These peoples actions are also being paid by my husband and our family, which is why is was bitter. I have finally found peace though, and even thouh is still disagree with the individual's actions, I have accepted the new adventure we have been presented with.

I thought a nice just written from the heart blog was long overdue. I really have neglected just writing. Writing has always been a therapy session for me.... but I never really feel like I need it any more, which is a good thing I think. Any way, life is good. Despite the minor bumps, we are enjoying and loving everything about ourselves, our family, our life, and how we are growing.

Christmas 2014

We hope everyone had a Merry christmas. We had a very casual and relaxed Christmas day!

Verona Zoo

Meal Plan Monday: Thanksgiving

Here's a sneak into the dinners we plan to have during the week of Thanksgiving.

Dinners:
1. Loaded Potato Soup
2. Chicken Alfredo
3. Spaghetti
4. Beans and Sausage over rice
5. Steaks with yams and collard greens
6. Chicken, Sausage and Okra Gumbo
7. Baked Chicken Tenders

Lunches:
sandwiches, tuna and crackers, pasta salad, green salad

Breakfast:
croissants, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit

Snacks:
yogurt fruit bars, pretzels, frosted mini wheats,  fruit, carrots and celery

Christmas Budget and Toys

Every year I plan a Christmas Budget to prepare for the end of the year splurging for the girls. Each year, the girls have progressively gotten more and more from everyone. This year I have decided to do something different.

WE are still budgeting, yes. Basically the same way. We do $40 a month and rotate each month on which girl we buy for. Towards the end, we use the last couple of months to buy their larger items. Last year we decided on four items per girl and were done with our shopping by September. Then, we capitalized on the holiday sales for their birthdays. This year we are using the same concept, except the money won't get spent. Their savings will just DOUBLE.

Each year, we also put $20 per month into their savings account. This is just in case we ever have any financial burdens, the girls will still get a Christmas and birthday.

This summer I recognized a few things about our lifestyle: how much time we spent on picking up toys and how overwhelmed they get with what they had. Yes, had.

Once I realized how much time we spent on picking up the toys, I decided it was time to start getting rid of what they had no interest in anymore. The toys were rotated and spread across the house, too. I did just that - started getting rid of them. I sold, donated, and continually sorted to repeat the process. Since doing this, I've learned more about the girls. They changed. They began playing together more. They stopped fighting as much (since most of the time it was over a toy). All together, they care less about the toys.

We, now, focus our time our time on arts and crafts suitable le for their ages. A is 3 years old. She enjoys making necklaces and playing with play-doh kits. E is 17 months, and she enjoys doodling on the magna-doodle and writing on paper with a pen. She also enjoys play-doh. They find excitement in picking out their clothes for the day, helping with house duties, and sorting through our clutter. Their attention has grown. I've always been ahands-on mom, but this just gives it a whole new meaning.

With this said, for Christmas things this year, they will each get two items as far as toys go. A is really into the Disney princesses and castles, as well as barbies and doll houses. She is getting a large doll house that can house her barbies. But the dollhouse actually looks like a castle and her barbies are actually Disney princesses. We actually already bought It because it was on sale for $35 including shipping when it is normally $80 plus shipping. She will also get the wooden furniture to go with it. E is getting a baby doll set that has a high chair, baby sea, and play yard with a Belle baby doll. Together they will get a small bucket of craft materials and some movies.

We are really trying to keep it simple this year to avoid what we wenot through throughout the year. They enjoy being outside and interactive with one another so crafts and pretend play totally fit in to those categories.

What are your plans for Christmas this year?

Slovenia - from the eyes of kids

Fall Fest 2014 - Aviano AB, Italy

ThE last couple of years we have been attending the Fall Fest on base. They have food booths, game booths, informational booths, bouncy houses, etc. They also hand out candy from the different booths. They do haunted houses and  cutesy house for the younger crowd. They also have beer and other things. To me, it's overrated but since my girls don't get to participate much in the Trunk or Treat that I host (because I'm too busy organizing and maintaining it), we take them any way. It is held in a parking lot and is very small. We were only there for about an hour. We got some candy, did a walk through sensory house, played with the pumpkins in the patch, and checked out all the costumes... aka people watched. We did eat, and my husband grabbed a beer.

The girls were obsessed with the ghost decor and insisted on kissing them :)

We also got a decent family picture!

Here's a few pictures from the evening.