Friends will be friends til the end!

So tonight was my final goodbye to two my dearest friends that I have made while here in the UK. We went out to dinner and just acted fools... talked about crazy girl things and celebrated the last week of being together. It was slightly depressing. Not too depressing, just slightly. I am so bummed that they will not be here when the baby is born or when I am nice and "plump."

But that's what it's about when you are a military spouse. You find friends, you leave friends or they leave you. But the good thing is that bond last forever because military friends are true supporters. I mean that is their job. So you have the satisfication of knowing that you will be friends until the end.

One of my friends, which has been my good friend since I have been here is also from Louisiana. Well, her husband is from Louisiana and she is from Mississippi. They got orders to Barksdale, LA! I am sooo stoked about it because that is where I am from and I know I will see them again. I am going to miss their kids so so much. Mr. Man and I really wanted to get one more outing with them before they headed out, but things have been so busy. It makes me sad, and Mr. Man may not be able to see them one last time, but we still have Facebook. Giggle. The infamous Facebook.

My other friend is going to Virginia. They are actually retiring and getting out, and that is where they chose to go. I have no desire to go to Virginia, but I would love for our to meet our bundle of joy once he/she gets here. There is the unknown... but once again, thanks to Facebook!

Saying goodbye is always so hard, especially when you make them family, but there is always more to look forward to. And we have lots of memories to cherish forever.

So until next time dear friends, I wish you the best and God Bless!

And yes, there will be a next time!

On another note, we leave for Ireland in 1 day! Yahooo!!!!!

Crib/Dresser-Halloween:

Over the weekend, we received our crib and dresser. At first, I was so worried that I was going to end up not liking it or it not matching the way I thought it would. But it worked out perfectly. I absolutely love it. I am so happy because it is exactly what I wanted. I originally really, really wanted a drop-side crib because I am so short, but as everyone knows they have been being recalled like crazy. They are also going out of style and so hard to find these days. We finally found one that we liked, but I was still scared about it. We put it in the room on Sunday, and it is perfect. It is so easy to work, has a drop-side, and matches everything already in there perfectly. I could not be happier.

Here is a picture of the set.

Since I never got around to telling everyone Happy Halloween, here it is!

These are from Week 17, the week of Halloween.

Veteran's Day

Mr. Man finally has a Veteran's Day off since being here in the UK, so we are going to enjoy it. I thought I would share some pictures. I hope you enjoy your Veteran's Day!! And remember our men and women in uniform.

Guest Post- Top 5 Unique Christmas Gifts

5 Unique Gifts for Children at Christmas

Come closer, huddle round, as what I am about to say needs to whispered... Utter it very quietly as its magic will spread amongst others like a fever, Christmas is coming and I am excited. That time of year is nearly upon us and we will soon be thinking of white snow, carols and most importantly gifts for our loved ones. We all know part of the excitement is seeing how your partner, friend, family or children react to opening your present so you always want to make sure you get them something that extra bit special. 

To save you being stuck for ideas we have tried to discover 5 of the most unusual, quirky and unique gifts for children this Christmas.

1. Wheelie Zip Bin

Christmas is time for children to play and have fun and the Wheelie Zip Bin is one way of guaranteeing this. Imagine a box full of tricks and that is lterally what it is! The bin is designed to look like a tyre and at the flick of its zipper it unfurls into a two lane vinyl and fabric racetrack with two pit areas at each end. Children can set it up on the floor or sofa and even on the backseat of a car which is perfect for entertaining the kids on long journeys.  Ingenious and imaginative, the track includes two metal race cars and slots for storing 12 standard Matchbox cars from your collection. Children will love making ramps out of household items for their cars to zoom down on and hours of fun for any child.

2. Character Themed Childrens Rugs

Every child has a cartoon favourite. We can all still remember who our favourite used to be and can still picture how we pretended to be them when we played. For those of us with children now, one of the most rewarding ways of improving their enjoyment around the house is to decorate their room with colours and cartoon characters they like. Now they can have a cartoon themed childrens rug in their room, directly beside their bed! Children can choose from Disney character rugs, football shaped rugs to Winnie the Pooh rugs and other stars.  Childrens rugs can also be used as an excellent play space for younger children.

3.       Personalised Childrens Books

Your child will love starring in their very own book. They can now be the hero or heroine in a wonderful personalised book. You can use your child’s name, age, home town, the first-names of three friends or relatives, and a personal dedication from you, and then the personalised story can begin. You get to select the type of stories your child will be involved in, ranging from an adventure to them scoring the winning goal in the Cup Final.  You can add the final touches to your story by providing details of hair & eye colour, skin tone & adding a personal message!

4.       Vtech Movie Magic Digicam

For all those Steven Spielberg wannabes out there! Lights! Camera! Action! This small handheld portable digicam is designed specifically for children. Durable and colourful it encourages children to become a movie director and shoot their very own home movies. We know how quickly children can get bored of toys during the festive period which is why the digicam has a range of features that will amuse the children. It has the option of adding special effects to your movies by changing the scenes, adding clip art and fun face-tracking animations. You can also insert fun borders and stamps to jazz up your photos so expect to see yourself in funny surroundings!

5.       Personalised Bunting

If you like home made boutique gifts then a personalised bunting set for your daughter is the perfect gift. The gorgeous bunting is made from a choice of beautiful fabrics and will be the envy of your daughter’s friends when it hangs on her bedroom wall. The bunting can be personalised with any name, date or message of your choice stitched on and finished with a choice of appliquéd design either end. You can even choose the colour scheme and pattern to go with the current bedroom interior of your child.

This article was written by Sam Murray in association with The Rug House

SLACKER! and Updates

I am such a slacker. Not really a slacker by any means, and I have to say I am proud of myself. Things have been so busy with everything going on that I do not have time to think much less throw myself out to the world. One of my 101 things to do in 101 days was to tell someone that I couldn't help them or do something for them whenever I already have plans. I have been doing it a lot lately, and I am so relieved. I still have been doing a lot, don't get me wrong. But I definitely stopped some nonsense that was taking place, and I am on the verge of stopping another one due to certain circumstances. Sadly, they will only be replaced with other responsibilities, but at least they will be more spread out and a variety of things versus the same stuff.

With that sad, my new 'to-do' is observing in the schools and volunteering at the different schools. I think I am going to very much enjoy it. I have been wanting to do this, but I was afraid if I did it too early, it would put a kink in things, which is why I waited. And I am so glad I think because that instinct was very much so correct. Soon I will be walking the school's halls again. Not the school I attended, but something other than my current classes. I am pretty excited and anxious about it.

Another thing is I have decided to spread my wings throughout the community instead of within certain areas. I did that a lot because those areas needed me really bad, but it looks like they are on their feet and going solid and I need a change. So it works out. I am excited to do that, too. I am happy that I made this decision while I still had quite a bit of time left here in the UK. I can get out and do some things, even with Mr. Man and enjoy this country while doing it.

The next 'to-do' that has been a 'to-do' for several weeks now is the baby! Of course. We finally finished the house 100%. The baby room is set up the way I want it, and now we are slowly just accumulating things that we will need. Neither one of us are in a rush to get everything, but we are both planners in the sense of not waiting last minute and making sure we have what we need before it is too late. It's been a nice adventure, and I am sure it will continue to be.

School is going really good. I am officially a Junior on papers. I was a Junior as far as credits go, but since I extended to get my break during the Christmas/New Years Holiday it is just now getting to paper. That is pretty darn exciting. I am taking my last Math class right now, which is also extremely exciting! From here, it will strictly be in the schools, volunteering, creating a portfolio, and nothing but Education classes. I am excited, super excited. I am super pumped!

Mr. Man is finally on regular shifts again, which is so nice. We started going to the gym together again, which I love. Even though it uses more gas since I have to drive to another gym that has showers and high enough weights for Mr. Man, I enjoy being with him more often and having that motivation. Mr. Man also has changed is workout for his goals for the winter time, so on his off days he told me he would start doing yoga with me right here at home. Pregnancy-approved yoga at that! He's pretty amazing if you ask me. Maybe I can sneak a video camera on day to later on show our child... haha. That would be priceless!

So I have been wanting to do a giveaway and I have been tossing it up between two options, so I will throw them out there and ya'll can take a vote. CSN has contacted me to do another giveaway, which I want to do. They have been sending me amazing discounts and products, and I have been wanting to share those with you all. If you are interested in that, let me know. The other one is themed around the UK. The things that I love here that are made here. I wanted to do this a while back when I reached the 200 readers, but things got crazy so I had decided to put it off. Now things are slowing down, and I am offering it. So which one? I can't decide, so you tell me what you think?

Have you thought about it? Came to a decision? Please let me know by leaving a comment so I can count your vote!

For now, it's time to get to doing some housework and cuddling up with my baby boy.

Pictures of Our Pouch:

So before I go all confusing everyone, the last pregnancy belly photos were still when I had a due date of March 23. When I went for my second appointment, they changed my due date to April 5, which put me back 2 weeks. So that is how I am going to list these, but do not get all confused like I did when I went through my last set of pregnancy photos! :) 

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15- At the top of Snowdon

Week 16

These are the next 5 from where I left off the last time. I know I said I would do 4 at a time for comparison, but I had to post the 5th ones because it was when I officially got my bump. I wanted you all to be able to see the difference. At 16.5 weeks I ended up having to take my belly ring out because it began stretching. This week I also had my first set of people rubbing on my belly, which I found extremely odd. I  hope you enjoy the pictures, and the next set will be pretty adorable, too! 

Questions: (About the pregnancy)

The last guest blog post I forgot to post a link to her blog, and I am just now getting up to date with doing that! So I edited that post to add her link, and I will add it here. If you missed out on that post, be sure to check it out. She is amazing, and so is her story. Her link is http://thediaryofamrs.blogspot.com/. 


Now I am finally making a post. Since nothing has been going on since Mr. Man is still on this crazy shift, I decided I would answer some questions that we have been being asked a lot. 


Before I do that, I will kind of update on our life right now. I am currently 18 weeks pregnant. I am behind on Pregnancy belly photos, I know! And I will get those up by the end of this week, promise. I have not gained any weight since my last doctor's appointment, which was 2 weeks ago. We will have our next appointment in 3 weeks. That is that with the pregnancy. No sickness, no cravings, nothing exciting to report. Tonight is Mr. Man's last night of his crazy shifts, and we should get back to a normal schedule from now on. Thanks goodness! That is about it that is going on with us. I am so ready to get back to normal, start on the baby's room, and go sightseeing some more!


Now for the questions:


The first one I want to address is about the blog and comments. People have been asking me why their comments are not being published. Sadly, it is a long story, but the one's that I feel appropriate to publish are being published. The others I reply personally so they know I received the comment. The situation sucks, but there is nothing I can do about it at this time until things settle down. I hope you understand! 


Most frequently asked questions: 
1. Will you set up a PO Box for gifts to be sent? Do you have a registry?
Since I live overseas, I am only allowed one PO Box for my mail, which is my main mailing address. We are not allowed more than one, so I could not open a second one. Obviously, I will not publicly share my mailing address for security reasons either. I do have a registry, multiple ones actually, and I have been giving the details out to friends and family that have specifically mentioned they wanted to get us something. I wish there was a way around this where you all that have offered to send gifts could, but sadly there is no way for it to happen. If you do know a way, let me know and I will look in to it. We do greatly appreciate all of you who have offered to send us things. It was an honor to read all the requests. Thank ya'll! 


2. Do you have names picked out yet?
This was actually asked to me about a month ago. Ok, so it felt like a month ago, but maybe not that long... ? Not sure. Anyway, we do have names picked out. We have for a while; however, we are not sharing them any time soon. We will tell close friends and families that want to make special items for us, but that is it. We want it to all be a surprise. 


3. When do we find out what we are having?
Another one of those things that we are not sharing any time soon. I would love to share it with you all, but now we have family and friends that read this blog, so we have to keep things on the hush hush for now. The time will come soon enough!


4. Will you breastfeed or bottle feed?
This is probably the most commonly asked question. Probably because it is the most controversial topic when it comes to parenting. For me, I will try to breastfeed, but I am also preparing to bottle feed. Which means, I will have everything need to breastfeed, as well as things needed to bottle feed in case something comes up. Not to mention, when people say bottle feed, they mean formula feed. But I do plan on pumping, so Mr. Man can help with middle of the nights and such. It may be a while after we are into somewhat of a rhythm, but I definitely want that option there. 


5. Will we co-sleep?
This is another one of those things that people who are due after me have started asking me my opinion on it. To be honest, we do not plan to co-sleep. Now if it happens, it happens. If it works for us, it works for us. I do not plan on even having the baby in my room for longer than a month. We will see what happens. My biggest concern with co-sleeping is that I am afraid of rolling on the baby or suffocating the baby with pillows or blankets. Mr. Man agrees, and neither one of us can see another 'thing' in our bed with us between us, 6 pillows, 1 body pillow, and our pup. Just will not work.


I have gotten some questions about travelling, the military, and our lifestyle, so I will do that question post next. 


I hope everyone is doing well, and thanks for hanging with me through all of this!