New Home
So I know it has been FOREVER since my last post, and my small audience who actually checks my blogs is increasingly dwindling b/c well, I haven't written anything. However, to be fair, I didn't really write, b/c most of them I talked to on a daily basis, but now that has changed, and my lazy blogging habits are going to have to change too. So for the latest bit of news, I have moved. Not too far, just closer to the beach. It is a nice house for us. It has the garage and deck for Chris, the fenced in back yard for Nevaeh and lots of closets for me. However it is missing something...the closeness of a few select friends. I know it is Navy life that we all move away, but unlike the last house, I moved into this one alone, and the daunting task of meeting my neighbors is not looking promising. In time I guess (I am sure the subzero temperatures are keeping everyone inside...or I know they would all be bringing me homemade pies and introducing themselves...right?) Nevertheless we are settling in, and the unpacking is almost done. Nevaeh is settling too, although I don't think she quite knows the difference (except she has to go upstairs to bed). We started "God Blessing" everyone at bedtime, and while I say, "All our friends" she has to name them one by one...and Kyra and Megan...you are doubly blessed every night. I know she misses you, as do I (and Alicia too) :) . I hope you are settling in to your new homes as well in the Arctic Tundra. Keep in touch!
Date Nights
So a good friend of mine blogged about date nights a few days ago. Her husband and her haven't had a "date night" in a very long time, and they honestly "just don't care to have that". She wanted to know if that was normal. Practically every one of her friends told her that she was perfectly normal for not wanting to leave her child (although many have offered their services for FREE) and spend some time alone with her husband. Me, being the very honest opinionated friend that I am, told her that she was a freak. Not really, but I did try to share with her the importance of a date night.
However, with so many responses to the contrary, I am beginning to wonder if I am alone in desiring to spend time alone with my husband. Is it selfish of us to desire time away from the child we created? Is it wrong to not spend every precious moment I can with her, knowing she will only be with us a short period of time before moving onto her own things? If I am alone tell me, if you enjoy something special about your date nights, tell me that too. Where do you stand on date nights?
I explained that I love my daughter and the time I spend with her, as does my husband. However, we also like to rekindle the romance of pre-baby. We like to hold hands across the table and just look into each other's eyes (without being interrupted every 10 seconds to help feed the baby or pick up a spilt sippy cup). We like to take this time to discuss intimate, personal things that don't need to be talked about in front of a child. And while we could discuss all this at home (on the couch watching tv when the ankle biter is in bed, as seems to be the norm with her friends), why? I want to know. Am I the only one who gets excited about dressing up for my man (butterflies included), having him romance me like he did when we were dating? We were a family before our daughter and we will be one when she grows up and leaves. So why not spend some time ALONE and remember why we chose to expand our family in the first place?
However, with so many responses to the contrary, I am beginning to wonder if I am alone in desiring to spend time alone with my husband. Is it selfish of us to desire time away from the child we created? Is it wrong to not spend every precious moment I can with her, knowing she will only be with us a short period of time before moving onto her own things? If I am alone tell me, if you enjoy something special about your date nights, tell me that too. Where do you stand on date nights?
Priorities
So for those of you who are used to my PC blogs (mostly about my daughter), you may choose not to read any further, b/c this is a very opinionated point about a controversial subject...priorities. Here's the scoop:
Wednesday, the 1st, my husband and I decide we are completely out of food (seriously, no bread no peanut butter, no milk...nothing) and we MUST go grocery shopping. We carry ourselves down to the local Wal-Mart with our carefully planned grocery list and our meager $150 budget for 2 weeks worth of food. (For those of you who think that is a lot...keep reading).
Some of you are thinking...I thought this was titled priorities, not groceries...I'm getting there.
We get in one of THREE lines that are open for people having more than 20 items in their cart, and wait.....and wait....and wait some more. The lady in front of us has TWO carts FULL of food. Now Chris and I knew it was the first (we were there b/c we had just gotten paid), what we didn't realize was that not only had we just gotten paid, but so did every other person in the military and on Food Stamps (here's where the priorities kicks in).
She goes to pay for her (get this) $400 worth of food with her government issued food stamps, and is declined. After ringing up all those groceries, and making us stand in line for 45 minutes, she does not have the money (or food stamps) to cover it (apparently something was wrong with her card).
Now I am not against people needing assistance. What I am against and what I have a BIG problem with is this:
1) The lady was well over 300lbs and clearly did not need all that food...most of which was junk food (I'm talking chips, brownies, cookies, etc). Am I the only one who thinks they should regulate food stamps like WIC checks (specific items only....ya know....veggies, fruit, meat, bread, eggs, necessity items)?
2) What the heck entitles her to get $400 worth of free food? My husband busts his butt everyday to protect our freedoms and the government gives us $250 in his paycheck (for our whole family) toward food...Tell me how that makes sense.
3) And this is what got me going on the priorities kick to begin with. While this woman is being rung up, she takes out her $300 phone (which I am sure comes with at $80-$100 per month bill) and starts chatting. NOW, if I can't afford to feed my family, then what gives me the right to have those such luxuries?
What happened to budgeting in our country and taking pride in our good names and credit? When did it become okay to take handouts that we don't need just because we are eligible? And why is our government supporting people who clearly do not have the ambition to prioritize and support themselves or who at the least just clearly have very misguided ideals about necesities and luxuries?
In the midst of the financial crisis our country is in, I think we need to tell our government that enough is enough for handouts and bailouts. Let people fall on their butts one good time and they won't do it again. Have we yet to learn that feeding someone without teaching them the skills they need to feed themselves, only lends itself to a bigger problem. Enough of my soap box...I am interested in hearing what you think.
Wednesday, the 1st, my husband and I decide we are completely out of food (seriously, no bread no peanut butter, no milk...nothing) and we MUST go grocery shopping. We carry ourselves down to the local Wal-Mart with our carefully planned grocery list and our meager $150 budget for 2 weeks worth of food. (For those of you who think that is a lot...keep reading).
Some of you are thinking...I thought this was titled priorities, not groceries...I'm getting there.
We get in one of THREE lines that are open for people having more than 20 items in their cart, and wait.....and wait....and wait some more. The lady in front of us has TWO carts FULL of food. Now Chris and I knew it was the first (we were there b/c we had just gotten paid), what we didn't realize was that not only had we just gotten paid, but so did every other person in the military and on Food Stamps (here's where the priorities kicks in).
She goes to pay for her (get this) $400 worth of food with her government issued food stamps, and is declined. After ringing up all those groceries, and making us stand in line for 45 minutes, she does not have the money (or food stamps) to cover it (apparently something was wrong with her card).
Now I am not against people needing assistance. What I am against and what I have a BIG problem with is this:
1) The lady was well over 300lbs and clearly did not need all that food...most of which was junk food (I'm talking chips, brownies, cookies, etc). Am I the only one who thinks they should regulate food stamps like WIC checks (specific items only....ya know....veggies, fruit, meat, bread, eggs, necessity items)?
2) What the heck entitles her to get $400 worth of free food? My husband busts his butt everyday to protect our freedoms and the government gives us $250 in his paycheck (for our whole family) toward food...Tell me how that makes sense.
3) And this is what got me going on the priorities kick to begin with. While this woman is being rung up, she takes out her $300 phone (which I am sure comes with at $80-$100 per month bill) and starts chatting. NOW, if I can't afford to feed my family, then what gives me the right to have those such luxuries?
What happened to budgeting in our country and taking pride in our good names and credit? When did it become okay to take handouts that we don't need just because we are eligible? And why is our government supporting people who clearly do not have the ambition to prioritize and support themselves or who at the least just clearly have very misguided ideals about necesities and luxuries?
In the midst of the financial crisis our country is in, I think we need to tell our government that enough is enough for handouts and bailouts. Let people fall on their butts one good time and they won't do it again. Have we yet to learn that feeding someone without teaching them the skills they need to feed themselves, only lends itself to a bigger problem. Enough of my soap box...I am interested in hearing what you think.
Late Labor Day Update
We had the BEST family day ever! We decided to take the day and visit the Outer Banks of NC. It wasn't far, and there was sooo much to do.
Since the weekend before we had visited the Smithsonian Museum of Transportation and seen the originial Wright Brother's airplane, we felt it only fitting that we visit the place it all happened. So we started our trip at the Wright Brother's Memorial. It was neat to see and hear the stories of how the history of flight all started and compare it with how far we have come. It really opened my eyes to the amazing things that are yet to be discovered by future generations.
From there we went to Jockey's Ridge, which is the largest sand dune on the East Coast. If you aren't a fan of sand...I wouldn't recomend it. Also bonus tip, leave the strollers in the car. Nevaeh was so worn out by her adventures in the air, that she fell asleep on the 6 mile (literally) ride to the sand dunes. Chris and I thought it would be fine to push her in her stroller, since afterall it is a jogging stroller. Once again, not our brightest moment, but we were determined to fly our kite out there. The views were amazing and I marvel once again at God's creations.
Our day ended at Roanoake Island, or as I learned in school the Lost Colony. I know what you are thinking, if it is lost, how did we find it...am I right?! Well, we're just that good. Not really, I learned a few things my SC education did not teach me. There were in fact a total of 3 groups of people dropped in the same spot before the last group disapeared. The next group wound up in Jamestown. The villages are very similar, but the one in Williamsburg is bigger, so if you had to choose, I'd go to that one. However, the interactive museum was fun. We all got to play dress up and Chris got to go "duck hunting". The whole experience was great. I'm not sure who acted more like a child...including Nevaeh.
It was a fun-filled full day, and while I captured it all on video, I also accidently deleted all the footage while trying to get it onto my computer. However, we did take some photos of our adventure. So enjoy the belated update and pictures. Drop us a line to let us know how you spent your Labor Day.
Beautiful Lengths
Our church was planning on having a large hair cutting in May for Beautiful Lenghts with Pantene. But the date was pushed back to September. I tried to wait, but the summer here was too hot, and I was tired of it. Plus I was ready for a change. So, I had to cut it a little sooner than the others, but I still had 10 inches to donate.
The new do is pretty short, but I like it, and surprisingly so does Chris. He actually said he liked it better than the long hair. Between you and me, I think he was just tired of picking up after my shedding (especially in the car). I'll get some pictures and post them soon. Hope you are having a cooler summer. I know I am now.
Hunny I'm Home
So everyone knows that when there is a toddler around, you have to watch what you say. Now most people take this to mean bad words and such, and I agree with that. What I did not think it meant was you had to watch EVERYTHING you say and do. Nevaeh's favorite new phrase of choice: "Hunny", and she says it refering to Chris. For example, Chris came home from duty the other morning, and as he came in the door, Nevaeh chimes up, "Hello, Hunny". Chris and I started laughing, and it was funny, but it has only encouraged her. Last night Chris took us out to dinner. We were in the car leaving and she chimes, "Thank you Hunny".
We think it is adorable. However, we are not so fond of her newest imitation, slapping me on the butt. I don't know if she is imitating us spanking her of if she is copying Chris' playful slaps of my butt. Either way, we have told her it is not nice to hit, but she thinks it is funny. It just goes to show you, Mini-Me's are not only in movies they are found right under foot. I guess we'll have to be more careful about what we say and do from now on.
We think it is adorable. However, we are not so fond of her newest imitation, slapping me on the butt. I don't know if she is imitating us spanking her of if she is copying Chris' playful slaps of my butt. Either way, we have told her it is not nice to hit, but she thinks it is funny. It just goes to show you, Mini-Me's are not only in movies they are found right under foot. I guess we'll have to be more careful about what we say and do from now on.
What Meal is this?
So, I know I have been away for a while, and I have lots of excuses, and I might get around to posting them, but for now, I'm just going to begin again with the reason I started blogging...my adorable, independent 18 month old daughter. Every morning for the past week, I have gotten up and taken her into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. And without fail, she has reached into the refrigerator and picked up both the peanut butter and jelly and insisted on having them for breakfast. The first day I thought it was so cute, I couldn't resist, and I promptly made the custom order. The next day I was stunned she wanted it again, but I happily obliged her. Like I said, we are now going a week strong, and she still wants PB&J for breakfast. I always said I would not be one of those moms who makes something different for each person at mealtime, but seeing as I don't exactly make a 3 course meal for breakfast (or any other meal for the matter) I really don't see the harm in obliging her; I mean at least it is healthy. What do you think? Should I save to PB&J's for lunch and ask that she eat the same breakfast as the rest of us, or is it okay to take reasonable requests from a one year old?
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