Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Are you sure it's not Monday again?

Today has been great.  Really.  The kids & I got to go with a friend out to the landing zone to watch our husbands (mine & hers, not mine & the kids :P) do their last jumps of Airborne school.  It was a lot of fun, watching the planes fly over and the guys pop out, looking like 30 jellyfish strung out, floating around in the sky. 

Stupid me, I forgot my camera. 
Fail.

Stupider me, I forgot to put sunblock on the kids before we left, or even take it, for that matter.  I brought sweatshirts, sure.  Hats, too.  Didn't really think about the fact that we'd be out on an open field with no shade for a few hours. 
Double Fail.

The kids had tons of fun, though.  Big Brother found a friend around his age to play with, and they chased each other around the entire time we were there.  Little Sister tried her hardest to keep up, and did a pretty good job, but is still a little unsteady on her feet, so she kept falling over.  Surprisingly, or not, it was Big Brother who ended up with a goosegg on his head from running into the corner of the bleachers.

This jump was a combat jump, meaning they had their rucks & rifles with them, and dropped them onto cords when they were about halfway to the ground.  It was a really cool thing to watch. 

Not cool were the two guys who's chutes got entangled and they fell together.  It was pretty scary, but at least they were ok.  Not nearly as scary, I guess, as the guy who's wind got 'stolen' from the guy who floated right underneath him yesterday and fell to the ground.  Glad I wasn't there. 

So the first half of my day was pretty good.  Both kids fell asleep in the car on the way home, completely filthy & covered head to toe in dirt (Little Sister even had it in her mouth!).  I tried my hardest to keep them awake, but just got dirty looks from Little Sister before she fell asleep.  Once we got home, she went right back to sleep after being disrobed, having her diaper changed, and getting a quick wipedown.  Big Brother, on the other hand, just sat in his room and played quietly for a while, but then started demanding to be let out.  I wasn't ready to deal with the chaos again just yet, so I let him yell. (judge me if you must, but if you do, you're probably not a mom) 

As soon as they woke up, they both went right into the bathtub.  I quickly washed them both and was going to let them play for a while, but Little Sister pooped.  Ugh.  I hate bathtub poop.  Got them both out, lotioned & diapered, and as I was cleaning the tub (ugh) I heard Little Sister scream.  Like she was hurt.  Naturally, I asked Big Brother what happened, and he ran out yelling "I wrestle Sister".  At least there was no lasting damage. 

So I'm pretty sure The Hubs got the shoot shake out detail today, because he would have been home over an hour ago if he didn't.  And since he doesn't have his phone on him until he gets to the car on his way home, I never know how long it's going to be before he gets off.  So I never know whether to start dinner or not. So now I'm just waiting. 

Oh yeah. And I left my keys at WalMart last week.  lovely, eh?

Monday, November 8, 2010

Just Another Manic Monday

The weekend was lots of fun.  The Hubs's parents came to visit and were able to go watch his company's first jump at Airborne School with Big Brother (Little Sister & I had to stay home - we only had one carseat).  It was really nice having them here to visit, but the weekend was packed full, and in the middle of packing, my house was (and still is) a wreck, and being in and out all weekend didn't help much. 

So here we are, noonish on Monday, and I'm wishing for Wednesday afternoon (The Hubs has Thursday & Friday off for Veterans day!)...  I've gotten a lot of packing done today - most of the kitchen, in fact - but by the looks of it, you can't tell. At all.  It looks like, I don't know what.  A tornado blew through?  Cliche', but pretty accurate.  Most of the cabinets are empty though, so everything is out on the countertops. 

Oh, and did I mention that empty bottom cabinets are the best place for 1 and 2 year olds to play?  Especially when Mom is trying to pack stuff on the counter right above them.  Divine. 

Little Sister took a decent nap this morning though, and I put Toy Story 3 on for Big Brother to watch, so I was able to get lots done.  And a good friend brought over some more tape, luckily, right as I ran out of the roll The Hubs bought me last night.  Lifesaver. 

Thankfully, the kids just ate lunch, so it will be time for naps (or a rest, in Big Brother's case) very very soon. 

We got the list on Friday of the things they're looking for when we move out, and the amount that we will be charged.  I know, right now, that we're going to have to replace the blinds and one outlet cover in Big Brother's room, replace the screen on the back door, and paint the wall I painted blue in the living room, along with part of the wall in the kitchen and in the playroom.  Anything else, I guess we'll find when we're cleaning.  Or maybe we'll just pay them to do and forget about it. Might be easier than worrying about it ourselves. 

Did I mention, this seems like it was a bad idea?  No?  Well, let's just hope we have lots more weight than I estimated, so we'll end up getting more money than they estimated.  That will make it worth it.  Getting my new camera will make it worth it all.

So today, I'm packing, hopefully getting all the laundry & dishes done, and I have to somehow get to the office to get The Hubs's orders amended with the actual date we'll be moving.  The office is about 2 miles away, and he has our only car at work with him.  Besides, I lost my keys.  In WalMart.  Last week.  I haven't been driving, so I haven't needed them.  Thankfully I called and they have them, but I have no way of getting there to get them until The Hubs gets off work. 

So sometime today I'll be off on a 3-4 mile trek to & from the office.  With two kids and a stroller.  Let's see how that works out for me.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

PCS time

So we're moving.

Or, in Army speak, we're PCSing.

Better than PMSing, I guess... but not by much.

We opted this time to do a DITY move.  For those of you not familiar with the military lingo, DITY means Do IT Yourself.

We're hoping to make some money off this move.

I'm rather excited.  We're PCSing to Fort Carson


Not so excited for the snowy, cold winters.  We lived in that for 4 years while The Hubs was in school.  I can do without snow.  I actually prefer the hot, humid summer of Georgia, or the hotter, dry heat of Vegas, to the snow of the Rocky Mountains.

But there are positives.  My parents are 5 hours away.  Meaning, when The Hubs deploys this coming summer, the kids & I will be able to spend as much or as little time there, just paying for gas, not having to fly.

Needless to say, since the Army isn't moving us this time, and The Hubs has been in Airborne school, all of the packing responsibility falls on me.  I've already got the kids' rooms pretty much packed, as well as everything off the walls & most of the breakables.  So my house looks like a sad, lonely prison cell.

I started working on the kitchen today, finally, after putting it off for almost a week, and after box #3 (and right in the middle of packing up my china) I ran out of packing tape, and The Hubs is off at a jump with our one and only vehicle.  And the PX is miles away.  Go figure.  So instead of being proactive and bugging the neighbors & friends, I'm blogging.  :)

Meanwhile, Big Brother is watching the credits to Toy Story 3, and Little Sister is in the kitchen whining for more milk.  And I'm being the lazy, neglectful mother.

We found out that we're not going to be able to move into a house on post until December 18th.  The kids & I fly out to my parents house on November 18th, and The Hubs & his dad are driving the moving truck, and should get to Ft Carson on or about November 22.  So we'll have to live in on post temporary housing or in an extended-stay hotel.  Neither of which sounds fun, coupled with 2 very lively, demanding and active toddlers who love to go outside, and the fact that we have one vehicle.

I'm pretty sure I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but we both felt strongly about living on post, so that's what we're going for.  Unless we can find a cheap, nice, big home to rent close to post, in a decent neighborhood.  Asking too much? Probably.

So now I'm stuck with the task of not only packing, but also trying to pack boxes to go into storage until we get our home, and also boxes of stuff to take with us if we need it - things like plates, cups, sippies & snack cups for the kids, and toys, of course.  I have no idea what to put in those boxes, other than the things I already mentioned.

I'm starting to feel overwhelmed.

Oh. And Big Brother just let himself & Little Sister outside.  At least our back yard is fenced in so they can't go far.

Anyway, my house is a mess, my inlaws just left, I have laundry to wash, toys everywhere, and just other random chaos filling every corner.  Not really the ideal scenario for packing, but then again, with no tape, I'm not going to be packing much, so I might as well get off my butt and clean.

Anyone want to come help?

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

i'm back... a little crazy, but better.

I know it's been forever since I've posted anything. 

A few weeks ago, I had a pretty dramatic few days, followed by a few more and less dramatic weeks.

One night, I decided that I wanted to go to sleep and not wake up, so I took an exorbitant amount of prescription pills and took a bath.  

Luckily, I woke up in the morning, and surprisingly, felt fine.  I bathed myself and my kids, got ready, and got in the car to head to a friend's house for the day.  About 4 houses up, I leaned over to get Little Sister's binkie off the floor, and hit a parked car.  (our streets are super narrow, and people park on both sides, leaving literally enough room for one car to drive at a time.)  Unluckily for me, the car belonged to the visiting parents of an MP.  Of course, he was first on the scene, and NOT friendly.  I can think of plenty of words to describe his attitude towards me, none nice, but I'll spare you my real thoughts. 

 Basically, when I get into car accidents, I go into shock.  I'm pretty much non responsive, and lose all sense of what's going on.  They took this as me being under the influence, and I (stupidly, might i add) told them what had happened the day before.  I ended up getting wreckless driving and dui tickets. 

They took me to the hospital where I was admitted overnight.  They pumped me full of fluids (I gained 16lbs, and it was gone 5 days later), drew tons of blood, and the next morning I was released to go to an outpatient psych program.

When I got to the Psych hospital, they decided to keep me in the inpatient program, which was hell.  5 days of it.  5 days of group therapy, personal therapy with a psychologist AND a psychiatrist. I met some really sweet people there - people who were going through the same things as me, people who understood how I felt and why I didn't 'just call someone'.  



When I was released, I had to go to a 'day program', which was the same stuff - group therapy - from 8-4, Monday-Friday.  I was there for a week and a few days, and hated every minute of it.  

Since I've been home, things are looking better.  I'm on a few new meds, and I've figured out new ways to deal with my stress and anxiety.  I made some great friends, which makes it seem better, but I will never go back... it was hell!  I felt like I was stuck in a bad version of 'Girl, Interrupted', only without Angelina & Winona.  



So that's where I've been.  

I have been spending lots more time with my kids, ignoring the housework that should be done, but isn't nearly as important as my babies.  They need me more than the house needs to be perfect.  The Hubs & I have been having a rocky bit, just because of stress, but things are still good there, and will keep getting better. 

The psychiatrist  I was seeing, in the beginning diagnosed me with Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder, but at my discharge, changed it to Mood Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, because she said she hadn't spent enough time with me...  She said the one I'll see in Colorado (after we PCS... another EXCITING post!) will be able to nail down a diagnosis since I'll have more time with him/her.  I think she was pretty right on with the original diagnosis.  The descriptions of those disorders fit me perfectly... anyway... That's my life!