Picking up the tempo

Every fall it seems like life speeds up again after the unhurried pace of the summer. The kids have been in school for a month now and the rhythm of our days has changed. Gone are the days where the kids wake-up of their own volition and complain about going to bed because it isn't dark out yet. Now 7 am seems to early to wake up to the boys that were regularly playing well before that time just a month ago and continue to do so on the weekends. Bedtime is still the same but sees fewer battles because with fall comes the beginning of football and soccer. Dinner is late in the evening again due to late practice times 4 days a week. So the kids finish homework before practice and bathe while dinner is being prepared. Then my favorite time of day... reading to the boys before bed. We will sit and read as long as we can before they have to head upstairs go to sleep.
 Tyler is so proud, he filled an entire reading log in 2 weeks while most of his class is still on the first side. Jay reads to Tyler from his chapter book everyday to fill his 20 minutes of reading for homework. I am amazed at how well he is doing this year. His reading has improved greatly this year. Avery is learning to balance her social life and her school work. I am amazed at how quickly her phone fills up with text messages. She has a wonderful group of friends this year.
How does your life change when the kids head back to school?

Where did my little girl go?

Last year I decided not to get up with Avery in the mornings before school. If I was up she wasn't taking responsibility for herself and would run late daily.When I left her to fend for herself she managed to shower eat and leave on time. She only missed the bus twice all year last year.

This year I come down stairs to find the coffee already made and a travel mug missing. I'm waiting for her to ask for one of her own I may surprise her with one to thank her for making the coffee. Her cell phone was on the shelf still this morning and I thought ... I hope she's taking the bus home and not walking today. Wait a minute is my little girl old enough to have a cell phone and options on how to get home? When did this happen and why wasn't I informed of the changes. Yes, I got the phone for her and we discussed walking home with friends a few times but when you start putting it all together it just seems like too much too fast. My latest discovery this morning is that my ipod is missing. This will be addressed as soon as she walks through the door because that affects my workout for the day not to mention my cleaning routine.

She's taller than me now and wears shoes 2 sizes bigger than mine. Time is finally being spent brushing hair and putting thought into clothing. I'm afraid that the big push for makeup is coming. It just leaves me wondering what happened to my little girl with a messy bun on top of her head and filthy hands and clothes.

Finally...

After summer vacation and John's week of leave at the end of it, life is finally settling back into its regular routine. This is the first day that everyone is gone and I admit I haven't accomplished anything. Two blog posts in a row is good but I need to vacuum and sweep the down stairs, not to mention the work that needs to be done upstairs. I'm just glad that everyone will be back on schedule by the end of the week. I find it hard to get anything done including working out when John is sitting on the couch watching TV or playing video games. The kids constant presence also does a number on the cleanliness of my house. Don't get me wrong it isn't filthy or anything it just doesn't stay picked up and I have to clean the kitchen constantly.
So,  I'm going to enjoy one more cup of coffee then I'll set about my day. Workout, shower, then finally cleaning, and prepping for dinner.

10 Foods You Should Buy Organic

10 Foods You Should Buy Organic

Eating clean is something that I feel is important but on the limited Enlisted Army paycheck that my husband brings home I have to shop smart. I found this article online and I think it is a great place to start. I knew that some foods were more pesticide ridden than others but I didn't know which ones.
My small container garden is organic. I used an organic pesticide but found that having the boys look for caterpillars was the best method. Jay is very protective of "his" tomato plant. You could taste the difference between my potatoes and the non organic ones that I purchased from the store.
On a recent expedition to Nashville my husband and I came across an organic meat vendor. It was SO good. We'll be ordering from him when the meat in the freezer runs out. John is also hoping to get out and hunt this season. Venison is really good and lean. I have only had it in Germany so I'm hoping that it will still have that wonderful flavor here.
The commissary is getting more and more organic produce but it still lacks in a lot of other areas so we will have to explore other options and make special requests. Business is business so I understand that as the demand goes up prices should go down. On the same note the higher the demand the easier it will be to find organics of all kinds.
One important thing to note is that over eating will of course increase your grocery bill so we need to start portioning out the more expensive items like milk and meat. This will not only save money but help keep reign in the jiggle around our middles.
I hope you find this information helpful and put it to good use. What are your thoughts on organics?

Sisterhood

Army life has it's ups and downs but one true benefit is the quality of the friendships that you forge along the way. While we were stationed in Italy I met some of the most wonderful women. We all have different backgrounds but our friendship is strong. Sam left Italy first 2 years ago, followed by me, then Susan, and finally Michelle. Last week we got together with all of our children in a cabin in mountains of Georgia. It was so much fun that we are already talking about where we will go next year.
The kids range in age from 9 months to 12 years and all of them got along. We had a few spats but nothing note worthy. Tyler actually asked if we could bring Baby G home with us. My kids were the oldest  and loved playing with and caring for the little ones. I have to say that I am so proud of them.
On the way home I dropped the kids off for the weekend with Grandma. We get them back tomorrow but it has been the best week ever. 4 days with my best friends and a whole weekend with just my husband. I'll write more about everything tomorrow. I want to enjoy my last night alone in the house with my husband.

The times they are a changing...

Up until the beginning of the week John had 12 months left in the US Army. We were getting excited about getting out but there was a problem. John hadn't done everything that he felt that he needed too in the Army. People think he's a little crazy but he reenlisted to re class to 11B (infantry). He feels that he needs to lead soldiers. So long story short ... at least 5 more years as an Army wife for me. We have decided that I will use his GI bill starting this fall and get my BA. Unfortunately, John's school date is a year away leaving us at Fort Campbell for 2 whole years at least. We'll have to wait and see what the Army has for us. More details as they come and occur to me.

Tyler's tooth pillow

Tyler lost his 3rd tooth on Tuesday. He was so proud and excited. The shirt in the picture is one that I bought for him to wear when John came home from Afghanistan in 2008. He loves this shirt so much that try as I might he will not let it go. I decided to turn it into a tooth pillow for him so that he can keep it forever. If I can find some complimentary fabric I just may get ambitious enough to make blankets for his bunk beds.

First I turned the shirt inside out and pinned it in a rough square. I'm not a perfectionist and definately not an avid seamstrist so I wasn't too worried. The whole time my little slave driver was asking when we were going to get to the sewing. I decided to use the button from as a way to insert and remove the pillow so that it can be washed. So once we pinned and cut we were 4 straight lines from a finished product. The front pocket on the shirt serves as a place to put his tooth for the tooth fairy. He actually put his tooth inside his Lego treasure chest and put the chest in the pocket.

Here is my happy little man and his finished pillow. The tooth fairy brought him $2.00 and he is already trying to find more loose teeth.