Category: family

Deployment Prep: Next Week for Sure We’ll Be Flying to Kuwait

Army Wives, family, friends, military life
Deployment Prep: Next Week for Sure We'll Be Flying to Kuwait. Our story of waiting for deployment. Fort Hood, Texas, 2003

*****This post is the 10th in the series The Real Army Wives of 2003, the true story of our young military marriage and the friends we made in the beginning of the War on Terrorism.***** Alan reported to work. We were so nervous and excited to begin his military career. Everything up to this point was training; now it was time for the real action to begin. He found his unit in a fury of battle preparing. Much of the gear […]

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What it’s Like a Year After Moving

Army Wives, family, military life, moving, parenting

One year after moving… A year ago, we were the new kids in town. It’s an exciting place to be, but it’s not a secure feeling at all. Perhaps that why it’s so exciting. You’re all out there without roots, marching out into the unknown, hoping the people will be kind and the environment friendly. Phew! It’s exhausting to be new: always putting your best foot forward…Actually, sometimes it’s an accomplishment just to remember to smile at everyone and keep […]

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The Story Traveler’s Bible: 5 Easy Ways We Teach Our Children About God

faith, family, giveaways, God, parenting

Our number one priority is that we set our children off on the right track spiritually. We aren’t training them to live to please just their parents, society, or a set of rules.  Once you’re an adult, those things all become mushy anyway. We’d rather they have a relationship with God. It’s not about religion; it’s about knowing how to pray, knowing why they believe, having faith, and making these choices on their own. It’s about feeling responsible to a […]

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Being Mom: My Most Important Job

family, parenting, poetry

This morning was a struggle. Everyday is a race, but this morning was extra nerve-wracking. The trouble started at 7:40. The two oldest wanted to leave by that time so they could “be there early”. The middle boy was still brushing his teeth, and the youngest was still eating a waffle. Somehow we managed to leave the house at 7:48. No idea how. There was a short award ceremony this morning for AR readers, so we did that. I love […]

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4 Almost Free Ways to Spend Time Together as a Family + Giveaway

4 kids, big family life, family, fitness, giveaways, little boys, parenting, toddlers, vacation

As much as we’d love to be a Disney family, high tailing it off to Orlando a few times a year, that’s not really practical for most of us, is it? No, and even if you do, there will be plenty of time between to fill up with memories at home. Here are 3 things I’ve found lately to have a BLAST with my children without spending much money at all and without leaving our house. 4 Almost Free Ways […]

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What to Expect at Legoland Discovery Center, Atlanta

family, parenting, three year old, toddler tantrums, vacation

What to Expect at Legoland Discovery Center in Atlanta There are a few Legoland Discovery Centers around the country now. We went to the one in Atlanta during spring break. These are a fun way to spend a few hours together as a family. If your kids have never been to Legoland Orlando or Legoland in Southern California, you should totally just tell them this is Legoland and never have to book the larger vacation. They’d probably be totally satisfied. […]

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36 Reasons I Love Being 36

big family life, encouragement, family, parenting

This month I turned 36 years old. That sounds so weird to me, so I took a good hour to sit down and think about things I like about being 36 and also things I have learned. Some of these are memories I love that I have, some are lessons that I’ve learned, and some are just good sense. And I can combine that many different things because after all, it is my list.   1. I was there for […]

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It was not a failure, though I thought it was at the time.

4 kids, ADD, attitude, Bible verses, big family life, education, epilepsy, faith, family, God, homeschool

Failure stings when it’s something that means the world to you. It stings like getting stung by a HIVE OF BEES or 50 fire ants.

I set out to home school those two years with two objectives:

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Week 3 of The Hot Mess Blog Hop

family, hard times, military life, parenting

I sort of felt like my whole life embodied “hot mess” this week. Several things happened. I allowed so many activities to enter my life that I neglected one of THE most important, like helping my dyslexic-ish son with his spelling words. I put my foot in my mouth without even realizing it (but then, isn’t that always how it goes???). Oh, and my chin broke out like a teenager’s. But hey! I’m hoping that acne on my chin is […]

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