Farewell, 2013!

What a year.

Hands down the most difficult year of my life.

I feel like I say that every year but this one takes the cake.

It wasn't all bad though.

I launched this blog on January 1, 2013 as a hobby. Something to keep

my mind occupied while my husband was serving overseas.

I didn't take it too seriously. I really wasn't expecting anyone to read it or

actually enjoy it. I just wanted to share some things that were working in

my life with some of my friends in hopes of inspiring them a little bit.

It turns out, I might be kind of good at this.

I started getting contacted by companies and businesses wanting my help

in promoting their causes. I started getting paid sponsorships. I even won an

award for being one of the Top 10 Military Mom Bloggers of 2013!

I took more "bloggy breaks" than I had planned due to some unexpected 

occurrences in my personal life. But my readers continued to stand by me and

were there when I returned.

I owe a lot to anyone who has come to my blog and read a post, left a comment,

or shared something I wrote on Facebook.

Here are my top 5 posts from 2013, in my own opinon!

These posts were important to me in one way or another and deserve a 2nd shout out.

5. Keys to Surviving Deployment 2/6/2013

4. Losing My Best Friend 4/29/2013

3. Live Your Dash 6/25/2013

2. Moving To Twentynine Palms 7/4/2013

1. Funny Thursday 8/15/2013

Stay tuned to see what 2014 brings me. Lots of new stuff for the new year!

L. Ron Hubbard {Book Review & Giveaway}

I recently had the opportunity to review a couple of books.

However, before I begin this review, I should disclose that although I love to read,

this is an area of fictional novels I was very unfamiliar with!

They call them "Stories from the Golden Age" and I learned that "pulp fiction"

is a lot more than just a John Travolta movie.

For those who are as clueless as I am, American pulp magazines were collections of fictional

stories published from the late 1800's all the way to the 1950's. They were known for

their eye-catching illustrations and dramatic tales with genres such as western and romance.

One author who found much success during this time was L. Ron Hubbard.

Between 1934 and 1940, Hubbard had somewhere around 140 titles published in the pulps.

As an avid researcher, traveler and military serviceman, people were drawn to Hubbard's

writings by his real-life experiences.

"He writes the way he does, brothers, because he’s been there, seen it and done it!"

The two books I had the pleasure of reading were Red Dragon and On Blazing Wings.

Some of my favorite things about reading is escaping to another world, exploring the

unfamiliar and learning about a different way of life.

 These stories were written in 1935 and 1940 and allowed me the opportunity to go back to

that time and experience a little bit of what the world was like.

Red Dragon is full of adventure and suspense with a romantic twist. The main characters,
Michael Stuart and Betty Sheldon, are on a daring quest around Asia in search of a mysterious
black chest. Stuart, who is also known as "The Red Dragon", is a former lieutenent in the US
Marines and is now known as a renegade, traitor and thief. Their search is compromised by his
reputation and the people who are out to get him.

Inspired by real-life events: "It was on Hubbard’s second journey to East Asia that he met British Secret Service agent, Major Ian MacBean, who introduced him to “The Great Game,” the geopolitical tug-of-war between China, Japan, and Britain. Hubbard also learned of the trade in stolen Chinese treasures, and was exposed to the secret criminal society known as The Red Dragon—inspiring this story of the same name. He has captured a singular time in this storied land."

~~~~~

On Blazing Wings is a thrilling tale about an American fighter pilot, David Duane, who leaves
for war with nothing to lose. Finding himself fighting in Finland against the Russians, his plane is shot down and Duane finds himself in enemy territory. A mix of politics, romance, and adventure, this story makes you think about how much control we really have over our own destiny.

Inspiration: "As a barnstorming pilot in the early days of aviation, Hubbard was dubbed “Flash” Hubbard by the aviation magazines of the day. His unique personal and pioneering knowledge of flight streaks across the page in novels like On Blazing Wings."

Reading these books were wonderful, but after watching this video, I think I want to check out
the audio books as well! They sound like quite an experience...

Need some new reading material?

Would you like a chance to win a copy of "The Red Dragon" or "On Blazing Wings"?

Enter here...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more information about these books and more by L. Ron Hubbard, please visit

http://www.goldenagestories.com/

Walmart's Holiday Salute to Military Families

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walmart. All opinions are 100% mine.

Last year, for the first time since having our kids, my husband was deployed during the holidays. He left at the beginning of December for six months overseas. Even though it was my favorite time of the year, the fact that my husband couldn’t be here to enjoy it with us made it bittersweet. I single-handedly had to manage all of the parental tasks that come along with the holiday season. He was able to Skype with us Christmas morning, but between the chaos of opening gifts and weak internet service overseas, it was difficult for him to hear or see what was going on. It ended up being more frustrating than anything.

We are fortunate to have him home this year, but not everyone is so lucky. I have many close friends who are feeling that void as well as thousands more across the country. Many of us are not stationed near family and find it financially straining to organize a trip home. We end up spending the holidays alone, doing what we can to make it special for the kids. For me, one thing that eases this heartache is knowing that America recognizes us and appreciates the sacrifices our families are making.

This year, Walmart is showing their support with their “Holiday Salute to Military Families”. This initiative is offering 2 million dollars in grants for toys, meals and lodging assistance to military families, as well as bringing many active duty service members home for the holidays. They have partnered with Operation Homefront and Fisher House in a salute to military families.  

December 3^rd is #GivingTuesday, a global campaign to join together and give! Helping our military families is a great way to participate. Join in our Holiday Salute to Military Families by visiting fisherhouse.org/Walmart and operationhomefront.net/Walmart for more information.

Let’s take this time to recognize our country’s heroes. Please share this post and tag a military member you are grateful for. For my military community, are you spending the holidays away from your loved one this year? Have you in years past? I want to hear your story. Let’s come together to show our support and remind military families nationwide that they are not forgotten.

Spartan Race on NBC Sports 12/7

I know I've written about the Spartan race before, but this event is just way too cool 

and deserves another post. How awesome does this look?

Could you imagine the straight euphoria of crossing this finish line?

From their website:

Spartan Race is on a mission to get you active, healthy, excited about change, and return to our ancient roots where running through woods, getting dirty, and facing adversity was part of everyday life. Our events are all about challenging today’s perception of normal.

Our events challenge the familiar, today’s perception of normal living and getting you out of your comfort zone! At Spartan Race, we do this everyday and it shapes everything we do.

Having experienced many different racing events, we wanted to make adventure racing more accessible to everyone, but do not be fooled by the word ‘accessible’, as our events have a challenge for everyone’s needs.

Spartan Race now introduces a level for everyone beginning with the entry level Spartan Sprint, intermediate level Super Spartan, the advanced Spartan Beast, and the ‘99.9% need not apply’ extreme level Death Race.

Whatever your level, Spartan Race will test your strength, stamina, and sense of humor.

If you're interest has peaked then check it out on tv.
December 7th, NBC Sports will be broadcasting the World Championship Spartan Race. 

Set your DVR right now!

 The awesome Spartan Race crew has provided me with another
free race code for one lucky reader.
This code is good for any 2013-2014 US Spartan Race registration.
Enter on the widget below.
Or, if you're ready right now, click HERE to get 15% off any Spartan Race.
And don't forget that they have teamed up with GovX to provide a discount to
active duty military and first responders!

Do you want it? Are you up for the challenge?

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Do it! Who says you can't?

AROO! ;)

(Did you set your DVR yet?)

Fall Cleaning

Fall cleaning...it makes total sense.

I first heard of it a few years ago in a mama group I was a part of on Cafe Mom.
These ladies were overachievers though, and would completely redecorate their
homes to accommodate the fall/winter setting. I wish I had the energy and money
to be able to do that but honestly, I just need a good excuse to get the dirty handprints
off my walls.

I spring clean every single inch of my house, but it's been a whole 6+ months since then
and you can't even tell I tried. It's really quite magical how disgusting kids can be.
And how busy you get raising them that certain household things get neglected
(I'm just being honest here).

Here are some things on my fall cleaning list. It may look similar to my spring list because
1) I have the same stuff and 2) I have the same house.

Clean out clothes

Clean out toys

Clean out all cupboards/shelves/drawers
Clean out and restock medicine cabinet
Clean out sink and shower drains

Make a list for maintenance
 Wash curtains
Organize and clean all DVDs
Throw away expired food and wipe down kitchen cupboards
Clean behind and under fridge and stove
 Basically, start at one end of the house and clean EVERYTHING.

It will take a few days. Just prepare yourself for that.
But your house will be ready for holiday guests and you can get
a head start on those winter germs.
Not to mention you will feel so good when its done!

Here's an idea of what I'm up against...

No shame.

You think you know...

I see this going around Facebook and its been fun to read but

I've been too chicken to "like" any of your posts.

I'm going to be a rebel and do my own list.

I'm going to do 10 because that seems to be the going rate.

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me

10. I sleep with a blankie every night. If I don't have it, I can't sleep.

9. In high school, my best friend and I would go to every event the Chargers

held. It was so bad they started to recognize us. I still know the president
of public relations and I go say hi to her whenever I'm at a game.

8. I used to borrow the Baby Think It Over dolls in middle school because

I thought they were fun. Then I saved up my money to buy my own.

7. I have never broken a bone.

6. I went to a few N'Sync concerts when they were big. Before one of the shows,

we were waiting by the fence near their tour buses trying to get a glimpse. A lady performer

who was opening for them walked over to say hi to the fans and talk with us.

(Don't care...where's Lance Bass?)

That lady was Pink. Oops.

5. I do not like strawberries or strawberry flavored anything.

4. I have had asthma my whole life, I was diagnosed when I was 8 after a hospital stay. 

I still take daily medications to keep it under control.

3. I grew up in the dirt bike world. I have fond memories of my dad's desert racing days,

camping in the desert, waking up before the crack of dawn to leave and playing with my toys

in the back of someone's trailer while my dad was racing.

2. I decided I wanted to marry a Marine after attending Military Appreciation Day at a

Padre game one year and I saw them in formation.

1. I used to be afraid of Pit Bulls and believed all the stereotypes. I am now a huge

Pitty advocate and consider them my favorite breed, We even fostered one sweet

Pitty girl before we moved to 29 Palms.

She is still available for adoption in the San Diego area...

Juliet

Let's Bake!

This is my first fall season with a Kitchenaid mixer!!!!

This is definitely something to celebrate.

I'm not a very good baker, and in recent years I have given up completely.

Its just not my area of expertise.

But how can I be the proud mom of a Kitchenaid mixer and NOT use it

during the busiest baking time of the year?

Pinterest to the rescue.

Here are some goodies I am looking forward to making in the near future...

Pumpkin Spice Latte M&M Cookies

This recipe doesn't seem too daunting to me. I can probably do cookies without

screwing them up too much. Plus the whole pumpkin spice thing is huge this time

of year. And you can't go wrong with anything that has M&Ms in it.

Homemade Butterfinger Bark

Oh I love Butterfingers. They've always been one of my favorites. For some reason,

whenever I'm at the movies I have to get those little Butterfinger Bites. I spend like 10

minutes eating them and then another hour picking them out of my teeth. Lovely, right?

I REALLY wanna try this Butterfinger bark. It looks like something I would eat in one sitting.

Salted Caramel Pretzel Blondies

I love blondies. I love salted caramel. I love sweet & salty.

I need to eat this.

 

Carmel Apple Cheesecake Cookie Bars

This looks absolutely amazing and like the perfect fall treat.

I would so make this next to the pies at Thanksgiving.

I can only imagine how amazing this tastes. 

Caramel Cake

This one looks a little too intense for me but I might just hire someone

to make it for me, any takers?

I think there is a lesson to be learned here. I'm not really looking forward to making these.

I'm just looking forward to eating them.

All of these recipes will be pinned to my Pinterest food board.

Feel free to repin!

Super Cool Pumpkins Pt 1

It totally hit me yesterday that Halloween is next week.

I stayed up late placing orders online for the last few things we

need for the kid's costumes this year.

My oldest daughter is going to be a peacock, my son wants to be a zombie ninja turtle, 

and the littlest daughter is going to be Agnes from Despicable Me.

Needless to say, these will all have to be thrown together by yours truly.

I also started thinking about pumpkins. We don't have pumpkins yet.

And what will we do with these pumpkins?

At Easter I posted a bunch of creatively decorated Easter eggs.

So I decided to look around online and see what the crafty people of the world

have decided to do to pumpkins over the years.

Here are a few of my favorites that I found.

 I see what you did there.

You painted lots of bats on lots of pumpkins and added a moon to the one in the back.

I wouldn't have thought of this myself.

Kudos.

Ok this one is just way too cool. These pumpkins are made out of pages from

an old book. It looks all vintage and creepy like these would be sitting outside

of a haunted house. Well, only if the creatures that haunted the house decorated

for Halloween of course.

I am very fond of the idea of going against the grain and breaking out the

bright colors this season. Everything is so....brown...and orange.

Lets paint some hot pink pumpkins and call it a day!

 Glitter is amazing because it just makes everything happier.

My friends and I refer to glitter as herpes, but now that I think about it, its more like

Herpes was the evil twin and Glitter is his sister.

They both spread all over the place, are hard to get rid of, and sneak up on you when you 

least expect it. But one makes you happy and the other just makes you really uncomfortable.

I don't even know if my references to Herpes are accurate but here are some glitter pumpkins...

 

 Ohhhhh aren't these last pumpkins fabulous?! By far my most favorite.

This is totally my kind of style. I just love how eloquent and delicate they look.

I might just have to attempt this...next year.

The Skinny About Skinny

Hopefully this post doesn't turn controversial 

 but something is really bothering me!

A mommy page that I am a fan of on Facebook posted this picture the other day...

I was a little offended at first and then brushed it off. 

Now I've given it a few days and its still bothering me!

I'm not one to be easily offended but here's the thing,

if that cartoon was making fun of bigger girls, would that page have posted it?

Probably not.

But since its making fun of skinny girls its ok.

I have been thin my entire life. I have never had a problem with weight. I've always

stayed between the sizes of 0 and 3, even while I was pregnant.

In fact, I had to work really hard to gain weight during my pregnancies to make

sure that my babies would be born a healthy size. (See, its not all fun and games!)

Now, I'm not trying to turn the tables and make people feel bad for me that

I'm small, but my whole point of this post is that we should be able to respect each

other as women no matter what size we are!!!

 

I think it was totally wrong for a page that is geared towards women and moms to

be posting a picture like this.

I shouldn't have to feel guilty that I am naturally skinny.

 

Women's body image is such a sensitive subject these days.

I wish we could all just support one another and respect each other for what we are.

Can we do that?

Can we all just focus on being healthy and fit and happy?

All of us, no matter what size, could work towards those goals, right?

 

 I hope you see my point here.

And for the record, I do eat!!!!!!!

We're Official!!!!!

I'm all giddy with excitement because I just submitted

our first ever private school affidavit!

This doesn't really mean much, other than we are offically

a homeschool in the state of California.

I was really intimidated by this task and kept putting it off.

(Deadline is October 15)

Official forms and documents always scare me because I have this

irrational fear that if I do it wrong, I'll have a warrant out for my arrest

and I'll never see my family again. Like I don't know how to answer

questions about myself or something.

Thankfully, another homeschooling friend of mine sent me this link

to HSLDA's website that has step-by-step instructions on how to do it!

http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ca/affidavit/AffidavitInstructions.asp

Super helpful!!!

I started to fill this all out yesterday.

I read question 1 and was immediately stumped.

"Name of School"

ummmmmmmmm I don't know!!!!!!!!!!

Apparently we have to NAME our homeschool.

Nobody prepared me for this. Oh no, what do I do?!

 So I went to Google-land with a mission to find a name for our school.

I found quite a few homeschooling forums where other people listed the name

of their own schools and why they chose it.

It sounds like this would be an easy task....but its not.

Initially I'm like "Oh, I'll just put (Our last name) Homeschool"

No....that's not good enough.

Other people were so creative and thoughtful! I don't want a boring name,

I want to be cool too!

I noticed a lot of people had the word "Academy" in their name.

Ok, I could go that direction.

It literally took me almost 24 hours to come up with a name I think I could live with...

I chose this name because I felt it was unique and it encompasses what I want

our homeschool to be for our family.

The definition of Liberty is "The state of being free within society from oppressive 

 restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views."

Yea, that's one reason we homeschool.

We have the freedom to choose our own curriculum and teach our children the

way we feel is best for them without having to answer to anybody.

 Another reason we homeschool is because I want to encourage my children's

curiosity in learning new things. I don't want them to feel that knowledge is a chore.

I want them to understand that learning is everywhere in our every day life, not just

at a desk in a classroom. That is why I chose the words "Creative Learning" in our name.

We keep it fun, relaxed, interactive and entertaining so they actually enjoy it.

After I picked a name, we decided we needed a mascot.

Introducing, Liberty the Lemur!

 

Kayden and I have talked about it and are going to work on raising money 

to adopt a lemur from WWF!

We had fun with this and now that this process is over we can continue on

with our year as official homeschoolers, woo hoo!

The Shutdown From My POV

I've been married to my husband for almost 8 years and we have gotten

the "no paycheck" threat before. It always got figured out before payday

though and didn't really affect us. I just figured the same thing would

happen this time so I wasn't phased much when I heard about it.

Payday came, and we got paid. I paid the bills. We were good.

But then there was more. Closing the commissary? No more FRO?

Even the possibility of our hospital cutting hours? What is going on!

Surely that won't actually happen. But it did.

Word started to spread that our commissary was going to be open Tuesday,

October 1st, to sell perishables and then it would be closing its doors until

the government figures itself out. I immediately knew that I had to face the
madness at the commissary Tuesday morning if I wanted to feed my family.
I knew it was going to be bad. I had NO idea it was going to be this bad.

Soooo here's the real point of me posting this.
We know a lot of people are suffering in different ways because of this.
Some people are completely without pay and still have to work every day.
Yes, there is always someone worse off than you, but I still think you have the
right to voice your frustrations if it is affecting you. Heck, even if it isn't affecting
you and you are frustrated for those who are. I saw a lot of negativity on Facebook
yesterday about people "freaking out" and "you don't have it that bad." No, maybe
we don't have it as bad as others, but we are hurting too.

I am still bothered by those comments today.
Yes, our commissary closed and I was one of those who stocked up with $400 worth
of groceries in my cart. No, I don't think its the end of the world. But I do find it a lot
more affordable to buy groceries for my family of 5 with commissary prices than shopping
at Staters out in town. So my freezer and fridge is packed with enough food to last us
a while. Even though I saved money by doing this at the comm, I still tipped my bagger $20,
not because I can really afford it, but because I know that we'll continue getting a paycheck
while she is at home waiting for the government to make a decision and because I know
others are more greatly affected than I am.

I guess what I'm getting at is, don't bring more negativity into this situation than there
already is. People are scared and emotional and just trying to take care of their families.
Our government just threw a huge wrench into a lot of people's routine lives and its not
exactly easy. Support each other, listen to each other, help each other, just don't be rude.
Don't argue politics, don't make people feel bad or stupid for feeling the way they do, don't
try to one-up anybody else on how much this shutdown hurts you.
It's unnecessary and not going to help anything.

Oh and read this article, its spot on:
 http://www.militaryspouse.com/articles/shutting-up-while-we-shutdown/

I really hope this is all over with soon!!!!!!!!

A Baby Shower + D's Birthday!

So here's how this began...

Back in the Myspace days I was your average stalker.

I was young and bored and spent a lot of time just 

browsing random people's profiles.

(I know I wasn't the only one!)

I had a friend who had a friend that I found interesting.

Her Myspace page was pretty public so I kept up with her posts without her knowing.

(There is absolutely no way to explain this without sounding like a total creep.)

If it makes you feel better, we were all Marine wives in Oceanside and I felt like

I could be good friends with this girl...even though she didn't know I existed...oh jeez...

Anyway, years went on and people moved over to Facebook and I moved on.

A little over a year ago I get a message on FB from this lady! I was like "omg what

does she know?!" In her message she introduced herself and explained that she was marrying

my husband's best friend and moving to 29 Palms soon. Wait...what?!

Andrew and Jacob grew up together and have been best friends since childhood.

We knew he was getting married, and we knew he was getting stationed in 29,

but he's marrying the same person I used to stalk years ago?!

Obviously she had gotten a divorce from the Marine she was married to back in

the day and this small little world led her to Jake.

I had to confess.

I had to tell her that I already know all about her and her life.

It was awkward and I felt so dumb!

Seriously, what are the chances of this happening!!!!

Jeanette, being the amazing woman that she is, thought it was funny and

made me feel less of a creep by understanding. She thought the whole thing

was pretty crazy too. So, just like I suspected, we became pretty good friends!

They've been here a little over a year and are now expecting a baby boy together!

Jake is currently in Afghanistan so I wanted to do something special for Jeanette.

I had the honor of throwing her a diaper party with our small group of friends

to celebrate the upcoming arrival of their baby Sawyer!

Since it was a diaper party, I tried to use diapers every way I could:

 Diaper Banner

Diaper Cake

Poopy Diaper Game (its chocolate!)

A friend helped with the food and we served a sausage and egg dish, homemade

donuts, watermelon and strawberries, and cookie dough dip with Nilla Wafers.

My cupcakes were Funfetti (of course!) with a homemade buttercream frosting.

I served Martinelli's sparkling juices to fancy it up!

In addition to the poopy diaper game, we played a memory game, a quiz about

the mother-to-be, and then I surprised Jen with some Newlywed game-type questions.

Before the party, I contacted Jake on Facebook and asked him a series of questions

related to parenting. He gave me his answers and we had Jen try to guess his answers.

It was a sweet way to include Daddy who has been missing so much.
 

 Overall our brunchy diaper party was a success and Jen now has a good stash ready for Baby!

~~~~

 My 2nd party that week was for my son.

My little baby boy turned FOUR!!!

Time flies when you're a parent!

Its amazing and scary at the same time.

Only a few more precious years until my babies are on their own.

We had to do a Ninja Turtle theme for our little guy, no question.

Ninja Turtles are back full force and Davin is obsessed.

I stole a few fun ideas from Pinterest.

I ordered a ton of decorations from birthdaydirect.com.

I ordered their Ninja Turtle edible cake image and had the commissary

make us a plain white cake with a "turtle green" border. This worked out great.

 

I also bought the soda bottle wrappers, which I thought were awesome!

 

We served pizza (duhh), Sprite, Squirt, salad and green jello!

We invited our closest friends and family and had a great time visiting with everyone.
And D got lots of cool new things.

I think Bubby really enjoyed his party this year!

Quick Update!

Hello all!

Wow September has turned out to be a lot busier than I was prepared for.

We started school, two of the kids started soccer, Girl Scouts began again, 

I took in a daycare child 5 days a week, and I've had 3 parties to plan!

On top of that, my husband has been in the field the majority of the month!

So, its no surprise I haven't had much time to blog.

I think we're starting to get into a routine though. I might find a

couple minutes here and there to start posting again. I kind of miss you.

Our first year of "official" homeschooling has started off great.

I am so super pleased with the curriculum I picked out for my daughter.

All of the time and research really paid off. She and I are both enjoying it.

We do school work for a max of 2 hrs a day and its perfect.

She is such a smart little cookie and I love being her teacher and watching her learn.

We are staying on track and having fun along the way, which is all I can ask for!

The three parties I've been planning include my son's 4th birthday party, a dear

friend's baby shower, and my sister's baby shower which is this weekend.

I will post about those parties this week with some of the ideas I put into them :)

 I better go make dinner before it gets too late!
I'll see you tomorrow!

Never Forget

I was just beginning 8th grade when 9/11 occured.

I walked into my 1st period Algebra class and saw my teacher, Mrs. Stone,

sitting quietly on her stool watching us come in, with the news on the TV behind her.

We immediately knew something wasn't right.

Mrs. Stone was always bright, cheerful and energetic in the mornings.

Once we were all seated, she slowly started to explain to us what happened to our

country that morning. I didn't understand. I don't think a lot of us did.

We spent the entire class time asking questions, trying to comprehend it.

I remember coming home from school that day, hopping onto my computer and

playing music. I started to read articles online and people's comments and that's

when I started realizing that this was serious.

To this day, the songs "I'm Like a Bird" by Nelly Furtado and "How You Remind Me"

by Nickelback bring me back to that moment.

It took me a few days, and lots of questions, to actually understand what a

"terrorist attack" was and that our country will be forever different.

Even though I didn't get it at first, I will never forget that moment walking

into 1st period and the look on my teacher's face.

Twelve years later, and a world of new friends, I'm interested...where were you?

Please take a moment to watch the following 9/11 tribute video by Gus & Knots.

The drummer in this video is my amazingly talented close friend, Laura.

You can check out her professional drum page here. Enjoy and Never Forget!

My Strange Sleeping Habit

The other day, the hubby and I were having a conversation about

sleeping. He had said something about me snoring really loud the night

before. I got all freaked out because I had no idea that I was a snorer!

I proceeded to ask him a million detalified questions about my snoring.

Do I always snore?

Is it only when I'm really tired or sick?

Do I snore when I lay on my back?

My side?

What exact tone is my snore?

I didn't get much out of him but apparently the "loud snoring" is an

occasional thing for me. Still though, I don't want to be a snorer!

Then he said "You always do this weird clicking noise though."

Um...what?!

I demanded further explanation!

"It almost sounds like you're hitting your teeth but I've listened closer

and you make this sound using your tongue."

I got so scared and immediately came to the conclusion that I'm conversating

with life on another planet during my slumbers.

What the heck?! Who clicks in their sleep??

Has anyone ever heard of this?!?!

Google is our friend, so we looked it up and apparently I'm not the only one.

*phew* That makes me feel less of a freak, but I still couldn't find much information about it!

Something about the suction in the back of your throat and your tongue...

There was a YouTube video titled "Sleep Clicking - Deadlier Than Snoring!"

Wonderful!

I didn't watch it.

Ok so I guess I will ask my doctor or dentist about this at my next appointment

but it is so weird to me that I've had this habit and didn't even know about it.

 I always thought my husbands twitching was funny, my parent's snoring annoying,

my sister's sleep-talking entertaining, but I always pictured myself like this...

Apparently not!!

Does anyone else have any weird sleep habits (that they know of?)

or am I the only one? :(

Spartan Race Gives Back

Huge announcement from the Reebok Spartan Race team!
They have partnered up with GovX to form one of the largest race discount

programs for US Military members and government first responders.

To show their support, they are offering a $30 discount on race registration
for our heroes! To read more about this special offer, click HERE.

Not familiar with the Spartan Race? Take a look at this...


Sooo awesome!

Anyone can sign up for these races!
Register individually, or create a team!


Have you seen these pictures of USMC Cpl Todd Love?

He lost both of his legs and his left arm after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan. He raced a special Spartan Heroes Heat, along with his Team X-T.R.E.M.E, in August 2012.  

  So what do you think? Do you want to get in on this action? Can you push yourself to the limits and conquer things you never thought you could?   The people at Reebok Spartan Race are offering one of my readers a code for free race registration good for any 2013-2014 US Spartan Race!!!   This is your chance! Follow the instructions below to enter. And be sure to spread the word about this heroes discount!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What Grieving Has Taught Me

Well, I've made it almost 5 months without my Sam Bam.

Its been far from an easy ride but I'm happy to say that I'm starting to feel better.

 Not 100%, but better.

I've learned a lot of about life and death, and life after death, in these past

few months. I thought I would share the 5 most important things that grieving

has taught me. This is a situation we are all bound to come across at some point.

Maybe this will help somebody.

1. Things will never be the same.

It sounds obvious, but life really does turn upside down when you lose somebody

close to you. I spent most of the last few months mourning the fact that I will never

see her again and that no matter what I do, my life will never go back to the way it 

was when she was here. Not only that, but my connection with her kids has changed

a lot. I don't see them as often and that has been tough to accept but the fact is, its just

not going to be the same. I still love her family greatly and we do see each other when

we can. But without Sam, its different. I'm learning to be ok with this and not think of

it as such a bad thing. Its just the way it is.

2. People grieve differently.

I've heard this my entire life but never truly understood it until now. To see the way

Sam's friends and family have reacted to this tragedy has taught me a lot about the

grieving process. Some "recovered" sooner than others. Some acted out in anger.

Some (me) closed themselves off to the world in confusion and hopelessness. We are

all dealing with the same death, but processing it in different ways. This is important to know
so you don't confuse people's grief with carelessness or exaggeration. 

3. Ups and Downs are part of the process.

Just when I start feeling like I'm going to be ok, my mood takes a nosedive and I'm
crying/depressed/hopeless all over again. Then a few days later I'm feeling better.
I was getting so exhausted going through this cycle of emotions but my therapist continued
to assure me that it's normal. You have your good days, and your not so good days. Just hang
on and go with the flow. Its your body's way of adjusting to the changes and handling the
emotional stress of what you've just experienced. And it also gives you a slight glimmer
of hope that one day your good days will outweigh the bad ones and that things will get easier.

4. Have patience for the grieving.

I owe so much to my friends for helping me get through the toughest time in my life. There are
a few people who stayed by my side through my bad days, when I felt like no one cared about me.
Some of them invited themselves over and literally had to drag me out of the house to pull me out
of my negative mood. They didn't give me any other option and I'm so glad they did because it really
helped. When I was feeling down and sorry for myself, they didn't get annoyed, they understood.
They were here for me to talk to. They were genuinely concerned when I was upset. It was exactly
what I needed and I am so glad I had them here for me. The emotional rollercoaster has slowed
down now and I know its easier to be my friend when I'm not crazy moody, crying and sleeping
all the time. But the fact that they were my friend regardless means so much to me! If someone
you know is grieving and going through the ups and downs, just be there for them. Even if they act
like they don't need or want you there, they do and they will appreciate it later.

5. That "new normal" is a real thing.
For a while I was really feeling guilty about moving out of the shocked/depressed phase. I didn't
want to ever be "ok" with the fact that my best friend died. That her kids have to grow up without
her. That she got robbed of life. People kept saying "You'll find a new normal" and all I could think
was "Ok but I dont want a new normal. I want my normal normal. I want her back." Its only been
in the past week or so that I've realized I now have a "new normal". I don't wake up in the morning
expecting to hear from her. I don't feel out of place when she's not showing up at my house at 9:30am
with the kids ready to hang out. I have a new routine. I've come to accept that it will never go back
to being that way and I've gotten used to life the way it is now. I think the most important part is that
I don't feel guilty about it. I did my fair share of mourning. She knew I loved her and I know I
always will. All she wanted for me was to be happy and she would hate knowing that she was
the cause of so much pain. Just because it is getting easier doesn't mean I don't miss her or think
about her all the freaking time. I would give anything to have her back. But remembering her
is a lot less heart-wrenching and I know now that I am going to be ok.

In spirit of my beautiful Sam and our Cali lovin' thug life together...

HUGE Military Family Giveaway & Getaway!!

Let me start off by saying that, as a Marine Wife, it touches

my heart whenever offers like this present themselves to our community.

It takes a very special person to hack a life in the military and its even more

honorable when there are children involved. You can't truly understand unless
you've been there.

My husband was deployed to Iraq while I was pregnant with our first baby. He
missed the entire pregnancy but luckily got home just a few short weeks before
she was born. He was in a nondeployable position when I had our second baby but
was training when I went into labor and I couldn't get a hold of him! He made
it to the hospital just in time. In 2011 I gave birth to our third baby while he was half
a world away. He met her when she was 6 weeks old. This past May we concluded
yet another deployment where my three babies were without their dad for 6 months.

Our story is so "normal" in this lifestyle. There are many other families facing

even greater hardships and trying to survive deployments while raising kids.

If you know a military mom or dad whose spouse is overseas, and you feel that

they are deserving of this amazing opporunity, please follow the directions below

to nominate them!

Thank you, Plush Little Baby, for showing your support to us military families!

http://www.plushlittlebaby.com/plbs-ultimate-military-family-giveaway-getaway/

The Television Post

I've noticed lots of bloggers posting about their favorite shows.

I figured I'd throw mine into the mix because I know you care!

I'm a TV Junkie and I fully admit that!

The only problem I have is keeping up with the current episodes.

I don't have a lot of time and can only watch one or two shows after

the kids go to bed. I also start some shows really late,

after I hear everyone else's reviews.

My poor DVR can hardly keep up with my habits.

So here a few shows in my current rotation...

First and foremost is Big Brother Season 15! My favorite show ever.

I've been a BB fan since the beginning and I never miss an episode.

This is probably the only show that I stay current with and actually watch

when its on. If you've never seen it, I recommend it! Some people think its

trashy, there are some cat fights along the way, but what do you expect with

that many people living a secluded life in the same house. It is a game though

and there is strategy involved. This season is coming to an end but be sure to

catch it next summer!

My favorites have switched throughout this season. At first I was a big fan of

McCrae but I despise Amanda. She is a control freak and just intimidates people

into doing what she wants. She can't win a competition to save her life. She is

still getting far in this game, which I give her kudos for, but I don't like her. So

since McCrae has fallen in love with Amanda, I can't root for him anymore. Last

night's episode has got me on Team Elissa and Judd. I was so annoyed that Elissa

was Rachel's sister, and I couldn't stand her for the longest time, but I've slowly

learned that she is way cooler than her sister and although I don't want her to win,

I'm hoping she can create a nice little alliance and take some other people to the end.

I was a big fan of Helen and I was sad to see her go. I felt like she really knew how

to play the game and did it with class. She was so smart! I was rooting for her to

be the retuning juror but I was glad to see Judd come back too. I hope he makes

some big moves this time and doesn't just sit idle the way he was before!

I hope Amanda gets backdoored this week.

That sounds dirty, you have to be a fan of BB to know what that really means.

 Oh I am a hugggge RHOC fan!!!! Its the only housewives show that I follow with a

passion but I LOVE them! I missed the first couple of seasons but I think I started

regularly following it in 2009. It was around the time Gretchen's fiance Jeff passed away.

I'm not totally caught up on this season yet though, I'm a few episodes behind.

My favorite housewife is Heather. I feel like she is everything I want to be! Rich,

successful, down to earth, a good mom, and the peacekeeper in the group. She doesn't

like drama but is very straightforward when somebody else is causing problems. She's

modest and professional and so very classy. Her husband is a plastic surgeon with a great

sense of humor and she's got 4 little kids running around her insanely gorgeous mansion.

Tamra and Gretchen have been long time favorites of mine too. I think they are so funny

but their personalities are completely opposite of mine, which is probably why I like them.

They seem like they would be really fun to hang out with and laugh at as I sit back and

watch. Vicki isn't my favorite housewife, but she is entertaining! And I feel a connection

with her story because of her daughter. I love her daughter, Briana, who recently married

a Marine and had a baby boy. I obviously feel like I can relate to her. In the episode I'm

currently watching, her husband is training here at 29 Palms and she visits him 3-4 times

a week. Yes, I am secretly hoping I will run into her some day. I will keep my eyes peeled!

I really like the new housewife, Lydia. She's so sweet and cute and kind of hippie-ish. She's

all about peace and love and also stays out of the drama of the group. She just wants everyone

to be friends and have fun! The only housewife I don't care for is Alexis. I hope its just the way

the show portrays her, but I can't stand her!

Hubby and I have jumped on The Walking Dead bandwagon! Better late than never!

We are almost done with season 2 on Netflix. I had ALL of season 3 recorded on my DVR

but it apparently got deleted because of 16 hours of X-Games that decided to take control.

We are big fans of this show and if you haven't seen it, you need to! There was tons of talk about

it so we decided to give it a try. The first episode didn't have me totally convinced. But 3 to 4

episodes in and we were hooked. It just keeps getting better and better.

The episode we are on, the group is still living on Hershel's ranch. Shane is still around

(I heard he dies??? Don't tell me!!) and he drives me crazy. That guy is a loose canon, it wouldn't

surprise me if they throw him to the Walkers for bait. The little boy, Carl, is starting to get a little

too confident with his little boy self and he's starting to make me nervous. We have one episode left

of this season and I'm sure its gonna be a good one.

Premiering tonight is Teen Mom 3! This is another show I have followed since the very

beginning. I've watched all of the 16 and Pregnant seasons and have followed Teen Mom

religiously. I'm super excited about this new group of girls.

Speaking of Teen Mom, wtf has happened to Farrah. Does anyone keep up with her? She is

losing her marbles. I'm totally not a fan. I'm also not a fan of Jenelle, she needs to figure

herself out. I do, however, want to be Macy's best friend. I love her and I think she's doing

things right. Catelynn and Tyler also have a special place in my heart. I wish them nothing

but the best! I'm excited to get to know this new group of girls and stalk their lives :)