Pop or Soda?

From the time my husband and I met we have had an ongoing disagreement....Is it correct to say "pop" or "soda"?

My husband is from the east, and calls himself a hillbilly, and he calls it soda. I am from the Northwest and I call it pop. He claims it's because I'm a "yank" but I don't think that this has anything to do with the mason-dixon line.

Funny too, we both like completely opposite colas. He drinks Coke...I know that's a southern thing...and I drink pepsi.

Two people....two different opinions. Which one do you think is right? And oh ya, then somebody gets 5 kisses!

Roll Call!!!!

I am interested to know who reads my blog. So it's show and tell time...

First name...where you are from....and if you have a blog you would like to share yourself :-)

Ready,
Set,
GOOOOO....

I'm Nicole. From OK, USA. And if you read this you already know what my blog is ;-)

Making THAT choice

I never thought much about "permanent decisions" until I met my husband. He told me that at one, very low, point in his life he almost made one of those. And now someone else in my family has struggled with that in the last day or two. He reached out to me, and I'm glad he didn't do it!

I'm sorry to be so blunt, but this is one of the most selfish decisions you can make! Who are you to decide how long your life should be; depriving your future children of a parent and future loved one of a spouse, not to mention all the things you leave behind for others to take care of!

I know that life is hard, I know that some days are more difficult than you think you can handle, but the promise of tomorrow is that YOU CAN GET THROUGH IT! Nothing is so bad that seeing yourself in the future should be a question.

Look at it like this....if my husband had done what he thought, our life together wouldn't have ever happened. Our two boys certainly wouldn't exist or any others we have. I believe God made him for me...what if he weren't here? I may have married a jerk...and once I asked him what he thought about me being married to someone else and I'll just tell you that the idea didn't sit well with him!

Please talk to people! You are worth far more than you realize, and even if It's to a future someone...wait for them, it will all be worth it! I'm praying for you!

I Gave In

I was determined with our first son to exclusively breastfeed...then my son grew 3 inches in two months and didn't gain as much as they Doctor wanted, and we started supplementing with formula. Our second son has proven to be more like his big brother than I thought.

He had his 4 month appointment on friday, and he grew 3 inches in the last two months! He is also just a few ounces heavier than his brother was at this age! Yes I realize I may have just had twins 16 months apart :-).

I have been trying, again, to exclusively breastfeed, but he is starting to follow in the footsteps of his big brother with his inattentive behavior in regards to feedings. He keeps trying to get his thumb in his mouth while I'm feeding him, and I'm starting to worry that he's not getting enough to eat. Tonight I finally gave in. I gave him a bottle of formula!

I know how it is to plan how you are going to be when you have a baby, but as my mom likes to remind me....babies have a way of changing your plans. They are tiny people, with great big ideas of how things are going to happen. And, when you finally give into thier idea, and they fall asleep and don't cry off and on, you realize that you may have done something right! No, you're not a "bad parent" for trying to do what you thought was best. No, it's not bad that you waited and tried to exhaust you options. No, it's not going to harm them for you to give in every now and then....

My son's contentment is my reward for going against my original plan...and that is good enough for me!

Lets gamble!

Sometime in the first year of our marriage we started this....

When we had differing opinions on a subject, but we each thought we were correct, one of us would say," what do I get?" Then, the other would say,"5 kisses". Then we would try to find out the answer :-).

This is a good way, for us, to keep from getting irritated when we have differing ideas. It's the best kind of gambling...you both win even if you are wrong! I always apologize too, just so that he knows I'm not upset about being wrong. Sometimes practicing making apologies to your spouse is good. Some have every hard time saying they are sorry.

How many great big arguments have been started over little things? How much simpler to just make it a game for yourselves? And any excuse to kiss your husband is a good one, right?

So....take a"gamble"....it'll be fun :-).

Taking It Upon Myself

All too often people take things upon themselves. Usually its a disussion, or an action. It makes them feel like they are "helping" someone else by taking care of it for them...this is where trouble begins.

When this happens people don't seem to think before they act. Whatever justice they THINK you deserve is generally swift and ruthless. Words are spoken that can't be unsaid, and feelings may be irreparably hurt by the carelessness.

My "favorite" is when they call me, and want me to relay the message to my husband....why do they do this? It's not going to sound any better coming from me, it's not going to hurt his feelings less, and if the intention is to make me the bad guy it's not going to work!

I would ask that people take on their OWN problems. Start and finish your own conversations, saying what you mean and meaning what you say! Fight your own battles! Don't let others put words into your mouth! And, before you say something, use the filter that God gave you....the one that stops the things that can hurt people's feelings from coming out before you go over them again.

The Dog House

Long before I got married I can remember my mother telling me and my sisters that ," in mine, and daddy's house, there is NO DOG HOUSE!" At the time I didn't know how important this idea would be in my own marriage, but it has become so. So, I will say it for myself now...in our marriage there is no dog house!

People use this "dog house" as a weapon to get their spouse...usually the husband...to bend to their own will or to punish them. I can remember our first married thanksgiving, where a woman kept throwing that threat at her husband, and I had only been a wife for two weeks and I felt sad for him!

It's not funny, or a joke, to threaten to kick your husband out of your room or your bed! That room, and that bed, are joint custody. You have no right to kick him out and he has no right to kick you out!

How can you grow together, or get over a disagreement if you refuse to be near eachother? I am not a "seasoned" spouse, but I have learned in my short time being married that the only way to grow together is to BE together!

Testing Day

A couple days ago now, my husband took his PT test. This was THE test....the last chance for him to pass and stay in the military, which is his dream, or fail and be discharged. HE PASSED!

My husband is awesome! He worked so hard to make this happen!

I have been to every test since we got married, and every time I am the only spouse there. At first I thought I might get into trouble for being there, but I quickly found out that they couldn't stop me even if they wanted to...this from the mouth of a captain :-)....I love it when they are on my side!

I've been there pregnant, with a baby in my arms, and the other day I had three kiddos with me. Ladies, if I can do it, so can you! I do it because my husband needs me there. I'm his helpmate, and if all I can be is a presence, then I believe it is my job to be there. He told me once that he feels like he's showing off for me when I'm there, any hey if it helps then that is great!

Every test I stand on the opposite side of the track, and tell him what the time is, and tell him he's doing a good job. As he put it the other day we, our sons and myself, are his cheering section. Our little man claps for daddy as he goes by :-).

Nobody ever commented on me being there until yesterday....one of the female airmen told me," way to support your husband!" That was a suprise.

I know that some women have jobs, or other things going on, but military spouses....THEY NEED YOU THERE! They may say that they don't, but I would guess that most would find that it does help to see the face of the one they love on the other side of the track. My husband told me that he initialy felt odd having me there, but then he had a few men comment on how I came there, and that they wished their wives would do that. Now, I don't think those guys ever asked their spouses, because they didn't want to appear "needy", but I bet their scores would have improved if they had!

Ladies...and gentleman married to military ladies...support your husbands every chance you get! We can't be there for training, or deployments. We can't talk to leadership when they discipline our husbands, but this is something we CAN DO! Someday, I would like to have another spouse....or 10....standing next to me, come join me!

I wish

"I wish"....we say it a lot. Today I will join the club!

I wish that naptime lasted a little longer.

I wish that my husband was back on day shift!

I wish I could figure out why I want to cry all the time...and no, I'm not pregnant.

I wish that I could tell if people really liked ME, or if they just like what I help them with.

I wish that Diet Pepsi came out of the tap in our kitchen....I know I would deal with hauling the water from the bathroom for that ;-).

I wish I had family who would suprise us and come HERE!

I wish that some of my husband's family would come visit US too!

Yes, my madness at home is bringing me down a little, but I'm working on getting back up.

I think I can!

You remember he story of the little engine that could? The one where the train is having a hard time making it up the hill, but it keeps repeating.."I think I can, I think I can!"?

As a mom, somedays you have to give yourself a peptalk..."I think I can, I think I can!"

I think I can...
...convince a 20 month old that spinach and tomatoes are to be eaten, not spit out or gagged on.
...do all the laundry in the laundry room all by myself.
...get a little bit of peace...maybe not :-(.
...act like a "mommy", and wait out his temper tantrum, and then give him a hug because at the end of the day I still love him!
...coordinate dinner and naptime(so that the above scenario doesn't happen).

As you can see, sometimes you can be your own cheerleader! GO TEAM!!!!

Wild Weekend

So, I haven't blogged in a few days, and here is why...our weekend was one giant rollercoaster ride!

First, our oldest has his first overnight friend, which was probably the easiest part! How sad is it when a house with three babies under two is a cakewalk compared to other things?...YEP, PRETTY SAD!

Then, right before punchout time on Friday, I get a call from my hubby. Our wonderful "boss", Uncle Sam, has decided to be benevolent in light of the government shutting down, and had informed the military members that they would only be receiving 1 week's pay! Now, I say benevolent only because we were told that we may not receive ANY pay!

Now I am learning to ride the rough seas of military wife life. I have been up at odd hours, throwing together a uniform and a lunch box in less than 10 minutes for a recall. I have waited anxiously for phone calls. I have begged airmen to mow my lawn because my husband wasn't here and I was too pregnant. I have sewn patches on uniforms, when I MUCH prefer we send them to the tailor....but all of these experiences do not prepare you for the prospect of no money being paid for services rendered!

I hear all the time that the military doesn't make enough...for the hour they work, NO...but to pay the bills, yes. Living within our means has been lost somewhere, but even though my husband and I save and spend as wisely as we can, our savings may not have brought us through this time.

Now my question is, how does the government feel no remorse or guilt at the thought of cutting thousands off without notice, and expect the people serving to want to do their job? My husband's new schedule is not conducive to getting a "real" job, and even if I did I would only be able to bring enough home to pay the sitter. See, there's a reason I stay home with our boys! I know my husband would go without sleep to work somewhere else, on top of his regular duties, to try to provide, but that wouldn't even be enough.

I hope that those who thought that not paying us was a good idea can't look at themselves in the mirror now! While they would have been eating their 500 dollar a plate catered lunch...on our tax-paying military husband's dime...we would have been trying to make money grow on trees!

Overreaction

For some reason my husband seems to think that one day he's going to wake up from this "dream" he's been having...the one where we are married with kids....and he's going to be back in the base dorms by himself. Now, I don't know about him, but the last couple years have been very REAL to me. I guess if you can dream through two pregnancies, and two labors that's pretty impressive, right?

Yesterday I noticed something on myself that needs to be looked at by a doctor. This scared the stink right out of my husband! His mind immediately starts showing the worst possible outcomes. He was REALLY UPSET!

I know that his greatest fear is that me, or our sons, will no longer be here. I try not to tell him things that will scare him, but he needs to know when I'm worried about myself too. Balance is sometimes hard.

I am so glad to know that I'm important to him, but sometimes his fear comes out in such a way that he acts mad at me, when I know he's not.

He came home for lunch and we got to talk about it. He finally heard what I was trying to say, and said," I overreacted didn't I?"....I love this man! I know he will let his fear take him for a test drive sometimes, but I'm glad that in the end he can see it for what it is.

I always know he loves me, but sometimes I don't know if I'm cherished....today I know!

The cheapest tastiest pizza ever!

My Men, well the two that eat solids anyway :-), love to eat. I like to try to make as much as I can from scratch. And despite popular belief "scratch" does not equal ETERNITY in the world of cooking.

As I've said before, one of my favorite websites for recipes is allrecipes.com, and this is where I found the best pizza crust recipe I've ever made. It's fast, and quick!

Ok, here we go...I don't like my yeast breads to fail, so I proof all my yeast, even if the recipe doesn't call for it. Proofing means that you make the yeast work before it has to. So, add 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast. This is the equivalent of one .25oz package.

Add 1 teaspoon of sugar. This is the magic ingredient to proof your yeast...SUGAR!

1 cup warm water, by "warm" they mean hot enough that you can almost not put your hand in. This is how I always measure it and it hasn't failed me yet.

Add to your bowl and stir with a spoon until dissolved. It will look like weak tea.

Let it sit. It will begin to get a layer of foam. This is Proofed yeast, all it means is that it is working. If it doesn't do this after about 20 minutes, check your yeast expiration date. If the date is good, try again.

Add 2 1/2 cups of flour to the bowl.

Add 2 Tablespoons oil, and 1 teaspoon salt.

....and mix

let the dough sit in the mixer for a minute while you get your pan ready. If I'm not using a pizza stone I put parchment on my pan because it is a great alternative to oiling it so that it won't stick.

Knead your dough for a few minutes..

and roll it out, this is much easier than trying to press it out.

It's easier to transfer to your prepared baking sheet by rolling one end over your rolling pin.

Cut up one chicken breast half, and season as you wish. I use garlic, salt and pepper.

After your meat is done, your crust should have risen sufficiently. Roughly 30 min if you like a puffy crust or brown the chicken ahead of time and cook immediatly for a crispier crust.

Sauce it, meat it, and cheese it! Bake at 450 degrees Farenheit for 15 minutes or until crust is golden.

And enjoy, doesn't he look like he's enjoying it :-)...I think he was blinded by the flash.

Good Parent?

I have heard people ask themselves this question, usually when things are going "wrong". The "wrong" can be anything. Misbehavior, acting out, either a true or perceived parenting mistake, really it can be from ANYTHING.

Here's what makes a good parent.....You NEVER give up!

You will always have things going on, there will never be enough hours in the day, there will never be a perfect day. You WILL make mistakes, you will lose your temper, you will punish the wrong child for another's misbehavior, you will pray every time you go to the store that your grumpy child can wait to throw the "I'm tired fit" until your shopping is done.

And again, good parents NEVER GIVE UP!

You teach them as much as you can in the time you are given. You teach them responsibility and kindness. Wether they use it or not is really up to them. You won't be there someday, and their conscience is going to surprisingly be your voice...haven't you heard your parents in your head? I have!

Love them, teach them, and never give up no matter what. These are what good parents are made of!