New Year, Can it Be?

So for those that are curious what the big surprise was, we took our daughter to a Christmas Eve Redskins game on her birthday!  That was all she had asked for and we kept telling her that we couldn't afford to take the whole family.  She was so excited that morning when we woke her up with the tickets and a banner I had made that said "Spending my Sweet 16 with my Favorite Team".  It was so much fun.  As much as I was sad we weren't spending the holiday with my extended family, it was just as nice to spend the much needed time with my immediate family.  It was great to see her smiling.  She was able to meet a bunch of cheerleaders and get autographs and even got an autograph from Clinton Portis.  It was a major plus that the Redskins won!  So next year I am not sure what we will do for her birthday or Christmas, but this year we enjoyed making some amazing memories and spending the day celebrating her birthday.

 

I find it hard to believe that as I sit here typing this, 2018 is less than a week away.  I am not exactly sure where 2017 went.  My fear is that 2018 will go just as fast. I know many people make New Year resolutions, but not many actually follow through.  I read somewhere that only 8% of people actually stick to their resolution.  Every year I used to make a resolution.  Some years it is to lose weight, after several failed attempts at that I resolved to live a healthier life and make healthy choices with eating and exercising.  I have also made more simple resolutions to journal more and to check things off my bucket list.  Whatever the resolution is though, I usually fail at it.  I normally follow through for a couple weeks,  Sometimes even a couple months, however I always end the year thinking that I didn't succeed because I didn't actually follow through with my new years resolutions.  

 

A New Years resolution is when a person resolves to change a undesired trait or behavior, or to accomplish a personal goal to improve their life.  Sure, there are many things that I could do to improve my life.  I have lots of goals, whether it is to live healthier, or to go back to college, or to travel the world.  I guess I could make a resolution but I hate to do that and not follow through.  I think instead I would rather just set a simple goal to enjoy time with family.  To cherish what time I have with them and make amazing memories.  There is one thing that our time in the military taught me and that is that sometimes life can be short.  People take things for granted.  

 

So what will your goals or resolutions be for 2018?  Whatever they may be I hope you take the time to cherish the little things in life. I've enjoyed sharing with you this month.  I hope that you all have a safe and fun New Years!  I leave you with this quote that I love.

 

 " Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man."  Benjamin Franklin

This Week We Celebrate

So while many are busy getting ready for the holidays this week, in my house we celebrate.  My oldest daughter was born on Christmas eve and this year she will be 16.  I remember when they told me my due date was Christmas eve.  I thought to myself that no one ever has their babies on their due dates.  Well she decided to prove me wrong.  Time sure does fly.  The whole reason my husband joined the Army was to provide a good stable home for his "Princess".  So because her birthday falls on a holiday we try to make it extra special so she feels like it isn't just Christmas, but it is her special time also. 

So last year my daughter started planning this super extravagant sweet 16 party.  We had found a DJ, picked a date, and we had checked out different locations to host it.  I had started to budget to give her this amazing sweet 16 party that she dreamed of.  Then late this summer and early fall I watched my daughter change.  She went from this sweet, caring, fun, smiling teenager to someone I had not seen before.  She told me she didn't want to have a party.  I was so sad for her because I knew this wasn't who she was.  It was almost like deja vu.  I felt like when my husband came home from Afghanistan and he was a completely different person.  I started to question her doctor if she may have secondary PTSD.  he does believe that may be what is going on with her.  It just breaks my heart that my not so little girl is going through this.  It sometimes makes me mad at the Army.  It makes me frustrated that they send these soldiers off to war and then do not do a good job when they return.  It makes me sad that the one reason my husband joined the Army was to provide good for our family and that we get so much pain from it also.  

So I started to try and plan a small little party with a few friends from dance.  I should say that I LOVE to plan things.  When I was planning my wedding I was in college and I really considered changing my major to become an event planner because I loved it so much. I began looking back on all her birthday parties and was able to observe and remember each year and what was going on with our live.  where we were stationed,  If my husband was deployed. and the year he got out of the military and she was struggling to find her place in the civilian world.  I needed my daughter to know that no matter how much she is struggling right now and no matter if she feels alone in the world that we love her and that she has so many people that care about her.  I found someone to make a cake because I didn't want her to see me making one at home.  I made her a money cake since she is a teenager and what teenager doesn't love money.  It all came together with in a two week period.  I was very pleased and hoped that it would cheer her up even if only for a few hours.  So yesterday I dropped her off at drivers ed and went to pick up the balloons and the cake and decorate the restaurant.  I was able to get everything done and looking perfect before I had to pick her up.  We arrived just after 4 to make sure that her friends had a few minutes to arrive.  We got there and she was happy and had a smile and I think she knew that even though she had become distant from her friends during this time that they still care about her.

The celebration is going to continue on all weekend.  We will mix up our holiday traditions with her birthday.  Today I took her and my youngest to see The Greatest Showman today.  Tomorrow I am taking her and a friend to see Pitch Perfect 3.  Then Sunday we have an extra special surprise planned.  Can't wait till next week to fill you in on our surprise.  I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas!  It is hard to believe it is in less than a week.  

T'is the Season

So yes, I went to the store for those that are wondering!  I actually went out during the snow storm Friday night.  Dance ended early, and everyone in my town buckled down in their homes for a winter storm that we were not expecting.  I took advantage of the 2.5 hours of free time I actually had to get stuff done.  I love snow, and do not mind driving in it, so I went and ran all my errands that I needed.  It was probably the most peaceful trip to the mall, target, Kohls, Walmart, and food lion I have had in months!  I was in an out in a matter of minutes and that was even doing returns!!!  So I now smell of regular dove body wash.  The whole situation last week got me to thinking though.  It got me thinking about ways that I can simplify my life!  

 

That is right, you don't need to check your glasses.  I want to work on ways that I can simplify my life.  There are 4 people living under my roof, and only one of them does anything.  Or shall I say one of them does EVERYTHING!  Now I don't want to confuse anyone, I have kind of put myself in this situation.  I like things done a certain way.  I really do enjoy doing the cooking, cleaning, bill paying, being a personal chauffeur. You name it, I do it.  So to try and simplify my life this holiday season, I am going to start letting others help me.  I will let the girls help me do things like the cooking and cleaning.  I am even going to try and accept when a friend offers to help me out.  

 

Other ways to simplify my life during the holidays.  I think that we tend to go so overboard in the gift giving department!  A few years ago I stopped buying for every person in my family, instead I did gifts that went to the family.  Something they could do together like play a board game, watch a movie or put together a puzzle.  I think a gift they can create memories with is so much better than each person having a meaningless gift to open under the tree.  With my own children I have always been the parent that likes to have the exact same number of gifts under the tree for each child, and I would like them to be of similar value.  Well that gets much harder with a teenager in the house.  The things she wants are much more costly so she gets fewer items.  This year I am not going to stress out about making it exactly even.  I will stay close in dollar amount but they may have a different number of presents under the tree. I always wanted to implement the idea of 3 gifts, something you want, something you need, and something you read.  It never ended up working in my family because I often give gifts of several things they need, like winter coats, boots, sneakers if the ones from beginning of school have worn out. I would love to hear what traditions you all reading this have.  Leave me a comment bellow.

 

The hardest decision and biggest way I am simplifying my life this holiday season is by staying home!  We have always for the last 12 years traveled from whatever state we were living in, be it upstate NY, and a 8 hour drive or NC, and a 6.5 hour drive, or now living in VA and a 3 hour drive.  The last couple years we would drive up spend Christmas eve with family, do the whole church thing, dinner and presents with more than one side of the family and drive home late Christmas eve night so we could wake up in our home Christmas morning.  I am sad to not be spending the actual day with my extended family, but I am happy to not be traveling so late and running all around.  This year I can actually do something my oldest daughter wants to do on her birthday.  We will start new traditions.  We will travel up to see family after Christmas because we do still love to spend time with family.  Who knows next year we may go back to our old traditions but this year we will try something new.

 

Hanukkah began this week, and Christmas is just over a week away.  I hope that while everyone gets caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, they can stop and take time to think about all the people that are less fortunate than us.  Enjoy your time with family and friends.  Cherish the memories and worry less about the expensive gifts.  Think about all those serving overseas that are away from their families especially their children.  My friend shared a picture this week that her son had wrote a note to Santa, and the only thing he wanted for Christmas was for his dad to come home.  I remember that my husband was deployed twice during Christmas.  Try and be nice to those you see while you are out during this busy shopping season.  Maybe they have had something terrible happen that caused them to be in such a bad mood.  Sometimes a simple smile can brighten someones day.  

 

I'll leave you with my favorite quote from the movie The Grinch. "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store." "Maybe Christmas.... perhaps.... means a little bit more!" Dr. Seuss. 

Sure, I Can Write a Blog

"Sure I can write a blog", "Sure the month of December works for me".  WHAT was I thinking?  I have never written a blog before in my life and I agree to write one the busiest month of the year!  I must think I am super woman.  Well let me start off by introducing myself.  My name is Christine, and I currently smell like men's Dove body wash.  You are probably thinking, "Why I would mention that?".  But, because it is the busiest month of the year and I haven't remembered to go to the grocery store to buy more body wash.  I am married to my husband Patrick who medically retired from the United States Army in July 2013, after serving 9 years and 2 months.  We have two beautiful daughters, Samantha who will be 16 on Christmas eve, and Elizabeth who is 9.  We live in the wonderful state of Virginia, that as of 1:00 today when the weather forecast changed, is in pure panic because we may get 5 inches of snow.  I may never get regular body wash at the rate I am going, the stores are sure to be packed.  

So on a more serious note.  As I mentioned, my husband medically retired.  He suffers from PTSD as well as normal wear and tear on his body from his time in the military.  Well, "normal" people do not like to go shopping during the holiday season, so you can imagine that my husband pretty much doesn't leave the house from Thanksgiving to New Years.  That means that all the holiday craziness is all on my shoulders.  This weekend is possibly the busiest weekend we have this month and now they of course are calling for snow which will mess everything up.  

This weekend our neighborhood has this really cool run that comes right past our house called the Tacky Light run.  It takes a lot of preparation to get ready for.  I choose a different theme than anyone else in our neighborhood.  They also have a contest with awards like, "Most likely to blow a fuse", "Most Traditional", "Most Tacky", and my all time favorite "Best Theme".  We won best theme and I am hoping to win again this year.  We do a patriotic theme.  I have all red, white and blue light and a sign with the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes information.  We have had made boards of the Iwo Jima statue, and a soldier kneeling at the fallen soldiers boots.  We have a Santa blow up in ACU' and  we have penguins holding a sign that says God Bless America.  Even a Snowlady Liberty.  The part that people love the most is that we put out boots with American Flags and the pictures and names of all the soldiers that were Killed in Action during my husbands deployment to Afghanistan 2006-2007.  

So as I am trying to prepare for the race that happens tomorrow night, and shuts down all the roads in our neighborhood, I still have to get everything on my to do list done.  First on that list the dreaded post office to mail some items from our holiday auction.  Then to go shopping for my daughters dance holiday party that is tomorrow.  That's right, I said tomorrow.  The same day as the race that closes all the streets.  And don't forget I mentioned that VA is now being forecast to get 5 inches of snow.  Which really means that all chaos will happen!  I have to go to the dreaded grocery store because I am supposed to be having some of my husbands military friends and families over to watch the race.  Well you know that the grocery store will be a madhouse because of the mere thought of snow!  So with that being said I am going to start on my busy to do list and I can't wait to share some more with you next week!  Wish me luck!