not exactly on a roll, but close

Things are still not going well but wanted to share the latest. L'il Sis wanted to wear a nightgown tonight. I reminded her that she could wear one when she used a potty like a big girl. Then I had the brainwave to show her the pretty Tinkerbell nightgown that Grammy had gotten her some time ago but that she hasn't been able to wear. A few minutes later, L'il Sis announced she wanted to pee in the potty and ran off to the bathroom. She sat there while I went about doing other things. Suddenly, a commotion from the bathroom. Both girls are talking. L'il Sis is saying she peed in the potty. Big Sis says she's not sure if it happened or not. By the time I get there, L'il Sis is standing up and looking in the potty and, sure enough, she'd done it! She flushed the toilet saying "Bye-bye, pee!" but then had to flush it again and say it again because the potty hadn't been emptied into it yet.

She got to wear the nightgown to bed tonight.

Potty, Schmotty

Well, it was a small victory but I'll take it.

This morning, I started using the timer and making L'il Sis sit on the potty at 30 minute intervals. She was fine with it. She didn't mind sitting on it as long as nothing happened. This is the same child who was informed a few days ago that if she peed in the potty she would get chocolate. Then, to be sure she understood, I asked her how she could get chocolate. Her first answer was "Reach for it." I told her, no, and again asked how she could get chocolate. This time she thought about it, her finger tapping against her lip, before answering, "A ladder!"

Anyway, L'il Sis was on the potty and after a bit she started fussing and wanting to get up. She wanted her pants back on. This is a sure sign that she is about to pee (in her pants). So I forced her to sit on the potty. I held her firmly and tried to get her to calm down, but wouldn't let her get up. She peed. In the potty. Wasn't too thrilled about it, though.

I praised her and told her how proud of her I was and what a big girl she is. She wanted to dump it in the big potty herself. So we did that. She was a little afraid of the flushing so I didn't push it and did that myself. I had her wash her hands and gave her M & M's. Again, I told her I was proud of her and wasn't she proud of herself? She said no.

I think I feel another headache coming on.

random quote

I ran across this quote recently. I'm not sure who said it. But I'm thinking about posting it, prominently, somewhere in my house:

"Children are paparazzi. They take your picture mentally when you don't want them to, when you don't look good, and show it back to you in their behaviour."

Fun in the sun...

We took the girls down to Topsail and went to the beach there. After playing in the sand for a little while, Big Sis started wading and I got her to put her swimsuit on. Then, she REALLY got wet. She didn't go in too far, but crouched down so the water could get her wet to her shoulders and even her hair was wet (at least the ends).

L'il Sis just wanted to play in the sand although she insisted on her bathing suit before we even left the car. At one point, she was rolling around in it. Yes, she was. She should be well exfoliated tonight. Despite all efforts from Grammy, Mommy and Big Sis, L'il Sis wanted nothing to do with the water. In fact, see the picture of her in a bucket? The bucket had water in it and that was about as close as she intended to get to the ocean.

After about an hour and a half, she finally got brave enough to let her toes get wet. She got knocked on her butt a few minutes later and then insisted on holding my hand. Less than half an hour later, there was no stopping her. She kept wandering away, not so much deeper as sideways from me. Getting braver and braver, nonetheless. Both had a great time. I got a bit of a sunburn.

Dancing Queen

My mother in law came down on Saturday afternoon so we could all attend a graduation dinner. L'il Sis had not napped AT ALL, despite best efforts. So I was a bit nervous as to just how quickly we would need to exit in case of a melt-down. But she did really well.

There was a DJ. And L'il Sis danced and danced. Girlfriend boogied until she just couldn't boogie anymore. Okay, it was more like until her mama said it was time to go. And... she was the ONLY one dancing. This 3 year old was the entertainment, the floor show. Everyone seemed to be getting a huge kick out of her. The fact that she had an appreciative audience only encouraged her. She made sure they appreciated her. At one point, she kept yelling, "Look at me! Look at me, peoples!" She had some moves, I tell you. She'd be dancing (with rhythm) and suddenly do a ballet move.

I'm not sure how long she danced but it had to be over 30 minutes straight. Then she took a short break to inhale a piece of cake (refueling?) before dancing some more. Big Sis wanted to dance but didn't want to do so in front of everyone. She tried to make Grammy come dance with her, but Grammy said nothing doing to that. But L'il Sis, not an inhibited or embarrassed bone in her body.

Oh, AND she kept pulling her dress up. Good thing she had matching bloomers on. And yes, I tried to get her to stop. So did Big Sis. For all the good it did. I guess sometimes the urge comes over you and you have to flip the dress up. She also did a lot of hair flipping.

Of course, I forgot to take either a camera or camcorder so have no record of it. Sorry.

recipes

My apologies to OTJ for being remiss about the recipe. To atone for that, I'm posting 2 veggie recipes that my kids both love:

Korean-style Spinach
1 bunch spinach
1/8 -- 1/4 tsp. salt
1 -- 1-1/2 tsp roasted, (kind of) crushed sesame seeds
1-- 1-1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 -- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 -- 1-1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. Korean beef broth powder (this is optional but really helps)
(*these amounts are to taste)

Clean spinach. Blanch spinach (Boil large amount of water. Place spinach in boiling water. Stir to get all spinach into water. Return to boil. Remove spinach and rinse in cold water.) Squeeze out as much water as possible. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. (The best way to do this is by hand.) Serve either at room temperature or cold. (Can be refrigerated and served later.)


Broccoli
Steam fresh broccoli. Drain. Drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce.

Yeah, I know. Calling this one a "recipe" is kind of stretching it.

Popeye

Last night, I made Korean style spinach for dinner. This is something Big Sis has liked for a long time. L'il Sis usually won't try it. Finally, when the meal was almost over, she finally tried it. And liked it! At one point, she said, "Tasty!"

Also, lately, when I tell L'il Sis to do something, usually more than once, she responds with an impatient, "I yam! I yam!"

Smile.... It's catching

I'd been having a bit of a crap afternoon. Plus, it was rainy. The girls and I were coming back onto the base when I noticed that one of the Marine sentries seemed to be having a great day and wanted to share his enthusiasm. As he waved each vehicle onto the base, he gave them a warm, "Have a great day!" When our turn came, we had to wait a bit for a car that needed to cross our lane to turn around. Then the Marine waved us in, saluted, and shouted out, "Have a fan-TAS-tic day, ma'am!" My mood immediately lifted.


I commented that the Marine had a lot of enthusiasm. My 6 year old, in a supremely patient voice used to speak to the mentally challenged, "That's what Marines do...sometimes." But then, this is the same child who told my sister (as they were coming back onto base and my sister was looking for her ID), "Don't worry. I know them. They always let me in."

Barbies and Ponies and bears, oh my!

I'm not one of those people who have a problem with Barbies, in general. I played with them as a kid and, quite frankly, I think there are much worse things kids play with out there. That said, I do have a problem with them when they are part of a bigger clutter problem.

I was trying to organize and consolidate and, yes, cull toys today. We used to keep Barbies and clothes, etc. in a large clear plastic bin with a lid that slid under my oldest daughter's bed. Lately, we can't get the lid on it. (Okay, in more ways than one!) I think I counted 23 Barbies (and friends) in the pile in the picture above. TWENTY-THREE! That's crazy. That doesn't even take into account the Barbies that are still in their boxes on a closet shelf somewhere. We could have our own Barbie Expo! I managed to wrest a whopping 8 away from my daughter for the "get rid of" pile.

In Marine terms, I haven't even started to tackle the company of My Little Ponies, the battalion of stuffed animals, or the regiment of Little People.

Memes

I'm flattered. I was tagged for 2 memes in the past week. Okay, not so much excited that I was tagged to do these memes, but definitely flattered to find out someone actually reads this blog!

OTJ tagged me first so I'll do hers first. I'm to list 5 blogs I read that I haven't linked to before. Since I'm usually too lazy to link or even to add to my list of favorites, this ought to be easy. Sure. Okay, so here goes:

1. Oh, the Joys!, yes, the very blog who tagged me because I read her all the time despite never linking to her. She's absolutely hysterical but has a soft side, too. She's had me laughing so hard I thought I would wet my pants and she's also had me in tears. She is, simply put, a joy.

2. Queen of the Mayhem. What can I say? She, too, is hysterically funny, sometimes in ways that are just so wrong. I relate so strongly to some of her posts, I could have written them... just not as well. This is a girlfriend with grit!

3. Military Mommy. She's sweet and funny. I often pop over just to see what she's up to.

4. C'est la me. A California girl who moved to Paris with her French husband. No kids, just lots of cultural challenges. Her life experiences right now are so different from my life now (although I relate from my previous life before marriage and kids), I like to live vicariously!

5. I'm an Organizing Junkie, because I aspire to be organized someday. Maybe. If only I wasn't such a procrastinator.

The second meme was from Where My Treasures Are. This one is the "8 Things You May Not Know About Me."

1. I grew up an Army brat and ended up married to a Marine. How did THAT happen?! So not in the life plan!

2. My mother used to tell people (like complete strangers!) that I'd attended my university for 7 straight years. I kept telling her it didn't sound at all impressive because she kept forgetting to mention I got two degrees in those 7 years: a B.A. and a J.D.

3. I went to the Soviet Union the summer before my senior year of high school as a student ambassador with the People to People program. It was still the Soviet Union. The Berlin Wall was still up. I think it was the year of Tienanmen Square. I don't know how my mother let me do it! I'm not sure I could in her place. But I am forever grateful for the experience.

4. Sam and I only dated 2 months before we were engaged. We were married within 6 months of our first date. Hey, when you know, you know! Besides, he was going to his next duty station. It was either get married then or spend a year in a long distance relationship before the wedding. This was before I realized how much of our marriage would be spent apart! I've never regretted it.

5. I started getting grey hairs as an undergrad. But I only recently started coloring it with any sort of regularity.

6. We've been married 9 years and I never bothered to change my name. I just don't see the point really. It's not like he changed his. Considering how radically my life changed direction when we were married, I think keeping my name is a pretty small thing.

7. I'm half Korean but don't speak a lick. This wasn't fun when we lived in South Korea and people assumed I did. I'd get that "deer in the headlights" look and gesture toward my tall, white husband who did speak Korean. Go ahead, laugh.

8. I'm a first-born, my husband is a first-born, and my best friends are first-borns. I think there might be a law against that. My sister still doesn't understand how that works. We all need to be right, but about different things so it just works. Mostly.

Well, it wasn't the mother of all memes like over at OTJ, but I'm still glad it's over. Bet you are, too!

firecracker update

David at Lim Twins asked for pics of the infamous photo shoot I blogged about below. This is supermodel L'il Sis:

At least her personality really came through in some of the shots. After all the pain the photographer and I experienced trying to get her to just look toward the camera, I'm grateful for that!

backseat driver

At 3, Lil Sis is already a backseat driver. Today, I got a steady stream of "Go! I want you to go!" while we ran errands, never mind red lights or those pesky cars in front of me. Then, as we were trying to get out of a parking lot, a car turning into the lot made the widest turn I've seen in a long time. Although he had the stop sign, not me, I stopped well away from the intersection to accommodate this turn. Showing great restraint, I just commented, "Dude! How much room do you need?"

From the peanut gallery behind me, Lil Sis admonished, "Stop talking! That's enough talking!" Well, excuse me!

Firecracker, indeed

This morning the girls and I had an appointment to have portraits taken. It seemed like a good idea at some point. I can’t remember when.

We decided that we would coordinate our outfits by wearing red, white, and/or blue. The outfits were picked out the night before and everyone was happy. This morning, I left the girls in their PJs while I got ready. Then, 30 minutes before we needed to leave, the TV was turned off and the girls herded upstairs for teeth-brushing and dressing. The eldest had issues with her shoes (not especially surprising but still frustrating for me). Then the youngest decided she had to get her dress off...yesterday. Fortunately, I had a back-up outfit for her. But maybe I was tempting fate, since her t-shirt read , “Lil Firecracker.”

We managed to get the pictures of all 3 of us first. Then I wanted shots of the sisters. Well, that sort of happened. Then, it was time for L'il Sis to have her close-up. She ran around, turned her back to the photographer, hammed it up, bared her teeth and grimaced when told to smile, ran some more laps. Even the promise of ice cream afterward if she just cooperated wasn’t enough. Toward the end, she actually said, "I. am. not. happy."

I think the photographer muttered, "We aren't, either!"

We did manage to get a few good shots but I think I lost years off my life that I will never get back.

The sad part is that EVERY time I take the girls to get portraits taken, I swear that it is the LAST time I will do so by myself. Clearly, it is a lesson I still haven’t learned. In my defense, the last time I did this was almost 3 years ago, so the memory wasn’t exactly fresh in my mind.

Thank you, Marines!

My daughter's school had an assembly today to thank their Marine volunteers who do so much at their school. Just their presence at the school, in uniform on a daily basis, is comforting to many kids who have a deployed parent. Some of the classes did little poems or songs. Big Sis' group (4 classes together) put on what can only be termed a production! A group of kids in cammies marched in, calling a cadence, followed by 2 kids (in cammies) in one of those toy battery operated jeeps with some tubes mounted to the back. The whole thing was painted camouflage. When they got to the stage, the other kids were all dressed in red, white & blue, waving flags and then they sang their song "The Great Defenders," complete with choreography. It was so cute!





*The Marines who volunteer at the school are often attending a school here or waiting to attend it. Some are recuperating Wounded Warriors.

If you give a mom a muffin...

If you give a mom a muffin
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee
She'll wipe it up
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks
She'll remember she has to do laundry
When she puts the laundry in the washer
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer
Bumping into the freezer will remind her
she has to plan for supper
She will get out a pound of hamburger
She'll look for her cookbook
(101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger)
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail
She'll see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow
She will look for her checkbook
The checkbook is in her purse
that is being dumped out be her two-year-old
She'll smell something funny
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee
Thinking of coffee will remind her
that she was going to have a cup
And chances are . . . If she has a cup of coffee
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it


(A friend emailed this to me and I had to share!)

Tough Girl

Our newly minted 3 year old has a new catch phrase. I am really not sure where she got it but would like to know because it is cute and disturbing at the same time. Grinning like a maniac while she (sort of) channeled Pacino, she chased her sister around the house saying, "You want a piece of meat?!"

update: Now it is: "Want a piece of meat? Yeah! Want a piece of meat? Yeah!" (repeat on a loop indefinitely)

Military Spouse Appreciation and Mother's Day

Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day and Sunday is Mother's Day. I hope you all had/have great days. I got my Mother's Day present today. With assistance from my sister, my husband found someone who cleans houses and contacted her (from Iraq!) to arrange to have my house cleaned! How fabulous is that? He gets major brownie points for that!

my so-called celebrity look-alikes

I'm not convinced...

Just let it go...

We've been having a strange problem here in the land of "Now what?" Our youngest just turned 3. She doesn't particularly want to be a big girl or learn to use a potty. No, that's not the strange part. She has some serious bladder control. Just last month, she amazed both me and my friend that we were staying with when she held it for over 9 hours. But this hoarding of her urine has led to another nasty problem. It caused a UTI over the weekend. She was only going once or twice in each 24-hour period. So now she is REALLY afraid to just "let it go." The only bright side is that she seems to enjoy taking her antibiotics (knock on wood). But seriously, if anyone out there has any suggestions on getting her to drink more and "let go" more often, I'm all ears!

From the mouths of babes...

Big Sis brought home her journal from school the other day. Big Sis is a first-grader. There were some cute things in it so will share some excerpts:

• The beginning had a lot about her friend Elizabeth (in Korea). Then, there was a picture of an airplane with this under it: "I was sad win i lifeed her all alone with tia."

• Under a picture of a girl writing with a sad face: "Scool is pretty boring I say becase it's alway's write write writeing time I hate it very much I just hate it."

• The very next page, picture of playground: "We have fun at School a lot scool is cool"

• "I played with my dad and we played race my dad won."

• "I Love my dad. becase he is my goodest dad ever in the whole wied wourld"
  
• My dad Helps me when I am hert I am glad"

• "My daddy is strong and is not scard of enything one timeI came in my mom and DaDs room (?) do that. I said ok and ran away."

• "My DaD is on deplowment I am sad he misses me alot I hope he comes back soon."

Happy Birthday!

It's hard to believe the "baby" is now 3 years old. Of course, her refusal to cooperate in potty training doesn't help. L'il Sis had a small party with family and friends on Saturday. She had the "yellow" birthday (cake) that she wanted. When I brought it out, she started reaching for a plate. When I told her we had to sing to her first, she sang to herself: "Happy Birthday to Me..." Then she started to blow out the candles as I lit them. She really wanted her cake!

Like a weed

With her 3rd birthday coming up next week, L'il Sis had a check-up today. Since her last exam in early Feb., this child has grown 1-1/4 inches! Good grief! She's just over 3'3" now. I really am going to be the shrimp of the family and it's going to happen a lot sooner than I'll be ready.

Hero

Last week, the girls and I drove to Virginia to visit old friends during Spring Break. When we got tired of the radio, we switched to CDs. One of our favorites lately has been the Shrek 2 soundtrack. As we listened to Jennifer Saunders' version of "Holding Out for a Hero," my 6 year old suddenly said, "They're singing about Daddy." She went on to add, "The song. They're describing Daddy. He's strong." A little later, "He's fast, too." And he's definitely our hero.


Here are the lyrics:

• Where have all the good men gone/And where are all the gods?
• Where's the street-wise Hercules/To fight the rising odds?
• Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
• Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need
• (Chorus)I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night/He's gotta be strong/And he's gotta be fast/And he's gotta be fresh from the fight/I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light/He's gotta be sure/And it's gotta be soon/And he's gotta be larger than life(larger than life)
• Somewhere after midnight/In my wildest fantasy
• Somewhere just beyond my reach/There's someone reaching back for me
• Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat/It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet
• Up where the mountains meet the heavens above/Out where the lightning splits the sea
• I could swear that there's someone somewhere/Watching me
• Through the wind and the chill and the rain/And the storm and the flood
• I can feel his approach/Like the fire in my blood(like a fire in my blood x4)
• hero
• I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light/and he's gotta be sure
• And it's gotta be soon/And he's gotta be larger than life
• hero/oh I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
• He's gotta be strong/And he's gotta be fast/And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
• I need a hero

[Thanks to www.stlyrics.com for the lyrics!]

Easter

L'il Sis missed out on Easter egg decorating when she fell asleep coming home from dinner on Saturday night. But her sister and cousins made enough mess for themselves and her. (Check out Big Sis's hands) My sister had provided an egg coloring kit that billed itself as "less mess." Au contraire, mon frere! We might have been better off just dipping the kids in vats of dye and getting it over with.

Enjoying Easter morning with the cousins.

So, what's in your basket/bucket/whatever?

It was so cold that the kids originally had their egg hunt in the living room. Later in the afternoon, the older kids hid eggs for the younger ones in the front yard. Here, Big Sis is "helping" L'il Sis find eggs. Since she hid them, she knew just where L'il Sis should look! Actually, she was really sweet and it was one of those moments when you look at them and think, "Now why can't you be this nice to each other ALL the time?" Yes, I know, major wishful thinking on my part. Hey, a mom can dream!

What a difference a few months make

The girls with our neighbor's dog: The amazing thing about this picture is that neither child would have been this close to a dog (willingly) before we left Korea just a few months ago. Our older daughter has taken her new-found comfort level with dogs to frightening new heights. She managed to trap a stray dog in a neighbor's garage last weekend. It was skittish and eventually would only follow her. We had several lectures afterward, including one by email from Dad, about not approaching or touching strange dogs. Every word seemed to go in one ear and out the other. Maybe if I keep lecturing, she will absorb the message eventually? While we don't want her to be afraid of dogs, we also don't want her approaching every dog she sees as not all dogs are friendly. Fortunately, her little sister (usually, the daredevil in the family) still has a healthy dose of caution in this area. Which is so ironic considering their personalities.

Conversation with the 2 year old...

• (While getting her dressed)
• Her: What's that? (pointing to herself)
• Me: (deep breath) That's your nipple.
• Her: O-o-h-h...nipple....
• 
  (Later, while I'm getting dressed)
• Her: What're those?
• Me: (another deep breath) Breasts.
• Her: (pointing) Belly!
• Me: That's right. Belly.
• Her: (walking around and patting me) Body!
• Me: Booty?
• Her: (singing while twisting and gyrating) Shake your booty!
• 
  
  I had to laugh because I swear I did not teach that to her! Yes, I might have taught her older sister at that age but I did not teach her.
  

Weekend getaway

My wonderful mother-in-law came down and watched the girls for me so I could meet my friend and her siblings in Alexandria, VA for a weekend away. It was a much-needed break! While I missed the girls, I think we all appreciated each other more when the week-end was over.While the cherry blossoms were in bloom, it was incredibly cold!

It was slightly warmer the next day when we shopped in Old Town Alexandria. We were able to browse in crowded little shops. Bliss! Plus, we were able to linger over meals. More bliss!

Movie quote

I came across this and had to share. It's a movie scene as it relates to military spouses.... http://www.spousebuzz.com/blog/2007/03/the_best_milspo.html#more
"Super-suit" indeed!

Pieces of my heart

Lately, it seems that my heart breaks a little every day. The first few weeks after Daddy left, L'il Sis thought Daddy was home when she heard the front door late in the afternoon. She eventually stopped announcing Daddy was home.

Recently, I learned that L'il Sis told two people that HER daddy is far away at work and can't come home. This past weekend, Big Sis noted that she and L'il Sis had their daddy dolls but Daddy didn't have anything like that and could we send him a Big Sis & L'il Sis doll. She also wanted to know when Daddy was coming home. So, to give her some idea of time, we talked about all the birthdays and other special occasions that he would miss.

On Sunday afternoon, I found Big Sis down the street getting some daddy-time with a couple of borrowed daddies. They were playing t-ball. By the time, L'il Sis and I arrived, Big Sis had stopped playing and was watching, her eyes shining and looking happy. And that broke my heart.

Then there are all those little silly moments when I wish Sam were here to share them: the girls pretending to be mermaids in the tub, L'il Sis walking up to the neighbor's dog with only a tiny bit of trepidation, Big Sis being comfortable with almost all the neighbors' dogs, L'il Sis being uber-friendly with fellow diners at a restaurant ("Hi, people!"). For all of these reasons and so many more, it often feels like my heart is breaking and I wonder if I will be left with nothing but little shards at the end of this year.


Don't get the wrong idea. We live our lives and carry on with a daily routine. We do not mope about feeling sad and sorry for ourselves. We get together with friends and have fun. The girls and I smile and laugh every day. Anyone with a 2 year old knows their cuteness and antics guarantee smiles and laughter. Even when they are being total stinkers. So, for the most part, I try not to dwell on the negatives. It doesn't really serve any purpose other than to get me upset. And that isn't helpful when I'm trying to stay positive in front of my girls. I'm trying to maintain some sort of routine and normalcy during this time. Kids need that and so do I. Wallowing in self-pity and sadness is counter-productive. Do I get grumpy and short-tempered? The obvious answer is yes. I do try to keep a lid on it, but sometimes I can't. Something has to give. Some things particularly irritate. Well-meaning people asking very earnestly, "How ARE you?" and when the answer "Fine" isn't enough, the follow-up question is, "No, really, how ARE you?" or something similar. Essentially, I feel that the asker (no matter how well-intentioned) is emotionally rubber-necking. And I'm in no mood to indulge that. So if you can't accept "fine" as my answer, don't ask. Because I really don't want or need to tell you or anyone else how broken my heart is today.

Her royal crankiness

I haven't posted in awhile so thought it was about time. However, there isn't much to write about except how crotchety I've become. So... You've all seen that sign: "I can only please one person a day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either." Let's just say you may as well write off the whole next year! It started around the time my Marine deployed (for a year!) right after we moved from Asia to North Carolina (no culture shocks there). Then, there was the episode at the Exchange parking lot: I was getting my 2-year old out of her carseat when 2 Marines walked by in all their blue verbal glory. Now, there was a time when I wouldn't have said anything or I would have agonized about what to say. This day, there was no thinking, only reflex. I shot out of the side of my minivan and snapped, "Hey! Watch your mouth!" Then, when the offending Marine mumbled, "Sorry, ma'am" instead of thinking, "Ma'am? I'm not old enough to be a ma'am," I thought, "Damn straight, you better call me "ma'am," you little heathen." I guess it's true, as my older daughter keeps reminding me, I'm just a mean old woman.

Daddy Dolls arrive

Hooray! Big Sis and L'il Sis received their Daddy Dolls today. Big Sis immediately took hers outside and climbed a tree. L'il Sis took hers with us to dinner (Big SIs's stayed in the car, but L'il Sis's literally went to dinner). These are much easier to hug than a picture!

If you are interested in donating toward providing these dolls to needy children, you can do so at http://daddydolls.com/donation.php . Recipients are chosen by military Chaplains based on need. Also, 100% of the funds donated will go toward the manufacture and delivery of these dolls to children of servicemembers who either cannot afford a doll or have lost a parent in the line of duty.

Jump Rope for Heart Event

Big Sis is participating in the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart event at her school March 22. This is her first fund-raiser. At any rate, kids are discouraged from going door to door and since we are new to the area, I decided to post the event here.
Thanks for your support of the American Heart Association!

update: We are turning in all of Big Sis's donations tomorrow. She has raised $265! Thank you to everyone who participated and supported her in this.

Some good news...

In addition to a move followed immediately by a deployment, we've also been waiting on the release of a promotion board. It was delayed over and over. Originally, it was to be released in late December. Then, it was going to be January. It was pushed back to just before Sam was to leave. Then it was delayed again (and again). Finally, it was released today. I'm happy (and relieved) to say that Sam was selected for promotion. I wish I could say, "Show me the money." But chances are that he won't actually be promoted until next year after he returns home. But then we'll have 2 things to looks forward to, won't we?


Congratulations to everyone who was selected!

So I'm not a gardener....

Today a neighbor asked me if I knew anything about jasmine. It took me a moment before I realized she was asking about the plant, not the Disney princess. This is just one of the perils of having princess-crazed little girls. Another is a berry pink room...

Squirrelly

You've just got to love what comes out of a 2-year-old's mouth, usually in public and embarrassing ways. Take today for example, L'il Sis and I are standing at the library counter, sending a fax. Other than the librarian and one other mom and little one, everyone else in sight is a young male Marine. So what does my little angel do? She keeps poking my belly fat, finally asking, "What's that?" Before I can answer, she decides that's really not humiliating enough, so she points to one side of my chest and asks (loudly, is there any other way?), "What are those?"

She's just very tall...

L'il sis and I went to the library for the first time this morning. The librarian told us that we could just make the tail end of the storytime for her age group. Well, no. The storytime that was wrapping up was for 4-6 year olds. So, clearly, this woman assumed L'il Sis was FOUR. Yes, she's tall. And she has long hair. But she is TWO, I tell you. Okay, two and three-quarters, but still technically two. Nowhere near four.

Happy Valentine's Day

These came this afternoon. What a nice surprise, especially the cards for each of us. I put the girls' roses in the vase Big Sis made during a pottery field trip in Korea.










I just realized that the last post was dated Feb. 14. I guess something on my computer is still on Korean time. That was yesterday (the 13th). Today is the first full day of married single parenthood. Happy Valentine's Day to me!






L'il Sis crawled into bed with me last night, but (this is the important bit) let me sleep. Big Sis got off to school this morning with only a minimum of whining (much less than usual).



So far, so good. Yes, I know it's early days, but I need all the optimism I can get right now.

Hopefully, NOT a sign of things to come...

Today was the day. Sam left for his year-long deployment today. And I began my year-long journey as a single parent. I almost titled this entry, "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride..." but, hopefully, that won't be (too) true.

Big Sis came home from school this afternoon and, after a snack and checking to be sure all homework was done, I convinced the girls to go outside for a bit. That was a mistake. Shortly after arriving at the playground, the skies opened up and poured buckets of rain on us. There were no warning sprinkles. One minute it was overcast but pleasant, the next minute we found ourselves in a deluge. I grabbed L'il Sis, threw her into the wagon, and ran for home while yelling at Big Sis to run home. Usually, when L'il Sis sees rain she sings, "It's raining/ it's pouring/ the old man is snoring/ bumped his head/ and didn't get up 'til morning!" Today, she screamed because she was getting wet (she doesn't enjoy getting her face wet in the bath and this was like a power shower!). By the time we made it to the garage, we were all soaked. So, plan B, everyone was bathed and dressed in PJ's a short time later. And I decided I could hobble something together for dinner instead of going out.






Well, let's hope we have nowhere to go but up from here.

Readjustments

• After living overseas for 2 years, there are a few things that take a little getting used to upon returning to the States. For example, we lived in a country roughly the size of Indiana and, frankly, didn't drive all that much with all the public transport available. So I'm not sure if it's me or the kids having more difficulty in adjusting to how long we are in the car here, whether it's running errands around town or driving across the state(s) to see relatives. And speaking of driving, I'd forgotten just how HUGE those trucks on the interstate are. They have trucks in Korea, but they're not THAT big. And I miss the rest areas on Korean highways. Not only were they a place to stop for a bathroom break, but they usually had a convenience store, food court, food stalls, restaurant, and information center (with a person in it). Often, there would be a playground as well. Plus, there seemed to be one of these rest areas about every 15 or 20 miles.
• Another silly thing to get used to is pennies. Seriously, the only place I ever saw pennies was a the military post office in Korea. Everywhere else on the base, we rounded up or down. So when my daughter's first grade teacher suggested parents start using pennies to practice counting, etc., I seriously wondered where I was supposed to get all these pennies. Of course, there's something to be said for only having to keep track of one type of currency.
• A nice thing to get used to is not having to account for a 13-15 hour time difference when calling friends and family. Trying to remember what time it was (and what day) where you were calling was such a pain that my husband didn't bother with it. He just asked me.
  
• I can buy something in a shop here AND return it if I need to. I couldn't do that in the markets in Korea. Returns were possible in department stores, but I just didn't have the language skills or confidence to manage it. This is especially important when trying to buy clothes for the oldest since she is both hard to fit and hard to please (and hard of head).
  
• Commercials have been another adjustment. And one the kids have embraced a little too much. It's also been strange to have so many radio choices. In Korea, unless I wanted to listen to Korean (usually I only found talking and very little music), my choices were limited to AFN on FM or AM. I still find myself switching between AM and FM instead of scanning through the FM stations while in the car. The first time I drove for any length of time, I found myself listening to a station I didn't care for mile after mile until I finally remembered that there were CHOICES out there and I didn't have to listen to that station!
  
• It's the little things.

Hawaii in December

As promised, here are a few pictures from our stop in Hawaii on our way back to the mainland after a 2 year absence.

We attended a luau at our hotel one evening. L'il Sis enjoyed the evening more than Big Sis, who wouldn't even cooperate with having her photo taken. The MC was Glenn Medeiros. Does anyone remember him? (hint: think '80's pop) Apparently, he is from Hawaii and is now teaching elementary school in addition to MC'ing luaus.

The USS Arizona Memorial

These are some of the "scenic" pictures I took.

This was the view from our hotel balcony, looking out over Waikiki Beach.

Timeline of an international move

For those of you curious about what an international move (with kids!) over the Christmas holiday might be like, here's our move:

• October 17: Ship the car (note to other military movers: This was WAY too early!)
• November 7: Our Household Goods shipment is packed and loaded into large wooden crates. This is our "big" shipment and probably goes by ship, making it the slow shipment. The fact that it only took them one day to pack and load should tell you that we didn't have much to pack. In fact, the inspector looked around and shook her head and saying, "Not much, not much."
• December 5: Our "express shipment" or "unaccompanied baggage" is packed and taken away. This is the small shipment of "essentials" that we want to have right away on the other end. We had some kitchen items, linens and our computer in this shipment. This is also the day we moved out of our home in Korea and moved into a hotel, marking this as the starting point for living out of suitcases. In the time between moving into the hotel and flying off the Korean peninsula, we stay busy saying good-bye to good friends made during our time in South Korea.
• December 10: This is the big day! We fly from Seoul to Honolulu. That's right, Hawaii! I'll post pictures later. Now, don't think about this next part too much as it will give you a headache. We leave Korea Sunday evening and arrive in Hawaii about 8 hours later on Sunday morning. Crossing the international date line can really mess with you! We are met at the airport by my mother and stepfather (they come armed with leis for the whole family). They came to Hawaii a few days before and stayed to spend time with us (okay, the girls).
• December 15: We fly to Raleigh, North Carolina, where we are picked up at the airport by my very pregnant sister and her toddler (who we hadn't met before as she was pregnant with him when we moved to Korea).
• December 18: There is a revolving door at my sister's house today. Sam's parents drove down the day before and are ready to take the girls with them this morning. Sam and I rent a car to go in the opposite direction, to Jacksonville, in order to find a place to live, among other necessary errands. That same day, after we leave, my mother arrives to help my sister. The baby is born a few days later.
• December 18 - December 21: We stay with a friend while picking up a new car, meeting with a realtor, looking at houses, buying a cell phone, etc. We return to my sister's on the 21st to visit her and the baby in the hospital.
• December 22: We are back on the road. This time, we are headed to Sam's parents and our girls. That evening, our oldest, Big Sis becomes ill with a stomach virus. She has little more than saltines, water and Sprite for the next 2 days. But no one else is sick. Yet.
• December 25: Merry Christmas! Big Sis is feeling better. But when she sees the candy in her stocking, she puts it aside, shaking her head and saying, "I'm not eating that! I got sick from sugar last time!" (Not to worry, she got over that a few days later.)
• December 27: We rent another car. This time Sam drives across North Carolina then to Portsmouth, Virginia, to pick up the car we shipped from Korea. The next day, he drives back across Virginia. Meanwhile, at his parents' house, his brother comes down with Big Sis's bug. Then, I come down with it. Fun.
• December 30: We leave Virginia and return to my sister's house in North Carolina to celebrate Christmas with her family and my mom.
• January 2: We return to Jacksonville, again staying with our friend, but this time we have the girls with us. What a great friend!
• January 3 & 4: We sign the lease for base housing and get the keys to our new home. We've decided to paint 2 of the rooms, so we head to the home improvement store to get what we'll need. I get Big Sis registered at her new school. This turns out to be more complicated than expected and requires 3 trips.
• January 5: Sam's mother arrived the night before to watch the girls while we paint and otherwise get the house ready for move-in. We get the girls' room painted today and paint the living room the next day.
• January 8: L'il Sis was taken to my sister's yesterday. Today, Big Sis starts school, Sam starts work, and I get the house ready for the movers to arrive the next 2 days. We are still staying with our friend. We still need to buy a bed for L'il Sis. (She went to Korea while in a crib and transitioned to a twin bed while we were there, but it wasn't our furniture.)
• January 9: Two shipments are delivered today. The first is our express shipment from Korea. Then, our storage shipment arrives. This is all the stuff we put into storage over 2 years ago before moving to Korea. Wow, why do we have some of this stuff? Big Sis begins taking the bus after school to our new neighborhood.
• January 10: Our household goods shipment from Korea arrives. All of our "stuff" is here. Now, we just need to unpack, hang pictures, and on and on.
• January 11: L'il Sis's bed is delivered.
• January 12: After Big Sis gets out of school, she and I drive to my sister's to spend the night and return with L'il Sis the next day. We think this is Grandma's last night in NC. Sam moves into the house while we are gone.
• January 13: This is our first night in our new house as a family. This is the first night since Dec. 5 that we are not living out of suitcases. There are still boxes everywhere and lots of work to be done. But, at least, we are in our own space.

Coming soon....

We have arrived in North Carolina and are still getting unpacked and settled in. New entries will be coming... eventually!

New name?

We'll no longer be on the ROK soon. Which makes this blog's name a bit obsolete. So, any and all suggestions are welcome. Either email me or leave a suggestion in the comments.

On the road again...

How time flies! It's almost time for us to move from Seoul, South Korea to the East Coast of the U.S. Yes, that would be on the other side of the planet for you geography buffs. And, lucky us, we get to deal with the Holiday madness AND look for a new home all at the same time! Since we are moving into a hotel next week and flying shortly after that, I'm making my list now of the things we will and will not miss about being on the ROK.

We won't miss:

• traffic and insane drivers who think traffic laws are just a suggestion to be ignored (seeing 5 lanes of traffic trying to fit in one painted lane is a prime example);
• the itty, bitty, teeny, weeny apartment we had in Daejeon -- I think it was roughly 800 square feet, including the enclosed balconies, and only boasted a kitchenette to cook in ;
• soju, a potent rice liquor, often featured at whay-shiks (a male-bonding extravaganza that Sam says he won't miss either);
• monsoons, enough said;
• smog, so bad you can't see the hills and mountains that completely surround Seoul; and
• yellow dust, courtesy of China, that infiltrates everything every Spring (and Fall this year);
• being 13-14 hours ahead of East Coast time (14-15 hours of Central) and trying to remember what time and day it is back home before calling.

We WILL miss:

• Ms. Cho, our aujuma, who cleaned our house and helped out with the kids once a week;
• Mr. Alex, the care giver at the daycare who usually watched L'il Sis on the occasions that she went;
• AFN "commercials" -- they were mini-lessons on history, geography, military life, etc. While some could be a bit on the corny side, my kids don't really ask for much because they haven't been exposed to commercials for toys, etc.;
• the ease of public transportation: cabs, buses, subways, even "bullet"-type trains for outside the city;
• maintenance workers (and movers, etc.) who actually show up when they say they will;
• really cheap entry fees to museums, palaces, and other attractions;
• Korean foods such as bibimbap that will be hard to find in the States (Sam will also miss speaking Korean on an almost daily basis); and
• all the wonderful U.S. and R.O.K. friends we've made in our two years here.

Happy Birthday, Marines!

We celebrated the 231st Marine Corps Birthday at the Seoul Hyatt this year. Included among the guests were the current Republic of Korea (ROK) Marine Commandant and 9 former ROK Marine Commandants. Our guest speaker was GEN B.B. Bell, the U.S. Army general who commands the American military forces, the U.N. forces, and the combined U.S.-ROK forces here in South Korea.


Although the U.S. Marines here are a small group, the Birthday Ball was a big event and the Marines did a great job organizing and hosting the Ball. We filled the ballroom at the Hyatt and had a great time. Unfortunately, the Marine in charge of the event placed a bottle of soju at each table. His wife (a good friend of mine) thought it would be a good idea, or at least very funny, to have her friends each do at least one shot of the stuff. It is horrible. A bit like trying to drink rubbing alcohol. I don't know how Stretch stood it last year. Despite that experience, we really had a great evening with our friends.


Usually, I get one token slow dance a year at the Birthday Ball. This year, Stretch actually danced quite a bit with me, even to faster music. And while my shoes started off comfortable enough, I eventually had to kick them off, along with many of the ladies on the dance floor. Then, after the taxi dropped us off outside the base, we had to walk about half to three-quarters of a mile to get home. Yes, in those shoes! Plus, I was trying to keep up with Stretch. You may have noticed in the picture that his legs are a little longer than mine (by about a mile!) He was sweet and tried to carry me part of the way, but that didn't really work.


All in all, it was a memorable Birthday Ball made more so by the company of good friends. We will definitely miss our many wonderful friends here when we leave the peninsula next month.

*Despite the picture, but I'm not really that short. I'm 5'4" but Stretch is 6'8".

Trick or Treat!

Halloween came early for us on Yongsan. Official Trick-or-Treating hours were on Saturday night from 6:00 to 8:30. We ran out of candy before 7:30. This year, Big Sis decided she didn't want to go trick-or-treating, so she handed out the treats. Apparently, the candy wasn't worth having to dress up. Big Sis explained to one mom who came by with her little ones that she already had enough candy. L'il Sis, on the other hand, had a blast. She had no qualms about going up to strangers, saying, "Trick or Treat!" and holding out her bucket. Sam said even the scary masks some kids had on didn't bother her once he told her they were okay. Once her bucket got too heavy for her, we cut her off. But L'il Sis still wanted to walk around the neighborhood and see everything.

C'mon, Dad! There's candy out there waiting for me!

Big Sis decided she liked handing out the candy better than getting the candy. Probably because she could just toss things into bags without actually saying anything.

Loose teeth and mummies

Big Sis finally has some loose teeth. Okay, one wiggly tooth and one sort-of-wannabe-wiggly tooth. But they both start better start doing some serious wiggling soon as the adult teeth have already pushed through her gums behind the baby teeth and are anxious for their debut. Silly me, I thought this was something to be concerned about and rushed her to the Pediatric Dental Clinic on Wednesday morning before school. Yes, we were late for school that morning, but I thought this was more important. There I was told it was perfectly normal and nothing to be worried about. Of course, I started asking questions regarding at what point we should be worried. Anyway, x-rays were taken, and I was told to have her wiggle the teeth to encourage them to come out at home. Otherwise, we're to come back in a couple of weeks. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.


Now for the "mummies" portion of this entry. We found Big Sis asleep in her bed tonight with her top sheet pulled off the bed and wrapped tightly around her, kind of like a mummy. Or a baby burrito. You know, when babies are newborns and you wrap them in receiving blankets like burritos so they feel secure. What I can't figure out is how she managed to get the sheet wrapped so tightly around her 3 or 4 times. That had to take talent!

Happy Birthday, Big Sis!

Big Sis's birthday fell on Chusok this year. Chusok is the biggest holiday of the year here in South Korea. It's a harvest celebration, as well as a time to reconnect with family and pay tribute to ancestors. Most Americans compare it to our Thanksgiving, but its also very different. At any rate, between Friday being a day off for Chusok and Monday being an American holiday (Columbus Day), we decided to hold Big Sis's party next week. Big Sis decided her actual birthday would be for our family "fiesta." Have I mentioned she's in a Spanish "immersion" first grade and receives Spanish instruction the last half-hour of every school day? Yes, I know, how ironic: We live in Korea but our child is being taught Spanish. But back to the birthday...

So we had a small cake and Big Sis opened gifts from family. She had a pretty good day and was very gracious, sharing all her new toys with her sister. Then, Big Sis spent the rest of the 4-day weekend telling us at every opportunity, "I'm six, you know," or "Well, I'm six."