When the weeks are long but rushed

Last week just dragged me to the weekend, hitting all the bumps along the way. Having cold days along side hot and humid days didn't make things better.

Hubby freezing at a weekday soccer game.

Attempting to get relief from hot sun and humidity at a weekend soccer game.

We had multiple appointments: doctor, dentist, therapist, audiologist, orthodontist.

It's my fault for being the one to schedule everything in 1 week, but when availability is what it is with most military health care facilities, you take what you can get.

Most things were fine. More follow ups now scheduled. My calendar also had to add ANOTHER orthodontist appointment THIS week since one of the brand new brackets for A's braces popped off a few hours after they put it on. (We also had a speech eval today for N and various appointments and meetings for the WANs lined up for the next 2 weeks!)

There has been a new development! A's doctor thinks he may have a new diagnosis for her, which can explain a lot of the behavior issues we have been dealing with (for years). Hubby and I meet with him soon to go over everything and hopefully make some progress on a plan for what will best help her.

In the midst if all of this going on we also had a big hole in our kitchen ceiling. About 2 weeks ago we noticed a water stain. We immediately contacted our landlords (who are really great btw) and the next day plumbers were here. In the end we could not find the leak but agreed to leave the hole to see if water would leak again. It didn't. They returned this past week to patch and were able to find evidence of the likely location of the water, though it was now dry. If the water stain returns we now know a contractor will need to be called, not a plumber.

It feels like May is this crazy rush to the finish line... but what's the finish line? Why does it feel like we are racing at breakneck speed to complete this month?! What's the point? We just need to take a moment and slow down!

Either that or I need to take a weekend to settle my frazzled brain.

Open Embassies from Around the World

Over the weekend there was a very popular DC even;  DC Passport Around the World Embassy Tour. Several embassies in the city opened their doors to invite guests to see what their country is like. Many offered food or drinks and entertainment.

A had team pictures and a soccer game in the morning. They even WON! It was very exciting.

But, because it was important to be present I didn't head into the city until the afternoon. It took forever to find parking (as it does in DC) so by the time I reached my first embassy there wasn't a lot of time left to explore.

I knew that  Dupont Circle was going to be a mad house since several popular embassies (such as Australia) are located there, so I decided to head in a different direction and went closer to the zoo, near the Van-Ness station.

The first embassy I came to was China. I head the music and drums before I even arrived. There was a dancing dragon out front, still food to sample, and videos and live music to share their culture. The line to actually enter the embassy was super long, and with my truncated time I decided to just pass by after watching some entertainment for a bit.

Just down the street I came to Ethiopia. Now this was a happening place! The music was loud and exuberant. There was dancing and laughter! I had missed the food, but the remains of what I saw and smelled were mouthwatering.

Following Ethiopia, I came into Bangladesh. This turned out to be my favorite stop. Even though I missed the food the people were incredibly friendly, the setting was vibrant, and the energy was contagious. They had henna tattooing available but I didn't have time to wait for it.

Ghana was another friendly stop. I had just missed the music so they were winding down. They were selling food outside, but again, no time to wait in a line. They had really cool things on display to showcase and share things from their country.

My last stop was Pakistan. We have a large Pakistan popular around here, so it was no surprise to find this embassy full of people. Lots of loud music, dancing, and inside had fun little set ups to represent different areas in their country.

Once I finished those tours and looked at my map again I realized with the time I had left there was no point in attempting another location for more embassies. I took a nice leisurely walk back to my car.

Many embassies did not participate, so I just moseyed on by Morocco, Egypt, Malaysia, and several others. This coming weekend the European Union Embassies have their open houses, but I think I might try to experience them next year and hope I can be there for the WHOLE day.

Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum

We had a busy week last week. Not only did W have a field trip to Jamestown, but A also had a field trip with our homeschool group to the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum in DC. The group then went to the American Red Cross Building for a tour, but we had to leave early to pick up W after school.


On our stroll to meet up with our group we passed by the U.S. Navy Memorial. As a former Navy Brat, I felt the need to check it out. We didn't have enough time to explore the visitor's center so we only looked at the beautifully made bronze plaques that represent different aspects important to the Navy, enjoyed the look and sound of the fountains, and grabbed a few snapshots next to the sailor statue with his sea bag (The Lone Sailor).

We easily found the Clara Barton place up the next block. So... who was Clara Barton??


She was known as the Angel of the Battlefield for her help in dozens of civil war battles. She then started the missing soldiers office to keep track of the dead and missing during the war and inform families. But I think what she is most well-known for was founding the American Red Cross (hence the second part of the field trip that we didn't get to attend).

The building that houses the museum used to be a jewelry store, offices, and house boarders (of which Clara Barton was one). Sometime in the early 1900's the top 2 floors were essentially closed off so as not to require buildig code updates and were only used for storage. In the 1990's the place was supposed to be torn down, but through some serendipitous experiences a discovery was made that uncovered untouched artifacts unknown for over 100 years. You can now see what the place truly looked like! The original staircase and layouts! It hadn't been changed.

We ended up learning a lot and had a great tour guide! He was very friendly and was wonderful speaking to all our kids. If you are spending some extra time in DC I encourage you to check out this place with it's interesting history.

http://www.clarabartonmuseum.org

Jamestown Field Trip

Even though we are just reaching the middle of the week, I feel like it should be a long weekend now.


Hubby was away for a few days for work. While he was gone, A had a doctor appointment at Walter Reed (again) and W had a field trip with his general education class to Jamestown. The school did not have an aide to accompany him, so I elected to go.


Jamestown was a fun place! They had a very well done museum (that we didn't get to see much of), the Jamestown Fort, replicas of the ships which brought the settlers, and a construction of a Powhatan village. We will have to go as a family at another time so we can more leisurely explore all that is offered.

W did pretty well. He doesn't really talk to his classmates, but a few kids attempt to include him. His favorite part was the blacksmith. His least favorite was the Powhatan village, but that was because there were "dead things" (animals skins, hooves, a skull, and they were butchering a turtle while we were there) and W is generally grossed out by those things.

This week also brought an award ceremony at W's school. He has been working very hard and making improvements with his work AND behavior in class, so he received an award. Poor N had to basically skip her nap so we could be there, but I'm glad we could support him and W was so proud to be recognized.


And as his mama, I felt my heart swell.

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I am still loving all the colorful flowers blooming. Just this week these beauties opened and there are a lot more coming!!!

It's that season: soccer, ticks, and baby dolls

This past weekend was busy and the next several weekends into June will be busy. Soccer season has arrived, so A has those games followed by Tae Kwon Do. She was pretty tough and powered through this weekend so I hope she will be able to carry on the next 6 or 8 weeks (or however long this stuff lasts).


I told Hubby I don't know how my parents did it when us 4 kids were growing up playing games every weekend and scattered all over the place. We get drained after one!!!


Speaking of "seasons"... apparently this place is very popular for ticks -- those gross, blood-sucking pests. For the first time in my own memory I had found a tick on me. Cue the internal freaking out! I was able to remove the creep easily enough and flush him away... and then, paranoid (though calmly), did quick checks over my WANs. They were clean. Guess I'll have to be watching more closely for that now.


I found something else this weekend too, W had prepared all of N's babies for bed. It was so sweet! N adores her baby dolls and can often be found hauling 1 or 2 or 4 around with her. She is a good mommy to them; giving them blankets, feeding them, giving them hugs and kisses. When she saw what her brother did she got so excited and then wouldn't lay in her bed because she would mess it up. I love to see how W expresses his caring heart for his sister.

We have a full week ahead of us and the month of May is coming like a freight train so I should sign off and head to bed.

Yes, we saw Endgame

I'm laying here deciding if I should even bother searching through Netflix or Hulu for something to watch because maybe I should go to bed.

It has been a good day, but I just feel so tired!

W had an important appointment with the Developmental Pediatrician. Hubby even came along. We think it went well: there is a lot of progress seen and we have a good plan in place. There are some things we all have to work on to help W increase his independence and responsibility so I think Hubby and I will have to start expecting more and structuring things out better.


After the appointment W and I sat in the pharmacy for over an hour waiting for a prescription. These military pharmacies and wait times are not improving as the years pass. I really hope somebody can come up with a more efficient system to implement because so much time is wasted there. Thankfully we brought the Switch so W happily played minecraft while we waited.

Later in the afternoon Hubby and I went to see Avengers: Endgame.

No spoilers from me, but it was great! I think it creates a good "ending" and allows space for the franchise to continue. I told Hubby now we have to spend the next month watching ALL the movies in chronological order then watch Endgame again. I'm not sure he's on board for that.


Today I am thankful for our respite provider watching the girls during W's appointment and then having all 3 kids so mommy and daddy could be grown ups for a bit. Having safe, reliable childcare allows such a relief for military families especially when you live no where close to family.

Dandelions

A high note every week for me is attending PWOC on base. These ladies are always great to be around and the class I'm in has an amazing teacher. This woman loves to learn herself and does so much research to prepare what to share with us. Our study is giving us some fresh perspective of Jesus and his ministry through the lens of the Jewish culture of that time. Interesting stuff.

The PWOC has childcare as well as a homeschool room so both girls are taken care of.

Afterwards on our way to the car A and N were gathering dandelions (which ended up making a mess on their seats). I thought it was funny later that afternoon when we picked up W from school and he also had collected a couple dandelions.

My kids like to blow the dandelions around and brag that they are helping the bees.

Anyway, I also had Bunco tonight. I didn't win anything this time, but, as usual, had a blast! I am determined that one of these times I will win Left-Right-Center! I have been close several times and tonight I was in the final 3! I'm the youngest lady there and these women are so fun! Food is good, too. With a group of military spouses from (literally) all over the world, you would expect good food. 

Early Show Up Gold Star

I had a non-brilliant moment today.

A had an appointment at Walter Reed... which is about a hour away from home. In my phone I had it scheduled for 11am but my wall calendar had 1pm. Why?? I don't know.

I figured my phone was correct and we showed up for her appointment 2 hours early.

At least we weren't 2 hours late. (Bright side, huh?) Also, we had brought A's schoolwork with us so she had plenty of time to finish the day's assignments.

Thankfully, as the flagship hospital, Walter Reed is BIG. The check-in desk suggested where to go so the girls and I enjoyed a VERY affordable and yummy lunch in the "galley." There is also a food court but supposedly more expensive and busy.

After A's appointment and fighting traffic, we arrived back just in time to pick up W from school.

I am the keeper of the calendar around here so if I can't keep it straight it really fouls up my day.

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This is our first spring out here and I am LOVING all the flowers! I'm glad we don't suffer from allergies because the pollen here is no joke. Brushing up against a car turns clothes yellow!

But the pretty flowers look great and smell amazing!

When the day is smooth

I enjoy when we have good days. A's schoolwork gets done with little complaint, N doesn't cause a ruckus while mom is teaching, and we get positive comments on how W is doing in both school and therapy.

Also, we had respite care tonight so I finally took care of the supplies from teaching Art at our local homeschool co-op that has been overwhelming our downstairs for the past few months. Later, Hubby took me out to the movies so he could see Captain Marvel before Endgame comes out later this week.

Sometimes home life is crazy, but every once in a while the gears move smoothly.

A Fresh Start

I feel the need to write again.

To document what our life is like now and remember our adventures.

It has been awhile... several years... a lot has changed.

We are now stationed on the East Coast and loving it! Except for the traffic.

Update on my little WANs:

W is doing well in his special education class at school. At 11 he is doing some beginning reading and basic math. Maybe not where we would want him to be, but he is making progress and that is what is important. Once a week he attends Speech and Occupational Therapy. He still loves video games.

A is keeping us busy. She is a purple belt in Tae Kwan Do, involved in the base soccer league, and is homeschooled. We have doctor appointments as we work through some issues, but she is doing well. She has just turned 9 and we cannot believe how quickly these kids grow up.

N is what I call the sweet distraction. She is happy and curious and cuddly and sometimes mischievous. At 2 years old she is in a fun stage of life. It was a bit difficult going back to "baby land" after the other two kids were so much older, but N has been a joy and we are blessed to have our bonus baby in our lives. This past week she moved out of a crib and into a toddler bed which has actually gone pretty smoothly.

Hubby has his work, I have my hobbies and home life. We are happy.

It was Easter this past weekend. We got dressed up and headed to our church for Sunday service. Afterwards there was an egg hunt. W was concerned about following the rules and making sure the little ones were being watched. A was busy running full out to get as many eggs as she could and not afraid to shoulder in on the boys if they were in her way. N just wanted to grab every egg to put in her basket because she thought all of this was wonderful.

Once home, we ate a simple lunch and hung around the house for the rest of the day enjoying our Easter treats.

Simple, peaceful. 

(except for when we did Resurrection Eggs and I wanted to send everyone to bed with no dessert for bickering and crying... but it ended alright)