5 Nuts in a Nutshell

HATCHEDit.com: Getting our Busyness in Sync!

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:45:00 +0000

"Where are you?" I asked Ben, as I sat in the school gym with the boys saving a seat for my missing husband. It was Sam's kindergarten music concert and Ben told me he would met us there. So I saved him a spot and waited. No husband. It was about to start, so I gave him a call.

"I'm at school doing a mentor-ship, why?"

"Because it's Sam's music concert! You promised to meet us here!!"

"Oops. Sorry, I forgot," he says like it's no big deal. I get angry and snap at him so he knows just how I feel.

"Whatever!" I hang up. Jerk. Why can't he just remember these things? Why does he keep scheduling things the same time I do? It's frustrating, especially when he does it AFTER I tell him something else is going on!

So I got this brilliant plan to find some kind of coordinating calendar... couldn't find anything I really liked. Then I knew that if I did, I would have to convince Ben to check it too. It's hard enough to get him to check his email!

Then, a few weeks ago, I got an email from HATCHEDit.com asking me to do a review and some advertising for them. The site is free to use and much to my delight, an online calendar!! And it was EXACTLY what I was looking for.

When you first sign in, you will come to this main page:

It includes all your upcoming events, invites, news, and get this: your blog roll! All in one place! Almost perfect for a homepage, don't you think?

When you sign up, you can add people to your account. I added Ben. So he can log in and see what me and the boys are up to. He can also go to the calendar page and add his own stuff. And what I REALLY like about this, is that everything is color coded: Pink for me, Blue for Ben and both if it affects both of us:

HATCHEDit.com has asked me to do a few posts in the next months telling about my experiences using their program. So far the main part that I have been using is the calendar. I am very impressed. Easy and quick to use. You can make your events public to all your peeps or private, and you can also see the calendar in many different formats:

Day:

Week:

And of course, by month as shown above.

One thing I didn't like however, is that some days are just an event to remember like a birthday or no school, and there really isn't an option for that other than choosing an "all day" check box, which automatically puts that it starts at 12:00 am or "(all day)"... who needs that or doesn't know that it is all day?

Maybe there is a way to turn that off... I haven't figured it out yet if there is.
(This is what it looks like on the month's calendar of Ben's Birthday):

Anyway, other than that small thing, I LOVE this program!!! And they even have it as an App for it, but that will be in another post.

One last thing that I wanted to mention, is that I can and did set it up so that when I add something important to the calendar, Ben gets an email about it... WOO HOO! Take that hubby-bubby! No excuses now... no excuses...

-Cat

Military Monday: The "Who has it Worse" Game

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:51:00 +0000

Probably 99% of every military wife that reads that title, knows exactly what this post is going to be about. Why? Because probably every single one of us has either seen this game being played, been a victim of it, and maybe, just maybe been a willing or unwilling participant.

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, instead of explaining it, let me give you a little example of how the game is played:

Woman who just send her husband off to basic training, posts this on her Facebook Wall:
My hubby just left two days ago, and I miss him already!! I am going to die for the next 9 weeks!!

Other Army Wife whose husband is deployed answers with this classic:
Well, just count your blessings that he is JUST in Basic... at least he isn't deployed like mine!

And there you go! I like to call it the "Who has it Worst Game". And these days there are so many playing it, that it is really hard to say anything about missing a husband for even a few days without someone piping up that basically, they have no sympathy at all for your situation and you should suck it up (like they do, apparently).

Now, I really don't understand this game. I am not sure if it makes people feel better if they toss that one at another wife, or maybe sometimes they feel they are doing the person a favor by helping them get some perspective? I don't know.

What I do know, is that that game is not fun, totally noneffective, and just plain rude. What I have found, is that it doesn't matter if you husband is gone only for his weekend drill, or off to basic, or gone a month or even a year -- the absence of a loved one, no matter the amount of time, is hard. It is just hard! And sometimes, the shorter times are a lot harder than the longer ones.

When Ben was gone for those 9 months, the first 6 flew by! I was mentally prepared for it. I knew he was going to miss all the major holidays (except Christmas) and I knew that I was going to be just fine. Then he came home for Christmas for 2 weeks and it was bliss! But when he had to go back for only 10 more weeks, I thought I was going to die! Those 10 weeks were WAY longer than the previous 6 months. Funny how those things work.

I usually have no issues when Ben leaves. Actually, I hate to admit this, but the boys and I make plans for when he leaves and we look forward to those one weekend a months that he is gone. Not because we WANT him to leave, but we prepare ourselves by planning fun things to do to keep us busy and have some bonding time. Even his 3 week summer drills fly by for us. Then this summer he is probably going to be gone for 9 weeks... we are totally on that one planning for some mommy-kid road trips to visit family.

I have even excepted the fact that he WILL be deployed in another 2 years or so.... and it will be hard, but I know we will be okay.

But once in a while, it's just hard. And we military wives should be able to express that loneliness every now and then without being snapped at by another "well meaning" military wife.

The same holds for non-military wives whose husband's have to travel for work. It makes my stomach turn when a wife and mother explains she misses her hubby who is on some work trip for a few days, and some military wife feels it's her responsibly to put her straight: Well, at least he isn't gone for a year and in mortal danger of getting blown up!! At least you will get to see him in a few days!!!

Tacky.

Then what gets me, is that they then run over to their military spouse support site and go off about how "civilians just don't get it!"....

I think the problem is really with those type of people. Maybe they just can't handle their situation well or aren't getting enough "Oh you are so strong and amazing for doing everything without your husband" comments from friends. Truth is, as nice as it is to be complimented on something like that, I get a little embarrassed just the same. I do what I have to do, and I do it with the best attitude that I can. End of story.

So I am on a crusade to be a more understanding person -- to break that stereo-type mold. To NEVER get sucked up in the "I have it worse than you game." Instead of doing that, how about just trying to be supportive? It's not as hard as you may think. I know sometimes it can be difficult when your husband is deployed and someone is ranting about how hard their life is because hubby is gone hunting for a week (or whatever), you feel that maybe they are being insensitive. Truth is, they aren't TRYING to be rude. What is hard for some may not be for others. We as military wives have to get used to it (as used to it as we can really get, anyway), but lots of women don't. We all have different trials, and if we want to really be happy, instead of sitting around feeling bitter towards people, we need to understand that it is different for everyone. We all have different life "callus'", parts of us that are built up stronger.

So....

To the wife of the man in Basic:
"Basic training stinks! It IS super hard, and was a hard time for us too. The no phone call thing makes it even worse! But you are doing FANTASTIC and you're a strong woman! But if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, you know where to find me!"

(don't say it will be over before you know it, because that is not true! Basic seems to last FOREVER!)

To the wife whose husband is on a business trip:
"Every night spend without the hubby is hard! We should have a movie night with the kids... that would be fun! I will bring the pizza!"

And to someone like me, that missed my husband on my birthday (even though he surprised me by coming home early):
"I hate it when my husband misses my birthday! It stinks! But don't let it stop you from having fun!! Take the boys out to lunch or catch a movie or go shopping! You deserve it!"

Wouldn't it be nice to kick this game to the curb, and be supportive, understanding, and loving instead? Do you ever realize that these people KNOW you have it worse sometimes? Do you know that they probably look up to you? That you may be their example of strength? Then keep being that example by being all those GOOD things I mentioned above, and don't lower yourself for one second by playing "the game"... take the higher road.

-Cat

PS Don't forget to check out a few of my giveaways going on:

Digital Copy of American Sniper
SuperTintin Skype Recording Software
My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software with a $10 gift cert.

If you have anything to add.... feel free!!

Okay, friends now it is your turn! If you want to participate, take this button and post it in your post today:

THEN write a post about what I did above, or one of these:
1. How can we be more supportive of our "Sisters" when they are alone?
2. Name some things that should never say to another Military Wife...
If you have no idea what "Military Monday" is click here!

Happy Birthday to Me....

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:37:00 +0000

*Due to popular demand and Ben threatening me with a birthday-back-rub cancellation, I am re-posting this post... I only made one small change, and I refuse to take out my "offending" statement, because that would be changing who I am... and I don't play that game. -Cat

Murphy's Law when it comes to the military is: there will ALWAYS be a drill or training or something like that, on your birthday. Just accept it, know it will happen... it will save you lots of grief. And your wedding anniversary? Yeah, he will probably miss that too.

But it's not all that bad...

Ben may be off poppin' willies (or "wheelies", depending on where you're from) in a tank, but I am having pizza for breakfast.... THEN I am taking the boys somewhere yummy to have lunch and I am not even for one second going to worry or even THINK about the calories I am consuming. Calories don't count on your birthday -- everyone knows that!

Then MAYBE I will take the boys somewhere fun.... I don't know where yet, but I am sure I will think of something as I am eating my yummy lunch.

Ben says he is going to try to drive up tonight so he can take me out for an hour or so.... but it will probably be too late for movie. Which isn't so bad considering I looked at the show-time lists and saw NOTHING that would be worth spending $7 a person on. Why do all the good movies only come out in the summer and at Christmas? The rest of the year is just stupid stuff....

What else am I going to do? I don't know.... I would really like a birthday afternoon nap, but with Ben gone... that is SO not happening. I will have to mention that tonight as something I missed out on and maybe he will feel so guilty I can get a birthday back rub out of him... it's worth a try right?

Well, another year come and gone... now 31 and still living in student housing, feeling far too old to be here just about every day. Still wishing I could make a few more friends around, but people just don't seem into that stuff these days. Too bad.... or maybe I am just that crazy wacko lady with the 3 kids who looks way too old to still be here.

That's okay, I like being the crazy neighbor. Gives me a mysterious air, and feeling that instead of being one of the Mormon Cookie Cutter girls walking around, I have character.

Go me!

So here's to another year! Hopefully, a super fantastic one!!

-Cat

*PS -- Ben got off his drill early and speed home for the night to take me out to dinner -- good thing I had some babysitters on standby!!

For the Scrapbook Challenged (Giveaway)

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:44:00 +0000

I started scapbooking years ago... I was a junior in high school back in '97. Wow, that so dates me and makes me feel old. Back then, there was no such thing as "going digital". Most people didn't even know what a digital camera was, and those that did, the pictures were still not that great. My cell phone takes WAY better pictures than the first digital cameras did. I think Ben has one kicking around somewhere that is the size of a Polaroid camera, but with a tiny screen in the back and each picture was like .2 megapixels... crazy how fast technology advances!

I remember thinking how totally awesome it was when we got a "One-Hour Photo" place not too far from our house. And when getting "doubles" became FREE! That was the ultimate.

I remember how scrapbooking shops would thrive! You would have to go in once a week and check out all the new paper, drool over the metal elements a high school student could not afford, and dream about the day when you would own the whole "stamp" set.

Digital scrapbooking changed all that.

"Going digital" started become popular after I had been married for 3 or 4 years. I did my wedding album by hand, and the first year of Sam's and Nephi's lives. All by hand. Then someone gave me a freebie program and I started using that a bit.

But when I started blogging, I kind of stopped scrapbooking as much as I should of. I still used all my stuff to make things on my blog, and I figured out how to do some stuff on Photoshop Elements. But honestly, it just took too long to do a page, and having a bunch of crazy kids around didn't help my patience.

Then last week I got an email from MyMemories.com, asking me if I would be interested in reviewing their digital scrapbooking program. I thought about it, and then agreed.

After using about 10 different programs in the past, there are certain features I like to look for:

1. User friendly interface. This is important for people who just want to throw some pictures on a page and print it out. Not all of us are Photoshop savvy, and need something easy to work with.

2. Easy and fast ways to find and add backgrounds, elements, words, etc.

3. Easy ways to manipulate, edit, and enhance photos. (Picnik.com was perfect for this, and I am totally crushed that they are closing the site!)

4. You don't need a manual and youtube videos to figure out how to use it.

And many other things....

So I thought, "My Memories is probably just like all the other scrapbooking software, just a little different, yet lacking a feature or two that I love from one of the others." However, I am pleased to announce that I was totally wrong. I LOVE My Memories!

It has a super easy interface, everything is very orderly (and you know how I love order), and I could find everything EXACTLY where it should be!

And it's FAST! I really love how when you open the elements window to add an element, you can choose how many you want to put on. I get so sick of copying and pasting and opening and adding and closing.... you know what I mean. With this you can click on what you want and then the quantity. THEN the BEST part is, that the element window doesn't close! You can add a ton of stuff on your page at the same time, then close the window, then move everything around like you want. SUPER FAST! I am all about fast...

Their website is pretty awesome too. They have lots of free ad-ons, and then ones you can buy for a pretty reasonable price. I bought the military package as you can see above and came up with this page in about 3 minutes:

Other things I really liked about My Memories Suite:

1. The fact that I could also download the packages from the website in a Photoshop friendly format... So I did both ways.

2. I was impressed that I could choose to put frames and shadows on ALL my pictures at the same time too. That was very handy!

3. I LOVE the word art section! It is so cool that you can customize the bevel, shapes, shadows, etc. The shadow can be as big or small as you want. The bevel can be deep or protruding, or hardly noticeable. It took me a second or two to figure out the coloring section, but once I did, I felt like a dork because it was SO EASY and I had been over thinking it. (See wording in picture below)

4. I was able to use my own elements I made in Photoshop (see photo above) by just loading them on as pictures.

5. There are a ton of other great features that they have too: you can add videos, music, and other multimedia. Also there is a calendar section too -- I look forward to playing around with that as well.

HOWEVER, there were a few things I didn't like:

1. You can only save it as an album. I wanted to save my pages as JPEGs so I could use my pages on other things. I had to screen print the one above to use it on this.

2. I have a little technical difficulty at first. I kept getting an error when I tried to add pictures. After calling the tech-guy we accidentally figured out that my Java wasn't updated, and that was the issue. Now it works fine, but it would have been nice to know to check that before I uploaded the program.

3. I didn't like the fact that I couldn't select multiple pictures to add at the same time. I had to keep going through the add picture process and scroll through a bunch to find the one that I wanted. It really surprised me that it wasn't a feature.

and lastly....

There is a feature that I have yet to find on a scrapbook program that I would really LOVE to have. I would love to see a program with a work space behind the page I am working on that I can drag pictures and elements onto it until I could use them. Usually though, elements and pictures can't leave the page.... I would really love the extra space to rearrange my stuff before I place it. I photoshopped this to show you what I mean:

Wouldn't that be cool?

Anyway, as you can tell, the things I didn't really like about it were VERY minor. Over all, this is a FANTASTIC program and I recommend it to anyone, honestly!

Now, the good news! I get to give one of these programs away!! Yay!!

Here's how to enter the giveaway:

Mandatory --

Pop on over to their site: http://www.mymemories.com/ and browse around at all they have to offer. Then come back here and leave a comment on what your favorite package is.

Optional additional entries: (please leave a separate comment for each that you do)

Follow one or more of the following --
My Memories Blog
My Memories Facebook
My Memories Twitter

OR

-Share this giveaway on Facebook, twitter, or your blog!

Contest ends Monday night at 11:59pm, winner will be announced on Tues!

AND if you can't wait for the giveaway, I have a coupon code you can use anytime (doesn't expire): When you use the code, you will get $10 off the software, THEN you will get a $10 off coupon toward a package or something. That's a $20 value!! Here is my code:

STMMMS96438

or you can click on the link here:

Note: The package I used above can be found here!

-Cat

Potty Minded... Is it a Phase?

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:10:00 +0000

Our boys are at the age where bodily functions become seriously funny and hot topic of conversations. As a mom, I am at the point where I have had enough of the poop and butt talk. Ben feels the same way. So a couple months ago, we sat the boys down and had the "potty-talk is not appropriate" talk with them.

Yeah, that went really well. If anything the potty talk just got worse. I know, I know, kids will be kids, but it really bothers me to hear it so much. I started doing time out, by making the boys sit by themselves in their bed room anytime "poop", "butt" or "fart" passed those little lips. But it just fueled the fire.

I am sure it is just a phase. Right? They will grow out of it if I keep getting on their case about it... isn't that how it works?

And to make things worse, their little potty minds have been coming out in their artwork. A couple weeks ago I sat down at my computer and noticed Sam drew and taped up a cute little picture for me right next to the monitor. Well, when I looked a little closer, I realized it wasn't so cute. All the little men in the picture were either going pee-pee on something or pooping. I was horrified!

I tore it down, took it to Sam and tried to keep my cool as I explained to him why it was wrong in so many ways! Then I trashed it.

Finally, after I kept throwing his potty pics in the trash, a couple weeks ago he got the hint that I, in way what-so-ever liked that type of "art."

I thought we had moved on, until after church yesterday, he came up with this picture that he drew in primary (Sunday School):

I was mortified and then totally embarrassed! It was one thing to draw pictures like this at home, but at church!? Are you kidding me!

Me: Samuel!!! How many times do I have to tell you not to draw pictures like this!! I can't believe you did it again!

Ben: Cat....

Me: Why do you keep doing this?

Sam: But mommy....

Ben: Cat, it's not what you think.

Me: Hello! How can it not be! There are little men doing nasty things!

Ben: Why don't you just ask him what it is.

Me: Fine. Sam, what are these little men doing?

Sam: Well, that little man (he points to the one that looks like he is passing gas), is in a rocket chair. And he zoomed down and smashed that guy (the frowning one in red), THEN his rocket chair broke and now his pants are on fire! (He them pointed to the one I assumed was pooping.)

Okay, I admit, I totally jumped the gun on that one. And I apologized promptly with a hug and a kiss. But seriously, what was a mom to think? (And just in case you were wondering, I am still not sure what's up with the girl and the square kite... any ideas?)

-Cat

PS: How do you deal with this phase if you are "lucky" to go through it?

American Sniper: A Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:33:00 +0000

A couple months ago, I got an email from Harper-Collins Publishing asking me if I was interested in doing a book review for a new book that had just come out. The title caught my interest right away: American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, By Chris Kyle (Navy Seal). Normally, I don't enjoy autobiographies, I feel safer reading things that aren't true, and honestly there has been only one autobiography that I really, REALLY enjoyed (you can read my review here), so I was naturally a little hesitant. But when Ben came in and peeked over my shoulder and saw the email, he told me I better do it "or else." I don't know what "or else" means and I don't think Ben knows either, but I decided to accept the invitation and then waited for it to come in the mail.

My plan was to get Ben to read it, I wasn't into shoot 'em up stuff like he is, and then tell me about it and I would write the review that way. After all, American Sniper sounded so manly...

It came in the mail last week.

I thought, well, it wouldn't hurt to start reading a bit of it.

Big mistake... I was sucked in and off on journey before I had barely started.

There are a few things I want to start of by mentioning about Chris Kyle. First off, he isn't a writer (then again, neither am I). There is nothing eloquent about his style, and you aren't going to be swept off your feet with smooth, romantic words that roll of your tongue.

That said, he does have two more important qualities than good writing styles. Number one, he has a voice. What I mean by this is, you can actually hear his Texan accent as you read the words. And number two, he has an amazing story to tell. With these two qualities combined, I actually felt like Chris Kyle was sitting next to me telling me the story. His words so wrapped me up in his adventure, that writing style no longer became an issue, and I was taking a ride along side him as he tells his story.

For 3 days, between taking care of the boys, doing my house duties and crochet responsibilities, I was living and breathing American Sniper. Even when I was doing other things, I was thinking about that book. My mind hasn't been that occupied in quite a few years. It felt good to be reading a book so enthralling.

Chris Kyle doesn't give a hoot what people think about him. He doesn't care who he offends by speaking out, and this instantly makes him cool in my book. He is honest, loyal, true, and one heck of a patriot. When I first picked up the book, I thought he may be one of those macho guys bragging about all his kills... I could not have been more wrong. For all his toughness, he is a pretty humble guy just out there doing his job. Aside from the famous military potty mouth, bar fights and drinking, his small town county boy attitude is very similar to my Ben's.

Chris Kyle makes me laugh. I mean hysterically laugh! Being from a small town, and raised in a farming and ranching community, I understood a lot of who and what Chris was and where he was coming from. Ben wouldn't stray far from me while I was reading this, and every time I laughed, he would be like: "WHAT!? What happened?" Then I would have to read it to him and he would laugh too. There is one particular scene with insurgents and beach balls (not going to spoil this part, so you will just have to read the book for the story) that had me laughing for 10 minutes and then I was laughing so hard I couldn't tell Ben until I calmed down -- which drove him crazy... but he understood once I read it to him and he laughed just as hard as I did.

It wasn't all funny though.

Most of it was very serious and eye-opening.

I have never heard about what was really going on over seas in war, from the media. You get little blips like how many men died or horrible things our soldiers allegedly do. But we rarely if ever, see on the news the heroic efforts our soldiers make, what their lives are really like over there, and everything else! All the stuff I know about over there, comes from the real soldiers in my life. And even then, their stories are nothing like Chris Kyle's. Hearing the truth feels liberating, to say the least.

American Sniper will change you. It changed me. Seeing the war through a Navy Seal's eyes gave me a whole new perspective on the war and the things are beloved soldiers go through for us back here at home. For that, I am very grateful for the chance I had to read this book -- a story so well told, that as I closed the book I felt that I had both gained a new friend and lost him at the same time.

Hands down the best book I have read in years.

(Warning: Like any military book, there is some vulgar language.)
*******

The publishers are giving away a couple of copies of American Sniper on Scribd. You can read an except here, and if you are interested in receiving the complete version, leave me a message saying so and I will enter you in the drawing.

-Cat

Facing Fears and Moving On

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Some of you long time readers may remember the "incident" last June we had at Chick-Fillet. (If not, you can read about it here) Since then, I have developed this "phobia" of those play areas. I'm not talking about just not liking them and staying away, I am talking about a physical reaction, almost feeling like throwing up every time I even THINK about going to one of those places again.

It may seem a little silly... even to me, I sometimes tell myself I am over-reacting. But the fear is real.

And it drives my kids crazy!

Sam doesn't even remember the incident. He has totally moved on to better things. Almost like it never even happened... which is great for him. I am SO glad! But I am the one that was effected the most. Mainly, because no matter what everyone told me, I still felt like a failure as a mother and protector of my child. I just couldn't help feeling like it was my fault and I screwed up big time.

One of my new year's goals was to let it go, move on, and just be wiser.

This goal was put to the test this week when my kids BEGGED me to take them to McDonald's. I haven't taken them to any place with a playground since that day in June. They wanted to go there so bad, and there was really no reason not to take them other than my phobia of play areas.

After lots of begging and pleading, I gave in. I knew that I had to face that fear that had been festering inside me for a while now. I had to learn to let go a little and let my kids have that tiny bit of freedom to play in public again.

It was scary and frightening and my stomach turned so bad I couldn't eat with them. But I did it. Watched them like a hawk and looked crazy obsessive to some of the other parents there, but baby steps, right? Just a step at a time...

It was Jake's first time there, and he tried his first french fry... I'm not sure how he felt about them... what do you think?

When we left, I was a total nervous wreck! I was shaking, near puking up my Diet Coke, and could barely get the kids in the car without feeling like sinking down in a deep chair and crying.... AND I haven't felt so liberated in a long time!

I faced a fear, and I survived.

That, my friends, is worth a happy dance.

-Cat

Military Monday: OPSEC

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:37:00 +0000

All you military wives knew this one was coming... it always does.

I don't know about you, but when Ben joined the military, no one told me about OPSEC... but I have a lot of common sense when it comes to this stuff, so I never made any big mess ups. Although, I really wish someone would have told me about this and I got some sort of booklet or something.

So this is for all you newbies out there, or even long time military families who need a refresher.

What is OPSEC?

The Army website defines it like this:

Operations Security, or OPSEC, is keeping potential adversaries from discovering our
critical information. As the name suggests, it protects our operations – planned, in progress, and those completed. Success depends on secrecy and surprise, so the military can accomplish the mission faster and with less risk. Our adversaries want our information, and they don’t concentrate on only soldiers to get it.
They want you, the family member.

I had heard a lot of military wives talking about it, but I didn't know what it was until I googled it -- and that was after Ben had been in training for a couple months already.

What are some examples of "critical information"?

• Detailed information about the mission of assigned units.

• Details on locations and times of unit deployments.

• Personnel transactions that occur in large numbers (Example: pay information, powers of attorney, wills, deployment information).

• References to trends in unit morale or personnel problems.

• Details concerning security procedures.

(Above points taken from the Army website linked above)

And then, there is the rule of thumb: If it doesn't seem right to share, DON'T. They even tell us not to mention online (blogs, facebook, twitter, etc) even the MONTH that our loved one is coming home from over seas.

Critical information should not be shared outside of immediate family and especially not over the phone.

When Ben had been away for about 4 months, there was a seasoned Army wife who had a pretty popular blog. When her husband got his orders, she took a picture of them and posted them on her blog. BIG FAT NO-NO! You should have seen the scathing comments from other military wives. I believe word got back to some higher ups and she was forced to remove the post.

Social Media and OPSEC:

The military encourages us to blog and facebook, they just want us to be careful what we say. Sometimes we feel super safe in our homes as we are typing stuff to our friends, sometimes we don't really think that everything we are saying can be seen by anyone in the world.

Take Care:

Sometimes, our family members can't talk about something. Respect that, don't press or nag them to tell you. I know that there are lots of things Ben can't talk about to me, and I know it's hard for him to be quiet because we tell each other just about everything else. So I just don't bring it up, or if I feel it is creeping in the conversation, I change the subject. I don't ever want him to feel pressured into telling me things I don't need to know.

Recent Events:

It isn't just soldiers who are being targeted anymore either. I saw this article yesterday in the news about some terrorists that were targeting some families of the Marines. So even though our loved ones may seem far away from it all... you just never know what those jerks are up to. Better just be careful and stay safe. My intentions aren't to scare you, either! So don't get all freaked out and pull some drastic measures. Enjoy social media, texting, blogging... chatting with friends... just play it safe is all.

For more information you can see the Operation Security Guild for Family and Friends here. I have only touched a few points above, so please check out this site so you can read more about it.

-Cat

Okay, friends now it is your turn! If you want to participate, take this button and post it in your post today:

THEN write a post about what I did above, or one of these:
1. What is OPSEC to you?
2. What are your best tips for following OPSEC rules?
3. How do you feel about OPSEC? (Some families HATE it... do you and why?)
4. Seen any OPSEC violations that make you cringe?
If you have no idea what "Military Monday" is click here!

Skype and Military Families

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:20:00 +0000

First off, I just want everyone to know that I have recovered from my little episode the other day of being negative. I was WAY over emotional about everything, and after sitting down and really thinking about what my problem was, I realized that it was the effects of my antibiotics... EVERY time I finish antibiotic treatments, for some weird reason my hormones get wacky and every little thing makes me cry. I hate it. It takes about a week to get back to my normal self, and now I am... normal that is... as normal as I get anyway.

Moving on...

I recently got an email from SuperTintin.com. If you have no idea what or who that is, you're not alone. I had no idea until I got the email. They are a company that makes software that allows you to record conversations on Skype (for more information see their website). Sounds and looks pretty cool to me!!

What they want to do, is donate 100 of this programs to families who have loved ones deployed through several blogs. Well, they contacted me and want to get away 5 to some of my readers.

I have been thinking about how I want to do this, and this is what I want to do: since I have no idea who has deployed loved ones, I am going to take nominations instead of "entries" then I will draw out five names and they will win.

Nominations don't have to be readers of this blog. If you have a friend or family member out there that you think would LOVE to have this because their husband is deployed, go ahead and nominate them. To nominate someone: all you have to do is email me (nutsinanutshell(at)gmail(dot)com) and say, "I would like to nominate so-n-so for the SuperTintin giveaway" If you want to tell me a little about them too, that would be great. ALSO, you can nominate yourself too.... don't be scared, just do it!

I would like to get this going pretty quick so the families can have their prizes before Valentine's Day. So I will take nominations up until Sunday night.

I would appreciate it if you would spread the word and maybe send this link to people you may know that could benefit from this.

Thanks!

-Cat

This Week's Beef

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:06:00 +0000

Truth be told, this week I have been in hiding from the internet. I have this rule that if I only have things to complain about, then no social networking until things work themselves out. I am not a person to air my grievances online. I don't want the attention and I don't want to talk about it. I just want it to be over!

But I have to tell you, this week has not been friendly to me. I don't know why. I have been trying awfully hard to be nice to it! The university started back up this week from the long Christmas break. I knew it would be tough, it always is. Just when I get used to Ben being able to help me with the kids and around the house, the school life just snatches him away once more. Such is life, and that's okay.

What has been hard is all the other stuff that is going on. Ben was asked to be in charge of some stuff over at the ROTC. Between his Army Reserve unit and the ROTC he was always really busy anyway, and I was just fine with that. It's his thing, he's really good at it, and it's what he wants to do -- I support him in every way I can. Now they have put him in charge of the Ranger Challenge team for this year, and I am really excited for him because I know he has a lot to give... and a lot he can learn too.

But some stuff is going on, that makes it so the last few mornings this week I have woken up to a very angry husband stewing on the couch about something going on over there, and I feel totally and completely helpless. I hate feeling like I can't just march over there and give them a piece of my mind! How dare they treat my sweet man that way! So a grumpy husband makes for one very angry wife.

Then it seems, all that stress aside, I have been a magnet this week for total snobs. That's right, a victim of social snobbery. People who think they are better than others really gets me going! I admit that I am not perfect, and sometimes I think I am a little better than some people... like druggies. I am a good person who makes good choices (most of the time) and sometimes I tend to look down on people that make REALLY bad choices. BUT the difference is, I don't treat them badly. I always have a smile for everyone regardless how I feel inside. I don't always want to be their friend, but smiling and being kind isn't inviting scary people into my life. I try to always be polite and help people when I see them in need. I often have to remind myself that I don't know certain people's situations and I don't know how they got that way, etc.

Snobs are people who not only think they are better than everyone else, but they treat others badly like they are inferior. People like this don't only come from money either. I have known super snobs from every rung of the social ladder. I just tell myself that in reality they are suffering from major insecurities and have to prey on other people to build themselves up. These are sad people and I just can't stand to be around them. Especially when it is me they are trying to pull down.

Snobs are everywhere, but I have noticed since Ben enlisted a few years ago, that there is a concentrated population of them in the military. This really made me sad. I thought military wives were suppose to be more mature and wise rather than petty and childish. Rank has a lot to do with it... and I am not talking about the "snobby officer's wives" I read so much about on the military spouse forums. In fact, I have never met a snobby officer's wife - they have always been very polite and kind even when Ben was just a Private.

I tell you, I have never in my life been treated so badly, than by an NCO's wife in Ben's former unit. She was so rude to me that I started crying.... and I don't do that often. I just wanted to ask her if she knew where some napkins were because Sam spilled his hot chocolate. She didn't even let me finish my question, just went on about all sorts of stuff and started insulting me. I was stunned because I had never even met her before and she was the head of the FRG and had planned the whole party.

Whatever.

But this week, my beef is with another wife. I don't want to say too much because I don't want this getting back to her, and I am not one to talk bad about another particular military wife... or anyone for that matter. I will say, that there is a wife around here that has issues that my Ben was enlisted before he joined the ROTC, like he was tainted by basic training or something like that. She is so rude. Every time I see her she actually sneers at me. She'll cut me off when I am trying to park and once she slammed the door in my face when I stopped by to bring her a Christmas treat and wish her a Merry one. She looks and treats me like the scum of the Earth. And frankly, I don't believe I have done anything to deserve treatment like that. The only thing I am guilty of is trying to be friendly and make some friends.

Good grief!

Well, better luck next week, right?

-Cat

Military Monday On Tuesday: Downsizing

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:10:00 +0000

Okay, since President Obama announced this week that they were going to majorly start downsizing the military forces now that we are technically out of Iraq, I have been showered with questions and emails about what I thought about it and whether or not I was afraid or angry or whatnot.

Here's my opinion on the whole thing: it was coming. It's actually been being implemented for a while now -- so it's no surprise. Whether we like it or not, all those soldiers just aren't needed anymore as the wars and conflicts wind down a bit. We are still heavily needed in many parts of the world, and who knows what tricks some of the other countries have up their sleeves like Iran and North Korea. We just don't know right now.

But there is one thing I have noticed. There is a lot of tax payer money being wasted right now in the military sector. Ben almost dreads going to drills because most of the guys spend the whole weekend sitting around chatting about the hottest new video game and what movies to go see. He told me that they could easily cut over half of the guys in his unit and still be just as efficient if not more so than before. Also what most people don't realize is that there are a handful or two (or more) soldiers in every unit that haven't passed a PT test in a while. Seriously, who wants their loved one's life in the hands of someone who doesn't take their job seriously enough to get in shape and stay that way?

For example, back when Ben was training at Ft. Lewis, they were doing vehicle check simulations. You know, you see it on the movies, soldiers patrolling the gates of the base and checking the vehicles as they try to come in. Ben was one of the guys on the sides walking around and then suddenly one of the instructors gets on the intercom and says, "BAM! That car just had a bomb on it and you, you and you are dead, and you, you and you are critically injured." Ben's little group that he was with just froze. They had no idea what to do. So Ben took charge and reminded them of their training and that they were supposed to get their injured men out of harm's way into safety. So what do these guys do? They just stand there. One or two grabbed a guy by his arm and tried to pull him a little ways then gave up. Ben ran over, grabbed the biggest guy, threw him over his shoulder, fireman style and hauled him up the hill.

Later that day, Ben heard a group of soldiers that had been observing the training from a distance chatting about it, one guy said, "Did you see that guy haul that big guy up the hill?! That was amazing! If I am ever in that situation, THAT'S the guy I want on my team!" Made Ben feel super good... but it also made him feel thankful that he valued his training and physical fitness that he could do things like that.

Sadly, there are MANY soldiers who can't. And if they can't perform their duties, they just shouldn't be able to stay. When the safety of my husband is on the line, I have little sympathy about stuff like this. I think the downsizing can be a positive thing for the military, and can ultimately make it stronger and more efficient.

I do feel bad that there are families out there who don't know what life is like without the military and they will have to make changes. It's all part of life. If Ben doesn't make active duty after he graduates, I am confident that we will be able to find something else he will love as well. I'm really not too worried.

Does anyone really remember what the general attitude about the military was BEFORE 9-11? I certainly do! I was almost 21 when the Twin Towers when down. I remember EXACTLY where I was and what I was doing. And it was then that I really started to appreciate our military, before that I thought they were geeky. Seriously.

When I was in high school in SLC, they had a Jr.ROTC at our school. The nerds of the school were cooler than the ROTC guys... no kidding. We all thought they were freakin' weird. Everyone stayed away from them and they only really had friends among themselves. My guess what that they only had the nerve to do it because one of their parents was military. I thought they were so nerdy, that once I met this guy I really liked from another school then when I found out his was JROTC, I sent him packing in the same minute. I know, shallow... but so is the life of teens right?

Then when I moved down south to the country, lots of guys were in the "real" military, not play-acting like I thought the JROTC guys were doing up north. It was very common for guys (and girls) to join the local National Guard unit while still in high school. I wasn't really excited about the whole idea, but my steady boyfriend at the time wanted to join because his older brother had. So I put up with it, but I didn't like it. I didn't tell anyone he was military, and I got embarrassed if I was spotted with him while he was in uniform. I know, I was a jerk. But that's honestly the way a lot of people felt back then, especially my generation. This new generation has become used to knowing a couple of people serving, and used to wartime.... it wasn't like that in the 90's, even after the Gulf War.

I think some people are afraid it will go back to being like that. But I don't think so. I think most of us remember 9-11 and the great sacrifices our men and women in the Armed services and their families have made for us and our freedoms. People just don't forget things like that no matter what they say.

I have a good feeling about the future, no matter what it holds, and I look forward to being a part of the history of this great nation.

-Cat

Okay, friends now it is your turn! If you want to participate, take this button and post it in your post today:

THEN write a post about what I did above, or one of these:
1. Are you worried/glad or whatever about the downsizing?
or
2. How do you think things are going to change?
If you have no idea what "Military Monday" is click here!

Indulging My Inner Nerd

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:53:00 +0000

There is a side of me that I don't share with people who aren't close to me. Mainly, because I find it so blasted nerdy, that I get embarrassed and a little ashamed that I flirt with nerdiness on a monthly, sometimes weekly basis.

I didn't even tell Ben about my nerd side until after we were married, and it turned out he had a bit of it in him too.... although for men, it's a little more acceptable than for woman.

So here is my nerd confession: I LOVE a good computer game!

Can't help it. I was raised that way. Literally! My dad worked with some of the first computers before I was born and we had one in our house as long as I can remember. It was the days of the 8 in floppy disk (My dad had a bunch), and I remember playing word games on his "PC". I wish I had a picture of it... it was a classic! My dad had this printer that was so big it had it's own wheels (it was the size of a huge Xerox machine we see at Kinko's these days).

Then when PC's got popular to have at home in the mid 80's, my grandpa got us one that actually had some pictures and color!! It sported 4 colors!! Can you believe that?! We were thrilled to play hang man and other fun games. Being the first house in the neighborhood with a computer, made my sister and I super cool.

And it just got better from there.

Some of my earliest memories are playing computer games with my dad. And when I get down south every 6 months or so, I will still find myself pulling up a chair to my dad's side and co-piloting his most resent obsession.

Playing those games in the early days taught me a lot about problem solving, story creation, and imagination. I was a better speller, writer, math wiz and history buff... all because of the computer in those early days.

These last six months, I have been working so hard on my hats, keeping house, raising children, and being wife and support to Ben, that my game playing was put on the back burner. I have had little if any time to chill out and relax with a good game.

Now, I never play the online games. Not that I have a lot against them, to each their own, I just like to play to be in my own world away from everyone else... I don't want to play with other people. I like to indulge MY inner nerd, not everyone else's.

Ben thought it would be a great idea to get me this new game that came out a couple months ago. Mainly, because I am a big fan of the other ones in the series, and he might have caught me drooling at it more than once at the store.

One word: Skyrim.

There I said it. The one and only Christmas present I REALLY got. All those other things, were just extra perks.

And I am hopelessly sucked into a world of magic, dragons, and really cool armor and swords. I have to FORCE myself to do my other responsibilities first before I can sit down and play though. I have been neglecting my blog though... oops. I thought for the last couple weeks I should just fess up to my nerdiness, and admit I love this stuff. But pride, once again stopped me. Now, I just decided that it didn't matter.

As long as I don't let it consume me and ruin my life, I think I am doing pretty good. Ben, of course, thinks this quirk of mine is adorable... mainly, I am sure, that it gives him time to play his shoot 'em up games without me complaining. And then, naturally, I feel this urge to EARN my computer time, so I run around and clean and feed everyone so I feel like I deserve a few minutes of my own.

Right this minute, the kids are off playing, Ben is napping, the baby is munching on some kind of baby puff thing... the perfect time to fire up my game and play a quest. I know, total nerd talk... But I know that I can't possibly be the only closet nerd out there... Come on, fess up, what's your inner nerd indulgence??

-Cat

New Year's Resol... Whats?!

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:31:00 +0000

The funny thing about the holidays is that if you are seen buying broccoli and other healthy food, people often look at you like your a holiday scrooge. I mean, come on, who eats HEALTHY in December! Indulge a little!

Then hits the New Year, and when buying that same healthy food, suddenly, you get Joe-Ugly-College-Kid snickering and saying things like: "I know what your New Year's resolution is!" Cue inward gasp of utter horror. (This actually happened to me the other day). I seriously felt like channeling my inward Kung-Fu-kick-butt-want-to-be-moves and making his New Year's resolution to "get that fixed."

Instead, I chuckled nonchalantly and said, "Yeah, I am bound and determined to get my kids to eat their vegetables this year." Then I hurry off as to avoid the "I don't get it... or she doesn't get it.." look.

So now, I am sending Ben to the store to get all our healthy food... no one questions those muscles!

Meanwhile, I am avoiding the gym. Have you ever tried to go to the gym in Jan or Feb? What a freaking waste of time! There are so many people packed in there, that you sit around most of the time waiting for your turn. No way! With a hubby and 3 kids at home, I have no time to wait for So-and-so who probably won't be here come March to get off the treadmill.

I start my gym work out in March. Much safer for everyone involved.

Meanwhile, I am pumping it up, or planning to, with Ben and our old friend P90X. Which reminds me that I never posted my 90 day photos.... and I can't seem to find them. But I DID finish the program and I will be posting them when I find out were I put them.

So basically, I don't really make New Year's Resolutions. I am always trying to improve myself. I do, however, like to make New Year's GOALS. There are some things I would like to do this year. One of which is teach myself to knit... but with things going how they are, that might have to wait until this spring when hat sales slow down.

AND I am bound and determined to get to my goal weight. I have a little more weight to lose (one pant size) to get to my pre-pregnant weight... then I have 30-35 more to lose after that to reach my body type ideal. It is going to happen... just "weight" and see! So, I will being bringing back Fat Butt Friday! Yay!

Do you have New Year's Goals? Are you going to join my Fat Butt Friday??

-Cat

That Perfect Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:14:00 +0000

Have you ever bought a gift for someone that was so PERFECT you just could NOT wait for them to see it?

This happens to me every so often. And it happened this year.

Back when Ben was finishing up his initial training in the Army, he got this really cool looking flight jacket. The jackets were made for everyone personally, with their pick of patches and name embroidered on the front:

Ben didn't like the huge back patches they offered. They all had the "Kill the Insurgents" theme with skulls and daggers and all that. He felt, and I don't blame him (I am actually proud of him), that killing people wasn't the reason he joined the military... so he told the jacket makers to leave the back patch off. They gladly complied, and Ben found this really nice Eagle and flag one:

Which I sewed on when he got home. I LOVE this jacket! Not only does my man look super hot and macho in it (which is the main reason I like it), but it kind of shows off all his hard work and accomplishments in classy, not so in-your-face way. It reminds me of an Army version of a letterman jacket.

And the boys adore it! So much in fact, that a long time ago, I found this little brown flight jacket at the DI (Deseret Industries, a thrift store) WAY before Ben joined the Army and the kids only showed interest in it AFTER their daddy came home sporting a similar one. Now, for the last 2 or so years, the kids fight over this little gem every time we go out:

Sadly, it's only a 3T and my kids are just way too big for it! But they were still fighting over it and insisting on squeezing into it to the point of looking absurd. So for Christmas this year, I had an idea. I looked all over town for some coats the boys might like that were similar... no such luck. I couldn't find anything! Then about 3 weeks ago, I was looking at some of the military sites and pricing patches for Ben's uniform when, much to my utter delight, I came across this:

I was floored! That black one was the EXACT SAME as Ben's!!! But for kids!!! And with a coupon code, they were MORE than affordable!! I did the "Computer-Chair-Dance-of-Joy" as I quickly ordered them and then waited for them to come. Sure, they didn't have the patches, but I know of a great Army Surplus place on the way to my mom's that I planned to stop at and pick up some.

Smith and Edwards had ALL the patches I was looking for! I even checked with the "specialist" there to make sure I wasn't going to put patches on my kid's coats that shouldn't be worn by anyone but a service member. One of my biggest fears is some high ranking guy coming up and telling me that my kids aren't allowed to wear "such and such." The patch expert was really helpful and helped me pick out some patches that were like Dad's.

Then when the coats came, for several nights I stitched patches on the coats. The only thing I didn't do was put their name on it (I don't think that's very safe for kids). I was so excited to see their little faces on Christmas morning that I could hardly stand it!! I wrapped both the presents in the same box, so they could open it together and made it so it was the LAST thing they opened. Here's what happened:

They were so excited!

It was hard to even get them to take off their PJ's so they could get dressed to go to church. We let them wear the coat to church though and you should have seen how proud they were at they marched next to matching Dad. And Ben is such a good sport about the whole thing! Some dad's would be mortified if their kids wanted to wear matching outfits with Dad... but not Ben. He actually loves it that the boys look up to him so much.

Did you give the perfect gift this year too??

-Cat

Strep Throat... The ""Gift" that Keeps on Giving

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:43:00 +0000

The Nutshell has been flipped over a couple times, to say the least, this week.

A couple days before Christmas, after suffering from a sore throat, stiff neck, swollen glands, and a mild fever, I finally got my butt over to the doctor and told them that I was pretty sure I had strep throat. I was right. I get it just about every other year, so I know what the symptoms are. My only worry was passing it on to the kids, not to mention that we had a family event this last week, so I called my mom and sister and told them to watch for the symptoms. Mom had it, and the next day my niece came down with it too (but my sister was on the look out and caught it soon).

We thought we were in the clear. And I was feeling much better by the time Christmas came around. It was a blast! And we had so much fun and got such fun stuff that I have been playing all week and off the internet... my email in-box was a nightmare!!

Then the day after Christmas, Ben started complaining of the sore throat. He went right away to the doctor and they gave him some antibiotics like they gave me. But instead of getting better, like I did, he just kept whining and complaining. I kept thinking, "Oh, good grief! You would think you were dying or something! I had the same thing and sucked it up... you can too Mr. Macho-Man-Army-Guy." But he was sleeping all day, and all night, and being totally dramatic about eating and drinking. Three days later he is still being Mr. Whiney. And I was getting a little sick of him milking out his sickness. Taking care of one sick Ben was a lot harder than taking care of my three little ones! He was being such a big baby!

After another night of him sleeping on the couch with his new electric blanket, humidifier pumping steam in face, and complaining that he isn't sleeping when I know for a FACT he was because I could hear him snoring from the bedroom... well, I felt like I wanted to kick his butt. It took me all of 24 hours to feel better, and him drawing this out for 3 days was too much for me!

Today, as Ben was complaining and being a big baby, I finally snapped and told him that maybe he should go back to the doctor! Then he told me to take a look in his mouth. He handed me the flash light and I took a peek...

Several things ran through my mind:

1 - OH MY GOSH!
2- WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!
3- I can't believe I have been so insensitive!!!

Ben's entire mouth and throat were covered in white blister-like things. I have NEVER seen ANYTHING like it! I told him to get his coat on and get back to the doctor NOW. It didn't take much convincing.

He called me later and told me that the doctor had the same reaction that I did and they think that he has something else on top of the strep that made it worse. So my poor guy is hooked up to an IV being pumped full of steroids to get his throat to open back up and help the swelling to go down. He is also being tested for some other issues he might have as well, including mono -- PLEASE, OH PLEASE, DON'T BE MONO!!

Meanwhile, I am running crazy around the house with a can of disinfectant spray and Clorox wipes cleaning everything and anything he might have touched, breathed on, or even walked past. I hope my kids don't catch it!!!

And more than anything, I am on a total guilt trip. What a jerk I have been.... Good thing he loves me and forgives me. I hope whatever he has, he will get well SOON!

-Cat

UPDATE: Not mono.. YAY! Just a REALLY bad case of strep. They gave him some stronger meds, painkillers, and a shot of penicillin. Hopefully, after a night's sleep he will be feeling much better!

T'was the Day Before Christmas...

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 04:26:00 +0000

This morning, when we got out of bed, we raced to the computer to track on NORAD Santa and see where he was! We hadn't heard about this until this year, and have been eagerly looking forward to it!

The boys were glued to the screen all morning, tracking Santa's flight through India and Russia, through Africa and Europe. I had printed them out each a world map to follow along his route. I was secretly chuckling to myself about the geography lesson my kid's were covertly being given.

While they were busy tracking Santa, I was busy getting Christmas dinner made up ready to bake for tomorrow. We usually have our big dinner on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas morning have the big breakfast. But this year, Christmas is on Sunday, and our church has a special one hour meeting at 9 in the morning. In all honesty, the thought crossed my mind to just skip church... but my heart tells me that Christmas only falls on the Sabbath day every 6 years or so and what better way to celebrate the true meaning with the kiddos.

So I made a new plan: I will make up Christmas dinner the day before (today), and get it all but cooked and in the fridge. Then early tomorrow morning, I will pop up and put the turkey in the roaster and let it go while we are at church. Then when we come home, there will be the smell of cooking turkey, presents waiting for us to play with, and all I have to do is throw the potato yummy casserole in the oven.

My plan would have been brilliant, but we had a few kinks along the way... like my idea to send Ben to the store with a list of items to pick up.

First off, it's not Ben's fault. I take all the blame. My shopping list was a little vague for my manly man.

This was what my list did say:

-red potatoes

-shredded colby jack cheese

-2 small packages of chocolate pudding mix

-2 small packages of vanilla pudding mix

-1% milk

-graham crackers

-cool whip

-2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

-1 16oz sour cream

-chocolate chips

-1 box of butter (cubes)

I thought I was being clear enough. But I for a man who hardly ever does the food shopping, my list SHOULD have looked like this:

-RED potatoes -- NO, potatoes are not all created equal. I don't care if the russets (brown ones) are cheaper!

-shredded colby jack cheese -- not the thick chunky kind, we always get the fine shredded in the big bag.

-2 small packages of chocolate pudding mix (INSTANT!!!! in the blue box)

-2 small packages of vanilla pudding mix (INSTANT!!! in the blue box) NOT the cook and serve!!

-1 box of butter (cubes) NOTE: if the box doesn't say "BUTTER" than it IS NOT butter! And no, margarine and butter are NOT the same thing...

(He did get the rest of the list right, I guess I did alright with those items.) I felt really bad when he came home though and I was looking through the stuff... I didn't want to make a big deal about it, so mostly I just let it go. I didn't, however, notice the puddings weren't instant... until 4 cups of wasted milk, and 4 packages of graham crackers later when the blasted pudding wouldn't set. It was a desert nightmare! When I figured it out, it was already 6 in the evening and all the stores were closing down. Dang it! I REALLY wanted that yummy desert and here I was, not even Christmas yet, and I was already ruining it!

I grabbed my purse and ran out the door, hopped into the van, and speed off to the only store I knew would be open until at least 7 or 8... Walmart.... trusty Walmart.

So into Walmart, I flew like a flash,

grabbed my ingredients and checked out in a dash!

Sorry, I couldn't help myself! Anyway, I made it home all safe, just in time to show the boys that Santa was in South America at the moment and was heading our way!

"We better hurry and make him some cookies and jump in bed!" I told them. So off to the kitchen we went and got the mixer out and started mixing up some chocolate chip ones. I had originally been planning on oatmeal, but Ben insisted that Santa wanted chocolate chip with extra chips! So that's what we ended up making.

They were kind of weird looking because I used the margarine instead of butter... Ben looked at them suspiciously. "I told you butter and margarine weren't the same...." I said.

The boys set out the cookie (a really big one) and milk:

And I think this was the only night this year, they willing went to bed. YAY!

Now we are waiting until they are for sure asleep, to make some Christmas magic happen... (I just have a few more presents to wrap!) I don't care what anyone says, the best Christmas' EVER are shared with children who still believe!

-Cat

The Soundtrack of our Travels

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:01:00 +0000

The only thing worse than summer road trips with kids, is winter road trips with kids.

The trip that only took 4 hours in the summer, just jumped to 10 hours when you add snow and ice. And with every added hour, the grumpiness multiplies. The "are we there YET!"s get louder, more often, and so much more annoying. And the soundtrack of the adventure adds to the stress (and a little bit of humor, after the fact):

Nephi: MOM! Sam's kicking my seat!
Sam: No I'm not!
He's making a list...
Me: Sam stop kicking Nephi's seat!
He's checking it twice...
Nephi: Stop it Sam!!!
Me: Sam KNOCK IT OFF! Do I need to come back there!
He's going find out whose naughty or nice!
Sam: no.
Santa Claus is coming to town!

Jake starts getting fussy.
Sam: Mom, Jake is being too loud. I'm tired and want to sleep!!
Silent night...
Me: Then just ignore him and close your eyes.
Holy night. All is calm...
Sam: BUT MOM!! He is being SOOOOO loud!!!
All is bright.
Dad: He's a baby! Babies fuss, deal with it!
Sleep, in heavenly peace...

Sam: Mom, can I open my window? I want to open my window.
Oh, the weather outside is frightful!
Me: Not a chance! It's freezing outside, you will get too cold.
Sam: but I want to wave at the cars.
Me: I don't care what you want to do, we aren't opening a window. And it's snowing... we don't want snow coming in the window.
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Nephi: Mom!!! I need to go potty!!! Hurry, it's super strong!!!
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire....
Me: Ben, hurry pull over, Nephi has to go NOW!

Me: Hey, guys, LOOK at the train! Hurry LOOK it's right there!!
Train speeds by quickly as Rudolf is persecuted by his peers.
Sam: Where!? WHERE!?
Nephi: I saw it!!
Sam: Where!?
Me: you missed it, it's gone.
Sam: Turn around!!!
Me: No you missed it, too bad. Next time you will look.
Sam: But I want to see the train!!
Nephi: YOU MISSED IT! TOO BAD!
At this point there is much weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Meanwhile, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer is going down in history.

I thought about turning the radio off... but what would the Christmas Drive be without the carols playing in the background as my kids and I verbally spar back and forth nearly forcing my dear husband to stick his head out the window, chance the cold, and re-enact the frozen snot scene some of us are still haunted by from Dumb and Dumber.

Luckily, this year, he wasn't forced to takes such drastic measures.

We made it home safe tonight from our adventure, and take a deep breath and know we won't have to head out for another long road trip until our annual summer trip down south. And even that isn't as bad as the winter one.

I bet your road trips are so much better?!

-Cat

Oh, and we just celebrated our 7th anniversary this weekend. Yeah us!

THEN:

NOW:

Oops!

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:05:00 +0000

Can't believe it's been a week since I posted last! Things have been really crazy around here lately. Finals were this week, for one thing. Ben had four of them spread out throughout the week, and is currently taking his last one right now!

Hat orders have been excellent! I have had just enough to keep me really busy, but not too much to handle. I have two orders finished and ready to send out this morning, and two hats left to do before Tues. Then I am taking a much needed break!

I have most of all my Christmas shopping done. I just have a few items for Ben that I need to pick up, and few stocking stuffers for the boys. I have been super sneaky this Christmas season, and I think playing Santa has been ultra fun! I feel especially pleased with myself for actually being able to hide 3 beanbag chairs in my mini van, and pick up my boys from school on the way home, and THEY NEVER NOTICED THEM! I couldn't believe it! Maybe I really do have super Santa powers!

As for myself, I pretty much already know what I am getting for Christmas. I make a list of "affordable" things I want and Ben buys them for me... it's that way every year. Works for me. This way I don't leave poor Ben hanging. Last time I did, he got me some things that HE would have liked to have. Better just to make a list for him. Then I have my secret list of things I REALLY want but there is no WAY we could afford them. My secret wish list: a Kindle Fire and a Serger. BIG wants... but totally unrealistic. What I am going to get: a computer game I have been eyeballing, and a hoodie. Getting cozy with a fun computer game? What more could this mama ask for? (Maybe I could suggest a coupon book of foot-rubs, dishes-be-gone, and sleep-in days -- that would make a GREAT stocking stuffer for me!)

What would you like for Christmas? And I am not talking world peace... even though that would be nice...

Oh... and here are a few updated Santa Pictures from Ben's unit Christmas Party. I thought Jake was going to flip, but he surprised everyone!

Cutest Baby-Santa Picture ever! He was totally snuggling!!

-Cat

Christmas' Past

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:27:00 +0000

This next week Ben and I will be celebrating our 7th anniversary. It's crazy to think it's ONLY been 7 years because it seems to me that Ben and I have been together forever. It's hard to imagine what life used to be like without him in it. And the same holds for the boys... it's hard to remember the feeling of not having kids. Ben and I spent our first Christmas together a week after we got married, but after that it was never the same because Sam came along before our first wedding anniversary.

Today I am thinking back fondly on our Christmas' together as a family. And it's exciting to spend this one with Baby Jake!

I think a great way to chronicle Christmas, is the good ol' Santa shots! Enjoy!

Sam's First Christmas 2005

Sam's 2nd Christmas 2006

Sam's 3rd Christmas, Nephi's First 2007

Sam's 4th Christmas, Nephi's 2nd 2008

(This was one of our favorite Santa's... he just looks so peevish and un-merry!)

Sam's 5th Christmas and Nephi's 3rd 2009

Sam's 6th Christmas and Nephi's 4th 2010

Looking forward to adding the 2011 Santa shot to our Jolly Collection!

Do you have some great Santa shots??

-Cat

Help Support the USO!

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:03:00 +0000

I got this email the other day, I have been meaning to pass the word on:

"In support of the men and women who heroically serve our country, Gillette and the USO have once again teamed up to provide a terrific opportunity for you and your readers to show your support for our service members. Your readers can participate in this great cause by submitting stories and photos of individuals who inspire them through their commitment by serving our country.

"Now through December 31^st, Gillette will donate $1 for every picture or story posted of a service member in your life to the Gillette Facebook page. To participate, all you need to do is visit Gillette’s Facebook page and share your pride in a salute, message, photo or video about a loved one in the military. The post can be a simple thank you, a military headshot or a more detailed personal story about your friends and family.

"Gillette will help to connect deployed military parents with their children through the United Through Reading Program, inspire and provide educational programs through the Sesame Street Workshop, and enable families to send personalized care packages through the USO Care Package program.

"We encourage you to spread the word and share this opportunity with your readers to help uplift the spirits of families and service members this holiday."

So pop on over and check it out!!

-Cat

The Trouble with Veggies

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:13:00 +0000

I don't care what the so-called experts say, there is no way to hide veggies in food that a true picky eater won't detect. Sam just knows... With Nephi and now Jake, there has never been a problem, they love their healthy food and snacks. Sam can smell a healthy nutrient a mile away and there is no chance in this lifetime that THAT is going in his mouth!

I have pretty much gotten used to making 2 or 3 meals for ever meal. Regular dinner for Ben and Nephi, less fat version for me, and then something like Mac'n Cheese or fish sticks for Mr. Picky. But last night, I had had enough! My kitchen if FULL of dirty dishes, and I just wasn't in the mood to be the regular short-order cook. I sat the boys down and told them that they can have what they want (with in reason, of course) for breakfast and lunch, but from now on there will only be ONE dinner. If they eat it then great, if not, too bad. The kitchen will be closed after dinner.

Nephi was okay with the new plan, he ate up his stew happily and finished his meal off with a granola bar. Sam on the other hand, was near his breaking point. He stared down at his stew like it was poop.

"I see VEGETABLES!" he cried in utter anguish. "And one of them is green..."

"It's called a 'green bean' and it is SO yummy! Just try it." I told him.

"No! It SO yucky!"

"Then pick it out and eat everything else" I said getting tired of discussing the green bean. It was only one and I decided to pick my battles and the green bean wasn't worth the fuss... today.

"But what about this brown thing..." he whined again pointing to a mushroom. "I HATE those brown things!" I knew Sam really hated mushrooms, so I wouldn't force him to eat one. I was mean, but not that mean! What kind of a mother would I be if I forced my child to eat a mushroom!

So after he moved it over to the side, he started complaining about the peas and the corn. "I gave you a free pass on the green bean and mushroom, but you will eat those 3 peas and 4 kernels of corn!" Ben needed me in the other room so I left Sam alone starring at his little bowl of stew.

Not 2 minutes later, does Sam come running in claiming he ate all his food! "Can I have a granola bar now?"

"Let me come inspect your bowl."

We marched into the kitchen to take a look. I was right to be skeptical. Sam had very carefully hidden the peas and corn kernels behind the mushroom on the side. Then he spread the rest of the soup, which was a few pieces of ground beef and some rice, around the bowl to make it look like there was less.

"Nice try, Sam, but I see what you did." I pulled the veggies back out and told him to eat it.

"I don't WANT to!"

"Well, then don't eat. Just go to bed."

"But I am STARVING!"

"No you're not. If you were starving, you would eat your stew."

He finally ate the rest of his stew. And guess what? It didn't kill him! Now I know I don't have to be a short-order cook anymore, just patient with my little man who hates those troublesome veggies.

Life is so hard when your a kid!

-Cat

PS- Still working hard to bribe people over to my new crochet blog! We ALMOST have our 50 followers by the end of the year goal! Only 21 more to go. Check it out here!

Military Monday: What's Going to Change?

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:27:00 +0000

I have had lots of new military wives ask me this question: What's going to change when my husband gets home from Basic Training or an overseas deployment? Some are very concerned, and I don't blame them. I have heard people, who know jack about military people, say they come back trigger happy with a thirst for shooting everyone and everything -- what a pack of lies! And there are always the horror stories of the loved one coming back and saying they don't want to be married anymore... so it is a wonder that these new military wives have worries, they have probably heard it all too.

I don't know how much changes when a husband gets back from war, because Ben hasn't been there yet... hopefully, there are some wives out there that can answer that question. What I DO know is how things are when they come home from initial training.

The first thing that is going to change while your husband is gone, is you. You will learn to do things on your own, you will (hopefully) learn how to make friends, pay bills, take out the trash, and how to be a military wife. If you have kids, you will learn how to take care of them on your own. You will learn you have a strength you never knew you had.

Take comfort in knowing that being a soldier's wife is one of the OLDEST "jobs" in the history of this planet. There have always been soldiers, warriors, fighters, and they have always left loved ones behind to fight for their cause. Women have been doing it for thousands of years and it's in our genes... Luckily, with technology we even have it a million times easier than our ancestors.

One of the biggest changes will be your husband. You have to understand that in basic training, they are turning "civilians" into "soldiers", and it isn't an easy process. You husband will come home different, and I am not talking about the sexy new bod wearing ACUs or shaved head (which are the most visible changes) -- Your husband just went through some serious hard times in those last 10 weeks, he is going to be different! Some things that I have noticed about military men, but not all (every guy is different), is that their relationships with their "civilian" friends will change. Ben had a really hard time for a while talking to guys who had no idea what he had gone through, they didn't seem to understand him as well, some of their "jokes" weren't funny anymore, and the biggest thing that bothered Ben the MOST was the lack of "discipline". Just the fact that the students on campus butted in lines, jay-walked, lacked respect for those in authority positions, and even that a lot of them don't walk straight, drove Ben insane for about 6 months... until he re-adjusted to being home after living a soldier's life for 9 months. Even now, most of the military guys on campus hang together. They have their own "lounge" in the Military Science building so they can socialize, study, do homework, and be around each other.

I tease Ben sometimes about being married to a "civilian". He just grunts and says, "You're NOT a civilian, you're an Army wife... there's a huge difference!" (Insert eye roll) And if I every get mad at him, I like to throw this out: "You better be NICE to me! Or else I am going to run off and marry a CIVILIAN!" Take that! Ultimate threat! (Then we just laugh... breaks the ice that one...)

Then lastly, your marriage dynamic will be thrown off a bit. When before you both KNEW your roles in your household, responsibilities have shifted and now they will have to shift again. It can be a bit tricky. Let me give you an example:

My sister-in-law has been through a couple deployments with her husband. Once I asked her (before the Army was EVER a thought in my head) what was the hardest part about her husband coming home. She told me that is was not having the bed to herself anymore. We laughed about it, but secretly I really didn't understand. I thought that she should be happy she wasn't sleeping alone! Then it happened to me. I was lonely at nights for about the first month. Then I figured out I could really stretch out all over the place, have as many pillows as I wanted, and no one ever stole my blankets!! When Ben got home, I realized how wise and right my dear sister-in-law was!! I could give up the trash-taking-out duties in a snap, but giving up the space in my bed... that was tough... as much as I loved snuggling with my man again, it was hard to re-adjust my sleeping habits.

Sometimes, it can be hard to give some responsibilities back to the husband. But just be patient and understanding, and remember that it is hard for him too and he is probably trying his best to find his place in the home once more.

If you have young children it can be hard as well. My kids were 2 and 3 when Ben left. When he came home, Nephi was almost 3 and Sam was 4 1/2. Nephi didn't even remember him very well. When he got off the plane, they just stood there like statues not knowing what to do. The daddy they vaguely remembered looked nothing like this buff bald guy getting off the plane.

Ben had to swoop in and pick them up!

But the up side is that it doesn't take long to kids to adjust... they were buddies within a few hours:

They did get really scared though, when Ben tried to discipline them though... they were NOT used to that!

I can't end this post without saying though, that all the changes were for the best. Ben was a great guy before the Army, but he is more amazing now than ever before because of it! The military brought out the best of Ben and I wouldn't EVER take back that choice we made. I am excited to see what the future holds for us!

Don't be afraid of change! Embrace it!

-Cat

Okay, friends now it is your turn! If you want to participate, take this button and post it in your post today:

THEN write a post about what I did above, or one of these:
1. How did your loved one change while deployed or training?
or
2. What were the biggest adjustments you had to make when they came home?
If you have no idea what "Military Monday" is click here!

The Naughty List, Invisible Elves and the Things Santa Knows!

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:48:00 +0000

Christmas time in the Nutshell gets more exciting every year as the kids get older, become even more gullible (if that's even possible), and everyone gets antsy with anticipation of the much awaited visit from Santa.

This year, the kids wrote letters (Or drew them anyway):

Sam's:

(the little guy crossed out on the bottom is the "angry man". Sam said that for Christmas no one can be mad in our house.

His was the longest, these are only 2 of 3 pages of presents he wants. But they all have the same theme... have you guessed it yet? Look close... okay, if you haven't figured it out, he wants batman stuff. He's really into it... so is Nephi.

Nephi's:

Nephi wants Robin stuff. I think he can really identify with the whole "Sidekick" thing. He also wants a "bucket truck" aka a pick up truck toy. I guess we will have to see...

However, the boys have been acting out lately, fighting more, hitting and kicking each other that I have resorted to "tell Santa to put you on the naughty list!" Which worked for like a day... then they started using it on each other: "Nephi, if you don't give me that toy now, Santa will put you on the naughty list!" We heard Sam say the other night.

I thought, something has to be done. The bickering and yelling was giving me a headache and kept the baby from taking much needed naps. I looked into the whole Elf of the Shelve thing, but there was NO WAY we could fork out the cash for it. So I came up with my own version. The Elf that no one but mommy and daddy can see, that is super fast and hides under the bed... This has worked REALLY well! Can't believe how quickly they get good when I yell: "There he goes!!! LOOK!!! Did you see him?! He just ran across the room and under the bed!!" For the next hour the boys are quiet as they break out the flash lights and investigate under the beds. Just adding a little "magic" to their Christmas, and reaping a few minutes of quiet at the same time.

Then I reinforced it with those Santa videos, you know the ones: (click here if you don't). The new video this year is fantastic! And there are lots of cool options to personalize it. One of which is "Mommy wants you to try harder to go potty on the toilet" (or something close to that effect) Nephi has been having a little trouble making it to the potty because he is afraid Sam will take whatever he is doing while he goes. So basically, my house smells like pee all the time. Well, I used this option on Nephi's video. He was so upset that Santa knew such a personal thing, that he hasn't had an accident since! WOO HOO!

So here we are at the Nutshell, with our Charlie Brown Christmas tree, invisible elf on the loose, nightmares of the infamous "Naughty List", and proof that Santa really does know when "you're sleeping", "awake" and apparently, when you go potty... a little creepy when you think about it... but then again, my house no longer smells like pee.

-Cat

13 Things I have Learned from Christmas Movies

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000

We've all seen the Christmas movies a million times that teach us a few important principles of having the Christmas spirit:

1. Believe in the magic of Christmas or else your life will be miserable and un-magical when you grow up.

2. If you have lots of money, don't be a "Scrooge"! Share it with others less fortunate or no one will come to your funeral when you die. (I am not sure what to do if you ARE the less fortunate...)

3. Being different is okay. No matter how weird you are, you have special gifts that can ultimately save Christmas. Imagine saving a whole holiday all over the world because you have some serious facial deformity like a glowing nose!

4. Even if you want to kill your family during the year, if you are lucky, you will all go through some life changing event, fill with the spirit of Christmas, and ultimately have the best family Christmas ever with lots of hugs and forgiveness!

5. Wanting cool toys your parents can't afford, will put you straight on the naughty list... no ifs, and's or buts!

6. Being "grinchy" and taking other's presents is just plain rude! Better to go make friends, hold hands in a circle and sing some songs to a really big Christmas tree or floating star... whatever floats your boat.

7. You are only the worst parent EVER if you tell your kids there is no Santa... And just about every Christmas show there is PROVES that there is.

8. Even broken, "misfit" toys in the clearance rack need a home... if you don't buy it, you might hurt it's feelings. So feel bad for passing up that headless Barbie at Walmart!

10. Life would definitely NOT be better had you never been born. Although, there are a few people I wonder about...

11. Snowmen don't REALLY melt... they go to live with the big guy up there... at the north pole!

12. There is no such thing as a bad Christmas tree... Just ask Charlie Brown:

Or me:

Note that all the ornaments are paper and clustered around the bottom. I just keep telling myself: "Hey, who needs ribbon, colored lights, ornaments, bulbs, tinsel, a star on the top?" Not the Nutshell! No way! We utilize that white center-block, no curtains-cheap-blinds look. Simplicity ROCKS!

And last but not least:

13. Don't get your kid that "Red-Rider BB Gun" -- He WILL shoot his eye out! (Safer to go with the pink bunny PJs)

-Cat

Building a Fan Base... Can you Help?!

noreply@blogger.com (Cat) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:40:00 +0000

My friend Heidi and I have been working really hard to get the word out about our crochet blog: The Worsted Crochet Blog, and would really love some support. It isn't easy to take time out and share the projects we are working on, give out some free tips, write up and post patterns, etc.

We have all our fingers and toes crossed that we can reach our goal of 50 followers by the end of the year... so far we aren't even close.

When we get to 50 followers we are going to have a mega giveaway, including, but not limited to, one of my "Big Blue" Mascot hats (size of choice) and one of my sock monkey hats. I MAY even consider giving away a pattern or two -- depending on how well we are doing. We will probably have a flower hat up for grabs, and perhaps a headband or two.

And if we do REALLY well... I may be persuaded to giveaway one of my owls.... but we will see...

So spread the word and help us make our goal!

Our site: http://theworstedcrochetblog.blogspot.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Worsted-Crochet-Blog/267320536642306
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/WorstedCrochet

Thanks a bunch!!

-Cat