First playgroup at Bliss

There are a couple standard questions military wives ask each other upon meeting.

What does your husband do?  

How long have you been in?  

Where were you stationed beforehand?  

Where are you from originally?  

How long have you been here?  

Do you like it?  

It's just second nature.  While the larger topics of conversation generally evolve, it's the beginning questions that spark interest and direct the flow of the conversation.  So, when I let on that our last duty station was Camp Humphreys, South Korea, the small talk is quickly diverted to our story of life in the Land of the Rising Sun.  

The conversation goes a little like this:

"Wow, you lived in South Korea for two years!  What was it like?  I can't even imagine living there."

It was indescribable.  Every aspect of living there was completely different than living in the States.  When I start describing the fields and crops, the food and stores, they are in complete disbelief.

"I can't believe you did that.  Especially for two years.  That sounds horrible."

It was horrible.  There were times I just sat and cried.  And missed my family.  And America.  There were times I envisioned driving to the closest Target, climbing onto a shelf and vowing to never leave again.  I had dreams about grocery store aisles.  When our base was missing a pediatrician and Gabe got the flu, I drove to Osan AFB's emergency room, with 3 month old Zander in tow.  It sucked then.  When I would go to our commissary and the formula Zander drank was out of stock for weeks, it was no picnic.

But there were good times too.  We made friends.  We made lifelong friends, provided I can keep up the correspondence (you guys have to stay on me, I'm horrible at remembering to email and call).  We learned so much about ourselves, about the necessities of life and about living and loving together.  We learned how to make something from nothing.

"How did you do it?"  

I did what I had to to keep our family together.  What else do you do when faced with the choice of spending a year apart or two years together in another country?  You just do it.  Take one day at a time, one breath at a time and keep going.  There is no real trick to making it work, you just do.  You just survive.

"Would you do it again?"  

I don't know.  We are in a different place in our lives now.  We have two more children than we had the first time around.  We have a school-ager now.  It wouldn't be the same.  There wouldn't be the same support structure we had before.  Even as we were leaving, things were changing.

I can't say I miss Korea.  I can't say I would do it again or recommend it.  I do miss our friends, the camaraderie, the small-town Army life.   I miss feeling like a part of a community.  The hardest part and biggest adjustment to life here at Bliss has been fitting back into society.  In Korea, you fit because you were military and American.  You didn't have to try at anything, you didn't even have to shower before you went somewhere, because it didn't matter.  Everyone got along with everyone, everyone was friends with everyone, because that's all there was.  Here, you're not secluded by 14 hours time difference.  There's no language or cultural barrier.  No one has to be your friend.  They can go make friends with any of the hundreds of other families.  Or they can call their other friends and family.

Today, we went to the Army Community Services playgroup on base.  It was our first trip and a happy one.  Zander had a grand time, playing and cleaning, with the other children.  Calla behaved perfectly for a teething three month old.  I had conversations with adults.  Conversations with adults with minimal child interruption.  We made small talk and I divulged about South Korea.  We laughed about how funny life can be with toddlers, talked about the hardships of moving and how we liked El Paso so far.  When the time was over and after cleaning up, we said goodbyes and see you next Tuesday.  

I found myself getting sentimental.  While I miss my friends and the ease of our conversation, I know it's good to "get back out there".  I know I missed the adult interaction and the friendship of other mothers.  I'm hoping this is a first step to new friendships.

I'm hoping these women don't mind when I throw myself at their feet, begging for their Facebook names so we can stay in touch and get together and be friends :)

This moving Army life is hard.  And it's always going to be hard to pick up and leave a comfort zone.  But it will be okay.  Breathe in and breathe out.  Take one day at a time.  Think of my missing friends as I reach out towards new ones.  Just like in Korea, I'll survive.  That's just what you do.  

Tried and updated recipes

This week has been a lazy week.  I think I'm recovering from the sickness-induced cleaning and multiple trips to the pediatrician.  I haven't felt like doing much of anything.  However, I said I would post the recipes that we've been using, so I will.  Some of these were used last week and some I've used this week already.

Gummy recipe I found
Found on Pinterest
Rating - Neither kid liked it - 0 out of 10

I think that it's a good base recipe but I don't agree with the ratio of liquid to gelatin.  I followed the half recipe and used four 0.60 oz boxes of sugar-free Jello, 3 sleeves of Knox gelatin and 1/3 cup (and a splash) of white grape juice.  My gelatin and juice made a dry combination before I double boiled it and once I poured it into the molds and cooled it, they were almost rock hard.  It was like trying to chew rubber.  Also, I think they were a little sour because of the sugar-free Jello.  It made a lot, I used two ice cube trays, only filling them halfway.  I will be trying this recipe again.  However next time, I'm going to use half sugar-free Jello and half regular.  I still want to use the juice, but I might dilute it with water.  I'm planning on using the Jello recipe which calls for 2 cups of water/juice per box.  We'll see if that softens them up a little.  I really want this to work because it really is an easy recipe.  And if it does work, it'll be an awesome snack I don't have to buy for the kids.

Multiple coffee creamers
Found on Pinterest
Rating - about a 7 out of 10

I have only made the Pumpkin Spice creamer out of all the ones listed.  I made it for Matt because he likes some coffee with his creamer.  It was good.  I followed the directions exactly as it had listed, but next time I think I'll double the pumpkin.  It didn't have the pumpkin kick I was hoping for.  Also, I contemplated taking out the maple syrup, but I didn't and I don't recommend skipping that ingredient.  It adds another Autumn-related flavor that regular sugar doesn't.  When Matt gets back, I'm planning on trying the French Vanilla (his favorite) and the Honey Vanilla.

Gingerbread Latte recipe
Found on Google
Rating - 10 out of 10

This is a fantastic recipe for anyone that loves the Starbucks Gingerbread Latte.  I almost like it better because it has more of the molasses flavor, whereas the Starbucks Gingerbread syrup can be too sugary sometimes.  On the top, she has the directions to make the actual latte and below is the directions for the Gingerbread syrup.  I really like this recipe and plan on using it throughout the year.  She has lots of other really good recipes for coffee creamers on her page.

Honey Mustard Chicken
Found on Allrecipes.com
Rating - 9 out of 10

I have made this twice and have enjoyed it both times.  The first time, I made it exactly the way it says.  Last night I substituted evaporated milk for the mayo.  I marinated the chicken overnight and grilled it on my grill pan.  I love the way the honey creates a crust on the chicken and caramelizes.  I wish I would have made more for a dipping sauce and might just mix some up in a mason jar to keep as a condiment.

My Favorite Pizza Crust
Found on Pioneer Woman's blog
Rating - 9 out of 10

I have used this crust recipe numerous times and we all really like it.  I made the dough on Sunday and am planning on using it for pizza and garlic knots tonight.  I love that you make it in advance and then it continues rising while it's in the fridge.  It makes two cookie sheets full of pizza or, like we do, one cookie sheet pizza and two cookie sheets of garlic knots.  For the garlic knots, I roll out the dough, cut it like bread sticks one way and then in half.  Tie the dough in a knot and put it on the pan.  Bake it for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Once the knots come out I toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, garlic and Parmesan cheese.  Because the dough is so basic, if you're looking for flavor in your crust, I would drizzle some olive oil over the edges and then sprinkle it with some salt, garlic and Italian seasonings.

Wild Energy Bars
Given to us by a friend
Rating - 8 out of 10

Instead of granola, I used old fashioned oats and substituted dates for apricots.  I like this recipe and plan on making these again with a few alterations.  I will double the amount of cranberries (because I like the sour punch it gives you) and I will half the amount of honey.  I couldn't believe the amount of honey it calls for, but I used it.  And they are SWEET!  They are almost sickening sweet to me.  I don't know if it's the clover honey I used or what, but man, they almost made my teeth hurt.  Below, you can see that 1/20 of the recipe is 220 calories.  I ended up cutting them into 10 bars and then cut each bar into four.  It made little bites of about 1x2 inches.  Then I plastic wrapped each little bite and put them in a zip-loc bag to keep them fresh.  Despite the sweetness, they have been a huge hit around here.  Gabe loves to put them in his lunch and I eat one as a 100 calorie snack or as a dessert option.

Bacon Risotto
Found on Allrecipes.com
Rating - 9 out of 10

I know what you're thinking, bacon and risotto!  Now you know why I picked this recipe to try!  That and I didn't have very much Parmesan cheese.  I ended up needing 6 cups of broth instead of the 5 listed and added a bay leaf while I toasted the risotto.  I removed the bay leaf at the end before I added the cheese and butter.  According to Top Chef judges, risotto should ooze on the plate after it's served.  Not the greatest of mental images, but that's how I knew if it was done or not.  I knew all those Top Chef episodes would come in handy some day!  The only other thing I changed was I added frozen carrots and peas the same time I added the last cup of broth, so they would cook a little but not get over cooked.  It was fantastic and I am anxious to have it again.

Sweet Potatoes with coconut oil
Given to us by a friend
Rating - 9 out of 10

It's as easy as it sounds.  I peeled and cut up one sweet potato in french fry style, coated a cookie sheet with coconut oil and baked the sweet potatoes at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  They were so delicious!  The coconut oil almost caramelizes the outside, especially if you burn them a little (I think they tasted better a little charred).  I sprinkled them with salt and the boys ate them up!  I was really surprised that they ate them, but I wish I would have used both potatoes I had because the one ended up not being enough!  It's so surprising to me how sweet the actual potato is by itself, it's almost a dessert.  I hadn't had sweet potatoes in a long time (and almost always made with lots of brown sugar and butter), but this has really opened my eyes to this root vegetable.

Ice Cream in a Bag
Found on Pinterest
Rating - 9 out of 10

I followed the directions exactly like it said and it worked like a charm.  I had always heard of making ice cream in a machine, but had never made it in such a small quantity.  I love the flexibility of this recipe.  You can add whatever you want to create different flavors.  You can make each kid their own flavor.  You don't have to buy a big tub of artificially flavored ice cream.  It's also built in portion control!  I highly recommend this!  There are also comments from other people that have tried it on how to make it low-calorie using milk and splenda instead.

Aside from food, I have been finding and been given a lot of recipes for homemade household products:

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Homemade Lotion

Homemade Eczema Body Wash

Homemade Baby Wipes
*Wondering if I could alter this to include making Bleach wipes

Club-sized Bubble Mix

Once we start running out of products we've purchased, I can't wait to try out these homemade, cheaper and BETTER alternatives.

So far the only things crafty I've made this week are place mats for the boys.  Hopefully this will stop the dinner time squabble as to who is sitting where.  Also, whenever they have snacks, we can use these instead of dishes.  I used scrapbook paper that I had lying around and clear contact paper to seal it.

Lastly, I would like to say Happy Three Months to my baby Cal-Cal girl.  We all love you so much and have a hard time believing you're already three months old.  You bring such light, joy and happiness to all of us with your sweet smiles.  I fall more in love with you every second.  Thank you for coming into our lives.

Craziness aka Week 2

It has been a crazy, horrible, cough and germ ridden past week.  At the end of two weeks ago, Gabe brought home some kind of upper respiratory infection that morphed into a virus and infected our family.

School - Breeding ground of all germs and bacteria known and unknown to man.  Best friends include runny noses, lung hacking coughs, mucus congestion and children.  Blech.

We saw the pediatrician four times over a period of six days.  Thank you Tricare!  Between doctor visits and prescriptions (not to mention Calla's nebulizer), we would have spent a fortune trying to get healthy.  That it one thing I will never complain about with the Army.  Health insurance with three children is worth it's weight in gold.  Everyone seems to be on the mend now.  Zander and Calla are barely coughing and only taking med's and a breathing treatment before bedtime.  Gabe is still coughing his guts out day and night, the prescription isn't helping.  I'm planning on taking him back on Wednesday if it doesn't miraculously cure itself before then.  Another aspect of Army life I'll never take advantage of - living on base.  I'm SO thankful that living on base means we don't have to pay our utility bills.  I'm sure that this past week having two humidifiers constantly running, night lights, loads and loads of laundry and dishes cleaned and multiple hot steam showers would really rack up the cost of our energy and water bills.  Covered.  No worries about the  costs rising.  Having to make hard choices about if we can afford to run the shower twice a day to steam out my children's lungs or wash all the sheets, pillowcases, blankets and clothes multiple times this week.  What a relief.

With all the sickness going around last week, I had a real struggle setting and accepting the limits I set for myself.  You can't go bouncing around town when you have children that can barely breathe and just want to sleep.  Put down the coffee and walk away from the Keurig.  Pick up the water and juice.  Eat the mandarin orange instead of the snack size pack of Oreos you have hidden on the top shelf of the cupboard for emergencies.  I found myself going to bed at 8pm with the two littles, knowing that I'd be up every couple hours with Calla's breathing treatments, Zander's coughing and hysterical crying and refilling the humidifiers.  Laundry was washed but unfolded.  Dishes were washed but not put away.  Shows were recorded but not watched (big problems, right?)  It became a struggle to get the littles awake, coat-ed, car-ed and unloaded to pick up Gabe every day after school.  I figured out how to carry both on the days Zander was too exhausted to walk.  

Our participation in society was rather limited this week do to sickness.  The walking club I signed up for started on Saturday.  Unfortunately we did not attend.  The wind was blowing between 25-30 mph and even though the temperature was in the 60's, I didn't want to push the limits of my children's immune systems.  We ordered a double jogging stroller from eBay and got it in time for the walk, but didn't get the chance to try it out.  I'm very excited about the stroller and the mobility it will give us.  I envision walks to the park and around the neighborhood in our near future, weather permitting.  Friday I was able to sign up Gabe for 5 and 6 year old soccer that starts in February.  He is a little apprehensive (wasn't a big fan of it last year), but I'm glad he's willing to give it another shot.

There were so many recipes and ideas I had to try out, but everything takes a back seat with sick kids.  How can it not?  I racked my brain, trying to figure out what sore throats and stuffy noses would eat.  What ever they wanted, within reason, they could have.  Gabe doesn't want a sandwich or Lunchable, but instead will eat almonds, granola bars, carrots and applesauce for lunch?  Sounds good to me.  Zander wants to live off animal crackers, juice, yogurt and apples?  Perfectly fine.  Carnation instant breakfast became a staple with milk.  Ocean spray has pouches of juice mix for water bottles, 100% juice, we stocked up for Gabe's lunchbox.  Anything with any vitamin and protein count was open for suggestion.  

I have made a couple new things since last week - energy bars, risotto and gummies.  I've decided to create a post with just the recipes and info since this one is already so long.  I bought tiny mason jars today to make the coffee creamer recipes I keep finding online.  We tried spaghetti squash cooked in the slow cooker - the boys were not a fan, but I liked it and will make it for myself again.  This week, I am planning on trying sweet potatoes with them.  It should be interesting and will probably end up with maple syrup or brown sugar.  Also, I was able to pre-make food items to save time this week.  Pizza crust was made and is rising in our fridge.  Pumpkin spice muffins were baked and saved to eat throughout the week.  Hamburger was cooked and put in a Tupperware to include in meals.  I cooked a big batch of oatmeal and saved it in mason jars for breakfasts.  I really like doing this, taking Sunday to figure out meals for the week and get whatever cooking or preparing out of the way.  No, I don't have a hugely busy schedule, but it does save my brain from overheating.  If I have something prepared or at least started, then when I have screaming hungry children at 4:30pm, I can usually have dinner done by 5pm.  It helps me remember what we have available as a meal, rather than stare blankly at the contents of our fridge and cupboard, trying to figure out a meal as one child screams from her bouncy seat, one climbs on my leg and the other dramatically "dies" on the kitchen floor (from starvation, I'm assuming).  

Limiting our outside exposure forced a new level of household creativity.  Once the boys were healthy enough to stand, they were healthy enough to run.  And cause chaos.  And cause me a cleaning breakdown.  During one of the nap times, I was able to clean out the "bonus" room.  I call it the "bonus" room because I think it's supposed to be storage.  However, since I first laid eyes on it I have envisioned a (tiny) play room for the boys.  One with unlimited lego playing capacity, where the legos can roll freely without fear of being stepped on, being lost under furniture or swept up by the Dyson only to be tossed into the garbage and never again seeing the fingers, ears and mouths of my children.  I also envisioned taking the door off the hinges and hanging a curtain on a pressure rod in the door frame, but Matt says that's not happening.  One step at a time.  Our "bonus" room now houses the two lego tables and lego organizer that Santa brought, along with all the art supplies you could ever imagine and the massive collection of Hot Wheels.  All of those items are forbidden to leave that room for fear of me having a cleaning breakdown and donating them to the closest Goodwill or Salvation Army.  That is an honest-to-God fear in this house.  

"Please Mom, don't donate my toys!"  

"Gabe, you have fifty thousand hundred toys and they are all over my floor.  I can't think when I see all these toys everywhere.  Clean them up or they're gone."

"But, you've already donated so many of my toys!"

"And I'll donate the rest if I can't have walking space on my floor."

Honest-to-God conversation.  No idea where Gabe gets his drama from.

I also moved the bookcases into the living room, making a reading corner complete with carpet.  This has been a great source of entertainment for the boys.  We have A LOT of books (hazard of working in the B&N children's department) and now they can take them off the shelves and spread them out.  I don't mind that mess as much.  The kitchen and craft table in the dining room were cleaned off and made into a tent this weekend as well.  Playing peekaboo and hiding underneath the table created a great source of entertainment.  There was talk of eating and sleeping in the "tent", but it was short lived once Gabe remembered he couldn't move his lego's out of their playroom.  Absolutely not.  And you wonder why Zander is obsessed with cleaning.

With the kids on the mend, I look forward to getting creative this week.  I've been using Swagbucks as a search engine and almost have enough points for a $5 gift card to Amazon, which I'll use on a "want" instead of a "need".  I want to figure out how to make chalkboard paint washable.  How fun would it be to have mugs that the kids can draw on?  Also, I want to make some more bows for Calla with ric-rac I bought at Target for $1.  Valentine's pictures need to be taken this week, so I have time to edit and order them for family.  I need to organize and hang up the boys "dress up" costumes in their closet, hang up their basketball hoop and find ribbon for a children's art work clothesline.  Lots and lots to catch up on.  

Enjoy the pictures.  I'll try and post the recipes in the next couple days.

Change - week one

This week has been a long one.  It's the first week of Matt gone to training and me home with all three hooligans.  It's also the first week I put into gear the changes I outlined in my last blog post.  All in all, I'd count us successful on many levels.  

The boys have gotten involved in breaking down boxes to put into the recycling bin.  Gabe is most excited, they really encourage recycling at school, and thinks it's the coolest.  

I have joined the online savings club Swagbucks and am trying to remember to use it when clipping online coupons and as a search engine.  I'm still pretty new to it, but from what I gather, you can gather points or "bucks" in many different methods and then redeem those "bucks" into gift cards.  So far so good!  It's a way to save money without costing anything but a little time.  Also, I stuck to the goal of eating fast food/take out/restaurant food only once this week and am trying to cut it back to twice a month.  Starbucks was visited only twice this week and both times with a gift card!

We've changed in many ways this week regarding what we have eaten.  I bought a small jar of coconut oil from the commissary and have only used it a couple times, but I like it.  It works very nicely as a topping for homemade popcorn, a revelation by the way.  I can't believe it's taken me THIS long to start making my popcorn from scratch.  What was I thinking all these years?  I don't even want to think about all the money I've squandered or preservatives I've inhaled during my years of consuming popcorn, especially pregnant with Gabe - that was a big popcorn time for me.  I also made two different types of granola, the healthy kind for me and one with chocolate chips and peanut butter for the kids.  The link is the original recipe.  It started as bars, but I don't think it was moist enough to stick together.  I altered it and have included the recipe below.  It works fantastically as a cereal though, and I feel much better about it.  I also attempted baked chicken tenders, instead of store bought, but we found them rather bland.  Next time I think I'll marinate the chicken with honey mustard, Italian dressing or balsamic vinegar, SOMETHING to give it a little taste.  Tonight, during movie night, was probably the biggest change in eating habits.  Usually we have bagged popcorn and lots of candy, but instead I made popcorn from scratch and drizzled a little coconut oil and salt on top, cut up some fruit and cut up small PB and Nutella sandwiches.  It was a huge hit, the boys didn't even notice the lack of candy.  We were able to find the Sprout's Farmer's Market and it is awesome, but very hard to get to, so I'm unsure how often we'll make it all the way over.  It's literally on the opposite side of the mountains for us, so we have to drive all the way around them, takes about 1/2 hour one way.  We got some great deals on organic apples (99 cents a pound), a 3 lb bag of mandarin oranges ($3.99), a small spaghetti squash (80 cents) and bananas (59 cents a pound).  My favorite part of grocery stores like that are the binned items, things you can buy per pound.  We got veggie chips to try, organic popcorn kernels (that worked fantastically), yogurt pretzels (Gabe's personal favorite) and quinoa.  I dream of buying my baking goods per pound and storing them in buckets and canisters one day.

A lot that I've been meaning to do was accomplished this week.  It's just amazing how much you can get done when you make a plan to do it.  Zander, Calla and I attended the weekly library story time on base and found that we sorely missed our friends from story time at Camp Humphrey's (Korea).  I managed to strike up a conversation with a couple women and it was nice having an adult conversation, instead of one with an almost two year old.  Zander was happy coloring the paper the librarian gave him and cleaning the tables and chairs with baby wipes.  Calla was perfectly content being held and watching the other kids.  A win for everyone.  I managed to complete every cleaning task I set up for myself.  It wasn't always done on the day it was supposed to, but I didn't stress about it or freak out on the kids when they uncleaned 

The biggest challenge this week was the last two "mores" - being more involved with the kids and being optimistic.  With Matt got this week, it reminded me how hard it is to be the Mom and the Dad, how much I lean on him, we lean on each other, for support and advice.  Even though this is something all us military families deal with on a constant basis, it never really gets easier.  When your babies wake up in the middle of the night screaming for "Daddy", it really does break your heart knowing you can't always be what they want.  It's hard to remain optimistic and put on a happy face for them, but I guess that's where the "thankful" and "I love you because" boards has really helped me this week.  They are a constant reminder to see the joy in life.  I am beyond thankful that his training is only until the end of February and not a deployment.  I am beyond thankful that we can talk and text and Facebook and Skype.  I love him because of his efforts to stay involved in our family by calling and talking to the boys.  And I love how the boys have really stepped up and started listening better and helping more. 

We can do this.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip granola bars

4 tbs. smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup rice krispies
1/4 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Pull out two 9x5 loaf pans or one 11x7 baking pan
and line with parchment paper, butter or spray.
Combine peanut butter and honey into a saucepan.
Melt together over low-medium heat.
Once melted and mixed together, take off heat
and add in oats and rice krispies.  Fold everything
together until evenly coated.  Spread mixture into pans
and press down with spatula.  Sprinkle chocolate chips
over the top of the mixture and press down with the spatula.
Let it sit for 20 minutes, lift out of pan and bag or put in an airtight
container.


"Kitchen Sink" granola bars

4 tbs. coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup rice krispies
1 tbs. raisins
1 tbs. craisins
1 tbs. almonds

Pull out two 9x5 loaf pans or one 11x7 baking pan
and line with parchment paper, butter or spray.
Combine coconut oil and honey in a sauce pan and melt
together over low-medium heat.  Once it's melted together
add the cinnamon and stir together.  Remove from heat and
add oats and rice krispies.  After those are completely coated,
add in the raisins, craisins and almonds.  Stir together until
evenly distributed.  Spread mixture out into a pan.  When
it cools after 20 minutes, lift out of the pan and bag or put in airtight
container.

Resolution to be MORE

I've decided that instead of focusing on one thing in my life to change this year, I'm going to work on readjusting all of it.  My resolution for this year is to make a lifestyle change.  I want to be MORE.  What more you say?  I haven't completely figured it all out yet, but here's my outline so far.  I'm sure that I'll be updating and adjusting it as I go along.

1.  I want to be more eco-friendly.  I want to be more recycle-conscious.  Fort Bliss has given us a recycle dumpster and pays for pick up.  All I have to do is separate our recyclables from our trash.  It can't get much easier, so there's no reason I can't do it.  I have started reusing old items such as painting old baby food containers and using them for candle holders, Calla's bows and socks and shoes all have separate reused containers for storage, spaghetti jars have been saved to be used as vases.  I plan on discontinuing using paper towels and using rags and washable towels to avoid waste.  While I'm squeamish about using cloth diapers and cloth wipes, I am looking into using the more natural biodegradable diapers.

2.  I want to be more cost-conscious.  Going hand-in-hand with recycling and reusing is saving money.  It's crazy to me that I haven't figured it out sooner, but so much of our money is wasted on the new and disposable.    I've started looking into Amazon's subscribe and save option for items we buy in bulk.  We bought a Brita water filter that fits our tap for our bottled and filtered water and I use a water bottle to cut back on dishes.  I'm seriously looking into the Soda Stream.  Do you have any idea how much money that would save us?

3.  I want to be more health-conscious.  Home making food and other items saves SO much money!  I don't know if I'm ready to limit myself on certain foods, like carbs or glutens or anything like that, but I'm definitely becoming more aware of additives and preservatives and fats and portion sizes.  Slowly I am introducing wheat pasta and brown rice into our diet (with some resistance).  We are having one fruit and one vegetable with our dinner, even if it's just raw carrots and apple.  I am also incorporating wheat flour and bread into our norms.  Almonds are consumed for snacks.  Organic and all-natural products are purchased when possible (and we can splurge), I'm always curious as to what is most necessary when buying organic.  Canning fruits and veggies is very appealing to me and I'm going to look more into that as the season approaches.  Items that we would normally purchase, I'm trying to make more homemade in effort to control the ingredients and also cut costs.  Items like granola and bars, we consume ravenously, and are easy enough to make.  Pizza dough and bread are also becoming more commonly made - I am most interested in attempting the more complex recipes like sourdough, pretzels and bagels.  I found great recipes for homemade coffee creamers, I detest the store bought ones and their artificial after taste.  Also I've been reading lots of reviews and tips on using and incorporating coconut oil into a diet and am eager to try it.  My latest conquest and achievement was making Smitten Kitchen's graham crackers - I could write a whole blog post about them, they are fantastic.  I have just located Sprouts Farmer's Market, which is similar to a Whole Foods I think, and am excited to check out their inventory.  There are so many foods I want to try to cook with, if anyone has a good recipe for any of the below, please let me know!

Quinoa
Artichokes
Eggplant
Arborio rice
Lentils
Any kind of squash
There are more, I just can't think of them off hand.

4.  I want to be more active.  I think this could play a part with the "health-conscious" but there's more to it than just exercising.  While I want to get out and about more, go for walks, start working out again, I also want to be more active on Fort Bliss.  I have recently signed up for a Spouse's Lunch to meet more newbies to the area and am looking into signing up for one of the walk-a-thons taking place on base.  This is a great way for us to meet new people and connect.  I've heard about an Army Community Services based group that meets on base for play dates and there are two story times at the on post library.  I need to look into information about the school PTA and get involved.  While I constantly over booked myself with group activities and play dates in Korea, I was never happier and miss the friends we got so close with.

5.  I want to be more involved with my children.  As a homemaker, I'm sure you're saying, "How much more can you be involved with them if you're home all day?"  There are so many distractions that take my time and energy away from my kids.  This blog, for example, is dedicated to our family but can consume hours at a time that I could be playing or interacting.  I need to start limiting my internet usage.  I need to devote time to each child individually, time that each child and I can interact and reconnect.  That's not so hard with Calla and Zander right now, but with Gabe in school, he doesn't get much time alone with parents. Matt and I need to start creating events to do with just Gabe, so he doesn't get overwhelmed or feel left out in the chaos of the two small ones.  I need to create daily activities for Zander that we can do together, hands on activities that get him involved in something other than causing trouble.

6. I want to be more optimistic.  Moving is always hard, even if you're excited about where you're moving, it's still stressful and when you're not that enthusiastic, it's ten times more draining.  Thankfully, we have adjusted reasonably well to El Paso so far.  The heat in the summer will be the determining factor.  All of the above will help me be more optimistic and positive in different ways, but there are also things I'm doing to reinforce my attitude adjustment.  I am writing daily "I am thankfuls" on a picture frame in our living room to remind me of the positives.  I am creating a weekly cleaning schedule, where I only clean certain things on certain days (i.e. living room on Monday's, bathrooms on Tuesdays...) hoping that it will eliminate some of the stress I have about maintaining a clean house.  Gabe has started a daily "job" chart of ten things he can do around the house to help out, things like feeding and letting Charlotte outside, taking care of his clean clothes, and gets ten cents per job.  Just having the daily list and reminding him to do his jobs helps me not forget what needs to be done.  If he gets reminded three times to do a job, I do it and he doesn't get his ten cents.  He is very excited about this and it makes me feel good about teaching him some form of responsibility and saving.  Mostly, I need to let go.  I need to put away the feelings of resentment if I don't complete every task I set up for myself that day.  I am such a task and list oriented person that I have a hard time when I'm not successful at accomplishing everything I assign myself.  This will be my biggest struggle and I'm not sure exactly how to overcome this.  I'm hoping that between being more physically active, less internet active and spreading out the daily responsibilities, I will succeed.

Like I said in the beginning, this is so much more than a resolution to change one thing - it's a plan to make a lifestyle change and something I feel very strongly about.  I'm not sure how it'll all turn out.  I'll keep you posted on our trials and triumphs.

New Year's Day

We spent New Year's Day outside at the playground in our housing area.  It's not much but we are thankful to have some place outside to burn off some energy.  The weather was a bit chillier than we originally thought so I'm glad the kids brought their jackets.  Their sunglasses are new too.  I had to buy a new pair after a small child that will remain nameless broke them in half.  After stepping on them.  Repeatedly.  But I won't name names.  I'm sure you can guess.  Anyway, while we were at the store getting me a new pair, everyone decided they needed new sunglasses.  We are now a sunglasses family.  That's what Gabe calls us.  He had to pick out an adult pair because his head is so ginormous, but the ends hang past the back of his head.  They look like soldier sunglasses (Matt's Oakley's), so he had to have them.  Zander has a pair with flames on the side (big surprise, right?).  His are children's size but are too big, so he figured out to wear them upside down to keep them on.  Crazy kid.

Gabe was too nervous to go any higher than this.

Zander discovered the joys of getting pushed on the swing.

Before we left, he had to try the big boy swing.  He did a pretty good job of balancing on the seat and hanging on.  It made me really nervous, so he didn't get to stay on very long.  I could just see him trying to be Superman and jumping off it.

Calla stayed in her car seat and enjoyed catching the sun rays in comfort.  She ended up getting a little too much sun and got her first minor sun burn on her forehead.  You can see the pinkness a little in this picture.  It wasn't anything too major or painful, but has prompted us to find a sun hat for her this weekend.