Blog Hop! Followers are always welcomed! :)

Welcome to my blog!

I am still fairly new to the world of blogging, and I love to follow blogs to see how everyone is doing! I became a military spouse shortly after I got off active duty myself, and it definitely has been a rollarcoaster of a ride! I am married to a hunky Marine, I have two beautiful daughters, and I am still pushing through college. I love meeting new people...so, feel free to drop by and add a line! If you are a military spouse that has stumbled upon my blog, and want to jump on the "Blog Hop" The click the picture below..she will tell you how you can get started! :)

Something my dad sent to make me laugh!

 I know it is hard to read, but if you click the image it will bring you to another page and you can zoom in. It's definitely worth reading!   

~Comments are always appreciated! :)

Keira, the princess of Pottyland!

Well, she is trying! We've been having our ups and downs on potty training since Ayla was born. I haven't been pushing it on her, and it seemed that she would volunteer to go. Then, all of a sudden, that enthusiasm went away all too quickly. I would coax her to go, and with great reluctance, she would scream, "NO!" Nothing more frustrating than having a toddler down right refuse the potty and leaves us to clean the massive amount of diapers each day. Two kids, and twice the diapers, yuck!  Plus, they are not helping our pockets nor the environment.

So, I have outreached to other parents to see how their tots were/are being lured into the joys of being potty-trained. Some suggested that I give a piece of candy for a reward each time they go, and frankly, I don't want to associate food with rewarding behavior - just leads to unhealthy habits later. The sticker currency method has definitely grabbed my interest! Each time the tot goes to the potty, they are rewarded with  a "50 cent" sticker to go into their "checkbook" and to be cashed when they go shopping. This is also a good way to teach them about savings as well. I would like to thank Brittany for this one! I realize that I spoil Keira wa-ay too much and this would be a good time to teach her that things must be earned and not given.

The phone call.. from a princess!! My friend also offered to talk to Keira as a Princess, when she would go to the potty... so, I put it to the test. SUCCESS! I honestly can say that I have never seen Keira so enthusiastic to go on to the big potty - screw the tot potty! She tinkled, and then was able to get praise from  a princess. The look on Keira's face was definitely priceless. So, the potty training saga continues..

Juice Plus and Smoothies!

I have long heard the wonderful effects of whole foods and how they do wonders on your body. I have recently started purchasing Juice Plus capsules from a independent distributer after watching videos and doing some research on this product. Juice Plus is a whole food capsule - not a vitamin- and has all the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables compacted in a powdered capsule form! Its obviously not recommended to use as an actual substitute from eating fruits and veggies, but it does inhance the nutrients entering your body on a cellular level. I am no expert on this product, and you can certainly "google" Juice Plus for more information. So, with that being said, I am starting to make yogurt smoothies for my two year old and pouring the Juice Plus powder into the mix.. And she LOVES it!! Now, I know I am nutritionally supplementing her diet because I can't force feed her something she won't eat. However, I can use parenting tactics to make her want to eat what is in front of her.

In addition, I need to somehow convince Mr. B to go on a farm co-op with me. To do that, we find a local farm that grows produce and is willing to share for a season if we buy into their farm; meaning locally grown, organic produce! I am seriously thinking about converting into a health nut without preservatives in our diet. This could be a hard switch for the family, but I just want to be able to nourish my growing fam as much as possible. It means no more shopping in the center isles of the grocery stores with products that contain a ridiculous amount of sodium. I have already introduced the organic lifestyle to Ayla and she won't know any different. Now, if I can kick my cravings for sweets. ;)

Crazy Drivers!

I had a little excitement today, not the excitement I was looking for. I was off to class as usual, and I was the first one to arrive at the red stop light when two vehicles collided. As the black truck and the green Volvo crunched into each other, my mind was in slow motion and I stared in complete awe. The Volvo managed to push the truck towards our side of stopped vehicles and a woman jumped out of her car while it was in motion. She yelled at her passenger, "Get out of the vehicle!" The car was still rolling and was about to run smack into my grill. I held my breath and all I could think to do was put my car in reverse because I was literally trapped from either side. I wasn't able to inch back very much, but thankfully the vehicle stopped on its own a foot from my car and I mean a foot. I remember seeing a lot of gas coming from the Volvo, and I managed to reach for my cell phone and step out of my vehicle. A fellow bystander yelled at me to call 9-1-1. All I got was, "The circuits are busy now, please try your call again later" or some nonsense like that. I was thinking, You've gotta be kidding me?! Another witness was able to get through and within minutes the ambulance and police/firetruck were on the scene of the accident. I was still confused on what had just happened, and mainly because I was actually paying attention to the light and then, WHAM! the accident... A lot happened in a split second, so I hope what they received from me was helpful.. I tried.

So, here is what happened: A woman sped through a red light as the traffic had the green arrow to turn left coming from the opposite direction, and she managed to impact the guy that was in the truck that was turning left. She hit him hard enough to push both vehicles on our side of traffic. Before this happened I could hear the screams from the vehicle on my left side and it caught my attention just as the two vehicles collided. The woman that caused the accident was in complete hysterics when she jumped out of the vehicle and the her passenger was obviously in shock. I was a bit shaky for about an hour and thankfully, the car stalled right before it could hit mine. :)

On another note.. When I was able to get to my vehicle after writing down a witness statement, I had to put on my blinker to get into the right turning lane because my lane was obviously obstructed. Of course people here are rude drivers and won't give you a break to squeeze into traffic. So, I waited until the red light and tow driver managed to pull the Volvo out of my way. The woman that was stopped in the right turning lane had the audacity to ask if I could let her turn left first when the light turn green because she didn't anticipate them moving the car. SERIOUSLY?? You were inconvienced because you had to get into the right turning lane?? How about the fact I've been stuck here since the wreck occured (35 minutes and counting) and you find it necessary to jump ahead and turn left. She actually demanded it too! I let her go ahead but, it just frustrated the hell out of me.

So, I managed to get to class late just as my professor was going over a cause/effect paper that we had to critique. Guess what the paper was over? "Redlight runners" LMAO. So, I was able to give a personal example of the effects of a person running a red light, lol. Oh, what a day!

Starving Children in...

The "B" house! No - no starving children here. Keira is a very strong-willed child and is also a notorious snacker. It has been a power struggle to get her to eat anything, but mac and cheese, grilled cheese, cheese sticks, snack packs, bananas, apples, and just snacks in general. So, today we went and met with her best friend, and my friend, Mrs. S to celebrate her birthday at a local restaurant. I decided to go against what I typically ordered for her and I got the grilled chicken and steamed broccoli, oh my! Keira, however, was not thrilled with the plate in front of her and decided to push the plate away. Determined as ever, I decided to offer the plate to her and insisted that if she didn't eat it now that I was going to box it go and she would eat it later. Mr. B came home later and I informed him that if she asked for food, that he would pop the chicken and broccoli into the microwave and present it to her. 7 p.m. has came, and Keira decided that she is hungry after throwing a tantrum when daddy didn't give her a popsicle - which didn't help that he ate one in front of her. He heated up the food and sat her at the big table and I would be darn... she ate her food!! I was so excited and made such a fuss.. she got a Weight Watcher cookie for dessert, lol. So, this is a start, and I will get her to break this horrible snacking habit. I have also implemented daily physical activities whether it be to the playground or the indoor play area at the mall. I just want her running around and not vegging in front of the t.v. I didn't do that as a child, and I don't want my children to that either. Its a matter of establishing a healthy lifestyle for our children and it begins now.

~Holly

"Oh MY Goodness!"

So my head hurts today and I mean it REALLY hurts. I am not good with dealing with death and dying and maybe thats why I took a philosophy class back in California on the subject matter. Truth is, I see too much sickness and the whole death and dying drama. Taking this particular class, I felt that maybe I could learn more and prepare myself a little better with proper research. Ha ha ha. Nothing can prepare you when a loved one falls critically ill and is literally "knocking on heaven's door".  I try to desensitize myself and pretend that its a fact of life and go about my day. But, the fact is... it sucks and its going to happen.. kinda reminds me of the movie, "Final Destination" without the sick twistedness - we are all un-immune to death, and its obviously going to happen someday.

The point of this post is this: My step-sister whom I've known for the past 18 years contracted the H1N1 virus and it evolved into double pneumonia. She is in the ICU in critical condition and is in a coma induced-like state. Her lungs are not responding, and she has an oxygen machine doing the work for her. My dad says its looking rather grim. My sister wasn't always the best sibling to me growing up, (she's 8 years senior), and I understand I wasn't the easiest little brat to get along with, but I did settle my differences with her and I have long time forgiven her. I have a slew of siblings and if this happened to any other, my response would be the same.

People laugh about contracting this virus, like the media played it all up... but, I am seeing the harsh reality of what that virus can do to somebody. All we can do is pray that she heals and its in God's hands at this time.

~Holly

Baby Milestones...

Okay, I know better than to compare my 7 month old to other babies but I can't help it! Ayla can sit up on her own but not for very long and she wants to topple right over. I have been working and working with her everyday with tummy time, and having her sit up with the Boppy to cushion the falls. I mean, Keira was crawling at this age and she was cruising around the furniture at 8 months! I am seriously freaking out, lol. Plus, when I am feeding her solids, her attention is everywhere but the spoon... I know, I know... Every baby develops at their own pace, but what is normal and what is not?

~Holly

LOST...(Story of my life)

So, I am completely into the show Lost, and its sad that I am having to watch the remaining episodes each week as it nears the final show of the series. I fell in love with the island of Oahu when I was stationed there, and its no wonder why anyone wouldn't be drawn to such a beautiful place. It does have an ugly side but when you peel away the layers and focus on the actual beauty of the waterfalls on a rainy day off the H3, or cliffjumping off the Pali... its the memories of when I first fell in love with my husband that makes me yearn to go back. I used "Lost" as a metaphor because I am constantly being reminded with life on Hawaii through friends that have just moved there, been stationed there with me, or the damn show! So, I am more or less homesick for the island and maybe its the nostaglia of meeting my husband or the great friends that I met there... who knows! Sadly, I even told Mr. B that if I could choose from owning a beautiful house or living back in HI, I would choose HI, lol. Its definitely my happy place. :)

Home Sweet Home!

So, we finally closed on our new house on Friday and I have to admit it feels pretty good! It is a bit surreal because we have been lifelong renters before, and to finally have control over upgrades in "our" home is amazing! The painters have came and painted the first level and the girls bedrooms so far, and finally the blinds are installed! I feel like we have been going non-stop since January or even since we've moved here in June. I told Mr.B that we are in desperate need of some TLC away from all the stresses. We need a mental vacation, lol!

~More to follow! :)

~Holly