1. Aside from no deployments, what is one thing you would want to make the MilSpouse life “perfect”? submitted by Oh How Delightful
About Me
- Annie
- Like all of you, I'm a number of things to a number of people...Navy wife, homeschooling mama, educated woman and aspiring writer. Read my thoughts on all of it here. Please feel free to leave your thoughts on all of it too!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday Fill-In #31
1. Aside from no deployments, what is one thing you would want to make the MilSpouse life “perfect”? submitted by Oh How Delightful
Monday, February 21, 2011
Stories
Last week our homeschooling was very relaxed. Jace has started learning cursive, which he's excited about until he actually has to practice, and I was just beat. So, we talked about stories.
We sent out questions to our families back when we did our family unit study. We went over those, talked about the things Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles shared with us. The kids enjoyed the connection to the family they don't see much. Thankfully they're getting some visitors over the next few months and can't wait to see everyone who will be stopping by.
We also learned about the origins of Valentine's Day. I don't remember ever hearing the story and I think it's quite appropriate that St. Valentine have a holiday all about love named after him. Apparently, before he died and it was decided that he would be a saint, he was a priest. He lived during a time of war and the ruler of his country declared that young men were not allowed to marry. Young married men didn't make the best soldiers and he wanted them focused on fighting not on family left behind. Valentine secretly kept performing marriages for those that wanted to unite with their loves. When this was discovered, he was sent to prison. The jailer's daughter visited him often and they fell in love. He wrote her letters and, as the story goes, he signed them, "With love, from your Valentine." Fast forward to today - smother your loves with cards, chocolate and flowers!
We created several stories too, using Mad Libs and just on our own. We spent time at the mall, drinking chai and people watching. Then we told stories about the lives of the people we saw. This was an interesting activity for me to watch the kids do. Gracie was very excited and had lots of ideas about what people might be doing at the mall, what they might do when they're not at the mall, who they could be on the phone with. Jace was not as excited and answered my prompts with very realistic sound bites. "Shopping." "Work." "His wife." Granted he was probably right, but Gracie's answers were much more dramatic! "Maybe he's going shopping to find a present for his girl friend because it was just Valentine's Day and now everything is on sale and he's looking for a really cute dress to buy her and he's on the phone with her best friend to find out what style she wants. Because, Mama, there are lots of dresses that are cute. She could like sparkly or pink or ruffles or all three - like me!" Such different children!
We played lots of new made-up games too. Like the noun game that Jace made up, that turned into the adjective game. He thought of coming up with as many nouns as we could related to a subject (like vehicles or horses) and we decided that it would be easier to come up with adjectives...so we did. We also read and recited nursery rhymes and told about our favorite cartoons, books, or songs.
Jace also suggested, at dinner one night, that we go around the table and say a reason why we liked each person. When it was Jace's turn to say something he liked about me he stumbled a little. "Hmmm. Let me think about this one." Then after he hemmed and hawed for a little he said, "Well, I can't come up with anything else so I guess I'll use this: I like you because I wouldn't be here without you." He's such a pip squeak! I'm glad he understands my role in his existence, but it would be nice if there were one or two other little things he liked about me!
So, our week was pretty relaxed as far as school goes, but very busy otherwise! All in all, it was a good week. I hope you can all say the same.
We sent out questions to our families back when we did our family unit study. We went over those, talked about the things Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles shared with us. The kids enjoyed the connection to the family they don't see much. Thankfully they're getting some visitors over the next few months and can't wait to see everyone who will be stopping by.
We also learned about the origins of Valentine's Day. I don't remember ever hearing the story and I think it's quite appropriate that St. Valentine have a holiday all about love named after him. Apparently, before he died and it was decided that he would be a saint, he was a priest. He lived during a time of war and the ruler of his country declared that young men were not allowed to marry. Young married men didn't make the best soldiers and he wanted them focused on fighting not on family left behind. Valentine secretly kept performing marriages for those that wanted to unite with their loves. When this was discovered, he was sent to prison. The jailer's daughter visited him often and they fell in love. He wrote her letters and, as the story goes, he signed them, "With love, from your Valentine." Fast forward to today - smother your loves with cards, chocolate and flowers!
We created several stories too, using Mad Libs and just on our own. We spent time at the mall, drinking chai and people watching. Then we told stories about the lives of the people we saw. This was an interesting activity for me to watch the kids do. Gracie was very excited and had lots of ideas about what people might be doing at the mall, what they might do when they're not at the mall, who they could be on the phone with. Jace was not as excited and answered my prompts with very realistic sound bites. "Shopping." "Work." "His wife." Granted he was probably right, but Gracie's answers were much more dramatic! "Maybe he's going shopping to find a present for his girl friend because it was just Valentine's Day and now everything is on sale and he's looking for a really cute dress to buy her and he's on the phone with her best friend to find out what style she wants. Because, Mama, there are lots of dresses that are cute. She could like sparkly or pink or ruffles or all three - like me!" Such different children!
We played lots of new made-up games too. Like the noun game that Jace made up, that turned into the adjective game. He thought of coming up with as many nouns as we could related to a subject (like vehicles or horses) and we decided that it would be easier to come up with adjectives...so we did. We also read and recited nursery rhymes and told about our favorite cartoons, books, or songs.
Jace also suggested, at dinner one night, that we go around the table and say a reason why we liked each person. When it was Jace's turn to say something he liked about me he stumbled a little. "Hmmm. Let me think about this one." Then after he hemmed and hawed for a little he said, "Well, I can't come up with anything else so I guess I'll use this: I like you because I wouldn't be here without you." He's such a pip squeak! I'm glad he understands my role in his existence, but it would be nice if there were one or two other little things he liked about me!
So, our week was pretty relaxed as far as school goes, but very busy otherwise! All in all, it was a good week. I hope you can all say the same.
Foods Around the World
A couple weeks ago we took part in a Foods Around the World lunch with some other homeschooling families. Not only was it a lot of tasty fun to eat food from different places (at least for me - the kids weren't impressed) but we also made little poster displays to show off what we learned. I know...fun, right?
But before you get to see those...let me tell you about the adventure of choosing our places and making our foods.
But before you get to see those...let me tell you about the adventure of choosing our places and making our foods.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Friday Fill-In #30
1. What is your favorite MilSpouse blog (not including Wife of a Sailor who we all love, or your own)? submitted by Our Crazy Life (Wifey note: whaaaat? You can’t say my blog? No fun! LOL, just kidding)
I don't actually read a lot of blogs regularly, but the two I find myself drawn to most often are Randomonium (not only is she a Navy wife, but she's also primal - bonus for me!) and Planting Shade (a dear friend of my sister who's personality and writing style reach out to me).
2. What are your favorite perks about your s/o being deployed (we all know there are perks)? submitted by Ramblings of a Marine Wife
I like realizing all the things I love about him all over again. There's probably more, but right now, at this point in the patrol I don't want to think about what's good about him being gone, I just want to be excited that he's going to be home sooner rather than later and the perks that come with that!
3. How long did you date your
Well, on and off since 5th grade! I'm serious. It was way back then when I thought he was boring that she laughed and said, "You're probably going to marry him." After years of holding hands on the bus and getting in trouble for calling long distance to dedicate songs to him on the radio (yes, there was a time that people paid for long distance calls by the minute!) we dated for over a year in high school.
He broke up with me near the end of our Senior year so that he could join the Navy and I wouldn't feel tied to him. (I'm still not sure if he was being thoughtful or selfish - but it worked.) We remained friends and we both sorta dated other people. In my Sophomore year of college we officially got back together, got engaged during Junior year and were married the month after I graduated from college...10 1/2 years ago!
4. What do you think your
He believes that if we hadn't gotten married he probably would have gotten out of the Navy and gone to Alaska to make some money on the fishing boats and been a climber in the mountains around here during the off season. But if we were still married and he just wasn't in...I really don't know. What he'll do after he retires from the Navy is something we discuss frequently and the options range from self-employed wood worker and general handyman to wearing a new uniform, a suit and tie, in whatever the equivalent of division officer is in the civilian world. Time will tell...
5. If you could talk to the Secretary of (fill in your appropriate branch) what is one suggestion you would like to bring to their attention in order to improve the lives of military families? submitted by My Life as His (Air Force) Wife
Such a thought provoking question. I'm trying to think about what would make my life easier...one thing that would really help is to have free childcare at the gym. I know, it's a little silly with all the other things that could be done. But it would really help me to be able to jump in the pool every now and then. Heck, I'd even pay for childcare...not much, but something...I just want it at the gym!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Valentine's Day
Is it a Hallmark holiday? Is it a day of great romance? Is it really about love or about getting things?
I dare say it's all of that and more, depending on who you ask and when. Valentine's Day brings a number of things to mind for me. One of my absolute favorite memories of Valentine's is the cards I used to get from Grandma Kral. They looked kind of like these:
I dare say it's all of that and more, depending on who you ask and when. Valentine's Day brings a number of things to mind for me. One of my absolute favorite memories of Valentine's is the cards I used to get from Grandma Kral. They looked kind of like these:
 |
| Picture from Wholesale Accessory Market |
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Luckily I'm Good Company
I've been wondering lately if being the only one to comment on my own facebook status qualifies as talking to one's self. Or is it more like journaling? What do you think?
As I pondered that very deep topic I also wondered about my blogging. It's definitely a journal of sorts, but also written for others. However, when I don't get feedback...am I really just talking to myself?
As I pondered that very deep topic I also wondered about my blogging. It's definitely a journal of sorts, but also written for others. However, when I don't get feedback...am I really just talking to myself?
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Taboos
What don't you talk about?
Everyone has things that are uncomfortable to have a conversation about. Sex, politics, and religion seem to be big ticket items that we shouldn't discuss in polite company, right?
Everyone has things that are uncomfortable to have a conversation about. Sex, politics, and religion seem to be big ticket items that we shouldn't discuss in polite company, right?
WHAT?
Perhaps we haven't properly met. I don't do taboos. Don't get me wrong, I don't air all my laundry everywhere. But I do think everything can be talked about, and most of it probably should be discussed in polite company. After all, if you can't talk about your opinions and values nicely, you probably don't need to be talking about them at all. I know, I know...people are often passionate about these topics, and that's fine. But you can be passionate and respectful. They're not mutually exclusive.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)