Halu-Halo

Safe, but still bombarded

I thanked my lucky stars on Sunday morning that the DC area survived Irene.  Especially after how the Northeast was shortly pummeled and is still trying to overcome the damage from it.  I, myself, thought for sure we would be out of power for days, with how much our trees bent back and forth.  

Since the entirety of last week was focused on how to prepare for a natural disaster, I completely forgot that school was starting next week.  Seriously...I thought that I had another month left.  

 

I honestly don't remember having this many school supplies until I was in high school.  Or did the binder paper and pens just magically appear in my desk and backpack?  The only thing I recall about school shopping was making sure I had the exact Trapper Keeper I wanted.  I am positive that I surely don't remember my mother sighing and complaining that the-cart-is-so-heavy-already. My poor second child will have that tired scene etched in his memory - how I dragged him to buy school supplies in the dead of night (meaning, 9pm) so completely exhausted that it took the both of us to get the right amount of glue sticks in the cart.

But I'll take it I tell ya, better Avery, Mead, Elmer and Rose Art, rather than Irene.

Happy Hump Day! Here's to perspective!

 

That earthquake was nuthin'

I am, after all, a proud Northern Californian with a few under her belt.  Add that to the yearly earthquake drills we had in school, and our DC tremor was old hat.  We took our places underneath our dining room table and just waited.  I even gave myself a pat on the back for the calm demeanor I had (in general - except my "Get under the table - it's an earthquake!" declaration) throughout the crisis.

But this?  Not so much.

I'm all about having peace if the ground opens up to swallow me, but winds, flooding, and possible evacuation?  Eeeeek, there is no calm Tif here - nope, I'm not even going to pretend.

I made my list and I'm checking it twice.  I'm gassing up the car today and pulling a wad out of the bank just in case.  And hubby, who - by the way - thinks that this storm won't touch us, will be doing a final run for batteries and water tonight.  

And to think we aren't even on the North Carolina coast, where Irene expects to undoubtedly trample through.

I've stocked up on some books I've been wanting to read, in case we are stuck without power, and if Nyla  has run out of juice.  

Hubby has even taken the uber-laissez faire route just to balance out my hyper vigilance, making me even more spastic.  My poor sweet Hubby, he just can't win sometimes.

I hope that that my fellow east coasters stay safe this weekend!  I'll be praying for Irene to change her mind and head East into the waters.

 

 

P.S.  And no, I don't like tornados either.  I'll pass on the Yellow Brick Road experience, thank you.

Dystopia

Next month the Mother's Morning Bookclub a friend and I started is celebrating it's first year anniversary.  I'm in the process of compiling the books we've read this year, and I'm so pleased to note that each of our members brought forward a great variety of books this year!  Of the entire bunch, I would probably have to admit that I am most likely the slowest reader of all of them, but I'm happy to be able to draw so many different book recommendations from them.

We started off the year with Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.  It was my first time reading Atwood, and she totally turned me on to dystopian novels and apocalyptic fiction.  She writes such an eerie and bleak picture of what the future could hold, but I just couldn't get enough.  After The Handmaid's Tale, I read The Road, The Passage, The Hunger Games trilogy, am almost finished with Uglies series.  And I just finished these:

 

I gobbled these two books down in a flash, almost thankful for the rest time my wrist was insisting that I take.  I was almost always thinking about how I would be able to survive such austere circumstances, as portrayed by these authors.  Would I be just as optimistic as I am now, would I still have the same confidence and Faith?  I, after all, am living the good life now in this great and free country, despite the challenges I face, and the now and then physical pain I feel.  In other places of the world, their norm could be considered just as bad as what's predicted in these books.  And yet, the heart of the average citizen who lives there can be even more pure and Faithful.  Would I be able to stand up to the same test?

When I was at mass yesterday, I prayed that I would.  I sometimes take it for granted that my Faith is always with me, but if I were thrown into an arena to fight my peers to the death at the age of 16 (The Hunger Games, just in case you haven't read it), would I have the same outlook of life?  Or if I had to take my son and walk an endless, dangerous road to warmth and safety (The Road), would I have the emotional stamina to do so?  Or, if my country was blowing up violently all around me, would I have the strength to *know* that I'm going to be alright? (Current events, past history)

I hope so...but until then, I'll be praying for it, and for those who live in such dire straights today.

Hope you all have a productive Monday!

 

 

 

 

Fixing myself

I have my cell phone set on a timer; in ten minutes, I will click Publish, and this blog post will be on its way to you, and I can stretch out my hands.

I really don't like going a week without blogging, not unless, of course, I am on vacation and I am resting for fun.  But I've had good reason to be away from the computer: I've had to fix myself let my body fix itself.

Last week, a seething pain went through my right wrist, up my forearm and into my shoulder.  It was a pain that didn't get better even with stretching so I put myself on a self imposed break.  It was, I believe a repetitive strain injury (RSI), most likely caused by the way I grab on to my tiny little mouse as if it was the root cause of life itself.  I had been spending a lot of time on the computer, and it was my body's way of saying - "Enough, already!"

By the second day of my symptoms, I cried, my withdrawals starting - I didn't want to spend any time away from the words I had to write.  I started panicking, planning out my purchase for a speech-to-text program. The entire house was in a tizzy, with everyone trying to console me, patting me on the back, bringing me ice and words of encouragement.  My family = my best supporters.

After a couple of days of pain, I got better, only to wake up on Monday feeling like someone had charged a jolt into my thumb.  I cried then too.  And on Tuesday.  

Anyway, today, I am much better,

physically and emotionally.  And appreciative for the use of my hands, for these 10 minutes I am able to write, and being able to still reach out to you.  The moments that we can try to bring our dreams to fruition, I keep realizing, can be sidelined in an instant.  So why not take those moments and run with it?  There's no reason to wait, even if it's only 10 minutes at a time.

It was a great lesson for me, so after I hit Publish, I will write down my to do list for the day as if the last week never happened. (with some hand stretching thrown in there for good measure)  And I'm picking up my highlighters and my sticky pads and will mark up my papers with pleasure. (and then maybe do some yoga)  And hopefully, I will joyfully pin down a quilt I need to finish for my baby niece. (then ice, ice, ice) But I'm going for it.

I hope you have a Go-For-It! Thursday yourself!

Mail!

In our Army life, I've spent many many minutes doing this:

So many, that I still have a stash of extra boxes, tape, and customs forms in my storage room leftover from Hubby's last deployment.  Now that my brother is currently deployed, I hope to use it all up sending him goodies.  For although he is a 30 year old single guy who appears tough and invincible, I still see him as my doe-eyed, sensitive but rambunctious baby brother.  

And who doesn't love a package?

My dear friend Julia prompted me a little while ago to mention a few suggestions of what to send to a deployed military person, even if one may not know the recipient personally.  So, I've decided to jot down a few ideas for you!  Hope this helps!

 

Edible:

Hard candy like Jolly Rancher, Skittles, Starburst, Werthers hard caramels. (Chocolate melts!)

Gummy anything: bears, worms, crabby patties

Cookies - If homemade, in stiff containers

Coffee

Tea

Seeds (watermelon, sunflower)

Beef Jerky

Trail Mix/dried fruit

Energy bars (Power, Cliff, Luna)

Single serve drink powder  (coffee, Crystal Light, Gatorade)

Travel sized wet wipes

 

Toiletries

A fresh set of towels

Toothbrush 

Hairbrush

Cotton Swabs

Flip flops (unisex color, size medium or large)

Soft shell toiletries bag

 

Comfort 

Pillowcases  

Basic sheet set

Travel Coffee mug

Basic stationary, with already stamped envelopes

Small Journal

Pre-paid phone card (every minute counts!)

Disposable camera

Peppermint Mocha Mama added: In the winter time, hats in darker color (never white because it gets too dirty) and in the summer time, cool ties for their neck to beat the heat. I know when I ran my charity, this is the prime time to start up the hat knitting. Be sure to use natural fibers and not acrylic - heaven forbid, if they get wounded in the garment, acrylic will melt. Also the girls feel that they stand out already so be sure to not use super feminine colors.  

    Note from Tif...great colors to use for yarn are black and dark green, should you have any questions, ask the service members who work in that specific area as to what is most appropriate! 

 

Branch/Person Specific

Undershirts 

Socks

Underwear

Razors

Laminated photos of you

Photos in a soft covered small album

Gift cards for audio/electronic accounts (I-tunes, Kindle, Nook)

Small fun decorations! (Christmas stocking, mardi gras beads, leprechaun hat)

 

General Shipping Suggestions

Pre-order APO flat rate boxes.

Grab a handful of customs forms to keep on hand.  Fill out your forms before you get to the post office.

Remember that what you send that can't be consumed will have to come back with their stuff or will have to be shipped back via USPS at their expense.

No liquids!

Chocolate melts in the summertime.

If sending food, send enough for the recipient to share.

Don't forget to include a handwritten note!

 

Did I miss something?  Do you have a suggestion to add?  If so, please let me know, and I'll add it (with a link to your blog, if applicable).

Have a great night everyone!

When it's all messed up with us humans...

Let's check in with our best friend, shall we, for just a little bit of an escape.

She who doesn't care if our country is in financial crisis, or that war has taken one too many lives.  She who, when I am a little out of sorts, will come and rest her head on my feet when I'm on the computer, or when I'm reading at the table.  She, who doesn't mind being thrown under the covers by my boys, who sleep with her at bedtime.

(birthday cake recipe here)

Do you all remember when we brought her home?  She was a blessing and she is still today, since she somehow manages to take away all of that wondering I've been doing (about our country's future, my children's livelihood, and the security or lack-of that our generation is leaving them with).  She is my own pet therapy.

I have to admit, that it hasn't been completely smooth sailings with our sweet Sugar.  There was the shoe-accident she caused and of course, the seven (SEVEN!) times she ran away when Hubby was deployed, with this being the longest and saddest of the incidences.  

But she more than makes up for it all every day, accepting our family in all of its rambunctious nature, and putting up with the antics the children put her through.  Like riding her like a pony, and chasing her around the house.  And holding out a treat to her until she drools like the Hoover Dam.

So, in this not so great week in our human world, her Birthday is welcomed even more with our eager hearts.

Happy 4th Birthday, our Sugar-y Doogar AKA Brown Sugar AKA Sugar (as named by C) You are, without a doubt, loved through and through by your human family.

Practice what I preach

Every morning here in the Halu-Halo residence, there is a flurry of excitement as to who gets what bowl for their morning cereal.  

Excitement is probably not the most accurate word to describe it - it's more like an eyerollingfrustration or a mindnumbingchaos.

We have exactly the perfect amount of Fiesta bowls for each of our family members, except for Baby J, and if all of the bowls are present then there isn't really an issue.

But, in our house, we never know where that last bowl is....in the dishwasher, maybe, or in the wrong cupboard.  Hubby could have taken it all the way to work and heck I really wouldn't have known, because as a mom of four I choose my battles.  Kids safe? Check.  Fed? Check.  Mama's sanity intact? Close enough. Last bowl? Uh-whocares.

In the middle of these morning "discussions" on who's turn it is to take the yellow bowl, which has been deemed the least desireable against an unknown criteria set by my kids, I really try to teach them that it really doesn't matter what bowl they use.  I plead, I put my hands up, I wave my arms like Vanna White and show them that these bowls are all the same.

My 10 and 8 year old boys are pretty easy going about all of this; I think they like to "discuss" just because they like to hash everything to the tee.  Usually, as soon as they see me exasperated they take the bowl nearest to them and life goes on.  But my Sweet R, in her 6-year-old sassiness, only wants the red bowl, because it is "a girl color."

I usually take her under my mama-bird wing and talk to her about the many different colors in the world and how they are beautiful.  She always looks at me as if she really doesn't buy it, but eventually agrees and takes whatever bowl is left.  Then I pat myself on the back for being consistent, and for teaching her to be flexible and appreciative.

Last weekend, Hubby went to the Commissary for his twice a month shopping spree.  Armed with my shopping list and his zipped baggie of coupons - yes, my Army Man doesn't only shop, but shops with coupons !!hoooah!! - he set off with me yelling as he walked out the door, "Don't forget to pick up the disposable razors that have more than 3 blades."  

And no, my neighbors didn't hear me, thank goodness.  

He acknowledged with his coffee cup in the air and off he went with half of our brood.

Two hours later, he returned, looking very accomplished and proud, with a car full of groceries and with kids who had half a bag of candy already in their cheeks.  I started to unpack, and asked him if he bought my razors.

"Yep," he said and he pulled them out of the bag.

I gasped.

Me (trying not to panic): These are men's razors!

Him (not looking at me, still proud from all of the bananas he brought home): Huh?

Me: (holding up the package): These! (shaking them) These are men's!  

Him: (arranging his bananas): You said you wanted razors with at least 3 blades. Those have four! (he smiles)

Me: (still shaking them): But women's razors are pink!

Him: It doesn't matter does it?  Aren't they all the same?  Just a different color.

 

I took a deep breath, readying myself for my tantrum, preparing my argument that he will need to return these razors and get me the correct ones.  Then I looked around and realized that I had little Sweet R staring at me, still chewing her Skittles and waiting for my reaction.

So, I did what I had to do.  I took one for the team.  I stayed quiet, and today I used one of those darned razors.

And guess what?  They are exactly the same as their pink counterparts.

Happy Hump Day everyone!  Hope your little lessons today bring you some laughs!

My peeps

This last week was a true summer-at-home week.  Catching up with my friends, taking kiddos to visit theirs, hosting our own moments.  We had a ton of pool time, and even caught some minutes for a kid/husband/caffeine/alcohol-free sugar-filled nightcap with a girlfriend.  

I even got to spend a few hours with The NOVA Modern Quilt Guild.  

And what a true giddiness it was to see them again; to be around folks who appreciate fabric and quilts, and who celebrate the creative spirit.  I brought R with me at her pleading and on the ride home she marveled that there were "lots of mommies who quilt", which I interpret that she thought I was the only one my age who geeked out over these things.

Because writing has consumed me the last few weeks, I hadn't been making huge strides in my crafting, but after an afternoon with my quilting peeps, I realized it may be the muse I crave.  

By Sunday afternoon, I had completed a few more hexagon blocks and Hubby and I caught a home movie before Mass, talking and laughing through most of it.  During dinnertime I shared stories with my kids about their mama as a teenager, and they laughed and laughed thinking of me as a young person. 

My peeps - I cherish them.  They fuel me; I continue to realize that everything is about relationships.  And each interaction is a ripple, the ocean of our world moved by it.  To think one is their own island is faulty; that success is individual - foolish.

I woke up this morning feeling blessed to have them.

Have a great Monday!