Weekend Blog Hop

The weekend is my favorite part of the week (umm duh) for many reasons!

First you don't have to go to work!!! Granted being a mommy is a 24/7 job I mean those pesky desk jobs you have to go to Mon-Fri. Yep don't have to do that on the weekends!

Secondly you get to sleep in. Well that is if your husband isn't deployed! 88 days and I can sleep in again! 

But finally you can meet other mommy bloggers with a weekend blog hop!

I love it because you just never know what you are going to find! It's like going to garage sales...there is always a treasure amongst someone else's clutter just waiting for you to buy it.

So go check it out and link with my blog hop choice for this weekend.

June 29 Blog Hop

Chalkboard Picture Frame

So I have had this craft to do for awhile now but with summer time here it is always hectic. But this craft is easy to do and super fun for the kids!

Since Justin has been deployed we are using it as a way to count down the days until he is home. 

You will need: Chalkboard spray paint, chalk, and a wooden frame.

Of course make sure you put something under the picture frame so that way you don't make your garage floor half chalkboard.

Make sure you spray it really good. Add a second coat if necessary.

Then when you are done add your favorite picture and and write a note around the frame! 

Cancer Sucks

I wish I was writing a post on how much cancer sucks on different terms but sadly it isn't so. I feel bad that I have been so absent from my blog these past few weeks but my mind has been elsewhere. This is where the correlation to cancer comes in. A few years ago my mother was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. She fought long and hard and even through the most difficult times she always had her beautiful smile and positive attitude. Sadly my mother lost her battle on June 16th. While I am beyond sad and lost at times I know my mother isn't suffering anymore and ultimately that is the most important part. Even though for my own selfish wishes I wish a million times over that she is still here so I can call her when I have something to talk about or just hear how her day went. I just miss hearing her voice. It was so comforting and so calming. 

My cousin had the perfect quote for my mom and just wanted to share it:

"I am in a thousand winds that blow, I am the softly falling snow. I am the gentle showers of rain, I am the fields of ripening grain. I am in the morning hush, I am in the graceful rush of beautiful birds in circling flight, I am the star shine of the night. I am in the flowers that bloom. I am in a quiet room. I am in the birds that sing, I am in each lovely thing." - Mary Elizabeth Frye

So if you take anything away from this post...please make sure you get your mammograms and do your self checks! Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women so please take the time and care for yourselves! I know I will!!

I wanted to add this photo of my mom when she was pregnant with me. I know the photo isn't the best quality and I was taking a picture of a picture but it reminds me of how blissfully happy she always was. But also it reminds me of a scene in the movie The Family Stone when Sarah Jessica Parkers' character gave a picture of Diana Keaton's character when she was pregnant to all the family as a present. I think I will try to get this picture cleaned up a bit and do the same. 

Things to Know While Hubby is Away

So Justin is deployed again which isn't anything new because this is the 4th time he has gone. You would think by now that I would have everything down pat but alas reality has shown me otherwise. So I made a list of things that are helpful to know while the hubby is deployed.

1. How to Change the Spark Plug on the Lawnmower

Yep never thought of that huh?! Me either! But a few weeks ago I tried to start the lawnmower and nothing happened. I checked the gas and there was plenty. One of my coworkers mentioned that it was probably the spark plug and sure enough it was. You can find a replacement at any Lowes, Home Depot, Sears, etc...

2. Fire Alarms

Yep that is another doozie!! About 2 weeks after he left at 1am my fire alarms started going off. They stopped after about 5 seconds but needless to say I was wide awake after that. I assumed it was a fluke but around the same time the next night it did the same thing. So...I changed out the batteries and thought it was fixed. NOPE! One alarm kept chirping at me and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I tried to reset the alarm but nothing worked. I googled to find out why and I needed to get a new alarm because this one was busted. This website worked perfectly to find my answer- Smoke Detector Beeping.

3. Bank Account

Yep this is one of the no brainers but it has to be said. Make sure that you know what bills have to be paid and when. Also it is good to know password question answers for the bank account if you aren't normally the one that does the bills. Perfect example....I didn't know the password question answers to log on with my husband's log in and had to find out. 

4. Power of Attorney (POA)

This single piece of paper can make your life so much easier while the hubby is gone I promise! The last deployment that Justin was on he didn't tell the legal lady correctly and she gave him a medical POA for me for the kids. Well I already have the nifty yellow card for on base and off base I don't need anything since they are my kids too. It would have been much easier to have a general POA because as it turned out I needed it. In Arkansas if you or your spouse have been deployed you can get a license plate and pay 2 bucks instead of 25ish. Well because I didn't have a general POA they wouldn't take his orders to get him a special plate so I had to pay the 25 bucks instead. 

5. Airman and Family Readiness Center (AFRC)

Now I am not sure about Army, Navy or Marines but the Air Force AFRC provides a lot of perks to the spouses while the spouse is deployed. Here at Little Rock they provide a monthly deployed families dinner which is nice because then you can meet other people who are going through the same things you are. They also provide a voucher to get a free oil change 30 days after your spouse has left. And also there is deployed child care as well. If you are a stay at home parent it can be a nice stress reliever to drop the kid(s) off for an hour or two while you relax or go get some much needed errands done. 

The hubby has only been gone for a month so I can only imagine what else I will need to add to this list before he comes back!