Make the Most of your Move | PCS Time Take 2 | My Hot Mess

We made this trip before. We went across the country - from the east coast to the southwest.

Saying goodbye to our home.

This time, we are going from the southwest to the east coast.

But this time -- with the children.

Yes. You heard that right. The first time we went across country we were blessed to have gone alone - minus the two dogs and cat that tagged along. But the boys (only had two children back then) were with their grandparents.

Hotel Life

My husband and I were able to travel and enjoy each other in the peace (except for the meowing and whining) while we visited adult stops along the way.

This time - not so lucky. Not that we didn't have the choice, but we figured we hadn't had a real family vacation in a while and decided to make the PCS move our vacation. Mostly to take the kids to Universal Studios to enjoy the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The boys are ALL about some HP.

The husband and I didn't want to make the same stops we did on the way to Texas so we had to look at the map and figure out some fun family friendly stops while ensuring we stayed within 7-9 hours of driving a day AND make it to North Carolina in our allotted time.

Headed out.

What we came up with was -  Houston, Pensacola, Orlando and then Fayetteville (home).

Why those places? Well, Houston because my eldest is a Texans fan and we thought visiting the football stadium would be awesome. Pensacola ... well, we thought we'd get to see the beach, but really it was a nice place to stop for the night because going all the way to Orlando would have been a horrible LONG drive. And Orlando, because of course, Universal Studios.

The longest of the drives was going to be El Paso to Houston. 10 Hours (without stopping) - why is Texas so BIG?! LOL I had the little girl, two dogs and the eldest to help me out with the littlest. Dad had the middle boy. Mostly to keep the boys from arguing with each other. Save both of our sanities for the multi-day trip!

We almost didn't get to do the Texans' stadium because when I emailed to ask how we went about getting tickets or reservations, they replied the next day stating they were sold out. I was completely bummed and emailed them back explaining our situation and you know what? They were amazing. They squeezed all five of us into the tour and the eldest (and the middle) enjoyed themselves thoroughly. I cannot thank them enough for letting us join in even though they were full.

How do you travel with animals you ask? VERY CAREFULLY. And it requires planning - which we are NOT good at. LOL We had to ensure every hotel we went to allowed dogs. We stayed at Marriott all throughout the trip as we wanted to grab points, use points, and well - the military gives us a per diem, we were going to use that per diem.

Every where we ate had to be fast food or a place where we could keep an eye out on the dogs. We either popped the back window for them or kept the car running while we ate. Though the latter was difficult because cars are smart now and won't let you lock the car doors with the key fob. We had to keep someone in the car, lock with the door locks and then climb out the back window (which would obviously have to remain unlocked) so that we could give the impression that the car was locked ... when really, anyone could have stolen our car with the dogs inside.

In Pensecola, we decided not to go to the beach so that we could get to Orlando a day earlier and actually enjoy Fourth of July at the park instead of on the road. We did stop at a pretty awesome Outdoor World (in which the dogs were allowed inside because Bass Pro Shops is pet friendly). The kids enjoyed the fish, ducks and other sights inside the store. It also gave us a chance to stretch our legs AND feel like we saw SOMETHING in Pensacola!

 We left in the morning to head to Orlando - still a 7-8 hour trip. Did I mention that the boys didn't know a damn thing about where we were going? All they knew was that we were headed to Fayetteville to live in our new home. They had no clue about Orlando.

 We decided to surprise them just outside the Orlando area - at a rest area. Yes, my middle child was NOT happy about "just getting shirts" in his box. LOL until big brother finally let him in on the surprise (since middle can't read ... LOL). My little girl was just excited to be out of the car seat! haha!

Four days at Universal and we had a blast. We enjoyed the Jurassic World area and even got to watch baby raptors get hatched and NAME ONE!

Yes, we were nerds and matched our outfits for our trips. Only mom and dad and the baby (who was forced) met Blue, the raptors. Our middle child wanted to see her so bad but chickened out last minute.

Of course, we spent the majority of our time in the Harry Potter world. We did get a small break in the fact that we got a special needs pass for our eldest (who's autistic) in which if the line was longer than 30 minutes, we just got to get a mark to return in one hour. So that helped us out big time with riding the newer rides and seeing more of the park.

 We also really enjoyed our oldest being 12 and sort of a sissy. We (as in my husband and I) thoroughly enjoyed the family member waiting/child swap area! We got to take turns on rides that the littles couldn't go on, leave the littles with the eldest when he didn't want to go on a roller coaster and get to ride multiple times since the kids all didn't want or couldn't ride. It was amazing.

Only bad thing? The afternoon showers. Florida has afternoon showers in the summer ... like every damn day. I totally forgot about this and didn't bring the ponchos. It wasn't that big of a deal, until it was the last day where it POURED and we got SOAKED. Tensions were on high and we tried to still have fun. The littlest had a blast in the water ... she didn't mind at all.

We made it to Fayetteville for my birthday ... in which we were awoken by the fire alarm. So much for sleeping in for my 35th birthday!

Needless to say though, we had a blast on our trip across the country. My biggest tip to y'all PCSing is to most definitely make the most our of your forced move and vacation. Each military member is given a set time allotment to move, so many days (depending on length/distance), given so much money to live in hotels and to EAT.

Take that and make the most of it!

Nursing and Running | "Werk it" Out Wednesdays

You know what guys? I've been milk free (as in human milk) for about a year now and just realized that I never talked about my experience in nursing and running.

Because guys - it's definitely an experience and not for the self-conscious.

I talked about nursing sports bras HERE, but never elaborated on HOW you work in nursing around a run schedule - especially if you're training for a race!

 Lifting up a sweaty SPORTS bra isn't fun at all, but trying to put everything back in place while still sweaty ... HORRIBLE. So first tip, get a nursing sports bra. When I found the perfect nursing sports bra, nursing my daughter on the go became much easier. It was just trying to figure out the logistic of it.

And sometimes this means stopping mid run, sitting on the curb and nursing the baby girl. This is also were modesty really went out the window. I used to be so self-conscious of nursing my children out in public. I remember with my first, I legit went to the bathroom to nurse because I just didn't feel right. (ew) When I had my second, I still covered up, but finally realized that I didn't give a flying F what other people thought ... but still would be modest.

 
My third child? Forgetaboutit. I didn't derobe every time, but I did leave the coverup at home and just fed my baby when my baby was hungry. I didn't (and still don't) care if other people were uncomfortable. And in fact, my husband just wanted SOMEONE to say SOMETHING to me -- but luckily, it never came. Every where I nursed, I wasn't bothered. Even in the baby isle in Target, sitting on their sample rocking chair.

I was nursing still when I ran my first half marathon. My second son was just 6 months old. My mother was at home with the eldest and the baby ... 4 states away. What did I do? I brought my pump.

I pumped just before I left for the racing stalls and then pumped right after the race upon returning to the hotel (even though my breasts were soooo swollen, sweaty and in pain). I traveled and ran with a group of ladies who are all about women empowerment and didn't mind at all.

Basically, that's what I did for training as well. I would nurse before going out for miles and then nurse when I got back. I tried to schedule my training sessions around his nap time but shit, they eat like every 1-2 hours and when you're running miles ... it takes time! LOL

When I had my third, I wasn't training for anything particular ... but decided to run the El Paso Half marathon since we would be leaving within the next year. Every workout I went to, I would nurse her before hand. She was a little better at holding off feeding time until I got a shower in afterwards BUT sometimes, she wasn't having it. I would grab a baby wipe, pop open the nursing sports bra, wipe myself and then feed.

My mommy workout groups didn't mind at all. And when I did have to stop midrun? I stopped and fed. After all, just as getting in the miles is important - this (FEEDING YOUR CHILD) is important. I'd have to stop if she was bottle fed too. So, no big deal. You're a mommy 24/7 - you are a runner part-time.

She was only 5 months old when I ran the half and I was fairly certain I was going to have to stop to nurse her. My husband (and family) was going to be at mile 10/12 at the water station Team RWB was hosting. I kept them posted on my location and time on target. If she was hungry, I was going to stop and nurse her. If I was in pain, I was going to stop and nurse her. But when I got to the water station, my husband let me know that she wasn't fussy, she wasn't hungry and she was happy. I wasn't in pain, so we made the decision to keep moving. I nursed her after completing my half and she was just fine.

Do you see her in the Tula?? My hubby was wearing her while he volunteered.

My advice? Nurse or pump before working out. Nurse or pump after you shower, or make sure you have some way to clean yourself before nursing. I don't know if that makes any difference or not, but I just felt bad nursing sweaty! LOL

Whatever you do, you know you best. Do what works for you. Set goals and do what you need to do to reach them. All I know is, training for something after pregnancy helped me stay motivated to workout while pregnant and helped me lose weight fast after pregnancy. What works for me may not work for you though! But don't give up. Take it day by day and see what works for you.

"Werkit Out" Girl!

Clearing Military Housing | PCS Time Take 2 | My Hot Mess

The movers came.

The movers packed.

The movers loaded the truck.

And the movers left.

Now what do we do? We still have 4 days to stay in the home and figure out how to keep the kids busy, get the home to military housing cleaning standards, care for an old ass dog that is sneezing blood everywhere, and oh, yeah - say goodbye to everyone.

First things first - I put the kids to work. I made them scrub the walls. Yep. I'm that mom. I was next to them the entire time telling them to go over the spots again. Surprisingly - they both did a great job.

I also got super lucky to have awesome neighbors who let the boys hang out at their place while the packers and loaders were here. So they pretty much were out of my hair for the majority of the packing portion. I may have bribed them a tad to clean properly, but hey - it got done.

The tablets also came in handy. I loath the electronics. I really do. Especially the tantrums that follow electronic time because they're "not ready" or "just one more minute mom?" I hate the tablets but the tablets helped out mom and dad in ensuring the kids were out of the way and we were able to clean the rest of the home.

Keeping the kiddos busy was the hard part. So we broke down the cleaning into a few days so that we cleaned in the morning and the afternoons were saved for fun stuff to do.

We went to our fair share of movies.

Had FroYo a little too much

Enjoyed the many splash pads.

When inspection came, we were nervous. We had spent 2-3 days (off and on) scrubbing that home. But there were things we weren't sure if we were going to get away with. For instance the hole in the rug that was there before we got there (and annotated on our move in slip), but had heard numerous horror stories about having to pay a fortune on things that weren't our fault.

We lucked out. The woman said that new flooring was being put in so we didn't have to pay the carpet cleaning and we had done such a good job cleaning, we didn't have to pay a cleaning fee. SCORE!!! That's $300+ we have extra in our pockets now!

What did we clean to ensure no fees?

• used the vacuum attachment to suck up all the dust on the baseboards (I know, gross. But that's not something I did on a regular basis) 

• scrubbed the walls -- we used magic erasers (but those fell apart real quick) and the yellow and green sponges with water and soap. We scrubbed the walls and baseboards. Like on our hands and knees scrubbing.

• wiped the top of the doors down 

• cleaned the doors and the crevices of the doors 

• swept/vacuumed the floors like 5 million times 

• mopped the floors with Pinesole (if it's one thing the Army taught me, it's as long as it smalls clean - it's clean) 

• scrubbed the stove and used the self cleaning option 3 times to ensure an easy wipe down of the oven 

• bleached and scrubbed the fridge (inside and outside). I didn't even know the fridge came apart in so many pieces until my husband started pulling pieces out. I was in awe. I really don't see a need to step up my fridge scrubbing skills with him around. 

• wiped/magic eraser down the window sills 

• power washed the porch and the garage - not to mention the front stoop 

• paid a teen to mow and weed-eat the backyard (and pick up dog poop) 

• cleaned the windows - figured out that the windows are an easy open to clean both inside and outside quickly. Again, didn't know that until husband showed me. Why isn't he doing more of the cleaning in the home on a regular basis?? lol 

• vacuumed and wiped down the ceiling fans 

• vacuumed the inside of all the drawers in kitchen and bathrooms 

• bleached the shit out of the toilets and showers 

• wiped down all counters (bathroom and kitchen) 

• crossed out fingers that we did everything that would be inspected.

Again, we got lucky with the carpets. Since it was the original carpeting (BARF) it was time for it to be ripped out and replaced. So, you're welcome newcomers.

We also moved at a good time since military housing has been in the news as of late. The whole "they expect us to keep the homes in mint condition and then charge us for things they should be doing for upkeep" bullshit. We moved at a great time - to say the least.

Hopefully, with all the backlash the military housing has been getting from media and now, the government - moving will continue to be easier for military families who are forced to move so often.

I also hope this post gives a little insight and what you should clean for an easy move out inspection and how to keep the kiddos busy!

Till next time,

Preteen Emotional Roller Coaster | Raising the Boys

Stars, Stripes and Sarcasm

Walking this path we are on dealing with ADHD and Autism ... I feel like it's a mixture of rocky trail combined with soft sand. And sometimes, it feels like we are gliding through mud.

We think we are getting somewhere in our journey, but then there's a fork in the road and all of sudden we are forced to decide which way to go. One way leads to more yelling, more stress, more anger, more tantrums. The other way leads to more therapy, more visuals hung up around the house, more deep sighs and more walking away to cool off.

It doesn't seem like there's ever a right path to choose. There isn't room for error yet the whole experience is trail and error because there is no cure, there is no easy button and there definitely isn't a choice to leave the trail all together.

So what is a mom (parent) of a special needs child to do? Stick with those who understand and don't judge - which is easier said than done. BUT - that's what a parent needs to do. You'll always get people putting in their two cents about what you SHOULD be doing. But you know what, I don't care who you are. When you have an emotionally unbalanced preteen on your hands, all SHOULDS, WOULD OFS, and COULD OFS go flying out the window.

We are still trying to find a medicine concoction that will stabilize our son. We've tried many and still haven't seen the results we are looking for. Is it too much of what we are asking for? Or is this the route we take? Hormones and new meds, emotions and physical ailments. I mean, I know I was awkward as hell as a preteen ... but this, this is the worst!

My final goal (and this is mine alone) is for my son to be free of medications and have the ability to control his impulses and tantrums and emotions. Call it being a 12 year old, or a stubborn boy, but he seems to not use the tools we provide him to do so.

He's been through so many therapists that he knows how to play each and every one. He says what he's supposed to. He can recite everything that he's supposed to do. But does he do it? Nope.

How do we ensure our son's future if there is no motivation or "umph" for him to succeed as an adult?

Guys, give me the strength to survive these preteen ... and ugh, TEEN years with him. I know he is worth it. I know he can achieve great successes ... I just need that attitude and stubbornness to cease!

How do y'all survive the preteen/teen years?