Today my little boy graduated from preschool. He is going to start Kindergarten in the fall and I am feeling a little emotional about it. It isn’t that I can’t let him go, it is that I think about how quickly the last 5.5 years went and how he is going to be starting official school soon.

Years go by so quickly, I know it will be 2025 before we know it. 2025 is when he is supposed to graduate from high school! His brother will graduate a year before him. What will life be like for us then? I think about it sometimes. If Ben decides to go career he will be close to hitting his 20 year mark. He might only have a year left! I would hope that I would be making a full-time income from home by that time. That is my dream. I am not sure where we will live. I am not sure if he will graduate from the high school we live by right now. It could be in a different state or even country.

I hope that when it is 2025 I can look back on his childhood and know he had a good one. That he will learn what he needs to and he will be able to have a pretty normal life. Well as normal of a life as a Military child can have. I worry about him and the middle school years. They are hard for any kid but to add Asperger’s on top of it, make me terrified that he will hate those years. I pray that he can make friends at every place we may live. Friends that understand him and want to be around him. I am thankful he has two brothers that will always be his friends.

We were worried about him and his preschool graduation. Even talked about skipping it. But he went and he did wonderful. I was so proud of him. He therapy has really been helping him. The other night he and his brother got into a little bit of a fight. After cooling down a bit he went up to his brother and told him sorry without being asked to do so. I thought that was huge!

I am excited about Kindergarten! I am nervous about Kindergarten! I am worried about kindergarten! I know that when we work with him on his behaviors, he learns how he should be acting in certain situations. I know it is hard for him. He has bad days and it is hard to watch. I want so badly to fully understand him but I don’t think I ever really will. He is already starting to read a little bit which is awesome! He knows pretty much what you need to know before you start Kindergarten. His big struggles next year will be social.  It might be a hard year, it might be really wonderful.  I guess we just have to wait and see how it goes.

Anyone else getting ready to send a child to kindergarten in the fall? Do you have any worries about it?

1. We had a great Mother’s Day. It was the first one Ben has been home for since 2006!  That is the Army for you.  Anyway, we went to church and then drove to Opry Mills. I love that place! I wanted to eat somewhere fun and Disneyland like. Don’t laugh but it has been three years since I have been to Disneyland and I am having withdrawals. Anyway, I knew we would have to wait a long time so we walked around the mall. We bought cupcakes and Legos and then had a late lunch. It was a great day just being with my boys, doing something fun and different from the norm.

2. I am craving the beach. I had a dream about it. I was in the water, playing in the waves, body surfing. I miss that. Sad it isn’t really apart of my life anymore. It was for my first 18 years as we lived about 20-30 minutes from the beach. I gave it up when I moved away from my parents house but sometimes I really hate that I left the beach. Maybe we can get stationed near a beach someday. Maybe we will have to wait until after the Army to live near one again. Maybe we never will and will just take vacations to the beach.

3. Waiting on my first order of Velata. I have been out of chocolate for a few days now and miss it. I have my first party in a few weeks.

4. My son graduates from preschool this week. I am praying he will do well in the ceremony. You just never know with him. I might have cried a little during the Kindergarten round-up we had last week.

5. My 7.5 year old had his first singing performance ever last week. He was really into it which was great.

6. Baby J is such a toddler now. He wants to play with his brother’s toys all the time. At least he is pretty good about putting things in his mouth but his brother’s don’t always like the attention their toys get.

7. Is it summer yet? I am ready to start sleeping in, going to the pool and splash park, spending more time outside and having more bbqs.

I am sure by now you have heard of the Time article going around the internet. Tons of bloggers have blogged about it already. The front cover of time shows a mother breastfeeding her four-year-old child with a caption that says, “Are You Mom Enough?” Now I haven’t read the article but it sure is offending a lot of people. From my understanding the article is about Attachment Parenting and Mommy wars.

Before I became a mom I did temp work. I usually sat, answered phones, did some data entry and was able to read when I didn’t have anything to do. I started reading a lot about mothering, children, parenting and childbirth. I started feel very drawn to Attachment Parenting. I loved the idea of it. It seemed to fit my personality very well. I had a ton of ideas of how I was going to raise my children. I felt very strongly about them and wasn’t going to parent any other way. I joined online forums with other people

who were parenting that way. Then in September 2004, I gave birth to my first son. That was when reality hit! You can plan, you can say you are going to do x, y and z but when a baby comes, you parent. You do what is best for your child. You do what is best for your family and sometimes that doesn’t fit in a parenting camp.  I took some time away from those online forums and books and started figuring how the best way to parent my son.

Here I was a new mom trying to figure it all out. I wanted to be that Attachment Parent. And I was in some ways. With all three boys we co-slept until about 4-5 months. It was a sweet time in my life and I will always cherish the memories of that time. It was also the only way I made it through the first few months. I breastfed all three of them too. One for 17 months, one for 9 and one for 7. I wanted to breastfeed all of them for about 18 months. That was always my personal comfort level. It didn’t happen. Life happened instead. And although my ideal was 18 months, I am still happy with how long I did breastfeed them.

I never felt comfortable letting a baby CIO. I never wanted that to be apart of my parenting and I was able to stick to that. All three of my boys starting sleeping through the night by about 9 months of age. That worked for us.

I had slings and different carriers I wore some of the time. I usually didn’t wear them at home, just when we were out. Baby J probably got worn the most because I literally needed two free hands with the other two.

I have had two natural births and 1 epidural birth. If I gave birth again I would probably go naturally. I love my stroller! Love it. It’s funny because before I had my oldest I thought I would wear him in a sling all the time and barely use it, but you know what? I loved it from the beginning.

I vaccinate my children.

I used cloth with #2 but haven’t been able to get into it with #3.

So now here I am, a mother of 7.5 years and I don’t have a parenting title anymore. I could say that I lean towards Attachment parenting but I really don’t like parenting labels. I have friends who parent similar to me and friends who don’t. As my children get older, the baby stuff becomes less and less important. I have my views and beliefs, other people have theirs. I have my ideals and then I have my reality. As a newly pregnant woman reading all about pregnancy I never in a million years thought I would be going through any step of this without my husband right by my side. I never pictured long nights alone. But that was what my reality was and I had to adjust. And I think with any mom, you have to adjust. Some of the things you say before parenthood stick and others don’t.

And when it comes down to it, I may have ways of parenting that I think are best but most Mothers out there are doing what they think is best too. And most children are going to turn out alright.

I just want to be the best mom I can be to my three boys and not worry what all the other mothers are doing.

 The three pictures in this post are all of my boys right around 18 months of age  

It is time for the The 2012 Military Spouse Appreciation Day Blog Hop! This is an exciting Blog hop for Military Spouses that takes place on Military Spouse Appreciation Day hosted by Riding the Roller Coaster and Household 6 Diva. The hop starts tomorrow at 12pm EST time!

Welcome to Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life. I am Julie, 33 married to Ben, 36 for almost 10 years now. My husband has been in the Army 8.5 years total and I have been an Army wife for 6.5. We have three little boys, 7, 5 and 1. Our 5 year old was diagnosed with Asperger’s in January so that has been our latest challenge. We have been through three deployments and have lived at three duty stations so far. Schweinfurt, Germany, Grafenwoher, Germany and now Ft. Campbell.

I consider myself a WAHM as I am an Independent Scentsy Director, I blog and do a few other random things to earn money from home. I feel like my life is pretty crazy but that is the way it is these days.

Ben and I are both originally from California and plan to take a trip there this summer. I can’t wait!

Besides blogging and social media I love to take pictures, read a lot of books and have fun with my friends and family.

I hope to get to know some new bloggers during this hop

I know he is about to turn 18 months but these were from the end of March.  First real experience at the park and he loved it!

Doing his little dance

Cutie!

Grandma was holding him so I could get a picture but he just wanted to go down the slide.

We love the park! I am hoping we are able to go a lot this summer. I remember when my 7 year old was about 2.5. He had such a fun time that summer. I think we went to a park almost everyday. I am annoyed that we are not close enough to any park to walk to it. We have a nice set-up in our backyard so that is good but I love walking to a park.  Hopefully we will be able to do that again someday.   Until then we will just have to drive.

In August Ben and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage! 10 whole years, a decade! We were 10 years younger when we decided we wanted to spend our lives together. We have been through a lot of things I never would have imagined. We have spent about 3 years of those 10 apart. That seriously breaks my heart but at least it wasn’t three years in a row. We have both grown and changed over the years. I can now look at my husband and instead of saying, “I want to grow old with you” I can say, “I love growing old with you.” Because lets face it, when I look at our wedding pictures I see two younger versions of ourselves and it is very obvious that time has passed and that we are in the process of growing old together.

So what have I learned about marriage the last 10 years?

1) What works for one couple might not work for another. You hear a lot of advice about what a marriage should look like or what you should do about x,y or z. From tvs in your room to how often you go on a date! It’s nice to get advice about marriage but it might not all apply and that is okay.

2) Deployments can make a marriage stronger. I believe this can happen because it happened to us. I feel very lucky for this because I know how hard deployments can be on marriages. I am just thankful that deployments have not pushed us apart but made us stronger.

3) Kids change your marriage. They do. From what you do on a daily basis to how you view your spouse. When we had kids I got to see my husband in a new “Daddy” role. He gets to see me as a “Mommy.” It is different from our “husband” and “wife” roles.

4) Laughing together is good. My husband loves to make me laugh. Even when I am mad he can seem to make me smile. It’s good for us.

5) Let the little things go. I can find myself getting frustrated about the littlest things but I have learned it is best just to let them go.

6) I can do things without him. When he is gone, I can function. I can my kids and I halfway around the world without him. I can give birth without him. I can do a lot on my own. Doesn’t mean I like to do things this way, but I can.

7) Sometimes life gets really really hard. Sometimes it just isn’t the way I would have planned it. That can be so frustrating but in the end I am glad we have each other to get through it.

8 ) When you were raised differently you will see the world differently and that might be challenging. We were both raised by parents who loved us and loved God very much but the overall our childhoods were very different and we sometimes see things very differently. This can be frustrating but we just have to take a step back and realize where the other person is coming from.

9) I made the right choice. Way back in 2001 when I said yes to marry this man, I made the right choice. He is the right one for me and I am the right one for him.

10) Trust goes a very long way. We both trust each other. I trust him, he trusts me. I can’t imagine going through what we have been through without it.

How long have you been married? What have you learned in that time?

A few weeks ago we got together with some friends to go strawberry picking at H&S farms in Clarksville.  It was a lot of fun!  It would be great to go back before the season is over.

The last time I had been strawberry picking was back in 2006 in Germany! So glad there is a place to go around here. I hope we can do it every year. I felt like I got a ton of Strawberries too! Too many I think because the boys won’t eat them Next time I think I would just get one bucket full.

The 2012 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Honors Youth Volunteers Whose Work has Supported Servicemen and Women

In February, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards singled out America’s most outstanding youth volunteers to reward their incredible work and hold them up as examples for all of us — kids and adults alike. Several of these students’ work support servicemen and women! The effort they put forth is absolutely amazing!

Created in 1995, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents the United States’ largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service, and is a truly remarkable program! Each year, the program’s judges select two State Honorees and a handful of Distinguished Finalists in each state and the District of Columbia. The 234 Distinguished Finalists receive bronze medallions, and the 102 State Honorees each receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. where they tour the capital’s landmarks, attend a gala awards ceremony, and visit congressional representatives on Capitol Hill.

On May 7^th, while in D.C., 10 of this year’s State Honorees will be named National Honorees. These honorees will receive additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice. This wonderful trip is designed to not only thank the students for all their hard work, but to also recognize their efforts and encourage others to follow in their footsteps.

These young volunteers have helped their communities in ways that range from assisting Americans who are sick or disabled, to collecting food, medical supplies, clothing, books, and school supplies to send overseas, to working in orphanages, building homes, and teaching impoverished children. They are truly an inspiration!

Two of the state honorees whose work supported servicemen and women are Krystal Shirrell and Rebel Rauterkus.

Krystal Shirrell, 18, of Brownsburg, Ind., a senior at Brownsburg High School, has engaged in a variety of activities to assist and support U.S. veterans and soldiers. While attending a workshop organized by her sister to make hats for cancer patients, Krystal heard someone talking about how patients undergoing kidney dialysis treatment often struggle to control their body temperature. Shortly afterward Krystal was at a Veterans Day banquet when she learned that many veterans need dialysis, and an idea took shape: she could make lap blankets to help kidney-damaged veterans stay warm during treatment.  Krystal spent up to eight hours making each blanket. She also taught middle school students and senior citizens at a local nursing home how to make the blankets. So far, she has delivered more than 250 of them to the local VA hospital. On one visit, she learned about the VA’s domiciliary program for homeless vets, and immediately wanted to do something for these veterans as well. She conducted a collection drive that provided more than 5,000 needed items for vets in the program, and she hosts monthly bingo nights for them, too. In addition, Krystal designed a “thank-you” coloring sheet for elementary school students to send to veterans, and launched a campaign to send decorated Christmas trees and care packages with special gift items to troops over the holidays. Krystal says she wants to “let veterans know the younger generation has not forgotten them and is reaching out with thanks and support.”

Rebel Rauterkus, 17, of Freedom, Wyo., a member of the Lincoln County 4-H and a senior at Star Valley High School in Afton, raised more than $2,000 for the local American Legion Post by buying and raising two hogs, which were then raffled off to the public. Rebel, whose family members are active volunteers, appreciates how much local veterans do for her community and how little they ask in return. When she heard that the organization was in need of money, she knew she had to help. Her family had raffled off prize-winning hogs in the past to support local causes, so Rebel decided she would use money from her savings account to do the same. “When I met with members at the American Legion, they thought I needed money,” said Rebel. “When I said I wanted to make money to give to them, there were overcome with emotion. Several wept.”  As a 4-Her, Rebel knew the qualities she wanted in a hog. “I traveled to several breeders and (pig) sales and knew exactly what I was looking for,” she said. “Show pigs require lots of time, exercise and loving care.” After she had chosen her “boys,” as she referred to them, Rebel had 161 days to raise “the best quality meat on the market.” Last September, Rebel’s efforts paid off at the raffle when community members lined up for a chance to win Rebel’s pork. “The response and results were overwhelming,” she said. With her donation, the Alpine American Legion Post 46 will now be able to make more improvements to their ball field and continue to provide full military honors services at veterans’ funerals, she said.

How can you get involved and help support these volunteers?

1. Check out the amazing work of all 102 state honorees here and share their stories!
2. Cheer on these heroes and share the live webcast of the May 7^th event with your family and friends. You can secure your spots for this free webcast event here: http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=85447
3. Join The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards on Facebook:
   http://www.facebook.com/spiritawards
4. Follow The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards of Twitter:
   https://twitter.com/pruspirit
5. Check out The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards on YouTube:
   http://www.youtube.com/user/PruSpiritofCommunity

For more information on the volunteer activities of all of the 2012 Honorees, please visit:
http://spirit.prudential.com

Here are some more Military themed pins I have come across! I always put them on my Military Love Board

Source: photoblog.jannickamayte.com via Julie on Pinterest

Love this!

 

 

Source: blessedlittlefamilyphotography.com via Julie on Pinterest

 

Sweet, sweet, sweet!

 

 

Source: tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

 

Love the sign!

 

 

Source: tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

 

This says it all!

 

 

Source: married-to-the-military.tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

Love these!

I wanted to have some guest posts about different duty stations.  The first one is by Daneilia who is stationed at Ft. Hood with her family.  She blogs at Anchors Away.  She is about to join the Military herself  If you would like to do a guest post about where you live, please send me an email at soldierswifecrazylife@gmail.com.  I would love to have you

Hi everyone! I’m Daneilia, my family and I are currently stationed at Fort Hood and if you didn’t know it is the largest Military installation in the United States. I think its just one of those things that make it really neat and interesting. At the gates when they say “Welcome To The Great Place”, it is true at least I think so. There are an unlimited amount of resources at this base for Military families. When I say unlimited, I mean it. I had no idea about support groups for Autism, Cancer, Diabetes, and so on until I arrived here. There are so many resources I know about and am still learning about many more. There are an extreme amount of housing sections, there are a couple of Commissaries and PXs’. Also, Fort Hood has so many resources for Religions, Finance, Parenting (there are classes and groups), any kind of assistance you can think of. Of course many duty stations have this, but being the largest installation to thousands of Soldiers and families they have to provide much more.

Every year Fort Hood hosts a couple of handfuls of free events for Military families. Every now and again you’ll catch Sesame Street performing because of our wonderful USO on post. Sesame Street works in coordination with the USO on providing things for the Military Children. Ah-MAZ-ing right?! The United Service Organization provides Soldiers and families with so much. Soldiers always have access to free internet and computer services as well as other services. Not only do they work with Sesame Street but they work with Fort Hood and famous music artists to come and do performances at large events on base.

Do you like to exercise? Well you’ll never have to go off post for a gym and if you like to Run 5ks or 10ks they have a 5k every month and every so often host a 10k as well. They have more than a handful of gyms on post. If you need childcare some of them provide it. But there are plenty of Child Care buildings if you can’t get your child in the ones at the gym. All child care is really great and I can vouch for that because I’ve used plenty of the child care resources with my daughter. They don’t just watch them and let them play. The providers do crafts as well as other fun things too. If your child is of a certain age they are eligible to attend Head Start on post which is a preschool for your little ones. If you are unable to get your child to the day care on post you can go off post and there is a program called NACCRRA which you may be eligible for too. It would help with the costs.

If you think you are missing out on something don’t be afraid to ask people for help. There will always be one good person who will give you the ins and outs.

I think maybe one of the frustrating things about being at this post here is the City of Killeen. Its a very small town and traffic is awful. But the good part is Austin is only an hour out. There are outlets in Georgetown which is right before Austin. There are fun parks and museums for older kids. There is the Austin Children’s Museum which is pretty fun for little ones. But if you want to get farther out Dallas/Fort Worth area is about 2 1/2 – 3 hours out and there is a Six Flags up there. Then down South you have San Antonio and the Alamo and all other sorts of fun things to do. There is good and bad wherever you go so don’t be discouraged.

I’m hoping that some of this information can assist you as you make your journey here or if you are already here. I’ve mentioned some resources below.

Daneilia
Anchors Away

Resources
Hood MWR
U.S. Army Fort Hood

Fort Hood Community Resources
Fort Hood Area Resources
Post with the Most: Fort Hood, TX | Army Wife Network

Facebook Resources:
Fort Hood Area Events
Fort Hood Army Wives
Fort Hood MOPS [Mothers of Preschoolers)
Fort Hood MWR
Fort Hood Living