Couch to 5K

So, instead of sitting here complaining that I haven't fulfilled my goals I set for this deployment, I decided to do something proactive.  A girl I know from a military wife forum mentioned that she was doing the Couch to 5K program, and that it was an app.  I downloaded it...and that was it.

Then another girl said that she was about to start it, and the other girls progress seemed pretty impressive. So I went to the community center on post, put the kids in the child care room with the big glass window so I can keep an eye on them.  And then I ran. 

OK, so you walk, run, walk, run....etc.  Intervals really, and every week pushes you that little bit extra and by the end of 9 weeks you can supposedly run 45 minutes straight.  Well, so far so good.  I'm up to Week 2, Day 3 - I took a rest today to get our hair cut.  So I won't feel guilty about that since that was also one of my goals at the beginning of the year.

I'm going to try to squeeze in a run tomorrow, that's if I have time.  And well, Saturday is an exciting day.  But I won't give up.  I'm going to finish this!! And maybe do one of the Family 5k's that they have at Bragg every so often.

Oh, and the kids have been having swimming lessons too.  I'm in the pool with them the entire time.  Mia is a natural and a star student.  I swear she is part fish.  And Mikey is growing more confident and gaining skills everyday.  He can even do cannon balls now which to me is a pretty big deal.  I'm very proud of both my babies!!

Patience

 Every military spouse requires a huge amount of patience.  It's part of the job requirement.  You spend so much time sitting around waiting for the curve ball to be thrown at you because you know it's going to come every time.

It would be nice to be able to plan, and to have definite times and dates.  Instead we have calendars covered in pencil so that we can erase over and over, and have our hearts break and explode with joy on a daily basis.

Murphy's Law is the military spouses law.  I swear it was written just for us.  Because everything that can go wrong is guaranteed to go wrong at the worst possible time.  But that's also why they invented duct tape, and blessed the spouses with immense patience.

So while I sit here tapping my toes, erasing my endless notes on my calendar...I'll continue to control the things that I have the power to control. And I'll feel damn good about doing it!!

Well...

OK, so I'm not that crabby but that's how I feel lately. It's not about anything going on in my life since I only have things to look forward to, but the way I've seen other people treating each other. I just don't like conflict or rudeness. 

There's a Facebook group that I've been a part of for a long time now, and I loved it because it was just genuinely good women with interesting things to say.  There was never any drama, backstabbing, rudeness, name calling, and people actually tried to be respectful of each other.  It was so nice and refreshing. But of course there's been a change in vibe the last few weeks and I couldn't stand it anymore.

While I agree that when you're on the internet, things written can be taken the wrong way, and you're really putting yourself out there for public scrutiny.  But what I don't understand is why people think that the anonymity you have online is an excuse for bad behavior.  You wouldn't be in a grocery store and cussing away, so why do it online? You wouldn't be rude and jump down someones throat while having a face to face conversation, but yet people can be so hurtful online.  And I don't like it.

So yeah, I can be crabby with the best of them, and sometimes even a bit of a bitch.  But one thing I really like about myself is that I am nice.  There are plenty of people in the world I don't like, so I avoid them and don't feel the need to talk badly about them.  I can keep it quietly to myself.  And if I'm having a bad day and I'm just cranky (2 kids + summer vacation + deployment = crabby Mamma), I can be pleasant enough to everyone and feel guilty if I do make someone feel bad.  And if that's the case I apologize. It's pretty simple.

Trying to maintain my cool...

So, last you heard from me, Mikey had just been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and some kind of movement disorder. After telling some of my FRG helpers about it, it was offered that Jeremy could come home. We both decided that it was unnecessary and I'll be fine until he comes home. 

We've had some nice times over the vacation.  Mia turned 3 and we had a birthday party for her along with Grammy - they share a birthday. Unfortunately Grammy had come down with Shingles, so most of the family couldn't come since they had never had Chicken Pox, and getting it as an adult can be really bad.  But we had a really nice time, and Mia's birthday dreams came true.

The kids both had dentist appointments, and they both did great. Even Mia let the dentist brush her teeth.

We've been to the pool a few times.  I got a life jacket for Mia that clips at the back and has floaty arms so she swims happily around the pool.  Mikey still doesn't swim, but he enjoys hanging out in the water. I've enrolled both the kids in swimming lessons beginning July 25th, so lets hope it gives them both confidence in the water.

4th of July was fun. We went with Jenn out to Columbia, SC to the mall there which had a cute outdoor craft market. We had an amazing Mediterranean dinner and enjoyed the fireworks which were almost rained out with a crazy lightning storm. The following day Jenn's house was packed up and loaded for her move down to Florida.  I'm happy that she'll be out of the ghetto town otherwise known as Florence, SC, but really sad that she won't be close by anymore.

So Mikey's MRI was a disaster.  He needs a MRI of his brain to check for possible neurological conditions that could be causing his tics. The exact description on his referral is "movement disorder with some mild choreoathetotic overtones (though more like tic symptoms); Please assess the periventricular area and basal ganglia" I don't exactly know what all that means, hence the reason I am not in the medical field, but I hope we get some answers.

It really was a nightmare.  He was given Versad through an IV which is unpleasant as it is. Most kids chill out and relax with Versad, but it made Mikey feel like he was really drunk.  Every time he closed his eyes, he saw trippy visions which scared him, so he wouldn't relax, wouldn't close his eyes, wouldn't stop talking...and after the maximum dosage his blood pressure started dropping so the MRI was cancelled.  And to make matters worse, the room was hot, my blood sugar dropped, and between that and anxiety, I almost passed out.  I had to be taken to another room to lay down.  So it was really unpleasant.

The next step is to go to another hospital where he'll be put to sleep with Proporfol in order to do the MRI. Mikey is terrified and the MRI caused him to have nightmares.  But I am hoping that his next experience will be much more pleasant.

Oh, and to reduce my stress levels, I've at least temporarily stepped down from the FRG Leadership position. I'm hoping its permanent, but that's only if someone else can step up and take over that...and as treasurer, and key caller.  Sigh.