Time

With any family time is always something that you need, and with being a marine family (or any military family) you need to make time, and for our family we have things that we do every week. And maybe this are things that if we had a 9 to 5 job that we may not do each week. Or would take the time we have together much more laid back. I'm glad that we are making it a big deal for our kids and in hope they will do the same with their families.

On a week to week we have game night on Wednesday with the kids, and on Friday after dinner we trun our table in to a snack bar for movie night. And once and a while we go to the drive in for the movie. But our kids know what is going to happened and look forward to it just as much as we do. Sunday is a family day and if we have some shopping to do we do it, but as a family.

To save time at night, we do not read small kid books at night. As a family we pick out a chapter book that we all want to read and read one to two chapters a night. If there is a movie that goes with it we will watch it on a movie night when the book is done. It save us a ton of time at night, and we get to read some good books together.

Month to month we try to get away once a month to do something fun as a family, for the day. and on the date of a birthday in our house that person gets to pick something fun to do, or something to eat. On their birthday it's all about that person, to favorite food, to whatever they want to do. We also make a big deal out holidays and whatnot.

We feel with doing all of this when Matthew is home, and then when he is gone we have things we know we will do and it helps make the time go faster for us as a family. I will talk more on how we plan for him leaving and what else we do to help things go as best as they can.

Parenting kids why in the marines

So when I found out that we would be having our first baby JOY was the first thing that came to mind. Then there was the question on how do you parent a kid?!?! I had babysat lots but it was never up to me on how they would be, and what to have them act like, on a day to day life. So Matthew and I started talking and watching other's with their kids and finding things that we like and things that we new we did not like at all.

1. We do will not say "NO" - Reason would be that I would want my kids to know why not and not just because I said so. And we did it the for the first one, now with tow kids it's a little harder but we are still doing it as much as we can. And an added bounces was that Jessalla our oldest did not do the "NO" phase like most little kids do, and we were so glad with that. Not so lucky with Eammah baby number two, with big sister telling her no all the time it was hard not to have her pick it up. I'm glad that to say that we have this and when people hear they think we will have spoild little kids, but that's ok.

2. We do not to "time-out" - We call it "regrouping" and this way we can use it when the they are good to maybe just a little round-up or on a surge high! Or it's something that they can say that they need a break and just go to the "regrouping" place. But one other thing that we did was if they do something "bad" they can not get up till we talk about it, and they say that they are sorry if they need to. We want them to know why they are there, and why we do not want them to do it any more.

So far I think we would have those even if we were not in the marines, but the next few I'm not sure if we would or not.

3. Our kids must use titles when talking to people - Ma'am and Sir when they are talking to someone that they may or may not know. And when talking to someone they know like me it's yes mom, or no mom. We do not feel like having them call us ma'am and Sir but want them to show respct to everyone that they come in contact with. It makes things go better and can help make a bad thing be come a little better. And when a family member ask them to do something we anwser with a "Yes Grandma" (If that's who was asking something of them.

Those are the three big ones that we have, that I feel make us who we are. We have others things that come in to play that will make our kids ours in the end. But they are just little things, like "up and under" and no SBSP! And it works for our family

Aug 2004

It was so long ago it seems, but that was the month that I married my love, my best friend, my soon to be marine. We got married on a nice fall day with just my grandparents with us at the courthouse, later to have a big wedding with the family and friends that we love. But on that day it was just the four of us and we love it. And there is nothing I would do different about that day.

A few days later was our big wedding with our love ones. It was great a hawni theme that everyone is still talking about even 6 1/2 years later. But with this day there are so many things that I would do diferent, I just wish I had the big white dress the church and everything that goes with it. But I will get it when we renew our vows on our 20 or 25 wedding Annv. If I had been thinking I would have done the small wedding before he left, and the big wedding when he came home form boot camp. But I was not, it's okay.

Matthew left just 10 days after we got married to go to boot camp. It was a fast 10 days and the time was spent with fmaily, and friends that wanted to see him before he left. The day he left his sister and I went to see a movie and talk about what I had to do before I got to see him again. Dec 2, three long month away.

But in that time I had a lot to do, I needed to pack and make list of things that we were moving with us and what the moves would be taking. And with not knowing where we were going I look at a few basses and look to see what there was around each base and what there was to do. Had sometime with family and a few girls nights with some good friends. And had sometime off from working a ton, I was still working just not a ton.

I did the holiday things with family and had a running count of the days that I had to go till I got to see Matthew again. And that Thanksgiving I had a lot to be thankfull for. I had about 10 days till I would be fling out to MCRD to see Matthew. I would be going with my in-laws and sister-in-love.

Even know this time was hard, good and all of the above. It makes what else we have had to do better because we know that we can do it. I look forward to sharing what I have learn as a marine wife. With my husband and God on myside I can take whatever the marines can send my way. I will be sharing trips, stories, memories, and whatever else I think other would like to know about. And I would love to hear about your stories and whatnots of the marines if you have any.