This has been a good and interesting week. I have been having a hard time getting good sleep since the Hubby left. I have been worrying to much about things I have no control over. My Pastor told me to mind my own business and let God take care of the big stuff. And when I sleep to rest. So not only have I been sleeping but I have been resting when I sleep. It is such a good feeling. I have the energy to do the things I need to and to hang out with the Kiddos without having a short temper.

The interesting part is that a friend called me late Monday night to see if I would watch her girls the next day for about 10 to 11 hours. WOW was I tired the next day. They are good little ones but having two extra Kiddos around added to my 5 is taxing. I don't think I have to do that again anytime but it was nice have a somewhat balance between boys and girls. The other interesting part is that I have been teaching 9 to 11 year olds at VBS this week. My heart breaks for them because the community we are in is low income and most live just at or below poverty level. The Kiddos that come have no concept of respect and boundaries. Some of them have been great. There is one little girl who is so quiet and sweet. I just want to wrap her up and squeeze tight. I know most of these Kiddos just need a little bit of love and a whole lot of discipline. Tomorrow night is the last night and we are supposed to have a picnic at the park across from our church. That is if it does not rain.

It has been flooding in parts around me for the last two days. Tomorrow come rain or shine I have to go to Ft Hood with the 2 big Kiddos to get their ID cards. They are heading down to Vegas in a few weeks and they need an ID card to use the debit cards I am getting them through our bank. I am looking forward to have a couple of less Kiddos but am not looking forward to not having them to hang out with. Tomorrow is the last chance we will have to hang out so we are leaving the boys and making a day of it. I might take the camera. Who knows.

I am off to pick up the Big Man from summer school. He is doing ok in it but needs to bust his butt a little more to pass and get his credit. He is trying and working at it but needs to push a little bit more.

Our Pooch.




Big Man at dinner with us. One of the few times he will be seen with Mom in public. LOL



This at the water park by the river. They had a blast.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Go here. This is why we fight more than anything else I believe.

I am sitting here wondering what I am I going to a funeral for a local Marine killed in Iraq last week. It is a couple days away and I decided to go and show my honor and respect for this family and young man who has served our country well. Then I think how will I handle it? Will I see my Hubby there? Will I be able to properly show my love for a young man who has served us and gave the ultimate price so I can sit here and take care of my own Kiddos? I know I am being petty and all. It just a thought that has been nagging at me since I decided to go. I need to show this family I care and that their Son did not die in vain. I hope I can put some of this to rest now.

Hair done and it is still raining. No pool up and i am bummed. Backyard is a lake. It will be a few days before I can even think about a pool. :(

I wanted to set the pool up today but can't. It is storming here again and the grass is to wet to cut. It is supposed to rain all weekend so it won't be until Monday before we can play in the pool. :(

This is cool if you need an oil change. I do my own when Hubby is gone but I might do this one.


American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2007 - A national motor oil company is partnering with a volunteer troop-support group to keep spouses of servicemembers deployed overseas on the road.

Chevron Products Company announced yesterday that its Havoline with Deposit Shield motor oil brand is partnering with Operation Homefront to launch a national program supporting troops' wives.

The program, called Operation Havoline Star, will provide 1,000 free conventional oil changes, including lube and filter, at participating Texaco Xpress Lube locations. The program is available to select military families with a financial need, and is available now through Dec. 31.

"Operation Havoline Star is one way we can help America's military families in times of need," said Alison Townley, consumer sector business manager for Chevron Products Company. "With this program, we are protecting the cars of the families whose loved ones are protecting our freedom."

Eligible military families can receive a gift certificate for one free oil change redeemable at participating Texaco Xpress Lube locations across the country. The program limits each eligible family to one gift certificate.

Operation Homefront will help administer the Chevron program by handling the application development and the review and selection process. Military dependants with an active-duty servicemember currently deployed overseas are eligible for Operation Havoline Star and can apply through one of Operation Homefront's 31 local chapters or on the group's Web site. Additional details about the program can be found on the Operation Homefront Web site, www.operationhomefront.net.

Operation Homefront is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

"Our organization receives hundreds of requests for oil changes from our network of military families, but until now, we were unable to fulfill the requests," said Amy Palmer, executive vice president of operations for Operation Homefront. "Through Operation Havoline Star, we are able to help our military families take care of their car, one of their largest and most important investments."

(From a Chevron Products Company news release.)
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This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Malinda


69-year-old Bert Brady has never stepped foot in Iraq or Afghanistan, yet many soldiers who have know who he is and appreciate what he's done for them. You see, for the past year Mr. Brady has made a trip to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport nearly every morning to welcome home returning American troops. Bert Brady, along with fellow veterans, is a member of the Welcome Home a Hero program. They make sure that every soldier who steps off a plane in Dallas gets a special homecoming.

Brady shows up each day with the goal of making soldiers feel appreciated and proud of their service. He's often joined by veterans of the Vietnam and Korean wars who did not get a warm reception when they returned from battle.

"We are not going to forget them like a lot of Vietnam soldiers have been forgotten," Brady said. "We are not going to forget the soldiers of today."

To read more about Bert Brady, you can go to ABCnews.com

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

A routine is coming and it feels so good. Having Big Man in school makes me have a routine and I am beginning to like that feel of having a set amount of things to do each day and have them accomplished at the end of the day. It is slow going and having the Kiddos help out is like pulling teeth from a wild warthog. Oh well they will help if they want to go to my Mom's house this summer. I will threaten them tomorrow. today I was able to clean a bathroom and my kitchen. A nice deep clean.

All is well around here. I have been dealing with some weird things lately. It has been weird. Good things have been happening since I last posted, Hubby and I are having good friendly teasing chats on Yahoo and I am alot more settled with him being gone. All in all this has been a good week so far. I am looking forward to Bible Study tomorrow and hanging with a friend on Thrus with the Kiddos at a water park. Fun all around I say.

OK so since Hubby has left I have cooked oh I don't know maybe 4 times. He left almost 2 months ago. :) Tonight I am cooking BBQ Chicken with corn and tomatoes. That is it. It is all I want. The rest of the time it is easier to let the Kiddos eat sandwiches and fruit or a bowl of cereal. I know I win the Worst Mommy of the Year Award. :) It makes for less housework that is for sure. Next week I will cook up a storm though. I have that urge to cook again but not til next week when I make the bi monthly trip to the grocery store. We may head down to Ft Hood just cause we can.

Time is drawing near for our short deployment to be over. Hubby wants to stay longer to pay off some more of our bills and save some money. I don't mind but if he is going to do this then I want him to go active duty. He knows he will be going back again for the National Guard. My thing is I know he is at his best and most fulfilled when he is active duty. We are better off as a couple and family when we are an active duty family. Hubby did say he would think about it and that he wants to talk to some private contractors before he makes a decision. We also set a time line of 6 months to have a decision made so we will not be floundering to long.

To be honest I do not want to live pay check to paycheck and I know some of it has to do with bad decisions and wrong attitudes towards money. But so much more about how we work as a couple and as individuals hinges on how Hubby is treated at work and how he sees himself. As a man he strives to provide for us and does a stinking good job of it. Providing is more than the money and material things in life. He has taught our Kiddos how to value others and themselves. He has taught them what it means to work hard and love your family. I just want him to feel that way on his job too.

Sorry for the rambling and disjointed thoughts. It all just came out. Hope everyone is having a good day.

What is it with people? Sometimes I just want to smack them. I was talking with a good friend today and he was telling me how people are giving him a hard time for dating and falling in love with a white woman. Oh yeah Friend is black. He is a special person with a heart for God and people. The woman he has fallen for is the same. I have not had much time to get to know them but they have blessed me by just being a kind face with an encouraging word when the Kiddos are acting like I never take them out.

If you don't know Hubby is white and I am biracial. It has never been an issue for us. My parents were an inter racial couple and I grew up AF. I was exposed to it from the day I was born so it has never been an issue with me. I don't look at the color of a person's skin. I look to see if they have good teeth and take care of their teeth. (Weird huh?) We have five Kiddos and all five Kiddos are different skin colors. We have taught our Kiddos that your skin color does NOT make who you are. The heart and soul you have will shape that. Only they can make something of themselves and succeed in all they do.

It so bugs the dog poo outta me to think people would care anymore. I have always been around many different people and have loved it. The more I am confined to socializing with black people I am beginning to realize they are the ones who insist the "white man" is what is keeping them down. No it was the stupid decisions each of them made with their lives. Why can't people just stand up and admit they screwed up and ask for help? I know pride has to do with it but I am really at a loss on this one. It has been on my mind and heart all day. I can't wait to talk to Hubby and get his take on this. He is off tomorrow and we might have more time to discuss this.

I just had to get this written down and vent some. Stupid people are really getting on my nerves.