Being a "stay at home" mom...

Ugh. Haven't posted in waaaayyyy too long because I am busy! Between my workouts (self inflicted ;) ) and the millions of errands I run now that I have "free time" I am exhausting myself daily! My husband is at school now for another week and half the kids are in school and I am running around like a mad woman! I am curious to know who made up the term "stay at home mom" it's more like "on the go" mom! Someone once asked what I do all day...more like what DON'T I do all day! lol

Smells...

I remember when I was pregnant with my first I was reading a pregnancy book or maybe some information online about how pregnant women sometimes got a heightened sense of smell. Well I was one of those people and it SUCKED! I would keep telling my husband how I could smell "feet" and start sniffing around or I could smell really odd things and it would drive him nuts me sniffing around the house to figure out what "that" smell was. Well unfortunately (or fortunately depending on the situation), it stuck with me. Now I swear sometimes the fries at BK smell and taste like butter (I call them butter fries) and I swear sometimes I smell gas in the house but so far nothing has happened with that. I also can ALWAYS smell food on my hands after eating and that is a big pet peeve of mine. I enjoy a good burger as much as the next person but when I am done I don't want to smell it! So I make everyone put hand sanitizer on their hands to get that smell off. Half the time the people look at me odd but it drives me nuts! It's like putting gum in your mouth after you eat...to get the taste out...maybe I should put the hand sanitizer under my nose??

It's been almost a year...

...since my world was turned upside down. I can't believe how far we've come either. Carlos is gone again heading to Panama on Sunday. That was where "the incident" as I like to call it happened. Some of you know what happened and why etc. I am not dwelling on the fact that it HAS happened just that we've grown so much as a family in this past year. For the good. My husband and I talk, really connect and sometimes it feels like it was forever before we got to a place we could do that. Now we aren't perfect by any means and we still have fights but the best part about those is that I don't feel like I am yelling across a mile wide canyon. I feel like I am being listened to and I am listening. Now the silences don't hold all the tension and unspoken words. Last year I honestly couldn't wait for him to leave...this year I can't wait for him to come home and we are all wanting him around more. My heart and psyche feel alot stronger stable. I don't feel like I am living on the edge anymore.

Our 8 year anniversary is coming up but I feel like we're on our year anniversary...the year after. The year of new beginnings. The year we stopped thinking about all the things we SHOULD or COULD or WOULD have. The year we realized we need to focus on what we HAVE instead of what we HAD. The year our family became a family again. Happy year Anniversary Diaz Family!

Con permisso en Miami

I really wasn't sure what to put as a title as swearing in Spanish probably wasn't a good idea. Started the day off early by dropping Carlos off at work then me and the kidlets started getting ready to head to Miami Children's Museum. The day was looking GREAT! Followed the directions of the GPS properly to the museum and saw...2 school buses pulling up! Ok no reason to panic...it's a big museum right? Tried to figure out the parking (you pay for how much time you think you will be there and add on later...if you go remember to check your parking space number!) and paid (Yeah military discount!). So we tried to do some of the activities but were overrun by the 2 camps...the leaders were sitting around TEXTING. And of course all the kids spoke only Spanish and forgot their "con permisso".

So I pulled up my Rican Spanish and tried to speak without swear words (very hard since my patience was being tried). My biggest pet peeve I think is being rude...I mean does it really take that much to say "excuse me!"? I digress. The museum was good just wish they would have a kids camp day so us lowly stay at home moms can enjoy the museum without getting things taken away by the day care kids...or I guess they were "camp" kids. Just choose one day a week and have the camps come. It's hard to see your kids being polite and trying to take turns etc and then look confused once kids start grabbing and shoving. Anyway, enough of that! I will post pics of everything once I get back to MD.

So after the museum (2 hours seemed pretty good) we left and tried to get back to the hotel. I say tried as we drove around the airport and adjoining area for a good 30 minutes while the GPS kept vaguely saying "stay on this road" (there were 3 split offs of the road) and "keep right". Kids were actually talking about kicking the GPS out of the car at one point. Got to Wendys' and then hit Walmart for last minute school supplies (anyone know where I can get a PLASTIC folder with no binders or holes??).

Oh the museum was pretty cool. They have a new dinosaur exhibit that Liberty for some reason forgot that they were extinct and was afraid for a couple minutes. The crane one was cool too. I think the one in Baltimore is bigger and better but has older stuff. Tomorrow I think we are going to try and hit Key Biscayne.....

Vacation with the Family

So I've been on a hiatus. Headed down to Tampa with the family after my husband got back from a TDY as a civilian (CHA-CHING!). I was honestly kinda nervous. The last "vacation" we had was to visit family in PR and that was a disaster. DH and I were on the brink of something awful, Buddy was stressed I think because we were stressed and kept throwing horrible fits and had some bowel problems and honestly is visiting family REALLY a vacation?? So just about a year later we tried it again. No family visiting, just us as a whole family. We decided to drive as then we'd have a car and we were also going to head to Miami for Carlos to do some of his IDTs for his reserve stuff. It went great! The drive was relaxing and we were able to stop to pee and stretch our legs whenever we wanted! No arguments or tense conversations...just us enjoying each others company. Yes Buddy did play Super Mario DS for 10 hours (hey it kept him quiet!) and Liberty drew and colored and watched movies. Carlos and I had some great conversations and even better silences. Even getting stuck on I-95 in NC didn't phase us. I was starting to feel better.

So we got to Tampa and were sooo antsy to get to the condo....on the beach! Madeira Beach is where we stayed and it was HEAVEN! Since Carlos and I have been together we've ALWAYS lived within 5 minutes of the beach. Living where we do now I have been going through withdrawals...even the trip or two to Rehoboth doesn't satisfy this longing, this emptiness I feel when I don't have the smell of sea on my skin and seeing the blue green waters. Yes I know I sound like an addict and I am! I am addicted to the white sands, waves crashing beach! When we pulled into our parking spot under our building I almost cried. It was beautiful! I got out of the car and the smell hit me. I kept deep breathing just to get it in my system. The view from our condo was just as fabulous....5th floor sitting on the balcony with a book in hand just listening to the beach. Dolphins playing in the morning or evening. Pelicans and herons to watch. I didn't want to leave. And surprising enough...neither did anyone else. It's a big step for our son. Last year all Buddy could talk about was going back home and when we were doing that. This year he cried when we had to leave and asked if we could come back. That's a big step for us to overcome in a year.

Now we are in Miami and Carlos is in work mode. Kids and I are hoping to hit a beach here and maybe the Seaquarium...but I think that Madeira Beach will be the one we remember the most..the one that really started a new chapter in our lives.

A sigh of relief

We got the car back! And we didn't have to pay out the butt for it! I want to go over to Firestone and stick it in their faces but I am a lady and will just write a scathing comment to their customer service. Oh I did write one to Yankee Candle and they sent me something very nice back. I hope the lady that helped us out gets a nice bonus or something! I wish I could go there and get some candles but I can't. The smell of scented candles burning gives me a headache! No matter what the scent it really bothers me. Like an awful horrible (NOT a migraine thank goodness...I get enough of those!) headache and my nose gets stuffy. I can do scented oils though...very LIGHTLY scented oils. Speaking of that it reminds me of when DH and I were young and childless we used to spend our money on odd things...like incense! I remember we had this fancy incense holder and used to go out and buy the best kinds and light it up...we would get excited about new smells they had. And new holders. Now I have NO idea where they went (probably someone snatched them in a move). Or why we got so excited about something like that. Now we just get excited about new Star Wars Toys we can get "for the kids to play with" yeah right! ;)

Why are automechanics ripoffs?

Ugh so in continuation with yesterdays saga....I get a phone call right after my husband landed and was told the repairs would be $2177...he said the part was only $200 and the labor was the most expensive part. He told me he called around and got the same quote. So for some reason that didn't sit well with me and I called the dealership...they quoted me a price $1162! almost $1000 difference? I mean come on. So I called them back and they were in shock. Long story short, DH ended up waiting 3 hours for another tow truck to come and take the car to the dealer (aren't using THAT tow place anymore). Another nice person alert! THey gave us free rental and said it could be done by tomorrow. So husband is home and we are all sort of happy. Just hoping for good news tomorrow and then getting ready for vacation....so can anyone tell me why they tried to rip us off???