Recently, sseveral of my FB friends have posted messages like this:
Dear Santa: This year for Christmas I'd like; no wait... Forget that. Get in your sleigh, go to Afghanistan, get our soldiers and bring them home. They deserve to be with their families on Christmas. Post this as your status to show respect, and a special prayer for those soldiers who won't be coming home for Christmas. ♥
First I want to say, that yes! wouldn't it be great if everyone got to spend Christmas with their loved ones? Of course it would. And yes! those men and women that have been away from their families for so long do deserve it, and much more.
Here is where I get annoyed with these posts. It says "show respect" and, to me, showing respect is having respect for them. Respect that they feel a sense of duty and commitment to their country and value their personal sacrifice. Most of these men an women feel that what they are doing is important, important enough to miss Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.... And to just wish them all home because we miss them, makes all the deaths and sacrifices loose value.
Instead, I suggest that if you must post something like this, say this:
This year for Christmas, bring to the men and women serving our country, our sincere gratitude. I want for them to know that their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their brothers and sisters who have left this world, are not meaningless or forgotten.
I don't know, maybe I get a little too "spun-up" as Chief says. Or maybe you think it's just semantics, maybe it is....
29 November 2011
28 November 2011
First Semester
I'm almost done with my first semester of graduate school. 2 weeks left, and two big projects. One that we just received the assignment for yesterday, is due in 6 days and has to be about 15 pages long. Thanks for the research time, Doc! Unlike my undergraduate years (I'd be lying if I didn't admit that saying that makes me feel pretty proud!) I am not a procrastinator. I don't have the time to procrastinate, it's like a messy kitchen. Why leave work undone when you could just do it? I like to work hard and turn my assignments in early, not to be a kiss-up or anything, just so I don't have to think about it anymore. Does that make sense?
So let me tell you, one of my professors this semester is driving me crazy! He is so disorganized and sloppy! He says he'll post something on this day, but he never does....never...it is always two days later before it is available....and for me that is two days after I want to have it done! So 6 days for a research paper? It's like he made us all procrastinate.....Really?!
Are you thinking, "what is she doing writing this when she should be working on her paper?" I am too, but I needed a break from writing so I decided to.......write?
So let me tell you, one of my professors this semester is driving me crazy! He is so disorganized and sloppy! He says he'll post something on this day, but he never does....never...it is always two days later before it is available....and for me that is two days after I want to have it done! So 6 days for a research paper? It's like he made us all procrastinate.....Really?!
Are you thinking, "what is she doing writing this when she should be working on her paper?" I am too, but I needed a break from writing so I decided to.......write?
16 November 2011
Wanted:
Wanted:
Surrogate grandparents for two adorable boys, ages 5 and 7. Need no experience, just genuine affection and care.
We don’t live near my parents or near Chief’s parents and for the last few years I have really felt their absence in the lives of my boys. For the record, my boys LOVE their grandparents, but we don’t get to see them as often as we would if we lived closer. We all miss them.
When I was born both of my grandfathers had already passed away, but I spent time with my Grandmothers, shopping trips on a city bus (that was a first), and sleep-overs, cooking…you know all that normal wonderful Grandma stuff. What I would have done with my grandfathers, took walks, fixed stuff…smoked a pipe? I don’t’ know but that sounds nice…even the pipe part in a weird sentimental kind of way.
If we lived near my parents the boys would get to do that normal wonderful grandma stuff, and with grandpa they would get to take walks, fix-stuff, and nap…you know all the normal grandpa stuff. Sure Chief and I can do all that normal stuff with them, but it is different with a grandparent. They are familiar enough that you are comfortable, but at the same time they are a little mysterious too. Who are these people, are they happy, and is this how they imagined their lives 40 years ago? When I was young I was always curious about my grandmothers as wives. I only knew them as widows, and I wondered what kind of relationships they would have had with their husbands as they aged….is that weird? How would they have been different?
About 2 months ago, I started going to a stitching/knitting group that meets at the library once a week, and I went purely for the purposed of finding surrogate grandparents for my boys…well that and I DO like to cross-stitch and I miss cross-stitching with my mom. There is something comforting about sitting around a big table and listening to stories, sharing stories, and talking. Of course, we are still early in the process (there is no rushing these things), but I have the candidates narrowed down to two. I think it will be another few months, maybe more before we can start the official “hiring” process. There are also some good candidates in the neighborhood.
The problem is that the boys aren’t babies anymore, they don’t have that chubby innocence anymore….. They have definite personality. My paternal grandmother, once told me that the reason she was closer with my cousins is that she got to change their diapers and cuddle them. I think there is absolute truth in that. She got to “care” for them when they were helpless…maybe that is part of bond. I wonder then if it is too late for surrogate grandparents?
Surrogate grandparents for two adorable boys, ages 5 and 7. Need no experience, just genuine affection and care.
We don’t live near my parents or near Chief’s parents and for the last few years I have really felt their absence in the lives of my boys. For the record, my boys LOVE their grandparents, but we don’t get to see them as often as we would if we lived closer. We all miss them.
When I was born both of my grandfathers had already passed away, but I spent time with my Grandmothers, shopping trips on a city bus (that was a first), and sleep-overs, cooking…you know all that normal wonderful Grandma stuff. What I would have done with my grandfathers, took walks, fixed stuff…smoked a pipe? I don’t’ know but that sounds nice…even the pipe part in a weird sentimental kind of way.
If we lived near my parents the boys would get to do that normal wonderful grandma stuff, and with grandpa they would get to take walks, fix-stuff, and nap…you know all the normal grandpa stuff. Sure Chief and I can do all that normal stuff with them, but it is different with a grandparent. They are familiar enough that you are comfortable, but at the same time they are a little mysterious too. Who are these people, are they happy, and is this how they imagined their lives 40 years ago? When I was young I was always curious about my grandmothers as wives. I only knew them as widows, and I wondered what kind of relationships they would have had with their husbands as they aged….is that weird? How would they have been different?
About 2 months ago, I started going to a stitching/knitting group that meets at the library once a week, and I went purely for the purposed of finding surrogate grandparents for my boys…well that and I DO like to cross-stitch and I miss cross-stitching with my mom. There is something comforting about sitting around a big table and listening to stories, sharing stories, and talking. Of course, we are still early in the process (there is no rushing these things), but I have the candidates narrowed down to two. I think it will be another few months, maybe more before we can start the official “hiring” process. There are also some good candidates in the neighborhood.
The problem is that the boys aren’t babies anymore, they don’t have that chubby innocence anymore….. They have definite personality. My paternal grandmother, once told me that the reason she was closer with my cousins is that she got to change their diapers and cuddle them. I think there is absolute truth in that. She got to “care” for them when they were helpless…maybe that is part of bond. I wonder then if it is too late for surrogate grandparents?
10 November 2011
Veterans Day
Tomorrow is Veterans Day, and today at the boy's school they had an assembly to honor the many many parents who are veterans and who are currently serving in the military.
Chief has taken part in this assembly since L was in kindergarten. Any parent who is a veteran or serving in the military is invited to participate and for the men and women that are currently deployed their children represent them when their names are read. I love this program. Since L was in kindergarten I now come to the assembly prepared.....I bring tissues. I didn't have them the first time, but I wasn't the only one who was wiping tears.
As my friend pointed out to me on Facebook any time children sing a song "earnestly" it is bound to make you feel a little weepy. So hearing all the elementary kids singing the military songs affects me even more. One we are a proud Army family and the boys are VERY proud of their father. (We've been singing the Army song for the last two weeks around the house...it gets stuck in my head!)
It also makes me weepy because they are children singing songs that have connected to them so many emotions. They are songs about sacrifices and battles, and one day some of these children will serve their country too. Even though I am an Army wife, the thought of my sons serving is....I can't really put a word on it....half pride and half terror. Is there a word for that?
It warms my heart that the boy's school takes such pride in their military service members. Remember tomorrow is Veterans Day...remember to thank them for their service!
and so it gets stuck in your head too:
Chief has taken part in this assembly since L was in kindergarten. Any parent who is a veteran or serving in the military is invited to participate and for the men and women that are currently deployed their children represent them when their names are read. I love this program. Since L was in kindergarten I now come to the assembly prepared.....I bring tissues. I didn't have them the first time, but I wasn't the only one who was wiping tears.
As my friend pointed out to me on Facebook any time children sing a song "earnestly" it is bound to make you feel a little weepy. So hearing all the elementary kids singing the military songs affects me even more. One we are a proud Army family and the boys are VERY proud of their father. (We've been singing the Army song for the last two weeks around the house...it gets stuck in my head!)
It also makes me weepy because they are children singing songs that have connected to them so many emotions. They are songs about sacrifices and battles, and one day some of these children will serve their country too. Even though I am an Army wife, the thought of my sons serving is....I can't really put a word on it....half pride and half terror. Is there a word for that?
It warms my heart that the boy's school takes such pride in their military service members. Remember tomorrow is Veterans Day...remember to thank them for their service!
and so it gets stuck in your head too:
04 November 2011
Medical Advice
I thought I would share with you the "standard" medical advice I've been given over the years.
Lets start with my mom..... her response was always "just rub it" when I complained of a headache or a sore knee, etc....
My dad's advice was ALWAYS "put some bag-balm on it" for any kind of skin related issues. For those of you unfamiliar with animals that you milk bag balm is basically a Vaseline-like cream for udders. My dad had a tin of it, that I swear he carried around with him in his overalls.
Now, Chief, his advice is "take a knee and drink water."
I think how typical this advise is, based on their relationship to me and their professions. Moms, hug and cuddle and rub your back while you puke. My dad, an outdoor animal kind of guy so of course his advice is farm related. And my husband, soldier. "You're fine....just drink some water and wait a few minutes."
I also think it is pretty practical too....I mean aside from massive head wounds or a sucking chest wound...a combination of the above will at least let you get a hospital....
Lets start with my mom..... her response was always "just rub it" when I complained of a headache or a sore knee, etc....
My dad's advice was ALWAYS "put some bag-balm on it" for any kind of skin related issues. For those of you unfamiliar with animals that you milk bag balm is basically a Vaseline-like cream for udders. My dad had a tin of it, that I swear he carried around with him in his overalls.
Now, Chief, his advice is "take a knee and drink water."
I think how typical this advise is, based on their relationship to me and their professions. Moms, hug and cuddle and rub your back while you puke. My dad, an outdoor animal kind of guy so of course his advice is farm related. And my husband, soldier. "You're fine....just drink some water and wait a few minutes."
I also think it is pretty practical too....I mean aside from massive head wounds or a sucking chest wound...a combination of the above will at least let you get a hospital....
02 November 2011
The Plight?
So one of the classes I am taking for my degree, is about the "plight" of the student athlete...I'm not joking they actually use the word "plight" often in this book.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?.....PLIGHT?" was my first reaction. Because, I am not a student athlete and I've never really known anyone who was determined to "go pro." (Except for T-ball moms who were sure that their 5 year old was going to.....) And to be entirely honest, I've never cared much for athletes, well maybe that is not strictly true, but what is true is that I've never cared for the programs and institutions that put them on a pedestal as representing all that's good for student success. Student athletes in high schools are the popular kids, the beautiful kids, the talented kids. Student athletes in college are stars, celebrities, and role models. That social status based on athletic skill alone is not doing anyone any favors...particularly the student athlete......
All the really valuable things you can learn from football, you can also learn from being a member of a choir, a cast, or an academic club, like team work, determination, and dealing with adversity. And conversely all the really damaging things about football, can also happen if you over-invest your time and energy in a choir, a cast, or an academic club. (Well....except for concussions...but then again musical theatre can be pretty dangerous!)
A student athlete is more than just a a football player, or a tennis player....and they need to know "who they are". AND because the odds of "going pro" are so impossibly slim, student athletes (and their parents and coaches) need to be realistic about expectations for the future.
I am learning that student athletes do have a difficult time in college, but not any more difficult than a serious music major, or theatre student. Expectations, time, and relationships are all things that need to be managed, and athletic involvement adds a different layer of complexity the the college experience.
Okay....I think I am done. This class has ruined college football for me.....I don't care the guy's height and weight....I want to know their GPA and their major!
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?.....PLIGHT?" was my first reaction. Because, I am not a student athlete and I've never really known anyone who was determined to "go pro." (Except for T-ball moms who were sure that their 5 year old was going to.....) And to be entirely honest, I've never cared much for athletes, well maybe that is not strictly true, but what is true is that I've never cared for the programs and institutions that put them on a pedestal as representing all that's good for student success. Student athletes in high schools are the popular kids, the beautiful kids, the talented kids. Student athletes in college are stars, celebrities, and role models. That social status based on athletic skill alone is not doing anyone any favors...particularly the student athlete......
All the really valuable things you can learn from football, you can also learn from being a member of a choir, a cast, or an academic club, like team work, determination, and dealing with adversity. And conversely all the really damaging things about football, can also happen if you over-invest your time and energy in a choir, a cast, or an academic club. (Well....except for concussions...but then again musical theatre can be pretty dangerous!)
A student athlete is more than just a a football player, or a tennis player....and they need to know "who they are". AND because the odds of "going pro" are so impossibly slim, student athletes (and their parents and coaches) need to be realistic about expectations for the future.
I am learning that student athletes do have a difficult time in college, but not any more difficult than a serious music major, or theatre student. Expectations, time, and relationships are all things that need to be managed, and athletic involvement adds a different layer of complexity the the college experience.
Okay....I think I am done. This class has ruined college football for me.....I don't care the guy's height and weight....I want to know their GPA and their major!
01 November 2011
Remember Me?
Wow, it has been a while since I've posted anything here. Life has certainly been busy the last few months, but not out of the ordinary way. The boys are really doing well in school, and so am I actually. Not that grades really matter.....but they do of course. I am managing to get an A in both of my classes.
I haven't written for two reasons:
1. Nothing terribly interesting has happened.
2. I write so much for school, I lack the motivation to spend even more time in front of this dang computer!
However, I am determined to post more frequently even if they are short and meaningless....you know just like I used to!
I haven't written for two reasons:
1. Nothing terribly interesting has happened.
2. I write so much for school, I lack the motivation to spend even more time in front of this dang computer!
However, I am determined to post more frequently even if they are short and meaningless....you know just like I used to!
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