I have a hormonal pree-teen. She's suddenly, literally overnight, turned into a Dr Jekyll, Ms Hyde kind of child. Has sprouted breasts and has to wear a bra, has oily hair and pimples....is prone to swift and unmerciless attitude and mood changes where she throws herself onto the floor, screeching and wailing, throwing her hair around like the end of the world is upon us. Sulks for no apparent reason, and is just plain miserable to be around sometimes. Thinks that she can ...

I got to do something very cool this afternoon.   The EMT's at the circus were part of the team who stopped and helped me after the jeep vs semi wreck I had last year.  They had been on their way back from a classs when they happened upon the scene, and I've always considered myself to be remarkably fortunate to have received their expert attention less than 3 mins after the impact.    I got to thank them.  I got to face them, recovered, walking, living...an...

I took my children to the circus this afternoon.  It was their first circus (my first circus too), and the first time they had seen an elephant up close and personal.  They rode on the elephants, talked to the clowns, admired the camels and horses, oohed and ahhed over the tigers and their act...overall a good time was had by all.  The highlight for me was the look on their faces when an act they found particularly wonderful came on...they literally glowed with happiness.  On...

I'm taking a break from make-up this week. I was thinking yesterday as I was 'putting my face on'...that I was covering myself up with a mask. I use foundation to supposedly even out my skintone and cover up all the little flaws...but those flaws are what make me 'me', dig? I use something that looks akin to a piece of ancient torture equipment to curl my puny little lashes, then I cover them with mascara to lengthen, thicken and color them. They end up looking not so terribly different t...

I'm lonely. I miss D. I haven't felt close to him all week...it's been hard, with everything that's been going on. If he were here, things would probably be different, but as it is he's gone, and I'm lonely. I took the kids to the pool again this afternoon. We were doing fine until a bunch of teenagers decided to crash our party in the shallow end. You know, they had the whole of the olympic sized swimming pool at their disposal, I don't know why they had to come play in the 10ft rad...

I had the most unexpected surprise today. I got a message from Family Advocacy this morning, regarding the allegation of neglect that was made the other day. They had more questions for me, they said, and would I please call them. My heart about dropped into my shoes. "Here we go again", I thought. I tried to return the call all morning, then gave up - I was going to go over to that office later for an Overseas Clearance appointment anyway, so I'd catch up with them then. So, I go ove...

These aren't the best pics, I'm still trying to get used to different programs on this antique computer I now have...but they'll give you a good idea of what he looks like. I'll get better ones this weekend, these really don't do him justice. I think that I might have to make him into something of a 'roaming ducky'...like the roaming gnome? I may just have to take him to Mt Rushmore this weekend and get his picture there...and if I pulled some strings I might be able to get him in the cockp...

This allegations of child neglect that were being made against me are going to be found unsubstantiated. It had been said that not only was I leaving the boys home alone in the morning, I had been locking them out of the house and making them sit on the deck or on the front porch whilst I went to work. The kids were interviewed, and so was I, and at the end of it all the counselor said she saw no truth to this allegation and was going to recommend that the case be closed and no further acti...

As I have mentioned before, I have a problem with stinky feet when I wear sandals. It really irks me, because I prefer to wear sandals or be barefoot...hence my feet are usually grimy or smelly. Last summer something happened that clued me in as to how bad they really were....the upstairs potty got clogged and overflowed, and by the time Dave and I got there to turn the water off it was all over the floor and running down the wall downstairs. There's an a/c vent that I thought that wat...

Here's a quick update on what's been going on around here: My 'new' computer has crashed on me 3 times in the past 2 days. I'm about ready to take it back and have them look at it to see WTF is going on...and they can do so for free, as far as I'm concerned. My neighbor has managed to royally piss me off by riding his 4-wheeler all over my newly raked, seeded and watered lawn. Then the people on the other side of me dragged a huge tiller over it, got it stuck in the wet ground and dra...

The Silent Ranks I wear no uniforms, no blues or army greens. But I am in the military, in the ranks rarely seen. I have no rank upon my shoulders; salutes I do not give. But the military world is the place where I live. I'm not in the chain of command, orders I do not get. But my husband is the one who does, this I cannot forget. I'm not the ones who fires the weapon, who puts my life on the line. But my job is just as tough. I'm the one that's left behind. My husband is a p...

I'm not in the greatest of moods..the anger I felt yesterday had mostly disappated and all that's left is apathy and sadness. I feel like crying, and I HAVE cried. Not for myself, but for my husband, our friends, their families....everyone that's in the same situation I am. Any woman who's love has left her to go serve his country in a foreign land. This war, this conflict...whilst I understand the reasons we're there - I may not agree with some of them, but I DO understand them - has...

I almost let my anger get the better of me this morning. Almost. For the first time in ages....but I maintained control of my chariot, and now I've moved on. More often then not, as soon as I sit down to write an article such as this all the things I wanted to tell you disappear and I sit here, blank...trying to think of what it was I was going to say. I can tolerate a lot of things, but one thing that really is guaranteed to press all the right buttons and trigger anger in me is arro...

This is something I wrote ages ago, when things were not going too terribly well at home. This was written in winter, in a truck, on post, in the dark ...I was watching the snow come down and trying to stay warm in between doing perimeter checks and spotlighting bunnies and the occasional junkyard dog. Love Lost? Emptiness where love used to be Darkness no hope of light. Pain in place of desire Aching with no respite. Existence in place of life Apathy no will to fight. ...

Not the best I've ever written, but here ya go: A little ditty about housewifely duties...somewhat unfinished, and I'm open to suggestions. DOMESTIC BLUES The kitchen's clean The kid's are fed I've put clean sheets On all the beds. The floors are mopped The toilet's brushed I wonder why I feel so rushed? So much to do! So little time! I swear not all These socks are mine! Forget the wash, The dusting too. Kick up my feet And sit a few. Who cares about neat? If ...