Making Base Housing Feel Like Home: Kids' Rooms

     I wasn't sure how living in base housing was going to be and worried about how I would make everything we own fit, how I'd make it feel like home without being able to change things that bothered me, and how I would be able to stand a completely white interior. Every single wall, ceiling, door, and inch of trim in this house is white. It's not that we couldn't paint if we wanted- we didn't want to. Who wants to paint a house only to have to return it to white in what could be less than a year's time? Instead, I slowly learned to like the way that most of our things work on a white wall. Today I'm sharing some photos of our son's room.

     Since we are getting ready to move again, I'm trying to take photos of my favorite spaces in this house so that I'll be able to help the kids remember what we call the "Blue House."
Out of all of the white walls in this house, their walls were the easiest to brighten up. The kids' rooms were the first to feel like 'home' and even if they don't always remember these details, I'll be able to show them the photos.

     Our son turned five not long after we moved here and his room is playful and full of bright colors. This little book wall is my favorite part of the room and turned what was a small, white, empty box feeling room into a space that feels happy as soon as you walk inside.

     The Noah's Ark mobile has hung in all of his rooms since he was born and even though he's outgrowing having a mobile in his room I plan to hang it in one more!

     The gas station number sign for his age and some of his own artwork combine with whatever objects come and go from the shelf. Our neighbor made him the lightning bolt and I painted it yellow.

The best part about finding ways to add color to base housing without painting- as we get ready for another move- is that all of these things are coming with us! I'll share some pictures of our daughter's room next time.

Military Family Craft Ideas

We hosted my sister and her family for the last two weeks and now that they've gone back to New York the house seems so quiet with just our two little ones. Moving away from and constantly missing our family is the one aspect of military family life that never gets easier. Right before they left I pinned this pillow to my Military Family Pinterest board as a reminder to myself not to spend too much time missing our last house, last job, or last anything and just be happy in the present.

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Here are a few more of my favorite military family pins and projects I hope to start soon!

My favorite project idea so far is this staircase collection of framed house photos from Carmel at Our Fifth House. Maybe it's because we are now in our fifth house, or maybe because the red wall color is amazing, but I can't wait to do this in our house. (I just have to try to figure out exactly what the address of our house in Yemen was.)

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My parents live in the same home I was born in and they have a door frame in the kitchen where our heights and now their grandchildren's heights are being measured each year. I pinned this awesome DIY ruler growth chart from That Village House because we move too often to have that.  We can take this with us!

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I have plastic storage tubs filled with ticket stubs, street maps, and other memorabilia from our travels and I love this cute way to store them from Kelly at Eclectically Vintage. Storing and organizing them according to year would save me from staring at some reminder I saved and trying to figure out when we were where in the world.

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Finally, I like the idea of keeping a pin board like this one from Jamie at C.R.A.F.T. to let the kids map out all of the places they've traveled or want to go.

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This print is a pretty reminder to be content in the present moment because even if we miss where we were or can't wait to get where we are going, we're home right now.

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That Time Again

This weekend we hosted a birthday party here and for the last two days the movers have been here packing up all of our things. Things have been so hectic and we still haven't found a house where we are moving....

I was hoping that the peonies I planted when we moved in would bloom in time for me to see them again before we left.
I found a few minutes to go around the yard and snap some pictures of the flowers. It is so strange to think that next year I won't see how many more blooms there are or that someone else will be enjoying them. It's not the first time we have planted flowers or trees only to leave before they are full grown and it won't be the last because the alternative is having a yard that doesn't have views like these.

I cut just one and brought it in to the kitchen before everything including the vase it was in made its way into boxes.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

In honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day, local parenting resource, SaratogaMama, allowed me to share some of my thoughts about the not so normal lifestyle of a military family. I'm so excited to be featured on SaratogaMama after learning of so many area opportunities for families during our time here through their site. Check out my feature on SaratogaMama here!

To all of my fellow military spouses, I hope that someone did something to make you feel special, loved, and appreciated today!

I'm grateful for how often our life as a military family has included traveling to and experiencing beautiful places and look forward to filling our lives and photo albums with many more great memories.

Ten Years

Ten years ago today my husband spent his birthday getting ready to invade Iraq. Whenever I think about what that day must have been like for him and for the Marines with him I have to pause. Whatever I was thinking about becomes less significant. Military members and military families may each tell their own unique story of the last ten years but all of these stories have one chapter in common, entitled, "Sacrifice."

Last week a friend shared a link on Facebook to a January article by David Wood. I was shocked, as I'm sure was the author's intent, by its wording, by its inaccuracies, and by its potential to mislead the public about military pay and military life. It has since been edited and wording that previously described funding from the Pentagon as being "lavished" on active duty members and their families was deleted and replaced with the word "spent." In short, the article tried to sensationalize the fact that military pay has increased since September 11th, claimed that all housing costs for military families are provided, and hinted that family programs were expanded unnecessarily. I'm not in a hurry to click back to this article to note which other parts have been rewritten after outraged readers' comments demanded it. Reading something once by an author that didn't bother to confirm numbers or worse, purposefully distorted them to gain readers, was enough. A journalist might, but do members of our military get a second chance to do their job right?

As disturbed as I was reading the article, I was more disappointed by some of the comments people wrote in response. Some were defending the author and his assertion that the military has been overpaid and over incentivized in comparison to civilian employees. The conclusion drawn from such comments is that even after ten years, many people not affiliated with the military don't appreciate the sacrifices that have been made. But then, how could they?


Scout trying to stall the packing for deployment

A good friend of mine had her first baby the day before our son was born. The day after she brought her new baby home, her husband left on a one year deployment. She was on her own with an infant, missing and worrying about her husband. I find it hard to believe that anyone could claim he was overpaid for the year that he missed seeing his family. What other job would require such sacrifice and be criticized as too generously compensated? There is no reason to compare civilian pay and military pay. To do so is an ignorant disregard for exactly how that military pay was earned in the last ten years and for the many who died earning it.
My "while my husband was deployed" stories might seem like a party (trying to replace a lawnmower blade myself or accidentally toppling a giant Christmas tree on myself as I tried to move it out of the house) when compared to friends that have faced much more. How many civilian jobs result in missing the birth of your child, your child's first day of school, or graduation? I know moms that have had to build go-carts, dads who had to learn how to braid hair, and families that said a tearful goodbye to a loved one that never came back home to them. The money in their bank accounts should be the last thing to cross any minds.
Military members miss moments in life that no one should have to miss and there are many that remember moments they wish they didn't have to. None of them should do so without a grateful public behind them. We may never again see the flag waving, yellow-ribboning kind of support that we saw for military members in 2003 but that shouldn't correlate with increased doubt of their worth.
People not affiliated with the military often comment to military families that they, "don't know how you do it," or "couldn't do it." I've often just shrugged those words off, but maybe they're right, maybe they couldn't.

If I looked, I Might Never Leap

 It has been a week since I decided to join the NaBloPoMo March writing challenge on BlogHer. I hadn't been posting regularly and thought it would be a great way to motivate myself. It has been a lot of work! I've spent most of naptime each day writing and reflecting on the daily writing prompts focused on risk. Today's question is Do you always look before you leap?

I just got off the phone with our realtor and set up an appointment to meet about listing our house that I adore and do not have any desire to move from. I'm sure this is part of the reason that I've been feeling so sentimental lately. I've found myself going around the house and taking photos of the way the flowers on the table in the hall look in the afternoon with the sun streaming in on them, or the way that I can see the baby photos of my son on the stairway wall reflected in the kitchen mirror. I regret not having more photos like this of our previous houses and I'm determined not to forget these little details that make me smile. It doesn't seem like I should feel this way. We are a military family. If anything, shouldn't it be getting easier to leave each house? This brings me back to today's question. Is it just that I'm "looking" too much and that is making it hard to prepare for the big leap that I know I'm going to have to make?

I took this picture of my husband jumping off a cliff from the safety of shore. There is no similar picture of me flying through the air because instead of climbing up there and trying it, I let all of the what-if scenarios make me too afraid to. If I hadn't been worried about getting hurt with no access to medical care anywhere within the next several hours, maybe I would have gone for it. (I'm not saying I was wrong in this case as there really was no one or no way to help anyone that got hurt at the swimming spot we were at in this photo.) The point is, for me to take the plunge literally or figuratively, I have to stop overthinking and letting my own thoughts get in the way. As a military family facing yet another move, it becomes necessary to forget that homes have more than just walls and windows and move on to the next chapter without so much melodrama no matter how much my sentimental side wants to create it. We just don't have the luxury of crying over how much we'll miss things that most families probably don't even realize they love about their houses or their towns.

 How many experiences do we miss out on in our lifetimes by fretting over the possible outcomes? If I took the time to analyze just how many times I'd actually get together with my neighbors before we were packing up and moving, I might never bother to meet any of them. If I really reflected on how much changes in two years, I might be paralyzed with the fear of what could happen to my family while I no longer live nearby to help them. This type of thinking is what would cause me to fear change no matter how many fun times will come with it. When I see the pictures of our vizsla, Scout diving off the dock at the lake, it amazes me how he took the leap into the water after running from way down the dock after a toy we threw for him. Maybe it has to be chosen carefully but when the moment comes, we need to know it's time to fly through the air just for the fun of it and for the reward that is waiting when we land.



If You're Lucky

What is the greatest reward that can come from risk? I'm sure the answer is different for each and every one of us. Is it life after facing death? Someone needing surgery might think so. Is it having a lot of money after making a financial decision? Ask a wise investor. Is it freedom and prosperity after fleeing a bad situation? Our country is full of people who would say yes. Or is it nothing more than the knowledge that a personal choice in life led to a greater life? For those who are fortunate and carefully weigh their options when taking a risk, there are rewards.

Of course there is also the possibility that great risk leads to misfortune, undesirable circumstances, or even tragedy and lives are cut short all too often from risky behaviors whether it's not wearing a seat belt, using drugs, eating a terrible diet, or smoking.
For me the choice to take a risk must be accompanied by the likelihood of a great reward of some type. Buying homes must promise a good chance of being able to sell it when the military tells us we have to move. Deciding what my family will do is always based on what will be best in what we like to think of as the long run. (Even if the longest "run" we have had anywhere is three years!)

My husband is a Marine. The life of someone in the military is so full of risk yet the rewards are often nothing more than pride in a mission completed. There are times when the reward after a long day's work is survival. It seems unfair sometimes for me to consider the day to day risks I choose to take in order to achieve or obtain something knowing how different the risks are for some.

Tour guides at Shahara, Yemen

One of the best hiking experiences we ever had when we lived in Yemen was a hike to Shahara Bridge. We climbed an enormous mountain with a group of American friends, Yemeni guides, and a group of armed Yemeni military guards. It was so remote, so incredibly rugged that it is difficult for me to believe I have been there. The danger facing hikers to the bridge is first and foremost falling to their death and I believe that in the photo above where I'm sitting on the edge of a canyon above the bridge, I have my arm braced on the rocks behind me as though I was aware of that then.

After reaching the bridge at Shahara, Yemen

There was also the distinct possibility that as Americans we might not have received a warm welcome by the locals. Terrible things could have happened to our group on that hike but fortunately nothing did. We had a great adventure that I'm sure none of us will ever forget. Did friends that stayed home feel the risk was too great to take the hike with us but then regret their decision, having missed such an experience? I don't blame anyone who believed the reward was not enough to risk taking the trip. We all exhausted ourselves with the climb and then slept on the floor in one room and shared a bathroom with a hole in the floor for a toilet. I'm grateful that my 2005 self felt that the reward was worth the risk because I don't think my 2013 self would.
Risk is as unique to each person as rewards are. Do I believe the saying that with great risks come great rewards? The only answer I can think of is, if you're lucky.

Party Planning 2.0: Why do Babies Have to Grow?

First Birthday Banner

We found out yesterday that we are moving to Atlanta in July. I'm happy to finally be able to focus my planning on an actual place since it seems like for months of knowing when but not where the military was going to move us, I've been imagining us living in what was a combination of many places at once. I know nothing about Atlanta. I need to find a new house, new doctors, dog parks, places to play and shop, and a million other things that I'm not thinking of right now.

Instead of planning a move, I just want to plan my son's birthday party. A year ago at this time, I had decided on details for his puppy dog tails themed first birthday. I began the banner pictured here of his monthly photos. I created a board on Pinterest to help pick colors and help design his cake. His birthday is in May so I was ahead of the game but still had a lot more to do. I don't have a banner or a party planned for this year. In fact, I don't even know if we will still live in this house. I have no regrets about either of those things. What I can't figure out is why I stopped taking the monthly photos?! I guess it was because the numbered onesie stickers ran out but as you can see I made labels for each month's photo so that couldn't be the only reason.

 It's not that I haven't taken thousands of photos of him this year and could easily arrange them by month. I could, but I'm not. I can only guess that I stopped cataloging his growth once I began to realize how insanely fast it is happening. Like every mom, I am finding myself wishing for the impossible. I want him to stay just the way he is every day. I just don't want to be reminded that the days are passing by!

House Attachment

The light at the end of our remodeling tunnel is finally visible. I'm excited and relieved that after many, many months, our kitchen, master bathroom, and kids' bathroom remodels are almost complete. We're talking down to the final hooks on the wall complete! It has taken the better part of two years to accomplish what we wanted; in part because we were on a budget but mostly because we have a busy life. Two years. What this means to a military family is that the light at the end of the tunnel is also starting to signal the end of our time in this house in this town.

This move will be the fourth move for our family in eight years. This is the second home we bought and made our own only to have to leave it. But this little town in NY has been more than a duty station. We were fortunate enough to end up stationed in the area we both grew up, something not very common for a military family. I went to school from K-12 in Saratoga. The churches here are the same churches we made our first communions, got married, and now can add, had our baby's baptism.

We have been spoiled to live in Saratoga Springs and by all it has to offer for families. I have been able to fill my son's days with so many fun and educational activities that I may not be able to find in another area. I don't know too many military towns that we could move to that will offer us the chance to have a picnic blanket play date at the ballet on a summer afternoon.

Every military family knows how it feels to leave a town, family, friends, and take only memories to a new place. We've done it enough to be somewhat used to it and prepared but this time it feels like it's going to be harder. For one thing, we are leaving both of our families after spending these past few years enjoying their company any time we wanted. But above all, this is the first time that we will be making the move with a child. For that reason I feel like I have much more of an attachment to our house.

It's not just the work that my husband has put into remodeling this house. It's the babyprints that are all over it. Each inch of this big house is filled with little reminders of every moment from the day we brought him home, to his first giggles, first steps and words. When we walk out of the door to go places these days I find myself imagining what it will be like to walk out for the last time. Will visions of walking up the sidewalk to the front door with a newborn in my arms, anxious to bring him home, flood over me and make me run back inside? I know that won't happen but only because this life we live doesn't allow for that kind of emotional reaction to moving. Am I going to spend our last nights here waking up in a panic wondering if my baby will miss his nursery? Yes, I will. But in order to get through our toughest move so far I'll have to find a way to get excited about his new nursery in our new house, in our new town.

In our last house, I spent the last few days before we moved taking photos of the empty spaces and even wrote our names on a beam in the attic. One of my favorite photos to look back on is a shot of our names carved in the sand at the beach we went to every weekend. It makes me smile to think that this time around there will be another name to add.