Day one: NO MOTORCYCLES!

Well this one is a bit more serious, a lot more serious. It is not spider related and a squirt of Raid can't fix it, so any helpful idea or suggestion would be appreciated.

Truman was an absolute terror at preschool today. Defiant, disrespectful, pushing his friends, and more. Now when I say that I adore my day-care, that is an understatement. They are fantastic, solid, loving, and helpful. I adore Lala & Zaida. They are my first line of help/defense and give wonderful advise an support. I would be lost with out them. So to have him behave like this with them kills me.

First, I have to say I think a big part of this behavior is because Michael is gone. Tru has acted out before but not like this. And when he saluted be like Benny Hill would salute and rolled his eyes as I was talking to him, I know I had lost all authority. Authority I need to get back in a flash.

Well Lala & Zaida gave me a GREAT piece of advise, and a punishment fitting the crime. I have to make it swift and hit him where it matters most, right in the MOTORCYCLE. He lost a pillow case full of them and I made him put them in the case himself. It took 15 minutes to get them all if that is any indication to you all on how many he has. There must be 30 in that bang pillow case. He did this so he was part of the punishment. He created the action, he will create the consequence.

He hated it and I have never seen a 4 year old kiss so much butt. He said "mom, can I have one last look?", "no problem" I said. I then tied the case closed and put it in a place he cant get to. He asked where they were and I said "never you mind, they are safe, I would never let anything happen to them."

Last night he seemed to handle it with easy because he thinks he is getting them back today probably. But he is wrong Not until I decide he is off the hook backed up by an OK from Lala and Zaida that they have seen consecutive days of improvement will he get them back.

I know he is testing the waters but the one thing I will not stand for above all is the bullying he did today. NO WAY NO HOW!

Now we are going to make a calender with a traveling motorcycle on it to show him that when he gets a good report me moves the motorcycle closer to the end date for getting them back. Screw up, the motor looses a day. I need for him to see his progress and reward him for his good behavior. And he needs to see that his new actions will get good consequences, this one complements of Jeanne.

If Nebraska was next door man, let me tell ya..... My mom always said " temper justice with mercy" so Truman will be fine. But today is the true test.

UPDATE on the Spider incident of 2009

Well folks I am happy to say that last night, under the cover of darkness to catch them in the act of spidering , I located ZERO spiders. Orkin will be bye tomorrow morning just to make sure that there is truly no longer a spider issue.

I so appreciate all the advise on the matter and a special thanks to my sister, Jen, for sending me scary and gross spider videos in her attempt to help easy my spider anxiety . Oh and her comment about " don't sleep with your mouth open" was especially endearing.

:)

Spiders! why did there have to be spiders?

OK, no one ever told me SPIDERS would be a part of this deployment. Do spiders use their spider sense and just know when there is only me around.? I have to handle this?

Tonight as I was saying good bye to a girl friend that was visiting, we noticed , what I will call an infestation, spiders on the front of my house. All the spider hung there in their webs, all 5, crowned off by the biggest spider I have ever seen, well one that was not a tarantula.

Now I have to say my next door neighbors are the BEST. They are always coming to my aid and tonight was no different. He got out the Raid and sprayed away.

As the spiders were dying a slow death by Raid, I Googled "Wolf Spider", you know for giggles. Well.....BINGO!!! A nest of Wolf Spiders have invaded my house. I know they are all dead but I cant help but feel they are crawling on me. UGH! I HATE SPIDERS!

OK, I am OK. Thanks to the angels next door and a can of Raid I will sleep soundly tonight. I just hope I do not dream spiders.

Ok, I am a little miffed! -- Day 14

Ok, I am a little miffed. Do you think that if your loved one is deployed state side and your are separated from them that it is not a "real deployment"? Some people do?

I can understand that my husband is not in the "sand box", my heart, admiration, thanks, and prayers go out to the servicemen and women that are there. It goes out to their families as well, but does this make my hubby's station any less of a deployment? I do know what is worse, only 2 hours away and you can't come home every night or 20 hours away and can't come home every night.

All I know is that I had two kids asking for daddy this morning the minuet their eyes opened.

Please know that a I believe a separation from your family is a separation whether around the block or around the world.

Why I created this blog.

Ok, I never thought in a million years I would have a husband on active military duty. But alas I am at that point. I thought it would be easy, what is one year? Well it has been one week and it is a hardest thing I have ever had to do. But the reason I write is not so much for me but for my kids. When your 2 year old is having conversations with his deployed dad on his toy cell phone it has to be effecting him in a way the I would never have thought.

So, I write this blog in hopes of helping me to remain sane, a place to vent, and in hopes of also finding other families out there that could help share with me what got them through the same situation.