My Military Children

I'm pretty late in the game to be posting about my kids and Month of the Military Child, but I sort of wanted to wait until after we celebrated Veronica's birthday to be able to comment on that. April 30, still counts as April.

I have to start off by saying that my girls are effing rock stars. No matter where the Army has taken us, they've been able to adapt with ease. Veronica has lived in four different houses in her four short years of life and at the age of two, Adri has already lived in three different states. They've dealt with daddy being gone for extended periods of time. They're growing up far from family with FaceTime as their main source of communication. Since it's the only way of life they've ever known, there are no complaints.

Just a few days ago was Veronica's birthday. Since John was away doing Soldier things, we postponed the birthday celebrations a little bit. Luckily, V is still young enough not to notice. A few years ago, Christmas was also postponed for about a week, when John when over that 365 day mark in Afghanistan. Did it suck? It did for me, but for the girls, it was like Christmas as usual. Daddy came home and they got to open gifts.

Along with the challenges faced as the child of a service member, there are so many positive aspects. My favorite being that V has learned a ton of geography. She can name and identify on a map all of the states that we've lived in. She even knows Louisiana now, since that's where Hubs just came back from. They've been afforded the opportunity to travel the entire country. Once we're done with the military, they'll have the memories of living in Hawaii and wherever else we end up. The little nugget will even get to say she was born in Hawaii.

It can suck at times, but I've learned that military kids are resilient. They've learned to be able to bounce back and embrace the constant changes in their lives. I'm so proud of my girls and I hope that the next four or 10 or 15 years can go as smoothly as the past four (or two and a half if you're Adri). I know that if John does stay in for another 10 years, adapting will become increasingly difficult with age, but I'm glad that so far, we've had a successful start.

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Happy Birthday Veronica!

I can hardly believe that my beautiful baby turns four today. I'm so proud of the little girl that she's becoming. I am constantly being surprised by something new that's picked up or learned. Lately, she swears she's a little super model and is all about posing for the camera.

Since John is still away, we're postponing the celebrations for just a little bit. Luckily, I've been able to keep her from knowing that today is her actual birthday. I still plan on making the day all about her by doing whatever she wants, letting her choose the meals, and having her help bake some cupcakes. Sometime today I also plan on cracking open the baby book to add some updates, and if I'm lucky, I'll start a birthday book with a photo and little survey from each birthday.

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Sponsored: Top 5 Ways to Show Appreciation to Military Spouses + iPad Giveaway

I received compensation from AT&T in exchange for posting and hosting this giveaway. All opinions are my own.

In the United States, Military Spouse Appreciation Day is celebrated on the Friday before Mother's Day. This year, Military Spouse Appreciation Day falls on May 9. Although as spouses, we may not have the toughest job in the military, it is nice to have one day out of the year where our support and sacrifices are recognized.

In honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day, here are a few ideas on how you can show appreciation for military spouses.

1. Reach out: Most military spouses know how difficult it can be to make friends and meet people at a new duty station. Have a new neighbor? Go say hello and introduce yourself. Try striking up a conversation with a mom sitting solo at the park. Introduce yourself to the new faces at your unit events.

2. Lend a hand: There are countless ways to show appreciation through acts of kindness, no matter how small. Bringing the trash cans back from the curb, mowing the yard, helping out with car issues, watching children for a few hours. When the service member is away, the spouse often times has to adopt roles that they were previously not familiar with. While this is usually a tremendous learning opportunity, sometimes it becomes a burden. Especially when Murphy's Law of Deployment won't cut you a break.

3. Food is good: When Hubster is gone, the girls and I practically live off of cereal and spaghetti and meatballs, with a bag of popcorn tossed in for special occasions. For some reason, I lack the motivation to cook when it's just the kids and I. A simple pre-cooked or frozen meal can go a long way in showing appreciation. It frees up a bit of kitchen time and ensures that no one is turning into a Froot Loop. These meals are also great for a spouse who may have just had a baby or has been sick.

4. Wine is better: Or coffee. Some solo adult conversation and beverages of choice are always a nice way to unwind. Because so many military spouses also take on the role of stay at home mom, time away from the kiddies (and sometimes, even the hubs) can be necessary to stay level headed in this hectic lifestyle.

5. Words of encouragement: A simple "thank you" goes a long way. I've never felt the need to be thanked for being a military spouse. The military is what my husband does and I'm just along for the ride. Our service members are the ones who deserve all the thanks for literally sacrificing their lives for our country. However, if someone feels the need to acknowledge that I'm many miles away from loved ones often times raising children on my own, I'll take it and it's very much appreciated. "I'm here if you need anything," is another good one.

What other ways can you think of to show appreciation to military spouses? Tag @att and #milspouse to share your ideas on Twitter! You can also click here to see how AT&T is supporting our troops and their families.

As a way to show appreciation, AT&T has sponsored a fantastic giveaway (pictured) which includes an iPad mini, iPad cover, t-shirt, and hat!  Enter via Rafflecopter below!

Contest is open to all U.S. residents, military spouse or not. Entry period will run from 12:01 am EST Friday, April 25 until 11:59 pm EST Wednesday, May 7. The winner will be announced on the blog on May 8. Entries will be verified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Baked French Toast

This bread pudding-like dish was first introduced to me by one of my very best friends. We got together for Easter one year while our husbands were deployed and this is what we ate that day. Since then, I've traditionally made it for brunch on Easter as well as on Christmas morning. It's safe to say that I'd eat this baked French toast everyday if I could, but I'd probably end up with diabetes.

Before I get into the recipe, let me note one things. The recipe calls for a loaf of Challah bread. Apparently, there really hasn't been a huge Jewish culture anywhere that I've lived, because the stuff is impossible to find. Brioche is a good substitute, and if you can't find that either, a French loaf will do the trick. I used egg and butter rolls this last time and the dish turned out perfectly.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf Challah, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) Butter, softened
• 5 Eggs, beaten
• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• 1 tbsp Vanilla
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Spread bread evenly into pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs, cream, and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Pour egg mixture over the bread and mix gently until evenly distributed. 
4. Sprinkle top of bread with cinnamon and sugar mixture. 
5. Cover with foil.
6. Set the pan of bread into a larger pan. Add water to the larger pan until it is within half an inch of the top of the bread pan. 
7. Bake covered for approximately an hour and 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the top browns
8. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!

My favorite thing about this French toast recipe is that there's no syrup necessary.  It's plenty sweet on it's own!

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True Life: I'm a Military Wife

Today, I'm joining Mal and Samantha for their Real Military Wives of Blogland link up! I don't think it's a secret that my husband is in the military, but I don't think I've ever really blogged about his military career or our experiences as a military family.

My name is Alex (Alejandra), I'm 26 and from the bizarre state of Florida. I stay at home with two kiddos and another on the way. Currently, we're living in Hawaii, where we've been for five and a half months.

I met John in college while studying to get a Bachelor Degree in Marketing. At that point he had already been in the Army for five or years as an enlisted Soldier and was doing the Green to Gold program to finish his degree and earn a commission. Due to him being in the military and having to leave for training after graduation, we got married after knowing each other for seven months. I'll be sharing that story for our anniversary next week.

Pinning Hubs. Just after I dropped the bar on the floor and I made the Colonel pick it up. Oops.

After getting married, I still had a semester left of school, so I stayed living with my parents and working at the mall as a visual merchandiser. John headed to Fort Benning and Fort Leonard Wood for BOLC, and luckily I was able to fly up pretty frequently. Four and a half years after starting college, I finally got my degree and joined John in Savannah, while he was stationed at Fort Stewart.

In the five years that we've been married, our family has had the opportunity to live in Georgia (Fort Stewart) as well as in Missouri (Fort Leonard Wood). So far, I have to say that Fort Stewart was my favorite. While at Stewart, I got relatively involved with the unit as an FRG leader for three years. Although I hated it a lot of the time, I miss it now, and am looking forward to having the opportunity to be involved with another Family Readiness Group.

Along our Army journey, there have been a variety of peaks and valleys. John deployed to Afghanistan for a year just after Adri was born, which really sucked. For the most part though, everything else has been wonderful. We've made lifelong friends and have been able to travel the country on the government's dime. I went from the ROTC girlfriend with no idea what a "sarnt" (eye roll) was to a semi-experienced military wife. I have to admit that I still tune some stories out because I have no clue WTF John is talking about.

I've met quite a few interesting characters, but for the most part, I can say that most military spouses are pretty normal people. Of course there are the ones who wear their Soldier's rank or demand military discounts (the stereotypes aren't completely made up), but in general, we're mostly nice people. Mostly. It seems to be a growing experience for most of us, and unfortunately, sometimes that's harder for some people than it is for others.

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Our Easter Weekend

It was a rather low-key weekend around these parts. The girls and I stayed pretty close to home with all of our Easter activities. Surprisingly, it felt like we did a whole bunch without actually leaving the Schofield Barracks area. Side note: HELP! I becoming one of those that doesn't leave base for anything.

Friday was spent avoiding McDonalds and their delicious cheeseburgers that I've become addicted to. #CatholicProbz. Other than that, we didn't do much other than lounge. The girls went to bed late on Thursday which didn't make for the best moods come Friday.

In the struggle to avoid meat, I figured out the secret to ordering Pizza Hut in Hawaii. Turns out you can't just go to pizzahut.com. It has to be pizzahuthawaii.com. For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why the location closest to out house wouldn't accept online delivery orders. It's because the regular Pizza Hut site is much cheaper.

Saturday morning Jen and her family joined us for an Easter egg hunt over at the PX. I'm not sure my kids were feeling it. Veronica stood there bawling for no reason for a while before deciding to start pinking up eggs. Adri didn't bother with eggs.

From the egg hunt, we headed over to the Earth Day Festival that they were having on post. There were tons of inflatable bounce houses and a few kiddie carnival rides. After the girls rode a few things, we went over to get some snacks. I was standing in line and the lady in front of me was taking her sweet ass time with her four slow ass kids. Meanwhile, the sun is pummeling me, and I'm leaning on a barricade to avoid becoming a heat casualty. I blame not having a decent breakfast. After what felt like a century's wait, I order my soda, chug it, and I'm back in business.

More tears. I think she thought it was going to fly away..?

For Easter Sunday we once again joined Jen and her family for brunch. The girls mostly hung out eating candy or playing with toys, while I was able to enjoy conversation with grown adult human beings. Once we went back home, the afternoon was spent snuggled up on the couch watching Disney Jr.

This week I've gota get my butt in gear and get this place cleaned up and organized. I had a ton or projects that I wanted to attempt to tackle while the husband was doing the Army thing, but I haven't gotten around to them. Hopefully, I can knock something out this week.

Be sure to come back on Friday for a HUGE giveaway that you do not want to miss!

Have a great week!

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Happy Easter!

via

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New Neighbors

I really don't do well in social situations with strangers, so I do my best to avoid them. But when we got new neighbors, I knew I had to go over and welcome them. Our next door neighbors came over to welcome us when we first moved in, so now it my turn to pass on the torch. It can be hard when you're at a new military base and don't know anyone. Especially when that Army base is at least a five hour flight from the rest of the country.

To make things less stressful, I just bought a package of break and bake cookies. No need to worry about mixing or cleaning or making sure you don't poison anyone. When it came time to bake, I was disappointed that I had only bought a 12-pack of extra large cookies. I still kept four of them anyway.

After baking and cooling, I placed the cookies on a paper plate and topped it with aluminum foil. Eight cookies fit perfectly on the plate. I wrapped some twine around it and attached the little card that I made on PicMonkey and printed onto cardstock. On the back of the card I wrote a little message and included my phone number.

It took a bit of convincing to get me out the door, but I finally headed over. Out of all the four places that we've lived, this has been the only place where the neighbors came and introduced themselves. I had to keep reminding myself how nice of a gesture it was. I timed it perfectly for 11 am to make sure that no husbands would be home on lunch break. I had no interest in dealing with that awkwardness.

After introducing myself and Adri, handing over the cookies, and chatting for a minute or two, I was back on my merry way home. I was glad that I went with "welcome to the neighborhood" instead of "welcome to Hawaii", because it turns out that they had literally moved over from the community across the street from us. How anticlimactic. I'll just consider this time a practice run for when we have a new family PCS here.

Have your neighbors ever stopped by to welcome you to the neighborhood?

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Hawaiian Bucket List

We've been on Oahu for five months now and I finally feel like I know this place well enough to kind of have an idea of what to do an what to avoid in our time here. So far, our family hasn't been all that adventurous. We did a hike, but usually we just stick to our preferred beaches. Since living in Hawaii is a once in a lifetime opportunity for most, we'd really like to make the most of our time here. That being said, here is a list of many of the things we'd like to do and explore.

1. Visit the WWII/Pearl Harbor Memorials
2. Go to a luau (preferably at Paradise Cove)
3. Brew our own beer
4. Snorkel at Hanauma Bay
5. Spend a day at the Polynesian Culture Center
6. Rent a cabin at Bellows
7. Try stand-up paddle boarding
8. Get SCUBA certified
9. Ride horses and/or ATVs on the beach
10. Rent a boat
11. Walk (or kayak) to Chinaman's Hat
12. Take the girls to Sea Life Park
13. Start a vertical garden in our yard
14. Go on a sunset dinner cruise
15. See Halona Blowhole
16. Try the famous Dole Whip from the Dole Plantation
17. Be an extra in a movie or TV show
18. Have a picnic
19. Do a tour of movie/TV film locations
20. Get some shaved ice from Matsumoto's
21. Hang out in the Makapu'u tidepools
22. Go to one of the Eat The Street food truck events in Honolulu
23. Have a nice family portrait (of the 5 of us and maybe Caesar) taken
24. Get season passes to Wet'n'Wild
25. Go on a whale watching cruise
26. Visit Byodo-In Temple
27. Photograph sea turtles on the beach
28. Go to a Disney Character breakfast at Aulani
29. Hike Koko Head
30. Find a favorite local restaurant
31. Make it up the Stairway to Heaven
32. Do some island hoping(a cruise would be ideal)
33. See a volcano
34. Lounge on the beach sipping tropical drinks with mini umbrellas
35. Go to the Pro Bowl
36. Do a shark cage dive
37. Watch a surfing competition
38. Get another tattoo, or two
39. Have a kid, then never have another kid again
40. Get back into pre-baby shape
41. Sell the baby gear that we wont be needing anymore (high chair, pack and play, Bumbo)
42. Finish a scrapbook
43. Finish Hubster's Welcome Home scrapbook from deployment 2011-13

I expect that this list will be updated frequently with additional activities we'd like to do and sites we'd like to see. I'm thinking of it not only as a Hawaiin bucket list, bust sort of as a 30 (or 43) before 30.

Past and present Hawaii people, did I miss anything major?

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Stolen Moment

I'm trying to get the girls, specifically Veronica, to start going to bed to bed a little bit earlier. She gets cranky relatively easily and occasionally has a difficult time waking up in the morning. Last night, we were on the couch watching TV until about 8:30, when I turned it off, put Adri in bed, and sent V to her room to quietly play so that I could shower.

When I got out of the shower, V there was waiting (of course) and asked if I wanted to play Barbies. Almost instantly I thought, "No, you need to go to bed and I need to blog." And then I remembered an article that I had read shortly before that broke my heart.

The Carroll family woke up one morning to find that their two and a half year old Savannah, had passed away in her crib overnight. Savannah's father recalled some of the "stolen moments" that he had shared with his daughter prior to her death, such as random trips to the park or throwing coins in a fountain.

I knew I couldn't say no to my own stolen moment. V's face lit up as soon as I blurted out "sure!"

So we played Barbies.. V went to bed much later than I would have liked, but I can always try again tonight for an earlier bedtime. I could tell that she was having so much fun and her endless giggles and laughter last night were totally worth dealing with a cranky toddler today.

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V's Birthday Wish List

We'll be celebrating Veronica's birthday in two weeks and while I've given some consideration to what I'd like to buy her, I haven't actually purchased a thing. She's been asking for a variety of things for a while now, so I pretty much have my work cut out for me.

bed / disney costumes / purple dress / orange dress / blue dress / doll house

My plan is to do some online shopping in order to score some better prices. Everything I've searched for can be found at Target so I'll even be able to use my RedCard for free shipping. I might even hit up Ross while she's in school one day to see if I can find any good deals.

The Play-Doh is not happening. I will forever consider anyone that gifts my children Play-Doh, an enemy.

Also, shout out to my newest in-post sponsor Jennifer, AKA The Wife. Take a second to stop by her blog and say hello!

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Sunday Social

1. What was your best birthday? Probably my 22nd birthday. My husband would strongly disagree, but I had an absolute blast. I had way too much to drink, puked, went back to drinking, and then proceeded to insult everyone around me. I also managed to roll out of bed. In the morning I felt great though. John was not amused.

2. What was your best vacation? It had to have been a cruise. More than likely, our last cruise which was in the Western Caribbean, with stops in Mexico, Belize, Grand Cayman, and Roatan. We had so much fun on our excursion in Cozumel. We spent the morning cooking, followed by an all-you-can-drink afternoon. I can't wait to do it again.

3. Best date you’ve ever been on? Hubster screwed up with taking me to the Melting Pot on our first date. It was my first time there, and I fell completely in love. With the food. Unfortunately for him, he's not as big of a fan of fondue, so he has to suffer through all of my first date recreations.

4. Best Movie (quality) you’ve seen? I have a hard time choosing one. I don't really have a favorite movie, but two of the best that come to mind are The Prestige and Mr. Brooks. Looper is a good one too. I like when they make you think.

5. Best TV show ending of all time? I can't say that I've ever stuck around until the end. I'm working on getting through Breaking Bad. Then I'll probably get back to Mad Men. I've loved both of the season finales (?) for House of Cards.

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My Kid Will Never..

When you don't have or have never cared for children, it's so easy to say that your future children will never do a variety of things. Like that loud ass screaming kid at the grocery store. Yea, that'll never be your kid. I see it all the time on social media from my child-less friends. Before having kids, I used to say the same things. Becoming a parent was like a nice kick in the teeth.

These are just a few of the things I said my kids would never do.

My kids won't know what McDonalds is..

With as much as we've traveled around the country, the Happy Meal has wedged it's way into our lives. Sure, I could plan ahead and pack lunches, but sometimes that takes too much work. And lately, dinner seems to take too much work to prepare, so McDonalds it it!

My kids will never misbehave in public..

It's more like my kids will never behave in public. I've tried everything to include bribery. I've pretty much accepted the fact that trips to the store will be painful for quite some time.

My kids won't watch TV until they're older..

I'm all about the free babysitting service known as Netflix. TV is one of the things that I try hard to limit, but when I need to occupy the girls while I do the dishes or take a shower, the TV is my savior.

My kids will never make a mess of the house.. 

It's a good thing I enjoy vacuuming. I've learned that silence is dangerous.

My kids will never sleep in my bed.  

I failed at this one from the very beginning. Less than a week into parenthood, I was exhausted from getting up to feed Veronica, which led to her being given a spot between John and I. Nursing is easy when you don't have to wake up for it.

My kids won't curse or say inappropriate things..

Adri dropped an F-bomb like a champ yesterday. I take full responsibility for that one. It's my go-to word..

So, fellow mommies, what are some things you said your kids would never do? Child-less ladies, I'd love to hear what you think too!

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Two-Ingredient Homemade Dog Treats

My sweet Caesar boy got a bath the other day. Although he was extremely well behaved, I know it isn't exactly the most pleasant experience for a dog. For that reason, I thought he deserved to be rewarded afterwards.

Not too long ago I saw a Facebook post about homemade dog treats, so I decided to give my own easier version a try. These treats took only a few minutes to mix together

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Oatmeal
• 2 4oz jars Turkey/Chicken & Sweet Potato/Pumpkin Baby Food (make sure that baby food doesn't contain garlic, onion, or other ingredients which may be harmful to your dog. 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grind up the oatmeal in a food processor.  
3. Add the baby food to the food processor and combine with the oatmeal to create a thick mixture. 
4. Use a spoon to drop balls of the oatmeal mixture onto a baking sheet. I did tablespoon sized balls for my big guy. 
5. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes. Smaller sized treats will require less time. 
6. Cool completely and store in refrigerator. Recipe yields about 15 tablespoon-sized treats.

Caesar loved how these turned out and I was pretty impressed too! Since they were made with ingredients that I actually eat, I gave them a try too. Yes, I tried dog treats. They weren't bad! Now, I'm looking forward to experimenting with some other treat flavors in the future.

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Names

As I mentioned last week in my pregnancy update, the husband and I are having a bit of trouble coming up with a middle name for our newest bundle of joy. Not only are we super picky, but Hubster is convinced that we have to follow this pattern, that all of our names already have. So, I'm hoping that maybe you all might be able to help us come up with an acceptable middle name for Baby J.

We decided to name Number 3 something that started with a J after Hubster's name. I don't ever mention my husband's name on the blog, so you're in for a double reveal today. I'm sure if you follow me anywhere on social media, you've probably seen me mention his name. He's John. Johnny is never going to get a little Johnny named after him, so for that reason, Baby J is Baby J.

Since we're both Hispanic, we also decided that for our kids, we wanted names that worked in both English and Spanish. The same goes for middle names. My name kinda fits in that rule, although most of the country seems to have a problem pronouncing Alejandra. If my dad from Iowa can do it, everyone else should be able to. Luckily, the people of Hawaii have my back when it comes to that.

Now, John's little "rule" is that all names have to end in A. The fact that it happened with both girls and myself is completely accidental. And actually, I had to fight to get Veronica's middle name to end with A, because he wanted to name her something else that didn't even flow.

With all of that being said, our names are:

Alejandra Emilia

Veronica Isabela

Adriana Sofia

And Baby J will be:

Juliana

I don't love that both her and Adri will end with an "ana", but I do really love the name. It's not often that I use Adri's full name, and we've already started referring to Juliana just as Juli, so it probably doesn't even really matter. All we need now is a middle name.

I'd be eternally grateful for any suggestions for a middle name for Juliana that fits the criteria (ends in A and works in English and Spanish) and flows nicely. (:

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24 Week Bumpdate

This pregnancy just seems to be flying by (thankfully)! Today, I get to go in for my 24 week appointment. So far, the hospital has been really good about scheduling my appointments on the week mark.

Hubs and I have decided on a first name for Baby 3, who will now be known as Baby J, but we haven't been able to come up with a middle name that we like yet.

I've started to feel Baby J moving a whole lot more lately. She tends to be most active right around bedtime when I'm first laying down to go to sleep. Hubster has been able to feel her move as well, and if you watch carefully, you can even see her moving through my belly.

Speaking of sleep, it's been a tad rough lately. However, I blame that on Adri. She likes to crawl into our bed around 2 or 3 in the morning, forcing the grown ups to share one half of the mattress. I find myself occasionally waking up needing to pee in the middle of the night, but since I'm stubborn, unless I'm in severe pain, it waits until the morning.

As you can see, I'm actually starting to show. Gone are the days where I just look a little chubby. Strangers and acquaintances are starting to notice the bump. I've been living in my maternity clothes, which consists of a pair of shorts and lots workout clothes. I've been wearing dresses a lot lately, but I'm used to having thigh gap and I pretty much hate the feeling of my thighs touching. Sorry guys!

There haven't been any specific cravings, but I do love my sweets. I've noticed that the powdered doughnuts bringing on a bit of heartburn. I have a thing for noodles lately, but that's just because I got a taste of them and I want more.

I'm excited to hear my babe's little heart beat today. Both big sisters are coming along, which should be interesting. I've read about lots of negative experiences at Tripler, but so far everything has been wonderful. I've been able to see the same doctor every time and he's amazing with V and Adri. I'm sure one of them will get to help with the jelly or the heartbeat doppler.

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