Difficult Conversations with Preschooler #1

Okay, so we watch lots of TV shows that will teach us things. There are very few shows that we (my husband and myself) watch that we won't let our son watch. Our son learned about death from watching mystery shows that we love.
Today, we watched a show about an "Elephant Man." It's not the first one we've seen, but it's been the most touching one. The man didn't grow fully since the tumors in his face took most of his nutrients as he was growing. He also didn't have the money or means to go to the United States to have his tumors removed. His family seemed liked they kind of cared, but they kind of said some horrible things about and in front of him.
My almost 4 year old son was asking all sorts of questions. He wanted to know where one of his eyes went, why his face was different, and what was going to happen to him. I try very hard to be as honest with my son as possible, though I don't volunteer information I don't feel he is ready for yet. But I had to have a somewhat difficult conversation with him.
I explained that the man had tumors in his body. I also had to explain that tumors are something that happens sometimes that makes people feel sick. He pretty much understood that once it was said. But he wanted to know why people got tumors and what was going to happen to the man. I told him that he'd have to ask God why he got tumors.
He said the most adorable thing I have ever heard him say. He listened to the man talk about how growing up other kids made fun of him and how he felt sad. My son's reply? He said, "My heart beats for his owies."
That will be something that I will remember for the rest of my life. I want to call all of my relatives and tell them what he said right now, but I'm pretty sure they are all asleep. The first "difficult" conversation went well. Tackling more tomorrow...

Lots of Changes

If you have me added on Facebook (which I'm guessing you do), you'll know that my family's life has been turned upside down. The Navy decided that my husband who has gone on two deployments, been shot at while fixing Marines, has never gotten in trouble for anything, and has scored a 4.0 across the board on his last eval is no longer good enough to serve the military. The only problem with that is the fact that he didn't have time to find a job and get everything situated (he wasn't able to take terminal leave).
I don't know if all the hospitals and clinics in the area are conspiring, but my husband has turned in several applications and has talked to those who are advertising the fact that they are hiring RMA's online and they tell him that they are no longer hiring and even admit that they haven't hired anyone yet. I don't know what is going on with this town, but there is something wrong. We just have to make it here long enough for my husband to get the classes he needs to get into medical school.
Honestly, I don't view this town, the clinics, or the Navy this badly, I just love to use sarcasm and twist things to make people laugh. So don't use this against me later when I get excited that the Navy recalled my husband (they won't unless we go to war with yet another country).
I have decided that while my husband is trying to find a job that he can do without losing the remainder of his marbles, I will go and get a basic job to help out around the house until the VA help starts kicking in. Who knows, maybe I'll enjoy it and I'll keep working so I can get new furniture or something. I doubt it because I love my son and I don't want other people raising him.
Does anyone have any opinions? I know there are people who think that the wife shouldn't work because of the Bible, but that doesn't help. I've read the Bible and I know what it says. I know my dad is going to say to become a nurse, but I don't quite have those qualifications yet and I would not enjoy that job at all. Should I go back to McDonald's or get a job at the gas station down the street? I could even get a job at a local restaurant though I'd probably lose more money breaking plates as I tripped while waiting on tables. Options, options, options.
I'll try to come on here and post my opinions as I go along with life a little more often that I have been.

Maybe Moving

Life here right now is stressed out, though it's not as bad as it has been in the passed few days.
We have been given some news by a friend that might affect my husband's job, so we are quickly trying to plan a move just in case it happens. It's not so bad because if we do end up moving to our home state, we already have plans for how we are going to go about things. I even have the road trip I planned out still sitting in my "office" or "black hole" as my husband likes to call it. Albeit, the next two weeks would be insane with trying to figure out what to pack and what to donate and what to just toss. I don't want to leave here and I want to go homeward at the same time, so I'm just an emotional mess. Why can't I take everyone I care about and ship them all there as well?
As stressed as my husband and I are about the possibility of moving and money though, my son and dogs cant' really seem to tell the difference. They were as happy and crazy today as always. I tried to just enjoy the day, but I think I'm going to start going through the paperwork we keep putting off for no reason and figuring out what receipts can be tossed and which ones we really need to hold onto or something. Just to get my brain off of the move and to give it a positive if we do end up moving.

New Pet

Honestly, I think I am the craziest person in the world. We have so many projects going on with trying to build a fence (alright, all I did was do a bunch of research online and help out one or two days), a ball coming up, my son's birthday party, and Christmas right around the corner. Not to mention things we are talking about but have to wait to see what is going on with my husband's career (he is in the Navy, but he's already passed the date he is supposed to be out).
We went to a friend's house and saw their puppies, so cute, and I agreed to take one home. Now, we weren't sure about our older dog and younger dog getting along, so we decided the older dog would go in her kennel at night like usual and the younger dog would stay in the kitchen in case he peed or something. That night did no go well. The puppy whined all night, my dog kept whining and shaking her cage, my son kept waking up and crying, and my husband was on sleep meds so he wasn't really much help. That morning, when he woke up, he sat there and almost laughed while I said we had to get rid of the puppy. He told me to go get some sleep and that we'd talk about it later when everything was more calm.
Needless to say, I was outvoted about the dog. It's okay now because they both sleep in the kennel, though the puppy does not have the dog's manners of not barking at all hours. I still get my sleep so long as the chores don't get out of hand, and the dog now has someone to play with all the time. Potty training this dog is still work, but it's not as hard as the older dog because we just take the puppy out whenever we take the dog out and there are much fewer accidents.
Now I can officially say, no more pets. Maybe fish, but they aren't pets. In my mind, fish are like plants, it's just a waiting game to make sure they don't die because your child overfed them.

Quick Rant About Kids Pajamas and Sewing Machines

Okay, so as of recently, I have been trying to do more projects at home because I get so bored. I've knitted an afghan, made a couple of creepy cute creatures, and even started making a sweater. Some of them are cute, some of them are definitely not. The one that I have been having the most trouble with is my sewing machine. Funnily enough, everyone has the same advice, I do it, and it solves nothing.
To make matters worse, I was making pajama bottoms for my son when I noticed that the fabric said not to be used for children's sleepwear on it. Apparently, it's very different from his sweats. He does sleep in his sweats by the way. They are comfy beyond all belief. So I googled this and found out there is a huge debate about whether or not I should have flame retardant stuff in my son's clothes and sheets. This really sucks. This doesn't really bother me at all, but I don't want there to be a fire for some reason and for him to be badly injured because I didn't prepare.
Who in the world decided it was okay to sell the most famous kids fabrics without putting flame retardant in it already so mothers could make awesome pj's without having to worry? I already know that if I make the pj's (that is if my sewing machine cooperates) that I won't buy and use stuff to make it a low flame hazard (which doesn't make it fire-proof by the way).
Also, who makes pj's tight fitting? I wear comfy loose pj's all the time, usually all day long, because it's nice and comfy. My son recently adopted this habit and refuses to wear normal shorts or jeans unless we are going somewhere. Sometimes even then he'll protest.
Thanks for letting me rant. I already know that I can take my sewing machine in to the lady who sold it to me and she'll show me what I am doing wrong. I figure that I'll go ahead and make the pj bottoms. If my husband feels worried about fires, he can buy the fabric stuff and fix it or ask me to fix it after he buys it. Next time I'll just get fabric to make my son a doctor's jacket or something.

Children, Charts, and Chores

Okay, so I just read an article about setting up children for success when it comes to chores. Now, my son will throw something away if you ask him, put his dishes in the sink if you ask him, help with dinner sometimes, and may pick up some of his toys. He used to be much better about the trash and toys, but I stopped making sure they were picked up every night. Now I just start picking them up at night if there are too many all over or if his room really looks like a disaster.
After reading the first article, I read a couple more. I would quote what they put on here, but there are hundreds of articles on this subject and they are all very similar. Kids who do chores (age appropriate) are more aware of others and work harder as they grow older. You can Google it online and find all the same ones.
I just thought it was interesting. I've seen the cute charts you can buy at the store that are just way too cute, but I have only one child and it's a little crazy to buy a chart made for around four kids for just the one. I also saw a mom on Wife-Swap who gave the kids in the other house a rock (they had jars) every time they did something well and for every so many rocks they got something (their toys back). It worked pretty well.
I did something similar for potty training. I made a chart with the days of the week on the side and several boxes all along. For every time my son used the toilet, he got a sticker. For every time he had an accident, he got an "x." On the days that he got only stickers, he got a fake dollar. Then, he could trade them in for things.
Now, I am excited and want to make a chart with possible chores and fake dollars. Who knows, maybe I'll even start paying my son in spare change (he gets it all for free now) and let him spend it at the store. Honestly, I probably won't do that because we never keep cash on us anymore.
I'll try to fix my printer and get that working. If I can, then I will post pics later and my son's progress. I'm sure he'll do okay at the very least because he loves stickers and chores aren't really chores yet.

Knights in Shining Armor

People say the knight in shining armor is too much of an expectation. They say he isn't real. They say that fairy tales don't come true.
I think they are wrong. Yes, some girls need to lower some expectations (both the knight and the prince are only humans) but others need to raise them quite a bit. I am a firm believer that there should be a day or an hour or even just fifteen minutes of "me" time in a person's life. Sometimes the lady of the house will only need one once a month (and I think she's a superhero) and other times (like me) you just have to walk into another room and shut the door for a couple of minutes to de-stress or gather your thoughts. If I had the money to go to a spa once a month and get a pedicure, I would do it in a heartbeat.
Honestly, all these people are looking at the picture the wrong way. It's like looking at the Mona Lisa and wondering why she was smiling. It doesn't matter why she was smiling, it matters that she was willing to let the world know how she was feeling.
The knights of today are the ones who put everyone else before themselves to keep civilians safe. This includes the police, the firefighters, and those who joined the military service. And it doesn't matter whether they are peeling potatoes, pushing paperwork, or fighting on the front lines. Though, I must admit, I am partial to the Grunts and the FMF Corpsman because I see them all the time.
These are the men and women who find out they are deploying and for months are scared out of their mind but are willing to push those fears back so their families can sleep happier. They are the ones who answer emergency calls never really knowing what to expect. They are the ones who are at major disasters first, even if they aren't in our own country. They are the ones willing to walk into fire just to pull out some one's dog. They are the ones who know they won't be able to go to reunions and see everyone they care about. They are the ones who come back only to find out some people not only don't care about what they did, but are protesting them around the United States.
It really annoys me when people say they don't like the police. They are just enforcing the law that should be followed even if police weren't around. It pushes my buttons when someone puts down a military service. Obviously, they don't know that they should be grateful in so many ways. It makes me downright angry when someone or some group decides that it's God's Will to protest funerals of the men and women who could not come home. There is no explanation for that.
The next time you try to think of a modern day knight, think of the people who join a service, any service. It doesn't matter whether they will deploy overseas or stay in their own neighborhood. It may even be the wife at home who lives in fear that her husband won't come home that day. Don't stop telling those fairy tales either, because they haven't died away yet.