I cannot take credit for this one but HAD to share it with all of you.

As most of you know we are on Deployment #2 and Megan, one of my bestest friends ever gave this to me after my husband left.  This was such a sweet gesture and going through everything that she put together made me feel that much more capable. Okay, okay, I’m not going to lie it also made me cry.  But more importantly,  reading each of the inscriptions made me realize that we CAN raise our children when they are away, we CAN keep up the house and the yard and the cars when they are away, and we CAN continue on with our lives while they are away because of one thing; EACHOTHER!  There is nothing like another Military wife to understand all of the ups and downs and be there for you through it all.

So….what’s in the Deployment Survival Kit?

• Marbles; for when you’ve lost yours
• Worry Stone; to take your worries away
• Stationary; for all the letters you’ll be writing
• Pen; to sign your X’s and O’s
• Sucker; because deployments suck
• Kleenex; to wipe away all the tears
• Flashlight; to remind you that there is light at the end of the tunnel
• Paperclip; to help you hold it all together
• Mounds Bar; to remind you of the “mounds” of love and support you have from family and friends
• Laffy Taffy; to remind you to laugh
• Hershey’s Kisses; to remind you of your Marines Kisses
• Life Savers; to remind you that you are one

She also included a picture frame with a beautiful print of encouraging words and a copy of The Silent Rank by Elizabeth Soutter Shwarzer.  If you’ve never read it, you MUST! (I’d write it out here but then I’d just start crying again).

Megan~  Thank you so much for this!  You have been such an amazing friend!!!

The Cheer Season is officially under way and this year, to kick it off we went old school with an Ice Cream Social!  Before Camp and Practice started I wanted the girls to get to know eachother and build cohesion from the start…and what makes little girls happier than some Ice Cream!

I set out a spread of Vanilla Ice Cream, waffle bowls, mini chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, whipping cream and chocolate and caramel toppings.  Bottled water and Honest Kids juice pouches to drink. The girls got all sugared up and I took the opportunity to go over the guidelines for the season with the parents.

I also took this time to give them a little gift:  A Cheer ‘Survival’ kit.  I bought inexpensive water bottles from Michaels and used puff paint to write their names and team on them.  Inside was a little bag containing extra hair ties, a small bottle of hair spray, and a few safety pins.  And of course, the cheerleader accessory of choice-a giant hair bow!

Looking forward to a great season!

Today I went in search of new sandals for Pixi (which I didn’t find) and ended up in Babies R Us.  I rarely shop there anymore since we’ve outgrown the necessity for baby items/gear but I was striking out at every store so we decided to run in.  (My apoligies to the girls that work there that had to deal with the P’s during check out).

Well I didn’t find sandals for Pixi there- I was looking for plain silver or white that don’t go between the toe and every place either didn’t have her size or didn’t have that style-but I did find a TON of clearance that was all an additional 40% off!  Including shoes!  They looked like they were already starting to put out there fall stuff so all of the summer clothing was on sale!  Lucky me who needed to grab some stuff for an upcoming trip to the desert!

I walked out the door with two rompers, a sun dress, and a pair of tennies for under $25!!!  The shoes were only $6.50!  I don’t know how long the clearance will be like this but if you need to stock up on summer clothes for your little one I suggest checking out.

This year’s camping trip certainly wasn’t perfect (the weather at the beach was horrible, the clouds were too low to see all of the fireworks, and one of the mama’s was on crutches) but when you add 5 marines, their wives, and 11 Devil pups to a couple of campsites on the beach….LOTS of fun will be had by all!  And, watching Dolphins swimming  just a few yards off the shore, certainly makes up for the cold windy weather!

If you are Military and have access to the camp sites on San Onofre Beach I HIGHLY recommend going.  There are RV hookups and cottages to rent also but in my opinion, a tent on the sand is the way to go!  Each site is equipped with water and electric, a picnic table, fire ring, and an amazing view.  And what better time to go than to celebrate Independence Day!

The resort beach also has bathrooms and warm showers, lifequards on duty, and playground for the kids.

My girls, especially, enjoyed the playgrounds on the sand.

Of course, there wasn’t much that little Pixi didn’t enjoy about her camping trip.

The digging conditions were superb!

and the Guacamole was plentiful!

The big P’s did a little “Surfing”

And Bubba had a blast just being a boy!

But the most fun was had around the fire ring, roasting marshmallows, enjoying our friends, and celebrating the good ol’ U.S. of A!

I hope you all had a wondeful 4th of July!

The Port of San Diego Festival runs from June 30th-July 8th, at 1140 N. Harbor Dr., and includes lots of family fun with inflatables, and a Giant water slide.

On the 4th of July the Festival is the official home of the Big Bay Boom Fireworks.  This festival looks like SO much fun and best of all, it benefits the Armed Serivices YMCA!

If you are looking for something fun to do with thte family this week or wanting a fun way to celebrate the 4th of July, check out Plum District for discounted tickets.  They are $20 for 2 (regularly $20 each) and non-participating parents are free.

P1 LOVES lemonade….fresh squeezed, homemade, by her!  So when we were creating our Summer Bucket List it is no surprise that she wanted to “Make Lemonade”.

What you will need:

• 2 large lemons
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• water
• jar or bottle

We have this great little hand juicer that I got at Ikea for a couple $$ and the kids have fun squeezing their lemons (or oranges) for their juice.

While the kids are having fun making a mess, put the sugar in the jar

 And when they’re done, add the fresh lemon juice.  Stir in the sugar until it’s desolved.

Fill the rest of the jar up with cold water and enjoy!

YUMMMM!

The BevMo!  5 cent wine sale is going on NOW and they asked me to head on in to check it out.  Here’s what I can tell you, if you are a wine lover or just an occasional wine drinker, you NEED TO KNOW about this sale!

From now until July 9th, at BevMo! you can purchase a bottle of wine at regular price and get the second of the same bottle for 5 CENTS!  (In case you didn’t do the math, that is like 2 for the price of 1!)

So I went and checked it out.  There were so many different wines to choose from.  Everything from red to white to bubbly, North Coast to Chilean.  And for every price range, too. Bottles that I saw ranged from $8.99 on up to $29.99.  I was in there so long perusing the aisles that I was asked 4 times (twice by the same employee) if “I was finding everything ok”.  Don’t worry, if you don’t have an hour to look around and search for your perfect wines, you can do it online!  Just go to Bevmo.com and find your local store.  You can search through the wines and purchase them online, then simply go into the store and pick them up.  They will have them boxed up and ready to go for you.

The wines on sale always vary which makes it fun to try somehthing new!  The employees can usually offer great recommendations and if you buy something you end up not liking just bring it back!  With your original receipt and bottle they will exchange or refund, now how’s that for great service?!

The 5 cent wine sale is the perfect time to stock up!  I now have a variety of wines on hand to give as gifts, use for dinner parties, or just enjoy with a delicious dinner on a Saturday night.

***Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed in this post are my own.  For purposes of content I was supplied with a gift card to use for  purchasing from this sale***

Man does it take a long time to fill up water balloons….I should have thought about that before putting packs of them in the P’s “Welcome to Summer” Buckets!  In the end it was a fun day had by all (almost all, we waited until little Pixi was napping) and the best part was me launching them off the upstairs balcony watching the P’s giggling in the back yard as they embarked upon a summertime right of passage for the first time! (At first, they didn’t realize they were supposed to actually throw them at eachother, LOL).

And while we’re talking water balloons….does anybody remember those ‘water grenades’ and know where to get them?   Hope you’re having a great summer!

There is a lot of paperwork and planning involved with a Catholic Baptism and when you’re a Military family that moves around, it’s even more involved when you have Godparents that live out of state and you aren’t registered with a Church for very long.  But, we finally were able to have our younger two children Baptized this past Sunday at Blinder Memorial Chapel on Camp Pendleton.  It was a beautiful day spent with our family!  Thank you to my sister, Jessica, for agreeing to be their GodMother and my Mom for coming to celebrate with us!

Big Sister posing outside before Mass

My handsome little man (he insisted on wearing the Rosary that auntie gave him).

My sweet baby girl, wearing the necklace that auntie gave her and the pin my Mama gave me when I was Baptized.

My family with Godmother “auntie” Jessi

Myself, Mama, and Sister with the P’s

Since Peyton ended her Kindergarten year reading well above her grade level,  I wanted to make sure I kept her reading throughout the Summer.  Summer Reading Programs are a great, fun way to keep the kids  engaged.  This year we have joined the DoD Summer Reading Program: Reading is So Delicious. 

This is the 3rd year that the DoD has offered a Summer Reading Program and you can register your child at any of the Military Installations Libraries.  The main goal is to keep your child reading during their summer school break, and they make it fun by raffling prizes (our Library is giving away several sets of tickets to Sea World!), hosting a weekly story time with crafts, and handing out themed material such as Tshirts, pencils, and erasers.

Our personal goal is to read 100 books (we only have early readers in this house so the books aren’t too lengthy) this summer and we are well on our way having completed 25 already.  However, reading 10 books earns them an entry for the grand prizes at the library!

If you are interested in Registering you children contact your local installation’s library.  Not Military?  No problem!  Most of the local city libraries also offer a Summer Reading Program!  Also, you can check out PBS kids~they are hosting an online summer reading challenge, or the Scholastic Summer Reading challenge.