Fear of Deployment Gone Wrong at Ft. Hood

I was very saddened to hear about what happened at Ft. Hood yesterday. 

For those of you who don’t know, Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army Psychiatrist, went on a shooting rampage, killing 12 and injuring 31 people.  The shootings took place at the Soldiers Readiness Processing Center (where soldiers go to do final checks before deployments). 

(Ben Skylar / Getty Images)

It was first reported that Maj. Hasan was dead, but now, it has been revealed that Maj. Hasan is wounded, but alive in stable condition.

Sources report that Maj. Hasan was very upset and fearful about an upcoming deployment that he was scheduled for.

This story really hits home for me as a military spouse.  Deployments can be dangerous and some people never come back the same. 

I’m sure Maj. Hasan heard more than his share of deployment horror stories as a Psychiatrist. However, that does not justify killing and injuring dozens of people.

Please join with me in sending up prayers for the Ft. Hood community.  Pray that God will give peace and comfort to those that lost loved ones on American soil at the hands of one of their own.  Pray for a speedy recovery for those injured.  Pray for those that were there and saw the horror of everything that went on firsthand.

Question:
Do you think this situation will cause the military to reevaluate deployments and the strain it causes on our troops and their families?

Renewing My Vows...

I finally made the decision to go forward and not look back.  I recommitted myself to a very important vow that I once made…

I renewed my vows with the Wii Fit.

When my husband bought me the Wii Fit last Christmas, I was so excited and happy!!!

At first, I was very consistent with my dedication to exercising with the Wii Fit.  I actually lasted six weeks before slipping from my everyday devotion to the Wii.

Then life started happening.  I had company visit, I started doing a lot of writing (blogging, CWG assignments, online classes) and I was just “too busy” to remain devoted to the Wii Fit.

I decided to start back again with the Wii Fit when my husband deployed.  My goal was to get my BMI back in the normal range by the time he gets back.  But once again, more excuses came up as to why I couldn’t start right away.  And they all are valid reasons:

• I was out of town
• I had company in town
• I reinjured my back
• I had writing deadlines
• The list goes on and on

It eventually comes down to this:  I have to make time for things that are important in my life. 

Reflect with me on this quote:

Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.  ~Edward Stanley

I need to get in shape.  Besides, I’m a Public Health Educator and I know better.

My husband always tells me about how he is working out so he can look nice for me when he returns.  I have no valid excuse as to why I can’t do the same for him.

So yesterday, I got back on my Wii balance board with a lot of things on my mind:

• My health – I have to take care of God’s temple.
• My son – I want to model a healthy lifestyle for him.  He has to know that exercise is a good thing.
• My husband – He's a long distance runner and I want to be able to run with him someday.

After I finished my workout, I felt so good!  I actually lost two pounds from the last time  I signed on…a great motivator for me to get back on track.

Questions:

How do you make time for exercise?

If you have a Wii Fit:  what is your favorite exercise game?

Mom & Crying Toddler Kicked Off Plane?

While surfing the net, I found an interesting headline:

Southwest Kicks Mom, cranky kid off flight

Here is a quick summary of the article:

A mom and her toddler got kicked off a Southwest flight because the toddler kept screaming, "Go! Plane! Go!" and "I want Daddy!"

The plane hadn't taken off yet and was taxing to the runway when the crew decided to return to the gate and escort the mother and toddler off the flight.

The mom felt that the child would have calmed down once the plane took off, but the crew obviously thought otherwise.

Pamela Root, a stay-at-home mom, had to stay an extra night with her toddler and wants compensation for the extra diapers and portable crib.  She also wants a formal apology.

I have traveled with our two-year-old son multiple times and it's not the easiest thing in the world.  Everyone isn't blessed with perfect toddlers and sometimes, things happen that you can't 100% control, such as ear pain and fear.  Trust me...I know from personal experience.

Thank God I was never escorted off a flight!

To be honest, I feel for the mom.  I read the comments on the article and here is what most people are saying:

• She should be able to control her child.  
• She should have drugged the child.  
• She shouldn't have flown with the child if the child didn't know how to behave. 

I bet that the people saying this either have no kids, had toddlers 20-50 years ago and forgot what it was like, or were just plain insensitive.

These same people would probably be calling child protective services if she spanked the child or yelled at him.

We don't know what her situation was.  Her child could have had a mental disability or some other issue going on. We just don't know.

But I do know this: we should pray for this mom.  She definitely has her hands full...

Questions:

Was Southwest right for kicking this mom and her child off the flight?
What are your tips for calming a two year old down on a flight?

New Design and Child Leash Verdict

Happy Friday Everyone!

You probably noticed that it looks a little different around here...

I got bored with the other blog design and decided to do one that had a theme more related to this time of year.

I’m starting to get the hang of blog designing.  I love computers, so this kind of thing fascinates me.  Don't be surprised if my blog design changes again soon.

As for the child leash safety harness dilemma, I decided to go ahead and get one.  I got my son a puppy dog one.  He likes it, especially the leash tail part.  I already had my mind made up to get one when I wrote the post, but I wanted to open it up for dialogue, and boy was it interesting! :-)

Special thanks goes out to all of you that shared your words of wisdom on that post.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Would You Use One of These?

I’m thinking about doing something that some would disapprove of…

I’m considering purchasing a child leash.

I know that there has been public disapproval of child leashes…excuse me…child safety harnesses.  But I have good reason to consider purchasing one.

Little Man and I will be doing more air travel with the holidays coming up.  He’s getting to be too tall for his stroller.  His legs almost drag the floor!

He’s very tall for his age. 

The last time we flew, I transported him in a stroller, but it was a hassle.  First, I had to take him out of the stroller, fold it up, and put it through the security screener. Then, I had to wait for it at the gate every time we got off the plane.  On one leg of the flight, I had to send the gate check person back under the plane because for some reason, they didn’t see the stroller on the first go round.

The only nice thing about the stroller was that it helped me transport our son AND a carry-on bag in the basket below.  My back is still thanking me…

On our upcoming trip, we will be having a tight connection, and I won’t have time to wait for someone to unload gate-checked items.  Hopefully, we won’t be running like O.J. through the airport, but I’m wearing my running shoes just in case…

I’m not sure how our son would react to a child leash safety harness.  I’ve been reading reviews and some people are mentioning that their kids are trying to take them off.  But the majority say that their kids like them.

If I did buy one, it would be of an animal, like the one pictured above.

I definitely would not purchase one that looks like the one pictured below...something just doesn't seem right about it.

Question:

Have you or would you use a child leash safety harness for your child?

Guess Who is Into You?

Most of us have been through it one time or another.  If you’ve been lucky enough to escape this, you probably know someone that has gone through it.

What am I talking about?  Feelings of rejection at the end of a relationship.

It hurts when you fall in love with someone, only to find out that they didn’t care about you as much as you cared about them. 

Sanya from Beams of Light Ministries has a post called, “Guess Who is Into You?” over at She Seeks this week.  Her post deals with rejection at the end of a relationship and how to break free.

She Seeks is a division of Proverbs 31 Ministries. 

Please click on the link above and show her some comment love.  Also, if you know anyone that is struggling with feelings of rejection at the end of a relationship, send them her way.

Have a blessed day!

Family Ties

Spending time with family is very important to me....so much so that I hesitated when considering the military way of life with my husband.

I had a fear of being thousands of miles away from family and not being able to stay in touch with them.

I also had a fear of being pregnant in a strange place, about to deliver a baby with a deployed husband. 

So far, none of my fears have become reality. (Knocks on wood)

Besides, you know what fear is, right?

False
Evidence
About
Reality

But that's another post.  Let me get back on topic.

Now that we have a son, it’s important to me that he knows his relatives.  I always prayed that our son would have a great relationship with our family, regardless of whether we lived near or far.

I want him to know his Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins and have good memories with them. 

A little over a month ago, I went to visit family with our son and I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly he took to his grandparents.  His memory must be better than I thought.

He had a wonderful time with his cousins.  He laughed and played his little heart out.  He instantly connected with them and it made me smile that he was so happy.  He got a chance to go to the Fair with them and to Chuck E. Cheese, along with many other fun play dates.

One of the highlights of our two-week trip with family was the Skype video chats. 

I was able to get my family and my husband’s family together for several group video chats with my husband.  A few of the video chats were a surprise to him.  It meant so much to my husband to be able to see our extended family, even if it was on Skype.

I encourage you to take some time today to think about your relationship with your family.

No one is promised tomorrow, so always make sure you let your family members know how much they mean to you.