Mommy Musings

IT IS THE SOLDIER It is the Soldier, not the minister Who has given us freedom of religion. It is the Soldier, not the reporter Who has given us freedom of the press. It is the Soldier, not the poet Who has given us freedom of speech. It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer Who has given us freedom to protest. It is the Soldier, not the lawyer Who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the Soldier, not the politician Who has given us the right to vote. It is the Soldier who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag, And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protester to burn the flag.  by Charles M. Province Today....every day...we are honored and blessed that brave men and women still stand up and volunteer to keep us safe and free.  Thank you will never be enough.

Today’s post is sponsored by Great Clips , by my love for their veterans campaign is all my own! At twenty-one, I said goodbye to my brand-new fiance as he headed off to war. As a Marine, he had volunteered to join the military and deploy, away from America, his family and friends, and the comforts we all take for granted, to keep the rest of us safe.  For me, that is the definition of selflessness. All of our veterans answer the call willingly, putting aside their safety, to make sure we all remain free.  It is an honor we can never fully repay. Besides my husband, I personally know several other veterans who have deployed.  And every Veteran's Day, I try to spoil them as best as possible.  I send cards, thanking them for their service.  I've had my kids make pictures and notes, telling them of the sacrificing these brave men and women have made for us.  We take my husband out to dinner to celebrate the fact that he has home with us, and thank him for his ...

Emmy has been in the Daisy's all year.  It's a new experience for me, because I never was a Girl Scout or anything when I was younger.  It's been a learning experience for sure.  But we were all very excited when we learned Emmy would be walking in the local Memorial Day parade. It took some figuring out because Skip was supposed to ride with the VFW, but my ankle is still so bad I didn't think I could make it for the whole parade. In the end, he walked with Emmy, and Charlie and I set ourselves up along the route to watch. It was so great to see Emmy marching along with her friends.  And Charlie really enjoyed the whole experience as well.  We had a wonderful morning as a family, though it was not lost on me how different this day would look if Skip hadn't come home to us. I noticed something as well this weekend.  There is a lot of misinformation about Memorial Day.  I'd like to quickly clear some of that up.  - Memorial Day is a day to honor th...

Yesterday was a good day, a really good day .  Which I feel really guilty about, as it is a day set aside to remember all those in uniform who gave our lives for our freedom.  And don't worry, among the wonderful times our family spent together, Skip and I made sure to remember those who died.  We talked about those we knew, those we learned the names of.  In our house, we never  let their sacrifice go unnoticed. But among all that, we had such a sweet summer-like day together.  First off, the temps topped out in the upper 80's, which in my book means everything is just a little bit better.  Skip had to work, but not until the afternoon, so we had the whole morning together. The girls slept till 8 {wahoo!} and we all got up and quickly got dressed before heading into the parade in our town.  I hadn't bought special outfits for the girls for the holiday, whoops , but we made do. As soon as we got home, we quick changed into our bathing suits and he...

This day, November 11, I am many things. I am thankful for all of our veterans. I am humbled by their selflessness. I am grateful that they are willing to step up so I don't have to. I am in awe of their bravery. I am blessed for all those I know who came home safely. I am heartbroken for all those who did not come home. I am honored to keep company with so many veterans who, without hesitation, answered the call to protect and defend this great country we live in.  Thank you to my husband, my cousin, my FIL, my uncle, and so so many friends.  Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed. Now everyone go out and hug a veteran today!!

I am so excited to be spending the day in Malibu today witnessing the marriage of my oldest cousin and his fiance.   Almost 11 years ago to the day, I sat in the hot beating sun and my cousin's West Point graduation.  President Bush was the speaker that day.  He spoke of the current war in Afghanistan, and the pending war in Iraq.  A war these men and women would be spearheading. I looked out over the cadets, tears in my eyes, wondering who would come home and who would not.  Who would get to live a long full life?  Who would get married, have kids, and grow old with the one they loved? Sadly, I know that not everyone from that class came home.  Not everyone will get to live out their dreams. But today...today I get to watch my cousin live out his.  And for that I am blessed.

I feel so blessed to be spending this Memorial Day with my husband, cousin, and several other friends who are decorated military Veterans.  But while I'm thanking God that these boys came home to me, I will be remembering all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can be free.  Today and every day, I remember you... Photo taken from Google.com Photo taken from Google.com