Having a Son Like Mine

...making sure that the fettuccine alfredo he ordered is not garnished with parsley, but is completely homogenous in color.
...finding his toys, pencils or other random items arranged in straight lines on the floor.
...carving out plenty of time for homework.
...explaining figures of speech or euphemisms.
...knowing that a bath may invoke a tantrum if he sees a speck of dirt in the tub and perceives it to be a bug.
...understanding that him burying himself in a blanket or a pile of pillows makes him feel better and to let him have his space.
...peanut butter and Nutella are always on the grocery list.
...accepting that wearing his Ninja costume is considered putting on clothes for the day.
...picking out pants at the store that pull up and down easily without a lot of buttons, snaps or fasteners.
...making sure that he has plenty of pairs of gloves to wear in the house....no matter what the temperature is.
...understanding that there is a difference between "Toy Story", "Toy Story 2" and "Toy Story 3", and not being offended if you are corrected by him.
...being corrected...a lot.
...accepting the fact that hugs may be one-sided sometimes, but he wants them just the same.
...planning ahead and sharing the plan the night before so everyone is on the same page.
...reminding him not to pull out his hair.
...having an expert in the house when it comes to remembering which military tank, aircraft or weapon is which.
...never having to wonder what he really thinks.
...laughing every day as honest observations are revealed and shared about the world around us.
...resting in the confidence that "I love you" is always, always sincere.
...loving someone more than you ever thought you could.

At My Wits END!

This has been an extremely trying week and its only Wednesday! So let me back up to Tuesday to give you some insight on how stressful this week has been. It started with a phone call from my husband telling me that the school will probably calling me to have me come pick up our youngest son, Caden. Now Caden has been going through some changes. We are not quite sure what's going on.  We have been told that he may be ODD we have been told that he may have  ADHD. However one thing is clear, he is not the same little boy that he was a year ago.

His temper has shortened to the degree that the moment that he is upset he becomes violent and combative with the teachers and assistant principals in his elementary school. His principal is concerned because she feels that Caden is a brilliant 6 year old that is struggling to reconcile his maturity with his intelligence which makes complete sense to us. The problem is he just can't continue to fight and scream and cry when he gets upset. So today my husband informed me that the therapist would like to place him in a partial placement treatment program where he will be monitored so that the therapist and school officials can see what his triggers are, how he is feeling, how long it takes for the medication to take effect, when it wears off and things like that. I'm feeling a little sad because I know it's necessary but there's nothing I can do to help my little boy. When he told me yesterday that he just wants to be a good boy and he doesn't know what's wrong, it broke my heart.

The worst part is that I'll be leaving in about 30 to 35 days and my husband will be left alone to struggle to get our son on the right path.

LASTLY, today I realized that it was our 3 year anniversary at Fort Hood. At that very moment I read an email telling me that I had been assigned to Alpha Company, 304th ESB HQ Platoon at Camp Humphreys, Korea. Ironically, this is the same unit my 1SG became an NCO. The feeling of fear, excitement, worry, and slight panic rushed over me all at once. 

I'm basically an emotional wreck! I'm excited about this change and an opportunity to reinvent myself and grow. But it's getting harder and harder for me to leave my boys when they need me so much.

Time To Grow Some Money $$$

4 years and 11 months ago my husband and I decided to file for bankruptcy. This was not an easy decision because I automatically associated Bankruptcy with FAILURE.  Both my husband and I had masters degrees.... we had good jobs.... we paid our bills.....and we didn't live lavishly. However with some state budget cuts and economic difficulties which led to both of us being laid off in 2008, we found that we were bringing in less than half of our normal income; roughly $50,000 short of what we normally made for the year. During these past four years and 11 months we've had to budget very tightly. I struggled with this because I'm used to buying the things I want to buy when I want to buy it. I'm also an emotional spender. However, for the past 6 weeks, I'm proud to say, that I have been saving CONSISTENTLY and without fail!! It doesn't seem like a long time but it's a big accomplishment for me.

I decided to take the 52 week challenge about month and a half ago after realizing that we did not have money saved to travel home for my husband's grandmother's funeral. I'm using my two older boys savings account to practice doing this and my own savings account as well.  Each account already had a few dollars in it (my two older boys had $2 a piece and I believe I had 3 in my savings account) and so for the past 6 weeks I have successfully saved $21.03 in each account. Again,not a big deal to many, but a big deal to me. Every Sunday I have a reminder for my calendar to send in each week's appropriate amount and no matter how much money I have in my checking account I pay that bill. Below is a picture of the 52 week challenge and it's pretty simple:

Week 1-deposit $1
Week 2-deposit $2
Week 3-deposit $3
By the end of the year, you will have saved almost $1,400!! Pretty cool huh?

I'm hoping that by the time I have to deposit $50 or $45 that I will have a little more income. I'm adding in the fact that on February 1st I will have paid my very last amount for our bankruptcy to the trustee and we will officially be out of bankruptcy!!!

Here are 2 ways to make the challenge even better:

Way #1: Automate

How to automate the 52 Week Money Challenge Chart:

1) Open up a FREE, NO FEE, Savings Account. I suggest using an online account, so you won’t have easy access to your money. Online accounts typically take 2-5 business days to withdraw funds. This will discourage impulse spending. Use MagnifyMoney.com to help you choose the best bank for you. I currently use Ally Bank. They have free, no-fee savings accounts that take less than 7 minutes to open online!

2) Set up automated transfers (on the same day each week) from your regular bank, to your new, online Savings Account. Most banks have an online calendar where you can schedule transfers (when and how much). I encourage you to set up the transfers in bulk, a month/4 at a time, or do the whole year. The scheduling should take a matter of minutes and this service is FREE! You don’t have to do the transfers manually each week, unless you think you may not have the funds available in your regular bank account and want to avoid over-drafting.

3) Make sure that you have the money available in your regular bank account each week.

4) Sit back and watch your money AUTOMATICALLY grow and grow and grow!

Automation is the new discipline. :)

Way #2: Reverse It

As you well know, most people don’t stick to New Year’s Resolutions. The reason being is that as the year wears on, your resolve diminishes. I suggest saving $52 in week 1, and $1 in week $52. In this way, the closer you get to December (and holiday shopping), the less you’ll have to save.

I've also signed up for the Live Richer Challenge . This plan promises to help you achieve your  financial goals in 36 days! I invite you to join me. SIGN-UP HERE NOW: http://www.livericherchallenge.com/

It begins in January 2015. I'm hoping to see 2016 with less worry about money.

And so it begins....

Ugghh! So it's official. I will be PCSing to Yong San Korea unaccompanied in the next 45 days. Although I've had my official orders since August, I say it's official because I had actually tried to change my mind and just deploy to Korea with my current unit. But long story short, the unit couldn't justify being over strength in my MOS.

So now I'm going through "THE PROCESS" of clearing. This is a tedious process that can sometimes be out of your control. For instance, in order for me to get my clearing papers to start clearing post, I must have my DA31 (Leave form) signed. But before the Commander will sign my DA31, I must have my award, Change of Rater and NCOER! This means that I will have to harass my Platoon Sergeant to write all of these documents like YESTERDAY! And in order for me to get my flight date I need the DA31 (sigh). I also have to get approval from the Housing Command Sergeant Major for my family to stay in housing while I am away. Again, it's a process. 

My plan is to start my leave January 15th 2015 with my 10 days Permissive TDY. So I have to start cracking the whip with some people real soon! I already have my appointment with Transportation to come pick up the few items that I'm taking with me on January 10th. I'm not sure what exactly I'll need, so I've reached out to a Senior NCO who I've known for a while that was just stationed in Korea to give me some guidance.

I'm hoping that this will be a painless 1 year tour.