Hurri-VAC coming your way?

It occurred to me earlier this week while I was watching Hurricane Irene develop that I've yet to see a blog that tells military families some important things they might want to do if they end up needing to Hurri-VAC.  So....here's my small attempt to help out other military families with some helpful tips that our family has done & some stuff that families Hurri-VACing for the first time might not have thought of :)

Evac site
Most military families living on coastal bases or posts will already have chosen an EVAC site and provided it to their chain of command.  Make sure you also give this information to extended family as well as phone numbers to reach you at if you do have to leave.  Another really important thing to remember (as my neighbor told me last year, bless his heart) is that if you are going to leave, leave early.  If you wait until the night before a hurricane is supposed to hit your area, the interstates and surrounding highways will more than likely be clogged with people doing the same thing.  Leave at least the morning before the storm is supposed to hit if you're going to Hurri-VAC

Important paperwork
Yeah, I know you're trying to get your family to safety and paperwork is the last thing on your mind.  But, if the worst happens you're going to want to have it with you.  If you don't already have a small portable fire safe, this would be the opportune time to get one.  Inside that safe should go things like Powers of Attorney, Last Will & Testament, any type of trust fund set up for the kiddos, DD 214 copy 1 & 4 if the spouse is a Veteran, social security cards, savings bonds, car titles, older copies of military orders if you still have them, etc.  You might also at this point want to consider backing up your desktop computer on an external hard drive & taking that as well.  One last thing that is really important for our family since our only income thus far is my husband's TSgt pay....if you have any tax documents you've kept for filing bring those with you.  We really need the tax deduction we get each year, and I'm sure other military families do as well.

Medication
If anyone in your family is on prescription medication & is running low, get those filled before you leave.

Go bags
I call them Go bags from back when I was enlisted & my husband calls his emergency bags Go bags, but they're really just bags with your clothing & toiletries.  For a Hurri-VAC I usually pack about 3 days worth of clothes for everyone & throw them into duffels.  Much easier than lugging suitcases & you can always do laundry if need be.

Pets
If you're Hurri-VACing & have pets taking at least 4 days worth of food is probably a good idea.  If your pets are like mine & are on prescription food, take the prescription with you in case you need to buy more.


Some other just general things that might be a good idea -
*Take pics of your home before you leave with a digital camera in case any damage occurs so you have them for insurance purposes later.
*If you have valuable stuff close to windows, either move the stuff away from the windows or get small tarps to cover & protect them as best as you can.
*Take a copy of the military member's recall roster so you have important numbers if you need them.

That should just about do it.....hope that helps & please feel free to add additional comments :)

Switching Things UP

So it's been a bit since I last posted and I'm happy to say things are much better.  They stayed pretty *Blech* for awhile, then Alan forgot to tell me his mother was coming for a visit.  He remembered the night before to tell me.  :-/  After the fight was over we had about an hour and a half long talk.  We talked about getting divorced & living in separate homes.  We talked about how the only thing we ever fight about is his mother.  We talked about how we didn't want to get divorced cuz it would be horrible for the kids & in general we do tend to like each other.  And I think since we got to that point things have been better because we both understand where we're coming from.  


Anyhow, looks like we've got a Hurricane inbound, so I'm thinking of writing a Hurri-VAC blog on how to get the heck out specific for military families.  Guess it will be up in the next couple of days if I go ahead and do it.  


Oh, here's a pic of Alan and I all dressed up for his cousin's wedding :P


http://twitpic.com/6a3cox

Just Keep Swimming

I debated on writing this entry.  But because I've been depressed, stressed out, and generally not my happy self lately I thought it would help to get it out.  And just the decision to write this did help, so here goes:


I can see the end of my marriage.  I've fought for this marriage for 10 + years and it is just not going to make it.  Mainly because there are three people in this marriage - myself, my husband, and his mother.  Yep, I married a momma's boy.  Now, to be fair, he has improved somewhat since we married.  But not enough to be able to recognize and accept that his mother is much more mentally and physically ill than he thinks.  And since he is incapable of  that realization he can't protect his children (our children) from that aspect of his mother.  Now, it would be different if I were the only person who recognized this problem with his mother.  But I'm not.  Many mutual friends also see the problems that he cannot.  Two close friends share the same concerns I have for my children.  I really haven't talked to many people about this much because of the obvious marriage crisis.  


Anyhow, our oldest child is 8 years old.  I've been trying to help my husband deal with the issues he has with his mother for 8 years.  After he sat and told me he doesn't think there's really anything wrong with his mother, it became glaringly, horribly obvious that I couldn't do anymore to help him.  


So now I'm doing damage control.  Because I have no income of my own.  Because if I say anything to him now I have to choose between finishing my master's degree (which requires 9  months of unpaid fieldwork) or getting a job now & perhaps never finishing that degree which I will have to pay for in six months.  And because last time his mother came between us, my husband tried to get sole custody of our then only child.  


I want this to go as smoothly as possible.  I want to protect my children and keep them from being hurt and pulled between parents.  I'm very afraid that things will get very ugly very quickly and there's not much I can do about it.


In the words of Dory from Finding Nemo....Just Keep Swimming.  Because right now that's all I can do.

What doesn't kill you

Makes you stronger...or in my case gives me really good focus.  For reasons I can't get into I can't go into detail about what happened in my life.  Suffice it to say I know what I need to do now for my kids & for myself professionally.  With much more focus and a plan I can begin to get my life back on track.  First step is getting my name legally changed to include the maiden name I dropped when I got married.  Second step is gathering information to build a case proving mental disorder.  Third is getting this class done & interviewing for a position so I can finish this master's degree.  


After all the stress of the last few days had Zombie Apocalypse dreams last night.  Found it truly hilarious that the people causing all my stress were wiped out immediately in the dream.


Nothing can break you unless you let it.  

Suggestions please

This post is actually me being lazy instead of DMing several friends on Twitter.  Well, I'm still going to DM you guys, but all the info is right here on the blog instead of typing it each time.  So technically, still being lazy.


I'm working an idea for that lovely little story I'm plugging away at & needed a bit of input.  Main character is a first year college student who's just discovered she's a bit different from everyone she knows.  She's fairly introverted, very smart, and of Italian & Native American descent.  Looking at three different tarot decks to use for her character (yes, the deck will be in the story) and dunno which to go with.  Please have a look & let me know what you think.


The Fairy Tale Tarot
http://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738708669


Tarot for Hip Witches
http://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738713915


The Hidden Path
http://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738710709


You can just reply through Twitter if you don't want to comment at the blog.  Thanks guys!

Alterna-names!

I got this idea from the gorgeous ladies over at Mommyland Rants.  Mentioning your kidlets on any type of social media is a catch 22 if you're talking to people who don't actually KNOW you.  After getting really tired of typing age and sex to refer to each child, I'm giving them alternate names.  Cuz it's shorter & easier, and still protects their privacy :)


So first off we have Bess, my 8 year old daughter who is being given the name of Disney's Art Talent fairy.  Bess is an artist herself (may actually post some of her work from time to time) and if any little girl were a fairy, it would be her.


Secondly we have Lightning, so named for his love of Cars.  He's three years old and has a scar on his chest from the open heart surgery he had at one week old.  So Lightning works for that, as well.  


Lastly there's Daredevil, my little 22 month old son who thinks he can do anything his older brother can.  And I do mean anything.  Will probably shorten this to Dare just to save character space on Twitter.


When I'm on Facebook I will probably just use their real names because most of the people I have friended on Facebook I've actually met in the real world.  And if I friended you there and haven't actually "met" you, consider yourself lucky :)


Oh and one other.  Anytime I refer to the Borg Queen...that's my mother-outlaw.  Because she is EVILE.  


So there you have it - I'll reference this entry anytime I get queries on who the heck I'm talking about on Twitter.  Who knows, maybe I'll come up with alterna-names for other people.  

Bedtime Prayer

Raising kidlets is a lot of work.  Let me repeat that.  Raising kiddos is a Gargantuan amount of work.  And usually something like a bedtime prayer is cake because you just pass down the ones you learned as a kid to your own kids.  Except, that the prayers I learned don't really work anymore.  Because I was raised Catholic, but once I moved out on my own and began exploring my spirituality I realized Christianity and I weren't a good fit.  I love many Christians, and have several Christian friends who are able to accept that I'm not.  And now I'm going off on a tangent.

Back to the original subject of this blog.  My oldest child has always had a problem with anxiety - she had a full blown panic attack at age 2.  So I began wracking my brain to come up with a prayer for her (and my other children) that would help her settle down at night and not make me grit my teeth while saying it.  The one I kept coming back to from my own childhood began with the lines - Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  So after much brainstorming I wrote my own bedtime prayer for my children.  I'm sharing it because there may be other parents who want to find a bedtime prayer for their kiddos, but don't want to use the standard Christian prayers.  If you don't like it, please be respectful and don't leave nasty comments.

Tonight on my sleep-lit ride
I pray the Gods to be my guide
If from slumber I should not awake
To the Summerlands I will make
Lady light my hearth tonight
Lord please drive away my frights
With this rhyme I ask of thee
As I will, So Mote It Be