Military Moving

Frequent moves are something that go hand and hand with a career in the military. Most people are aware of that. Some even know that while we move a lot, the actual packing part isn't too hard on us, as the military provides packers and movers who take all of our stuff and pack it and move it.

Something you may not know, is that we have a weight limit and we can only bring one vehicle if we move over seas, but none are shipped if we move across the country. We have to separate things for professional gear and get rid of anything half way flammable to include craft items, nail polish and home cleaners.

Some tips military wives pass around before moving time are about organizing, and labeling. "Be sure your trash can is empty- the movers will pack it as is"  We use paper plates the day of moving because "They packed the dirty dishes in my sink"

All of this can seem like a lot to have to deal with but its not too big of a deal- it's all part of the gig.
What I can never get used to is the  waiting on the assignment list.

Let me document for you our experience in assignments:

#1) I had no idea what was happening and that was most likely why it was so easy. Dan called me from a phone at the BYU ROTC and told me we were going to Germany. This was by far our easiest move. WE didn't own much and had the whole world and many years ahead of us. Ignorance was bliss..... Until we arrived!
There were 3 locations we could live at, and we were living at the furthest from the base. Dan's boss told him to not take possession of his moved property because he didn't want him that far from work. We lived in an empty apartment for 3 months before we realized the boss never did anything about it and didn't care as much as he had that night wen he had knocked back a few.
We lived there until we were about 2 months from having Seth (The army housing rule is if  you have same gender children close in age they share a room so we only had 2 rooms) We moved to a 3 bedroom, but had to move ourselves.

#2) We knew we were going to Sierra Vista AZ before we had even settled into our 3 years in Germany because it was a required schooling. We were lucky we had friends that go there before us and helped us move over, however they didn't have enough on base housing and didn't like to give what they had to the "Student Soldiers" because they moved in and out too frequently. So I rented a house, that sold out from under me the day I was supposed to move in (Dan was still finishing up in Germany- I was there to get the kids in school on time)  I scrambled and was able to find something.

#3) This is when it starts getting interesting. Give us the top 6 places you would like to go.  we did, and didn't get any of them. We did a triple trade. We took our assignment and traded with someone who was going to Japan and then with a guy who wanted to go to Japan and was being sent to Washington state. (Seemed we were able to work things out for the people who are supposed to issue these jobs)

#4) Dan told the powers that be, about 6k times he wanted to go to the DLI in Monterey CA. They apologized and said there just weren't any openings. They offered him a job in Maryland and we spent a month believing thats where we were going. Dan's boss's in Washington said they needed him through April. The people in MD said that they needed him in March. Maryland was out. Guess where a spot popped open- Yup! Monterey CA.

#5) We stayed in CA for 4 years because Dan had a deployment. The new assignment waiting list was just as much torture as ever, they gave us San Antonio TX. We were excited and started looking at buying a house. Almost immediately  we were told "Oops- sorry that job had been promised to someone else" (Back then they were promising people there choice of assignments if they would accept a deployment) So Dan said "OK what are my choices" The one that came up was a 1 year un accompanied tour to Columbia. So for about 2 weeks thats where Dan was headed. Then he called over there and they said "Army guy? This is an AF slot." Seriously? So then we were back at the drawing board. Mind you 6 weeks before moving day, that when they said we could go to Spain. OK!

#6) We were given a list of 35 and asked to prioritize them into our top 30. Really?? Thats will be hard to work out. Kansas was number 27 on our list. UGH!  While we like the area, the job is not so fun. Travel every month for 2-3 weeks. That really sucks. Especially since Dan came off a deployment right before he came here.
As soon as he got to Kansas he asked "how soon before I can leave. " They told him summer 2015

#7) ( most likely  last)
We were given a list of 60 and told to put in our top 25. We did. We were super excited because the top 15 or so were really fun places and when an email came out that said "Hey if we can't get your top 25 we will give you a call" NO CALL CAME! Then a few weeks before we were expecting to get the word Dan opened his email to "Congratulations LTC Strode you have been extended for an additional 12 months" WHAT? NO! Then we had to find out why, how and how we can get it fixed. Prove we have real reasons to not be here, and risk being sent someplace not as nice for the family, but hopefully a better job. Possibly something on our 25 list and possibly not and we are back in the waiting game with no idea how long, or what the result will be......



Hug a military family today!

Blogging about Blogs and becoming bloggers

This blog is mostly shared with friends and family. It has been a helpful tool for keeping family history and sharing with people we love who are far from us. It is not so much a "Professional" blog. However our very own Tori (Who has always been a great writer) has started her own blog that she is sharing with the world. It's based on some of her favorite things to do. She is partnering with some other blogs in hopes of spreading the word and gaining new followers. Tori has been nominated for a new blogger award and has nominated me to share her blog and some things about our family blog.

So check her blog out at : https://vintagevictori.wordpress.com

1. What is your motivation for blogging?

I have not as some might say "Caught the spirit of Elijah" I am not actively working on the history of my ancestors. I am however actively keeping my current family history.  

2. What kind of people would be interested in reading your blog?

We are an LDS family, and are also military. We have lots of adventures, but mostly just live a normal everyday life, and having said all that, I don't think there are too many people interested in reading about that. Probably just friends and family.

3. If you could only eat one kind of food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

The family all seems to love my beef and noodle recipe, Me? Potatoes - anyway you can fix them!

4. What do you do to cheer yourself up after a hard day?

This is so bad..... I get on some comfy jammies and get some sweet treat and watch tv and eat in my bed. Shhhh! 

5. Would you consider yourself an optimist? Why or why not?

Yes, and I get in trouble all the time for being too optimistic. My husband who is a pessimist in denial (He will tell you he is a realist) gets frustrated when I believe I can do things sub humanly possible or expect other to. 

6. What is your proudest accomplishment?

Thats a no brainer- Logan Marie, Victoria Jeanne, Seth Aaron, and Paige Jacqueline

7. Is there something you have always wanted to do, but haven’t done yet? Why haven’t you?

Yes, I always wanted to be an airline stewardess. I didn't ever do it because I wanted to be a mom more (I did that- Yeah me!) I think I am too old to deal with it well and enjoy it now.

8. What do you think your best characteristic is?

Well as most things in life, I have discovered the best can also be the worst at the same time. So to answer the question my best characteristic (according to me) is my persistence. I don't give up on much and live by "where theres a will theres a way" and it drives some people nuts!

9. If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?

Morocco- Because I haven't been there yet.

I haven't been everywhere - but it's on my list!

10. Share a favorite childhood memory!

I have a lot of cousins on my Dad's side of the family and I loved being with them when I was younger. They were rowdy and loud and so much fun. We would swim all day at Uncle Jimmies house, or go for Ice cream all 20 of us crammed in one station wagon, and out for pizza. It was a great time that I remember being full of laughter and free of cares.

11. What is your favorite movie of all time? If that’s too hard, go ahead and pick what your favorite one right now is.

"That thing you do" or "So I married and ax murderer" 

The 2014 Project results

So my new years goal for 2014 was to reduce as many processed items from our meals as possible. As you know, no good goal comes without a plan of execution, or a motivating factor. They also often come with bumps in the road and trial and error. Here are the results of my year long project.

#1 - Motivation=
I am a chef, I learned cooking skills, foods, flavors., however I am also a mom, so I look into health and nutrition. I haven't always been as interested in health and nutrition, but I recently started  watching DR. OZ. When he said the average American carried 5-7 lbs of un processed food weight because of preservatives, it kinda grossed me out. This made me think, I am a chef I have the skills to make a lot of this on my own, I should be using these skills. I also am a Mom, I have kids and it's my job to raise healthy kids.
The thing that really pushed me over the edge was when my husband and I visited Sicily. You see several years ago I was diagnosed with Lactose intolerance. Which sucks if you are going to go to a gelato, cheese ravioli filled country! Of course I bit in with reckless abandon. Only to find I never got sick. NEVER. Upon further research I learned the processing for dairy in our country is a bit different than in other countries and I am not so intolerant of actual dairy, but more of the hormones, antibiotics and other things that make their way into our milk and the dairy here in the United states. So this project was born.

I recommend this show- He tells it how it is and doesn't get paid to promote  agendas.

#2 - The Plan=  If it was too overwhelming it wasn't going to be a long lasting project. I knew that much. I was home alone a lot as my husband was assigned to Missouri and we were waiting Miss T.J.'s graduation to meet up with him. I have been working diligently on building my business and teaching Zumba as well as cooking classes. So an REAL plan was necessary. One Item a Month. I would choose one item or category of items per month and work on that. Then add another the next month.

January was - Salad dressings
February- Peanut butter, and other condiments (Homemade ketchup didn't go over well with the kids)
March - All sauces - pasta sauces, meat gravies, etc (purchasing organics Yogurt's and Milks and die free cheese to make said sauces)
April - Treats & desserts ( eventually some less than completely from scratch desserts got added back in for special occasions, or church pot lucks)
May- items in the lunch box ( this was a hard one)
June- August * see bump in the road paragraph below (Seasonings, Pasta, Rice)
September - all bread products ( No one liked my tortillas either- Im going to keep working on that)
October - Breakfast and cereal all homemade - Non GMO products
November- 95% reduction of any remaining canned goods
December- Nitrates and meats with lower levels of antibiotics and processing

#3- The Family=
As you can imagine they were the hardest to get on board with this plan. Sure when I started making salad dressing, they weren't complaining too loud, but when I stopped buying "Cheese Itz" for their lunch there was no end of griping.
The deal with getting them on board was breaking it in slowly, as well as striking a deal. We would eat my way Monday - Thursday and Friday, Saturday, Sunday they could choose what we would eat . (I figured Id still make it and do the best I could to bring in some healthy- but when they say I want KRAFT mac N cheese, well....)

As you can imagine the look of my pantry changed drastically and I also spent a lot more time in the Kitchen (Lucky for me, I enjoy that). I was pretty organized about it, for instance; I would choose a recipe that I make regularly that had a canned item in it, lets say beans. I would buy them dry and and lots of them. Soak and cook them for my recipe as well as for canning.

#4 -Products= Also the more I looked into recipes and ways of reducing the processed foods I would find more reasons to, or other people with tips.  Like THIS BLOG. I also realized there is so much mixed information on so many things that doing any one "DIET" or way of eating is probably not the best.
For example Milk- I buy soy sometimes, while it has good qualities too much is not good. Also I buy Organic Whole milk for the lack of processing, and it is very good for you if you do not drink it like water (I have a kid who does that) so I mix it up.
The same with oils. Olive oil is great if you eat it raw, cooking it looses its qualities. Coconut oil has some controversies as well. I also like Red Palm Oil. But the best is using them all in small amounts and for different things. Not that there is anything wrong with good old fashioned Canola Oil (IF you are getting it cold pressed organic- hard to find)

I found a few products I really like that I can recommend, however the key is to always keep your ear to the ground to hear about new ideas and studies, as well as mix it up. Do not go all one or another. You will miss out on good qualities in foods.

Do you see that little butterfly symbol on the bottom of my coconut sugar and rice vinegar? This popped up about half way through the year. It marks items that are made without GMO's That made shopping easier and less time reading labels. (If you want my thoughts on GMO's message me)

 #5 - The cost=
So I did meats last, finding good meat is hard and pricey. I guess like most things in this project - if the price went up we ate less of it. Somethings like canning veggies from my friends gardens and dry beans vs canned etc. had a positive effect on my grocery bill.
I think I would say over all my budget has gone up a bit, but I know the value of the food we eat has for sure gone up! I also think the longer I did (will do) this the shortcuts I learn and the places I can find deals at will increase (the military moves makes that an endless battle)

#6- Bumps in the road=
At first it was simple bumps like "OOPS" I sat down for dinner and realized I hadn't put out the salad dressing and I couldn't go to the pantry to get another bottle, but would have to whip one up real fast. Bread was a difficult one, without all the preservatives it doesn't stay good as long. When you are making lunches and have no bread you have to get very creative.
The big bump came when Miss Logan had her accident and I few to New York for 2 months. I had been working on seasonings and making my own mixes for times I couldn't use fresh.  When I left, Dan had to work and take care of the younger two as well as I was in a hospital without a kitchen and shopping capabilities for 2 moths. LIFE HAPPENS...
Also Logan coming home for several months was difficult on this plan (lovely to have her- difficult in our healthy eating) because she would go to taco bell whenever, or cook with white bleached flour etc. I never wanted this project to get in the way of family time, or the joy of having kids and being a family. I just took it in stride the best I could. (There were a few lectures about Taco Bell)
Also from time to time a recipe just wouldn't fly. If anyone makes good from scratch cheese itz let me know!

#7-The result=
Well, one year isn't much to find a result, especially if you are only making one change a month. I did for sure see changes. Both of my younger kids lost needless weight. Miss Paige did tell me she felt better when she was eating healthy and that she is starting to be a bit surprised at what kids at school eat for lunch (mainly lunchables).
Also when we first started the kids would be starting on Tuesday to think what they wanted on Friday, Saturday, Sunday meals they got to choose. They would choose the WORST things. As the year went on, they asked for less really bad stuff, and thought about it later in the week, and actually came to the point where they stopped requesting stuff on a regular basis. Maybe once a month or so someone would say I'd like to have "White rice with Soy sauce" or "Kraft Mac N cheese"
It pointed to me to know for myself that those preservatives keep you wanting more of them and this was a bit like a mini detox.
Both Logan's Dr.'s and Dan's Dr. commented on how well they healed and how they were in such good health to begin with. I owe some of that to me always cooking more than the average person, but I think that peace of mind of food being healing if you are using it right is priceless.


#8- 2015=
So I am sorry to disappoint anyone, but I am adding back in cake mix / desserts with regular items. We for sure will do them less, but thats why they are treats. They just taste so much better, and since it's not all the time I'm going to be ok with it!
I mostly learned to be informed and read labels on products and to choose to make my own when ever possible. Sometimes I couldn't buy NON GMO, Organic, Non processed "something" or make it, so I had to make the best choice possible.
I learned that it takes time but a healthier family is worth it and I will keep up with making the better choices, but for 2015 I want to include more water intake in our plan, also I am reducing one of the "Family choice" days. I'm taking back Sunday! They can have Friday and Saturday for 20015!

I hope this helps anyone interested in it!
Happy, Healthy 2015!