Flashback Friday...Real Life Trauma in the ER

This one's not exactly a Darwin Award winner...but close enough. I don't know if anyone recognizes this piece of metal, but it belongs to a set of drapery hanging hardware from Ikea...hardware we had just purchased, but hadn't yet had a chance to use.

I remember the day well...I had a short meeting after school with Jake's teacher. Jake's school was in a dead zone for cellphone reception. I came home to find my neighbor and another friend's teenage daughter trying everything they could think of to get this thing off of Coree's finger. She was trying to prove something to her brothers...I don't remember what now...but she found out that although her finger slid through the smooth side easily, the other side was sharp, so she could not slide her finger back out. They tried butter, soap, twisting, pulling...but it just started to swell, and bleed...so it was time to give up and head for the ER.



Although she's smiling here...she was crying after they finished suspending her hand (this was to try to relieve some of the swelling). She was so embarrassed to have her middle finger sticking up at everyone. It was hard not to find it funny, personally.

SO many people tried SO many tricks and tools to get this thing off. No lie....they even called in a maintenance man with a set of bolt cutters. (To this day I wonder...if he had been successful...did he bill seperately?) Nothing would work because the steel was SO hard, and the lip on this thing was just at too awkward of an angle. In order to get a good snip into the edge, it would make the rest of it dig into her finger even harder...so it just wasn't going to come off.

Eventually, they decided to give her conscious sedation and bring in some sort of drillish saw thing. (They wouldn't let us stay in the room, so we didn't see it in action. We only heard it, and it was awful.)

Watching her come out of the sedation was the weirdest/saddest thing. She kept saying things like, "You're not my parents!" To which we would reply, "Yes we are, honey." and then she'd say, "I want to believe you are my parents...but how do I know you aren't lying to me?" Then we told her all about her room, her dog, her brothers, etc. Finally, after about half an hour, she just lit up out of the blue and said, "You really ARE my parents!"

Drugs are freaky...just say NO!




Here's the souvenir...which we took down to Ikea...after calling their headquarters. We didn't blame them (after all...who's the one who stuck the dang thing on her finger!) but they take child safety very seriously, and they actually pulled this off of their shelves to redesign it....but not before I could go up and grab another to replace this mangled one!

The funny thing was, this happened a few weeks after she was baptized...when we were sitting there in the ER with lots of time to kill, I asked her if there was a moment before she did this that she experienced anything...any kind of prompting or warning that it was a bad idea. She started to cry and said she had heard a voice whisper to her not to do it. So it ended up being a great teaching moment about listening to the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost.

Hopefully, this will be the worst experience she ever has in the ER!

And the Winner is....

OK...so I got Amy's shipment sent off to her...and I've put this part off long enough! It's not that I was avoiding it or anything...I was just trying to figure out how I was going to randomly select the winner...and how all of you, my friends and family, would know that I did this honestly...without bias. I'm sure you trust me, but still...it just seemed like I should put forth some sort of effort to keep up appearances.

Well, the Accounting firm of Ernst & Young was not available...SOOO this was the next best thing I could come up with:







Congratulations

Janette!!!

You are the winner of 3 packages of my favorite kinds of Japanese candy...and they are delectable! I'd tell you what they are called, if I read Kanji...so instead I'll describe them. My number one fave is a 90% dark chocolate covered crunchy cookie/biscuit kind of thing. The next one reminds me of the Godiva dark chocolate key lime truffle, but it is some other kind of lime-ish citrus fruit filling. Those are both "upscale" chocolates. The third can be found at any grocery checkout. It comes in different fruit flavors (grape is my fave) and the flavor/texture is like a cross between a Starburst and a gummy bear. I hope you love them all!

Thanks for helping me celebrate my 100th post. This was fun...I'm going to do more in the future, because when I see cool stuff, I just want to share!

So, I guess I should ask Janette...since she's lived here before as an Air Force brat family member (back in the day)...do you have any requests?

Jake LOVES math!!!

We have used a few different math programs over the years here at the Stuart Academy. Most of them come with a manipulative kit for the younger grades with some sweet toys to play with while you are suffering through the lessons.

Our former charter school (TLC...we love you guys!) provided us with all of our books and supplies at the beginning of each year...and then we'd have to turn them in at the end of the school year, and then we'd check them out again the next year. Jake LOVES math SO much, that he always hated to see his supplies go back to the school for the summer...and he always looked forward to that sweet reunion in the fall.

Then came 4th grade...no more manipulative kit. What a sad day! I guess they figure 4th graders have had enough fun, and now it's time to get serious about crunching some numbers! I hated to see that "love of math" go by the wayside...so when I was in San Diego a few months ago, I stopped by Lakeshore Learning to try to recreate Jake's math manipulative kit. It cost me a pretty penny, but it was SO worth it to see that old enthusiasm back! I thought I'd share it with you here...so I took some video...




He may not be able to do long division....but it takes YEARS of dedication to perfect these kinds of skills! We are SO proud! It's too bad that this kind of thing is frowned upon in the classroom. Oh well, maybe he'll learn to curse in Japanese...

May I have your attention, please...

Look at these pictures closely...

Can you guess what these kids are doing?

That's right...they are going back to school....ALL of them!

Can you believe it?

I can't....

I was telling someone today, this is the first time EVER in my history of parenting that I won't have kids home at least part of the day. I started home schooling 5 1/2 years ago...when Troy was entering 6th Grade and Jake was Pre-K. It's too weird so far, and I'm honestly a little shell shocked...I think probably by just SO many changes at once (moving to a foreign country, the whole language/driving thing, downsizing house and belongings, husband leaving for so long right away...and now kids in school)!

Are you wondering how this all came about? I know I would be! Well...first it started with Coree's desire to go back to school back when we were still in The IV (Imperial Valley...when I say it like that, it kind of sounds like "The OC", doesn't it?). We weren't really too keen on that at first...but as we started talking about DoD (Department of Defense) schools overseas...which are supposedly really superior schools...like going to a "private" school, I've heard on many occasions...we started thinking, maybe she could give it a try...maybe ALL the kids could try it...and as we thought about it more, it seemed like a great idea, since they'd be coming in mid-year, we would be able to just try it for one semester, and if it was a bad idea, they would have at least met some friends and we'd use the DoD homeschool program that is sort of like the one we used in Cali.

The boys were all TOTALLY opposed to this idea. They had learned over the years that you can really get all of your school work done for the day in the time that it takes to do just the homework in public school some days, because you don't lose all the time with classroom management, passing time, learning differences, etc. They had learned to love home school. Troy was even able to take college classes in his "free" time...and (let's be honest) they were able to play a whole lot of video games!

So when we got here to the island, Coree was for, and all 3 boys against...and I wasn't going to force them, but I was really hard-selling the benefits, because I just had this feeling it would be a good experience for them.

Then Jake met Richard, another boy from church that lives here in the hood. He started thinking maybe going to school with him would be fun. So I had 2 down, but the older 2 were holding out.

Then came the New Year's Eve dance at church...and the Jones boys, who gave them the inside scoop on the high school...and next thing you know...on a drive the following day, Cliff asks, "So who has decided to go to school?" All four voices in the back chimed, "ME!" I was shocked. I asked where this had come from, and they explained their conversations with the other kids from church/school. So ALL the sales-pitch I gave amounted to nothing...but their peers telling them stuff carries weight because they know stuff, evidently!

The funny/sad thing is...yesterday was their first day...and the boys all LOVED it...but Coree, not so much! She has not been in public school since 1st grade...and it was pretty raunchy then, to tell you the truth...so she was TOTALLY unprepared for what she would see/hear in middle school...and they pretty much keep the 6th graders seperate from the rest, if that tells you anything. I feel so bad for her. I asked her if she wanted to come back home, but she says she wants to give it a couple of weeks. She has some good, sweet friends she's sticking with...so hopefully she'll survive. I guess "good" school or not...kids are the same everywhere...and they are going to bring to school whatever they learn/get away with at home.

So THAT, my friends....is my BIG announcement! Was it big enough for you?

Keepin' It Real...

So...this morning I ran out into town to our local pet store "The Pet Box" for some emergency dirt. It seems Jake's new pet rhinoceros beetle grub's transformation is imminent...and we have to transfer him from his little jar to his new digs ASAP, or s/he might emerge deformed if disturbed while s/he is a pupae.

I got there about 9:57...and they didn't open until 10...so I just turned off O'Malley and sat there for a few moments...enjoying a rare moment alone with my thoughts. As soon as the clock struck 10, I attempted to remove the key from the ignition...and it wouldn't budge. I tried wiggling the steering wheel...nothing. I tried pressing on the brake...nada. Then I thought I'd try restarting it, turning it back off and removing the key immediately. The engine wouldn't even turn over. I started a mental inventory of my actions. I had literally only been there 3 minutes. The radio was off...ditto the A/C...what could I possibly have done to screw this up in 3 minutes?

Then I start to panic, realizing that Cliff left for training this morning on the No. side of the island for 3 weeks. I have no jumper cables. I speak no Japanese. I only have a few numbers programed into my phone (I don't even know my own cell phone number yet!). So I call Julia...my "go to gal" here on Okinawa. As her phone rings, I pray that she doesn't have a substitute teaching job today. She picks up...and you can imagine my relief!

Me: Julia! I'm so glad you are home...I'm stranded!

Julia: You're kidding! Where are you?

Me: I'm at the Pet Box and I can't get my key out of the ignition. The car won't start, either. I'm afraid to get out of the car because what if it locks? I've only been sitting here for 3 minutes...I didn't have the radio on or anything...could you come help me?

Julia: Do you have it in "Park"?

Me: (she must think I'm an idiot! Of course I have it in.........)

Me: Hysterical laughter

Julia: More hysterical laughter, followed by..."That's why I like you so much, Carrie...you make me feel smart."

Just a little service I provide....

Meet O'Malley...

I'm sure I've already mentioned that the military won't ship cars over here, so we had to sell ours and buy new ones once we arrived.

They drive on the other side of the road in Okinawa and so the steering wheel is also on the other side of the car...in fact, everything is reversed, so the windshield wipers and turn signal are flipped around. (I still occasionally turn on the wipers when I'm turning left!) It takes some getting used to. This might just be me (remember...I was born blond) but a couple of times, when someone has said "right" I have actually thought to myself, something along the lines of..."Oh, the new right...which would be left." as if the whole direction itself changed when the plane dropped me off here. Embarrassing to admit publicly...but I'm just keepin' it real!

Well anyway, I've had some time to look around the island at the variety of cars that are here. Many of them are the typical Japanese cars you could find in the US...same brands, but different names. We bought a huge, egg-shaped Toyota van really cheap from a chaplain who left here, but as Murphy's law would have it...it is falling apart already, so we may have to replace it sooner than we planned. Anyway, it didn't take me long to figure out...

(by looking at the parking spaces and the two-lane traffic that you would swear should be a one way alley)

that it is to your benefit to have as small of a car as possible here. There is really not a need to consider needing a bigger car to defend yourself against Bubba's jacked-up truck here...or worry about high speed impacts (the speed limit on most of the island is 50 kph...you do the math) so small cars are really the way to go.

Since we are trying to experience as much as we can here, and truly appreciate the Okinawan and Japanese culture...I decided I wanted to look for a car that would be unique to our location...one to remember it by. I kept seeing these little cars that actually look more British than Japanese...which somehow makes them more "Japanesey", because so many 'regular' Japanese cars can be found in the US...because they are really American...does that make sense? Anyway, that's what I set out to find...and Cliff was SO patient as we went to lot after lot.

Cliff: How about this one?

Me: Too boxy...and I could get that one in the US.

Cliff: How about this one?

Me: Too angley...and I could get that one in the US.

Cliff: How about this one?

Me: Too round...and I could get that one in the US.

Cliff: How about this one?

Me: Too big...and I could get that one in the US.

Get the idea? Anyway, I finally stumbled upon THEE car. He was tucked back in the corner of a huge lot in a sea of white or silver, non-descript little Americanish-Japanese cars...

So without further adieu...I give you, O'Malley...


He even has genuine, faux-wood interior...isn't he darling?


Another of his features (that is cute, and creepy at the same time) is that he senses his key-fob as it approaches, so he unlocks his doors and flashes his lights. I didn't figure it out, at first...but each morning as I would pass by him to get in the van for the seminary carpool, he would blink on his lights and unlock...and as I kept walking, he would lock himself backup and blink again, all dejected-like. The kids think it's hilarious, and they have given him a voice.

(Picture Patrick in a British accent)

O'Malley: "Helloo, Carrie...you look smashing this morning!"

Carrie: Thanks, O'Malley, you are looking fine yourself, today.

O'Malley: "No, I'm afraid there's not enough room for Clifford in here...I can't seem to get that door unlocked, either."

O'Malley (as he's rolling up his window): "Oops...I seem to have pinched your ring right off of your finger..."

Anyway, I've never been much of a "car" person...reliability and comfort is all I care about...but I am a bit smitten with this guy. Plus, he's easy to pick out in a parking lot. His leprechaun green is pretty easy to spot in a sea of white and silver...

Flashback Friday...Stuarts in Peril!

Yes, I KNOW I have been neglecting this blog...believe me, it's been torture! I do appreciate all of the emails I received checking on my well-being, and all the nice comments...

I have been so crazy-busy it's not even funny. Patrick went into a tirade the other day about it. We keep saying, "As soon as we're done (fill in the blank) things won't be so crazy." Patrick observed that we've been saying that for the past several years (I promise it's only been really bad the past several months).

Anyway, we've reached a new level of insanity as we try to get settled in a new home (our household goods arrived Friday) and a new country, and still try to tie up loose ends (with the help of wonderful friends) where we came from...AND get Cliff ready to leave on a deployment in less than a month (not to mention...he still has a day job they expect him to do)...AND something else that I will save for a BIG announcement in a posting all its own...but no...we are NOT expecting, I'll just say that right off the bat so nobody goes there.

On to Flashback Friday! I was amazed at how many photos we have along this theme...and I'm sure they are not even all represented here (I have SO many unscanned photos to tackle)...but I figured I had enough for you to get the gist.


Wild Animal Park 1998


Yellowstone Nat'l Park 2003
(OK...so they are not actually "in peril" here...unless you judged by Cliff's reaction to me placing our offspring in such close proximity to a wild, frothing, rabid beast...then you would SWEAR that they were going to DIE!)


Birch Aquarium 2003


Cabela's 2004 (Daddy's "happiest place on earth")


Embarcadero 2005



San Diego Natural History Museum 2005




Father/Son Campout 2006 (Cliff got me back with this one, big time. He didn't tell me it was dead until AFTER I freaked out!)

Flashback Friday...Career Day

I don't pretend to know anything about how my kids will turn out...or how juvenile interests lead to adult vocations (if at all)...anything can happen because no one has any guarantees. A + B does NOT always equal C. (Did you know that math is not really an exact science, anyway? That kind of rocked my world.)

Anyway, anyone that knows Jake knows what the theme of his life has been thus far. He has never for a moment entertained any other possible career choice besides the military. The only things he ever vacillates between are Marine Corps or Navy. OK, there was that one time we took a family cruise for the day on a Coast Guard Cutter...he thought that was pretty awesome...but let's just say, he's limiting himself to the sea services.

OK, I get that he's only 10, and doesn't have to decide any time soon...but maybe some of you have some input...

Should he be a SWO?


He started his training at a young age...






and he can get by on very little sleep...catching ZZZ's in the Wardroom whenever he can...


Here he is getting actual sailing instruction from an actual skipper, even!



How about an aviator?


As you can see here, he's already had extensive training...




including the ejection seat...


He could get out and make a ton of money with the airlines...

(Trivia...Jake was fascinated by pilots from the time he was two. Even when he had very few words, he could say pilot. Whenever we would go meet Cliff at North Island for lunch at the Exchange, he would spend the entire time looking around at all the flight suits, asking..."He pilot, too, Da?" Long story short...we finally figured out that Jake was using the words "Pilot" and "Chaplain" interchangably.

I'm sure he was dissappointed to learn that dad only rode in aircraft...he didn't control them!)

Or maybe he should go Marine infantry?


He certainly looks cute in a Humvee...that's gotta count for something...


and he's got a few years before he'd actually need to reach the 50 cal, right?


So many choices, and only one life to live. It will be interesting to see the path Jake follows...

The Big 1-0-0 !!!

100 Sour Brite-Crawler Jelly Beans


I can't believe this is my 100th post, already!

I've been racking my brain, trying to think of what to do to celebrate. I knew it would involve a give away...free stuff just seems to go along with a celebration...and I haven't done a give away since my military mom post...and that's just TOO long!

The only thing that kept coming to mind was the 100th day of school celebrations that my kids had back when they were attending public school. They would have to bring in 100 of something, and it was always fun to see what we could come up with. I decided I'd combine this with a challenge...

I'm going to post pictures of 100 each of several items. Here's the contest part...one of the groups of items will NOT really have 100. If you can find which group it is, leave the answer in the comments, including how many are REALLY in the picture. I will send the first person to comment (with the correct answers), 100 pieces of Japanese candy! Don't forget to click on the pictures to enlarge...it will make things much easier! (There is also a second chance drawing...details at the end of this post.)

We have really loved trying different kinds of candy here and finding our favorites. Now is your chance to try some, too! This contest is open to anyone living outside of Japan (sorry, Julia...it just wouldn't be fair because we can get all that we want anytime!).

Since our main shipment of household goods has not arrived (only our express shipment), this is kind of a challenge...but I am going to see how many things we can find in quantities of 100. Here goes!


100 Linking Cubes



100 Grains of Rice




100 Plastic Shapes




100 Honey-Nut Cheerios



100 Japanese Coins



100 Purple Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seeds



100 Pieces of Kitty Kibble



100 Crayons



100 Purple and White Math Tiles


Good Luck! And just because giving stuff away is so much fun...the next 10 people that comment (not the next 10 comments...does that make sense?) will be placed in a random drawing to receive 3 pkgs of my favorite Japanese candy (so far!) I hope you win!

Flashback Friday...Kid's Best Friend

The first phone conversation Cliff had with the Chaplain he was replacing, he told Cliff he might want to think twice about bringing his pets. The process is long and expensive to avoid quarantine, and we would limit our housing options. I love Cliff's response..."Our dog has seen my family through 3 combat tours...I think if it was put to a vote, they would choose her over me. We'll take our chances with the pets." That's of course not entirely true (luckily it's not a realistic scenario to choose between Brownie and Cliff) but the sentiment is correct. Brownie has earned our loyalty.

We got Brownie a month before 9/11, when we moved into our FIRST military housing unit that allowed dogs. I won't go into the story here at length, but we were not looking for her, we had gone to look at another dog at the shelter...but we paid a visit to Brownie based on the Handler's recommendation...and it was love at first sight.

Even though she drove us crazy with her sneaky food-stealing and her Houdini act (which is probably how she ended up at the shelter...and her previous owners probably got tired of hunting her down in the middle of the night...I know we did!) She is still a pretty amazing pooch.


Brownie's first choice for companionship is Dad, followed by mom, and on down the pack order...but since Brownie dreams out loud, and snores even louder, she doesn't get to sleep with us. Coree gets the honors, as she has a hard time sleeping alone, and doesn't mind Brownie's nightly show. (She has a bed of her own...this isn't really how it's supposed to go...)



Brownie is SO tolerant of children. She's helped many kids get over their fear of dogs. She even paid a visit to Coree's Kindergarten classroom. She had nearly 20 5-year-olds climbing all over her. She just rolled over on her back and let her tongue hang out, soaking in the love.



She actually is not really allowed on the furniture...but how could I get mad at this?




This was a regular occurrence. She was just what Jake needed at the end of a rough day of preschool. Brownie loves trampolines, too. She jumps up whenever the kids are on there and LOVES being bounced.



This was moving day in San Diego. Brownie was pretty stressed out, so it was Coree's turn to calm Brownie down...

(Trivia: Brownie almost never barks. I'm not exaggerating. Like twice a year, maybe. I love this about her, and I find it funny. We joke that the Chihuahuas in our neighborhood need to bark to compensate. Brownie is silent in the knowledge she could snap your neck in her jaws if she needed to...no bark necessary.)


FFWD several years, and we are still dragging her all around creation. I felt so much guilt at bringing her over here, making her endure that flight. She's already 10, and Rottweilers live around 10-12 years on average, so we know our time is limited. Just thinking about when it's her time to go makes me cry. She has served our family so well, and even considering all the cakes she's eaten, the trash she's strewn about the yard (or the pantry) or the times she's escaped and we've had to send out a search party...she has given this family SO much more than she has taken. Brownie is one of a kind, and has been such a tender mercy to the Stuart family.

BTW...I finally added some more pictures to the post on our trip over here. You can go back and check it out here if you care to!