Boot Camp Moms (and loved ones)

Andi14- 

Here is the other link.

This is very good information to read and know while your SR is in boot camp.

First Things First-- The Quarantine Edition

Welcome again!!!

C'sMom- You are very welcome!!!

Have a great day!!!

Thank you for the welcoming messages! I’m so happy to have found this site. My son just started this journey and is waiting for his security clearance to be finalized so that his Boot Camp date  is more clear. Long journey ahead... Very stressed, but proud of him. I have never seen him so excited for anything. Ever. I have been devouring this site and others trying to learn all I can just to ease my nerves.

Still working on that...

I'm just thinking, I would have been lost through all this if it hadn't been for all of you.  I will probably drop from this group once he graduates A school because he will then be reserves and I won't have anything in common with you all.  And I know nothing about reserves.  I need to start doing my research now that we are closer to that.  And I don't know if my sailor told me or I heard it from someone else on here or Facebook (Facebook isn't as reliable), but I thought it was said that MA reserves are called into active duty more often than some other rates.  I guess we'll find out when we get there.  I'm starting to wonder if there is something like this navyformoms.com for mothers of police officers!  Lol  when he gets home and gets that job, I'll be in a whole other situation of mom worrying!  I tend to be a worrier, but I'm getting better.  God has been teaching me.  But I think the real test is ahead of me!  

Andi14- You are very welcome and we are glad you are here.

It is a lot of information but it is good information. It will take a bit this is an emotional rollercoaster ride. But we are here for you thou. You can laugh, cry, vent on here and we are here with you.

C'sMom- You don't have to feel like you have to leave. You are more than welcome to stay!!!  :) We don't want you to leave.

I bet there is a group for moms, wives, etc for the police officers. That would be a plus just like it is here.

C'sMom:  i am so happy he made it to San Antonio safely!  I'm not sure how long it takes to receive the Keel (which is like the Cruise book)  i still have not received my son's and his PIR was 9/24. 

Now, on the personal selfish side... please don't leave us!!!!  Ok reality...  you are more than welcome to stick around  for the social aspect of us!  We have all been in this together for the process and love having you here!  Either way, I am sending you very BNMHs!!!  Because anyway you look at it, you are a Navy Mom!!!

Northwoodsmom - There is nothing wrong with Momma tears, or them staining our children's clothes! I knew you were trying to encourage and share information from what you knew. It is good. We also have a lot of different scenarios going on because of different commands and what is allowed and what is not, so it is hard to keep up with. 

I was actually keeping the information about my being sick while my sailor home very quiet until they finished their ROM and stayed healthy throughout.  It definitely gave me a different perspective on what leave time means to my sailor versus what it means to me. 

As for things happening to good people maybe we can visit about that soon. I wasn't bothered about getting sick, I had told my family, "I am going to do what I know to do, but this is a virus and I would rather get sick and build immunity to it now while I am younger than get it when I am older and not able to fight it". It was just the timing that was bad for me, and not realizing that my fever could last for as long as it did. My sailors were not concerned, we didn't know what my results were but three other tests were negative. 

As much as I tried not to, I had built up a lot of anticipation and expectation with my son and his gf coming to visit. From the time I knew that as the plan, through out their underway when we didn't even know if leave would be approved, so tickets were purchased with travel insurance, I had been trying to get everything ready and in order, but it seemed like one thing after another delayed my focusing on getting more done than I could. Honestly, it was a reminder to me again, that I am only human, and I can only do what I can do and my son's gf either had to accept me and my house for what it was - and my children know - or not. I had to let my perfection down and I had to humble myself. My kids cooked for themselves, as I didn't think I should and it was once again a humbling experience for me. I wanted the "perfect" holiday with all of my kids together again after several years of not, and it still happened, it just did not look the way I was expecting. 

Sort of like my Mother's Days - Lowering my expectations. If I did not make reservations for a restaurant or we could not afford much eating out - Then picking up KFC or Long John's Silver, became our go to and a picnic outside, if my kitchen table wasn't cleared off enough for everyone to sit around!!

I tell my stories to help you all, as you learn to go with the flow and even when you think you have it figured out, well sometimes the flow has to be diverted a different direction. 

* we didn't know what my results were until they were on their last leg of the flight home - my other three had been negative. 

Quick good morning to everyone. 

Doggo is happy as she got to sleep with him in his bed again... geez,  I just washed it all... ha ha ha..

1st thing in door he was down on floor loving on all the dogs... at least they got his hugs :-)

I have peeked in at him sleeping several times to verify he's actually here... my momma heart just wants to burst and tears are hard to hold back... he's not one for emotional mom as don't think he knows how to handle or process with his big heart. So I try to cry in private. Middle daughter is same way as never knowing how to handle mom crying. 

I'm off to fight Saturday morning small grocery store to make my chicken gnocchi soup for him tonight.  Haven't made since he left. Will also make a loaf of bread or biscuits to go with.  I stopped on way home last night at a little French bakery we love and bought him a sugar cross he can have when he gets up. And momma went up to our only place to get a good thick cut bacon for eggs and bacon too a couple days ago. 

Animals fed now momma gets her backside in gear to the store... he loves the sailor ornament & the big tree up and lit when he walked in... he was asking where all his ornaments from growing up were. Told him drive we weren't sure how dd dog would handle tree in our tiny house we were not putting all of them out just a few. 

Hugs to all... 

C'smom, I only have one acquired kid in the Navy now, and not sure what ship he's on.  His wife is very security minded, having been an ET herself.  We're friends, yes, but I am not in the loop now.  And yet, here I am.  

I stuck around in the Japan moms group for ages, just left it. There's lots everyone with a sailor can add, reserves or not. Old timers need to stick around and pick up when the others cannot be here.  And this is a pretty good group to hang with.

Andi14 - I am glad to see that you found your way to our comment section here and introduced yourself.  Some days our chatter can get overwhelming, so jump in when you can and sometimes I just look for my name, if someone posted a reply to me and I respond to that. 

NewMilmom - I hope your grocery shopping goes well!! Enjoy your next few days of love in the home.

C'sMom & Shanny - I think it use to say up in the information to the right how long it took for The Keel to arrive. My son's never did and I kept calling the Photo Nex. It is my understanding that they only make an exact amount + 1 maybe of what are ordered. It is my understanding that they either mailed me their extra or one that had been returned for a bad address because they didn't know if that one was mine.  It was a couple of months before I got mine.

C'sMom - we encourage people to not necessarily leave their groups they have been in, but you can just turn off the email notification. And if you want to leave the site completely, just turn off notifications in your settings and don't log in, but do not actually "leave" which deletes your account and all posts that you made or comments in groups will delete and that leaves holes of knowledge or understanding there. 

I was very active on the Nuke Moms page when my son was at his schools and I just did not have the time to follow BC mom and we weren't quite this chatty then. So, I turned off my email feeds and I would go over and follow as I could. I knew Phoenixmom was not on most weekends, so I would check and see if there were new posts and answer what I could. I was friends with some of the regulars and we kept up but I took a break because of time. Then when we needed some more of us able to help out and answer questions to cover ground when someone couldn't I turned back on the email feeds and do what I can. You are always welcome to stop by and chime in or just say hi. Keep us updated. 

Good Morning Anti M - I hope things are going well. We just had a person in the main room chat the other day ask about a group for Okinawa!! I know some of those are not as active as others are. I am always happy when you post with your perspective on Navy life and protocol. Thanks!! 

Ladies, the ombudsman for the nukes said they are going to open the mail room for a couple of days do our Sailors can get their package. I am beyond happy, I have tracked the package down and it is in Goose Creek. I don't care what they changed their minds just do grateful they did. My son also received his treats this morning from a very nice lady that delivers to the Sailors down there. I saw his picture on Facebook getting his package. Now I don't feel so incredibly sad because I know he got something. Just wanted to share. I told my husband I wanted to move close to a base and do that for our Sailors, it would be wonderful to bring a smile to their faces and joy to the hearts of their Moms. You never know that might be my calling.

Chipmunk, things are alright.  Okinawa? That would be Japan moms.  Oki is very different, as it was an independent nation, and then under US control until the ... 70s?? Still wonderful.  Japan moms don't talk much about Japan now, but there's a lot of info in the discussions.

LOL, I have been playing with dolls. Having a Low-Key Yule (Yes folks, I am the resident pagan):

Chipmunk-  I got my Keel book as well that's why I was telling C'sMom that. I didn't see Shanny's post. It took my book 3 months before I got mine.

Ladies:

I don't post a lot during the week that's why I post more on the weekend as I know Phoenixmom isn't usually on during the weekends.  :) There's a few of us that will post during the weekends as well.  :)

Northwoodsmom- That is wonderful. I am so happy that they decided to open up the mail room.

Which group did you use for the delivery? The one I use is Birthday Hugs I think. I have a wonderful lady down in Jacksonville, Florida and she was awesome!! She delivered to my Sailor two years ago and he had no idea!!! I loved it!!!

I love that idea too and always said I would love to be able to do that as well.   :)

Anti M-- HAHAHAHA!!! That is NOT a low key Loki-- You'll have to tell us about your yule celebration!! It's ok that you are Pagan, the Navy doesn't discriminate and neither do I.

I am trying not to laugh. I may be a bad mom lol so my son just sent me a Snapchat of him opening the package for his dinner....  chicken and rice. He has had chicken and rice for lunch and dinner the last two days. Thursday dinner they changed it up and gave them peas too lol I sorry I shouldn’t laugh but he was like this is what you get when you complain

Anti M- Sorry I missed you.

 lol lol   I love it. 

Yes you will have to tell us about your yule celebration!!

That's ok that you are Pagan I don't discriminate either.  

Okinawa is very beautiful from what I've heard and seen. Thank you. It seems that the Japan groups are not known a lot on fb.

I always appreciate your wisdom and knowledge and I love your stories!!!  :)

Shanny,

Oh my!! Lol Hopefully he really likes Chicken and rice. Lol

How are you? How's the day been?

partyofseven:. I’m laughing over here as he just broke his fork in the chicken lol. 

things here have been normal today..  swore I wasn’t going anywhere today...  my mom then tells me she needs something from the pharmacy so off I go. (Yes I was there yesterday. Also for her lol). That took an hour and a half. The stores are insane!  Got home, realized I forgot something I needed for dinner...  back to the store I went. We really need a store closer than 17 miles away!  I’m good though. Went out and made some adjustments to the cover on his truck (winds yesterday took part of the cover off). Hope the neighbor doesn’t mind I tied it to their fence lol. See I’m in the mood to break some rules today!  

so on the way to the airport on Monday, my son was using my phone to message someone because his wasn’t working. He goes, “Mom who are these Navy Moms people because they are blowing up your phone every 30 seconds!!  I’m about to tell them to relax”. 

VintageGal:  I was thinking about you today!!  Hope you are having a wonderful time with your sailor!

Shanny- I know right? You made me smile and laugh. That is what mine says "Are you talking to your Navy moms again"? Lol

Yours sounds like mine. :)

I know I've been trying not to go cause every time I do it is a mess my goodness. Ugh!! Lol 

VintageGal- Yes, Hope you are  having a great day with your Sailor being home!!!

Northwoodsmom - I am glad that your son got his special treats!! I saw on the group page that GC will have mail room open on some days, that is good!!

Anti M - that is good to know that there is good information on the Japan group pages even if they don't post a lot. I can understand that. Do you know if the bases there in Japan have ombudsman or would it just be for the ships? Just wondering so if it comes up again, I can direct loved ones to some place where they can get information. 

And I am up for sharing one of those yummy looking chocolate Yule logs that I always saw advertised in the confection catalogs! You are loved!

Shanny - That is too funny, both about your phone and and his fork. I am still trying to get a chance to write that post - but just busy - I am sorry about the RX runs. I have a similar situation with a family member and it can be hard!

Partyofseven - I probably missed your post - I am doing a lot of hit and miss between either checking something in my email feed on my computer, or scrolling only a couple of pages back here on the group.  Did you see my last PM? 

Well more family time with our b'day boy - we like to spread things out a couple of days!

Can’t make this up...  so he ordered take out because he was still hungry. Went to pick it up (in the lobby). Went back to his room and his key won’t work. So he walks to the main building with no coat and in just a T-shirt. It’s 39 degrees. Gets a new key. Goes back to his room and the key won’t work. So he is sitting on the floor outside his room waiting for someone to come fix the lock 

Chipmunk, yes, most commands have an ombudsman.  In Ye Olde Days, it was the Wives Club, and they were hot or miss.  Official ombudsman programs provide training and clear cut lines of official communication.  Still, some are far more competent than others.  

Ah, the Buche Noel cake.  I have made one from scratch, including the tiny meringue mushrooms.  That's a ton of work and I was so proud of it!  I might make a rum cake this year, I have some pretty cake molds.  Or fruitcake, I make really yummy fresh fruitcake.  Or maybe not.  

Good evening ladies, 

Partyofseven ~ Hello yes it was a very nice day. The only two people that were really getting surprise for my mother and my sister and her children. We showed up to her house and she yelled to me that they were in the backyard in the pool so we went around the side of the house and my sailor followed behind us. My sister screamed and jumped up and nearly knocked him down with hugs!! It was great your husband went and got pizza and we hung out by the pool. They have their pool heated up two bath water temps!
my son and his fiancée are at Jared getting her ring cleaned. I am home alone and watching Grace and Frankie :)

How was your day? 

Shanny ~ Hello! I love it! The song and what the heck?! sorry that happened to your son today hopefully he’s warm and in his room by now. Oh my gosh that sounds exactly what my son would say in regards to the Navy mom emails coming through. “I’m about to tell them to relax” laughed out loud to that one! 

Northwoodsmom ~ that’s so good to hear that your son got his gifts from you! He should definitely be keeping it open more often than not during the holidays!

Anti M ~ I’m liking your festive holiday Loki! Are mall just got a Pops store and it is the coolest thing to walk through! I could go for some Mötley Crüe pops! My favorite thing about the avengers is Thor and Loki‘s relationship!! Lol my son had Japan down for one of the places that he would like to be stationed. We made sure to get our passports after he went into Boot Camp just in case. 

Chipmunk ~ hello! Enjoy your son’s birthday weekend! That’s exactly how I like to spend my birthday HaHaha Have fun! 

Andi14 ~ welcome! We are here for you night and day. Ask questions, tell us what’s on your mind.. the floor is open! My son graduated about a month and a half ago and this group of women is a wonderful support system. Yes I have family but it’s just not the same as talking to other mamas that are going through the same thing. My advice right now is just to soak up every second that you can. Try to make some memories and enjoy all the time you have together. I told him to have his friends over and just listening to them have a good time was music to my ears, make his favorite meals when you can, let him pick the movie for a movie night... my son felt like the last month before he left was an entire birthday party! lol We’re all giving you one big giant group hug. We know exactly how you feel! 

Belovedbyhim ~ definitely trying to get in the hugs where I can! How was your day? 

NewMilmom ~ I hope your family is enjoying their time together! Tell that boy that all you want for Christmas is a giant hug! 

Csmom ~ I hear how you feel. No one would ever think that way and we would love to hear how you all are doing! I hope you stick around to chat, welcome new moms, and fellowship. Have a wonderful evening :) 

Dang I’d really like for dinner to be delivered so I can keep watching my show and not have to get up! Don’t our families realize that we could just have a snack and we’d be fine and we really don’t need a full on meal... I could go for some cheese and crackers, apple slices, a glass of wine and a Grace and Frankie marathon and I’d be good! 

Hace wonderful evening ladies! 

Northwoodsmom ~ I meant it to say that the mail room should be open more often than not during the holidays for this very reason. 

VintageGal:  no lie...  2 hours later and still waiting. There is something broken in the electronic locking mechanism. They have maintenance there now trying to take it apart so he came get in. I swear this stuff can only happen to him

Shanny ~ That’s wild! It’s like the universe wants him to experience the elements... gaaahhhh

VintageGal-- I have had a migraine all day. Meds haven't touched it. Add to that, that my Hubby didn't get the tickets to TSO for last night and Didn't tell me there was a fireworks show tonight and we have absolutely no plans for Christmas and DD's Husband just tested positive for COVID so we will not be seeing them for Christmas and the reality that my sailor will not be home and his Christmas box that I mailed the Monday after Thanksgiving hasn't arrived to his deployment location and my water line to the ice maker in the fridge is leaking and has ruined all the hardwood in my kitchen which is open to all the rest of the floors in the house so repairing/replacing will require re-doing them all... It has frankly stunk!! I am seriously thinking of going to bed and staying there for the next 2 weeks!!

Shanny-- Oh My Word!!! Your poor son just cannot catch a break!!

AHH! I missed 2 days coming here due to work and I don't think there is any hope of catching up. I've skimmed and see NewMilmom has her kiddo at home and a happy dog! I can't even imagine how crazy my dogs are going to go when they see my SR again! 

Welcome Andi14, I'll try to find your intro post but I'm new as well and my SR is in ROM right now. This site and these ladies have given me so much peace of mind. I think a lot of the anxiety comes from the 'unknown' for me and as I learn more, it gets a bit easier. Knowing what to expect, and what NOT to expect has helped me accept what it is. 

My anxiety is so high right now not wanting my phone to ring. Fingers crossed I don't get a call tomorrow because he should have been tested yesterday, results by tomorrow. I know he'll be so disappointed if he has to do 2 more weeks in ROM and I'm also worried about him being sick so far from home. How are they staying in shape physically? I really hope they are able to do a good amount of PT in ROM because he is very active and sitting around with drive him crazy! 

I hope all you ladies are staying healthy! Good night! 

Goodnight Everyone, I am reading a book called Teach Us To Number our Days. One chapter talks about Listening to Others and how it is the best way in the world love others. Listening says you matter to me.  I am so thankful to you all for listening to me. You hear the matters of my heart and that means so much. I also hear you, I am listening to your heart and You matter to me. That's why it is I stay on this site, we actually care about what everyone has to say and what truly matters to them. Grateful to Jesus for all of you.

Northwoodsmom- That was beautiful!! I am so glad you are here as well!!! Listening is so important nowadays!!

mom2blondies- Hey, it will be ok. Just remember to breathe and think positive that you won't get a call saying he's back in ROM.

They do do some form of physical activity. I think it's more on them wanting to keep in shape the best that they can while they are in ROM.

You stay healthy as well. Good Night!!!

BBH- Oh no I am so sorry to hear this. Prayers for your migraine to move on. The floors Oh no!!

Ok. Take a deep breath.  Prayers for his package to get their smoothly. Big Navy Hugs to you. How is your DD's husband? Prayers for recovery for him and that he gets thru this ok.

VintageGal- Oh my gosh yes!! Sometimes I just don't wanna cook and they think they are going to die if they don't eat. Lol

That is awesome. I bet the water felt wonderful!! Ours is not heated and so it is very chilly right now. Lol

I was watching Law and Order SUV while I finished decorating the tree. My Sailor was with his dad and uncle all day so he had a good day. He and his friends are going to Prescott tomorrow to spend the night. It is going to be very cold but he is happy and excited about going. So that of course makes me happy. 

Shanny- My goodness he can't catch a break!! I hope he was able to get into his room by now!! Ugh!!

Anti M- mmmm that sounds wonderful. I bet it looked awesome!!

This good info to know about Japan. :)

Chipmunk- I think so. It helps to read the emails if it's easier for you. Sometimes it's to much to go back 5,6, 7. 8 pages to read everything. lol So I just read the emails and communicate and write my post that way. It helps and then I'm not repeating myself if I don't need to and I don't have to keep going back to read everything. 

Have fun celebrating the younger ones birthday.

Another day closer to someone's PIR. Stay safe out there ladies and have a peaceful restful evening.

Good Night and God Bless!!!

VintageGal, can't anyone else in your family cook?  Go ahead, order dinner. If they don't like it, well, they can learn to make meals for the family too.  My husband would often cook for us, he loved to cook, although he wasn't the best at timing so that everything hit the table all at once.  Even better, he'd clean up the kitchen and do dishes after if I weren't up to it. 

Beloved, I hope your migraine has settled down.  That sucks about the floors, water damage is terrible.  figures this is the year your son's care package would go on walkabout. Many gentle hugs.  

Northwoodsmom, thank you for the great reminder about listening. It is a skill we all could use. 

Well he sat out in the hall about 2 1/2 hours. But they finally got him into his room. The door locks have batteries o guess. And those batteries were bad. So the front desk tried to change them twice. Then had to call someone from maintenance. They took the whole thing apart before he could go in. He was laughing about it. But he is all good now I guess

VintageGal - Sunday nights and sometimes a Saturday night are popcorn nights in our house. If I have pepperoni or sausage slices those are added to apple, orange & cheese slices. I learned this from my mom! And if my sons were hungry, they knew to make a sandwich, ramen noodles, or look for something in the freezer - hot pockets, pot pies, etc.

Shanny - I am glad your sailor is learning to laugh!! I wish I could say it will be better when he finally gets on the ship but who knows!! He is learning to roll with it. 

AntiM - I love a good fruitcake!! I haven't needed to do as much Christmas shopping this year because of our family trip earlier in the month to Branson, MO but I need to see if I can get by the Dollar Store, one of them has a nice little fruitcake loaf that I am about the only one that eats, but it is tasty with my tea in the morning!! Enjoy your day.

Northwoodsmom - Thank you for sharing the book you are reading. Your posts are very much appreciated. It is good to know they did announce a few days for the mail room to be open during the stand down at NNPTC. We have to remember that they have to have trained personal to deal with the mail and their numbers are limited as well because of sailors being on leave. It frustrates us but I keep reminding myself - be in their shoes.

Mom2blondies and our other new members - Be sure to join your PIR group when you have your PIR date. Those will be smaller groups and a better opportunity for you to connect with others at BC. It has been great to have so many on our group here stay active, but if it gets overwhelming a smaller group might be helpful. And if you follow with your email feed, those will show up with that group name so you can identify them easier. 

December PIR - 2020

PIR January 2021

Keep in mind there are no graduations Dec 24, 31 & Jan 7, 14 of 2021. We won't have sailor calls coming in but still keep your phones nearby and ringers on as you may still get a call from your SR.

RTC Bootcamp website

The above website was my go to place for information while my son was in BC. They have revamped it since then and there is a lot of good information there that we just repeat here. The main graduation page has the links for the video feeds once they are ready for that PIR. 

If you are still waiting for your FORM letter, please note: It is just a typed information letter. There will be no personal letter or note in it from your SR (or at least there isn't suppose to be). Your SR will hand write in their mailing address and it should also be their return address on the envelope. 

RTC - Contacting Recruits

The above shows the proper way to address the envelope. So if your SR does call you before you have the form letter. Ask them if they have a SHIP # and DIV # - with those two you can start mailing letters. They may write their ship name in their address but you do not need that for the mailing address, it is just good to know. 

Good Morning ladies and welcome to all of our new members,

We are glad you are here. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask and someone will answer you.

Keep your phones on you at all times and those ringers on loud as you just never know when a call will come thru. 

Start writing your letters now and number them so your SR knows what order you wrote them in!!

Shanny- Good Morning and my goodness. Thank goodness he finally made it into his room. That's one good thing if he keeps his attitude like that he'll be able to keep rolling with the punches when he gets out to the fleet.

Anti M- Good Morning and have a great day!!!

BBH- Good Morning and I hope you are starting to feel better. I am sending hugs your way!!!

Good morning ladies, 

Belovedbyhim ~ My goodness! I do believe it’s time to put a cap on this year and bury it! I hope you woke up without a headache. Think of exactly what you’d like to do for Christmas and tell your husband... or else! 

Northwoodsmom ~ That was a beautiful post to wake up to. Those are wonderful selfless words to live by. I’m am thankful for you and all of mamas for your unfailing support. BNMH!! 

RAMBLE ~ So thankfully I have taught my kids to cook and my husband can as well. Last night everyone was out and I had told them to be home for dinner at 6:00 and that I was going to make fajitas. I called my sailor and said it was a Fend for yourself night because we had a ton of leftovers from the night before. My daughter was at a Christmas get-together and my hubby was on his way home from work. 
So it’s a rule that whoever cooks gets to relax while everyone else cleans the kitchen. I have to say I need to put them in the kitchen more often. I guess I just like to cook and do more often then others and then when comes time to do it I just want to relax! Sooooo time to put them at the helm! 

Mom2blondies ~ I hope that you receive only good news or no news! I hated hearing my phone ring when after his second ROM in fear of that same reason. My stomach would drop!  BBBBNMH!! 

Have a wonderful day ladies! BNMH! 

BelovedbyHim:  I am sending you huge hugs!  Migraines are a nightmare. I hope you found some relief and are pain free today!  

VintageGal - I agree, sometimes we just need to remind our children that we all help out in the house and sometimes Mom just needs a break, but we are the ones that have to ask or tell. If I started fussing too much, my kids would look at me and say, "well you never asked me to come help." I would stop and realize they were right, I had just expected them to read my mind and think to come help me!

BelovedbyHim - I meant to send my love, hugs and prayers earlier. Oh my water and wood floors! I am soo sorry, I understand what that damage is like. Prayers for healing for you and family and comfort for the disappointments.

VintageGal- Good Morning,

That's what I say. I get tired of cooking every day and I also had to realize that I needed to let them know that I wanted them to cook at times instead of me being the main one cooking.  :)

When they cook I don't mind cleaning up.  :)

Partyofseven and Chipmunk ~ I agree! I need to vocalize a little more that we need to take turns cooking. The fact of the matter is is that we’re raising them to be self sufficient adults and they need to learn. They can make the easy things for the most part but I need to teach them how to cook different meats. We get into the groove and take over and sometimes it’s just a little faster that way but it would do them a lot of good to have them in kitchen more often. 

This morning I woke up to my son in his church clothes heading over to his fiancé‘s house. It felt like a normal Sunday morning :) I loved seeing him in his purple tie that I bought him for Christmas last year. Right now my dad is over for breakfast and Pink Floyd is on the stereo! 

Belovedbyhim ~ I can’t get over the water damage and your flooring! One night I started my dishwasher and it started leaking but I was there to see it but I think of what would’ve happened if I didn’t catch it in time. I hope your home insurance will cover it. 

Still no call, fingers will be crossed all day! But now I'm wondering if they HAVE to call or if they are just ALLOWED to call. I'm not 100% confident my son would call me if he didn't have to because he wouldn't want me to worry about him. 

Insurance: what exactly is the issue if we leave him on our family insurance that is through my husbands work? We weren't planning to take him off because you just never know what can happen and he pays a flat fee so it isn't costing us anything to leave him on there. Is it only a problem if he actually uses our insurance instead of the Navy one? I certainly don't want to cause him any problems!!

Cooking: I quit my job when my boys were 2 and 3 y/o. Living on one income was tight so I cooked every meal, every day for 10.5 years. My SR got interested in cooking/baking when he was 10-12y/o but it was a short lived hobby. I went back to work when they were teenagers and they had to start fending for themselves. My oldest moved out last year and his gf never learned how to cook and he knew a bit so he does all of the cooking for his family and is really getting into learning how to make new things. 

When my SR was little he was obsessed with 'Finding Nemo' and wanted a pet 'Nemo'. I wasn't about to set up a salt water tank so we compromised and set up a 25 gal freshwater tank. He had a lot of different fish/shrimp/snails/frogs in there and loved it. Over time the fish die and the algae takes over and it was more work than I had time for so when the last fish died we took it down. I decided that I miss having fish so bought a little 10 gallon kit and excited to have some fishes to watch again.  My husband found an anchor decoration to put in it and I'm going to fill it and start cycling it today with water from our beta fish bowl and hopefully be ready to add fish right after Christmas. 

Belovedbyhim: I'm so sorry about your string of unfortunate circumstances. I hope the insurance will cover the floors but I know what a pain it is to have to move everything around to accommodate the repairs. 

Chipmunk:I did join the PIR group that lines up with the date he arrived and hoping it doesn't change! 

My day will consist of finishing some crochet hats, I was feeling ambitions and thought I'd have time to make a matching hat/scarf for all of the ladies in my family for Christmas but I'm running out of time so I'm trying to just make enough hats as those are pretty fast to make. My oldest dropped off his 2 dogs for me to dog-sit for the day to give his gf a break since he needed to be out all day and being home alone with 3 dogs (her little old chihuahua is easy-the big energetic pups are a little more work, haha!) and a baby isn't easy. My pup grew up with his 2 (he took them with him when he moved last year) so they are having a great time. It is finally warm outside, although windy, but I can at least have one door open for some fresh air. Hope you all have a lovely Sunday!! 

mom2blondies... well, if he stays on your insurance, he's disobeying a direct order for one thing.  The military wants absolute control over their medical care and records.  The cannot get elective care without specific permission, and everything is billed through Tricare for that reason.  It's not a matter of just not using it, it's that they can't.  It's no longer your decision, it's the Navy's requirement.  That's one of those hard things to say to a mom, but in this case, it's a hard no, you can get him in trouble.

Anti M I'm really trying to understand this. How could HE be disobeying a direct order when HE does not have his own policy and has no control over the policy. He never told me that we were supposed to take him off and I don't even know how we would go about it because it is through my husband's work which is a large union and we don't do anything. My SR would have no control over it so how could be be responsible for it or get in trouble related to things outside of his control? I really had no idea he wouldn't be able to use our insurance when he was home and thought I'd keep him on there in case he needed something when he was home because it would be easier. I'm learning that is not the case and hoping he gets some information to pass along to us so we can do what is needed. Thanks!

Mom2blondies ~ Is this his initial ROM or did he have to go right back? I’m trying to remember. If it’s the initial ROM then you more than likely won’t receive a call until later and then “usually” around week 5. If it’s a second ROM then it may get a call a few days later to tell you his address and division number. As for working out, they’re encouraged to exercise with the space that they have. The only thing they don’t get to do is run, unless of course they want to do it in place. My son read a lot of books and drew quite a bit.  

VintageGal, yes, he arrived on 12/8 and in the PIR group for his arrival week there are a lot of parents getting 'the call' about positive tests and extended ROM. My SR is a workout freak so as long as he has enough room to extend his body he'll be able to put together good work outs for himself.  I know he'd love a pool but I'm sure that isn't available if the can't even run. He'll probably just be doing a thousand burbees a day. His bunk mates are either going to join him or be super annoyed, haha!