NUKE moms

NancyJo, I'm not a gambler either.  I'm just staying with another Navy mom who lives out there.  Last time I was there we didn't go downtown so this will be my first time on that famous strip.  Last year we went to Red Rock Canyon and Mt. Charleston.  Not what most people think when you say you're going to Vegas.  I usually say I'm going to visit a friend in Nevada, which is the truth.

We love the excitement and sleaze (not to insult anyone) of Las Vegas, and almost every year we go hiking in Death Valley, with a night or two in Vegas on either end.  Never go in Summer--but it's some of the most amazing country around, and swimming in the motel pool at Stovepipe Wells, with all those stars up above, is so beautiful  Like JayDee659, we usually say we're "going hiking out West", though, not "going to Las Vegas!"  That gets "oohs" and "aaahs", not "I didn't know you like to gamble..."

I'm not much of a gambler either (I'm just too darn cheap lol!) but I do like to play the "Wheel of Fortune" slot machine and if I'm lucky enough to find a table where they are playing "War" then that's where I'll be!

PacNWmom - the AAA card is a great idea.  B purchased his own once he got to NY and was concerned about issues with the weather there.  Luckily he never had to use it but it's always good to have.  

Grannyofnine - you should still be able to get into the NEX but you will need your sailor with you to purchase items.

My ex lives in Vegas and when my kids go see him they like to hike Red Rock Canyon and they have made the excursion to the Hoover dam. They don't go to the strip but they tell me Fremont Street is a fun place. Warning: when my oldest and her family went with my ex to Fremont Street her little ones loved the occasional character they ran into like Olaf from the movie "Frozen". However, my daughter was dismayed when her little girls got an eyeful of street workers, if you know what I mean. I wouldn't take the little ones if you have them. I don't think that will be a problem for my buddies from here. ;D

NancyJo - yes, Fremont Street can get a little crazy.  Luckily my "little one" that I'm going with is 6'4" and 23 years old lol!

Sorry for the late reply ladies, it was a busy day with my youngest, then a call from my sailor at GC and three of our favorite TV shows just started tonight. Our cable company switched things up so difficult to tape shows and we also cancelled our cable, so via antenna meant I was glued to the TV. Also hard to read comments.

So, JayDee thanks for the description of the G-watch. I will have to look into one for possibly an A school graduation, although a AAA membership is a good idea as well PacNWmom.

BigSky21 glad you found the link on bc group re: watches. I happened across it earlier but didn't have a chance to copy the link over here.

NancyJo, sounds like you had a busy weekend! I understand trying to meet up with someone else during a preplanned weekend can be difficult if not next to impossible. Just glad you had a great time.

PacNWmom - Ants are interesting little creatures and can be very irritating. They would come in on the windowsills and on my mother's kitchen counter, which bugged her to no end. She was a much cleaner housekeeper than I ever will be. Disturbing their pathway, will deter them for a time.

Erin and some of the others with alternate ant removal remedies might also be tried in our mailbox to see if we can deter the spiders that like to find their way in there.

I lost track of who all is going to Vegas, but have fun!!!

A quick question - and still haven't made it through all the discussions above. My sailors birthday is quickly approaching and I know that it is okay to send food to A school, but I was wondering, do I need to send enough for him to share with all of his shipmates? Or do they have a "floor"? I know there are four in their quad, but didn't know if we needed to send more or if it was okay for him to just keep most goodies to himself and maybe only share with his bunkmate? 

Trying to figure out how many cookies to make. Thanks.

Chipmunk while you never "have" to send extras, if you can the friends that your sailor will share with will really appreciate it.  I sent my daughter some really cool hair ties and she was so excited that she shared with some of the girls in her berthing area.  They were super excited.  Over a hair tie.  Go figure.  It was probably just the joy of getting "something"!

JayDee - Thanks!! We will just make a batch and get them sent. He doesn't need to eat an entire batch anyway and neither do I !!

Remember that sometimes the bunkmates/suitemates are not in the same classes or schedules as your sailor so they don't always have a chance to do much together and might even have completely different sleep schedules. Sharing food is a GREAT way to keep esprit du corps.

Just getting something from home is a good thing. Atta girl JayDEE.

Hi all - Happy Wednesday!

It's definitely nice if you can send a little "extra" when sending care packages.  You'd be surprised how many don't ever receive anything from home..... Chipmunk - a trick for sending cookies is to package them in a "Pringles" container.  Helps to keep them from breaking and storage is easy!

B - I hadn't thought about the Pringles container but I had thought about a cylinder canister that we had received cookies in ourselves, but the Pringles container could be thrown away. Thanks for the suggestion.

Yes, CSW - my son's bunkmate is almost done with A school, where as mine just classed up.  They seem to have managed to get along fairly well, but having something for him to share with his bunkmate would be nice. Especially since his bunkmate has been very helpful to my son. 

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I haven't kept up much on the conversation of late, last week and this week got a little crazy for me around here.

I did see messages about Vegas... I hope ya'll have fun! We live about 2.5 hours away, and tend to get up there a couple of times a year. We usually stay at Hooters (yes, seriously, we do!) just off the strip by MGM grand as it's quite a bit cheaper than some of the other places. There's a lot of fun there, and not all of it has to have a negative undertone to it. We like to spend $40 playing the penny machines because we're cheap like that. Normally we go when Jimmy Buffet is playing so get to see him in concert. We have a dinner or lunch at Margaritaville to get in the spirit. The strip is great fun in the day time, and you can visit places like the M&M Factory. They have fun street performers during the day... Transformers, Super Heroes, etc. At night they get to be a little more "interesting". I would suggest that if you are walking the strip, night or day, that you keep your hands occupied. The hawkers like to try and put cards in your hands of , um, "available for the evening" ladies in your hands. And they get persistent. I learned to hold hubby's hand, or have a water bottle in my hand, with my other hand holding onto my purse strap. That way they can't shove that garbage into my hands. Also, if you're a quilter, a trip to Quiltique is in order! And if you're a stitcher, I've heard Stitcher's Paradise is a must visit! I haven't been there yet, but next trip I will!

B'sNukeMoM - I promised to get back to you on the IP frozen chicken breasts with NPR instead of QR. HOLY SCHMOLIES! There was a noticeable difference. I put 3 boneless/skinless breasts (purchased in the bag from the frozen section) in for 17 minutes, NPR. I got busy, so by the time I opened the lid 39 minutes had passed in Keep Warm. The chicken was super tender, juicy, and shredded with barely the touch of a fork. I didn't think it really mattered before, because I just wanted shredded chicken to throw in my salads, but I preferred the more tender chicken to the tougher, drier shreds. I hope that makes sense. I'm definitely switching to NPR unless I'm in a huge rush and need to get the chicken shredded faster.

I'm off to get this busy day underway. My son still hasn't heard back about whether his ship date to RTC will change or not since he's been accepted into the Nuke program. I was getting a little worried, but he and my husband assure me all is well. It's not like he can ship any faster, given he still needs to graduate, but I just like to KNOW. Because I'm a weirdo like that. Haha!

I hope everyone has a great day!

Havasu, I hate to be the one to tell you this but you may need to adjust your thinking in the "need to know in advance" area. The Navy works on Navy time and as Navy needs. I'm afraid you will get very frustrated if you want to know definite times and dates. Stick around here and you will hear lots of stories...

I will say this about departure date for RTC. Since your son is still in school it may not be as much of an issue but many times a prospective nuke will get a date that is way out there months in the future. My son's date was 9 months out. Some recruits get a call that there is an earlier opening and they can opt to take it or decide not. Either decision is OK. My son opted to go with his original ship date and it was not a detriment is any way. But your son may want to consider what he will do if he is given a date and then gets an offer to go earlier. Just FYI.

All I can say is the navy life is a rollercoaster. Hang on tight!

Thanks NancyJo! I definitely understand the flexibility part.

I was only wondering about the date as far as he signed up with a different rating, but told that they would switch him over to a Nuke as he passed the NAPT & medical and he would get the new date. They let him know two weeks ago he was accepted, but hadn't confirmed yet whether his ship date would change. Once my son ships, I know his agenda (his life, really) is his own. Any future dates would be for my info only, and only if he wanted to share them with me. We were just trying to get a general idea of the summer, as we have a bit of an unusual life with blended families and the kids going elsewhere for the 8 week vacation. Right now we've chosen not to make any plans whatsoever for the summer, other than my daughter will be definitely still have her visitation with her dad and bonus mom. My son will by 18 by then, so no visitation required, and we were told he can't leave the state 45 days prior anyway (dad lives in another state), so he'll just stay home with us if there's no time for a visit to CA to say goodbye. My husband and I normally go to Oregon during the summer, but that is nowhere on the radar this year, especially because I want to enjoy the last few days of my son hanging around before he heads out into his new life!

Anyway, all that babble to say I was just hoping for a general idea of whether the ship date is going to be around the same time (as the recruiter indicated it would), or whether it would be pushed out a bit further. I was just being a bit impatient for the info, but I really shouldn't be, I get that. :) 

I see, Havasu, that you are on board. :D  It is frustrating sometimes, I know. Good luck with all the coordinating! 

NancyJo, I'm appreciative of the reminder though, and I neglected to say that. I try to foster independence in my kids, and I'm super excited to see my SR discover his plans and hopes for the Navy are coming true. But, that Mom thing still pops up. At least I know if anyone understands how proud you can be of your child, while at the same time you want to still know all the things they're doing, and when they're doing them, it's this group here! My husband rolls his eyes at me and shakes his head (in a nice way, not in an annoyed way), but he understands it's different for moms. 

Thank you for your advice and encouragement!! 

Havasu - nothing wrong with researching!  Just like NancyJo says though, you can do all the research you want and the Navy is still gonna do it their way on their time lol!  But that's what we are here for - to help you be flexible - when you feel like you've bent so far you're going to break, we'll remind you that it's all good.  Semper Gumby is the rule!

Glad to hear that your NPR of your chicken turned out well.  I follow the FB page for the IP and they do say that NPR is best for meat - it continues to cook during that process and helps eliminate toughness.  I'm going to have to give the frozen chicken a try.  Did you use water or broth (or maybe salsa)?

B'sNukeMom, I'm going to have to make Super Gumby my desktop image! LOL!!! Thanks for the words, it helps that you all understand and can remind me that it's "just the way it is"! 

I have found tons of great info on the FB page too. If I have a can of chicken broth, I use that since it gives it great flavor. If I don't, I just use water. I haven't tried the salsa in the IP yet, but I have in the crockpot. Makes fantastic chicken tacos that I love, but my SR hates, so I haven't done them in a while. I will try it with that this week though, because my SR's work schedule has him working most of the evenings this week so he won't be there to give me funny faces about my food during dinner time. Hahaha! I'll let you know how it works out!

Havasu- My son's ship out date never changed the entire year he was in DEP. But interestingly, the month before he was to ship out we were told by the chief petty officer in the recruiting office that the Nuke people had actually wanted him to leave a month earlier!! I was just thankful he still had to finish high school, because we had one sister's wedding we were hoping he would make and another we already knew he wasn't going to make.

My point being, once he graduates there is always the possibility that they could request an earlier ship date, but I doubt a later one, but that is only my guess. I don't know if this helps, but I totally get the, "trying to figure things out", mostly because of the complexity of everyone else's schedules as well.

Havasu, I hadn't thought about using chicken broth, duh!  You're brilliant!  For my last batch I used salsa and it was pretty good.  My husband has requested BBQ sauce for next time.  

My daughter's ship date was set for December. She got a call in July asking if she could ship the next week. She accepted that but there was a paperwork snafu and she didn't go.  Then they called her a month later and asked her to ship that afternoon.  You just never know so in addition to being flexible you should be prepared for anything!

JayDee659, B'sNukeMom, Chipmunk, and NancyJo - Would you laugh if I told you I just got a text from my SR about 5 minutes ago saying the recruiter called and told him the ship date is the same?! They aren't changing it. (For the moment, as I'm learning from you all!). I burst into laughter that my little whine today ended up being moot. Too funny.  

AJayDee659 - I saw someone else post that about chicken broth and thought they were brilliant too! Haha! 

Oops, JayDee659, not sure where the "A" came from in front of  your name in my previous comment. Sorry!

JayDee - I keep lots of broth on hand now - veggie, chicken & beef (all low sodium) for my IP.  I even use 1/2 water & 1/2 broth when I make rice in the IP.  And for pulled pork and ribs I used a can of coke.  It  gives it better flavor than just water!

 Havasu - it happens to the best of us. Just as we are trying to figure something out or get the answers to our questions, in our Queen Bee excitement, the answer appears!

PattiP - I have a wonderful daughter. . .

Well that's one thing I haven't seen on here (at least that I know of).  We've had nukes marrying nukes but imagine if we got one of our sailors married to a nukes sibling....our own little love connection!

And just an FYI - NAVSUP announced the 2017 Holiday Season Mailing Deadlines:

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=102613

speaking of holiday mailing deadlines, do nukes in A school get time off during the christmas break? does A school close for the christmas/ny holidays?

 Grannyofnine and any others - I started a new discussion above 2017 A school needs - info, since I thought my comment would be too long here. Anyone feel free to post on that updated discussion. Especially those whose sailors are actually taking classes, re; other supplies needed.

Hi all - Happy Almost Friday!

Grannyofnine - your grandson will be in a room with one other person.  It's suite style - so 2 rooms with a bathroom that all 4 of them share in the middle.  He won't need much and he won't have much room to store things.  They have weekly inspections and everything has to be neat & tidy.  Chipmunk started a new discussion above which addresses this. Maybe some of our newer moms can add to this so it's up to date.  There is an older discussion but items may have changed over time.

alabamamom - the school does go on holiday stand down over the holidays for 2 weeks.  They try to stagger it so most everyone gets a week off although sometimes there are some that won't get time off.  Just depends on how many are there and they have to have someone standing watch at all times. Your sailor should ask his SLPO about leave - he will have to put in a chit for it.

Welcome to our newest member ~ jjckjj.  Please feel free to jump in with any questions you may have.  The info to the right (10) pages will give you some insight into what to expect.  Also there are many good discussions in the discussion forum (hit "view all") above.

sgtsixpack - (great name!) When I went to my son's power school graduation these were the key things to remember: Get there EARLY (you get a good parking spot and seat); remember to bring sunscreen and bug spray; bring water and a snack (since you got there early you'll be waiting around for quite a while); remember to take pics. The day I saw my son graduate it was sunny, then rained like crazy (only when the officers were graduating! LOL), then was hot and muggy again. Have fun!!

Our A school grad was same day as Power school and  they moved up our graduation to 7:30 so we missed traffic and had great parking.  When we left the base at 9:30 the line was backed up to the tracks. Just about as long as bootcamp!

Welcome to our newest members ~ Sgtsixpack, Will'sMom1998 and PaxMom.   Be sure to read the pages to the right (10) under the member profiles and of course feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Sgtsixpack - I'm glad you found us - you should be able to get the info you were looking for on this page ;D

Happy Friday all!

JayDee - did you make it to Vegas?

Ugh, I'm having issues posting - anyone else having trouble?  Trying to figure out if it's my computer or the website....

I had trouble earlier and was told the site was undergoing maintenance. Looks OK now;

I would post a comment and it wouldn't go, so I hit refresh and then wah lah!! The comment had posted.

Chipmunk - that's kind of what's happening to me.  At least now I know it's not my computer....

Have a good weekend all - I'll be out until Wednesday.  I'll be reading but hard to post from my phone.  I'll be sure to get a picture of me & JayDee!

B & JayDee - enjoy your vacation!!