Goodbye January, Hello February
Our week started on a bit of a low note. Natalie lost a tooth at school and was very, very excited about it but things quickly went south. It all started at bedtime when she realized that she had lost the tooth and was worried about what the tooth fairy would think or do. Jared told her not to worry because mom's the tooth fairy. A little abrupt way to crush a long-held childhood belief, but it was true and was said in an attempt to make her feel better. She countered by insisting that "mom doesn't have wings." One of her sisters, I really can't remember who, backed up Jared's revelation but she still wasn't believing it. Finally, I chimed in, saying that everyone was telling her the truth and it was time to stop arguing and get ready for bed. She went off to change into her pajamas and brush her teeth and it was then that we heard her SOBBING in the bathroom. Wow. Parenting fail for sure. I had no idea that she was that attached to the idea of the tooth fairy. When I tucked her into bed we talked for a long while about why she was so upset. It was a good conversation actually but what it boils down to is the fact that, according to Natalie anyway, I am a fun sponge while she is a fun fountain. That means that while she's spending her days spouting fun all over the place, I'm hurrying after her soaking up all the fun.
What's interesting is that Natalie wasn't upset that we'd basically lied to her about a make-believe character, rather she was upset because she'd wanted so much for the tooth fairy to be real and we shattered that belief. She loved the fantasy so much she didn't want to know the truth. She calmed down and went to sleep and I felt so guilty I gave her £2 for her tooth instead of the normal 50¢. It turns out that was a mistake as well because now she's decided that the distressing events of the previous night were just a bad dream because the tooth fairy has to be real - mom would never give her £2 for a tooth!
A couple of days later all five of us girls had dentist appointments, I was not looking forward to chatty Natalie telling the dentist and techs all about mommy and the tooth fairy. She did share the horrific events of that night, but they didn't look at me as if I was too much of a monster so that was good. Also good was the clean bill of dental health we all received. Cavity free and happy! And it only took five hours at the dentist's office.
Not happy to spend only five hours in a doctor's office in one week, we spent the following day at the optometrist making sure everything was 20/20 or as close to it as possible for those of us who wear glasses. It's been a few years since we've had eye exams and Abigail desperately needs new glasses, not because her prescription has changed a ton but because her old glasses are so very beat up. We couldn't be seen on base so we found a doctor here in town who could take care of us. The equipment she used was a blast from the past and we all looked a little silly in her "special specs" that she used to fine tune things. Abigail now has a stronger prescription and two new pairs of glasses ordered, my eyes have stayed the same, and the rest of the girls still have no need for glasses, no matter how much they would like them. Can I just say that ten doctor appointments in a two-day span were about eight appointments too many? I got absolutely nothing completed around the house on Wednesday and Thursday and my routine of exercising each morning after the girls leave for school definitely suffered.
Wednesday night Jared came with me to a relief society activity that was all about self-defense, safety, and situational awareness so that he could teach the ladies in our ward a few things. It was a small group which sometimes works better. We talked about some common sense things, some things that one might not consider when thinking about being safe, and then Jared and I demonstrated a few defense moves that we hope the ladies will never have to use but that are good to know either way. It's always great to be with Jared and I especially enjoy teaching with him because he's such an engaging teacher that it's not scary, or nerve-wracking, it's just fun!
Speaking of the amazing person Jared is, he was recently presented with an Air Force Achievement Medal for basically being a hero during an incident on the base in Maryland back in May. As the text on the award might be difficult to decipher, I thought I'd write it here. It reads: "Senior Master Sergeant Jared D. Moran distinguished himself by outstanding achievement as Operations Superintendent, 11th Security Forces Squadron, 11th Security Forces Group, 11th Wing, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. While performing duties as Incident Commander Sergeant Moran faced a potentially life threatening situation when an individual entered the Visitor Control Center claiming to wear an improvised explosive device and demanding to speak with the Installation Commander. After securing the outer cordon, Sergeant Moran immediately recognized the need for a crisis negotiator. Calling upon his training, and without hesitation, he guided the Emergency Services Team to the threat. After tense negotiation and deeming the threat non-hostile, he coordinated for the individual's treatment with off-base police and mental service providers. His actions swiftly resolved the situation and deescalated the media frenzy surrounding the response. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Moran reflect credit upon himself and upon the United States Air Force." So basically, a crazy lady who claimed to have a bomb come to a building on the base, Jared suited up and went to talk with her, and told his Chief "tell my wife and kids I love them." Thankfully, the individual in question didn't actually have a bomb and wasn't dangerous. You can read a news report about the incident here.
Not at all on par with LITERALLY SAVING THE DAY, but I sewed a new skirt this week and it stretched my skills a little. I had a picture in my head of a full, gathered skirt. Something a little vintagey perhaps? I did some searching online and came across a tutorial on the website blogforbettersewing.com. I used that as my basic guide but made a few changes and that's where things got a little complicated. First, I made it much more full than the original tutorial directed. Instead of the recommended 40-inch width for the front and back pieces, I went with the full width of the fabric which was 56 inches. Without taking seam allowances into account that meant I was working with 112 inches of fabric to gather in to match my waistband. Honestly, it's maybe a little too full, especially for someone with hips as big as mine (who needs all that extra bulk)! I knew I wanted to add on-seam pockets but I wasn't sure how to do that and keep the called-for side zipper closure. I ended up slashing the back piece of the skirt in half, adding my on-seam pockets, and inserting the zipper in the center back. I tried and tried to use the blind hem foot but couldn't get it right on any of my scrap practice pieces and had to resort to sewing the hem by hand. All of that, especially the hem, made my brain have to think a little more than I wanted it to for the simple, vintage inspired skirt I envisioned. Despite all that I am very happy with the finished product and will probably make more like this in the future!
Saturday was a busy day to end a busy week! First, we headed to the temple and started our day off right. Emily tagged along and found a quiet spot to read in the nearby visitor's center. The only reason she wanted to join us was so we could go prom dress shopping on the way home. She's been researching and has been feeling more and more anxious about finding the right dress in time, even though she isn't quite sure when exactly prom will be and she doesn't even have a date yet. Emily found four stores between the temple and our house that looked promising and two of them seemed to be in the same shopping center so we let our GPS lead the way. We were surprised to make the final turn and see an enormous mall in front of us. I'm pretty sure it was bigger than anything we've been to in the states. Surely, in such a big place (50 restaurants, 300 stores, 13,000 parking spaces) we could find a dress. It only took us seven hours, including breaks for lunch and dinner, but we found one that checks all the boxes. It fits, it's modest, and she loves it - now to find a date!
Man, that's a lot of words talking about our lives. It's been a full week at the Moran house which certainly makes the days fly by. It looks like February is shaping up to be a great month!
What's interesting is that Natalie wasn't upset that we'd basically lied to her about a make-believe character, rather she was upset because she'd wanted so much for the tooth fairy to be real and we shattered that belief. She loved the fantasy so much she didn't want to know the truth. She calmed down and went to sleep and I felt so guilty I gave her £2 for her tooth instead of the normal 50¢. It turns out that was a mistake as well because now she's decided that the distressing events of the previous night were just a bad dream because the tooth fairy has to be real - mom would never give her £2 for a tooth!
A couple of days later all five of us girls had dentist appointments, I was not looking forward to chatty Natalie telling the dentist and techs all about mommy and the tooth fairy. She did share the horrific events of that night, but they didn't look at me as if I was too much of a monster so that was good. Also good was the clean bill of dental health we all received. Cavity free and happy! And it only took five hours at the dentist's office.
Not happy to spend only five hours in a doctor's office in one week, we spent the following day at the optometrist making sure everything was 20/20 or as close to it as possible for those of us who wear glasses. It's been a few years since we've had eye exams and Abigail desperately needs new glasses, not because her prescription has changed a ton but because her old glasses are so very beat up. We couldn't be seen on base so we found a doctor here in town who could take care of us. The equipment she used was a blast from the past and we all looked a little silly in her "special specs" that she used to fine tune things. Abigail now has a stronger prescription and two new pairs of glasses ordered, my eyes have stayed the same, and the rest of the girls still have no need for glasses, no matter how much they would like them. Can I just say that ten doctor appointments in a two-day span were about eight appointments too many? I got absolutely nothing completed around the house on Wednesday and Thursday and my routine of exercising each morning after the girls leave for school definitely suffered.
Wednesday night Jared came with me to a relief society activity that was all about self-defense, safety, and situational awareness so that he could teach the ladies in our ward a few things. It was a small group which sometimes works better. We talked about some common sense things, some things that one might not consider when thinking about being safe, and then Jared and I demonstrated a few defense moves that we hope the ladies will never have to use but that are good to know either way. It's always great to be with Jared and I especially enjoy teaching with him because he's such an engaging teacher that it's not scary, or nerve-wracking, it's just fun!
Saturday was a busy day to end a busy week! First, we headed to the temple and started our day off right. Emily tagged along and found a quiet spot to read in the nearby visitor's center. The only reason she wanted to join us was so we could go prom dress shopping on the way home. She's been researching and has been feeling more and more anxious about finding the right dress in time, even though she isn't quite sure when exactly prom will be and she doesn't even have a date yet. Emily found four stores between the temple and our house that looked promising and two of them seemed to be in the same shopping center so we let our GPS lead the way. We were surprised to make the final turn and see an enormous mall in front of us. I'm pretty sure it was bigger than anything we've been to in the states. Surely, in such a big place (50 restaurants, 300 stores, 13,000 parking spaces) we could find a dress. It only took us seven hours, including breaks for lunch and dinner, but we found one that checks all the boxes. It fits, it's modest, and she loves it - now to find a date!
Man, that's a lot of words talking about our lives. It's been a full week at the Moran house which certainly makes the days fly by. It looks like February is shaping up to be a great month!
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