Yup, that's right! Yours truly! About 2 weeks ago the FRG leader asked if I wanted to be her co and I jumped on the offer. Crazy? You say. Maybe. I have so been wanting to change frgs forever and here is my chance. I haven't made much of an impact yet because I really don't want to step on the leaders toes, but as we work together more I will put in a little more input. Many of the wives don't know me as the co FRG leader yet but I'm working on changing that. I am a little nervous about my mouth though. I kind of have ZERO patience and some of these women think the world revolves around them and they have the only husband who is deployed and they are the only ones with kids. PLEASE! We have decided to make the FRG a complete democracy. We posted on our facebook page that we would like to have our meetings the first Wednesday of every month. We gave the members the opportunity to vote on what time they would like to go. Many of the wives choose 10am. I figured this was so they could utilize child care. A couple choose 4pm. We commented that we would wait a few more days for people to vote but it looked like meeting time would be at 10. Well the 2 who wanted 4pm went nuts. They came up with reasons that made no sense. One woman said we should consider that this would be during the soldier evening hours and would be calling home. Really? You mean you husband only calls you at 10am the first Wednesday of every month? I am sure you can miss one day. Besides this woman works. Working would have been a better reason then hubby calling home. Tell him to call before. You are more then welcome to excuse yourself and talk to him. Geez some peoples kids. The other woman said it was ridiculous to have it early because people work. She doesn't. She also complained because she has small children. Ok? And no one else does. That's why the majority picked 10am so they could utilize the FREE 16 hours of child care. Oh well, you will NEVER please everybody and I am certainly not going to try either when it comes to majority rules. I just hope that we can all get together, form a bond, and be one big happy family. Ladies if you are one of 2 people who are rebelling and ALL the other women are cooperating maybe you should check yourself. Maybe YOU are being the difficult one.
I will keep everyone posted on what seems is going to be an interesting "stressful" time with the FRG. Hopefully once we get this armyfrg .org page up and going and get through these holidays everything will fall into place. I hope. :/
Monday, November 21, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
"D" day
"D" has come and gone and I am bored out of my mind! Ahhh! What do other deployed spouses do this whole year? Thankfully I found this page on facebook called, Fort Hood Wives with Events. The woman who runs this site is awesome. She pretty much finds out when any kind of event is going on in Hood, Killeen, Copperas Cove, and Harker Heights. Other "fans" of this page give her information as well. This has been my go to page to find things for me and my son to do. I went from being and outsider to being involved in everything.
My husband's deployment ceremony was ok; considering. We spent most of the day at his company just sitting around. They finally got to the gym and I just felt anxious. We were only there for a while and I wondered how much longer we were going to be there when I saw they had put the days itinerary on a projection screen. As I was reading the schedule a voice came over the loud speaker and announced that family time was over. It was time to load up. I felt like I had been robbed. I felt like I had wasted my time doing a bunch of other things. I freaked out and started crying. He was really leaving. I gave him the biggest hug ever and moved out of the way so the companies could form up. Now this sad event quickly angered me since me 3 year old decided he wanted to act like a nut. I never expect him to act any better than usual but I couldn't'even say goodbye in peace. Just like I couldn't mourn the lose of my grandmother because he was running around then acting like a nut. And he was doing the same thing again here. This time I just lost it and took him into the bathroom and spanked him telling him this isn't how we act. I feel like I didn't really get closure with my grandmother and I sure as hell wasn't about to miss my opportunity to tell my husband what could be our last goodbyes. It was NOT going to happen like that. Company by company the soldier went outside to load up the buses as hubby walked by I gave him another big hug. As we waited for the buses to leave 2 little girls stared hysterically crying. Their mother was the one leaving. Her face was bright red and full of tears as she said bye to her girls. The girls tried to cling on to her but she took off running to the bus, probably so the girls couldn't catch her. My son saw them and asked me (who was balling like a baby, thinking that could have been me if I had stayed in) why the girls were crying. I knelt down to tell them that their momma was going far away for a while just like our daddy was. After I said this I think the light bulb in my son's head went off because he started to cry too. "I missa my daddy." he said. We hugged for a few minutes before the buses started to pull away. I picked him up and we waved to daddy as he pulled away. We cried some more and then we went back to our little empty house to start "our" year of deployment. "It's just you and me, X. Forever and ever." <3
My husband's deployment ceremony was ok; considering. We spent most of the day at his company just sitting around. They finally got to the gym and I just felt anxious. We were only there for a while and I wondered how much longer we were going to be there when I saw they had put the days itinerary on a projection screen. As I was reading the schedule a voice came over the loud speaker and announced that family time was over. It was time to load up. I felt like I had been robbed. I felt like I had wasted my time doing a bunch of other things. I freaked out and started crying. He was really leaving. I gave him the biggest hug ever and moved out of the way so the companies could form up. Now this sad event quickly angered me since me 3 year old decided he wanted to act like a nut. I never expect him to act any better than usual but I couldn't'even say goodbye in peace. Just like I couldn't mourn the lose of my grandmother because he was running around then acting like a nut. And he was doing the same thing again here. This time I just lost it and took him into the bathroom and spanked him telling him this isn't how we act. I feel like I didn't really get closure with my grandmother and I sure as hell wasn't about to miss my opportunity to tell my husband what could be our last goodbyes. It was NOT going to happen like that. Company by company the soldier went outside to load up the buses as hubby walked by I gave him another big hug. As we waited for the buses to leave 2 little girls stared hysterically crying. Their mother was the one leaving. Her face was bright red and full of tears as she said bye to her girls. The girls tried to cling on to her but she took off running to the bus, probably so the girls couldn't catch her. My son saw them and asked me (who was balling like a baby, thinking that could have been me if I had stayed in) why the girls were crying. I knelt down to tell them that their momma was going far away for a while just like our daddy was. After I said this I think the light bulb in my son's head went off because he started to cry too. "I missa my daddy." he said. We hugged for a few minutes before the buses started to pull away. I picked him up and we waved to daddy as he pulled away. We cried some more and then we went back to our little empty house to start "our" year of deployment. "It's just you and me, X. Forever and ever." <3
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Army Wife Network Spouse Field Exercise
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Part 2 of my busy week I went to an Army Wife Network Spouse Field Exercise. If you have never been to one of these events you are seriously missing out. It is similar to SpouseBUZZ that is sponsered by Military.com, but it is unique as well. Tara Crooks and Star Henderson are the best 2 women ever.
I signed up to register people and to help set up for the event. That morning we stared at 8:30am setting up. We put together soldier's bags and gift bags. We set up the room and got all the decorations up. We had a lot of time to mingle and I actually got to make a few friends. They provided us with lunch at Club Hood. (where the event was being held.) After lunch we did a few touch ups then left to get dressed. We returned at 4pm to have things set up for check in at 4:45pm. We registered everyone and the rest of the night was a blast. Tara and Star talked about how to deal with deployments, resources, and ideas for themed care packages. They showed us Flat Daddy and Hug a Hero. There were TONS of prizes given away. The Absolute best night ever. Of course they also promoted their new book, 1001 Things to Love About Military Life.
Now you know I found something bad at this event. This bad had nothing to do with the event itself but with the wives. The confirmation letter specifically said dress code was "Business Casual" not "People of Walmart." Most everybody was dressed nice but one specifically stood out to me. She was wearing flip flops (It was 40 degrees that night), torn jeans, a t-shirt and a messy ponytail. I remember her because she kept putting in her 2 cents and answering rhetorical questions loudly throughout the whole event. The lesson to this storry is don't dress like trash and be quiet. GEEZ. If you don't have nice clothes then you work with what you got and make your best effort. I don't have problems with that. I have problems with people who DON'T care. Don't age yourself. This is another young wife who lives up to the stereotype that is ever so hard to shake.
CARE Team
This last week of my hubby's leave have been hectic. Lots of things to do. The first was the FRG leader asked me to join the CARE Team. CAsualty REsponse Team. I agreed and attended a class given by ACS. The CARE team is used to care for one of the families in your unit following an unexpected death or injury. The unit will activate a CARE team after the family is notified. The team will show up at the family's home and provide assistance if the family is willing to accept. The team consists of a Call, Homecare, Childcare, Meal, and Subsequent team. The call person screens calls and visitors. The homecare person runs errands and helps around the home. The childcare person helps with the children so the family can take care of business. The meal person coordinates meal support for the family and the team. The subsequent team meet out of town guests and assist with any other tasks. Team members should be interviewed and selected. They should be emotionally stable and willing and have the ability to respond on short notice among other things. The team usually helps for 72 hours but based on ability they can help up to 7 days.
The thing a speaker during the class harped on was the DD93. Record of Emergency Data. Whatever is put on the DD93 by the soldier is what the Army goes by. This form overrides a will. This form is the law of the land. If a soldier passes away there is a 4 hour window to notify the family from the time the casualty assistance center receives the report. This is in person. There is a 2 hour phone notification window if the soldier is wounded or seriously ill. This means the DD93 HAS to be ACCURATE. If you are going out of town for a few days let your FRG leader know. This is so if something happens and they can't find you they will contact your FRG leader if she knows where you are at. This will save a lot of time and drama. They will go to the address and call the number on the DD93. Any unpaid wages and death gratuity will be left to the people stated on the form. In case you don't know the "Person Authorized to Direct Disposition" is the person you give burial authority to. In the "continuation/remarks" section the soldier can state where extra property is, bank accounts and storage units are. It boogles my mind how many spouses are oblivious to finances and other things. The stories this man told were outrageous. Please know what's on your soldier's DD93 so there are no surprises.
The thing a speaker during the class harped on was the DD93. Record of Emergency Data. Whatever is put on the DD93 by the soldier is what the Army goes by. This form overrides a will. This form is the law of the land. If a soldier passes away there is a 4 hour window to notify the family from the time the casualty assistance center receives the report. This is in person. There is a 2 hour phone notification window if the soldier is wounded or seriously ill. This means the DD93 HAS to be ACCURATE. If you are going out of town for a few days let your FRG leader know. This is so if something happens and they can't find you they will contact your FRG leader if she knows where you are at. This will save a lot of time and drama. They will go to the address and call the number on the DD93. Any unpaid wages and death gratuity will be left to the people stated on the form. In case you don't know the "Person Authorized to Direct Disposition" is the person you give burial authority to. In the "continuation/remarks" section the soldier can state where extra property is, bank accounts and storage units are. It boogles my mind how many spouses are oblivious to finances and other things. The stories this man told were outrageous. Please know what's on your soldier's DD93 so there are no surprises.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Will is all made
The day of our appointment we should up to legal and they signed us in. We waited a few minutes to see the lawyers (we had 2 separate ones). The lawyers typed whatever we had filled out on the forms into the computer. They then took us back to have our wills notarized and witnessed. We were out of Legal in about an hour and half. The most important thing the lawyer said to me was
"The soldiers DD93 WILL override the will. Make sure your DD 93 is accurate"The DD 93 is the Record of Emergency Data. I will get more into this form in my CARE team post. Having a will is a great thing to have for your children. There will be no doubt or arguing on who the guardian is going to be. Parents lets put our minds at ease and make sure our children are taken care of.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Checkout Vocalpoint.com
I thought you might be interested in Vocalpoint.com. Vocalpoint provides some great benefits and it's all for free! Here are some of the features:
- Surprising product information
- Great coupons/samples
- Cool things to share with friends
Hope you enjoy!
http://gotaf.socialtwist.com/redirect?l=28j8o
I have been a part of Vocalpoint since 2008. At that time I just thought it was a place to get free samples. I have learned in the past year that they offer so much more. There is a community of member who have advise on all topics. Of course they send you samples of products with some Awesome coupons ( I wish I had another BOGO of the Berry Frosted Mini Wheats), and I just recently learned that they offer "Houseparties." This is a great site to join if you are a part of a mom club, playgroup or any kind of situation where you can share the savings with other people. I have really enjoyed this site and I look forward to receiving samples and information from them in the future. I recently just received the Swiffer 360 duster. Haven't tried it out yet but I plan to this weekend.
Monday, October 3, 2011
FRG
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| Most FRG's use this site |
Last week we had an FRG (Family Readiness Group) Meeting. A "mandatory" FRG meeting at that. All the married soldiers were required to attend. Their spouses also, if they could. Of course only about 5 wives attended. The reason the FRG leader made this mandatory was good, but I get back to that later.
I Know, I know as soldiers and misinformed wives we LOATHE the word, "FRG." We automatically think of the stereotypical squaking hens. Well, guess what they aren't all that. Don't get me wrong, my husband's last unit was crap. I was not welcomed at all. I also didn't take kindly to being treated like crap because I was young and new to "their" group. They thought I was ignorant and didn't know anything. "My" FRGs when I was in the army were awesome. The first one had our barracks room clean and stocked when we returned from Iraq. I had towels to shower with, laundry soap, food, soda, and they even put our linen and pillows in our room. Walking into my room felt like a hotel. Very nice to come back and not have to worry about the barracks. My second unit made us hot soup after we returned from being in the field for 2 weeks in 20 degree weather. In other words as a single soldier the FRG were adopted moms to me. They were always around to help.
Well at this meeting she had the right idea. She had every married soldier (I would have had every soldier period) fill out and FRG contact sheet. She expressed how important it is to be in contact withe the spouses. She stated she would not call anyone to participate. This info was strictly for Emergency and redeployment purposes. I had always said to do this and was always told no previously.
So the point is the FRG NEEDS to know your spouse/family members information. You can even write, "For Emergency/Redeployment purposes only," if it makes you feel better. The FRG is there to help you. To show you outlets. To help and educate the army family. Do some gossip? Yes, but you have the opportunity to change that by being involved. Just like everything else "You Get Back What You Put In."
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Marriage Retreat
This past month was a blur of busy. Organization Day kicked off the crazy. They had it at BLORA. I enjoyed myself. But boy was it HOT! This spot had no shade and the little shade we found, the park ranger kicked us out of. The units did set up camo nets but come on it's still burning up outside. They had a few activities for the kids. They served sno cones before lunch was served. Lunch consisted of burger, hot dogs a few sides and best of all watermelon! Yum Yum. They reserved the air conditioned pavilion but it was mostly occupied by the officers. There wasn't enough seating for everyone and there were so many people in there that it wasn't even that cool. Either way my son and I had a good time but here's a heads up to everyone; If your going to have an Org day in 100 degree weather and make the soldiers stay out there for the full 5 hours let people know that maybe should bring 2 vehicles or something because my son was dying of the heat. It was just too hot for those little ones.
A week later hubby's unit hosted a marriage retreat. I will definitely attend another one of these. I had never been to one or really ever heard about them until I heard another wife mention it. I decided this would be a good thing for the hubby and I to do to strengthen our marriage, maybe help out a few problem areas. "I" was all ready for seminars and discussions actually "Learning" something. All my husband was thinking about was a weekend without our son in a free hotel room. Well we did get both. We got to the hotel (we stayed in the Holiday Inn) and checked in. We sat around for a while then we were served dinner. The first class started after dinner. The class was called, "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage."
It was a 6 part class that was spread throughout the 3 days. This class was not only hilarious it was insightful. It made me stop and think and re-approach some things. It did change my way of thinking. Of course it went through hubby's ear and right out the other, but I know I did MY part to change and the rest is up to him. Oh, also daycare (free) is provided during these classes. After 2 parts of the series we were released for the evening. A few of us went out for a few drinks and to play some darts. The next morning we had breakfast and watched another 2 parts of the series and were then released for the rest of the day around 11:30am. Daycare was provided for the 2 classes and until 5pm that afternoon. I think that was good to let couples have a little free time. We were completely free since our son was with my parents. Another couple and us went wondering around town and called it an early night. The next morning they offered breakfast and a church service which we skipped and then finished the last 2 classes. We were given the book that corresponded with the dvd. Over all I had a very good time. I enjoyed meeting other people. There were some things I would have liked to change. Since we had to transport ourselves to San Antonio there were people showing up and all kinds of crazy hours. Check in was at 4. Some people didn't show up until after the classes were already over which was about 9pm. There should also be a little bit more mandatory attendance. A couple we know showed up Friday after all the classes, missed the first session on Saturday and didn't even show up on Sunday. These 2 are constantly and I mean always fighting. The 2 that needed it the most didn't even attend a session. I hate to see nice things get abused like that. Ruins it for the rest of us. oh well, I will certainly attend the next retreat I hope it is as insightful and this one was.
A week later hubby's unit hosted a marriage retreat. I will definitely attend another one of these. I had never been to one or really ever heard about them until I heard another wife mention it. I decided this would be a good thing for the hubby and I to do to strengthen our marriage, maybe help out a few problem areas. "I" was all ready for seminars and discussions actually "Learning" something. All my husband was thinking about was a weekend without our son in a free hotel room. Well we did get both. We got to the hotel (we stayed in the Holiday Inn) and checked in. We sat around for a while then we were served dinner. The first class started after dinner. The class was called, "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage."
It was a 6 part class that was spread throughout the 3 days. This class was not only hilarious it was insightful. It made me stop and think and re-approach some things. It did change my way of thinking. Of course it went through hubby's ear and right out the other, but I know I did MY part to change and the rest is up to him. Oh, also daycare (free) is provided during these classes. After 2 parts of the series we were released for the evening. A few of us went out for a few drinks and to play some darts. The next morning we had breakfast and watched another 2 parts of the series and were then released for the rest of the day around 11:30am. Daycare was provided for the 2 classes and until 5pm that afternoon. I think that was good to let couples have a little free time. We were completely free since our son was with my parents. Another couple and us went wondering around town and called it an early night. The next morning they offered breakfast and a church service which we skipped and then finished the last 2 classes. We were given the book that corresponded with the dvd. Over all I had a very good time. I enjoyed meeting other people. There were some things I would have liked to change. Since we had to transport ourselves to San Antonio there were people showing up and all kinds of crazy hours. Check in was at 4. Some people didn't show up until after the classes were already over which was about 9pm. There should also be a little bit more mandatory attendance. A couple we know showed up Friday after all the classes, missed the first session on Saturday and didn't even show up on Sunday. These 2 are constantly and I mean always fighting. The 2 that needed it the most didn't even attend a session. I hate to see nice things get abused like that. Ruins it for the rest of us. oh well, I will certainly attend the next retreat I hope it is as insightful and this one was.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
"I Love Me" Book
I was asked what an "I Love Me" Book was... Let me educate you young grasshopper so you can spread the word. An "I Love Me" book is a binder of everything about you. It's your army life in a nutshell.
It is a combination of civilian, military, and post military things. I have one, the hubby has one and I made one for my son. My son is mainly birth certificate, social security card and shot records/growth charts but it will expand once school starts. Ok This is whats in my "I Love Me" Book. I use dividers to make organization easier. I keep each section in chronological order with most recent first.
In this divider I have:
I keep all of my orders (PCS, TDY, Deployment and discharge) under this category. I keep them in chronological order from most recent to oldest. In my husbands book I put a sticky note with the date and location of all his orders. Just something to make things easier.
This section you put every certificate of training you have ever recieved. Certificates of Completion, DA 1059, Drivers Training, Licenses, AIT, Basic, whatever class/computer course you have taken put proof in this section. It makes things very easy when updating promotion points worksheet. I like to keep the DA 1059 behind the certificate for easy sorting.
I like to put the DA 638 behind the certificate. It helps keep things together and easier to sort through. I also keep my promotion orders in this section or you can put them in the "Orders" section. My husbands book has a "Promotions" section.
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| This is my "I Love Me" Book |
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| 1st Divider: Civilian |
- Marriage Certificate
- Birth Certificate
- Social Security Card
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| 2nd Divider: Orders |
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| 3rd divider: Certificates/Training |
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| 4th divider: Awards |
5th divider:???
This divider can be anything you want. In my book I have all my college info, transcripts, VA approval, separation checklists, DD214, GI Bill info, Power of Attorneys my husband has given me, and paperwork turning me from a sponsor into a dependent (:( sniff: sniff)
In my husbands book this is for his enlistment paperwork. His reserve, active, and re enlistments. This would be very helpful to keep, to make sure pay and years in service is kept straight.
So these are our "I Love Me" books. I hope this was helpful. I know there are more elaborate ways to organize things but I think this is a simple and easy way. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions please feel free to comment below. Also leave suggestions for upcoming entries.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Boring...
So these past few weeks have been pretty boring. My husbands truck has been out of order for a while. His fuel tank was leaking. We looked at every pick-n-pull/salvage yard we could find and every tank was punctured. Why do they do that? Don't they think someone might want the fuel tank. Any way, we called dodge just to see how much it would be and they wanted to charge us $885. WTF! my husbands truck is a '99. WOW. I finally convinced him to check San Antonio because I knew they would have one and of course we found one. Thankfully I can have my car back now.
Memorial Day weekend we went to Ikea. I bought a few things but the best thing I could was some flatware for my son. It looks so grown up. He still can't handle standard size flatware and the plastic toddler junk doen't let him pick up any food. This set is perfect. I bought 4 sets.
My P90X workout has been going great. I haven't really gained but 3 pounds but I can see my body changing. I just started phase 2 yesterday. I love this program. I feel great.
Oh yeah so my husband turned in his awards and certificates to get his ERB and promotion point worksheet updated before he went to the field. That was on May 6th. Well here we are and they just updated his awards which is better than nothing I guess but they told him they don't know how to do the rest. ??? S1, S1, S1.... wtf! Why does his S1 suck so bad? I was lucky to always have a good S1 and so was my husband until this unit. 1 person knows what is going on in that shop. Why don't we educate the others. Hell I will go in there and work for free just so you stop screwing over soldiers. My husband's friend didn't make cutoff last month because they didn't update his weapons qual. So because of that he didn't get promoted. He raised hell which is exactly what I would have done. Especially since he asked them several times to do it because that's what he needed to get promoted. I don't know whats happening everyone in this unit is so jacked. They even told the hubby when he got there if your high speed you better get over that because no one here is. lol That' great advise.
Well a few up coming events are "O" day, and a couples retreat. The couples retreat was suppose to be at the Great Wolf Lodge but I figured that got too expensive so we are going to San Antonio. oh yay. Well it's a whole weekend with just me and the hubby so I am not going to complain. They dropped the "D" word too so lets hope S1 can get this man's ERB fixed so he can send his NCI packet in and get him promoted before he leaves. Ugh what a miserable boring time thats going to be.
Memorial Day weekend we went to Ikea. I bought a few things but the best thing I could was some flatware for my son. It looks so grown up. He still can't handle standard size flatware and the plastic toddler junk doen't let him pick up any food. This set is perfect. I bought 4 sets.
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| Fabler 3-piece flatware 601.375.71 $4.99 |
Oh yeah so my husband turned in his awards and certificates to get his ERB and promotion point worksheet updated before he went to the field. That was on May 6th. Well here we are and they just updated his awards which is better than nothing I guess but they told him they don't know how to do the rest. ??? S1, S1, S1.... wtf! Why does his S1 suck so bad? I was lucky to always have a good S1 and so was my husband until this unit. 1 person knows what is going on in that shop. Why don't we educate the others. Hell I will go in there and work for free just so you stop screwing over soldiers. My husband's friend didn't make cutoff last month because they didn't update his weapons qual. So because of that he didn't get promoted. He raised hell which is exactly what I would have done. Especially since he asked them several times to do it because that's what he needed to get promoted. I don't know whats happening everyone in this unit is so jacked. They even told the hubby when he got there if your high speed you better get over that because no one here is. lol That' great advise.
Well a few up coming events are "O" day, and a couples retreat. The couples retreat was suppose to be at the Great Wolf Lodge but I figured that got too expensive so we are going to San Antonio. oh yay. Well it's a whole weekend with just me and the hubby so I am not going to complain. They dropped the "D" word too so lets hope S1 can get this man's ERB fixed so he can send his NCI packet in and get him promoted before he leaves. Ugh what a miserable boring time thats going to be.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
My Lilies
Oh my achin' body...
Geez blogger is finally up and running. I haven't been able to get on all week.
Anywho, so the hubby's out playing army so I decided this would be a perfect opportunity to start p90x. The hubby and I had been discussing starting it before but once I got all the equipment together I got no motivation from him. I decided to do it on my own. I am doing this for toning really. I'm not trying to get buff I just need to add some shape to my "twig" body. I have always been a skinny girl. My parents were both thin when they were younger so that's where I got that from. I was expecting to keep on the weight after I had a baby, like my mom did but that just didn't happen. When I joined the army I was 113 lbs. Ony 1lb above my minimum weight for being 5'8". After I graduated basic I was 145 lbs. I LOVED it. I was curvy. (hee hee) I was still pretty thin but I had a shape. I pretty much maintained that weight until I deployed a year later. I was 120 during most of the deployment and up until I was pregnant which was a year after I got back. After I had my son I made it a point to keep that weight on but being a new mom I just couldn't do it. I was too hungry and too sleepy to really care about anything else. Now, nearly 3 years later I am going to do something about it.
It's not all fun and games being skinny either. People always think I'm anorexic; then they see that I eat like a horse and then I become bulimic. Clothes are the worse. I am not a small or a size 2. I always think about how models are suppose to be 34-24-34 and are like 5'10". I am 5'8" and have larger measurements why do I look thinner than them? Makes no sense.
So since the hubby is gone I decided that now is the time to do p90x. I am currently on day 6 and... omg. I started on Monday night after my son goes to sleep and Tuesday morning I couldn't move a muscle on my upper body and on Wednesday I couldn't move my whole body. This program is no joke. It's not necessarily hard it just uses all the muscles that I never use. As a runner, I have never really done upper body workouts. I started Monday at 117 lbs and as of Friday I am 119.2 lbs. I am really excited. 2 lbs in 5 days. Woohoo! I have been using a spreadsheet I found online and it has a calorie counter on it. According to that thing I should be taking in 2800 calories/day to reach my goal of 130 lbs. What?! I would have to eat all day to achieve that. I have been looking for a weight gainer to take to supplement some of those calories. I am taking a Whey protein supplement right now and that is helping. I'm really starting to get into this weight lifting process. Who knows, maybe I'll go a little further.
Anywho, so the hubby's out playing army so I decided this would be a perfect opportunity to start p90x. The hubby and I had been discussing starting it before but once I got all the equipment together I got no motivation from him. I decided to do it on my own. I am doing this for toning really. I'm not trying to get buff I just need to add some shape to my "twig" body. I have always been a skinny girl. My parents were both thin when they were younger so that's where I got that from. I was expecting to keep on the weight after I had a baby, like my mom did but that just didn't happen. When I joined the army I was 113 lbs. Ony 1lb above my minimum weight for being 5'8". After I graduated basic I was 145 lbs. I LOVED it. I was curvy. (hee hee) I was still pretty thin but I had a shape. I pretty much maintained that weight until I deployed a year later. I was 120 during most of the deployment and up until I was pregnant which was a year after I got back. After I had my son I made it a point to keep that weight on but being a new mom I just couldn't do it. I was too hungry and too sleepy to really care about anything else. Now, nearly 3 years later I am going to do something about it.
It's not all fun and games being skinny either. People always think I'm anorexic; then they see that I eat like a horse and then I become bulimic. Clothes are the worse. I am not a small or a size 2. I always think about how models are suppose to be 34-24-34 and are like 5'10". I am 5'8" and have larger measurements why do I look thinner than them? Makes no sense.
So since the hubby is gone I decided that now is the time to do p90x. I am currently on day 6 and... omg. I started on Monday night after my son goes to sleep and Tuesday morning I couldn't move a muscle on my upper body and on Wednesday I couldn't move my whole body. This program is no joke. It's not necessarily hard it just uses all the muscles that I never use. As a runner, I have never really done upper body workouts. I started Monday at 117 lbs and as of Friday I am 119.2 lbs. I am really excited. 2 lbs in 5 days. Woohoo! I have been using a spreadsheet I found online and it has a calorie counter on it. According to that thing I should be taking in 2800 calories/day to reach my goal of 130 lbs. What?! I would have to eat all day to achieve that. I have been looking for a weight gainer to take to supplement some of those calories. I am taking a Whey protein supplement right now and that is helping. I'm really starting to get into this weight lifting process. Who knows, maybe I'll go a little further.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The New Promotion Point System
Promotion point UGH! The best part about being out of the army is I don't have the stress of getting promoted; Now I have the stress of getting my husband promoted. Yay! He came home today and said he finally got an appointment with his "wonderful" S-1. He also tells me that they are changing to promotion points system. "Great" I think. So he goes through his excellent "I Love Me" book that I made him to make sure he has everything. Come on I'm more organized and on top of things than he is. Who's he kidding. I'm up (2am) thinking how is this going to effect his points. "I" have been working really hard to motivate this man to get promoted. I make him work out with me when he gets home, I watch his eating 2 wks before a pt test. I tape him to see how much more I need to starve him (ha ha) I make him take every military class he can. I bug the hell out of him to do those STUPID correspondence courses (don't miss those). He's a crack shot so I don't have to worry about that but I do all of this because he refuses to do college I don't force him because college just isn't for everyone. This means I have to push him to do better in everything else if he wants to make up for the lack of civilian education. I did a little research to see what kind of impact this change was going to have and I find that it's going to effect everyone a lot.
Well, the biggest thing is now the commander's points and board points are basically a Go and No go deal. That hurts because those were pretty much free points.
Next is awards, if it's a young soldier trying to fast track this will hurt. If you are a seasoned soldier you aquire Good Conduct Metals, ARCOMs, and AAMs like nobody's business. Escpecially if you deploy. You automatically get something for deploying and usually get an award for PCSing. Unless you get a company who doesn't like doing paperwork. :cough cough:
Military education I'm not too sure about yet. This still covers NCOES and ACCP but only courses, not sub-courses. Those receive 1 pt for every 5 hours. But DA 87 (certificates of training) I'm not to clear about. It says that DA 87's will only be accepted unless the course is formally listed in ATRRS or AR 350-1. Now when I checked AR 350-1 there have been some courses removed and added so your going to have to look those up.
Civilian Eduction: This is going to help some young soldiers out a lot since for SGT it has been dropped to 75. They have also changed the pt value per semester hour. What used to be 1.5pts for semester hour is now 1pt for semester hour. It's a smaller impact on the overall score.
Military Training: Here's the pick me up. They are now awarding points for combat experience.
Next is awards, if it's a young soldier trying to fast track this will hurt. If you are a seasoned soldier you aquire Good Conduct Metals, ARCOMs, and AAMs like nobody's business. Escpecially if you deploy. You automatically get something for deploying and usually get an award for PCSing. Unless you get a company who doesn't like doing paperwork. :cough cough:
Military education I'm not too sure about yet. This still covers NCOES and ACCP but only courses, not sub-courses. Those receive 1 pt for every 5 hours. But DA 87 (certificates of training) I'm not to clear about. It says that DA 87's will only be accepted unless the course is formally listed in ATRRS or AR 350-1. Now when I checked AR 350-1 there have been some courses removed and added so your going to have to look those up.
Civilian Eduction: This is going to help some young soldiers out a lot since for SGT it has been dropped to 75. They have also changed the pt value per semester hour. What used to be 1.5pts for semester hour is now 1pt for semester hour. It's a smaller impact on the overall score.
Military Training: Here's the pick me up. They are now awarding points for combat experience.
2 pts for every month in combat. 30 pts max for SGT. 60 max for SSG
Of course APFT and Weapons Qual will be judged on a different scale.
I've been reading some comments on another website and have realized that this has a bigger impact than I thought. Some peoples points have dropped from 710 to 406. I hope that this also has an impact on the "skillport" certificates and that actual good, well trained, experienced soldiers will become NCOs. The army needs experienced NCOs. I used to absolutely hate it when there was a kid that fast tracked ahead of me because they had more college than I did and had no idea what was going on with anything. That just gave me more work. I had to do my work and make them look good because some how if they didn't know what was going on I would get in trouble for it. If they can't do their job why the hell did you promote them. I hope this squashes that problem.
For more information on the new promotion points system check out : ncopromotionboard.com
Cameron Park Zoo in Waco
This past weekend the hubby had a 3 day weekend with early realease on Friday for Earth Fest. It was a combination of environmental awareness and a celebration for the month of the military child. They had free food and drinks. Inflatable bouncy houses, games, and events for the kids. We all enjoyed ourselves very much eeven though we had an incident with parents letting their kids run around without supervision (it always happens to me) but thankfully the event volunteers were aware of the situation and took action.
Saturday the hubby woke me up and said that he wanted to go to the zoo. I was shocked. He never tells me he wants to do something. So I got up and did all the preparations. This time I did thorough research since what happened with the Austin "zoo." We do get a military discount. The Cameron Park Zoo is the most beautiful zoo I have seen. It has a few parks around it since it is adjacent to the Brazos River. It was very big and clean. It was very easy to go through. If an exhibit was off the main the main trail it would take you in a circle back to where you started so you wouldn't have to back track. This was nice since a lot of times we are thinking. "Did we go this way yet?" The Lemurs have their own island on the lake. There are also lots of tables on the deck so you have a nice view. We saw EVERY animal. They were all out in the open. I'm thinking we were there around feeding time since the lions, and tigers were pacing by the zookeeper's door. All the exhibits are well put together and nice and open so you are able to see the entire exhibit. They have a nice aquarium with lots of interesting fish. The had a "nocturnal animals" house that was kind of creepy. You open the door, it's pitch black and all you see is a manikin of a bee keeper. This house is only lit by dark lights, so takes a minute to adjust. The only bad thing I found about this place and not really bad but there is only one concession stand throughout the park. It seemed to be right in the middle of the park but I would still have to walk to/back to it. Then to top it off their credit machine wasn't working. Luckily there was a tiny gift shop next door that had bottled drinks and took credit card. We had a great time and plan on returning to the zoo and the many parks around it.
Saturday the hubby woke me up and said that he wanted to go to the zoo. I was shocked. He never tells me he wants to do something. So I got up and did all the preparations. This time I did thorough research since what happened with the Austin "zoo." We do get a military discount. The Cameron Park Zoo is the most beautiful zoo I have seen. It has a few parks around it since it is adjacent to the Brazos River. It was very big and clean. It was very easy to go through. If an exhibit was off the main the main trail it would take you in a circle back to where you started so you wouldn't have to back track. This was nice since a lot of times we are thinking. "Did we go this way yet?" The Lemurs have their own island on the lake. There are also lots of tables on the deck so you have a nice view. We saw EVERY animal. They were all out in the open. I'm thinking we were there around feeding time since the lions, and tigers were pacing by the zookeeper's door. All the exhibits are well put together and nice and open so you are able to see the entire exhibit. They have a nice aquarium with lots of interesting fish. The had a "nocturnal animals" house that was kind of creepy. You open the door, it's pitch black and all you see is a manikin of a bee keeper. This house is only lit by dark lights, so takes a minute to adjust. The only bad thing I found about this place and not really bad but there is only one concession stand throughout the park. It seemed to be right in the middle of the park but I would still have to walk to/back to it. Then to top it off their credit machine wasn't working. Luckily there was a tiny gift shop next door that had bottled drinks and took credit card. We had a great time and plan on returning to the zoo and the many parks around it.
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| Waterfall at Lemur Island |
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| My son and I at another waterfall in the zoo |
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| One of the many statues. This one was so big and life like it was scary. Right across from the real one too |
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| An interesting fish in the aquarium |
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| This slide went right through the river otter exhibit. I could not pull my son away from it. The otter would swim around him and he would be fascinated |
For more information please check out: Cameron Park Zoo
Friday, April 29, 2011
Fiesta & Easter
These past 2 weeks have been busy, busy, busy. April the 16th my family and I, along with the grandparents went to the Flambeau parade. It is the night parade that is apart of Fiesta San Antonio. I have been going to this parade since I was maybe 9 yrs old. I am very happy that I get to share this tradition with my son and he really enjoys it too. Fiesta has been a part of San Antonio history since 1891. Women decorated carriages, baby buggies and bicycles with live flowers, met in front of the Alamo, to honor the heroes of the Alamo and Battle of San Jacinto with a Battle of Flowers. There are over 100 events that you can enjoy over 11 days. For more info check out: Fiesta San Antonio We got to San Antonio early Saturday morning so that I go hit up the salon for Fiesta beautification. (ha ha) We left for downtown around 4:30pm (the vanguard starts at 6:30pm we are at the end of the 3 mile route) and were very happy to find close FREE parking. We hit up the square in front of the San Fernando Cathedral where there were tons of food stands. I bought a Pina Cola in a souvenir cup that came with a free refill and a corn on the cob. My hubby bought Fajita tacos and Aquas Fresca and we bought my mom a fruit cup. My son befriended the little boy that was sitting next to us so they shared all their snacks and cascarones. Finally the parade started and my sons face lit up with excitement. I don't know if it was the gaps in the parade or my son becoming impatient (probably it) but this parade seemed to last forever! My husband and I were very relieved when it finally ended.
Love the Shriners and their cars
The police are the beginning of the parade
One of the many dance troops
Easter was exhausting. I felt like I was making Thanksgiving dinner all over again. We are a family of 3 so I don't make big meals; but with my parents and brother coming over I have to cook for 6. They came the night before and my brother and I played a killer game of monopoly. I lost horribly. Then we stayed up late watching ghost stories. It was nice to hang out with someone. My old man husband is always in bed by 10 no matter what day. Easter morning I had to wake up and make breakfast. Papas con huevo tacos. Then had to start cooking for early bird dinner. I made Steakhouse potato Salad, Pasta Salad, Asparagus, Taco Dip, Deviled eggs, and fresh lemonade. An easy menu for some but like I said I cook for 3 and hate cooking. My husband and dad cooked the brisket on the grill. After we ate my son got his easter basket complete with Spiderman action figure that he broke in all of 30 seconds. He went outside and had an easter egg hunt and broke cascarones. He tries to save his cascarones but we he discovered he had more that 1 he went nuts. Overall a successful easter.
The little one hunting eggs in my garden
He found a Spongebob Candy dispenser near my caterpillar eaten (grr) bougainvillea
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Stillhouse Hollow Lake
We then drove to the designated swimming areas. They had lots of picnic areas, restrooms, volleyball courts and a roped off swimming area. We parked and almost got blown away. As we got closer to the water it was worse I had no idea how the people could stand it but after a while you got used to it. My son who is actually a fish, was practically in the water when we got there. I took of his shoes thinking he wouldn't go very far in since it was cold water but he proved me wrong. He was having an absolute ball. We decided to hang out for a bit. It was a nice hot day so why not. After we got the "fish" out of the water, we changed his clothes and left. I was determined to find my river hangout.
So we got back on 190 and I saw the exit from Stillhouse DAM. "Oooh thats the exit." Oops. This exit you pass Overlook park (really just a scenic overlook), cross the dam, and directly on your left is the entrance for Chalk Ridge Falls Park. This place is mostly a nature trail that runs along the Lampasas River. It is free to enter. We used to come out here and hang out at the river, jump off cliffs, and pretty much get into trouble. I brought the family here because it is a great place to explore and walk a 5 mile trail. The trail is a granite trail. We didn't last very long there we went out a bit. Took a picture of the little fall and went back. By then the "fish" was exhaused and we were all hungry. It was time to go back, clean up and go out to eat. This was one of the best family weekends ever. Well, until this weekend when we go to Fiesta.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary
On April 1st the family and I decided to go to the zoo. I had planned on going to Waco but my husband mentioned the Austin zoo. Thinking that it would be a nice big "city" zoo I agreed. I looked up the website Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary to find the address and admission prices. I should have done a little more homework because when we arrived it was not what I expected.
Now there wasn't anything "wrong" with it. I just wish I would have actually "read" the website. "Zoo" should be used very loosely. It is more of an animal sanctuary. "The mission of Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary is to assist animals in need through rescue, rehabilitation and education." In saying that, that is all they have. If the animal is not a rescue then they don't have it. If they didn't rescue an elephant, they don't have an elephant. This is a very good organization and I love the idea of it being an animal rescue but I don't like the idea of "zoo." I have been to San Antonio, Denver, Colorado Springs and Fresno Zoos; That is what I am used to. That was the major upset for me.
It is located in the Texas Hill Country and anyone who's from Texas knows the hill country is covered in Mesquite and Cedar trees. I don't tend to have allergies but this place was absolutely covered in it, that you could smell it. Of course this is no fault of the zoo but I was miserable. And to make matters worse the ground is not paved it is "crushed granite gravel." So it was just a dusty miserable place for me. "I" didn't mind walking on gravel, that is not a big deal to me but my nose has a different opinion. I did also see a few woman struggling with strollers. I think a jogging stroller would be beneficial at this place.
Now a good thing was the "animals are housed in native Texas Hill Country enclosures created to fit in naturally on our grounds that allow the animals to enjoy real grass and landscaping as opposed to concrete exhibits." This was very nice. They had a lioness and a tiger that just about walked right up to fence. Beautiful animals. There is also a train that you can take. We didn't get on it so I can't really say where it takes you. It is an additional charge aside from admission.
Overall this isn't a bad place. It just let me down. I had high expectations. The animals are taken care of and rehabilitated so I guess that's all that matters. So make sure you put on your walking shoes (allergy pills) and have a nice day in the Texas Hill Country.
Now there wasn't anything "wrong" with it. I just wish I would have actually "read" the website. "Zoo" should be used very loosely. It is more of an animal sanctuary. "The mission of Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary is to assist animals in need through rescue, rehabilitation and education." In saying that, that is all they have. If the animal is not a rescue then they don't have it. If they didn't rescue an elephant, they don't have an elephant. This is a very good organization and I love the idea of it being an animal rescue but I don't like the idea of "zoo." I have been to San Antonio, Denver, Colorado Springs and Fresno Zoos; That is what I am used to. That was the major upset for me.
It is located in the Texas Hill Country and anyone who's from Texas knows the hill country is covered in Mesquite and Cedar trees. I don't tend to have allergies but this place was absolutely covered in it, that you could smell it. Of course this is no fault of the zoo but I was miserable. And to make matters worse the ground is not paved it is "crushed granite gravel." So it was just a dusty miserable place for me. "I" didn't mind walking on gravel, that is not a big deal to me but my nose has a different opinion. I did also see a few woman struggling with strollers. I think a jogging stroller would be beneficial at this place.
Now a good thing was the "animals are housed in native Texas Hill Country enclosures created to fit in naturally on our grounds that allow the animals to enjoy real grass and landscaping as opposed to concrete exhibits." This was very nice. They had a lioness and a tiger that just about walked right up to fence. Beautiful animals. There is also a train that you can take. We didn't get on it so I can't really say where it takes you. It is an additional charge aside from admission.
Overall this isn't a bad place. It just let me down. I had high expectations. The animals are taken care of and rehabilitated so I guess that's all that matters. So make sure you put on your walking shoes (allergy pills) and have a nice day in the Texas Hill Country.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Comments from someone who works in Transportation.
I was left these comments on on of my later posts and thought they were very informative so I thought to make a whole post for them. I hope you find them very useful...
I work at a Transportation Office for the US Army and I would like to comment on a few things that you stated in your blog about your moving experience. The most important thing would be what you said about the movers reimbursing you. First, if you have a claim to file, you must do so through the same system you booked it with...the Defense Personal Property System. The carrier that moved your shipment (TSP) is the one who will pay the damages. These people may not have even touched your property at all. The packers are not the carriers. They are agents of the carrier and as such, they will be the ones who will actually compensate the TSP if there is any damage to your property. But the carrier will handle that, not you. You only deal with the carrier, not the packers (or movers who were your packers in your case). Your government shipment is insured up to $50,000 at full replacement value. This is major improvement over depreciated value up to $40,000 from years past. You don't go through the government unless you have to. You are correct in stating that the movers reimburse you, but it has to be done through the system which then is tracked by the SDDC (the "Government"). If the TSP (transportation service provider aka the carrier) doesn't honor his agreement with the government to provide the claims coverage, which may be a straight offer of less than $500 at residence for minimum damage, a repair to restore the damaged item to it's previous or better condition, a negotiated settlement or outright payment for the item, then you could turn the claim over to the military claims office (JAG). The government will pay out your claim at depreciated value as they have in the past, but they will go after the carrier, for lack of better language, and recoup the balance of full replacement and when they do, you will get the balance of your claim. This doesn't mean you get $50,000. It means that you will be compensated at full replacement value for your property if it cannot be repaired or replaced up to that amount. Usually, the carrier will pay out you rather than go through the repair or replacement phase. You are also on a time line when you file your claim. You must file the loss/damage report within 75 days of delivery to your residence, but you actually have a total of 9 months to file the claim. Almost all claims are settled before going into a full blown claims status...about 30 days after the loss/damage report filing. The TSP knows that you can select him again if you are pleased with the way he handled your move or you can choose him as the "non-preferred" TSP. And, more importantly, you have a mouth. You can use it to either talk good about the carrier...or not...to your other military friends. May bad mouths will drop the carrier off the government's list. You almost always have a choice of carrier when the government moves your shipment as long as that carrier is in the quad that serves your area on the particular day you choose to move and you have given enough lead time notice to pick up your shipment (shipments scheduled less than 6-7 days from the day you give Transportation your paperwork is called a short-fuse shipment and it is laid out there for any carrier to pick). If for some reason you cannot go through the DPS system to file your claim initially, you must fax, email, mail or somehow get the Loss/Damage Report to the carrier within your 75 day window. As long as they receive it before the deadline, you are good to go back onto DPS when you can to file. Document who you sent it to and any type of delivery receipts.
Next section...
Some transportation offices, like mine, will even fax it for you, give you numbers to call and help you anyway we can. Some other offices just won't even if they could and many are really too big for micro-personalized assistance. Go up the chain of command at that post if you must. Don't be afraid to do it, just follow the chain and document, document.
If you notice issues with your packers or your delivery people on the day they are doing their stuff, you need to call your Transportation Office to send someone out to check it out. We have 2 Quality Assurance Inspectors at our office and we are a much smaller post than most of the army posts in the country. Many posts don't have any, but they do have supervisors and a Transportation Officer. If you are not happy with the way the Transportation is handling your move, go to the Transportation Officer...not the supervisor who runs the office, the head guy...the government guy who runs Transportation/Logistics.
Not sure where your property came from, but when your property is put into storage for delivery instructions, they are not put into crates. They are set on pallets in the storage warehouse awaiting delivery in the same boxes they were packed in. The only time something may go into a crate would be an OCONUS move for HHG or Non-Temp Storage which is longer than 6 months in most cases. Crating for CONUS moves have to be pre-approved by the TO and if not, then it is it at your cost.
Hope you took pictures of your "fixed" lamp because that's still a damaged lamp. Seems that someone tried to pull one over on you. Make sure you file if you haven't already.
The packers are not supposed to label what's in the boxes on the boxes. That's what your inventory is for.
When you are delivered out, it is your ENTITLEMENT to be fully unpacked and placed once by whoever is delivering your property UNLESS YOU REFUSE THE UNPACKING. Furniture must be reassembled if it is disassembled at origin by the packers. You can choose to be partially unpacked or not unpacked. But your entitlement is to be fully unpacked and placed once (dishes in blue cabinet. Later, during the unpacking you want them in the red cabinet...tough beans, they were already placed once. Hubby must move to red cabinet.) Some unscrupulous folks are hoping you don't know your entitlements. Please make sure that you do. That's your responsibility (and your husband's).
It is also your responsibility to speak up while the packers/delivery people are there so that the Transportation Office can do something about it right then and there. Even though some of us have and can perform miracles with pickups, we don't have ESP. If it is after hours, then you call them first thing the next morning. Like I said, if the supervisor cannot or will not help you, go to the TO. If he's a problem, go to JAG or the Inspector General on post. You never ever have to take any crap from a packer or someone who just will not do their job. Ever. On the reverse side, if you are rude and unreasonable with the packers/movers...you will get it back tenfold even though they should know better. If you are going to file a complaint, go through the channels and keep going until you are satisfied.
As far as being late...you or your releasing (or receiving agent at destination) are required to be at your residence each packing day and the pickup day between 8 am and 5 pm. They can come any time in that time frame. They are not required to set an appointment time. They may accommodate a morning or afternoon request depending on the rest of the day's schedule, but they are not required by their contract with the government to be there at any specific time except between 8 am and 5 pm. Look at it like you would the cable guy or the phone guy and you are not the only one that they are servicing that day.
If this doesn't work for you, there's alway a DITY move...now called a PPM...and you will know your things are packed properly, nothing gets stolen, nothing gets lost unless you lose it yourself. You have access to your property immediately. You are still authorized 90 days of temporary storage at destination if you are lacking a residence. You will be reimbursed for the storage once your property is out of storage. Ask at Transportation.
Nice tip about the packaging. I will remember to counsel my soldiers on that.
Wish I could help on the housing situation. Killeen, Lawton and surrounding big towns around military bases have and will survive without Ft. Hood or Ft. Sill. It's the smaller ones like Daleville, AL that would croak. You are absolutely right about getting screwed on housing. The "economy" landlords know about your BAH and they are going to suck every penny out of you that they can. You are almost better off giving all your BAH to on-post housing if the housing is fairly decent. At least you'd be on-post near your commissary and PX and other things, your grass will be cut, you have free water and power to a reasonable level. But if you really think you are getting screwed by the off-post landlords, again, the Inspector General's Office is a good place to start. Do not let these kinds of things fester. Do something about it. If the ones at the top don't know about it because the ones on the bottom or in-between don't say anything, then nothing gets done and people get away with it.
Good luck on future PCS moves. Contact me through here if you need information.
I work at a Transportation Office for the US Army and I would like to comment on a few things that you stated in your blog about your moving experience. The most important thing would be what you said about the movers reimbursing you. First, if you have a claim to file, you must do so through the same system you booked it with...the Defense Personal Property System. The carrier that moved your shipment (TSP) is the one who will pay the damages. These people may not have even touched your property at all. The packers are not the carriers. They are agents of the carrier and as such, they will be the ones who will actually compensate the TSP if there is any damage to your property. But the carrier will handle that, not you. You only deal with the carrier, not the packers (or movers who were your packers in your case). Your government shipment is insured up to $50,000 at full replacement value. This is major improvement over depreciated value up to $40,000 from years past. You don't go through the government unless you have to. You are correct in stating that the movers reimburse you, but it has to be done through the system which then is tracked by the SDDC (the "Government"). If the TSP (transportation service provider aka the carrier) doesn't honor his agreement with the government to provide the claims coverage, which may be a straight offer of less than $500 at residence for minimum damage, a repair to restore the damaged item to it's previous or better condition, a negotiated settlement or outright payment for the item, then you could turn the claim over to the military claims office (JAG). The government will pay out your claim at depreciated value as they have in the past, but they will go after the carrier, for lack of better language, and recoup the balance of full replacement and when they do, you will get the balance of your claim. This doesn't mean you get $50,000. It means that you will be compensated at full replacement value for your property if it cannot be repaired or replaced up to that amount. Usually, the carrier will pay out you rather than go through the repair or replacement phase. You are also on a time line when you file your claim. You must file the loss/damage report within 75 days of delivery to your residence, but you actually have a total of 9 months to file the claim. Almost all claims are settled before going into a full blown claims status...about 30 days after the loss/damage report filing. The TSP knows that you can select him again if you are pleased with the way he handled your move or you can choose him as the "non-preferred" TSP. And, more importantly, you have a mouth. You can use it to either talk good about the carrier...or not...to your other military friends. May bad mouths will drop the carrier off the government's list. You almost always have a choice of carrier when the government moves your shipment as long as that carrier is in the quad that serves your area on the particular day you choose to move and you have given enough lead time notice to pick up your shipment (shipments scheduled less than 6-7 days from the day you give Transportation your paperwork is called a short-fuse shipment and it is laid out there for any carrier to pick). If for some reason you cannot go through the DPS system to file your claim initially, you must fax, email, mail or somehow get the Loss/Damage Report to the carrier within your 75 day window. As long as they receive it before the deadline, you are good to go back onto DPS when you can to file. Document who you sent it to and any type of delivery receipts.
Next section...
Some transportation offices, like mine, will even fax it for you, give you numbers to call and help you anyway we can. Some other offices just won't even if they could and many are really too big for micro-personalized assistance. Go up the chain of command at that post if you must. Don't be afraid to do it, just follow the chain and document, document.
If you notice issues with your packers or your delivery people on the day they are doing their stuff, you need to call your Transportation Office to send someone out to check it out. We have 2 Quality Assurance Inspectors at our office and we are a much smaller post than most of the army posts in the country. Many posts don't have any, but they do have supervisors and a Transportation Officer. If you are not happy with the way the Transportation is handling your move, go to the Transportation Officer...not the supervisor who runs the office, the head guy...the government guy who runs Transportation/Logistics.
Not sure where your property came from, but when your property is put into storage for delivery instructions, they are not put into crates. They are set on pallets in the storage warehouse awaiting delivery in the same boxes they were packed in. The only time something may go into a crate would be an OCONUS move for HHG or Non-Temp Storage which is longer than 6 months in most cases. Crating for CONUS moves have to be pre-approved by the TO and if not, then it is it at your cost.
Hope you took pictures of your "fixed" lamp because that's still a damaged lamp. Seems that someone tried to pull one over on you. Make sure you file if you haven't already.
I always advise my clients to take pictures of everything they own before they get packed up so they have some documentation of what things looked like before someone became Handyman or Conan the Destroyer. Take photos of your TV on and off. Take a video of your microwave working, etc. And always have at least one other person with you when it's moving day. The more people you have for eyeballs, the less hectic for you and the less chance of something going missing because you weren't there to see it put into the box.
The packers are not supposed to label what's in the boxes on the boxes. That's what your inventory is for.
When you are delivered out, it is your ENTITLEMENT to be fully unpacked and placed once by whoever is delivering your property UNLESS YOU REFUSE THE UNPACKING. Furniture must be reassembled if it is disassembled at origin by the packers. You can choose to be partially unpacked or not unpacked. But your entitlement is to be fully unpacked and placed once (dishes in blue cabinet. Later, during the unpacking you want them in the red cabinet...tough beans, they were already placed once. Hubby must move to red cabinet.) Some unscrupulous folks are hoping you don't know your entitlements. Please make sure that you do. That's your responsibility (and your husband's).
It is also your responsibility to speak up while the packers/delivery people are there so that the Transportation Office can do something about it right then and there. Even though some of us have and can perform miracles with pickups, we don't have ESP. If it is after hours, then you call them first thing the next morning. Like I said, if the supervisor cannot or will not help you, go to the TO. If he's a problem, go to JAG or the Inspector General on post. You never ever have to take any crap from a packer or someone who just will not do their job. Ever. On the reverse side, if you are rude and unreasonable with the packers/movers...you will get it back tenfold even though they should know better. If you are going to file a complaint, go through the channels and keep going until you are satisfied.
As far as being late...you or your releasing (or receiving agent at destination) are required to be at your residence each packing day and the pickup day between 8 am and 5 pm. They can come any time in that time frame. They are not required to set an appointment time. They may accommodate a morning or afternoon request depending on the rest of the day's schedule, but they are not required by their contract with the government to be there at any specific time except between 8 am and 5 pm. Look at it like you would the cable guy or the phone guy and you are not the only one that they are servicing that day.
If this doesn't work for you, there's alway a DITY move...now called a PPM...and you will know your things are packed properly, nothing gets stolen, nothing gets lost unless you lose it yourself. You have access to your property immediately. You are still authorized 90 days of temporary storage at destination if you are lacking a residence. You will be reimbursed for the storage once your property is out of storage. Ask at Transportation.
Nice tip about the packaging. I will remember to counsel my soldiers on that.
Wish I could help on the housing situation. Killeen, Lawton and surrounding big towns around military bases have and will survive without Ft. Hood or Ft. Sill. It's the smaller ones like Daleville, AL that would croak. You are absolutely right about getting screwed on housing. The "economy" landlords know about your BAH and they are going to suck every penny out of you that they can. You are almost better off giving all your BAH to on-post housing if the housing is fairly decent. At least you'd be on-post near your commissary and PX and other things, your grass will be cut, you have free water and power to a reasonable level. But if you really think you are getting screwed by the off-post landlords, again, the Inspector General's Office is a good place to start. Do not let these kinds of things fester. Do something about it. If the ones at the top don't know about it because the ones on the bottom or in-between don't say anything, then nothing gets done and people get away with it.
Good luck on future PCS moves. Contact me through here if you need information.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The Problem with Playgroups
As a military family you are constantly moving and would like your children, especially your non school aged children, to socialize since you are not around family. So you go out and look for playgroups and frg socials to find someone to connect with and have your child play with. I am a member of Meetup.com. This is an excellent way to find social groups around you. People go to this web site and advertise their "clubs." For example, playgroups, scrapbookers, knitter, bike clubs, book clubs and so much more. I found this site when I was living in San Antonio and my son was an infant. I met up with a group twice but it wasn't for us. My son was just too young to socialize than.
When we moved to Colorado Springs my son was one and walking around so I decided that we should join a playgroup. I went back to meetup. com and joined Connect - the - Tots. This group was just great. The first time I arrived to a playdate I was immediately greeted by the organizer and was given the low down and at the end of the date I was asked what I thought and was ask to continue showing up. I did. This group did expand to over a 100 moms but I think that was great because there were NO CLIQUES. Of course you had a group of moms you saw more often and hung out with more often but I never ran into anyone unwelcoming. Everyone I met was very welcoming and spoke/treated everyone with great respect. I miss these women very much. I wish them all the best.
Well I got to Killeen and it was all a different story. I almost want to say because they are army wives because I did have a few problems with the few army wives in Colorado but this place is army wife central so I don't know. I joined Hot Mommas, a group of about 20 moms. Just like the previous playgroup the organizers here were absolutely wonderful. I was always greeted and always spoken to. The rest of the members never said a word to me. I would try to get into the conversations or make small talk but I would get a quick, "ha ha," an eye roll, and a walk away. I spoke with the organizers most of the time I went to anything. I did talk to one mom there but that is because she directly came up to me and told me that she would talk to me because no one else will welcome me. I honestly don't care as long as my son has an opportunity to play. The last event I went to was the Valentine's party. My son was running around with another little girl. They ran into each and bumped heads. She ran to her mother and said she got hit. I tried to apologize to the mother since he daughter was crying (even though I shouldn't have had to) but she didn't want to hear. "Oh well." I thought. Later that night she posted on the playgroup message board that her daughter got punched in the face. I was furious. I told her that if she spent more time watching her kids and less time socializing she would know what had happened. Evidently that comment opened up the floodgates and I was told by the organizers that I shouldn't "insult" anyone. If you people think that comment was an insult you got another thing coming. Every one of those mom lets there kids run wild to where they run outside the building, are sitting on the bathroom floor eating toilet paper and beating each other up. But since I said something, the truth, I rocked the boat and pissed everyone off. I left this group. I couldn't believe what idiots, yes Hot Mommas, IDIOTS, I was dealing with. Unfortunately Killeen is a small town and everyone talks to everyone, I haven't had luck with another playgroup. I "applied" to another one on Feb 12th and still haven't heard anything. I guess I will just have to wait until my son turns 3 in a couple of months then I can put him in sports.
When we moved to Colorado Springs my son was one and walking around so I decided that we should join a playgroup. I went back to meetup. com and joined Connect - the - Tots. This group was just great. The first time I arrived to a playdate I was immediately greeted by the organizer and was given the low down and at the end of the date I was asked what I thought and was ask to continue showing up. I did. This group did expand to over a 100 moms but I think that was great because there were NO CLIQUES. Of course you had a group of moms you saw more often and hung out with more often but I never ran into anyone unwelcoming. Everyone I met was very welcoming and spoke/treated everyone with great respect. I miss these women very much. I wish them all the best.
Well I got to Killeen and it was all a different story. I almost want to say because they are army wives because I did have a few problems with the few army wives in Colorado but this place is army wife central so I don't know. I joined Hot Mommas, a group of about 20 moms. Just like the previous playgroup the organizers here were absolutely wonderful. I was always greeted and always spoken to. The rest of the members never said a word to me. I would try to get into the conversations or make small talk but I would get a quick, "ha ha," an eye roll, and a walk away. I spoke with the organizers most of the time I went to anything. I did talk to one mom there but that is because she directly came up to me and told me that she would talk to me because no one else will welcome me. I honestly don't care as long as my son has an opportunity to play. The last event I went to was the Valentine's party. My son was running around with another little girl. They ran into each and bumped heads. She ran to her mother and said she got hit. I tried to apologize to the mother since he daughter was crying (even though I shouldn't have had to) but she didn't want to hear. "Oh well." I thought. Later that night she posted on the playgroup message board that her daughter got punched in the face. I was furious. I told her that if she spent more time watching her kids and less time socializing she would know what had happened. Evidently that comment opened up the floodgates and I was told by the organizers that I shouldn't "insult" anyone. If you people think that comment was an insult you got another thing coming. Every one of those mom lets there kids run wild to where they run outside the building, are sitting on the bathroom floor eating toilet paper and beating each other up. But since I said something, the truth, I rocked the boat and pissed everyone off. I left this group. I couldn't believe what idiots, yes Hot Mommas, IDIOTS, I was dealing with. Unfortunately Killeen is a small town and everyone talks to everyone, I haven't had luck with another playgroup. I "applied" to another one on Feb 12th and still haven't heard anything. I guess I will just have to wait until my son turns 3 in a couple of months then I can put him in sports.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Hair Salon Review
Here's my first review happened a few months ago but it still boils my blood.
Great Clips. Harker Heights
I am a stickler when it comes to customer service. I walked in and was standing at the counter to check in. Now the stylists were all busy but someone could have said, "Hi, have a seat we'll be right with you." I understand you are busy but don't just see we walk in and pretend I'm not standing there waiting to check in. So I waited. A stylist finished and then ran away to the back. I am assuming she was the manager since she was doing inventory and telling the other stylists what to do. She never came to the front to sign me in. I finally got up and asked to be signed in. I was given the eye roll. I guess I was inconveniencing her. I had my son with me since it was for his haircut. I wanted to see a product that was on the shelf so I asked him to get it for me. The "manager" was doing inventory nearby and saw him reaching for a product. She was telling him not to touch and I kept shouting "It's ok I want to see the product." She was more than likely ignoring me and as I was walking over to him I was able to stop this broad from SLAPPING my son's hand. I slapped the crap out of her hand to push it away from his. By this time I had the whole salon in a uproar about her attempting to hit my son. While I was yelling at her and how dare she attempt to hit someone else's child all she did was respond with, "I'm going to refuse you service. You need to leave". Ha Ha big loss to me. So if you go here and you see a fat, black haired woman watch your kids or they might get whacked. I understand that these stylist probably take a lot from peoples kids. Some run around screaming and knocking down things but that in no way gives them the right to strike a child. I probably should have called the regional manager to file a complaint but from what I hear from other people is that stylists change at that store so frequently that it probably wouldn't have matter.
Great Clips. Harker Heights
I am a stickler when it comes to customer service. I walked in and was standing at the counter to check in. Now the stylists were all busy but someone could have said, "Hi, have a seat we'll be right with you." I understand you are busy but don't just see we walk in and pretend I'm not standing there waiting to check in. So I waited. A stylist finished and then ran away to the back. I am assuming she was the manager since she was doing inventory and telling the other stylists what to do. She never came to the front to sign me in. I finally got up and asked to be signed in. I was given the eye roll. I guess I was inconveniencing her. I had my son with me since it was for his haircut. I wanted to see a product that was on the shelf so I asked him to get it for me. The "manager" was doing inventory nearby and saw him reaching for a product. She was telling him not to touch and I kept shouting "It's ok I want to see the product." She was more than likely ignoring me and as I was walking over to him I was able to stop this broad from SLAPPING my son's hand. I slapped the crap out of her hand to push it away from his. By this time I had the whole salon in a uproar about her attempting to hit my son. While I was yelling at her and how dare she attempt to hit someone else's child all she did was respond with, "I'm going to refuse you service. You need to leave". Ha Ha big loss to me. So if you go here and you see a fat, black haired woman watch your kids or they might get whacked. I understand that these stylist probably take a lot from peoples kids. Some run around screaming and knocking down things but that in no way gives them the right to strike a child. I probably should have called the regional manager to file a complaint but from what I hear from other people is that stylists change at that store so frequently that it probably wouldn't have matter.
Back with a Vengence
So I know it has been about 6 mos since I have written but that is all about to change. I have a little more time now. I have learned how to better manage my time. I have also decided to to change the format of my blog. Even though I am an army wife that does not consume my life. Actually it doesn't effect me at all really. I can not base my blog on this because I would not have anything to write. I am also a veteran, a mother, a fashion follower, and a consumer. I have decided to make this blog a little more personal and talk about things that interest me. I will talk about how I can't for the life of me get my son to listen. How being an army wife COMPLETELY overshadows the fact that I am a veteran and shouldn't be treated like I'm uneducated. I will also be doing reviews on places/playgroups/people I come across. I feel this is helpful and "military" related since we are always moving and wondering about places. As a mom I like to hear about products that were awesome or were a waste of money. I will not do many of these as you could just look them up at the store's website, but if I find something that's worth mentioning I will. I am trying to do a little bit of something for everyone. I always have things to say and now I can. I hope you enjoy my "expanded" blog.
****DISCLAIMER****
- I am going to be COMPLETELY honest. I will NOT sugarcoat anything! A swear word might slip in. I am very passionate about what I write.
- I will not use people's names. I will however use sgt, 1sg, cdr... whatever title they hold.
- I will not say anything negative about any military program. Unless something was utterly out of line. If I had nothing good to say about them that means they were, "ok"
- I will mention civilian businesses, products and playgroups by name and release location information.
- Any product reviews that I do are non bias and are based on my own opinion. I buy all the products and review them without receiving pay.
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