Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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PCS While Homeschooling

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I see this question a lot:

What is the bare minimum amount of homeschool material to take when we PCS in the middle of a school year?

PCSing While Homeschooling - What do we bring?

We usually PCS at the end of summer.

We have been left in the lurch a couple times when we didn’t receive our HHG until after all the homeschool group activities and co-op classes began. I never know if things are going to begin in July, August, or September in a new location!

Here is what we did when we PCSed in April, road tripped from Utah to Georgia, then flew to Germany – over a two-month period.

My kids were 4, 7, 8, and 13.

We don’t use a lot of electronics.

We focus on history and literature.

We hadn’t completed our studies yet for the year so we packed much of it up to take with us, especially since we had some long stretches of time in TLF in Utah on the leaving end and in Germany on the coming end.

We want to limit weight and bulk while bringing as much as we can carry!

We certainly wanted to keep up the basics – The Three R’s:

Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic!

All About Reading in TLF
Notebooking in TLF
notebooking at Grandma's house

The kids each had a large backpack with their school things and personal items likes toys and coloring pages.

I loaded up eBooks on the kids’ (and my) iPad minis with the Kindle app. Our first priority was to get library cards at our new location!

My girls had journals to write down and draw about their experiences as we traveled. I also printed fun pages about the places we saw on our trip. They also packed their Logic of English workbooks.

I packed up the kids’ Singapore math workbooks, which fortunately are very lightweight.

Liz was doing Videotext Algebra, so we did work whenever she could get online to view a lesson. I printed some of the worksheets she needed and then emailed more to my husband to print.

I packed Alex’s All About Reading materials with a tiny dry erase board. It was probably the bulkiest item we brought on the trip, but it was worth it to keep him on schedule.

That little dry erase board came in handy for lessons with all the kids!

We did art projects on the fly!

See our Star Wars Angry Birds.

PaintingAngryBirdsStarWars_thumb.jpg

The girls also packed their science and notebooking journals.

I also brought along worldview study (we’re reviewing it!). That came in handy for read-aloud time to a captive audience in the car!

Another option if you have an address for the location you’re PCSing to, is to have some homeschool items mailed there early so it’s waiting upon your arrival.

What do you do when you PCS or move during the homeschool year?

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Military Kids are Third Culture Kids

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We’re a third culture family.

Our lifestyle is vastly different than the way my husband and I grew up, and certainly different from that of our parents, except my dad’s life as a Navy brat.

My dad doesn’t have too many fond memories of growing up and I’m realizing my gregarious eldest daughter doesn’t enjoy moving around so much either.

We didn’t realize how different our lifestyles had become until I read this book, Third Culture Kids, and started evaluating our transitions since getting married and having a family.

Having grown up in Georgia, and living there for 29 years, my life was pretty stable, as was Liz’s for her first four years (not taking into account all that bustling back and forth to her birth father’s house every two weeks and alternate holidays).

Since then, our life has been a whirlwind of moving all over every few years. My kids’ lives are vastly different than many of their peers’ and even within the homeschool, Christian, military communities, we seem to be the oddballs.

Third Culture Kids

Our family’s most major life events (and stressors):

  1. Aaron and I got married in January 2005.
  2. We moved to San Antonio, in summer 2005.
  3. We were blessed by Victoria’s and Katherine’s arrival. We were a minority there, and our blonde babies were fascinating for many of the Latinos who were in our homeschool groups.
  4. Both Aaron’s parents passed away within a year. It’s been so hard.
  5. We moved to Hawaii, in 2007.
  6. We were blessed by our baby boy, Alexander, joining our family. Again, we were a minority, and my blonde, blue-eyed babies were petted and doted on by many of the Asians and Hawaiians we knew.
  7. We moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2010. There, we were in a religious minority, not being LDS. It was difficult and we didn’t make many friends among homeschoolers or neighbors. We did find an amazing church family. We kinda miss it.
  8. And we recently moved to Germany in summer 2014. Of course, there’s a language and cultural barrier. We’re learning all sorts of new things to cope with living here. So far, we love it! In some ways, we stand out (like when I drive my very American Dodge Caravan), but in other ways, we fit in ok.

As a military family, we must learn to weather the transitions and fit in quickly.

We have different defense mechanisms than other people. We know we don’t have years to make deep friendships. We don’t have houses or backyards with fun building and creative projects that will last for generations.

We have to make memories and can’t be attached to things.

I love how Timothy Keller put it in The Prodigal God: “There seems to be a sense, then, in which we all are like the younger brother. We are all exiles, always longing for home. We are always traveling, never arriving. The houses and families we actually inhabit are only inns along the way, but they aren’t home. Home continues to evade us.”

If this concept is difficult for me sometimes, I know it’s hard on the kids!

To make transitions easier, I try to do something special for the kids to look forward to and help them adjust as quickly as possible.

We try to keep up with the local homeschool scene. We never seem to quite fit in. But I know the kids need playtime with other kids. So I take them to the group field trips and park or gym days. I usually sit in a corner, alone, playing on my phone or reading while the other moms ignore me and chat amongst themselves. They all go to the same Baptist church, so there’s that.

This PCS, I bought the three younger kids new bedding before we left the States {yay for planning ahead!} – (and we bought Alex a whole new big-boy loft bed as soon as we arrived in Germany!).

Alex’s bedding is Monster Trucks, and the comforter is on the floor. Of course. I found it at Target before we moved.

loftbed.jpg

Tori and Kate were so excited when we unpacked and they were anxious to get their beds made, all pretty and new.

I found their bedding at Bed, Bath, and Beyond before we moved.

It’s perfect and my girls’ favorite colors – teal and green.

MixMatchGirlsRoom.png

For my teen, Elizabeth, we got her connected right away with the Civil Air Patrol squadron here. (If you have a child interested, message me for her CAP # so she gets recruiter credit!)

They were super impressed that she packed all her uniforms and books. She had an FTX after we packed out, so she didn’t have much choice. She’s showing her true colors as a natural leader, promoting in rank and being a flight NCO. She’s looking forward to her second encampment.

We also had Liz check out the chapel youth activities while we stayed in TLF, but since we moved into our house, it hasn’t been convenient to drive her on base right at dinnertime on Tuesday evenings.

She’s loving the local community drama team and will perform in the play KinderTransport!

I realize the importance of keeping my social butterfly connected with positive social outlets.

As a family, we started attended the traditional church service at the base chapel. Our first Sunday, we started walking there (it was on the other side of base!) and we got offered a ride by a chaplain who saw us. That’s real Christian living, folks.

So far, the service is just ok and we understand that summer is the transition time for most military, so we await a new chaplain to see if we like the services more. Not sure what to do if we don’t…there’s always the liturgical service at 0900, if we can get up and get there.

There aren’t too many choices for English-speaking church services around here. Lots of Baptist, Pentecostal, and non-denominational churches that don’t appeal to us one bit (no offense to those of you who attend those kinds of churches, but to each his own). One Lutheran and one PCA. We haven’t been super successful maintaining a consistent church experience. Living all over makes it especially difficult for fringe denominations and non-Christians.

Church “shopping” is no fun at all.

I am so thankful that my kids get to grow up living, learning, and knowing different cities, states, countries, and cultures.

We are so blessed with getting to live in many different places and being able to travel and have so many unique experiences.

I look forward to seeing the adults my children grow up to be.

The world is a much smaller place for them than it was for me as a kid and young adult.

Nowhere is our home when everywhere is.

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PCSing OCONUS with a Vehicle

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When we PCSed to Hawaii, we didn’t ship a personal vehicle.
We sold both our cars since we needed a larger one for our growing family and we figured we’d only need one vehicle while living on base.

When we PCSed to Germany, we shipped our van at the latest possible moment.

The email said 20 June as the latest possible date for the arrival of my minivan in Germany.

We had waited as patiently as possible for almost a month, renting a car for Memorial Day weekend to find a house.

We prayed fervently and quickly purchased a second vehicle for Aaron to drive to and from work. It’s a 5-seater Audi A6 – and we crammed those kids in the back to go to church on base for a couple Sundays.

New Audi

Of course the website for the POV shipment was down all month so we couldn’t check the status. Did the boat sink? When would I get my van?

Thursday afternoon, my husband emailed the contract carrier, asking for a status report.

Nothing.

Nothing all day Friday.

What’s the point of a due date if it just passes us by?

Saturday, we went to the library so I could use the wi-fi and the kids could get their weekly reading prizes.

When my husband checked his email, there was one alerting us about the arrival of our van. Sent at 5:30 on Friday.

It wouldn’t have mattered if we had received that email immediately. The offices were closed by 4 or 5 on Friday.

Monday morning, we were up bright and early (way early for me – 0600!) and headed out to begin the paperwork to get my van.

We proceeded to jump through all sorts of hoops in order to get my minivan. (We’re thankful it’s paid for. It’s a 2007 Dodge Caravan. We bought it new in Hawaii and it’s served us well. We pray it lasts through this tour here in Germany.)

Because it’s really my T.A.R.D.I.S., remember?

My TARDIS

Three different buildings, luckily for us, they were all back to back to back. We were worried we’d have to drive all over base to get all the paperwork completed.

At the vehicle registration office, we had to show proof of ownership, the shipping documents, my military dependent ID, German USAREUR driver’s license. I expected them to ask for a pint of blood and rights to my firstborn. Forms were filled out and payment was made.

We were issued temporary license plates. We had to go to the shipment office to verify ownership and check it over for damage. One back taillight was chipped.

Then we had to drive to the next building over for vehicle inspection. We had heard horror stories of how picky they could be and would often fail vehicles for very minor cosmetic damage. I have a tiny chip in the windshield and the corner of the rear bumper has a little rust and dent. And that chipped tail light. We prayed.

They checked over the exterior, they drove it to check the brakes, lights, and horn. They viewed the undercarriage.

They informed us we had to remove all stickers (we still had an inspection sticker and base ID label from Hawaii) and to monitor that chip in the windshield. If it gets more than 1/2 inch, we have to replace the windshield.

They provided us with a razor blade, and we gladly scraped off those stickers in a hurry.

We passed. Whew!

On to the vehicle registration office (a different one beside the inspection building) to get our permanent license plates. We paid and then drove off to get our gasoline ration card.

At the Shoppette, we showed the registration to a clerk and received an Esso gas ration card (that only works for us in Germany) – it looks like a debit card and allows us to buy gasoline tax-free. We are allotted 400-600 ℓ each month. Each time we buy gas, we have to take this card from the pump into the Shoppette to pay with our ration card. Unleaded gas this week on base is about $3.92/gallon. Off base, it’s about E1.67/ℓ. We also can load the card with Euro to purchase at Esso stations throughout Europe for tax-free, but we still must remain under the ration amount.

The Vogelweh Shoppette has regular unleaded for about $3.92/g but the Ramstein Shoppette has only mid-grade and premium.

Guess where I get my gas?

So, we’re ready to roll now!

Now to become an expert in backing into tight parking spots and maneuvering my big American vehicle on these narrow German roads.

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Progeny Press Review

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The kids and I loved reading the novels and completing the literature guides for Progeny Press.

We reviewed the literature guides for The Hunger Games and Little House in the Big Woods.

Liz had begged to read the Hunger Games books and this was perfect timing. She hasn’t watched any of the movies yet. So we have a deal.

Progeny Press Review
Little House in the Big Woods is a perfect accompaniment for our history studies.  The girls loved this book!

We visited Stately Oaks Plantation in Jonesboro, GA, that was about the same time period and the girls were fascinated.

Many of the items in the historic home were items mentioned in the book and the girls loved seeing them in person.

Another tourist mentioned he had just visited and toured the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and he told the girls about some of the highlights he enjoyed.

The girls were very interested in the simpler time where Laura had never been to a store and Ma and Pa lived off what the land provided.

The files are interactive pdfs. I had Liz complete The Hunger Games lessons on my laptop, but I printed out two copies of Little House in the Big Woods guides for Tori and Kate and placed them in colorful pocket folders with prongs for them.

Teal and green of course.

Little House in the Big Woods study guides

Tori and Kate loved the vocabulary pages! They begged me to read and discuss and help them with their notebooking each evening.  We completed lessons before bedtime and they wanted to stay up later for more!

Notebooking in TLF

They begged to continue working at Grandma’s house. They love the story of Laura and want to read the whole series now.

We did the discussion questions orally, otherwise it’s a lot of writing.

The activities at the end of each lessons were fun and engaging. We have done many in our history studies recently. We made butter and have studied pioneer ways. The girls really loved making a calendar and drawing pictures for that (see their folders above).

notebooking at Grandma's house

Liz works independently on my laptop and uses the actual book a friend gave her for review. I then bought her the whole trilogy on Kindle.

I like the different levels of questioning in this guide that encourages Liz to think. Some were just basic comprehension and others were more intellectual and required her to research the symbolism. We had some great discussions about the vocabulary, questions, and thinking skills. I explained literary terms to help her. I’ve read all the books too.

I plan to have Liz complete the optional activities once we get more settled. It’s a great incentive before she sees the movies.

She’s been writing fan fiction too!

completing online notebooking

These are good quality literature guides with lots of options – from vocabulary and multi-leveled questions to fun extension activities. I am impressed. I don’t usually use lit guides when we read books, but these are really great and the girls enjoyed them and begged to do their work each day and didn’t want to stop to do anything else.

The Hunger Games eGuide is recommended for grades 8-12 and the Little House in the Big Woods eGuide is recommended for grades 3-5.

The groups are divided like this:

High School: Recommended for Grades 8-12
Middle School: Recommended for Grades 5-8
Upper Elementary: Recommended for Grades 3-5
Lower Elementary: Recommended for Grades K-3

The eGuide for The Hunger Games is $21.99.

The eGuide for Little House in the Big Woods is $16.99.

Click to read Crew Reviews
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When the Rhythm is Disrupted

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Recently, I was asked what my plans are for this summer. I replied that we’re creating a new rhythm.

We’re moving into our house in the cutest little German village next week. Out of that stressful disruption will come new experiences. We get to make memories in that house for three years.

I get to set the rhythm.

Our rhythm has been disrupted for too long. Packing, moving, traveling, living out of suitcases is taking its toll.

We’ve taken advantage of the lack of schedule.

We fit in school when we can. We buy ice cream from the German ice cream man (this is real ice cream – huge sundaes! None of that chemical gelatinous stuff I grew up with!). We play outside until after bedtime since it’s light here until almost 10 PM. We walk everywhere since we have no car. We don’t eat snacks since we don’t have any. We have the barest minimum of food to make simple meals in our apartment.

I have to rely on strangers to help me. I had to beg a ride to an Officers’ Spouses Welcome Breakfast. I had to beg a ride to my Intro to Ramstein class because it was way on the far other side of base. (I could’ve walked, but it would have taken a while and I would’ve had to have left early.) I had to beg a ride for myself and my four kids to this really neato shopping field trip. We went to many of the local German stores to see what they had. My kids made this mama proud with their awesome behavior.

My husband hasn’t been to the gym in ages and he used to go work out at least four times a week. I can tell it’s wearing on him. He’s sleepy and grouchy. All the in-processing, training, and hoop-jumping isn’t helping while he tries to get settled at his new job.

I certainly don’t want the days, weeks, months, years to fly by while we’re here. I don’t want to have regrets of what we could’ve done and should’ve seen. We’ve had that at every base we’ve ever been.

I want to get settled quickly and move on to the important parts.

We will have very little maintenance and virtually no storage at our new house. While we purged a great deal before moving, I feel there is some more purging in my very near future as we discover more of what we can live without.

While we certainly miss our books and clothes and kitchen supplies, it has been entirely possible and almost refreshing to live on so little the last few months.

For the remainder of this week, I get to dream and plan what rhythm I want to set for our new life.

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Chance of a Lifetime: Living in Germany

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Wondering what we’ve been up to?

You seriously need to follow me on social media if you don’t know we’ve been in the process of moving to Germany.

We arrived at last week.

Here are our adventures moving to Germany…

I had some creative packing and planning to do these last couple months, beginning in mid-April.

Traveling with pets is not cheap or fun, but they’re part of our family. We flew the cats out to my parents so we could pack up and not have to worry about them with the movers there. There was no way they were traveling in the van with us and meowing the whole way!

We stayed in TLF at Hill AFB for a couple weeks until my husband was released from base.

We road-tripped from Utah to Georgia in a very cramped minivan.

We stayed a couple weeks with my parents. I think they were tired of us after a week.

We flew from Atlanta to Baltimore to Germany with two cats and four kids, nine suitcases and twelve carryons.

We’re now in TLF in Germany until we can move into our house. Our cats are staying with one of my husband’s co-workers until we can get settled. They didn’t have anymore room at the pet TLF.

The cats were the most expensive part of our move.

We had vet fees – twice for each cat – to receive travel certificates. One set of travel certificates for the plane ride from Utah to Georgia and another set of travel certificates, certified by the USDA ($76!), for travel from Atlanta to Baltimore to Germany. We had to pay for their plane tickets to Atlanta and then to Baltimore and then to Germany. We had to pay fees (about  for their entrance into Germany. Altogether, the fees totaled out at about $1500!

Last week?

We flew out of Atlanta mid-morning and spent the afternoon in Baltimore. The USO at BWI was rather disappointing. We flew out about 5:30 PM. We arrived in Germany about 7:30 AM.

Aaron’s sponsor and co-worker met us and helped us store our luggage and get checked in to TLF. We ate a quick breakfast (at JR Rockers – yuck!) and even looked at a German house that was adorable but way too small. He then took us by the commissary for some supplies. He picked up Aaron the next couple days to drop him off at his in-processing appointments.

That’s kinda the last we saw of sponsors.

The kids and I walked around the base to get familiar with the library and BX. We could only bring back what we could carry. Apparently, we can carry quite a lot.

I attended an OSC welcome breakfast and had brunch at a darling coffeeshop and met a new friend. She took me to a German grocery store, Globus, that will sure become a favorite shopping place.

For Memorial Day weekend, we were gonna be stuck indoors with rainy weather, no transportation, and nothing to do.

So we rented a neato Audi wagon and found a house in a picturesque village. It’s perfect and we’re excited.

Chance of a Lifetime

On Monday, we opened a local checking account, ran some errands, had an amazing German lunch (in the BX no less!), and I was pretty exhausted by afternoon.

German Meal

Memorial Day has special meaning here in Europe.

If we had a car and I had planned better, we would have gone to see some of the events for Memorial Day.

We are tired of cooking our meals in our little TLF apartment with two pans. We are tired of being in a cramped space not our own. The kids are acting out from not having chores or a regular schedule.

You know your kids are getting spoiled when the boy asks: “When is the maid coming?”

And, yes, I do make my kids make their beds and keep their space clean, even in TLF.

We are so thankful to live here and experience a different culture and it’s coming together as only God could orchestrate.

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5 Things I’ve Learned During PCS

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We spent 10 days in TLF before heading out for a weeklong roadtrip on our way to PCS to Germany.

Of course, the HVAC was broken in the TLF unit (temporary housing facility – like a furnished apartment). Our bedroom averaged somewhere in the 50s and the girls’ room was mostly in the low 80s. We had windows open in their room and Aaron and I slept in sweatshirts each night. That was an adventure.

We had to pack for an almost three-month-long journey from Utah to Georgia to Germany.

While being in tight quarters, living out of suitcases, and having no real schedule, we all have to make concessions for each other.

We learn some great life lessons during a military PCS.

5 Things I’ve Learned During PCS

1. How to Self-Entertain

Tori, Kate, and Alex discovered all on their own talking into a fan and making their voices sound funny. Picture below.

I love that they find fun in something harmless and simple and free.

When I warned them to be careful and make sure not to get hair, fingers, or anything else too close to the fan, they offered pained expressions that I would think them that foolish. But I’m a mom and have to mention such warnings. It’s my duty.

I love that the kids found fun new ways to entertain themselves. Boredom is often good, and sparks creativity.

Talking into the Fan2. Cooking Simply is Good Enough

We managed to cook most of our meals until the last pack-out day in our house.

We certainly didn’t want to eat out for ten days while in TLF. Our budget and health would not thank us for that.

Not having access to our cookware, pantry items, and vast spice collection put a damper on some of the meals I like to make. We made do with limited supplies and tools.

We brought some of our pantry items with us that were opened already and too good to throw out – like quinoa, flour, some spices, and sauces.

We celebrated our final days in Utah and at Hill AFB with a cookie cake:

We bought disposable aluminum pans and grilled meat at the nearby playground for dinners.

We had lots of quinoa or rice and steamed veggies and/or salads to go with the grilled meat.

My final dinner, I used up lots of supplies by roasting some chicken thighs and making some harvest wild rice and veggies:

We picnicked for lunches on our road trip except for the last couple days. That saved money and was healthier.

We enjoyed cooking for my parents and they appreciated it too!

3. Quiet Time is Necessary in Tight Spaces

My kids quit naps at the age of two (alas!), and I’ve never been successful with maintaining quiet times with four rambunctious kids. Usually, they play in another part of the house or outdoors in the afternoon while I work.

A couple of cold, rainy days had us irritable and annoying each other, so I had to institute a quiet time those afternoons when everyone had to lie on his or her bed and read, color, or do something silent.

Also, since Alex slept on the living room sofa bed, early risers had to tiptoe around and be super quiet in the morning until he woke up. One morning when he must’ve been super tired, I had to wait to grind and brew my coffee until 08:30!

We often hushed our kids from being too rambunctious since the walls in TLF are so thin. We didn’t want to bother any other residents with jumping around or excessive noise in the mornings or evenings.

4. Less is More

We are only able to have what fits in suitcases, and this posed several problems for me while packing.

We had to account for almost three months and several different climates. We can only carry so much and it had to fit into our Dodge Caravan. We’re allowed 2 suitcases each and 2 carryons each, but we can’t fit all that in the van or manage it in airports.

There were the ten days in TLF where it was chilly and dreary and not quite yet spring where we had to wear layers and be prepared for rain or even snow.

We had to have comfy car clothes for the weeklong road trip from Utah to Georgia. I had a tiny carryon suitcase with pajamas and a change of clothes for everyone that I brought into our hotels each night along with our toiletry bags to minimize unpacking and stress.

We had to have summer clothes for the humid, hot days in Alabama and Georgia. I only brought a few outfits for the couple weeks in the South.

When we arrived in Germany, we went back to wearing layers since it’s cooler there.

I allowed only 2-3 dresses each for the girls and myself and only a few pairs of shoes.

The kids each have a backpack with art supplies and small toys. And I brought two tote bags of school items since we’re not quite finished with our curriculum this year and this helps maintain a routine.

5. Courtesy is a Necessity

Being together constantly and in such tight quarters helped us work on relationship issues. We had to focus on being courteous with each other.

I worked on teaching the kids to not have a “Me First” attitude.

While in TLF, six of us had to share one bathroom with only a shower.

We had to stay quiet while others were working or sleeping.

The kids had to be more helpful than usual and clean the six plates and forks provided for our use – to be ready for each meal.

We had a system for climbing into and out of the van at rest stops during our roadtrip. The van was jampacked and the kids couldn’t stretch out at all.

We taught them not be greedy at the free hotel breakfasts, but to only take what they could and would consume. And we couldn’t really linger since we had to get on the road.

Tori and Kate have always shared a room, but they had to share a double bed at hotels and at their grandparents’ house. Alex and Liz normally have their own rooms and beds, but had to share a double bed too.

They had to share activity supplies – and sometimes snacks and drinks if we got low or ran out.

All of these lessons are great to help them grow up to be servant leaders and compassionate towards others.

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Stress in the Military

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We’re often a minority in our community since we are a military family. Many people we know don’t understand our lifestyle, our benefits, the occasional drawbacks, the stress.

How to handle the stress of military life when no one seems to understand…and suggestions to help a military family.

This is all that matters. This makes it all worth it. We count it all a privilege.

As a military daughter, at least I knew what I was getting into when I married my husband. My grandfather was retired Navy and my dad is retired Army (hooah!), and I’ve never known a time I couldn’t pass the gates of a military installation or shop at a BX/PX or commissary. Service members in uniform are normal for me. Acronyms were regular vocabulary in my house when I was growing up. It was a normal lifestyle for me. Vacations centered around visiting battlefields and history museums. I don’t regret any of it.

My husband is a lab officer in the Air Force. It’s not much different for me than when I grew up with my dad being a Chief Warrant Officer in the Army. Being an officer’s wife has its ups and downs. I think too many wives wear their husband’s rank. They think they deserve the same privileges their husbands earned. So sad. I’ve had to separate myself a lot from base life and focus on my family. Perhaps at some point, I can feel it’s appropriate to participate in spouse groups or PWOC, but it’s not a priority right now.

There’s a lot of stress in military life.

Some don’t realize the strict (and often arbitrary) weight and physical fitness requirements in the military. My father was forced into early retirement over it. Both my dad and my husband are big guys. The military doesn’t take into account body type. A skinny ectomorph has the same standards to meet as a stocky endomorph. My husband stresses over the PT tests…diet and exercise haven’t always come naturally to him. Recently, he changed his lifestyle to embrace Whole30 and he lost 30 pounds in a couple months! He goes to the gym at least four mornings a week, so he’s in bed by 9 PM. We’re continuing as a family to embrace a whole and clean foods diet and we use essential oils for health and well-being. We’re on no medications at all anymore! Aaron still stresses over excelling in his run, sit-ups, and push-ups, but it’s easier now. And he looks so much better and more professional in his uniform now. I’m so proud of him!

Of course, there’s the whole issue of moving around. We PCS or move to a different base every 2-4 years. We’ve gotten the feeling that some folks don’t want to make an effort to be friends since they know we’ll leave in a while. Moving is a hard time on the kids and cats especially. The packers come and the movers take our stuff. We travel to our new location and wait for our stuff. We cite a claim for the broken or missing items. We’re anxious about our move next year, not knowing where we might go and knowing we will miss our friends here so terribly much. We’ve never felt so much a part of community as we have in our current location. We could come back here for sure! Each location is an adventure. We trust God for all the details.

We’ve been lucky in that my husband has only experienced one deployment in his career so far. He served in Afghanistan two years ago. As a medical officer, he saw some horrible things, but he was probably safer in the hospital than most out in the field. We are proud to help our world be a safer place in this way. We gladly sacrifice our comforts and time together to help others have a home where they can feel safe too

The kids did surprisingly well during the seven long months of having Daddy away on the other side of the world. We at least got to email and Skype frequently. We sent occasional care packages with the items he requested – peanut butter, hot sauce, spices, and a few toiletries. Tori had the hardest time and didn’t want to go to bed. Often, it was easier to let her sleep with me than fight it. There was the constant worry hanging in the air and I did my best to comfort, pray with each child, encourage, distract. The kids were granted pillows with Dad’s picture from an organization on base. They slept with it at night. It was a cold comfort.

The hardest part of deployment for me was that, because we homeschool, I had no break from the house or kids – for seven months, seven days a week. The few people who offered to help didn’t really ask me what I needed, but offered to shovel my snowy driveway, or wanted to come to my house and watch my kids so I could go out (and I had nowhere to go). I would have preferred they offer to take my kids to the park for an hour or out for ice cream so they had a break from me.

Liz was a strong big sister who helped me so much when I was tired or overwhelmed.

Some people say they don’t know how I do it. They say they couldn’t. I say: it’s our life. We chose this. We live it. It’s everyday for us. We’re thankful. We’re grateful for the opportunities our family experiences. It makes us stronger. It shows us we need God, to rely on Him for our strength in times of stress.

We get to teach our kids a greater respect for our country and to pray for our leaders, our government, our military, others around the world…it is our honor and privilege.

My house is moving more and more toward a state of absolute chaos.

It takes extra effort to handle stress during a military move.

We move out of the country next month. My husband works for the United States Air Force and we get to PCS (Permanent Change of Station) again. We’re all both excited and nervous to be moving to a foreign country.

My canisters that held flour, sugar, and cornmeal are washed and sitting on my kitchen desk, amidst art supplies and empty canning jars. One side of our garage is being used to store items for our garage sale next week. Our music room holds stacks of books, china, and keepsakes that we’re putting into storage. The playroom is no more as the toys are delegated to bedrooms for packing.

Our schoolroom has a pile for our yard sale and a pile for storage. I struggle to reign in the children as they scatter items and confuse my piles! My desk is a mess – with papers, books, reviews, and checklists that must be completed by this date or that.

I dread going through the cellar and sorting holiday items and my husband’s military stuff.

My son is most upset by the schedule disruptions, selling our truck, organizing, preparation for our yard sale, and all the various preparations we make every time we move. He was only a couple months old last time, so he has nothing to base this on. He doesn’t know what moving is. He cries that he simply cannot part with this boardbook or that toy.

I’m trying to homeschool as much as I can to keep a sense of normality to our schedules. The girls are finishing up curriculum.

I’m just. so. tired – ready to be done with the whole process this year. Ready for change. Ready to fast-forward and have all the stress done and be in Germany, ready to begin a new life.

Every few years, we start over.

New base, new town, new church, new schedule, new rhythm. While it’s very exciting, it can be a little disconcerting for introverts. It takes me longer than some to get comfortable, to grow to know people well. I joke with my husband that by the end of a tour, I’m finally reaching a comfort zone and then we’re wrenched away before it’s actually within my grasp.

Isn’t God like that? He seems to like to keep us out of our comfort zones. He wants us to fully depend on Him.

We’ve learned so much about what it is to fully rely on God during our moves all over the country and now out of the USA.

This time, we’ve actively prayed as a family for our PCS process from the very beginning this year, from little bitty things to the bigger things. God cares about it all! So far, it’s gone amazingly smoothly and it’s drawn us closer to each other and to God. All the people who process our information and paperwork have been kind and helpful. Dates work out well. Travel plans are convenient.

But there’s still stress. I feel so much is out of my control and it pains me. I try to maintain our meal plans, especially with clearing the freezer and pantry! I use essential oils to stay balanced. We take supplements and exercise to help us stay healthy and it helps when life’s ups and downs cause excess stress.

I can reduce clutter. Stress is still there if I don’t pray through this transition.

I know God is in control.

Evenings are spent discussing Germany, learning the language on apps, and imagining all the yummy food we’ll try and fun places we’ll see.

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