I have taught my son well.

At the dinner table James responded to something said with, "that's because I'm a boy."  I told him that was untrue and that at his age, girls and boys can pretty much do the same things, but that as he gets older, there will be more differences.  I also told him that there were things that girls can do that he'll never be able, and things he can do that girls can't.  I gave him the example of the fact that he can't have kids, but that eventually Jade will be able to.

My incredibly smart child responded with: "Well actually Mommy I *can* have kids, I will just be unable to give *birth* to them."

Yup, I got schooled by my six year old on being able to give birth.

I'm alive

It's been awhile, but for Michael's block leave we decided to go to North Carolina and Florida to visit family.  Block leave, for those civilians out there is literally a block of time set aside usually before and after a deployment for soldiers to use for whatever they want, usually to visit with family.  Our block leave time is pretty much the entire month of May.  We've already been to North Carolina, and now we're down in FL.  For us, visiting family is convenient because our family is all together here.  Our parents live a whole 15 min. from each other.

So we've been chilling here in FL.  Michael has spent time with his family, shopping, doing yardwork and stuff, and spent a good portion of a day with his friends, and I got a girl's night out.  We want to have a date, but I'm unsure on if that will happen since we're running out of days here.  We'll be leaving on the 23rd to head back home.  Then we'll have time as just a family to spend together.

I think we've adjusted well to being a family again, and while I enjoy spending time with our families I'm looking forward to being home again too.

Sometimes I find things that I just love.

I'm sharing this because it is well written, thought provoking and because well, it needs to be said and shared.  I have a lot of army wives as friends, and this was written by one of those women.  She's awesome and has a way with words.

Obama killed Bin Laden, by Jess Weller

Those are the status updates I keep seeing.

Really? Obama killed Bin Laden? Ok let's think about that for a second.

Most everyone knows where I stand on the political spectrum. Most know how I feel about Obama. This is not the issue.

The issue I have right now is the disrespect being shown to those who actually pick up guns and leave their families to fight this war. The soldiers, FBI agents, CIA agents, etc who put their lives on the line to keep America from going through another 9/11 and to hunt down and kill Bin Laden.

We hear that term, "put their lives on the line" so much. Especially in connection with the Military but have you actually sat down for 2 minutes... 120 seconds... to imagine what that sentence actually means??

Think for one second that someone you love; your mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, whoever is in the military and they come up on orders to deploy. Think about how you would feel if today is the last time you would see them for a year. Imagine how you would feel waking up each morning and going to bed each night with your stomach in knots because you haven't heard from them and you have no way of finding out if they're dead, all the while putting on a brave face for everyone around so that you can be seen as "strong".

My kids and I have said Goodbye to my husband not knowing whether we would see him again. Millions of other women, men, and children have also. Some of them tragically have never been able to see their loved one again. These are the people who killed Bin Laden.

Obama good or bad has not picked up a gun, has not left his family for a year, has not given his life for the country he says he loves. He has not missed Christmas with his wife and kids or Easter, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and lazy family days. He has not missed his daughter sitting up on her own for the first time, her first steps, her first word...

He did not kill Bin Laden.

Brave soldiers who have done and sacrificed all of the above did kill Bin Laden and we should all be grateful to them and show them the respect that they deserve.

So. As stated above: Those statements are not acceptable to me, nor are the hugely offensive jokes I see being posted. If you think this situation is funny so be it. I will delete you and have no further contact with you, no matter who you are or what position in my life you think you hold.

And... while you're making jokes about this, why don't you call up a mother who lost her son, or a wife who lost their husband in this war and tell your little jokes to them. See how funny you feel after that.