Moms – I ran across this song on Facebook last month, checked out the group’s website and found out they were coming to my area. The concert was last Friday and it was wonderful!! Cherryholmes is the last name of this Christian, homeschooling family who sold their house and took the family on the road a few years back. They have been Grammy nominated the past three years and have played the Grand Ole Opry 78 times. Dad Jere is a veteran, and the second half of their show was dedicated to the military. Aside from this pretty ballad, they have many more energetic bluegrass tunes too. Check out their song called “Sumatra.” Lots of talent. Enjoy! Have tissues handy!
About once a week, someone says to me, “I don’t know how you cope.”
Well, frankly, neither do I. I don’t have a choice! But looking out for Number One certainly helps. I don’t want my son to return home to a Mom who has Let Herself Go.
Evenings are the tough time of day for me, when I tend to get weepy. Taking my vitamins and preemptively going to bed are the cure. Looking at son’s picture on my bedside table, spending some time with my Bible and praying for the safety of he and his buddies help put my mind at rest for the night. Magnesium supplements, tea, and Bach Rescue Remedy assist on sleepless nights. I also treated myself to a tiny booklight, so I can read a mindless escape novel without disturbing the rest of the family.
Our household is noisy and busy with other children, but I’ve taken up a habit of an early pre-dawn walk most days. I look at the sky and the moon, and think of my son who might be ready to go to work during the Afghan night. I beg and plead with God. Looking at the sky gives me some perspective and gets me out of my own head. Other days I listen to listen to “pump up” music on my ipod. My son likes the songs “Calling You” by Blue October and Chris Brown’s “Forever,” so they always make me smile.
Stress eating can be a problem, so I make efforts to be mindful. Keeping junkfood out of the house makes a difference. Browsing cookbooks and recipes inspire me to make meals healthy and colorful. This week I am on a binge – collard greens stir-fried with olive oil and garlic. Greens are a mood booster, and taste especially good on bleak cold days. And thank goodness citrus season is here. Love those clementines.
When funds allow, visiting the chiropractor and scheduling a massage are other ways I like to be a bit selfish. One tidbit of bad news can send me into a spiral that affects me physically. My neck can go from feeling fine to knotted up in a couple hours. Getting out for a yoga class is difficult in this rural area and with a nursing baby. Instead, a friend and I have been meeting twice a week to unroll mats on my wood floor and stretch to an audio cd. This fall, we’ve been using “Hip Tranquil Chick” by Kimberly Wilson. Uplifting music and 10 sun salutations will work out the kinks as well.
And of course it never fails that the day I schlep to the grocery store in sweatpants, I see everyone I know. Getting clean and pretty every morning is a must, even more so on the days that I’d just like to stay in bed. The days little routines help us *feel* like we have some control, even when life experience tells us otherwise.
Surely you Army Moms have more tips to share. How do you take care of yourself? What works for you?
Most people like to know what their sons and daughters do for a living. I am no different. Even though my son explained it to me , I wanted to know more detail about what my son does for a living during his deployment to Afghanistan so I did a little research and found this great video, that was produced by the Army in 2008, about the same type of helicopter he flies.
A little help from up above has a huge effect on the ground. OH-58 Kiowa Warrior Helicopters are not your typical eyes in the sky. Instead, the Kiowas are reconnaissance or scout helicopters that fly up to 140 miles per hour and pack thermal imaging and global positioning systems.
I am proud of my son. This is a great video that helped me to better understand what my son does for a living everyday.
HOOAH!
My son, currently deployed to Afghanistan, referred to his living quarters as a “hut” that housed 8 people. His explained that his space in this “hut” was very tiny and he didn’t have much room to store anything. Being curious and without photos from my son, I set out to learn more about B-Huts, the current standard of housing in Afghanistan for many deployed soldiers.
B-hut refers to a type of semipermanent wooden structure, used as a replacement for a tent, primarily in Afghanistan. I found some random pictures on the Internet in case you are wondering about B-Huts too!
B-huts usually house up to eight single persons, but can contain more if required. It is made of cheap plywood and divided up into 2, 4, 6, or 8 separate rooms, or left “open” containing one large space. A typical B-hut usually has two entrances – one at each end of hallway – with a small air conditioning unit above each door. Each room – off the hallway – usually has a window which the occupant usually nails shut for climate control purposes.
B-huts offer a small amount of privacy to the occupant in allowing him/her to have their own room – an opportunity rarely afforded to deployed personnel.
B-huts require constant maintenance and are only expected to last three or four years. It is important that occupants of this structure keep their living areas clean and free of open beverage or food containers as vermin can easily gain entrance.
Why are they called B-Huts? I didn’t find an official reason but it’s rumoured that the “B” comes from B grade housing – non permanent. Just a bunch of plywood nailed together in the shape of a building.
Most troops live in B-huts – usually an 18-by-36-foot structures. They are cheap to build, go in quickly and will fit anywhere.
Now I understand where and how my son will be living for the next year. When I chat with him on Skype, I can picture him in a tiny space surrounded by plywood. When he tells me not to send too much food because he cannot store it in the B-Hut, I understand why. This is Afghanistan living.
This is a video I found on the Internet. I do not know this soldier but thankful that he posted this video so I could get a better idea of the living quarters.
My B-Hut (Where I live)
Brandon | MySpace Video
