Don't Look at the Eyebrows

Two months ago (and well before then) I wondered how I was going to survive a year-long deployment on my own with 3 kids. The baby alone has such a demanding schedule with not sleeping through the night, eating every 2 hours, and going to Vanderbilt (an hour away) for her doctor's appointments every week. Then the 4 year old has school every day and ballet every Thursday. The 2 year old has school every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, which means he gets no nap on those days. That makes for quite an unpleasant evening! Then, of course, there's the house cleaning, grocery shopping, clothes shopping, loads of laundry to wash and fold (the folding is the hardest part), taking care of the dog, maintaining the van, attempting to maintain John's truck (I failed - -it has 2 flat tires now), mowing the grass, potty training the 2 year old, changing diapers on the baby, cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner for everyone . . . oh, and somewhere in there I have to find time to take care of myself. Don't look at my eyebrows. They are in desperate need of attention. After 2 months of flying solo, however, I reflect on everything we've been through so far and realize that we are doing it. I say "we" because I am not doing it alone. I rely heavily on the help of my 4 year old when it comes to the other 2 kids; I rely heavily on neighbors for sanity purposes, adult conversation, and sometimes childcare; I count on family for moral support; and despite the frequent frustration, I rely heavily on all 3 of my kids to bring me smiles and laughter every day. You cannot survive a deployment without smiles and laughter. They are just as important as going to the bathroom or drinking water. So whenever someone says, "I don't know how you do it," a favorite Indigo Girls quote comes to mind . . . "You have to laugh at yourself, cause you'd cry your eyes out if you didn't."