Dairy Queen coupon

Join blizzardfanclub.com and get a coupon for a free blizzard! Mmmm!!!

Thank YOU Wicked Cool Deals for this tid bit of info! I didn't know about this one, but will be looking for it when I hit Walgreen's this week!

"If you are heading over to Walgreens, be on the lookout for a new Back-2-School Coupon Book with over $50 in coupon savings! This coupon booklet can most likely be found in the store by the ad circulars. All of these are manufacturer's coupons expiring 8/29/09. I do question some of these items tagged as "back to school." Smoking Cessation Gum? Dog treats? Excedrin (must be for the moms)? Too funny."

Also, worthy of mention, I found a new Walgreen's coloring book in the book section. Inside, much to my surprise, NEW WALGREEN'S COUPONS! My favorite, of course is for the $1.00 off HUGGIES coupon. Walgreen's coupons can be used multiple times, so this is a good one!

WOW BATH AND BODY WORKS WOW~!

Okay, I am in LOVE with this deal!!! I absolutely LOVE Bath and Body Works aromatherapy products, namely the tranquil mint! It is delightful, and I can't get enough of it!!! If I could do backflips, I would totally be doing them over THIS COUPON!

Spend $15 at your Bath and Body Works store, and receive a FREE AROMATHERAPY ITEM OF YOUR CHOICE!!! This is a freebie of up to $13. Click HERE for your coupon!

If you try one of these aromatherapy products, please let me know which one and if you liked it! THANKS

Free sandwich at Arby's tomorrow

Don't forget that Wednesday is FREEBIE at Arby's day! Tomorrow, purchase a softdrink of your choice and receive a FREE REGULAR ROAST BEEF SANDWICH!!! No coupon is required. Happy eating!

JC Penney $10 off $50 coupon

Who couldn't use a little break these days? JC Penney's is having a giant sale, 70% off many items in the store! Now is a great time to buy basics for next summer! Hey, let's face it, some things just never go out of style! The above title will link you to a coupon good for $10 off of a $50 purchase! Combine that with your savings, and you may walk out with a lot more than you expect! HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

Bare Escentuals

Get your FREE sample of Bare Escentuals products, and you pay only shipping! Mine was $1.07!!! Hurry up, they are out of some of the shades already! CLICK HERE

Glade Giveaway

GLADE FALL INTO FRAGRANCE GIFT PACK GIVEAWAY! Click HERE to get yours now!

Who doesn't love Glade? And for free???

WALMART FREE STUFF!

CLICK HERE to get your Walmart Free Samples now!

StayFree, Nicorette, Scope, GoodNites, Viva paper towels, Playtex Sport included!

OFFICE MAX: Sharpie markers for just a penny!

OFFICE MAX has a coupon out, click here to print, for ONE CENT SHARPIE MARKERS! Now, any mom out there knows...we can NEVER have enough Sharpies on hand! :-) I am pretty excited about this coupon!

Expires 8/8/09, Limit 3 per customer. Enjoy!!!

FREEBIES FROM MCDONALDS!!!

A new coupon is out for McDonald's, and I think it is a pretty good one! CLICK HERE to print your coupon, and receive FREE medium fries and FREE medium beverage with your purchase of a NEW Angus Third Pounder! ENJOY!!!

August 4th, 2009

Today is a day that I have dreaded for a long time. While it is always wonderful to welcome Jamie home, seeing him leave is never fun. Each time, good-byes get harder and harder, and each time, my heart aches a little more than the last. I know that it is coming, but I try my hardest to block it out and go on "as normal" when he is home. Each day, I get that nagging feeling, a tugging in my heart, reminding me that one more day has gone by, and his departure date is nearing.

I got very used to having my husband home everyday. It was wonderful to have so much time together, and we cherish our time together as a family. Rowan, now two, loves his Daddy SO much! My heart filled with joy seeing my two favorite boys together again, as it should be. When Jamie was working around the house, Rowan was right at his feet, curious as to what this "man business" was all about. He really loved taking showers with Daddy; the laughter and giggles coming from a steamy bathroom melted my heart; I closed my eyes and soaked up the moments, trying hard to embed them in my memory as to never forget. Rowan would come running out of the bathroom, soaking wet, hair disastrous, with the biggest grin on his face, then point to the bathroom and say "MEEEE, Daddy, wawa!". Precious...

Another favorite was watching Jamie and Rowan doing yard work. Ahhh, relief...I didn't have to get out in the yard to do it, which in itself was much appreciated...but then to see Rowan so infatuated with Dad was the best part! Everywhere Jamie went, Rowan was right behind. He didn't leave Jamie's side for 20 days, and the minute Jamie got out of his line of vision, Rowan would get upset. Jamie also showed Rowan how to work on cars!!! Rowan had never seen anything like this, as I am not skilled in these areas AT ALL! Rowan enjoyed it all, but mostly enjoyed playing with Dad's tools! He handed Jamie tools one by one, hoping that he was in some way being of help! :-)

We had a lot of fun while Jamie was home; we enjoyed time with his family from out of state, and his family here. A highlight was the Petersburg fair, where we got to watch our first demolition derby! Rowan and Kyle were infatuated by the muddy cars, loud engines and crashing noises. Rowan enjoyed his very first cheese on a stick, a proud moment for Mommy, funnel cake and lemonade shake-up! His motion sickness is subsiding, as he much enjoyed the rides all night, among his favorites were the mini Ferris Wheel and train.

Rowan also thoroughly enjoyed his time with cousin Tyas, who is amazingly talented with small children. Too bad he doesn't live closer, because he will be a prime babysitter in a couple of years! Kyle and Karena got to come visit for a couple of weeks as well, so we were busy and on our toes.

Unfortunately, our family time was interrupted a bit when I came down with a bug. I really wasn't feeling well, and took myself to the hospital the Monday after Jamie came home. I had to stay for quite a while because my temperature just would not go down despite all the doctor's efforts. I was tested for just about everything, strep, mono, flu, six tubes of blood, you name it! Finally, x-rays showed that I had pneumonia...not what I had wanted to hear! I had never before had pneumonia, so I really didn't know what to expect. The doc said it would take about 6 weeks for it to run its course and for me to feel back to normal...what??? SIX WEEKS??? I didn't have that kind of time, not with Jamie being home! My temperature spiked up to 104.6, and I knew I was in for the long haul...ugh. At around 3:30 AM, the doctor finally let me go home, and I all but ran out the doors. The next morning, my throat was hurting so badly that I could not even swallow a drop of water, let alone the horse sized pills the doctor had given me. Jamie and the kids left to go truck shopping, but by late afternoon I called him home. Again, my temp was back up, and my throat was swollen shut...hospital bound once more! My body ached, and I was so weak that walking was a challenge. Thankfully, they recognized that I was in pretty bad shape and rushed me into a room right away; there was a three hour wait in the waiting room!!! I lucked out. Turns out, I was dehydrated. Apparently, my high temperature combined with my lack of fluids got the best of me. I received saline water and meds via IV. Jamie took the kids to my aunt's house so they wouldn't have to wait at the hospital; we didn't know how long I would be there, possibly overnight? The doctor said I also had strep throat and told me to push the fluids best I could. Sigh, another day at the hospital. After a few hours, I got a steroid shot via the IV, and it helped give me enough energy to get out of the bed and I was able to talk. I took two different antibiotics and codeine for a week, spent two entire days in bed while Jamie held down the fort and took care of the kids. What a relief that Jamie was home, and I was able to nurse myself back to health! After roughly 8 days, I was feeling well enough to carry out daily activities. I learned the hard way not to push myself too hard; I just wanted so badly to get better and be well again! My family needed me, and I needed the time with them, so I overdid it just a tad!

So, while 20 days sounds well enough, let me tell you this...twenty days is just enough to get used to having Jamie home again, just enough to get some work done around the house, just enough time to visit with friends and family, just enough time for a two year old to get used to Daddy being home. All in all, it is NOT enough...it is just a tease. I miss having my family together.

Last night was pretty awful. All day, all I could think about was Jamie leaving again. How would I explain this to Rowan? Is he old enough to understand what is going on? Will he understand that Daddy has to go back to work? No...the answer is no. Rowan doesn't understand in the slightest. It's hard enough for me to grasp, but expecting Rowan to remotely "get it" is just wishful thinking. I don't know that children of military ever really "get it". Kyle is nine, and Jamie has been in the Army since Kyle was merely five years old; he still doesn't know why, or what is going on. He asks me, "can't Dad just not go?" If only it were that easy.

Unfortunately, this story is as old as time. We are not the first military family to go through all of this, and we will far from be the last. In the meantime, I have two devastated little boys missing their Daddy; and once again, Mom is here to try and make sense of something that cannot be explained and will never clearly make any sense at all, to any of us... God Bless our military men and women, and may He extend those blessings to their children left back home.