RV living is our new life

Someone said I should blog about our large family living in an RV, which I had considered, but was not sure when I would find time to do so. Well here we are. We moved in to our 32ft travel trailer on Monday.
We spent Monday loading it at the house, but while we were there we left some lights on and ended up killing the battery and blowing the fuses on the inverter. What is the inverter, well to me cause I'm not even sure that is what it is called it is the part that holds your whole ability to have functioning electricity without an alarm (that sounds like a smoke alarm) going off every time you use electricity. Well at first we just thought we had over used the electricity but it was dark and there wasn't much we could decide could fix it so the first night in the RV starting at about 5 AM every time the heat came on the alarm would sound. Well the kids slept through it until the 6:50 alarm when we were now all awake.
The other issue the first night was that Mason was very fussy and didn't sleep well. He slept with Tony and I the first night after trying to put him to bed with Zachary didn't work out. He was up every 30-60 minutes just fussing. Felt more like he was fighting for space. When Tony got up to go to work at 5 that morning I said he's sleeping somewhere alone tonight. Not sure how we'll work that out, but this doesn't work.
We are all woken by our electric alarm at 6:50 so I give in and decide we'll start our day, but remember I don't have full electricity. The water pump, the hot water heater, the heat all require it to function without the awful alarm. I give in to the alarm a bit because I need to have water to wash my hands so I can prepare breakfast AND COFFEE. Things that we plug in seem to work fine without setting off the alarm.
I make it through breakfast and Tony has to go to work as it is Day 1 of clearing days, but he's fighting the holidays during clearing as well. So I am going to be here at the RV with the kids and no working electricity. I do have a TV that works so we throw in a DVD. I decide it's a great time to test out the family shower rooms just one space over so I take Mason and Zander to shower with me.

Other than it being a cold room the shower is fine and Mason only touches the toilet a time or two.
Tony comes home and I make lunch and get Mason down for a nap while Tony works on repairing the electricity issue. I take Zander and Abbie for a walk around the RV park. Much to my displeasure when I return Mason is awake already. He slept maybe a whole 30 minutes, which he normally naps for 2-3 hours on a good night's sleep.
We pack up the stuff that needs to go back to the house and go back. We still have the house until the packers come on the 28th, but wanted to get all the kinks worked out in the RV before we moved in with no home option.
We do some laundry, grab things we've forgotten and then grab a snack and Tony takes the big boys to Karate. I come back to the RV and the water pump is on, but pumping nothing. I finally turn it off because it shouldn't run like that. I give it a bit and decide to wash dishes that didn't get washed at lunch because we had to turn off all electricity so Tony could work on the stuff. Well I get them all soaped up and then there is no more water. Nothing comes out of the sink with the pump off or on.
Now we have no water. I'm like what the heck?  Tony comes back trying to figure out the issue with the pump, but can't so he just hooks up the hose to the port that bypasses the pump and deliver water to the sink. Fine I can cook like this but we can't leave it because it leaks off the connection.

We make it through dinner like that and then just turn it off. The RV park has nice shower facilities so Tony takes the bigger 3 boys up for a shower while I get the little kids to bed.
Other than limited water for teeth brushing and taking out my contacts tonight with alarm free electricity is better than the last. We also decided to change sleeping arrangements.
In the back of the RV is a twin over full bunk, then a almost full size pull out couch and the table bed. In the front of the RV is a bedroom with a queen size bed maybe feels small compared to my now king bed we bought when we moved to El Paso.
Night 1 sleeping was Zavier in the top bunk, Zander and Abbie on the bottom full, Zayden on the table bed, and Zachary on the couch bed.
Night 2 sleeping was Zavier on the top bunk, Zander and Zachary on the bottom full, Zayden on the couch bed and Mason and Abbie on the couch bed sleeping the other way so that I could divide it with a bed railing so that Mase has his confined personal space.

Sleeping was much better. Mase got up once, nursed and went back to his personal space. And this  morning the water pump is working fine. We'll see what new adventures we can encounter today.

I joked with Tony yesterday that he was becoming quite the handy man as if he was preparing for us to buy a house one day.

Not just another field exercise...

After the accident that happened in the field in March 2015 to Capt. Jon Wynkoop no field exercise is the same for me, and I imagine many others who are in the field and spouses left behind. The Army Times released 2 articles about the incident. They took the time to get the reports and release them. These type of training exercises are becoming all to common. They are either short supplies or training for the mission to be completed safely or they are straight up doing something they have been advised against. 

Article 1 and Article 2

I pray for this family and the others who have faced similar experiences for our country. 

This is another family that grew up not far from where I grew up and again an accident took his life, left his wife a widow, and children fatherless. 

Navy accident

I pray that the next leadership we get to lead our country will take a moment and do what s/he can to make sure that money is not an issue for military training. They want military to be ready at a moment's notice to defend our country, which is their job, but let's equip them with the proper tools and training to stay safe during the training and then be ready to defend our country when needed. 

I know these two families are not the only two, but they are two who shouldn't have been in the dangerous situations they were in. 

Back to School...

Today was our first day back to school at Hannasch Homeschool Academy. ;)
Zander had his first official day of Kindergarten. He listened to devotion with everyone else, practiced reading some BOB books, and then played math bingo with the other boys. He also practiced writing a few words from the boys vocab work. He decided quickly he was done, but he did great for day 1. I think he prefers workbook pages so we'll have to aim for that a bit more.

Zavier had his first day of 3rd grade. He listened to our devotion, did his 5 vocab words, 2 daily skills worksheets, and then he and I took turns reading the first and second chapter of Pilgrim's Progress. He had a few moments of distraction, but quickly adjusted so that he could do what he wanted after school.

Zayden had his first day of 5th grade. He did his math, listened to devotion, did his 5 vocab words, and read 2 chapters from a book for school. He worked quickly so that he could go out and ride his bike.

Zachary had his first day of 7th grade. He did his math, listened to devotion, did his 5 vocab words, and read 4 chapters from Pilgrim's Progress. He says he wants to be in 8th grade, but we'll see how the 7th grade work goes.

Mason went above and beyond to get in to things while I was trying to teach and work with the big boys. I tried giving him things to play with that were fun, but after 30 seconds he was finished. However he's going to have to adapt to playing nicely and not being constantly destructive as this is the life he's going to grow up in.

Abbie wants to do preschool, which is great she's ready. I however am only one person and I want to make sure I'm working more one on one with the boys that in the past so that they stay focused and learn the materials they need to know.

We will receive the majority of our school books tomorrow and next week we will start full time school. The older boys made their own lunch and then played some games, before doing the activities they earned by listening and working quickly.

I am starting my 3rd class in college today. Feeling a bit burnt out going from one to the next with no break or down time. Beginning each class stresses me out a bit more because you have to learn the class requirements and get in a habit quickly to finish the 7 week course on time. However I got an extra grant for my schooling for $500 so this semester (3 classes/12 hours) will only cost $311 out of pocket which is a great blessing since we're living on one income.

Stitches for the baby.

My precious little baby had to get stitches today. He was playing in the bedroom so I could get some school work done and fell and hit his face on Abbie's bed. He bleed like crazy, so I quickly whisked him off to the ER where he got 3 inner and 5 out stitches. It was pure torture to hold him down while they stitched him up and it's going to leave a pretty bad scar. He however forgot about it right away and went back to being a rough and tumble toddler climbing and balancing atop things. This kid is going to be the worst one.

 He played climb the couch as a game,while he giggled and looked back at me. I have no idea how to prevent this short of removing the furniture from the house.

Memorial Day

This isn't a day that affects me too much. It is usually just another day I get to spend with my own soldier. However this year after a tragedy that struck close to home has changed it for me. I cannot stop thinking about a young mom here that lost her husband in March in a training exercise. She has been so strong on the outside through it all, I can't imagine her pain that she is going through daily. May God be with her today and everyday as she lives on with his memories. He was a good man, who loved his family, and was a very dedicated soldier. So today I'm spending it remembering him and his family after their storm.

Honestly though there are not many days that go by and she doesn't cross my mind in some way. Her husband was just "in the field" with in miles from his home. Due to carelessness he was killed just shortly before he was to return home.

As a field artillery wife when I send my husband to the field, I'm never prepared for the goodbye. Sometimes he leaves so early in the morning I don't know he's gone and I certainly don't say goodbye or kiss him goodbye. He's so close that I assume he's safe and will be home shortly. He's not in a war, he's not taking opposition fire. He's out training and using new equipment.

After this tragedy, his leaving is just not the same. I make sure to say bye and to kiss him. The loss for this spouse and her kids has affected me and I didn't even know him more than being at the same party once or twice. Field exercises are not the same for me and I don't think they are for Tony either. I'm not sure how much he knows I think about accidents happening in the field, but all the time.

This is her announcement that she posted on Facebook. I had already heard that soldier was killed, but I had no idea who it was.
"Ok. It is time I make the worst announcement of my life. My husband, U.S. Army Captain Jonathan Frederick Wynkoop was killed yesterday morning during an field training accident. I see all of your messages, I hear all of your love, but honestly. Honestly I can't process these messages. My head is fogged. I am weary. I am not alone, I have help as I am still in Texas, and I know that I can contact anyone for help as need be. I will be. I love you all, but really I loved Jon the most. He was my everything. He was such a great example as a husband, father, son, friend, and colleague. His legacy will live on."

I'm not really sure how to finish this, but today is a day for remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. 

Took the plunge into a home bases business and I'm so excited

I really never thought I would be so excited and love a product so much that I would consider selling it. But I found it. I am so excited for these products. I just want to share them everywhere. I am hoping this will be a successful business for me.

So what do I sell now? Norwex. While I'm not big on doing presentations, I really really like the norwex line and the fact that all of it is safe for kids (and pets if I had them).

My products will start arriving this week and I can't wait to use the mop the most. It is so simple and doesn't have to be washed after every use. It also can be rinsed and reused over and over so that I know the floor will be so much cleaner.

It will also be easy to hand the kids a cloth have them go clean their chore room and then rinse and hang when done. It won't add extra laundry or trash for me to have to deal with later.

Here is my website and I would love to have you host a party for me, www.katiehannasch.norwex.biz

Zander's in Kindergarten

I am just so excited about this little guy and his learning. He is so bright and so driven to keep going and to learn new things. He's 4. He won't be 5 until August and he's doing so well. He's doing great in math and reading. He's doing regular math up to about 10 or 12.

I was so worried about teaching him because he's very particular about what he's doing and I was afraid it would be hard to get him to focus. It has been super easy. He sits down does a few pages and then goes on. Yesterday he was doing beginning sounds. Now we haven't really worked on that, but he is whizzing through it and getting the answers right. It is just amazing to me.

I am worried about keeping up with his drive and pushing him to excel without overworking his little 4 year old ability.

The thrill of being a military family

There is so much thrill for me being a military wife. I love moving. I love being in new homes, new places, seeing the country (world). We are hoping to come down on orders to our next location very soon and I'm so excited. We will for one be closer to family, but far enough that we aren't local. 

I am having a really hard time as my local BFF is preparing to leave El Paso. We hang out several times a week. Her child and one of my child are smitten with each other. They can spend hours together and never get bored of one another. They truly enjoy each other and I enjoy hanging out with my friend. Her leaving is one of the reasons I've been pressing to get out of here, despite how much I love El Paso. 

We had such a blast PCSing last time that I'm ready to spend that time with my husband and kids again. However we are taking a vacation this year and will spend about 10 days together traveling to and from vacation location. 

I'm trying to enjoy the life I've been given. Make my kids and my husband happy, while still doing things for myself. 

My time is over and a little one is screaming for his bed and milk. Off to tend to a blessing. 

Cuddles

Today little Mase climbed up on my lap. And just cuddled me. It's amazing how special your babies are when they do that. He finally fell asleep because that's how he used to go to sleep is cuddling. He's not quite 14 months, but he's a crazy busy little boy. He really is a blessing to our family. I'm so glad God gave him to us.

However during my cuddles today I realized that you never know when the last cuddle like that will be (and I don't mean due to death), but when your babies just out grow it and it will never happen again.

I think it hit me because a few months ago Tony was in the field for an exercise and I asked Zach to sleep with me. He said he would lay there until I fell asleep, but he was too big to sleep with me. Where the heck did time go? He's 12 and won't sleep with him mom (and Mase).

Parenting really is one of the most special and amazing times in your life. If nothing else I have been so blessed to get to parent all 6 of these kiddos. They really are my favorite kids.

Hug and cuddle your babies because they are only little for a little while.

Back to school I go again.

So for about 3 years I have been 1 (3 credit) class away from my Associate's degree. The class is College Algebra. I'm not good at math like I was as a child, and I have this view of "I've gone 10 years without needing this info and I'm doing what I love so what on earth do I need this for?". I finally gave up on just completing it through the community college I was enrolled in because I could never make it through the course because, while it is an online course, there were 3 test that I had to go into a testing center for. My life is unpredictable as a military spouse and a homeschooling mom with 6 kids. I can hardly plan anything that I need childcare for and almost never commit to anything that is kid free. Then finding a place that is flexible to get the testing done or nearby or with in the tiny time frame I am ever without children.

I finally switched and will be attending Grand Canyon University starting the end of this month. All classes are 7-8 weeks and I have 14 classes to finish a bachelors. It seems to be all online and should take 2 years to finish the degree. This college is a bit over my pell so hoping to either use part of Tony's or we'll just pay out of pocket the $1135 a year that isn't covered.

Tony is also going to be attending GCU starting the end of June. He will have to go longer as he doesn't have as many credits transferring over as I did. However it should help when it comes to promotions for him.

Learning new things

We're learning new things in this house.
     Last fall I bought Zander the book "Learn to read in 100 easy lessons". I have been very nervous all along when it comes to teaching my children to read. My sister and I read at 4, but all my older 3 have learned to read in public school kindergarten between 5 and 6.
      Zander is his own being. He is totally different from his big brothers and has been a new adventure all around. I know I have a few more months to a year and a half before he has to start kinder, but he's so smart and so ready. A few months ago he looked at the clock in the kitchen and read me the time. No one had taught him to do it, he just did.
     Yesterday I found the Learn to Read book on the table. I didn't put it there, but there it laid. So after doing lessons at the table with the big kids, I called Zander over and opened the book. We went through Lesson 1. He loved it. We moved very quickly through it and then practiced writing the letter/letter sounds we had learned. We made the letters out of cheerios and he got to eat those.
     Later in the day yesterday I again asked him about his lesson and he remembered what he had learned. So today we sat down to do it again. He again whizzed through the lesson. I am loving seeing him learn and do these Lessons.
     I don't know where we will end up with this, but for now he's loving and it and I'm loving it. We'll do it until it's not working and then see where we are.

     Then there is Mason. Our little free range baby. We pretty much let him do anything he wants. He had his first birthday last month and is just a learning/developing little thing. He has mastered walking and is almost running. He can stoop and stand back up. He can stand from holding on to the floor. He loves to be outdoors with his brothers.
     But Mason's biggest accomplishment is learning to fall asleep on his own. We do not want him to cry himself to sleep or feel alone or abandoned in bed, so until the last week or so he was put to sleep and then transferred to bed. Tony decided one night after me trying to lay him down, when I thought he was asleep, to comfort him and rub his back until he settled (Little secret, he's much better for his dad than me.) I said as long as Mason didn't cry he could do that.
     Well it has been such a blessing because I was sometimes fighting Mason for 30-45 minutes to fall asleep. We now nurse and snuggle and then Tony or I, go in with him until he's asleep. He's a good sleeper and needs his naps, but sometimes with the commotion of 5 older siblings and anything else we have going on his naps get messed up. He has also been sleeping better at night.

Mandating Vaccines

Talk about a slippery slope. Many of the states in our "free" Country are heading down a path to make them mandatory NO MATTER WHAT, as an over reaction to this measles "outbreak". What the heck? I don't even care where you stand on vaccines, step back and see the bigger picture. We are losing another choice that we are allowed to make for ourselves and our children.

Where will it stop once it starts? Will they just continue to manufacture more and more vaccines and add them to the already long list of vaccines? Will there be any supervision to protect us? They don't care if the vaccines we already have are safe, so what's to say they will start now.

Once I became an adult and a mother, it became clear to me that I was pro-choice. I want to be able to choose what I think is best for my body. It is no one but my choice, and my husbands depending on the circumstances.

I am not pro-abortion, in fact that makes me sad knowing how much love and joy my kids bring to me. HOWEVER not my body, not my choice for others. I have 6 healthy, happy children because that is what God gave me.

All I ask is that you don't take away my rights to choose for myself and my children (until they are adults). Make your choice and I'll make mine. My choice does not affect your choice and your choice won't affect mine. Unvaccinated children are not out carrying around vaccine preventable diseases. They really, really aren't. When an "outbreak" occurs do they trace back to where it started, or to the first unvaccinated person they find?

I'm going to skip all the politics and fear-mongering news info about what side is "right". Point is this is a choice for everyone to make. This is a right a freedom to be protected.