Another day done, and OH am I glad for 5 days off.

Last week was inventory at my work, so I worked 4 days instead of just 2.  Not a big deal considering the kids were in school, so we didn't have the struggles of Jase trying to deal with ALL of them while I was gone...(I am sometimes like Jimminy Cricket, reminding Jase when to chill, when to 'engage' and break up the kid warfare, etc.)  Only problem with working all those day... all the stuff I usually get accomplished while they're all away from the house, piled up instead.  Eventually I'll get them all better and pitching in.  AND that that doesn't refer to what to do with their dirty laundry, but to HELPING their poor, tired MOM.

I've now done my 2 days for THIS week, and am looking forward to catching up on all sorts of things.... laundry, sleeping, garage sorting, cleaning my room, napping, sewing, veggin' out in front of the t.v., getting rid of distractions in the kids rooms, maybe even making a new chore chart,  and taking lazy time to ignore the chaos around me. 

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*I would just like to note that those who are currently still very strongly effected by memories of combat experiences from a war zone, more specifically, those that have been in explosions, should NOT live within ear shot to the LIVE RANGE where they practice BLOWING STUFF UP!  UGH.  If you do, is there anyway to be placed on a warning list, so spouses or family members can be prepared for a long night?

As I sit here, for a second night in a row, I can hear the helicopters flying overhead for their night training.  Please no live fire tonight, oh please.!!

For those of you that don't know, live fire is whey they shoot their guns, or, in this case, use real ammunition to blow stuff up.  They have to train somewhere, and Jason used to be a SMAW gunner, which is an anti-tank assaultman.  SO he's done his fair share of blowing the smithereens out of stuff. 

Anywho, last night Jason'd been in bed for maybe 45 minutes, and he SHOULD have been sound asleep with the meds he's taking.  I heard him jump out of bed and come running downstairs.  "Did you hear that?  How close was it?"  I had been talking with Curtis, who had suddenly remembered he hadn't put his jeans in the dryer, so came down to rotate laundry at nearly 10pm.  IN the end, I realized that they're doing night maneuvers, and the impact of the explosions had not only been heard, but shook the bedroom windows.  The panic it triggered in Jase took a LONG time of me working and talking him down, getting him to relax, and hoping he'd go to sleep.  (If you think I was even CONSIDERING trying to go to sleep with him not snoring up a storm to guarantee to me he was NOT getting up, your batty.)  He couldn't relax enough to go back to sleep and decided he was REALLY hungry, and he was craving a grilled cheese sandwich.  Clearly I refused to let HIM cook, so I got up, made him some grilled cheese, and watched some t.v. with him.  Silly man absolutely insisted on a second sandwich, and made it himself because I told him I wasn't cleaning up after he get's sick from eating MORE this time of night.  He said "my body's craving a grilled cheese, so clearly there's something in it I NEED.  I gotta have another."  Sure, whatever you say hun.  At last, 2 sandwiches AND some nachos later, it was 12:30 and he suddenly realized I had to get to bed because I had to go to work in the morning.  He told me he knew the mortars weren't insurgents trying to bomb US, and that the helicopters weren't flying towards any insurgents, they were just training, so he could sleep.  Ahhhh, yesssssss.

This morning, the only thing he remembered was the first set of explosions he'd heard.  The rest, foggy bits here and there sound familiar as I talk with him, but most of it...not a clue.  He actually thought he was getting the flu or something when he woke up with a REALLY sick stomach.  I told him what he'd ate - OH was he relieved, mostly.  TO say the least, we are now BOTH eager for his doctor appointment on Friday.  SOMEthing is going on that he's now progressed to getting up, feeling the need to eat, and actually carrying on conversations he doesn't have a clue about the next day.  (thanks alot to the doctors that warned me eventually he might even get up and DRIVE in his sleep....NOW I'm feeling SO much better about the fact that we HAVE to keep all his stuff in specific places thanks to his memory troubles.  The upside: I know where his keys are at all times.  The downside: so does HE, even in his sleep.  PRAY it doesn't get to that point, and I'll find the door chime/alarm and put it on the door, then we can ALL sleep better. :o)

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Two good things for ME with this WONDERFUL assignment to WWBn.  They have help for ME too.  Whew.  I love the help of my therapist, and that she reminds me that thanks to a good sense of humor, I'm still WAY better off then most of the people dealing with the Mountain of stress factors beyond my control.  I love that I get to interact MUCH more closely with ALL the doctors that are involved with Jason's care, and tonight, I LOVE that I get to go to some of the training Jason gets to try and help ME too.

We started a mental relaxation class (I think it's got a cooler name, but it's late and I dont' remember it.)  Lesson one: listen to music while closing your eyes, and focus on one PART of the music, the drum, flute, etc. Use this to center yourself and train your mind to block out all other thoughts.  Very cool stuff!  WAY hard for me to actually do though.  THANK goodness she warned us it's totally normal and not to get mad or frustrated at ALL the thoughts that will work their way in.  Just remind yourself to focus on the music.  Jason had to "plant" his feet to keep from falling out of his chair...TBI side effect, remember, bad balance=falling over when eyes are closed. For me, I literally felt like inside my brain, between the brain and skull, something started twisting and swirling around my head over and over, making me super dizzy.  That's when I realized I NEVER can stop my brain.  DUH, that's why I've got sleeping pills.  WHen I finally stop at night, my thoughts kick into overdrive.  Granted, I rarely TAKE said sleeping pills due to Jason's newest upgrade in nightly activity, so - THIS is a good thing for me to try.  Any reason to force myself to STOP for 5-10 minutes even, THAT is a good thing.

SO, hopefully I'll think to write more about the kids or something one of these days.  Just that they're driving me bonkers and I don't want to complain, so I'm waiting for something funny, interesting, or wacky to write about.  Like I said, I'm glad for 5 days off!  I'll see what thoughts I can hold on to to share with you all.

Till then.... Have a lovely night. 

--Take Care