Well, another week has passed and we survived! Things are going pretty smoothly with dad gone. Last night my almost 10 year old son came in my room telling me he couldn't sleep because he just couldn't stand the thought of his dad spending his birthday alone. What a sensitive kid! I reminded him that we had made and mailed some birthday cards to dad and that hopefully someone over there would make him a birthday cake.

I have found the hardest thing about the deployment this week was dinner. I have lost all motivation to cook. My husband will eat anything... even if he doesn't like it. The only things he absolutely hates are brussel sprouts and hot dogs, and he will eat those if necessary. So needless to say, it is fun to cook when my husband is around. Unfortunately my kids inherited my pickyness. They would be happy to eat chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and cereal for the rest of their lives. So on the nights when I have made a "real" dinner, they pick at it and the rest goes in the fridge to sit for several days until I toss it, because I don't do leftovers! The nights when I have served bagel bites, fries, and corn, they go on and on about what a great meal I have prepared! HA! So my motivation for putting any effort into dinner is zero! I told this to my husband and his response was something like this, "it won't kill them to live off of fish sticks for a few months. Just go to the store and stock up on frozen meals." What a great guy. If it was me, I would have gone on and on about the hazards of fried foods and white bread and how we should be drinking our fruit smoothies every day for lunch. But he just released me from the pressure of cooking! Yipee! I realize that I am fortunate to be married to someone who, even when he is a million miles a way, can make my life just a bit easier. So from now on I will not feel guilty when I don't make a gourmet meal for the kids, and I will look forward to visiting my parents in a few weeks, because my dad will eat anything!