Sunday, September 30, 2012

- BOO Hoo I Miss You -

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     WOW. This care package was a lot of fun to make! I think I went a little overboard, looks a bit cluttered...oh well! Fall and Halloween are my favorite, I couldn't help myself!!! Best part is, I sealed it with cobwebs, so my Husband will have to rip through them in order to get to the goods :)

     This care package is not only for my Husband, but for those who are in his Division as well. It's filled with non melting candy (i.e. NO MILK CHOCOLATE), glow sticks, vampire teeth and pirate eye patches! Haha, what sailor doesn't pretend to be a pirate? They practically speak the slang.... We are almost half way through this Deployment, I figured they would appreciate some items to goof off with! I included a special "trick or treat" bag for my Husband filled with some goodies of his own. Here is everything the care package included to help give you ideas:

For the Division:
  • Laffy Taffy
  • Skull and Bones Sweet Tarts
  • Orange and White Nerd's candy
  • Tootsie Rolls
  • Werthers Caramel candy
  • Glow Sticks
  • Vampire Teeth
  • Pirate Eye Patches
For my Husband:
  • "For my Boo" Love Note
  •  Candy Corn
  • Orbit Gum
  • Orange and Black Ring Pops
  • Pumpkin Pop Rocks
  • Sour Worm Gummies
  • Glow in the Dark "Kanye" glasses
  • Glow in the Dark Sword
  • Silly Halloween Visor (they have Silly Hat Day every Wednesday. Since Halloween is on a Wednesday, I thought it was appropriate!)
  • An AWESOME Pen that looks like a Syringe Needle with fake Blood!!!
     Most items were under $3.00, about half were only $1.00 - found at Target and JoAnn's. All materials used in decorating I got from JoAnn's. Candy and Card are from Target. Hope you enjoyed!

Stay Strong.

 

Friday, September 28, 2012




     Had a BLAST at Disneyland this week with my Daddy! Had to share a few of the photo's :) Halloween and Fall are my favorite time of the Year. I've practically grown up in Disneyland, I might as well have popped a tent in Toon Town years ago.... So, I am SHOCKED I had never been during this time of the year. The whole park was decorated and the Haunted Mansion was turned into, The Nightmare Before Christmas! Military discount tickets are $125 for a THREE day park hopper - absolutely an amazing deal!!! GO! GO NOW!

P.S. I'm totally wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt my Husband bought me waaaaay back when we were dating. UHdorable.

 

Saturday, September 22, 2012

- Fall Theme Care Package -



     Decided to have my 10 Month Old Niece help me with this one! I'm extremely bad at drawling...I can screw up stick people - no joke. So, the lovely design on the right "flap" is supposed to be a Fall Tree. I made the Fall colored leaves with her hand prints - definitely needs more leaves but she's only 10 Months, I'm surprised I got one hand print in every color!! So, you can obviously make a more full tree with an older child. But, thought this was a cute idea and had to share. I believe any little personal touch you can do to a Care Package, can make them that much sweeter.

     On the bottom flap I included two "Love Notes" explaining what "love" means to me (pretty much explains my loyalty and Faith in him). Also, sent him a flash drive with some music on it and attached it to the top flap - we mostly listened to Pandora so he has been requesting that I send him some music to listen too. Then I wrote him a note on the left flap that lists everything I miss about him. I also included some notes on the OUTside of the box.

     My Husband has requested that I stop sending him so much "junk" food, LOL. He's trying his best to watch what he eats and hitting the gym on the Ship - which is outrages because he's gorgeous and fit. He's also having to stand a crappy watch for the next few months, causing him to miss dinner and sometimes breakfast. So, I tried my best to fill this Care Package with more healthy but filling snacks. I'll list what I sent him compared to what I used to send him (in case you want to send more healthier items too) Care Package includes:

  • Single Serve - Orville Red N Bocker, Low Calorie and Low Fat Popcorn (instead of overloaded movie theater butter popcorn. I got some of this low calorie popcorn for myself too, honestly, delicious!)
  • Anna's Almond Cookies (delicious and of course better for you than Orieo's)
  • Single Serve - Kashi Cereal (instead of the yummy Cinnamon Toast Crunch)
  • Nature Valley Sweet and Salty bars (packed with protein vs. Quaker Chocolate Chip Granola Bars)
  • Single Serve - Emerald "Breakfast On The Go" Nut and Granola Mix with Yogurt Covered Raisins (instead of Cheez-It crackers)
  • 5 Hour Energy Shots (instead of sugary-heart-racing Monster's)
  • Now, you should never completely deprive yourself! So, I did included ONE container of Lay's Stax chips, ONE Kraft Easy Mac and ONE Chef Boyardee.
Things I included but are not scene in the picture:
  • Notes and Audio CD from Church
  • Book - Fathered by God written by John Eldredge
  • Two PSP Games
Hope you enjoyed this and possibly got your creative juices flowing! I'm working on two more Care Packages at the moment which I will post soon. Look out for, Halloween and Anniversary (ours is Oct. 28th) theme Care Packages.

Stay Strong. And thank you for the support, lovely feedback and encouraging emails <3

 

Thursday, September 13, 2012

- 1st Attempt at Shipping Cookies Overseas -

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     I can't seem to find any solid information on how to send cookies overseas - that guarantees they will arrive fresh. So, I've decided to try all the ones I come across, post them here, and through my trial and error, we'll find the best method on Shipping Cookies Overseas! You're Welcome. I'll make a post, like this one, with details on what to do and then re-post with an update once my Husbands receives them and gives me the verdict.


Apple Peels

     Apple Peels? That's right!!! Apparently people use fruit peels to retain moisture for lots of things like brown sugar and tobacco. I found that a few people have had success with Apple Peels when sending baked goods. I thought this was extremely interesting and I just happened to have an apple! Here is what you'll need:
  • Ziploc Bags
  • Paper Towels
  • Disposable Tupperware
  • and of course, Apple Peels!
     While explaining this method, I'll be referring to the pictures above to give you a better idea of what I am trying to say. I'll use numbers so be a good blogger and imagine I added numbers to the pictures (I'm too lazy to boot up my Photoshop again). First picture being "1" and then in numeric order from left to right.... I promise to add numbers the next time I do this!

OK, here we go -

  1. First, bake your cookies. I decided to make White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies. My Husband is not as much of a sweet whore - who can eat an entire batch of cookies to themselves...like me - so I wanted to make something mild that he'll enjoy.
  2.  Once cookies are cooled,  peel an apple. Now, take half a paper towel, fold it in half and place it inside a Ziploc bag (size of paper towel will obviously very depending on the size of the Ziploc bag you use)  and place the Apple Peels in-between the folds of a paper towel (I did about 4-5 peels). Place the appropriate amount of cookies to fit inside the bag and place them on top of the paper towel and then vacuum seal them (by sucking the air out yourself). See picture 5 for a visual.
  3. Then place more paper towels with apple peels between the folds at the bottom of the tupperware you choose. Place the sealed bags of cookies inside the tupperware, add more paper towels to the top, and then seal the tupperware with the lid. See picture 6 for a visual.

     This seems too simple to be true. I do have some concerns. As you can see in picture 5, the apple peels were moist and it was soaking through the paper towels. I feel like by the time my Husband receives the care package the cookies may have a hint of apple taste to them. I'm also afraid the peels may get moldy.... But, we'll see! If anyone else has tried this before, comment and let me know! Or even let me know if you plan to try this, feed back is always appreciate :)


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

- Children with Anxiety -

     I am currently studying Early Childhood Education and one of my assignments this week was to write an informative article on a current event. I have the lovely honor of experiencing the ups and downs of Anxiety, it's something I deal with on a daily bases and makes normal situations like grocery shopping and traveling stressful. I basically become difficult and a pain in the ass at times, but I'm lucky to have a Husband with amazing patience.

     I was a little shocked with the statistics I found when it comes to Children with Anxiety. Thought I would share the article I wrote for my class with all of you. Anxiety is more common with Americans than you probably think! Unless you have Anxiety yourself you will never fully understand how much it can hinder someones life. I also found that children can develop deployment related Anxiety. Knowledge is bliss people! So, here you go....

Children with Anxiety

     In the United States alone there are forty million people who suffer from some type of Anxiety disorder – that’s nearly 18 percent of the population. To help put this in perspective, if you were to pass a hundred people on the street, about fifteen of them will have suffer from some type of Anxiety disorder.  You most likely brush shoulders with Anxiety sufferer’s everyday without even realizing it; Anxiety is often a disorder that people suffer with alone. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, twenty five percent of Anxiety sufferers are children – that’s one in eight children who are affected. 

     Every child goes through phases of Anxiety because it is a normal part of childhood. Phases are temporary and usually harmless but children who suffer from an Anxiety disorder will experience fear, shyness, and nervousness and will start to avoid people, places and activities. This disorder often co-occurs with depression, stress, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sleeping disorders, and eating disorders. Research has shown that children with Anxiety, who go untreated, are more likely to engage in substance abuse, perform poorly in school and are afraid to participate in social experiences.

     Anxiety is caused by thinking distortions that tend to cause unnecessary worry, fear and panic in children. Though treatment for disorders is individualized, standard approaches like, therapy and medication, have been proven to be effective. Helping your child recognizing some of the thinking distortions can help them eliminate some Anxiety. Here are a few of the most common thinking distortions children have:
  • Jumping to Conclusions: This is when a child makes an assumption based on little or no evidence. For example, if a child is afraid of dogs and he/she sees one tied up outside of a store or house, they may assume it will bite them even though there is no sign of the dog being vicious. 
  •  Highlighting the Negative: This is when a child only sees the negative in his or her situation and ignores the positive things completely. For example, a child may only focus on the shots they missed, while playing baseball, even though their team won the game.
  • Extreme Thinking: This is when a child uses the words “never,” “always” and “forever”. The child thinks their situation is permanent, that the outcome of the situation will be bad, scary or stressful. This can increase a child’s Anxiety.
     There are many ways a parent or caregiver can help manage a child’s Anxiety. You should pay attention to the child’s feelings and remain calm when the child becomes anxious in situations. Praise and recognize all the child’s small accomplishments and do not punish their lack of progress! Try to be flexible and keep a normal routine but make sure to allow extra time when needed for more difficult situations. According to Lynn Siqueland, PhD - who has specialized in treating children with Anxiety disorders for 15 years - it is okay to let your child experience some Anxiety. Your child needs to know that Anxiety is not dangerous but something they can cope with.

Work Cited

  1. Nicoletti, Chris. "Anxiety in Children Causes 5 Common Thinking Distortions." Positive Psychology. Mental Health News Organization, 30 Aug. 2012. Web. 05 Sept. 2012. <http://mentalhealthnews.org/anxiety-in-children-causes-5-common-thinking-distortions/842395/>.
  2. "Facts & Statistics | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA." Facts & Statistics | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Sept. 2012. <http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics>.
  3. "Parenting Tips for Anxious Kids." Parenting Tips for Anxious Kids. The Children's Center for OCD and Anxiety, 2008. Web. 05 Sept. 2012. <http://www.worrywisekids.org/parents/parenting_child.html>