AFN- American TV in Europe

One interesting thing about being an American on a Spanish naval base is being able to watch American tv in our house on base. The cable here is AFN, or the Armed Forces Network. It is American programming that is available worldwide for troops who are deployed to the Middle East, or stationed in Europe, Asia, or the Pacific. The good part is that we can watch tv in English, and for free, while we are stationed here. It is also available to Americans living off base, if they use a converter provided on base. The downside? Well, there are only 10 channels, one of which is the TV guide channel, and another which shows slides advertising activities on base. The others? Well, there is 1 sports channel which plays some games live, or replays others, depending on the time difference. So this year we could watch the Super Bowl live... If we want to stay up until 1am for kickoff! There is one news channel, which cycles all the major news shows-CNN, Fox News, NBC, etc. for one hour at a time. There is a movie channel, a "family" channel, and one called AFN Pacific which is time adjusted for people on the opposite side of the globe. In general, the programming is designed to be popular for young men. So it doesn't take long to flip through the channels and determine that... there isn't much on.
One other amusing aspect of AFN is that it is a non-profit government program, so there are no commercials. Sounds nice, but the commercial breaks are replaced with military infomercials. These are lousy quality ads made by 20 year old men, giving advice on how to do everything from carrying out military rules, to using basic safety, to not flushing medicine down the drain. Most of them leave you confused and thinking WTF? afterward. There are also "All Hands Updates" with news from around the military, and current prices for gas and currency conversion.
So what do we watch? Well, the best way to watch the movies and shows you actually want to see is by using Netflix, Amazon Prime, or a subscription service that lets you pick and choose shows you want to see, so that you can catch an entire season at the same time it is being aired in the States. Of course, to use these services overseas, you have to convince your computer, tv, or Playstation that you are still in America. There are some illegal ways to do this for free, but you can use legal methods that charge an annual fee to give you a legitimate American vpn. We use StrongVPN.com, which for about $50 per year lets us convince our computers that we are in New York so we can watch American programs. It's similar to the Vonage program that convinces one of our phone lines that we are in Pennsylvania.
So in case you are considering being stationed out of the country, don't worry, you can still watch American tv. It just takes a little extra work.

How I cut our diaper bills in half

I have 3 children. The oldest is 4 years old and still wets the bed at night. The second just turned 3 and still wets the bed at night and at nap time. The youngest is 1, far from potty training. As you can imagine, we go through a lot of diapers and pull ups here. And after 4 years of continuous diaper changes, I am getting really sick of them. Last month, I realized our average diaper expenses were $80 per month! Ridiculous. So I took some steps to improve that.
First, the eldest, Sophia. I started taking her to the bathroom before midnight. She was always in a dead sleep, so sometimes she went, sometimes she did nothing. It took weeks to see results. But finally, after doing it every night for a month, she has consistently peed in the middle of the night, and started going on her own as soon as she wakes up. Dry pull up most nights saves big bucks!
Next, Danny. He is too comfortable wetting his pull-ups, so I started putting cloth diapers on him at nap time. They were technically purchased for the baby, but they just fit the 3 year old, and we call them big boy pants so he gets excited about them. He likes choosing his design from the pile. Of course, at first, it made no difference, and he was creating nasty messes in his cloth diaper which were an extra pain to clean up. However, after several weeks, he is starting to show some control. He makes a greater effort to go potty before his nap now. And today for the first time he actually knocked on his door and said, "Mommy, I have to go poop!" He did, and stayed clean the rest of his nap! Using gummy fruit snacks as a reward seems to be a big incentive for him too. Very proud of him cutting his pull-up consumption in half.
Finally, the youngest. He is too young for potty training, so the only money saving option is cloth diapers. I bought some last year second- hand from a mom who sewed them herself. I started using them when the baby was 6 months old, but always used disposable at night, and went though periods of moving and laziness that got us off the cloth diaper routine. Lately, the baby only goes through 3 disposable diapers a day, so it hardly seemed worth the effort to do cloth for the daytime. However, now that big brother is wearing them, I find more reason to use them on the baby. I'm going to have to do the laundry anyway, so what's a few more? I have been using about 1 cloth a day on him, which cuts his diaper consumption by a third.
So Sophie went from 1 a day to 1 every few days, Danny went from 2 to 1, and Alex went from 3 to 2. Our diaper bill is now closer to $40 per month. Very exciting! Not bad for a month's work, and honestly not that much effort from me! The moral of the story is: kids' routines are always changing, and it's ok to try something new repeatedly, because it might take a few weeks before you see results. But it is always worth a try!

My adventures finding a healthy weight

January is the time people usually decide to lose a few pounds, get more active, try a new diet, whatever. I can actually say for one of the first times in my life that I am happy with where I am. Sure, I gained a few pounds over Christmas, and I intend to work them off in the coming weeks. But I think this year, the difference is that I KNOW that they are going to come off, and I am confident that I already have a healthy lifestyle. But it wasn't always so, and I have worked hard to get here.
I would summarize, but I think I need to start back in high school. I know now that puberty makes your body instantly gain up to 20 pounds. But around 7th grade, I suddenly went from girls size 14 to women's size 6, and that was traumatic to me. I just saw fat. So, like many teenage girls, I decided not to eat. I never threw up, i just skipped meals, and lived on pretzels, raisins, and orange juice. I remember going through some field hockey practices where I was almost blacking out. My goal weight at the time was 110, although I don't think I ever made it.
By college, I had come to a healthier relationship with food. I vowed never again to go on any crazy diets. Instead, I took the opposite approach: don't weigh yourself, and don't worry about gaining a few pounds here and there. I attempted to work out and eat healthy, but that is pretty challenging when you cook for yourself in the dorms and have a heavy academic schedule that leaves little time for working out. By senior year I was a size 12 and probably weighed 150 pounds. (I'm on the far right).

After college I worked with teens at a church Youth Ministry program for 3 years. I loved the job, but the unusual hours, and ridiculous amounts of pizza and snacks always available were not friendly to my figure. I had to start buying size 14 clothes, and weighed over 170 pounds. I finally realized I needed to make some changes when I saw myself in some of the kids' pictures from church events. How had I gotten so huge??? (I'm on far right).

So I made some changes. Since I lived alone and cooked for myself, I got some new cookbooks and learned how to make soups, prepare healthy snacks, and avoid high calorie foods. I also joined the local YMCA and spent my mornings there. I tried out some aerobics classes, learned how to use the weight circuit equipment, and enjoyed swimming and cycling. I was motivated by the fact that I was getting married that year, but I soon started feeling more energetic, more confident, and pleased with my progress. By my wedding day, I had lost 25 pounds, and was my healthiest in years.

Then I got pregnant with our Honeymoon baby. I continued to use the treadmill when I could during the pregnancy, but the nutritional counselor at the OBGYN told me that I was "obese" and needed to eat controlled portions of carbs and proteins. I tried documenting everything I ate, but I got fatigued and dizzy, and my husband thought I was being ridiculously hard on myself. So I gained 25 pounds during the pregnancy. I lost all of it within 3 months, but found that the same number on the scale post-baby did not equal the same size and body shape. I was not ready to say that I was a mom and could never get smaller... but I was also working full-time, and nursing the baby, so I knew there wouldn't be much time to exercise, and I didn't want to do any drastic diets that would affect the milk supply.

Thankfully, I discovered Weight Watchers. As far as I know, it is the only "diet" plan that accounts for breastfeeding, and allows additional calorie consumption for moms who are nursing full-time or part-time. I found it to be a very healthy and balanced. I learned about every aspect of a heathy lifestyle: portion sizes, balancing fruits and veggies with carbs, dairy, and protein, cooking lighter, tastier, and more creative meals, making exercise a part of my daily routine, resisting sweet cravings, and enjoying occasional controlled indulgences. With Weight Watchers, I achieved my lowest adult weight: 125 pounds. Twice. (I'm on far left!)

Each time, within a month, I found out I was pregnant again. After each pregnancy, I successfully used Weight Watchers through the stages of breastfeeding to stay healthy and lose weight. Now, 17 months after the birth of my 3rd child, I weigh less than I did on my wedding day, and I am a size 4! I still have a few pounds to go, but I know what it takes to shop for and eat healthy meals, I have a variety of physical exercises I enjoy, and my family shares my healthy lifestyle. I know now how much more energetic and positive I feel when I am eating right, and I enjoy watching my kids learn about food and exercise by watching my (mostly) good example as we explore Spain.

Why did I need to write all this? Because for anyone who wants to get to know me, I hope you will understand why food and exercise are so important to me. People who have seen me riding my bike pulling 3 children have asked how I do it. The more important question, I think, is why. Why work so hard? Because it is important to me, and my family. I don't consider myself a crazy workout freak-- I don't do cross fit or run in competitive races. And I am relaxed enough to eat meals at restaurants or in other people's houses without counting calories or regretting every bite! But I know now how it feels to have a size 4 body, and I love it. I am NOT going back to the enormous shape I was before, and I will never again let life get "too busy" for me to take care of my own health. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle. A lifestyle that is healthy makes us all happier. So I do it for myself, for the confidence and the cute clothes and the great feelings... but I also do it for my family so I can be active with my kids and model healthy eating and activity for them. Hopefully, they will not struggle with their weight the way I used to.

Putting down roots

We have lived here in Span for 4 months now. Wow! The first 2 months were extremely hectic: moving into a new house, buying a new car, waiting for household goods to arrive, enrolling the children in school, and just generally finding our way around. Add to that mix the fact that terrorist activity made this unit busier than usual, and we had a perfect storm of stress and disorder. November and December things calmed down a little: my husband's schedule became more regular, I started making friends and learning how to buy things in town, and we were even able to take some day trips and a big Christmas trip out of the country, but the holiday activities prevented us from establishing a regular routine. Now here we are, in 2013, finally ready to hunker down and settle into a normal schedule and get used to our new life here in Spain. Because this is home for the next 3 years.

When we first arrived, before we even had keys to our house, my husband insisted we get flower pots and flower seeds. It was September, and still warm enough to plant some annuals before winter. So the children helped plant them, and water them, and around the time we got a gps and started having family adventures... the flowers bloomed.

I think it is important that we keep a positive attitude and continue to "put down roots" here in Spain. In December, I was praying about the idea that Christians are "in" the world, but not "of" it. We live in the temporal world, and have to deal with our flesh every day. But our true desire and focus is on heaven. Similarly, for the next few years we are "in" Spain, but not "From" Spain. We will remain American, and I have no desire to become Spanish. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't study them, engage them, and embrace their culture. Sure, we could stay on base, speak English, use dollars, and watch American tv all the time. But if we did that the whole time we would quickly become frustrated and disappointed by how different things are in Spain. No, it is not America, but I refuse to let that get me down the way it has some other people we have met. Cultural differences are not good or bad- they are merely different. It is a mental and physical effort to learn the Spanish culture, but it will be worthwhile. I will keep planting seeds in my children, keep watering my own feeble roots, and eventually-this year or the next- the flowers will begin to bloom.

December events: trip to Seville, Kindermuzik, Party, and the Polar Express!

December was a busy month for us! Of course, it is busy for almost everyone, but it is always interesting when you are in a new place and want to check out all the Christmas traditions for the first time. I already posted about the base tree lighting ceremony, Tables for 10 at the chapel, the 5k run, Danny's 3rd birthday, and his first day of preschool. That only takes us to December 7!

After that, we managed to squeeze in a daytrip to Seville, which is about 1.5 hours north of us. It was the biggest city we had been to at that point, and the capital of the region. Seville controlled all the gold and imports that came in from the New World, so it epitomizes Spain's golden age in the 16th-17th centuries. There are so many beautiful buildings and interesting architecture from different time periods. We will definitely have to go back and explore some more! This was more of a 'recon' trip, just an afternoon to get our bearings, see the Christmas market, and check out the world's 3rd largest cathedral.
 This building is just one example of the Arabic influence on the architecture. The round turret, striped building materials, narrow arches, and ornate design could be found on many buildings. It actually reminded me a little of Venice! Beautiful city!

 Seville (and other cities in Southern Spain) are famous for their horses and carriage rides. Ordinarily, this would be a great way to see the city, and I have heard that the prices are negotiable. But today, it was drizzling on and off, and the horses were all bundled under blankets. But of course our children, who love all animals, had to say hi!

 The only souvenirs we bought that day were umbrellas for the kids, which turned out to be quite necessary, and also very entertaining, as we did a bit of walking in a light drizzle. They were more excited about holding their own umbrellas than they were about the centuries-old castle behind them, which is to be expected. :-)

 This is just part of 1 side of the cathedral, one of the largest in Europe and the 3rd largest in the world! Of course St. Peter's in Rome is supposed to be the largest, but this one is either longer or wider, so some books list it as larger than St. Peter's. It was built on the site of an Arabic mosque, but the mosque was torn down, and all they left was the orange courtyard and 1 wall. This is the large square on one side, and the site of one of the Christmas markets. They had beautiful manger scenes, toys, handmade crafts, candy, and other goods... but they were mostly closed because it was during siesta.

There is beautiful carving detail all over the church, inside and out. We didn't take a tour because it was actually just closing for the day (at 3:30 PM?) so I can't give you the full history here. I think the church took about a century to build, and uses different styles from different periods. But there are at least 4 main doorways, each with a different carving theme, and all are as beautiful and ornate as the one here. We had fun getting lunch, walking around, and getting some snacks at the Christmas fair. I look forward to visiting again with relatives!



Since Danny and Sophie are now in school every morning, Alex and I have a little more time to ourselves. I decided to use the opportunity to check out a free Kindermuzik class that was being offered on base. This is a program for children ages 1-4, and uses songs, poems, dancing, and lots of props to introduce them to musical concepts like rhythm, sound, and memorization. Alex was the youngest one to show up that day, and to be honest I think it was a little above his level. The parents hold or play alongside the children, but it is still a structured environment with everyone in the circle doing a particular activity or dance. Alex just wanted to wander around and play with the props, and got upset each time they were put away for the next song! They had bells, hula hoops, sock puppets, and tambourines, but his favorite by far was... the balls!

 He liked the little one because it was a little deflated and he could grip it to throw and catch. He actually made a little friend and spent some time playing chase the ball with him. But later, when they rolled out the giant balls, he was in love! They were almost as tall as he was, yet he wanted to throw himself at them and roll them all around. The final activity was my favorite. They sang a song about snow, and each child got a small bag filled with cotton balls and packing peanuts. We sprinkled 'snow' on each other, which he thought was hilarious! He loved it so much he tried to dump the whole bag on himself.

I would definitely recommend the Kindermuzik program to other parents. It is a lot like the Story Time I used to take my kids to at the Jacksonville library. Doing singing and dancing activities in a group was good preparation for pre-school. They learned how to follow directions, take turns, share toys, imitate an instructor, and memorize songs that were used each week. The instructor did a great job having unique props and activities for each song. I just think a 1-year-old who only recently learned to walk is not quite ready for this type of program. But we did have a fun morning!

The middle portion of December was spent planning my husband's unit's Christmas party. As the Ombudsman, I assist in planning some of the family activities, so we were placed in charge of this event. Since it was our first Christmas with the unit, we tried to determine what they had done in previous years and maintain those traditions. But since many of the former organizers have already left the unit, we had to do a lot of the work ourselves: purchasing gifts and assembling baskets for the Door Prizes, organizing a potluck contribution list, acquiring food, craft, and decorating supplies, finding a Santa volunteer, wrapping gifts for the unit's 25 children, decorating the hall, and cleaning up afterward! Thankfully, I had help from several of the unit's wives who volunteered to shop and decorate with me. It was a little stressful, but I really enjoyed being able to help out and make an important contribution. In the end, it was totally worth it: we had an amazing time! There was tons of food, craft projects for all the kids, Door prizes, a Yankee Swap gift exchange for the adults, and a visit from Santa! I was a little too busy to take pictures, but the only one I got captured one of Danny's best smiles after he unwrapped a pirate ship from Santa! My favorite touch was the Christmas balls I bought and had personalized with the words "FAST Company 2012." There was 1 for each family to take home. I know when I hang ours on the tree next year, I will remember a fun evening with some wonderful Marine families.

Finally, the night before we left for vacation, we attended the Polar Express event on base. I have to confess I still haven't read the children's book or even seen the movie on which the event is based, but I get the general idea. The book is about several children who spend Christmas Eve in their pajamas on a magical train that takes them to the North Pole. So, we all dressed up in our warmest pj's, walked 2 blocks to the base school, and got our Golden Tickets from the conductor. As you can see, Danny was pretty excited! :-)

 We waited in line for a while, thankfully being entertained by people dressed up in reindeer, elf, and Santa suits. Then it was our turn to get on board! The little train pulled several open cars like the trams you ride in huge parking lots to get to an amusement park. They were beautifully decorated and had Christmas music piped into them, so it was a very festive ride.

 We were bundled up pretty well, so it was a pleasant ride around the block, checking out all the Christmas lights on base. We had hot chocolate and cookies to look froward to afterward at the school's gym. They also had crafts and a bounce house, but it was a little late for us to stick around for all that. So we just enjoyed our train ride, sang some songs, and looked at the beautiful lights. Of course everyone with children shows up at this event, so we saw almost everyone I know! It was nice to do something with all the neighbors in our community, American and Spanish. The kids enjoyed their treats in the stroller while I pushed them home-- a wonderful end to a festive night!

The Polar Express took us around Commander's Circle, the most densely decorated block on base. Each house was unique, and all were beautiful! The kids said we were riding the train to Christmas town! I enjoy sharing festive events like this with the children, but I reminded them that the reason we have Christmas lights is to celebrate Jesus being the Light of the World. And throughout the season, I included them in charitable acts like making meals for others, baking cookies for the church, buying clothes and toys for Angel Tree children, and praying weekly that we would learn to love each other more. So I think we all had a very good Advent. I loved sharing the story of Jesus's  birth with them, praying over our Advent wreath, and answering funny questions like whether there were reindeer in the stable at Jesus's birth. And when Christmas Day came in Portugal, they didn't even ask for presents! They just wanted to make sure we had a cake so we could sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Which we did. :-) I look forward to next Christmas, experiencing more Spanish traditions, and growing even deeper in faith with my family. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!