I’ve alluded to the BIG announcement on Facebook and Twitter so if you follow me over there you know what I’m about to say.

Several months ago, SGT Daddy decided to NOT re-enlist to continue his career in the Army. Today, he officially started with ACAP (Army Career and Alumni Program) as part of our transition out of the army. Yes by the end of the year, we will no longer be an Army family.

The BIG Announcement is that as of today I will not be continuing with my ArmyHousehold6 blog. (boy this  was hard to write ) It is with a heavy heart that I no longer will be blogging here at ArmyHousehold6.com. This blog has been a MAJOR part of my life for the last 5.5 years. It has been my saving grace through basic training, issues with Tricare for our kids, promotions, TDY’s,  3 PCS moves and of course the year long deployment.

I have made so many wonderful and close friends because of my little blog here. I love you all. I’ve been given so many wonderful opportunities and have been honored to be part of something amazing.   I truly never expected when I started “this blogging thing. ” back in November 2004.

Now I’m not giving up on blogging,  (did you really think I would ?) I’ll continue to blog about everyday life over at tammymunson.com. I hope that you follow me over there.  I will continue to leave ArmyHousehold6.com up as an archive for other army wives, girlfriends and family members looking for information, resources,etc.

I’ll still be involved with the military community through my volunteer work with Soldiers Angels and continue to support our troops, military families and of course  the milblogging community. As always, I’ll still be available to anyone of my military family member who needs help. I will always here for you.

I’m sure many people want to know where we are going. We will be moving to North Carolina (near Camp LeJeune area ) so I can work in the corporate offices of Jane Wayne, LLC. SGT Daddy (his real name is Dan ) will be getting a position in that area as well.

xoxo-
Tammy aka ArmyHousehold6

We decided to have dinner to catch up — We mutually agreed on Outback — since we all love it!

Of course the food was awesome as it usually is .. but the amazing thing was that it was like they never even left. I’d usually post a picture but we were so busy talking that I forgot to take any.  (we are so glad that they are here with us … once SGT Daddy is home we are ALL going out to dinner)

I think that is the thing about really good friends — that no matter how long you haven’t seen each other , it seems like it was yesterday. They are always there for you no matter where they are and what they are doing. You can trust them completely and  know that  have your best interests at heart.

SGT Daddy and I are so grateful for all the good friends that we have both here in our military family but also in our large internet family too.  (you know who you are ) As we endure this last phase of this deployment — We couldn’t have gotten through this deployment without you.

Over the next several weeks, as we near the end of this deployment– I’ll be focusing many of the posts on reflections of the last 11 months and of course looking ahead  to redeployment/reintergration.

I had 9 inch snow drifts in my yard in March!!!

I don’t know about you but there is something seriously WRONG with that statement.That , my friends , is Colorado weather for ya!

Most of it has melted and we are looking at more snow again tomorrow night/Saturday. Honestly I can handle this kind of weather when it is … oh I don’t know…  WINTER!!

Anyway — the girls have been having a fun week off playing and being lazy. So despite the snow, we’ve been having a great week.

The new exercise regiment is going pretty well… I’m really sore. (so that means it’s working right?) This week I only did 1 day of riding my mountain bike up on the trails of Cheyenne Mountain and 2 days running on trails on Fort Carson.

How was your SpringBreak? What did you do? (or what will you do if it hasn’t started yet?)

A couple of days ago , I came across a news article about the NFL requesting that non- NFL licensed merchandise with the WHO DAT slogan be removed from stores.

At first , I didn’t think much of it as I’m not up to speed on the happening in New Orleans. .

As I looked more closely at the article and tweets surrounding it , I realized there was a lot more to it.

For those that don’t know, I grew up in New Orleans. I attended my first Saints game at the age of 5 with my dad and my grandfather. I’ve attended tons of games since then.. most during the “Aints” years.

While I’m not the BIGGEST football fan (we all know how much I love hockey) I do have a special place in my heart for the Saints and of course my hometown, New Orleans.

To the people at the NFL – what you are doing is WRONG! I understand you own the Saints logo, colors and even the Fleur-De-Lis. I strongly disbelieve that you also own the “WHODAT” too. I urge you to share those copyright papers if you do.

The WHO-DAT term has been around since the 1890’s LONG before the Saints organization was born and the NFL. It has been used in songs,commercials, advertising,  marketing plans,etc for years … NOW all of a sudden it is a copyright/licensing issue?

I truly believe that this just about money.. plain and simple.  Shame on you NFL ! We didn’t let Katrina stop us  and we certainly won’t let the you!

Now for all you SAINTS fans – call or email the NFL and tell them to leave our “who dat” alone! Contact info : Dan Masonson – NFL 212-450-2081 212-450-2081 Dan.masonson@NFL.com

A BIG thanks to YatMediaLLC and FleurtyGirl for letting us all know what they are TRYING to do.

To Sean, Drew and the rest of the Saints — good luck in da bowl !! Bless you Boys!

– cross-posted on tammymunson.com /
]]> http://armyhousehold6.com/2010/01/29/who-dat-say/feed/ 3 http://armyhousehold6.com/2010/01/18/5-years-2/ http://armyhousehold6.com/2010/01/18/5-years-2/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:27:44 +0000 Tammy http://armyhousehold6.com/?p=1776 5 years ago today, Daddy became Soldier Daddy (and eventually SGT Daddy)

We were living a relatively normal civilian life when we made the decision to become a military family.(yes it was a joint decision)

Our world changed completely the day SGT Daddy left for Basic Training. Both of us have family members that served , so we had an idea of what to expect.  I’ll be the first to admit there was a lot we didn’t expect or know about.

It was our first time apart in a very long time   and we had a hard time adjusting to that separation. (Actually now 10 weeks apart seems like a cakewalk compared to the 7 months so far in this deployment)

Here is the first post after SGT Daddy left for Basic — That was a particularly BAD week. (later to be known as my “day from HELL”)  I’ve grown a lot as a blogger since then. LOL

We’ve also learned a lot about being a military family and the Army since then as well. We know are experts in PCS moves , how to navigate Tricare and IEP’s with a special needs child, TDY’s, deployment, what to do when Finance screws up your pay,etc.

So Happy  Anniversary SGT Daddy and the Army !  It’s been a fun (yet stressful at times) ride

UPDATE – 12/21/09 @10pm EST

The party was so much fun… and we managed to raise $550 in ONE HOUR for the Wounded Warrior Project!! Much thanks to all those that participated and Whitefence.com for sponsoring as well as donating!!

Yes you read that right … I’m excited for a Monday. You see… This Monday I’ll be co-hosting a Twitter Party with WhiteFence.com , starting at 9pm EST.

If you aren’t familiar with WhiteFence, I highly recommend you check them out. WhiteFence is a free service that helps people who are moving or looking to find the best deals on phone, Internet, television, electricity, natural gas and other home services.

Now this is no normal Twitter Party, there will be no gifts to give away. However there it is opportunity to have some awesome conversation, share our tips/tricks and help our wounded warriors …
you see every tweet that includes the party hashtage (#wfparty) a $1 donation will go to the Wounded Warrior Foundation. (up to $2000)

So how can you help get involved and raise money?
Well @whitefence and I will be talking about how how to make the holidays special when you’re loved one is overseas.  All you have to do is join in the conversation on Twitter (make sure to include the hashtag )

Make sure you follow me (@tammymunson) and Whitefence (@whitefence) so you don’t miss this fun event!!!

So spread the word to not only raise  money but awareness as well. If  you would like to make your own donation to the Wounded Warrior Project , you do do so at the WWP site as well!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at tammy @ armyhousehold6.com

Hope to see you there !

Tammy

The New Orleans Saints are now 8 – 0 with their win over Carolina today! If that wasn’t amazing enough, this is the FIRST time in franchise history, they have been  8 – 0!!      Way to GEAUX* !!!

My father and grandfather has been regular season ticket holder since the beginning ! The dome wasn’t even built yet when they first started attending games. They were held at Tulane Stadium back then. So, its been a LONG time.

Heck – I even started going to Saints games at a young age, I think I was 5 years old when I went to my first Saints game.

So to all the true BELIEVERS – Congrats and this is OUR YEAR!!

I’m sure my grandfather is up in Heaven yelling at the tv – “its about time you big dummies ! ”

* yes I know I spelled GEAUX incorrectly but that is how we spell it down in N’awlins!  : )

image courtesy of FoxNews.com

My thoughts and prayers are with all of our military family at Fort Hood as well as those affected directly by this horrific act. If any of my readers at Hood need ANYTHING, please let me know and I’ll make sure to get you what you need!!!!

I just want to update real quick about what’s happening at Fort Hood.. these are the facts. I’m not going to speculate on ANYTHING (unlike certain members of the MSM)

• LTG Cone said all suspects were SOLDIERS!
• No kids were harmed .. they believe the situation is now under control. (at 3pm MT)
• The initial shooter (an Army major) died and the other 2 are now in custody.

Please remember – let’s not jump to conclusions on the speculations or rumors that we are hearing about. Let  CID, MP’s and FBI do their job and research the backgrounds of these guys before we start jumping to conclusions about the who and the why!

Now – as far as Obama’s press conference about Ft Hood. I think it was severely mishandled but what can you expect with someone who doesn’t have much leadership experience.

UPDATE
LTG Cone stated that MAJ Hasan was the ONLY shooter and that he is in fact ALIVE. Also – 13 people (including 1 civilian) have died and 31 wounded.

According to Fox News –

Survivors of the rampage that killed 13 and wounded 30 said the suspect, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, shouted “Allahu Akbar!” — “God is great!” in Arabic — before opening fire, base commander Lt. Gen. Robert Cone said.

I hadn’t posted much about this here on the blog (but if you follow me on Facebook , you’ve heard me vent here and there)  Over the last several weeks, We (I ) had have lots of problems with the middle school Kiersten attends.(Carson Middle School)  Basically, they were not supporting her and her special needs like they were supposed to and her grades, self confidence, etc. were suffering. Y’all know me… you do not mess with my family!

This all started back in May when we had Kiersten’s transition meeting. (going from elementary to middle school). The meeting seemed normal until I started to get a bad feeling about it. We were discussing K’s options for electives and the new IEP person lowered the boom on us all.

We were told that Kiersten COULD NOT have any electives because of her “extra ” classes. SGT Daddy and I were floored and K was devasted. They were saying K would have a 100% academic day with no time for “fun ” classes.

I of course vented my opinion about this .. stating how they were punishing her for her special needs and that was NOT her fault.  This was the first time I ever had to disagree with the IEP suggestions and the first time I left an IEP meeting and not signing it. After several days of negotiations, they agreed to drop one of her special classes and give her 1 elective.We were also promised that K would have help navigating from class to class the first week of class.

So we spend all summer happy about her schedule … both sides were happy with the results.

As school approaches, we still haven’t heard anything about her actual schedule, who would be helping her,etc.  Finally I go in the day before school is to start and ask. They tell me that ALL the 6th graders will receive their schedule the first day of school. They also tell me that all the 6th graders will meet in the gym and Kiersten’s homeroom teacher will help her.

So I’m satisfied once again and think — Problem solved. WRONG!

Kiersten comes home the first day in tears … her schedule had no electives, no one helped her and her schedule was such small print she could barely read it.  Mama is not happy and went to the school and got the schedule changed. No respone on the other things.  Now this schedule change would be the first of 4 (yes 4 ) …

The communication was horrible with the teachers, IEP manager , adminstration! After several weeks of them moving her from classroom to classroom, not doing well with her grades (she had a F in one of her classes 3 weeks in school), being bullied by another 6th grade girl .. I had enough!

I spoke with counselors, her homeroom teacher, even the Asst Prinicpal. Sometimes they blamed ME and sometimes they blamed Kiersten. Many times I got the typical administration “brush off ” !  Then, I started to notice Kiersten’s self confidence was dropping.. she didn’t want to play with her friends outside anymore, using bad language and an attitude to match, she didn’t want to go to “that” school anymore. Pretty sad huh?

I realized that this was a SERIOUS problem … so after having MANY conversations with SGT Daddy , we knew we had to get her out of there. We finally decided on having her attend the Colorado Virtual School.  It’s a lot like online college but for k – 12. Basically it is homeschooling but the school creates the curriculum, lesson plans ,etc and I help her learn that in an online virtual environment. We enrolled her and pulled Kiersten out of Carson Middle school the very same day! Yes I’m a homeschooling mom… can you believe it ? (i still can’t)

Kiersten has been attending school at home for a couple of days now and I have to say she is back to her old sweet self. She is a happy girl again .. which makes Mama happy!  This is certainly not what I expected to be doing in the middle of a year long deployment, but what my kids need is more important then anything else.

I’m so honored and humbled by this -  I just can’t tell you .. you can read the whole article at http://momitforward.com/amazing-mom-takes-care-of-military-families-while-husband-is-deployed

Thank you so much Danielle!