Military Mondays: Status: Sometimes Single

I know I have been neglecting posts these past weeks but please bear with me as we are all slowly transitioning into the new school year (without a helper and 3 kids ranging in age from 9 to 1 and juggling working from home).  We have two new students this school year and that means we're easing into new routines (more on that in a later post).  Yes, the octopus mom is back juggling duties and adding a new duty as driver into the mix!

H has transferred to a new school and G is starting nursery and F, well, is going to accompany me when I ferry her sisters to and from school.  H and G are in two different schools but 5 minutes away from each other so that helps somewhat, logistically speaking.

And since this is a Military Monday post, I will be sharing my experience of being "sometimes single".  As a military officer, J is most often than not assigned to different locations throughout the Philippines (sometimes, out of the country also) and that makes me sometimes single. It has always been a challenge as a military wife to balance life as being in command one minute and then being in a "subordinate" position the next. There are "mom's rules" which swiftly change back up to "dad's rules".  I know it may sound schizophrenic to most who have both parents at home but I think that the girls are adapting to it marvelously.  I think that it also helps that J and I are in the same page with what rules are going to be enforced. It also helped that J and I talk these over when we have our downtime and sometimes there are no distinctions as to whose rules are those.  For example, the kids know that when J is around, they have to ask his permission when they want to play outside with their friends.  There are also some basic rules enforced by both of us like: Washing hands before eating and after playing outside, saying grace before meals, bedtimes, saying goodbye before leaving, etc.  There are constant reminders perpetuated by J right across from where I sit in the dining table which are to be made standard. He says that these help me remember as I am notorious for having mom brain. Yeah, guilty to a fault!

source:  www.nickmom.com

Being sometimes single is not all that bad though. I have learned that there are things that I thought I would never have done that I can and did splendidly. Like the times (yes multiple) when H had febrile convulsions and J was assigned in Mindanao and I had to rush her to the hospital. I know, I know, me being a doctor, I should have known what to do in the first place but when I became a mother, all those got thrown out of the window (thankfully, common sense did not!).  Now I understand, why parents panic when their kids get sick.  There was also the time when I had to fix a leak in the toilet (greatest achievement to date? hahaha). It may seem daunting at first but once you really put your head into the game, you'll realize that you are more than capable.  So, military wives, and sometimes single females, cheer up!  There is still hope for us, non-DIY types out there.