Major Mom

My name is Patricia, but in the blogging world I became known as "Major Mom" thanks to a friend in the Air Force Reserves. As soon as he had said it, the David Bowie song "Space Oddity" went through my mind. I am a mother and wife first - an Air Force wife, that is. My husband proudly serves in the Air Force as a weather officer. I also continue to serve my country as a Major in the Air Force Reserves. It's a wonderful double-life I lead. It was a very difficult decision for me -- I had our second son in early 2005 just before the 10-year-point in my career. It was already tough having to turn my oldest son over to a child care center every duty day -- 50 hours per week. So in spring 2005 I took advantage of a Reserves job opening for which I was qualified in Norfolk, Virginia -- my hometown! It's truly wonderful getting to see my sons grow up, and be able to help out at their school, on their sports teams (I've coached soccer before) and as a Cub Scout den leader. I'm not sure I'd have had time for that if I had remained on active duty. We currently live in Navarre, Florida, while my wonderful husband is assigned to Hurlburt Field, Florida. We've also lived in the following locations since we graduated from Penn State University in 1995: Fort Polk, Louisiana, 1995-1998 Yongsan Army Installation, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 1998-2000 Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, 2000-2002 Patrick AFB, Florida, 2002-2005 Raleigh, North Carolina (Dave was assigned to North Carolina State University), 2005-2008 Offutt AFB, Nebraska, 2008-2010 Hurlburt Field, Florida, 2010-present I started this blog in December 2007, thanks to suggestions from friends. We're in our third home since I started the blog. I used to send out captioned photo albums -- from AOL Pictures to Shutterfly albums to Picasaweb albums. Instead of flooding everyone with photos, now I can use this blog to send out the highlights. I'll talk about anything on here -- usually I'm talking about the kids, but I'll also delve into the local scene wherever we're living, and you'll also see some great posts about the two military moves (PCS: Permanent Changes of Station) we've had. Sometimes I talk about utter nonsense, such as finding a product called "Piggies in Pancakes" in a grocery store in South Carolina. In my spare time I write for the parenting blog GeekMom.com, I serve on the board of the Hurlburt Spouses' Club, and I'm a Cub Scout den leader. I also enjoy running and playing the violin.

Vacation to CHINA!

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My attempt at another high-class activity posting. Wouldn’t it be cool to get to spend the Year of the Dragon Chinese New Year in BEIJING, of all places? Well, Dave and I had that privledge, but the Chinese tour guide didn’t think there’d be anything for us to see in that department, so we didn’t … Read more

Build a Bear!

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On Friday I took the boys to the Build a Bear store in Durham so the boys could use their Christmas gift cards from Cousin Jenn. Timmy was sound asleep when we got there, so Jake was able to go through the bear-making process on his own, and Timmy awakened right before I paid for … Read more

Laundry Day!

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It’s laundry day in the Vollmer house. For those who don’t know, I HATE laundry. Always have. I was quite lucky as a kid — I did a lot of chores in my house growing up (washing dishes, mowing the lawn) but laundry was never one of them. I think my Mom had her way … Read more

Mittens!

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Jake had some fleece mittens (Megan: you remember the ones we got in NH w/ the paw prints?) that have become so stretched out and grubby, it was time for a new pair. I got a bit ambitious and attempted to crochet him a pair. The good news is that they actually look like what … Read more

Birdwatching, Vollmer Style

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This winter, a hairy woodpecker started visiting my suet feeder that hangs right outside my kitchen window. I’ve had lots of birds come by over the years, but this was a first. It visited a couple weeks ago, but too much sudden movement from in the kitchen scared it away. Yesterday was the first time … Read more

Moon Sand Mess — Pardon Me While I Vent

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My boys love Moon Sand. I’m not Moon Sand’s biggest fan, but I’m willing to accept the risk for the sake of happy kids who are exercising their creative muscles and (above all) are sitting still being good. I suggested to Grammy Vollmer that Timmy receive a Moon Sand play set for Christmas and she … Read more

Five Little Monkeys…

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From 2007 12 15 Po… Enjoy this picture from the holiday portrait session my boys and my nephews did together back in December. Imagine how tough it is to get 5 little boys to cooperate for the camera, so even though my sister’s youngest wasn’t quite looking at the camera, they were all posing well … Read more

Haircut night!

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As part of my role as the family cheapskate, Dave cuts his own hair and I cut the boys’ hair. If anything, it allows me to afford my $42/each haircuts every 6 weeks. So tonight was haircut night for my two little ones. I do it right before bathtime so they can go straight into … Read more