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.

Working Girl

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At least for this week… …and part of next week… …and a teensy part of the following week. After a 2 1/2 month hiatus, Monday was my first day of doing any reserve work. My first workday since we moved to Nebraska. I’m working every day this week here in the local area, telecommuting with … Read more

Nebraska Discoveries 6: Our Weekend in North Platte

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This past weekend we rented a camper from the Air Force base and drove it 280 miles west of here to the town of North Platte, Nebraska. They were holding their annual “Railfest”, this big Union Pacific Railroad/Town of North Platte celebration weekend. The UP sponsors everything, lots of fun for everyone. There’s a festival … Read more

The Right-Brained Side of Major Mom

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“Woman, you did it again! Where on earth have you been?” Yeah, even those who IM me haven’t seen me around much. And definitely no e-mails… I’ve been on a mission since last Saturday evening. “What happened Saturday evening?” I had a couple “friends” contact me through Facebook. Friends from a life I’d all but … Read more

Daddy the Weather Doctor

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Quote of the day from Timmy: “Did Daddy become a weather doctor to help the weather feel better?” He asked us this as we were walking through a parking lot in a foggy drizzle. He’d been cooped up indoors for the past 2 days and is ready for the weather to feel better. Many of … Read more

An Oldie, But Goodie

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Dave came across the film Biloxi Blues this evening on Encore when he was surfing channels. This has to be one of my favorite movies! Matthew Broderick in the 80s was the cutest thing in the world. He’s still pretty cute now — he was a hoot in The Producers and I wish wish wish … Read more

Let’s Go State!

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I can’t believe it, we’re getting Penn State Football here in Big Red Country! On ESPN2 this afternoon! If we were still in North Carolina, we would have been subject to the Wake Forest game. I’m sure it’s because PSU’s playing Oregon State, so you’d get the most viewers around here rooting for one team … Read more

"Mommy, It Smells Like a Zoo"

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This is what Jacob greeted me with this morning. At least he said “Good Morning” first. No, my house isn’t that filthy! As you’ll remember from my Pros and Cons posting at the end of last month, our neighborhood sits just north of a large cattle farm. When the wind is from the south or … Read more