Sorry I have been MIA, but we had the chance to go on an all-expense paid Army Strong Bonds retreat to the Great Wolf Lodge.

I hadn’t really heard too much about the hotel, so I was thrilled when my husband came back to the car after checking in saying, “This place is very kid friendly–they’re going to love it!! In my singleton days “kid friendly” meant something very unappealing, but with two kids in tow, those words are music to my ears!

The weekend was divided into family time and seminars about marriage and parenting. I’m not sure why but I really love learning about relationships, so it was heaven!

We watched Mark Gungor’s “Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage” videos, which I had seen, but found it so much more fun to watch with my husband.

A ministry team from Atlanta joined us for the weekend shared great tips from “Love and Respect” by Dr. Emerson Eggrichs.

My heart is so full of love and adoration for my wonderful family. I’m not sure why I’m so richly blessed in this area of life, but am and feel so thankful for it. The warm feelings about my family filled my spirit more than the worry about my car breaking down (towed away and resting at the dealership) and my iPhone breaking. Yikes!!

Guess it’s good to keep the important things…important. If I have a chance over the next couple days, I’ll post some of the adorable pics we took this weekend.

What did you get into this weekend? Were you relaxing with your family or, perhaps, preparing for the holidays??

© 2010, Amy. All rights reserved.

“As women, we hold so much influence over our husbands’ (and children’s) attitude. When my hubby knew I was safe and content, he could concentrate on completing his missions successfully. Our men are wired to be providers and protectors, so if they’re worried about something at home or feel they’re failing, their work suffers.

Proverbs 31 states: ‘A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life…Her husband is respected at the city gate…Her husband praises her” (verses 10-12, 23, 28 NIV).

What a joy for a serviceman to have ‘full confidence’ in his wife who ‘watches over the affairs of her household’ while he cannot! We have a unique role to play in defending the country. While what we do may often seem like a ‘behind-the-scenes’ and thankless job, our partners would be crippled without our support.”

(Excerpt from “Faith Deployed”)

A couple weeks after my husband deployed, I opened up the book “Faith Deployed,” which had been sent to me by its author, Jocelyn Green. Honestly I was reluctant to read it because the deployment–and the absence of my husband–took up enough space in my life.

This excerpt, and many others. spoke to my heart directly. The more I fight for contentment in my home, the better my husband feels and can effectively do his job. My attitude has a profound effect on my husband whether he is sitting next to me on the couch or deployed many miles away.

Green must have known I needed to hear this and other motivational stories because her book is filled with brief (two to four pages) narratives that correlate to the struggles of military wives during a deployment. Each story begins with a Bible verse, then a personal story from a military wife. Then Green offers “Ask” and “Pray” ideas that put into words feelings you might be having and a way to share it with God.

This book was great because it revealed that my own concerns or weaknesses weren’t just my own. She lends advice for problems that most military spouses encounter: conquering resentment, battling for contentment, finding comfort in God, feeling married to the military, and many others.

Jocelyn Green has kindly given me an extra copy to give to one of my readers! I would love to share this with you!!

Enter NOW until Friday, Oct. 1 at noon, EST. Here’s how you can win:

1. Answer this: What is the toughest part about a deployment? It can be your own experience or what you’ve seen others go through. (Post a comment below.)

To earn extra entries:

2. Become a Click Clack Mom Facebook Fan and post this story URL as your status update. (Post a comment below to let me know you did this. )

3. Follow Click Clack Mom on Twitter and retweet this story. (Post a comment below to let me know you did this.)

4. Become a Faith Deployed Facebook Fan. (Post a comment below to let me know you did this.)

4. Have a Blog? Blog about the contest and leave the URL of your post in the comment field below.

© 2010, Amy. All rights reserved.

“She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.”

Taken from The Lanyard by Billy Collins

Before my husband returned from deployment, I was privately giddy that he would soon see how much I do each day to keep our family content.

Meals made, diapers changed, sleep interrupted, tantrums endured, songs sung, stories told, patience exhibited.

Love provided.

Just as a plastic lanyard from a young boy can even the score with his mother, you realize that in a great marriage (or family) you can’t be happy if you’re counting. You can’t keep score.

And this fact has made all the difference in my heart over the past few days.

It’s so good to be home again.

P.S. Remember to enter the Mimi’s Babies Giveaway, which is open until Friday at noon.

© 2010, Amy. All rights reserved.

“Adding up a total of a love that’s true,
Multiply life by the power of two.”

That means what you think it means. My husband is home from deployment and life couldn’t be better!

The winner for the Blog2Print book was Tracy from Fabulous Army Life!

I’ll check in with you if time allows this weekend. If not, I’m cooking up another awesome giveaway starting on Monday. Make sure to stay tuned!

(Lyrics from The Indigo Girls)

© 2010, Amy. All rights reserved.

I can’t exactly say when, but my husband will be home soon.

Joy? Excitement? Relief? Each day passing excruciatingly slowly??
YES!!!!!!

Lately I’ve found myself feeling a little odd. It’s much like Senioritis. There are a few things to do before he gets home–a few baked goods to make, a few bathrooms that need to be cleaned. But I’ve found myself pushing many things off until he returns.

The oil needs to be changed in the car soon, but taking two babies to Jiffy Lube sounds like a nightmare. Jackson needs to get a vaccination, but I haven’t taken him because the last visit was, well, memorable. So basically, I’m waiting for my husband to return to help.

As the end draws near, I’m tossing responsibilities with reckless abandon. Strangely, the past few days have been more difficult than most. Honestly I feel like I am running on empty.

But each day I think of something new that will be delightful when this deployment is over.

No more:

Obsessively checking the locks before I fall asleep.
Eating dinner alone.
Waiting for calls that may or may not come with a connection that may or may not be crappy.
Worrying that something could happen to me and my kids would be alone in the house until someone figured it out. (I know, I sound like a total wack-a-doo, but I worry about this.)

There are so many things I am looking forward to sharing with my husband. Right now I’m a kid who can’t sleep because our family’s going to Disney World the next day.

And each moment lasts forever…

© 2010, Amy. All rights reserved.