$25 Baggage Fees and Adjusting

Let's face it.

My life truly is not as exciting as it used to be.

I think being miserable at work and missing my child while she spent more time at daycare than with me was the craziness I needed in my life to function.

Honestly, I don't miss the institution (the Marine Corps).

I don't miss the dirty looks and comments I got when I came into work 30 minutes late because my husband was deployed and my daughter needed to be dropped off at daycare.

I don't miss the eye rolling from ignorant men who had wives who stayed at home with their children all day when I had to leave work 2 hours early to take my kid to a doctor's appointment.

I don't miss the time I was FORCED to take my 3 year old to a sexual assault prevention brief (while she had pink eye), because I COULDN'T miss it. (That is a WHOLE another blog post, and just thinking about it is making my blood boil).

I just don't miss any of it.

Like I've said before, motherhood changed my ENTIRE view of my life as a Marine.

I just feel like now, I live in my husband's shadow.

On our flight to Alabama, I had to pay a $25 baggage fee, and my "dependent ID card" was no excuse to get out of it.

I have never had to pay a petty baggage fee.

I just flashed my fancy military ID with my smiling face in cammies and my rank written proudly on it, and it got me out of silly things like $25 baggage fees.

I forgot that military dependents are just that....dependents.

Dependents don't always get all the perks of being active duty, and it's one of those things that I'm adjusting to. 

Sure, I'm a veteran, but I don't carry an ID that states that.

I guess I could go buy a big red hat that says "Operation Iraqi Freedom Vet" written on it, but it's not exactly my style (insert laugh).

I feel like a horrible mother for saying this, but sometimes I feel like the things I do at home with my 3 year old all day are petty and unimportant compared to the things I used to do.

It's only been a few months since I've entered this new life, and I am still learning to embrace it.

I couldn't imagine a day going by that I don't get to spend every waking moment with my daughter, but the transition I made to this point was so completely different than my old life that it's tough.

How can I not love these moments, though?

With the freezing temps, D and I have been house ridden (we are wusses when it comes to snow and cold). We've been having little indoor picnics this week with all her "friends" (mainly stuffed animals), and it's been a blast!

Almond butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat, whole grain goldfish, half a banana, and a fresh strawberry banana blueberry smoothie. Healthy eating is a part of life in this family!

D and all her "friends". She really likes feeding them.

It wasn't until this week that D decided she did not like crust on her sandwich. I have NO idea where she got this from?! She's always eaten the crust...

Our new fish. He's a baby betta fish named "Dokey-Dokey" (named by none other than my brilliant 3 year old).