School Supplies

Does anyone else find the lists that come out every year more and more ridiculous? I understand the reasons behind them and do understand that they need these items since our funding in public schools is constantly being cut. However, what I cannot understand is the detail of these lists, the type where they specify the actual NAME BRANDS that they want bought and sent into the classrooms. I just want to say this...if I don't use Bounty paper towels at my house, you certainly aren't going to get them for your classroom.

Here are the examples of the school lists for two of my children.

First Grade

3 Boxes of Crayola Crayons (24 basic colors)
3 Folders with Brads and Pockets (Red, Blue, Yellow)
1 70 page Spiral Notebook (wide rule)
2 Bottles of Elmer's Glue (NOT BLUE)
9 Glue Sticks
1 Pair of Fiskar Scissors (Regular)
3 Boxes of Kleenex
1 Pack of Baby Wipes
2 24 ox packs of #2 pencils
2 -2 pack erasers
2 Bottles Germ X (16 oz)
1 Supply Box
1- Gallon Size Ziploc Bags

Fourth Grade
24- #2 Pencils, regular
4 packs of Notebook Paper (wide rule, 3 hole)
2 Glue Sticks
1 Pink Eraser
1 package of Cap erasers
1 12" inch ruler with inch and centimeter markings
1 Box of Crayola Crayons (24 regular)
1 Box of Colored Map Pencils
1 Supply Box, Snap Shut lid
5 Folders with pockets and brads (different colors)
4 - 70 page spiral notebooks
3 Boxes of Kleenex
1 Bottle of Germ-X
1 Bottle of Liquid Soap
1 Roll of Bounty Paper Towels
1 pair of Fiskars Scissors
Dry Erase Markers
5 Book Covers
1 Box of Wipes

Here's what I want to know...WHY do my children need 48 pencils?? Why are my children providing soap, can our schools not at least provide that basic staple? My children no longer wear diapers, why are we sending in Baby Wipes? Oh yeah, yet another item they use as a cleaning supply, again, why are sending in things that the School district should be supplying? Bounty paper towels, are you kidding me, the Mardi Gras brand works great for the Albrecht Family, it will work for a bunch of 1st Graders. Germ-X hand sanitizer...my ever resourceful husband brought home a case of hand santizer that his unit was going to throw away before they deployed because they had to get rid of it for storage sake. So let me say this..if it's good enough for our Soldiers, it's good enough for some 4th Graders and it's not Germ-X.

Have any of you seen the desks that our children sit at...is there room for all the things on this list that we send in on the first day of school? No, so what happens is it's all collected in one general area and next thing I know my child is coming home telling me he needs a pencil because he lost his...now, where are the other 48 pencils I sent in? Used up by other children. Paper is a huge issue, one year I must have sent in 20 packs of paper, this was after sending in the 4 required at the beginning of the school year. Just ridiculous. I don't mind that they consolidate but what I do mind is the fact that after I've spent $30-$50 on school supplies that SHOULD have lasted MY child the school year I am having to spend more money to resupply because his "extras" have been doled out to other students. My last thing is Kleenex, if you have a child with allergies, send in extra boxes, I do because frankly I'm tired of supplying the entire class with tissues month after month.

There are items on that list that are NEVER used...Ziploc baggies, not used in fourth grade be we still have to send them in. Dry erase markers were sent into a second grade teacher who stated that she herself used them, the students did not. And not trying to make any teacher out there mad but you all can itemize and get a tax break on your purchase of school supplies...can you give us a break.

When you figure out the cost of lunch meals, those at the school or whatever you have to buy to make at home, school clothes and school supplies, we may have to start taking out a loan.

I understand that we need to send our children to school prepared, I just want those creating these lists to be realistic and DO NOT give my child grief over their Rose Art crayons, Rose Art glue, Mardi Gras paper towels and their scissors that are obviously from the year before (they are still perfectly useable!). Be grateful for what I send in and use it! My child will still get the fundamentals down using his generic brand pencil and crayons!

That does NOT include what I have to purchase for my soon to be middle schooler, an additional blog will be made after I recieve that list I'm sure!

"Friendship"

I have spent a lot of time recently contemplating relationships/friendships I've had. I don't really know why but when I think about them, my mind often wanders back to something I received in my email months ago. I remember when I first read it, I felt it had such truth to it and even went as far as to put different "friendships" into the three different categories. Lately I find myself thinking again about this little write-up...

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.!
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

So now I think back to the last 18 months or so and I see all the "friendships" I have developed, nurtured, walked away from or found myself missing. I'll admit that for some of those relationships I expressed great emotion, sometimes anger, sometimes hurt...a lot of times simple confusion. There are some friendships that seemed really strong and then the next day there were non-existent and I was left trying to figure out what the hell happened. Something that I have come to realize over the past few days is that if I really read the words of the statement above, those "friendships" served their purpose. Instead of being angry or hurt, I need to reflect and just ponder for a few minutes what good came out of them. If they were meant to only be for a Season, I should look at the memories that were created and keep them locked inside to take out when I need a smile. If they were meant for a Reason, I should do the same and try to figure out the reason and feel good if I helped in a situation. Unless I did something horrible to cause that friendship to fail, then I should realize that in God's big plan, these "friendships" were created for a purpose and if they've ended then I should acknowledge that I've done what I needed to and move on.

The last category is Lifetime. Now those who know me well know that I do not use the term "friend" loosely. It takes a lot for me to put you in that category. This is where my Lifetime buddies fall in, they are in my friend status. I always thought this category consisted of a fairly small number but as I've pondered all this the past few days, I realize that it's a slightly larger number than I originally thought. There are people who I may not talk to everyday but when I think of them, I feel my love for them in my heart. I can't erase that. I'd still do anything for them if they asked. That's what lifetime friends do. And lifetime doesn't have to be literal, I know there are friendships I've developed in the past couple years that will last the rest of my lifetime. It's not always about the past but also about the future.

So what's the point to all this rambling? Basically this...I'm not going to beat myself up over "lost" friendships, I'm going to look at them, remember the happy times, smile and know that there is a reason for everything.

Just a Few Misc Photos from the Squad

Just wanted to share a few miscellaneous pics of what's been going on with us Albrecht folk.

The pics above are what Kevin is doing out in Missouri. He is in the Fox Recon platoon. The first pic is the actual vehicle itself and the second is a pic of Kevin "swimming" the vehicle. He is really enjoying his time out there.

These pics are from our Cub Scout pack meeting. We had our Cubanapolis...Neil raced first and then the leaders got to race so there I am running my heart out, lol.

Here are the boys chilling at the free outdoor concert we went to, so sweet!

And below I can't forget our sweet Diva Dog..Sapper...ah how she humors us!

4th of July..I Will Remember

The 4th of July.
All I want to say is that today I will not celebrate...today I will remember.
I will remember those who have paid the price with their blood, the price of freedom. Today I will remember those who didn't even know me but who volunteered to protect my freedom. Today I will remember the families of those who paid this price with their lives. I will remember with tears that fall, probably never enough to even begin to comfort them for their sacrifice.
Today as the fireworks explode, I will remember those who serve around the world, where the explosions are not those of celebration, but of reality of war. I will remember their sacrifice.
Today I will remember that my freedom is not my own, that someone paid that debt for me.

Army Wives on Lifetime

So lifetime has a new TV series called ArmyWives. I admit that this blog offers my very biased opinion on the military facts on this series.

The biggest annoyances to me are (not in any particular order)

1. The female LTC Burton wears a Combat Infantry Badge. Could never happen, first and foremost a CIB is authorized ONLY to Infantry MEN...why men only?? Because females are not authorized in the Infantry.

2. The berets...every single soldier on that show wears their berets wrong, they are not shaped or formed and it drives me to insanity! (And for those who say they can't wear the uniform to perfection because of regulations, they could TRY)

3. At a promotion ceremony held indoors a Soldier stood up and saluted a superior...doesn't happen indoors folks.

4. Oh along with the bad berets, yeah the bad salutes are right up there!

5. Last week's episode involved a Soldier taking two people hostage. There was not sufficient time in my eyes to resolve this situation before the Soldier was shot dead by a sniper. There are a few things that bother me about this scenario. First and foremost it gives the civilian population the idea that instead of taking care of our Combat Vets who suffer from PTSD with the help they need, we shoot them and worry about it later. So annoying. Second, as he related his story about why he was so upset he said he was left behind after being wounded with a local Afghani family..uhm NOT. This would NEVER happen, we do not leave our soldiers behind. Granted in his story, he was well taken care of and promised to go back and help and that's when all the bad things happened, the family being tortured and killed and he felt great regret for not saving them. Ok..whatever, he wouldn't have been left behind in the first place.
Another aspect of that particular story line that bothers me is the COL who is in charge, his wife happened to be one of the hostages...ok fine..but as soon as they knew who was being held hostage they would have removed him as an authority figure due to Conflict of Interest...that did not happen.
Oh and crowd control...there was an MP block off about 500 feet from the building..in a real situation the entire area plus a few MILES would have been blocked off, allowing NO ONE in except for those needed. Nope, there was entire post community watching on the sidelines...so dumb!

6. There was a MAJ who is currently deployed to Iraq (only going to be gone for 3 months..haha, where does my husband sign up for that tour?). His storyline was that his helicopter crashed and they weren't sure if he was missing or dead. Ok...the notification process sucked big time. The COL told his wife who then told the MAJ's spouse. Let me think on this...oh yeah, not how it happens. Doesn't matter if you are best buds with the Prez..there is a process.

7. The young Specialists wife works at a "Jody" bar...we do not use the term Jody in this new era of the Army. In fact I don't really believe it's ever truly been used since I've been in. Maybe the first couple years as I served with Vietnam era Soldiers who were about to retire.

8. The Delta Force Soldier who receives a phone call, he rushes away from his wife, not kissing her or anything...come on...they are right, they can't tell them when they are going, where they are going or how long they will be gone but you can believe they can spend a second or two kissing and saying goodbye to his wife!

Well that's my list of annoyances for the time being...if I think of more, I suppose I'll have to add.

In closing, I hope the people who watch this TV show remember that it is Hollywood and that things are exaggerated. While there might be some truth to the experiences, most of those storylines are greatly stretched to the imagination.

The one thing I try to remember is our Soldiers work hard to defend their right to put whatever they want on tv regardless of fact or fiction. Such a sad thing really when I think that they don't even care about getting the story right...

Yes, I know it's TV and I rarely get sucked in to a TV show, now I know why..lol
But I admit, I anticipate what next week's episode will show us!