My hair for the CB ball was SO easy. I have spent the last week watching video after video on you tube for how-to's on easy updo's and found this one. It's called The Holly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U23DXFYt7G0

I did it a little differently because my hair is a little bit shorter and thinner than the woman in the video. I began with oily hair, then I put some palm-aid around the hairline to help control the friz. Instead of pulling my hair 1/2 way through the last time I wrapped the pony tail holder I pulled it all the way through. Then I back combed my hair a little on the underside. I rolled the hair under itself as if I was wrapping it around a roller. I took one of Gwen's bobble hair elastics (the ones with a ball on each end) I strung one side of it through the hole made by the hair and wrapped the other side around the base of the existing ponytail holder. Finally, I took a hair comb, caught a little bit of hair in it and then pushed it in right in front of the ponytail. I loved it. But most of all, I loved that it was easy.
It did take me a few times to get the technique down just right. So I'd say if you are going to wear this for your next formal event, practice a few times the day before.

Dear Bri of the future,
Our move to Port Hueneme went GREAT! But remember, no matter how smoothly a move goes, there are always a few little problems along the way. Here are some of the problems we had this time. Hopefully you can prevent them next time :)

• We had a ton of stuff that we left on the back porch that the movers would not move. I kept telling myself that I would pack it into boxes latter, but I didn't actually move it off the porch until the inspector was there to check us out of the house. DON'T DO THAT NEXT TIME!!! Package up all the stuff as soon as the movers leave. The cleaning materials that will be used to clean the house should be package, just don't close up the boxes. This will make checkout much less stressful!
• Get a babysitter for the move in day if the girls are not feeling too much stress from the move. It would be a good idea to have a babysitter for the morning of the inspection too.
• There was a lot of Change for the girls. They handled it really well, and I don't know that we could have done many things to improve this problem, just remember to be patient with them. (That is easier said than done!)
• It was a LOT harder to drive out of town than I thought it would be. After the check out from the house, I found my self crying while I was loading the last few items into the car.
• One night Maggie fell asleep before we got to the hotel, so we just put her to bed without getting her in her PJ's. She woke up several times through the night and Bri finally gave up around 2am. That was a LONG day for both Bri and Maggie.
• Be careful with what we use for indulging the girls. We tried to be a little more lenient with the girls than we normally are because of the stress of everything. I think a certain amount of this is okay, but one of the things we gave Gwen was gum. She has had it a few times before and is normally responsible about it. She started taking it out of her mouth and we gave her warnings, but didn't really follow through with taking it away from her. This resulted in a mini disaster. I got Magggie out of the port-a-crib one morning and found gum in her hair!!! Somehow Gwen had left the gum in the crib, or a place that Maggie could reach. That was not the circumstances I wanted to have for Maggie's first haircut! So don't indulge them in potentially disastrous activities. Just give them lots of chips and ice cream instead :)
• Look at the street signs when you get to the new house. We parked the car in front of the house so that no one else would block out the moving truck. But of all days, Friday from 8-10 am is the time the street sweeper comes by and we got a ticket.

And here are some of the things we did to make the move easier that REALLY helped out a lot! Hopefully we can do them next time too.

• Get a babysitter for the days that the movers are at the house. Even if Sam is available to be at the house for the movers, it is SO nice to have both of us available so one person can run errands and make phone calls while the other person is at the house, then you can switch places. Staying at the house with the movers can be boring because you are not allowed to help them pack. You can do a little cleaning, but you need to make sure not to be in their way.
• Have dinner with friends the last few days before the move. This was a fun way to say good bye to our friends. Instead of going out to eat or having dinner brought to us, we went to their house for dinner. It enabled me to clean the oven, stove and have all the dishes put away several days before the move. We just used the microwave, paper plates, cups, and plastic cutlery. It was also nice to be out of the house, so the girls were not pulling out a bunch of toys. The only draw back to this was that this is when Gwen normally got stressed out, when she was having a hard time playing with the kids, she began screaming and it was difficult to calm her down.
• splurge on getting a hotel room at least for the day before the movers come and the day after the movers bring your stuff. The Navy pays for a hotel from the day that the movers pack your stuff to the day they deliver it to the new house. But it makes things less complicated to pay for an extra day on each end so that you can move all the food out before the movers come and any items the movers won't take that you don't need for cleaning the house. The extra day comes in handy after they bring your stuff so there is a place for the kids to play and nap where they are not getting in the way of the movers.
• The night after the movers were done I had a cleaning party at the house. it was SO much fun to see my friends and have help with the last minute things. We had the kitchen and laundry room to clean. it took 6 of us 2 hours to do the work.

the move is going great! My over zealous organization techniques paid off because the Movers complimented me several times on how orderly the house was and how glad they were to be moving us :) Hopefully we will be settling into a new house by the end of the week!

I have found another great way to offer service to our beloved military men and women. While putting a hold on our mail I found a way to donate blood that directly helps US service members. Instead of going to your local blood bank, check out this link

https://www.militarylifeforce.com/

and you can donate directly to those who are fighting to keep that blood flowing through your veins. Apparently, when the military runs out of blood that has been donated specifically for them, they have to buy blood from blood banks. Help them save a buck and find a military blood bank near you.

Grocery list
Since you try to deplete your perishable food as much as possible before you move, there are a lot of items you will need to get on your first grocery shopping trip after the move. The price tag will probably be high, but remember, these are all items that you didn't replace those last few months before your move, so you were saving money every week at the grocery store by not replacing them.
Here is a list of the grocery items I normally have in my house. Before your first shopping trip, go through and check off any items that you were able to move with you. Then you can take the list with you to the grocery store to get your home fully stocked.

Fridge

• Skim Milk
• Whole Milk
• Juice
• Yogurt
• ketchup
• Mustard
• Mayo
• Parmesan Cheese
• Soy Sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Salsa
• Ranch dressing
• Strawberry Jam
• Lemon Juice
• Chocolate Syrup
• Butter
• Cottage Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Cheddar Cheese
• Lunch Meat
• Eggs
• Fruit
• Veggie
• Minced Garlic
• Yeast

Freezer

• Peas
• Corn
• Hamburger meat
• Chicken breast
• Juice

Pantry

• Bread
• Vanilla Extract
• Maple Syrup
• Flour
• Sugar
• Powder Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Rice
• Salt
• Shortening
• Peanut Butter
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Spaghetti Noodles
• Fettuccine Noodles
• Oatmeal
• Vinegar
• Cocoa Powder
• Cooking Oil
• Saltine Crackers
• Goldfish Crackers
• Mac'n'cheese
• Pudding
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Bean w/ Bacon Soup
• Vegetable Beef Soup
• Pork and Beans
• Refried Beans
• Green Beans
• Canned Peaches
• Mandarin Oranges
• Cream'o'Chicken Soup
• Cream'o'Mushroom Soup
• Tortillas

Spices

• Cinnamon
• Chili Powder
• Dehydrated Onions
• Ginger
• Chicken Bouillon
• Beef Bouillon
• Cumin
• Nutmeg
• Thyme
• All Spice
• Sage
• Basil
• Cream of Tartar
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Tarragon
• Cloves
• Poppy seeds
• Paprika
• Almond Extract
• Ground Pepper
• Seasoning Salt

Disposables

• Toilet Paper
• Paper Towels
• Tissues
• Q-tips
• Garbage can liners

toiletries

• Bri's shampoo
• Sam's Shampoo
• Gwen's Shampoo
• Bri's soap
• Sam's Soap
• The Girls soap
• Contact solution
• Toothpaste
• Floss
• Shaving cream
• Sam's Deodorant
• Bri's Deodorant
• Lotion
• Bandaids
• Neosporine
• Razors

Cleaners

• Dry Sheets
• Spray-n-wash
• Laundry Detergent
• Fabric Softener
• Dish Detergent
• Dish Soap
• Bleach
• Glass Cleaner
• All purpose cleaner
• Ajax
• Mop
• Mop Bucket
• Broom
• Dust Pan
• Scrub brushed
• SOS pads
• Dish Scrubber
• Hand Soap

Field Kit
A field kit is a box, or several boxes, of things that you will need or want during your transition from house to house. (The majority of the items in this list were taken from a military web site called "smart web move")

• snacks
• bottled water
• grocery bags
• Small first aid kit
• sunscreen
• Perceptions and other meds you might want like aspirin or midol
• Battery operated clock/alarm
• Extra pair of glasses/contacts
• Small tool kit
• Toilet paper
• Paper plate, cups and plastic cutlery
• Flashlight with batteries
• Light bulbs
• Soap/hand sanitizer
• address book
• keys
• Accordion folder with all your important documents in it.
• Paper pens, stamps, envelopes
• packing tape/duct tape, cellophane
• scissors
• tape measure.
• an air mattress and bedding

Baby specific items

• Diapers
• Formula
• Special toys/blanket
• Wipes
• port-a-crib and bedding

Other Items you will want to pack in some suitcases to take with you and not the movers

• a weeks worth of clothing
• basic toiletries
• books or magazines
• portable DVD player and some of your favorite DVD's
• Lap top

How to get settled into a new home

Like the moving timeline, this is a work in progress, I'm going to put down my plan, change it as needed, and hopefully life will be easier the next time we move.

A month or so before your move you should go to the area, meet the people at church and make some choices about if you want to live on base or not.

Once you have your moving dates set, call a friend at the new base or someone you met at church and ask them to watch the kids for you while the movers are unloading the moving truck.

If moving into on base housing from on base housing at your previous station, you must be out of your old house before you can get on the waiting list for a new house. Even if there is no one on the waiting list, it will take the housing office 2 days to process the paper work so you will be homeless and living out of a hotel for at least 2 days. Make sure you have your Field kit.

On the move in day

• Do a walk through of the house with the housing office and sign all the paperwork (This might get done the day before the movers come.)
• Take the girls to the sitters
• Before the movers come, make sure to put soap/hand sanitizer and toilet paper in the bathrooms.
• Movers arrive
• Order pizza and soda for the movers as a tip
• Pick up the girls from the sitter after the movers go home.
• If the movers didn't assemble the beds, assemble temporary beds to sleep on for the night. If the movers did set up the beds, get bedding out of Field kit.
• After the kids are asleep the first thing for me to do is set up the Kitchen
• then finish the bathrooms if you are not too tired.

The day after move in

• Set up the kids bedrooms and make sure their toys are accessible.
• Set up our bedroom so Sam can get ready for Work in the mornings.

The 3rd day

• Set up the living room
• hook up the electronics
• Go grocery shopping

the 4th day

• Take care of the remaining items as needed.

How to move timeline:
I think that this time I am going to take things to the next level and write down everything I should do in a timeline, so I can make use of it next time. I will write down my plan now, and add/take away things as I go. Let me know if i seem to be missing anything.

2-3 months before

• organize everything!!! Make sure that there is a place for all your stuff so when small items accumulate in your favorite junk piles, it will be easy to put them away when you have time to clean up
• Do a thorough cleaning of the house, this will make cleaning upon move out much faster and easier. Keep the house tidy for the next few months so you don't get overwhelmed as the move approaches
• Simplify. if there are things in your house that are taking up space but are not needed/being used put them away in the garage. It will have to keep the house clean. This could include:

-taking a load to the dump

-taking a load of stuff to charity

-pack up extra toys and books that are not needed before the move.

• Don't throw out stuff that you know you will just accumulate again after you move. It is not productive, especially if professional movers are doing the job.
• Begin trying to use up the perishable foods in your house. This can be done easily if you look at what you have and plan your weekly dinner menus around it instead of buying the "usual stuff" at the grocery store each week. (The movers will take food in cans, so don't worry to much about getting rid of those.)
• Find out about the requirements for giving notice to the housing office, schools, gyms and other businesses you might need to inform of your move. (Most often they require 1 months notice, but giving early notice doesn't hurt.)

1 month before the move

• Schedule the housing pre-inspection if you are on base. Make sure to have the house looking perfect when they come. It will make it more likely that they will go easy on you during the final inspection
• Schedule the Movers pre-inspection. They will want to know how much stuff you have, remind you about what you need to do and answer any of your questions.
• Begin pulling out items that the movers will not move. For example, under the sinks, divide the area into 2 boxes. label 1 "Movers take" and the other "We take" The one for us to take should have any flammable items/liquids.

2 weeks before

• Dust fan blades and vents. Sweep the walls and ceilings to remove cobwebs and dust.
• Pick up all items that are on the outside of the house like toys, lawn furniture, mats, or BBQ's and put them in one place so the movers don't have to search the yard for all of your stuff. The toys can even be put away in the garage so the kids don't play with them and leave them all over the yard.
• Wipe down any areas of the walls that are supper dirty. (The housing office will paint the walls, so we don't need to worry too much about this as long as the big stuff is cleaned up.)
• Pack a "Field Kit" This is a box of stuff that you will want to be with you instead of the movers. And stuff to use before you get everything unpacked at your new house.

1 week before

• take down any items in your home that need to be washed before packed. Like, drapes, shower curtains, bath mats, area rugs... After washing them, fold them and put them someplace the kids won't get to so they are clean when you get to your new home.
• Take down any items that are attached to the walls like lighting fixtures or shelf you would like to take with you, closet organizers... Items that are simply hung on the walls with a nail can be left on the walls and the movers will pack them. However, if you would like to take the hook or screw that it in the wall and needed for hanging the picture, you will need to take it because the movers would just leave it in the wall.
• Wash down the outside of the house with a hose. Just spray it to get the cobwebs off and any dirt washed away.
• Wash all windows and doors
• clean out and block off all bathrooms but 1.
• Call all companies that you have accounts with and inform them of your move/disconnect service.
• Drain gas out of the lawn mower. If it leaks oil, drain the oil also.
• Set up a place for the kids to stay while the movers are here.
• Find people to come help clean after the movers are gone.
• Clean out the oven and stove top and start eating out or use the microwave.
• Make sure all the dishes are clean, put away and don't use them again

The day before the move

• Strip the beds and wash everything
• When laundry is all done, disconnect the washer and dryer from the wall
• Disconnect all electronics
• Take any Original packing boxes next to the items they go with for the movers
• Take all perishable food items, luggage, cleaning supplies and any other items the movers wont move/you don't want the movers to move to your hotel room or your new home.
• Pack suitcases of clothes and other items you will want for the next week.

The first moving day

• Take the kids to the sitters at 7:30
• Allied movers will probably come at about 8am, take lunch from 11:30-12:30 and go home at 4:30. If another moving company comes they will not leave for lunch and won't go home until it gets done. Word on the street is that it is common courtesy to order them pizza and have cans of soda for them. (Sort of like a tip.)
• After the movers go home pick the kids up from the sitters and take them to the hotel.
• After the kids are asleep have a cleaning party/Girls night out to say good bye to friends. Clean:

-The Fridge, inside and outside

-Wipe the inside and outside of the cupboards

- wipe the shelves in the closets

• Ask the people that come to help to bring a bucket, a rag and a game.

The second moving day

• Take the kids to the sitters
• After the movers go, sweep and vacuum the floors.
• Shampoo carpets
• Mop up the hard flooring
• clean anything else that looks like it was missed.
• Pick up the kids

The following day check out of housing and go to the new house.