Friday, November 30
The Questions
When you see your family or friends, do they ask a lot of questions about your life, more along the lines of being in the military? When I call some of my friends back home and we get to talking, almost always they end up making comments about us being in the military. I know many of my friends don't understand why we're here and why we chose this lifestyle. And they seem to understand even less why my DH would ever want to go to war. It's no secret my DH has been waiting for his chance to go, he's asked to go several times, but it never seems to work out. Mostly because it hasn't been his unit going. Anyways, when I say that, it seems to upset or bother some of my friends. I always try my best to explain that he feels like it's his duty and he hasn't gotten his chance to do his part, but I don't know what else to say to them. Does this happen to you? Do you have friends or family members who don't seem to understand why you do what you do? As far as I'm concerned, I always say that I'm supporting the supporter.
Thursday, November 29
Spring Cleaning in November?
Ya, ya I know ...I threw you off didn't I? You came to the link and you saw something different and almost left because you wondered where your site went? I hoped the same header would ease your worries.
Yes, we have a new look. It's clean, updated, and has ALOT more stuff for you to do! Just take a peek down the left hand side and play around. Take some time to peek around.
BTW: There is a little surprise for Heather N. right there at the top of the "Relax...Have A Little Fun" sidebar! Love ya girl!
Yes, we have a new look. It's clean, updated, and has ALOT more stuff for you to do! Just take a peek down the left hand side and play around. Take some time to peek around.
BTW: There is a little surprise for Heather N. right there at the top of the "Relax...Have A Little Fun" sidebar! Love ya girl!
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Inspiring visit to Ft. Sill, OK
I just returned from a two day visit to Ft. Sill, OK. I spent time with some wonderful ladies from the 214th Fires Brigade (Field Artillery). I am so inspired by what they are doing for their families that I have to share it!
First: They conducted a “Prayer Luncheon” for the spouses. This was off post at a local hotel where they enjoyed a lovely catered lunch. They had a guest speaker that spoke about deployment. The focus was on God and they had goodies to pass out, music, prayer and an uplifting time. They also printed out their unit shied on a large poster board, glued that on Styrofoam, added backing and then cut it out like a puzzle, put a magnet on the back of each piece. Then they asked each spouse to take a piece to put on the Frig. Everyone now owns a piece of the unit and can think about it, or pray about it every time they see it on the frig!
Second: Every 60 days they conduct “Off Site” training for the spouses at a local resort. The Chaplain conducts a specific training (PTSD, Relaxing, Stress, etc…). Someone from Army Community Service conducts a class and the rest of the day is spent enjoying the resort! They also have fun training for the kids or free child care!
Their Family Readiness Support Assistants and Leaders are motivated, inspiring and dedicated! I was so excited to see these “out of the box” type events!
I believe all these events were afforded through the Chaplains office and the generous support of the local YMCA for child care.
Can anyone share their inspiring events or some “Out of the box” type events your doing or your unit is doing during deployments?
First: They conducted a “Prayer Luncheon” for the spouses. This was off post at a local hotel where they enjoyed a lovely catered lunch. They had a guest speaker that spoke about deployment. The focus was on God and they had goodies to pass out, music, prayer and an uplifting time. They also printed out their unit shied on a large poster board, glued that on Styrofoam, added backing and then cut it out like a puzzle, put a magnet on the back of each piece. Then they asked each spouse to take a piece to put on the Frig. Everyone now owns a piece of the unit and can think about it, or pray about it every time they see it on the frig!
Second: Every 60 days they conduct “Off Site” training for the spouses at a local resort. The Chaplain conducts a specific training (PTSD, Relaxing, Stress, etc…). Someone from Army Community Service conducts a class and the rest of the day is spent enjoying the resort! They also have fun training for the kids or free child care!
Their Family Readiness Support Assistants and Leaders are motivated, inspiring and dedicated! I was so excited to see these “out of the box” type events!
I believe all these events were afforded through the Chaplains office and the generous support of the local YMCA for child care.
Can anyone share their inspiring events or some “Out of the box” type events your doing or your unit is doing during deployments?
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Wednesday, November 28
One blue star
Sometime this week I plan to go to a house on the next street. I don't know who lives there, but they have rectangular banner in their window, a blue star centered on white surrounded by red. A flag that means someone in that house loves a soldier.
I have just applied to become a blue star mom myself. The blue star mothers came to be in 1942, but I just discovered them. One blue star means that a member of that family is serving in the armed forces. You can get a two, three, four or five star banner, depending on how many family members serve. I love what it stands for, the blue star is for hope and pride. A gold star symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice to the cause of liberty and freedom. I hope I never become a gold star mom. I do know that if I did , my son was doing his duty to his country, and loving it.
Blue star mothers support lots of things that help military families (I'll let you in on some airline discounts I found out about, and how to get them in my next blog!) Kind of like now having lots of sons and daughters, in addition to my own four . I know I feel great pride in being a military mother. When was it supposed to get easy, this parenting thing? Great pride and loss at the same time . You think when they grow up you will be free of the heartstrings that tangle up and trip you, and when your babies become men and men become soldiers....well, it could get sappy, so instead I will hang my banner with my bright blue star....honored to be a military mom.
I have just applied to become a blue star mom myself. The blue star mothers came to be in 1942, but I just discovered them. One blue star means that a member of that family is serving in the armed forces. You can get a two, three, four or five star banner, depending on how many family members serve. I love what it stands for, the blue star is for hope and pride. A gold star symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice to the cause of liberty and freedom. I hope I never become a gold star mom. I do know that if I did , my son was doing his duty to his country, and loving it.
Blue star mothers support lots of things that help military families (I'll let you in on some airline discounts I found out about, and how to get them in my next blog!) Kind of like now having lots of sons and daughters, in addition to my own four . I know I feel great pride in being a military mother. When was it supposed to get easy, this parenting thing? Great pride and loss at the same time . You think when they grow up you will be free of the heartstrings that tangle up and trip you, and when your babies become men and men become soldiers....well, it could get sappy, so instead I will hang my banner with my bright blue star....honored to be a military mom.
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Tuesday, November 27
New Army Spouse & Army Parent Handbooks!
All:
I was visiting sites tonight checking on things and stumbled across a handbook for Army families - for new spouses basically - it's called "Welcome to the Army family: A firsts guide Army spouses and family members". I had never seen it before. Now....given the pictures in it look like they are from the early 90's but it has good info!
Also - I've seen it and mentioned it before but I thought I'd refresh your memory. For Army PARENTS (but great for newbie spouses too) - here is Vicki Cody's book "Your Soldier, Your Army".
I was visiting sites tonight checking on things and stumbled across a handbook for Army families - for new spouses basically - it's called "Welcome to the Army family: A firsts guide Army spouses and family members". I had never seen it before. Now....given the pictures in it look like they are from the early 90's but it has good info!
Also - I've seen it and mentioned it before but I thought I'd refresh your memory. For Army PARENTS (but great for newbie spouses too) - here is Vicki Cody's book "Your Soldier, Your Army".
Click here to read the rest of this post.
They Just Don't Make 'em Like They Used To
OK...I could take this topic in several different directions (and judging from the comments I saw following it on AOL many have), but I will take the "factually reporting" route. I did think it was a story worth noting. Maybe they should let us wives be in on the designing phase of the uniforms...I remember telling my husband that the ACU's didn't look nearly as durable as the BDU's.
Inseam Blowouts Plague Combat Pants
By Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today
(Nov. 27) - The Army is retrofitting 1 million uniforms to bolster pants that have been tearing during the rigors of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.Soldiers in Iraq began reporting "crotch durability problems" with their combat uniforms in July 2005, according to the Army. Jumping into Humvees, hopping from helicopters and scrambling after insurgents have popped inseams on the baggy pants.
Soldiers have complained since 2005 that their uniforms aren't up to the rigors of combat in Iraq because their inseams pop apart too easily. Rougher terrain in Afghanistan prompted complaints this past August from soldiers who said their uniforms gave out quickly."This is a result of soldiers working in steep and harsh terrain and literally sliding down steep hills and mountains," Army spokesman Sheldon Smith said in an e-mail.Single-stitching has caused most of the blown-out inseams, said Erin Thomas, an Army spokeswoman. The new trousers are more durable, she said.
A torn uniform inseam is no laughing matter, said Loren Thompson, a military analyst at the Lexington Institute, a defense think tank."Any well-made uniform should maintain its stitch in virtually all combat situations except direct fire," he said. "It is a serious problem if it becomes a distraction to the war fighter who needs to concentrate on completing a mission."
The Army unveiled its current combat uniform in 2004. It has a digital camouflage pattern and pockets that can be reached while wearing body armor. The half-cotton, half-nylon uniform is supposed to last six months. U.S. plants make hundreds of thousands of them a month.Soldiers deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan receive two sets of combat uniforms and two sets of fire-resistant ones.
By January, all of the uniforms soldiers receive will be made of fire-resistant material.The Army began issuing the flame-resistant clothes last year after insurgents began using incendiary bombs and targeting the fuel tanks on troops' vehicles. There are about 120,000 soldiers in Iraq and 20,000 in Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros said.The new uniform represented an upgrade from a design that dated to the early 1980s. But it hasn't proved tough enough.
Inseam blowouts became an issue in Iraq in 2005, Smith said. The Army "redesigned the assembly method for the crotch and incorporated the fixes into ACU (Army combat uniform) production."Improved uniforms were shipped last year, and stocks of existing uniforms were retrofitted with additional material, he said.In Afghanistan, the solutions are different. The Army is investigating improvements that include new uniforms built with more rugged material and a protective garment to be worn over the current uniform.
Rips are to be expected under those conditions, said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a website that analyzes military issues. "These are harsh environments," he said. "They're putting some wear on (their uniforms). That's the way these things go."Uniforms should have been designed originally to account for the strain, Thompson said. "Losing a crotch is supposed to happen sometime after a Thanksgiving meal, not in combat."
Copyright 2007 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Inseam Blowouts Plague Combat Pants
By Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today
(Nov. 27) - The Army is retrofitting 1 million uniforms to bolster pants that have been tearing during the rigors of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.Soldiers in Iraq began reporting "crotch durability problems" with their combat uniforms in July 2005, according to the Army. Jumping into Humvees, hopping from helicopters and scrambling after insurgents have popped inseams on the baggy pants.
Soldiers have complained since 2005 that their uniforms aren't up to the rigors of combat in Iraq because their inseams pop apart too easily. Rougher terrain in Afghanistan prompted complaints this past August from soldiers who said their uniforms gave out quickly."This is a result of soldiers working in steep and harsh terrain and literally sliding down steep hills and mountains," Army spokesman Sheldon Smith said in an e-mail.Single-stitching has caused most of the blown-out inseams, said Erin Thomas, an Army spokeswoman. The new trousers are more durable, she said.
A torn uniform inseam is no laughing matter, said Loren Thompson, a military analyst at the Lexington Institute, a defense think tank."Any well-made uniform should maintain its stitch in virtually all combat situations except direct fire," he said. "It is a serious problem if it becomes a distraction to the war fighter who needs to concentrate on completing a mission."
The Army unveiled its current combat uniform in 2004. It has a digital camouflage pattern and pockets that can be reached while wearing body armor. The half-cotton, half-nylon uniform is supposed to last six months. U.S. plants make hundreds of thousands of them a month.Soldiers deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan receive two sets of combat uniforms and two sets of fire-resistant ones.
By January, all of the uniforms soldiers receive will be made of fire-resistant material.The Army began issuing the flame-resistant clothes last year after insurgents began using incendiary bombs and targeting the fuel tanks on troops' vehicles. There are about 120,000 soldiers in Iraq and 20,000 in Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros said.The new uniform represented an upgrade from a design that dated to the early 1980s. But it hasn't proved tough enough.
Inseam blowouts became an issue in Iraq in 2005, Smith said. The Army "redesigned the assembly method for the crotch and incorporated the fixes into ACU (Army combat uniform) production."Improved uniforms were shipped last year, and stocks of existing uniforms were retrofitted with additional material, he said.In Afghanistan, the solutions are different. The Army is investigating improvements that include new uniforms built with more rugged material and a protective garment to be worn over the current uniform.
Rips are to be expected under those conditions, said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a website that analyzes military issues. "These are harsh environments," he said. "They're putting some wear on (their uniforms). That's the way these things go."Uniforms should have been designed originally to account for the strain, Thompson said. "Losing a crotch is supposed to happen sometime after a Thanksgiving meal, not in combat."
Copyright 2007 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Monday, November 26
100% Pure Venting
So I have to keep repeating to myself the old saying:
With that said, and with the knowledge that I am a volunteer junkie, I have once again found myself in a volunteer position where the person I "work for" is abusing their pseudo-power. No, this is not a FRG situation, I hear you snickering out there. But, nonetheless, I am subject to much of the same brew-haha and honey soaked silliness that can arise in such an institution.
Another favorite saying: Once bitten, Twice shy. Okay, not Shakespeare, but quite a poetic statement to also remember. Mine would read: Twenty times bitten, Never shy about getting myself into the same situation again and again.
I am horrible about keeping my mouth shut and remembering the words of wisdom on flies. So, once again, I wrote the "email". Horrible idea in itself because now your "vent" becomes a permanent record of all of your complaints. Note to everyone - do NOT write The Email. It detailed all of the injustices, and of the inequalities, all of the reasons as to why this organization just wasn't running properly. In other words...LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE you power hungry leader.
But then I hesitated. I re-read. Reminded myself of the fly thing. (I should really write it on a sticky and put it on my computer). Quoted Great White several times. And deleted it. I'm trying to work myself up to "the phone call" where I act civil and try to get what I need while keeping one foot in sane-ville. But maybe I should wait a few hours. What do you think?
Got to love volunteering. I do it for the money. No, actually the fame. No, I do it for the kids. Yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
With that said, and with the knowledge that I am a volunteer junkie, I have once again found myself in a volunteer position where the person I "work for" is abusing their pseudo-power. No, this is not a FRG situation, I hear you snickering out there. But, nonetheless, I am subject to much of the same brew-haha and honey soaked silliness that can arise in such an institution.
Another favorite saying: Once bitten, Twice shy. Okay, not Shakespeare, but quite a poetic statement to also remember. Mine would read: Twenty times bitten, Never shy about getting myself into the same situation again and again.
I am horrible about keeping my mouth shut and remembering the words of wisdom on flies. So, once again, I wrote the "email". Horrible idea in itself because now your "vent" becomes a permanent record of all of your complaints. Note to everyone - do NOT write The Email. It detailed all of the injustices, and of the inequalities, all of the reasons as to why this organization just wasn't running properly. In other words...LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE you power hungry leader.
But then I hesitated. I re-read. Reminded myself of the fly thing. (I should really write it on a sticky and put it on my computer). Quoted Great White several times. And deleted it. I'm trying to work myself up to "the phone call" where I act civil and try to get what I need while keeping one foot in sane-ville. But maybe I should wait a few hours. What do you think?
Got to love volunteering. I do it for the money. No, actually the fame. No, I do it for the kids. Yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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Sunday, November 25
Help us SPREAD THE WORD!
Exciting news! Now you can add AWTR and LOVING A SOLDIER to your personal or business website, MySpace, Facebook, or anything else you have on the web!
Do you want to add content from our bloggers or our show to your site to add value? It's simple! It's FREE!
To use our player go to www.blogtalkradio.com/awtr on the right hand side about half way down is our player code. Choose if you want it to autoplay or not and then copy and paste the code into your website.
Please also grab a graphic to our site by visiting www.ArmyWifeTalkRadio.com/linktous.shtml
You can also add LOVING A SOLDIER to your site! Check out http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/loving-a-soldier-living-the-life where you can grab the code for our widget!
Email me if you decide to add us tara@armywifetalkradio.com because I'd love to know "where we are". Thanks for helping us spread the word!
Do you want to add content from our bloggers or our show to your site to add value? It's simple! It's FREE!
To use our player go to www.blogtalkradio.com/awtr on the right hand side about half way down is our player code. Choose if you want it to autoplay or not and then copy and paste the code into your website.
Please also grab a graphic to our site by visiting www.ArmyWifeTalkRadio.com/linktous.shtml
You can also add LOVING A SOLDIER to your site! Check out http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/loving-a-soldier-living-the-life where you can grab the code for our widget!
Email me if you decide to add us tara@armywifetalkradio.com because I'd love to know "where we are". Thanks for helping us spread the word!
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Friday, November 23
Share Christmas Cheer - Stars & Stripes
Here's a fun and free way to send Christmas greetings to someone overseas.
Stars & Stripes will publish your holiday message in all editions (Pacific, Europe and Middle East for deployed folks.)
If you would like to send a message to someone, go to the Stripes Holiday Messages site at http://messages.stripes.osd.mil.
You can submit a message, and even a photo if you like. Either way, there is no cost for these messages.
Submit before Nov. 30 for publication!
(You can choose online or print messages, and if you like, Stripes will also send a message to your loved one so they will know to look in the paper for their message on the publication date.)
Stars & Stripes will publish your holiday message in all editions (Pacific, Europe and Middle East for deployed folks.)
If you would like to send a message to someone, go to the Stripes Holiday Messages site at http://messages.stripes.osd.mil.
You can submit a message, and even a photo if you like. Either way, there is no cost for these messages.
Submit before Nov. 30 for publication!
(You can choose online or print messages, and if you like, Stripes will also send a message to your loved one so they will know to look in the paper for their message on the publication date.)
Click here to read the rest of this post.
HAPPY YESTERDAY!
I hope you all had a FABULOUS Thanksgiving. I personally had a very good one despite the obvious void left by my Richard.
Originally a friend and I had decided we were going to eat at the DFAC for Thanksgiving to avoid cooking and cleaning. But then, as I was doing my normal grocery shopping last week, Ethan (my son) said to me "Hey Mom? Remember in Germany, when Daddy was in the field at Thanksgiving, and you made that turkey and ham and it was good?" and I giggled a bit and said "Yes, I think I recall that." So he said "Can we do that again this year?" Well what on EARTH was I going to say? NO? No, that wouldn't have worked, lol. He hasn't asked for much since his dad left, so I wasn't going to say no to him now.
So I cooked, and some good friends and their children joined us for dinner, and we ate....and ate....and ate.
I got to talk to Richard, so that was wonderful. He sounded sad, but he was glad I wasn't going to be alone for the holiday. Anywho...good food and good company are hard to beat! And did I mention that today, because I was unable to go do any REAL Black Friday shopping (due to the fact that my children would never have allowed it, lol, and then how would I purchase things for them without their knowing?) I am so thankful for how many stores have the same great deals on their websites! HOORAY FOR ONLINE SHOPPING!!!
P.S. That's me up there, just getting the last few things from the fridge before Thanksgiving dinner.
Originally a friend and I had decided we were going to eat at the DFAC for Thanksgiving to avoid cooking and cleaning. But then, as I was doing my normal grocery shopping last week, Ethan (my son) said to me "Hey Mom? Remember in Germany, when Daddy was in the field at Thanksgiving, and you made that turkey and ham and it was good?" and I giggled a bit and said "Yes, I think I recall that." So he said "Can we do that again this year?" Well what on EARTH was I going to say? NO? No, that wouldn't have worked, lol. He hasn't asked for much since his dad left, so I wasn't going to say no to him now.
So I cooked, and some good friends and their children joined us for dinner, and we ate....and ate....and ate.
I got to talk to Richard, so that was wonderful. He sounded sad, but he was glad I wasn't going to be alone for the holiday. Anywho...good food and good company are hard to beat! And did I mention that today, because I was unable to go do any REAL Black Friday shopping (due to the fact that my children would never have allowed it, lol, and then how would I purchase things for them without their knowing?) I am so thankful for how many stores have the same great deals on their websites! HOORAY FOR ONLINE SHOPPING!!!
P.S. That's me up there, just getting the last few things from the fridge before Thanksgiving dinner.
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I Am Thankful For You
A post Thanksgiving letter to my husband:
Happy Day After Thanksgiving,
I hope you had a good dinner yesterday. I promise you will have a better one next year. I found a new recipe for cranberry sauce. Now I know you hate cranberry sauce, but this one has raisins....and it is really good. You'll just have to humor me next year and try it...you might be surprised. I roasted the turkey....I glazed it with the left over pear preserves we shared while you were on leave....weird how that made me feel closer to you. I didn't have the courage to use the turkey fryer. I'll admit it. Some things are just "men's work". Oh man, I remember the first turkey you fried. When you brought it back into the house, I almost passed out! It was completely black...I thought it was just charred through and through. I was afraid we were going to end up taking everyone out to Denny's or the local Chinese restaurant for dinner that year. I was so surprised..read relieved...when you cut it open and it was so moist and delicious inside. It was ugly, no denying that, but it tasted wonderful.
This year I made all the usual sides, just like every year. We had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes covered in marshmallows, green bean casserole, rolls and dressing ( I know you call it stuffing). I made a new dip called BLT dip...it was really good. It tasted just like a BLT sandwich. I only made pumpkin and pecan pies this year. I will make that pistachio pie you like next year. I didn't think it was wise to make a pie that only you and I like...considering I am the only one here to eat it.
We watched the Macy's parade. I don't think I have missed one. Often I spend most of the time listening to it from the kitchen...but I still enjoy it. I loved hearing the boys get excited when they saw a really cool float or one of their favorite characters. This year they had a Shrek balloon. Little J started shouting "Shrek!! Shrek!!". I don't know if I should be concerned that our 2 year old not only knows, but admires a flatulent ogre. Hmmm....I guess there are worse things.....
After the parade, the boys went to play with the new kitten. I know you would not be thrilled about us getting another cat but he was all alone...in a trash dumpster. He is really cute and lovable. And just think...when we get back to Michigan, you'll have another partner in your quest to eradicate the moles and chipmunks from our yard. OK I know you can't see...but I am giving you the "Puss 'n Boots eyes". ( Hey, maybe I'm the reason why our baby knows so much about Shrek). I kept the TV on all the time I was cooking. I kept it on football games. I can cook better with a football game in the background. Sometimes, I could imagine you were in there on the couch with your feet propped up, just relaxing with your frosty mug of coke and Glory's big ol' head resting on your knee. I think she lives for those times when she can just sit quietly next you and have you pet her. I know I do. :-)
Later in the afternoon, the boys went out to play football themselves. They wanted me to come too. I really didn't want to...simply because I knew it would hurt me to not see you out there with them. The void would be glaringly obvious. I did go out though...and they were so funny and so cute. Ben got mad because he was losing...of course. David had on some crazy sunglasses to keep the glare out of his eyes. He looked like Elton John......don't get worried. It was just the only sunglasses he could find. Little J was so cute. He would get the ball and run as fast as he could. If his brothers started closing in on him, he would growl and try to karate chop them. It was a cool new combination of martial arts and backyard football. He tries so hard to be a little tough guy. You can definitely see the Irish temperament in him.......a real sweetheart until you cross him. Then once he sets you straight...all is forgiven. I guess that is not a bad way to be. It seems to work for you.....and you won my heart.
Yesterday, there were so many times when I watched our sons and looked up to share that look with you. You know "that look". The one that I can only share with you. The one that says "Aren't they smart, and cute, and funny , and amazing? How incredible is this that they are ours? God has blessed us so much. Thank you for being on this journey with me. I love you." You know....that look. I can't wait until I can look in your eyes again. I am thankful for the webcam, but it doesn't quite cut it. I want to look in your eyes and touch your face. You tell me you have more wrinkles and alot of gray is showing up. I can promise you I will not notice...and even if I did, I wouldn't care. From the moment our eyes met in the tiny old Killeen Airport...I have wanted nothing more than to raise our children together and grow old by your side. One day both our faces will be covered in wrinkles. Some will bear a story of pain...others etched by a lifetime of smiles. The important thing, though, is that each one tells a story of us...our life together.
Yesterday at dinner we all took turns during our prayer to thank God for our blessings. Each of your sons thanked God for you and for having a Dad who will spend his Thanksgiving keeping us safe and ensuring our freedom. Of course, they listed other things (Little J was thankful for cheese.... ?????....), but they each gave thanks for you. We love you so much. We miss you. Next year....next year we'll be together. Next year you'll fry our turkey and then spend the afternoon playing football with your boys. Next year you will spend the weekend putting together our Christmas yard display and making it the "best one ever". And next year after we get the boys to bed, we will sit by the fireplace and drink eggnog. Glory will have to move over, because it will be my turn to curl up next to you and lay my head on your lap.
You know what I said I was thankful for this year? I am thankful for our sons. I am thankful for you. I am thankful that God has been so faithful in providing for us and keeping you safe. I am thankful that this deployment will be over soon and that God has seen us through this year. Although not easily come by..... I am thankful for the strength, wisdom, and lessons we have gained this year.
Happy Thanksgiving.....I love you!!
Love,
Me
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Wednesday, November 21
Christmas Care Package Ideas for Soldiers
Originally posted at Military.com - Check out my advisor columns on their site!
Make Your Solider's Spirits Bright
Tara Crooks | November 21, 2007
Do you have a deployed soldier on your Christmas list? There won’t be a “ho-hum” holiday for your soldier with these great holiday care package ideas. I’ve captured the spirit of the season through items that relate to the sights, sounds, smells, and the tastes of the holidays. Add your own touches for a sure fire way to make your soldier’s spirit bright!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
Santa hat
Stuffed reindeer
Christmas movie
Kid’s craft — paper snowflakes
Fake snow
Fake tree
Lights
Handmade ornaments
String popcorn and cranberries
Tiny wrapped packages (use gum, mints, or small items to go under the tree)
Advent calendar
Picture book (include pictures from past holiday gatherings)
Small wrapped items to the theme of the “Twelve Days of Christmas”
A box of Christmas Cards stamped and addressed to the soldier’s family
Mistletoe
Just hear those sleigh bells ringaling….
CD of you (and your children) singing Christmas carols
CD of Christmas music
Jingle bells
Jack Frost nipping at your nose…
Holiday scented candle (pine, cinnamon, baking)
Holiday scented oil
Pine cones (scented)
Now bring us some figgy pudding…
Fresh baked cookies
Eggnog
SPAM (Christmas “ham”)
Sausage and cheese
Holiday RITZ crackers
Mixed nuts (in shell) with a nut cracker
Candy canes
Christmas boxed chocolates
Advent calendar
Holiday coffee & creamer
Hot cocoa or cider
Fruitcake
I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams ...
Even though your soldier is far from home and needs pampering, you and your children need something to feel connected to him or her too. Craft a tradition for your family: buy an ornament each year, write a letter to Santa Clause, hang a special stocking, or read a special story and make sure you do it regardless of anyone’s location. Make every effort to share this tradition across the miles by video-taping, calling, or even having your soldier available via webcam to participate.
Here comes Santa Claus …
Keep in mind special ways to create the perfect “Holiday Gift Delivery System or HGDS,” as Bob Gilead from www.CamoSock.com calls it. Stop by his site and pick up a perfect HGDS in the shape of a stocking made from the fabric of your soldier’s service branch. Be creative and find interesting things online such as a Christmas tree in a tube (search eBay they’re easy to find). Most of all have fun, get the entire family involved, and put your heart into it. Tis’ the season, but to your soldier you’re the reason any gift is special.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
© Tara Crooks
Make Your Solider's Spirits Bright
Tara Crooks | November 21, 2007
Do you have a deployed soldier on your Christmas list? There won’t be a “ho-hum” holiday for your soldier with these great holiday care package ideas. I’ve captured the spirit of the season through items that relate to the sights, sounds, smells, and the tastes of the holidays. Add your own touches for a sure fire way to make your soldier’s spirit bright!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
Santa hat
Stuffed reindeer
Christmas movie
Kid’s craft — paper snowflakes
Fake snow
Fake tree
Lights
Handmade ornaments
String popcorn and cranberries
Tiny wrapped packages (use gum, mints, or small items to go under the tree)
Advent calendar
Picture book (include pictures from past holiday gatherings)
Small wrapped items to the theme of the “Twelve Days of Christmas”
A box of Christmas Cards stamped and addressed to the soldier’s family
Mistletoe
Just hear those sleigh bells ringaling….
CD of you (and your children) singing Christmas carols
CD of Christmas music
Jingle bells
Jack Frost nipping at your nose…
Holiday scented candle (pine, cinnamon, baking)
Holiday scented oil
Pine cones (scented)
Now bring us some figgy pudding…
Fresh baked cookies
Eggnog
SPAM (Christmas “ham”)
Sausage and cheese
Holiday RITZ crackers
Mixed nuts (in shell) with a nut cracker
Candy canes
Christmas boxed chocolates
Advent calendar
Holiday coffee & creamer
Hot cocoa or cider
Fruitcake
I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams ...
Even though your soldier is far from home and needs pampering, you and your children need something to feel connected to him or her too. Craft a tradition for your family: buy an ornament each year, write a letter to Santa Clause, hang a special stocking, or read a special story and make sure you do it regardless of anyone’s location. Make every effort to share this tradition across the miles by video-taping, calling, or even having your soldier available via webcam to participate.
Here comes Santa Claus …
Keep in mind special ways to create the perfect “Holiday Gift Delivery System or HGDS,” as Bob Gilead from www.CamoSock.com calls it. Stop by his site and pick up a perfect HGDS in the shape of a stocking made from the fabric of your soldier’s service branch. Be creative and find interesting things online such as a Christmas tree in a tube (search eBay they’re easy to find). Most of all have fun, get the entire family involved, and put your heart into it. Tis’ the season, but to your soldier you’re the reason any gift is special.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
© Tara Crooks
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Thanksgiving table
Today our portion of Colorado is blanketed with about three inches of snow. There is something wonderful about going to bed at night and things are as usual, and waking up to a white world. Since it is the day before Thanksgiving, I am getting ready to make the pumpkin pies and jello salad, and polish our antique candelabra that my father got in Germany during World War Two.
I have a lovely tablerunner made from and Indian wedding Sari, that my friend Donna brought back when she opened a cottage industry for women who otherwise would have no income.
I have dishes that my great grandmother served Thanksgiving dinner on.
I remember the first Thanksgiving away from the rest of my family was the year my son had left for Iraq, and my daughter in law was alone on the east coast with our two grandchildren. I flew out, and my grandaughter and I made place mats with gathered autumn leaves pressed between wax paper. We did not have a table, so we made one with other pieces of furniture and a sheet over it all to make it look tied together. Honestly, that table was as pretty as the one I will set tomorrow because we did it together and had fun. What are some of your favorite holiday memories?
I have a lovely tablerunner made from and Indian wedding Sari, that my friend Donna brought back when she opened a cottage industry for women who otherwise would have no income.
I have dishes that my great grandmother served Thanksgiving dinner on.
I remember the first Thanksgiving away from the rest of my family was the year my son had left for Iraq, and my daughter in law was alone on the east coast with our two grandchildren. I flew out, and my grandaughter and I made place mats with gathered autumn leaves pressed between wax paper. We did not have a table, so we made one with other pieces of furniture and a sheet over it all to make it look tied together. Honestly, that table was as pretty as the one I will set tomorrow because we did it together and had fun. What are some of your favorite holiday memories?
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Tuesday, November 20
Oh yeah baby ..it's time....
It's time to get out the Christmas movies. I can't resist. Even though I am not dragging down the 15 rubbermaid boxes and redecorating my entire house this year like I usually do, I still have to get out the music and movies.
What is YOUR favorite Christmas movie? Mine is ELF!!! (it's also my favorite soundtrack)
Here are some I found online to get you in the spirit!
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
A Christmas Carol
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas
It's a Wonderful Life
Miracle on 34th Street
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Little Women
A Christmas Story
Santa Clause (1, 2, and 3)
Deck the Halls
Elf
Christmas Vacation
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Home Alone
Polar Express
Scrooge
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Ernest Saves Christmas
Christmas with the Kranks
Prancer
The Grinch
Jingle All The Way
What is YOUR favorite Christmas movie? Mine is ELF!!! (it's also my favorite soundtrack)
Here are some I found online to get you in the spirit!
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
A Christmas Carol
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas
It's a Wonderful Life
Miracle on 34th Street
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Little Women
A Christmas Story
Santa Clause (1, 2, and 3)
Deck the Halls
Elf
Christmas Vacation
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Home Alone
Polar Express
Scrooge
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Ernest Saves Christmas
Christmas with the Kranks
Prancer
The Grinch
Jingle All The Way
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What would you tell a newbie?
Think back (for most of you it's awhile ago, some it was just yesterday) to when you FIRST started the journey as an Army wife. Now, I've got a few questions for you...
What some of the first things you wanted to know?
What was the most valuable piece of information anyone gave you?
What, now, is the most important thing you think new Army wives should know?
What, now, do you get asked the most by new spouses that you know?
If you were putting together a packet for brand new Army wives (we're not, but if we were) what REAL LIFE advice or RESOURCE would you make sure you passed on to them?
What some of the first things you wanted to know?
What was the most valuable piece of information anyone gave you?
What, now, is the most important thing you think new Army wives should know?
What, now, do you get asked the most by new spouses that you know?
If you were putting together a packet for brand new Army wives (we're not, but if we were) what REAL LIFE advice or RESOURCE would you make sure you passed on to them?
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What's a good tip?
Ok here's an Army wife question for you - How much do you tip the baggers at the commissary?
Do you base it on a percentage like at a restaurant? (15%, 20%)
Do you base it on your bags? (if so how much per bag? .25 cents?)
Do you tip a 'flat rate' every time?
BE HONEST, and no judging for "cheapskates" or "overly generous"!! We really want to know....
(Note: I guess I have to answer so I will tell you - I do 15% just like everywhere else I do tips (unless they are FAB!) but I have been told it's customary to do .25 per bag)
Do you base it on a percentage like at a restaurant? (15%, 20%)
Do you base it on your bags? (if so how much per bag? .25 cents?)
Do you tip a 'flat rate' every time?
BE HONEST, and no judging for "cheapskates" or "overly generous"!! We really want to know....
(Note: I guess I have to answer so I will tell you - I do 15% just like everywhere else I do tips (unless they are FAB!) but I have been told it's customary to do .25 per bag)
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Sunday, November 18
I was "representing"...
:)
I represented military families on Dr. Susan Mitchell's radio show this week. Thought you guys might want to listen!
http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/
http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/radioshowarchives.html
I represented military families on Dr. Susan Mitchell's radio show this week. Thought you guys might want to listen!
http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/
http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/radioshowarchives.html
Click here to read the rest of this post.
All I want for Christmas...
I have been asked lately from my family and friends what I want on my Christmas list and aside from dishes (ha ha ha) I can't really think of something I NEED or even WANT other than my husband right? Well, I thought maybe some of you would have some great ideas for what you wanted. I thought I'd post and ask around to find out what other Army wives are just dying to have this Christmas. What is that "special" thing on your Christmas list?
Ok, I'll admit it after much thought I came up with a few...
- given - Dishes, Hubby
A food processor
Perfume
A snuggly long robe
Anything handmade or crafted
Now, here comes the second question - what is the best gift you've ever gotten and why?
The best "gifts" I have ever gotten are the ones from the heart - my best friend Tina always makes me something each year and I can hardly wait to see what it is. Kevin's mama also makes some awesome crafts and I always wait to see what her Christmas craft is each year. I have something from every year that she has made and I just love getting them all out every year and remembering. Another fun thing I've done since I am in GA for the past two years (and this year too) is my neighbor Edith gets a LIVE tree and we always take the branches she cuts off and make homemade wreaths from them. We add fun stuff from our gardens and a bow. They are GORGEOUS!
And a third...
What kind of crafty interesting things have you done for your family, friends, teachers/postman or neighbors? I know we have some crafty ones out there and I thought you might have done something totally homemade/handmade and creative to give as small gifts for the holidays.
Every year I do a "fall" craft. Well, this year it's hard because Kevin isn't here and we usually do them out of wood. So that means I have no one to cut out things for me. It's a pretty labor intensive thing and so I am skipping this year. However, I did decide to do these neat little cookies in a jar. I ordered wholesale jars with really cool primitive tops from this website. Wren and I are going to make the tags, add the ingredients, and pack them up to give as gifts to the teachers, neighbors, and friends.
Ok, I'll admit it after much thought I came up with a few...
- given - Dishes, Hubby
A food processor
Perfume
A snuggly long robe
Anything handmade or crafted
Now, here comes the second question - what is the best gift you've ever gotten and why?
The best "gifts" I have ever gotten are the ones from the heart - my best friend Tina always makes me something each year and I can hardly wait to see what it is. Kevin's mama also makes some awesome crafts and I always wait to see what her Christmas craft is each year. I have something from every year that she has made and I just love getting them all out every year and remembering. Another fun thing I've done since I am in GA for the past two years (and this year too) is my neighbor Edith gets a LIVE tree and we always take the branches she cuts off and make homemade wreaths from them. We add fun stuff from our gardens and a bow. They are GORGEOUS!
And a third...
What kind of crafty interesting things have you done for your family, friends, teachers/postman or neighbors? I know we have some crafty ones out there and I thought you might have done something totally homemade/handmade and creative to give as small gifts for the holidays.
Every year I do a "fall" craft. Well, this year it's hard because Kevin isn't here and we usually do them out of wood. So that means I have no one to cut out things for me. It's a pretty labor intensive thing and so I am skipping this year. However, I did decide to do these neat little cookies in a jar. I ordered wholesale jars with really cool primitive tops from this website. Wren and I are going to make the tags, add the ingredients, and pack them up to give as gifts to the teachers, neighbors, and friends.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
To: Santa From: Mommy
All: This has been going out around the net so some of you may have seen it. I am not a FWD person and normally I just hit DELETE but it was too dang cute to not pass on.
Dear Santa
I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my daughter's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.
Here are my Christmas wishes:
I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.
I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.
If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.
On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.
I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.
If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.
If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.
Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my daughter saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think she wants her crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.
Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.
Yours Always,
MOM...
P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.
Dear Santa
I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my daughter's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.
Here are my Christmas wishes:
I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.
I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.
If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.
On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.
I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.
If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.
If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.
Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my daughter saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think she wants her crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.
Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.
Yours Always,
MOM...
P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.
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Kids Crafts
Ya'll, know that I'm new to this deployment stuff. As long as I've been an Army wife, I've yet to deal with it until now. So I'm preparing my first care package, and finding myself coming up blank. I bought some basics: chap stick, eye drops, cookies, pictures of the kids and I from since he left. But now I'm realizing what an empty box I still have. I don't know what to get him. I don't want to only do practical things. I'm going to scour through previous posts because I remember several on the subject of care packages (and what a bad girl I am since I went to Tara's Priceless Packages too! I need to get out my stuff from there!). But what I'm wondering about now, are crafts for my kids to make to put in the package. I need to get it in the mail tomorrow. I am going to have them make some hand turkeys, and some "snowflakes" and I was thinking that maybe a big green construction paper Christmas tree with pictures of our us all as the ornaments? But I want things for the future too...NOT holiday related, lol. Any ideas on that? My Google searches came up surprisingly bare, lol.
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Saturday, November 17
Never A DULL Moment
So I figured I'd share some more of my life that is NEVER dull. I made my 3rd, yes 3rd, visit to the ER this year this afternoon. I got bit by yet another spider while doing laundry today. UGH! I swear they are out to get me. I am HIGHLY allergic to insect bites and although I know the drill, it never gets any easier. I knew something was up when my little Ella came running in from outside and laid down at my feet. She normally jumps and jumps and jumps. I didn't feel it actually bite me but I felt it start itching and I look down and my foot is swelling up. So I immediately went and took a benadryl and sprayed antihystamine spray on it and laid down. I called my friend to let her know and to keep my mind occupied but unfortunately it hit my system too fast. Now I am a very calm rational person in crisis situations...even my own. I had rationally and calmly gone through the motions. But as soon as I saw the black streak go up my leg...I knew that was it. Two minutes later the poison hit my heart and I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. And then I got that hot flash from my toes all the way up to my head. I decided it might be best to call 911 just in case. I knew I'd be fine once the benadryl kicked in but that normally takes about 30 minutes. Thankfully it didn' t affect my airway this time. As I laid there waiting for the paramedics...all three of my doggies were sitting by the bed next to me. Sheldon had his head on my stomach and Ella was licking my hand while Maci just sat there. The paramedics wanted me to get up and unlock the front door...I worry sometimes about their common sense. Here I am lying here trying to slow my heart rate and they want me to get up and unlock the front door while the garage door is unlocked. They finally figured it out :) They came in and my doggies were not moving. They had to physically pick the two little ones up and take them outside. What can I say, my kiddos love me! Of course by the time they got there my pulse and blood pressure was through the roof and I had begun that uncontrollable shaking. So there I went back to the ER. Thankfully IV benadryl does the trick just about immediately and I was fine by the time I got there. I was discharged and sent home. Oh but first....they wouldn't dishcarge me without someone being there to take me home. Well, my friend arrived shortly and then they realized I didn't have shoes. Well they wouldn't dishcarge me without shoes...I was in a pickle apparently hehe. They gave me some of those scrub bootie cover up things and in all my glory walked out of the hospital in those booties, my workout shorts, and an old t-shirt with dirt on my face :) I'm sure I made someone laugh other than myself. I decided not to take that embarrassing picture :) My foot is sooooo swollen but all is well and I have happy puppies now that their mommy is ok. I keep thinking....what doesn't kill me can only make me stronger! This year has proven to be my most challenging yet but I make it through all of it somehow. I keep sitting here with a smile on my face going...oh when tell my husband....he's going to laugh and say "what are we going to do with you?" LOL
With all that being said, I realized how THANKFUL I am for my friends. They showed up at the ER and took me home afterwards. I knew I'd be ok and I wasn't alone because they are here with me. Oh and on a funny note....I called BOTH my parents, neither of which answered their phones and I called my Father in Law and he picked up immediately. When my parent's finally called back later I gave them such a hard time about that :) I love them anyways. I hope everyone else had a more "uneventful" weekend!
With all that being said, I realized how THANKFUL I am for my friends. They showed up at the ER and took me home afterwards. I knew I'd be ok and I wasn't alone because they are here with me. Oh and on a funny note....I called BOTH my parents, neither of which answered their phones and I called my Father in Law and he picked up immediately. When my parent's finally called back later I gave them such a hard time about that :) I love them anyways. I hope everyone else had a more "uneventful" weekend!
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Back to the beginning.
I was bored one day so I decided to go back in the archives to Tara's first posts on the Loving A Soldier blog. Going back and seeing her take on something brand new, made me think back to 2005 and 2006 when my life in the Army first started. And while I know that 2005 wasn't that long ago, it seems like forever to me.
I had just graduated college and my soldier and I had been dating for 2 years. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life after college, but he was struggling with college and with some personal issues he was dealing with at that time. His brother was serving in the Army and his family was familiar with the military lifestyle. I, however, had never been exposed to a military life and my soldier's brother was the first person in the military that I had ever known personally. So when my soldier said he was going to enlist in 2006, I kind of just laughed it off. We had known each other since junior high, and this was the first time he had ever mentioned enlisting. So I honestly didn't take him seriously. Until he enlisted.
There I was, writing letters to him while he was at Fort Leonard Wood for basic. It happened so fast that sometimes I forgot that he was at basic...for the Army...the actual US Army. Again I have to stop and remind readers that I had never been in a military life before this, so the whole experience was surreal to me.
After basic when he came home I noticed that he had changed a little, for the better. He was polite, he was motivated, he was actually happy that he had found something that he was great at. That is when I knew that his decision to enlist was 100% the right one. I always knew that I would be with him, no matter what came our way, but seeing him like that made me feel at ease.
Not long after he returned, he left again. This time it was to Iraq. Talk about surreal! But honestly, he left and though I was extremely sad, I felt good in my heart because I knew that this is his job, and he is wonderful at it and he loves it, and I have to admit, I love it too.
So now, I wear my Proud Army Fiance t-shirt and listen to AWTR and when I look at my life two years ago, compared to now, I am amazed...but very happy.
I had just graduated college and my soldier and I had been dating for 2 years. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life after college, but he was struggling with college and with some personal issues he was dealing with at that time. His brother was serving in the Army and his family was familiar with the military lifestyle. I, however, had never been exposed to a military life and my soldier's brother was the first person in the military that I had ever known personally. So when my soldier said he was going to enlist in 2006, I kind of just laughed it off. We had known each other since junior high, and this was the first time he had ever mentioned enlisting. So I honestly didn't take him seriously. Until he enlisted.
There I was, writing letters to him while he was at Fort Leonard Wood for basic. It happened so fast that sometimes I forgot that he was at basic...for the Army...the actual US Army. Again I have to stop and remind readers that I had never been in a military life before this, so the whole experience was surreal to me.
After basic when he came home I noticed that he had changed a little, for the better. He was polite, he was motivated, he was actually happy that he had found something that he was great at. That is when I knew that his decision to enlist was 100% the right one. I always knew that I would be with him, no matter what came our way, but seeing him like that made me feel at ease.
Not long after he returned, he left again. This time it was to Iraq. Talk about surreal! But honestly, he left and though I was extremely sad, I felt good in my heart because I knew that this is his job, and he is wonderful at it and he loves it, and I have to admit, I love it too.
So now, I wear my Proud Army Fiance t-shirt and listen to AWTR and when I look at my life two years ago, compared to now, I am amazed...but very happy.
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The New Girl
Well, here I am the new girl(spouse) again. We have moved many times and I should be used to this. However, this move has been a completely different set of circumstances for us. Ted is finally back from Airborne school and officially here with us at Fort Bragg. YEAH! As I previously wrote, I never knew how hard getting fours kids in school and settled along with a house and all that goes along with that, and trying to figure out a new area, etc. I was exhausted to say the least.(for those that are wondering, therapy is going fantastic for me)
But I now find myself as the new girl, but not just the new girl, the new girl in a world that I am completely unfamiliar with. Ted has started a completely different job. It's a job where I don't get to know a lot and I can't tell people about it either. I was talking with another spouse last night at a function at Ted's new unit. Her and her husband have only been here since June and she said she also still feels like the new girl. A new set of lingo, work schedules, what we can and can't know, all sorts of variables and not still fully knowing what we can talk about and what we can't.
All of the people that we met last night were AWESOME! I was amazed and actually felt welcome in a room with 200 people and only knew 2. Why is it that when we move we feel singled out? I realize that some people have been there longer and some relationships are established, but overall we have been in the place of new girl, or established girl. In the many times we have moved I often felt like I was being watched. "Look there's the new girl, I wonder how long she'll last?" Now if we are honest with ourselves, we have all probably felt that way towards a new spouse in the past. I have been on both ends of that. But as I looked around last night at all these women, I wondered, what have these women/FRG figured out that so many have not? How does it work this well for this group but fall apart at others? In my new found skin I am trying to figure out things like this so we can all learn from them and grow. I think to many times we feel in competition with each other and that leads to the crumble of whatever structure we are in.(PTO, FRG, WORK, etc) There is healthy competition. I think healthy competition is good for us. Some times competition is what got me to the next level that I was trying to reach. But I have also been on the negative end of it. I think there is a very thin line between healthy and unhealthy, and sometimes we don't realize the difference when we are in the middle of a situation.
I'm interested to here in how you have reacted to being the new girl. How things felt to you when you got to a new duty station or town. How did you react? What do you do to get connected at the new place? Do you dive right in and start somewhere or do you weigh your options? What have you noticed about FRG's(or other women's groups)in different areas that you have been? If you are connected to FRG or such, what things work well for your group and what things have flopped? I see many organizations get stuck in a rutt and I think we need to change that.
But I now find myself as the new girl, but not just the new girl, the new girl in a world that I am completely unfamiliar with. Ted has started a completely different job. It's a job where I don't get to know a lot and I can't tell people about it either. I was talking with another spouse last night at a function at Ted's new unit. Her and her husband have only been here since June and she said she also still feels like the new girl. A new set of lingo, work schedules, what we can and can't know, all sorts of variables and not still fully knowing what we can talk about and what we can't.
All of the people that we met last night were AWESOME! I was amazed and actually felt welcome in a room with 200 people and only knew 2. Why is it that when we move we feel singled out? I realize that some people have been there longer and some relationships are established, but overall we have been in the place of new girl, or established girl. In the many times we have moved I often felt like I was being watched. "Look there's the new girl, I wonder how long she'll last?" Now if we are honest with ourselves, we have all probably felt that way towards a new spouse in the past. I have been on both ends of that. But as I looked around last night at all these women, I wondered, what have these women/FRG figured out that so many have not? How does it work this well for this group but fall apart at others? In my new found skin I am trying to figure out things like this so we can all learn from them and grow. I think to many times we feel in competition with each other and that leads to the crumble of whatever structure we are in.(PTO, FRG, WORK, etc) There is healthy competition. I think healthy competition is good for us. Some times competition is what got me to the next level that I was trying to reach. But I have also been on the negative end of it. I think there is a very thin line between healthy and unhealthy, and sometimes we don't realize the difference when we are in the middle of a situation.
I'm interested to here in how you have reacted to being the new girl. How things felt to you when you got to a new duty station or town. How did you react? What do you do to get connected at the new place? Do you dive right in and start somewhere or do you weigh your options? What have you noticed about FRG's(or other women's groups)in different areas that you have been? If you are connected to FRG or such, what things work well for your group and what things have flopped? I see many organizations get stuck in a rutt and I think we need to change that.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
In answer to priorities
Wow! Thank you to each and every one of you who responded to my blog about priorities! It has been an interesting conversation. Please allow me to clear up at least one misunderstanding I saw posted so that we can move forward without negative feelings. I wrote this blog fully aware that there were no easy answers and that people would feel disturbed about the questions. I think that there is a great need to think through what we really believe and why. The misunderstanding I see was that I was telling you what your priorities are, no, I want you to know what your priorities are.
My comment "Ladies that's the only way it works" was in no way a reference to circumstances or choices you may make as a family, but to; "two people who love each other, understand their priorities, and sacrifice to live them out, that's the only way it works". I stand by "that's' the only way it works" in the context of my statement.
We all find what is truly important as we live, no one can tell us that. There are thousands of different circumstances, but some real truths. Since the word judgement came up a number of times, let me be speak to that. That word is used by this society to mean, if you think its right, and I think its wrong, you are judging me (deciding you are better than me). No. We will not all agree. You may think I am wrong and still believe we are equals. Can I disagree, and still love you and believe you to be an intelligent person? Yes. I am far too acquainted with my own shortcomings to be visiting with yours. In reality, it makes no difference what I think, but it does matter what you think, for your life.
Everyone has the right to choose for their own family, absolutely. There is an ugly military statistic regarding marriage that shows that not all the choices being made are working out.I think it is unnecessary tragedy, but it is a complicated situation that encompasses many issues. I am feeling the pain of that in my own life now.I truly do believe that if the family feels a part of the military , that they have a far greater chance of finding purpose and satisfaction in military life.
My purpose in making you think was to clarify in your mind what you are choosing and why. For marriage partners to find a solid ground in teamwork is, in my humble opinion, hinged on what they believe is important, together. The stresses of military life make being aware of what those important things are even more essential. If you are unaware of your priorities, it can become too late to contemplate them. You must know, and live, and sacrifice to make a marriage work, no matter what choices you make. I think we can all agree on that.
My comment "Ladies that's the only way it works" was in no way a reference to circumstances or choices you may make as a family, but to; "two people who love each other, understand their priorities, and sacrifice to live them out, that's the only way it works". I stand by "that's' the only way it works" in the context of my statement.
We all find what is truly important as we live, no one can tell us that. There are thousands of different circumstances, but some real truths. Since the word judgement came up a number of times, let me be speak to that. That word is used by this society to mean, if you think its right, and I think its wrong, you are judging me (deciding you are better than me). No. We will not all agree. You may think I am wrong and still believe we are equals. Can I disagree, and still love you and believe you to be an intelligent person? Yes. I am far too acquainted with my own shortcomings to be visiting with yours. In reality, it makes no difference what I think, but it does matter what you think, for your life.
Everyone has the right to choose for their own family, absolutely. There is an ugly military statistic regarding marriage that shows that not all the choices being made are working out.I think it is unnecessary tragedy, but it is a complicated situation that encompasses many issues. I am feeling the pain of that in my own life now.I truly do believe that if the family feels a part of the military , that they have a far greater chance of finding purpose and satisfaction in military life.
My purpose in making you think was to clarify in your mind what you are choosing and why. For marriage partners to find a solid ground in teamwork is, in my humble opinion, hinged on what they believe is important, together. The stresses of military life make being aware of what those important things are even more essential. If you are unaware of your priorities, it can become too late to contemplate them. You must know, and live, and sacrifice to make a marriage work, no matter what choices you make. I think we can all agree on that.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Thursday, November 15
A question or two of priorities
I have some questions to ask of you out there, and it stems from Janine's recent blog. She asks the question "why do we get so upset when a spouse decides to opt out of army wife life and it's responsibilities?"
The idea that a wife can choose to stay in a place for the sake of a job, and let a husband relocate (he has no choice of course) makes me seriously question the priorities, does it you? What are your priorities? I think it is a matter of asking some hard questions. First, what are the responsibilities of an army wife (or any wife for that matter) ? What have you signed up for in marrying a soldier? (even if he was not a soldier when you married, you are part of this man, so, you did sign up for military life). People get upset in every circumstance of life where we hold responsibility and do not meet it.
How we see ourselves and our families is essential to how we stack our priorities and what principles we go back to in deciding what choices to make. As I listened to the AWTR interview of General Lynch and his wife Sarah, the attitudes they hold struck me as key. Sarah said she feels privileged to be a military wife. It is not easy or pain free, but she is part of it (the bigger picture). They are a team. If you have not listened to that interview, I suggest you do, as a wonderful picture of how marriage works. Two people, who love each other, both understand their priorities , and they sacrifice to live them out. Ladies, that is the only way it really works.
In talking with my business partner Paula, she said " Maybe the question is not can we have it all, but can we give our all"? That is a real question to ponder.
I want to write more about this, but I would love to hear your answers to these questions. You have the most powerful position in this nation to make a difference ,by sitting smack in the middle of army wife and mother. I know the culture says differently, don't buy the lie.
The idea that a wife can choose to stay in a place for the sake of a job, and let a husband relocate (he has no choice of course) makes me seriously question the priorities, does it you? What are your priorities? I think it is a matter of asking some hard questions. First, what are the responsibilities of an army wife (or any wife for that matter) ? What have you signed up for in marrying a soldier? (even if he was not a soldier when you married, you are part of this man, so, you did sign up for military life). People get upset in every circumstance of life where we hold responsibility and do not meet it.
How we see ourselves and our families is essential to how we stack our priorities and what principles we go back to in deciding what choices to make. As I listened to the AWTR interview of General Lynch and his wife Sarah, the attitudes they hold struck me as key. Sarah said she feels privileged to be a military wife. It is not easy or pain free, but she is part of it (the bigger picture). They are a team. If you have not listened to that interview, I suggest you do, as a wonderful picture of how marriage works. Two people, who love each other, both understand their priorities , and they sacrifice to live them out. Ladies, that is the only way it really works.
In talking with my business partner Paula, she said " Maybe the question is not can we have it all, but can we give our all"? That is a real question to ponder.
I want to write more about this, but I would love to hear your answers to these questions. You have the most powerful position in this nation to make a difference ,by sitting smack in the middle of army wife and mother. I know the culture says differently, don't buy the lie.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
My First Surprise
I love my hunny bear even more right now than I did before, if that's possible. Today, my doorbell rang, I answered (of course, lol) to a delivery girl and a vase/bouquet of flowers. The card read:
I'm thinking of you and I miss you on my cold dark nights. I know you're thinking of me and that's why the stars twinkle at night.
I love you.
Your Soldier,
Richard
I'm in tears again now just from typing it. But it was a really nice surprise because I've been sick since yesterday. The pick me up was just perfect.
I'm thinking of you and I miss you on my cold dark nights. I know you're thinking of me and that's why the stars twinkle at night.
I love you.
Your Soldier,
Richard
I'm in tears again now just from typing it. But it was a really nice surprise because I've been sick since yesterday. The pick me up was just perfect.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Wednesday, November 14
Parents with a Child in High School
In case no one ever told you…buy a note book, tablet, clip board, something to record every event your child participates in during high school!
When he or she becomes a senior and you start filling out Scholarship info and College applications, they want to know:
Every school club, community club, community activity, hours of volunteer service, all sports to include any leadership position held in any of the above. They want to know any award from school or community your child earned or was awarded. They want to know how many years in each and every event your child participated. Anything other than going to school, they want you to record it.
All these things will help them stand out when it comes to being awarded scholarships and being accepted in colleges. It is becoming very competitive and the more your child can display any extra activities to include taking honors classes, the better off they will look on paper.
When he or she becomes a senior and you start filling out Scholarship info and College applications, they want to know:
Every school club, community club, community activity, hours of volunteer service, all sports to include any leadership position held in any of the above. They want to know any award from school or community your child earned or was awarded. They want to know how many years in each and every event your child participated. Anything other than going to school, they want you to record it.
All these things will help them stand out when it comes to being awarded scholarships and being accepted in colleges. It is becoming very competitive and the more your child can display any extra activities to include taking honors classes, the better off they will look on paper.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Opting Out
What a great topic for the show the other night - Can you have
it all - career and kids? Well, I wanted to add one more part to that
question...
Can you have it all - career, kids....and Army wife life?
I ask this question because I have heard it said many times:
Yeah, the new (insert rank here)'s wife has decided not to
be involved. She's got a job.
Sometimes *gasp* they have decided she will stay with the kids at another location so she can *double gasp* pursue that career.
I've already revealed that I'm a volunteer junkie, so, yes, I've lead the traditional role. But I do wonder if there will be a point where my own career will not allow the time to be the leader, the organizer, all the stuff that comes with Army wife life...
So, what do you think? Can you have all three? And why do we get so upset when a spouse decides to opt out of Army wife life and its responsibilities?
it all - career and kids? Well, I wanted to add one more part to that
question...
Can you have it all - career, kids....and Army wife life?
I ask this question because I have heard it said many times:
Yeah, the new (insert rank here)'s wife has decided not to
be involved. She's got a job.
Sometimes *gasp* they have decided she will stay with the kids at another location so she can *double gasp* pursue that career.
I've already revealed that I'm a volunteer junkie, so, yes, I've lead the traditional role. But I do wonder if there will be a point where my own career will not allow the time to be the leader, the organizer, all the stuff that comes with Army wife life...
So, what do you think? Can you have all three? And why do we get so upset when a spouse decides to opt out of Army wife life and its responsibilities?
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Donate your old cell phones!
http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/
Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to turn old cell phones into more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas in 2007. To do so, Cell Phones for Soldiers expects to collect 15,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country.
The phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad.
“Americans will replace an estimated 130 million cell phones this year,” says Mike Newman, vice president of ReCellular, “with the majority of phones either discarded or stuffed in a drawer. Most people don’t realize that the small sacrifice of donating their unwanted phones can have a tremendous benefit for a worthy cause like Cell Phones for Soldiers.”
Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass., with $21 of their own money. Since then, the registered 501c3 non-profit organization has raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 400,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.
“Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a small way to show our family’s appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces,” says the teens’ father, Bob Bergquist. “Over the past few years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others. But, we have also seen the need to support our troops continue to grow as more troops are sent overseas for longer assignments."
Through increased fundraising efforts, the Bergquist family hopes to raise more than $9 million in the next five years to fund new programs, such as providing video phones with prepaid service to allow soldiers abroad to see their families on a regular basis.
Cell Phones for Soldiers hopes to turn old cell phones into more than 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas in 2007. To do so, Cell Phones for Soldiers expects to collect 15,000 cell phones each month through a network of more than 3,000 collection sites across the country.
The phones are sent to ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad.
“Americans will replace an estimated 130 million cell phones this year,” says Mike Newman, vice president of ReCellular, “with the majority of phones either discarded or stuffed in a drawer. Most people don’t realize that the small sacrifice of donating their unwanted phones can have a tremendous benefit for a worthy cause like Cell Phones for Soldiers.”
Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass., with $21 of their own money. Since then, the registered 501c3 non-profit organization has raised almost $1 million in donations and distributed more than 400,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.
“Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a small way to show our family’s appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces,” says the teens’ father, Bob Bergquist. “Over the past few years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others. But, we have also seen the need to support our troops continue to grow as more troops are sent overseas for longer assignments."
Through increased fundraising efforts, the Bergquist family hopes to raise more than $9 million in the next five years to fund new programs, such as providing video phones with prepaid service to allow soldiers abroad to see their families on a regular basis.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Tuesday, November 13
He's Thinking Arbys!
Visiting my very own site tonight and laughing as I reread through some of my articles I've written for various things, I came across this article about my cat Oscar. I don't think I've ever posted it. I submitted it to Marna Krajeski's Moving Stories of a Military Wife though.. LOL! Anyway, I thought it would give us all a good "mid week" laugh. Enjoy!
(ps I hope it copies over ok b/c it was in adobe and was giving me major SPACING issues!)
He’s thinking Arby’s…
Copyright Tara Crooks www.TaraCrooks.com
Our first home was an apartment. My husband and I are both dog lovers but an apartment wouldn’t allow for dogs, so we decided on a cat. We headed down to the local humane society. I’m a softy and I know that everyone will adopt the kittens, so I headed straight back to the older cats. Unfortunately, my husband wasn’t interested in an older cat. He chose this scraggly, skinny, black kitten that was probably about three months old. I argued with him for about half and hour to please not get this cat, but he was set.
We took ole blacky home with us and named him Oscar. It didn’t take long for us to
realize that Oscar was no ordinary cat—he was a super cat. Once he mastered the
apartment itself he decided to start hanging out on the deck. We were on the third floor of the apartment complex so it never occurred to us the cat would try to escape. It should have. That was his plan all along. Six months into our family of three, we were posting up signs of this curious solid black cat all over the complex hoping to find him. Lucky for him he had a collar and was returned several days later.
Our time in college flew by and my husband graduated Reserved Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and we were headed to our first duty station, Fort Hood, TX. We were lucky in that we found a wonderful little rental house (with a cat door) on a cul-de-sac. Oscar fit right in. He immediately claimed the entire cul-de-sac as his territory and started visiting the neighbors. It wasn’t long before all the children knew his name. He took up a perch in the neighbor’s tree with a bird’s eye view of the neighborhood. It was in this tree that he caused most of his mischief. You see the birds loved this tree and he loved the birds. It was the perfect set-up. Maggie, our neighbor, put birdseed in the feeder that was in the tree; Oscar waited for the hungry birds and then brought the ultimate prize to our doorstep. Maggie wasn’t appreciative.
There were times we would go for days and never see Oscar. We’d ask around to see if anyone had seen him, just to find him next door all curled up on the back of Jennifer and Tim’s couch. “Oh he’s been here for two days, what a sweet cat.” Boy did he have them fooled! Then, there was Teresa and Patrick across the street that owned Oscar’s two best friends,the Doberman Pinchers. Teresa used to call me all the time to tell me about how my cat was purposely walking across her fence and jumping down into the “pit” of dogs and running diagonally to see if they’d catch him causing her dogs to throw giant barking fits. She was always worried he’d be eaten until we decided they were all friends and this was a game they played.
So, at Fort Hood, Oscar survived the Dobermans, Maggie spraying him out of the tree
with the water hose, the children burning his leg on the BBQ grill, and even a bout of kidney failure. The vet said we owned a miracle cat. Apparently by the time I brought him in most cats would have been dead. We thought he’d seen all the adventure that a cat could see in its life. That is, until we made our next major PCS.
After leaving Fort Hood we spent eight months at Captain’s Career Course in Fort Sill,OK followed by a year of an unaccompanied tour to Korea when Wrena and I moved to Springfield, MO. After returning from Korea Kevin had orders to report to Fort Stewart,GA. We went through all of the motions and played the PCS game: the movers, the partial DITY move, the goodbyes to the family, and the packing of the plants, pets, and kid. Off we headed down the sixteen hour trip to Georgia, one car, one truck, and a UHaul trailer. We stopped in Alabama at an Arby’s to have lunch. Since Oscar had been riding in his cage the entire way we decided it would be nice to let him out in the back of the Durango. We left the windows barely—and I do mean barely—cracked for air. Upon returning to the vehicle, I opened the door. I looked around No cat. I started to freak out. No cat? How could there be no cat? We combed that truck from one end to the other. He was gone. I was beside myself. We spent the next hour driving around the parking lots of adjacent restaurants calling for him. Kevin said we had to go on. “You never leave a soldier behind,” I told him. I cried as we drove away.
I started thinking of ways to rescue him. Did he have a collar on? Yes! What was on it? I don’t know. It could have been TX, OK, or MO. I couldn’t remember. I did remember slipping it on him right before we left, so that if in the event he did get lost someone would know his name and he would have a family. I don’t know how, but I recalled the vet name and number from TX, and from MO, and our old phone number from OK. I called all the numbers and told them my story.
Two days after we arrived at Fort Stewart, we were meeting the movers at our rental
house. My cell phone rang. “Hello?” “Hello, are you missing a member of your family?”
The lady went on to explain she was in Leeds, AL. Our Oscar had been found! She said
that her daughter found him at the Cracker Barrel and the only reason she took him home is because he had a collar. Once she got him home it took her two days tofigure out why the cat was in Alabama, with a Missouri and Texas vet tag, and an Oklahoma phone number. Only in a military household! She had called the vet in Texas who had given her my number. She kept him until the weekend and we drove twelve hours to rescue the little booger.
I don’t know how he is so lucky. Since he’s been back we purchased a nice home in
Richmond Hill, GA. He has taken to our street and our neighbors just like he did in
Texas. He no longer has a litter box--he functions as a dog. He scratches when he needs to go out, he utilizes his cat door, and even has a self-feeding cat bowl. He is thirteen years old now. He is so low maintenance but still very loving and he has turned out to be the best cat anyone could ever imagine. He still goes on his adventures though. We lost him around New Years last year and some lady called from a neighborhood about ten miles away, ironically right down the street from the local Arby’s.
(ps I hope it copies over ok b/c it was in adobe and was giving me major SPACING issues!)
He’s thinking Arby’s…
Copyright Tara Crooks www.TaraCrooks.com
Our first home was an apartment. My husband and I are both dog lovers but an apartment wouldn’t allow for dogs, so we decided on a cat. We headed down to the local humane society. I’m a softy and I know that everyone will adopt the kittens, so I headed straight back to the older cats. Unfortunately, my husband wasn’t interested in an older cat. He chose this scraggly, skinny, black kitten that was probably about three months old. I argued with him for about half and hour to please not get this cat, but he was set.
We took ole blacky home with us and named him Oscar. It didn’t take long for us to
realize that Oscar was no ordinary cat—he was a super cat. Once he mastered the
apartment itself he decided to start hanging out on the deck. We were on the third floor of the apartment complex so it never occurred to us the cat would try to escape. It should have. That was his plan all along. Six months into our family of three, we were posting up signs of this curious solid black cat all over the complex hoping to find him. Lucky for him he had a collar and was returned several days later.
Our time in college flew by and my husband graduated Reserved Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and we were headed to our first duty station, Fort Hood, TX. We were lucky in that we found a wonderful little rental house (with a cat door) on a cul-de-sac. Oscar fit right in. He immediately claimed the entire cul-de-sac as his territory and started visiting the neighbors. It wasn’t long before all the children knew his name. He took up a perch in the neighbor’s tree with a bird’s eye view of the neighborhood. It was in this tree that he caused most of his mischief. You see the birds loved this tree and he loved the birds. It was the perfect set-up. Maggie, our neighbor, put birdseed in the feeder that was in the tree; Oscar waited for the hungry birds and then brought the ultimate prize to our doorstep. Maggie wasn’t appreciative.
There were times we would go for days and never see Oscar. We’d ask around to see if anyone had seen him, just to find him next door all curled up on the back of Jennifer and Tim’s couch. “Oh he’s been here for two days, what a sweet cat.” Boy did he have them fooled! Then, there was Teresa and Patrick across the street that owned Oscar’s two best friends,the Doberman Pinchers. Teresa used to call me all the time to tell me about how my cat was purposely walking across her fence and jumping down into the “pit” of dogs and running diagonally to see if they’d catch him causing her dogs to throw giant barking fits. She was always worried he’d be eaten until we decided they were all friends and this was a game they played.
So, at Fort Hood, Oscar survived the Dobermans, Maggie spraying him out of the tree
with the water hose, the children burning his leg on the BBQ grill, and even a bout of kidney failure. The vet said we owned a miracle cat. Apparently by the time I brought him in most cats would have been dead. We thought he’d seen all the adventure that a cat could see in its life. That is, until we made our next major PCS.
After leaving Fort Hood we spent eight months at Captain’s Career Course in Fort Sill,OK followed by a year of an unaccompanied tour to Korea when Wrena and I moved to Springfield, MO. After returning from Korea Kevin had orders to report to Fort Stewart,GA. We went through all of the motions and played the PCS game: the movers, the partial DITY move, the goodbyes to the family, and the packing of the plants, pets, and kid. Off we headed down the sixteen hour trip to Georgia, one car, one truck, and a UHaul trailer. We stopped in Alabama at an Arby’s to have lunch. Since Oscar had been riding in his cage the entire way we decided it would be nice to let him out in the back of the Durango. We left the windows barely—and I do mean barely—cracked for air. Upon returning to the vehicle, I opened the door. I looked around No cat. I started to freak out. No cat? How could there be no cat? We combed that truck from one end to the other. He was gone. I was beside myself. We spent the next hour driving around the parking lots of adjacent restaurants calling for him. Kevin said we had to go on. “You never leave a soldier behind,” I told him. I cried as we drove away.
I started thinking of ways to rescue him. Did he have a collar on? Yes! What was on it? I don’t know. It could have been TX, OK, or MO. I couldn’t remember. I did remember slipping it on him right before we left, so that if in the event he did get lost someone would know his name and he would have a family. I don’t know how, but I recalled the vet name and number from TX, and from MO, and our old phone number from OK. I called all the numbers and told them my story.
Two days after we arrived at Fort Stewart, we were meeting the movers at our rental
house. My cell phone rang. “Hello?” “Hello, are you missing a member of your family?”
The lady went on to explain she was in Leeds, AL. Our Oscar had been found! She said
that her daughter found him at the Cracker Barrel and the only reason she took him home is because he had a collar. Once she got him home it took her two days tofigure out why the cat was in Alabama, with a Missouri and Texas vet tag, and an Oklahoma phone number. Only in a military household! She had called the vet in Texas who had given her my number. She kept him until the weekend and we drove twelve hours to rescue the little booger.
I don’t know how he is so lucky. Since he’s been back we purchased a nice home in
Richmond Hill, GA. He has taken to our street and our neighbors just like he did in
Texas. He no longer has a litter box--he functions as a dog. He scratches when he needs to go out, he utilizes his cat door, and even has a self-feeding cat bowl. He is thirteen years old now. He is so low maintenance but still very loving and he has turned out to be the best cat anyone could ever imagine. He still goes on his adventures though. We lost him around New Years last year and some lady called from a neighborhood about ten miles away, ironically right down the street from the local Arby’s.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Mommy Dearest
My mom came and visited for about two weeks and it was wonderful! The boys absolutely loved having her here. My dad will be here on Friday for a week and that will be good too! I haven't written in a while, like always, we've been quite busy. I was in the hospital a little over a week ago for three days. I was admitted on Monday night and left Thursday afternoon. I couldn't stop thinking about what on earth my husband was going to do with the boys! I knew my mom would fly in, but when? So my wonderful neighbor came over on Monday while I was at the hospital and then my hubby took a day of the next day, and again my neighbor watched the kids while my husband went to the airport to pick my mom up that night. I missed Halloween, but my mom was with them so I know they had fun. Anyways, my point is that it is really hard in those situations to be away from family, BUT it is wonderful to have good people around you that are willing to help and know the situation.The other thing I would like to say is that Tricare is wonderful. I hardly ever feel like I have to worry about insurance problems, most of the time.
We had so much fun with my mom here! We went out to eat, sight see and played with the boys! It was sooo hard seeing her go. I cried all the way home! The house felt lonely too. But this next week we will have a full house with about 16 visitors! Can they make military housing a little bigger? Most are staying on base, some at the house. I love Thanksgiving! It'll be nice to feel closeness to the family again. I have a lot to do before everyone comes! I can't wait!
We had so much fun with my mom here! We went out to eat, sight see and played with the boys! It was sooo hard seeing her go. I cried all the way home! The house felt lonely too. But this next week we will have a full house with about 16 visitors! Can they make military housing a little bigger? Most are staying on base, some at the house. I love Thanksgiving! It'll be nice to feel closeness to the family again. I have a lot to do before everyone comes! I can't wait!
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Monday, November 12
home is where the heart is
I was not able to catch the show since my computer is as old as the hills and has no sound at the present time, but I understand the topic was home or career, can you have both? I am in a unique position as an older woman to say I tried both at different times in my life, but because my husband worked odd hours and was not available in the evenings, I found that I could not work, care for kids, and have any time for my husband at all.
I read Mandie's blog and thought that every young woman must feel this way at some time of her life. I had trouble feeling content at home, I wish now that had not been true. I wish I had truly enjoyed the days of my children being little, but like most, I found I just survived much of the time. I had dreams of bigger things, being useful to the world, or at least bringing in some money. Now those things seem trite in a way. The kids have grown, I can work if I choose to, but what is really important is family. I know when my son was in Iraq, and he could not reach his wife , she was at work or doing something and could not get to the phone, he would call me. I enjoyed the calls of course, but I heard the disappointment he felt to not talk to his wife that day. Once in awhile it cannot be avoided, but it meant so much to him to be able to talk to her.
Tara said you can have both, but not at the same time, wise advice, stay where you can give to the family, and give yourself some time, just "be," rather than" do." You have enough to do, being a wife, and if you are a mother, you have a full time job. Don't worry that it is not glamorous or that you have to budget to make ends meet. The payoff in the long run is worth it. On the side, be creative, pursue your interests, when you have opportunity, in another season of life, you will be ready to meet it.
I read Mandie's blog and thought that every young woman must feel this way at some time of her life. I had trouble feeling content at home, I wish now that had not been true. I wish I had truly enjoyed the days of my children being little, but like most, I found I just survived much of the time. I had dreams of bigger things, being useful to the world, or at least bringing in some money. Now those things seem trite in a way. The kids have grown, I can work if I choose to, but what is really important is family. I know when my son was in Iraq, and he could not reach his wife , she was at work or doing something and could not get to the phone, he would call me. I enjoyed the calls of course, but I heard the disappointment he felt to not talk to his wife that day. Once in awhile it cannot be avoided, but it meant so much to him to be able to talk to her.
Tara said you can have both, but not at the same time, wise advice, stay where you can give to the family, and give yourself some time, just "be," rather than" do." You have enough to do, being a wife, and if you are a mother, you have a full time job. Don't worry that it is not glamorous or that you have to budget to make ends meet. The payoff in the long run is worth it. On the side, be creative, pursue your interests, when you have opportunity, in another season of life, you will be ready to meet it.
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I never thought...
With this being my first deployment and basically my first experience with the Army, there have been many things that I never thought I would be doing. I never thought I would put bumper stickers all over my car - I used to think that was so tacky! I never thought I would be explaining to people where my fiance was - he had been by my side for 5 years. I never thought that I would be planning our wedding mostly by myself - even though he helps over the emails. And lastly, I never thought I would be wrapping Christmas gifts in brown paper with a big priority mail sticker on it instead of a nice To: From: sticker. I haven't been on for a couple days, so maybe someone has already written about this, but I think wrapping presents in that brown paper has really got me down. Is any one else feeling this way, or is this the complaints of a rookie?
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I'm such a dork
Ok so I loved being on the show tonight. I feel like such a dork however in that I kept stumbling over my words...I don't do well on the spot. SO, I figured I'd touch on a few points over here. LOL.
(quick interlude...why is it that the one night you tell your husband...hey I'm going to be on AWTR tonight so we'll talk an hour later and you get everything ready and right before you go to sit down at the computer with the telephone you decide to grab a quick drink and the dog has peed all over the kitchen floor :( I just said oh well deal with it after the show :) LOL)
I think everyone had some great points on the show tonight and I agree with Tara when she said that you can have it all just not all at the same time. This is our second deployment and I worked full-time through the first deployment and it was challenging but I loved the challenge. I did find it frustrating at times such as when my husband came home for R&R and homecoming. It is hard being an Army wife and finding your niche in the corporate world. Last go round I already had my foot in the door since I had the job before I married my husband. I stayed put through that deployment. Then when he returned home and I moved to Ft. Stewart I had to start all over. It was very difficult finding a job where my needs as an Army wife would be met. It was trying at times knowing I had to work and couldn't go with my husband to the FRG meetings and so on and always have to work when he was off. Our schedules NEVER cooperated with on another. Then when deployment came around this second time I was still working full-time and it was a small blessing in that it kept my mind occupied. However, the longer we got into the deployment the more tired and exhausted I became. It's hard trying to work 8-9 hours a day, come home to keep up the house, manage the finances, talk to your husband when he calls, make sure to send him what he needs, walk the dogs and give them some of your time and I feel like I've lost "my time." And to be honest because of it it has made me extremely physically sick. I began to question what mattered more to me. My husband would always call during the work day here and he has no control over the times he can call and I was always torn. I'd talk to him but my mind and my heart wasn't all 100% in our conversation because I was at work and a million and one things were going on at once. For some reason, maybe having to start over, I have found that my priorities and what I want out of life have changed. I want more than anything to spend time with my husband. I feel like I've missed so many chances to sit and relax with him because I was working. For this time in my life, I'm ready to be here for him...when he needs me. We want to hopefully start having kids upon his return and my dreams and aspirations have changed. I'd love to stay at home with our kids and spend time as a family. My family is the most important thing in the world to me!
It can be frustrating though, thinking, and yes I've had this thought recently, it's NOT FAIR! Why is it that my life has to change and I have to give up my career and he gets to keep his. I find that women are often torn between family and careers. I think our dreams change as our life changes. Our needs change. And well as an Army wife your life is constantly changing. Here and now, my life has changed SO much in the past two years that I'm almost fed up with trying to juggle it all. I'm taking this time to step back and take a break and truly focus my time and energy on my husband and where our lives are going to go from here. And as I had said on the show, the support of my husband is key.
I hope that all of you will comment as well on the blog about the thoughts on the show and your opinions.
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been in and out of the hospital for the past week. Life is always interesting :)
(quick interlude...why is it that the one night you tell your husband...hey I'm going to be on AWTR tonight so we'll talk an hour later and you get everything ready and right before you go to sit down at the computer with the telephone you decide to grab a quick drink and the dog has peed all over the kitchen floor :( I just said oh well deal with it after the show :) LOL)
I think everyone had some great points on the show tonight and I agree with Tara when she said that you can have it all just not all at the same time. This is our second deployment and I worked full-time through the first deployment and it was challenging but I loved the challenge. I did find it frustrating at times such as when my husband came home for R&R and homecoming. It is hard being an Army wife and finding your niche in the corporate world. Last go round I already had my foot in the door since I had the job before I married my husband. I stayed put through that deployment. Then when he returned home and I moved to Ft. Stewart I had to start all over. It was very difficult finding a job where my needs as an Army wife would be met. It was trying at times knowing I had to work and couldn't go with my husband to the FRG meetings and so on and always have to work when he was off. Our schedules NEVER cooperated with on another. Then when deployment came around this second time I was still working full-time and it was a small blessing in that it kept my mind occupied. However, the longer we got into the deployment the more tired and exhausted I became. It's hard trying to work 8-9 hours a day, come home to keep up the house, manage the finances, talk to your husband when he calls, make sure to send him what he needs, walk the dogs and give them some of your time and I feel like I've lost "my time." And to be honest because of it it has made me extremely physically sick. I began to question what mattered more to me. My husband would always call during the work day here and he has no control over the times he can call and I was always torn. I'd talk to him but my mind and my heart wasn't all 100% in our conversation because I was at work and a million and one things were going on at once. For some reason, maybe having to start over, I have found that my priorities and what I want out of life have changed. I want more than anything to spend time with my husband. I feel like I've missed so many chances to sit and relax with him because I was working. For this time in my life, I'm ready to be here for him...when he needs me. We want to hopefully start having kids upon his return and my dreams and aspirations have changed. I'd love to stay at home with our kids and spend time as a family. My family is the most important thing in the world to me!
It can be frustrating though, thinking, and yes I've had this thought recently, it's NOT FAIR! Why is it that my life has to change and I have to give up my career and he gets to keep his. I find that women are often torn between family and careers. I think our dreams change as our life changes. Our needs change. And well as an Army wife your life is constantly changing. Here and now, my life has changed SO much in the past two years that I'm almost fed up with trying to juggle it all. I'm taking this time to step back and take a break and truly focus my time and energy on my husband and where our lives are going to go from here. And as I had said on the show, the support of my husband is key.
I hope that all of you will comment as well on the blog about the thoughts on the show and your opinions.
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been in and out of the hospital for the past week. Life is always interesting :)
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Bloom Where You are Planted
One of my biggest challenges as an Army wife (and shoot honestly as a human being as well) is enjoying my life at the exact moment I am in it. I am always looking for the next duty station, thinking about where we will be next, instead of enjoying where we are currently assigned. It is a really bad habit and I realized the other day how bad it is when I was talking to my neighbor who moved to the area the same time we did. She was talking about how much she missed Fort Campbell and how wonderful it was and all of the things she was involved in there. I stood there thinking about how much I disliked our former duty station and how miserable I was there. Now that we have been here for four months there are some things that I miss about Fort Sill, the big one being Super Walmart, we don't have a Super Walmart that is closer than 30-45 minutes away. I suppose that in my defense I have three small children and it is difficult for me to get out of the house, but that really sounds like an excuse. I feel like so far I have done a poor job of blooming where I was planted, and thriving not just surviving. I think especially after you have been through a couple of deployments, you get used to wishing time away and it is a tough habit to break. It certainly has seeped into other aspects of my life. When I am having a particularly tough day, surrounded by clutter and laundry and screaming children and poopie diapers,and puke I think about how different things will be in a year or two years, but I don't want to wish away my time with my kids, time will pass quickly as it is.
I am trying to bloom where I am planted. I am really trying to live in the moment and focus on the good things and the happy things every day. Carpe Diem. Live today like it will be your last. I certainly do not want to have a long list of regrets when things finally slow down.
P.S. Spell check said I should spell poopie like poo pie. Ironically enough sometimes it is just that.
I am trying to bloom where I am planted. I am really trying to live in the moment and focus on the good things and the happy things every day. Carpe Diem. Live today like it will be your last. I certainly do not want to have a long list of regrets when things finally slow down.
P.S. Spell check said I should spell poopie like poo pie. Ironically enough sometimes it is just that.
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Sunday, November 11
'Army Wives' Hit By Writers Strike
Oh crud.
Were you looking forward to it coming back too?
Well, guess we're going to have to wait.
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Saturday, November 10
the trenches of army motherhood
Today I went to a Veterans day celebration at the war memorial in our town. Lots of speakers , a fly over (that is so incredible, always makes me cry), a little girl singing God Bless America (little kids singing makes me cry too) . We worked on promoting our children's book for children of deployed soldiers, with only a proof and no real book.
I found and bought a pin that says army mom, and a star with red white and blue and pinned it to my lapel. The lady I bought it from said last year she was getting complaints because there was nothing for the military mother. Today I felt really alone in this place of mother, and I think many other moms must feel that way too. There really is no where for us, and we are the older ones, the ones that want to stand strong for the young ones, you, who are really living this. I rarely feel this, but today, I wanted to just stand next to another mom, and say, where is your son, how are things going?
There were moms there, but we do not have any camaraderie, most of us have been in too many places for support groups to really be of benefit. Maybe we just need to know who we are, and go to lunch. Ask your moms what it is like for them , and then tell them they have a sister in the trenches of "army motherhood, and tonight I am praying for them.
I found and bought a pin that says army mom, and a star with red white and blue and pinned it to my lapel. The lady I bought it from said last year she was getting complaints because there was nothing for the military mother. Today I felt really alone in this place of mother, and I think many other moms must feel that way too. There really is no where for us, and we are the older ones, the ones that want to stand strong for the young ones, you, who are really living this. I rarely feel this, but today, I wanted to just stand next to another mom, and say, where is your son, how are things going?
There were moms there, but we do not have any camaraderie, most of us have been in too many places for support groups to really be of benefit. Maybe we just need to know who we are, and go to lunch. Ask your moms what it is like for them , and then tell them they have a sister in the trenches of "army motherhood, and tonight I am praying for them.
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Two Weeks In
Wow, I must come off as a serious sissy! We're two weeks into this deployment now, and I feel strange. Yes, I have my moments of mortal fear and the crying that makes you make that horrible noise with your throat. But for the most part, I feel relieved. And then I feel guilty for feeling relieved. I fully believe now that the anticipation was, so far, the worst part! I've spoken to him several times, he seems in good spirits. The kids are doing far better than I expected, and so am I. Which again, leads to feelings of guilt. Shouldn't I be more torn up? I don't really know, lol. But I do know that tonight, the kids and I are going to spend the night with a fantastic friend of mine and her kids. We're going to drink some wine, share some stories, and basically just enjoy being women while our kids busy themselves playing with each other, lol. It's going to be great...and then I feel guilty. I won't let it ruin the night though :) I hope you're all doing well! I'm off now to Ethan's "soccer party" where they'll be given their trophies. That's going to be fun!
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Lucky man...
I won't go into the history of Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton (you can search your own), but I want to share something he wrote. He was such a lucky man to realize this, and I wonder if he wasn't maybe military. Anyway, it sounds like he appreciates the true benefits of a supportive woman friend (read: wife) in his corner. When I read it, I thought about all the women behind the scenes, behind the men I respected when I was in the military, behind our leaders (mainly male), and I feel like it describes us (military spouses) to a "T."
If you haven't realized it before, our roles are pretty important!
And our men, well they're pretty lucky (to have such women of strength).
A WOMAN FRIEND
"It is a wonderful advantage to a man, in every pursuit or avocation, to secure an advisor in a sensible woman. In woman there is at once a subtle delicacy of tact, and a plain soundness of judgment, which are rarely combined in equal degree in a man. A woman, if she be really your friend, will have a sensitive regard for your character, honour and repute. She will seldom counsel you to do a shabby thing; for a woman friend always desires to be proud of you."
Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton
A WOMAN FRIEND
"It is a wonderful advantage to a man, in every pursuit or avocation, to secure an advisor in a sensible woman. In woman there is at once a subtle delicacy of tact, and a plain soundness of judgment, which are rarely combined in equal degree in a man. A woman, if she be really your friend, will have a sensitive regard for your character, honour and repute. She will seldom counsel you to do a shabby thing; for a woman friend always desires to be proud of you."
Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton
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Thursday, November 8
How lucky are we?
Sometimes I forget (especially lately) to celebrate the small wonders of being military. For instance, how lucky are we that we have been blessed to get to go to some wonderful places around the US and get out of our home state of MO? How lucky are we to be so close to such a wonderful place like Savannah where there is so much to see and do? How lucky are we to be so close to Disney World and be able to afford to go? What about getting to see Texas? Even simple things like the Sunrise restaurant in Fort Sill, OK where I swear to you they have the BEST bread and omelets!!
Anyway, my point is that we are so very lucky for these things. Tonight Wrena and I had a 'date' without Chloe. We left her with the neighbor and snuck out to see Disney Princesses on Ice. The Civic Center offered military discounts of $5.00 off the tickets and it was just up the road. What a neat experience. I don't remember getting to do fun things like that when I was a kid. I hope she realizes that even though Daddy is gone it is because of this life that we have those special little luxuries.
What have you guys done in your local areas that you wouldn't have otherwise ever experienced had the military not moved you there?
Here are some pictures to share:
Anyway, my point is that we are so very lucky for these things. Tonight Wrena and I had a 'date' without Chloe. We left her with the neighbor and snuck out to see Disney Princesses on Ice. The Civic Center offered military discounts of $5.00 off the tickets and it was just up the road. What a neat experience. I don't remember getting to do fun things like that when I was a kid. I hope she realizes that even though Daddy is gone it is because of this life that we have those special little luxuries.
What have you guys done in your local areas that you wouldn't have otherwise ever experienced had the military not moved you there?
Here are some pictures to share:
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But Can You Volunteer For Just One More Thing?
The other day I was chatting over Yahoo! Messenger with a long lost bud from our last move. She marveled over all of the new endeavors I was working on while my husband is going back to school.
"How are you able to do all this stuff?" she asked.
My reply: "I'm taking a temporairy leave of absence from my full-time gig as an Army wife."
Of course, she sent back a little razz to my *witty* remark, but, when I thought about it, I wasn't really kidding. I was taking an LOA from being an Army wife and it sure did free up a lot of my time.
Now, I'm not writing this to complain. Really, I'm not. And I'm not saying anyone chained me to the Army wife volunteer ball and chain. Nope. Not saying I HAD to do it. But maybe, okay, maybe I am saying there is pressure to "be all you can be" as an Army wife - and that means being a volunteer guru.
Who creates this environment? Is it the wives themselves? Is it the Army with its idea of taking care of your own? I really don't know. But I do think that we are doing a heck of a lot of volunteering while a lot of us are thinking we want to be making some money during all of this "free time" we seem to be putting in on behalf of Army stuff.
So what do you think..are we asked to do too much volunteering? How do you manage a balance when you are asked to volunteer to host, lead or organize just one more "thing"? And do you ever wish you could be actually paid for doing some of this stuff?
"How are you able to do all this stuff?" she asked.
My reply: "I'm taking a temporairy leave of absence from my full-time gig as an Army wife."
Of course, she sent back a little razz to my *witty* remark, but, when I thought about it, I wasn't really kidding. I was taking an LOA from being an Army wife and it sure did free up a lot of my time.
Now, I'm not writing this to complain. Really, I'm not. And I'm not saying anyone chained me to the Army wife volunteer ball and chain. Nope. Not saying I HAD to do it. But maybe, okay, maybe I am saying there is pressure to "be all you can be" as an Army wife - and that means being a volunteer guru.
Who creates this environment? Is it the wives themselves? Is it the Army with its idea of taking care of your own? I really don't know. But I do think that we are doing a heck of a lot of volunteering while a lot of us are thinking we want to be making some money during all of this "free time" we seem to be putting in on behalf of Army stuff.
So what do you think..are we asked to do too much volunteering? How do you manage a balance when you are asked to volunteer to host, lead or organize just one more "thing"? And do you ever wish you could be actually paid for doing some of this stuff?
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Playing Dressup
Today we had a luncheon for OSC. Our theme was all about paying tribute to the Army wife of old and wearing our favorite basic black dress.
I so enjoyed today because I got to do my hair, do my makeup, and wear a dress that I felt fierce in. It was great!
Between the two kids and all the commitments, plus with no husband, it's a rare day that I get to dress up. Let alone do my hair AND makeup!!!! WOW!!! I seriously felt so sexy today! It was crazy. All because I got to do those three things.
I felt less like an Army wife and a mom and a volunteer and more like a woman, more like myself today than I have in a long time. That's me on the right with my buddy Tiffany. Thank goodness for the little black dress and for times where we need to get dressed up!
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Holiday Care Package Ideas
Ladies,
I've been around searching for some "extra" ideas to add to our care package ideas list and have found some really FUN stuff.... First, is our general list from "Crooks & Henderson" then the rest that I have found (authors are noted if they were available). Please share any additions you find! Enjoy!
Field Problem: Priceless Packages
My husband is deployed to Iraq and won’t be home for the holidays. I want to send him something extra special. I always send the basics: baby wipes, eye drops, his favorite cookies, etc. Do you have any ideas for special care packages?
Wanda; Ft. Stewart, GA; Army; 9 years
Dear Wanda:
Happy Holidays! This has to be one of my favorite topics. I don’t know if it is the crafter in me, or I just enjoy thinking up new ways to surprise my own sweetie. Below are some quick and easy ideas for themed care packages. I hope this helps you find exactly what you needed to make your soldier’s holiday special!
Movie Care Package
Movie (DVD or VHS)
Microwave Popcorn (or already popped if they don’t have a microwave)
M&Ms
Doritos
Cracker Jacks
Rice Krispie Treats
Twizzlers
Cookies (Oreos and Chips Ahoy)
Ruffles chips & dip
Hot Tamales
Nachos (tortilla chips & cheese)
Make a “Now Featuring” Movie poster on your computer and add it to the package
Get Well Package
Puzzle
Chicken Noodle soup packets
Gourmet tea packets
Cold medicine
Crackers
Inspirational “Get Well” quotes
Goldfish
Dole Fruit Bowls
Get Well “pills” (candy coated mints)
Get Well card
Chapstick
At Ease Package
Glow in the dark yo yo
Crossword Puzzle Book
Silly Putty
Deck of Cards
Ritz Bitz
Pringles
Cookies
Twizzlers
Cheetos
Cereal Bars
“Scruff” Care Package
Razors
Baby wipes
Chapstick
Shaving cream
Deodorant
Mouthwash
Lotion (if your soldier is female, step it up a notch and do something from a SPA line)
Foot powder
Soap
Big fluffy towel
Toilet paper
Comforts of Home Package
Small Bottle of Febreze
Candle
Snuggle dryer sheets
Phone card
Blanket (a nice comfy one)
Glade PlugIns
Pair of slippers or cozy socks
Hot cocoa or coffee
Decorative coffee mug
Pillowcase with your perfume/cologne sprayed on it
Book on tape
“Big Kid” Package
Squirt guns
Silly Putty
Silly String
Whoopie Cushion
Funny face eyeglasses
Sidewalk chalk
Crayons & color book
Jacks
Marbles
Balloons
Frisbee
Football/soccer Ball (mini)
Hacky Sack
Sports Theme Package
Favorite sport magazine
Taped TV or DVD of favorite sport
Cheetos
Popcorn
Personalized mug
Cookies
“A Day At Home” Package
There are several variations of this package. The idea is to replicate a day with you. First, you will need a camera. Take pictures of each thing you do. Use your creativity, but here are a few ideas:
We woke up (take a picture in bed) and ate breakfast (take a picture eating cereal) and then took a shower (take picture in towel). We started the day off by doing some yard work and mowing the lawn (take picture mowing lawn). After our work, we had lunch (take picture with lunch) and then we colored pictures – or threw around a football etc. (Take pictures doing the activity). We all ate dinner together (take picture having dinner). We had a full day so we were tired when it was time to set down and watch our favorite TV programs (take picture watching TV). Later we snuggled up in our jammies (take picture in jammies) and had a nighttime snack (take picture snacking). We love you very much and miss you! (take a picture of a goodnight kiss)
Now take all of your pictures (referencing above) and send them with “treats”:
Pillowcase with cologne/perfume sprayed or maybe a decorated one
Several small boxes of cereal or cereal bars
Shower gel or shampoo or even a towel
Grass clippings in a baggie or dirt from backyard (strange but reminds them of home)
Color books or football (something that matches the day’s activity)
Lunch and snacks
New pajamas
Popcorn
Recorded TV show or movie DVD
Hershey’s Kisses
Indeed, ‘tis the season to spread good cheer. Our soldiers need to be remembered the whole year through, but at this time especially. If you want to make sure you are within regulations for your package to arrive on time or want additional gift ideas, revisit Field Problems: Tokens from Home for our resources on holiday shipping.
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"Surviving the Sandstorms"- Eye wash; Nasal spray; Chapstick; Bandana; goggles/sun glasses; etc
"Laundry Load"- Laundry soap ('sample size' or Tide tablets kind) to pack in with their clothes….in case there are no washer/dryers; Fabric softener sheets; clean socks and undershirts; Febreeze
"Lotta Java"- Tea; Cocoa; Coffee singles; creamer; sugar; International Coffee tins; cookies for dunking in coffee
"Thanks a Million!!"- Things that may "seem" expensive. Ex: Grey Poupon; electronic game of "Who wants to be a Millionaire?"; .
"Hang in There!"- Stuffed animal monkey; Banana bread; Banana chips; Banana pudding (the kind that doesn't have to be refrigerated); Monkey's in a Barrel game; card with a monkey on it.
"A Day at the Beach!"- sunscreen; beach towel; beach snacks; flip flop sandals (shower shoes); aloe vera gel;
"Medicine Cabinet"- aspirin; band-aids; Neosporin cream; A&D ointment; cold medicine; alka seltzer; Rolaids; etc.
"Staying Healthy"- nutrition/health bars (ex: Powerbar; Tigers Milk; Myoplex); vitamins; Nutri-grain bars; Gatorade or other sports drink (to stay hydrated);
"MRE/Mess Hall Survival Kit"- restaurant size condiment packs of: bbq sauce, mustard, ketchup, mayo, relish, salt. Pepper, taco sauce, ranch, cheese in a can dip, etc
"Correspondence Carton"- notebook paper; stationery; pens; pencils; stickers (who knows they may even play with these!!); envelopes, address book (filled out already of course); camera (with a note to send back once it is full);
"Action Hero's"- Powerbars; squirt guns; Red Bull drinks; small Army figurines; comic books; Gatorade; Red Bull drinks; etc
"To Be A Kid Again"- silly string; bubbles; small bouncy balls; hacky sacks; brain teaser toys (rubix cube, etc); deck of cards; dominoes; slinky, Frisbee's; Pez w/ dispenser; Nerf balls; sand box toys (pail, small shovel, etc);
"Bathroom in a Box"- TOILET PAPER!!! (the soft stuff); razor refills; foot powder; bars of soap; fresh, clean, soft washcloth; travel size shampoo/conditioner; toothpaste; toothbrush; etc
"Ruck Sack Snack Pack"- packed full of your loved one's favorite snacks….possibilities endless. Doritos; M&M's; nuts; chips; dips; crackers; jelly beans; beef jerky; gum; etc.
"Breakfast on the GO"- mutrigrain bars; instant oatmeal cups; small boxes of cereal; pop tarts; Hostess donuts: Otis Spunk Meyer muffins; cocoa; coffee; Tang;
"Tube O Tasties"- Just as something different…send a package in a tube instead of a square box. Make sure the parameters are acceptable though.
"Stress Reliever"- back scratcher; bubble wrap; yo-yo's; bubbles; squeezy tension ball;
"Sloppy Kisses"- since we know chocolate melts over there….send a bunch of Hershey's kisses. Bound to be "sloppy kisses!"
"I'm Nuts About You"- peanuts; cashews; pistachios; peanut butter cookies; any candy or cookies with nuts in them; Nutter Butter's; Peanut Lover's Chex mix; Fiddle Faddle with peanuts
"Rock On" or "Charlie ROCK"- pop rocks; music cd's
"Chili Today, Hot Tamale"- hot tamales (candy); small cans of chili; red pepper flakes (like the ones at pizza parlors); salsa sunflower seeds; Cajun flavor Pringles; Spicy chex mix; Boston red hots; peppered beef jerky; taco bell hot sauce packets; Extreme Doritos; chili powder; nacho cheese sauce in a can; Tums/Rolaids, Jalapeño Ritz
"And this little piggy went to the sandbox"- (foot care kit)- foot powder; Dr, Scholl's boot inserts; foot lotion; foot file; fresh, clean socks; toe nail clippers; scrub brush; odor eaters for shoes/boots; foot soaks (either include a small bucket or large Ziploc bags to soak feet it)
"How do you eat your OREOS??!!"- regular Oreos; peanut butter Oreos; double stuff Oreos; low fat Oreos; chocolate filled Oreos; chocolate covered Oreos; holiday Oreos
"Muchas Gracias…Nachos Supreme"- Doritos &/or Fritos &/or any corn tortilla chips; Mexican Velveeta; salsa (wrapped in bubble wrap); small can of olives (don't forget the can opener); bean dip; nacho cheese dip; small can of green chilies; jar of jalapenos (wrapped in bubble wrap); taco seasoning; small paper plates or bowls (so they can make their nachos); taco sauce (especially easy are those condiment packets from Taco Bell); You could also send the sauces from the various Mexican dinner kits (they also have tortilla's in those dinner kits that are sealed so they would probably get there without molding or drying out); Taco Bell Nacho Supreme kit
"Sweet Tooth"- Nerds; Gummy Bears; Laffy Taffy; Bubble Gum; Tootsie Rolls; Lolli pops; (any candy that won't melt)
"Pamper Party" (for females)- Feminine hygiene products; shampoo/conditioner; hair barrettes and scrunchies (same color as their hair); facial scrub &/or soap; facial mask; lotion; shower gel; razors; facial moisturizer; tweezers; nail care kit; toner; special facial products (alpha hydroxy; eye cream; etc);
"Congrats on your promotion"- congratulation party favors; all your loved ones favorites snacks; sparkled cider (wrapped in bubble wrap of course); etc.
"For the Fisherman"- Goldfish crackers; tuna pouches; canned smoked salmon; cans of sardines; gummy worms; Go Fish card game; Field & Stream magazine; electronic fishing rod game; Sponge Bob Square Pants stuffed toy; fishing game toy (made by several different toy companies. Has a small fishing pole with a magnet on the end. Fish have magnets on their mouths);
"Say CHEEEESE!"- disposable cameras; cheese dip; Doritos; Cheetos; Cheese nips; Better Cheddars; Velveeta;
"Kick Back & Relax"- Dominoes; playing cards; magazines; books; music cd's; crossword puzzles; jigsaw puzzles; word searches; hand held electronic games; squirt guns; water balloons; bubbles; hacky sacks; Nerf balls; board games (Axis & Allies, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, etc);
"Christmas in July"- wrap everything in Christmas wrapping paper; peppermint flavored hard candies;
"Italian Stallion"- Italian cheese Ghardetto's; Pizza-licious Pringles; Pepperoni pizza Combo's; small Boboli pizza bread; pizza sauce (for dipping Boboli); canned Ravioli, spaghetti, lasagna, etc;
"American Classics"- Pez with dispensers; Cracker Jacks; Lifesavers; Necco Wafers; Pop Rocks; Nerds; Good & Plenty; Candy Necklaces; Candy cigarettes
"Deployed on Thanksgiving"- canned turkey; instant mashed potato cups; hard breadsticks; gravy in a jar (wrapped in bubble wrap); Hostess apple pies; small can of corn (or other veggie); something special to cheer them up on
**Thanksgiving (pictures from home; magazines; tape recorded tape; small scrapbook; etc)
------------------------------
From PWOC International
Is your soldier getting tired of receiving the same old stuff in their care packages? Are you burnt out from sending beef jerky, Ramen noodles, energy bars, powdered drink mix and toilet paper? This edition we’re offering you some “Fall Flavored” care package ideas…just what your soldier needs to get through…
1. cinnamon red hot candies or hot tamales
2. roasted pumpkin seeds
3. candy corn
4. popcorn (sometimes comes tinted)
5. orange (tinted) rice crispy treats
6. leaf rubbings by your children
7. orange lights to string in his tent, hooch, office, etc
8. turkey jerky (for when the turkey isn’t available)
9. dried apples, fruits, sweet potatoes
10. a “Why We Are Thankful For You” list to be read only on Thanksgiving Day
11. photos of past Thanksgiving Day activities
12. an IOU for one Turkey/Thanksgiving dinner upon his return…with his favorite dishes, of course
13. ingredients for green bean casserole…with powdered milk and a disposable pie tin for “cooking”…let us hear back if it works!
14. hot Spiced tea mix/instant hot chocolate mix/spiced pecans (See recipes above)
15. prepackaged cupcakes with a tube of orange icing and Fall colored sprinkles
16. powdered Pumpkin Spice Coffee creamer
I've been around searching for some "extra" ideas to add to our care package ideas list and have found some really FUN stuff.... First, is our general list from "Crooks & Henderson" then the rest that I have found (authors are noted if they were available). Please share any additions you find! Enjoy!
Field Problem: Priceless Packages
My husband is deployed to Iraq and won’t be home for the holidays. I want to send him something extra special. I always send the basics: baby wipes, eye drops, his favorite cookies, etc. Do you have any ideas for special care packages?
Wanda; Ft. Stewart, GA; Army; 9 years
Dear Wanda:
Happy Holidays! This has to be one of my favorite topics. I don’t know if it is the crafter in me, or I just enjoy thinking up new ways to surprise my own sweetie. Below are some quick and easy ideas for themed care packages. I hope this helps you find exactly what you needed to make your soldier’s holiday special!
Movie Care Package
Movie (DVD or VHS)
Microwave Popcorn (or already popped if they don’t have a microwave)
M&Ms
Doritos
Cracker Jacks
Rice Krispie Treats
Twizzlers
Cookies (Oreos and Chips Ahoy)
Ruffles chips & dip
Hot Tamales
Nachos (tortilla chips & cheese)
Make a “Now Featuring” Movie poster on your computer and add it to the package
Get Well Package
Puzzle
Chicken Noodle soup packets
Gourmet tea packets
Cold medicine
Crackers
Inspirational “Get Well” quotes
Goldfish
Dole Fruit Bowls
Get Well “pills” (candy coated mints)
Get Well card
Chapstick
At Ease Package
Glow in the dark yo yo
Crossword Puzzle Book
Silly Putty
Deck of Cards
Ritz Bitz
Pringles
Cookies
Twizzlers
Cheetos
Cereal Bars
“Scruff” Care Package
Razors
Baby wipes
Chapstick
Shaving cream
Deodorant
Mouthwash
Lotion (if your soldier is female, step it up a notch and do something from a SPA line)
Foot powder
Soap
Big fluffy towel
Toilet paper
Comforts of Home Package
Small Bottle of Febreze
Candle
Snuggle dryer sheets
Phone card
Blanket (a nice comfy one)
Glade PlugIns
Pair of slippers or cozy socks
Hot cocoa or coffee
Decorative coffee mug
Pillowcase with your perfume/cologne sprayed on it
Book on tape
“Big Kid” Package
Squirt guns
Silly Putty
Silly String
Whoopie Cushion
Funny face eyeglasses
Sidewalk chalk
Crayons & color book
Jacks
Marbles
Balloons
Frisbee
Football/soccer Ball (mini)
Hacky Sack
Sports Theme Package
Favorite sport magazine
Taped TV or DVD of favorite sport
Cheetos
Popcorn
Personalized mug
Cookies
“A Day At Home” Package
There are several variations of this package. The idea is to replicate a day with you. First, you will need a camera. Take pictures of each thing you do. Use your creativity, but here are a few ideas:
We woke up (take a picture in bed) and ate breakfast (take a picture eating cereal) and then took a shower (take picture in towel). We started the day off by doing some yard work and mowing the lawn (take picture mowing lawn). After our work, we had lunch (take picture with lunch) and then we colored pictures – or threw around a football etc. (Take pictures doing the activity). We all ate dinner together (take picture having dinner). We had a full day so we were tired when it was time to set down and watch our favorite TV programs (take picture watching TV). Later we snuggled up in our jammies (take picture in jammies) and had a nighttime snack (take picture snacking). We love you very much and miss you! (take a picture of a goodnight kiss)
Now take all of your pictures (referencing above) and send them with “treats”:
Pillowcase with cologne/perfume sprayed or maybe a decorated one
Several small boxes of cereal or cereal bars
Shower gel or shampoo or even a towel
Grass clippings in a baggie or dirt from backyard (strange but reminds them of home)
Color books or football (something that matches the day’s activity)
Lunch and snacks
New pajamas
Popcorn
Recorded TV show or movie DVD
Hershey’s Kisses
Indeed, ‘tis the season to spread good cheer. Our soldiers need to be remembered the whole year through, but at this time especially. If you want to make sure you are within regulations for your package to arrive on time or want additional gift ideas, revisit Field Problems: Tokens from Home for our resources on holiday shipping.
------------------------------
"Surviving the Sandstorms"- Eye wash; Nasal spray; Chapstick; Bandana; goggles/sun glasses; etc
"Laundry Load"- Laundry soap ('sample size' or Tide tablets kind) to pack in with their clothes….in case there are no washer/dryers; Fabric softener sheets; clean socks and undershirts; Febreeze
"Lotta Java"- Tea; Cocoa; Coffee singles; creamer; sugar; International Coffee tins; cookies for dunking in coffee
"Thanks a Million!!"- Things that may "seem" expensive. Ex: Grey Poupon; electronic game of "Who wants to be a Millionaire?"; .
"Hang in There!"- Stuffed animal monkey; Banana bread; Banana chips; Banana pudding (the kind that doesn't have to be refrigerated); Monkey's in a Barrel game; card with a monkey on it.
"A Day at the Beach!"- sunscreen; beach towel; beach snacks; flip flop sandals (shower shoes); aloe vera gel;
"Medicine Cabinet"- aspirin; band-aids; Neosporin cream; A&D ointment; cold medicine; alka seltzer; Rolaids; etc.
"Staying Healthy"- nutrition/health bars (ex: Powerbar; Tigers Milk; Myoplex); vitamins; Nutri-grain bars; Gatorade or other sports drink (to stay hydrated);
"MRE/Mess Hall Survival Kit"- restaurant size condiment packs of: bbq sauce, mustard, ketchup, mayo, relish, salt. Pepper, taco sauce, ranch, cheese in a can dip, etc
"Correspondence Carton"- notebook paper; stationery; pens; pencils; stickers (who knows they may even play with these!!); envelopes, address book (filled out already of course); camera (with a note to send back once it is full);
"Action Hero's"- Powerbars; squirt guns; Red Bull drinks; small Army figurines; comic books; Gatorade; Red Bull drinks; etc
"To Be A Kid Again"- silly string; bubbles; small bouncy balls; hacky sacks; brain teaser toys (rubix cube, etc); deck of cards; dominoes; slinky, Frisbee's; Pez w/ dispenser; Nerf balls; sand box toys (pail, small shovel, etc);
"Bathroom in a Box"- TOILET PAPER!!! (the soft stuff); razor refills; foot powder; bars of soap; fresh, clean, soft washcloth; travel size shampoo/conditioner; toothpaste; toothbrush; etc
"Ruck Sack Snack Pack"- packed full of your loved one's favorite snacks….possibilities endless. Doritos; M&M's; nuts; chips; dips; crackers; jelly beans; beef jerky; gum; etc.
"Breakfast on the GO"- mutrigrain bars; instant oatmeal cups; small boxes of cereal; pop tarts; Hostess donuts: Otis Spunk Meyer muffins; cocoa; coffee; Tang;
"Tube O Tasties"- Just as something different…send a package in a tube instead of a square box. Make sure the parameters are acceptable though.
"Stress Reliever"- back scratcher; bubble wrap; yo-yo's; bubbles; squeezy tension ball;
"Sloppy Kisses"- since we know chocolate melts over there….send a bunch of Hershey's kisses. Bound to be "sloppy kisses!"
"I'm Nuts About You"- peanuts; cashews; pistachios; peanut butter cookies; any candy or cookies with nuts in them; Nutter Butter's; Peanut Lover's Chex mix; Fiddle Faddle with peanuts
"Rock On" or "Charlie ROCK"- pop rocks; music cd's
"Chili Today, Hot Tamale"- hot tamales (candy); small cans of chili; red pepper flakes (like the ones at pizza parlors); salsa sunflower seeds; Cajun flavor Pringles; Spicy chex mix; Boston red hots; peppered beef jerky; taco bell hot sauce packets; Extreme Doritos; chili powder; nacho cheese sauce in a can; Tums/Rolaids, Jalapeño Ritz
"And this little piggy went to the sandbox"- (foot care kit)- foot powder; Dr, Scholl's boot inserts; foot lotion; foot file; fresh, clean socks; toe nail clippers; scrub brush; odor eaters for shoes/boots; foot soaks (either include a small bucket or large Ziploc bags to soak feet it)
"How do you eat your OREOS??!!"- regular Oreos; peanut butter Oreos; double stuff Oreos; low fat Oreos; chocolate filled Oreos; chocolate covered Oreos; holiday Oreos
"Muchas Gracias…Nachos Supreme"- Doritos &/or Fritos &/or any corn tortilla chips; Mexican Velveeta; salsa (wrapped in bubble wrap); small can of olives (don't forget the can opener); bean dip; nacho cheese dip; small can of green chilies; jar of jalapenos (wrapped in bubble wrap); taco seasoning; small paper plates or bowls (so they can make their nachos); taco sauce (especially easy are those condiment packets from Taco Bell); You could also send the sauces from the various Mexican dinner kits (they also have tortilla's in those dinner kits that are sealed so they would probably get there without molding or drying out); Taco Bell Nacho Supreme kit
"Sweet Tooth"- Nerds; Gummy Bears; Laffy Taffy; Bubble Gum; Tootsie Rolls; Lolli pops; (any candy that won't melt)
"Pamper Party" (for females)- Feminine hygiene products; shampoo/conditioner; hair barrettes and scrunchies (same color as their hair); facial scrub &/or soap; facial mask; lotion; shower gel; razors; facial moisturizer; tweezers; nail care kit; toner; special facial products (alpha hydroxy; eye cream; etc);
"Congrats on your promotion"- congratulation party favors; all your loved ones favorites snacks; sparkled cider (wrapped in bubble wrap of course); etc.
"For the Fisherman"- Goldfish crackers; tuna pouches; canned smoked salmon; cans of sardines; gummy worms; Go Fish card game; Field & Stream magazine; electronic fishing rod game; Sponge Bob Square Pants stuffed toy; fishing game toy (made by several different toy companies. Has a small fishing pole with a magnet on the end. Fish have magnets on their mouths);
"Say CHEEEESE!"- disposable cameras; cheese dip; Doritos; Cheetos; Cheese nips; Better Cheddars; Velveeta;
"Kick Back & Relax"- Dominoes; playing cards; magazines; books; music cd's; crossword puzzles; jigsaw puzzles; word searches; hand held electronic games; squirt guns; water balloons; bubbles; hacky sacks; Nerf balls; board games (Axis & Allies, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, etc);
"Christmas in July"- wrap everything in Christmas wrapping paper; peppermint flavored hard candies;
"Italian Stallion"- Italian cheese Ghardetto's; Pizza-licious Pringles; Pepperoni pizza Combo's; small Boboli pizza bread; pizza sauce (for dipping Boboli); canned Ravioli, spaghetti, lasagna, etc;
"American Classics"- Pez with dispensers; Cracker Jacks; Lifesavers; Necco Wafers; Pop Rocks; Nerds; Good & Plenty; Candy Necklaces; Candy cigarettes
"Deployed on Thanksgiving"- canned turkey; instant mashed potato cups; hard breadsticks; gravy in a jar (wrapped in bubble wrap); Hostess apple pies; small can of corn (or other veggie); something special to cheer them up on
**Thanksgiving (pictures from home; magazines; tape recorded tape; small scrapbook; etc)
------------------------------
From PWOC International
Is your soldier getting tired of receiving the same old stuff in their care packages? Are you burnt out from sending beef jerky, Ramen noodles, energy bars, powdered drink mix and toilet paper? This edition we’re offering you some “Fall Flavored” care package ideas…just what your soldier needs to get through…
1. cinnamon red hot candies or hot tamales
2. roasted pumpkin seeds
3. candy corn
4. popcorn (sometimes comes tinted)
5. orange (tinted) rice crispy treats
6. leaf rubbings by your children
7. orange lights to string in his tent, hooch, office, etc
8. turkey jerky (for when the turkey isn’t available)
9. dried apples, fruits, sweet potatoes
10. a “Why We Are Thankful For You” list to be read only on Thanksgiving Day
11. photos of past Thanksgiving Day activities
12. an IOU for one Turkey/Thanksgiving dinner upon his return…with his favorite dishes, of course
13. ingredients for green bean casserole…with powdered milk and a disposable pie tin for “cooking”…let us hear back if it works!
14. hot Spiced tea mix/instant hot chocolate mix/spiced pecans (See recipes above)
15. prepackaged cupcakes with a tube of orange icing and Fall colored sprinkles
16. powdered Pumpkin Spice Coffee creamer
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Wednesday, November 7
Re-integration is Hard
Written for and posted at www.military.com
Re-integration is Hard
© 2007 Tara Crooks. All rights reserved.
He packs his bags and you say your goodbyes. You and the kids see him off. You return home. Three weeks go by and you're getting into your natural rhythm of deployment. Three months and you're well on your way. Six months, nine months, and then the day he is scheduled to re-deploy draws nearer and you're on pins and needles awaiting his arrival. You can't wait to have him home. It's so exciting. You love him so much. He arrives. You greet him, the kids greet him, and you all return home as one big happy family.
In the next few weeks everything is supposed to be blissfully wonderful, but you've started to realize that things aren't exactly the way you expected them to be. There are big differences, such as your children's reactions to having him home — you both parent differently. The effects of your budget and spending once you realize there is no more "deployment" check. Then there are small differences, such as realizing on Tuesday night you don't watch the same television show. You find this person in the bed next to you when you are used to sleeping sideways. Your laundry is now full of ACU bottoms and sweaty brown t-shirts. And, cereal is not going to cut it for family dinner night anymore.
You're not a complainer. You really did miss him. You love this man. You know many other military spouses out there would love to be in your shoes and have their husband home right now. So why on earth are you not happy?
Relax. You're normal. Redeployment is hard. That's all there is to it. We military wives beat ourselves up when we think we're not normal. For some reason we think that the first 90 days our husband is gone it's ok for us to be sad. But when he returns we think we're supposed to immediately snap back into our old rhythm again. We need to cut ourselves (and each other) some slack. In fact, we have functioned without our spouses and become a completely different family unit. Just like when we married our husband, or when we brought our children into the picture, our lives have to go through a period of adjustment during reintegration.
We've been stressed, overworked and overtired for many months during his absence, and so has he. We assume having help around the house and with our family will make things better. Ironically, we've had no choice but to take control of our family's life and relinquishing that control can be just as stressful. Some husbands might automatically assume being home means they do not have to be constantly "on" and can take a break. If you're looking for some time off this can be a serious source of frustration.
Your husband's return can be both joyful and challenging (and sometimes both at the same time). Military One Source offers some tips to help ease the transition back into "normal" life.
Those tips include:
• Planning a special homecoming
• Understanding that it's normal to feel out of sync with your spouse
• Easing into intimacy
• Being patient with yourself and your spouse
• Spending time talking about both of your experiences during the separation
• Expecting your children to test the rules now that both parents are at home
• Making time to spend as a couple and as a family without all the distractions
• And most importantly knowing when to seek help
The best way to make sense out of what we're feeling is to recognize that we are normal, allow these feelings to take place and work through them, and to realize that stress —whether it be good or bad stress — all takes a toll on our bodies and emotions. Having your husband home is a blessing, but no one said adjusting back into your life was going to be easy.
Re-integration is Hard
© 2007 Tara Crooks. All rights reserved.
He packs his bags and you say your goodbyes. You and the kids see him off. You return home. Three weeks go by and you're getting into your natural rhythm of deployment. Three months and you're well on your way. Six months, nine months, and then the day he is scheduled to re-deploy draws nearer and you're on pins and needles awaiting his arrival. You can't wait to have him home. It's so exciting. You love him so much. He arrives. You greet him, the kids greet him, and you all return home as one big happy family.
In the next few weeks everything is supposed to be blissfully wonderful, but you've started to realize that things aren't exactly the way you expected them to be. There are big differences, such as your children's reactions to having him home — you both parent differently. The effects of your budget and spending once you realize there is no more "deployment" check. Then there are small differences, such as realizing on Tuesday night you don't watch the same television show. You find this person in the bed next to you when you are used to sleeping sideways. Your laundry is now full of ACU bottoms and sweaty brown t-shirts. And, cereal is not going to cut it for family dinner night anymore.
You're not a complainer. You really did miss him. You love this man. You know many other military spouses out there would love to be in your shoes and have their husband home right now. So why on earth are you not happy?
Relax. You're normal. Redeployment is hard. That's all there is to it. We military wives beat ourselves up when we think we're not normal. For some reason we think that the first 90 days our husband is gone it's ok for us to be sad. But when he returns we think we're supposed to immediately snap back into our old rhythm again. We need to cut ourselves (and each other) some slack. In fact, we have functioned without our spouses and become a completely different family unit. Just like when we married our husband, or when we brought our children into the picture, our lives have to go through a period of adjustment during reintegration.
We've been stressed, overworked and overtired for many months during his absence, and so has he. We assume having help around the house and with our family will make things better. Ironically, we've had no choice but to take control of our family's life and relinquishing that control can be just as stressful. Some husbands might automatically assume being home means they do not have to be constantly "on" and can take a break. If you're looking for some time off this can be a serious source of frustration.
Your husband's return can be both joyful and challenging (and sometimes both at the same time). Military One Source offers some tips to help ease the transition back into "normal" life.
Those tips include:
• Planning a special homecoming
• Understanding that it's normal to feel out of sync with your spouse
• Easing into intimacy
• Being patient with yourself and your spouse
• Spending time talking about both of your experiences during the separation
• Expecting your children to test the rules now that both parents are at home
• Making time to spend as a couple and as a family without all the distractions
• And most importantly knowing when to seek help
The best way to make sense out of what we're feeling is to recognize that we are normal, allow these feelings to take place and work through them, and to realize that stress —whether it be good or bad stress — all takes a toll on our bodies and emotions. Having your husband home is a blessing, but no one said adjusting back into your life was going to be easy.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Veterans Day
This Sunday is Veterans Day. I too am a Veteran and each year I feel humbled that so many citizens take time from their busy life to show support and reaffirm their stand on “America Always Free”. We often hear so much negativity in the news, but on Veterans Day, with the many ceremonies conducted around the U.S. a healthy sense of pride is awaken. This special day makes me even more proud to be an American and know those who have served and those who continue to serve will never be forgotten. The sacrifices that were made and continue to be made daily will always be cherished and not taken for granted. Thank you to all those in the “silent ranks” who serve as well.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Hero Packs /Military Essay Contest
I just want to let you know that I was able to get two of the hero packs that I wrote to you about earlier , through Operation Military Kids, for my grandchildren. You should see them! They are really great, and well worth giving to the kids in your life that are missing their deployed parent. The hero packs are filled by your local 4-H kids and you get a personal letter from them. In the pack we got there was a freedom bear (very cute stuffed bear with a red , white and blue outfit), a flag disposable camera, frisbee from the military child coalition, a journal, a 4-H kerchief, information for parents, a ruler..lots of good stuff. The hero packs may have different contents depending on where you are. The backpack alone is a very high quality, and very classy (no cheap stuff, and ours were silver and black with a red , white and blue insignia for Operation Military Kids. ) I hope you will look into it.
For those of you who are writers out there, here's something for the older kids and adults:
Golden Corral(r) Military Appreciation Essay Contest:Persons 13 years of age and older, who have served or whose parents have served in the US Armed Forces, are invited to submit an essay conveying the pride they have in their parent's or their own Military service as well as share their educational aspirations.Six winners will be awarded cash prizes to further their education. There are two age brackets: 1) ages 13-17and 2) ages 18 and older. The two Grand Prize winners (one in each bracket) will receive $5,000 cash, first place winners (one in each bracket) will receive a $2,500 cash prize, and the third place winners will receive a cash prize of $1,000.Cash prizes will be awarded after January 31, 2008.For more information, visit: http://www.goldencorral.com/military/essay.asp
For those of you who are writers out there, here's something for the older kids and adults:
Golden Corral(r) Military Appreciation Essay Contest:Persons 13 years of age and older, who have served or whose parents have served in the US Armed Forces, are invited to submit an essay conveying the pride they have in their parent's or their own Military service as well as share their educational aspirations.Six winners will be awarded cash prizes to further their education. There are two age brackets: 1) ages 13-17and 2) ages 18 and older. The two Grand Prize winners (one in each bracket) will receive $5,000 cash, first place winners (one in each bracket) will receive a $2,500 cash prize, and the third place winners will receive a cash prize of $1,000.Cash prizes will be awarded after January 31, 2008.For more information, visit: http://www.goldencorral.com
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Ship it APO!!!
Neat site I just got an email about I thought I'd share!!
http://www.shipitapo.com/home.php
ShipitAPO™ understands how frustrating the shipping obstacles can be when you want to ship packages to an APO/FPO address.
If you are part of the U.S. Military or U.S. Foreign Affairs Community, every online store is now accessible, even those that say "We do not ship to APO/FPO addresses".
Even if a store does ship to APO or FPO addresses, combining normal (and sometimes free!) UPS, FedEx, or DHL shipping with having ShipitAPO™ forward your package via the U.S. Postal Service can be cheaper than the store's direct APO/FPO shipping, especially when the merchandise is large or heavy. So be sure to compare shipping costs.
http://www.shipitapo.com/home.php
ShipitAPO™ understands how frustrating the shipping obstacles can be when you want to ship packages to an APO/FPO address.
If you are part of the U.S. Military or U.S. Foreign Affairs Community, every online store is now accessible, even those that say "We do not ship to APO/FPO addresses".
Even if a store does ship to APO or FPO addresses, combining normal (and sometimes free!) UPS, FedEx, or DHL shipping with having ShipitAPO™ forward your package via the U.S. Postal Service can be cheaper than the store's direct APO/FPO shipping, especially when the merchandise is large or heavy. So be sure to compare shipping costs.
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Tuesday, November 6
Getting the Help you need
What a couple of weeks!! I am so thankful that we are on the tale end of our recent seperation from Ted and if everything goes well he will be home some time Friday night. Who knew moving to a new city and setting things up without your husband(he was only here for two weeks and then had to leave)would be such chaos. I never anticipated the feelings and things I would go through being in a new place without my husband. I honestly thought, Oh no biggie, we knew it was coming, the kids need to start school at the new school when the school year starts and not 7 weeks into the year and it will be fine. I'll be busy getting things settled and helping the kids get adjusted. Well, what I didn't know is the feelings that would come with it. I was so angry at Ted, ALL THE TIME and had no idea why. I prayed and prayed about it and the feeling just wouldn't go away.
I knew my mom was coming at the end of October so I could go with my girlfriend to Women of Faith in Charlotte. I thought I just need to get to when my mom gets here and I'll get a break from the hustle and bustle of our new life. I will have a couple of days away and I'll be able to relax. What I didn't know was that God had some things in my life that needed attention and I needed to fix them. If anyone one is familiar with Women of Faith you know that they have a theme for their conference every year. This year it was Amazing freedom. When I think about Freedom I think about our husbands and what they do to provide us the freedoms that we have each day. What they talked about was being free from bondage issues that we have. Depression, a bad marriage, a broken relationship, all the sorts of things that we need to pay attention to but tend to get pushed on the back burner because we are to busy.
Most of the conference hit very close to home for me. I have a mom who has suffered with depression issues for most of her adult life. My mom and dad divorced when I was in the 4th grade.(I guess I was about 10). My sister and I didn't have a cookie cutter childhood but it wasn't the worst of circumstances either. Anyone who has a parent or loved one that suffers with depression knows how hard it is on everyone. For years my mom didn't get treatment. It wasn't until after I was married and moved for the first time that she realized that she needed to get treatment. I didn't realize until after we moved how much I helped put her back to together every time something happened.
Because I have a parent that I have seen go through this struggle and knowing that it can be hereditary, I feel like I am over sensitive to the issues. Always questioning myself if I have a down day or because I am angry with my husband and have no idea why. It's hard to recognize something in yourself and ask for help. Many of us feel weak if we have to ask for help because something isn't quite right in our lives. The conference helped me see that we aren't weak. We are actually stronger because we took that step of faith to say I know this isn't right and I need to do something to change it.
I don't think I suffer from depression like my mom does. I am going to see a counselor. I never thought I would get angry at my husband for leaving me and the children here. But that's what it is. I was mad at him for something he has no control over.
The speakers kept saying it's all part of living in a New Kind of Normal. This is my new kind of normal. I'm okay with the thought process of having to take medication for depression if I ever get to that point. For a long time I wouldn't entertain the idea. I thought THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE ME. I'm not going to put my family through that. But I also realize that if you are in tune with yourself, you know when something isn't right. I'm here to tell all of you that it's okay to talk to a counselor, it's okay to seek help for something that isn't right in your life, it's okay to take medication if you have to. It's your new kind of normal.
Dr. Henry Cloud has some great self help books. He spoke at the conference and one of the things that he talked about was his illness as a child and how hard it was for his mom to be strict with his therapy. She had a girlfriend who's name was Emmit. Everyday her and Emmit would be on the phone and Dr. Cloud's mom would put the phone down and do what she needed to do with him for therapy and go back to the phone and just cry because it was so hard for her. Emmit was there to help her through it, to tell her that she was doing the right thing and it would be okay.
Who is your Emmit? We all need one. Not one that will sit there with you and tell you how bad things are for you and play into your oh poor me story. We all do it. I know who I can call if I just want someone to join my pitty party and who I NEED to call to help me through it. All of us need an Emmit. We need that friend in our corner to help us through the hard stuff and to laugh at some of it later.
I have learned that with Tricare Prime(not sure about standard)that you are able to see a counselor for up to eight visits per fiscal year. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE A REFERRAL. You also do not have to contact military one source to authorize the visits. Military one source will help you locate a provider if you need them to. You can also find one at the tricare website. If the counselor is a Prime Provider there usually isn't a co-pay. If they are an out of network provider there will be some fees associated with your visits.
When Ted was deployed the last time I took Tanner(3rd child, oldest son) to see a counselor because he was having some issues with dad being gone. It helped him so much. What puzzles me is we rush to make sure our kids and our husbands are okay but tend to neglect ourselves. I have done it, I do it all the time. Oh, I don't have time to get a haircut or I don't need that new pair for jeans, or I'll make time for me later. Usually the later never comes.
With everything that each of us 'left behind' deals with on a daily basis, please make sure that you take care of yourselves. I know that many of us hear this time and time again and if you're anything like me, you think ya,ya, who has time to take care of me when I have a list two pages long that still needs to get done and that's just today's list. Don't let life and the cicumstances around you make you lose yourself. You're still in there I promise. Some times we just need a little help bringing our true selves out again.
I'm learing to live in my new kind of normal everyday. Counseling will be part of that for a while. We all have a new kind of normal. (new house, location, deployed husband, screaming kids, finding a new support system, new baby, childcare issues, etc.) What's your new kind of normal?
I knew my mom was coming at the end of October so I could go with my girlfriend to Women of Faith in Charlotte. I thought I just need to get to when my mom gets here and I'll get a break from the hustle and bustle of our new life. I will have a couple of days away and I'll be able to relax. What I didn't know was that God had some things in my life that needed attention and I needed to fix them. If anyone one is familiar with Women of Faith you know that they have a theme for their conference every year. This year it was Amazing freedom. When I think about Freedom I think about our husbands and what they do to provide us the freedoms that we have each day. What they talked about was being free from bondage issues that we have. Depression, a bad marriage, a broken relationship, all the sorts of things that we need to pay attention to but tend to get pushed on the back burner because we are to busy.
Most of the conference hit very close to home for me. I have a mom who has suffered with depression issues for most of her adult life. My mom and dad divorced when I was in the 4th grade.(I guess I was about 10). My sister and I didn't have a cookie cutter childhood but it wasn't the worst of circumstances either. Anyone who has a parent or loved one that suffers with depression knows how hard it is on everyone. For years my mom didn't get treatment. It wasn't until after I was married and moved for the first time that she realized that she needed to get treatment. I didn't realize until after we moved how much I helped put her back to together every time something happened.
Because I have a parent that I have seen go through this struggle and knowing that it can be hereditary, I feel like I am over sensitive to the issues. Always questioning myself if I have a down day or because I am angry with my husband and have no idea why. It's hard to recognize something in yourself and ask for help. Many of us feel weak if we have to ask for help because something isn't quite right in our lives. The conference helped me see that we aren't weak. We are actually stronger because we took that step of faith to say I know this isn't right and I need to do something to change it.
I don't think I suffer from depression like my mom does. I am going to see a counselor. I never thought I would get angry at my husband for leaving me and the children here. But that's what it is. I was mad at him for something he has no control over.
The speakers kept saying it's all part of living in a New Kind of Normal. This is my new kind of normal. I'm okay with the thought process of having to take medication for depression if I ever get to that point. For a long time I wouldn't entertain the idea. I thought THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE ME. I'm not going to put my family through that. But I also realize that if you are in tune with yourself, you know when something isn't right. I'm here to tell all of you that it's okay to talk to a counselor, it's okay to seek help for something that isn't right in your life, it's okay to take medication if you have to. It's your new kind of normal.
Dr. Henry Cloud has some great self help books. He spoke at the conference and one of the things that he talked about was his illness as a child and how hard it was for his mom to be strict with his therapy. She had a girlfriend who's name was Emmit. Everyday her and Emmit would be on the phone and Dr. Cloud's mom would put the phone down and do what she needed to do with him for therapy and go back to the phone and just cry because it was so hard for her. Emmit was there to help her through it, to tell her that she was doing the right thing and it would be okay.
Who is your Emmit? We all need one. Not one that will sit there with you and tell you how bad things are for you and play into your oh poor me story. We all do it. I know who I can call if I just want someone to join my pitty party and who I NEED to call to help me through it. All of us need an Emmit. We need that friend in our corner to help us through the hard stuff and to laugh at some of it later.
I have learned that with Tricare Prime(not sure about standard)that you are able to see a counselor for up to eight visits per fiscal year. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE A REFERRAL. You also do not have to contact military one source to authorize the visits. Military one source will help you locate a provider if you need them to. You can also find one at the tricare website. If the counselor is a Prime Provider there usually isn't a co-pay. If they are an out of network provider there will be some fees associated with your visits.
When Ted was deployed the last time I took Tanner(3rd child, oldest son) to see a counselor because he was having some issues with dad being gone. It helped him so much. What puzzles me is we rush to make sure our kids and our husbands are okay but tend to neglect ourselves. I have done it, I do it all the time. Oh, I don't have time to get a haircut or I don't need that new pair for jeans, or I'll make time for me later. Usually the later never comes.
With everything that each of us 'left behind' deals with on a daily basis, please make sure that you take care of yourselves. I know that many of us hear this time and time again and if you're anything like me, you think ya,ya, who has time to take care of me when I have a list two pages long that still needs to get done and that's just today's list. Don't let life and the cicumstances around you make you lose yourself. You're still in there I promise. Some times we just need a little help bringing our true selves out again.
I'm learing to live in my new kind of normal everyday. Counseling will be part of that for a while. We all have a new kind of normal. (new house, location, deployed husband, screaming kids, finding a new support system, new baby, childcare issues, etc.) What's your new kind of normal?
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Monday, November 5
Keeping em' busy...and learning too!
Hey girls,
I don't know if you guys are like me, I imagine you are, but I need a few minutes a day to "take a break" and have a moment to myself. It's nice to have something to keep the kids "busy" but you always wonder if it's something that they really should be doing or not.
Well lately when Wrena returns home from school she's been playing computer games online. When she watches TV she watches Disney channel and Nickelodeon so she always wants to log on to disney.com and nickjr.com. While these sites are great for the kids I always feel like I have to be right there to help her through things. I also wonder if she's really "learning" anything while she plays.
This weekend we were sent a link to this website for Jumpstart Learning Games. I clicked through to check it out and downloaded the free trial http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/jumpstartworld/.
Wren LOVED IT! She played and played and I watched to check it out and see what it was all about. There was addition, subtraction, reading, and so much more. It was really fun for her and she was learning at the same time. I also felt "safe" leaving her here to play the game and not worry about what she might be clicking around on. Not to mention it was actually a productive "play" time as well!! She would get excited when she did something they had been working on in school.
Anyway, I thought I'd send you the link in case you have some little one in your household that could use some fun computer "learning" time. It's a free download to check it out and see if your child (and you) like it. Once you purchase it you're actually in "jumpstart world" and there is a cool parent's center, you can create personalized rewards for your child once they reach certain goals, there are tips and tricks for parents to help your child learn certain concepts and skills, and so much more. It is really neat!
Have fun! Hope you like it as much as we did: http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/jumpstartworld/
I don't know if you guys are like me, I imagine you are, but I need a few minutes a day to "take a break" and have a moment to myself. It's nice to have something to keep the kids "busy" but you always wonder if it's something that they really should be doing or not.
Well lately when Wrena returns home from school she's been playing computer games online. When she watches TV she watches Disney channel and Nickelodeon so she always wants to log on to disney.com and nickjr.com. While these sites are great for the kids I always feel like I have to be right there to help her through things. I also wonder if she's really "learning" anything while she plays.
This weekend we were sent a link to this website for Jumpstart Learning Games. I clicked through to check it out and downloaded the free trial http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/jumpstartworld/.
Wren LOVED IT! She played and played and I watched to check it out and see what it was all about. There was addition, subtraction, reading, and so much more. It was really fun for her and she was learning at the same time. I also felt "safe" leaving her here to play the game and not worry about what she might be clicking around on. Not to mention it was actually a productive "play" time as well!! She would get excited when she did something they had been working on in school.
Anyway, I thought I'd send you the link in case you have some little one in your household that could use some fun computer "learning" time. It's a free download to check it out and see if your child (and you) like it. Once you purchase it you're actually in "jumpstart world" and there is a cool parent's center, you can create personalized rewards for your child once they reach certain goals, there are tips and tricks for parents to help your child learn certain concepts and skills, and so much more. It is really neat!
Have fun! Hope you like it as much as we did: http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/jumpstartworld/
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Problems
I started off this morning with an interesting quote in my inbox - I thought I'd share it with you. It really hit home. Sometimes it amazes me that I'll get a quote and it will hit the target right on for that day/week!
"The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem."
Theodore Rubin
"The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem."
Theodore Rubin
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Sunday, November 4
Lazy
It was a first for the Crooks' household.... I always say I am going to take a day to be lazy but there is something inside me (and my husband I might add) that never allows me to have a TOTALLY lazy day. We always think a lazy day is a day where we have showers, lay around and watch a movie, but we only accomplished a few things like the cleaning of the garage and mowing the lawn or something. We never take the ENTIRE day to be lazy.
Well Saturday (yesterday) was the VERY FIRST DAY I have ever taken the word "lazy" to the full extent of its meaning. I mean it. I wasn't sick. I was just lazy. We woke up on Saturday morning and we had three different things we were supposed to be at - the Oglethorpe Mall Military Kids day, the Publix Richmond Hill fire safety celebration, and the Fort Stewart OSC Holiday Bazaar. We woke up about 7am and I fed Chloe. We went back to sleep and about 9am Wrena woke up. We layed and watched cartoons and I told her we needed to get up and get dressed so we could get going. She looked over and said, "no mama, I just want to stay home." Normally I would have fought her and said no but I just felt like saying ok, so I did. We layed in bed all day long. When she wasn't snuggling Wrena played all day. Chloe slept most of the day. I swear I watched 7 episodes of "America's Next Top Model". It was 7pm and I had done NOTHING - not even a shower. I guess I can say that I got up long enough to shower and to make some dinner (we ordered pizza for lunch! LOL) and go watch the finale of Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders with my neighbor.
Needless to say, today I woke up with a renewed energy and was able to successfully clean my house and accomplish several other tasks. What a great feeling to take the entire day to do NOTHING. The best part was that usually I feel so guilty about taking any time to relax. There was not an ounce of guilt. It was actually a CELEBRATION of sorts that I actually DID relax.
Have you guys ever had a lazy day? What made it so fun/relaxing?
Well Saturday (yesterday) was the VERY FIRST DAY I have ever taken the word "lazy" to the full extent of its meaning. I mean it. I wasn't sick. I was just lazy. We woke up on Saturday morning and we had three different things we were supposed to be at - the Oglethorpe Mall Military Kids day, the Publix Richmond Hill fire safety celebration, and the Fort Stewart OSC Holiday Bazaar. We woke up about 7am and I fed Chloe. We went back to sleep and about 9am Wrena woke up. We layed and watched cartoons and I told her we needed to get up and get dressed so we could get going. She looked over and said, "no mama, I just want to stay home." Normally I would have fought her and said no but I just felt like saying ok, so I did. We layed in bed all day long. When she wasn't snuggling Wrena played all day. Chloe slept most of the day. I swear I watched 7 episodes of "America's Next Top Model". It was 7pm and I had done NOTHING - not even a shower. I guess I can say that I got up long enough to shower and to make some dinner (we ordered pizza for lunch! LOL) and go watch the finale of Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders with my neighbor.
Needless to say, today I woke up with a renewed energy and was able to successfully clean my house and accomplish several other tasks. What a great feeling to take the entire day to do NOTHING. The best part was that usually I feel so guilty about taking any time to relax. There was not an ounce of guilt. It was actually a CELEBRATION of sorts that I actually DID relax.
Have you guys ever had a lazy day? What made it so fun/relaxing?
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Mid-Twenties Life Crisis
Have you ever had the following experience? Someone says something to you (and it's to you about you). You look at them dumbfounded for a moment and then realize that they honestly see you completely different than you see yourself? Or than you actually are?
This happened to me the other night at a soccer game and I'm actually having a fairly time reconciling my feelings about it. What was said to me isn't particularly important, but the way it made me feel is.
I am now feeling like I've completely sold out. I've given up on who I wanted to be, who I was, and given in to the "stereotype". NOT COOL. So now....how to change it? LOL
Has that happened to you? Where you really think you know who you are and them WHAM, you realize you just don't?
This happened to me the other night at a soccer game and I'm actually having a fairly time reconciling my feelings about it. What was said to me isn't particularly important, but the way it made me feel is.
I am now feeling like I've completely sold out. I've given up on who I wanted to be, who I was, and given in to the "stereotype". NOT COOL. So now....how to change it? LOL
Has that happened to you? Where you really think you know who you are and them WHAM, you realize you just don't?
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Saturday, November 3
"I am an American!"
What traditions do I love? I love to smell the turkey with cornbread stuffing simmering on Thanksgiving morning. I love the sound of the high school band playing the National Anthem at football games, and seeing my neighbors put their hand over their hearts. I have a struggle to keep my mouth shut, if at same football game, some young teens are talking through the National Anthem. I take it as a personal sign of disrespect, and want to haul them over to my bleachers, stand them up straight and say, my son is risking his life for you punks, get your hand over your heart!! Maybe sometime , I will do it, for now I offer up a prayer, that they will grow a bit more appreciative as they grow older.
My father was a Lt. Col. in the Army. All his life he carried the words to the National Anthem in his wallet. When he died, he left everything to the Disabled American Veterans, and I am proud he did. I have taken fully to heart the old adage of God, Family, Country, and to me, the United States of America, though constantly assaulted, can never be disgraced as long as there are those who love her, and choose to bring honor by their service (like you!).
I love that my father, coming from Italy to this country when he was a boy, never allowed anyone to say he was Italian. If you asked if he was Italian, he would give a crusty glare and say: "I am an American!" I pray we can bring back the way he said that within our own hearts.
My father was a Lt. Col. in the Army. All his life he carried the words to the National Anthem in his wallet. When he died, he left everything to the Disabled American Veterans, and I am proud he did. I have taken fully to heart the old adage of God, Family, Country, and to me, the United States of America, though constantly assaulted, can never be disgraced as long as there are those who love her, and choose to bring honor by their service (like you!).
I love that my father, coming from Italy to this country when he was a boy, never allowed anyone to say he was Italian. If you asked if he was Italian, he would give a crusty glare and say: "I am an American!" I pray we can bring back the way he said that within our own hearts.
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Tradition!
Along the lines of what I have been previously writing about, patriotism and tradition, I came upon some quotes that really make one think. I love quotes. I think that it really tells quite a bit about a person when they summarize in a few words, what they believe is important to convey.
Winston Churchill said: "A love for tradition has never weakened a nation, indeed it has strengthened nations in their hour of peril. " I believe he is right on this, what do you think? Do you believe that tradition , both on a family and national scale is valuable? What do you see we have lost, as we break from tradition , and say..."that is not relevant anymore"?
I am asking this question, because as I have stated before, it is the wives, mothers, grandmothers, who keep the traditions, and who pass along the strongest message of what is priceless and what is worthless. That said, we need to ponder this once in awhile, because life just moves awful fast, and we can lose what is important in the race to get things done.
Maybe it would be an interesting thing to see what we can come up with as far as: what traditions of your family are you trying to pass along to the next generation? What traditions do you see our nation disregarding, things you feel are important?
Winston Churchill said: "A love for tradition has never weakened a nation, indeed it has strengthened nations in their hour of peril. " I believe he is right on this, what do you think? Do you believe that tradition , both on a family and national scale is valuable? What do you see we have lost, as we break from tradition , and say..."that is not relevant anymore"?
I am asking this question, because as I have stated before, it is the wives, mothers, grandmothers, who keep the traditions, and who pass along the strongest message of what is priceless and what is worthless. That said, we need to ponder this once in awhile, because life just moves awful fast, and we can lose what is important in the race to get things done.
Maybe it would be an interesting thing to see what we can come up with as far as: what traditions of your family are you trying to pass along to the next generation? What traditions do you see our nation disregarding, things you feel are important?
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Friday, November 2
My first creative endevor for the U.S. Army
All my life I heard the story of how I drew a horse on the maps my father was presenting to the command and staff at the pentagon. I never knew this photo existed until this week, when my mother gave this to me. She thought it was cute. My father did not. She took the picture before he discovered my artistic addition to his strategic plan. I am no longer sure it is a horse, maybe an anteater? Who knows, perhaps the outline of the artwork was mistaken for part of the original plan,and changed history!I still have the double chin.
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Armed Services YMCA Kids Art Contest
I heard about this and it sounds like a fun thing to do with your kids, and may put a little green in their pocket if they win! There are actually two contests. An art contest for kids grades K-6, and an essay contest for the older kids through high school.
A template for the size of the artwork and all the information can be found at http://www.asymca.org . The contest is sponsored by the Armed Services YMCA. First place winners from each branch of service win a $500 savings bond.
Second place winners get a $100 savings bond. The best part of this art contest is the subject, a full color illustration showing your military family!
Before you send your cute drawings away though, make a copy , they don't give them back. All the winning artwork will be put on a Military Families Poster and given to members of Congress and Department of Defense officials....that should make some impact on the political scene I would think! The essay contest sounds great too, but as a former art teacher, I have to focus on the art project! Information and due dates for both contests are found on the ASYMCA website.
Enjoy, I hope you win!
A template for the size of the artwork and all the information can be found at http://www.asymca.org . The contest is sponsored by the Armed Services YMCA. First place winners from each branch of service win a $500 savings bond.
Second place winners get a $100 savings bond. The best part of this art contest is the subject, a full color illustration showing your military family!
Before you send your cute drawings away though, make a copy , they don't give them back. All the winning artwork will be put on a Military Families Poster and given to members of Congress and Department of Defense officials....that should make some impact on the political scene I would think! The essay contest sounds great too, but as a former art teacher, I have to focus on the art project! Information and due dates for both contests are found on the ASYMCA website.
Enjoy, I hope you win!
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Thursday, November 1
Operation Military Kids
Hi All! I just discovered something that may be new to you. Perhaps you are aware of this group, but if not, I want you to hear about them, and get a hero pack for your kids! Operation Military Kids came to my attention as I searched for people who may be interested in the books that Paula and I have written on deployment and reunion . Our books are full color hard back children's books dealing with these issues . Operation Military Kids is a team made up of U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command, National 4-H headquarters, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, The American Legion, the Military Child Education Coalition and the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies...Whew!
So, why do I want you to know about them? Because they do some great things for Military families, one of which is giving hero packs to children. They are a cool backpack (very nice one I am told) , filled with things like stationary, disposable cameras, journals...whatever they can think of to help your kids stay connected to their deployed parent. (Paula and I are hoping that soon our books will be part of the package, and Operation Military Kids is considering that.) Regardless of if our book is in there or not, this is a good thing for your kids to get! So far they have been working on getting these to National Guard families, who may not have the kind of support given on military bases, but All Military children with a deployed or soon to be deployed parent are eligible !
Sooo, now I hear you saying, tell us how to get this! OK, the website is www.operationmilitarykids.org. They have a map there to tell you who to contact in your state. If your state is not represented you can still get a hero pack by contacting your local 4-H office. If you are in Colorado, there is a wonderful lady here, Shauna Woods at shauna.woods@colostate.edu, who can help you. Any questions I have not covered, she will be happy to respond to you about. If you get one of these, will you let me know? I would love your feedback, so would Operation Military Kids.
So, why do I want you to know about them? Because they do some great things for Military families, one of which is giving hero packs to children. They are a cool backpack (very nice one I am told) , filled with things like stationary, disposable cameras, journals...whatever they can think of to help your kids stay connected to their deployed parent. (Paula and I are hoping that soon our books will be part of the package, and Operation Military Kids is considering that.) Regardless of if our book is in there or not, this is a good thing for your kids to get! So far they have been working on getting these to National Guard families, who may not have the kind of support given on military bases, but All Military children with a deployed or soon to be deployed parent are eligible !
Sooo, now I hear you saying, tell us how to get this! OK, the website is www.operationmilitarykids.org. They have a map there to tell you who to contact in your state. If your state is not represented you can still get a hero pack by contacting your local 4-H office. If you are in Colorado, there is a wonderful lady here, Shauna Woods at shauna.woods@colostate.edu, who can help you. Any questions I have not covered, she will be happy to respond to you about. If you get one of these, will you let me know? I would love your feedback, so would Operation Military Kids.
Click here to read the rest of this post.
USPS Mailing Date Deadlines
All:
Star sent over this link so I wanted to share it -- http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/in/in_2007_1011.htm
It's the mailing deadlines for USPS this holiday season. To ensure delivery of holiday cards and packages by December 25 to military APO/FPO addresses overseas, we suggest mailing by the recommended dates. There is a list of dates on this website above.
Thanks!!
Star sent over this link so I wanted to share it -- http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/in/in_2007_1011.htm
It's the mailing deadlines for USPS this holiday season. To ensure delivery of holiday cards and packages by December 25 to military APO/FPO addresses overseas, we suggest mailing by the recommended dates. There is a list of dates on this website above.
Thanks!!
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How to host a successful party for your friends
All: This is an article written by a military wife I thought I'd share. :) Enjoy!
How to host a successful party for your friends
Chelsea Iliff
I didn’t grow up in the military. My mom belonged to a local women’s group where she hosted an event at our house maybe once a year. For that one day, my mom was completely frazzled trying to scurry around getting everything organized and ready. My dad would take my brothers and me out to dinner for fear that we would mess up mom’s organized masterpiece. For the remainder of the evening, we were to remain upstairs watching television in my parents’ room. “Be quiet, no peeking.” That never lasted long.
My mom is the type of person who sets the dinner table the day before an event is to occur. She is an excellent hostess; however, she always has to have everything perfect and thus exhausts herself in the process.
Thus, when I married an Army guy, I was terrified the first time he asked if we could host some friends for dinner. Mind you, we had just transitioned from the dorm room to our first apartment and although we had our fair share of parties in college, the idea of a grown-up dinner party left me borderline panicked.
I am not lying or exaggerating when I say that I took the day off of work to clean, shop, prepare and present this amazing meal only to receive a phone call from my husband about thirty minutes before “dinner party go time” saying, “Most of the guys won’t be able to make it because they have to work late so it will just be me and another guy.”
I learned then and there the importance of keeping it simple and the fact that people will appreciate your efforts—big or small.
I have hosted a lot of events since then and learned a few things along the way in regards to types of parties, invitations, food, drinks, and other tidbits.
My absolute favorite party I have hosted (I actually co-hosted this one at my house) was a murder mystery party for my coffee group when I was stationed in Germany. Although the group was all female, some of the guests were given male roles and everyone came to the event dressed perfectly to match their part. The murder mystery theme was “High School Reunion”, so we had the jocks, the cheerleaders, the class president, those who played in the band, the nerds, etc. It was like a Breakfast Club reunion minus Emilio Estevez. Throughout the course of the night, we had a script and played out a murder scenario just like a game of Clue. It was loads of fun and everyone raved about the party for months to come.
The murder mystery party took a lot of advanced planning and I wouldn’t recommend hosting one without the help of a co-host. We purchased our game online (although you can buy versions in the store) and it came complete with a step-by-step guide as to how to throw this party successfully. We sent out invitations way in advanced and required an absolute RSVP date and when we had a concrete attendance number, we e-mailed each participant a description of what character they would be playing and how to dress for the role. My husband was sad he didn’t get to participate and we’re hoping to throw another murder mystery party for couples in the future.
My husband and I hosted a wine-tasting party when we first arrived to our duty location in Germany in order to meet our neighbors and hopefully taste some new wines. We asked everyone to bring a bottle of their favorite wine and we provided hors d’oeuvres such as cheese and crackers, artichoke dip, barbecue meatballs, and a dessert. It was very easy and a great way to get to know the neighborhood.
Another fun event, was a baby shower brunch I hosted a few years ago. Again, I split the food preparation up with two other women and although the event was at my house, there was very little cooking required. In fact, I volunteered for the fruit and muffin platter and thus wasn’t stuck putting the final touches on a breakfast casserole five minutes before the guests arrived. We placed the food in one central location and then had the drinks in another location and required the guests to get their own drinks. In fact, I printed out two or three different cocktail recipes (like Cosmopolitans and Screwdrivers), provided the tools and ingredients, and let people make their own cocktails. The guests really seemed to enjoy being involved with the party…it made them more comfortable.
My favorite idea for invitations comes from a Cinco de Mayo party I co-hosted last year. My girlfriend and I staged a picture of us dressed in Cinco de Mayo gear. In the picture, we looked like we were at a party and having lots of fun. We made lots of copies of the picture and then printed out and glued the details for the party onto the back of the picture. We then mailed out the pictures as invitations.
Here are a few other ideas from successful parties that I have been to: Host a cooking party at a local restaurant, host a pajama party for your girlfriends or Family Readiness Group (order pizza and bring your favorite wedding picture), or host a poker party and have each couple bring a snack for the table.
A few years ago, my husband and a group of guys hosted a promotion party where each guest was supposed to come dressed as their favorite character from the 80s. It was a success and all night I kept bumping into Magnum, P.I., Indiana Jones, and Iceman from Top Gun. My husband and I went as Wayne and Garth and still laugh about it to this day.
Be creative, keep it simple, have fun and go host a party for your friends.
How to host a successful party for your friends
Chelsea Iliff
I didn’t grow up in the military. My mom belonged to a local women’s group where she hosted an event at our house maybe once a year. For that one day, my mom was completely frazzled trying to scurry around getting everything organized and ready. My dad would take my brothers and me out to dinner for fear that we would mess up mom’s organized masterpiece. For the remainder of the evening, we were to remain upstairs watching television in my parents’ room. “Be quiet, no peeking.” That never lasted long.
My mom is the type of person who sets the dinner table the day before an event is to occur. She is an excellent hostess; however, she always has to have everything perfect and thus exhausts herself in the process.
Thus, when I married an Army guy, I was terrified the first time he asked if we could host some friends for dinner. Mind you, we had just transitioned from the dorm room to our first apartment and although we had our fair share of parties in college, the idea of a grown-up dinner party left me borderline panicked.
I am not lying or exaggerating when I say that I took the day off of work to clean, shop, prepare and present this amazing meal only to receive a phone call from my husband about thirty minutes before “dinner party go time” saying, “Most of the guys won’t be able to make it because they have to work late so it will just be me and another guy.”
I learned then and there the importance of keeping it simple and the fact that people will appreciate your efforts—big or small.
I have hosted a lot of events since then and learned a few things along the way in regards to types of parties, invitations, food, drinks, and other tidbits.
My absolute favorite party I have hosted (I actually co-hosted this one at my house) was a murder mystery party for my coffee group when I was stationed in Germany. Although the group was all female, some of the guests were given male roles and everyone came to the event dressed perfectly to match their part. The murder mystery theme was “High School Reunion”, so we had the jocks, the cheerleaders, the class president, those who played in the band, the nerds, etc. It was like a Breakfast Club reunion minus Emilio Estevez. Throughout the course of the night, we had a script and played out a murder scenario just like a game of Clue. It was loads of fun and everyone raved about the party for months to come.
The murder mystery party took a lot of advanced planning and I wouldn’t recommend hosting one without the help of a co-host. We purchased our game online (although you can buy versions in the store) and it came complete with a step-by-step guide as to how to throw this party successfully. We sent out invitations way in advanced and required an absolute RSVP date and when we had a concrete attendance number, we e-mailed each participant a description of what character they would be playing and how to dress for the role. My husband was sad he didn’t get to participate and we’re hoping to throw another murder mystery party for couples in the future.
My husband and I hosted a wine-tasting party when we first arrived to our duty location in Germany in order to meet our neighbors and hopefully taste some new wines. We asked everyone to bring a bottle of their favorite wine and we provided hors d’oeuvres such as cheese and crackers, artichoke dip, barbecue meatballs, and a dessert. It was very easy and a great way to get to know the neighborhood.
Another fun event, was a baby shower brunch I hosted a few years ago. Again, I split the food preparation up with two other women and although the event was at my house, there was very little cooking required. In fact, I volunteered for the fruit and muffin platter and thus wasn’t stuck putting the final touches on a breakfast casserole five minutes before the guests arrived. We placed the food in one central location and then had the drinks in another location and required the guests to get their own drinks. In fact, I printed out two or three different cocktail recipes (like Cosmopolitans and Screwdrivers), provided the tools and ingredients, and let people make their own cocktails. The guests really seemed to enjoy being involved with the party…it made them more comfortable.
My favorite idea for invitations comes from a Cinco de Mayo party I co-hosted last year. My girlfriend and I staged a picture of us dressed in Cinco de Mayo gear. In the picture, we looked like we were at a party and having lots of fun. We made lots of copies of the picture and then printed out and glued the details for the party onto the back of the picture. We then mailed out the pictures as invitations.
Here are a few other ideas from successful parties that I have been to: Host a cooking party at a local restaurant, host a pajama party for your girlfriends or Family Readiness Group (order pizza and bring your favorite wedding picture), or host a poker party and have each couple bring a snack for the table.
A few years ago, my husband and a group of guys hosted a promotion party where each guest was supposed to come dressed as their favorite character from the 80s. It was a success and all night I kept bumping into Magnum, P.I., Indiana Jones, and Iceman from Top Gun. My husband and I went as Wayne and Garth and still laugh about it to this day.
Be creative, keep it simple, have fun and go host a party for your friends.
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AWTR Book Club for November
Our book for November is Medals Above My Heart by Brenda Pace and Carol McGlothlin. The book is divided into 4 sections. That works out nicely for us to be able to spend a week on each section. I know that we have Thanksgiving this month and things can get very busy. We have to-do lists that never end. The sections in the book are not long and I encourage you to read along with us. Consider it a gift to yourself to be able to stop at least for a time and just relax. This book incorporates several scriptures from the Bible. I am always comforted by the words of the Bible. What better time of the year to look at our lives as Army wives and see how God works in our lives. I am going to spend the rest of this week and next week going over Section 1... Medal of Honor. I already love the way the book starts out.
This book is dedicated to every military wife who has chosen to follow her military man....wherever that may be.
"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay." Ruth 1:16
That sentiment sounds very familiar I would also like to add the rest of that verse
"and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people; and your God..my God."
Wow...I don't know about you, but I can relate to that. I am really looking forward to getting into this book!
This book is dedicated to every military wife who has chosen to follow her military man....wherever that may be.
"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay." Ruth 1:16
That sentiment sounds very familiar I would also like to add the rest of that verse
"and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people; and your God..my God."
Wow...I don't know about you, but I can relate to that. I am really looking forward to getting into this book!
Click here to read the rest of this post.
Never Retreat...or We-tweat
I definitely agree with the other ladies here about how the military life uniquely affects our children. There are, of course, the hardships.....deployment separations and frequent moves. On the flip side, though, they gain experiences that enrich their lives. We were playing a geography game a few days ago. You had to match famous U.S. landmarks to their correct states. Not only did my boys know them...they had memories of most of them. "Oh, Old Faithful. That's in Yellowstone, WY. Remember how bad the steam smelled? And look the Alamo, you aren't allowed to wear your hat inside."
My sons are taught about patriotism, respect, and honor in the same way generations past were. It is simply woven into the fabric of our daily living. They know proper flag etiquette and will alert me if our flag needs to be replaced or if one of the lights that shines on it has burned out. Since we homeschool...we can stand on our front porch to start our day off with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. They help me launder their Dad's uniform..when he is home. They see Army vehicles with soldiers in them almost daily. They fall asleep to the lullaby of our soldiers training to keep us safe.
They are proud of their country....it must be important. Their Dad has been gone the longest time defending it. I am so proud of my sons when I see them put their little hands over their hearts during Retreat, the Pledge, or the National Anthem. When they do, they are honoring their country, their Daddy, and all the other soldiers that they know and see.
I suppose there are pros and cons to having an all volunteer Army. I do think ,though, that it has contributed to the decline in our nation's patriotism. It is hard to care about something that doesn't affect your day to day life...in a concrete way. Many young people don't know anyone in the military. They can't put a face to our national interests and conflicts. I think it is sad that we live in such an oblivious society.
I cannot say I have enjoyed every single day of being an Army wife. Some days are tough. Some days you feel like you can't go on because your heart is breaking or you are just bone tired. Yet, you do go on and you find that soon the tough days pass. Taking everything into consideration, I would not change it. Our experiences...this life has made all of us better...stronger.... I truly believe my sons will grow up to be better men because of it. And I wouldn't trade those moments of intense pride for my sons and my husband for anything. I also wouldn't trade the laughs.....what is funnier than seeing a 2 year old fly past while being pursued by his brothers and yelling "We-tweat!!! We-tweat!!!"
My sons are taught about patriotism, respect, and honor in the same way generations past were. It is simply woven into the fabric of our daily living. They know proper flag etiquette and will alert me if our flag needs to be replaced or if one of the lights that shines on it has burned out. Since we homeschool...we can stand on our front porch to start our day off with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. They help me launder their Dad's uniform..when he is home. They see Army vehicles with soldiers in them almost daily. They fall asleep to the lullaby of our soldiers training to keep us safe.
They are proud of their country....it must be important. Their Dad has been gone the longest time defending it. I am so proud of my sons when I see them put their little hands over their hearts during Retreat, the Pledge, or the National Anthem. When they do, they are honoring their country, their Daddy, and all the other soldiers that they know and see.
I suppose there are pros and cons to having an all volunteer Army. I do think ,though, that it has contributed to the decline in our nation's patriotism. It is hard to care about something that doesn't affect your day to day life...in a concrete way. Many young people don't know anyone in the military. They can't put a face to our national interests and conflicts. I think it is sad that we live in such an oblivious society.
I cannot say I have enjoyed every single day of being an Army wife. Some days are tough. Some days you feel like you can't go on because your heart is breaking or you are just bone tired. Yet, you do go on and you find that soon the tough days pass. Taking everything into consideration, I would not change it. Our experiences...this life has made all of us better...stronger.... I truly believe my sons will grow up to be better men because of it. And I wouldn't trade those moments of intense pride for my sons and my husband for anything. I also wouldn't trade the laughs.....what is funnier than seeing a 2 year old fly past while being pursued by his brothers and yelling "We-tweat!!! We-tweat!!!"
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