MilSpouse Life
Bouncing a baby on her right hip, she looked away from me and stared out the window. Then slowly and carefully—sentence by sentence—she revealed what was haunting her as a military spouse. “I was 19 when I quit college to elope with my husband. I was 20 when I got pregnant with my daughter. It wasn’t planned. It just happened. I mean, [...]
Archives for February 2016
What to Do When You Feel Lonely in Military Life
My husband is gone a lot for work. This is the military life we chose. We both accepted the responsibility of this choice, and we are more than willing to see it through. However being apart, as a family, is met with a very hefty set of challenges. Sometimes I feel like a lonely military wife. There is a stillness in the house during [...]
Military ResourcesWhat Military Families Need to Know About Identity Theft
Two weeks ago I was checking my credit card balance online. I saw three purchases that about made my heart jump out of my chest. $786.92 TGI Fridays $109.34 Hampton Inn $36.00 McKenzie Markets I knew right away it was a series of fraudulent purchases. We live overseas and there are no TGI Fridays, Hampton Inns, or McKenzie Markets. [...]
Raising KidsThe Parenting Tip You’re Missing to End Power Struggles
It all started with the elevator buttons. We were leaving the house. I was in a hurry to get my strong willed toddler off to school, and I pushed the elevator button. This was the beginning of toddler power struggle number one. He wanted to push the elevator button. He was super frustrated. Pushing the button makes him feel [...]
Mom LifeWhy Every Mom Needs to Try Essential Oils
It was one email. Just one email that changed my life a year and a half ago. A lady named Dayna emailed me about “the most amazing essential oil deal.” To be honest, I was a long time stalker…I mean follower of her blog Lemon Lime Adventures. I must’ve read her email ten times wavering over the decision to buy the premium starter kit. [...]
7 Things Good Military Spouses Do…That I’m Not Going to Do Anymore
I remember that time my car broke down in Okinawa and my military spouse friend was there to help me take it to the shop. And she loaned me a spare car for 3 weeks! I remember that time I gave birth to a ten-and-a-half pound baby and our community of military spouses brought meals to our home for over two weeks! I remember that time I [...]
4 Ridiculously Easy Ways to End a Power Struggle
“No. No. No bath!” This is my son on bath night. We are in the middle of a toddler power struggle. I'm desperately trying to figure out how to make my kid listen so we can get on with the bedtime already. “Do you want to play with cars or letters in the bath tonight?” “No. NO. NO BATH!” He used to love baths, but in the past [...]
10 Lessons About Love and Loss Every Military Spouse Will Understand
I closed my eyes and buried my head in my hands, trying to catch my breath. This is how every deployment starts. For some reason, there weren’t as many tears this time around. I don’t know, maybe I’m turning into a cold-hardened military spouse who just doesn’t want to care anymore? Then I think about him being gone and the inside of [...]
3 Parenting Phrases to Avoid When Teaching Toddlers to Listen
You wake up on a Wednesday morning and wrap your hands around a hot cup of coffee. You think this is the day you will figure out how to get your toddler to listen there will be no yelling at kids today. You look out the window. The sky is powder puff blue and the clouds appear as delicious marshmallows. You think about how to make kids [...]
