I’ve never considered myself an angry person. In fact, when I look back into my past there are few moments when I remember feeling angry about something. I never expected deployment anger to take center stage of my emotions. Then again, I never considered myself a “military wife” type of person. And here I am years into life as a [...]
Archives for March 2016
How Strong Military Spouses Rock Deployments
I peeled my body out of bed at 5 am, washed my face with Noxzema and headed straight for the kitchen. Even as a military spouse in the middle of deployment, I can’t help but creep my way out of bed to greet the stillness of morning. [...]
The Truth About Our #MomFail Culture
I can’t remember where I saw you last, but I think you were leaving the post office. You walked out carrying two packages in one hand and a baby in the other. Your toddler trotted behind you, waving his hands in the air aimlessly. You looked tired and frazzled and the color under your eyes was shaded slightly grey. I hate to even say [...]
15 Must-Do Things to Prepare for Deployment
Brown socks were flying in the air like a giant sock explosion just went off in our bedroom. He couldn’t find the one sock to match the other. I could tell he was getting frustrated. This is a typical pre-deployment in our home. Chaos, socks everywhere, gear sprawling across each room of the house. post contains affiliate links, see my [...]
How to Get Your Kids to Listen Without Yelling
I was out of the room for only a second to grab his pajamas. As I closed his dresser drawer, I could hear him in the kitchen shouting, “I GOT IT.” Building great listening skills feels like summiting Everest some days. How to make kids listen is a struggle for all parents at some point. When I walked back into the kitchen, there [...]
What Military Marriage Really Looks Like
I forgot my anniversary this year. No really, I completely, totally and utterly forgot my anniversary. Three years into my military marriage and I did not even see it coming. My mother-in-law messaged me one September morning to wish me a happy anniversary. I immediately clicked out of my iMessages and called my husband. [...]
The Angry Mom Days No One Really Talks About
Saying that I was an angry mom is an understatement. We were leaving. We were at the park for only 20 minutes, but we were leaving. Because his behavior was out of control, and we weren’t going to continue down that path anymore. With my daughter in one arm and my son in the other, we marched straight back to the car. Putting my son [...]
5 Mistakes Parents Make When Teaching Kids to Listen
Sometimes I’m in the middle of cooking dinner and my son will go into the fridge looking for a snack. I tell him that he needs to wait. Teaching kids to listen is hard. I continue stirring the spaghetti sauce on the stove, boiling water for the pasta, and simultaneously bouncing a baby on my right hip, whilst wondering how to make kids [...]
How to Create an Amazing Stay at Home Mom Schedule
The house smells like toast and freshly brewed coffee. I grab the Bun pot and fill my cup. The coffee is almost too hot to drink, but I sip it anyway because coffee and I belong together. Wrapping my hands around my mug, I can't help but think how much I love an organized stay at home mom schedule. In case you didn't know this is [...]
“What I Wish I’d Known Before Becoming Military Spouse”
“I didn’t know what I was getting into.” Time and time again military spouses speak those words to me. To be honest, I didn’t know either. How does anyone really know? In the same way, you don’t understand what it’s like to be a mom or a broker on Wall Street or a barista in Italy unless you’ve lived those experiences. You have to [...]