He was coming home in less than 48 hours, and I still had no idea what I was going to wear. I'd spent countless hours searching through hundreds of military homecoming outfits online, only to come up empty-handed. I shaved my legs three times, cleaned the house so well it looked like no one lived there, and I stocked the fridge with all [...]
Archives for December 2016
47 Things No One Tells You About Being a Military Wife
She turned her head towards me and uttered the words I dreaded most, “You knew what you were getting into right?” I always hate getting asked this question because, in a way, I did know what military life would be like--frequent moves, separations and the overall feeling that life is a like a revolving door. But at the same time, I [...]
When Kids Say Embarrassing Things, This is The Best Response
Kids say the darndest things, don’t they?! My mother loves to tell the story about the day I announced to my entire kindergarten class that she was an alcoholic because she drank beer. Considering my mother was not an alcoholic, I can imagine the embarrassment she felt attempting to explain to the teachers and parent volunteers [...]
Are Military Spouses Unknowingly Violating OPSEC?
We hear about it all the time--OPSEC and PERSEC for military families. This is how we keep service members and their families safe. But do we really know what we can and can’t say on the internet, via email or to people in real life? Unfortunately, I don’t think there is enough education out there for spouses, families and the rest of [...]
Siblings fighting? Try This Magical Tip to Help Siblings Get Along
Inside this post: Helping siblings get along is easy with this one simple tip. It will stop sibling fighting and improve the relationship between parents and kids too. It started out the same way it always does—everything is going fine between the kids, and then, BAM, tears burst from every direction like a sprinkler on steroids. I’m [...]
How To Cope When Your Spouse Works During The Holidays
Ahh, the holidays. It's a magical time. There are trees. There are twinkling lights. Cookies. Gifts. Santa. It's even more spectacular when you have kids because you can experience everything all over again through their eyes. But suppose you have a spouse that can't join you? Not because they're deployed, but because they have a tough [...]
The One Phrase That Will Reconnect Your Military Marriage
I opened the door to our apartment, walked in and melted into the couch. I just finished a two-hour round trip of taking my parents to the airport and returning home sans houseguests. The visit was amazing. We got along. We did a lot of fun stuff. We connected as a family again. But now? The week-long family vacation was finished and [...]
10 Best Books on Positive Toddler Discipline
It's no secret around here that I am a consumer of books on toddler discipline. While I don't implement every strategy that various books have suggested, they have--by far--made parenting easier for me. These books gave me the tools I needed to develop my own thoughts, ideas and strategies on positive toddler discipline. As [...]