Mom Life
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 [...]
encouragement
Why I Finally Quit Doing It All
My husband and I were picking up the house after we finally got the kids in bed for the night. Toys, laundry, cleaning up after dinner, and finally throwing away the hidden snickers wrapper from earlier in the day. Yes, I eat hidden snacks when my toddler isn’t looking. I’m not ashamed to admit that. By the time we finished picking up [...]
Being a Stay at Home Mom is a Luxury (But It’s Not Luxurious)
It happened again. I took my son over to a friend’s house and I forgot diapers. Sometimes I wonder when exactly my brain stopped working. It was probably somewhere between my husband being gone for a work trip and the start of my third trimester. After a certain point, you just stop thinking correctly. I’m not trying to make excuses, [...]
MilSpouse LifeHow to Encourage a Military Spouse (when she needs it most)
I’ve been hearing a lot of stories lately about military spouses feeling sad, defeated, and quite frankly drained from military life. Blogger Jennifer Smith shared it recently in a post called I Didn’t Sign Up for This. In the post she writes, “I was devastated. Where were all these welcoming wives I had been told of? Where was my call [...]
The Best Advice for the Military Girlfriend
There is rarely a week that passes where I don't hear from a military girlfriend. She is seeking support, friendship and acceptance into the military community. Researching this post, I found much of the advice for military girlfriends discouraging. She needs to know "her place." She is "just a girlfriend." She is "not entitled to [...]
5 Reasons Why You Can Totally Handle Military Life
There’s something about military life that is a little bit off putting. Isn’t there? At first glance you may see all the moving, deployments, crappy pay, and trashy people and think, “Yeah, not for me.” Hey, I understand that perspective more than you probably think. It wasn’t but a handful of years ago that I was thinking those exact [...]
Cheers to the Mama
It’s almost Mother’s Day, and I’m sitting here at my desk not thinking about what I really want for Mother’s Day. I’m not thinking about a mani-pedi or being told I’m an awesome mom or asking for 10 free coupons to use the bathroom in silence. Nope. Not thinking about any of that. [...]
How You REALLY Can Help a New Mom
Sometimes it’s really hard to know what exactly to do in order to best help a new mom. Before I had kids, I was pretty much clueless in that department. Even now after that challenging season has passed, it’s easy to forget about the best ways to help a new mom. Reflecting now, I’m so grateful for all the friends and family who lifted [...]
18 Ways Military Life Changes You for the Better
When I was in my early twenties enjoying college life back in the Midwest, I would’ve laughed in your face if you told me I would be living in Japan as a stay-at-home mom living a military life. I had big dreams of scaling my nursing career ladder, breaking the glass ceiling, and being a strong independent woman like nobody’s [...]
Sit Down and Shut Up. You’re Just a Whiny Dependa!
A few weeks ago I published a post called The Real Reason Being a Military Wife is So Hard, and while the responses were overwhelmingly positive, there were several responses showcasing the self-destructive military spouse wars occurring in the community. Written months prior to publishing, I wrote it sitting on my couch alone in a [...]
