Deployment
After multiple deployments and separations as a military spouse, you’d think the deployment meltdown wouldn’t exist. This is simply not true. A few deployments ago, I hit a catastrophic wall right around the one-month mark. I am unashamed to say it was probably one of my worst meltdowns since becoming a military wife. In the middle of [...]
military deployment tips
Why I Stopped Preparing for My Service Member to Leave
If you could see my living room floor right now, mere hours before my husband leaves for an extended training mission, you might cringe. Sea bags leaning against the sofas, empty magazines piled up on the coffee table, extra blouses strewn across the floor—all hiding the cherry hardwoods underneath. Crossing into the kitchen requires [...]
How to Prepare for Deployment as a Military Spouse…in 33 Steps
It never fails. Military life always throws some monkey wrenches into your life plans. Okay...a lot of monkey wrenches. If you want to prepare for deployment as a military spouse, you'll need a deployment binder. But more importantly, you'll want to practice and train just like you would a marathon or a hot dog eating contest. This is [...]
MilSpouse LifeHow to Make Your Own Daddy Doll for Military Kids (Tutorial)
Inside: Learn how to make your own daddy doll for military kids. Under $5 cost. Perfect for military kids going through deployment. I love the military but deployments aren’t easy on anyone. Not the service member, not the spouse left behind, and definitely not the kids left at home without their mommy or daddy. We read military [...]
Why I Didn’t “Go Home” When My Service Member Deployed
Whenever my husband had to deploy, I was asked by friends if I planned on going home until he returns. I know my parents would welcome me with open arms and I appreciate it. I appreciate them. I remember when Tom went to Korea for a year, people were surprised to learn that I wasn't packing up my kids and going home. So why is [...]
31+ Genius Tips, Hacks and Ideas For Surviving Your Next Deployment
Surviving deployment is one of those things that never gets easier. You do gain more tools and equip yourself with strategies for coping with deployment separations. But that big deployment mountain? It's always there. Staring you down. Military spouses regularly ask, "What's the secret to surviving deployment?" I think [...]
What Military Families Wish You Knew About Homecoming
I laid there wide awake at 4:46 am. Couldn't sleep. I hadn't seen my service member in over seven months, and now he was in my bed. This is the reality of a military homecoming. My brain and body were in fight or flight mode. I was exhausted preparing for homecoming. I desperately wanted everything to be "just so." The homecoming date [...]
How to Find Support After Your Service Member Returns Home From War
Today I wanted to welcome Patti Katter, a Certified Life Coach and Military & Program Coordinator at Hope For The Warriors. She is going to share a bit about the amazing work she is doing with military families and how you can use Hope For The Warriors as a resource on your military life journey. Take it away [...]
The Brutally Honest Guide for Surviving the First Week of Deployment
In many ways, military deployments are such a part of our lives now that I don’t even blink when it’s about to happen. Or at least that’s what I think in my mind. Then it actually happens, and I feel this overwhelming sense of stress, anxiety, distance and disgust with the whole thing. Ugh. Deployment. How I loathe thee. Each [...]
9 Unspoken Rules of FaceTiming Your Deployed Service Member
When my husband was deployed, being able to FaceTime him helped a lot. We would try to chat on a daily basis but obviously if he had to go out on a mission, it didn't always happen. But when it did happen, I'd be excited that I could see him. The kids would be thrilled to see their Daddy as well. It was precious time when I could pull out [...]
