Did you know… Mission: Milspouse published its 3000th blog post in 2023 and is still growing!
WE Need Time to grow
When you’re trying to grow a garden, there are things that are within your control, and there are things that are outside of it
Creating a Mom-Guilt-Free New Year
The weary woman glanced around her house and sighed. With the holiday season officially over, she was at a loss for what to do with her family for the next couple of months. Christmas movies had been played and replayed and new toys had already become too familiar, but the kids were driving her crazy… so the woman wracked her brain for some kind of creative inspiration.
Limited options, however, made creativity hard. January meant no overspending because she and her husband had already agreed to stick to a strict budget and focus on saving. Sporadic trips to the movie theater, drives to the city, and visits to the children’s museum were supposed to be out of the question.
But while she stood there, feeling helpless and at a loss, Mom-Guilt reared its big, ugly head and nagged at her. You can’t just stay home, you need to give the kids experiences. You’ve got to push past your limit of too tired, you’ve got to spend money in order for your family to enjoy life. She could hear it, but she shook her head and ignored it for just a bit longer…
And that’s when she saw it. The pile of barely touched board games on the dining room table. Maybe, she thought.
A Toast: To a New Year and You
Today we all woke up with 365 new days ahead of us. Happy New Year!
I like to start each year off in my pajamas. I’m talking about a pj party all day long.
This party of mine includes lots of leftovers from the holidays that my family can munch on (so I don’t have to cook!), piles of cookies and treats, a fresh notebook with no writing in it, my favorite orange pen, a warm sherpa throw, crackling logs in the fireplace, and a lot of reflection on the past year.
2019.
I’ve heard from a number of people that they are looking forward to the end of last year. It’s almost like with the clash of pots and pans, the flash of fireworks in the sky, a glass of champagne, and a midnight kiss, all their troubles will end. All the negatives were left in the past and the future suddenly looks bright.
The Waiting Place
There is a book written by Dr. Seuss entitled, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Perhaps you’ve heard of it. It really is quite remarkable how this children’s book can both entertain the very smallest child and yet speak volumes to adults, both young and old.
Over the years, it has become a graduation staple, full of autographs by every positive and influential teacher the alumnus has had since preschool. If you have not had the opportunity to read the pages of this book or if it has been a while, I strongly recommend that you seek it out . . . more often. What I believe you will find are comforting words that can inspire you to do, act, and be as you ought to be and not as Life would have you be.
Reflecting on Life with Blue Highways
As milspouses on the move, we don’t often have a specific physical place where we build up years of memories. It isn’t like we have a favorite path we can walk daily and then reflect on how it (and we) can change and grow over the seasons and decades. Since we are by nature nomadic, we have to come up with other benchmarks to use when we reflect on our lives. For me, the book Blue Highways has served as my tool for reflection.
I am about to re-read the book for probably the 20th time. Blue Highways is a book I bought at the college bookstore before . . . everything–before becoming an Army wife, before finishing growing up, everything. The author was a professor at my university, and I remember wondering at the time if I should take one of his classes, as I had not met an author before. Instead, I knew them through their writing.
Finding Joy in the Midst of a Holiday Deployment
I don’t know about you, but there’s something about Christmas that restores a child-like fun and excitement. I look forward to the smells of baked goods, the Christmas music, and myriad twinkling lights adorning homes and trees during the holidays. I love watching the wonder of Christmas through my children’s eyes.
It truly is a magical time of the year.
If I had my way, deployments and Christmas just wouldn’t go together. But they can and they do—unfortunately, for many of us. It’s a time of love, connection, giving, and family. But how can you maintain that feeling of love, joy, and connection when the person you love the most is not there?
6 Tips for Finding a Rental Home in Winter
Don’t be discouraged if an off-season PCS has you searching for a rental home over the winter months. Although not the traditional season to move, the cold weather offers unique opportunities and advantages not normally found during the spring and summer. Embrace the transition–you might just save time and money!
If the military determined your PCS destination early, take advantage of this gift and start learning everything there is to know about the next city. Or, more likely, if the orders were last minute or slow to come by, you’ve got to multi-task! Jump in and start the house hunt while simultaneously researching the next destination.
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