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One of the most important parts of supporting your service member as they serve our country is “holding down the fort” (See also: running a smooth, loving, and supportive home life for you and your family, while keeping all things going in your service member’s absence). Easy peasy, right? Sometimes, not so much.

With this category, we cover everything behind the scenes, such as organization, communication, marriage, parenting, overcoming trials, and just some good ole fashioned humor.

Join us as we embark on figuring out the home-life balance as a milspouse and find ways to thrive and excel! No matter what your life at home looks like, one of our Experience Bloggers or Command Team members has probably been in a similar situation and is here to share their triumphs, lessons, and laughs along the way.

Positive Pocket Change

Positive Pocket Change

by | Apr 7, 2020 | , , ,

Over the past month, my husband and I have used more than 15% less spending money than our usual amount. Also, over the past month, one of our personal investment accounts has dropped more than 30%.

I’m guessing I don’t even have to tell you why either happened.

It’s been in the back of my mind for a while now to share some of our favorite little personal finance habits, and now with an added layer of what is going on around us, I felt there was a bit extra to say.

Starting with what I originally wanted to share: I would really like to emphasize that these are our own personal habits. Neither one of us has any sort of financial expertise, but over the past five years or so, we’ve found our shared personal finance groove. A big part of this was reading about personal finance, seeing what stuck out to us, and actually trying some ideas out.

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Being Scared is OK

Being Scared is OK

by | Apr 5, 2020 | , , ,

“Mom, if a hawk came swooping down and tried to grab me, would you be able to save me?” a little boy, about 6, asked his mother. 

“Oh, I would take a stick and whack him,” she said.

“But, what if an eagle came. He is much bigger and probably stronger than you. What would you do?” he persisted.  It was a warm spring day and I was 10 feet behind them.

“Honey, I would throw a rock and beat him off with my fists,” mom continued.

“So, if a bear jumped out right now, I would be dead, wouldn’t I?” he said, with increasing anxiety. 

“I can only say I would do everything I could to protect you,” she said.

The world is terribly scary to a little one, especially with the scourge of the COVID-19.

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Life Hacks: Speech Pathology 101

Life Hacks: Speech Pathology 101

by | Apr 3, 2020 | , ,

But, here you are post-corona outbreak starting to navigate the world of as speech-language pathologist (SLP) or even a speech-language pathologist assistant (SLPA).

If you are now your child’s SLP, we’ve got this!

If your child is connecting via tele-therapy and you are the SLPA, we’ve got this.

Let’s start with great tools and resources for parents who are implementing speech and language therapy from home.

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The Best Medicine

The Best Medicine

by | Apr 2, 2020 | , , ,

I thought March was supposed to go out like a lamb.

Baaa.

No lambs here; we’re all still dealing with those March lions running around crazy trying to eat everyone.

That’s how this month has been. I’m stuck right now deciding between telling you a few things…

Like how I got arrested last week. Yeah, I—the person voted “least likely to break the law” in high school—got arrested. It was crazy how it happened. I mean, my next-door neighbor is a police officer and even he didn’t have my back despite it being his fence I was crawling over…

Or, have you heard of that weight-reducing cauliflower milk called “Caulk?”

And last, but not least, I would love your thoughts on the New York City Police Department’s announcement of a “Feline Unit” to supplement their Canine Unit.

Isn’t life crazy?

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Finding Purpose in the Pause

Finding Purpose in the Pause

by | Apr 2, 2020 | , , ,

A couple of years ago, I took a trip home to Virginia to spend some time with my parents. We were stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina at the time, so the short four-hour drive to extended family was a welcomed retreat.

While I was visiting, they took me to one of the Civil War battlefields to walk along the paved paths and soak in some beauty and fresh air. On this scenic route, I was accompanied by my furry walking partner, Bailey. Now, Bailey is a sweet, black Labrador Retriever, but she has awful leash manners. She will pull and tug the first 15 minutes of any walk—guaranteed. She is on a mission to find things to sniff and locate other dogs. As she nearly pulled my shoulder out of socket during this particular stroll, I started to get increasingly frustrated with her lack of chill. Didn’t she realize there was no hurry? There was so much to see and look at and soak in right where we were. Why was she in such a rush? Her hurry was making me miss some really beautiful things. 

In that moment, I realized that I can often be the same way—always looking ahead to the next thing, running on the hamster wheel of life, missing what’s right in front of me.

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Spring Break Spirit Week: Enjoying Life in the Midst of Uncertainty

Spring Break Spirit Week: Enjoying Life in the Midst of Uncertainty

by | Mar 31, 2020 | , , ,

I live with my family in Northern Italy, essentially ground zero for the Coronavirus. I’m not going to lie—some days are hard—but we are adamant about finding the joys and the silver linings all around us. We are going into our fifth week of schooling from home and each week, while the “schooling” portion of it gets progressively easier to navigate, the restrictions and mandates by the Italian government get harder and harder. We are quarantined, and if I am honest, this is not how I planned to spend our final months in Europe.

DoDEA Europe hasn’t even gotten to Spring Break yet—we have two more weeks before we dive headfirst into staring at each other without the distraction, continuity, and structure of school. As I laid in bed last night after Italy imposed more necessary and important restrictions, I tossed and turned worrying about all the things I know I can’t control. I started fretting about how we are going to amuse two children for 10 days of Spring Break. I mean, there are only so many movies, Netflix, board games, and books that we can tolerate before we pull our hair out. But then suddenly, I was inspired!

Ready? Over Spring Break we are going to have Spirit Week!

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