parenting - Mission: Milspouse

6 Ways Parenting a Newborn is like Being a Military Spouse

by Sharita Knobloch | Feb 21, 2017 | Blog, Experience, Military Life, Relationships

Listen very closely… Do you hear that? It’s my own personal internal tick-tock clock as I anxiously wait for this New Tiny Human to be born. (I’m writing this post a little bit in advance, because hopefully, by the time this post is published in late February, this newborn will have been evicted and settling into the “real world” in our arms.)

You may recall that last month, I wrote a post about how pregnancy is like being a military spouse. Well, my love for analogies hasn’t stopped, so today I would like to share 6 Ways Parenting a Newborn is like Being a Military Spouse.

Call Me Mrs. Groundhog

by Retired Blogger | Feb 7, 2017 | Blog, Experience, Household 6, Relationships

Stepparenting in a military family often feels like Groundhog Day. Minus the witty remarks of Bill Murray, conversations are often repeated, mistakes are made, and sometimes the outcome can become a predictable routine. As Bill’s character, Phil states, “What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?”

Let’s revisit the holidays.

PCS Orders During High School

by MilitaryByOwner Advertising Inc | Jan 24, 2017 | Blog, Expert, PCS

Moving your family during a child’s high school years is hard, no question about it. For many career military families, the latest move may be one of several they’ve faced during their child’s teen years. Some families, especially those with high school juniors or seniors, may decide forcing another move on their teen is not something they’re willing to do again.

6 Ways Pregnancy is Like Being a Milspouse

by Sharita Knobloch | Jan 21, 2017 | Experience, Military Life

As I write this post, I’m sitting in the recliner with my feet up. My dog is nestled beside me, my arms are stretched out farther than they have ever been before as my “belly dances,” and I mentally calculate how long I have until it’s my daily “power nap time.”

Yep. You guessed it. I’m pregnant. The State of the Uterus is very much occupied.

I’m at the point in this pregnancy that no longer classifies as a “little bit” pregnant. I’m really pregnant. Like rapidly-approaching-end-of-third-trimester pregnant.

Tips for Maintaining Your Marriage While Raising Your Kids

by Retired Expert | Oct 5, 2016 | Blog, Expert, Relationships

A couple of weeks ago my wife, Joy, and I dropped our son off at the dorm for his freshman year of college.

Yikes!

It seems like yesterday we were walking him to the bus stop so he could ride to kindergarten with his friends from the neighborhood. We’ve been through some trials and tribulations raising our kids, but I’m really glad that Joy and I could do it together.

State of the Uterus Address

by Sharita Knobloch | Jul 21, 2016 | Blog, Experience, Health & Fitness

Brandi and I have been friends for nearly two decades now. We joke that we are each other’s “oldest” girlfriend, so we can pretty much talk about anything. She is a passionate gal and a fellow blogger. Recently, she posted something on Facebook that really got me thinking, which blossomed into a conversation that we now dub “State of the Uterus.”

I don’t know what the deal is, but some people, both inside and outside the military spouse circle, don’t seem to have boundaries or discretion on some personal discussion topics.

How to Talk to a Friend Struggling with Infertility

by Retired Blogger | Jun 30, 2016 | Blog, Experience, Health & Fitness

I debated sharing this post for quite some time, not because I felt I needed to keep my infertility a secret, but because I wasn’t confident I wanted complete strangers to know such private details.

However, one of the struggles women and men face when they receive a diagnosis of infertility is a lack of strong community to lift them up. You can’t receive loving support if you hide in isolation; you have to share your struggle in order to get what you need.

Pregnancy Loss and the Military Spouse

by Crystal Niehoff | Jun 25, 2016 | Blog, Experience, Household 6

Pregnancy loss, miscarriage, stillbirth—there are difficult subjects to talk about and even more difficult to endure.

Statistically, one in four women will suffer pregnancy loss. That translates into one in four dads and one in four families that have experienced the loss of a baby—and one in four military families.

The military doesn’t shield us from this sad statistic. Pregnancy loss touches the lives of nearly everyone we encounter each day in one way or another.

Changes, Challenges, and Overcoming

by Mary Spangler | May 23, 2016 | Blog, Experience, Health & Fitness, Military Life

I gave birth to my son on Feb. 2. It was a mostly relaxed labor as I did not dilly-dally and made sure I quickly got an epidural since I had an induction. After around 24 hours in labor, he was born in the late morning and weighed 6 lbs, 14 ounces. It was fairly surreal going through the whole process.

However, not very long after his birth, while I was still in the hospital, anxiety and the feeling of being overwhelmed quickly consumed me.