I looked out my window last week and saw snow. Snow! In mid-April! (And it hasn't gotten much warmer since.) I love winter as much as the next gal, but this seemingly endless winter’s got me dreaming of warmer weather. Reading a guilty pleasure book on a sandy beach under an umbrella shading me from the toasty sun… That divine scene makes me think it might be time to plan a trip to Florida! Whether you’re booking a family vacation, looking to get away with your significant other, or dreaming of summer adventures, military folk have lots of options in the Sunshine State. Check out this list Keep Reading...
Here’s How Military Families Can Spring Clean Their Finances
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Navy Federal Credit Union for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. Spring is in the air... and so are taxes... and so is PCS season. And with all of those things often come a little bit of financial anxiety. There's the general stress and frustration of taxes, the new activities and vacations that are hallmarks of spring and summer, and then of course, the extra burden of PCSing. There are quite a few things that military families can do now to help with spring cleaning your finances. Most of them take little time and are pretty painless. All Keep Reading...
16 Baby-Friendly Activities and Places for Military Families
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of 1 Natural Way, a TRICARE breast pump provider. All opinions are entirely my own. It seems a little counter-intuitive that the military would be a welcoming place for kids. But the the truth is, military service affects everyone in the service member's family--from the military spouse to the tiniest kiddo. And the military is often progressive in its social stances when it comes to families, often keeping up with innovative ideas like parental leave policies. It's not just a nice thing to do-- it's something that the DoD knows it must do to Keep Reading...
These 7 Amusement Parks in Virginia Have Military Discounts
I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it. After three-and-a-half years of living in Virginia at two different major installations--Virginia Beach and Quantico--John and I... never actually explored the amusement parks that Virginia has to offer. We had every plan to. We drove by King's Dominion every time we drove down or up 95 when we lived in the Norfolk area. We spent some staycations at Yorktown and at Williamsburg. We enjoyed checking out Charlottesville and Washington, DC. We loved living in Fredericksburg. And we had every intention to check out Busch Gardens or Massanutten or King's Keep Reading...
8 Creative Ways to Stay Connected in a Long Distance Relationship
The internet. It's a blessing and a curse. We're always connected... to work, to that frenemy from high school, to the stressful news. But then again, we're always connected. And when you're in a long distance relationship--whether that's a military one or not--that can be a pretty great thing. John and I spent our entire dating and engaged life in a long distance relationship. In fact, now, it seems crazy that we decided we wanted to get married after spending some weekends and a few fleeting week nights (when we could manage them) together. But then again, we spent so much time talking Keep Reading...
Here’s How to Get Care Package Supplies for Free
When John was deployed, I became pretty much best friends with the folks at the post office. It's what happens when you show up at least once a week and have obnoxiously decorated boxes that make you... memorable (yeah, we'll go with memorable). I dropped a considerable amount of money at that post office on shipping. But one thing I never had to spend money on? Packing supplies. I'm not joking. I didn't spend a dime on boxes or labels. And I had plenty of free packing tape (although sometimes I did use more colorful duct tape and patterned tape). Here's how you can make that Keep Reading...
4 Keys for Military Families Transitioning from Service to Civilian
This guest post is written today by Dwayne Paro, author of The Empowered Veteran. Transitioning from the military is not just about the service member themselves. This is a process that includes the entire family unit. Each member of the family plays a very critical and important role in the process of transition, much like they did during service. The military spouse is a key element to the success of any transition. They are the unsung heroes in the lives of every married member of the military. When the military spouse takes the vows of marriage they are signing up to something Keep Reading...
Here’s the Best Way to Mail Care Packages
When it comes to shipping overseas, there's really only one cost-effective way to do that (in my humble opinion, anyway): Priority Mail's Flat Rate option. There are a few reasons for that, and they're all about making your life a little easier. Ready? Let's go. Discount The USPS offers Priority Mail services to APO/FPO/DPO addresses. Those addresses receive a discount on shipping, so the cost is a little bit below what you'd pay to send the same Priority Flat Rate package to a CONUS address. Pricing You know the Priority Mail Flat Rate promise--"If it fits, it ships!" That's still Keep Reading...
97 Sign Ideas for Military Homecomings
My heart was beating out of my chest. I clutched the homecoming sign with my sweaty hands. I felt a little dumb--I'll admit it-- and a little out of place. No one else had a sign except for me. I had spent at least a month thinking up, the narrowing down, ideas for the poster. I had never done this before; never done the "homecoming" thing. I didn't grow up in a military family, I barely knew anyone who served, and so I had gone to the internet. And on message boards and in pictures, it was clear: everyone had a sign. So I made one too. And now I stood in a MAC terminal just Keep Reading...
19 Parenting Blogs for Military Spouses, By Military Spouses
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of 1 Natural Way, a TRICARE breast pump provider. All opinions are entirely my own. If there's one thing that's true about the military spouse community, it's that we blog... a lot. And it's perhaps no surprise then that there are a ton of military spouse bloggers who also write about their parenting experiences. Naturally, these experiences are a little different than those of their civilian counterparts. It's always a little different when you're moving during a pregnancy or trying to explain to a two-year-old why their dad is deployed or Keep Reading...
