military Archives - Jo, My Gosh!

October 6

2017 Holiday Mailing Deadlines for Military Addresses

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I don't know about you guys, but when John was deployed, I was obsessed with making sure that Christmas boxes and cards got to him by--or before--Christmas. It hurt my heart to think that he might spend the holiday without any gifts or reminders that there were people who loved him at home.While there's never a guarantee that your mail will make it in time (trust me, one time it took John 6 months to get a letter I sent him... it got routed through Cuba, go figure), abiding by the guidelines that the military puts out is one great way to make sure you have plenty of time.Here are Keep Reading...

September 8

Here’s How Sept. 11 Changed 12 Military Spouses’ Lives

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I was a tenth grader when the Twin Towers fell. I was in English class when our teacher turned the TV on. As we went from class to class, each teacher kept their TV on--even through lunch, even through band at the end of the day. I was 15 then, and I don't think I would ever have guessed that day that twelve years later, my fiance would be deployed in support of a war that was started because of that singular day.Five years later, we still are. And it's mind-boggling, truly.For those of us who were alive and old enough to remember, September 11, 2001 will be a day we'll never forget. Keep Reading...

September 6

Here’s How to Care for a Friend Dealing With Deployment (Even If You’ve Never Experienced It)

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I collaborated with Starbucks to share my story on bridging the civilian-military divide. Since 2013, Starbucks has hired more than 10,000 military spouses and veterans and is committed to hiring at least 15,000 more. On Aug. 21, Starbucks launched a national campaign encouraging the 99% of Americans who haven’t served to start a new conversation with veterans and military spouses. Learn more here »The first day John was deployed went by in a hazy blur. I was a teacher then, and I had to give (and grade) finals. My eyes were puffy and I was dead tired from a four-hour drive back from the Keep Reading...

September 1

18 Military Discounts in Salem, Massachusetts

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I had the pleasure of visiting Salem, Massachusetts this summer. While this is not a sponsored post, I did receive a few fun perks while we discovered everything Salem has to offer. Here in Pennsylvania, the last week of August suddenly turned a lot cooler than normal, and it's not hard to imagine that fall is soon on its way. I can't help myself-- whenever I think of the fall, I think of Halloween, leaves turning, and New England. I think of maple syrup and pilgrims and wood fires. I've correlated the two ever since I was a nerdy kid who loved to read history and fiction. And there's Keep Reading...

August 21

To the Milspouse Unsure of Their Next Career Step

A having career as a milspouse can be tough. If you're like me, you had to quit your job to get married and move to your spouse. Maybe you had to leave after a PCS. Maybe you married early and never got started. But for most military spouses (not all... just most), a career during military life is a frustrating task.Depending on your interest, skills, and/or degree, you might not be qualified for the jobs that are available. Maybe you have too much or too little experience. Maybe you're looking for a remote job... or there aren't any in your field. Maybe you can't work a job outside the Keep Reading...

August 17

6 Awesome Ways Military Families Can Save on Back to School Purchases

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This post is sponsored by DiscountGlasses.com. All work and opinions are my own.The first few years of our marriage, John and I were just scraping by. I had quit my teaching job to move to a different state to be with John and, because of PCSing and teaching certification timelines, we had decided that it wasn't prudent for me to try to become a teacher in Virginia. It didn't make sense-- I would probably get my certification just in time to move again. Instead, I took up freelance writing. We were squashed between student loan payments, a unexpected car purchase, and the loss of one Keep Reading...

July 19

This Entrepreneur Has a Message for Military Spouses

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Thanks to Liz from Sseko Designs for this guest post!Hi! I’m Liz. I’m the co-founder of Sseko Designs.When I was 22, I moved to Uganda to be a journalist and write about issues facing women living in extreme poverty. While there, I met an incredible group of young women who had tested into university but couldn’t afford to go. Suddenly, my general (and at times overwhelming) interest in the massive social justice issue of extreme global poverty and gender inequality became an extremely focused mission to help a few of Uganda’s brightest young women go to college and become leaders Keep Reading...

July 12

Here’s What Happens When You Leave Military Life

It's been almost 9 months since we packed up our hatchback and a moving truck and made one last military move. Amid the chaos of lamps and boxes and driving four hours back home on bumpy, clogged roads, our hearts were just the tiniest bit heavy: John was transitioning out of the military. And we weren't really sure what would happen next.I'm finally ready to write about what has happened in those 9 months since. The good, the bad, the ugly... and trust me, there's quite a bit of all of that. I know that milspouses who are looking at leaving often are scared. Apprehensive. Not sure Keep Reading...

July 11

6 Ways to Restock Your Pantry on the Cheap After a PCS (Without Couponing)

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Ketchup.Mustard.Spices.Every time we've moved, we've had to throw out or give away so much of our pantry and freezer stock. Whatever isn't able to be eaten before the move, out it goes. The food waste is sad and the waste of money hurts, especially when you're watching every penny.When you get to your next place, you end up having to restock all of the things that you've thrown away. It gets pricey and the numbers really pinch on that first trip at your new duty station. To try to help, I've compiled a number of ways that you can save money to get food back into your Keep Reading...

July 10

These Amazon Prime Day Deals Are Perfect for Military Life

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Y'all, Prime Day is upon us. At 9 PM Eastern tonight, Amazon will begin unleashing crazy deals for 30 hours.Even if you don't have an Amazon Prime account, it might be a great time to try it out for free. You can grab a free 30-day trial tonight or even tomorrow and still qualify for Prime Day discounts and deals. Amazon ships APO/FPO (just watch out-- there are exceptions, depending on the products). If you're cracking those textbooks open, remember that Amazon offers 50% off Prime for students--and that's not a Prime Day deal. That stands anytime.(Pro tip: You can save even more Keep Reading...

July 7

Check Out These Easy Tips for a More Eco-Friendly Lawn

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This post is sponsored by Overstock.com. All work and opinions are my own.Since buying our house in April, John and I are discovering the joys of being homeowners. Or rather, we're discovering all of the things we never had to think about during our time renting apartments. And almost all of those things have to do with... our yard.We've got a yard now-- a long, skinny yard-- and we're still trying to figure out what to do with it. One thing is certain: We want to make our yard as green and eco-friendly as possible. Here are a few of the steps we're taking to do that: Use solar Keep Reading...

July 5

17 Things Military Spouses Want You to Know

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"They don't get us.""How could they possibly understand?""They don't know what it's like."Time and time again, I've heard comments like these from friends and strangers online and in real life. The military-civilian gap is real. You can feel it when you live in the community and when you live outside of it. The truth of the matter is that most people are so far removed from military communities and those that serve that they truly don't understand what a deployment, TAD/TDY, or PCS is like.And that's okay. After all, why would they? How could we possibly expect everyone to Keep Reading...

July 1

Here’s a Completely Unique Way to Thank the Troops This July 4th

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This post is sponsored by Carnival Cruise Lines. All opinions and work are my own.There were five of us smooshed into an Aerostar among our suitcases and gigantic cooler and vacation souvenirs, driving across the expanse of a very flat, very rural section of the midwest. The dusky sky was clear and stars began to reveal themselves and twinkle as we kept driving... and driving... and driving on a very flat, very straight, very rural section of road.As a habitually car-sick kid, I had a window seat and was watching the shadowy shapes of corn and lone trees and the occasional road sign Keep Reading...

June 30

How to Make Your House a Home After a PCS

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This post is sponsored by Chesapeake Bay Candles. All work and opinions are my own.For military families, moving is just part of life. Every two to three years (and sometimes sooner, or sometimes longer), military families put all of their possessions in boxes and ship them across the country--or across the world. And while, yes, a home is where the heart is or where your family is or where the [insert branch here] takes you, it can sometimes take a little time to make home feel like home.So how do you speed it up? (After all, you only have two or three years of being in that home Keep Reading...

June 29

Here’s How We Renovated Our Bathroom For Under $650

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This post is sponsored by Lowe’s. All opinions and work are my own.The bathroom was keeping me up at night.Since we took the plunge as homeowners and bought a Civil War-era house in our small town, the bathroom was keeping me up at night.The bathroom wasn’t awful. It is an awkward shape. It’s small. But it’s not tiny. And there’s a bit of storage. It’s bright and so it feels airy. (But it isn’t cute. And everyone needs a little bit of cuteness, right?)We didn’t want to do a makeover of our bathroom. There’s so much else to do—including refinishing the hardwood floors by Keep Reading...

June 28

This TV Show Is Featuring Veterans’ Stories in Every Episode This Summer

This post is sponsored by NBC Universal. All work and opinions are my own.A common criticism of movies and TV shows from our community is that there are few accurate or diverse representations of the veteran and military population. Often, veterans are portrayed as damaged from their service or are ignored. Active duty families are rarely seen.The Night Shift, on NBC, is aiming to change that. The show surrounds the night shift of an emergency room team at San Antonio Memorial. Characters in the show find themselves in emotional and hectic situations. One character, TC, is in Syria Keep Reading...

June 27

It’s Time We All Care About Military Child Care

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This post is sponsored by Blue Star Families. All opinions and work are my own.I don't have kids.I don't think that's much of a surprise to most of my audience. It's not that I don't like kids or that John and I are taking a political stand. It's not that we don't want to have them... we just don't. Not right now. Not yet.But that doesn't mean that I don't care about what happens to our military families that do have kids.And military families often don't have access to child care. On base child development centers (CDCs) can be tough to get into. The hours often do not Keep Reading...

June 27

Here’s How to Throw a Patriotic Cookout in No Time

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This post is sponsored by Babbleboxx. All opinions and work are my own.'Tis the season... for impromptu hosting. I can't be the only person who gets phone calls while the husband is coming home: It's perfect grilling out weather! Oh, by the way, is it okay if so-and-so stops by for dinner?At the beginning of our marriage, I would probably have freaked out. (No... that's not true. I definitely freaked out.) Entertaining is something that I take seriously-- after all, I want everyone to have a good time and I want it to be fun. Oh yeah... and I want to have fun too, not be so stressed Keep Reading...

June 24

5 Easy Ways to Make Your New House Feel Like Home

I received products from Lush Decor in order to write this post.While John was in the military, we PCSed twice. I know, I know: It's not as many times as some have moved, and it's more than others have. And now, we've ended up in our for-now home; perhaps not our forever home, but it's the one that we're making into our own.It's been a slow process. If you've seen a few of my posts on Instagram, you know that we're rehabbing a Civil War-era home. We've uncovered beautiful hardwood floors after ripping layers of carpet and linoleum off, we've replaced fixtures, and we've redone a Keep Reading...

June 16

These 11 Gifts are Only for Military Grandmas

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It doesn't happen often... but every once and awhile, I get emails from from military grandmas. They're proud of their military grandkid and they're a little bewildered. Many of them have never had an experience with the military community and they're not sure what to do.Looking for a way to tell your grandma that she's supportive and awesome? (Or maybe your a military grandma looking for some amazing swag to proclaim to the world how proud you are?) You'll want to check these fun gift ideas out!Jewelry If you're a Marine Grandma, you'll want to wear one of these beautiful, Keep Reading...