Military Life. Together.

What You Can Do During a Communications Blackout

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It's something that you'll most likely experience at least once during a deployment: a communications blackout.When John was deployed to Afghanistan, we experienced a few comms blackouts. No matter the reason for them, they were always sudden and unnerving, at least for me-- a fiance who didn't know a thing about deployment to begin with.  I was learning everything for the first time. And honestly, everything felt kind of scary. Including comms blackouts. Especially comms blackouts.We were lucky: John usually had readily available access to the internet. He had his laptop (but not a Keep Reading...

Rapid, Unexpected Deployments: 8 Military Spouses Share What to Do Next

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Something happens.It might be a foreign policy issue. A hurricane at home. A disaster somewhere else.But something happens.And suddenly, your spouse comes home with orders for a rapid deployment.You weren't expecting this. There are birthdays to celebrate and home improvement projects to do. Vacations to go on. There are plans for next week. There are movies and TV shows to be watched together, date nights to be planned, kids' sports events to attend.And suddenly, you have whiplash. Without warning, you're planning for a deployment. And fast. What do you do? How do you make Keep Reading...

9 Surprising Ways You Might Be Violating OPSEC and PERSEC

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I'm going to be honest: as a new military girlfriend, I was absolutely terrible at OPSEC and PERSEC. I was so new to the whole military thing that I didn't really grasp what it was, what information was important to protect, or why it was even a thing I should worry about. After all, I was a girlfriend with limited knowledge of anything.Except, even as a military girlfriend, I knew things. I knew when John was on leave. I knew where his trainings leading up to deployment were held and when they were. I had been on base and an aircraft carrier.It doesn't sound like a lot. But that Keep Reading...

For the Milspouse Experiencing a No-Notice Deployment

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Today, I read a beautiful Facebook post by my friend and fellow MFAN Advisory Board Member, Kellie Artis. Kellie is an amazing woman who is a creative, an advocate, a mom, and a military spouse, among many, many other things. This post stopped me in my tracks and I asked her if I could share it as a guest post on Jo, My Gosh! She graciously allowed me to reprint her words for you. Thank you, Kellie, for an amazing piece and perspective on the human cost of global conflict.I took the kids to a chain restaurant tonight and sat across from a table of ~10 women, each with at least one, some Keep Reading...

83 Power Words for Military Spouses in the New Year

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An entire new year. What possibilities will the next 365 days bring? The next 10 years?The new year always fills me with possibility... and a little bit of dread and pragmatism. After all, I'm not new to this rodeo. There's the initial excitement of planning all of the new things that I'll do and be in the new year. I've made resolutions. Chosen words that are supposed to define and center my year. But I rarely follow through with them after a few days or a few weeks. Life gets in the way and I end up being the same person with the same habits and flaws in the new year that I was in the Keep Reading...

5 Things Military Spouses Are Not Doing This Year

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If you're thinking about a new resolution or goal for this year, you're not alone. I've been trying to think of what I want the next year to look like for myself. Inevitably, I think of the same old things: lose that elusive ten pounds, elevate myself professionally, be kinder, be more loving, work harder. You know, probably the exact same things that are on your list of resolutions.But this year, I couldn't help thinking about the military community, too, when it comes to resolutions. I started this year exceptionally discouraged. When I say that I cried every day, I mean it. I literally Keep Reading...

Watch These Brilliant Military Spouses in 2020

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I love looking forward into the new year and thinking about all of the exciting possibilities that are to come. For the past few years, I've loved shining a light on amazing military spouses and significant others who are coming up with neat ideas, writing cool stuff, and generally just being awesome.Of course, this isn't an exhaustive list! I wouldn't be able to write a complete list of all of the phenomenal things going on in the military community. The amount of talent and diversity in the military spouse and significant other community is absolutely astounding.... and honestly, pretty Keep Reading...

5 Ways to Make Your Military Life Better In the New Year

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2020. A new year. A new decade.It's exciting, isn't it?What possibilities will the next 365 days bring? The next 10 years?The new year always fills me with possibility... and a little bit of dread and pragmatism. After all, I'm not new to this rodeo. There's the initial excitement of planning all of the new things that I'll do and be in the new year. I've made resolutions. Chosen words that are supposed to define and center my year. But I rarely follow through with them after a few days or a few weeks. Life gets in the way and I end up being the same person with the same habits and Keep Reading...

For the Military Spouse Celebrating a Difficult Christmas

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No two military Christmases are the same. For that matter, no two holidays in military life are the same. But somehow, around the holidays, the differences, uncertainties, and distance from family are more pronounced. Maybe there's a deployment in your family. Or a TAD. Or a PCS that just happened or is looming.Maybe you want to be close to family but can't be.Maybe the ornaments were smashed during a move and you've just discovered their broken remains.Maybe someone close to you has passed away this year and it's the first holiday season without them.Maybe you look at the Keep Reading...

46 Deployment Bucket List Goals for the New Year

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You're ringing in the new year with your loved one deployed and (what feels like) a million miles away. Feeling down? A little blue? Maybe you're excited for a clean slate, a new start. After all, the new year is the year your spouse or child or significant other or friend comes home. (Yay! Let's pop some bubbly!)So let's start this year in style, by creating--or adding to-- your bucket list. After all, the best thing about the beginning of a new year is dreaming of all the adventures you'll have. And you can still have those adventures while your loved one is deployed.But first, let's Keep Reading...

Dinner on the Floor: Our First Military Christmas

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As a 2019-2021 Military Family Advisory Network Advisory Board Member, I had the chance to write about John and my very first Christmas as a married couple. This is the second post in a series titled The Resiliency of Military Families: Sharing the Whole Story.It was the first Christmas of our marriage. It also happened to be the first and only time I had eaten Christmas dinner on the floor.John and I had been married for five months but already had one PCS, one C School, two apartments, two totaled cars, and a new car purchase under our belts. Oh, and I was newly unemployed, Keep Reading...

19 Perfect Quotes for a Christmas During Deployment

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There are few military couples who have not experienced at least one holiday away from each other; and most have experienced at least one Christmas during deployment. (If you haven't, you're really lucky!  Knock on some wood!)It's easy to say that Christmas is just a day, or that the date doesn't count. While that is true, it can also be a difficult time of year if you're missing someone. Sure, you can do Christmas when they come home--and many do!-- but it can be lonely when the rest of the world seems to be getting ready for a holiday centered around home and family.If you're Keep Reading...

Everything You Need to Know About Sending Holiday Care Packages

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The tree's up.The carols are on.The presents are (mostly) bought.And there's still a care package that needs to be sent. Maybe you've been avoiding it because it reminds you of the person who won't be with you this holiday season. Maybe you just haven't gotten to it on your list yet. Maybe there's another reason. But no matter what, there's a care package--at least one-- that needs to be sent.Here's exactly what you need to know to get that care package made and sent to your loved one on time. Deadlines and timing Unlike other times of the year, the Christmas and holiday Keep Reading...

For the Milspouse Who Is Overwhelmed Today

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"Dear Jo, I don't think I can do this anymore." My heart sank as I read the email. The email sender was so sad, so frustrated, so overwhelmed that I sat there, unsure how to reply.While I can only speak for myself and the people I've talked to, it seems like every military spouse has at least one moment like that in their military life journey. It's that moment where you feel like if you give one more tiny bit, you'll break. If one more thing goes wrong-- even if it's something so dumb you'd otherwise laugh about it--you'll lose it.You don't know where to turn. Everything feels Keep Reading...

Here’s How to Access No-Cost Incontinence Products for Your Child

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This post is sponsored by Aerorflow. All opinions and work are my own. For families of children with special needs, time is always stretched. There are doctor's appointments to get to, therapists to see, special foods to buy and make, extra time for routines. There are meetings upon meetings upon meetings. There's the transportation to and from meetings and appointments and therapies.And of course, there's just regular, day-to-day stuff of living, too. (That stuff takes time, too!)For many military families with children with special needs, time can be even more crunched with Keep Reading...

Here’s How to Plan for Military Retirement

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Welcome Charlene, a military spouse and guest poster today!Life is full of transitions and stages – nobody knows this better than military families! For us, life can be divided up by the usual milestones: graduations, promotions, marriage and the birth of children. We also track other milestones, marking time in deployments, assignments and relocations. And, ultimately, we work toward the goal of retirement and transition out of the military. For service members, the pre-retirement process is very comprehensive and requires years of planning for both the serving spouse and all members of Keep Reading...

8 Holiday Traditions Military Families Can Start During Deployment

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This time of year, I usually get quite a few emails from military spouses and significant others asking one simple question: How do you go on with the holiday season when you're dealing with deployment?For some readers, it feels like a betrayal to have fun or enjoy themselves during deployment. It can be painful to do the same kinds of traditions that you've always done with your significant other around. Their absence is obvious and you crave the memories you could have made with them this year. Maybe you're feeling angry (and that's okay) or sad (also okay) or completely numb (totally Keep Reading...

60 Holiday-Inspired Deployment Bucket List Goals

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The holidays can be tough for anyone, but deployment can make it a hotbed of emotions and frustrations. If you need some help getting out of your own head, consider making your own holiday bucket list... or adding to your already awesome deployment bucket list!These are just suggestions and do not encompass every holiday or tradition. Pick, choose, and change what you need to. Use these for inspiration for other bucket list goals that are unique to you. If you have ideas-- let me know in the comments. Or better yet, take a picture doing one of these holiday bucket list ideas and tag me Keep Reading...

5 Products That Will Make Your Entrepreneur Life Better

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This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com. About that entrepreneur life? For many military spouses, it's not just a passion, it's a necessity. Self-employment helps to smooth over the frustrations of job-searching every two-to-four years with each new PCS. It provides more financial stability, too, in a world where a two-income family is needed, rather than wanted.I became an entrepreneur when I left my career as a high school teacher. I had no idea what I was doing at the time and ended up learning so much of it by trial and error. Maybe you're feeling that way. Maybe you've been Keep Reading...

Here’s One Way to Thank Military Folks This Fall

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This blog post is sponsored by Verizon. All work and opinions are my own.Military life can be hard.I don't think that's a surprise to anyone... even if you've never experienced military life.There's the moving every two-to-four years. The deployments. The separations.And there's a lot that is wonderful, too.But because the country has been at war for nearly two decades and people know that such an enormous burden rests on the shoulders and families of so few, people feel strongly about thanking service members and veterans. It is a genuinely wonderful gesture and Keep Reading...

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