Stories & advice that feel like coming home.

Here’s Why I Don’t Care How You Spend Memorial Day

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This is a guest post from Randi Cairns, a fantastic writer whose words I am excited to share with you again. Memorial Day approaches... With its sales circulars and commercials promising steep discounts and cheap mattresses. Recipes offering the best ribs you’ll ever eat and Smack Your Mama sauces. “Happy holiday” from the sales clerks and Wawa cashier. And I pass no judgment on how you choose to spend your long weekend. Because yes, they fought for democracy. They fought for freedom. And they also fought for your right to not give a damn about any of it. And who doesn’t Keep Reading...

Worried About Veteran Suicides? Here’s What You Can Do

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This post is sponsored by the SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center. All opinions and work are my own. Every few days we see the headlines: another veteran suicide. This spring has been especially brutal with huge news stories covering veterans completing suicide near or at VA hospitals. While the headlines are always horrific, we don't hear about every military-connected suicide. We couldn't. Sadly, there would be too many to keep up. It's an issue that is not only gut-wrenchingly sad, but it's also one that is personal for people in the military and civilians alike. While it Keep Reading...

Nominate a Military Mom to a $1,000 Shopping Spree

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This post is sponsored by OM Media and Verizon. All opinions and work are my own.  Caring for twins during deployment. Taking a Facetime call at midnight. Driving the kids to soccer-basketball-Scouts-swimming and back again. Grocery shopping with one arm because the other is occupied by a brand new baby. Is there anything military mothers can't do? (No, no, there's not. I'm in awe of them!) That's why Verizon wants to honor 15 military mothers across America with a $1,000 shopping spree at their local Verizon store. Yes. $1,000. $1,000 to be used how they'd like to use Keep Reading...

heres to the military spouses everyone forgets

Here’s to the Military Spouses Everyone Forgets

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For the vast majority of military spouses around the country, today-- Military Spouse Appreciation Day-- feels just like every other day. There are things to do, Facetime calls to wait for, PCSes to plan for, children to walk to school, jobs to search for. No awards. No brunches. No goodie bags. No meet-and-greets with famous people. No flowers. No thank you. All of those things-- from the discounts to the magazine covers to the social media posts-- are lovely and wonderful. It is important to set aside time to celebrate people who are making the community better. I am Keep Reading...

Military Spouse Appreciation Day isn't for military spouses. Not really. Here who it really is for.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day Isn’t for You, Milspouse

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This morning, I was scrolling Facebook when I saw a post from my friend, Randi. Now, you must understand that to know Randi is to love Randi and her writing. She is brutally honest. She is incredibly empathetic. And she writes with a fierceness that few do. She is witty, devastating, and uplifting. And I wanted you to read her words today because I know they'll resonate with you. Tomorrow is Military Spouse Appreciation Day and here’s how it will go down. We’ll all (active duty, Guard/Reserve, veteran spouses, ex-spouses, etc.) love on each other. We’ll tag our village, sing praises, Keep Reading...

5 Vital Questions Military Couples Need to Ask Before Starting a Business

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Navy Federal Credit Union. All opinions are 100% mine. John and I stood inside our coffee shop. It was just the two of us. In just a few minutes, we were going to walk out onto the porch and begin a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open our business. "Do you think there's anyone out there?" John said to me. We couldn't see anything. And we couldn't hear anything. At the very least, we knew that our parents and siblings were on the sidewalk. If there was a reporter there covering the opening, maybe our families would pretend they didn't Keep Reading...

Here’s How Military Members Can Win a Resort Vacation

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Sunglasses on. Towel off. Toes in the sand. On a tropical island. It sounds like a dream, right? For 31 nurses, teachers, moms, and/or active or retired military personnel, it won't be a dream this May. It will be a reality through their Maycation Sweepstakes, where they'll be celebrating (deep breath) Mother's Day, Military Appreciation Month, Teacher Appreciation Week, and National Nurses Day. If you are a nurse, teacher, mom, and/or an active or retired military member-- or if you know someone who is-- Sandals wants you to nominate yourself or them to win. And what Keep Reading...

These unique military connections to the Cathedral of Notre Dame are interesting

7 Military Connections to the Cathedral of Notre Dame

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Notre Dame is on fire. It was a five-word text my sister sent out to our family. At first, I thought that she was talking about the university. Was March Madness still going on? Maybe they had a winning streak? Or something? But, of course, that wasn't it at all.  Watching the coverage, my heart broke. We had just visited the cathedral two weeks ago, witnessing an evening mass with an organ recital afterward that was captivating. Truly, I'm struggling to string the right words and phrases together to accurately describe the experience. It's no wonder that people around the world Keep Reading...

Here's how you can get a military discount at Kohl's a save big.

Here’s How to Get a Military Discount at Kohl’s

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I absolutely love it when I find out about new discounts or shopping tricks. It's like solving a puzzle-- how to get the best stuff for the cheapest price. And one of those places I love to frequent is Kohl's. Between their loyalty program, Kohl's Cash, and regular sales, I pride myself on being able to get a good--and sometimes amazing-- price for things that I'd normally buy (and sometimes I wouldn't). This winter I managed to score a Dyson vacuum for nearly half price during Black Friday Sales at Kohl's. (And then there was Kohl's Cash on top of that, which I bought Christmas presents Keep Reading...

6 Free Events and Contests for Month of the Military Child

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While April has been designated as Month of the Military Child since the mid-1980s, it seems like in recent years, there's really been a surge in excitement and support for this observance.  And there are a lot of really cool things happening locally and nationwide for military kids. From purple buildings to free food to contests for all ages, there's something for every military kid to take part in and feel a little special during their month.   Check it out-- 1. Free food for milkids On April 13, AAFES is celebrating military kids with free food at a variety of restaurants Keep Reading...

Help a Veteran Entrepreneur Win a National Grant

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When John left the military, we had a clear idea of what he wanted to do. That's because he'd been dreaming of the next step in his career, even while he was deployed to Afghanistan. When he transitioned out of the Navy, we knew that it was our chance to make this huge life goal happen: we were going to open a coffee shop. Since opening nearly a year and a half ago, we've seen tremendous changes in ourselves and in our community. We made the choice to open the coffee shop in my rural hometown and to be part of a driving force to revitalize and draw more business and cultural Keep Reading...

This Cooler Company Offers a Military and Veteran Discount

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I received product from Patriot Coolers in exchange for a blog post. All opinions and work are my own. In September 2016, John and I embarked on one of our bucket list goals: a 6-week cross-country road trip to celebrate his transition from Navy life to civilian. We had begun planning it at least a year prior, when John had made the final decision that no, he would not reenlist. One cool, misty late-September day, we packed our car full of stuff--including a cooler-- and we drove west from Quantico, ready for one of the biggest adventures of our lives. As the East Coast melted into the Keep Reading...

21 Financial Assistance Resources for Coast Guard Families During the Shutdown

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It looks as if January 15 will be the first pay period that Coast Guard families will miss due to the 2019 Government Shutdown. You can read more about how and why we got to this spot here. But the facts are, more than 40,000 members of the Coast Guard will not be paid on time for their January 15 paycheck. USAA loan option USAA has rolled out a new loan product for military families affected by the shutdown. With government shutdowns becoming increasingly likely and prolonged, USAA has reevaluated and revamped their loan options to give military families more flexibility. In the past, Keep Reading...

UPDATED! Government Shutdown: What Coast Guard Families Need to Know

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Well, folks. There's a government shutdown... again. For the third time this year (which is unprecedented, btdubs), the US government has come to a grinding halt and military families have worried about getting paid on time. John and I lived through the 2013 government shutdown as newlyweds when I didn't have job; we were nervous wrecks. I get it. It's scary. There are a lot of rumors. And there's a lot of ulcer-inducing fear to figure out how you're going to pay those bills in the event the government does not pay out on time. I've collected as much information as I've been able to find Keep Reading...

6 Last-Minute Party Hacks for Military Families During the Holidays

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine. So... you're scrolling through Facebook and you have a serious case of FOMO. Your friends and family back home are celebrating the season with gusto. There are party pictures and event invites. There are messages from loved ones reminding you that you're missed (which is really nice... but can also be homesickness-inducing). There are the holiday concerts that your nieces and nephews are performing at... and that you're not attending. It can be rough. But the truth is, in life there are no Keep Reading...

Is Your MilFam Budgeting for These Things in 2019?

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Navy Federal Credit Union. All opinions are 100% mine. Finances are a huge source of stress on marriage. But for military families, that natural stress is compounded by the obstacles of military life. The underemployment and unemployment rates for military spouses are much, much higher than the national average. Military families move considerably more than their civilian counterparts. And military families are often far from home and support, which can create extra financial burdens on a family. All of that can make budgeting a hot Keep Reading...

What TRICARE Users Should Know about Urgent Care

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This post is sponsored by MedExpress Urgent Care. All opinions and work are my own. When I was 29, I started not feeling well out of nowhere. It would come out of nowhere--sometimes when I was on the couch, or when I woke up in the morning. Still being a fairly new military wife--I avoided calling TRICARE to make an appointment (I know, I know, I know). The thing was, I was stressed, tired, not feeling so well, and the clinic was far away in terrible traffic that would most likely take me an hour door-to-door. I wasn’t feeling up for the drive or the stress. I figured it would sort Keep Reading...

Here’s How 30 Seconds of Your Time Can Help Hungry Veterans

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This post is sponsored by Operation In Touch. All opinions and work are my own. Busy. It's the word that is defining my life right now. My planner is a depressing swamp of to-dos and appointments that take way too much time when I have way too little of it. And sometimes at the end of the day, I'm glad that I was able to keep the status quo--even though it feels like I haven't gotten anything accomplished, at least I was able to keep my head above water. Sometimes it's a little paralyzing. And sometimes it's downright suffocating. I'm guessing you know exactly what I'm talking Keep Reading...

Here’s How to Make Military Life an Asset in an Interview

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Walmart. The opinions and text are all mine. You know you're dreading the question-- the one that comes up when the interviewer knows you're a military spouse. Instead of putting it off, dig in! While there are some organizations that might see military life as a distraction, a growing number of organizations are embracing military spouses and veterans. (And that's an awesome thing!)   I landed a full-time job as a military spouse (and quite a few long-term freelancing gigs) and learned a lot about what it takes to Keep Reading...

Here Are 3 Unique Ways T-Mobile Supports Military Spouses

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This is a sponsored post in partnership with T-Mobile. All work and opinions are my own. I do. When I said those words five (almost six!) years ago, life did not become lonely or difficult. At least, not right away. When I said those words in the church I had grown up in, surrounded by people I love and who knew me, across from the man who had my whole heart, I definitely was not alone. It was the happiest (although very nerve-wracking) day of my life. It stayed happy for a while. Life wasn't lonely or difficult during our honeymoon. Or during the first few weeks of married life, Keep Reading...

Jo, My Gosh! Has Been Featured On…

Jo, My Gosh! Has Been Featured On…

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