Stories & advice that feel like coming home.

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...

Military spouses are uniquely equipped to be entrepreneurs and run their own businesses. Here's why... #ad

5 Reasons Why Milspouses Are Totally Prepared to Be Entrepreneurs

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This post is sponsored by Bruster's Real Ice Cream. All opinions and work are my own.When I became a military spouse, I literally had no idea that I would become an entrepreneur. (And I use that phrase lightly since most days I feel like I'm stumbling around in the dark.) I had been a teacher for five years. Before that, I had been a college student. There was literally nothing in my past that would have pointed to setting out on my own.But you know what?Necessity is absolutely the mother of invention. And as an unemployed military spouse with student loans and bills, I had to Keep Reading...

Love these easy and inexpensive care package ideas! For the next deployment

5 Alternatives to Making Care Packages During Deployment

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You guys know that I absolutely love care packages. LOVE care packages. But let's be real: they can take time, energy, and organization to make (not to mention money). And deployments can be hard on everyone in the family, not just the person who is away. There were plenty of times during John's deployment that I found myself really struggling to just keep up with regular life.Sound familiar? (I really hope not... but I'm guessing you know that feeling.)Whether you're just not able to keep up, you're not feeling very care packagey, or have another reason (which is obviously totally Keep Reading...

This Wireless Provider Is Offering Military Families Deep Discounts

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This post is sponsored by T-Mobile. All opinions and work are my own."My phone is my lifeline.""I don't know what I'd do without video chat.""He doesn't have service TDY, and that makes everything so much harder!"To anyone in the military community, it comes as no surprise that military families take their phones very, very, very seriously. With family and friends located all over the world, phones are the way military families keep up with everyone. With op-tempos increasing, military couples are tied to their phones. (If you’re looking for some sweet texts to send to your Keep Reading...

Here’s the Story Behind the Newest Military-Themed Christmas Book for Kids

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This guest post is by JoAnn Sky, author of Santa's Dog. It is not a sponsored post.We’ve had the pleasure of welcoming six (so far) older shelter dogs into our family over the years. SANTA’S DOG was inspired by our first rescue dog, Sampson. When my husband was deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, I had a hard time sleeping in the two-story house we had just moved into prior to hubby’s deployment. So, I decided to adopt a dog to keep me company!  I went to the shelter and saw this mostly black, older mixed-breed dog (part husky, part angel). He was sharing a “cell” with a Keep Reading...

Why Military Families Keep Getting Better and Stronger

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This is a guest post from Michael Joseph Lyons and is not a sponsored post.I imagine most of you who are military spouses came into it either knowing a great deal about the military . . . or almost nothing. Perhaps you grew up in a military family or had close associations—and pretty much knew what you were getting into. But if you were like most Americans, you had almost no exposure to the U.S. Military and its ways; you just fell in love with a member of our Armed Forces—and fell into a military life. Whether the unique culture called the military was a shock, a thrill, or a Keep Reading...

9 Proven (and Easy) Ways to Hack Deployment

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Deployment is scary for many reasons. It's the great unknown. There's the time away from someone you love dearly. There's the solo-parenting part (if you're a parent). The upheaval of your family's schedule and the way you communicate with each other. There's the emotional component to it, too.So if there's any way to make life a little easier during deployment, I'm all about it.I reached out to the Jo, My Gosh! community for their advice, solutions, and hacks that make deployment less difficult. Learn from their experiences and then, share your own in the comments!1. Be Keep Reading...

6 Tips for Emergency Prep for Military Families

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Navy Federal Credit Union. All opinions are 100% mine.July felt a little like living in Forrest Gump: "One day it started raining, and it didn't quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin' rain, and big ol' fat rain, rain that flew in sideways, and sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night." It rained here in Pennsylvania for nearly a week straight--in some locales dumping more than 20 inches in a week-- creating huge flooding issues that Keep Reading...

Self-care is a buzzword these days, but here are real ways that military spouses can take care of themselves so they can take care of others. ad

How to Practice Self-Care as a Milspouse

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This post is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs/Make the Connection. The opinions and text are all mine.I stared at the wall in our new apartment and I cried.Behind me towered a wall of boxes that wouldn't be unpacked for at least another four months.Ahead was a white, undecorated wall.We had just gotten married and moved into an apartment that we'd only occupy for a third of a year and decided that it didn't make sense to unpack anything other than the bare necessities.John was at C School and was gone all. The. Time.We only had one car.I had Keep Reading...

7 Creative Financial Hacks for Your Military Family

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of USAA. All opinions are entirely my own. I was. Not. Having. It.Just a few months into being a military spouse, our bank account was dangerously low. I was unemployed, not because I wanted to be, but because the slow-moving licensing process of transferring my teaching credentials was super expensive and ultimately not worth it, when we considered our PCSing schedule with the military. John was working hard, and I had begun freelancing, but when it came to our expenses, it simply wasn't enough.We kept looking for new ways to Keep Reading...

These apps will help make your next PCS move easier and cheaper.

9 Must-Have Apps for a PCS

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Four words: Permanent change of station.A PCS will either strike fear or excitement in your heart. But regardless of how you feel about a PCS, you definitely feel something about it. And no matter what you think about PCSing, there are three things it can always be: Easier, cheaper, and calmer.Yassss.And your phone can help you with those three goals.Ready? Let's go.1. My Ultimate PCS How do you start this list without the new milspouse-created app, My Ultimate PCS? Dreamed up by two military spouses, My Ultimate PCS app works to streamline military moves all with an Keep Reading...

The Definitive Guide to Military Spouse Subscription Boxes

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There's something really exciting and magical about opening your door and finding a box on your front porch addressed to you. When John was deployed, I found myself so excited for the mail. Even if there wasn't a letter from him waiting for me, there was usually something else-- a magazine, a postcard--something to break up the monotony that becomes deployment.When John deployed, there were no subscription boxes for military spouses and significant others. But in the six years since, there's been an explosion of entrepreneurs from the military community looking to fill an need. Currently, Keep Reading...

Plan a Phenomenal Beach Trip on a Bargain Budget in Jacksonville, NC

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This is a sponsored post. I received a trip to Jacksonville, NC in exchange for this post. All opinions and photographs are my own. Last year, John and I had the great fortune to visit Jacksonville, NC for a weekend getaway. Home to Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, is a town beginning to really flourish and find its voice. From artisan, small businesses, to a growing moonshine distillery, to local roasters, there's something exciting happening in Jacksonville.  We loved our weekend getaway last year, and were thrilled to be welcomed back to visit once again this summer.Honestly, it's easy Keep Reading...

7 Ways In-laws Can Support Military Spouses

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In the military community, it seems that in-laws can be a divisive topic. Either spouses absolutely LOVE their in-laws (and I've read some pretty amazing stories!) or they hate their in-laws with a fiery passion (and I've ready some pretty crazy stories on that end too). The stress of being far away from home and the needs of the military create a lot of tension and frustration that pulls at both parties.So I wanted to write about that. I asked the Jo, My Gosh! community to respond on Facebook or via email and tell me about the best and/or most frustrating things their in-laws have done Keep Reading...

6 Unique Gift Ideas for Expecting Military Parents

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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.Military families spend a lot of time apart. A lot. And that doesn't change when a pregnancy happens. After all, the needs of the military always-- and I mean always-- trump everything else.That can make it hard on expecting military parents, no matter if it's the first or fourth pregnancy. Whether there's deployment or TAD/TDY, a PCS, or the loneliness that comes from not being close to a support system, there are almost always military life obstacles to Keep Reading...

The (Exciting) Thing No One Tells You About Being a Military Spouse

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This post is not sponsored. I'm just excited to bring you an opportunity through an ethical fashion company that is actively seeking military spouses as Sseko Fellows.I gave up my teaching career to marry my husband.When he got down on one knee in front of Penn State's Old Main, my job--my career-- was the furthest thing from my mind. The only thing that ran through my head was one word: "Yes."I didn't want to do life without him. So there was only one answer to his question: yes.The career fall-out of my decision didn't really hit me until I was sitting in our apartment, two Keep Reading...

6 (Seriously) Fun Summer Activities for Military Families on a Budget

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Navy Federal Credit Union for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.When John and I were first married, we didn't have a lot of money for extras. Even now, we watch our spending, but back then, we watched every penny. You see, a month after we married, both of our old cars decided to fall apart... within a week of each other. We had to purchase a new car on one income, since I had left my stable teaching career in order to move to where John was stationed. It was a pretty precarious time for us financially. And maybe you've been there too. (I Keep Reading...

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