Stories & advice that feel like coming home.

6 Ways to Create Magic During a Deployment

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This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com. I didn't grow up in a military family. In fact, I knew very little about the military until I started dating John. (And then, oh boy, did I learn A LOT in a little bit of time.) But I did grow up in a family that prepared me to live military life. I grew up with parents who taught me important skills and mindsets like resiliency, empathy, and organization. But they also taught me one other thing about life that really made my military journey a lot easier. They taught me about creating (and finding) magic in the ordinary. It didn't cost a lot Keep Reading...

Here’s How This Hotel Chain Puts the Military Community Front and Center

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This is a sponsored post. I received a complimentary stay from La Quinta Inns & Suites in exchange for a blog post. All opinions are my own. The night before I flew out to Austin, TX for a conference, it snowed 12 inches here in PA. I'm not joking. 12 inches. Twelve. Inches. Of. Snow. So you can imagine that when I touched down in beautiful, warm, sunny, and snow-free Austin, I was beaming. And I hadn't even seen the hotel I was staying at. When the Uber pulled up to the drive, I was surprised. Gone was the La Quinta that I remembered from years of childhood road Keep Reading...

18 Free Parenting Programs and Support for Military Families

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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. "I thought deployment on my own was hard," one of my friends said to me one day. "But deployment with kids? It feels impossible." She had been battling an raft of on-going kid illnesses-- the flu, fevers, colds, earaches. The list didn't seem to end. Throw in sleepless nights and children who didn't want to stay in their own beds, and she was frazzled. More than frazzled, if we're going to be really honest. That's not uncommon in the military community. Keep Reading...

Here’s How Military Families Can Spring Clean Their Finances

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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. 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...

You don't have to worry about being uncomfortable or unwanted as a mom or dad at these places. Love the suggestions for baby and kid-friendly activities for military families, including some I've never heard of before!

16 Baby-Friendly Activities and Places for Military Families

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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. 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...

Huge list of parenting bloggers in the military community

19 Parenting Blogs for Military Spouses, By Military Spouses

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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. 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...

The Huge List of Free Stuff for New Military Moms and Moms-to-Be

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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. Having a baby can be an exciting--and kind of scary-- thing. The great news for military-connected military moms is that there are a ton of supports out there to help through challenging times. Whether you're going through this pregnancy on your own while your spouse is deployed, you're a service member and a mom-to-be, or you're a new mom who needs a little financial help (or something else!), there's help out there for you. I've collected the best free Keep Reading...

9 Unique Ways to Celebrate Military Milestones

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This post is sponsored by Nomades. All opinions and work are my own. I am that person. I am that obnoxious celebration person. I love holidays. I love non-holidays. When John and I were dating, I made us celebrate our monthly anniversary. And when John didn't really care about his birthday (or that's what he said, anyway), I over-the-top celebrated it until he did care about it. (Or at least until he told me he cared about it.) For the Super Bowl, I habitually buy too much food. John and I have a "Friday Lunch Buddies" date at the end of every week to celebrate the end of the week. Keep Reading...

How to Save and Financially Plan for a Wedding as a Military Couple

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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. Six (six?!) years ago, right around this time, I was beginning to hyperventilate pretty much every night I pulled out a huge binder after work. It was my wedding planner--every detail, every color, every idea. I was planning for a wedding to a guy who was 7,000 miles away at the time. And my guess is that right now, there are more than a few military significant others who are feeling that very same pressure, and frustration, and excitement, and emotion. Here's what we learned Keep Reading...

Breastfeeding Moms Should Definitely Bookmark This Free Resource

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This post is sponsored by Aeroflow. All work and opinions are mine. Especially if you're a first-time mom (or first-time mom-to-be), it can all be a little overwhelming. From parenting bloggers (all with different opinions and varying levels of education on the subject at hand) to the pressure you put on yourself (the struggle is real!) to the books and videos and magazine articles and advice that everyone shares (all the time), you might be feeling like you're caught in a tsunami of information and emotions. Enter Aeroflow, a medical equipment provider that specializes helping pregnant Keep Reading...

Do These 7 Things Before 2018 to Start the New Year Right

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This post is sponsored by DiscountGlasses.com. All work and opinions are my own. I love this time of the year: after the excitement and excess of the holidays comes the new year. New goals, a new start, new experiences, new dreams. But before all of that... there are still the last few days of the old year. If you're ready to kick some butt in the new year, there are a few things that you can do in these last, waning days to prepare. Don't worry-- it's all harmless, and it's all stuff you can do easily. And once you finish these tasks, it'll feel awesome! (And you'll be ready to ring in Keep Reading...

How to Celebrate a Deployment Christmas Without Wrecking Your Bank Account

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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. Christmas during deployment can be a very lonely time... for both the person away and the person (or people) at home. And let's be real: Our culture doesn't make it any easier. When John was in Afghanistan, I can't tell you how many times I cried to "I'll Be Home for Christmas" or "Blue Christmas." The season didn't seem very merry... and I sure as heck wasn't, either. I set about trying to give John the nicest Christmas I could from 7,000 miles away. Decorated care packages, Keep Reading...

Here’s What We Did During Military Life to Fund Our Post-Transition Dreams

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Navy Federal Credit Union. All opinions are 100% mine. It's been almost a year since John transitioned out of the Navy. . . and nearly six months to the day since we bought our first house. Just typing those two things is really hard to believe. But it seems like we've been working toward this last year for a very long time. You see, we've been planning for either retirement or transition--whichever John decided was right for him--since we've been married. We knew that military life was not going to last forever, so we wanted to make sure Keep Reading...

Outback Steakhouse is offering a military discount #ad

Here’s How This Major Restaurant Chain Is Supporting the Military Community

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This post is sponsored by Outback Steakhouse. All opinions and work are my own. Veterans Day has come and gone and so have many of the offers and perks that come with the observance. (Let's be real, no one serves because of discounts and free food, but it is a nice gesture that is appreciated by many in the military community.) Even though we're thinking about Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Christmas, there is a restaurant chain that is being very intentional about the sacrifices that military families and military members make. Outback Steakhouse is extending some warm fuzzies Keep Reading...

How Yogabed Can Make Your PCS Easier

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I received product in exchange for this review. All opinions and work are my own. When John and I started our last military move, we had to confront reality: We looked at our mattress. It was old. It was heavy. It was awkward. And it was not fitting into our UHaul. I mean, it was definitely not fitting into our UHaul. Between the weight requirement and the actual usefulness of our mattress-- it pretty much had gone to bedding heaven-- we decided to give it a burial at the local dump. Our truck was lighter, we didn't throw out our backs moving it... and yet, it still felt like Keep Reading...

They need you right now. #deployment #ad

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...

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...

This Free App Could Detect a Health Issue in Your Child

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This post is sponsored by Shriners Hospitals. All opinion and work are mine. The back to school season means a lot of things: New supplies, new faces, new teachers, and new subjects. For military kids, chances are, it means a new school too. And then there are all of those pre-tests and diagnostics to see where students are lacking skills and knowledge. For students and parents (and teachers, too!) it's a busy time that can feel more than a little intimidating. Kids worry that they won't have the right scores or won't make friends. Parents worry about their child's abilities, the Keep Reading...

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...

Make this July 4th absolutely memorable for a service member. #Carnival Partner #sponsored

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...

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