Military Life. Together.

9 Ways to Curb Your Holiday Gift Budget During Deployment

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Navy Federal Credit Union. All opinions are 100% mine.You know what's worse than the stress of deployment? The stress of deployment combined with the stress of finances. Been there, done that. The Christmas John was deployed, I spent a lot of time worrying about my budget. John and I were engaged and had a lot--and I mean a lot--of big expenses and big decisions coming our way. (Hello, wedding! Goodbye, job. Hello, PCS! Goodbye, career. Hello, joint debt!) We weren't alone-- and I know that our situation was better than some and worse 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 have 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

5 Ways to Stay Cool and Support the Military Community This Summer

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I received a gift card in exchange for this blog post. As always, all opinions and work are mine.There’s nothing--nothing--like relaxing by the pool or in the air conditioning when it’s miserably hot and humid out. (Those of you who have been stationed in the south east know exactly what I’m talking about!)Even here in the mid-Atlantic, temperatures just aren’t… pretty. But that’s to be expected. It’s July. And summer is just starting to heat up.And so is this awesome opportunity from Macy’s.From June 28 to July 8, when you donate $3 to support America’s military community, Keep Reading...

If you've ever dreamed about opening your own business, you'll want to check out this giveaway. A veteran-owned business is giving 5 military spouses franchises worth $40,000 as well as training and help to get them started so they have a flexible, remote, and PCS-safe career. You could be one of those milspouses. #ad

How Military Spouse Entrepreneurs Can Win a $40K Franchise

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This post is sponsored by EventPrep. All opinions and work are my own.The second month of my marriage I spent (mostly) frustrated with what my life and career had become. I was a teacher who left my school and career after five years to marry the love of my life. The only problem? My license didn't transfer to the new state that would become my home for 3 1/2 years. What's more, the costs of transferring my license were too much for our young marriage and desperately low bank account. With astronomic student loans, purchasing a car when both of our old clunkers died within days of each Keep Reading...

How to Help Pregnant Military Wives During Deployment

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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.This year a good friend of mine found out that she was pregnant during the first few months of her husband's deployment. And I realized how little I knew about dealing with a deployment while pregnant. After all, John and I were engaged during his year-long deployment to Afghanistan and we didn't have kids, either.I felt a little lost.I wanted to be the best friend possible while still respecting her space and her privacy. She's a brilliant, Keep Reading...

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...

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