Archive for August, 2009
Day 75 – weekends suck!
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I realized today that weekends during the deployments just suck. I really don’t look forward to them anymore. Isn’t that just sad ?? LOL
It’s just another reminder that our family is not complete right now and a very important piece is missing. The girls and I of course find as many things as we can to do during the weekends but sometimes it is just not enough.
During the week the girls and I are so busy with our various activities that we don’t think about it. Since school started, We have routine and we have structure. The weekends not so much~
Speaking of school, the girls started back to school on August 13th ( i know I need to post a current picture of them). Kiersten is in 6th grade and her first year in middle school. Rebecca started 2nd grade at the elementary school.
Both kids had a good start so far.. Beck has the same teacher and classmates as last year so she’s pretty happy about that. Kiersten was a bit overwhelmed with middle school and all the freedom that comes with it but she did GREAT! She’s also on the volleyball team this year.
It’s weird having the girls in 2 different schools and also means lots more of running around for Mom.
It’s hard to believe its been 75 days since SGT Daddy got on a plane heading to Afghanistan. Some days feel like its been forever and some days feel like it hasn’t been that bad. All in all , all of us (SGT Daddy included) are doing what we need to do, sucking it up and moving on.
SGT Daddy is doing well in A-stan and reports that “it is boring as hell here!!” There have been a few times where he and I haven’t been able to talk due to a variety of things happening over there (blackouts, his work schedule and travel) but we’ve been very lucky to communicate as often as we do.
Remember a little thing called OPSEC??
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For the last couple weeks, the soldiers from 4th ID 2nd Brigade have been coming home. I’m so happy to see these soldiers coming home safe and sound to their families. ( for me – its also a bit depressing LOL We have a LONG way to go )
On Facebook, Twitter and several other social networking sites, I’ve been seen LOTS of OPSEC (operational security) violations recently. Quite frankly – it worries me!
I understand spouses, kids, and other family members are excited that their soldier is on his/her way home. I would be too if SGT Daddy was on his way home.
The thing is that they are not safe until the wheels are up on the “bird” (plane) and our troops that are still there are not safe when we violate OPSEC.
Ever heard the phrase – “loose lips sinks ships” well the same rule applies for tweets, facebook updates and the like. So please don’t post information about flights, times, operations, etc.
For those that aren’t quite sure what OPSEC is .. here are some tips from the DOD (Dept of Defense)
Don’t discuss current or future destinations/ ports of call/deployment bases .
Don’t discuss current or future operations or missions.
Don’t discuss current or future dates and times of exercises or missions.
Don’t discuss readiness issues and numbers.
Don’t discuss specific training equipment.
Don’t discuss people’s names and operations.
Don’t speculate about current or future operations.
Don’t spread rumors about current, future, or past operations or movements.
Don’t assume the enemy is not trying to collect information on you; he/she is.
The bottom line is Be smart about OPSEC and always think OPSEC when using email, phone, chat rooms and message boards. It not only protects your loved one but mine as well.
It’s ok not to be ok
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This past Saturday I spent the day hanging out with the IRR Marines attached to Marine Air Control Squadron (MACS) – 23 at Buckley AFB.I was there participating as part of my official duties as Colorado Installation Ambassador for Military.com
I wasn’t sure how a room FULL of Marines were going to treat this Army wife but they were AWESOME!( no worries I still love my soldiers! )
I even managed to learn a thing or two from the VA reps that was there as well as some detailed info on how the new GI Bill works. Also, I learned some new “lingo” (Marine Corps style)! Before the event, I thought I was pretty well-versed in Military-ese but those Marines taught me a thing or two for sure!
The thing that I was most impressed with was the push for getting help for post-combat stress (AKA PTSD). They showed a video that talked at great length about the effects of combat stress and how IT WILL AFFECT YOU one way or the other. The story of one Marine really stuck in my head was that of a Sergeant Major (senior level leadership) that told of his story dealing with the stress and that it was ” ok to not be ok ”
We hear about PTSD all the time in the news and on TV.. we need to make sure that our military is getting the help that they need for it.
The WWII and Vietnam generations didn’t have the resources back then … For example, My Dad and Grandmother talk all the time about their military life but I can barely remember my grandfather (served 30+ years enlisted Army) talking about his experiences in the Army. The troops back then coped” by just not talking about it.
Now, We have the resources to address the issues associated with combat .. so why aren’t we?? We need to make sure we are watching our neighbors, sons, daughters, spouses, and friends coming back from deployment for changes and encouraging them to get the support and help that they need. (hey fellow Household6 - this goes for you as well … we can suffer from PTSD too )
(stay tuned…..there will be a post series coming up soon on PTSD/Combat Stress)
iRobot helps out the Military by keeping them safe
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I got a note this morning from my friend Alli from Mrs. Fussypants about her trip to the iRobot Summit and the That’s Ingenious Challenge! You can read Alli’s post and get the details about the contest here
We used to have an iRobot Roomba when we lived in Virginia. When SGT Daddy bought it a couple of years ago, i wasn’t crazy about it, to be honest. I thought it was so small and with all the dog hair in our house, we would have to stop a lot to empty it and restart it again. After using it awhile, I began to like it. It was almost a “set it and forget it ” type of thing! I really loved it for our kitchen area.. it was truly the perfect size.
Unfortunately, it only lasted a year due to the size of our living room, the amount of dog hair in our home and the fact our dog Ranger would ponce on it like it was a mouse or something. (Ranger is our 65 lb. Lab, so you can imagine) That little thing took quite a beating!!
When I was reading about iRobot’s That Ingenious Challenge , I was really surprised to hear about their connection to the military. They created some of their robots(Packbots) to help the military deal with explosive devices. How cool is that!!
Here is one of them… his nickname is Scooby Doo.
Scooby didn’t make it either when an device he was examining exploded. He took the risk so one of our soldiers didn’t have too. Awesome huh??
(pictures courtesy of irobot.com & Alli Worthington ~ Mrs. Fussypants.com )
Day 65 – New Look?
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As you may have noticed, the blog has changed a bit! I decided that the blog need a bit of a facelift … its been almost a year since I updated the blog’s theme.
LONG overdue in my book!
My friend Daisy Olsen of wpmama.com (designer of Blissfully Domestic’s site ) offered to help me with the project and has created the customized theme that you see! She totally rocks doesn’t she?
We still need to add a few things and tweak a thing or two but I’m so excited about how the site is looking. We are going to be adding regular videos and also offering advertising spots on the blog. (stay tuned for more info)
So what do you think ???
USAA does it again with Deposit@Mobile
Posted by: | CommentsYep! They did it again!!! They went ahead and made life even easier on us military folks and the rest of their members as well.
This time they added functionality to their iPhone application so you can use your iPhone to make deposits. How cool is that right??!!
Now I don’t have an iPhone (only an iTouch ) but it begs the question … Hey USAA what about the non-iPhone customers?? (people like me with blackberries and can’t get an iPhone right now)
SAN ANTONIO – USAA today launched the first mobile deposit capability for the iPhone, meaning qualifying banking members can now use their iPhones to deposit a check from ball fields, PTA meetings, neighborhood gatherings, or anywhere else they can get a wireless signal.
The new USAA Deposit@Mobile feature, available on the company’s popular USAA Mobile App for the iPhone is secure and simple to use. Eligible members can snap a photo of both sides of a signed check with their iPhone’s built-in camera, and then transmit the image to USAA through the phone. USAA systems immediately verify the deposit information and signature to complete the transaction.
The new capability builds on USAA’s Deposit@Home® service, introduced in 2006, which lets qualifying members scan and deposit checks using their home computer and scanner. In most cases, deposits are immediately available for use.
“Our members are on-the-go and need to be able to manage their accounts at all times, from any location,” said Wayne Peacock, USAA’s executive vice president of Enterprise Business Operations. “Nearly 50 percent of our 1 million mobile users are active-duty military, who may be deployed anywhere. The convenience of mobile access is essential to delivering the highest possible level of customer service.”
Here is a video of the demo (courtesy of the NY times.com)
Full disclosure – this is not a paid post, I do not receive any compensation from USAA nor am I a consultant/representative of USAA
Day 63…Real Army Wives
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Ya know – if ever Army Wives (the TV show ) ever needed ideas for their show … all they have to do is come to my neighborhood and they would have enough for an entire season.
We have it all here — child neglect, pedophiles, infidelity, revenge, deceit, immature decisions, lack of morals/values and lots of cat fights! Now let me say that not everyone here is involved in this “drama” (me included) and I’m sure this occurs at military installations in the US and abroad.
I just have never seen it this bad .. none of the other places we’ve lived where EVER this bad.
So what exactly happened you ask??
Basically two of the neighborhood kids got into a fight and one little boy hit the other with a bike. Tempers began to flare and the immaturity hit the boiling point. One of the younger wives decided to take it to the next level and call Child Protection Services on another family who was not involved directly (their soldier just got back home from Iraq) because she thought she had some “dirt ” on this family.
It’s like my tagline for the blog goes — Beer is Good. People are Crazy!!
Can’t believe it either huh? Neither can I! I can tell you one thing .. it helped SGT Daddy and I make a future decision that’s for sure. We are definitely living off post next time around.
This is way too much drama to deal with for this Army wife and I’m not directly involved.
Oh speaking of next assignments… I was talking to SGT Daddy yesterday and he told me that there is a good chance that our next assignment could be Hawaii. (if he can get it in his re-enlistment contract) I don’t know about you — but I’d love to live in Hawaii!
3-2-1… Action!
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Well the Channel 5 finally streamed my segment on their website (thanks Stefanie) .. you can view it here
My segment is roughly at 9:25 min
I was on Channel 5
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Last night my story about Twitter and USAA was on local Channel 5 – News First. Of course I missed it as I was working to get caught up since I’m without an assistant right now.
I promised when I got links to the interview I did last week that I would post it. The video is not up on their website yet but you can read the story here
I just think its so cool that little ol’ me is one of the Top Stories on the site! I’m hoping the video is up soon – as I’m dying to see it.
Social Media make Afghan Election Debut
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SGT Daddy sent me the link to this story.. being the social media geek that I am, I thought it was pretty cool. It will be interesting to see how social media(mainly Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) and the internet makes a difference in the Afghanistan Presidential Election with only 10% of the population having access to electricity.
According to the story–
Afghans may be desperately poor, largely illiterate and without electricity, but that does not stop would-be presidents campaigning in cyber space on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.Mimicking tactics made famous by US President Barack Obama, one of the top contenders to rule Afghanistan “tweets” on hot micro-blogging service Twitter and has a flashy website where supporters can make donations.
Of 41 presidential candidates standing on August 20, some trumpet policies on social networking site Facebook, while video-sharing website YouTube carries clips of campaign rallies from across the war-scarred nation.
You can view the whole story : http://tech.yahoo.com/news/afp/20090730/tc_afp/afghanistanvoteinternetmedia
