Archive for ARMYWives
Day 8 – Eat at Joe’s
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part of the decor at Joe's
My friends Sara, Tracy and I went to have lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack today. Oh man was it good. I highly recommend the stuffed shrimp. We had a great time eating and laughing and talking about our FRG experiences today.
On another note, we got Beck’s report card today. She got straight A’s and made the honor roll for the second consecutive time. I’m so proud of her!
It’s that time again …
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Nominate YOUR Favorite Military Spouse!!
Yep Military Spouse Magazine is looking again to spotlight a military spouse who represents the sacrifice, patriotism, professionalism and altruism that embody this community of 1.1 million current and 20 million former military spouses.
Nominate yourself, your best friend or the person you admire most!
You have until November 13th to share your support by placing a nomination.
Make sure you stop and browse through this amazing magazine online (www.milspousemag.com) … There are tons of tips and GREAT information that is there to support the military spouse!
Send in your nomination(s) to: http://msoy.milspouse.com/
BlogWorldExpo Recap
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I had intended to post this last weekend but life sort of happened. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about .
I had a blast at BlogWorldExpo 2009. I got to meet some of my favorite bloggers and social media types plus a whole new group of awesome and highly talented people.
I thought I was pretty well prepared for Vegas — after all I grew up in New Orleans and lived in the Twin Cities for awhile. I was not prepared for the pace at which Vegas runs at. (not to mention all the hookers aka independent contractors”)
I don’t think there was a single night, my roommate DeltaWhiskey and I didn’t go back to our room before 2AM. Maybe I’m just getting old(er) and can’t keep up that pace anymore….
My first night there of course, there was a party to attend. I went to the Las Vegas Tweetup which happend to be at the same hotel that I was staying in . Most of the attendees were local people including my freind, Eleanor Prior.While at the tweetup, I spotted several of the milblogger crowd. It was my first time meeting many of them so it was so cool and was a little awestruck.
The conference itself was awesome. We started bright and early Thursday morning. As we are getting off the monorail, I notice one of my favorite milbloggers CJ Grisham . The morning started off for me with a hitch. LaughingWolf (Blake) asked me to moderate the milspouse blogger panel.
I thought sure…SEMPER GUMBY ! I’m flexible … adapt and overcome! LOL
Our panel (with DeltaWhiskey and BarmyMama ) went pretty well I think. (especially for my first moderating a panel before) We discussed many things like how we got started as bloggers, OPSEC issues on blogs, and some of our best and worst moments as bloggers.
Of course I talked about my dislike of Army Wives (tv show) and Greyhawk told me that I had to go and ruin it for him. LOL
One of the things that came up was the mention of “Spouse Bootcamp” .. It prompted a really good discussion about how as spouses we need more support and knowledge is power. This is not the first time that something like this has been discussed but I was excited to see it talked about so openly in a public forum. I really hope that we see that move forward.
Even “Sgt Daddy’s story” came into the conversation which the majority of people liked the post and wanted to hear more of those kinds of 1st hand accounts. Afterward I was a bit nervous, when senior Army officer from the Army’s Social Media division approached. I thought UH OH! It was a very nice conversation in which she told me I was doing a great job and to keep blogging!!!
The rest of the panel discussions were just as great ! We even had some panelists calling in all the way from Afghanistan.
One of the topics of discussion was the future of milblogging. As a social media person (personally and professionally) I was excited to hear that our military community embracing the benefits of social media. It was also discussed about networking and having conversations outside our little military bubble. I think its time to share the great stories and realities that we have to share.
The nightlife was fun too! The entire Milblog Mafia (those are Chuck Z’s words not mine) had a blast hanging out at all the various places we ventured too. I was introduced to a new drink (and a very good one at that ) by Blackfive.. its called a Gimlet. By the way – Yes there are pictures of the nightlife but there is no need for a war or anything LOL amongst us all. : )
One of the highlights was that I got to meet one of my readers, a friend and all around great guy – JihadGene! If you haven’t read his blog , I highly urge you to do so!!
All in all , I had a great time and made several new friends! Thank you for the best 4 days since SGT Daddy left for Afghanistan! You all are ROCKSTARS!!!! I miss you all already! I can’t wait to go back .. and next time I’m bringing SGT Daddy with me! : )
To Rick Calvert (Blog World Expo CEO) and Laughing Wolf (Milblog Track Leader) — you guys out did yourselves!
To CJ, Blackfive, Toby, Beth , DeltaWhiskey, BarmyMama, Bouhammer, Mrs. Bouhammer, Greyhawk, Mrs. G., Chuck Z, Laughing Wolf, Mr. Wolf,Boston Maggie, JihadGene, CDR Salamander, — can’t wait to see you all again at the Milblog Conf in DC next year! (if I missed anyone – I apologize)
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!
Being a REAL Army Wife
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A couple of years ago when the Lifetime TV channel came out with Army Wives, I thought “hey this is pretty cool… they will show the rest of America what our life is really like!“ This was not the case. It was like Desperate Housewives meets JAG.
The show, while highly entertaining, did not portray what being a Military wife was like, not to mention getting a lot of military protocols wrong. For example, the General’s wife and the Private’s wife will not be hanging out together in a bar, berets are worn incorrectly. If my husband saluted like the Soldiers do in that TV show, his Commander would hem him up.
I am a proud Army wife. I love our life. I’ll be the first to admit, it is sometimes very hard. We endure a lot of sacrifice for supporting our spouses so they can serve their country. Yes, we do get nice benefits and military discounts but I guarantee it’s not as nice as one might think.
Yes it is true that we get a military housing allowance and don’t have to spend any more for our healthcare. I know many non-military people say to me “oh it must be so romantic being married to a soldier. “ I guess it does have a sort of romanticism to it but that is not the norm. There are days when my husband has to work 16 hours a day, get up in the middle of the night to attend to one of his soldiers, etc. A Soldier in the Army is a Soldier 24/7/365!
The worse part of our life is deployments. We don’t get the luxury of knowing where our spouse is, how they are doing, and if they are ok or not. I hear all the time from wives whose husbands travel that they know how I feel. On some level, I’m sure that they do know what it is like to be the only parent in the home for a while. Although, their husband is safe and sound in a hotel somewhere and will not be shot at, blown up, etc.
Even though we don’t wear a uniform, military spouses are expected to serve as well. We serve our fellow military spouses in times of need, participate in the Family Readiness groups, and engage the local military community. We are both mom and dad to our children; pick up the slack in our homes while our spouse is away and making sure that ALL of our soldiers have what they need.
Today, May 8th , is very special day for military spouses. It is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Back in 1984, President Ronald Reagan created this special holiday just for us military spouses in recognition of the sacrifice that we make. I think military spouses should be thanked everyday because for without our “service” the United States Armed Forces wouldn’t be able to do what they do.
So go out and thank a military spouse today and don’t forget that Military Spouses are not just wives! There are a lot of military husbands out there too and they deserve thanks just as much!
Let’s get cooking!
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Last month I was asked to review a cookbook for military wives, I accepted and I thought I hope it is not like all the other cookbooks I’ve seen. Boy was I wrong! (note the time/date because I don’t admit I’m wrong often LOL)
This cookbook – The Military Wives’ cookbook by Carolyn Quick Tillery is AWESOME! Of course, it has recipes like all the other cookbooks I have, but its has SO much more too! The recipes are great , I’ve tried several of them and they are “YUMMO“!
I grew up eating Red Velvet Cake from McKenzie’s Bakery in New Orleans as a kid. I loved it! Many of the recipes I’ve tried didn’t come close until I tried the recipe in this book! It was awesome and reminded me so much of being back at my Maw Maw’s house eating Red Velvet Cake for dessert! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it!!
The best part of this cookbook is the quotes and stories that go along with them. Each recipe includes a story and/or quote that relates to that recipes and is evocative of the period. It tells the story of what Military wives were going through at that time. It tells about the history… or rather HER-STORY!
This cookbook shows the courage, sacrifice and commitment of the Military Wives – past and present!
Want to buy the book ? You can get it at any local bookstore or you can purchase it through Amazon.com
Ch-Ch-Changes
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I know what you’re thinking.. this post is going to be about Obama. (well not today , one of those will be coming soon)
At the beginning of the year, I said that 2009 was going to be a year of Change for our family with the deployment, etc. I just never realized how much change would happen.
On Wednesday, we had a transition meeting for Kiersten heading off to Middle School next year. I was a little apprehensive about the meeting, partly because I had to accept that she was old enough to go to middle school.
She’s not a baby anymore , thats for sure. Kiersten was very excited about this meeting and the electives she wanted to take next year.
SGT Daddy was able to get some time off from work and off we went to the meeting. This was different from the previous IEP meetings as Kiersten was there. The transition team shared with us what special needs classes she needed in order to be successful and meet the needs of Kiersten’s IEP. She would need extra Math and Reading classes.
Then, they hit us with a BOMB!
They told us that because of Kiersten’s extra classes , she would have NO electives at all. I was a little confused because it didn’t make sense to me at all. The team confirmed that she would have no electives, not even PE/Gym. The Middle School Case Manager assured me that other special needs kids did just fine and had no problems with a full academic day. I didn’t buy that load of BS she was trying to sell.
I don’t know.. I just felt like they were punishing Kiersten for having special needs. I mean after all it is not her fault that she needs the extra classes. I believe that kids (especially Kiersten) need some FUN in their day. The schedule that they were proposing had ZERO fun, except maybe her recess time. SHe is such a creative child and loves to perform. I would hate for her to lose that!
I spoke with her regular ed. teacher Wednesday afternoon and she agreed with me. Kiersten needed to have some electives (fun) in her daily schedule to give her some time for “release”. She didn’t think that the schedule was fair to Kiersten or any kid.
I spoke with the current school Asst Principal as well as Kiersten’s special ed. teacher today about our concerns about her middle school schedule. Both understood the concern but also wanted to make sure that Kiersten had what she needed academically.
Basically they told me that the only way she could participate in any electives was to drop one/both of her extra classes. Ultimately, any decision will be left up to SGT Daddy and I. I know this is far from over , so stay tuned for updates.
On a more positive note, I have BIG news! I’m going to be writing a book!
Can you believe it? I’m pretty excited about the whole thing yet a bit overwhelmed at the same time. The book is going to share my story/experiences as an Army Wife and how its not everything you see on TV! I’ll be sharing more about the book as the I go through the writing process….
So like I said, there are lots of changes happening around here. I wonder what else is in store for this year?
Free E-book Giveaway on Deployment Tips
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Military spouses who are going through deployments sometimes struggle to
find time for themselves. They’re busy, but they often feel like they’re
spinning their wheels more than they are getting a whole lot done. When this
happens, setting goals and planning one or two special projects can change a
spouse’s perspective for the better.The Busy Book offers 99 different ways a military spouse can stay busy
during a deployment. Ideas are found in one of four areas: physical, mental,
social and spiritual. A special feature includes the web links that come with
many of the 99 ways, leading you to more information about a specific idea, and
a checklist can be printed out for you to keep record of the different
activities you’ve already tried.
Military Wives Plan Conference in Tennessee
Posted by: | Comments(Hat Tip : SpouseBuzz) I saw this on SpouseBuzz and thought it was a really cool idea!
MILITARY WIVES FIND SUPPORT FROM EACH OTHER MILITARY WIVES CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN NASHVILLE NOV. 7-8
Nashville, Tenn. – No matter whom Americans elect to the White House this November, military wives will still be coping with the ups and downs of military life, including deployments.
While many families throughout the United States will be welcoming their loved ones home soon, there also be those saying goodbye for year-long deployments. But they don’t have to be on their own.
Wives of Faith is a faith-based military wives support organization that was started by a Navy reservist wife and an active Army wife in 2006 to connect, encourage and support military wives who do not live near a military installation or lack the resources or knowledge they need to succeed as a military wife in their marriages, families and deployments when they apply.
The group will hold its first weekend conference in Nashville, Tenn., Friday and Saturday, Nov. 7-8. The theme, “This is the Day,” encourages military wives – active, reserve or Guard – to embrace the day God has for them now, instead of always looking to tomorrow for happiness.
“So often, we look at the next week, the next month, the end of this deployment, the beginning of the next one, and we never quite know what to do with today,” said Sara Horn, a co-founder and the executive director for the organization, whose own husband was deployed for most of 2007. She said several wives from as far away as Washington state and Pennsylvania have already registered. “Military wives are often on an emotional roller coaster, and if you live far away from a family readiness group or your husband’s installation, you can feel very alone and civilian friends don’t always know what to say or how to help. Our goal is to bring wives together and connect them to help each other.”
Whether military wives are going through deployment or not, the conference is open to all active, reserve or guard wives. Conference speakers include Babette Maxwell, founder of Military Spouse Magazine; Marshelle Carter Waddell, author of Hope for the Home Front; Carol McGlothlin, author of Medals Above My Heart; Judith Fuller, a Ft. Campbell Army wife; and Sara Horn, author of Weekend Warrior No More. Sponsors include Military Spouse Magazine, Financial Peace University and the Milton Hershey School.
Registration is $55 for the Friday night and Saturday event, or attend Saturday only for $35. Both rates include a one-year subscription to Military Spouse Magazine and lunch on Saturday. A childcare option is also available. More information and registration is available at www.wivesoffaith.org, or contact the Wives of Faith office at (615) 302-1932
What kind of Army Wife are you?
Posted by: | CommentsI started watching Army Wives by accident. I was flipping through channels one Sunday night and happened to come across it on Lifetime. It was the second show of season one. I was sucked in from the get go. Maybe it was because I wasn’t involved with an Army man back then and I’ve always been intrigued by military life. Now that season two is ready to start (Sunday, June 8th) I’m not sure that I’ll be able to watch it. It’s completely different now that I’m involved with a soldier. TV doesn’t always portray things realistically but even more than that, season two seems a little less intriguing because I’m dating an Army man that is deployed in Iraq right now so the show hits a little closer to home now that I’m going through it in real life.
Tammy (Household6) and I were chatting about the show and we started talking about which character we were. Hands down, I’m a Roxy. In so many ways I’m not like her, like her loud outspoken personality – that’s so not me – but there is one huge way I’m just like her and relate to her character. She didn’t know anything about the Army lifestyle. She met a soldier while at work one night and after a whirlwind courtship (about 4 days I think it was) she decided to marry him. She packed up her kids and moved onto an Army base. Although Seth and I aren’t married, or haven’t even met face to face yet, and I’m not living on an Army base hanging out with other Army wives, I’m learning as I go along, just as Roxy does. I don’t think there was anyway I could be prepared for all that goes along with being involved with a soldier, but I certainly wouldn’t change it for the world! I’m one proud Army girlfriend.
Which Army wife are you?
Pamela Moran – the woman that struggles to keep her family from financial doom, married to a Delta Force man and has to deal her husband’s secret assignments
Denise Sherwood – the devoted homemaker who has a troubled teen and hasn’t known much outside of Army life. Her father is from a long line of military men
Roxy LaBlanc – a single mom who married an Army Private First Class soldier after only knowing him a couple days
Claudia Joy Holden – the strong and respected wife, the heart of the military goings-on where they are stationed at and married to a recently appointed post commander Brigadier General and she’ll now have to face new challenges because of her husband’s promotion
Leave a comment and let me know!
