Here is the schedule :

Parcel Post            13 Nov 09

Space Available Mail        20 Nov 09

Parcel Airlift            1 Dec 09

Priority Mail            4 Dec 09

First class and Letters/Cards    4 Dec 09

Mail should be postmarked by the recommended dates to ensure delivery by December 25th to military APO/FPO addresses overseas.

As you probably have heard, this weekend 8 of our 4th ID , 4th Brigade soldiers gave the ultimate sacrifice in an attack from the Taliban(along with other groups) in Eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan Border.

I do not believe that SGT Daddy was one of the 8 (i would have heard by now), I haven’t heard from him yet either since the attack. In these types of situations, there is usually a communication blackout so that the families of our fallen warriors can be notified. I’m sure that is the reason for not hearing from him.

As the details get released about the 8 soldiers, I will of course update as much as I can. I will make sure to let everyone know if there is anything you can do. Of course, in the meantime, please pray for our soldiers and comfort for their families.

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.

Growing up in New Orleans, I’m very familiar with hurricane season. (and hurricane parties too, but that’s a whole other post ) Until Katrina, neither my family or myself thought too much about Hurricane Season. It was just part of life living in southeastern Louisiana. It was known as the “5th season” in our house.

Of course, we sprang into action when a hurricane turned our way. We ran out and got our supplies (batteries, water, canned food, etc) and bought our plywood to board up our windows.

Then Katrina came along.. and our thoughts completely changed. Katrina took so much away for my family and many families like ours. My family still living in Louisiana have changed their outlook and are much more prepared if another ” big one” comes their way.

But for military families living in “hurricane alley ” (East Coast and Gulf Coast states) they probably don’t have much experience dealing with hurricane preparedness and I don’t think the Army does enough to help them get prepared.

Here are some tips for Hurricane Preparedness for Military Families (courtesy of USAA ) :

• Contact the installation Command Post or your unit’s Command Section for any particular directions for military personnel, including hosting programs at other military base communities for temporarily displaced military families. Be alert to guidance provided by the Office of Emergency Management serving your area.
• Ensure your unit’s Disaster Preparedness Officer, the installation Command Post, or designated Point of Contact knows your anticipated evacuation location, and develop an evacuation and family communication plan.
• Build a communication network in advance with neighbors, friends and relatives, and clarify how you will provide updates on your family’s status.
• Create a record of your possessions, including purchase prices, dates purchased, serial numbers and receipts. Keep the inventory in a safe location. Consider consulting with your local JAG office for guidance on keeping these records safe during a major hurricane.
• Check to ensure your property, renters and auto insurance coverage levels are adequate. Also, keep in mind that flood damage is not covered by a homeowners insurance policy. A separate policy to protect against this risk is available through the National Flood Insurance Program.

I have recently signed up to help out the PTO at the kids’ school last week. I know I know .. I must be crazy to get back in the crazy world of PTO. They really don’t have anything at the school and you all know me… I couldn’t let that happen.

So on Monday, I spent the majority of the day working on getting things ready to go and creating a new PTO bulletin board at the school. Tuesday was pretty much the same thing but it was mostly an organizational day!

Wednesday night we had a FRG meeting to attend. Well SGT Daddy was “volun-told” to be there and I attended too. It was the usual FRG stuff and deployment briefing stuff.

I was really impressed with one part of the meeting. They were addressing single soldiers and told them all about that their parents would be receiving a letter from the Brigade commander  with emails, contact info, etc for the command leadership  in case they (parents) had any questions.  As things unfold, I’m sure I’ll mention more.

Now I don’t know yet if this is all lip service for those parents but at least they were being considered as to give them information.

Thursday was just as busy as Kiersten had her Chorus concert. She did an awesome job! The kids sang a variety of songs and danced too. It was too cute. SGT Daddy (finally made one of her performances) got it all on video. I’ll post snippets of the  video once I can get some of it edited.

Then Friday we had a MAJOR snowstorm come through the Springs! Yep SNOWand freezing temps.  in mid-April !  SGT Daddy’s unit cancelled work for the day. Although the excitement of having a day off was short-lived for him, as one of his soldiers decided to be stupid and off he went to to deal with that.

So there ya have it .. a week of no blogging leads to a super long blog post!  I don’t plan on going a week without posting again but I’m sure I’ll stay just as busy. Keeps me out of trouble right?

I am very excited about this. It has been sorely needed for a long time.I certainly wish they had this when SGT Daddy joined over 4 years ago. I knew a lot about the Army but still was very lost with TONS of question.

I was lucky though… His recruiter was a woman and understood my concerns about Tricare, etc. She was awesome and guided me through the process as much as she could.

According to STAND-TO,

A booklet and DVD have been sent to each Army Recruiting and ROTC unit for distribution to new arrivals. The New Spouse Orientation DVD provides details about administrative processes (ID card, Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI), Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) TRICARE ), medical services, and how to use family support and community programs. With programmed segments, viewers can easily skip over information that does not apply to them and review other segments over again easily. Included with the DVD is a CD that directs the spouse to the relevant program websites.

The “Welcome to the Army Family” booklet is a more traditional information source that will be regularly updated. Meant to be consulted more quickly than sitting down at the television, the booklet goes into more detail about the Army’s support system: TRICARE, housing,
child care and youth services, legal services, Army Emergency Relief, the Exceptional Family Member Program and more.

My question is do you get the same “orientation” if you marry into the Army?? Also, do the other branches of the Military have a program like this??

What were your first experiences as a military spouse?

The recent decline in the economy is causing all of us to feel the pinch. Now as military, we have a perk : we don’t have to worry about not getting a paycheck or loosing a job.

We certainly feel the same pressures and stresses in other areas of our budgets, just as civilians

So what’s the best way to save a buck without the pain that goes along with it??

USAA (the best bank in the world by the way… ok so I’m biased)published a few painless ways to save during these economic hard times. You can find the article here : https://www.usaa.com/inet/ent_utils/McStaticPages?key=advice_painless_ways_to_save

So what are some of your ways to save a buck, military style??

When I arrived in LA, there was a driver to meet me and take me to the hotel. I felt like such a VIP!

That night, we had dinner at Crustacean and let me just say… Best food EVER! Owner and Master Chef Helene An came out to meet all of us, which was a real treat. Our waitress Anna was pretty cool and so funny. The story of the An family was pretty amazing and inspiring. You can read the whole story here!

The next morning it was all business… well, it was fun and business! We met at the Baby Einstein headquarters to talk about Baby Einstein company, its products, myths about the company, etc. It was a great discussion filled with lots of fabulous ideas.

One of the things we discussed was screen time and what the benefit of watching the DVD’s do for the babies. One of the myths discussed was would Baby Einstein products make your baby smarter. The answer is NO, It won’t necessarily raise your baby’s IQ 20 points, but it introduces them to the world of music and visual imagery.

I think moms get as much out of it then the kids, maybe even more. The videos gave parents a guide to talk/interact with their babies while watching the video together. Isn’t that the most important thing?

It can also give moms that break that most of us need every now and then. Even if it is just a moment to catch your breath, make a phone call, etc.Let’s be honest..We all need that! These videos give you that break, especially those of us that are doing the parenting thing 24/7 due to a deployment.

I know there is a controversy over should babies watch TV or not.It’s all about moderation! Baby Einstein gives you just that for your baby and honestly how can you go wrong with beautiful classical music and real-world imagery.

We also got the scoop on one of the new products that Baby Einstein is coming out with at the end of the month. Even though my kids are older, I’m really excited about the new DVD’s and the new features that will be included.

On March 31st, Baby Einstein will be coming out with World Music, which focuses on music from other countries like Africa, Ireland and South America. It will have all the same features you’re used to plus 2 new ones.

In response to parent’s request for a more customizable experience, Baby Einstein DVD will have 2 new features:

1. 1. Grow with Me – offers a second viewing mode contain spoken words and additional content that grows with your baby.
2. Select a Segment – gives parents the the choice of viewing shorter segments of the DVD to customize the experience.

If you would like to pre-order it, click here!

All in all, it was an awesome couple of days. The Baby Einstein and Ketchum PR people did just a great job and treated us so well. The other bloggers that were there were nothing short of amazing with their ideas, suggestions and comments.

The award dinner (as part of the Hospital’s Military Family Appreciation Week)  will be held on Thursday November 13 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The hospital newsletter, Stripes, is doing an article on all the winners.

I’m not usually one to toot my own horn, but I’m really excited about this. Of course , SGT Daddy told me that I would be the one giving the speech.

I’ll post an update about it next week as well as some pictures. (maybe even video)  : )