25 ways you know you’re a military spouse

You have a shotgun wedding because your servicemember just received orders to deploy and wants to set you up in base housing. Your kids begin to call out ‘daddy’ any time they see a man in uniform at the commissary. You always find ear plugs in the dryer after doing your service member’s laundry. You […]

10 ways to survive your service member’s first deployment

It’s your first deployment and you’re not sure what you’re going to be up against. Maybe you’ve heard about the deployment curse? You know, the one where once your service member leaves, something’s going to break. That one doesn’t always come true, but if and when it does, now you know who to blame. Fortunately, there are […]

Got the Winter Blues? Maybe You Should Cruise!

You’re a military family, so many of your vacations come in the form of holiday leave blocks or for pre or post deployment leave. I know I’m not the only one who doesn’t consider ‘going home’ a vacation; it usually winds up being a series of appointments which oftentimes results in family member or friends […]

6 Tips for Flying During Winter

Normally, I’m traveling with kids… which means that I have to bring a lot of stuff with me.  For me that means one big suitcase with all of their clothes and gear, and another large suitcase with all my gear and anything leftover from theirs. For years, I’ve just gotten into the habit of checking […]

Twelve monthly resolutions to help military families thrive

Ditch the traditional resolutions and lend a hand to the military community instead. New Year’s Resolutions are complicated. I know I’m not alone in making them and not following through. So, this year I decided to do things a little differently. This year, my resolutions aren’t about me, but instead benefit our military community. Hopefully, […]

Honoring grief during the holidays

Especially this time of year, it’s important to help family and friends remember those they’ve lost. Oftentimes, it feels as though we in the military community are more conscious of the delicate nature of life and the reality of death because we regularly face separations and hardships. The highs and lows seem more vivid, and […]

How I Ditched the Christmas Cards and Adopted a Family Instead

Christmas has come and gone and I still feel a twinge of guilt when I look at the Christmas cards we’ve received from friends.You see, I haven’t participated in this annual tradition for the last couple of years. I guess it all started because I was being cheap.Initially I began looking at our network of […]

How to host a service member for the holidays

Many of us look forward to spending time with family and friends during the holidays. But sometimes it’s just not that easy for our troops to do the same if they’re stationed thousands of miles away, can’t afford the plane ticket home, or are in the middle of training. Thankfully, there are a lot of […]

Marine Corps Birthday Ball do’s and don’ts

The Marine Corps ball is one of the most anticipated events of the year, and it’s just around the corner. If you’ve never been to a ball or it’s been a while since you’ve attended, here’s a rundown of what to expect. Dress to impress The Ball celebrates the birthday of our Corps, which fittingly […]

How to enjoy the holidays by slowing down

I was walking through Target with my 8-year-old son when he turned and looked at me with true confusion in his eyes. He asked me why there was so much Christmas and holiday décor on display when we hadn’t even made it through Halloween yet. I smiled as I walked alongside him and did my […]

Back to school: 4 free educational tools for military families

School is in full swing for most of us with kids, and that means homework. If you’ve been out of school for a while, you know sometimes that means we need to learn or relearn right alongside our kiddos. Unfortunately, sometimes the assignments given may as well be written in another language. Every parent has their […]

Six Programs to Kick Start Your Business: Veterans and Military Spouses

Many military members and spouses begin their own companies for a variety of reasons.  Maybe you’re an accidental entrepreneur or you’ve always wanted to own your own business. Maybe the idea of being your own boss appeals to you. Whatever your reason, there’s a lot of great programs out there to support you. Have you […]