7 Stages of PCS Packing

PCS season: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. But really, it was the most stressful of times.

It starts long before the move; during the season of orders uncertainty. Remember that scene in “Legally Blonde” where Harvard’s finest are huddled in the hallway anxiously awaiting the internship list to be posted? We thought it would probably be Warner and Viv, but of course we were all pulling for Elle. Her infamous, “ME!” was one of my favorite parts of the movie. If you’ve watched it once, you know the scene.

Click here to finish reading on NextGen MilSpouse.

Yes, I’m Scared of More War

Originally posted on SpouseBuzz

I’ll admit it: The military spouse in me is afraid.

As 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles rained over Syria last night, my social media feed was filled with questions, and with fear. From, “Did we just go to war with Syria?” to, “So worried about my husband and all of our deployed military right now!”, our military families are left not knowing what to expect, or really even how to feel.
But one thing I do know: It is time; we have — we had — to do something. On April 6, 2017, the United States launched an offensive strike targeting a Syrian military airfield in Homs, as a retaliation for the unspeakable horrors of the Assad regime (the latest being an alleged chemical attack that left over 100 dead).

It’s a situation fraught with complexity. We don’t know if this will mean more, or sooner or longer deployments. We don’t know how Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (or Iran and Russia who back him) will respond. There is so much uncertainty, and in the absence of assurances, it’s easy to let fear and doubt creep in.
I’ll admit, I’m scared of what this means for our collective future. But in the face of that fear, I keep coming back to the fact that somewhere in the corners of Syria, plagued by civil war and terrorism, is a regime intentionally killing its people. Let that sink in. Their government is killing their civilians, in the thousands. Innocent people — children — are being gassed to death. Yes, the milspouse part of me is scared. But the mommy in me, the American, the human being? Those parts of me are furious.

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Oh the Places We’ll Go — MilSpouse Version

Originally published on Spousebuzz 

It’s Dr. Seuss’s birthday and as military spouses, we have to pay a little homage to the man who wrote what could be our collective manifesto. Did you know the same guy who cranked out over 40 books for kids with such well known titles as Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat, was also a captain in the Army? Additionally, Theodor Geisel, more commonly known as “Dr. Seuss” penned more than 400 political cartoons in the height of World War II, oft depicting Hitler as a villain and Mussolini as a moron. Not long after, according to the History Channel, Dr. Seuss went to work alongside famed director Frank Capra and Warner Brothers to produce animated training materials – films, booklets and even documentaries, featuring “Private SNAFU” (Situation Normal, All Fouled Up), a soldier whose mistakes were meant to be a warning lesson for the young, enlisted troops during the war. So there’s that.
While lesser known for his military work, the globally beloved author is renowned for his rhyming, singsongy-like cadence that’s accompanied by brightly colored pictures that kids adore and parents long remember.
Whether you’re diehard Lorax fan or more of a Grinch, as military spouses there’s one Dr. Seuss book we should all buy, read and commit to memory. It’s pretty much written for us, and if you’re a Seuss fan, you already know what I’m talking about. It’s Oh the Places You’ll Go.
So today we give you Oh the Places You’ll Go, Military Spouse Style.
Congratulations!

Today is your day.

Time to choose your next duty station.

You’ll be off and away!
You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know.

Just kidding. It’s the detailer who will decide where you go.

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25 GIFs That Perfectly Explain Military Life

Originally published on SpouseBuzz

Sometimes there are no words to describe the roller coaster of emotions that we experience in military life. So today, we give you 25 GIFs that do the trick, for all of the circumstances this crazy ride can throw your way.
When someone asks where you’re moving next:

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/love-clueless-alicia-silverstone-yj5oYHjoIwv28″>via GIPHY</a>
When your orders come earlier than expected:

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/dancing-fresh-prince-of-bel-air-carlton-pa37AAGzKXoek”>via GIPHY</a>
When you get your first choice duty station:

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/happy-cry-surprise-CBq5swDUKGxOg”>via GIPHY</a>
When you get the only duty station you DIDN’T want:

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/attention-pay-meeee-Wvo6vaUsQa3Di”>via GIPHY</a>
When you can’t remember your own social security number but know your spouse’s:

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/filmeditor-mean-girls-movie-3otPopxmGPEkjpF4t2″>via GIPHY</a>
When you don’t know anyone at your first FRG meeting:

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/thenextstep-riley-the-next-step-brittany-raymond-xT1XH3BJEw4zOPBMUE”>via GIPHY</a>
When you unpack the trashcan (with trash still in it) after an OCONUS move:

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/charmladonna-3oz8xKaVomTm8vI3uw”>via GIPHY</a>
When someone tells you, “I could never marry someone in the military:”

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-frustrated-annoyed-sUzZwE9AgI8iA”>via GIPHY</a>
When you find out your job certification won’t transfer to your new state:

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/teamcoco-crying-cry-l2JhtKtDWYNKdRpoA”>via GIPHY</a>
When you’re frantically searching for your ID at the gate:

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/colbertlateshow-stephen-colbert-l0HlDDNlJYDuE7r1e”>via GIPHY</a>
What your kids think your spouse really does:

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/vintage-nostalgia-superfriends-BDUSBSPnyfauc”>via GIPHY</a>
When your in-laws want to visit the day before your spouse leaves for deployment:

<a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/jake-high-quality-gyllenhaal-i1JSXl0MfeRd6″>via GIPHY</a>
To continue reading on SpouseBuzz, click here. 

52 Week Challenge: Register to Vote

Originally posted on NextGenMilSpouse.com

  
Photo from NextGen MilSpouse

Whether you’re on the “Trump Train,” you’re “With Her,” you’ve Googled Gary Johnson or you have no idea which candidate should get your vote, as an American citizen you have an obligation to cast that ballot.

As military spouses, we know all too well what sacrifices have been made to protect that privilege.
Not feeling the presidential race this year? Remember, there are a plethora of local elections that warrant your attention as well.

There’s nothing worse in an election year than showing up at the polls and realizing you’re not registered to vote. Or talking to your deployed spouse overseas and realizing that he or she missed the window to request an absentee ballot.

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5 Must Read MilSpouse Books

Originally published on Spousebuzz.com

  

Stock image

The kids are heading back to school, the days seem shorter and fall weather is finally in sight. National Read-a-Book Day is this week and it’s no wonder why: it’s the perfect time to curl up with a good story. Whether you’re reading on the porch with a cup of coffee after carpool drop off, have a long commute on public transportation to turn the pages, you’re crawling into bed alone (again) during deployment or anything in between, SpouseBuzz gives you five must-read military spouse books:

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5 Reasons for Spouses to Go Back to School

This post originally appeared on SpouseBuzz.com

Summer is almost over and stores are already filling their aisles with back-to-school goodies. New markers, crayons, and glue sticks abound while parents wander with checklists making sure they have the prerequisite-sized notebooks. You’d think the end of pool days would be enough to drive kids everywhere into a deep dark depression, but if you’ve ever been school supply shopping with a little one, you know how pumped they are to pick out their new backpack. What if you could be that excited? Whether you didn’t finish college or have been thinking about that masters’ degree, here are five reasons you should go back to school:

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Labor of Love: 10 Hilarious Military Birth Stories

This post originally appeared on SpouseBuzz.com

  
Stock Image

According to the United States Department of Labor website, Labor Day “is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.” That’s awesome. One thing those workers have in common? They all have a mother who went through labor in their own right.

This year, in honor of Labor Day, we’re going to talk about the other kind of labor — the kind that gives life. We bring you 10 real life military labor stories to keep you laughing, shaking your head, and being impressed by the resilience of military mothers.

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5 Ways to Emergency Prep like a Pro

It’s that time of year again — that time where you hear about the hurricanes, the tornadoes, the heat waves. The time when you see a community devastated by weather, or a Facebook friend posting about a near-miss with Mother Nature. You know, summer.

Last week I was on the highway when a tornado warning sounded, so I pulled off and hid in a Sonic bathroom. I knew they had an interior concrete structure, and I really like their slushies.

Do you know what to do in an emergency? The only things predictable about weather is that it’s always present, and, it doesn’t discriminate. Weather doesn’t care if you live in a new house or a 100-year-old money-pit. It doesn’t care if you have renter’s insurance or if you just paid out of pocket to get the hail damage from last year repaired. It has no capacity to understand your personal or financial situation, but somehow, I swear, it knows if your spouse is deployed.
Don’t wait until you have an emergency to prepare for one. Get ready now by using Spousebuzz’s Five Tips to Prep like a Pro.

Continue reading at SpouseBuzz.com

5 Reasons to go Back to School

  
Summer is almost over and stores are already filling their aisles with back-to-school goodies. New markers, crayons, and glue sticks abound while parents wander with checklists making sure they have the prerequisite-sized notebooks. You’d think the end of pool days would be enough to drive kids everywhere into a deep dark depression, but if you’ve ever been school supply shopping with a little one, you know how pumped they are to pick out their new backpack. What if you could be that excited? Whether you didn’t finish college or have been thinking about that masters’ degree, here are five reasons you should go back to school:
Click here to continue reading this post on SpouseBuzz.com