Camo Itty Bitty’s from Hallmark!! *giveaway*

As a military family who loves our moto gear, these little guys from Hallmark are right up our alley!! I am so excited about these little guys, but can you really blame me? They are so darn cute.

itty bittys® Green Camo Boy Stuffed Animal

We added our Camo Ittys Bittys to our collection, which currently consists of this little guy from Rainbow Bright. 

You can find Itty Bitty’s exclusively on Hallmark.com and at Hallmark Gold Crown stores! You can even get free pick-up at your local store. If you are looking for fun stocking stuffer for your military kid, or maybe something easy to send to your milkid or family member while you are deployed, these are a great option!

I’m so excited to partner with Hallmark and giveaway a pair of your own Camo Itty Bittys!! Simply leave a comment below telling me who you would give them to, or if you’d just keep these little guys for yourself (no shame in that! I want to steal them from my kids!!)

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Ring Doorbell – Peace of Mind at Home

I am really excited to bring to you all my review and experience with Ring Video Doorbell. I had first seen this cool product on my friend’s cell phone. They had received it as a gift from someone and I instantly became obsessed. I immediately thought of all my military family and how having this type of product would not only make them possibly feel better, but their spouses who travel often. Its a doorbell and basic security system {while not technically so} all roll into one. I can tell you right now that I absolutely love this product and wish I could buy one for everyone in my life. The combinations and possibilities to combine your Ring experience to your customized needs is part of what makes this a really neat product.

Meet the Ring, Video Doorbell

It comes in four different finish options, included the nickel you see above, antique brass, polished brass and venetian bronze, which looks very black. There is an HD camera that presents an extremely clear image, microphones that are very clear and very loud {I’ve yelled at my kids across the lawn before!}, motion detection and night vision {you can clearly see out your Ring video even when your porch light is off – seriously cool}. Mobile access is through your android or iPhone devices {check out the app here} and you have several options for installation. For us, we chose to set it up with its rechargeable battery. Our current doorbell is ancient and would require major repair, so we chose this way. The battery lasts for FOREVER even with regular use, which we were pleasantly surprised as it isn’t easy to dislodge the Ring from the plate that is screwed your house. While this is extremely good for security (no one is stealing your Ring) we weren’t looking forward to having to remove it often for recharge. Thankfully that is not the case. You are looking at over a month of constant use (depending on how you have your area of coverage set up) before you have to recharge it. If however, someone does manage to rip you off, Ring comes with a lifetime protection coverage. If someone steals it, Ring will replace it for free. {$200}

Customization Options

So, I know I previously mentioned customization. And other than your faceplate colors, the options to customize your experience with the Ring are pretty neat. 
Snag yourself The Chime, which is a really cool plug-in extension of your phone app. If you are away from your phone, if you have a large house the chime is a perfect option. And don’t worry, you can put it in sleep mode if you have little ones sleeping or just want some peace and quiet. {$29.95}
{via Ring}
You can also add secondary cameras around your home, with the easy-to-install Stick Up Cam! {$199.00}
{via Ring}
Cloud Video Recording comes with your Ring for 30 days, after that a small yearly fee keeps your videos available anytime you need them to look back on them. 
Thoughts

Overall we’ve been really pleased with the device. The app set-up was very easy, and once we got the right screws, installation was easy. We have a brick house, and the we did have to go out and buy a bit for our drill that could cut through the bring better. But once we did that it was a breeze. Setting up the perimeters took a little bit of adjustment. We wanted maximum protection but didn’t want the car going off with every car driving buy. I was very impressed with the fish-eye type camera that detected movement all the way to my driveway and to the opposite side of the house. I had briefly thought about purchasing one for the side door, but when I discovered that the reach was so good I realized I didn’t have to. The cloud recording is a necessary feature in my book. We haven’t yet purchased it, but I plan to. Unless you catch the video right when you are altered by your app you can’t even go back and view the alert, which is kind of a bummer. So if you don’t have the cloud viewing, make sure you are checking every alert. But at about $30 a year, it seems like a tiny fee in comparison to other options out there on the market. I think that for military families, families with spouses who work long hours or travel a lot, this is a remarkable product that could greatly improve peace of mind. It is incredible affordable when you compare it to other types of more complex security services, and I love that it serves many purposes. The two-way talk option is probably my favorite.
One down side is that occasionally we have this problem. And the loading can take forever. But it doesn’t happen often enough for me be frustrated enough to say forget it. 
Check out a Ring Video and visit them on their website or facebook and twitter! Also please feel free to ask me any questions and I’ll be happy to answer as best as I can! Thank you so much and spread the word about Ring!
do you have a home security system? what do you love about it?
Do you own a ring?! share your stories with us!

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Thanking our Military During the Holiday Season #MetLifeTDP

This post was sponsored by the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central

As a military family being thankful for our military community is something that usually on our minds all time. We are right in the thick of things. During the holidays though, especially when we are fortunate enough to have our loved one home, we think about those that don’t. We know the pain and sadness of the empty chair. Its something that can be hard to deal with. But you make your own way. You fill your house with other people that also have empty chairs, or sometimes you just put your daddy pillow in that chair and power through. Sometimes thanking the Military isn’t actually thanking the service member. Sometimes its acknowledging the family that is left behind.

Checking in on our fellow Homefront people, inviting them over for dinner, game night, offering to watch the kids so the spouse that is at home can have some time to themselves. These are all ways that anyone can be a part of acknowledging their military community during the holidays, and anytime of the year. Because while the holidays may be some of the hardest times to not be with your family, service members are overseas and away from their families all year long. I make sure to send care packages as much as possible, and if my husband learns of someone he is with that is having a particularly difficult time, they get a care package too. Even a small letter is appreciated! Getting your whole family involved shows your children that they can make a difference, even in a small way. It helps us us cope in our own way,

Organizations and companies, like Metlife TRICARE Dental, also want to wish military families well during the holiday season. The Winter season can be rough when it comes to taking care of yourself. Sickness is going around, sometimes weather makes it difficult to get out, and you just want to stay holed up and cozy in your home. .,.

Metlife TRICARE Dental has some great winter health messages and ideas for us,
 to get us through, not only the holiday season, but the winter season as well.

It’s important during Pregnancy, to take of your teeth. In TRICARE’s Winter Dental Health Matters issue, they discuss this very thing. “According to the American Dental Association, the hormonal risk of developing gum disease, which can affect your health and the health of your baby.” Dental health during pregnancy is so important that TRICARE includes a third cleaning during a consecutive 12-month period at no extra cost. The fact that TRICARE sees the importance and backs it up by encouraging you to take care of your teeth without causing financial difficulties shows me what a great organization they really are.

Another important message this Winter is that of survivor benefits. This is another area in which TRICARE has seen a very real issue and is doing what they can to help during what is a very difficult time. There is no requirement to have been previously enrolled in TDP to utilize the benefit. Premiums are covered in full. And what really hits home for me is that Metlife TRICARE Dental extends this same benefit to those on Guard and Reserve duty, regardless of whether or not they were activated at the time of death. This coverage is made available for three years, and then surviving family is able to enroll in the Retiree Dental Program. This is what is so wonderful about the Military community. Even though things are never perfect, there are so many organizations, for profit, and non-profit, that are supporting you during your worst times.  And for that I’m very thankful. You can read more from their 2015 Winter Health Matters newsletter here.

And perhaps the most important thing to me, as an Air Guard spouse, is the quality of care that we receive from the dental program. I am thankful for the ability to get decent care and I really encourage any National Guard and Reserve family that doesn’t have dental, or perhaps only uses civilian, to either sign up for Metlife TRICARE dental or add it as an additional service as we do in our home. Then you will have access to a provider network of over 250,000 dental locations worldwide! And as a National Guard or Reserve service member, who is enrolled in TDP, you can have your network provider fill out the Department of Defense Active Duty/Reserve Forces Dental Examination Form (DD form 2813) at no cost. Hubby does this all time, at a dentist of his own choosing, without having to go on base. Its really awesome!

connect with them on social media!

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A Homecoming

I’ll take any opportunity to give a shout out to a veteran-owned/military spouse owned business. I just will. Its something that a lot of us do, and it really sets our community apart from so many others. I am so blessed in return by our community. Our amazing photographers are also dear friends who donated their time to us. If you are in the Maryland, Virginia, DC area and are looking for a photographer check out Gronde Photography!

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Taking Care of My Family All Year Long: Military Family Appreciation Month

This post was sponsored by the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central

As November, and Military Family Appreciation month, comes to an end, it reminded me that the need for support for families like myself isn’t something we need just one month out of the year. There are organizations and people that support us all year long. I am so thankful that many of these organizations exist and have made it one of my goals to share their stories on this blog. I encourage all of you to learn about these organizations so that you can use them, and share them with people in your life. As a military family we also feel its important to give back to both our military community, so we volunteer our time giving back to these same organizations. It isn’t just about getting support and having a month set aside for people to appreciate you. Giving back to those that are in your circle, whether military or civilian, is such an important part of life. If you’re looking for a way to get involved here are some easy ways to get started!

1) Operation Homefront keeps a list of current needs they are seeking help for.
2) Join, Donate and Volunteer with National Military Family Association 
3) Become a Blue Star Neighbor and encourage others to support a military family in their community.
4) Donate to Luke’s Wings, a charity that provides military family members with flights to be by the side of their wounded service member as quickly and stress free as possible.
5) Visit the tabs I have up top to find other ways to support military families.

As a military family I am also thankful for blessings like these that have blessed our lives personally, and the lives of others that we know. One of the other many blessings we have is access to affordable health care. While military families are granted TRICARE health care (or pay for extremely affordable health care on TRICARE Reserve Select), we do have to purchase dental care. However TriCare and MetLife have made that easy for us, but providing us with quality dental care at a great price. We are so blessed to be able to have access to inexpensive health care as a military family. And as a National Guard family we can access this as well. One of the reasons we were able to do this so well is by choosing TDP {TRICARE Dental Program} with MetLife. With TDP we are able to receive great dental care, from a choice of amazing local dentists. As someone with a fear of dentists, it is super important that I am able to find an amazing dentist and not have to worry about the quality of my care and what benefits I will receive. With TRICARE Dental we receive the following benefits:

  • Two cleanings and two exams per year, at no cost, when a network dentist is seen
  • Sealants on permanent molars for children through the age of 18, with a 20% cost share
  • Orthodontic coverage for children {one of my biggest worries, because I remember what it was like to get braces!)
  • $1,300 Dental Program Annual Maximum per enrollee per plan year
  • $1,200 Accidental Annual maximum per enrollee per plan year
  • One Athletic Mouth Guard per consecutive 12-month period, with a 50% cost share {and we have little ones that are headed towards being more active in sports and this is much appreciated!}

If you are military family, active, reserve or National Guard, I highly recommend MetLife TRICARE Dental Program. As Military Family Appreciation month winds down, take steps to care for your military family by enrolling in TRICARE Dental.

Follow Tricare Dental Program on Facebook

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