military life Archives - Page 3 of 7

care packages, Dollar Tree, Halloween, military life, milspouse

Halloween Care Package with Kids

October 6, 2015 15 Comments

Holidays are always a fun time to make care packages, its easy to find stuff to put in it and to decorate with. This time we are discussing Halloween because its just about that time. You’ve still got time to get those packages put together and sent out to your service member. Our first stop was Dollar Tree because, why not!!!?

First thing is you have to have some fluff for the package so things don’t get jostled around. We picked up some orange shredded paper and some scary Halloween fabric. It is surprisingly big and thick! It was perfect for packing some of the more delicate things I had going in this time around.

Picking up a few whimsical things for a good laugh was also important to me. It’s Halloween, a fun holiday to be like a kid. And if they hubby has to miss all the silly fun I’m going to bring as much fun to him and his pals over there as I can. So, I picked up a few plastic halloween cups with funny sayings on them. I snagged four for a dollar.

Next the kids picked out a package of pirate patches! It will be perfect for an awesome deployment picture. There is a whole row of Trick-Or-Treat alternatives or Halloween Party Favors right now at Dollar Tree and they are just the right amount of silly fun. Pack it up with hard candy that won’t melt everywhere (even though its starting to get cold here its still 90 to 110 degrees over there) and toss in a few eyeballs and you’re good to go.

Decorating a box can be tricky…so you’ve got to be creative. I cut up paper that could be taped to the flaps and let the kids draw and decorate them. They are cut out perfectly to fit over the boring brown box flaps. Other options would be colored paper or themed wrapping paper.

Make sure to decorate the outside of the box too!! It’s so much fun for the kids and it just builds up that anticipation for your service member as they are opening it!

Sending care packages is such a fun thing to do for your service member, and for you too!

What are your favorite things to include in Halloween care packages?

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Deployment, faith, mil-spouse stories, military life, milspouse, wives of faith

MilSpouse Stories: Preparing Your Heart

October 3, 2015 No Comments

When I became a military spouse I expected there to be hard times. “We” had joined during war time, in a career field that had a high op-tempo. I knew that. We weren’t that far from family and I have always been a fiercely independent sort of gal. So what’s the worse that could happen? Little did I know that my heart would be thrown into despair and sadness that I had a never before experienced. Circumstances beyond my control, and new life experiences that I had not expected would throw my heart for a loop.

Struggling with my heart to this day I turned to a bible study that I’m currently doing.
Jesus, the One & Only has been such an amazing study for me right now. If you’ve never done a Beth Moore study I can’t recommend them enough. In fact, this is my second time doing this particular one and here it is speaking directly to my soul. As I opened up the book for the day this verse jumped out at me: “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’ Luke 7:13. I was crying and it was ridiculous. But he cares whether or not I’m crying and that is anything but ridiculous. You know that feeling though. You don’t want to be that girl that says, “hey, my husband is deployed give me a pass!” But at the same time you kind of want to be like, “hey, my husband is deployed so give me a break.” It’s one of those things that I feel like I should wear on a t-shirt or tattoo on my forehead. Guys, I’m sorry!! I’m the kind of girl that locks her keys in her car three times in one week. It’s amazing how different a deployment can be each time, no matter how experienced you are. The children’s age, the time of year, external stressors all play a factor in how it all goes each time.

I don’t have to time to prepare my heart because I am guarding my children’s, trying to prepare theirs. As they’ve grown older the gaping hole their deployed daddy has left in their heart is more apparent these days. The day is a succession of deep breaths and eyes turned upward, “Please Lord, give me strength.” He will I know he will, but I have to let him first.

One’s heart is a funny little thing. Shore it up, protect it, tell it that this is only temporary but yet it still breaks. My partner, who makes life easier isn’t here with me and despite having some of the best support I’ve ever hard, it doesn’t take the place of having him here with me. Being a classic, “girl who takes on too much,” having my partner around to bare that load with me is something that I try not to take for grated but inevitably do when I take on too much.

So, I read my books, stick to my bible study and quiet time as much as possible, take lots of deep breaths and pray. Pray a lot. While I’m terrible at asking for help, with each one I feel like I’m getting better. God has placed these people in my life and I know that I can’t do this on my own. This is just one of my MilSpouse story. Do you have one? How do you prepare your heart?
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mental health, military, military life, Power of 1, Veterans Crisis Line

22 A Day Is 22 Too Many #Powerof1

September 18, 2015 No Comments

All it takes is one person to make a difference. One person to stop and say “Enough is enough.” During the month of September the Department of Veterans is challenging everyone through the ‘Power of 1’ Campaign. Through this campaign they hope to get across the message that one act can encourage a Veteran, a service member and their families. By supporting them and encouraging the use of resources like The Veterans Crisis Line, one person can make the difference in the life of someone who might be struggling.

What is The Veterans Crisis Line? It is a free, confidential crisis resource that can be accessed by service members, their families and their friends 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. Don’t be afraid to be the one that makes a move when you or someone you know is in crisis. Do not let fear or worry about what happens next stop you from getting help for yourself or someone you know.

If you, or someone you know exhibits the following signs don’t hesistate to act:

1. Thinking about hurting or killing yourself
2. Talking about death or dying
3. Self-destructive behaviors – drug abuse, alcohol, weapons

We must stand up for change! Demand change from those in power, and be the example of change for those around us. There is no tiime to waste and we can’t afford to sit around and not take action. Life is too precious and valuable for that.

Share the #PowerOf1 with as many people as possible and join us on social media with the hashtag
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books, military life, milspouse

10 Books for MilSpouses {during deployment or anytime}

September 7, 2015 No Comments

Books have always been my escape in life. Its relaxing, comforting, educational and I love it. During hard times in my life as a military spouse I’ve turned to books, both military related and not military related. These are some of my favorite military related books to read while the hubby is gone, or just when I need a milspouse pick me up.

1. Right Side Up -Right Side Up by the awesomely cool Judy Davis is such a great book, and I can not say it enough. Judy is a fellow blogger and downright inspirational lady. Judy’s goal in writing the books was to provide motivation and encouragement so that milspouses view the life of a military life as an opportunity, not a burden. Judy’s book is the perfect gift for yourself or a new milspouse.

3. The Power of a Praying Wife: Military Edition – This is simply the military edition of Stormie Omartian’s book, “The Power of a Praying Wife.” Stormie Omartian’s nephew is a service member and this book was made available to chaplains across the services and can usually be found through them. It is a wonderful encouragement for wives, especially for those like myself who love direction and advice for prayers when it comes to my marriage and my husband. The Power of a Praying Husband is also available.

4. Faith Deployed…Again – This is the second in this series (Faith Deployed). These books are filled with wonderful stories of faith and encouragement from military spouses across the branches. I just happened to be a little partial to this one because one of my amazing friends is one of the authors. What is so wonderful about a book like this is you can pick it up and read it for hours, or choose one or two stories for a quick encouragement.

5. Psalm 51: Military Edition – Peggy Joyce Ruth has a whole series of Psalm 51 books, including Motherhood and Teen Editions. Along with the specific text of Psalm 51 there are encouraging words from Military personnel. While not specifically for the military spouse it is a great read and makes a great bible study, especially during a deployment.

6. Olive Drab Pom Poms – Kori Yates is the author of this motivational milspouse books from a Christian perspective. Military spouses spend a good chunk of our lives being cheerleaders for our families, sometimes with our Olive Drab {or Air Force Blue for me} pom poms. Finding our place in this crazy military life can be difficulty at times, and I know for me personally, my faith has played a huge role in getting me through some of the most difficult times.

7. Confessions of a Military Spouse – from the awesomely cool Mollie Gross comes this real, and almost certainly hilarious, view of milspouse life. How do we deal with life, all the twist and turns and ridiculousness of this life? The true confessions in this book will attempt to answer those questions and will probably have you rolling on the floor in no time.

8. The New Testament for Military Spouses – Along the same lines as the Psalm 51 book, but specifically for military spouses. It includes devotionals meant just for us, written by military spouses that have been there.

9. American Wife – There isn’t much introduction needed for this book by Taya Kyle, wife of Chris Kyle. But its included in this life for a very good reason. It is a story we are all familiar with, but the book is about so much more. Its about a life we, as military spouses, can all relate to. It touches on our worst fears and our best moments. I still can’t get over how emotional it was to meet her and to hear her speak. This book is a really intense extension of that. You can read about my experience here.

10. The Five Love Language: Military Edition – Another special edition of book, written just for military families. The stories is this book are real and, at times, intense. I was curious how well this book would be written, but the authors did their homework. The books takes the principals and advice for the original and adds a military twist. I’m currently working through this book more carefully then my original review read through and I can’t wait to update ya’ll on how it goes.

This is a great start for all you amazing military spouses out there! Deployment and separations suck! Even the day to day of military life has its struggles. But I know for me I’ve always found encouragement in the stories of others who have walked before me, or who are walking right along with me. It is that comraderie, either in person or in the pages of book that is true diamond in the rough of military life. Stay tuned for more lists like this.

do you have an awesome military book that provided some encouragement to you? Tell me about it!

~this post contains affiliate links ~

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guest post, military children, military life, milspouse, resiliency

5 Thoughts Every MilSpouse Has ~ guest post ~

August 13, 2015 No Comments

Blogging here at Cammo Style Love has brought some amazing people into my life. So many wonderful military spouses, writers, advocates and just plain ole amazing human beings! Today I am excited to share Hope you enjoy this wonderful post that I personally felt a connection to and was so happy to be able to share.

“It’s just a month, Mom,” my almost 7 year old son tells me as I’m going through the ridiculous and unexplained emotional meltdown of preparing for (yet another) separation from my husband. I know his words sound callous, but it was, in fact, what I needed to hear. It is just a month. Of all the times my son has been without his father, this is one of the shortest. If he could see that, why couldn’t I? Why couldn’t I be as adaptable and ok with it as my kids were?

Was it because I knew what went on behind the scenes? The last three weeks of “go, no-go” that we endured with a final decision coming down 3 days before the departure date? A plan that had been set in motion over 6 months ago was slowly unraveling because of a lost piece of paper. A school that had been on his wish list for years was within grasp, but was being held up by some inability to communicate effectively between others. The hurry up and wait, the last minute packing, the anticipation were all compounding the fact that he was leaving, again.

Was it because I knew what he was going to miss? My kids are 5 and 6. While they understand how long a month is, how many weeks, how many days. They can see the big bold words, “Daddy Home” on the calendar and count down, but they don’t see what comes between. They don’t see that he’s going to miss a birthday and the first day of school – my daughter’s first day of kindergarten. All the fun things about preparing for school. All the hard things about this transition from one kid at home all the time to none.

Was it because I know what lies ahead? It took us a good two weeks to transition last time he left, and another solid two weeks when he came home. Pretty much we’ve been transitioning and struggling to find our balance since mid-April. He’s coming home to a new job with longer, often times more frustrating hours. He’s coming home to two kids in school, to homework, to extracurricular activities, to new friends, and a new schedule. And we’re fully expecting him to arrive on Saturday and be back at work in full-force on Monday before dawn.

Was it because this one is different? There are few guarantees in the military, but separations are one of them. With this being the 9th separation in our 8 year marriage, you’d think I’d just be over it. But as we change and grow together, these things feel different. And while I’ve gotten more used to doing somethings alone, the last few years have spoiled me. He’s been on a pretty easy schedule for a while and I’ve gotten used to relying on him being home in the evenings and helping out on the weekends. So when he leaves, it’s a bigger adjustment for us all.

But, no matter the difference, the emotions, the transition, it’s a part of our life. It always has been and it always will. And the best part about this one? It’s just a month.

Rebecca Alwine has been a military spouse for over 8 years, traveling the world and learning about herself. She’s discovered she enjoys running, loves lifting weights, is a voracious reader, and actually enjoys most of the menial tasks of motherhood. She is an avid volunteer, most recently as President of the Fort Huachuca Community Spouses’ Club and has worked as a career counselor for transitioning service members. She has a Masters in Emergency Management from American Military University and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Mary Washington. Her writing has been published both in AUSA’s ARMY Magazine, Military Spouse Magazine, on Many Kind Regards, and multiple digital magazines and blogs. You can follow her on Twitter and on her website.
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