6 Ways Pregnancy is like being a Military Spouse (Army Wife Network)

As I write this post, I am sitting in the recliner with my feet up. My smallish dog is nestled beside me, my arms are stretched out farther than they have ever been before as my “belly dances” and I mentally calculate how long I have until it’s my daily “power nap time.”

Yep. You guessed it. I’m pregnant. The State of the Uterus is very much occupied.

I am at the point in this pregnancy that no longer classifies as a “little bit” pregnant. I am really pregnant. Like middle-rapidly-approaching-end-of- third-trimester pregnant.

It’s our second kiddo, so we are excited (and less terrified than the first time we did this…) Although my preggo brain is not nearly as sharp as it used to be, lately I have been thinking about how the whole experience of pregnancy is like being a military spouse… because really, who doesn’t love a good analogy? [Read more…]

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Reasons for Milspouse Pride (Pt 1: Army Wife Network)

I have a confession to make. (You didn’t know this post was going to get so juicy so fast, huh? You are welcome.)

Sometimes, in the day-to-day shenanigans that IS army wife life, I forget about the pride the comes with this calling.

And I don’t mean pride like, “Look at me, I am so awesome” pride… More like, “Wow. My spouse is the bomb dot com. This life can be hard but I sure am PROUD of what he is doing for our country/world/family.”

Maybe, hypothetically, kinda-sorta you find yourself sometimes forgetting the pride-part of this milspouse ride. [Read more…]

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My Christmas Meaning- A Poem (Army Wife Network)

I am no Emily Dickinson. Definitely not even close to Robert Frost. And even though I might add a “-th” to random words and say “thou” or “thee” on occasion (just because I can) I will never be a great playwright/poet like William Shakespeare.

But sometimes, I get to feeling a bit salty and try to bust out my mad rhyming skills. Because it makes me feel cool and I think of how to rhyme words like “fo-shizzle” in my head. (Note: I will not be a rapper anytime soon either. So don’t panic. Please put down the phone if you were planning on calling your Congressman.)

Today, I would like to share what Christmas means to me by way of a poem. This won’t be winning any poetry awards anytime soon, but if I have fun writing it (and you get just a tiny bit of enjoyment out of reading it) then I vote yes. Here goes…

my-christmas-meaning

You probably know that I am a proud Army Wife,
It’s no real secret to anyone around,
I, out of necessity, often do things differently,
Living life with “boots on the ground.”

Being married to a soldier,
Changes my perspective on much,
Especially when it comes to holidays,
How we celebrate special occasions and such.

Every year right after Turkey Day,
Seems the fall air and attitude shifts,
So many in our world change from thankfulness,
To the chaos of who gets what gifts.

But to me, Christmas is greater,
Much bigger than shopping and decor,
More profound than feasting and vacation,
Oh yes, to me Christmas is much more.

Don’t worry… The poem doesn’t stop here. Jump over to Army Wife Network to discover what Christmas REALLY means to me.

Dear readers… What does Christmas mean to you? I would love to hear your heart on this subject. Feel free to join the conversation and leave a comment below.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Jesus,

Initials Signature Blog

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” ~Isaiah 9:6

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Humorous Holiday Hacks: Round 3 (Army Wife Network)

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Not just because Christmas makes us feel all warm, fuzzy, snuggly and gives us the perfect excuse to eat #AllTheThings. But because I have a new reason to create yet another “batch” of humorous holiday hacks…

These Humorous Holiday Hacks are tips and tricks that, while entertaining, may or may not make your holiday season easier. (But hey, if it puts a smile on our face, that’s something right?)

Before we dig in to this fresh round of all things humorous, holiday-ish and hack-like, feel free to hop over and check out our previous hack batches by clicking here and here. 

Now, let’s get down to business. And by business, I mean let’s get ready to laugh about all things holiday.

humorous-holiday-hacks-3

1. Every holiday season, I just get so dang overwhelmed. I tell myself every year that I am going to keep from getting stressed but it never seems to work. I feel like I am running in a million different directions with my hair on fire yelling ‘What do I do with my hands?!?!’ Talk about a joy sucker. How can I keep the Christmas spirit without losing my mind? 

Hack: Ah, dear reader… Solidarity! Most of us, at some point, have probably been there, done that, spilled spiked egg nog on the T-shirt. But now, I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite terms, actually adopted from this army-wife life. Are you ready? Say it with me: VOLUNTOLD. This delightful word is the key to all things sanity, especially around the holiday season. It’s that odd hybrid of getting someone to volunteer, but in reality its more of a command than a request. (See the connection with the army now?) We personally have to muster up the courage to say, “No thanks” when someone tries to back us in to a corner and voluntell us to do something. (If you struggle with telling others no, you can always pretend not to speak English OR wear earbuds wherever you go so as to pretend you can’t hear anything around you.) Also, be bold and start voluntelling other people in your circle to get to crack-a-lacking and help you out.

I’ve got three more humorous hacks to share with you this year (AND an Amazon giveaway going on– you don’t need any military affiliation to enter/win) over at Army Wife Network. Pop over, check it out and enter to win some extra spending money for this Holiday season.

Which humorous hack was your favorite? Do you have a humorous (or real) holiday hack you would like to share? Feel free to comment below!

And have a very Merry, non-stressful and humorous holiday season!

Laughing through the Holidays,

Initials Signature Blog

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” ~Job 8:21

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The “Missing” Factor (Army Wife Network)

We’ve all heard that oh-so-delightful <sarcasm here> quote, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

Several years ago, this quote always ticked me off. Mainly because I wanted my dearest, darling, most-handsomest-stud-of-a-new-husband around all the time.

Most of our courtship was long distance, a few short months living four hours apart, then 12 months of a deployment.  By the time our wedding day rolled around, I was over the “absence” part and all geared up for some lovely together-til-death-do-we-part time.

But we all know how the army rolls. And my new stage five clinger self didn’t take it well. [Read more…]

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False Motivation is Greater than No Motivation

Normally, I am a very motivated person.

I am a goer. A doer. A get-things-done-er.

But sometimes, I lose my motivation… Like when we are facing a cross-country PCS that we are a teeny-bit-less-than-excited about and the first trimester of pregnancy practically knocks me off my feet. [Read more…]

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The Day I Lied to the Bagger at the Commissary

I don’t know what it is, but I have a really big issue with lying– at least when the lies, great or small, come from myself.

It’s hard for me to “fib” to my kiddo about why she can’t have a piece of Mama’s fancy chocolate because “They are all gone,” when in actuality I have two more precious pieces rationed and hidden away on the top of the refrigerator for emergencies.

I absolutely cannot lie to my husband about ANYTHING because it makes me feel so convicted– even if its something small like “I didn’t have TIME to do the dishes today” when I spent some quality moments resting in the recliner and keeping our toddler alive.

But I remember a couple of months ago when I did outright, blatantly lie to the bagger at the commissary. [Read more…]

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Hurry Up and Wait– And how to deal (Well, kinda)

“Hurry up and wait is my favorite part of army wife life,” said no milspouse ever. 

Ain’t THAT the truth?!?

My family is currently in yet (another!) hurry up and wait season. And it is about as much fun as talking on the phone to Tricare while shopping at the commissary on payday.

Gag. Me. With. A. Spoon.

See, we are right on the cusp of a PCS. Unlike some of our previous PCS’s, this one is gonna be kind of hard on our heart. Other duty stations, it was “time” to go and we were ready. Deuces, let’s roll America!

But this time, I can’t help but wonder how much housing is going to charge us for the fingernail claw marks I likely will leave on the front porch as my husband drags me to the car on departure day. #KiddingNotKidding [Read more…]

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A Comedic Comparison: Deployment Beginning Vs. End

Deployments are a funny thing.

They are (of course) very much a challenging part of this army wife life, and they are always full of surprises. As I type this, sitting in the Fort Lewis Starbucks, we are in the homestretch of our latest deployment. (Yes. We see the humorous signs that homecoming is coming!)

Hopefully by the time this post publishes, my Beloved Husband and I will be back in the same zip code. (Pending broken planes, incorrect scheduling, etc.) [Read more…]

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7 Ways Being an Army Wife is Like Parenting A Toddler (Army Wife Network)

Our Tiny Human just turned three-years-old. And with the “Terrible Twos” behind us, I thought things would flip like a light switch as the final smoke wafted from her blown-out-candles.

And it did. We went directly into the “Threenager Stage.”

It’s really not THAT bad. In fact, I like her more now than I did this time three years ago after 12 hours of Pictocin-induced labor with no pain meds. (Side note: I have, of course, always loved her. She is just more fun and like a real peoples now and stuff.)

Anywho, this girl is something else. Talk about a box of chocolates– you never know what you are gonna get with her. [Read more…]

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