6 Ways Parenting a Newborn Is Like Being a Military Spouse (Army Wife Network)

Listen VERY closely… Do you hear that?

It’s my own personal internal tick-tock clock as I anxiously await for this New Tiny Human to be born. (I am writing this post a little bit in advance, because hopefully, by the time this post is published in late February, this kiddo would have been evicted and settling into the “real world” in our arms.)

You may recall that last month, I wrote a post about how pregnancy was like being a military spouse.  Well, my love for analogies hasn’t stopped, so today I would like to share 6 Ways Parenting a Newborn is like Being a Military Spouse.

(Sidenote: The kid we are preparing to birth is our second Tiny Human… so I am also tapping into all the things we learned in Round #1 a few years ago.)

Let’s hop to it.

1. Both parenting a newborn and being a milspouse are MESSY jobs. 

And I mean that very literally. Those of you who have ever had a newborn in your home, you are probably picking up what I am laying down. The amount of laundry that results from the bodily fluids that just seem to ooze out of someone so tiny are almost mind blowing. And sometimes, bless my dear husband, I think the same about him! The sand tracked in on his boots. The smell of unwashed ruck-marching feet and B.O. Random pieces of TA-50 scattered in every room, every vehicle, every nook and cranny of our abode. Yes, both are physically messy… but they can both be emotionally messy too…

Want to keep reading about the other 5 ways these experiences are similar? Jump on over to Army Wife Network. 

Also, don’t be shy– if this post made you grin, be sure to leave me a comment. (I always love reading your feedback!)

Blessings to you all- whether you are in a season of parenting a newborn (or not) or living the military wife life (or not.)

All For Him,

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“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” ~Isaiah 66:13

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Lessons and Laughter in Pregnancy

Here at 7 Days Time, I’m all about finding lessons and laugher buried in our everyday experiences.

And while I am not pregnant “every day” of my life (Thank goodness!) it’s been my “everyday” experience for almost the last 10 months. (Did you know that a woman is “technically” pregnant for 10 months, not just 9? #WebOfLies #WhoKnew)  [Read more…]

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Reasons for Milspouse Pride (Part 2: Link-up & Giveaway)

Some people say that there can be “too much of a good thing.”

I *might* agree with this statement if talking about rich cheeses, excessive exercise or Netflix binge watching.

But I just can’t agree that there is ever such a “thing” as too much military spouse pride.

You might remember that last month I shared the first installment of our series “Reasons from Milspouse Pride.”

As promised, today we share Part 2…. Brought to the generous and loving hearts of military spouses and viewers like you.

Read on to see more ways that…

I am a proud military spouse when… 

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I am proud to be a military spouse when I can smell the dirt from the field as he walks through the door because that means we both survived another round of training.” ~Lacey R.

I am a proud military spouse when my husband is thanked for his service. It doesn’t happen much because we live in a very military saturated place.” ~Lisa H.

I’m proud to be a military spouse when I see my husband in his dress uniform. He wore his blues at our wedding in 1994, and it always makes me happy and proud to see him in them again. He’s been through a lot in his career, and each of those ribbons and pins shows how much he loves being a soldier and serving his country. And he looks so handsome in his blues, too!” ~Christie P.

“I was the proudest military wife when I seen my husband walking down the airport corridor at the end of his deployment and could see the look on his face, meeting his son for the first time.” ~Nikki H.

Dear readers…there is MUCH more where this came from! (And did we mention this post also includes a link-up and easy-t0-enter giveaway?) Swing by Army Wife Network to tap into some more milspouse pride and enter to win!

Thanks for your support… And stay tuned for our final installment of Milspouse Pride (with giveaways) on the first of next month!

Proud in so many ways,

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Get Real with all things False

Yesterday was quite the “special” day.

Notice how I put “special” in quotes… Because that is my 38-week pregnancy sarcasm shining through.

Now, this isn’t a pregnancy blog by a long shot, but that IS my current season of life. And as we have established over the last few years, God has a way of speaking to us in our everyday moments– the good, the bad, and the painful.

Long story probably still long: Yesterday, we spent some quality time in the hospital, per midwife’s orders, because I was having legit, organized, consistent and painful contractions.

We are talking like several consistent hours of contractions, 3-4 minutes apart and 90+ seconds in duration.

It totally looked like the real deal… We were excited (and sort of relieved) that Baby-go-time was potentially up on us. The bags were in the car, we were ready to make things happen.  [Read more…]

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God’s Sense of humor: Giant Spiders

The last several months, God had kind of nudge me to take 7 Days Time in a slightly different direction. (I wrote all about it here if you need to catch up.)

And so, in a quest to be obedient, I am trying to be a little less serious (about stuff that doesn’t matter) and a little more light-hearted about all things life.

(Side note: I am still super-dee-duper serious about this Jesus thang. Hence, why it is part of our tag line: “Serious about faith. Light-hearted about life.”)

I’ve been sharing more funny everyday things/thoughts/conversations on Facebook in order to bring some brightness or entertainment in what seems to be a rather serious (and sometimes disheartening) fallen world in which we live. (Are you here yet Jesus? Anytime now, eh?)  [Read more…]

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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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My OneWord for 2017: PEACE

This year, 2017, will mark the sixth year that I have been doing the OneWord Challenge.

Considering this will also be my sixth year of blogging for Jesus here at 7 Days Time, you can imagine I have a variety of posts on the subject.

But, in case you are new to this faith-based party, let me catch you up…  [Read more…]

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Soul Generated by Love: A Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr

Happy MLK Day, my friends! I wanted to re-share a post (and an accompanying image) I created a couple of years ago. Enjoy! 

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Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day.

This day means much more than just a day off of school and no mail delivery.

Whenever I think of the great MLK, I think of service. I ran across this quote a couple of months ago and have been waiting to work up a graphic and share it with you.

Now seems like the perfect time. [Read more…]

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God-Sized Dreams 2017

I know, I know… I probably sound like a broken record by now… Every year, I say how EXCITED I am for the New Year– mainly because I get to start a new focus area with my main-man Jesus.

But it’s true. New God-Sized dreams just AMP. ME. UP. (Seriously. Somebody should check my pulse rate, even as I sit here and WRITE about them!)

Last week, you read about my God-Sized dreams for 2016 recap… How things went, what was accomplished (or not so much.) Today, I am sharing where Jesus might be taking me in 2017.

So let’s get down to it, shall we?  [Read more…]

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God-Sized Dreams 2016– RECAP

I have probably mentioned it on here before… But I will say it again– the New Year is one of my favorite moments.

Not because I stay up late to welcome in the new year (because I don’t– at least not on purpose.) It’s not because I have an affinity for a celebratory adult beverage. (Um, hello… Still preggo. And so Young Living NingXia Red was my “stiff drink” of choice.)

It’s because each new year gives me an opportunity to reflect on where I’ve been and where God has taken me the last year… And maybe seek a few glimpses of where my Jesus-Journey might take me in the next 365 days. [Read more…]

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