« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 »
October 31, 2007|
The base we are leaving tomorrow morning is actually an Air Force Base and an Army Base that touch each other on nearly all sides and a Naval Base that is within spitting distance. Our housing has Army and Air Force, and I saw two Marines who moved in recently.
The only time I really notice that there is a lot of humor in this situation is at 1700.
October 31, 2007|
I don't know how it happened, really. I was putting the Halloween candy in the big pot, just getting it ready for the visitors who will drop in later tonight, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a ghost took possession of my body and began cramming yummy, crispy chocolate things in my mouth.
After the exorcism was completed, I was stunned to find a half-eaten bag of candy on my desk - right next to my yoga statue.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Got that, Mr. Andi?
October 31, 2007|
Two weeks ago after my husband and I came home from church, I was looking forward to spending the rest of the day tackling my ambitious to-do list. We changed clothes. I got to work and my husband headed out to the golf course. Not long after he left, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to see my neighbor standing there on my front porch with a big, black horse.
October 31, 2007|
My friend sent me a cute article from Stars and Stripes called Email is for kids, too. It's about letting your little ones email their deployed parent. I loved this line from a four-year-old girl:
Do they have nice beds there? You left your sheets here, and Mom said I can use them. I will try not to pee in them, but if I do Mom can wash them.
This article made me think of a cute thing I heard from my friend's four-year-old son. He knew his daddy told him he'd be in I-raq, so he mistook it for a possessive and tells people "My daddy is in His-raq." Too cute.
So I want to hear cute military-related things your kids have said...
October 30, 2007|
Stressed. Or is it Desserts? I wish that my life was simply dessert all of the time. How about you?
October 30, 2007|
I have an abundance of things to be thankful for this morning.
Autumn, in all of its beauty has arrived. The roofs around the neighborhood have frost in them on the morning. The squirrels are busy gathering food stores for the winter. The leaves are changing very slowly.
I have a lot to be thankful for this morning, a warm bed, a warm home, warm slippers, and as always my precious family.
What are you thankful this morning.
October 29, 2007|
I called my husband the other night to tell him I'd be home later than expected. He sounded tired, but "something else" was in his voice. Then he told me one of the soldiers he served with in Iraq was killed in a training accident last Wednesday.
October 29, 2007|
We're close to receiving our 10,000th comment here at SpouseBUZZ. If you look back through some of the posts, you'll notice that many spouses have commented that faith has been one of their most powerful coping mechanisms, especially during a deployment.
Patti Katter sent me a link a few weeks ago to a forum for Christian military wives. Someone else sent me a link to a site for Active Duty Missionaries and don't forget about Finding Hope Beyond the Battle.
October 29, 2007|
A few days ago, AWTM wrote about spending her day at the commissary with some retirees. Last week when I was traveling, I found myself at Baltimore International Airport. I saw a lot of Navy t-shirts and hats, which is understandable given that Annapolis is close by.
October 29, 2007|
MacGyver's been home 288 hours (give or take) after a 15-month deployment to Iraq. And in that 288 hours, we've been asked at least 288 times, "So, how are things going? Are you two readjusting ok?"
The answer is yes. Really.
October 28, 2007|
Tonight, during the SpouseBuzz pajama party, we were delighted to have Mrs. Anita Renfroe on. In case you have not been able to listen or see Mrs. Renfroe, take a look.
October 28, 2007|
I have a slew of nieces and nephews. I was fortunate enough to be at the hospital when my sister had all of her babies. A rarity for most milspouses. For a while, I was able to make it home for the birthdays but sadly, it wasn't long before distance and expense prevented me from going home for every occasion. One of my biggest fears was that one of the kids would forget who I am, or not recognize me the next time they saw me, whenever that might be.
October 27, 2007|
Well, since airforcewife has totally trashed our reputation and all, I figure...why not?
Pole dancing, anyone?
October 27, 2007|
....we only have 19 seats left for SpouseBUZZ LIVE Ft. Bragg/Pope AFB. It looks like we'll have a sell out soon. Reserve your seat now.
October 27, 2007|
Many of you are in a unique place … sandwiched between kids and what it takes to raise those kids, and parents, who for many of the right reasons, are living longer and are entering a zone of life for which no one has done much planning. You, my friends, are sandwiched.
You say, nothing new Toad, you read the rags at the checkout counters like the rest of us, … but unlike most of what you see reported on the cover of Time, or other "journals" on the news stands of life, you not only have kids to be reared properly and parents that we need to provide assistance to, but ... we live the life of the military spouse. Deployments, UTAs, exercises, live fire events, frequent and sometimes sudden changes of station -- it can add up very, very quickly.
So in addition to balancing your own life (which is a whole different post), and that of your children AND your parents, many of you get to watch as the love-of-your-life, goes to war. Some of us are on or near a military installation, while some of you are geographically detached are in a community that has no idea that you have more glass balls in the air being juggled, than Carter has little pills. (how's that for dating myself?)
Okay, how many of you find yourself in “this place?”
October 27, 2007|
Yesterday, I went to the commissary sick. And on Federal payday, which means I was there with a population of retirees. Which meant, I followed behind a 60-something year old retiree, as he pondered his list. I am guessing his wife sent him out that morning to get him out of her hair. Well, she failed. As he called her with every other item on the list. It was entertaining as anything I have seen.
October 26, 2007|
I'm still on the road searching for DoD stickers, so I'm late in publishing this post.
Last Sunday evening, our mystery guest on SpouseBUZZ Talk Radio was Sean Gilfillan of To the Fallen Records. You may remember that a couple of weeks ago, we had his partner, Sidney DeMello on the show, along with singer/songwriter/Marine Cliff Hudson. The show with Sidney and Cliff was highly rated, so we wanted to explore more of what TTFR is doing, which is why we invited Sean on the show. Sean was gracious enough to give our listeners a sneak listen to two songs that will be featured on the country and rock albums that will be released on December 4. Sean also gave us a sneak peek at what the cover of the country album will look like:
Tears....
I am so impressed with what To the Fallen Records is doing. It's such an incredible concept. To hear our show with Sean, and listen to the songs that he allowed us to preview, click here. I'll also tell you that Sean assures us that we have yet to hear some superb talent, so I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
Also, if you missed last night's show, we talked about SpouseBUZZ LIVE. What it is, why we do it, why it's important and what it's all about. Our guests were three milspouses who have attended previous LIVE events. Click here to listen to the show and find out why you don't want to miss a LIVE event when it comes to a town near you.
And finally, a teaser..... Remember when I told you that you would kick yourself if you missed the show that featured Cliff Hudson? Well, just a warning, you will be kicking yourself if you miss Sunday's show, too. Trust me on this one. Don't wake up Monday morning regretting that you missed out. Our mystery guest is nothing short of incredible. Warning issued....
October 26, 2007|
Poor Andi. What with GBear's nude pediatrician neighbor, my potty issues, Andi's own incident with downloading adult content emails, and my adventures with the packers; SpouseBUZZ's G Rating may be completely, totally, and for all time lost.
So, now I'm going to make it worse. And in true airforcewife fashion, this falls under the heading of, "You Can't Make This Stuff Up."
Because you really can't.
October 26, 2007|
Recently, it was my very good fortune to be able to represent SpouseBUZZ at a forum of senior officer and senior enlisted spouses from one of the Air Force’s major commands. I along with GBear, had the chance to listen to many a topic focused on “what can be done to continually better the care and support that we provide to our corps of spouses.” (Okay, it wasn’t stated EXACTLY like that or in so many words, but that’s what they meant I believe.)
It was great to listen to some of the hard hitting discussions, from privatized housing, to TRICARE, to one of the finest charitable organizations in today’s world, Sew Much Comfort, to my favorite topic of the entire conference … “What’s SpouseBUZZ?”
October 25, 2007|
I've been traveling this week. I've been in and out of different towns, mostly towns that do not have military installations nearby. It's a bit odd because I'm used to living in or around a military community. When I drive around Killeen or Columbus or Lawton, every car seems to have some type of "Support Our Troops" magnet on its bumper, but it's the DoD sticker slapped on the front windshield that tells me, "they're one of us."
October 25, 2007|
Registrations for SpouseBUZZ LIVE Ft. Bragg/Pope AFB are pouring in. As of this morning, we had 88 seats left, so be sure to register for your seat today before the event is completely booked.
We've had a lot of inquiries about SpouseBUZZ LIVE recently, so tonight on SpouseBUZZ Talk Radio, we're going to devote the full hour to discussing SpouseBUZZ LIVE. How did it start? What is it? What do you do at a LIVE event? What can we expect in Fayetteville? Why should I go?
Tonight, you'll be hearing from milspouses who have attended past LIVE events at Ft. Hood and San Diego. These ladies will share their stories of how SpouseBUZZ LIVE impacted them, so if you have any questions about SpouseBUZZ LIVE, tonight is your opportunity to get answers. Even if you're not attending the Fayetteville event, we may be coming to a town near you soon, so tune in to get the 411 on SpouseBUZZ LIVE.
Update: The show has already aired, but you can click here to listen to the archived version of the show. And click here to join our chat room for future shows.
We've already filled the 300 available seats, but we've opened more seating and can now accommodate up to 350 spouses. We have about 40 seats left. Reserve your spot today.
View photos from our last LIVE event here.
October 24, 2007|
I just returned from a week-long trip to visit my grandparents. It was a long overdue visit, since I hadn't seen them since before we moved to Germany about four and a half years ago. And at their age, well, you just shouldn't wait that long between visits. Now, this could turn into a post about being far from family or missing out on the end of your grandparents' days, but we've covered that here at SpouseBUZZ.
This is about me leaving my husband home alone.
October 24, 2007|
This will touch you.
This is an incredible video - please watch it...This film was made by a 15 year old girl. The following is the hottest thing on the internet and on Fox News today. Lizzie Palmer who put this YouTube program together is 15 years old. There have been over 3,000,000 hits as of this morning. In case you missed it, here it is.
I hope I'm doing the link right on this - it's incredibly powerful, more so because it came from a young person.
Watch all of it.......and, pass it on!!
October 23, 2007|
If we are fortunate, there will be times in our lives where we will be a member of a group of people previously labeled as strangers, that get together and for no apparent reason form a deep bond and kindred-like association. Here at SpouseBUZZ, the authors probably fall into this category. We are all very different yet we are tied together as Spouses of people who embody the greatest force on Earth, the American military. Some of us have never met, and for having never met, we all have stepped-up to, accepted, and welcomed each other as family – a very close SpouseBUZZ family.
Lately, our own little SB family has taken some hits. Bruised, but okay. Battered, but not down.
As I type, I’m sitting on an airplane headed down to hopefully provide comfort and guidance to an aging parent … but I can’t get my SpouseBUZZ family off of my mind… maybe it’s due to reading Ben Stein’s book, The True Heroes. I don’t know.
So hopefully without upsetting or offending any of our great readers, commenter’s, and cyber-friends, know this post is not for or about you this time.
It’s for the SB authors that are my sisters that I never had, and their family and friends – you are in my thoughts and prayers. Over & Out, MaintenaceToadOne
October 23, 2007|
No matter how ready you think you are for the movers, as they pack they will ALWAYS find something totally embarrassing amongst your things.
At least they didn't overflow the toilet this time.
October 22, 2007|
Well, this more of a "service" than a product, but it still fits into our new I Love This Product series.
My husband and I flew to Mexico for our honeymoon. By the way, our honeymoon took place three years after we were married because, well, duty calls..... The flight was horrendous. We were stuck in the back row, by the engine, in seats that didn't recline. It took about two days for the ears to stop ringing from the engine noise.
October 22, 2007|
I began reading Ben Stein's book The Real Stars last night, after finishing the fifth book in a seven-book series, The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency. Not military-related, but the series is a great read and I highly recommend it.
As you know, AWTM selected The Real Stars for our book club and she is working to schedule Mr. Stein for an appearance on SpouseBUZZ Talk Radio, so you'll be able to talk with him soon.
October 22, 2007|
This morning, I woke to find it raining.
It is a good day to be thankful.
Let us know what you what you are thankful for.
October 22, 2007|
Tomorrow the movers come to pack my house.
I hope they don't overflow the toilet this time.
October 21, 2007|
My husband is a huge Red Sox fan. His mother tells me that when he was a child, she would go in his room to check on him before she went to bed and he would be under the covers listening to the Red Sox on an old transistor radio. My husband is Red Sox Nation.
The Red Sox are trying to get to the World Series. It hasn't been an easy trek so far. Last night, my husband's best friend called us from Baghdad to get a report on how the Red Sox game was going. From Baghdad to check on a baseball game. I hope he called his wife, too....
October 20, 2007|
Tomorrow evening on SpouseBUZZ Talk Radio, we'll have our weekly Pajama Party. Who will be our mystery guest? Well, you'll have to tune in to find out. I'll just say that we'll be continuing the music theme, but with a twist.
We're going to have those of you in the chat room rate some brand new music. Military-themed, of course. American Idol for milspouses! Join us at 9:00 Eastern tomorrow evening as we chat in the chat room while the show is live.
October 19, 2007|
I’m absolutely exhausted. Not having a good week – not as bad as my son's but I’m totally and completely wiped out!
My son, on the other, hand is lying in a hospital bed. He was sent to the ER yesterday by a phenomenally astute Physical Therapist (shout outs to MAJ Cameron!) and ended up in emergency surgery. He is recuperating today and preparing for another surgery tomorrow.
We spent the entire day yesterday in the ER….thank heavens for the military family!
October 19, 2007|
Some of you have asked that we combine the entire six-part SpouseBUZZ Blog Series into one place so you could easily link to it. Ask and ye shall receive:
Part I - Blog It Don't Hog It: Nobody has a monopoly - This Land is Your Land.
Part II - I Want a Blog, But How Do I Do It?: Make it Happen!
Part III - Privacy Concerns: Loose Lips Sink Ships...
Part IV: Networking: It's Who You Know - Work it, Baby!
Part V: Blog Etiquette: Mind Your Manners.
Part VI: Blog Bling: Strut Your Stuff.
And don't forget to join the new Blogger's Row group.
October 19, 2007|
Last night, Andi and I were very fortunate to be able to speak with Matt of "Blackfive", and Tim of "Captain Patti, the sweetest woman on the planet goes to Baghdad".
As with every show, but this show in particular, I felt a HUGE responsibility throughout the day presenting this information.
The military blogging is a powerful force. And I have seen the military bloggers change things one person at a time. It has been amazing.
I hope you all take the time to listen to the program, we talk about the significance of military blog, the support they offer, the news they provide, and how we as a community, have changed the face of today's military landscape.
Thank you to all who joined us in the chat room. I wish we would have had MORE time.
October 19, 2007|
Today airforcewife is not a happy camper. Not. At. All.
And there is a very good reason for it. It has to do with our privatized housing.
October 19, 2007|
My question for this post: How do you prepare your children for separation (deployments, TDY, weekend trainings, etc)?
We have talked a lot about deployments and reintegration here on SB, but I wonder how other milspouses prepare their children when a parent has to "go away" for a period of time. I think this is important due to my own "lessons learned" with my kids, as well as helping other milspouses prepare their children. Especially new spouses, or spouses who have kids that are "at the age" where some preparation needs to be done. We're all different and do things our own ways, but your "way of doing things" may help another milspouse. So, please share your experiences.
October 18, 2007|
So this week was really a crappy one and I'm so happy to have it over with.
Lancelot has been traveling and I've been making do with the cat and the dog for companionship. It's okay, honestly..they're pretty good companions and God knows, I'm not complaining.
This morning, I picked up my daughter at the train station. I was so looking forward to seeing her. I miss my kids. I really do and am so happy when they come home for a visit.
Light twin and I went to lunch, came home and chatted awhile. She then went off to get a haircut and I had a little time to myself. Regrouping for me and renewing for her..it was all good. Afterwards, we ordered chinese and had a good time just visiting with each other.
And then her brother came home..unexpectedly...
October 18, 2007|
We announced SpouseBUZZ LIVE Ft. Bragg/Pope AFB just two weeks ago, and we're very close to filling one-third of the available seats. Reserve your spot now. If you don't, you're going to miss out on a whole lot of fun. Take a look at some of the images from our last LIVE event.
You don't really want to miss this, do you?
October 18, 2007|
In the post below, AFWife_Niki mentioned that she went into two NY&C stores and the sales clerks were unaware of the 15% military discount.
New York & Company is one of my absolute favorite stores. Anytime I go into a mall with an NY&Co, it's usually my first stop. Well after reading the post you wrote about the store last year, I went to two NY&Co's back home in NJ and asked if they had a military discount. Both times the cashiers looked at me like I was crazy and asked what that was. I guess only NY&Co's near military installations offer discounts. It makes me sad but I'll still shop there! There isn't a NY&Co near my base though.
This probably happens all the time given turnover of employees and other factors. My advice to Niki was to press them on it if you know it's a stated, nationwide policy which, in this case, it is.
But, there's something else you can do. Go armed with a coupon.
More coupons here. Bookmark the link and scan it before you go shopping. You never know what you might find.
October 18, 2007|
Military spouses are incredibly loyal to individuals and businesses which are military-friendly. And let's face it, more often than not, we're the ones making the purchasing decisions for the household. We're usually the Chief Financial Officer.
Yesterday, someone forwarded an email to me. A credit union has asked their members to do something wonderful for deployed service members.
October 18, 2007|
I will be joined by Matthew Burden of 'Blackfive.net", and author of The Blog of War, and Tim author of one of the very first milspouse blogs "Captain Patti, the sweetest woman on the planet, goes to Baghdad".
Join as we discuss the changing nature of blogging, the importance of blogs as a historical record, blogs as a support mechinism, and the new media.
We request you call in and join the discussion tonight!
Guest call-in number: (646) 478-5665
Also please join us in the chat room, for great discussion during the program.
Join us tonight on SpouseBuzz Radio
October 17, 2007|
Look what I found at The National Military Family Association website!
Disney Tickets Available for Military FamiliesMilitary families who are unable to travel to a base to buy specially priced Walt Disney World Theme Park tickets have a new option. Retired, Active, National Guard, Reservist and DoD personnel are now able to purchase these specially priced tickets over the phone. Many military families don't live near a base. We wanted to make sure they were able to take advantage of the savings on Disney Theme Park tickets without having to travel for hours to their nearest base; said Randy Gerber, Disney Military Sales director.This year is a special time to visit as the Disney Parks celebrate the Year of a Million Dreams. Randomly awarded, these dreams include such things as "money can't buy"; experiences as a Dream FASTPASS badge with unique access to some of Disney's most popular attractions; private meetings with favorite Disney characters; shopping sprees; and a variety of unique Disney vacation experiences, including the chance to spend the night in a special suite inside Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World.Disney Military Sales has offered discounted tickets to military families for over 20 years. The proceeds directly support the base community and the programs offered to the military personnel stationed there. Discounted tickets for qualifying military families may be purchased via mail-order by calling the Commander, Navy Region Southwest at 619-767-6000 or Air Force Central Ticket Program at 210-652-2855.
October 17, 2007|
So, now you have a blog and you want to jazz it up with some bells and whistles. You want some Blog Bling. What are your options and how do you get started?
October 17, 2007|
I meant to do a post on fire prevention during Fire Prevention Week (October 7-13), but like many things, I neglected to do it.
It struck me that like my post, fire prevention can take a backseat to what we perceive to be more pressing matters.
As a military family, however, fire prevention is something for which we must make time.
October 17, 2007|
We have two bathrooms in our base housing unit - both of which are falling down around our ears like the rest of the house.
New Jersey is very humid, so the master bathroom, the only one with windows, often sits with its windows open to dry and air out as much as possible. While our bathroom faces the backyard, and our backyard is fenced, people can still see into the window from the alley behind our house. This can create a problem.
October 16, 2007|
Our first SpouseBUZZ LIVE Ft. Bragg/Pope AFB commerical is done. The director just emailed the final cut. My co-star is one of our favorite people in the world, Vince Patton. We labored long and hard to get this down. It's a rap ladies and gentlemen, and if our smooth moves don't convince you that you're in for a real treat on December 1st, nothing will...
SpouseBUZZ LIVE - Catch the Fever!
Create your own video here. Thanks to Rena for the tip.
October 16, 2007|
Speaking of road trips, Semper Fi Wife....
My SpouseBUZZ colleagues will be surprised to see this post. That's because they thought I would be traveling and out of pocket most of the day today. Well, so did I. So did I....
October 16, 2007|
I am!!! I noticed in the comments for Andi's post announcing Spousebuzz Live 3 that there are spouses in the DC/Virginia area who want to attend but would like to carpool.
That just sounds like F-U-N to me. Road trips always do sound like fun to me though...road trip food, road trip music, road trip hijinks.. and the fun doesn't end when the trip is over. We're going to Spousebuzz Live, baby!!!
I live in Northern Virginia near Quantico. Would you all like to caravan/carpool to Ft. Bragg?
We could consider this post a sign up to get folks together.
October 16, 2007|
Instead of changing the bed-sheets every week, I just use peach scented spray on them when I make the bed.
AirForceGuy doesn't seem to mind.
October 15, 2007|
I just logged onto the new MSN and guess what I spotted? I do believe I recognize today's Military Spouse of the Day. Now I can't wait to log on each day to see if I know the Spouse of the Day.
Could be you one day. More info here.
October 15, 2007|
For as long as I can remember, each time one of our 13 nieces or nephews would visit, or we would visit them, my husband and I would make a trip to the PX or clothing sales to purchase some Army paraphernalia for the kids. We would buy clothing, or some type of G.I. Joe doll or a tank. The kids loved it. Especially my sister's son, he always tells people about his "uncle in the Army."
October 14, 2007|
It's been a tough week for SpouseBUZZ Talk Radio (SBTR). First, we had the wonderful Julie Negron on the show Thursday. We were off to a bad start when Julie could hear us, but we couldn't hear her. That was finally resolved, but there was some fuzziness on the line throughout the show.
And now....
