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May 31, 2008|
For those of you who missed last week's show, we talked with representatives of Western Governors University, an online accredited university which caters heavily to the military community. I wanted to point out a few links that may interest some of you who are looking to enroll in school, expand your education or find funding for your educational/career pursuits.
Career Advancement Accounts (funding source)
May 31, 2008|
Game show seeks military family contestants
The producers of a new game show for ABC are looking for military families to be contestants on the pilot episode of the show, which will offer “a huge cash prize.”
Families who want to apply to be contestants must submit their requests by July 3.
Information about the name of the show, how much the prizes will be, and what kind of game show it will be is not available for proprietary reasons, said Victor Hurtado, head of Martenvee Media, which specializes in military casting. But he said the show will be “family friendly” and involve “general-knowledge questions.”
May 30, 2008|
Many of us in the blogosphere are on the cusp of PCS season.
And in most instances, these are bittersweet days.
We are ready for adventure, new experiences, and new people.
In my case I will not miss mosquitos the size of my head, and the general balminess that surrounds me.
But this blogger really honors what it means to be moving forward.
May 30, 2008|
Thank you all so much for the continuing support and counseling patiences because...
LAST WEEK I HAD BIG CHANGES!!!
May 30, 2008|
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the agony of one-way communication, that I can't just pick up a phone and call my husband in Iraq when I need to tell him some news. On that day, I was waiting to tell him the happiest news we've had in a long time: We're going to have a baby. I found out four days after he deployed. Naturally, it was while he was making his way from Kuwait to Iraq, so I had no idea when I'd hear from him.
A few days later, the nurse checked my hormone levels and told me that things were not looking very good. She told me to be prepared for the worst, that we were probably going to lose this baby just like we lost the one six months ago.
Again, I had to wait for my husband to call me, this time so I could tell him the bad news.
Yesterday I went for a special ultrasound, to see if the news was as bad as it seemed. Luckily, it wasn't. We appear to have a happy and healthy 6 week old baby, the size of half your pinky fingernail.
And guess who had to wait for her husband to call?
I am plain tired of giving life-altering news over the phone.
May 29, 2008|
You don't want to miss tonight's show! Because as hard as it is for military spouses to find steady employment that is in-demand everywhere they go - we've got another answer for you!
SpouseBUZZ Radio will be interviewing folks - staff and graduates - from Western Governors University about their teaching program for military spouses! The world needs teachers EVERYWHERE - I, myself have taught in three different states! And there are some great benefits involved!
Don't forget - tonight at 9 pm Eastern on SpouseBUZZ Radio! As always, our chat room will be hopping!
May 29, 2008|
I luuuurve Anita Renfroe, for SEVERAL reasons.
First off, she is just plain funny.
Second, she took time out of her BUSY schedule and came on to Spouse Buzz Talk Radio HERE, and she was a joy.
There is the Momsense video, which has been seen by MILIONS!
And now there is this...
I present to you Dadsense.....
And most importantly, when she was on SpouseBuzz Talk Radio, she made sure to let us know she WANTS to do something for the military community. In fact she told us, that if she was near your town, to contact her people, and she would make sure to give you a discounted military rate!!
May 29, 2008|
Just wanted to post a quick update to this comment left by sweetest sass on a post that She of the Sea published a few days ago. I ran this by John Hancock of USAA and here is his response:
Please let your readers/followers know that USAA is working on putting together a program to assist military families when they find themselves in these situations. Many of us have been there ourselves. We’re expecting to introduce some new features in our property coverage later this summer and I’m positive military families and individuals will be glad to know we’ve heard the cry.
And speaking of USAA, I have to take a moment to thank them for giving me the opportunity to ride in a fighter jet last week.
It was the thrill of a lifetime! I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was. My one fear -- that I would throw up and humilate myself, therefore shaming Army wives in front of a Naval aviator -- didn't materialize. I'm working on getting video up, there have been some technical challenges, but I hope to have video and photos of the voyage up very soon. Thanks USAA!
May 29, 2008|
With the passing of the holiday weekend, we enter the summer season. Temperatures and gas prices will rise, PCS moves will criss-cross the country like the laces on a pair of Bates boots and kids will soon be out of school.....and accompanying Mom to the commissary.
May 28, 2008|
Lancelot and I have been blessed over the many years of our marriage with the fact that OUR grandparents have been healthy and long living. Sadly on Monday, we received the news that we'd been dreading: Lancelot's Gramma had passed away at the age of 98.
This won't be a sad post; this will be a celebration of life.
May 28, 2008|
Today is an exciting day here at SpouseBUZZ. Today, we're welcoming a few more authors to the site. If you look at the right-hand sidebar, you'll see a new category of authors. As our readership has grown, so too has our desire to bring some fresh faces and new perspectives on board. We often refer to SpouseBUZZ as a community rather than a blog, because it truly has become a community, thanks solely to you. Just today, reader Kati left this comment:
This website makes me feel more connected to other spouses than my own FRG.
That's what it's all about. Connecting with each other, sharing experiences and considering different perspectives. Over the past year and a half, the lines between the authors and the readers have blurred. In truth, you built this community, not the other way around. The authors throw topics out each day for discussion, but it is you who get the conversation started, and whether we agree or disagree on any given topic, the conversations are always enlightening, spirited, interesting and civil.
We have a very diverse stable of authors representing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard and Reserves. And of course, we have Toad, a SpouseBUZZ treasure.... Our newbies are wifeunit, a Navy wife, Erin Rages, an Army wife and DL Sly, Marine wife, frequent commenter and Snarkmaster. RedLegMeg, an Army wife, should be a familiar face to those of you who have been around since the early days because she started out with us. We managed to coax her out of retirement and she'll be contributing to SpouseBUZZ on an infrequent (she made me say that) basis. Stay tuned, because we'll have another interesting addition to announce soon.
We're very excited to have these women join us and we're eager to read their posts and learn from them. We're sure you will enjoy having them around, too. I'll leave it to them to introduce themselves if they wish, but please give them a warm SpouseBUZZ welcome.
May 28, 2008|
Many returning injured service members are asking questions about TBI - about resultant memory loss and seeking practical tips for dealing with the life issues. I recently received an email from a friend whose husband was severely injured in Iraq. He is now showing one of the signs of TBI - memory loss. She asked me if I had any suggestions for dealing with this. I don't have any experience in this area, but I bet some of you do. Can you help her?
May 27, 2008|
Foreign-born spouses and children of American service members applying for US citizenship may be eligible for naturalization overseas under a new rule that also loosens physical residency requirements.
If you know a foreign-born spouse, please give them this information. If your spouses club has an international spouses component, please pass this on to them.
May 27, 2008|
I've heard a lot of commentary over the years about the factors that go into the decision-making process used by military families when they're trying to decide whether to live on post/base or off post/base. Given the waiting lists at some installations, the decision is occasionally made for us. Where to live is a huge decision, and getting it right is important. Some families prefer to be on post for the support system, convenience and safety, and some prefer to distance themselves from the fishbowl aspects of living on post.
May 27, 2008|
Recently on a non-military blog I enjoy reading I saw a post that I thought many SpouseBUZZ readers might get a kick out of.
The post was about how we describe ourselves, and it was more than a bit challenging.
May 26, 2008|
The Collective and I were honored to attend the Memorial Day service here in town.
We remember.
As I perused the blogosphere, it touched my heart to see that Memorial Day is being honored across America. In the largest of our cities, to the smallest of towns.
It is hard to imagine where we would be without a Nation of heroes.....
May 26, 2008|
Yesterday was my first attendance at Rolling Thunder. Now that I've been to one, I can't imagine any other or more appropriate way to spend Memorial Day.
May 25, 2008|
I don't think it's escaped anyone's notice that tomorrow is Memorial Day.
It is a solemn day. One where we honor the ultimate sacrifices made on our behalf by brave men and women. It is right that we do this. We should do no less.
As I was searching the Internet this weekend for articles, I came across one titled "Silent Eulogies" from the Rocky Mountain News. The article talks about Fort Logan Cemetery in Colorado. One of the tombstones there is inscribed "Remember Me And Not My Fate"
May 25, 2008|
It is Memorial Day Weekend. The weekend we remember and honor our veterans who selflessly gave their lives to protect and defend our great nation. I hold in my heart the many names of those who have died, particularly my father-in-law and two dear friends of ours who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It can be a somber weekend, yet it is also a weekend to CELEBRATE the lives of our great men and women.
This weekend I am celebrating with my family in a different sense. Not just my DH and kids, but (almost) my entire side of the family. We have talked about the holidays and birthdays we often miss as military families. Engagements, weddings, births, etc., because we live all over the map. So this Memorial Day Weekend is very special to me.
May 24, 2008|
Air Force Family had a BLAST at the VA Ren Faire! If you are in the area this weekend, go on whichever day you aren't attending Rolling Thunder (we're attending Rolling Thunder tomorrow - so stand by for even more pictures).
Here's one picture to get you started off, and a better description after the jump. And don't forget! In honor of their service, military are free this weekend at the Faire! Free, and treated like gold by the organizers, too. I can't urge you enough to go have fun there, and show some support in thanks to them.
May 24, 2008|
USNA Graduation 2008. It was wonderful.
The stadium was filled with proud family and friends. Most importantly, it was filled with over 1000 new members of our military family. All of them volunteering to serve during time of war.
May 23, 2008|
It's Memorial Day Weekend, and the wonderful people at the Virginia Renaissance Fair are offering FREE ADMISSION to all active duty, reserve, and retired military ID holders!
A good Ren Faire is tons of fun! Air Force Family will be going on Saturday - maybe we'll see you there! I will most definitely have pictures for you next week!
May 23, 2008|
Dear Magic Scale Fairy:
I don't like you. Please do your job.
Love, AFW
This week has been interesting...
May 23, 2008|
I got a special treat on Sunday, I got to see LAW. As much as I adore LAW, and I have met her before, that's not the treat I'm talking about. No, my treat was meeting her husband, the man I've read and heard about for probably two years now through blog entries and comments. I told him that we just love his wife. I think he's pretty fond of her, too.
May 22, 2008|
Remember the old SBTR Pajama Party days? We're bringing back a special edition Pajama Party tonight. Guard Wife and airforcewife will be hosting. Can't think of two funnier, more entertaining people. Join us at 9:00 p.m. EDT by clicking here. Hopefully, we're not banned from future broadcasting after tonight's show, anything goes with the Pajama Parties. I get the feeling the subject of sport's bras may crop up (pun intended). airforcewife seems to have a disturbing fascination with this topic, as regular listeners and chatters know by now.
Don't forget to be in the chat room. See you at 9:00.
May 22, 2008|
A member of my extended Marine Corps family is going to be transformed tomorrow. I am so excited because I get to be there for his transformation!!
May 22, 2008|
A few weeks ago when most of the SpouseBUZZ crew came to my house, the lovely and talented Sarah made a rather astute observation about my decor (pieced together from various duty stations and deployments).
"Your house," she said, "looks like a Middle Eastern Applebees."
With one of those sudden realizations where everything falls in place, it all made sense. She was right! No wonder I often find myself craving a loaded burger and some seasoned fries as I sit with Air Force Guy watching TV at night!
Evidence after the jump...
May 22, 2008|
Tonight I had the opportunity to attend my very first ever on-post sports picnic. In lieu of having individual team or league parties, the post holds one big event at the end of the year. I was looking forward to the usual picnic fare and the opportunity to enjoy a bit of friendship before we move next week. What ensued was far from what I expected.
More after the jump...
May 21, 2008|
As you know, SpouseBUZZ doesn't do politics. Our lane is the milspouse support lane and we stay comfortably between the yellow lines. However, it is election season and since the war is a huge issue, some of you will no doubt be following politics with great interest this year. For those of you who are, let me offer a few resources:
Military.com has it's 2008 Election Center up and running, and it's a wealth of information. You can read about the positions of the candidates, keep track of issues of relevance to the military community and you can even participate in an online debate by posing questions directly to Senators Obama and McCain. Click here to find out more.
I'm also very proud of the fact that military.com chose two military spouses as authors of their Daily Election Center Blog. Carissa Picard of Military Spouses for Change and our own airforcewife are blogging about election issues that affect military personnel and their families. Both women are intelligent, passionate and brilliant writers. I'm proud to see their strength and smarts on display in such a wonderful forum. Nice to have a little "girl power" over there. Milspouse girl power, at that!
So that's it, the one and only political post you're likely to ever see here at SpouseBUZZ. Now, back to doing what we do here....
May 21, 2008|
Reader CS sends this interesting exchange:
Dear Prudie,
My husband has been serving a 15-month tour in Iraq and has an 18-day R&R break in September, when we will celebrate our first anniversary, as well as take the GMAT exam and fill out applications for graduate school. His combat tour will be complete in February 2009. We had already discussed his R&R, and he said he just wanted to see me and was fine with not seeing family. But now his parents want to visit while he's here. His father talks incessantly and can be abrasive. He's a Vietnam vet and likes to express his reservations about the Iraq war. I just don't think that's what my husband needs, and others who have already had their R&R recommend spending all of it together and not trying to see others. What's the best plan here? Can I suggest they wait until February when he is (hopefully!) back for good, and we'll go visit them for a long weekend? Can I limit them to a four-day visit here? Or am I out of line for thinking a new wife has a say-so about familial guests at a sensitive time?—Out-law
May 21, 2008|
I confess. I am a collector of stuff.
I used to collect Cats Meow pieces but (I think) they're in a box in the basement. I haven't seen them for years.
Currently, I have several collections.
May 21, 2008|
May 20, 2008|
As you know, the SpouseBUZZ authors are a traveling group this summer. ArmyWifeToddlerMom is quickly closing in on moving day, Andi is preparing to pack up for warmer climates, and the Sea Family has 9 days until the packers arrive. Not that I'm counting.
As the days get nearer, the number of lists I'm managing is getting longer. Food that needs to be eaten, things that I need to borrow from the neighbors, things I need to return to the neighbors, phone calls that need to be made, people I need to see, food that can be prepared with nearly no equipment, things that I want to take in the car. The notebook is filling up awfully fast.
May 20, 2008|
One bad thing about a deployed husband and having no kids? I have eaten the same chicken casserole for the past eight meals in a row. I love the stuff, but dang. It's hard enough to cook for two, but it's ridiculous to cook for one.
And my husband thinks his life is Groundhog Day.
You know, we hear this all the time, that our spouses are living Groundhog Day while deployed. But sometimes our side of the coin runs pretty similarly. Every evening so far since my husband left, I have eaten dinner (the same casserole), taken the dog for a walk, put the dog in the house, watered the flowers, watched a little TV, read a chapter of my book, and gone to bed. Every night.
Our deployed loved ones don't have a monopoly on monotony!
May 20, 2008|
Compare 2009 Pay Charts
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Current TV Airs Military.com Members' Videos to Fallen Loved One
Armed Forces Vacation Club
Military Families
Spiritual Devotional Hotline
Vehicle Registration Updating in Europe
AF Marathon Set for September
Committee Approves National Parks Discount
4 Names Added to Vietnam Memorial Wall
Raiders Team with DoD
Sleep-Away Camp Offers Scholarships
New Spouse Financial Spouse Guide
AF Program Helps Runners
Deadline Nears for Scholarship Essay
Exchanges Going Green
May 19, 2008|
How many of you will shortly experience a homecoming or a deployment?
The Pentagon on Monday announced upcoming deployments of more than 42,000 troops, including 25,000 active duty Army soldiers who would be sent to Iraq beginning in the fall to replace troops scheduled to come home by year's end.
List of rotations after the jump:
May 19, 2008|
Joan asked an intriguing question and I cannot wait to read her follow-up post.
As I contemplated my answer, I realized that my feelings about my "alone time" have changed in the past six years since becoming a Guard Wife. And, as we thrust ourselves headlong into another overseas pre-deployment cycle (yep, we've received real word), I began to think about what this deployment may look like.
May 19, 2008|
We don't shop at the commissary, which causes misery in more ways than one. The last grocery shopping expedition resulted in my kitchen floor being littered with a sea of plastic bags, and my cat wondering who possessed his mother's body and caused bad words to flow from her lips.
When I returned home from the grocery store and began unloading the bags, I was thinking to myself, "Sheesh, did I buy twice as much as I usually do?" The bags stuffed inside my trunk would seem to indicate as much. It wasn't until I began going through the bags that I realized what had happened.
May 18, 2008|
I'm an active-duty spouse, so I can't totally relate to how the other half lives. Although we can -- and do -- connect on many levels, there are differences. I found this email from a National Guard wife to be very interesting:
I would love to see a post talking about spouses like me. I live with guilt on a daily basis. It's a guilt few people can or will understand. My civilian friends get it least of all, but even my military friends struggle to understand.
You see, DH is in the National Guard.
May 18, 2008|
I got some books on tape from the library to keep me company on car trips while my husband is gone. He laughed a one of my choices, saying that it was a tad dense. But I thought lectures on the history of ethics would defintely keep my mind occupied.
Anyway, I was struck by an application of Machiavelli's formula for success:
Machiavelli's third assumption was that human history could be a science...that there could be a formula for success in public life because there were only two variables in life.... The two variables were what Machiavelli called virtu and fortuna. Virtu, in Italian, meant not "virtue," certainy not moral virtue, but strength, power, prowess, control, the ability to compel objective reality to obey your will, the ability to impose your will on something else. Machiavelli's other category, fortuna, meant not "fortune" in a sense of a fortune in wealth, but luck, chance, or fate, all the things you could not foresee or control.
Machiavelli's formula for success is the maximization of virtu and the minimization of fortuna, or the conquest by virtu of fortuna.
And as I listened to this, I was struck by what a perfect summation it is of what we strive for in the military life: the maximization of control and the minimization of chance. And how we try to impose our will on those things we can not foresee. We try so hard to tip the scales towards virtu, don't we?
But oh how the military feels like fortuna!
May 16, 2008|
When your spouse deploys or goes "away" (i.e. TDY), do you feel as though your spouse "leaves you behind?"
This is a question for anyone who is willing to answer. Something I was thinking about today and wondered what you all think. There is a purpose to my question, which I will kindly explain in a follow-up post in a few days. I will not be giving my own opinion in this post - that will be in the next post.
Please answer "yes" or "no." Then, if you feel so inclined, write something that justifies your answer (WHY you answered the way you did). I appreciate it and I promise I will explain soon!
Thanks!
May 16, 2008|
I'm back on track!
Exercise and diet wise, anyway. The jury is still out on whether the weight is going to actually drop, thought, because it's official. I'VE HIT MY FIRST PLATEAU.
But there are a few things I'm doing to try and fix that.
May 16, 2008|
If you live around the Washington, DC area, there are a couple of events taking place this weekend that may be of interest to you. First, there's the Joint Services Air Show that will take place at Andrews AFB beginning today through Sunday. Today would be a great day to go because only DoD cardholders are allowed in today. The show is open to the general public for the rest of the weekend. If you get over there, look for the USAA tent with a skydeck!
Also happening in Washington is the GI Film Festival. On Sunday, the festival will feature a panel on milblogging and our own Joan D'Arc will be sitting on the panel. Tickets are only $5. You can buy tickets here.
Anything happening where you are this weekend that you'd like to share?
May 16, 2008|
I find myself explaining a lot of military humor to people who aren't normally associated with military endeavors.
It's gallows humor, definitely. And then there's the teasing aspect - I can make fun of the Air Force, but God help someone not affiliated with the military trying to. Just doesn't roll well, you know? It's okay for us to call people PowerPoint Rangers, but if some TV pundit tried it I'd be at the front of the spitting line.
And it's not just my husband or myself with these humor issues - my kids pick them up. I think they pick them up in the womb.
In fact, just a few weeks ago we had a bit of an issue with this.
May 15, 2008|
Join us tonight as we talk with filmmaker, Deborah Scranton. Deborah is the producer of two successful military-themed documentaries, The War Tapes and the recently-aired Bad Voodoo's War. Background here:
Show starts at 9:00 p.m. EDT. Click here to listen, and don't forget to join us in the chat room.
May 15, 2008|
That is right folks...
A full on DITY move with no husband, after being here for 8 years.
I am sure some of you strong and courageous women have done this.
OK, I am 16 days out from being out of here, and could use some of your best cheerleading. (no horror stories PLEASE.)
May 15, 2008|
So, He of the Sea had his stuff stolen at the gym recently. It was kind of funny when he called to say that someone had stolen his pants, then the reality set it. Carefully stored in the pockets were his phone (brand new), his keys (two houses, one post office box, two cars) and his wallet (one military ID [including social security number, of course], one driver's license, two credit cards, and various other paraphernalia).
The good news is, they didn't take the car. It would have been easy enough...there weren't that many Ford cars in the parking lot that night. That would have been a tragic loss, as he had put his wedding ring away in the car before he went to work out. Plus the inconvenience, and expense, of replacing a perfectly good, and paid for, car.
He spent the evening filing police reports (one civilian, one military), calling banks and ordering a new driver's license. We read up on credit alert vs. credit freeze and debated the relative merits of each.
While we can't prevent this kind of thing from ever happening, there are a few things that have made it easier, and a few things I'll change in case it happens again.
May 15, 2008|
Frequent commenter and fellow milspouse/milparent LAW has just started up a blog for military parents called Parents Zone.
From the blog: "A page for parents – a place to gather online to talk to other parents of serving soldiers/airmen/marines/sailors/coast guards/national guard of any persuasion ( ok, did I get everyone now?) , to get information, to connect… are you interested?"
I know I'm going to be passing this link around to parents in my son's unit as well as to friends who have sons or daughters in the military!!!
May 14, 2008|
When the Dark Prince left for the sandbox, he left such a mess of dirty/clean clothing, etc., in his room and car that Lancelot and I practiced avoidance for a period of time. The Light twin came home last week and as part of my Mother's Day present, helped me clean out his room.
U-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e!!!!!!!!
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