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Going Banana Bread
Recipe ready, ingredients and apronsTuesdays with the Grands: Going Banana Bread Tuesday morning started with a whirlwind of life… Stand back because the babes are about to enter! The choice was made to change the day from a day of pure babysitting into a time to cherish, capture with pictures, perhaps decorate the furniture create a memory. For all the world, he looks like he is waving to his adoring fans,or saluting the troops. Either way, he owns the joint! Tuesday was rainy, not the misty sweet shower after the snow storms… but blustery, tree limb cracking flood stage rain. So a ride on the tractor, or a walk in the woods was…
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Being an Only Child … for moments in time
I’m not an only child. I am the oldest of three. Neither are my boys. There are four boys from 19 years old to 2 years old. They are my heart walking around outside of my body. And I’m laughing (with her of course) at a very dear friend who just found out they are pregnant with Baby 2 and are worried that older brother is going to be jealous. Ah life is about to change (all for the better) for them! You know that opportunity though when you get time with just Mom or Dad? It is priceless. So walk with me down memory lane. I was a junior in…
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Distance Learning for Military Spouses and Veterans
Are you looking at a master’s degree or graduate certification in any of these three areas: family and community services, family financial planning or youth development? Checkout this announcement from the Department of Defense. DOD, USDA Partner in ‘Win-win’ Distance Learning Program These areas (Family & Community Support, Family Financial Planning and Youth Development) definitely need attention in the military community. I would love to see more support for our military family as a whole. Barbara Thompson, director of DOD’s office for family policy, children and youth, agrees “Those are three areas that we find critical to support the military family community,” she said. “So the goal is not only will our service members, spouses and…
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Carrot, Egg or Coffee Bean?
My aunt sent me this small story and said it reminded her of something my grandma would say. She, my gram, was a woman of wise words and wisdom so I couldn’t agree more with my aunt after reading it. We have a lot of struggles in military-life. PCSs and Deployments are the two big ones but we all know there is so much more. So when you hit that brick wall ask yourself, “Am I a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?” If you aren’t sure how to answer that then read on… A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things…
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Military Kids Website Also Helps Parents, Educators
Technology has come a long ways since I was a military-brat PCSing around the world in the 80s and 90s. I didn’t have to deal with year long deployments but I remember Dad being gone for six months at a time for training and schooling. Fast forward a ‘few years’ and I watched my husband head off to Iraq with the Ohio Army National Guard. I had a few print pamphlets and a couple of Internet articles I could share with teachers that weren’t accustomed to having military-children in their classroom but there wasn’t much more support then that.I am so glad to see our military families getting the support they need! The Defense Department…
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Another PCS? Or Your First? Some great Moving Tools to Assist You!
It is PCS Time AgainAre you excited about this next move? Or is it the wrong move, at the wrong time? Ready to jump into research, house hunting, finding the best schools, how to get those utilities hooked up, a new local bank maybe, etc. Or maybe you have put it off and now the time crunch is upon you and you need to get started in a hurry? We faced all of those situations during a career that spanned 18 PCS type moves and some college students being hauled across the continent as well. The internet has opened some great new avenues to help and MilitaryAvenue’s Moving Tools is…
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Tax Support for our Military
Tax Season will soon be here. Be sure to check out these resources for you, the military family: W-2 and other tax forms are available on line for our military memembers and civilians at myPay, including Reserves, Retired, Savings Deposit Program forms and more. Air Force, Army, and Navy will be available tomorrow, 1/24. (https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx) Military OneSource Provides Tax Assistance Service: As tax season nears, Military OneSource and H&R Block have joined forces again to provide a free online tax preparation service for service members. 5 Tax Tips for Tough Situations: Your returns may be relatively uncomplicated — but sometimes new circumstances can make tax preparation a bit trickier. Follow these tips…
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Money Saving Idea: Getting Comfortable in the Kitchen
Throughout the next month the focus is going to be on saving money. No pressure on my part as that leads to nothing but guilt, and therefore failure. However, when I do find myself doing ‘the right thing’ I want to focus on it and think about how I can make it that much better. (My motto, “Little Drops of Awesome“) There will be a lot of trust. Trust that this focus is important, necessary, part of managing the household. It helps with some of the stress on my marriage. It helps me feel like a better manager of God’s provisions. Money doesn’t bring happiness but I’d sure like to try peace…
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Oh My! The Numbers Are Dropping
That Downward Slope Good morning winter! I see you have arrived in splendor and beauty.The air is so cold outside that the snow shimmers. Each individual crystal is just resting in layers, ready to fly again should any breeze catch a facet. Oh yes, it is January. Cannot complain about the temperatures… I just marvel!In Michigan we know seasons. It is time to be upclose (indoors with a quilt) and personal (lips locked on a large mug of something hot to drink) with this Winter Wonderland World! And the temperature just continues to drop! And what goes down… must come up. Right? Join Us byDeborahonTuesday, January 22, 2013Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary…
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Finances and the Heart
We all have demons in our lives. I mean in the real sense, not the scary fictional movie kind. Some of Satan’s army nips at our friendships, mauls at our self-worth, whisper about our inabilities. Some challenge things that we know, claw at our most trusted relationships, sneer at our self-esteem. When it comes to tearing a man down we don’t do it all on our own! This all was running through my mind this morning as we sat in church. The sermon was on money, trust, priorities. Let me tell you about this demon in my life. He scratches at my happiness, bites (with big gruesome teeth) at my marriage, makes…
