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New and Old Adventures for the Military Family
Old adventure!A military PCS is always an adventure! In fact, “military lifestyle” is a synonym for adventure. Finding new fun things to do in your new community after a PCS can be challenging for a military family! Heading outdoors, new schools, new jobs, getting out the front door, off the installation, exploring social opportunities, meeting new friends, visiting local highlights, browsing new malls, walking new trails and playing on new park equipment can be the best of times. But last week I had the greatest time exploring an adventure from the past! Charleston, South Carolina was a wonderful place to live but the summer’s were hot and humid and each…
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The Gold Star Family & Our American Flag
This past weekend was out of this world. Boating, Bike Riding, Ga-Ga Ball, Campfire & S’mores, and much more, all wrapped in time spent as a family. A huge thank you to Ohio’s Operation Military Kids and the USO for supporting programs like Military Family Camp. This was top-notch support! I desperately want to share more about the weekend but need to take the time to share this solemn moment and give it its due “time in the spotlight”. In our group of about 50 there were three Gold-star families, enjoying the weekend just like the rest of us. On Sunday morning a Gold-Star Dad and his three grandsons, one being a Gold-Star…
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Active Living in the US Navy Even Has an IPhone App! DoD Blogger Roundtable
“They have an IPhone App for their program…” Spring seems to be a great time to get started on new workout plans, healthier eating, gardens and more! May is even designated as physical fitness and sports month so it was great timing for the DoD Blogger Roundtable to discuss the US Navy Operational Fitness and Fueling System and some new and better ways to help stay healthy! As a long time advocate for a healthy lifestyle I was very interested in the topic but wanted to make sure that it would be interesting for our followers. Diana Strock, Physical Fitness and Injury Prevention Program Manager said they had “resounding feedback”…
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On Your Way to a Smooth Move: DoD Roundtable
It is that time! PCS season is upon us and many military families are negotiating orders and beginning the process of planning for a move. With that in mind, I had a great chance to listen to and speak with Barbara Thompson, Director, Office of Family Policy/Children & Youth, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense. We all know that a PCS can be an amazing adventure but also an incredible stressor on families. I have an example for you; in the late 80’s my family moved from Ft. Walton Beach, Florida to Keflavik, Iceland. Can you say, “Change of scenery”? In the end the move to Iceland was…
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The ‘busy-ness’ of Spring
Ah… Spring. A perfect adjective would be refreshing. We get out of the house. We start the garden. We clean off the deck. We pull out our soccer cleats, baseball gloves and running shorts. We pump up our bike tires, clean out our cars and hose off the outdoor dump trucks, bubble wands and kiddie pools. We open windows, smell the flowers, take long hikes. We start to fill the family calendar with all sorts of events. As military families we also might be looking at orders. We clean out our closets, get rid of the ‘extras’, plan for the future. We make last ditch moments to see the town we called home…
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Impact of the Sequestration
A Compilation of Articles about the Sequestrationand the impact on Military Families From the Department of Defense & other relevant news sources: Carter Reassures Defense Industry Amid Budget UncertaintyMarch 12, 2013 – Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter pledged today that the Pentagon will not allow a $46 billion cut in spending and uncertainty over future funding to keep it from focusing on challenges facing the nation even though the current fiscal situation will lead to “perverse, unsafe and wasteful consequences.” (continued) Sequestration Pinch Includes Tuition Assistance SuspensionMarch 12, 2013 – Though budget woes led the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force to suspend their tuition assistance programs and the Navy…
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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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The Year in Review – 2012
MilitaryAvenue.com has a lot to offer the military family, from local military discounts, to stories of personal experience, and articles from reputable resources like the DoD, USAA, Community and Family Policy and so many more. So what was important to our families this year? Here are the Top 10 Articles on MilitaryAvenue.com from the year 2012: MilitaryAvenue’s Moving Checklist: A move isn’t complete without a checklist! It certainly is less stressful with one. Click on a link below to take you to the appropriate time frame and then skim the other lists to make sure you are on track for a great move. Growing Up in the Military: A few years ago,…
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VOTE VOTE VOTE DoD Blogger Roundtable
A Military Family Memberwho is happy mom voted!It is Not Too Late to Vote!Military personnel and their families have a lot at stake when it comes to elections. You serve this great nation in a way that many citizens can not and do not. So why not get involved in this election? Too hard to do? Not true, according to Pamela Mitchell, Acting Director of Federal Voting Assistance Program. During a DoD Blogger Roundtable Ms Mitchell described some great social media, mass emails (12,000,000 – now that is quite the mailing list) to all .mil addresses, twitter town home meetings, live chat and call center and of course their website…
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US Navy Health Promotion and Wellness – DoD Blogger Roundtable
When we see images of our military community we see a young, vibrant and healthy group of Americans. But realistically our vision may be wrong. The Department of Defense spends $1 Billion per year on weight management, many still smoke and health and wellness are hot topics among the defense medical community and leaders. Talking health! See Below for Photo CreditYesterday Cmdr. Denise Gechas, Director of Population Health, Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) met with the Blogger Roundtable (BRT) to discuss the launch of the Navy’s health and wellness campaign. She was in Norfolk for the launch and the roundtable asked her about the campaign and she…
