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A Minute out of the Norm: Take A Hike
This past Sunday I could feel the monotony of our weekend settling in. Soccer was Saturday; Church on Sunday; No school, no major running around to be done. I was quite content to sit in the family room and read. My boys though were at each other like cats and dogs. It was getting cool out so it was not quite as comfortable to sit outside and play. We had… aghast… a possible case of the Autumn Doldrums. With Hubby deployed it is not as easy to pack the kids up and get moving, but it is so very necessary. So we packed a couple water bottles. Put on our…
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Leadership–One Aspect that Helps Everyone
I have heard the best speakers on military leadership; read mandatory books and articles and attended schools just to learn how to be a good leader. I would like to provide a view of one aspect of leadership that occasionally needs emphasis! Mentorship is a critical part of leadership and insures our follow on leaders receive the information, job skills, hard knock lessons and knowledge they need to meet the needs of their future units, country and even their families. I have also witnessed great and not so great leaders at work. One characteristic of a great leader that I admire is the one that provides opportunities for those they…
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A Fall Season Leisure Activity for a Military Family
As we get started back into a fall routine with school and jobs we sometimes look for things to do in the nice fall weather. Finding leisure time activities for the family on the weekend can be quite the adventure for a military family in a new area! It may be a bit cooler and the beach or pool are not as inviting unless you are living in a very southern climate. As a military family it was always interesting to invade a new area and see what surprises they had for us. A great time for us in our newest location is apple picking! We have several orchards nearby…
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Happy Birthday, *E*
Sunday was my son’s 6th birthday. Wow, six years old! We had a wonderful day of celebrating but it has taken me TWO days to recuperate (hence, this “belated birthday”). I see so much of *E* in me. We are both quiet amongst new people but get us with friends and we’ll talk your ear off. We both crave friendship. We both like to know ‘the plan’. The unexpected can throw our whole day off. Surprises? Hate them! We savor knowing what is “in the works”. But he is not me. He is a rough and tumble boy. He can make a gun out of his finger, or legos or…
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What Fun!
As a military family we found ourselves in many different parts of the world! Adapting to the environment we were in was always a challenge we took on with an almost eager glee! What can we do here that we couldn’t in the last place? We went “spranging” in Iceland, rode the transcontinental railroad in Panama and went to a secluded beach after a walk through the jungle, snow skied in New Mexico, hiked Mt Rainier in Washington, rode the surf in Florida, built an igloo in Illinois during a major blizzard and a host of other family events that were just fun and helped us enjoy the transitions in…
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MilitaryAvenue’s September Newsletter
We will be publishing our September Newsletter this Sunday, September 21st. The theme this month is “Deployments.” I have enjoyed compiling our resources on MilitaryAvenue.com as well as here from “Our Letters to You”. If your family is also in the midst of a military-deployment I would encourage you to sign-up for our Military Family Newsletter. The Deployment Newsletter will have our regular features including our top 10 MilitaryAvenue.com articles from this past month. I also have some great articles lined up from our Partners, including Army Wife Talk Radio’s Field Problems. Create an account on MilitaryAvenue.com today where you can manage your newsletter subscriptions! We would love to be…
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Green Care for Troops & The Brickman Group
Dear Brickman Group, I can once again feel pride in the gardens & landscaping around my home. I was thrilled when “Green Care for Troops” called me a month ago to say that the manager of our local Brickman Group had been in contact with them. He wanted to help a family in the area who had a deployed-family member. We were chosen. I wouldn’t say my husband, currently deployed with the Army, is the primary green-thumb in our family. I even do most of the mowing when he IS home. There are other things though that he is in charge of to keep this family of five running smoothly.…
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Dad’s deployed…Dad’s still flying
We stood at the edge of the runway and saw the huge plane lumber down the tarmac and somehow boost itself up into the air. Families stood shoulder to shoulder, flags waving, children clinging to Moms, some Dads, some caregivers. Tiny fingers wrapped around their shoulders, as all necks craned to see the aircraft circle overhead, and then change from a huge behemoth to a pinpoint in the sky… and then gone. An empty pit formed in all of us. There they go… followed by the need to get going and get on with life, as it came at us fast. I remember a Monday morning three months deep into…
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Memories of 9/11/2001
Today is the 7th anniversary of the extremist attacks on the Pentagon, the WTC and of course the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania! How do we honor those who died that day and later died in combat while going after the attackers’ organizations? We must again place ourselves on that day and painfully remember the details and see the towers come down; watch the Pentagon burning and remember the stories of men and women in Pennsylvania who fought back so heroically! Then we must tell our children and grandchildren of the events and help them understand what happened. Why we responded and why we are still at war. Then we…
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Cool Creamy Gooey Crunchy Chocolate Delight
At our house I have tried to steer away from desserts. Sugar is something that neither Dale nor I need in our diet. Dale has type 2 Diabetes (even though he is the thin man), and I just don’t need that rush. However… put some chocolate in front of me, or within 17 miles, and I feel the desire!This recipe is a poor excuse for cutting back on sugar, but it has good intentions!?! This is a great dessert to take to a coffee, or a squadron party. This serves 15, so if you make it for the home crowd, there is going to be plenty! There is a crunchy…
