Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

Julie

Moms Need Free Time

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Moms Need Free time

Moms Need Free Time

I have noticed a trend and I don’t like it. Moms not having any free time for themselves. Not having any time for any little break ever. No time to watch a tv show, read a book, go exercise, have coffee with a friend or go shopping. That their days are so full that there is simply no time for any downtime.

Moms need free time. It doesn’t have to be hours or even every single day, but it needs to happen. But here is the thing about free time, sometimes you HAVE to plan for it. It might not just be able to happen, especially if you have small babies and/or a deployed husband. You have to figure out how to give yourself a break. And not feel guilty when you do.

Free time really isn’t free. It is usually planned. When you are a mom, you have to make sure your kids are safe and with another family member, your husband or a babysitter. You can’t just leave and go for coffee if you don’t have that part figured out. Even though your husband is just as much a Dad as you are a Mom, in a lot of causes you are the default parent. This is even more common in Military families because the Military can be quite demanding.

Free time can happen during the day, during nap time, if your kids are in school, after they go to bed or even while they are awake. Something as simple as reading a book while your kids are playing with their toys.

Find something for you that doesn’t have to do with your kids. Read, write, sew, train for a marathon, garden, volunteer, etc. Find something that makes your soul feel good and allow you to relax a bit. You need it. We all do. Leave the kids with your husband and plan a dinner with your friends, take your mom up on her offer to watch the kids to go out with your husband, join a gym and go when your husband gets home from work, join a book club, stick the kids in the stroller and go for a walk, there are so many things you can do to take some time out for you.

And stop saying you don’t have ANY time for yourself. If this is true MAKE time. Figure out a way to get it. Moms need free time and that includes you too. The refresh will make you a better mom, a better wife and will add balance to your life. I know we are all so busy with being a mom, with our jobs, with our church, with sports, making dinner and everything else we have to do. But a balanced life includes a little bit of time just for ourselves, a little bit of time to think and regroup.

How do you make time for yourself? Do you think moms need free time too? What do you like to do in your free time?

 

 

Fit Snack Monthly Box Review

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Fit snack boxAlthough I haven’t ordered very many of them, I love the idea of the monthly box subscription. You can sign up and expect something good every month. Since I love getting mail anyway, it is really fun to see what new things the company will put in the box.

I had the opportunity to review the Fit Snack box! Here is some more information about it…

Curated monthly box featuring the best of fitness nutrition promotes a healthy lifestyle with the release of company’s first subscription box.

Denver, CO (WEB) January 6, 2015 – Fit Snack, a curated monthly box filled with exclusive, health focused snack options, announces the release of its launch box. Each month Fit Snack subscribers will be motivated towards an active lifestyle with healthy snack selections, inspirational tips, and exclusive bonus items.

Fit Snack is the brainchild of Rose Muniz, a Denver native and manager at an international consulting firm. While managing a travel oriented business career alongside her passion for fitness and nutrition, Rose realized a void in the health and fitness world: the difficulty of finding healthy snacks on the go! Once inspired, she used her business expertise in conjunction with her passion for healthy living to develop Fit Snack, a subscription box devoted to providing satisfying and nutritious snacks to-go.

“Good nutrition affects your mood, energy levels, and provides clarity of mind,” Rose explains. “Decision-making, positive attitude, and problem solving are pivotal aspects of being successful, whether at a Fortune 500 company, spending quality time with family, or training for a marathon.”

Fit Snack has arrived with the mission to save subscribers the time, money, and effort involved in the search for ddelicious and nutritious foods. Most diets have one common goal – nutrient dense energy. To provide this Fit Snack includes what they call a mix of the “Perfect 10” in each box. A focus on snacks with high protein, complex carbs, low sugar, GMO free, paleo, gluten free, clean eating, sustainable, organic, and raw.

“I love to motivate and inspire people to live a healthy life,” said Muniz. “Fit Snack is all about making an active lifestyle fun and social. We have positioned Fit Snack to help encourage our subscribers to reach their goals through sharing their progresss with each other on our social channels.”

Fit Snack is applying the social model to its partners as well. In order to share exclusive behind the brand views, Fit Snack will showcase a “Brands We Love” interview every month, which will highlight the history of a Fit Snack partner as well as go into detail about how their product is made.

Fit Snack offers several different subscription plans including 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and annual subscription options. Monthly box prices start at $15.00 (+ $5 S/H) and provide double that value within each box.

I got my box in the mail a few weeks ago and have been enjoying a lot of my snacks.

This is what I got…

Fit Snack Box

 

 

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It was really great to get a box like this because it introduced me to some new foods. I had no idea about the Compete Energy Bites but I loved them. I also really liked the Simply 7 chips, especially the sea salt flavor. I will be buying more of those for sure. The Level Life bar is also something I think I will purchase for myself. I enjoyed the almond mix too and used it on my salads. There were a few things in box that just were not my thing like the Lemon poppy-seed cookie. I would say I was happy with about 90% of the box and glad to try those snacks. I am curious if I would have the same results with another box.

I found the packaging to be good too and it came in a nice and sturdy box that I could keep my snacks in while I was trying them. The variety is nice. Not all of the same type of food.

This box would be great for anyone that likes food. It is fun to try new snacks and get a feel for something you might not have thought about before.

If you are interested in signing up for a box, you can do so here.

 

* I received this box for free in hopes of a review on my blog! 

When Your Best Friend Moves Away

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When Your Best Friend Moves Away

When Your Best Friend Moves Away

5 years ago this week I said goodbye to one of the best friends I ever had. We went through so much together. A deployment, a space-A trip, we talked about everything and our children were the best of friends. But then it was time for us to PCS. To leave and to move on.

In just a couple of months, I will have to say goodbye to another friend. Someone I don’t want to say goodbye to. But it is time. Her husband has orders for somewhere else and she has to go. Our sons are the best of friends and so are we.

One of the hardest things to do is to say goodbye to a best friend. There is no easy way to do it. You go through a lot of emotions…

You don’t want to believe they are leaving. Even though you know it is coming, you try to ignore it because you think you have plenty of time. And then you don’t.

They tell you they have a move out date. Then it feels real. You think you need to spend more time together because those 4 years went by way too fast. You wonder what you will do after they are gone. You worry that you will never have another local best friend again. And then they have to go and you have to say goodbye and it stings. Because that chapter of your story together will be over. And no matter how long it was, it will never ever seem like long enough.

You think you need to spend more time together because those 4 years went by way too fast. You wonder what you will do after they are gone. You worry that you will never have another local best friend again. And then they have to go and you have to say goodbye and it stings. Because that chapter of your story together will be over. And no matter how long it was, it will never ever seem like long enough.

The truth is, when a friend moves away, you will never ever be able to replace her.

She is someone who will always be special in your life in the ways that make her who she is. You will always have your memories, your inside jokes, and your history. Your relationship will have to change. Instead of getting together every week, you will spend your time together texting or on Facebook. No, it isn’t the same but it is your new normal. Time will go on and maybe you will get to visit each other.

When you do, you will notice the little differences that have taken place since you were last together. But at the same time, you will connect just like no time has passed. You will make other best friends, so will she. But you will always have your time together.

You will always have those memories and when you are old and grey and look back on the years you had on earth, she will always come to mind as one of the special ones. One of the people who made you the person you are. And you will always be thankful for that.

The friendship you had with her will give you hope. Because you remember how it felt when you had to say goodbye to your last friendship and then you met her and everything was okay again. And so it will be in the future. There are always new people to meet. There are always new friendships to be had. And sweet memories to keep with us for all time.

Expats by Chris Pavone Book Review

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Expats by Chris Pavone

 *I received a free copy of this book in hope of a review on my blog! This post includes affiliate links!

 

I just finished the book Expats by Chris Pavone. I don’t read a lot of mystery but I did love this one. When I was about halfway through I found myself only wanting to read it and didn’t want to put it down.

Can we ever escape our secrets?

In the cobblestoned streets of Luxembourg, Kate Moore’s days are filled with playdates and coffee mornings, her weekends spent in Paris and skiing in the Alps. But Kate is also guarding a tremendous, life-defining secret—one that’s become so unbearable that it begins to unravel her newly established expat life. She suspects that another American couple are not who they claim to be; her husband is acting suspiciously; and as she travels around Europe, she finds herself looking over her shoulder, increasingly terrified that her own past is catching up with her. As Kate begins to dig, to uncover the secrets of the people around her, she finds herself buried in layers of deceit so thick they threaten her family, her marriage, and her life.

When I started the book I wasn’t sure where it was taking me. The book goes back and forth between different time periods which at first can feel a little confusing. After a while it starts to flow and things start to come together. One of the best parts about this book is that it takes place in Europe. The characters travel a bit so it was great to read about the different places they would go. Some of details in the book reminded me of our time in Germany.

This book kepted me guessing until the last few chapters. I just wasn’t sure what was going to happen or how everything was going to work out. I loved that. Kate is an interesting charcater and we slowly find out more about her as the book goes on. It was interesting that she was a mom of two boys and going through what she did with her former job and questioning those around her.

If you like mysteries or suspenseful novels, you will probably enjoy this one 🙂

It was written by Chris Pavone who wrote the book while he was living in Luxembourg with his family for his wife’s job.

 

5 Rules You Need to Follow When You Work From Home

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5 Rules You Need to Follow When You Work From HomeWorking from home can be a dream. You can work in your pjs, you don’t have a boss standing over you, you can pee when you want and enjoy the freedom that it brings. And although all those perks are pretty cool, in order to make working at home successful you do have to follow a few rules.

Throwing kids into the mix makes it a little more difficult. You might feel like you are juggling one too many things. It can be overwhelming at times and you might find yourself looking at the local help wanted ads for a job far away from the place you call home. It happens to all of us.

 

 

Here are a few tips to make it a little easier for yourself.

1) Have a schedule. Waking up and thinking, “I will get some work done today eventually” doesn’t work well for me overall. Yes I am able to get some things done but I always feel behind and out of focus when I do. I need to know the night before what I am going to work on the next day and the times that I will be able to work on it. Insert a snow day and it makes it even more difficult. You get thrown off and it is so hard to do a lot when all the kids are home, especially if it is unexpected. Having a good schedule will help you stay on task and accomplish what you need to get done each day.

Tweet: Having a good schedule will help you stay on task and accomplish what you need to get done each day.

2) Get dressed. I know, the whole work in your pj thing is pretty cool. If that works for you, don’t change it. I know for me I need to get dressed, even if that means putting on new yoga pants and a t-shirt. I have to be in something different from I woke up in. It helps to have school aged kids because I would do this anyway. It puts me in a better frame of mind. It gets me ready to work.

3) Don’t just work from home. Find a coffee shop or library, take your laptop and plan to spend a few hours getting some work done. It is easier to focus when you are not reminded of all the laundry you have to do or the dishes that need to be done. If you have small children this might not be an option for you but if they are in school or daycare, take advantage of that sometimes and get out of the house.

4) Move! The other day I worked straight from about 9-12 and then looked at my Fitbit and cried. It reminded me that I needed to get up and move a little bit. Even if it is just running in place for a few minutes. Sitting all day long is not the healthiest thing in the world. Take breaks and make sure to move. Your body will be happy you did.

5) Act like you work. I always struggled with this one. And the lines blur a bit when it comes to the kids. But if you need to work from home, take it seriously. Make sure you are not making other plans everyday. Make sure you let your friends know you are working. It is way too easy to tell yourself you can always work later on but the truth is, something else might come up. During your work hours, make sure you are working and that you aren’t off doing something else. This is why #1 is so important. When you have a schedule down on paper it is a lot easier to stick to it.

The balance of home and family can be so difficult. Being a WAHM is a great way to make an income but it isn’t as easy as just sitting at your computer and making some money. It takes time and planning and a little bit of creativity to get what you need to get done each day.

 

Perks of Being a Military Child

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Perks of Being a Military Child

It was 10 years ago this fall that my 30 year old husband re-enlisted for the Army. I didn’t know him when he was in before so this was my first experience with being an Army wife. I really didn’t know what to expect. Even though I grew up with two Marine bases pretty close, I didn’t know too much about Military life other than knowing that living on base was noisy and that they wore a uniform.

I didn’t know what life would be like for my son or any other future children we would have. I knew I would be doing a lot of the parenting by myself but I didn’t know what amazing things would come from it. That we would literally be able to see the world, experience other cultures and meet people from different parts of the country. I didn’t know that there were things that they would get to know that they never would have gotten the chance to do otherwise.

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During the last 10 years we have had our share of stressful and frustrating moments but my kids have experienced some amazing things. They have had experiences I never had a child and I hope they can remember a lot of them as they grow older.

During the last 10 years my kids have…

  • Lived in Germany
  • Lived in the South
  • Rode on European trains
  • Rode on a Space-A Aircraft
  • Saw the Pyramids in Cairo
  • Visited Rome
  • Visited Athens
  • Visited Turkey
  • Visited Malta
  • Visited the Czech Republic
  • Visited Austria
  • Visited Spain
  • Went to a German Fest
  • Had German teachers
  • Saw the Mediterranean Sea
  • Have been to 4 continents
  • Have made friends with children from different states
  • Learned a small amount of German
  • Got to meet St. Nicholas
  • Stayed in a German hospital
  • Sat in a tank
  • Eaten dinner in the DEFAC
  • Been to a base chapel
  • Said the pledge before a movie
  • Enjoyed German Ice cream

Beyond what they have been able to do, they have also been able to be apart of something amazing. To know that their Dad sacrified for their country. To know that he was apart of something overseas. It’s a great feeling to be apart of the Military community!

I am sure there is even more I can add to this list. When I start to feel sad or bad that Daddy has been gone too much over the years I try to think about this list and everything we have seen and done all because their Daddy joined the Army.

What have your kids experienced because of being in a Military family?

5 Ways To Make Friends When You Have Small Children

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5 Ways To Make Friends When You Have Small ChildrenI counted up the amount of times I have moved to a new city with small children. Four times. I have had to do it four times. I have moved to a new place, had to meet new people and figure out a way to make some friends while I was caring for small children. It isn’t easy. It isn’t easy to go up to a group of people and introduce yourself, especially if they have been friends for a while. You really have to put time into it.

I have found a few ways that allowed me to make some friends. Not all of the people I have met through these methods became best friends but that has happened as well. I was able to find a group. A group of people who I could get together with and find friendship with. Where I could give my young children the opportunity to play with other kids and I could find people so I wouldn’t feel so lone in my new city.

1) Playgroups. This seems obvious but unless you live in the very middle of nowhere, you should be able to find a playgroup to go to. When I first moved to Kentucky pre-Army, I found a great group through a local center that was about moms and giving birth. At the time I was a little more crunchy than I am now and I figured it would be the best way to meet some other moms like me. I was right. I connected with some other moms while we let our very young babies play. Even though we moved after a year, I am still Facebook friends with most of them. I still enjoy seeing their photos of their now 9 and 10 year olds. When we moved to Germany I was able to find a playgroup sponsored through the Army post. I started taking my then two-year old and was really able to meet and connect with other moms that way. Spend some time looking in your community to see what is out there.

2) Church groups. This can be going to a regular church on Sundays or even just a weekly Bible study. Most duty stations have a PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) or a CWOC (Catholic Women of the Chapel) In these groups there is time to get to know other women as well as attend a weekly Bible study together. There should be free childcare at the chapel as well. You can also look in your local community to church to see what your options are. MOPS is also offered at a lot of Military bases.

3) The park. Meeting people at the park can be complicated. You could spend all day at the park and not get to know anyone or you might make a few friends right away. The best thing to do is go to some of the same parks on a regular basis. You might start to recognize people. Watch which kids your kids end up playing with and see if you can start a conversation with their parents. It could be something as simple as, “How old is she?” Or “Did you just move here?”

4) Online groups. Our Army post has many different groups on Facebook. From groups for Crunchy moms to those over a certain age. A lot of those groups tend to have meetups which can be a great way to get to know others. Try to participate in some online conversations and go to the next meetup. You might find some great friends that way.

5) FRGs. I know FRGs sometimes get a bad wrap but you also have the chance of making a new friend by attending. I have been in really good FRGs and really bad ones. You just never know. Try to attend at least once or twice to see if it will work for you. The best part of meeting someone in your FRG is that your spouses will go through deployments together and you might make friends with your own “battle buddy” to help you get through the next deployment.

 

It is true that in the Military life you will need friends to connect with. It can feel overwhelming when you have young children but there are ways to get out and make some new Mommy friends.

How have you made friends when you move to a new location?

Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

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Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

Even though the Military is shutting down some Military installations in Germany, people are still PCSing to Germany. Sometimes they have a choice, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the spouse thinks about staying in the US.

Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

As someone who spent four years in Germany, I have to recommend that if you have the opportunity to go overseas, do it. I say this as someone who didn’t always enjoy being there, that missed the US a lot more than I should have, and who hated being so far away from everything.

It’s been years since we moved back to the states and because of that I can look back and see Germany for what it was. An experience. A sometimes really amazing one. A sometimes really frustrating one.

Being stationed in Germany was an experience I will always be thankful for.

So if I hear someone is trying to decide to go, I urge them to do so. Even though being there might get hard or be really frustrating at times. The experience is worth it, and living overseas will change your life forever.

Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

You simply can’t find that type of Military community in the states. Well, maybe you can but the community when you are stationed overseas is unique. For one thing, very few of the people stationed where you are can go home for the weekend. Why? Because home is 2,000+ miles away. Because of this, you spend a lot of time there and not as much time away.

You have to stick together because you only have each other. If you can speak the language, that will make things easier but at the end of the day, your Military friends will be your main link to America and you will feel the need to bond a little more than you do in the US.

The travel opportunities are simply amazing.

From taking a day trip to a castle to planning a post-deployment vacation to some amazing city you never thought you would ever travel to in your lifetime. I had little babies and toddlers when I was there. My kids were only 3 and 5 when we moved back.

Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

Traveling wasn’t easy but we did what we could. I took my two boys on a train to visit my friend in Austria, we went on a cruise to the Mediterranean, and I went on a few USO trips during my time there. And of course, there was Garmisch, one of my favorite places.

Another great thing about living in Germany is being around another culture. In some ways, Germans are a lot like us, in other ways they are completely different. Although this part of living there was frustrating at times, it really opened my mind to a different way of life and seeing the world.

For example, in the US, when you go out to eat, you are pretty much rushed out of the restaurant as soon as you eat your food. In Germany, you practically have to hunt your waitress down for your check when you need to go. Sitting, talking, and having a long time at a restaurant is expected. You are not rushed out in the same way.

With deployments, the time difference is only about 2-3 hours. That was hard for me when we had our first deployment in the US. Having just a few hours difference made life a lot easier.

Why You Have To Say Yes To A PCS To Germany

You can also ship things to your deployed spouse for free. That was another thing that kinda stopped me in my tracks. “You mean I have to pay for that?” Being a little closer to the war zone has its benefits. If something were to happen and they had to go to Germany, you are already in the country.

There is also the whole beer and flowers thing. Beer everywhere. We even had a beer delivery truck.

The festivals are so much fun and are a great way to spend an afternoon or evening. They seem to be happening all the time too. And the flowers. I used to buy flowers all the time. They were so cheap. I miss that.

As you can see there are a lot of great things about being stationed in Germany. So if you have the chance, do it. You will be glad you did.

Have you ever been stationed in Germany? Have you ever been stationed overseas?