Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

Julie

Home Safety During the Holidays

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Home Safety During the Holidays

Home Safety During the Holidays

Disclosure: This is a sponsored article on behalf of Armed Forces Insurance (AFI) in collaboration with SoFluential Media.

The holidays may be stressful for many people. There is much to do and much to remember and add to that the worry of keeping your home and family safe. Certainly, the stress is heightened during this time of year because no one wants to experience a tragedy right before Christmas.

The good news is there are steps you can take to keep your family safe. Home safety is always paramount and home safety during the holidays is a must. Check out these tips:

Don’t leave candles burning.

I love candles because they smell good and make the house feel cozy, but I have to be careful and make sure I always blow them out before I leave the house. Leaving a candle burning while you are not home is an easy way to start a fire. While many homeowner and renter insurance policies will cover a fire, preventing one in the first place is the best option.

Sponsored: Click here to learn how AFI’s Dwelling Fire Policy and many of their Homeowner and Renter Insurance offerings can protect you in a situation like this.

Home Safety During the Holidays

Utilize proper power cords and lights for indoor and outdoor decorating.

One of the best aspects of the season are the beautiful decorations and lights. Make sure yours are strung up safely. It is important to buy the appropriate power cords for any holiday lighting. The plugs should be in good condition and suitable for the way you intend to use them. Extra extension cords are relatively inexpensive, so don’t try to save money by using the wrong types of cords. You should also confirm that any lights you put up outside are made for outdoor use.

Use timers on your lights.

Using timers on your lights is a good idea for several reasons. You can save on your electric bill by having the lights turn off at a specific time every day, and you get peace of mind by not having to worry about forgetting to turn them off. If you plan on going out of town this holiday season, using a timer on your regular lights will deter burglars by making it appear that someone is at home.

Unplug the lights on your Christmas tree.

Always unplug the lights on your Christmas tree before you leave the house and before you go to bed. This is especially important if you have a live tree. If you have an artificial tree, make sure it is fire retardant.

Sponsored: For peace of mind, invest in AFI’s Dwelling Fire, Homeowner and Renter Insurance plans to protect your home in case of a fire or burglary. Please click here for more information.

 

Why You Don’t Have to Buy Bottles For Your Breast Pump

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The Breastfeeding Shop

This is a sponsored post by the Breastfeeding Shop. 

Why You Don’t Have to Buy Bottles For Your Breast Pump

If you don’t know already, TRICARE has an amazing benefit for pregnant or new moms. You can receive one breast pump for every birth event from TRICARE through a company like The Breastfeeding Shop. They will help you receive your pump through their website.

In addition to a breast pump, you can also receive free breast pump supplies which includes bottles. This means, you don’t have to buy any on your own, you can get them with your benefit. When you are using a breast pump, a good bottle is a must. You will need to them to be able to feed your baby. While some breast pumps use bags, others you can connect the bottles right to the machines for easier feeding.

Here are a few things to know about receiving bottles and other breast pump accessories from the Breastfeeding Shop:

  • You can only receive the additional accessories after the birth event.
  • If you have already received your initial pump and accessories and your baby has been born, you must wait 60 days to reorder.
  • Your bottles will come with an accessory kit.
  • Your accessory kit will depend on the brand of your breast pump. For those with Medela, Ameda, and Spectra pumps, you will receive specific accessory kits for those brands. All other pumps will receive the same type of kit.
  • You can order breast milk storage bags and flanges separately.
  • The Breastfeeding Shop has an easy TRICARE accessory kit order form you can fill out online.
  • If you don’t want to order online, you can also order over the phone by calling them at 866-255-6779.

If you are curious about how to receive your pump in the first place or are looking for more information about this benefit and The Breastfeeding Shop, check out these posts to help:

How You Can Get A Breast Pump Through TRICARE for $0

Which Breast Pump Is Best For You?

Can You Really Get A No Cost Breast Pump For Each Baby Through TRICARE?

How to Decide What Breast Pump is The Best One For You And Your Baby

If you have any questions about how to receive your pump, make sure to contact The Breastfeeding Shop. They can help you with the paperwork and everything you need to do in order to receive your benefit.

Have you received a no cost breast pump with your TRICARE benefit? What brand did you go with?

 

Home Décor Hacks for Active Duty Military With CORT

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CORT for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Home Décor Hacks for Active Duty Military With CORT

One thing that is certain about military life is that you will be moving, and probably every few years. Because of this, what you bought for house #1 might not work for house #2. One way to help with that is to rent furniture and choose pieces that work for your current home.

If you live in military housing or have an apartment rental, you will be more limited in what you can do to your actual home. You will need to focus on your furniture and decor to make your house look and feel the way you want it to.

Here are some Home Décor Hacks for Active Duty Military from CORT Furniture Rental to help you do so:

You can brighten up your apartment without painting the walls by adding color and flair to your wall decor, area rugs, pillows and more. Contrast your boring walls with living room furniture that is warm with inviting colors. Tie in vibrant wall decor pieces and window treatments to complete the look.

Use area rugs to help add warmth and textures to your rooms. Make sure they are the right size and work well with your furniture. Think about storage when choosing your furniture and use baskets and drawers to help save space. You can also use shelves to store your items, from books to memorabilia you have collected during your time as a military family.

Don’t forget about lighting. You can brighten your space and add character to every room. If you don’t get a lot of natural light, this will help create a nicer look to your home.

Head on over to the CORT Furniture Rental website to read more about Home Décor Hacks for Active Duty Military and to find more tips on making your home the best it can be. They can also help you find the right furniture for your current space.

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Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Originals to Add to Your Binge Watching List

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Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Originals to Add to Your Binge Watching List

I don’t always binge watch a television show, but when I do, I get lost in the story, make friends with the characters and keep myself busy!

Back in 2007 during our first deployment, I discovered binge watching. Doing so was a little different back then. We were overseas, and I am not even sure Netflix had a streaming service yet. We used Netflix DVD (four episodes at a time,) rented DVDs from the library, found a show on YouTube or some other online site. Binge watching wasn’t as easy as it is today.

Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Originals to Add to Your Binge Watching List

This post contains affiliate links! 

 

There are so many options now, Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu not only have television shows from regular and cable networks, but they all have their own shows too. And these shows are pretty good. I remember when we first got Hulu, that was not the case.

So here are some excellent original shows from Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon to add to your binge watching list!

Netflix is a king of the original series! You can pay between $7.99 and $13.99 for monthly streaming.

1. Alias Grace

This Maraget Atwood adaptation is only six episodes long, but you won’t be able to watch just one. The story is based on a true story of a young woman, Grace Marks, accused of murdering Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery in 1843 Canada.

2. Stranger Things

This show might make you jump, but it is on point with its portrayal of the mid-1980s. Think of this as a mix of ET, the Goonies, and Stand By Me. With Winona Ryder.

3. Ozark

Jason Bateman, a financial planner, and his wife, Laura Linney play a couple on the run. They hide out in the Ozarks along with their two children. This show reminded me a lot of the show Weeds, with a pretty interesting setting.

4. Arrested Development

While only the 4th season of this show is a Netflix original, this series is so binge-worthy. About a family in Southern California, and the son who is trying to keep them all together after the father goes to prison. Remember, there is always money in the banana stand. There will be a season 5 coming out next May!

5. Black Mirror

Think Twilight Zone for the social media age. Each episode will make you think twice about how you interact with technology. Do yourself a favor though and skip the first episode of season 1. People get stuck on that one, and I think it is awful. The rest? Totally worth watching. Netflix took over this British show in season 3 and season 4 should be out soon.

With Hulu, you can stream shows and movies, watch new shows a day after, and depending on your plan, even watch live tv. You can pay between $7.99-$39.99 a month or add extra channels for more choices.

1. The Handmaid’s Tale

Let Elisabeth Moss bring Margaret Atwood’s most famous book to life with this dystopian series based in Gilead, what used to be apart of the United States. Season two will be coming out in April too.

2. 11 /22 /63

Stephen King wrote a not so scary novel about a man who goes back in time to try to save JFK and Hulu made the book into a series with James Franco. While some of the show is different than the book, the series was still very enjoyable.

Amazon Prime is the best. Free shipping and more! You can pay the $99 a year, $10.99 a month or just $8.99 for streaming video only.

1. The Man in the High Castle

This show is based on a Philip K. Dick novel about what would have happened had World War II ended differently. This show takes place at a very different time than what is in our history books. The Man in the High Castle will keep you guessing and season 3 will be out sometime in early 2018.

2. Lore

If you like creepy things, Lore might be a good show for you. This series, based on a podcast of the same name is all about crazy things that have happened in history. From real-life Vampires to scary dolls.

3. Good Girls Revolt

While Amazon only produced one season of this show, it is worth watching. Good Girls Revolt is the story of a group of female researchers at “News of the Week” during the late 1960s. All they want is to be treated fairly, but is that even possible? I love the setting, the costumes, and the characters on this show which is based on a book by Lynn Povich.

What are your favorite original shows to watch from Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon?

5 Benefits of Not Going Home For Christmas

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5 Benefits of Not Going Home For Christmas

5 Benefits of Not Going Home For Christmas

I live precisely 1,996.1 miles from my family in California. Going home for Christmas doesn’t happen very often, in fact, the last time it did was 2007, ten years ago. Since then, we have spent every Christmas in our own home. My boys are so used to being in our own home for Christmas that I think it would be weird for them to be somewhere else on Christmas day.

I do hope that sometime in the future, going home for Christmas is something we can do. With my husband’s work schedule, the cost of plane tickets and all of that, traveling over the holidays just doesn’t work out.

A lot of military families are in the same boat. Being stationed on the other side of the country or even across the ocean from your family makes it hard to go home for Christmas. When you are on a budget, you look for other times of year to go home when the tickets are not quite as expensive.

Every year I am happy we have our own little Christmas, but at the same time, I get sad about not spending the day with our families. I get homesick on Christmas Day and wish we could do things differently.

However, I don’t want to spend the whole season being upset about it. I look at the benefits of not going home for the holidays, and I embrace them.

5 Benefits of Not Going Home For Christmas

If you are sad about not going home for Christmas this year, here are five benefits of not going home for Christmas:

1. Make your traditions

When you don’t go home for Christmas, you can create your traditions and basically do what you want. You are in a lot more control about what happens over the holidays. You can open gifts on Christmas Eve, cook what you want, and celebrate the day or days, however is best for your own family.

2. You can invite people to your home

By staying home, you can invite family to your own home for Christmas. If you like hosting, this could be ideal. You can be the home where everyone goes on Christmas day.

3. Your kids wake up Christmas day in their own house

I love that my kids get to wake up in their own home on Christmas day. They will always remember that. I will too. They can get up as they want, wake us up a little too early, and we can open presents as a family in our pj’s.

5 Benefits of Not Going Home For Christmas

4. Spend time with friends

If you have friends that didn’t go home for Christmas too, you can make plans to see them too. You can plan a dessert or even part of Christmas dinner together. If your spouse is deployed, you can get together with other spouses who also have a deployed spouse this holiday season. These other spouses will understand what you are going through this year.

5. Explore the traditions of your duty station

Whether you are stationed in Kentucky, New York, or Germany, explore what is going on in your local community. They could have traditions you don’t have at home. While a warm break from colder weather would be nice, I love that it could snow on Christmas here, even if it rarely does. That wasn’t something that could ever happen growing up, and my inner child gets excited about the possibility of a white Christmas.

If you are stationed overseas during the holidays, you could be in for a big treat. Learn about the different traditions from your host country and take some back with you when you move back to the US. Visit the Christmas markets, go to a Christmas Luau, and enjoy what your current country does for the holidays.

Christmas is a magical time, and just because you can’t go home for Christmas, that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own memories where you are now.

Do you typically go home for the holidays or do you like celebrating right where you are?

6 Tips for a Simpler Holiday Season When Your Spouse is Away

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6 Tips for a Simpler Holiday Season When Your Spouse is Away

6 Tips for a Simpler Holiday Season When Your Spouse is Away

Tis the season to be busy, really busy. And while busy is good when your spouse is away, you don’t want to overdo things. I know for myself, I hate that overwhelmed feeling that comes from being too busy. Stepping back a little and changing things up can help you have a better holiday season without your spouse by your side.

Here are six tips for a simpler holiday season when your spouse is away:

1. Do what is important to your kids and family

It can be easy to feel like you need to do what everyone else is doing for the holidays, but you don’t. Do what works for you and your family and what you can handle. Do not feel guilty about the rest of it.

6 Tips for a Simpler Holiday Season When Your Spouse is Away

2. Don’t feel like you have to travel

If the thought of taking you and your three kids across the country for the holidays is too overwhelming, don’t feel like you have to do so. Ask people to come to you or have a smaller Christmas in your own home. Traveling during the holidays can be hectic anyway so don’t feel guilty if you don’t feel like you are up for the challenge this year. You can always plan a trip for sometime after your spouse gets home.

3. Cook what you will eat

Did your mom always make a green bean casserole and although you never like it very much, you feel the need to make it for your own holiday meal? Well, don’t. Only make what you and your kids will eat. If you are having people over, find out what their favorite foods are. Don’t just make something because you always have. Cut down your grocery list and stick to what you love.

6 Tips for a Simpler Holiday Season When Your Spouse is Away

4. Go out to eat

If you feel like you don’t even want to cook for the holidays, go out to eat instead. We have even had meals at the DEFAC. Not the best food but hey, we didn’t have to cook. You can also order meals from places like Cracker Barral and Kroger.

5. Start shopping ahead of time

Start your Christmas shopping ahead of time and don’t forget about shipping dates overseas. If you and your spouse agree, why not postpone some of the holidays until when they get back? You could send a fun holiday package and then open bigger gifts together later. Look for sales and don’t forget about Black Friday.

6. Have your kids help

If your kids are old enough, have them help. Ask them to put the ornaments on the tree, help with other decorations, or even with shopping for extended family members. Your kids can step in a little bit, so not everything falls on you.

While going through the holidays without your spouse is frustrating, making the holidays a bit simpler can help. In the end, make fun plans for you and your kids and don’t stress about the small stuff. You can still have an enjoyable holiday, even if your spouse is overseas or across the country because of the military.

Winter Is Coming, Time To Clean Your Stinky Winter Boots

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FunkAway

This is a sponsored post. I was also provided free product for review. 

Winter Is Coming, Time To Clean Your Stinky Winter Boots

One of the challenges of military life is that when our spouse is gone, we are in charge of everything in the home. From the laundry, to the dishes, to mowing the lawn. When your kids are old enough, they can help but everything still falls on you to get done. There is no other adult to ask for help or contribute to the chores that should be done every day.

Winter brings additional chores depending on where you live. If you live in a place with a lot of snow or even rain, you will want to wear your winter boots on a regular basis. And with that brings stinky boots, which does not make things smell very good, especially with a houseful of them.

If you are lucky, you have a mud room to take them off in, if not, you will want to get them smelling nice as soon as you can. Who wants to smell stinky boots while they are cooking dinner? I know I don’t.

Funkaway has the perfect product for stinky winter boots, or anything else you want to make smell a bit better. I have three boys and a husband in the National Guard with a physical civilian job. Things can get pretty stinky around here. This product will save you time when it comes to keeping things clean and smelling good.

FunkAway

You can use The Heavyweight bottle to spray the insides on those stinky boots. If you need to, you can also get the 3.4oz traveler size to keep in a sports bag.

With Black Friday right around the corner, FunkAway will have a free shipping weekend, 12:01 am Friday (Nov 24) -11:59 pm Monday (Nov 27)

After that, you can still get in on the holiday deals! When you buy $12 worth of FunkAway product, get a free Traveler size (3.4 oz) to add as a Stocking Stuffer!

FunkAway

So head on over to FunkAway to check out some of their products. With the holidays coming, they make good stocking stuffers or something to have around the house for the stinky boot season. Get your boots smelling better and enjoy the season!

Life As A Military Spouse In 17 Memes

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Life As A Military Spouse In 17 MemesLife As a Military Spouse In 17 Memes

Life as a military spouse can be quite the journey. Through deployments, pcsing places you want and don’t want to go, and finding lifelong friends you couldn’t live without. Here is your life as a military spouse in 17 memes.

Life As A Military Spouse

So true. Sometimes military life sucks, but that doesn’t mean you don’t like being a part of the military community. Make the best of what you have, work hard to get through the difficult days, and make friends with other spouses to help you through.

 

Life As A Military Spouse

Yes! That time apart, it will make you stronger, which is a good thing.
While deployments are difficult, you can change for the better as you go through them.

Life As A Military Spouse

Deployment and its phases. Make your way through them until you get to #5, homecoming day.

Journals are the best. Journaling during a deployment can be quite therapeutic.

Life As A Military Spouse

If you hate where you live, try something new.
Changing things around might just help get you into a better place emotionally!

Life As A Military Spouse

Will we ever get rid of all of those things? Probably not.

Life As A Military Spouse

So true. Use that time to figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are during time apart. Then you will be better equipped when they do deploy.

Life As A Military Spouse

Yes! Military spouses do need to be aware of money, how to pay bills, and all of that. It is so important.

Life As A Military Spouse

Oh, the 4-day weekend. Those are the best!

Life As A Military Spouse

A handwritten letter is fantastic! Whether you are the one writing one or receiving one.

Life As A Military Spouse

Make sure to always be working on your marriage, even when they are gone.

You can use this for anything. Do what you can, then try to stop worrying about it.
Tomorrow could be a much better day.

Life As A Military Spouse

Yes! We are all of those things, or at least we try to be.

Life As A Military Spouse

Oh that Commissary on payday! Stay away, stay far away.

Life As A Military Spouse

We military spouses, we do what we have to do. Even if we didn’t think we could.

Life As A Military Spouse

Yes, it is. Use your PCS to discover something new about yourself, and create new memories in your new home.

Life As A Military Spouse

Yep, exactly. Sometimes the water will be calm, sometimes you will have to battle the waves.

Being a military spouse isn’t always easy. This life is complicated. But we spouses do what we have to do to get through. And from everything, we become stronger and can grow as a person.

How long have you been a military spouse?