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Keeping You And Your Military Family Safe

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Keeping You And Your Military Family Safe 

As a part of a Military family I am aware of the chance of identity theft. It has happened to us in the past as well as finding out that one of our bank accounts was compromised. When someone steals from you it can feel surreal like it wasn’t supposed to be something that you would ever have to deal with. The reality is that it can happen and you should do what you can to keep you and your family’s information safe. You don’t want to end up in a situation where someone has gained access to your personal information or has been able to take money from you.

A few years ago I visited my bank online like I do every morning and saw a few charges that I was not familiar with. They were all for purchases from an online site. I thought this was strange because even though I do work online I was not aware of the company that my money was going to. It wasn’t a ton of money but I knew something strange was going on. I called my bank and we were able to get it figured out. I ended up having to open a new account and had to close out the old one. That took some time and was quite a hassle but it was the safest thing we could do.

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I hated the feeling that someone stole my card information and thought they could get away with it. Just like how you would feel violated if someone broke into your home, you feel that way when someone has broken into your bank account. Ever since that experience I have been a lot more careful about my information. I use a special card for online purchases and I make sure I am aware of who is getting my bank information.

It seems like the more that technology advances the more ways there are to steal someone’s information or their identity.

Identity theft can be a huge problem for military families. With all the moving around and traveling we military families might do, sometimes things get overlooked and it can make it easier for a thief to steal information. One way to to reduce the risk of identity theft use LifeLock. 

 

 

LifeLock offers three layers of protection:

  • Detect- They use advanced technology to constantly monitor over a trillion data points to help detect suspicious uses of your identity information to get loans, credit and services in your name.
  • Alert-LifeLock uses a very good alert system. LifeLock will send you a potential fraud alert by text, phone or email*. If you confirm that the suspicious transaction is fraudulent, your LifeLock team is on it.
  • Restore- LifeLock’s US-based Identity Protection Agents are ready to help with identity theft restoration. If your identity is ever compromised, an Identity Restoration Specialist takes charge.

 

As you can see, LifeLock will have your back! They understand what identity thieves do to gain information and how they plan to use it. 

If you are interested in signing up, LifeLock has a great special offer for Active and Retired Military personnel and their families.

Their military offer is 30 DAYS FREE, 15% OFF, PLUS A FREE AMERICAN FLAG. Promo code to take advantage of this offer is WESALUTE3.

Make sure you and your family’s information is safe and secure and go on over to LifeLock to sign up.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of LifeLock. The opinions and text are all mine.

Why Military Spouses Can’t Just Put Down Their Smart Phone

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Military spouses and smart phones

Why Military Spouses Can’t Just Put Down Their Smart Phone

If you are on social media at all you know that there are quite a few articles going around about being on our cell phones too much. How we need to put them down, hide them, ignore them. While there is some good advice there, my first thought is usually something like, “Well, try being a Military spouse.”

Between having kids in school, having a husband who is gone a lot and making money online using my phone to do so, I will not be putting my phone down anytime soon. My phone is my lifeline and I really haven’t always had it. I didn’t even get a smart phone until 2011.

There are many reasons why people say we shouldn’t always have a phone in our hands, but Military spouses, NEED to have a phone in their hands.

Why? Because…

Our spouses live in our phone.

When your husband is gone and you only get to talk to them on the phone or over video chat, they live in your phone. That is your relationship. You are not going to be able to walk away from your phone for long. If you do, what happens if they call? You will miss the call. That is a hard thing to deal with. When we were in Germany, I only heard from my husband on the landline. That meant that I could not get his calls when I was out. It would kill me to come home to a message knowing I missed his call. For later deployments I didn’t have to worry about that. It was SO nice to know I wouldn’t miss his call just because we were out doing something. So no, I am not going to put my phone down so I miss his call.

Our friends live in our phone.

Military spouse friends move away. Then they live in our phones, they live on Facebook and that is where our relationship is. I have a handful of friends I will text or message throughout the day. It keeps us connected and makes it seem like they are not quite as far away. When you are having a bad deployment day, it can be helpful to pick up your phone and text a friend or check out their photos on Facebook. It makes you feel better and can keep your mind off of missing your husband.

Our family lives in our phone.

Only a small amount of Military families live close to their own family. Most of us live far enough away that the phone is the way we communicate with them. I will text or message my own family several times during the week. It is a great way to keep in touch and not lose contact with one another. Sometimes my family will Facetime me and it is fun to do that with them.

I hate phone shaming in general.

Yes it is possible to be on your phone too much, to ignore people while you are on it and to get sucked into the online world, but overall, a smart phone adds to your life.

So, Military spouse, don’t feel badly if you always have your phone on you. You need it. You rely on it. It is a tool you are using to make your life a little easier. No one should shame you for it. If they are, they just don’t get it so don’t let them bother you.

 

 

 

 

Share Your Hair And Support The Military With #ShareBeauty and Suave

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Do you ever struggle with knowing how to do your hair each day? I know I do. A lot of times I find myself putting it up in a pony tail or bun. Boring I know but it is quick and easy. I think a lot of that is just being a busy work at home mom and not knowing what some other hairstyles would be. It is easy to put yourself on the back burner when you have so many other things you need to do each day. However, I am learning that there is a lot more you can do with your hair that is still quick and easy. I am also learning that with the right products you can really get it to look the way that you want.

Women who serve in today’s Military need to find a style that works and stays within the Military’s guidelines but that doesn’t have to mean boring. Although a simple bun might be the norm, it doesn’t have to be. Whether you are a Military spouse like me or serving in the Military yourself, Suave® will help your hair be all that it can be with easy steps to style and the right products that work as well as salon brands do.

Megastar beauty vlogger and Military veteran, Dulce Candy is leading the way and has created a how-to video with easy tips for her favorite military-inspired styles to help women create the looks, while staying within military regulations. She is really good at explaining each of the steps and will walk you through what you need to do to achieve that style.

You can see the video here…

Some of the great products that can help you with your hair are a part of the NEW Suave Professionals® Sea Mineral Infusion line and the NEW Suave Professionals® Luxe Style Infusion line. 

They are truly amazing and I have enjoyed using them the last few days. In fact, I plan to keep using them because I love what they are doing with my hair. They unlock volume and lock in moisture for natural looking body and bounce that’s easy to style with. I love how much cleaner and healthier my hair feels. I plan to use the Sea Mineral Infusion Moisturizing Body Shampoo & Conditioner everyday. I will also being styling with the Luxe Style Infusion Smoothing Light Weight Weather Proof Cream and the Luxe Style Infusion Anti-Humidity Hairspray to help with my naturally wavy hair that is prone to frizz, especially in the humid weather we have here. These products will make styling a lot easier.

I spent some time watching Dulce’s video and decided to try the 2nd hair style she talked about. I love braids and I thought it would be a fun hairstyle to try. I will be sharing the hairstyle on Instagram tomorrow on Veteran’s Day and I hope you will join me.  I can’t wait to see all the different styles that everyone can come up with.

There are so many different ways to support the Military. Suave® is doing a great job with their #ShareBeauty campaign. They have been an American family brand for the last 75 years and will be donating 10,000 products to troops overseas. What a great way to give back!

We want you! Wear your military-inspired hairstyle on Veteran’s Day, share using #ShareBeauty, or both, to support Suave as they donate 10,000 products to troops overseas.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Suave via MSB New Media. The opinions and text are all mine.

*Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand.

 

What To Look For In A Military Spouse Best Friend

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What To Look For In A Military Spouse Best Friend

I have been a Military spouse for just about ten years now. During those ten years, I have made many friends. And a couple of best friends. These ladies are very special to me, even now when we don’t live near each other anymore. In the Military world friends always move away, even your best friends and there is nothing you can do about that.

I have been through deployments with a Military spouse best friend and I have been through deployments without one and it changes things. Having your own BFF to get through the deployment with will make it easier. You can depend on each other, vent with each other and tell each other that it is going to be okay. The hard part is finding someone to do this with. It doesn’t always happen and when you are moving a lot as you do as a Military spouse, you are always having to look for new friends.

What To Look For In A Military Spouse Best Friend

 

I know for me, finding friends is the easy part. Finding best friends is not. It takes a lot of work and yet you can’t force it. Best friends just happen sometimes and even if you really like someone else, they might not be the person to fit that role.

So what qualities make up a Military best friend? How do you know they are the one to fit that part of your life?

As a Military spouse and mom of three boys, this is what I think you should look for in finding a Military spouse best friend.

  • That you click. As I look back over my closest friendships, they all have one thing in common. We clicked. Almost right away in most cases. As soon as we started hanging out, it just worked and we knew it. I know sometimes you can be friends with someone for a long time and then get closer to them but I bet if you looked back at when you first met you can see that you did click right away, even if it took a while to get there.
  • That you can vent to them. If you have ever been through a deployment you know that some days you just have to vent. If you can’t do that with someone, it is going to be hard for them to be your buddy during the deployment. You need someone who you can vent to and that isn’t going to come back with a “suck it up and don’t talk to me about that anymore” type of attitude.
  • That you can depend on them. I have a very hard time asking for help, even when I need it. However, sometimes things happen and I have to call someone to help me. It is always nice to have that person you can call to help you out and not have it become an awkward situation. Whether it is because your child needs to go to the ER, your car breaks down or you need emergency babysitting help. It is nice to have someone to call and to be available for them if they need you in that way too.

Making friends is something all Military spouses have to do. Making best friends is the most important thing, especially when your spouse is away and your own family lives across the country or even the ocean.

What do you look for in a Military spouse best friend???

On Veterans and Hearing Loss

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Veterans and Hearing Loss

* This post is a sponsored post! I support the topic and would like it to be shared with my readers.  

Veterans and Hearing Loss

Due to the efforts of the Wounded Warrior Project and others like it, we have become more aware of military and veteran health issues like PTSD and traumatic injuries, but we often overlook one of the most common military service-related injuries: hearing loss and ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus. Although the military has been implementing hearing conservation programs for decades, a recent report states that more than 60 percent of veterans return home with some degree of hearing loss, with more than 445,000 currently receiving compensation for hearing loss and 395,000 for tinnitus. Considering the sounds of war, the fact that service men and women suffer from varying degrees of hearing loss is no surprise. But there is hope. Several hearing awareness companies, like Miracle-Ear, have committed to serving veterans by improving their access to hearing aids and quality hearing healthcare.

Permanent hearing damage is often a direct result of sudden, loud explosions, the roar of airplane or ship engines, or even gunfire. These loud noises can cause the sensitive hairs in the ear to become damaged and can even degenerate nerve cells in the ear. Once this happens, electrical signals aren’t properly transmitted and hearing loss occurs.

Keep in mind that a single gunshot can emit 140dBs of sound; a dangerous level. For more information on decibel levels of noise, visit www.onedaywithoutsound.org.

Untreated hearing loss may lead to depression, anxiety and social isolation. While hearing loss is not reversible, its effects on your quality of life can be mitigated, and the first step is recognizing the signs and symptoms.

Recognizing the Signs

· Frequently asking people to repeat themselves

· An inappropriate response to what is said

· Difficulty following group conversations

· Defensiveness about communication problems

· Intently watching speakers’ mouths

· Turning head to side to “hear better”

· Being unaware with volume levels, such as talking too loudly or too softly and/or having music and TV volume on high levels

· Speech deterioration

· Fatigue, insecurity, and indecision

· Social withdrawal

It’s important to remember that hearing loss is not a weakness, and there are many options available to those suffering from it. With hearing aids, hearing can be improved. Modern hearing aids are designed to be discreet, unobtrusive and require minimal upkeep.

To learn more about hearing loss, visit Miracle Ear’s website.

 

Five Simple Ways To Thanks A Veteran With The Great Clips Veterans Day Campaign

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It is so nice to know that there are companies out there that will be offering discounts to Veterans on November 11th. Great Clips is one of these places. They are offering free Veterans Day haircuts on Veterans Day. It is great to find Veterans Day offers that can really help out those who have served our country.

Veterans Day

I am a Military spouse and surrounded by Veterans. My Dad served in the Air Force in the 1960s/1970s and my husband is in the Army National Guard. I also know quite a few Military spouses that have served in the Military too. My heart is so thankful for the men and women who have stepped up to the call to serve their country. I am also so proud to be married to one of these people. To have watched him join the Army, to be with him during all the years he was Active duty and to now be with him as he works toward his after Army years.

As we get close to Veterans Day, you might be wondering the best way to thank a Veteran. Here is a list of five simple ways you can do it.

Soldier and baby

  1. Thank them. Just say the words. Let them know that you are grateful for what they have done. The simple words, “Thank you” can go a very long way.
  2. Off them a discount. If you have a business, give a discount to any Veteran that walks through your door. Let them know that you care and save them a little money in the process.
  3. Volunteer for a Veteran’s organization. Even if you don’t live near a Military installation you can still find places in your community to volunteer to help veterans. Check and see what is going on and where you can lend a hand.
  4. Talk to a Vet. Listen to their stories. Hear what they have been through. Let them know they matter. Veterans have a lot to say but sometimes feel like they can’t tell their stories. Be there to listen and understand what they have been through in the past. Ask them about their time in the Military.
  5. Donate. You can donate to Veteran organizations with money or even goods. Sometimes people hold drives to collect used clothing, blankets and food. Be aware of what is going on in your community and try to be apart of it.

Thanks A Veteran

With more than 3,800 salons throughout the United States and Canada, Great Clips is the world’s largest salon brand. Great Clips salons employ nearly 35,000 stylists who receive ongoing training to learn the Great Clips customer care system and advanced technical skills. Great Clips salon owners and corporate office are dedicated to our salon communities with a focus on philanthropic and volunteer activities.

Active or retired military members get free haircuts or a free haircut card on November 11th, and any customer who gets a haircut at Great Clips on November 11th receives a free haircut card to give to a veteran. Only veterans and active members of the military are eligible to redeem the free haircut card. Family members of said military members do not qualify. This is the third year Great Clips is running this promotion, and Great Clips is the only major salon brand that offers customers a way to thank the veterans in their lives!

Thank the veterans in your life and visit your local Great Clips on November 11th to redeem a free haircut card to share with a veteran of choice!

Comment and share stories of special veterans in your own life and how you can thank them.

Am I A Different Person Then I Was Five Years Ago?

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Am I A Different Person Then I Was Five Years Ago?

I just finished the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed. In it she talks about her 1,000 mile journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. She went on this trip to help her deal with the death of her mother and her recent divorce. It is also a movie with Reese Witherspoon, one of my favorite actresses. We also saw the movie a few weeks ago.

The book and the movie touched me greatly. I have not gone through a divorce or the loss of a parent but I feel like the last few years have been a journey of some kind. A lot has happened and things have been hard. I had my third baby, my husband got out of the Army, joined the National Guard and is working at a job I am not happy about. It’s a job that takes him away from us too and I thought we were pretty much done with that.

These are the hard years.

The years of day after day of solo parenting, doing the best I can, crying and hoping that things will get better, praying that everything we are doing now will help in the long run and trying to enjoy the family time we do have together. There was a time I didn’t see my husband for 11 whole months in a row. This is so much better than that.

I was thinking about the person I was five years ago. The one that was pregnant with her third little boy. The one that had been through two long deployments. The one that thought that everything would work out and I see that I have changed.

Through the last few years I have become a different person…

My faith has changed a little bit, the way I view the world has changed, the way I view how to plan my life and how things are supposed to work has changed. Five years ago I didn’t know I had a son with Autism. I didn’t know my husband would deploy two more times. I didn’t know how anxious I would become over the little things or how hard that 4th deployment would make me feel.

I assumed that if we followed the path we were on it would end up in a good place but that isn’t exactly what happened. Somedays I think my husband never should have left Active Duty Army but then I remind myself that if he hadn’t, we would probably would be in the middle of another deployment right now. And that to me is unbearable to think about.

People told us that life after the Army is a long and hard process. It might take a while to get to where we can say that things are good again. This is true. We are about 18 months out and still trying to figure it out. My husband has about 18 months left of being in the National Guard and then that part of our life will be over too. I have a lot of anxiety about all of this. I just don’t know what is going to happen or what I can personally do about our future. I feel lost and scared sometimes.

I am almost 37, shouldn’t I have my life figured out by now?

Then I tell myself, life is a journey, no matter how old you are.

I don’t think I would ever be able to hike 1,000 miles by myself but I envy the process that Cheryl Strayed went through during her journey. It was something she needed to go through to heal.

I know in my heart that everything changes. What is bothering me today won’t be the case in the future. I have seen my life change dramatically in just one day. I know it can happen.

When I can take a step back and look of who I was at 31 and who I am now, I see that life is about changing and growing. I hope that these hard years will allow me to grow and change in a good way and make me a better person. I hope to learn from them. In some ways they are my 1,000 mile journey.

How have you changed in the last five years?

 

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The 3 Social Media Sites That Bloggers Should Be Using

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The 3 Social Media Sites That Bloggers Should Be Using

The 3 Social Media Sites That Bloggers Should Be Using

When you start a new blog it is important to also set up social media accounts to go with it. I actually did this differently. I had a Twitter account before I had my blog. It came soon after but still. I decided to join Twitter on a whim back in 2009. I am not even sure why. I started connecting with others, mostly photographers. It was fun to share my work there and see what others were doing.

Once I started my blog I ended up finding other Military Spouses on Twitter and connecting with them. I also started a Facebook page for my blog and a few years later a Pinterest account.

There are a lot of social networks you can join but there are 3 sites that bloggers need to make sure they are on and using on a regular basis 🙂

Twitter- Twitter is a great place to connect with others and share your blog posts. I also like to find other blog posts to read on there as well. It moves very fast and has the biggest learn curve but it is worth checking out. I don’t just tweet about my blog. I tweet about pretty much anything that comes to mind. I use lists to keep up with the people I follow and I also set it up to share my blog posts on there throughout the day.

Facebook- Starting a Facebook page for your blog is pretty easy. You can just use your blog’s name and get it going. Start off sharing the page with your friends and family members. Then their friends will see it and you will start to get likes. You should then talk about your new page on your blog as well as other social media sites. You can join Facebook groups to help get you likes. The Milspouse Blogger’s group I am in is great for this. Growing your Facebook page can be difficult. I still haven’t totally figured it out but there is a lot of advice out there on what to do. I really like Hollie Homer’s videos about how to grow your Facebook page and different tips and tricks to use.

Pinterest- If you are not on Pinterest yet you should get on over there, especially if you have a blog. It can be a great way to generate traffic but it is also a great way to share other’s work as well as find new ideas. I try to always have a photo in my posts that could easily be pinned. Then I make sure to pin it myself to get it started. My hope is that others will repin it either from Pinterest or from my site directly. I started off with a personal account on Pinterst but switched to Business once they started offering that. Changing over is easy to do and you should do it if you are using Pinterest with your blog.

I also really like Instagram and although I am following a lot of people I have met through blogging, I don’t use it as much for my blog. Some people do and have great success with that. I find that because I can’t post a link when I post a photo that it is hard to connect the two. I enjoy sharing photos I have taken, quotes I enjoyed or anything like that. I didn’t include Instagram in my list because I think you can get by without it as a blogger but it can add to your social media experiences when it comes to blogging.

What about you? What are your favorite social media sites to use with your blogging?