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Halloween, Your Teeth And The MetLife Tricare Dental Program

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Halloween, Your Teeth And The MetLife Tricare Dental Program

This post was sponsored by the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central.

I love Halloween! Our whole family does. We always have a good time but in the back of my mind I think about all that candy. I am not sure there are many moms that don’t at least think about it. When thinking about Halloween candy it is a good time to make sure your family is doing what you are supposed to do when it comes to dental health.

It is important to make sure that you are going to the dentist every six months, that you are brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing everyday as well. Taking care of your teeth can go a long way in preventing gum disease as well as other issues that can come up like tooth loss.

As far as your toothbrush goes, find a soft brush and replace it every three months or as need be. Make sure no one in your home is sharing a toothbrush. I try to get different brushes for each of my boys, usually in their favorite color so that we always know whose brush belongs to who. You should also be storing the brushes in an upright position and rinsing them off after each use. Unless you are traveling, it is not a good idea to store the brush in a closed container. Also, try to find a toothpaste with fluoride that your kids will like the taste of. It is harder to get them to brush their teeth if they can’t stand the taste.

With Halloween coming up I know my boys are going to be eating more sugar. That is why I have to make sure we are following that with brushing our teeth each and everyday. I don’t want them to go to sleep with all that sugar on their teeth.

The Metlife Tricare Dental program offers excellent preventive and diagnostic dental care when you visit a network provider. This is what we have used since my husband joined the Military in 2005. Even as a National Guard family we can still use it. For everyone in your plan you will get two cleanings and two exams per year, within a consecutive 12-month period, at no cost, when a network dentist is seen.

To enroll you need to visit www.tricare.mil/bwe. You can also call 1-855-638-8371 Sunday 6:00 p.m. – Friday 10:00 p.m. (EST) except holidays.

Check out their website or social media accounts to find out more!
MetLife TDP website: www.metlife.com/tricare
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetLifeTDP
Twitter: https://twitter.com/metlifetdp

The Road Back From Broken By Carrie Morgan Book Review

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The Road Back From Broken

The Road Back From Broken by Carrie Morgan is a brand new book which comes out today, October 20, 2015!

I had the opportunity to review the book and I was very impressed!

The Road Back From Broken:

For Fitz, having survived means being haunted by the very memories he wants to forget…

Four months after surviving an IED blast in Afghanistan, Army sergeant Jacob Fitzgerald has recovered from his physical injuries but his invisible wounds continue to fester. Devastated by the loss of his friend Peterson, a gifted medic who was killed in the IED attack, Fitz turns to alcohol to dull his pain. But his solace proves short-lived when a DUI crash leaves Fitz one screw-up away from a court martial and he comes home to find his wife Jenn packing her bags.

Desperate to save his marriage and his Army career, Fitz is befriended by Remy, a young Army chaplain haunted by demons of his own. Fitz leans on Remy for support when sobriety proves a mixed blessing, bringing the clarity of mind needed to reconnect with his family while unleashing a flood of vivid, searing flashbacks. As the haunting memories of the IED attack and his fallen comrade send Fitz into a spiral of anguish, he must choose between numbing the pain and losing both his family and his career, or coming to terms with his role in the death of his friend.

Written by Carrie Morgan, whose husband is a an U.S. Army infantry veteran, this book touched on something a lot of those who have been to war or are married to someone who has been to war have been through. This book is a well written strong story about a man who is not dealing well after coming back from his latest deployment. I loved the ties to family and the history of the main character’s family. She touches on the different people who are affected by a soldier’s deployments and the hard years that Military life can bring. She brings up modern issues that those in the Military might be facing and it is a real look inside a soldier’s world.

The Road Back From Broken is available in Paperback and Kindle form from Amazon.

 

  • I received a free copy of this book for review. Affiliate links are used. 

 

Celebrating The Holidays When Your Spouse Is Never Home

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Celebrating The Holidays When Your Spouse Is Never Home

Celebrating The Holidays When Your Spouse Is Never Home

I don’t want to count up the amount of times I have been alone with my children during a holiday. It is not fun. It really takes some of the joy out of it. However, I have learned how to deal with it and how to make the best of it. One thing our family has done that has really helped is deciding to celebrate certain holidays on a different date.

Now for some holidays, when my husband is gone, there isn’t much I can do. Holidays like Halloween and the 4th of July are more community events so I can’t exactly plan to celebrate those on a different day. We just have to enjoy them without my husband, be a little sad about it and hope that next year we will be together. Last 4th of July my husband had his two-week National Guard drill and was gone. We missed him but we enjoyed a pretty cool fireworks show courtsey of my neighbors. We didn’t have as much fun as we would have if he had been home but we still made it work.

Other holidays that are more family centered are easier to change. The two main ones we have done this with for our family are Thanksgiving and Christmas. One year my husband was supposed to deploy on Thanksgiving. The nerve of the Army doing that to us! Well, the mission comes first and that mission said they must leave on Thanksgiving. We could have just decided to skip Thanksgiving that year but I knew my heart would be sad if we did. So we celebrated a week early.

I got up that morning just like it was Thanksgiving. I made most of the dinner, my husband helped with the rest. We were lazy, had fun together and it felt exactly like Thanksgiving even though it was a week before. So when actual Thanksgiving came, it felt like a regular Thursday. We dropped my husband off and we were sad but I didn’t feel like we were missing Thanksgiving together because we had celebrated the week before.

Last Christmas my husband had to be away for work. We didn’t know this until December 18th. So what did we do? We celebrated on December 19th. We told the boys that we would have to celebrate Christmas early, that we notified Santa and that everything would be okay. That night the boys went to bed very excited because it was their Christmas Eve. They woke up the next day to presents under the tree. We did everything we normally did on Christmas from watching the boys play with gifts, to making a nice meal, to just being together. It felt exactly like December 25th! It was great!

Now I know this method won’t work for everyone. And it won’t work for everyone every year. If your husband leaves for deployment in August and won’t be home until February you are probably not going to celebrate Christmas that early. In some cases you will just have to go about the holiday without them knowing that they might be home the next year.

However, if you can work with the dates and celebrate early, do it. It will make the actual day so much easier. You will feel like you already celebrated it. You won’t feel like you are missing as much. You can make your memories for the year and it really doesn’t matter if you celebrated on the actual day. All that matters is that you had your family time together and made a special day before your spouse had to leave.

What do you do about the holidays when your spouse is away? Any special tricks for getting through them?

On Living At Fort Huachuca, Arizona

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On Living At Fort Huachuca, Arizona

Glad to have this guest post by Rebecca on living at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Please visit my Duty station guest post page for posts on other locations or more information about how you can write a guest post about where you have been stationed.

Fort Huachuca is often referred to as Fort “We Gotcha,” and as the home of the Military Intelligence Corps and a few thousands students, it’s very true. It’s not uncommon to be stationed here two or three times throughout a Soldier’s career. Often underappreciate, at least the first time, Huachcua is truly a gem tucked away in the Southeastern corner of Arizona.

This is our second time at Fort Huachuca, we were here in 2007, newly married while my husband attended a year-long school. In short, we hated it. There wasn’t much to do, Tucson is about a 90 minute drive and we really didn’t have the time nor money to explore.

Fast forward 5 years and we received orders to come back. Honestly, we were ecstatic. We knew what to expect, we had friends here, and we were more mature. We moved here with a dog, two kids, and about 6,000 more pounds than we left with the first time. In a way, it felt like we were heading home. Back to where it all started for us, back to the beginning.

When we arrived back on post it was almost shocking to see how much had changed. We looked at our house, which is amazing for army standards and knew this was the place we were supposed to be. The views are spectacular. Our house amazing. And the friends we’ve made? Outstanding!

So what is it really like at Fort Huachuca? It depends on the job. Most of the people here work a nice 8am to 5pm kind of job. Which is pretty perfect because that’s what the installation can support. Those unlucky few who work the long hours are those AIT Platoon Sergeants (think Drill Sergeants without the funny hats) the days are long. But overall, the place is pretty low key.

We’ve been here three years now, and are banking on two more. Which is a long time most places, but not as much for here. People have been known to spend the majority of their careers here, and I can understand it.Fort Huachuca

The neighboring town, Sierra Vista, is incredibly hospitable to military families. They show their American pride several times a year and are actually quite cultured. The Sierra Vista Symphony is a wonderful evening of music and society.

Don’t just take my word for how great it is out here, here’s what some of my friends have to say:

“Garden and Huachuca Canyons are our favorite places to hike and the amazing friends we’ve made here in two years are the best part overall,” –Leia

“The weather! I love that you can drive a few hours and see snow in the winter, or a few more hours and be on the beach. And then come home to consistently amazing weather,” –Christi

“The friends I made, the sunrises and sunsets, the view of the mountain, and nearby Bisbee.” –Jenny

“I love the unique wildlife. Where else can you have a group of javelin by night and wild turkeys by day in your yard?” – Missi

Not everyone loves Fort Huachuca as much as I do, but I truly think this is a fantastic place to raise a family, make friends, and enjoy the great outdoors. It’s hard to leave each duty station, each place you call home. I know that this will be the hardest, but I’m hopeful we’ll be back one day.

10460503_10100126370928701_2353812854519958557_nRebecca Alwine has been a military spouse for over 8 years, traveling the world and learning about herself. She’s discovered she enjoys running, loves lifting weights, is a voracious reader, and actually enjoys most of the menial tasks of motherhood. She is an avid volunteer, most recently as President of the Fort Huachuca Community Spouses’ Club and has worked as a career counselor for transitioning service members. She has a Masters in Emergency Management from American Military University and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Mary Washington. Her writing has been published both in AUSA’s ARMY Magazine, Military Spouse Magazine, on Many Kind Regards, and multiple digital magazines and blogs. You can follow her on Twitter at armywife1229.

 

5 Money Mistakes Military Families Make

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5 Money Mistakes Military Families Make5 Money Mistakes Military Families Make

One of the biggest benefits to a deployment is the extra money. I am not going to lie. If you are going to send my husband away, I am glad you are giving us extra money for it. With extra money comes choices. You have to decide how you are going to spend that extra money.

Some people spend all of it. Others save or pay off debt. Some use part of it for an after deployment trip. We have done all of thee above and during our third deployment we even saved for buying a house.

As I look back over the years, I know we have made quite a few money mistakes. Big ones. Small ones. I think it is easy to do when living the Military lifestyle. But the reality is you have to be smart about every penny that comes into your house. You can’t take anything for granted. You can’t assume that you will always make as much as you do or get too comfortable with any type of temporary pay. COLA, jump pay, deployment pay or anything else doesn’t always last forever.

Here are five mistakes Military families make when it comes to money.

  • Spending it all on extras during deployments- This is a hard one. Your spouse deploys and suddenly you have a lot more money in your budget each month. You are also pretty sad. So sad sometimes that you just want to do something, anything to feel better. So what better way to get happy then to shop, right? Well the reality is it can be way too easy to use shopping as a way to feel better. Retail therapy can be important but you really have to stick to your budget. Don’t overspend the deployment pay just to feel better. Having a plan about where you want the extra money to go is a must to help avoid this. If you know that most of your extra money is going into savings each month, you are not going to go out and spend it.
  • Assuming a promotion is right around the corner This was one of our mistakes. Assuming that a promotion was going to happen soon and planning for that. Then when it doesn’t come you can find yourself in a bit of a bad situation. I would also add that when that promotion does come you don’t immediately upgrade your lifestyle. That can get you in trouble too. A promotion doesn’t mean you get to upgrade everything. Focus on paying off debt, savings or anything to help your future when the promotion finally does come.
  • Buying big after a deployment- I remember that the PX in Germany always got a ton of new big screen tvs in towards the end of the deployment. They knew what the soldiers coming home from Iraq or Afghanistan after a year away would want to buy with their extra money. It’s so easy to want purchase a lot of big things when your spouse comes home. You feel like they deserve it. You feel like you can justify it. But think long-term. Can you find a smaller item that they would like just as much? What are your long-term goals and does buying a big screen tv fit in with them? It can be so hard to not want to buy something big after a deployment but sometimes it is wise not to.
  • Not saving enough for a PCS- Whenever you move with the Military it can be easy to think you don’t need a lot of money to do so. The Military is packing you up right? Well the answer is you do. You need to have some extra money. For anything that could come up. Not planning ahead can get you in trouble. Save as much as you can, especially if you are coming back from overseas, try not to overspend and stay under your weight allowance.
  • Not paying off debt with extra money- It can be hard to focus on debt sometimes. You gain a little extra money and you want to use it on something fun or exciting. Debt is neither of these things. But as a Military family, you have the chance to get ahead. Anytime your spouse gets extra money you should use it to pay down debt. I know we would be in a much better situation these days if we had done that from the start of my husband’s Military career. It is a lot better than buying more or thinking you make more than you do. Extra money is temporary and you should treat it like it will be gone the next day.

Paying down debt and then building up a savings should be very important to Military spouses. You never know when your spouse will have to transition out of the Military or when things will change.

What is your #1 tip for saving money while living as a Military spouse?

How My Role As A Military Spouse Affects My Children

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Military Spouse with Children

How My Role As A Military Spouse Affects My Children

I have never been a Military spouse without children. My husband joined after we had been married three years. We had a 13 month old boy at the time.

I have only ever known the Military life that included kids. I don’t know what it is like for my husband to be gone and not have anyone to take care of or look after. It just isn’t my exeperience as a Military spouse.

As I look back on the past 10 years of being a Military spouse, I have to wonder how it has affected my children. Not in a personal way but in the fact that they are being raised by a Mom who is a Military spouse. A mom who has had to play the role of both mom and dad while her husband has been away. A mom who has had to struggle with anxiety while her husband was in a war zone. A mom who was trying to do the best that she could in a very stressful situation.

I wonder how that has affected them and how they would be if I had never been a Military spouse.

I know it is not good to think too much about that because it is not our reality. Our reality is that my boys have a mom who is a Military spouse, for good and for bad.

Sometimes I think that life is harder than it needs to be for them. That they have had to deal with missing their Dad and missing a bit of their mom too because I have had too many things to do. When you are the only adult in the house, you don’t have a lot of spare time and the kids can pick up on that. You do your best to spend quality time with them and make life happy and fun. But sometimes you fall short and there is nothing you can do about that.

I know that my parenting has changed a bit because of deployments. It had to. There was no way I could parent the same when things turned out different then I thought they would be. I had to let more things go and focus on what was really important.

I have had to work hard to be a good mom and be there even if I felt too sad or like I wanted to just crawl into bed and sleep the day away.

I hope that my boys can feel my love for them and know that I have done the best that I could over the years.

It helps to have a good community of other Military spouses to talk with about this type of thing. It can be hard to admit that your kids might be missing out on something and it is easier to talk about with people who have been there and know those same emotions.

If you are looking for a community in your area, head on over to Hello Mamas to see what is available to you. You will be glad that you did 🙂

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On Living Near Fort Hamilton In New York City

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On Living Near Fort Hamilton In New York City

Happy to have this guest post by Amanda on living near Ft. Hamilton, in NYC. Please visit my Duty station guest post page for posts on other locations or more information about how you can write a guest post about where you have been stationed.

After I moved to New York City back in 2001, I was prepared to see the sights… things like Broadway shows, Times Square, museums, just to name a few. When I met my future husband in 2005 and we married in 2008, I was introduced to a whole new world called the Army National Guard. My now husband had been a member of some form of the Reserves and National Guard for over 15 years by then and I was thrown right in with no warning or training. The closest I had ever really been to the Armed Forces was hearing stories of my grandfather who had served in WWII and my best friend from high school, who had previously lived on numerous bases through the world before her father retired from the Army in the early 90’s.

While trying to find my way through the crazy terminology, acronyms, regulations, and ever-changing orders that never seemed to be released in a timely manner, I was introduced to a hidden treasure right in our backyard that I had no idea even existed. After we were married, my husband informed me that I needed to get a dependent military ID. The following weekend we hopped the subway and made our way to a neighborhood called Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, where, to my surprise, stood Fort Hamilton.

Fort Hamilton sits right under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to Staten Island, and next to the neighborhood of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn. If you didn’t know an Army base was located there you would never even notice it. But once you do know it is there, there are obvious signs of its presence. For example, the giant American flag that flies over the great lawn and the side-by-side white washed houses that serve as base housing.

Stationed in NYC

 

As a National Guard family, we don’t have an opportunity to live on base, and we really only go on base if we have a specific need to be there such as our unit’s family day, which is normally held on the great lawn just inside the gates. My husband’s actual home station is the Armory in Manhattan, but Fort Hamilton is a much more comfortable location for the kids to come and run around like crazy people for a couple hours. The view of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from the great lawn is stunning and I always get a shot of it every time we are there.

Stationed in NYC

In my personal opinion, the general atmosphere is fairly easy going compared to other Army bases that I have visited, such as Fort Dix in New Jersey or West Point in upstate New York. Once you get past the armed guards at the front gates, it almost reminds me of a small college campus than an Army base. We usually end up taking a walk around the grounds just to enjoy the outdoors without fear of being hit by a crazy NYC cab.

Fort Hamilton

Even though it is a smaller base, Fort Hamilton does have many of the same services as the larger bases. Services such as a commissary, Post Exchange, ID services, employment services, dry cleaners, barbershop, and the USO are all available. As a matter of fact, the USO provided entertainment for us at one of our family days. I didn’t catch the name of the group, but they performed all of the WWII favorites. I really wish I had caught Marshall on video because he jumped right up there and was dancing along with them through their whole performance!

Fort Hamilton

Did I mention the barbershop??? You don’t venture on an Army base with your hair too long otherwise you are sent directly to the barbershop!

Fort Hamilton

If you do get the chance to visit Fort Hamilton, prepare for a small town atmosphere in the middle of the big city. In addition, the sights and sounds of New York City are just a quick 20-minute subway ride away!

 

Amanda Olvera is a true Michigan girl living in New Jersey with her husband, 4 year old son, 3 kitties, and beta fish. She has been a military spouse since 2008 and is still working her way through all the rules, regulations, and balancing her family’s civilian life with that of the National Guard. She works full time as an IT Project Manager in New York City. She recently discovered the crazy world of running and was surprised to find she enjoys it! She also enjoys a good book, which fills the time during her daily commute into the city. She is currently working towards a Masters in Project Management from Stevens Institute of Technology and studying to sit for her PMP certification. She also has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She blogs at The Calm Before The Storm (https://arngspouse.blogspot.com) and you can follow her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/OlveraMarshallFamily) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/Mandakay0625).

Best Duty Station In The Military: 5 Features That Make San Diego #1

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Best Duty Station In The Military:

Happy to have this guest post by Heather on being stationed in San Diego, one of my favorite places too. Please visit my Duty station guest post page for posts on other locations or more information about how you can write a guest post about where you have been stationed.

Best Duty Station In The Military: 5 Features That Make San Diego #1

Yep, I said it: San Diego is THE best duty station in the Military. You may not agree, but I’m going to give you a ton of reasons why it’s true, all wrapped up in 5 important features.

Ok, I’ll admit that I’m slightly biased… Hubby’s San Diego tour was during our long distance relationship and engagement, so I spent a lot of time flying in for a weekends of fun and sight-seeing, eating out and holding hands during walks by the water.

We also got married in San Diego, all in all making it an incredibly sentimental town. (ok I was ooey-gooey in love and twitterpated about life. But hear me out and you may find it’s not just Cupid talking!)

1- Accessibility

San Diego is accessible to so many exciting activities and destinations, and it’s easy to get around within the city and beyond.

  • It has it’s own major airport that’s right in the heart of the area– within 15-20 minutes of most bases.
  • It also has a train station in the heart of downtown that services Amtrak on a regular basis.
  • San Diego also has many beautiful walkways and running trails, and parks along the water.
  • It’s very biker friendly and if you’d rather ride, you can catch a cab, a pedicab, a transit train or and even a ferry.
  • Though it does have some traffic clogs during rush hour, it’s generally easy to get around. And if you time it right, it’s an easy 1 & 1/2 – 2 hour drive to LA and the many attractions there: Disneyland & California Adventure, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Knotts Berry Farm, Concerts, Malls, Restaurants etc.

best duty station in the military

2- Big City Amenities In A Compact Area

Another reason San Diego is the best duty station in the military is the amazing attractions within a small geographical area.

  • You can visit the San Diego Zoo, Sea world, go on a Segway tour, hit the Gaslamp District, and go to a Padres game all in the same day if you want.
  • Amazing restaurants and new breweries constantly pop onto the scene, so you’ll never run out of new places to try.
  • You can even walk or bike to major broadway shows from many places. We saw the Lion King downtown and then walked home to my place in Little Italy… and speaking of Little Italy, you don’t want to miss the farmer’s market every Saturday!
  • In addition to all of that, you have the zoo safari park, Aquatica by SeaWorld (SeaWorld’s water park), and Legoland. They’re further out from the city, but not so far that you have to pack twice as much just for the drive.

 

3- “Small Town” Living On Coronado

Ok, if you’re stationed on NAS North Island (lucky if you are!) you definitely want to consider living on Coronado. Yes, it’s expensive and you may have to put up with a smaller house than you’re used to. But it’s worth it because:

  • It has the best schools in the area
  • You can avoid traffic coming over the bridge
  • Your spouse can bike to work on base (my hubby, then fiancé, biked from his place on Coronado and it was much faster than driving)
  • Experience a quaint, cute town where people drive golf carts around
  • You don’t have any major box stores, yet can get most anything on the island if you need it on the island.
  • You can even live on-island and have a reverse commute (much less traffic) to Naval Station San Diego.

best duty station in the military

4- Very Military Friendly With Many Resources

San Diego is a very military-friendly and patriotic place.

  • You can access two large commissaries and NEX (Navy Exchange) locations.
  • Getaway or have visiting family stay in the amazing Navy Lodge accommodations, especially the one on Coronado (right on the beach with a great pool area!).
  • There are several bases all within a few miles of each other which makes commuting and accessing resources that much easier.

5- Weather

So maybe the best reason San Diego is the best duty station in the military is the weather.

  • It’s pretty great all the time– only 10 inches of rain a year, it’s usually sunny and warm. We got married on the San Diego Bay in January, and it was 75.
  • It doesn’t get humid like the east coast but it can still get into the upper 80s and 90s (esp further east in the more desert-like terrain) It doesn’t get brutally cold and snowy like the north either.

Ok so did I convince you that SD is truly the BEST duty station in the military? Well, even if not, I highly recommend it… and if you have orders there, I’m sure you’ll have an awesome tour!

 

Heather Goffrier is a Navy wife of 5+ years and a mom to a 2-year-old princess. When not blogging over at HappyFitNavyWife.com, Heather can be found at mommy & me classes, Bible study, hanging with her pilot hubby, and traveling whenever possible. She loves sharing about her experiences as a military wife & mom, and hopes to encourage as many as possible who are on this journey. For more on San Diego, check out Heather’s Top 10 San Diego Restaurants.