Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

Movies, Television, and Media

Thank You For Your Service

by

Thank You For Your Service

This post contains affiliate links!

Thank You For Your Service

In August of 2006, my husband deployed with his Unit out of Schweinfurt, Germany to Iraq. In January of 2007, President George W. Bush increased the number of American troops to provide security to Baghdad and Al Anbar Province. He extended the tour of most of the Army troops and some of the Marines.

In April of 2007, we got the news that our husbands would not be home in June, but that they would be a part of this surge. My husband returned in November of 2007 after a 15-month deployment.

On October 27th of this year, the movie Thank You For Your Service will be coming out starting Miles Teller, Haley Bennett, and Amy Schumer. The movie, which is directed by Jason Hall, is based on the book by David Finkel, Thank You For Your Service. 

Finkel was embedded with the men of the 2-16 Infantry Battalion during the surge in Iraq where he wrote his best-selling book, The Good Soldiers. Thank You For Your Service is about these same men when they returned home after their 15-month deployment.

The movie is the story of soldiers returning from war, dealing with the aftermath and trying to move forward. Miles Teller plays SGT Adam Schumann, a soldier who leaves Iraq as a broken man and Haley Bennett plays Saskia Schumann, Schumann’s wife.

From the previews I have seen, this movie looks to be very good, yet will be hard for a lot of us to watch. Even as I type this, I am getting emotional thinking about that deployment and everything the men and the spouses went through and are still going through, 10 years later.

I think this is an important story for all Americans to hear about. To know what those who have served have been through and what really can happen after the homecoming. That not everyone returns from a war the same and that there is so much that has to be worked through, especially after such a long deployment.

And for those of us that can identify with this on a personal level, I hope we can talk to others about what we have been through, and find support through one another.

Thank You For Your Service will be in theaters October 27th. 

 

10 TV Shows You Should Binge Watch During Deployment

by

10 TV Shows You Should Binge Watch During Deployment10 TV Shows You Should Binge Watch During Deployment

During deployments or even during drill weekends I have found that binge-watching a television show can really make things a lot easier. I can get lost in the show, lost in the characters and that can take away those lonely nights missing my husband. Focusing on something else always works and watching a good tv show is a great way to do it.

With Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, binge watching couldn’t be easier. Back during our 2007 deployment I either had to get DVDs from the library or watch shows on YouTube, 10 minutes at a time. Not ideal I know. I much prefer Netflix these days.

So…if you want to get lost in a story, check out these binge-worthy television shows:

One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill is about a fictional town in North Carolina. It’s the story of two brothers, both raised in very different families and small town life. Basically, normal teenagers, trying to figure out life, love, and relationships. This show has 9 seasons and a lot of fans like to rewatch over and over again.

Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl takes place in New York City and is narrated by the “Gossip Girl.” Another show about teenagers but this time they are from the Upper East Side. They have money, a lot of money and all the problems that go with money. Gossip Girl has 6 seasons and will keep you guessing about who the “Gossip Girl” is the whole time.

Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls is a fun show about a mother and daughter living in a small town in Connecticut. This is a quirky show with a ton of fun supporting characters. There are 7 seasons and Netflix just came out with Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life that you must watch once you finish with the regular seasons.

The West Wing

I am a HUGE fan of The West Wing. This show is all about President Bartlet and his staff. They take on real issues and each character has their own situations they are going through. I have already watched this show twice and would love to start a third round. There are 7 seasons.

Vampire Diaries

Vampire Diaries is an exciting show about a town in Virginia, Mystic Falls with Vampires and other supernatural creatures. Elena is a regular old high school student who loses her parents in a car crash. Then she meets Stefen and Damon, vampire brothers. And everything changes. There are 8 seasons and a spin-off, the Originals.

Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars takes place in Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Four friends try to figure out what to do after their friend Alison is allegedly murdered. This show will keep you hooked because you just want to find out what is going on. There are 7 seasons of PLL.

Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time takes place in the fictional seaside town of Storybrooke, Maine. But who lives in this town? All your favorite fairytale characters, only they are under a spell and don’t remember where they came from. Emma, a bail bonds person comes to the town and learns she is the only one who can save it. This show has 6 seasons and is still going on with new characters added all the time.

Grey’s Anatomy

If you are looking for a mix of medicine and drama, Grey’s Anatomy is going to be your show. This show is on season 13 with more to come. Meredith Grey is the main character and as the show starts she is starting the residency program at Seattle Grace Hospital. You might think that it isn’t possible for one hospital to have this much drama but you don’t care because the show is keeping you entertained.

Doctor Who

If you love science fiction, time travel, British tv, you will probably like Doctor Who. I will fully admit this show is not for everyone but those that watch and fall in love with it can’t get enough. This show could be your deployment show as there are a ton of episodes to watch. You can go all the way back and watch some of the original show but I suggest starting with the newer episodes. There are 9 seasons of that, the 10th should start sometime in the near future.

The Office

The Office is such a great show to binge watch. This show is a Mockumentary about an office in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Some of these characters will drive you nuts, others will make you roll your eyes but you won’t be able to get enough of this silly show. There are 9 seasons to enjoy.

 

What shows do you love to watch during a deployment?

 

 

Amy Grant’s Tennessee Christmas CD Review and Giveaway

by 6 Comments

Tennessee Christmas

Amy Grant’s Tennessee Christmas CD Review and Giveaway

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

I was about 12 years old when I discovered Amy Grant’s Christmas albums. I had them on cassette tape and used to listen to them all season long. This was back in the day when you had to have a cassette or CD in order to listen to the music you wanted when you wanted to. I think I wore those albums out!

When I heard that Amy Grant was going to come out with a new Christmas album this year, I was very excited!

Tennessee Christmas is one of my favorite songs. The song has changed for me over the years. Before, I was a teen growing up in Southern California. Now I am a mom of three raising my boys in Tennessee and there is just something about that song that makes me feel good about being here, especially during the Christmas season.

“Well they say in l.a., It’s a warm holiday; It’s the only place to be. But a tender Tennessee Christmas Is the only Christmas for me.”

Tennessee Christmas is on the new album as well as many other songs that you have heard before. Here is the list:

  1. Tennessee Christmas
  2. To Be Together
  3. Christmas for You and Me
  4. Melancholy Christmas
  5. December
  6. White Christmas
  7. Joy to the World
  8. I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
  9. Baby, It’s Cold Outside
  10. Christmas Don’t Be Late
  11. Still Can’t Sleep
  12. Another Merry Christmas
  13. O Come, All Ye Faithful

Besides Tennessee Christmas, some of my other favorites are To Be Together, Joy to the World and O Come, All Ye Faithful. I enjoyed all the songs and will be listening to this CD in my car for the next few weeks. The CD book is filled with the lyrics and photos from Amy’s life.

Tennessee Christmas

Amy is also asking fans to upload any videos they might have of surprising loved ones for the holidays. Have you ever done that? Have you ever had a Christmas homecoming?

If you have a video to share, you can share to your own social media using the hashtag, #TNChristmasSurprise! The videos that are chosen will be a part of a compilation video that Amy will share on her own social media outlets.

You can also find Tennessee Christmas on iTunes!

Now for the giveaway! One of my readers will be able to win 1 of Amy Grant’s Tennessee Christmas CDs.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Just enter with the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

10 Thoughts on Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life on Netflix

by 8 Comments

10 Thoughts on Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life on Netflix10 Thoughts on Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life on Netflix

  • This post contains affiliate links! 

In 2004, I had a little baby boy and we signed up for Netflix. My mom told me about this great show that we could watch on DVD with Netflix, Gilmore Girls. I was hooked right away. So was my son. He would stop whatever he was doing and watch the theme song with amazement. That little baby is now 12 and Gilmore Girls is back with new episodes.

Netflix is amazing and one of the reasons that Netflix is so amazing is because they can take old shows and make new episodes. The first one was Arrested Development, another favorite. Fuller House is another example and now we have Gilmore Girls. Four 1.5 hour episodes going through the year. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

This was released on Friday and I ended up staying up way past my bedtime to watch all of them. And after that, I needed to watch an episode from season three. I love this show and can’t seem to get enough. As much as I wanted to savor every episode of the new shows, I knew that avoiding spoilers might be hard. You never know what people are going to say on social media, what Facebook will put in your feed or what an article’s title might say. I didn’t want any part of the show to be ruined, so I watched them all Friday night and wow, what an amazing show!

I have a lot of thoughts on the new episodes and I wanted to share them here. Know that the rest of this post will show spoilers so stop reading if you have not watched A Year in the Life yet. Then come back once you have.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SPOILERS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Rory’s Boyfriends- I love that Dean, Jess, and Logan all came back for these episodes. Logan was in the most scenes and Dean was only in one but I really liked seeing them. I am a fan of the Good Wife, Supernatural and This is Us and what I loved is that these three came back and were very much Dean, Jess, and Logan, not the characters I have seen them as more recently. I was a little shocked that Rory was with Logan, especially since he had a fiance. I am glad she gave him that key back to the Maine house. I felt like he was trying to set her up to be his longtime mistress. If he truly loved her he should break it off with his fiance but he didn’t seem to want to do that.

2. Sookie, Lane, and Paris- Loved seeing these ladies back as well as the townspeople, Lane’s twins, Mr. Kim, etc. They added so much to the original series and it was so nice to see them back, if only for a few scenes. I did feel like we saw a little too much of Kirk. 

3. Luke and Lorelai- During the original series the two would banter back and forth with one another and I was glad to see they still had that. I worried about the lying and not wanting to get married after all those years. I also thought the baby storyline was weird. How did they never talk about it? And then now thinking about a surrogate? But the wedding was perfect! 

4. Wild- Loved the book and movie Wild and thought the storyline was an interesting one. Not something I ever would have thought Lorelai would ever do.  I loved how they made the two park rangers actors from Parenthood and Mae Whitman showed up in New York at one point as well.

5. Jess- I have pretty much always been team Jess and I was hoping they would get together by the end. I wasn’t so sure after the scene in the newspaper office. They seemed so much like buddies. But then, when Luke asked Jess if he was still into her and he said no, but then went to the window? That gave me hope. I am not sure if we’ll get any more episodes but I would love to see Jess and Rory together in the end. Logan is just not cool and Dean seems happily married too.

6. Emily- LOVED seeing what she did after she got over her grief about Richard. Seems like a great way to wrap her up as a character. And the scene when she is explaining about the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up made me laugh.

7. The Seasons- I really enjoyed the different seasons. I felt like each one was different enough to put us in that time period. That also made it easy for us to see time passing within the four episodes.

8. Stupid Paul- I hated that Rory kept forgetting to break up with him. It was cute and all and a silly joke but it just didn’t seem like something Rory would do. They should have had her break up with him at the end of the Winter episodes. We could have still had the joke but it wouldn’t have gone on as long as it did.

9. The Musical- Did they really need to spend that much time on the town musical? It was so long. That is one big thing I would have changed. Give us more time with Jess…or really anyone.

10. The Last Four Words- WOW! I didn’t see that coming in any way. What will Rory do? Will she tell Logan? If she did would she want him to be with her? Where does Jess fit in? Will she live with Lorelai? I need more Gilmore Girls. I need more. Even if we have to wait a while for it.

 

What did you think? Are you hoping for more???

10 Reasons Why Pokemon Go Is The Best Thing Ever

by 1 Comment

Pokémon Go

10 Reasons Why Pokemon Go Is The Best Thing Ever

Unless you have been living under a big rock, you should have heard of Pokémon Go by now.

Pokémon Go is a free game you can find on iOS and Android devices. Developed by Niantic and published by the Pokémon Company. This game came out last week. Has it only been a week?

I discovered Pokémon when I was about 21 years old. I played it on my Gameboy for a few years. Over time I stopped playing the game but we still have my red and blue games here in the house. A couple of years ago my son started getting into collecting the cards has one of the newer games for the DS.

I saw on Twitter that there was a new game for Pokémon lovers for your phone. I had to check it out. So I did.  I learned this game wasn’t just a game you play on your own in your own home. This is a game that you have to play out and about in your community. And I was hooked. I told my boys right away and they were so excited about Pokemon Go too.

It took a few days to figure out how to play Pokemon Go.  The game kept having overloaded servers the first few days but we soon learned a little bit about the game. How you only have so many Pokémon balls to start. Whoops. How you can get more by leveling up and by going to a Pokémon stop. What’s that?

We found out that a Pokemon stop was where you can get extra items for your Pokemon and the game. It seems that almost every church in our city has at least 2-3 Pokemon stops. They are also in other places like parks and stores. We are still trying to figure out how the gyms work.

With the fast popularity of Pokémon Go, I wonder how long people will be playing it. Will we all go out on a snowy day to find more Pokémon? Maybe not. We will have to wait and see what happens. However, this summer, for the few weeks we have left of it, my boys and I will be playing Pokémon Go.

Because Pokémon Go really is the best thing ever. This is why…

1. We can play it together. We only have 2 phones in our house this will work on. One is mine, one is my husband’s so my boys are not going to have their own games. I have been taking turns with them. They usually get to hunt for Pokémon while we are driving and I have them tell me about any Pokémon stops they see along the way. Then we can go back to the ones I feel comfortable about.

2. It’s a walking game. Yes, you can play while driving but walking is even better. When you are driving you can capture Pokémon but it seems a little easier to do so while walking. This game is getting more and more people out and about. Which is a good thing.

Pokémon Go

3. We are meeting people in the community. We haven’t been out as much as I would have liked with Pokémon Go but the times we have it is really great to see others in our community and ask them if they are playing too. People are talking to each other. After what happened in Dallas, Minnesota, and Baton Rouge last week, this is a good thing. Who knew we would achieve world peace through Pokémon?

4. Because you can play Pokémon in the real world. This game is a great mix between the real world and the imaginary one. I love that. I love that we see Pokemon while out and about. That they show up in weird places.

5. The game gets us to explore. There are a lot of places around here that have a lot of Pokémon. This makes us want to go and explore them. While I don’t want to go anywhere I would think was unsafe just to get a Pokémon, going to see parts of our city that we normally wouldn’t is going to be a lot of fun. If you are new to a city, it would be a great way to get out and explore with your kids.

6. It’s free. While you can buy things in the game with real money, you don’t have to and I love that. I love that we can go out and do something fun together without having to spend any money to do so.

7. Pokemon Go has been good for mental health. I have seen quite a few articles about how this game is helping people with mental health issues like anxiety and depression and helping those with Autism. And that is a good thing.

Pokémon Go

8. Pokemon Go is opening up a door. I think we will see more and more technology like this come out into the world. I would love to see something like this for the Sims games or even Disney. The possibilities are endless.

9. New safety guidelines. This might be the push a lot of people need for more safety guidelines when it comes to phones and cars. Phones are not going anywhere and some states still allow you to drive and use them. Maybe the popularity of this game will help with laws and keeping people more aware of when they are on their phones? There are always going to be people who ignore these laws but if games like this are going to be the future, we need to be aware of how to use them safely, especially when the games involve our kids.

10. Communities. Did I mention this is getting people to talk to one another? Pokemon is getting people to create meetups. The game is bringing people together and that is a good thing.

So if you want to play Pokémon Go, go check the game out. Pokémon can be a lot of fun for you and your kids. Remember to never Pokémon while driving a car and be aware of the people around you. Stay away from places you are not sure about and make sure your kids know how to stay safe too.

Have you started playing Pokemon Go yet?

Facebook Saved the Military Spouse

by 10 Comments

How Facebook Saved the Military Spouse

How Facebook Saved the Military Spouse

Back in 2007, during my first deployment, all my Army wife friends were on Myspace. A lot of my friends from back home were there too. Myspace was the place to be. During the deployment, we would spend time together at the park, head home, put the kids to bed and then log in to share photos, comments and update our music list. Remember the Myspace music list? We took quizzes and looked for old friends.

Back then I would log onto Facebook about once a week or so. It really wasn’t as popular even though people were posting there.

These days, Facebook is still pretty popular. We can go on there and learn what our friends are up to, even if we haven’t seen them in years. We can join Facebook groups, share photos of our kids, and get annoyed by all the news and political posts that always seem so frustrating.

Good or bad, Facebook has saved the Military Spouse.

Here is why…

  • They can share photos with their families back home.
  • They can stay in contact with friends from past duty stations.
  • They can learn about local events such as MOPS or what is going on through their local MWR.
  • They can talk to local friends and make plans for upcoming nights out.
  • They can meet others in their neighborhood, ask for suggestions and sell some of their stuff.
  • They can find groups for their interests and make new friends that love the same hobbies they do.
  • They can look for jobs.
  • They can promote their businesses.
  • They can talk about their favorite tv show or book they have read or really anything that interests them.
  • They can learn more about a new duty station and even start to make friends before they get there.
  • They can find a church or other local group to join.
  • They can help other spouses through problems or just be there to tell someone they are thinking of them.

Facebook makes the world a much smaller place.

Facebook is a place to go to connect, to vent, to encourage and to explore. Sometimes I have even felt like my husband lived on Facebook when he was deployed overseas. That was just the way life has been sometimes.

There are downsides to Facebook and social media in general. There can be bullying, there can be drama, and there can be cases of oversharing.

Sometimes I find myself learning much more about a person then I should really know. Politics can divide people, one-upping each other can be annoying and we can spend too much time scrolling our feeds when we should be doing something else.

But overall? Facebook can be the ideal tool for a Military spouse. Social media can help her in ways that nothing else can. Facebook can be her support when her husband is deployed, can be a tool to find a local group that she needed to find to help her make friends, and can lessen homesickness and remind them of fun memories they have made in the past.

Having boundaries with Facebook is also super important. You don’t want to overshare details about what your spouse is doing and always remember OPSEC. You don’t want to spend all your time on social media so that you start to feel depressed about what you don’t have.

You don’t want to overshare too much information so that you could put yourself in danger. Being smart about social media is a must and having boundaries that work for you about Facebook usage is important.

How has Facebook helped you on your Military spouse journey? 

Podcasts You Should Listen To

by Leave a Comment

Podcasts you should listen to

 

 

Podcasts! I love them. I found them back in 2009 when I was spending the summer with my parents. At the time I had to download them to my ipod and listen that way. I only really listened to one that was on photography. In 2012 I discovered a few more but my phone did not have very much space. I upgraded last fall and was able to add more. Then Serial came out and I really started getting into them.

The nice thing about podcasts is that I can listen to them while I am cleaning, working, walking or even in the car. I can listen before bed or even in the shower in the morning. I don’t have to be staring at a screen when I have them on. I have it set that they only download when I am on WiFi so the podcasts I am subscribed to will download new episodes only when I am at home but I can listen to them anytime as long as they did in fact download.

I don’t listen to every single episode of every single podcast I am subscribed to. Some episodes just don’t catch my interest. I also might subscribe and then realize I just don’t like the podcast enough to stick with it. Not that it is bad but that there are other podcasts I would rather listen to.

I figured out that there are podcasts on pretty much any topic you could think of. Since I use the Podcast app on my iphone, I can go into search, type in a topic and it will give me a list of podcasts that have a show about that topic. I then go in and see if anything is what I am looking for and try a few of them out.

At the moment I am subscribed to 40 podcasts which I know seems like a lot. Some only update once or twice a month. Others are random or update once a week. There are a few that put out a new episode more than once a week. Again, I look at the topic and then decide if I want to listen to it. So if the podcast just says, “Episode one” with nothing else, I probably won’t subscribe to it because I want to know what the episode is going to be about.

I am going to highlight a few of my favorite podcasts that I think you might like too:

Movies & Tv

  • The Popcast– Hosted by Knox McCoy and Jamie Golden. If you love tv/movies/popculture, you need to listen to this one. They talk about the latest craze, celebrities, binge watching tv shows, etc and they always make me laugh. I might not always agree with them but they crack me up regardless of what it is they are talking about. They seem to come out with a new podcast once a week.
  • Afterbuzz– They have podcasts for about 300 shows. If you are watching a show and want a podcast for it, check them out first. I currently am subscribed to Grey’s Anatomy, Mad Men, American Crime and Secrets and Lies. I love to hear people talk about the episode I just watched. They usually come out with a new show the day after the episode airs.
  • Wingin It– I knew I had to find a West Wing podcast and since this one started rather recently, in March and they still seem to be putting new episodes out, I subscribed. I really like how they look the at the episodes and bring up the topics the show is about.
  • Slate’s Spoiler Specials– Love movies? This is a great one to hear about movies. They don’t have a show on every movie that comes out but they have a lot of episodes to choose from.

Social Media/Blogging

  • Smart Passive Income– This was one of the podcasts I started listening to in 2012. If you want to make money online, you need to be listening to this one. Pat Flynn is an online entrepreneur and blogger who is very successful. He loves to share what he has learned and figured out about this business. He has such great advice and interviews a lot of people. He usually has a new episode once a week.
  • AskPat.com– If you don’t have much time, subscribe to this one. It is quick tips that are answers to questions fans of Pat Flynn sent in. I usually wait until I have 3-4 episodes there and then listen to them all at once. He usually comes out with one a day.

Random Goodness

  • EarzUp– Love Disneyland? You have to listen to this one. It is my favorite of the Disneyland podcasts out there. There are three hosts that go to Disneyland often and have some great information and fun talk about the place. They release about two episodes a month.
  • Sorta Awesome– This one was started by an online friend of mine, Megan Tietz. She has three co-hosts, Kelly, Rebekah and Laura. They talk about life with kids, blogging, tv shows, what they are reading, daily life, etc. It’s fun and I love it.
  • Slate’s Audio Book Club– This one is about books. They haven’t released many episodes lately but you can go back and listen to the books you have already read.

Do you listen to podcasts? Which ones are your favorite???

 

Why I Love Parenthood and the Bravermans

by 5 Comments

Parenthood

A few weeks ago Parenthood aired its very last show. I caught up on the season last week and have now seen them all. It ended well and the last few episodes were very touching. There are a few reasons why I love this show. My mom told me about it after she watched a couple of seasons. She kept telling me I would love it and I did.

This is why I loved the show so much and why I am sad it had to end. I am going to try not to give away any real spoilers but I do want to talk a little bit about certain things on the show.

For those that don’t know, Parenthood is about the Bravermans. Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia play Zeek and Camille. The parents of the four grown children and the grandparents of all of their children. Adam is the oldest son played by Peter Krause. He is married to Kristina, played by Monica Porter. Sarah is the next daughter and she is played by Lauren Graham. Dax Shepard plays Crosby the younger son and Erika Christensen plays Julia, the youngest of the four.

1) Max- Max is the son of Adam and Kristina. When the show starts he is about 8 years old and is diagnosed with Asperger’s. When I started watching the show our son was not diagnosed and we just started thinking something was going on with him. I would sit and watch Max and think, “Man, he is so much like Drew.” Once Drew was diagnosed, it was nice to watch what Max was going through and watch how the his whole family dealt with things. Since Max is a few years older than our son, I felt like he was a way to see into our future. There were times when Adam or Kristina would say something about his Asperger’s and I could totally relate. I will miss seeing Max get older and watch the challenges that he will have to go through.

2) California– The show takes place in Berkeley, California. While I am not from there I lived in the Bay Area for a while and I like watching shows that take place near where I have lived. It makes me a little home sick in some ways but it is a good thing. tumblr_m70cabp6Xq1rwdielo1_500

3) Lorelai Gilmore, I mean Sarah– I am a HUGE fan of Gilmore Girls so watching a show with Lauren Graham would happen no matter what. Sarah is different from Lorelai. She has a different type of relationship with her daughter than she did with Rory. I love seeing her in this different role.

4) Family- This show is all about family. Since they all live close to one another, they see each other all the time. Some of them even work together. They rely on each other in ways I simply can’t do with my own family because of the distance between us. I hope that in the future I can have this kind of closeness with my own family.

5) Real stories- The stories feel real to me. They go through divorce, cancer, money issues, PTSD, you name it and they probably had a story about it. While it is TV, it feels more real than other shows. The emotions are more real and I can relate to some of the issues I have dealt with myself.

I always feel sad when a good show gets cancelled too early. This is one of them. Hopefully they will have a reunion sometime in the future.

Are you a fan of Parenthood?

 

 

Guest Post: Motherhood and Social Media

by Leave a Comment

pb_keyboard_filtered-8262013

Motherhood and Social Media

Before the advent of Facebook, Pinterest, Skype and various other social media tools, motherhood was, in some ways, a much more isolating experience. Of course, before social media, mothers may have had email, phone calls and in-person visits. But social media and tools like smart phones and web cams bring your friends and family right into your living room, regardless of location, and allow them experience the growth of your child up close and personal. These days, moms can keep in touch with friends and family like never before.

Social media serves another important purpose: it brings moms together and makes geography nearly irrelevant. You adopted your child from China? There is a Facebook page or blog dedicated to that where you can connect with other moms with children adopted from China and share your experiences, ask questions, and make friends. Ditto for many other motherhood experiences. The internet and social media help us stay connected and meet others of like minds or experiences. This can be immensely reassuring when you are faced with a motherhood dilemma outside your previous experience.

Here are some of the most common social media tools I have found useful and some that many of my friends who are moms love to use:

Facebook

Although there are concerns that Facebook popularity is declining among teens, every mom I know uses it regularly. We post pictures of our kids, updates on our lives, questions about events at school and where to find a good pediatric dentist. It is a great tool for keeping up with both local friends and family and those that live far away.

You should be aware that Facebook is notorious for changing their privacy settings constantly and not informing users.  Therefore, I never post anything on Facebook that is sensitive or private. You really can’t be absolutely sure who might see your post. Also, Facebook has had the tendency in the past to ban breast-feeding photos and sometimes delete those users’ accounts, so while it is your right to post these types of family photos, the network has shown a strange intolerance to them, so beware.

That said, I love keeping up with what my friend in Spain is doing and her daughter’s activities, as well as making plans with my neighborhood friends for a barbeque.  I also belong to a Facebook group of moms with multiples and we talk about parenting issues specific to having twins or triplets.

Pinterest

Need an idea for a snack to serve for a toddler birthday party? Looking for an age-appropriate educational activity? How about nursery decorating ideas? That and more can be found on Pinterest by pinning photos and ideas of people you know and people you don’t. Along the way you can learn lots of interesting things about your friends. One of my friends has a prolific collection of dessert recipes – all involving chocolate. Another is obsessed with bookshelves of every shape and dimension. Another I can always count on for great ideas for appetizers.

Instagram

Love photos? Instagram allows you to tap your inner photographer and view others photos. You can also share them on Facebook and other social media sites. It is an opportunity to showcase your life in photos for friends and family to see, but the profiles are public, so everyone else can see, too.

Skype

There is nothing better than Skype for keeping in touch with family and friends far away – it’s almost as good as being there. It’s free to talk computer-to-computer and while you have to remember to talk straight into the webcam (or else all people will see is your forehead), it is a live way to talk so your mother that lives five states (or a continent) away can see and hear your infant daughter cooing. My niece put on a trombone concert for my parents a few weeks ago and sometimes my best friend and I get on and chat after the kids have gone to bed in place of going out like we used to. You can even BYOB.

Email and Texting

Don’t care to share your whole life with the masses, or even just your online friends? It’s a valid concern – many sites have little to no security settings, so there is really no way to ensure that what you post stays within your circle of family and friends. Emailing and texting, now considered old-school, aren’t completely foolproof, but you have a reasonable expectation that your rant to your best friend about not getting any sleep and the lack of privacy while pumping at work will be seen only by her.

What was parenthood before social media? It was a lot more private, and really, there is no substitute for in-person visits, but when that isn’t possible, social media can be the next best thing. It also opens up so many parenting resources and avenues for creativity, information and validation. It’s a way for friends and family outside your local circle to see your kids grow up, and to me, that is pretty amazing.

This guest post is by a SmartMom Contributor. SmartMom is an easy way to receive fast answers to all of your parenting questions from the convenience of your mobile device.  We’re launching in the app store soon – Visit our website http://smartmom.co for early access! 

 

Inspirational Film Review of The Movie Camp

by 4 Comments

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned below for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Camp_DVD

I was able to watch a copy of the movie, CAMP last week.

Nashville, TN – (June 28, 2013) – Word Films announces the August 27 nationwide DVD release of the inspirational film “CAMP.” Inspired by true stories from camps for abused and neglected children, the film’s writer and director, Jacob Roebuck, tapped into real-life events to acknowledge the power of the camp experience and the opportunity it provides to give unconditional love to those seemingly forgotten children who need adults in their lives. “CAMP” is the story of a deeply troubled boy, Eli (Miles Elliot, “The Mentalist”), and an apathetic investment advisor, Ken (Michael Mattera), who get paired together at a summer camp for foster kids and discover the meaning of unconditional love.

The first thing I noticed about the movie was that the camp it was being filmed at looked just like the camp I went to in high school.  I did a search and found out it was…Hume Lake if anyone is familiar with that place. This was great because a lot of the places where it was filmed looked familiar to me. I almost want to say we stayed in one of the cabins that was used in the film.

Given the subject matter of this movie I knew it would be a good story.  When I was in college I interned at a foster care agency and I heard about the  types of homes the kids lived it.  It is hard to imagine that parents would treat their children in such a way that they would have to be removed from the home.  The foster kids in the movie reminded me of the kids I used to work with and how they just want to be loved and treated well.

I really admire the owners of the real life camp and what they are doing for these kids.  After the movie is over you can hear some of the real life stories from former campers and counselors. A few of them have ended up adopting some of the children who attended the camp.

It can be easy to think our world is falling apart but it is nice that there are people out there that have stepped up to help children who need it.

You can now purchase this movie as it just came out on August 27th!

The film is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 111 minutes. For more information about “CAMP,” Royal Family KIDS, Inc. and for a listing of upcoming engagements visit: www.campthemovie.com.