Deployment

So You Just Found Out You’re Pregnant, And Your Spouse is Deploying

So You Just Found Out You’re Pregnant, And Your Spouse is Deploying

You were trying, or maybe you weren’t. But the test is clear. You are pregnant, maybe with your first, maybe with your 4th but you know what this means. Another baby… A sibling for your two-year-old… You are growing your family, just like you wanted to. And as happy as you are, as excited as you are, there is something looming over your happiness. Your husband, the father of your child, is deploying soon. And you aren’t sure how you are going to handle everything. You just found out you are pregnant and he’s deploying… When I found out I …

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The Camo in my Living Room

The Camo in my Living Room

I walk into my living room, and it is there. The camo. The color of the military. Normally, this all lives in other parts of the house, put away, until it is needed. But today, I can see his military gear, and I know what that means. The camo in my living room means he is getting ready to go. To serve. To train. To fight. The camo in my living room means that I won’t be able to see him for a while. That he will be living somewhere else. That it is time for him to go. Sometimes …

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The Deployment Journal For Spouses

So you spouse just deployed, and you feel a bit lost. You just aren’t even sure what you are feeling but you know you are feeling something. You just want to get it all out. Have you ever thought about keeping a deployment journal? I have been writing in a journal since I was about 16 years old. I love them and while I write more during certain times of my life over others, I still keep one to this day. During my deployments, they were like a best friend for me. Anytime I was upset, felt angry, or was …

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Deployments Never Truly Go Away

Deployments Never Truly Go Away

A Military spouse is never going to forget how hard it was to let their spouse go, how lonely the nights were or, how happy they were when they finally came home. It’s been years since the first time my husband deployed, over a decade ago. But that deployment changed my life forever, as it changed the lives of so many of my military spouse friends. That deployment changed my husband and all of the men he served with. That deployment still comes up in my mind, and I always think about those who lost so much during those 15 …

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When Your Spouse is Deployed and You Only Have Two Hands

This post is sponsored by Baby Tula! I was also provided free product for review. Whenever my husband was deployed, I hated going to the grocery store. I know there are more options these days such as grocery store pick-up or affordable delivery services, but back during our previous deployments, we didn’t have any of that. So, once I had three kids, it became a big issue. I could sometimes get around this by going to the grocery store when my older two were in school, or trade with a friend. However, there were sometimes when I still had to take all three and head to the …

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How to Celebrate Valentine’s Day if Your Spouse is Deployed

How do you like to celebrate Valentine's Day when your spouse is deployed?

It’s time for Valentine’s Day! The holiday all about love. The one where you feel the pressure to buy your spouse candy chocolates, or flowers, or teddy bears, and make plans to go out to eat on the most crowded night of the year. Super fun right? Or not… Maybe you think the whole thing is silly. A holiday made up by Hallmark to get spouses to buy cards for each other, and make more money. And with the lack of candy hearts this year, is Valentine’s Day even worth worrying about? (PS I did find some at Target a …

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When Deployments Don’t Get Any Easier

When Deployments Don’t Get Any Easier I couldn’t believe he was leaving again. Just two weeks before we had thought that he wasn’t going to go. Now he was and it was time to say goodbye. This time, he was leaving very early in the morning. We were all there, my three boys and I. We took some photos and said goodbye. Knowing that when he returned they would all be a little bigger. They would be doing new things and we would have made a lot of memories together without him. I knew this deployment wasn’t going to be …

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Twas the Night Before Christmas…Milspouse Style

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, no one was stirring, except one military spouse. She knew what tonight was, but wasn’t feeling the cheer, her husband of 12 years was simply not here. He was serving his country, on deployment #4, she simply couldn’t wait until April, when he would walk through the door. Her kids were in bed, excited for morning, they didn’t want to go, despite her stern warning. She looked at a picture, taken last year, when he was home beside her and she didn’t have much to fear. But this year was …

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When the Holidays Don’t Feel Like the Holidays

When the Holidays Don’t Feel Like the Holidays The holidays are here, and with this season comes decorating for Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever holiday you celebrate. This season means parties, and gift wrapping and baking yummy holiday treats. This season means being together with family, and being thankful for everything in your life. But what do you do when your spouse is deployed? When they are off in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, or some other part of the world too many miles from where you are? What do you do when you just don’t feel like doing Christmas? When you just …

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Surviving A Military Deployment

Surviving A Military Deployment

Surviving A Military Deployment I am sitting in my living room, in our 3rd-floor stairwell apartment in Schweinfurt, Germany. We just got back from the park, and my two-year-old is finally asleep. I am nursing my baby to sleep and will put him down in a bit. I plan to take a well-needed bubble bath once I do. It’s been a day. It’s been a week. It’s been a rough deployment.   And we still have so much more time to go…   Way too many days…way too long. And while every day is a day closer, the time ahead …

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