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Creating A Deployment Haven In My Bedroom

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Creating A Deployment Haven In My Bedroom

I received a free NECTAR mattress in exchange for this honest review. There are also affiliate links in this blog post.

Creating A Deployment Haven In My Bedroom

One thing that has helped me during deployments or time apart from my husband is having a place to go when I was feeling down or sad about my situation. Having a comfy place to read, watch tv, or write in my journal is my place to get out of my funk and work through the difficult deployment day.

What do you need to make a deployment haven?

To create your own deployment haven, you need a place for you to go, to reflect, to dream, to cry, to relax. A place where you can go when the deployment day gets to you. For some, this retreat might have to come after the kids go to bed. For others, this might come in the mornings after everyone goes off to school.

Finding a relaxing place for you to go during a deployment will help keep you focused. The best part about creating this type of space is that you can make the space unique to you and your needs. For me, my deployment haven is my bedroom.

For the longest time, my bedroom was the catch-all room of the house. If I didn’t know where to put something, I put it in there. Slowly I have been working to end that and to make our master bedroom a haven for me when my husband is gone and for both of us when my husband is home.

The biggest part of any bedroom is the bed, and we had been sleeping on a 12-year-old mattress.

I got the chance to review a NECTAR mattress, and I knew it was the perfect time to upgrade. 

With a new bed and mattress, I could make my deployment haven even better. With a comfortable memory foam mattress, I could snuggle into bed with a book, be comfortable, and enjoy my alone time.

The mattress arrived in a tube just like this…

NECTAR MATTRESS

 

We then were able to get the mattress out and ready to be slept on. It took a few minutes to get the outer bag off and then we moved the mattress to our bed frame. We opened up the packaging, and slowly the mattress started to grow to its full size.

You can see our video here…

Putting this together was super easy. We got things started around 5:00 pm and by the time we went to bed that night the mattress was ready to sleep on. There was a slight odor from the mattress, but that went away in a few days.

We have slept on the mattress for over a week now, and I LOVE it. This mattress isn’t just nice, but it’s amazing. We received the King mattress and upgrading from a Queen has been wonderful, but beyond that, the mattress itself is super comfortable.

NECTAR MATTRESS

Not only does the mattress feel good to sleep in as it conforms to your body but the mattress is also perfect for laying on to watch tv or get lost in a book. I like to read before I go to sleep each night and I love how I can settle into the bed and get super comfortable while I am reading. This mattress is perfect for my deployment haven.

The mattress also comes with two pillows, and they are pretty amazing too. They also took a little time to get to their full shape.

NECTAR MATTRESS

I love how the mattress looks, and when you first open the package, you won’t be able to help yourself from putting your hand on the bed and watching the memory foam at work. This type of mattress is very different from one with a spring, and that is a good thing.

Does this mattress sound good to you? Here is a little bit more about the Nectar mattress:

Forever Warranty: NECTAR has a forever warranty which is how long they will guarantee the construction, materials, quality, and durability of NECTAR.

Shipping: Shipping is free within the contiguous US. There are additional shipping costs to Alaska, Hawaii and US territories excluding PR.

How does the mattress work: The NECTAR mattress has 4 special grade performance layers and a uniquely milled cooling cover. NECTAR is certified pure and better for you and the environment. The mattress is considered medium firm, support of a firm mattress and comfort of a pillow top.

365 Night Sleep Trial: You get a full year to enjoy NECTAR and figure out if the mattress is right for you.

How to buy: Head on over to the NECTAR website, find the right size and right mattress and place your order.

So whether you are working on your own deployment haven or you want something for your new house after a PCS, check out the NECTAR mattress, you will be glad that you did.

When Grandma Can’t Be There: The Reality of Living Far From Home

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When Grandma Can't Be There: The Reality of Living Far From Home

When Grandma Can’t Be There: The Reality of Living Far From Home

I just got back from three whole weeks in California. We did so many fun things. We went to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Sea World, the Beach, and more. We also spent a lot of time with family.

We stayed with my family and my husband’s family came down to see us so we got to hang out with them too. My boys got to spend time with both Grandmas, Grandpa, their Uncle, their aunt, their great aunt, and their cousins.

Being able to spend this time together was very much needed. In February of this year, my family suffered a tragedy and lost my sister-in-law to suicide. I knew I wanted to visit in July before this happened but once it did, I knew I had to.

Life is shorter than we realize and nothing is guaranteed. I thought I would have plenty of time in the future to see my sister-in-law and I didn’t. So I planned a three week trip to California this summer and I hope I can do that again in the future.

When Grandma Can't Be There: The Hard Truth of Living Far From Home

We live over 2,000 miles from both of our families.

We moved away because of choice, we stay because we haven’t figured out a way to afford to move back. California is one expensive place.

If you are an active duty military family, you most likely will also be far from home. Maybe you are a few states away, but life makes visiting difficult. Maybe you are on different coasts, and visits are few and far between. Maybe you live in Europe, experiencing an overseas PCS, but part of you is still back home in the states.

We have been lucky over the years. Family has been able to visit us. When we were in Germany, all three living grandparents were able to visit with us there. They have also been able to take trips out to Tennessee to see us where we live now. Hopefully, there will be more in the future.

Right before we left for the airport to return to Tennessee I made a comment on Facebook about how I was looking forward to going home but I didn’t like that it was so far away from my family.

When I was in high school I couldn’t wait to leave. Two months after graduation I moved nine hours away to go to college. I have always wanted to live other places and experience how other people live.

When Grandma Can't Be There: The Hard Truth of Living Far From Home

But all of this independence comes with a cost.

Not living close to family means you can go years without seeing them. Yes, years.

Not living close to family means you are the cousins the rest of the family doesn’t really know, and that sucks.

Not living close to family means that each visit has a time limit and you can’t help but be aware of it.

Not living close to family means you will miss birthday parties, Christmases, Thanksgivings, and important events you otherwise wouldn’t have.

Not living close to family means you have to work that much harder at staying connected through the miles.

Someday we will hopefully live close to our families again. Someday we won’t have to miss them so much. And that is what I keep in mind when we say goodbye.

 

I am happy with my life here in Tennessee. We like our neighborhood, we like our church, we like the boy’s schools and the military community that surrounds us. This place has a lot to offer, but my family is simply too far away for me to be able to fully dig my roots into it.

If I think about everything we are missing, I can get pretty sad about the situation. I know my family is missing so much about my boys growing up.

I don’t even know what it would be like to have Grandma in the same town as us. I don’t know what being close to family on a day to day basis would be like.

I do know that so many military and even non-military families are living their lives away from their loved ones.

Those of us that are living far away have learned what we can do to make that distance a little bit closer. Calls and Facetime can help. Care packages can send love over the miles. Visits with one another are a must. And there is always hope that you will be able to move (or get stationed) close by them in the future.

How far away are you from your family? What do you do to stay connected to your family from miles away?