Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

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That Breast Pump Might Just Change Your Life

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That Breast Pump Might Just Change Your Life

This is a sponsored post!

When I had my 3rd little boy, my older two were around 4 and 6 years old. And they were active little boys! Having only two hands, adding that third baby was a bit of a balancing act.

I had one boy in elementary school, one in preschool, and a new baby. I remember that I would sit and use my breast pump in my room, having to be plugged in and sitting down to do so. This meant that I had to make sure my other two boys were safe and entertained elsewhere.

My “baby” is now almost 10 years old, and things have gotten even better for breastfeeding moms. For one thing, you can now get a free breast pump from TRICARE.

That’s right! This is a benefit for all military spouses and military moms.

How does it work?

  • TRICARE will give one breast pump out per “birth event.” What is a birth event? Either a pregnancy, or an adoption of an infant with plans to breastfeed.
  • This is true for any TRICARE plan, from active duty to National Guard.
  • You can get your breast pump in a few different ways, including from a civilian stateside or overseas retail store, or an online store.

The Breastfeeding Shop is one of the best places you can go to get your TRICARE benefit breast pump.

In addition to this TRICARE added benefit, there are now more choices when it comes to what breast pump you want to get, including wearable and wireless pumps.

With a wearable breast pump, you can more easily multitask, not be stuck pumping in one location by an outlet, and you can quite literally pump on the go.

Interested in a wearable breast pump? The Breastfeeding Shop can help you out with that.

The Elvie, Freemie, and Willow are popular wearable pumps. Right now, the Breastfeeding Shop has the Elvie and Freemie avaliable. Here are a little about both:

The Freemie- This pump offers hospital power suction, in a hands-free double pump. The pump is small, quiet, and you can wear the pump under your bra. There is a rechargeable battery and has super light cups so you don’t always have to use a bag. This pump would be $0 out-of-pocket with your TRICARE benefit.

The Elvie-This pump is an amazing wearable pump that fits into your bra. The pump is practically silent, includes custom fitting breast shields, and has 7 settings for suction. This pump does have an up-charge as TRICARE doesn’t pay 100% for luxury pumps, however, the Breastfeeding Shop will have the lowest out-of-pocket costs for this type of pump.

The Breastfeeding Shop also carries plenty of other types of pumps if you are not interested in a wearable one. Sometimes it is best to go with a more traditional pump if breastfeeding is new for you and/or this is your first baby.

A wearable pump can be fun and convenient for moms that would like to have that flexibility. However, the wearables are limited with their size flanges available. So if you do need a specific size flange – they might not have it. That is something to keep in mind when making your decision on what type of breast pump you want to get.

If you take a look at the Breastfeeding Shop’s website, you can see they have a comparison chart of the different types of pumps. When you are ready to move forward, you can fill out their online form to get your pump. You will need to have a prescription from a TRICARE-authorized doctor, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or nurse-midwife.

I love that this is a TRICARE benefit, as I know being able to have access to a breast pump is very helpful for so many moms. Head on over to the Breastfeeding Shop and enjoy your new pump!

The Top 10 Takeaways From Military Family Lifestyle Survey

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This post is sponsored by Blue Star Families!

Have you heard of the Blue Star Families Annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey? This survey provides a comprehensive understanding of the experiences and challenges encountered by military families. It is a yearly snapshot of the state of military families.

The data from the survey isn’t just to share with military families, it is also there to help change things for the better. It helps to inform national leaders, local communities, and philanthropic actors. It helps increase dialogue between the military community and broader American society, minimizing the civilian-military divide and supporting the health and sustainability of the all-volunteer force.

Blue Star Families conducted its 10th annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey from May through June 2019. They had over 11,000 respondents, including active duty service members, veterans, National Guard, Reserve, and their immediate family members.

The Blue Star Families Annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey is the largest and most comprehensive survey of the military and their families.

There is a lot of information in the survey, so I wanted to highlight the top 10 takeaways based on the top trends and findings for 2019.

Military families act to offset the impact of relocation on their children’s education, an issue that continues to be a top-five issue of concern for respondents.

Military families have concerns around family stability and dependent children’s education. Some are either turning to homeschooling, or voluntary separation from their service member.

Availability and affordability of childcare are barriers that negatively impact service members’ pursuit of employment and/or education.

Not being able to find or afford good childcare is making it difficult to pursue employment or educational goals.

Military spouse respondents who are unemployed indicate their top challenge to working is service member day-to-day job demands making it difficult to balance work and home demands.

A service member’s day-to-day job demands is a top barrier to employment among military spouses. Top barriers do however differ when children are present.

Three-fourths of employed military spouse respondents experience some degree of underemployment; this issue persists among spouses of veterans.

77% of employed military spouses and 68% of veteran spouses report at least one circumstance of underemployment.

Potential impacts on a service member’s career is the most common reason for not seeking treatment for active-duty, National Guard, and Reserve family respondents who had seriously considered attempting suicide/had attempted suicide in the past year.

40% of military, veteran, National Guard, and Reserve family respondents, who had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, and received help after the most recent incident, did not find it helpful and 8% couldn’t find that help at all.

Families enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) report difficulty obtaining specialty medical care in a reasonable amount of time after a relocation.

40% of military family respondents who have an EFMP Family Member are unable to obtain a referral and be seen by a specialist in a reasonable amount of time after relocating.

Military family respondents caring for a child with special needs report their community does not have all the resources their family needs.

More than a 3rd (36%) of military family respondents feel like their community doesn’t have all the recourses their family needs.

National Guard and Reserve families feel local civilian support agencies are not effective in addressing their needs.

Nearly one half of National Guard and Reserve families feel their local civilian support agencies are not effective in addressing their needs.

Military and veteran family respondents who perceive that civilians in their local communities have greater military family lifestyle competence feel a greater sense of belonging to that community.

40% of military family respondents don’t feel a sense of belonging to their local civilian community.

The majority of military families have a positive experience with their children’s schools but identify improvement opportunities related to the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children.

The majority of families with school-aged children report their oldest child is thriving at school, but feel schools can improve.

Please take the time to head on over to Blue Star Families and download the survey results. There is a lot of information there, and it would be helpful for any military family member to read the results and learn more about the military community in general. Knowing what the struggles and frustrations as well as about what is going well for the military community is important.

5 Tips For Being a Military Influencer On Social Media

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5 Tips For Being a Military Influencer On Social Media

This is a sponsored post for T-Mobile with Sofluential Media!

Social media can be such a fun way to connect with other people. I have been in the military spouse blogger space for almost 10 years now and I can hardly believe it. Twitter was the first place I shared my blog posts and started building my community. Soon after I started a Facebook page, and later a group. And a few years after that, Instagram became part of my social media space.

After being a military influencer on social media for so long, I wanted to offer some tips for others who would like to do the same.

Have a plan for each platform

Whether it is Instagram or Facebook, have a plan for what you want to do and what you want to accomplish. Each platform works a little differently so make sure to keep that in mind when creating a social media plan for yourself.

Memes help 100%

Memes can help grow your following, and they are fun to make. You can use photos, and create captions or put a quote on a pretty background. A meme can go viral and boost your numbers rather quickly.

Use social media to connect with your followers

Use your accounts to connect with your followers. Respond to comments, and answer questions – a little engagement goes a long way! You can really build your community and build credibility by maintaining a conversation with the people that follow your channels.

Start with one post a day

If you are not sure how to get going, start with just one post a day and go from there. You might not even need to do more than that. Routines can be good, and scheduling out what you want to post can make social media feel a bit less overwhelming.

5 Tips For Being a Military Influencer On Social Media

Use a good phone

If you want to post regularly on social media, having the right smartphone is really the first thing you need. To capture meme-worthy content you want a phone with a good camera. The iPhone 11 features a dual-camera system with all-new Ultra Wide and Wide angle cameras that produce the highest quality video a smartphone can offer, plus major improvements in low-light photography and Portrait mode — making it even easier to capture picture-perfect social media content. Ready to upgrade your phone? Right now, T-Mobile customers can get 50% (or more) off a new iPhone – including the new iPhone 11 – via bill credits with a qualified trade-in.

If you aren’t on T-Mobile already, consider making the switch. T-Mobile has long been a champion for the military community through employee programs — the Un-carrier was named one of the Top Military Friendly Employers by Military Friendly® for the 12th time. And, T-Mobile’s Magenta Military plan makes it easy for military spouses to keep up with social media and family:

  • Update your social media at home or on the go with unlimited talk, text and high-speed data, plus unlimited hotspot with 3GB high-speed data per month.

Magenta Military offers military, veterans and their families one of the best prices in wireless. For one line, it’s just $55 per month with AutoPay (normally $70 on T-Mobile’s popular Magenta plan). If you need more than one line, the discount gets even better at just $25 for the second line and $10 per line for lines 3 through 6. Plus, monthly taxes and fees are included so the price you see is the price you pay.

There’s never been a better time to get in on the Magenta Military Plan and take advantage of the best iPhone deal on the market. With T-Mobile, it’s easy to up your social media game, stay in touch with family and friends and connect with others the way you want to.

Get an Extra Boost this Military Spouse Appreciation Month!

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Get an Extra Boost this Military Spouse Appreciation Month!

This is a sponsored post by AAFMAA!

Charlene G Wilde, Assistant Secretary of AAFMAA

As MilSpouses, our lives are truly a combination of adventure, uncertainty, service, sacrifice, and many other things in between. And let’s face it, the truth is sometimes being a military family is downright challenging. Whether it’s working to juggle your kids solo — when just surviving a trip to the grocery store can feel like climbing Mount Everest — to feeling the pressure of having to take care of the household operations while your servicemember is away, there aren’t many dull moments (or any maybe in your case!)

First off — if any of the above speaks to part of your life and experience as a MilSpouse so far, you’re not alone. I’m right there with you. With that in mind, I wanted to share an opportunity that could give you and your family an extra financial boost. Your servicemember spouse may be able to qualify for a benefit of AAFMAA Membership called the CAP Loan.

AAFMAA’s CAP Loan is an easy, smart, and affordable way to get some additional cash. It’s open to ranks E-5 to O4 and you get $5,000 at just 1.5% APR with five years to repay. The best part? There’s no credit check, no fees, no prepayment penalties, and you can use the money for whatever you need — whether it is to tackle projects around the house, take a family trip, or something just for you.

As a member of the AAFMAA team and a MilSpouse myself, I can tell you this is a great opportunity to take control and move toward the financial empowerment we all want. Your military lifestyle and your unique needs as a military family are important. You deserve the expertise and understanding of a not-for-profit organization that has been exclusively serving the military community with smart, secure financial solutions for over 140 years. Helping MilSpouses like you achieve a secure, confident financial future for your military family is our only mission.

On Military Spouse Appreciation Day and every day, at AAFMAA, we are here to help you breathe a little easier through your day-to-day life. We stand together as MilSpouses and military families, and AAFMAA is right beside us.

Interested in the CAP Loan? Learn more on our website at www.aafmaa.com/cap or call us at (800) 991-0268 with your servicemember spouse to start their application for AAFMAA’s $5,000 CAP Loan today.

How AAFMAA Can Help Military Spouses Financially

When You PCS and Have To Leave Your Job

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When You PCS and Have To Leave Your Job

This is a sponsored post for T-Mobile with Sofluential Media!

Things are going great for you. You love your job, your kids are in a good school, and life feels right where it needs to be. But then, your spouse comes home from work one day with the news, you guys are PCSing to the other side of the country. And you leave in four months.

You panic. You can’t help it. What will you do? What about your job? What about your career?

If you have ever been in this situation, you know how stressful it can be. When you work hard on your own career, a PCS can take all that away. But it doesn’t have to. Here are a few things you can do that can help:

Breathe and come up with a game plan

I know it isn’t easy to do, but don’t panic. Remember, you are not the only military spouse to deal with this. You also need a game plane. Figure out what jobs are available where you are moving and what you might want to do. Some spouses take a PCS as a time to change things up. They might decide to go back to school, or even change their career path. Create a list of steps you need to take to go from your job at your current duty station to a job at a new one. That will help keep you calm and allow you to see exactly what steps you need to take.

See if you can take your job with you

This won’t work for every job, but see if you can take your career with you. These days, more and more companies are allowing their employees to work from home. You want to see if this is even an option before you quit your job. Even if it hasn’t been done before, your employer might be up for giving you a chance to do so.

Keep your resume updated

Make sure your resume is updated and then you will be ready to apply for jobs when the time comes. If you have been at your job for a while, your resume could be vey out-of-date. Work on getting that sorted out and you will be more ready to start your job search in your new city.

Look for companies that support the military and military spouses

There are companies out there that go out of their way to support the military and military spouses when it comes to employment. T-Mobile is one of these companies. The fact of the matter is that Veterans and military spouses face significant challenges when it comes to employment. Overall, veteran unemployment rates now hover around the national average, but nearly 53% of the US military experience some period of unemployment within 15 months after leaving the military, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The military spouse unemployment rate is at least 4x the national average. This is of course due to having to move around, and not being able to grow their careers like their civilian counterparts are able to do.

Here is what T-Mobile does for the military community when it comes to career support and hiring veterans and military spouses.

● T-Mobile knows that veterans and military spouses do make a significant contribution to their workforce, and so they are committed to hiring 10,000 veterans and their spouses by 2023.

● T-Mobile also wants all veterans to be able to land their dream jobs after serving their country. That is why they have an ongoing partnership with FourBlock to help with the transition from military to civilian workforce – and even helped launch an online course so everyone can take advantage!

● When a military spouse employee in one of T-Mobile’s retail stores has to move because of the military, they have a formal process in their to request a transfer to another retail store within 50 miles of their new location. They do their best to make it happen every time.

● T-Mobile has an employee network group, the Veterans and Allies Network, that is specific to supporting and advocating for the military and their families. People can share stories across the company, and the network provides feedback on how to make T-Mobile the best place to work for veterans, military and their families.

If you are looking for a new company to work for, T-Mobile can be the right one. As a military spouse, you want to look for companies that do support the military and military spouses. As you can see, T-Mobile definitely fits that description.

Five Ways To Help Prevent Veteran Suicide

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Five Ways To Help Prevent Veteran Suicide

This post is sponsored by Shepherd’s Men!

Five Ways To Help Prevent Veteran Suicide

It’s a tragedy: Every day, 22 U.S. veterans take their own lives – a needless loss of 8,000 service members a year.

Too many veterans don’t get the help they need, but experts say everyone should get involved to help save a veteran’s life.

The Problem

Returning veterans may experience divorce, joblessness, homelessness and hopelessness.

The often-devastating effects of mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress (PTS), plus the loss of their military community support, can cause a downward spiral.

Symptoms of mTBI include headaches and problems with balance, sleep, vision and memory. Emotional signs include depression and anxiety. But today’s treatment approaches and therapeutic technologies offer hope for veterans feeling overwhelming physical and emotional pain from these invisible wounds of war.

What You Can Do

1. Be observant about behavior changes. For many veterans, the physical symptoms of mTBI are not obvious. Be on the lookout for loss of interest in meaningful activities, personality changes, social isolation and substance abuse.

2. Reach out and spend time together. Let a veteran know he or she is not alone. Meet for coffee or go for a walk. Listen and encourage them to seek help.

Five Ways To Help Prevent Veteran Suicide

Horticulture therapy is one type of recreation therapy provided to cli­ents at the SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center, Atlanta, Ga., as part of a compre­hensive treatment approach.
Photo Credit: Louie Favorite

3. Tell veterans and their families about helpful programs. Encourage caregivers, spouses and friends to seek help on behalf of a veteran.

The SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center, Atlanta, Ga. has transformed the lives of more than 550 veterans and their families through an innovative program – with zero suicides. The program provides up to 12 weeks of intensive rehabilitation at no cost to the veteran. Therapy focuses on mild to moderate brain injury and psychological concerns of those who served in the U.S. military since September 11, 2001. Treatment plans are customized for each veteran’s needs. The program is open to all post-9/11 veterans, including those with other than honorable discharges.

Because of its intensive and comprehensive therapy, rehabilitation and life coaching, SHARE has become a model for centers nationwide. Experts in working with veterans provide medical consultation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and cognitive therapy, recreation therapy, case management, neuropsychology, chaplaincy and counseling.


Jessica Rodriguez is a former nurse and now a full-time caregiver and wife living with her veteran husband, Jorge, and their two daughters in Griswold, CT. Jorge, a veteran of The Iraq War, graduated from the SHARE program. Jessica credits SHARE with validating, diagnosing and treating Jorge’s injuries when many others had dismissed them. Today, he is walking, talking full sentences and able to engage in community activities with better focus and retention than before his treatment.
Photo Credit: Shepherd’s Men

4. Volunteer or donate to organizations battling the epidemic of veteran suicide.

5. Support fundraisers and events, such as the Shepherd’s Men Run. Annually, a team of committed volunteers run seven days of half marathons in multiple states wearing 22-pound flak jackets—to increase awareness of treatment options and suicide prevention for veterans. Shepherd’s Men have raised millions for this heartfelt mission.

Learn More

Veterans and those who want to help can call 404-603-4314 or visit www.shepherd.org/share and www.shepherdsmen.com.


Balance therapy with a SHARE client
Photo Credit: Shepherd’s Men


How To Celebrate Military Spouses

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How To Celebrate Military Spouses

This is a sponsored post for T-Mobile with Sofluential Media!

How To Celebrate Military Spouses

Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day! A day to celebrate military spouses and all they do for their service members and military communities.

On this day, you might see fun memes, hear about discounts and freebies, and learn how to connect with other military spouses.

The question I have to ask myself is, what is a good way to celebrate military spouses? What can communities or businesses do? What can make today a good one for military spouses?

How To Celebrate Military Spouses

Here are some ideas:

Offer fun events

What better way to spend the week than hanging out with your friends and other military spouses. Whether it is a lunch, dinner, or a spa day, these events can be a fun way to recognize military spouses and give them a few hours to relax. Just a fun event to say, “thank you” for all you do.

Recognize their sacrifice

I think recognizing the sacrifice of a military spouse is so important. No, military spouses don’t sacrifice in the same way their service members do, but there are things that can be difficult about this life. From saying goodbye to their spouse for months at a time, to having to leave home and live across the country, military life isn’t always easy but can make for a unique yet wonderful life.

Support military spouses in their own career paths

One of the biggest struggles during military life beyond deployments and PCS’ing is finding your own career path as a military spouse. Military life doesn’t make this easy. What I love to see is companies going out of their way to help with this. T-Mobile is one of those companies.

Through hiring commitments, career programs, employee network groups, and the T-Mobile ONE for military rate plan, the Un-carrier is committed to supporting military and their families every single day.

Take a look at the below for more information about the T-Mobile ONE for Military plan – the best discount in wireless for military and their families:

  • With the plan, you can receive 20% off your first line and half off up to five additional voice lines for this T-Mobile military discount. That means you pay $55 for that first line with AutoPay instead of the regular $70. $25 off your second line, and $10 off your 3rd through 6th lines.
  • T-Mobile ONE Military includes everything in T-Mobile ONE at no extra cost. This includes unlimited talk, text and data, taxes and fees included, free stuff and discounts every week with T-Mobile Tuesdays, a free hour of Gogo Wifi when traveling domestically and unlimited texting and data in over 210+ global destinations.
  • T-Mobile ONE Military is available for the military and their families to include active duty military, reserves, national guard, veterans, and Gold Star families, plus the small businesses they own with up to 12 voice lines.
How To Celebrate Military Spouses

But it is so important for companies to show support for their military spouse employees as well, in addition to their customers. Military spouses have a harder time landing jobs and growing their own careers, especially with having to move often, making the unemployment rate for military spouses 4 times the national average. In addition to that, many military spouses who are employed have jobs that don’t match their higher skill, education or prior salary levels. But, T-Mobile is addressing these issues head on:

  • If a military spouse employee needs to PCS, T-Mobile has a formal process for military spouses to request a transfer to another retail store within 50 miles of their new location. They do their best to make a transfer possible for all employees because it is simply the right thing to do. .
  • T-Mobile has been named a Top Military Friendly Employer by Military Friendly® for 12 straight years.
  • They have a commitment to hire 10,000 veterans and their spouses by 2023. Find out more in this video!

I hope you can feel celebrated this Military Spouse Appreciation Day! Thank you for standing by your service member, and making our military community an amazing one.

When They Shave, It’s Time For Duty

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This post is in partnership with Gillette’s new SkinGuard razor – new at Walmart today.

When They Shave, It’s Time For Duty

My husband and I have been married for almost 17 years now. However, for the first three years of our marriage, he was not in the military. We lived a civilian life, and he didn’t have to worry about being as clean shaven as he does now.

When They Shave, It’s Time For Duty

Being a service member means you have to stick to a few rules about facial hair, and the length of the hair on your head. As my husband is in the National Guard now, he doesn’t have to shave every day, but he often does anyway. If he has a longer period of time between drills, he might grow out his beard.

When They Shave, It’s Time For Duty

When this happens, I tend to get used to that look, but then, one day, he shaves the beard off, gets a haircut, and looks military-ready again. This can be quite emotional for me sometimes. When he shaves like that, it reminds me of his promise to the military, and what he is going to do. Most of the time this means just a weekend drill, but other times it means he is going to be gone for longer periods of time.

When They Shave, It’s Time For Duty

Gillette has come out with a brand-new razor called SkinGuard that is designed for men with sensetive skin and who often get razor bumps when they shave. This is perfect for our men in uniform, who have to maintain that close shave day after day. Anyone who shaves on a regular basis knows how frustrating and painful it can be to come away with razor burn or other issues.

When They Shave, It’s Time For Duty

This Gillette razor is perfect for my husband, and even my son who has started to shave too. Being able to shave every day without worrying about razor burn or razor bumps is a big plus, and really quite necessary for those in uniform who have to shave every single day.

When They Shave, It’s Time For Duty

The razor’s unique SkinGuard bar is positioned between the blades to minimize “tug and pull,” to cut the hair at the skin level, helping to prevent irritation. The precision trimmer on the back is great for hard-to-reach areas and styling facial hair. It is like a barbershop shave in the comfort of your own home.

When They Shave, It’s Time For Duty

Gillette’s new SkinGuard Razor is brand new and can be found at your local Walmart stores. For great results, you can also use the new PURE by Gillette shaving gel, or PURE by Gillette shaving creams which you can also find at Walmart.