Our First Essay Contest Across the Service Branches

So, We did a thing over here at Army Wife Network. We held an essay contest across all branches of the military as well as the Department of Defense civilian population. The contest theme was “Proud to Be” and we asked participants to describe why they are proud to be a spouse or loved one of a service member.

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Thankful Through Deployments

Yes, you read that title correctly. Thankful Through Deployments. Seriously? What, in all of the deployment training, preparation and packing, family separation for six, nine, maybe twelve or more months of tour, and the reintegration back, is there to be thankful for?!

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Forever in Ziplocks and Totes

If you walk into a military family’s home during a PCS, you will find a good portion of their belongings squished into Ziplock bags, or stuffed into large, plastic totes. These items are an absolute necessity to keep liquids from leaking, and objects to remain clean, protected, organized, and maybe even color-coded. I sincerely love Ziplocks and totes! I can’t imagine my life without the use of them…because they are not only a necessity during our PCSes, but they are also still a part of my daily life.

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Help! I’m Road Tripping Alone with the Kids!

I miraculously survived a road trip recently, where I, alone, took my four children to visit family and friends. We traveled through eight different states, stretching roughly 2,810 miles (not including the miles in between to pull off and use the travel potty, take an off-route break for gas and food, and visit extra family and friends outside of the main destinations) and we took 18 days to do it all.

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10 Summer Home Maintenance Tips for Military Homeowners

While home maintenance projects may not make the list of your favorite things to do, an opportunity to get out into the sun may just make it a bit more appealing!
Whether your military family is preparing for another PCS move or you can look forward to staying put for the time being, this is the perfect time to do some essential sprucing. While some spring and summer home maintenance projects are dependent on the region, there are many that are universal for all homeowners.

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When All is Said and Done…

When all is said and done, you have to be okay with what you built for yourself in this military life.
When the orders stop coming & the zip codes stop changing, the foundation you built for yourself and your family during this time of service will be the support for your next chapter.

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The Helper

Hello, My name is Justine and my enneagram is number 2, which makes me the helper.

According to Air Force reservist and yoga and meditation teacher Christina Mattison’s guide in Caring for your Enneagram 101 my core desires are: “to be worthy of love, wanted, and thought of by others as irreplaceable.” My core fears are, “being unloved, replaceable, and undesired.” I also struggle with saying, “no”, setting boundaries, and knowing my needs and wants. However, I’m a great listener, empathetic, and have a strong sense of what others need before I tend to my own.

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