Archive for 'Military Mama' Category
Military Mama: Fit to be tied
By Jade Stone Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything that could go wrong did and there seemed to be no end to the onslaught of impending deadlines at work, and yet the demands of chores in the home remains constant? Well, that was me last week. To top it off, Jay [...]
Military Mama: Counting down the days
By Jade Stone We have reached that point when the countdown to pre-deployment training begins. We are now within the “180 day mark” which means everything from insurance and paychecks to Drill and training dates begin to change. In an effort to combat the upheaval, the military has begun to offer what is called Yellow [...]
Military Mama: Therapy in Technicolor
By Jade Stone I am so happy for warmer weather! Warmer weather means spring, and spring means the return of the show Army Wives on Sunday nights! I have been a faithful viewer since season one. Jay was about half-way through his first deployment when I heard about a TV series that chronicled the lives [...]
Military Mama: Financial Scents
By Jade Stone Deployments can wreak havoc on a National Guard family’s finances if they aren’t prepared for the drastic pay change or the lag between the end of the civilian paycheck and the beginning of the military pay check. Sadly, this can put a family in financial hardship all too quickly. We learned the [...]
Military Mama: Family Readiness Group
By Jade Stone Well, after we dug ourselves out of the snow of the century last week, Jay and I made our way to Topeka where he would fulfill his monthly drill duty and I would participate in my first official FRG meeting. FRG stands for Family Readiness Group. They are basically formed to support [...]
Military Mama: Care Packages 101
By Jade Stone As many of you may already know, we’re preparing for my husband to deploy again in the very near future. As a result, I’ve had many friends tell me they would love to send Jay care packages but have no idea where to begin. So, here’s a little insight into the world [...]
Military Mama: A Clean Break
By Jade Stone And it begins: The countdown to deployment. Jay was talking nonchalantly the other day about our insurance changing soon because we were within the 180 day mark of active duty. It caught me so off guard- I didn’t realize it was so close but I suppose June is really not that far [...]
Military Mama: Breakdown #1
By Jade Stone I hope this finds you all happy and satisfied with the holidays, though it appears the peace of the holiday season has officially ended and we are left to nurse the “holiday hangover” which results from overindulgence in food, drink, and spending. Though I will miss the days I was given to [...]
Military Mama: I’ll be home for Christmas
By Jade Stone Christmas is definitely here! Conversations of holiday plans and gifts fill the air along with endless Christmas carols around every corner. This truly is one of my most favorite times of year. Everyone tries to be a little nicer, a little kinder, and even a little more generous. By now, families have [...]
Military Mama: Sending a little Christmas
By Jade Stone I bet, no matter where you are, or what you are doing, you are merely a stone’s throw away from hearing Christmas carols float through the air and seeing the flair of festive holiday décor strewn over every inch of stores, restaurants, town squares and homes. Even some parks bear the evidence [...]
Military Mama: Thanksgiving memories
By Jade Stone As we begin making plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, many of us have already figured out where we will be, who will be there with us, and what will be on the menu, as well as what time the shopping trip the next day might begin. However, it’s important to remember [...]
Military Mama: Army Wife Strong
By Jade Stone Today I pay homage to the unsung heroes of the military. They are the silent soldiers that provide invisible support and strength to the soldier while maintaining a household on the home-front. In any given day you might end up wiping a tear of sorrow and longing or caring for a boo-boo, [...]
Military Mama: What to expect when he comes home …
By Jade Stone No one ever really knows how any soldier will react to their deployment any more than he or she knows what to expect to see when they get there but one thing is for sure, that soldier will never be the same. I’ve been asked on more than one occasion “what [...]
Military Mama: After the deployment, Part II
By Jade Stone Editor’s note: Jade last wrote about picking up the relationship pieces after her husband returned from his military deployment (click here to read Part I). This is Part II: As with any relationship, half the battle is admitting there’s a problem. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that when [...]
Military Mama: When the kiss is over (picking up the pieces after deployment)
By Jade Stone We all recognize this picture and at one point or another have dreamed of having a moment just like that, where the world stops, your eyes lock and you are drawn together, almost magnetically into a strong embrace, to share in that magical moment called a kiss. In that very moment, [...]
Military Mama: The difference
By Jade Stone I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been asked “What’s the difference between the Army Reserves and the Army National Guard?” This is a very common question to the general public who are generally uninvolved with the military. Certainly it would appear that they all do very similar things, however, appearances [...]
Military Mama: Pessimistically optimistic
By Jade Stone Have you ever gotten news about something that would happen in the future that you weren’t so happy about? Did you happen to find yourself wishing you could just get it over with already? Well, I think I’m there now! Most everyone knows my husband will for sure be going back overseas [...]
Military Mama: Is there ever a good time?
By Jade Stone Is there ever a good time to break the news of deployment to friends and family? This is the question we’ve been asking ourselves for the past couple of weeks now. On the one hand, a person may think 11 months is simply too far out to break this kind of news [...]
Military Mama: What Matters
By Jade Stone If you’ve been following along you’ve probably learned quite a bit about the way I grew up and already know that my upbringing has greatly influenced the filter through which I view all things military. You also know that the military played and continues to play a huge role in my life. [...]
Military Mama: To applaud or not to applaud
By Jade Stone If you have a Facebook account, you know how easy it is to be sucked into reading the news feeds of your friends and family members, as well as the random individual you barely know now but vaguely remember sitting next to in 3rd grade and felt obligated to accept the friend [...]