August 2012 - Spouse Buzz - The Network of Care

YDU: Online Yardsale Hunting Is Part of My Sanity?

As a military spouse and mother of 4 children, I’ve found a lot of different ways to keep sane. During deployments and times of separation, I used to get depressed. I’ve missed 3 wedding anniversaries, multiple birthdays, and my husband has...

Published Wed, Aug 01 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Resources

SpouseBuzz LIVE San Diego: A Hybrid Support?

Where do you get better support — in person or online? At SpouseBuzz we debate this one all the time. Me? I’m all for doing support in person. According to the research, your deployment goes a lot better if you have one real, local, in-person, up-close...

Published Thu, Aug 09 2012 8:38 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: SpouseBUZZ LIVE

10 Back to School Meals Every Mom Needs

If you’ve found yourself heating up another batch of Stouffer’s Macaroni* to feed the family and are wondering when you are finally going to get your domestic sanity back, look no further! Here are 10 ideas – for breakfasts, lunchboxes...

Published Sat, Aug 11 2012 11:20 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Military Life

9 Myths About Reservist Life

Before I met and married my husband, a USMC reservist currently with 10 years in the service, I had no real understanding about the difference between Reserve and Active Duty military members. In fact, I had no comprehension at all. It felt like I spent...

Published Mon, Aug 13 2012 5:00 PM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Military Life

Five Things You Will Regret When You Divorce

I like divorced people. Two of my brothers are divorced. I like the way they figured out that it wasn’t just the military that contributed to their divorces. I like the way they openly regret their mistakes. I like how they don’t point out that their...

Published Mon, Aug 06 2012 5:18 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Marriage & Family

Celebrate Your Servicemember With a Late Summer Cookout

The month of August has always felt slightly bittersweet … yes, it’s still summer, but the end is near. Plus, it can be a busy time for military families; perhaps you’re welcoming your servicemember back home, transitioning from PCS orders, or sending...

Published Wed, Aug 08 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Health & Fitness

Give Your Best Deployment Goodbye

I’m the Queen of Goodbye. That is, I am the Queen of Goodbye once I actually get to the moment of goodbye. In the months preceding a separation, I’m the character most likely to tug on my husband’s shirt, look up at him like a Ty Beanie Boo and whisper...

Published Tue, Aug 21 2012 5:00 PM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Deployment

What Not to Say to a Wounded Warrior

Although we are many years down the road of recovery from my husband’s severe 2006 war injury, we still think about the comments we received or have faced since then. There are just some things you should or shouldn’t say to a wounded warrior or his or...

Published Fri, Aug 24 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Wounded Spouse

Is a 6 Month Rotation too Short for a Job?

Let’s say you and your beloved PCS to a training installation where he will attend one of the military’s glorious schools. Since these generally run six-months, you know you’re only there for that period. On the one hand, that’s a really long time to...

Published Mon, Aug 27 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: PCS, Career & Education

Dear Teachers: Take Them Back

Dear Teachers: There are always a few education radicals running around the place claiming that we do not need summer vacation anymore. They cite the fact that we are no longer an agricultural society so we do not need summers off school in order to provide...

Published Fri, Aug 03 2012 10:01 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: kids

Why Can’t Moms Say No To Kids?

The six-year-old hooked a knee up over the hotel counter and hoisted himself aboard. “Will ya make me a cucard?” the boy asked the popeyed hotel clerk. “How about a card for me? Will you make me one? How about a cucard for kids? How about a cucard, how...

Published Fri, Aug 17 2012 11:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Military Life, kids

Have you met a MilSpouse Bully?

I’m a firm believer that high school is a microcosm of life. Every social situation you will encounter in your adult life is presented to you in high school with an extra dose or hormones and drama just to make it that much more fun. And so it does not...

Published Mon, Aug 20 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: FRG/Spouse Support

YDU: I’d Have To Divorce My Deployment Wife

I was a rock star for the first month of my husband’s deployment. We lived in my hometown so I figured I already had a support system in place. I threw myself into work. I enjoyed a sense of freedom from being able to eat ice cream without judgment (my...

Published Wed, Aug 15 2012 10:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Deployment, Military Life

Schedule? We Need To Talk

Five little words men hate to hear: Honey, we need to talk. Five little words military spouses hate to hear: Let’s talk about the schedule. Ugh. The schedule. Let’s talk about the ship’s schedule. Let’s talk about how many days you are going to be gone...

Published Wed, Aug 29 2012 5:03 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Deployment

The Childless Confusion of Military Life

Childless confusion and childless ignorance invades all aspects of my life. Especially on a military base. I’m used to three distinct kinds of traffic here, and only three: base traffic, beach traffic, and the traffic that comes from every blue...

Published Fri, Aug 31 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com