November 2012 - Spouse Buzz - The Network of Care

YDU: Good Mom = Exhausted Overwhelmed Mom??

Why didn’t you tell me that to be a good mom, you have to be overwhelmed and exhausted? Not only are you required to give your heart and soul to your kids, but you also need to turn over all of your time, energy, resources, and spend every waking...

Published Wed, Nov 14 2012 10:15 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: kids

How to Start Your Own Budget Cuts Now

The election is over and now military families are left wondering: what next? Unless you have a crystal ball or are in the position of making DoD budget decisions, most of us don’t know what the next few months or years will bring to the financial doorsteps...

Published Thu, Nov 15 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Legal & Financial

MilKids: Don’t Take Them Out of School

My mom used to let me play hooky from school. Not a lot. And only if I had good grades and my attendance was otherwise acceptable. But every now and then I got to skip school for a mommy/daughter mental health day. I’m pretty sure I’m not suffering from...

Published Thu, Nov 15 2012 10:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: kids

There’s no Missing Christmas Here

Everyone else on my block may be finally hanging their Christmas lights, trimming their trees, or fishing out their favorite menorahs, but I’m not. I did that in October. Because in our house, Christmas 2012 occurred in November. The leaves may...

Published Fri, Nov 30 2012 10:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Deployment

Military Wife Quotes: First Man I Ever Kissed

There is a certain unbearable sweetness in the story of a long marriage. George Herbert Walker Bush and Barbara Bush have the longest marriage of any US President. Married in 1945, they have been married 67 years. They started their life together in the...

Published Sun, Nov 04 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Quotes

The Deployment Christmas Gift Conundrum

Sending Christmas gifts downrange is a bit of a Catch-22. On the one hand, you want your spouse to know that you are thinking of him lotsandlotsandlots, so you want to buy and mail him a Christmas gift so awesome that he cannot help be wowed! and amazed...

Published Mon, Nov 26 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Deployment

“Deployment Sex Pacts” are a Myth

When I married my smoking hot military man, I promised to stay faithful to him no matter what – and he promised to stay faithful to me. There were no ifs, ands or buts. There was no “unless you are bored.” And there was definitely no deployment sex pact...

Published Tue, Nov 27 2012 5:18 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Marriage & Family

Military Service Dogs Deserve Our Thanks

The U.S. Military Working Dog Teams have been serving our country for nearly a century. From Sergeant Stubby to Coast Guard dogs that patrolled our shores to the 4000 Vietnam war dogs to Tillman, the Skateboarding dog, these animals spend their lives...

Published Wed, Nov 28 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Pets

My Husband’s Career Makes Mine Seem Worthless

When Kelly’s husband came back from Afghanistan, bronze star in hand, he started his captain’s career course ahead of his peers. Kelly found herself suddenly feeling like there was something major missing from her life. Once upon a time, Kelly had...

Published Fri, Nov 23 2012 10:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Military Life, Career & Education

Welcome Home, Now Get Out of My Way

“Everything is different.” That’s what my neighbor told me a couple of weeks ago after I welcomed him home from an 8-month deployment. I don’t know him very well, but when I stopped to say “hello” on the street as he helped his young daughter...

Published Thu, Nov 29 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Reintegration

I Will Never Buy Paper Plates Again

Does it ever seem like the new goal of the holidays is to avoid the holidays? The morning news shows urge us to eat at a restaurant or get take out. No need to cook. The magazines invite us to use paper plates instead of china. Just sweep all that into...

Published Wed, Nov 21 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Military Life

Infidelity: Not What I’m Here For

How widespread is infidelity in the military anyway? Is it common? Pervasive? Inevitable? One of the results of the Petraeus admissions is that the question of fidelity between military couples rears its ugly head. I cannot bear all of the shrugging off...

Published Mon, Nov 12 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Marriage & Family, Military Life

Top Ten Signs The Military Is Not That Into You

Is “transition” the military way to say, It’s not you, it’s me? It wasn’t until I heard Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno talk about how we are going to help soldiers transition into their awesome new lives in the civilian world that I realized this...

Published Sat, Nov 10 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: transition

Should You Work During Deployment?

Wondering whether or not to work while your spouse is deployed? You are not the only one asking that question. Many MilSpouses are faced with a decision of how to spend the time while their military member is gone. The answer? It depends. I was faced...

Published Thu, Nov 01 2012 5:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com

Filed under: Deployment, Career & Education

Should Spouses use Military Discounts?

I remember the first time I heard of a military discount. “Are you military?” the little clerk folding clothes into my bag at the store asked. “Yes,” I said. “If you show me your ID I can give you our 10 percent military discount.” Mind blown. A discount...

Published Fri, Nov 16 2012 10:00 AM by SpouseBUZZ.com