Life Lessons of a Military Wife

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Had to Return a Dog Crate for the Third Time
2008-05-26 14:00:00
Always the bargain shopper am I. My 105 lb German Shepherd hasn't needed a crate for four years...he's such a good doggie. I knew I couldn't buy him a seat on the plane to Germany, so I started hunting for a good, solid crate. Dumb me started looking at price first. Do you know there are crates all over the internet? My first purchase was a Furrari pet crate, in their Giant size. It's the biggest that brand comes in...he'll fit then. You should've seen him in there after I closed the door....once I finally did get the door closed. His feet were hanging over the end when he was lying down and when he did sit up, he was hunched over and made a face like he does when he gets into something he maybe shouldn't. It's a good thing I ordered that one from Petco.At least the return process was easy. I had originally done some googling and found a coupon code for 20% off, so I wasn't worried at all that shipping was non-refundable. I printed off the return form and took it...
More About: Travel , Pets , Time , Return , Crate

My Last Daily Post - the Moving Train is About Ready to Leave the Station
2008-05-23 13:00:00
Ahhh the routine. I love getting on the internet, early in the morning with my cup of morning tea, while everyone else is still asleep. It is my time for me alone. I even love that I have a signal to get off the internet and my blog, should I be inclined to linger too long...my kids' alarm clock. Well, my house is finally turning into a shambles of piles and packed-up items and things not where they belong. The time has finally arrived, and we are off to moving overseas...to Germany to be exact. This will be my last daily weekday post until about August, when I will hopefully, be set-up in our new home on-post....stairwell living, here I come! I will try to post when I can...either from hubby's laptop or wherever I can snag some internet time. We all know this is more wishful thinking than reality...I'm going to miss my time on here, but I am surely going to try to stop by and at least say hello...you can bet there will be some snafus and not-so-normal-behavior on this tr...
More About: Daily , Post , Moving , Leave , Train

Honda and Michelin Both Win the "Nightmare of the Year" Award
2008-05-23 12:30:00
Just when I thought my tire saga was over...it isn't. I've blogged before about my issues with the Michelin Pax tires and my Honda Odyssey. I thought I was going to be smart this time around and save a few hundred dollars by buying the Pax tires - the only ones that fit the 2005 (and 2006 and 2007) Odyssey Touring Model - from our local Sears. Not only were they cheaper than Honda's price by a little but by a lot 'cause they were on sale. My happy dance turned into a nightmare episode yesterday.I dutifully brought my Honda to Sears after my two tires came in...at just under $400, that is actually a bargain believe it or not. I was told it would be a few hours...standard answer and just fine by me. Since Sears was at the mall, what a perfect excuse to go shopping. While shopping into my third hour I thought...ooops, why haven't they called me? So I made a quick call and was confronted with a diarrhea of words from the Sears tech...all I heard was "broken", "sorry" a half...
More About: Nightmare , Award , Year

The Wild West: Siphoning Gas Out of Your Car's Tank
2008-05-22 14:47:00
I guess it has finally gotten to that point. People are getting desperate with the high gas prices. My neighbor's boss filled up his truck with gas yesterday, went to work, came out for lunch....and no gas. Someone had siphoned off his freshly-bought gas. I don't know how rampant this is or if this is just an isolated incident, but I just wanted to pass that on so everyone was aware of what could happen. Check your gas cap today. If it doesn't lock, get with your car's manufacturer and see if you can get it replaced with a cap that does lock. If anyone has any other tips, please do pass them on. I read an article yesterday on easy ways to save gas. You can find it here.
More About: Tank , Wild , West , Wild West

Give so they can do anything but not nothing
2008-05-21 13:00:00
Warren Buffet once said, "Give enough to your kids so they can do anything, but do not give them too much so they can do nothing." Love the quote! So the great billionaire Warren Buffet, instead of just throwing money at his kids, he's giving them just enough to learn how to deal with money and to make a difference in the world...kudos to him. We are no Warren Buffets.....so how do the rest of us get our kids in the right mindset when it comes to money?Kids need to learn early on that working for money builds character. This is why many parents are moving towards the commission based system rather than the allowance system.Lead by example. It does no good to preach to your kids about living within your means and delaying gratification if you can't do it yourself. Kids will copy what you do. Do what I do and not as I say, right?I blogged once before that our kids do not just get things from the store on a whim...if it's not a birthday or a major holiday, they ain't gettin...
More About: Finances

Disney's Magic Kingdom on less than $200 for a Family of Five
2008-05-20 13:00:00
After living nearly three years in Florida, we figured we couldn't leave without at least one trip to Disney. Nope, none of us had been to Disney before this trip. What really bothered me though, was the high cost of the tickets...and this year in particular, with our foreign exchange student, we have a family of five wanting to go. In the past, we have taken advantage of Busch Gardens Here's to the Heroes, where once a year, a military family of four can get in free to any of the Anheiser Busch theme parks, to include Sea World. We would alternate the parks every year, and it was just enough excitement not to get boring. It's not that we can't afford it, we just have a hard time shelling out that much money for what may or may not be a few hours of fun, considering the heat, the lines for rides and the general push of humanity all around. I guess you can tell, at least, that I'm not a big fan of events with crowds of people. Well, we can finally say we did Disney and to...
More About: Family , Travel , Kingdom , Magic

How Do You Help a New Widow?
2008-05-19 13:00:00
As much as I hate this topic, I feel I have to at least touch upon it. At one point or another, as a military wife, you will know someone who has just lost their spouse. It helps to have an idea beforehand, how you can help and assist to make that widow's life just a little bit easier.After the official military notification, you should think about becoming a part of the group of ladies who will help this widow. It is important that you not make any calls, visit or do anything until you know the unit has officially notified her. I know a wife who found out the roundabout way by phone gossip, that her husband was mortally injured. Please, please don't be a part of something like that. Play it safe and wait until you know they've been notified.Your first call should be to your unit's family readiness group. Many units also have casualty assistance teams already in place. Know who your point of contact is...before the trouble starts..another good reason to attend an FRG mee...
More About: Military

Your Flower Planter Can Burn Your House Down
2008-05-16 13:41:00
Here's something you don't think about every day. Do you have a planter sitting on your front porch or back deck somewhere that has potting soil in it? Have you been meaning to plant something in there but just haven't gotten around to it. Did you know this little set-up could cause your house to burn down?Yes, it can. It's called spontaneous combustion and it happens more often than you think. Just ask your local fire department and look around on the internet. The gases and build-up from the fertilizer create heat...heat hot enough to spontaneously start smoking or burst into flames. I just heard a caller on a radio show say they smelled smoke for a few days. They just thought the neighbors were doing some barbecuing. When they started to smell it more often, the husband looked out his back window to see huge flames leaping up the side of his house. The firemen said if he hadn't been home to catch that and alert them, his whole house would've burned down. The fire...
More About: House , Flower , Burn

Moving to Germany? Yes, You'll Take a Driving Test
2008-05-15 13:00:00
If you're going to be stationed in Germany , you're gonna have to pass the driver's test. Piece of cake you say? Not so my friend. Many people fail it the first time around thinking they can just look over the notes and take the test the same day. Nay nay...doesn't work that way. Look, you're going to be stressed out enough as it is, just going through the motions of moving and going to a foreign country...nevermind the test. How about an easy way to just breeze through the test then? No worries...Why do you even need a new driver's license over there? The last time you took a vacation overseas, you just flashed your American driver's license, got in your rental car and sped off. Because of a lovely set of lawyer documents called the SOFA agreement. If you are stationed overseas, you MUST have a USAREUR driver's license in order to drive there...no exceptions..and in order to get this license, you have to take the written German driving test. No, it's not in Germa...
More About: Driving , Moving , Test

Make Money from Your Own Purchases at Amazon
2008-05-14 13:00:00
I've had a little bit of cash coming in from my little Amazon Associates Store. I typically link my favorite items from this blog and elsewhere into my store. You do get a percentage of the profits...better than nothing...for doing nothing. But, here's one more catch.Put items on your Amazon wishlist....which puts them in your store. Next time you want to order something from Amazon, purchase it through your store. You'll get part of the profit, which translates into a little discount for you on your purchase...nifty, huh?Do you have any nifty tricks to share?
More About: Shopping , Money , Make Money , Make

Quizzle - No Straight A's for Me!
2008-05-13 13:00:00
If you haven't heard already, Quicken Loans has a new site out there called Quizzle. It's a site that will give you your entire financial snapshot, to include a free credit score by Experian. You don't give out your your social security number, just your name, birthday and your address. Here's how it panned out for me.After inputting the data, verifying your email and answering a few questions about things only you would know from your credit record (at least hopefully), you are presented with a snapshot of your finances. They give you a number and letter grade for your credit, home value, budget, mortgage and rainy day fund. I got an A in credit but a big fat D for our home value...go figure in today's market....especially here in Florida.You can read more about other bloggers thoughts on Quizzle below.Quizzle BlogEquiDash BlogWhat's the Diff?Banker GirlNet BankerI went ahead and used a disposable email address...just in case they decide to bombard me with offers. They ...
More About: Finances , Straight

Motherhood Condensed to Two Minutes and Fifty-Five Seconds
2008-05-12 13:00:00
I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day! In case you haven't seen it, I wanted to share this hilarious video. It's basically everything a mom would say to her kids in a 24 hour period...and I think she does it without breathing. Listen in and Happy Mother's Day!
More About: Kids , Motherhood , Minutes , Seconds

Free Mother's Day Breakfast
2008-05-09 13:56:00
I've heard that some McDonald's are offering a free "Mother's Day Breakfast " for moms if they come in and order inside and have a child with them. I'm not sure if it's all McDonalds or just local ones. Not sure what the free breakfast is either, but hey, if you've got nothing else going on in the AM on Sunday morning, drag your kid down to Mickey D's for a little treat!McDonald's is also having a promotion and giving away their new Southern Style Chicken Biscuit and Sandwich with a drink purchase on 15 May. I'm not that big of a McDonald's fan, but what the hey...here it isWhat Came First?
More About: Free

NikkiFitness is Kickin' My Butt Workout DVD
2008-05-09 13:00:00
Don't tell anyone, but I haven't gone to the YMCA in a week...my excuse is that I haven't been feeling well, and I've been just so busy getting ready to move...at least that sounds legitimate...but who am I fooling? I am sorely out of shape...could probably stand to lose 10...no, even 15 pounds around here. I'm also going to use the excuse that I'm a military wife and most times, we have to run the household by ourselves...we can't count on anyone else because of our husband's schedules...not to mention if we have little ones either crying or crawling around, getting the breakfast dishes cleaned up can be a feat. I admit, I absolutely love our YMCA when I get the chance to go...but what about those times I don't feel like being around people or I just can't squeeze in the time to get there...what if I want to get moving in a skimpy workout outfit...as motivation I say...but not enough to stand in front of a crowd in that get-up.....or what about when we move and there i...
More About: Workout , Butt

Don't Buy Another Tire Til You Read This
2008-05-08 13:00:00
I recently blogged about my troubles with my 2005 Honda Odyssey here and here. I was talking to a friend the other day about tires, and she thought that when your tire goes bad, you just go to your nearest tire shop or car dealer....bad idea.You'd think that with all the surfing we do online, that we'd all know better. I'll admit, I used to think along those lines too before my own saga. But these days, in the interest of saving money and making wise decisions, you do have some options, provided you have some time.When you are looking to buy a tire, call around locally and compare the cost of the tire installed...not just the price of the tire itself. Give them the make, model and year of your car. Or you can look at the inside of your car door. The tire size is listed there. Some shops inflate the price of the tire and others the cost of installation, so you need to compare the whole shebang...apples to apples.Look on the internet. There are many discount tire shops out ...
More About: Read , Tire

My Odyssey with the Honda Odyssey Minivan and Michelin
2008-05-07 13:00:00
The love affair with my 2005 Honda Odyssey Touring Minivan is now officially over...and why? Over a set of $1000 tires. Yes, you read that right. Whoever heard of a car or van that only takes one type of tires from one company that has now decided not to sell these tires anymore. Before you buy your next car, or if you have a vehicle with PAX no run flat tires, you absolutely have to read on.I still remember the day I drove my van off the lot. I thought I was special that I was even able to get one....the Odyssey was that hot back then. I was even more tickled that we had saved up our money and could pay cash for our brand new top-of-the-line minivan. That lasted for a few years..until my run-in at the 30,000 mile mark. Boy, was I under informed and not well read! One of the tires had a puncture, but being that these were PAX tires, I could take my own sweet time taking it in to get replaced. No spare tire was needed, no stress in driving on a flat...these tires don't get...
More About: Michelin

Life Lessons of a Military Wife Carnival #9
2008-05-06 13:00:00
Welcome everyone to this month's Life Lessons of a Military Wife Carnival ! It looks like we have quite a few entries this month...something for everyone! I am going to be taking a break the next few months of carnivals, so any new submissions won't show up til August. I have finally decided to get ready for our upcoming move to Germany and since I don't have a laptop to post on the fly...well, my time online will just have to be sporadic and limited! Thanks again for sending your entries this month! Daily Life Hopeless Romantic presents Dealing With Distance- Building A Solid Long-Distance Relationship posted at Quest For The One, saying, "Long distance relationships can be difficult, but they are possible when done correctly." Nicole presents Defining Deployment posted at A Day in the Life of an Army Wife in the Making. Linda W. presents Recognizing Verbal Abuse in Relationships posted at The Eclectic Female, saying, "Words can hurt, and it is important to re...
More About: Life Lessons

Teachers Having to Dig Deep to Buy Classroom Supplies...or Not
2008-05-05 13:00:00
Teachers just don't get paid enough. Many teachers I know also dig deep into their pockets to buy the things they need for their classroom. What if there was another way to get things...just for you and your students. There apparently is...Get a request up today on Donors Choose. Be proactive and ask...you won't get if you don't ask.If anyone tries it and it works, please let me know. Thanks.
More About: Supplies , Deep , Teachers

No More Dirty or Burnt Up Grills
2008-05-02 13:00:00
Spring is synonymous with barbecuing. I envy people who can barbecue just about any cut of meat. My repertoire is limited to burgers and ribs...I haven't learned yet to do anything else, but something that all of us grillers have to deal with is cleaning the grill. Who likes to do that? Yes, I know, you keep the flame going and burn the stuff off, but eventually, you're going to have a grease and gunk build-up that you need to get rid of. Tell that to my husband who actually MELTED DOWN our grill, thinking he could just turn off the flame, close the hood and "let it burn itself out" while he and his buddies jack-jawed about their latest military exploits...well, while they were otherwise distracted, the grill burned itself out alright, after melting down most of the grill and the knobs. God must've been watching over us that day by not allowing the propane tank to explode and do some serious damage to the house, not to mention us! But, I digress...here's the easiest way to...
More About: Organization , Dirty

Like Coldplay? Free Download Now!
2008-05-01 14:00:00
I hate to admit it...don't tell my kids. I love Coldplay , especially their song, Speed of Sound. Unfortunately, I'm too cheap to pay for music online just yet, so most times, I use this little method..yes, it's legal..to get free music. I also keep an eye out for artists who give music listeners like me a quick and free fix now and then. Here's one from Coldplay.Coldplay's brand new album Viva la Vida has a great new single called Violet Hill. Download it here for only the next week...after that, pay up.If anyone else knows of any good music out there that's free at the moment, please let us know!
More About: Freebies , Free

Some Foreign Exchange Students Weren't Happy with My Comments
2008-04-30 14:00:00
Wow, the power of the internet! I was bombarded via email by a group of foreign exchange students. I say a group, but they were all acting independently after someone posted a link to my first article on some exchange student website. They weren't too happy with my post on hosting a foreign exchange student. In fact, many of them said they would do everything they could to break my rules and then some and what was I running...some kind of military operation here? I guess they were taking my "veteran military wife" quite literally. So much for the power of the written word and how it is interpreted. I did have some explaining to do...not for me but for them. I stand by my original post, but in the interest of getting my point across from a different angle and to offer some insight from our student as well, here goes...Please be sure to read my first post so you know where I'm coming from and what these kids were responding to. Here's what I have to add from their question...
More About: Students , Comments , Exchange , Happy , Foreign Exchange

Don't Throw Out that Broken Piece of Crap Electronic
2008-04-29 23:27:00
My neighbor's son has just had a fit. His PS2 just stopped working. After further prodding, come to find out, one of his little sisters tried to stick something in there that didn't belong. Well, no wonder then. Mom was getting ready to throw it out...wait, hold on there. With a purchase of $30, my other neighbor fixed it in all of two minutes, and it works as great as the first day they bought it. How did he do it? How did he know how to do it? How do you know when to trash, fix or sell something electronic? Here goes...Gotta love the internet. I've bumped and tripped my way through getting things fixed (or deciding to trash them) a few times. My first step is always to google the problem...google the error message or what your device is doing. Eight times out of ten, I've solved the problem that way. You are never the first person with that problem...almost 99.9% of the time.If that's not doing the trick, and you can't find the answers that way, check to see if ...
More About: Electronic , Crap , Throw , Broken , Piece

Question: How do I deal with no sleep and this deployment?
2008-04-28 15:54:00
I can relate to this question that recently arrived in my inbox.How in the world do I get some sleep? My husband has been deployed for only four months and I don't know how many more months of "no sleep" I can take! I think all night and worry all night and I just can't get any rest. How do I get to sleep and stay asleep? My job and my life is starting to suffer. Please help me.Boy, can I relate. I am the world's worst worry wart. I admit that I've even woken up at night in a panic before in the past...it happens to just about all of us. But one thing we can do is prepare ourselves mentally for our brain wanting to continue to spin at high speed. Research shows that we DO need sleep to function properly and to be in our right mind. Here's how to get a good night's rest and to keep those worries from eating at your health and well being.My mind always works full speed...right after I turn out the light. It's as if another switch has been turned on inside my head. I...
More About: Health , Military , Question , Deal , Sleep

Still No Orders...Didn't Even Think Travel Would Be Non-Concurrent
2008-04-25 13:28:00
I just can't believe it. Still no movement orders. Still can't plan anything to move to Germany, and we are about 30 days out now. I thought this would be the one time in my husband's career we'd be able to move....on time, with enough time to have at least a week before having to arrive at our new unit. It looks like that is going out the window yet again. Without orders in hand, you can't plan anything. You can't outprocess your unit and your post and you can't schedule when the movers will come or when you will fly. It is the most nerve-wracking limbo you can be in during your Army journey. We assumed (yes, we had been told this), that we would travel as a family to Germany. Now we are being told, because of the big housing crunch over there (wait time is averaging three months), we will not receive concurrent travel...travelling together, which specifically has to be on your military spouse's orders. If travel is non-concurrent, which it is in our case right no...
More About: Travel , Military , Moving , Orders

Why Am I an Army Wife?
2008-04-25 13:00:00
Even though no one has asked me this directly...I'm talking civilians here...I can see the question hanging over their head when they meet me for the first time, especially in today's war-weary Army . Yes, these constant deployments and separations DO have a tendency to get me down..sometimes...and yes, we get tired of all the dumb questions like these, but here are some things to think about to keep you going, to believe you are doing the right thing for you and your children and your husband and to realize you are part of something much bigger.Why am I proud and happy to be an Army wife? I am a better and stronger person for the whole experience and our kids will be stronger, flexible and well adjusted beings which I think would be much harder to come by in civilian life.My kids (and me) appreciate their daddy even more after each deployment. You don't know what you have til you temporarily lose it. I get to have a honeymoon at least once a year (it's just not the same when...
More About: Military , Wife

Get a Guaranteed Safe Return of 6.06% on Your Next Investment
2008-04-24 13:00:00
We all know the stock market absolutely sucks right now. In fact, it sucks so bad, that I haven't even been checking our mutual funds. When you "lose" thousands of dollars every month, it tends to make you feel a little sick inside. But...with that being said, I know the market goes through cycles and 10 to 30 years from now, when we hope to use some of that money, the market WILL be back up again. So, I'm not fretting too much about it. Now's the time to be buying right? Sell high and buy low, right? We have a CD about to become due and with the miserable CD rates out there...thanks subprime mortage mess....the rates being offered by the banks are even less than the inflation rate right now...so what is someone to do? Believe it or not, there is a very safe and legitimate investment out there that'll get you just over a 6% return...and from the government no less. Here's more on it, and if you're gonna spring for it, do it by the end of April.I'd like to thank Clark...
More About: Finances , Investment , Return , Safe

You Know You're Stationed in Germany When...
2008-04-23 13:00:00
Raise your hand if you've been stationed overseas in Germany ? Raise your hand again if you can relate to some of these "cultural differences" and just different ways of doing things. No, I did not think of these myself. This is a collection that has been floating around on the internet and recently discussed over at the Army Wives Forum. Be sure to stop by there and connect with other Army wives and girlfriends!In no particular order:you can never get ice in your drinkif you tell the waiter you want water to drink, you'll get the fizzy stuffyou see a van full of about eight men in overalls looking like they just finished painting or doing construction, go get ice cream or grocery shop together you start blowing your electrical items you can't figure out how to flush the toilet you go into the men's restroom, thinking "Herren" means "women" your neighbors threaten to call the Polizei on you because you're doing yard work on a Sunday you get a ticket for washing your car on...

Do You Have a Google Twin?
2008-04-22 14:02:00
I have the distinction of not having one...not a single one....I am the only one in the world with my first and last name if you can believe it! I mean, there are only like 60 (at least living) people in the world with our last name, so it's not a stretch to believe there is no one with my name. So what is a google twin? Just that...someone who shares your first and last name. For some, it has become a real addiction to find and connect with folks with their exact same name. Others look at it as a novelty item...something fun to check out when you have nothing better to do.Read this article from the NY Times that talks about what all the hype is about, as well as the psychology behind why people even care about their google twins! Wow!Why do I care about it? Because I am tired of doing a google search for my name and only finding things on myself...which leads me to another tid of advice, don't use your real name online...if you can help it. It can be unsafe in many cases,...
More About: Google , Twin

Do They Even Sell Floppy Disks Anymore?
2008-04-21 13:00:00
I just had to share this story from our local newspaper. It details some of the once-needed skills we frankly, just don't need anymore. And to think we were ALL doing these things not so long ago...I'm not talking "horse and buggy day things" but things we have all done very recently. Have a good laugh and realize how far we've really come. Let me know what skills you'll never need again.I was thinking of a few things myself. I don't...Listen to the radio (I listen to XM Satellite and podcasts now, along with what's on my mp3 player).Use my Zipdrive...time to get rid of it.Sweep...with a broom. I'll get out the vacuum cleaner for indoors and the leaf blower for outdoors.Close the hatch on my van with brute force...I've got a button to do that now.Call people like I used to...strictly email now...but I'm sad to admit that..this is not a good thing.Feed the cat everyday...he has one of those huge storage containers and his food just rolls out into the dish like clockwor...
More About: Sell

Moving and the Medical Treatment Records Dance
2008-04-18 13:19:00
We've run into our first moving snafu. I feel like Forrest Gump. My husband can't get PCS orders until ALL of our medical records get screened for the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)....in person. Our whole family needs to sit in front of a board with a doctor anda social worker. Since my Army husband is stationed on an Air Force base, he needs to comply with their rules (I had never heard of this in the Army). This means we can't schedule our actual move, and we can't leave this place until then. My doctor is being difficult (yes, I am being seen off-post) and will only release my records after I arrive at my new place and have a new doctor fto mail the records to. If I want to make the copies and hand carry them, it would be $1 per page...huh? So, if I let this get to me, I'm stuck...can't move without the stuff but can't get the stuff until we move. What a crock!Dealing with my kids' doctor was a bit better. They lit their pants on fire and got the rec...
More About: Medical , Dance , Moving , Treatment , Records