Those Tough Questions
“Mommy… who is he warring against?” Cue one of many questions I was not prepared to answer. We are broaching new and uncharted territory in our house. The last two deployments, my kids were little....
View Article5 Things to Know when Opening Custodial Accounts for Kids
By Kevin Cortes As parents, you want to get your children set up on the right path; you want to ensure that, should rough times fall upon you or your career, your child’s future is protected. It’s a...
View ArticleAre You Ready for Homecoming?
As the countdown slowly ticks away to homecoming, there’s the standard preparation you would expect. For some reason, the perfect outfit seems to be at the top of the list. Over the years, and after...
View ArticleA Letter to My Army Brat
On May 22, 2017, at 1:52pm my first baby boy, Mark, came rushing into the world after only a 10-hour labor and natural delivery. The moment I had been dreaming of since I was a little girl had begun in...
View ArticleFive Ways to Help Your Military Child Cope with Separation
It’s inevitable. At some point, the service member will deploy, embark on a temporary duty assignment, or leave to spend time in the field. It’s often difficult on our military kids, especially the...
View ArticleThankful For…
As I was thinking about blogging about all that I am thankful for, all that I can’t even put into a list or measure, a blog of all the feels and a sincere heart of gratitude, I couldn’t help but wander...
View ArticleMy Happiest Moment
Sometimes it’s hard to remember that my happiest moment was birthed from tragedy. Every joyful shout surrounding my happiest moment is shadowed by a painful whisper that my joy was rooted in grief and...
View Article“Picturing Home” Campaign: The Biden Foundation
I’m a Kansas girl. I was born in a small-town hospital in northwest Kansas and spent the first two-plus decades of my life as a residential Kansan. Now, several years and duty stations later, I still...
View Article10 Remarkable Life Lessons from Military Children (Part 2)
In honor of April— The Month of the Military Child—I have been reflecting on things that I’ve learned from military children. They must learn to be flexible, adaptive, and yes, resilient. Our...
View ArticleI Want a Round Daddy
We got our Flat Daddy last week. A Flat Daddy is a life-sized image of your deployed soldier. You can attach the picture to cardboard or Styrofoam to give it more stability so he can join you on your...
View ArticleThe Resiliency of the Military Child
My husband grew up a military brat, moving across the country wherever his father’s career took their family at any given time. His personality is rather even-keeled—a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. He...
View ArticleWhat Happens to the Dandelion Kids?
We’ve almost made it through April. And if you live anywhere near a military post or base or are part of any social media, you most definitely are aware that this is the month of the military child....
View ArticleAWN TableTalk: Homeschooling Your Military Child
Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and let’s discuss how to do military life together! Special guest and homeschooling mom, Tammy Wysocki, joins the AWN TableTalk panel to chat about homeschooling...
View Article10 Teacher Appreciation Gifts to Knock Their Socks Off!
My dad was a teacher for 39 years before he retired. He taught fourth grade for the majority of his career, but also taught fifth through eighth grades, too. Growing up with a parent who was a teacher...
View ArticleAWN TableTalk: Teens Take Over
Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and let’s discuss how to do military life together! Teens take over TableTalk! Our panel of teens share their perspective of life in a military family. Hosts:...
View ArticleAway: A Deployment Poem
The oldest one got taller While you’ve been away She learned to count and say her prayers She learned that life’s not always fair That ugly things turn to butterflies That even mommy sometimes cries...
View ArticleExpanding Our Family
We welcomed our second child at the beginning of March. I found my experience to be vastly different this time around than with my first son. It’s been interesting to reflect on both situations. With...
View ArticleMost People Don’t Know What Drowning Actually Looks Like. Do You?
This is a topic near and dear to my heart, so I’ve decided it’s worth breaking down into parts. This first part will focus on the signs of drowning. You know how driving is portrayed by Hollywood as...
View ArticleChanges and Challenges
When I think about what the future holds, the only phrase that come to mind at the moment is Warrant School. My husband has been long planning to apply to become a warrant officer, and this year he is...
View ArticleSwim Lessons May Not Save Lives, and Other Stats
“Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide.” – World Health Organization “Every day, about ten people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14...
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