All posts tagged: Featured

14 Ways for Military Spouses to Pamper Yourself on Valentine’s Day

Published by Sonia Garza

Valentine’s Day is upon us. I, for one, will be alone again this year, as so many of us military spouses are. Can you relate? Valentine’s day can be great. What’s not to love? There’s flowers, chocolates and dinner specials. But it certainly makes it difficult to celebrate when your sweetheart is gone. It’s not easy being alone on this day, but it can certainly be fun. Whether your spouses are deployed, on TDY or just working late nights, this is an opportunity to pamper yourself. Let’s make the day special anyway. Because…why not? We deserve it, don’t we? We’re military spouses…and some of us mothers…without a break most days…or months. So it’s time to take some time for yourself. Use this day as a reminder that you need to serve yourself first to be a better friend, wife and mom. Here are 14 ways to pamper yourself on Valentine’s Day 1. Order a subscription box Are you in need of a little monthly motivation? Check out the numerous subscription boxes available and sign up …

10 Ways to Celebrate your Friendship on Galentine’s Day

Published by Sonia Garza

Leslie Knope is one of my idols. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, we can’t be friends. Haha. Just kidding. Leslie, played by Amy Poehler, is the Deputy of the Parks and Recreation Department in a fictional town named Pawnee. Parks and Rec fans know that February 13 is Galentine’s Day, a day just for the ladies in your lives. It celebrates friendships in a special way. Think Seinfeld’s Festivus, but without the resentment and anger. Galentine’s Day is a fun way to celebrate with your friends. If you are interested in ways to celebrate the day, check out these suggestions! Here are 10 Ways to celebrate your military friendships on Galentine’s Day 1. Book a Galentine’s brunch/dinner out Reservations aren’t only for married couples, you know! Make a reservation to a nice restaurant and order a duo plate. Take advantage of the specials going on and even splurge on that bottle of wine to share! 2. Spa Day Doesn’t a spa day sound nice? Head to a local spa and get a massage …

A Southern Girl Goes Gourmet

Published by Sonia Garza

There’s nobody quite like Michelle Gainey. From her deep southern accent to her big smile and loving heart, she will have you in stitches from just moments of meeting her. It was on the JBLM playground with our children that Michelle and I met and quickly struck up a conversation about military life. Military spouses are known for their resiliency and many run businesses, but it’s not every day that you meet someone quite as rare and talented as Michelle. Michelle is truly a Southern girl at heart, raised in Patrick, South Carolina. She is not only a self-taught chef, but is also a self published author of the cookbook, A Southern Girl Goes Gourmet, and most recently, an aspiring photographer of Michelle Gainey Photography. It was recently that I had the honor of tasting her dishes….and I kid you not, this girl has definitely got “it”. I had the rosemary balsamic chicken wings, roasted red pepper goat cheese spread and the meringue topped strawberry bites. Just one taste had my head spinning for more. …

Starting Over…The Story of My Life

Published by Pam Alvarado

I fell off the wagon and am starting over. Oh, you thought it was just you? 😉 I can’t count how many times I’ve had to take a break from training and meal planning because of PCSes, babies being born, teething toddlers, homeschooling, or just plain discouragement and giving up. I know. It stinks. You know what stinks even more? Letting more and more time pass before getting started again simply because you know how much it’s going to hurt to start. Or you have given up on yourself and assume that you’re a failure. And then 5 years go by and you don’t even know where to begin or you feel “too far gone.” So, here’s the thing. You know it’s going to be rough those first few days and weeks. I know it. We all know it. It doesn’t make it any easier to put it off. Motivation is usually enough to last you about 2 weeks and then the novelty wears off. You’ll probably want to quit or you may get knocked …

6 Ways to Rock as a Work From Home Mom (WFHM)

Published by Sonia Garza

It was 2013 and I was 8 months pregnant, sitting with a counselor at the military hospital and in tears. It wasn’t because of an injury or a difficulty in my pregnancy. On the contrary, I had a pretty easy pregnancy. But what I hadn’t expected was the difficulty in my work life that followed. I had been working outside the home, at a full-time job I loved. It was work I was passionate about, and although my employer worked to secure a way for me to stay, in my heart I felt torn. We were approaching a deployment…one that would take my husband away at my son’s 3 month mark. I struggled with the thought of returning to work after maternity leave, and having a demanding job, with no spouse to help….all while securing offsite childcare. There are many spouses who make this work, and I have the deepest appreciation for them. But I struggled…boy did I struggle. I cried because I wanted to stay home, but feared a loss of identity. I had …

Five Things We Teach our Kids by Following our Dreams

Published by Sonia Garza

Let’s be real. It can be difficult to I mean, who are we kidding? Most days I’m lucky to just get the kids’ shoes on and out the door…only to have them take their shoes off once they are in the car. We military spouses pride ourselves in being masters of disguise. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told I look “put together” only to think, ‘Really? I think I forgot to put on deodorant….and did you notice the baby powder, aka dry shampoo, in my hair?’ Haha. We are so busy existing that it leaves us drained by the end of the day, wondering where the time went. It’s in those couple hours, or minutes at night, that we get to decompress from the day. And it’s at that time that I wonder to myself, ‘am I just existing’? It wasn’t until a recent trip out of state that something was brought to my attention. I was notified on a Tuesday that I had won a ticket to a military spouse …

The Power of Friendship- Meet Pam and Rachel

Published by Sonia Garza

There is a power in friendships. We all have those special friends in our life, but in all my life, I have not met two friends more connected, or more ‘in sync’….and more inspiring than Pam Alvarado and Rachel Reyes. They are quick to tell you that they are polar opposites. One claims to be more of a risk taker, while the other finds comfort in familiar places, but it is those things that tie these two beautiful souls together. I wanted to write this story in true article form, but when I interviewed them their laughter and happiness in their responses were something I could not let you miss out on. Their love for life and each other is contagious. Enjoy their interview! Meet Pam and Rachel! When and how did y’all first meet?: Pam- We met in the summer of 2011, when I first moved to WA and I told my husband at his first week at work, “You better not come home without phone numbers for me because I need to meet …

MILLIE…Helping Military Families with their Moves

Published by Sonia Garza

Military families know all to well the stress associated with a PCS (permanent change of station) move. Logistics include far more than packing up a house, which is stressful in itself. Many times, it is the military spouse that burdens the responsibility of not only organizing the move, but researching the new location with the hopes of finding a community and neighborhood to plant temporary roots. Until now, the popular and necessary method of finding such a neighborhood to live has been word of mouth and relying on friends or friends of friends to vouch for an area. Add searching for schools and buying/renting homes site unseen within reasonable driving distance from the base and you have a very stressed out move…that is until recently. Step in MILLIE, the brainchild of Amy Shick and Lauren Rothlisberger. “MILLIE is an attempt to change the way military families PCS,” said Amy. “Traditionally, military moves us and you’re left to figure out the rest.” MILLIE encompasses Scouts, the link between finding a house online and one in person …

6 Tips to Finding Me Time

Published by Richelle Futch

Oh the mythical me time. Is this really a thing? We have to wonder if it really exists because we can go days and even months without seeing it for ourselves. This is not only a problem for military spouses but for moms everywhere. Studies are showing that women are less happy today than they have been over the last 40 years. The pressure for us to have it all, and be it all has taken its toll. During my recent ‘ME’ time venture of staying up way to late once everyone was finally asleep and zoning into a Super Girl marathon on Netflix I heard the following and thought this totally applies to what we are discussing: Supergirl (aka Kara) asks her boss Cat: “How do you juggle it all?” Cat replies: “Oh, Keira (always mispronouncing her name). You have just stumbled upon the most annoying question of the century, and you are so young that you do not even realize it. How do you juggle it all? You learn, that’s how. You start …

Top 5 Milspo Planners to Rock your 2020

Published by Sonia Garza

It’s amazing that January is already here. In fact, let me correct myself. It’s already begun. With the start of the new year, I feel the urge to organize and plan out my months to come. Like every year, I jump in headfirst to see what new and beautiful planners are on the market and as I page through one after another, it becomes apparent to me….every year, that the market is just saturated with gorgeous planners. Do I want a daily planner? How about one with a little inspirational quotes to keep me motivated? Or how about one that has a little color…but not too much color! Where to begin? In all of my searching, I usually end up with a huge headache and no planner….or ALL THE PLANNERS! If there’s a planner, chances are, I’ve owned it. Seriously, no joke. I’ve owned an Erin Condren, Emily Ley, Clever Fox, Happy Planner, Bullet Journals and random calendars from Target, Walmart and Office Max. Here’s where we go wrong. We purchase a planner with the …