Advice from a Military Mom

Maybe you know a military mom.  She could be someone in your family, a friend, a co-worker or an acquaintance.  If you do, I have some important advice to give. Granted, there is some selfishness behind my advice.  In fact, I am seriously considering emailing this blog to certain persons.  But in the end, I will probably restrain myself and be content with helping others to understand a thing or two about what it’s like to be a military mom. It’s not that I’m attempting to put non-military moms in my shoes.  And contrary to what some might assume, it’s … Continue reading

Military Dogs Developing PTSD

As all human American troops leave Iraq, one special group continues to deploy: K-9 units. These dogs have a special role in the country, as their noses have proven more effective at finding bombs than any technology employed. The New York Times profiles these military canines. Iraq doesn’t use sniffer dogs nearly as much as the United States, and so far they’re only used for bomb-sniffing, not to locate mines or cadavers or other common jobs for military/law enforcement dogs. Of the 310 American sniffer dogs now currently deployed in Iraq 8 are trained to find narcotics, but the rest … Continue reading

Military Travel Savings

Today may be Halloween, but tomorrow marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. If you think that Black Friday is the official kick-off to the countdown to Santa’s visit, clearly you haven’t been to the mall recently. Amidst the pumpkins and fake black cats is a host of holly, fir trees and tinsel. With the busy holiday season upon us, now is the time to make your Thanksgiving and Christmas travel plans. This is especially important for activity-duty military personnel who can score huge discounts on airfare if they act fast. Many commercial carriers based in the United States … Continue reading

“Sesame Street” Helping Parents Teach Kids About Terrorism

Subtitle: Elmo Meets Michael Chertoff or “The Muppets Take Manhattan… Post 9/11” I wish I were kidding. For decades parents have turned to those fun-loving furry friends on “Sesame Street” when they needed help teaching their kids how to spell, tie their shoes, and count to 10 in Spanish. But now Elmo, Grover, Big Bird, Zoe, Oscar the Grouch and crew are getting serious about a grown up topic most adults struggle to deal with—terrorism and other potential deadly catastrophes. So how exactly does a parent explain to a 3-year-old why it’s important to prepare for a terrorist attack? Don’t … Continue reading

Marriage Profiles of the 2008 Presidential and Vice Presidential Nominees

While I was watching Sarah Palin’s speech during the Republican National Convention last night, I found it interesting to learn she married her high school sweetheart. It made me think that might make a fun blog: profiling the marriages of the 2008 Democratic and Republican presidential and vice presidential nominees. Barack and Michelle Obama They first met in 1989 when Barack interned at a law firm where Michelle worked. Apparently he was smitten with her right from the get go, but she didn’t want any part of an office romance. But Barack wouldn’t be deterred. He persisted in asking her … Continue reading

When Epidurals Go Wrong

Epidurals are used in 60 percent of births in the United States. A cathedar is inserted into the space between the vertebrae, also known as the epidural space. Medication is administered through the cathedar, numbing sensation in the lower part of the body. In most cases, the procedure works fine and there are no lasting negative effects. In a small number of cases, things do not go according to plan. Some women experience severe reactions to the epidural. About 1 in 10,000 will experience convulsions. In other cases, medical error during the procedure can lead to severe injury or even … Continue reading

Marriage Blog Week in Review May 13 – May 19

May is flying by. This weekend was our daughter’s dance recital and it’s a night when we get to sit there and be as proud as we can be in the audience as she struts her stuff on stage. Well, not that you can strut to ballet, but you get what I mean. It was a wonderful experience and there’s a story to be told for how we teamed up to make things happen a certain way – and yes, you will hear that story this week. In the meanwhile, let’s take a look at our week in review: Sunday, … Continue reading

Letters of Love: Rendering Aid

On September 11, 2001, our country woke up to find itself under attack. Many people died that day and for those of us who were old enough to witness it and remember, we will never forget. For one young woman, September 11th began with an engagement and today; her husband serves in the U.S. Armed Forces. This is her letter. Rendering Aid My dearest Lonnie, I wrote this letter to the Marriage blog’s letters of love and I’m hoping they publish it. I’m sending a copy to you as well. I know you haven’t answered the last few emails and … Continue reading

The Marriage Blog Week in Review for Jan 27 – Feb 2

Welcome to our look back on the Marriage Blog Week in Review, this is our way of helping you catch up on the week’s worth of stories. We’re all busy and it’s easy to overlook articles when they are posted all day long – the week in review provides you with a summary of our articles in the past week. So without further ado, let’s dive into this week in review. Saturday, January 27 Reaffirming or Rehashing? is that what you and your spouse are doing when you argue or debate the same point over and over again? I’m sure … Continue reading

Kids, Deployment And Depression

Deployment is hard on everyone involved and often we try to put on a brave face in order to prevent those we love from worrying about us. Unfortunately that same brave face we put on often spills over to our children and they also make an attempt to keep it together and keep their fears and worries to themselves in order to keep from worrying their parents. As deployments increase so does childhood depression among military children. Children face the same concerns and fears as their parents but often depression in children is overlooked as a “stage” they are going … Continue reading