Transitioning to a Summer Wardrobe

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June 24, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We lived out of suitcases for almost two months, and kind of missed out on spring in a way. Now that summer is here, we are so excited!

Join me for “Closet Swap,” where fashion bloggers describe their wardrobe transitions into summer attire! (In collaboration with Raise.com – check out their collage of participants and favorites!)

Buy your favorite store gift cards and sell other gift cards for so many stores (673 of them!) on Raise.com.

We PCS’ed from Utah to Germany, beginning in early April and culminating in our moving into our house and receiving our household goods in Germany the beginning of June.

The hardest part of packing for our lengthy trip was narrowing down my shoes to the absolutely necessary ones. I settled on one paired of heeled sandals, my Toms classics, my running shoes, and a few pairs of flat sandals that were lightweight and slim to pack in the gaps.

I had to pack for multiple seasons since it was still quite cold in Utah when we began our journey. I had jeans and layers to keep me warm.

As we road tripped to Georgia, I knew it would be warmer as we crossed the country, so I had some capris and shorts and a couple warm-weather blouses.

After flying from Atlanta to Baltimore to Germany (all in one day), we expected the weather to be cooler again when we arrived. We were surprised by a sudden heat wave with temps in the 90s. I only had a couple outfits suited for that kind of heat. It was rough going for a while until we got settled into our house and unpacked our shipment of household goods with all our other clothing.

Now, it’s back to normal in the 70s and layers are needed once again. Mornings are cool and it warms up to close to 80 at midday, but it gets cool again in the evenings. It makes it quite comfortable since there is no A/C in Germany. We have fans and open windows to catch breezes. At night and early mornings, it’s quite chilly and we bundle up in warm pajamas and blankets. Coffee, hot tea, and cocoa are on our daily breakfast menu.

Some of my must-haves in my spring repertoire are items that pack and travel well and are versatile in different climates and weather. My favorite colors lately are blues and orange.

Outfit #1

A lightweight denim dress. Can be casual or fancied up a bit with the right accessories. The sleeves fold up or can be worn down (they’re 3/4-length). I love that this Target dress is knee-length. Scarves or cardigans help if it’s chilly. Chunky statement jewelry balance the ruggedness of denim. Can also be worn with leggings and cute ballet flats or ankle-length boots if it’s really cool out. I wore shiny flat sandals since it was supposed to get warm in the afternoon.

Outfit #2

Colored denim capris, T or tank, layered with cotton or linen button-up blouse. I feel so good in this outfit. I love the colors. I love those sandals! I picked them and the aqua print blouse up at the Bass Outlet in Georgia. It’s very versatile. It feels dressy but it’s just so comfortable. I’ve also worn white capris and a salmon-colored ruffled T-shirt with this blouse to great success.

Outfit #3

Multi, asymmetric, sleeveless blouse with white capris. Can be layered with a cardigan if it’s cool. I love, love, love this blouse. I got it for like $4 on Clearance at Kohls. It’s a Vera Wang. I love the smooth cotton knit with the chiffon accent and asymmetrical cut. I just feel sexy and really put together in this. Strappy white sandals dress this up. Flats are fine too. The drapey neckline begs for a statement necklace.

Or with a crocheted cardigan:

Outfit #4

Striped maxi skirt and 3/4-sleeve boat neck knit blouse. This is a really comfortable outfit and the fabric packs well and doesn’t wrinkle easily. I love this blouse and bought four in different colors at Kohls last year. I wish they had it in orange! I adore this skirt from Kohl’s and I had to even go down a size which was awesome! Fun jewelry or a scarf pull this look together. Play with colors! I love my platform Toms wedges.

Outfit #5

A striped knit dress. This is one of my favorite go-to dresses – from Target. Even though it’s cotton knit, it looks and feels really dressy. With heels and jewelry, it can go out to dinner. With flats, it’s casual and comfy for shopping. Toss on a cardigan or lightweight blazer for more looks. And these earrings from Old Navy that perfectly match?!

I also still love my silk tunic that looks great with leggings or capris. It’s dressy and comfortable and makes me look professional when I teach classes.

Raise.com is a marketplace to buy and sell gift cards. Go check them out!

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When the Rhythm is Disrupted

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May 30, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Recently, I was asked what my plans are for this summer. I replied that we’re creating a new rhythm.

We’re moving into our house in the cutest little German village next week. Out of that stressful disruption will come new experiences. We get to make memories in that house for three years.

I get to set the rhythm.

Our rhythm has been disrupted for too long. Packing, moving, traveling, living out of suitcases is taking its toll.

We’ve taken advantage of the lack of schedule.

We fit in school when we can. We buy ice cream from the German ice cream man (this is real ice cream – huge sundaes! None of that chemical gelatinous stuff I grew up with!). We play outside until after bedtime since it’s light here until almost 10 PM. We walk everywhere since we have no car. We don’t eat snacks since we don’t have any. We have the barest minimum of food to make simple meals in our apartment.

I have to rely on strangers to help me. I had to beg a ride to an Officers’ Spouses Welcome Breakfast. I had to beg a ride to my Intro to Ramstein class because it was way on the far other side of base. (I could’ve walked, but it would have taken a while and I would’ve had to have left early.) I had to beg a ride for myself and my four kids to this really neato shopping field trip. We went to many of the local German stores to see what they had. My kids made this mama proud with their awesome behavior.

My husband hasn’t been to the gym in ages and he used to go work out at least four times a week. I can tell it’s wearing on him. He’s sleepy and grouchy. All the in-processing, training, and hoop-jumping isn’t helping while he tries to get settled at his new job.

I certainly don’t want the days, weeks, months, years to fly by while we’re here. I don’t want to have regrets of what we could’ve done and should’ve seen. We’ve had that at every base we’ve ever been.

I want to get settled quickly and move on to the important parts.

We will have very little maintenance and virtually no storage at our new house. While we purged a great deal before moving, I feel there is some more purging in my very near future as we discover more of what we can live without.

While we certainly miss our books and clothes and kitchen supplies, it has been entirely possible and almost refreshing to live on so little the last few months.

For the remainder of this week, I get to dream and plan what rhythm I want to set for our new life.

Resources:

Third Culture Kids 3rd Edition: Growing up among worlds by Ruth E. Van Reken, Michael V. Pollock, David C. Pollock
This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick
Almost There: Searching for Home in a Life on the Move by Bekah DiFelice
God Strong: The Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide by Sara Horn
Tour of Duty: Preparing Our Hearts for Deployment: A Bible Study for Military Wives by Sara Horn
Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul: 101 Stories to Touch the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Charles Preston
Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
Faith Deployed…Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
Faith, Hope, Love, & Deployment: 40 Devotions for Military Couples by Heather Gray

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Chance of a Lifetime: Living in Germany

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May 27, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 7 Comments

Wondering what we’ve been up to?

You seriously need to follow me on social media if you don’t know we’ve been in the process of moving to Germany.

We arrived at last week.

Here are our adventures moving to Germany…

I had some creative packing and planning to do these last couple months, beginning in mid-April.

Traveling with pets is not cheap or fun, but they’re part of our family. We flew the cats out to my parents so we could pack up and not have to worry about them with the movers there. There was no way they were traveling in the van with us and meowing the whole way!

We stayed in TLF at Hill AFB for a couple weeks until my husband was released from base.

We road-tripped from Utah to Georgia in a very cramped minivan.

We stayed a couple weeks with my parents. I think they were tired of us after a week.

We flew from Atlanta to Baltimore to Germany with two cats and four kids, nine suitcases and twelve carryons.

We’re now in TLF in Germany until we can move into our house. Our cats are staying with one of my husband’s co-workers until we can get settled. They didn’t have anymore room at the pet TLF.

The cats were the most expensive part of our move.

We had vet fees – twice for each cat – to receive travel certificates. One set of travel certificates for the plane ride from Utah to Georgia and another set of travel certificates, certified by the USDA ($76!), for travel from Atlanta to Baltimore to Germany. We had to pay for their plane tickets to Atlanta and then to Baltimore and then to Germany. We had to pay fees (about for their entrance into Germany. Altogether, the fees totaled out at about $1500!

Last week?

We flew out of Atlanta mid-morning and spent the afternoon in Baltimore. The USO at BWI was rather disappointing. We flew out about 5:30 PM. We arrived in Germany about 7:30 AM.

Aaron’s sponsor and co-worker met us and helped us store our luggage and get checked in to TLF. We ate a quick breakfast (at JR Rockers – yuck!) and even looked at a German house that was adorable but way too small. He then took us by the commissary for some supplies. He picked up Aaron the next couple days to drop him off at his in-processing appointments.

That’s kinda the last we saw of sponsors.

The kids and I walked around the base to get familiar with the library and BX. We could only bring back what we could carry. Apparently, we can carry quite a lot.

I attended an OSC welcome breakfast and had brunch at a darling coffeeshop and met a new friend. She took me to a German grocery store, Globus, that will sure become a favorite shopping place.

For Memorial Day weekend, we were gonna be stuck indoors with rainy weather, no transportation, and nothing to do.

So we rented a neato Audi wagon and found a house in a picturesque village. It’s perfect and we’re excited.

On Monday, we opened a local checking account, ran some errands, had an amazing German lunch (in the BX no less!), and I was pretty exhausted by afternoon.

Memorial Day has special meaning here in Europe.

If we had a car and I had planned better, we would have gone to see some of the events for Memorial Day.

We are tired of cooking our meals in our little TLF apartment with two pans. We are tired of being in a cramped space not our own. The kids are acting out from not having chores or a regular schedule.

You know your kids are getting spoiled when the boy asks: “When is the maid coming?”

And, yes, I do make my kids make their beds and keep their space clean, even in TLF.

We are so thankful to live here and experience a different culture and it’s coming together as only God could orchestrate.

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5 Things I’ve Learned During PCS

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May 15, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 4 Comments

We spent 10 days in TLF before heading out for a weeklong roadtrip on our way to PCS to Germany.

Of course, the HVAC was broken in the TLF unit (temporary housing facility – like a furnished apartment). Our bedroom averaged somewhere in the 50s and the girls’ room was mostly in the low 80s. We had windows open in their room and Aaron and I slept in sweatshirts each night. That was an adventure.

We had to pack for an almost three-month-long journey from Utah to Georgia to Germany.

While being in tight quarters, living out of suitcases, and having no real schedule, we all have to make concessions for each other.

We learn some great life lessons during a military PCS.

5 Things I’ve Learned During PCS

1. How to Self-Entertain

Tori, Kate, and Alex discovered all on their own talking into a fan and making their voices sound funny. Picture below.

I love that they find fun in something harmless and simple and free.

When I warned them to be careful and make sure not to get hair, fingers, or anything else too close to the fan, they offered pained expressions that I would think them that foolish. But I’m a mom and have to mention such warnings. It’s my duty.

I love that the kids found fun new ways to entertain themselves. Boredom is often good, and sparks creativity.

2. Cooking Simply is Good Enough

We managed to cook most of our meals until the last pack-out day in our house.

We certainly didn’t want to eat out for ten days while in TLF. Our budget and health would not thank us for that.

Not having access to our cookware, pantry items, and vast spice collection put a damper on some of the meals I like to make. We made do with limited supplies and tools.

We brought some of our pantry items with us that were opened already and too good to throw out – like quinoa, flour, some spices, and sauces.

We celebrated our final days in Utah and at Hill AFB with a cookie cake:

We bought disposable aluminum pans and grilled meat at the nearby playground for dinners.

We had lots of quinoa or rice and steamed veggies and/or salads to go with the grilled meat.

My final dinner, I used up lots of supplies by roasting some chicken thighs and making some harvest wild rice and veggies:

We picnicked for lunches on our road trip except for the last couple days. That saved money and was healthier.

We enjoyed cooking for my parents and they appreciated it too!

3. Quiet Time is Necessary in Tight Spaces

My kids quit naps at the age of two (alas!), and I’ve never been successful with maintaining quiet times with four rambunctious kids. Usually, they play in another part of the house or outdoors in the afternoon while I work.

A couple of cold, rainy days had us irritable and annoying each other, so I had to institute a quiet time those afternoons when everyone had to lie on his or her bed and read, color, or do something silent.

Also, since Alex slept on the living room sofa bed, early risers had to tiptoe around and be super quiet in the morning until he woke up. One morning when he must’ve been super tired, I had to wait to grind and brew my coffee until 08:30!

We often hushed our kids from being too rambunctious since the walls in TLF are so thin. We didn’t want to bother any other residents with jumping around or excessive noise in the mornings or evenings.

4. Less is More

We are only able to have what fits in suitcases, and this posed several problems for me while packing.

We had to account for almost three months and several different climates. We can only carry so much and it had to fit into our Dodge Caravan. We’re allowed 2 suitcases each and 2 carryons each, but we can’t fit all that in the van or manage it in airports.

There were the ten days in TLF where it was chilly and dreary and not quite yet spring where we had to wear layers and be prepared for rain or even snow.

We had to have comfy car clothes for the weeklong road trip from Utah to Georgia. I had a tiny carryon suitcase with pajamas and a change of clothes for everyone that I brought into our hotels each night along with our toiletry bags to minimize unpacking and stress.

We had to have summer clothes for the humid, hot days in Alabama and Georgia. I only brought a few outfits for the couple weeks in the South.

When we arrived in Germany, we went back to wearing layers since it’s cooler there.

I allowed only 2-3 dresses each for the girls and myself and only a few pairs of shoes.

The kids each have a backpack with art supplies and small toys. And I brought two tote bags of school items since we’re not quite finished with our curriculum this year and this helps maintain a routine.

5. Courtesy is a Necessity

Being together constantly and in such tight quarters helped us work on relationship issues. We had to focus on being courteous with each other.

I worked on teaching the kids to not have a “Me First” attitude.

While in TLF, six of us had to share one bathroom with only a shower.

We had to stay quiet while others were working or sleeping.

The kids had to be more helpful than usual and clean the six plates and forks provided for our use – to be ready for each meal.

We had a system for climbing into and out of the van at rest stops during our roadtrip. The van was jampacked and the kids couldn’t stretch out at all.

We taught them not be greedy at the free hotel breakfasts, but to only take what they could and would consume. And we couldn’t really linger since we had to get on the road.

Tori and Kate have always shared a room, but they had to share a double bed at hotels and at their grandparents’ house. Alex and Liz normally have their own rooms and beds, but had to share a double bed too.

They had to share activity supplies – and sometimes snacks and drinks if we got low or ran out.

All of these lessons are great to help them grow up to be servant leaders and compassionate towards others.

Resources:

This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick
Almost There: Searching for Home in a Life on the Move by Bekah DiFelice
God Strong: The Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide by Sara Horn
Tour of Duty: Preparing Our Hearts for Deployment: A Bible Study for Military Wives by Sara Horn
Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul: 101 Stories to Touch the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Charles Preston
Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
Faith Deployed…Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
Faith, Hope, Love, & Deployment: 40 Devotions for Military Couples by Heather Gray

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Stress in the Military

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March 25, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We’re often a minority in our community since we are a military family. Many people we know don’t understand our lifestyle, our benefits, the occasional drawbacks, the stress.

How to handle the stress of military life when no one seems to understand…and suggestions to help a military family.

This is all that matters. This makes it all worth it. We count it all a privilege.

As a military daughter, at least I knew what I was getting into when I married my husband. My grandfather was retired Navy and my dad is retired Army (hooah!), and I’ve never known a time I couldn’t pass the gates of a military installation or shop at a BX/PX or commissary. Service members in uniform are normal for me. Acronyms were regular vocabulary in my house when I was growing up. It was a normal lifestyle for me. Vacations centered around visiting battlefields and history museums. I don’t regret any of it.

My husband is a lab officer in the Air Force. It’s not much different for me than when I grew up with my dad being a Chief Warrant Officer in the Army. Being an officer’s wife has its ups and downs. I think too many wives wear their husband’s rank. They think they deserve the same privileges their husbands earned. So sad. I’ve had to separate myself a lot from base life and focus on my family. Perhaps at some point, I can feel it’s appropriate to participate in spouse groups or PWOC, but it’s not a priority right now.

There’s a lot of stress in military life.

Some don’t realize the strict (and often arbitrary) weight and physical fitness requirements in the military. My father was forced into early retirement over it. Both my dad and my husband are big guys. The military doesn’t take into account body type. A skinny ectomorph has the same standards to meet as a stocky endomorph. My husband stresses over the PT tests…diet and exercise haven’t always come naturally to him. Recently, he changed his lifestyle to embrace Whole30 and he lost 30 pounds in a couple months! He goes to the gym at least four mornings a week, so he’s in bed by 9 PM. We’re continuing as a family to embrace a whole and clean foods diet and we use essential oils for health and well-being. We’re on no medications at all anymore! Aaron still stresses over excelling in his run, sit-ups, and push-ups, but it’s easier now. And he looks so much better and more professional in his uniform now. I’m so proud of him!

Of course, there’s the whole issue of moving around. We PCS or move to a different base every 2-4 years. We’ve gotten the feeling that some folks don’t want to make an effort to be friends since they know we’ll leave in a while. Moving is a hard time on the kids and cats especially. The packers come and the movers take our stuff. We travel to our new location and wait for our stuff. We cite a claim for the broken or missing items. We’re anxious about our move next year, not knowing where we might go and knowing we will miss our friends here so terribly much. We’ve never felt so much a part of community as we have in our current location. We could come back here for sure! Each location is an adventure. We trust God for all the details.

We’ve been lucky in that my husband has only experienced one deployment in his career so far. He served in Afghanistan two years ago. As a medical officer, he saw some horrible things, but he was probably safer in the hospital than most out in the field. We are proud to help our world be a safer place in this way. We gladly sacrifice our comforts and time together to help others have a home where they can feel safe too

The kids did surprisingly well during the seven long months of having Daddy away on the other side of the world. We at least got to email and Skype frequently. We sent occasional care packages with the items he requested – peanut butter, hot sauce, spices, and a few toiletries. Tori had the hardest time and didn’t want to go to bed. Often, it was easier to let her sleep with me than fight it. There was the constant worry hanging in the air and I did my best to comfort, pray with each child, encourage, distract. The kids were granted pillows with Dad’s picture from an organization on base. They slept with it at night. It was a cold comfort.

The hardest part of deployment for me was that, because we homeschool, I had no break from the house or kids – for seven months, seven days a week. The few people who offered to help didn’t really ask me what I needed, but offered to shovel my snowy driveway, or wanted to come to my house and watch my kids so I could go out (and I had nowhere to go). I would have preferred they offer to take my kids to the park for an hour or out for ice cream so they had a break from me.

Liz was a strong big sister who helped me so much when I was tired or overwhelmed.

Some people say they don’t know how I do it. They say they couldn’t. I say: it’s our life. We chose this. We live it. It’s everyday for us. We’re thankful. We’re grateful for the opportunities our family experiences. It makes us stronger. It shows us we need God, to rely on Him for our strength in times of stress.

We get to teach our kids a greater respect for our country and to pray for our leaders, our government, our military, others around the world…it is our honor and privilege.

My house is moving more and more toward a state of absolute chaos.

It takes extra effort to handle stress during a military move.

We move out of the country next month. My husband works for the United States Air Force and we get to PCS (Permanent Change of Station) again. We’re all both excited and nervous to be moving to a foreign country.

My canisters that held flour, sugar, and cornmeal are washed and sitting on my kitchen desk, amidst art supplies and empty canning jars. One side of our garage is being used to store items for our garage sale next week. Our music room holds stacks of books, china, and keepsakes that we’re putting into storage. The playroom is no more as the toys are delegated to bedrooms for packing.

Our schoolroom has a pile for our yard sale and a pile for storage. I struggle to reign in the children as they scatter items and confuse my piles! My desk is a mess – with papers, books, reviews, and checklists that must be completed by this date or that.

I dread going through the cellar and sorting holiday items and my husband’s military stuff.

My son is most upset by the schedule disruptions, selling our truck, organizing, preparation for our yard sale, and all the various preparations we make every time we move. He was only a couple months old last time, so he has nothing to base this on. He doesn’t know what moving is. He cries that he simply cannot part with this boardbook or that toy.

I’m trying to homeschool as much as I can to keep a sense of normality to our schedules. The girls are finishing up curriculum.

I’m just. so. tired – ready to be done with the whole process this year. Ready for change. Ready to fast-forward and have all the stress done and be in Germany, ready to begin a new life.

Every few years, we start over.

New base, new town, new church, new schedule, new rhythm. While it’s very exciting, it can be a little disconcerting for introverts. It takes me longer than some to get comfortable, to grow to know people well. I joke with my husband that by the end of a tour, I’m finally reaching a comfort zone and then we’re wrenched away before it’s actually within my grasp.

Isn’t God like that? He seems to like to keep us out of our comfort zones. He wants us to fully depend on Him.

We’ve learned so much about what it is to fully rely on God during our moves all over the country and now out of the USA.

This time, we’ve actively prayed as a family for our PCS process from the very beginning this year, from little bitty things to the bigger things. God cares about it all! So far, it’s gone amazingly smoothly and it’s drawn us closer to each other and to God. All the people who process our information and paperwork have been kind and helpful. Dates work out well. Travel plans are convenient.

But there’s still stress. I feel so much is out of my control and it pains me. I try to maintain our meal plans, especially with clearing the freezer and pantry! I use essential oils to stay balanced. We take supplements and exercise to help us stay healthy and it helps when life’s ups and downs cause excess stress.

I can reduce clutter. Stress is still there if I don’t pray through this transition.

I know God is in control.

Evenings are spent discussing Germany, learning the language on apps, and imagining all the yummy food we’ll try and fun places we’ll see.

Resources:

This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick
Almost There: Searching for Home in a Life on the Move by Bekah DiFelice
God Strong: The Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide by Sara Horn
Tour of Duty: Preparing Our Hearts for Deployment: A Bible Study for Military Wives by Sara Horn
Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul: 101 Stories to Touch the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Charles Preston
Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
Faith Deployed…Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
Faith, Hope, Love, & Deployment: 40 Devotions for Military Couples by Heather Gray

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The Power of a Military Friendly College

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Please see my suggested resources.

February 17, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

The sacrifices made by the members of the U.S. military are unparalleled, so it is good to see schools whose efforts to help those who serve in the American uniform fulfill their academic aspirations are also unparalleled. So called “military friendly colleges” are helping offset some of the burdens thrust upon military personnel due to the government shutdown. The services offered by these schools are sorely needed at this moment.

Government Shutdown

According to a report by “Real Clear Politics,” the government shut has placed education funding for military personal in peril. The report reveals that a law that was enacted prior to the partial government shutdown that has affected thousands of government workers, protected the pay of military personnel; however, the funding for educational programs for military personnel and their families was not a part of the law. The funding for educational programs and military pension funding emptied out at the end of October.

Military Friendly Colleges

Fortunately, there are military friendly schools that can help bear some of the load levied because of the shutdown. Military friendly colleges are schools that consider the challenges that military personnel face when seeking to obtain degrees. Because of the unique challenges that service members face, it can be quite a challenge to integrate college studies into an already hectic schedule. These type of schools create programs and systems that allow students who serve in the military to actively pursue their academic aspirations without interfering with current military responsibilities.

Programming Designed for Active Duty Personnel

Being on active duty in the military creates some specific challenges in maintaining a normal course of study in a school environment. For example, active duty personnel can be deployed on a moment’s notice. Military friendly colleges take these type of situations into consideration and develops programs that will allow for these situational issues.

Online and On Ground Campuses

For those who do well working at their own pace, online campuses will work exceptionally well. Studying online creates the flexibility necessary for someone actively serving in the military to engage and manage their studies.

Whether these students are looking to develop skills that will serve them once they leave active duty or they are looking to advance in their military career.

Tuition Assistance

Military friendly schools offer tuition assistance for all eligible Active Duty, National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers. This is definitely a plus, considering the absence of funding from the government at this moment. These individuals can apply for tuition assistance online from anywhere at any time. There are even scholarship programs that are made available to those that qualify. Again, the goal is access. Military personnel can work directly with a tuition assistance counselor to ensure that they receive the necessary funding to further their education.

The shutdown has impacted a number of military centered funding programs, but hopefully military friendly schools help ease some of the burden placed on members in the military by the partial shutdown of the government.

This is a sponsored post.

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10 Gifts for a Military Family

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November 14, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

What can you give military families?

We were lucky that when my husband deployed the first time, it was after Christmas.

Not so lucky that he left on our anniversary, but oh, well.

And he returned before the next Christmas.

The second deployment, he left in early fall and return in spring.

We miss celebrating holidays and other fun events.

You can give the gift of time or service for a military family, deployed situation or not.

We often don’t need more things and we often won’t ask for help, even when we need it most. We’re used to fending for ourselves and caring for our own. And pretending everything’s ok.

This list is great year-round, for military families with a deployed member or not.

10 Gifts for the Military Family:

Yard care. If you live in a climate with winter, you can shovel or snow-blow their driveway and sidewalks. It will be much appreciated. Trust me. Mow the lawn. Help with yardwork. Lots of youth groups or scout troops need community service. This is a great way to show support.
Caffeine. Drop by with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. Or gift cards to a local coffeeshop that has a drivethru. Especially on cold, dark, rainy, or snowy days.
Visit. Stop by unannounced – maybe with donuts or fresh bread and clean the kitchen. Bring wine! Some friends from church did that for me on my birthday when my husband was deployed. I was elated. It was such a beautiful thing.
Take the kids. Treat my kids to ice cream. Or to a park. Or to a museum. Or a movie. Out. Somewhere. Anywhere. Give this mom a break for an hour or two. As a homeschool mom with four kids and a deployed husband, I need a break, people.
Encourage self-care. Take the kids for an evening (or weekend) so the couple can have a date night. If the military member is deployed, offer to watch the kids for an hour, an afternoon, or an evening to help out. Often, military couples have a hard time finding child care so they just don’t ever go out. Not cool. We need that adult couple time. A couple from church once took our four kids all weekend long so we could go away (only about an hour away, but still!). It’s only the second time we’ve done that throughout our whole marriage!
Vehicle care. Get our vehicle serviced or detailed. Seriously. This is something a friend of mine received when her husband was deployed and I thought it was the greatest thing ever! I never think of it until the dashboard lights come on. I don’t know how to check my tire pressure, y’all. And then there’s trouble and usually lots of expense involved!
Hospitality. Invite the family over for a meal, dessert, drinks, a music event, a holiday lights display. Something. Include them. We’re often far from home and family and feel isolated and excluded. And we’d love to learn new traditions and celebrate with you. We may decline for some reason, but we will feel loved.
Carpooling. If you know the kids have music lessons, dance, gymnastics, art, sports, church activities, whatever…offer to help out, especially if there are babies or toddlers or preschoolers in the household. I am so stressed juggling my four kids and their activities when my husband is deployed. Sometimes, I would skip something to let the baby finish a nap. It was just easier.
Anticipate needs. Bring grocery necessities by or call if you’re at the store to see if they need anything. It’s so frustrating to run out of milk or eggs or realize you’re missing an ingredient for a recipe and have to drop everything to run to the store. But to drag four kids out in a blizzard with no help and not being able to call, “Honey, can you pick up ____ on the way home?” Depressing. And I went to three stores yesterday to stock up on everything and still forgot the effing milk.
Appointments. If they have medical or vet appointments, ask if you can help. Most vets and doctors prefer children not to be in attendance so there’s no distraction, so offer to watch the kids during appointments. Many moms don’t get check-ups since it’s so stressful. Help her maintain her health!

Ask. Offer. Be sincere.

We often say we’re just fine when we’re really hanging onto sanity by a fine thread.

You can offer to walk the dogs. Or just come over for a chat. Bring a bottle of wine or beer over after the kids’ bedtime. Email or call for some encouragement. Send a note or flowers that you’re thinking about her.

If something breaks in the house or car and she’s used to relying on her husband to fix it, help her find someone to do the job – for free or really cheap! We don’t have a network since we move around so frequently.

Be someone they can call if they need help. Be a listener. Be a doer.

Our neighbors helped to clear everything out of our basement when it flooded on a holiday morning and my husband was deployed the first time. (Thank God for my amazing neighbors. Bless those people!)

Be available. Be a friend.

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Apps for WAHMs

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July 10, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Some friends recently bought their first iPad and I was helping her choose the best apps.

There are some very useful and helpful apps for moms!

We warn our teens away from these apps.

Here are some favorite tools I recommend for blogging and social media.

BlogTouch for Blogger is helpful. I’m sure other platforms have similar apps.

Google Drive and Microsoft 365 are helpful.

I love the Notes app. Wunderlist is like a super version. I used to use Evernote. My kids still like Notability.

I recommend Taxbot and TurboTax.

We also love Square Register if you need physical payment from clients. Of course, the online pay apps are necessary for most of us – CashApp, Venmo, Paypal, etc.

Most banks have their own apps. Ours do, and it’s great when we move every 2-4 years to have that info at our fingertips!

Just discovered Cozi Family Organizer! Google calendar has been wonky for us. Another recommendation: Intuition: Mom’s Personal Assistant. Pomodoro for time keeping.

I love these shopping apps to save money!

What are your favorite apps?

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Homeschooling During Deployment

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March 13, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

When I hear or see the word “crisis,” I think of something really bad.

What is a crisis?

a time of intense difficulty or danger.
a time when a difficult or important decision must be made.

We are a military family and my husband has deployed and we PCS (move to a new location) every 2-4 years and that often calls for daily living in crisis-mode.

If I really think about it?

We’ve been in crisis-mode for the duration of our marriage.

All of life’s stressful events – marriage, the sudden deaths of both Aaron’s parents, births of babies, moving across the country a few times, deployment…those are crises and somewhat unusual for most people to experience in their lives – and seldom during the same year.

I don’t know any other way other than to keep on keepin’ on.

I dive into work and homeschool and cleaning and doing daily life.

We don’t have to follow a traditional August-June school year in our homeschool and sometimes, we PCS well in the fall, after most schools have returned to their regular routines. We generally homeschool year-round to give us more freedom in our schedules, especially during PCS years.

During the purging, organizing, packing, loading, moving, unloading, unpacking, organizing, and set-up that accompanies all the moving, we only do the barest schooling necessities. I only keep school items that can fit in each child’s backpack since we don’t have much room in planes or the van when we travel from our old home to a new one.

Check out how we did overseas PCS while homeschooling.

I think there are many opportunities for life school along the way on these adventures.

When we left Georgia for Texas, Elizabeth was only 4 (isn’t she cute!?). We had such great fun exploring the rest stop museums and learning along the way, seeing Gulf Coast beaches and then desert…and we had no intention of homeschooling then!

When we left Texas for Hawaii, Liz was almost 7; Tori was 2, and Katie was a newborn. We brought some light learning toys with us on the long plane ride and left the heavy school books for the packers. I regret that, since it took a long time for our possessions to arrive in Hawaii by boat. We didn’t receive them until well after all the homeschool co-ops began their “school year.” We were still so new to the whole homeschooling world. It was such fun being in such an exotic new place. We did lots of new things and learned a lot about ourselves as a family during that tour.

When we left Hawaii for Utah, Liz was almost 10; Tori was 4; Kate was 3, and Alex was a newborn. The girls all had backpacks filled to the brim with workbooks, school things, snacks, and fun manipulatives to spend quiet activity time on the super long plane ride. It took a few days to recover from the jet lag and receive our van from the boat. Aaron flew to the west coast to drive it home. And this is the first location where we had any real seasons. That was a learning experience!

Then he deployed only a few months later.

It was hard saying goodbye.

Homeschooling During Deployment

My first winter in my entire life, alone with four kids in a strange state, thousands of miles from any family!

We used this time as a learning experience.

Curriculum

We did essentials, but I tried to make everything fun.

Geography and history about the region where my husband lived in the desert for 7 months.

Politics that led up to the conflicts.

Learning about our new state too.

Winter unit study and winter books.

Schedule

The kids and I all learned to rely on each other.

My girls helped so much with their baby brother. Big sister Liz really stepped up and started being so responsible with everything.

Thankfully, we didn’t have too many problems.

We experienced some illness and I handled it, taking Alex to the ER for a breathing treatment when he looked rather bluish around his lips one evening. We all pulled together and got drive-thru Chick-Fil-A for dinner – super late at night! We ate in the car on the drive home.

Thankfully, there were no injuries. There was no car trouble!

We took it one day at a time. The home dynamics were so different without Aaron here. I ran this place like clockwork.

We were scheduled to a fault, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to “hand them off” if I got too tired or frustrated, so I made sure I was super proactive about meal planning, cleaning, school, everything.

I’m very self-reliant, confident, and capable. I was a single mom before I met Aaron. I’m capable and intelligent. I can be a little too controlling at times.

And I realize that I can be a little lazy when my husband is home.

Help

I had no help from Aaron’s co-workers or any of the military spouses or our church.

I guess no one really understood that I was alone with 4 kids 24/7 for 7+ months – homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, functioning – with no breaks and no help.

The only offers of help were people who wanted to babysit my kids so I could go out.

I had nowhere to go and no one to go with, so that was pointless for me. I’m an introvert. And the commander’s wife came and shoveled snow in my driveway. That was weird and uncomfortable for me and I didn’t need her to do that.

I really just wanted someone to take the kids for an hour maybe once a month to get them ice cream or go to a playground to give me a little break at home.

A couple ladies from church surprised me super early on my birthday morning with donuts and did my dishes. I didn’t even know them that well.

It’s hard for me to ask for help when and if I need it.

Problems

My parents visited in mid-May and that was a disaster. I had to entertain them – and we have quite a strained relationship. The kids don’t know them and were constantly sent to the basement to quietly play. The kids’ schedule got way off and they became hungry, tired, and irritable. My parents got mad and left early, telling me I’m a horrible mother.

When our basement FLOODED on Memorial Day morning, I learned what true friends we had in our neighbors. I Skyped with my husband, feeling so helpless and frustrated that I could only keep the kids out of the way…while the men of my neighborhood put their fishing trips on hold and rushed over to clear out our basement (it’s our school space!) and place everything in the garage and they removed the carpet and padding to dry. They sterilized the basement immediately.

It was over a month before everything was back to normal. We sifted through the garage for items we needed to complete our lessons. Everything was a mess and we did the best we could, completing our schooling in the kitchen and living room and even on the deck since it was getting warmer into late spring. And it encouraged me to simplify our schooling and store everything well in plastic tubs for the future!

We had to be flexible.

I know many people have horror stories of their spouse’s deployments – illness, injury, and other major crises that I cannot imagine.

We were really blessed to only get a flooded basement and no major problems.

Homecoming was great. Everything was on time.

Homeschooling During a Military Deployment

How do you homeschool during deployment?

Resources:

This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick
Almost There: Searching for Home in a Life on the Move by Bekah DiFelice
God Strong: The Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide by Sara Horn
Tour of Duty: Preparing Our Hearts for Deployment: A Bible Study for Military Wives by Sara Horn
Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul: 101 Stories to Touch the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Charles Preston
Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
Faith Deployed…Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
Faith, Hope, Love, & Deployment: 40 Devotions for Military Couples by Heather Gray

See how others homeschool in a crisis.

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