Writing Military Mom

2011-09-03T09:00:00.002-05:00

Click on http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/ticket/?device=bbery&c=y if the link above does not work. I would suggest the Intrepid in New York. It's very impressive and there's nothing better than an outdoor museum by the water on a beautiful September day! Whichever museum you choose, enjoy.

New parenting book from RadicalParenting.com author.

2011-08-29T09:00:00.004-05:00

Inside the Mind of Teens

By Vanessa Van Petten, creator of RadicalParenting.com a parenting website written from the teen perspective to help parents understand them. She is also the author of the parenting book, “Do I Get My Allowance Before or After I’m Grounded?”

When I was 16 I thought it was my Dad’s goal in life to make me miserable. I was convinced that he had a
running list of all the ways he could embarrass me in front of my friends, trick me into doing more chores
or make my curfew earlier.

Our relationship would have continued to devolve until one day I saw my Dad reading a parenting book.
I flipped through it while my Dad was in the bathroom and realized a lot of the things he did that drove
me crazy he was getting right out of this book! I looked at the other parenting books on our shelves and
realized that they were all written by adults. I wondered—has anyone ever asked teens to write to their
parents?

I decided to build a website where teens could answer questions and write to parents called
RadicalParenting.com. I couldn’t believe how quickly it grew and how happy both teens were to get their
voices out and parents were to have a new outlet for connecting with their kids! We now have over 120
teen writers who give advice.

Teenagers, when given a neutral space LOVE talking to parents and often offer some of the best insight
because they are going through it themselves. We have also be so excited to help parents who feel like
they cannot reach their kids and teens.

I think teens and parents can work together to overcome their differences and learn to work best
together. We have just come out with our book: Do I Get My Allowance Before or After I’m Grounded and
it is a radical approach to parenting because it is written from the kid’s perspective! We would love for
you to check it out—if you are brave enough to see what kids have to say!

Watch the video.

2011-08-22T17:56:00.000-05:00

Direct link: http://web.safecrm.com/ZNJGBT3GL6PMQ2KT@0C0B14D3OCDUH5.htm

April 15th Deadline Approaching for Military Spouse Fellowship Program

2011-03-29T11:15:00.000-05:00

The FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program

By Janet Farley

If you are interested in applying for the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program, you’d better get on it! The deadline to apply for this exciting opportunity is April 15, 2011.

Now in its sixth year, this popular career and community enhancing grant once again offers 200 military spouses the opportunity to earn the Accredited Financial Counselor® (AFC®) designation.

Having a value of up to $1,170, the grant pays for the enrollment fee, study materials, webinar study sessions and two attempts at each examination for the two courses needed to earn the designation.

The coursework is completed via distance learning and is self-paced. In addition to the coursework, spouses are required to complete a practicum that may consist of up to 1000 hours, depending on one’s past work experience.

Spouses have up to three years to complete the program.

To date, nearly 1000 scholarships have been awarded and 255 military spouses have successfully completed the training and earned the AFC® credential. You can find them many of them working within military communities the world over as financial counselors at family readiness and support centers, credit counseling and tax centers, financial aid offices and credit unions.

If you think you have what it takes, visit www.militaryfamily.org to read up on the fine print. Note that preference is given to military spouses who:

have some college or a degree in business, finance, accounting or social sciences
currently volunteer or work in personal finance, banks, credit unions or counseling services
have volunteer experience within the military community

The 2011-2012 Fellowship is open to current or surviving spouses of active duty or retired Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard or Reserve service members. Spouses of U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials are also eligible to apply.

It is administrated in partnership with the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education® and the National Military Family Association (www.militaryfamily.org). To apply online for the fellowship, visit www.militaryfamily.org by the April 15th deadline.

Janet Farley is the author of The Military Spouse’s Guide to Complete Career Success (Impact Pubs) and the Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide (Jist, Inc.). Farley writes the JobTalk column in the Stars and Stripes newspapers and the Homefront column for the Military Officers Association of America. Farley also writes for Military OneSource, Bradley-Morris’ Civilian Job News and ClearanceJobs.Com. Follow her on Twitter at Mil2CivGuide for timely career transition tips.

Letters of Hope Team

2011-02-23T14:18:00.000-05:00

FROM CAROLYN BARNETT OF MILITARY SPACE:

I would like to encourage you all to become members of our Letters of Hope Team. All you have to do is commit to writing one letter each week to one of our deployed soldiers,

You must be a member of the Message Boards located at http://www.military-space.org/forum/index.php?referrerid=13. Once you have registered with the message boards you must take the following steps:

All you have to do is click here: http://www.military-space.org/forum/...editusergroups and join the team you want to join.

Then, you will need to go to: http://www.military-space.org/forum/...?do=form&fid=1 fill out the required information for the team leader to contact you. At that point, the Team leader will email, or private message you letting you know the status of your Team application, and remember:

I am an American. I know that the men and women in our Armed Forces are prepared to give their lives to defend my country, my way of life and the blessings of liberty throughout the world. I am committed to their perpetual recognition, appreciation an
IAs they have sworn to defend me and protect our country, so will I pledge to support them in every way that I can, and to avoid any action that would increase their risk. I will further do my part to ensure that they are never sent into harm’s way
For our military veterans, I pledge unfailing recognition and appreciation for their contributions to our national defense and our welfare. I will not forget my nation’s responsibility to provide for their continued well-being, and meaningful compensation
I will never forget that our service men and women are fighting for my freedom and are dedicated to the principles which make our country free. I will share the responsibility for preserving that freedom with those who proudly wear the uniform of the United States Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Marine.

If you have any questions please email Carolyn@military-space.org .

2011-01-24T17:15:00.000-05:00

I found a great discount for those of us dealing with snow! While you're there, check out the other great discounts on Military Spouse Magazine's website.

SnowCare for Troops

Project EverGreen has partnered with The BOSS Snowplow to connect military families with snow and ice management professionals and volunteers to provide free snow and ice removal services. It’s called the SnowCare for Troops program.

http://www.milspouse.com/military-discounts.aspx#

Book Swapping Website

2010-12-23T10:21:00.000-05:00

I just discovered a great website. It is called PaperBack Swap. You just list the books you are willing to trade and post the books you want. When someone requests your book, you simply mail it to them. In return, you receive credits toward books which other members then mail to you. The only cost is the postage, but that is reciprocated when someone mails a book to you.

This looks like a great way for those stationed overseas to get current titles on their wish list which you can also create on the site. I posted a copy of the book I wrote. In fact, that's how I discovered this site. My book was listed on someone's wish list. Isn't that great?

If you join, go through this site so I receive book credits. And make sure to post here and let me know you joined. This sounds like a great solution to my pile of books. It's like a global version of my local used book store without the drive.

Enjoy!
Swap Books for Free - PaperBackSwap.com

Holiday Cards for Troops

2010-11-30T20:01:00.000-05:00

Holiday Mail for Heroes Program Overview

It’s that time of year again! The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes have teamed up for the fourth annual Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

From now until December 10th you are invited to send holiday cards to our American service members, their families, and veterans all over the world. Anyone can send a card and you can send as many as you would like! Please send all cards to

Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD
20791-5456

The deadline for this year is December 10th. Unfortunately, if your cards are not postmarked by December 10th they cannot be delivered. After Pitney Bowes collects and screens the mail received in the PO Box, Red Cross workers deliver holiday greetings to service men and women in their communities. Check out how our uniformed men and women and their families expressed their gratitude for the Holiday Mail program when it delivered cards to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Read more and see a great video HERE.

Please share... repost, email... let's get this done!!

DoD 9/11 Special Pay deadline looming

2010-09-08T14:53:00.000-05:00

Service members, veterans, and beneficiaries of servicemembers whose service was involuntarily extended under Stop Loss between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 30, 2009 are eligible for RSLSP.

Visit this link for more information and to apply: http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2010/0710_stoploss/

DEADLINE October 21, 2010.

Please share with everyone you know who may be eligible.

ANOTHER DISCOUNT: Hawks Cay Resort

2010-07-26T09:36:00.000-05:00

OK. I have always been up for a good discount, but I'm finding THE BEST military discounts while I plan my Disney trip. How about $99 per night! This is for Hawks Cay Resort down in the Florida Keys. And it's not just open to military, but all service providers (fire and rescue, police, medical personnel). the offer is only good between August 23rd and November 30th, and when I looked up available dates, they were booked until September. More info from their site below. If you go, enjoy!

Heroes Welcome

Hawks Cay Resort is pleased to bring back the, now annual, Heroes Welcome. Our way of saying thank you to the military, fire and rescue, police and medical personnel that have dedicated their lives to preserving the safety of others. Visit Hawks Cay between Aug. 23 and Nov. 30, 2010 and take advantage of heroes room rates starting at $99 per night!

http://experience.hawkscay.com/heroes-welcome

Disney discount discovered!

2010-06-28T13:06:00.000-05:00

The Swan and Dolphin gave me an EXCELLENT military discounted rate! $159 for a resort view (parking lot) and $184 for a preferred view (the parks and surrounding area). The funny thing is that when I called ITT to clarify a discrepancy in dates for the park ticket promo, she said she had never heard of the hotel discount at the Swan and Dolphin. As she was researching something for me, she called the Disney agent and THEY had not heard of it. I found out about it at Mousesavers and then got it when I called the Swan and Dolphin. Seeking to maximize our savings on dining (they don't accept the Dining Plan at the S&D), I called again to ask about their military discounts on dining at their hotels. They offer a whopping 50% on all food and beverages (excluding alcohol) with the exception of the Signature Restaurants (Shula's, etc.).

All I'm saying is for the love of mike, ASK! Ask for discounts and don't be ashamed to do it. Our spouses, or we, serve and should take advantage of any military discount provided.

Lenore Skenazy is ba-ack with a hairbrained idea to keep our kids UN-safe

2010-05-19T16:33:00.000-05:00

In April 2008 I wrote that Lenore Skenazy thought it was a good idea to drop her kid off in Manhattan with $20, a subway map and a bunch of quarters to call home (no cell phone, btw, when payphones are basically non-existent these days) http://writingmilitarymom.blogspot.com/2008/04/find-your-way-home-at-nine.html. Now she wants parents to drop their kids off at a city park and leave them alone so they can get to know each other.

I don't even have words this time.

2010-05-15T15:55:00.000-05:00

I found a great 20% Disney World deal. FYI, I am not being compensated in any way for promoting this discount. I just LOVE Disney and want everyone to share the magic. Enjoy!

http://www.downtowndisneyhotels.com/Promotions/

Military Spouse Appreciation Day is tomorrow!

2010-05-07T12:24:00.000-05:00

May 8th, 2010

Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

Show a milspouse how much you appreciate his or her service to those who serve. I am always touched when someone thanks ME for serving my country by supporting my husband. It takes so little and means so much.

Presidential Proclamation--Military Spouse Appreciation Day

What are you looking for?

2010-03-26T15:35:00.000-05:00

Attention all Milspouses:

I am in the process of developing a website for Military Spouses. As a military spouse (ret.), I am tired of searching through link after link to find what I’m looking for, so I want to have a site for links to some (or all!) of the main sites, such as Military.com and Military Onesource. I also want other things such as the best blogs written by military spouses and those written for military spouses. I don't want to give away the idea, but I wanted to reach out to the community. Right now, I just want to find out what YOU want to know!

Let me know what you want to see in a military spouse website. And pass this on to your milspouse friends! I'd like to have a good sense of the community's wishes by April 9th at the latest, but feel free to continue sending ideas past that date. This is a major website that's going to take a few months to build. I need everyone's ideas to create the best site possible. (I even have a terrific name!)

:)

I look forward to hearing from you and thanks for your help.

Rosemary

2010 - Bring it!

2009-12-31T15:52:00.000-05:00

Wishing Everyone a

Happy & Healthy

2010!

- Rosemary O'Brien

Survey about Military Family Programs

2009-12-17T09:58:00.001-05:00

Officials Seek Feedback on Family Programs
By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2009 – Defense officials have launched virtual “listening sessions” in hopes of gaining more insight into the effectiveness of military family programs, a Pentagon official said today.

The anonymous, online survey solicits feedback from servicemembers and their families on the military’s educational programs, support networks and other services. (Read original article.)

Servicemembers and their families are invited to participate in the survey at https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1253631402808.

(Thank you to MilitaryAvenue.com)

Cpl. Xhacob Latorre from Waterbury Passes

2009-12-10T19:39:00.001-05:00

Send a card to a soldier or sailor

2009-11-25T09:57:00.001-05:00

We have a different perspective

2009-11-11T12:08:00.000-05:00

This is Veteran’s Day. It is the day we support the men and women who serve our country. No matter where or how they served, they served. It does not matter if we support the cause, but we need to support the people as our local Veteran’s Council President, Lori Grenfell, stated at our local Veteran’s Day service.

As military families, we are thankful for our military members’ service every day, but do we realize how different our perspective is compared to the civilian world? I am reminded of this fact every year at this event when I look around at the dwindling crowd of attendees and World War II and Korean War veterans. I am grateful for the people who do show up to thank these honorable people. I am not saying that the civilian population is lacking for not always thinking of the men and women who serve. That is what Veteran’s Day is for, to remind them. I just want to point out that we are different as military families. We support our troops directly every day, even when our active duty member retires or leaves the military. We cannot help but take it personally when something like the Cole or Fort Hood happens. We know people who were directly affected by the event, and even if we do not, our family was affected – the military family.

So on this day of remembrance, I want to thank not only the military veterans and the active duty members of our armed forces, but the families and spouses of those who serve or have served. We serve our country, too. My husband retired this past July of 2009. As I told my son when he said we used to be a military family, we will always be a military family.

Thank you to all of those who served and to all of those (us) who support them.

Rosemary

Military Spouse Residency Relief Act News!!!

2009-11-02T14:38:00.000-05:00

The Military Spouse Residency Relief Act has already passed the Senate, so Monday's vote should send the legislation directly to the President's desk to become law.

Read more

Milspouse Deals With Breast Cancer

2009-10-23T12:01:00.001-05:00

He's in the Army now
Wife’s cancer prompts man to enlist
By Mark Johnson of the Journal Sentinel

What do you think about the Caudle's decision? I'm curious. Weigh in here.

November Military Appreciation Month at Nickelodeon Hotels in Orlando

2009-10-22T17:54:00.000-05:00

http://preview.tinyurl.com/yfdot42

To those who can get away for a few days, enjoy this discount. (And have Mickey Bar - ice cream on a stick with ears - for me, will you?)

I need your votes!

2009-10-15T12:18:00.000-05:00

I am applying for a six-month contract as Sam-E’s Good Mood Blogger. Please go to the button in the side column and vote for me before October 23rd. Tell all your friends!

This contract would allow me six months of time to work on my next novel as well as a chance to blog for a company I have patronized for several years now. So tell everyone you know, through email, social networks, standing on the street corner with a sandwich board … any way you want! I need your votes to become the next Good Mood Blogger.

Thank you in advance for spreading the word.

Rosemary

Anal Glaucoma

2009-08-26T16:00:00.001-05:00

'Sorry! I couldn't resist!
Rosemary

A woman calls her boss one morning and tells him that she is staying home because she is not feeling well.
'What's the matter?' he asks.
'I have a case of anal glaucoma,' she says in a weak voice.
'What the hell is anal glaucoma?'
'I can't see my ass coming into work today.'