Freebie Thursdays.......

I would have loved to do a Freebie Friday but I think I will save that day for Fact Fridays.

Anyhow I wanted to share some military related freebies as well as regular freebies that you might or might not be aware of:

The first one I'm sure alot of us are aware of but I'll post anyway.

1. Flat Rate/Priority boxes are the cheapest and most effective way to ship care packages and other goodies to your soldier overseas.
Not only can you go to the Post Office and get the boxes you can order them from the site and have several at a time sent to your house FREE OF CHARGE.
Visit USPS to order some.
Their was an option to call a # but the number I have is disconnected so if anyone has the new one feel free to post it in comments.

2. Is your soldier coming home soon or you just want to be prepared for homecoming since that's (IMO) the best part of deployment .
BuildASign is giving away Custom FREE Banners
Want one visit Here
Here's a pic of mine that I got for hubby last year.



3. Don't forget The Hero Salute By Anheuser Busch is currently running until the end of 2009.
Just by going to Hero Salute Your service member and up to 3 direct dependants can go to any one of the 5 listed parks for FREE!
Seaworld, Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, Sesame Place & Water Country USA.

4. Visit to see how to get 1 Free 5 day Armed Force Salute Ticket W/ WaterPark and ParkHopper Options.
Spouses and Dependents (wording courtesy of Disneyworld.com/military) may purchase up to a maximum of five 5-Day "Disney's Armed Forces Salute Companion" tickets (one theme park per day) for $99 per ticket, plus tax, for family members (including spouse) or friends. Although this ticket for family members and friends does not include either the Park Hopper® or Water Park Fun & More options, this ticket can be upgraded to add either such option, or both, for an additional $25, plus tax, per option. Actual prices may be less. All tickets and options are non-transferable and must be used by December 23, 2009. Also up to 40% off at Disney hotels are available via the website.

5. This last offer is nothing major but hey it's FREE FOOD so why not share right?
Everyone may not have a JACK IN THE BOX in there area but for those that do get your 2 free tacos on August 4, 2009. Just go here to print out your free coupon Free Jack In The Box Coupon

Hooah & Smooches
Mocha Army Wifey

The Pajama Pants Syndrome.....

So I'm in the commi the other day , walking down the pasta aisle minding my business when I'm blinded by the site of holey dingy spongebob pajama pants.

Don't get me wrong I like my fair share of Spongebob lol, but on a Friday afternoon in the grocery store?

Come on ladies some of us have got to do better. Do not get me wrong we all have those crappy days especially when the hubby is deployed, the kids are driving you bat crazy and you just have the weight of the world on your shoulders. On the other hand their is no reason to come out the house greasy, dirty and dingy looking. No makeup is fine, hair thrown up in a clip or ponytail is cool to, but looking plain stank is no excuse.

We wonder why people talk about us and some of us actually have the nerve to get offended (hell even though I am addressing Pajama Pants Syndrome doesn't mean I won't take up for my fellow Army wife.)Times are hard for everybody but I guarantee you that your local Walmart has a $11 pair of jeans for you and your local thrift store will have a pair even cheaper.

All I am saying is people will judge regardless but don't let peoples judgement of you and all military wives be because you have Pajama Pants Syndrome.

PS: I know some might not agree with me but that's what Armywife101 is all about honesty, so be honest with me and don't hold back on your thoughts I won't bite :)

Lifetime Armywives Review For Sunday 07/26/09

Was Armywives great this weekend or whattttttt?????

Well before I give you the summary let me just say THANK YOU THANK YOU JOAN FOR KICKING COLLINS ARSE!!!!! That was a great comeback because I couldn't stand that sneaky little conniving fleabag.

Ok off my soapbox and back to the recap:

Maybe it was me but nothing to much happened with the Roxy Trevor storyline to even write about . Hell I don't even remember seeing them on screen together except once or twice on this episode.

Pamela let's another spouse (whose she's encouraged to start her own home business) hold a house goods party at her new home onpost. Little does she know that those so called household goods ain't them kinda goodies. The party turns out to be an ADULT home party where she is selling edible panties, body oils and some more stuff that I'm sure us grown adults can figure out lol. Let's just say a few of the main characters had some added spark in their bedrooms.

We all know that Denise and Frank have gotten back together and are still working on getting past what Denise did. Denise is ready to go back into full gear and get things back to the way it used to be. Frank on the other hand still wants to be with her but according to Roland is having a hard time wanting to be intimate because he still imagines Denise with someone else. At the end of Sundays episode Frank and Denise had a date but Frank cancels out claiming he is tired from the War games (which he was an observer in for 48 hrs) but Denise is starting to feel somewhat hurt by this. Not sure where this is gonna go but I'm still holding out hope for those two.

So back to Joan and Collins...We all know that buttmunch Collins had one of the soldiers on Joan's war games team feeding him information which almost caused Joan to lose the war games. Well eventually Joan figures out their is a leak in her group and proceeds to intercept the leak by changing her strategy . The funny thing is arrogant Collins absolutely swears he has already won and is already wanting to pull out the victory cigars. Just as he is doing that he gets a call that something is very wrong and his team has taken a heavy loss. In any event Collin loses and the scene ends with Joan doing that infamous smirk she does whenever Collins gets called out .

Eventually we come to find out the soldier feeding Collins info was his roomate from military school who is a Major. The Major suffers diciplinary action via General Holden and HAAAA so does Lt COL Collins. Collins is relieved from duty on Fort Marshall and sent to take a position behind a desk at the Pentagon.

Just for a laugh:
During Collins and Holden's conversation Holden proceeds to tell Collins this is the worse war games loss in the history of Fort Marshall. This notion furthers Joan's line to Collins on last week's episode " About being a pencil pusher". The funniest part is when Michael says their is a DESK Position for you at the Pentagon I SUGGEST YOU TAKE LOLOLOLOL! I thought that was a blow to the ego if their ever was one.

Lastly Collins wife that Jennifer wench GOSHHHH I could not STAND HER!
Anyhow an FRG meeting is held and Claudia Joy wants to use $1000 of the FRG Fund to provide for Haneen ( The Iraq girl living with the Holdens) rehabilitation that she needs since she just had surgery.
Of course Jennifer doesn't think the money should be used for such frivilous things and finds a way to get a few people who don't like CJ to try to vote against this. At the end of the day a soldier who served in Iraq makes a donation and also comes and speaks to the FRG group in which he proceeds to tell them a story about how a Iraq translator saved his and several US Soldiers lives several times and how we as Americans think the translators are not important but they are. By the end of this their isn't a dry eye and Jennifer SURPRISINGLY says no vote is needed and they agree to use the money for Haneen.

I admit I am alittle peeved that Collins will be leaving because the Jennifer and CJ storyline always called for some good drama but oh well.

My last thoughts I for some reason think that the Holdens are going to adopt Haneen , just based on the close bond that seems to be forming between Haneen and Emmaline.

Next Week On ArmyWives:

Michael and Emmalin had a moment to bond as father and daughter and try to repair the fractured relationship. Finn's struggles in class and concerning Roxie and lead hard to believe her son may have a possible learning disability.
Claudia Joy takes Haneen back to Iraq and to be with her family and continue the grieving process for the family members t9at she lost due to the war.

Want A Tag Or a Cute Siggy Representing the Military

So am I right when I say that Monday is the most dreaded say of the week lol?

Well I wanted to livin it up a tad bit by posting something that I think most of us will like.

The other day a good friend of mine Amanda (Heyyyy Girl) made me the cutest little tag to use for Armywife101 and I couldn't help but to spread the word that she will make you the cutest tags for FREE.

All that she asks is to give her credit and to share where you got the tag via word of mouth.
If you would like to have a tag made to use for a signature or on a Facebook or Myspace page please send your requests to Armytagwifey@gmail.com and put Tag Request in the subject line.





Thanks again Amanda for your creative work :)

New GI Bill Can Be Transferred to Dependants...

Hey Ladies....

So I'm sure that some of us have heard alittle gabble here and there about the New GI Bill that can be transferred to dependants (spouses and children).

Now ladies part of my mission statement for this blog is that I will always be truthful with you ... So the truth is their are still many parts of this bill that I don't understand or am not sure of and it would go against everything I know to give you false info. Anyhow I did just want to put the info out there because I know alot of us are in school or plan on entering and as we all know money is always a factor.

The new bill goes into effect August 1, 2009 and with everything there are eligibility requirements.

If anyone who reads Armywife101 is more familiar with it please feel free to leave a comment explaining it more in depth.

In the meantime here is the Official GI Bill Site

Another Article that explains the GI Transfer Options.

Until then

Hooah & Smooches

Krystel

Shades of Green Military Resort Review + Discounts

Heyyyy Yalll (Ok I'm Having a Paula Deen moment that's how much I miss Savannah GA LOL.)

Anyhow it's Friday and I'm in what I call my traveling mode. I absolutely love to travel and what do ya know Disney World is one of my favorite places.

I'm always amazed that so many of us don't know about the little gem that Uncle Sam has for us .
So for those who don't know the DOD (Dept of Defense;ahaaa another acronym) has a wonderful resort for us military folks right on the grounds of DISNEY WORLD!!!
The resort is called Shades of Green and I had the chance to stay their last August again and wanted to share my great experience.

I usually try to make my blogs short but this might get just a tad bit long so bare with me:

1. SOG is the biggest resort on the grounds of Disney. That's amazing considering that you are paying for that luxury when you stay at some Disney's other great hotels.

2. SOG is a deluxe Disney resort meaning that it ranks right up their with other Disney resorts like the Polynesian, or the Grand Floridian.

3. The pricing to stay at SOG is based on rank . For us it was $89 a night and guess what the best part is their is NO TAX
Check your rates here

4. There are some eligibility requirements to stay here if you or your spouse is not active you can see those here

5. The hotel is beautiful and for what you pay you are truly getting more then your monies worth. I would go indepth explaining but i'll let you see for yourself See pics below some are mine and some I had to gather off the net because I did not get all the shots I wanted lol!
See a slideshow of SOG from allears.net here
Here are some of my pics:






6. The bathrooms are the biggest bathrooms I have seen in a hotel room and so are the rooms .. Click here

7. You will here alot of people say oh it's not Disneyish (Ok I know that's not a word lol) enough for me but there are hidden Mickey Gems all over ... Look at my kids

Oh and there is a Mickey Pool

You can view the SOG for a list of their eateries. Personally the buffets were convenient but a bit pricey. We prefer to go to International Drive and hit up the buffets like Ponderosa or Golden Corral , it's cheaper and leaves you money to do more in the parks.
Their is a good place on the premises of SOG called Evergreens which is pretty cheap where you can buy Pizza, hotdogs, fries etc.
8. If you need anything feel free to head down to the AAFES store in the lobby of the hotel that's right there is a AAFES store with food , drinks and souvineers. There is also a old fashioned Ice Cream shoppe and a Starbucks.

9. Wifi access can be brought to be used in your room for about $6 a day and you can also use your laptop in the lobby. Their are also computers you can use for a fee.

10. I'll try to pack the last few tips in here: Wives feel free to take the kids even if your spouse is away because as long as you have a ID you can sponsor yourself. You can also take a certain amount of people with you but you are responsible for them. You can also buy any tickets that you may need at the ticket counter in SOG. Yes there is bus service to the parks from SOG and you can even buy bag lunches and bag breakfast for about $3 bucks.

Well I hope my review helps you just a bit look below for some discounts and specials for military families. Click on each to check them out.
Disney's Armed Force Salute Free Ticket
OEF&OIF SPECIAL
Lastly the Anheuser-Busch Hero Salute Promotion is still in effect until the end of 2009. A servicemember and his dependants can go to Seaworld or a few other parks for free just by clicking here

Hooah and Smooches
Mocha Army Wife

Taking Time

You know in the midst of all the chaoticness (is that a word lol) of our lives here at home the kids, work, me trying to get my career off the ground and also working my regular job from home I sometimes loose track of all the things that me and hubby will miss out on during this upcoming deployment.

Before he left to go to Iraq in 2007 we had just PCS'ed he was working late , and I would usually be exhausted when he came home , which in the end put a halt in spending time together. When he finally deployed I held alot of regret that I didn't try hard enough to squeeze time in even if it meant taking some time away from something else that was important.

So even though hubby just got in from work I handed him his dinner plate put the kids in the other room and me and him just hung out in the adult room.

(The adult room is where I have that special sofa that the kids cant even breathe on or look at LOL).

Hanging out in the Adults Only room isn't much but it gives us time to just blab and talk something couples so often forget to do and it also gives me a chance to know that he is relaxing. Seeing him just lounging brings me joy especially since I know that shortly he wont get this luxury.

So ladies remember to take time with the hubbies and definitley remember that it doesn't have to be anything major just time in the adult room is fine lol.

Above is my hubby relaxing ... Yeah Yeah I had to snap a pic hehe :)

Seeking Some Kind Of School Financial Assistance Look No Further....

So Mil Wifeys I know some of us ladies are always looking to further our education weather that means entering college for the first time or going back to college.

We all know money is usually the major factor as to when we go back and how long it might take to complete your academic goal.

So the military is providing some help with the MYCAA program. In the simplest of terms the MYCAA program will provide up to $6000 in financial assistance for eligible military spouses.

Yes overseas spouses can apply to.

The money provided will help to fund education in careers that are consider portable.
What that means is careers that are most likely to be easily found at other military installations.

Click Here For More MYCAA Info

If any of you wonderful ladies have been accepted for MYCAA please share your experiences with it by click the comment button below.

Army To Grow by More Then 22,000 Soldiers...

So I won't bore you with the news details if you want to read it click Army Increases

Before I go any further please remember that what makes and will continue to make Army Wife 101 unique is that I write this stuff the way I would want to read it. I can't stand long rambles lol , long articles and overly drawn out complicated sentences.

My feelings on the 22k Increase are simple:

1. I feel like it will take the strain off the current soldiers currently serving and also maybe increase the amount of time the soldier is able to be home in between deployments.

I mean geeze in my case we just hit the one year mark and our next deployment is already looming .

2. I think this increase will be a great way to open up jobs for people (those that want to serve). We all know that in this economy that the military and the stability of it is a great thing.

What do you guys think of the 22k increase? Yay , Nay leave a comment!

Omg How Could I Forget!!!!!

Thanks to one of my Army Wifey Chickies I was reminded that today was a year since our hubbies have been home from Iraq.
Now before you say "How Could She lol" keep in mind that my happiness of him being home for a year is steadily being overshadowed by another fast approaching deployment.

Anyhow to my hubby I love you so much and am glad that you were brought home safe and sound to me as well as all the brave men and women who stood by your side.

Ok I cant help myself have to throw some memory pics and our deployment video up here.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Homecoming

And So It Begans (Countdown to D-Day)

I decided to do a collection of Vlogs documenting my journey of this deployment from start to finish. What better way then to start with what actually takes place before the actual deployment even begins.

Hope you enjoy the video!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Armywife 101 Visa GC Contest Announcement *CLOSED*

I forgot to add in your comment you post under this video please post your email addy so that I can notify you if you are the winner.

Also in the video I said you had to be a subscriber but YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE.

Just be sure to post a comment under the video .

You can click post comment and post anonymously but make sure to leave your email address.

Contest ends August 1, 2009

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Are You Really Saving at the Commissary?

This article Putting The Commissary To The Test got me to thinking :

So lately I've been complaining alot about the rising cost at the commissary. It doesn't help that where stationed here in Hawaii and food is just expensive in general.

So while I am now paying close to $3.00 just to get a good loaf of bread it beats paying $5 or $6 at the local grocery stores outside post.

I know when we were stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah GA, their were certain key items I brought weekly for my kids such as Poptarts and Fruitsnacks. I would absolutely get a kick out of how one week poptarts were a $1.50 a box and the next week they were $2.01 a box. The same thing would happen with the fruitsnacks. I mean geesh what happened in a week that cost for a 50 cent rise in price lol!

But for any CONUS ladies have you noticed your commissary prices getting higher?

Lifetime Armywives Review For Sunday 07/19/09

Quick Recap:

Denise and Frank have decided to make it work.

Roxy still is not liking the dog Trevor brought home from work.

Pamela is still coaching her son's football team but is not understanding the heads coach's methods.

The girl from Iraq at 1st was hesistant to have her surgery because she felt guilty that she was still alive and her family wasn't. The Iraq girl (sorry I forgot her name) touches on some emotional moments that the Holden Family can relate to like losing a family member and feeling guilty for a being alive . At the end of the day the Iraq girl being there actually caused Emmaline to finally grieve for her sister Amanda and I think this was just what Emmaline and CJ needed to be close again.

Lastly Joan and that Collins Character were chosen to lead the Army Post War Games.
Of course that smuck Collins told Joan she wouldn't win because she was damaged goods in relation to her drinking problem she experienced in Season One.

Joan quickly reminded him that she has commanded more then a DESK (LMAO best line all night) lead a command in Iraq and brought them all home safe and she was more then a pencil pusher which is what Collins is lol.

Well now the games began towards the end Joan is plotting out her teams course of action for the war games . She then tells everyone to take a break and everyone leaves the room except one guy. We then see this guy call Col. Collins and proceed to tell him Joans plan of action.

Not sure what is gonna happen but I dont think it is going to be pretty.

Armywives 101 Lesson 1: Bootcamp & AIT

Who is Army Wife 101?

Hi I'm Krystel aka "Army Wife 101"!

I myself am a Army Wife of the last four years although my husband has spent most of his adult life in the Marines and now in the US Army. I'm the mommy of a 5 year old little boy who is addicted to Michael Jackson songs and Poptarts and a soon to be 11 year old INBETWEENAGER whose love for the Jonas Brothers & High School Musical keeps her wrapped in her own little world. We currently are continuing our never ending journey here in sunny Hawaii.

I created Army Wife 101 alittle over year ago due to the many questions I would answer on different military spouse forums about this sometimes complicated life of ours. That is life as a Army Wife. I spend my day scouring the net researching the small minute details that can make make or break a PCS move to a new duty station, or finding the office onpost a spouse needs to visit to enter her newborn baby into the Deers System so it can legally exist to the Army. This is my place to help Army wives and wives from other branches.

I also consider this my place to vent, whine moan and celebrate. In addition I provide the latest information pertaining to the Military spouse, hold giveaways, blog and vlog my life, and occasionally review products. As an Army spouse currently going through another deployment I know we tend to be the primary decision makers in the household when it comes to everyday household purchases. In addition to this we lead very unique lives , in that we are constantly on the move to a new location and looking to make wherever we are home. I would love to work with PR companies and brands to bring a voice and a better understanding to the lives we lead. With that said while I am open to all pitches I only will write about the product if I truly believe it is beneficial to my readers.

If you are interested in PR feel free to head over the Sponsors Tab at the top of the Army Wife 101 site and fill out the PR Form. You may also choose to email me at Krystel@armywife101.com

Thanks for stopping by Army Wife 101.

Contact Info:

Email: Krystel@armywife101.com

http://www.twitter.com/armywives101

Army Wife 101 Facebook Fan Page

Army Wife 101 on 12 Seconds

Army Wife 101 on Youtube

Armywives 101 : Krystel's Intro

ArmyWives 101 Tutorials

So for the longest time I have been a member of many military spouse forums as well as a moderator.

One thing I noticed is the amount of information that so many spouses don't know and they have no idea where to find it. I decided that wouldn't it be great if instead of having to read boring Army information that you could have a cool chicky like me *smiles* deliver this info to you via a video?

So that's exactly what I did... I took my cool little Kodak Easy Share and started making a series of Army 101 Tutorials videos on everything from Boot Camp to AIT to Army Pay and more are sure to come.

The next upcoming Tutorial coming to you soon is PCS Moves.

*NOTE* I would love to throw videos out fast to you , but the fact of the matter is I am all about facts and I really don't wanna look stupid.
My videos take time for me to research my info as well as edit them. I know you don't wanna see me fall asleep like I did while filming the last video I did LOL! Thank god for editing :)

Videos will be posted in another post .

Hooah & Smooches
Krystel ( The Mocha Army Wife)

Welcome Back To Armywives 101

Hey Everyone!

I'm Krystel and I am a 27 year old stay at home mom and Army Wife.

So you looking at the title and it says WELCOME BACK and your like hmmm ?????

Well the truth is I am not new to blogging and have had a blog or 2 before but somehow I would

always move (PCS) or my computer crashes I loose everything and never gain entry into my blog again.

This time I am doing things differently and I am much more organized and plan on venturing into my daily world of blogging again.

So with that said I do hope you will follow me and enjoy all the information I plan on throwing your way .

Stay tuned and read my newer post to find out more on what exactly is Army Wives 101.

Hooah & Smooches

Krystel ( The Mocha Army Wife)