Halloween Care Packages....What To Send In Them

The picture above is from a sweet lady on a military wives forum I visit who let me have the privilege of showing off her wonder creative care package.

I have no shame in saying that I am beyond creatively challenged. With that said while I enjoy making (attempting) creative and fun packages, I for the most part suck at doing that. I love sending my husband care packages when he is deployed though and making them special for him , while still sending him things he can use.

I have been on the hunt for great Halloween care package ideas that are practical and useful. We all have different taste but the one thing we have in common is that eventually our spouses will return home along with those items. Toys and items of that nature are fine, but I always try to make sure it is something my spouse can pass on to incoming soldiers when he leaves.

I would love to have a great list of Martha Stewart like tips for you but as I mentioned above that won't happen :)

I can't leave you all hanging so here are some great Halloween care packages tips I have come across.

1. Making Halloween Care Packages For Soldiers

2.Loving A Soldier...Halloween Tips

3.This site is a forum I go to that has a care package section. A member of the board posted some awesome pictures of a care package she made. See the care package by click here.

Below are some important mailing tips to keep in mind when sending any type of care package.

* Always remember that Flat Rate/Priority boxes are free and be even be ordered in bulk for free on the USPS

*Be sure to send packages out in time. In my experience the average time for a care package to reach my spouse was 2 weeks from the Southeast part of the US.

* If you send homemade baked goods be sure to wrap them securely in plastic wrap , then nestle securely in a tightly sealed plastic container.

* If baked good contain icing...send the icing in a separate container.

* Check out The USPS Mailing Restrictions for important tips you should know when mailing packages overseas.

If you have some cool Halloween care package tips please feel free to post them in the comments section.

I hope you find the info useful...Stay tuned for pictures of my Halloween care package.

Hooah & Smooches

Just One of Them Days....Blah (Journey Through A Deployment)

Come on deployment ladies I know you have them...just one of those mornings where you wake up and your miserable. Your cranky, you don't want to do anything in relation to motherhood that day and you just want your husband.

Yup well that would be me today, I miss my darn husband. It's 4:14am and I am up because I am lonely. Yes I can say I might be longing for him intimately but it goes beyond that. I am longing for him for those strange noises in the middle of the night that I make him get out the bed to check, I am longing for him when I awaken at the most inopportune time in the middle of the night when I have to tinkle and I have to get out from under his warmth and step onto cold floors, but then I happily return to nice warm blankets and his arm to snuggle in.

Beyond the sappy stuff I miss not having to take out that ridiculously heavy garbage can (housing demands you use) every Friday. I wouldn't have to if I my 10 year old would remember...she only does one chore anyway *hehe*. I miss pretending my back hurts alittle more then normal just so I can get an extra long back massage. I really miss him coming in from PT and taking the kids to school. Someone here at Schofield Barracks got the bright idea to not have buses because they figured every person wanted to be healthy and walk or drive in what is comparable to rush hour traffic in NYC. Lastly I miss him being able to break up a fight with the two youngins over something as minute as a crayon or a marker or because someone had a sheet of printer paper to draw on but the other didn't. I mean geesh their's only a THOUSAND sheets of paper in the pack ...go get a sheet.

Really what I need is a break just one day!
I honestly don't need a major day out at the spa or anything or some big shopping day. Nahhh I just want to sit home and be a total lazy slob just for one day with no interruptions.

Yes yes ladies even my poor excuse for a Army wife stories have some kind of a moral.
Today's moral of the story is do not be afraid to vent or whine for a minute. We are all entitled to it. It shows great strength to be strong through everything, but it shows even greater strength to let your guard down and say "hey I can't be Superwoman today".

Until Then
Hooah & Smooches

50th Follower Contest WOOOOOOT...ENTER NOW!!!!!

Ok so if your part of the Army Wife 101 Fan Page you should have gotten the word that once ARMY WIFE 101 had reached it's 50th Follower that we would have a great little contest to celebrate.

Well thanks to my faithful followers and fans we reached the big 5-0 and, in celebration of that one lucky winner will receive $50 bucks in the form of a VISA GIFTCARD!!!!.

Check out our past contest here to see the great response we had.


HOW TO ENTER
Leave a Comment that says I want $50 bucks!

Bonus Entries:(Bonus entries are NOT Mandatory You do not have to complete these to enter the contest.)

*Tweet this giveaway- Make sure to post the link to your tweet in your comment.
*Subscribe via email to Army Wife 101
*Become a follower here on Army Wife 101
*Join the Army Wife 101 Fan Club
*Follow me on Twitter @ Armywives101

Leave a comment here on informing Army Wife 101 of each additional entry you complete.

Not completing the Mandatory entry will disqualify any bonus entries.
US APO and FPO addresses only. Contest ends October 31, 2009 at 11:59PM EST.

Winner will be notified via email so don't forget to list an email so that I may contact you if your the lucky winner. Winner will have 3 days to reply to email informing them of their prize.

HOOAH SMOOCHES & GOODLUCK!

Ask Army Wife 101: BootCamp/AIT Question

Q. My husband is in basic right but he will be heading to Fort Lee VA for his AIT and I was wondering if he will be able to leave base on the weekends or if I would be able to visit him on the base??? My husband want me to move there if I can see him so thats why I am trying to find out.... Please Help?

First thank you for writing Ask Army Wife 101 and it is my pleasure to answer your question. If any readers have more information to add please post a comment.

When soldiers are in AIT they are still in training and they are usually on a pass system. This means that for the first few weeks of schooling soldiers might only be able to visit the PX and Commissary , later on they may be able to leave post but not overnight and eventually in the final phases they may (or may not) be able to have over night privileges to stay offpost. Based on my husband's own accounts and other soldiers we have spoke to... one soldier in the platoon's mess up can cause privileges to be reneged therefore spoiling a spouse's planned weekend trip to visit her soldier at AIT.

As far as living with your husband...spouses may live with their service member during AIT if the training is over 20 weeks if approved by the command at your spouse AIT school. Let me make clear that you can choose to move near your husband if his schooling is under 20 weeks but it will be at your own expense and because he is still in training I would not count on spending quality time with him. To get approval for you to be placed on the orders and move with him at the Army's expense he will have to file all the paperwork and get the command's approval.

I hope this helps and wish you the best of luck!

You can read about other spouses who have dealt with the same situation by clicking below:
Living With Spouse During AIT

Making the Best of Your New Duty Station...My Story

Ever arrived at a new duty station , took one look and said how in the hell am I gonna live here for the next 2-3 years?

When we first arrived at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah GA, I was not impressed by any means. This probably had to do with the fact that we had to inprocess and check in at Fort Stewart in Hinesville, GA which was nothing short of being in the sticks. I mean their was absolutely nothing to do there except what was available onpost, because of this I assumed Savannah, GA was going to be the same way.

For my first few months of living in Savannah I hated it and I really didn't know why. I assumed it could have been the fact that before we came to Savannah we were in Fayetteville NC aka Fort Bragg which was much more military friendly and relied heavily on the military financially so in a since it was a different atmosphere. In Savannah while the military gets great respect they don't make or break the city money wise.

In any event as much as me and my hubby love to explore culture ,history and take road trips, we constantly sat around at home because would you believe me the internet queen didn't bother to research her surrounding area and we never ventured out.

It wasn't until right before my husband deployed that we ventured out and OMG would you believe what we found, we lived in one of the most visited, toured and historical cities in the country. Paula Deen lived here and you know if she lives here it has to be good *hehe*. Right then and their I knew we had wasted so much time that we would never get a chance to explore all their was to see here before he had to deploy and before we PCS'ed to our next duty station. While he was gone my BFF and also neighbor ventured out downtown to just take pictures , we would watch Paula Deen shows and then head to all her great recommendations. We ran down the Oak lined Road where Forrest Gump ran hence the famous "run Forrest run" line.
I saw the Forrest Gump bench that was before they moved it.
I visited the house where "Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil" was filmed.

Lest not forget the great food opportunities I had visiting a bakery called "Back In the Day Bakery" Paula Deen visited on her show (can you tell I'm a foodie?) and enjoying the best cupcakes in the world.
Lastly I had the great privilege of being only a hop, skip and jump away from Florida and Charleston SC, making several Disney trips (Shades of Green for Military only & Tax free on the grounds of Disney) possible , even graciously visited Seaworld thanks to Amheuser Busch's Free Promotion for Soldiers and their familiesas well as getting a chance to drive onto the set of one of my favorite shows Army Wives.
Did I mention I got to visit the house where Queen with Halle Berry and one of my favorite movies of all time "The Notebook" was filmed along with the North & South series starring the late great Patrick Swayze .


By the time we got orders to Hawaii we truly were shaking our heads in pisstivity (not a real word, but it describes what I feel lol)that we did not venture out soon and probably would not get a chance to live here again.

This is us on our last visit down to River St.


We were so sad we would never get to see or eat these things anymore...Take a look below...







Ok so I know your saying is their a moral to this lonnnnng story of course (I think cause sometimes I just ramble lol):

When you arrive at your next duty station take the time to recognize the positive in it no matter where you are. It is understandable that you are far away from family and you will miss them but hey if your in Europe head on down to the travel office and see what bus trips are offered to Paris. If your in the middle of nowhere Fort Irwin CA make plans to take a four hour roadtrip trip to Hollywood on a weekend. Sounds crazy but with the right planning it can be done.

I openly admit that I hate being here in Hawaii but at the end of the day I know people pay thousands to come and visit a place that I get to live for almost nothing and at given time my kids are exposed to what some people consider paradise. Every place has a famous historical site or landmark , so take the time to visit it and expose your kids to things that other families only wish they could have the opportunity to do. Here are my kids visiting Pearl Harbor If their's nothing in your area or state head on to a state you would never think to visit that's close on one of your spouse's four day weekends.

Just enjoy whatever is thrown your way!
Hooah & Smooches

Armywife 101Vlog : Armywives and Why We Need to Stay In The Know

I Was Doing Fine Until......But I'm Fine Now!

As you all should know (my faithful little followers :) hubby deployed a few days ago for the sandbox and what do you know...I of all people am completely doing fine or I was until....

So I'm at my kids school chatting it up with one of the other wonderful ladies whose husband deployed recently also. All of a sudden the sweetest little boy comes up to the mom I am talking to and says Hi Mrs E (we will just call her Mrs. E for now) my mom cried all night becauseeee she is sad that my daddy left. Oh wow can you say my heart crumbled for not only that little boy , but his mother as well. The thing that really made me tear up was that this little boy who was no more then seven was so genuinely concerned for his mom.

The final straw that broke my day was... I'm heading to ACS( Army Community Services)to pick up my Blue Star Card (card which is used for discounts during deployments). I get my card and as I am coming out the building what do I hear but the Schofield Army Band playing music for soldiers who were coming home. Ahhhh can you imagine the feeling. I am not an evil person and of course those spouses greatly deserved that joyous day, but I couldn't help feel just a tad bit envious that a chapter was ending for them while mine was just beginning.

I fretted for a while until my day was completely made by seeing that wonderful odd looking calling card number that always showed up on my phone last deployment. The minute I saw the area code 199,I knew automatically it was my husband calling to tell me he had safely arrived at their destination.

What a great way to end what could have potentially been a craptacular day.

Until Then
Hooah & Smooches

Journey Through Deployment: Hubby Leaves for Iraq

Important Info: In compliance with OPSEC I have posted my videos on different days so as not to give any info of the day my husband's unit left.

Ok now that we got past all that ...It was inevitable that I posted this video, even though I have mixed feelings since I do show some emotion in it. If you have read any of my other post you will know I not exactly the emotional type in public. I am pretty sure people understand though so without further ado here is a quick clip of our goodbyes along with some pics.

I'm pretty sure I do the UGLY CRY and FACE several times so feel free to laugh at me lol.

Countdown to D-Day...Breakfast Date

With the hubby leaving it was nice to have a spur of the moment breakfast date while the kids were at school. I am absolutely going to miss these outtings for a while.

Here is a clip of us on our date :)

Incoming Personnel

Greetings All!

As usual, I’m late to the party lol. I had an amazing summer visiting friends and family. Now that the kids are back in school, things are finally getting back to “normal”.

My name is Sherrill. I am a twenty-eight year old Army wife and mother of two. We are currently stationed at Hunter Army Airfield here in Savannah, GA. I can’t say enough about this place. It is beyond awesome. My husband is gearing up for his third..no..fourth deployment? There have been so many that I have just stopped counting. It is what it is. Ok, deployment talk depresses me so let’s move on.

Random things...smell of vanilla, cinnamon, the ocean, cotton candy, and the rain. Love thunderstorms and hard rain. I can't get enough of James Patterson and Stephen King. I love movies. I love to cook. I like everything from cheeseburgers to chicken marsala. Baking is also something I enjoy doing. My brownies are the best thing ever. And it’s all homemade. I enjoy history, art and photography. Let's see...I CANNOT go a day without an “I love you" from my husband and kids, listening to music, and my Golden Girls!

Krystel and I have lots of great things in the works and are planning to make Army Wife 101 the best, informative blogsite for army wives.

I look forward to talking with everyone. If you have any questions or just want to chat, you can email me at sherrill@armywife101.com

Have a safe and great Labor Day weekend!

Freebie Friday!

Hey guys nothing Army related but hey it is FREE!

Visit your local Chick-fil-A on September 7, 2009 (LABOR DAY)FROM 10:30AM-CLOSE sporting a shirt with your favorite TEAM LOGO and get a FREE CHICKEN SANDWICH.

Visit Chick-fil-A for details and store locations.

Have a Great and Safe Labor Day Everyone!

The D-Day Jitters....

The clock is ticking and the D-day jitters are in full swing. I have been playing the role when people ask me if I'm doing ok, of course I say I am but then again I am not sure. To be quite honest even though I have the jitters it is hard to convey truly what I am feeling.

I wish I was still back in GA stationed safely at my nice little nook of a base with everything close by, instead I am on a dot in the middle of the water. I am far away from the friends I went through a 15 month deployment with last time and not a hint of family to save me from the brink of insanity..."Ok I am being alittle dramatic but no one to save me from one of those bad days when I need to drop the kids off on a whim because I need a break".

The hubby has officially finished packing and now we are just going through the motions as if everything is normal. We rarely speak of the D word, and he does the normal soldier thing of not showing emotion except for when I look sad. When we do talk about anything involving deployment,it is mainly related to what we plan on doing after it.

So far the moral of Army Wifes story is to discuss the future meaning after the deployment. I admit it will be hard to really focus on the end of the deployment because, let's be real we harbor so many fears and unknowns that can make doing that difficult.

I am sure the moral of my story will change weekly *smile*

In any event I shall remain as strong as possible for him , my children, myself and of course my Armywife 101 Family.

The Last Supper....For a Year

So it's 4:33 am as I am writing this and I am up for no reason... then again I know why I am up.

You see I'm at that same point I was at back in May 2007 . It is the week of an upcoming deployment and as much as I want to focus on work and everything else I can't. I feel like I have the weight of the world on me and it's not gonna go away until this is over. I do have to say though that minus the constant worrying, wanting to throw up from fear of the unknown every time your doorbell rings, and no nookie for a year a deployment isn't really that bad.

I always tell wives getting ready to go through their first deployment that the hardest part will be the week he leaves and the night of the day he leaves.

Everything we do this week I have to remember we won't get a chance next week to do.

I know it will be our last whatever's for a year. For instance last night I didn't feel like cooking so I called hubby and we were deciding what we wanted to order in for dinner and hubby wanted pizza and I wanted sushi and normally we would have just got both, but I knew that this would be the last time this week we got to eat pizza together as a family for a year.

Who would think that pizza would mean so much?

At the end of the day I know I am strong...I can get through this....I survived 15 months of this crap...I can most definitely survive a measly 12 months right?

Well stay tuned we shall see.