And The Winner Is..........

The winner of the Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway is Vanessa from Military Wife Mayhem.

Winner was picked via Random.org

Vanessa enjoy your dress and don't be afraid to show it off :) !!!!

Sears Heroes @ Home Holiday Program (CLOSED)

Last year my family had the opportunity to participate in the Sears Heroes @ Home Holiday Program.

We received a Sears Gift card (which can also be used at Kmart) and a voucher to purchase a Christmas tree and decorations.

This program fulfills wishes of Military families through generous donations from customers just like you and I. With the struggling economy this is a great opportunity for some make to the holidays a little more brighter for their loved ones. I know for us personally it couldn't have come at a better time with a upcoming PCS and all the financial toll moving can bring at times.

To apply for the Sears Heroes at Home Holiday Program you or your spouse must be active duty.

To give everyone a fair chance at signing up the application opens at certain time periods of the day and closes at a specific time each day.
Today as of Wednesday Oct 21, 2009 the application is open from Wednesday October 21 2009,06:00 CST through Wednesday October 21 2009,13:45 CST.

The same will happen tomorrow.

Emails informing you if you have been selected for the Sears Heroes Holiday Program will be sent out the last week of October.

You can find out more about the program as well as apply Here.

Ask Army Wife 101: Coupon Question?

Name: Grandma Bee
This question relates to: Other

Q. I operate a small coupon clipping service and would like to donate my unused coupons to our military families as my "thank you" for all you sacrifice for us. Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I have been told the Commissary and PX overseas will accept them for up to six months past their expiration date. Is this correct? Also, can they be used in the same fashion within the U.S.? Can you please provide me with information on how to donate coupons, even those expired, to our military families? An address and contact would be great. Thanks for your help.

Grandma Bee

A. Hi Grandma Bee! First let me say thank you for writing Army Wife 101 and for your kindness in wanting to help military families.

You have definitely heard correctly. Expired coupons can be used up to 6 months after their expiration date at overseas military installations. The coupons will be used in the same fashion as they would in the US. Military families will use them at their local commissary.

I have found the following places and tips where you can donate and send unused and expired coupons:

The below tips are from :About.com Expired Coupons For Military
- Tips -

* Cut and trim the sides of the coupons. This is not only helpful to the receiving centers, but you do not want to pay postage on dead weight.
* Separate the coupons into two major categories - Food (for humans) and Non-Food (pet food would be non-food). Place them in large sealed freezer bags and label.
* Attach a dollar total of the coupons onto the bag.
* Prior to sending your coupons, you may want to touch base with whom you are sending them to, to make certain that they do not have any other preferences for you to follow.

To send your coupons to a Military Coupon Co-op please visit the following sites:
Overseas Coupon Program
OCP will help you to forward your coupons to Military installations overseas.

Coupons To Troops

Thank you again for you kindness I think I can speak for all military families when I say Thank You!!!

Hooah & Smooches

Review : Movie Night With Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs ....Diamond Edition

On occasion I like to switch things up on here and help us remember that we do have a life outside the Army so I decided to bring us back to our childhood just for a moment, on top of the fact that anyone who knows me knows I am a total Disney junkie.

With hubby being deployed the kids and I try to have movie night at least once a week. Thanks to the One to One Network I was recently sent a copy of the Disney classic "Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs" the Diamond Edition to review.

Let me just say the packaging for this DVD is awesome, it is definitely worthy of being a collector's item.


The combo pack includes your basic DVD plus the Blu Ray DVD. The kids and I opted to watch the Blu Ray DVD and what fun it was. The colors were bold, fun and looked like they were popping right out of the screen. The sound was extremely clear and I imagine it would be since it was High Definition sound. The audio and graphics made for an awesome viewing experience. This made watching the wicked queen, Snow White, and those lovable dwarfs even more exciting. My son who initially said he wasn't watching a girly movie enjoyed it as well.

One thing those of you with kids who love to just touch dvd's and refuse to handle them properly will love, is that the Blu ray DVD's are scratch proof. How great is that?
Oh and don't fret if you don't have a Blu- Ray DVD player because the Show White Blu Ray DVD will play on Playstation 3 also.

The Diamond Edition Package not only came with the two dvd's ,but it also comes with three games to play via your tv screen, behind the scenes footage with the movie creators, a sing along video with the karaoke version of Heigh-Ho and last but not least (IMO) one of the best goodies was you will get to view an Exclusive sneak peek of Disney's new movie " The Princess & The Frog".

My family really enjoyed this movie and everything it came with and look forward to keeping it in our DVD collection for years to come.



See a trailer of the Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs Movie Here or visit the Diamond Edition DVD site here for more details.

* This review was written in part with One2One Network for a Disney campaign. Disney supplied Army Wife 101 with the DVD but no monetary compensation was received.

Hooah & Smooches

Homecoming Dress Giveaway From Shabby Apple!!!!!!!

The lovely folks over at Shabby Apple Dresses have given Army Wife 101 the pleasure of giving away one of their awesome dresses to an Army Wife to welcome her soldier home in .

If you are looking to go back to simplicity while still being sexy and chic definitely check their site out. They have quality affordable dresses to cater to every size.

This giveaway is for the "90 Words Per Minute Dress".
Available in sizes XXS-XL
ARV $64



Entry Rules: To enter leave a comment with your name and email.


Bonus Entries:
Twitter this contest: Military Wives Win a Homecoming Dress to Greet Your Man In from Shabby Apple http://moourl.com/0qdnj @ armywives101

Follow me on Twitter @ armywives101 and leave a comment letting me know.

Become a follower on my blog and leave a comment letting me know.

This contest will end on October 26, 2009 at 11:59 pm EST
A winner will be chosen from a Random Number Generator from random.org
The winner will be listed and contacted within 3 days.
Make sure to leave a valid email so I may contact should you win.
Winner must claim prize within 3 days or new winner will be chosen.

Army Wives Season 3 Finale Vlog Recap 10/12/09

This is Part 1 ...Part 2 is uploading enjoy!


Part 2: What I Didn't Like About the Season Finale and the Armywives Book!

Do I Need To Make Friends & How Do I at My Duty Station?

MY CRAZY CLOSE FRIENDS FROM HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD.
HEY THAT'S "Ask Rell" ON THE LEFT!

HAWAII FRIENDS





Do you have to make new friends at your new home ...No!

Should you make friends at your new duty station....My answer is YES!

I will be the first to admit that I don't like having too many friends. It is not a military thing, it is just how I have always been. At the same time I am the coolest person and don't mind being friends (associates) with people just as long as their halfway normal and not "drama queens".

Unfortunately in the military life sometimes we have to step out of our normal everyday realm and put ourselves out there. With the constant moves , and deployments it is extremely important to make a friend or two who lives where you live and that you can talk to when needed.

During my husband's last deployment I always was worried about what if I were to pass out in this house and no one knows, or who would watch my kids in an emergency. Besides emergencies I thought about less worse things such as being in my house for 15 months alone in another state and not knowing a soul, no matter how much of a loner you are the thought of not knowing a single sole is pretty depressing.

So I am here to tell you yes their is literally a way to make friends at your next duty station before you get there. When I arrived in Hawaii I had already made some great friends...who gave me time to get settled and then a chance to get to know them more.

Ok ok I know your like well damn it tell us how already *smile*

1. Visit the sites listed below. Each of these sites has a separate message board community for each Army post.
*Married To The Army
*Military SOS

2. Visit Meetup and see if their is a Military Wives meetup group in your area, or a local group which meets one of your interest. This could include scrapbooking, playgroups etc.

3. When I PCS'ed here to Hawaii I searched out military wives groups on Myspace and I even used the search feature to find spouses in this area and then sent them messages privately.

4. Visit your Army post ACS building and get a list of different spouse groups available on and offpost. PWOC is just an example of one of the different programs on bases worldwide available to spouses. In this case PWOC is a women's ministry on military installations. If that isn't your cup of tea check out the Enlisted Spouses Club on your base.

Word of advice don't be persuaded by other views of groups such as Spouses clubs. Everyone has varying opinions and you don't want to lose out on a potential great support system just because of one person's opinion.


Moral of the story make a friend ...trust me you will definitely need one!

Hooah & Smooches

Krystel

One Lovely Blog Award!!!!

I received some awesome news a few days ago that I had been awarded a "One Lovely Blog Award"
by Angela's Soliloquy. She is an awesome writer who always has witty stories and cool facts and I am just honored that she took the time to nominate Army Wife 101. Thank You Angela.

I love all my Blog Buddies , FB Fans and subscribers and I am glad to know that I am able to help someone every so often.

In the spirit of receiving the "One Lovely Blog Award" I now need to pass the award onto a few other bloggers who I have newly discovered. Choosing a few people to receive this award will be hard to do as I have truly met some great people on here and think each of my blog buddies are unique and different in their own way.

Without further ado the awesome bloggers I present this award to (in no particular order) are:

1.
Bessie is an awesome writer who gives great motivational advice which we can all use at times. She is a women of all trades and I look forward to reading more from her.

2.Ask Wifey Lorraine doesn't know this but she is one of the main reasons I chose to blog again. She put the fun in blogging with her witty and down to earth commentary on everyday aspects of life. Thanks Lorraine!

3.
I don't know Amanda well but what I can say is her blog is funny and oh so real. She has alot to say and definitely tells it like it is, while sharing some great information in relation to life and the military.

4.
OMG Shellie! I absolutely adore her she is the most sweetest person and has truly encouraged me every step of the way when it comes to blogging. She shares her very real & everyday family experiences plus always has some great giveaways. Her husband is the funniest guy too check out her "Vent Day Wednesdays".

5. World's Worst Military Spouse
Plain and simple Enchante is hilariously funny and she is just real... she says it just like it is. She is new to the blogging scene and does not know I have been following her blog every step of the way.


6. Bethany from Army Wife In Training
I love her blog because not only does she speak about the life of a future Army Wife but her recaps of tv shows are great :) She is such a sweetheart and I really look forward to getting to know her. She has is counting down to seeing the love of her life and this is such an awesome experience to share with people.

7.

Akilah was the first person who really helped me with a load of questions I had because I was clueless . She is an awesome woman and her blog will wow you. She is very knowledgable in so many areas.

Congratulations to you all and I look forward to reading more great post from you.
Thanks again Angela this means alot to me.

Hooah & Smooches

Wordless Wednesday...Don't Leave Daddy!

I admit I am a sucker for these kinds of photos.
This one comes via NBC Philadelphia. This little girl did not want to let her daddy go and apparently no one had the heart to force her to move her away from him.

Ask Army Wife 101: BootCamp/AIT Question

Q.So, here goes, I hope I can get this out right...
My soldier has 3 weeks of boot camp left. I am going to his boot camp graduation in SC. Then he ships right to his AIT in AL. I will be moving at my own expense there, one week after he is set to get there. I have an apartment already, etc. I can swing it on my own.
We wish to be married right away and get me on his orders. He is only at phase 1 of AIT for 10 weeks, then he moves from Huntsville, AL to Pensacola, FL to phase 2. I wish to move with him, but at that point I will need spouse/dependent assistance for the second move.
How long does it take for me to be successfully added to his orders and receive the help a spouse gets? Also, do we need to be married BEFORE he gets to his AIT destination for phase 1 in order for me to get the spouse assistance at all through AIT?
Do we need to quick get married at graduation, or right before he leaves his boot camp station? He is in Ft. Jackson, SC, they only have a 1 day waiting period in between the license and ceremony, we are not religious and don't care about anything fancy at this time. If we can make it work, we will do it there.
We just want me to be near him, and get help, and be on his orders, and stick with him.
I believe that we need to turn in the marriage certificate and fill out some other papers, but I cannot find specifically from the Army what we need to fill out, where, who to give it to, and how long it will take, etc. I want to know now so I can prepare, then write him and prepare him, and make sure it goes off without a hitch.
I appreciate any help you can give me. This is scary! I am NOT scared to marry the love of my life, he is my soul mate, I have no doubt. He enlisted before he met me unfortunately, and now we just have to roll with it.
Thank you very much.


A. Hi Sara and thanks for writing Army Wife 101!

I will admit you have alot that needs to be answered so I will do my best to answer and hopefully some of my wonderful followers can jump in and offer you some more advice.

Let's start in order:

I would like to give you an opinion in regards to you moving to where his AIT duty station is. It is important for you to know that while he is in AIT he is still considered in training and will likely not be able to see you 90% of the time. When in AIT they go through certain Phases and a Pass System. For instance in the beginning he might be able to go to the commi or px...phase 2 might allow the soldiers to leave post but only for a few hours and of course phase 3 would let them put in for a pass to leave post overnight. One soldier's mess up can mean weekend passes being reneged for everyone. I just wanted you to know that, so you don't move down there with hopes of seeing your significant other daily.

As far as moving with him to the second part of AIT, his AIT will need to be 20 weeks or over for a SPOUSE to go with him. For a spouse to go to AIT with her husband the command at his training duty station would have to approve that. In your case you would have to be MARRIED and until you are MARRIED you are not eligible for any type of financial incentives the Army would normally provide a service member with dependents.

Honestly (and this is just my opinion) as I stated above you most likely will hardly see your soldier, so I would not rush to hurry and get married since he is already set to go to AIT , I don't see his orders being amended for you to go with him. If you wish to get married by all means do so but always be prepared for whatever the Army throws your way and definitely be prepared to possibly not be near him. You can tell your spouse that he can check into getting his orders amended but that nothing is guaranteed.

Once you do get married , he can take the marriage license and social security cards to the Deers Office and have you placed on Page Two. This will get you entered into the system to receive Medical Benefits and basically shows the Army you exist. Your spouse could then take you to get your military ID which would enable you to use the commissary ,PX and go to the Dr.

My advice would be to wait for him finish to AIT since he won't have much time to do anything outside of training. Once he graduates AIT he will report to his first duty station where he will have alittle more freedom and time to take care of the necessary paperwork and make arrangements to enable your family to be together.

Marrying into the military is definitely exciting and scary at the time, but with proper planning and researching you will be absolutely fine.

I hope I have given you some better insight on what he will need to do and if you need anymore information feel free to email me at Krystel@armywife101.com