Ask Army Wife 101: Work from Home Question??

Q. This is off subject of military but I was curious if you knew of any stay at home jobs with a decent pay?
If so please let me know. I was working but my paycheck was going to day care so it really wasn't worth it, but I'd love to bring in some extra cash and spend time with my daughter. Thanks so much!!

A. Stephanie this is a great question and it absolutely relates to Army Wife 101 because many of us are always looking for something we can do from home to earn extra cash. I won't bore you or the readers with a long drawn out post about working form home. I will post the links to the last two blog entries I wrote about this topic which includes links to many positions that can be done from home.

Part 1: Working from Home

Part 2: Working from Home

Best of Luck!
Hooah&Smooches

Army Wife 101 & The Hawaii Tsunami

If your not already aware I am currently living in Hawaii. yesterday we were under a Tsunami Warning and alot of people were pretty scared. Here are my thoughts on it:

That Little Thing Called OPSEC....

Actually OPSEC is a huge thing and so many people do not really understand what it is and the significance of it. Watch my crazy little video explaining OPSEC.

Deployment Snacks...

When the hubby's away the snacks come into play!

Find out what Army Wife 101 munches on the most while hubby is deployed.

What do you find yourself grubbing on when hubby is deployed or on a TDY?

Free Samples From Pampers...2010 Winter Olympics

In the military babies come quite often with frequent deployments and frequent seperations. That's why I was happy when Pampers asked me to tell you that you can now try a free sample of Pampers New Cruisers with Dry Max...the official diaper of the 2010 Winter Olympics. These diapers are not available for purchase until March of 2010 so stop by Pampers to request your free sample .


Here is some more information about the Pampers Dry Max Cruisers courtesy of Pampers:

Every baby is a champion in play, and to celebrate the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Pampers® Diapers has partnered with Team USA to introduce new Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers Diapers with Dry Max, the brand's new high performance diapers sure to earn gold with world-class "players" - babies.

The babies of Team USA athletes will be equipped with the new Pampers Cruisers Diapers with Dry Max as they head to Vancouver. In honor of these athletes and their families, Pampers has created specially-branded Team USA diapers with the Dry Max technology. Although these limited-edition Team USA diapers will not be for sale, parents all across the country can buy Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers Diapers with Dry Max for their best players in the world in March. In the meantime, parents can request a free sample three-pack of the new Cruisers diaper on Pampers.com starting January 29th. If this sample includes a Team USA diaper (they will be randomly inserted in select sample packs), their baby will win a year's supply of Pampers Cruisers Diapers with Dry Max.

Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers Diapers with Dry Max - Biggest Innovation in 25 Years

Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers with Dry Max are the brand's new high performance diapers and the biggest innovation for the Pampers brand in the last 25 years. Pampers Diapers invented the Dry Max technology and applied it to the current Swaddlers and Cruisers core, which allows the diaper to be thinner than before. This game-changing diaper - Pampers' driest ever - helps lock wetness in for up to 12 hours and its less bulky design helps give flexibility and comfort - perfect for all of babies' play. The new diaper design also helps families reduce their impact on the environment by containing 10 percent less material weight. In fact, if current North American Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers users switched to the new Pampers Cruisers Diapers with Dry Max diaper, they could together throw away the weight of 1 billion less diapers every three years (based on 08/09 volume for Swaddlers/Cruisers).

Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers Diapers with Dry Max will be available at retail across the country beginning in March 2010. Product will be available at mass, discount, baby specialty, grocery stores and online retailers where Pampers products are sold, with the same retail pricing as the current Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers Diapers (pricing is at the sole discretion of the retailer).

Enjoy!

Hooah & Smooches

The Disney Lithograph Giveaway Winner Is....

Our winner of the Disney lithographs courtesy of Destinations In Florida is Tatjana a subscriber to Army Wife 101 who said her favorite disney character is "Cinderella".

Thanks to all who participated!

Hooah & Smooches

My Thoughts On Random Shutdown of MYCAA Program

Here is the backstory on Mycaa's Unexpected "Temporary" Shutdown
MYCAA

It is important for me to put out their that the news story states the MYCAA program shutdown is temporary but no date has been set to resume this program.

I could have wrote what I was feeling but I had to say it. Feel free to share your comments and opinions.

Army Wife 101:Myths and FAQ's:Extra Dependents=Money??

Guest Post: BeachBody Coach...One Army Wife's Home Business

* Please welcome my guest poster Stephanie who is here to share some great info with you. She herself is an Army Wife and will share her weight loss story with you as well as how she turned weight loss into a business.

My name is Stephanie.
I'm a mother, an Army wife, and a stay at home mom. My daughter was born on December 9th, 2008. She's the best thing to ever come into my life. I don't really know how I thought my life made sense before her. My husband is a Blackhawk Helicopter Pilot in the Army. We are living in KS right now. We just moved here and bought our first house. I love it.

I have recently become a Beachbody Coach. What is Beachbody? It's the company that sells P90X, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs, Rev Ab, Shakeology, etc. Anyways, I gained close to 60 POUNDS when I was pregnant with Mya. About a month after I had her, I started P90X. I loved it. I did it for about 4 months and lost about 45 pounds. They are such great workouts that you can do at your own pace, until you become familar with them and are ready to push yourself to the next level. What's great about P90X is, your body never gets "use" to the workouts, you just get stronger and are able to push yourself harder. Therefore, you and your body still feel the workout even after 3 months.

After the 3 months I added a spinning class and did that for about 2 months. I lost about another 10-15 pounds while in that class (which I was completely addicted to). So, between those two workouts, I lost the majority of my baby weight and gained some muscle that I never new existed. During that whole time, my husband was stationed in Korea. He got back in June 09 and we moved to KS in July 09. For about the first month of living here, I was busy putting our house together. Once that was finished, I talked to my friend, Mindy (TurboMindy) because she had just signed herself up to be a Coach. She told me about Turbo Jam and within 5 minutes of her explaining it to me, I was sold! I ordered to DVD's and LOVED THEM!

It's such a fun, upbeat workout, it's hard to believe that you can get the results that you do. After doing the workouts for a while, I decided that I wanted to help people feel as great as I do and make people even more aware of these products. Trust me when I say, I was NEVER a disciplined person when it came to working out! Actually, I hated it. But, that's because I never got the results, like the ones that I got from the Beachbody workouts. If you feel like you want to try these workouts and are really interested in making a change, but you don't think that you can do it yourself, or if you want to start your own Independent Beachbody Business and need some help, that's what I'm here for!!

I'll give you that little push you need to get motivated, all while practicing what I preach. This business is SO great for us Army Wives who want to make a little extra spending money. I just LOVE everything about this business and I KNOW that you will too! If you want to take a look at the products and what Beachbody has to offer, go to www.beachbodycoach.com/stephaniejacs click JOIN and make your FREE profile and I'll be you FREE coach. I have a video on You Tube that explains more about the Business and more about how I got involved. Take a look and let me know what you think! Contact me ANY TIME with ANY questions. I LOVE talking about all of this and I really look forward to talking to you!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQQ6fKPMvRE

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=40606034

http://stephaniejacs.tumblr.com/

Disney Military Discount & Giveaway!!! *Closed*

If you haven't guessed I am an absolute Disney addict. I love everything Disney and more then anything I love my favorite vacation spot in the whole world DISNEY WORLD!!! Realistically speaking while I love Disney it can be pricey especially when the kiddos are involved so anything to make it cost effective is fine with me. I've written before about how you can stay their cheap and have a grand time, so you can imagine my excitement when I learned Disney World would be running their military promotion this year.

In my daily surfing I visit many military spouse forums and have learned that many people were confused by the promotion. Recently Allison from Destinations In Florida shared with me indepth the great discounts offered, so that I could share them here with you.
Listed below are the correct military promotions being offered by Disney:

Disney World Tickets: You can purchase up to (6) 4-Day Passes for $99 per person. With this ticket, you can visit one Disney Theme Park each day. For these special discount tickets, you can purchase them on base or at Guest Services at the front entrance to any of the Disney Theme Parks with your military ID.

Disney World Hotels/Meals: You can save even more money with special Disney World Resort discounts on a Military Package that includes room discounts up to 40% off. This discount package is available for vacations through September 30, 2010. These prices are normally less money than staying at Shades of Green.

You can then save even more money, by adding one of the Disney Dining Plans. The Basic Dining Plan is always the most popular meal plan including sit down meals that can be used at over 125 restaurants at Disney World including the Character Dining. The Basic Dining Plan is a saving of 30% off of meals at Walt Disney World.

Active and retire military can get 60% discounts on tickets, 30% of meals, and up to 40% off Disney Resort. Talk about discounts! You do have to hurry - this sale ends on July 31.

You can learn more by visiting Destinations In Florida.

Now for the Giveaway...

The great people at Destinations In Florida have given me the opportunity to give one set of 4 Disney Parks limited edition lithographs featuring special attractions from each Disney Park (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park) and Mickey Mouse. Tinkerbell also spreads pixie dust through all of the lithographs and makes an appearance at the last lithograph with Mickey.This set is valued at $75.

To Enter:
Leave a comment below or on the Army Wife 101 Facebook Fan page telling me your favorite Disney character or movie.

Optional Entries:
*Subscribe to me via email
*Follow me on Twitter @armywives101
*Tweet about this giveaway

Contest ends Friday 2/19/10 at 11:59 EST
Winner will be chosen via Random.org...Please remember to leave a valid email address with your comment so that I may contact you if your the winner.

Hooah & Smooches

From Iraq with Love...Via Proflowers!

 

As you have probably noticed I didn't make a big post on the upcoming Valentine's Holiday. It probably has to do with the fact not only will I not to get to celebrate this fun romantic day with my hubby , but I also have an anniversary and birthday coming up this month. Once again those will be spent alone :(

Oh well I think I will give my kids $20 and let them take me out on a date hehe!

The pic of the beautiful tulips are from my love ...I received them yesterday. It absolutely made my day!

Hooah & Smooches

Winner of Pillbury Prize Pack

Sorry for posting this so late but the winner has been notified already and our winner was Hannah Rowan .

Thanks everyone who entered continue to visit Army Wife 101 and the Army Wife 101 Facebook Fan Page.

Hooah & Smooches

Army Wife 101:Myths and FAQ's: Does Living Onpost=Drama???

The PCS Process :Part 1 After AIT

I've received close to 15 emails over the last two weeks asking me about PCS moves and what exactly happens after AIT. Many spouses are confused on how to schedule a move, when orders are received and much more. I am working on a revised part two about PCS'ing , but since these questions are at the top of my list I thought it would be a good time to post this tutorial.

If any experienced spouses have more information to add, please feel free to do so in the comments portion below.

Finally Video of My Weekend At Hale Koa

Aloha everyone!

Below is some footage from my weekend at the Hale Koa . In case you are wondering the Hale Koa is owned by the DOD (Dept of Defense) and also known as an Armed Forces recreation center. Don't let that deter you it is extremely beautiful and probably one of the most beautiful hotel/resorts I have ever been to.

Enjoy the video!

Journey Through Deployment:After R&R Continued

Win a Honey Butter Biscuit Prize Pack from Pillsbury(CLOSED)

Being that I tend to run late because I move slow I am always looking for something quick to make the kids in the morning for school other then the norm. I recently had the chance to try the Pillsbury Honey Butter Biscuits courtesy of Pillsbury though My Blog Spark. Let me just say I am a absolute honey and butter feen. I make my own honey butter mixture when I have the chance and time, so imagine my joy when I realized I can have a biscuit already flavored with it. They came out moist and were done in less then ten minutes.

My kids absolutely loved them and usually my son isn't to much a of a biscuit eater (he's in the picky eater phase of childhood). Whenever I find something he enjoys I always ask why he liked it , so that I can find similar items for him to eat. In this case he said it was sweet and buttery which means that I will be buying these again.

Now you can have the chance to try them too thanks to My Blog Spark courtesy of Pillsbury.
One winner will receive a Honey Butter Biscuit Prize Pack which includes:
2 FREE coupons for 2 cans of Pillsbury Honey Butter Biscuits along with a butter and dish and knife.


Mandatory In Order to Enter: Just leave a comment below telling me you or you children's favorite breakfast food.

Optional Entries:
1. Follow me on Twitter and tweet Win a Pillsbury Prize Pack http://www.armywife101.com/2010/02/win-prize-pack-from-pillsbury.html @askarmywives101
Leave a comment below with the status message to show you did.

2. Subscribe to Army Wife 101 via email and leave a comment below letting me know you did.

3. Join the Army Wife 101 Facebook Fan Page and leave a comment on the fan page telling me you joined.

Contest ends Wednesday February 10, 2010. Please leave a valid email so that I may contact you if your the lucky winner. Winner will be chosen via random.org. Winner will have 24 hours to respond or I will have to choose another winner.

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: I was provided these items from My Blog Spark through Pillsbury to do a review and give my honest opinion...No other form of compensation was received.

Hooah & Smooches

Welcome Blizzard BlogHop Visitors!!!!

Welcome Everyone...

In the blog world their are many conferences that us bloggers like and want to attend. Blogher, Type A, Blogalicious are a few. One of the conferences coming up is "Blissdom" which I have heard is going to be awesome. As most of you know in the military world it is hard to travel on a whim, when spouses are deployed or you live a million miles across the deep blue sea.

Ann Marie from Household 6 created a great and fun way for all of us to have an online gathering of sorts by creating a blog hop.
In this post visitors from the Blizzard Blog Hop along with my daily readers will have a chance to get to know more about Army Wife 101.

My name is Krystel and I am 27 years old from Long Island, NY.


I am the mom of two children ages 5 and 10 year old and the wife to one handsome and beautiful spirited man.



My husband is from Fayetteville, NC where he joined the Marines and completed an eight year tour. In 2006 my hubby decided to enlist in the US Army and we have had the pleasure of living in some great places, which include Savannah Georgia and currently sunny Hawaii.




I started Army Wife 101 to Blogument yet another one of my husband's deployments and help other wives to know they are not alone in the deployment process. I now use Army Wife 101 to share happenings in the military life, share discounts and freebies, as well as answer emails from readers about everything from PCS moves to understanding military pay charts. I sometimes answer the emails right here on Armywife101.com

My blog is open to everyone and spouses of all branches. I hope you will enjoy being here as well as getting a better feel of who I am by watching some of my Army Wife 101 videos.

Hooah & Smooches

Holding Down the Fort Again...The Saga Continues

Well the hubby left and my vacation has quickly come to a halt. Vacation you say...what vacation are you talking about Army Wife 101?

Truth be told when Mr Army Wife 101 comes home on R&R this lady over here goes into "Not Available" mode. This means unless bones are broken I am off motherly duties for 2 weeks. I know some people will disagree and say *gasp* how can you do that to him , he just came home from Iraq and you have him doing everything.
Fret not I give him 3 to 4 days of peace , good home cooked meals, quiet time and all that good stuff, but eleven months two weeks and 11,000 miles from each other qualifies me for a break.

I must now resume my domestic and parental duties and while it's not necessarily hard, it does suck having that second parental authoritive figure taken away again. It was nice to not have to break up fights, or wonder what that bump in the middle of the night was. I felt safe and secure...I didn't have to worry.

The hardest part was wondering how my kids would cope when he left again. I let them stay home from school. We had been preparing my son for for the past few days, explaining to him how daddy has to go back to work for a few more months, but honestly how do you really explain this crap to a five year old? I watched my son wave as the taxi pulled off carrying his dad. He looked so little and innocent standing their waving , probably not truly sure what was happening. My ten year old stood their I could tell she wanted to cry but she didn't and I quickly went to my room to avoid them seeing my tears.

It's now 9:13PM and I sit here in my room , his cup of water still on the dresser from earlier, a teeshirt of his hangs on a chair and his slippers are still in the middle of the floor. I'd be lying if I told you when I was going to move those things.I have no clue when I will.

Tomorrow I will wake up and pretend my husband is on a short deployment and start my journey again holding down the fort.

Hooah&Smooches

And the Visa GiftCard Winner Is.......(CLOSED)

Lisette Tanaka from the Army Wife 101 Facebook Fan Page.

Congratulations!!!!!

Hooah & Smooches

New Military Discounts

Hey everyone I know times are tough in this economy and who doesn't appreciate saving a few pennies. Below are some great military discounts I have come across that you might like. To check ongoing discounts visit Army Wife 101's freebies and discounts page.

Barnes & Noble provides an online military discount of 6% and offers free domestic standard domestic shipping. Visit http://www.bn.com/militarycity for more details. Expires 12/31/10

Ever wanted to visit the Nickelodeon Hotel...The Nick Hotel is currently offering discounts on room rates, dining and other hotel activities for military families from now through March 14, 2010.
Visit www.nickhotel.com/military for more details

United Airlines offering specials rates on flights for service members and their dependents through March 31st, 2010.Visit this page for more info.


According to several sites American Airlines is having a Military Appreciation Sale. I make it a habit not to post discounts dealing with airfare unless I see it on the official site. I did find the following info from their website:American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection® may offer Military and Government Fares in some markets. For further information, please call American Airlines Reservations at 1-800-433-7300.

New York & Co will give you a 15% in store discount with a valid military ID. Discounts may vary in store locations.


Hooah & Smooches

The R&R Dress Diaries...I'm Emotionally Exposed!

Yesterday on the Army Wife 101 FaceBook Fan Page someone suggested talking about how it is to send your spouse back when R&R is almost over. Being that my situation fit in perfectly I decided to Vlog my emotions this morning.

Before You Watch:
Okay ladies I am sorry if this makes you cry alittle :). I think it's important to show others that we are definitely not alone in this(at times)challenging life and I hope that me opening up to you in a way I normally wouldn't helps any of you going through this at the moment. Check out my video diary below...Warning: I do shed a few tears

It's the Case Of The Writer's Block ...Oh Cash Giveaway!!!!

That's right Army Wife 101 is having writers block...share what topics you want to read about and you might win a $25 Visa giftcard... giveaway ends 2/3/10.

This is a great way for me to get to know your likes and interests and they don't have to be military related.

To enter:

Leave a comment below with a topic you'd like to read about.

If for some reason you have trouble leaving a comment below head on over the Army Wife 101 Face Book Fan Page and you can leave a comment there as well.

Optional Entries:
*Retweet the following*

Share Your Ideas w/@Armywives101 and win a $25 Visa GC visit www.armywife101.com for for how to enter.

*You may also enter twice by leaving a comment here on blogger and on the Face Book Fan Page.

Don't forget to leave a valid email so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner!

Thanks and can't wait to read your ideas!

Hooah & Smooches