I’m an avid reader, and I love a good book. I also spent nearly a decade as a Navy spouse, and I wrote my first poetry collection, When the Men Go Off to War (Naval Institute Press) about my experience as a spouse at home during a deployment. So I’m always on the lookout for […]
10 ideas for kids stuck at home this summer
Family ResourcesParents across the country are mourning the cancellation of camps this summer. Depending on your area, all of your local camps may be canceled, or some might be shortened. Now, you’re struggling to come up with ideas for your kids entertainment all summer. Playgrounds are just beginning to open, but most museums, pools and movie […]
Why I miss Mister Rogers right now
LifestyleIt hasn’t really been a beautiful day in the neighborhood for quite some time. As our country steps into a new chapter of its existential crisis, with long-simmering issues of racial injustice coming to the forefront, we really need someone to lead us through this time. Someone like Mister Rogers. Mister Rogers dealt with the […]
These are the only toys your kids really need
Family ResourcesWhen my daughters were born (just a year apart), I was bombarded by advice from moms, advertisements, blogs, and social media about all the stuff they needed. When they were babies, they had all the gear. When they started to grow more mobile, they had all the toys. Then, when my kids were 1 and […]
Military Spouse Spotlight: Mailia Konicki
MilSpouseMailia and her husband Andy, a U.S. Marine, have been married for 14 years. Mailia is a small business owner and is pursuing her Master’s degree in Retail and Merchandising through Drexel University. How did you and your husband meet? We were introduced by a mutual friend, a fellow Marine, that Andy worked with. Our […]
A primer on saving for retirement
Family ResourcesHere’s one of my biggest regrets during the decade I spent as a military spouse: I didn’t prioritize saving for retirement. I got married pretty young (I was 25), and we had our whole lives in front of us. We traveled. We bought a house. We bought two cars. We furnished our house with nice […]
Ten “Old School” purchases to keep your kids occupied
Family ResourcesI’m a big fan of iPads. A big fan. As a single working mother of two kids, it is HARD to keep kids entertained and/or quiet while meeting a deadline or on a client call. With young kids getting only about an hour of schoolwork a day, it’s extra hard to find ways to keep […]
10 ways to thank those on the COVID front lines
LifestyleDoctors. Nurses. Pharmacists. Grocery store workers. Mail carriers. UPS drivers. EMTs. Police officers. Bus drivers. These are some of the people spending each day on the COVID front lines. Many of us have had the luxury of being able to work from home the past few months. We’ve been able to limit our exposure to […]
Fun facts about countries with biggest US military bases
LifestyleNot including the Middle East, there were more than 225,000 U.S. military personnel stationed abroad last year. A military career is a great way to learn about different cultures. You’ll also learn some pretty cool (and sometimes strange) things about life in other countries. Here are some interesting facts about some of the countries with […]
10 Coronavirus-era Proposal Ideas
LifestyleIf you’ve been trying to come up with creative proposal ideas, you might be tempted to wait until after coronavirus lockdowns start to ease up to do it. But now is actually the perfect time to propose. You might not get to do that vacation beach proposal at sunset you’d thought about, but with the […]
