Murphy's Laws for Moms

One of the aspects that I have loved about my life has been my role as a military spouse. It has allowed me to travel, meet new friends, and have experiences I never dreamed of. But, it's not always the glitz, glamour and drama that you see in the movies, on TV, or in the videos of surprise reunions all over the Internet. As an Air National Guard spouse, I've learned that there are many misconceptions about what the modern day military looks like - especially within Guard units.  Here are what I consider to be the top five misconceptions faced by the modern day Guard unit.  The Weekend Warrior No longer does the Guard look like an organization who only work one weekend a month and two weeks a year - especially if you fulfill a position that requires you to stay current with training requirements and military readiness. Also, for many reasons, there are fewer support staff available to fulfill needs and responsibilities, thus increasing work demand on those still serving...

At the end of every month when I'm looking over my credit card bills, bank statements, investment accounts and numerous other places my money goes, I realize that life costs money.  Kids cost money.  My husband continues to ask why our grocery bill exponentially increases as our children grow older.  Kids grow out of clothes, shoes, beds, and so much more which cost money to replace.  Toys that were popular last year are discarded and new toys are purchased in an effort to entertain our children for even a small portion of time so that we can take a shower, eat a hot meal, or just sit and play with them.  It all has a cost and, eventually, we must teach our children about these costs so that they can become well-functioning, non-overspending, responsible adults. But, there's more that has a cost - and it's just as important to include in our children's education. Every day, every week, month and year, men and women - heroes - are lost fighting for America's ...

For those of you who read this - I know it's not too many - some of you know me personally, so this won't come as a shock to you.  But, for the rest of you, there's a minor, personal detail which I've left out of my previous blog posts.  If you've been following me for any period of time, this may be surprising to you as I've shared the in's and out's of pregnancy, labor, and delivery, as well as many other sordid details of parenting.  But, alas, there is one important item which I've neglected to share. I am a military spouse.  Now, you may be wondering what this means and what it has to do with the title of this post on being a single parent.  This essentially means that there are times when my husband cannot be around to be the father that I know he wants to be.  There are times when I must make the decisions for my family.  And, there are times when I must struggle through tantrums, milestones, life lessons, and other childhood dramas without su...