Experience
So You’re an SFRG Advisor…
If you’re new to the SFRG Advisor position, welcome! It’s gonna be a wild and crazy ride. But one that hopefully brings families, spouses, and soldiers closer together.
I’m still new to this position, not even a year yet. But I have already gotten some great advice from other SFRG advisors. This advice has helped me greatly. Hopefully, these can help you as well.
Ode to the Military Teenager
You have been told you are like the Dandelion,
Thriving and resilient, no matter where the wind takes you.
And you are, Military Child. You are! You did not choose this life, but you love the people that did.
As you get older, perhaps you resemble the Dandelion a little bit less.
Be “Extra” – Month of the Military Child 2022
Every year, I get “Extra” jazzed about the month of April for many reasons. The first is that we kick off the month with my favorite holiday, April Fool’s Day. On this day, I plot healthy pranks and jokes on loved ones not to mention that it’s one of my BFF’s birthdays (Happiest of Birthdays, beautiful Kat).
More Than the Boxes
Moving. PCSing. Relocating. Whatever you want to call it, the event (no matter how routine for some of us) is really not a singular activity. The whole process comes with much more than a pile of boxes containing everything you own.
Etiquette Suggestions for Military Children
As parents, teaching and being role models for our children lead to many exciting & challenging moments as we watch them transform into adults. As military families, there are many protocols and etiquette challenges that may be different than the basic childhood lessons of saying please, thank you, no ma’am, yes sir and the like.
Don’t Mind Me
Oh hey! Don’t mind me. I just popped into the laundry room here for a little peace and quiet. Why the laundry room? You see, it’s right across from the pantry. And I just stole a piece of chocolate from my children’s candy bowl that is hidden in the pantry. They sometimes forget about their treats, but I don’t! And on days like today, I can’t help myself. I grab a piece and then sneak around the corner to enjoy it before my kids catch me. Then, sometimes I run out and grab another piece, or two, or three.
Depends on the day, you know?
The Helper
Hello, My name is Justine and my enneagram is number 2, which makes me the helper.
According to Air Force reservist and yoga and meditation teacher Christina Mattison’s guide in Caring for your Enneagram 101 my core desires are: “to be worthy of love, wanted, and thought of by others as irreplaceable.” My core fears are, “being unloved, replaceable, and undesired.” I also struggle with saying, “no”, setting boundaries, and knowing my needs and wants. However, I’m a great listener, empathetic, and have a strong sense of what others need before I tend to my own.
7 Things That Changed In 7 Months
When I wrote my previous post, my husband and I were preparing for homecoming and reintegration.
The homecoming day (that only changed a couple times) has come and gone. We’re now in the trenches of reintegration.
I say “trenches” not because it’s bad, but because there are highs and lows, including some I didn’t expect. (Silly me, thinking I could plan for everything.)
Patience With a Side of Pancakes
At age 53 I became a waitress … once again. It had been thirty years since I laced up those sexy (anti-slip) black shoes, tied a polyester apron around my waist, and hoisted a tray of pancakes over my shoulder.
Why now?
I’m fortunate to have a portable career as a high school teacher, but we moved here during the height of the pandemic, and schools in this area were only offering virtual classes. For me, teaching is a contact sport, so I decided to wait it out. My daughter came home from her job at a local diner and asked if I could help out because the diner was struggling to find staff.