Life While He/She is Deployed

Hi I'm Bri! And I wanted to start a subject on here that has to do with your life while he or she is deployed.

This means a veriety of different things: financial plans, coping strategy, distractions, contact and anything else you can think of. I myself am going to experience deployment for the first time and so is he and I want to build a support system anywhere I can! And I am sure many of you would want to do the same!

So here we go! Post questions, post ideas, and help each other out!

My name is Robin and I too am experiencing my first deployment!  Unlike Army wives, I'm lucky enought to get mine back in about 6 months.  Is anyone else out there overwhelmed by the amount of information there is to know about the military?  All the Acronyms, procedures, ettiquete, the uniforms and creases.. etc etc. 

I found a great group to keep me busy, its a Family Readiness Group (FRG) and my best friend is the current president.  BUT We're just starting out so she assigned me the task of VP and I've been helping her with it by coordinating the website, working on meeting dates, so on and so forth.  My big problem is that I know NOTHING about how these things work, I get calls from the Commanding Officer's wife about budgets and activities and I get so overwhelmed.  I embarrassed myself by not knowing that "tac" was the term for the dash (-) symbol when writing email addresses once. 

I'm terribly unorganized at sending packages too.. anyone else?  I STILL have not mailed my husbands Christmas box, and don't expect it to get there in time.  In my defense though, the post office here in Hawaii closes at 4.. I get off work at 4 and can't make it.  So tomorrow its off with the box! 

Anyway.. I'm rather bored out here and if anyone else is in my shoes, email me!  I could use a friend. 

wow life has not been boring on this end.. w/ three boys and a dog, a house and losing my job .. and my dryer dying.. well im finally getting back on my feet ... i got a job!~ hubby was worrying himself to death in iraq ... over me finding a job b/c we have to pay the mortgage...

The FRG has really helped in a few things..... and its great I have the SFC cell number at hand ~ .. we are counting down to 7 weeks till they return .. supposedly welcome home parade is in June ~ lets see...

I went from not being able to function w/ my boys (one has autism) while he was at guard duty to now.. its incredible .. how much i have grown and the boys have been right w/ me  ...

I am happy i have learned to be independent and I value my marriage more now than him being a dad and helping me parent.  I miss my partner and want him home.....

-Mariam

How old is your Autistic son? I also have a 5 year old son with Autism. It is VERY difficult. I try to be a good mother but I'm so overwhelmed with all the information I get from the schools and the doctors etc.

I work part time, but its so difficult for me to keep up with. I run everything under the sun in my home. THe hubby works at night and sleeps during the day so its up to me to be supermom/houswife/hard worker etc....

We are coming up to our second deployment. The first time he left it was only 6 months but I had twin babies at home so when he left I moved back home for some help with the babies. The second time he left it wasn't really deployment, jsut a 2 month training...thing. So I stayed in Cali and looooved it! This time he's going to be leaving for a year, and when he gets back we're being stationed somewhere else so I have the opportunity to move back home again. Only I'm very scared to go back, but I'm even more nervous about staying here on my own. (my family actually lives only 12 hours from us so we still see them once a year)

Im quitting my job in October to prepare for him to leave, but I'm still struggling with trying to decide where to stay. I would love the help with the children, and there are some amazing schools back home for autistic children, but my mother doesnt like my husband and the inlaws are worried about her trying to break us up so Im also worried about spending too much time with her! The inlaws are amazing, loving people but I risk breaking my mom's heart by moving near them so of course you can understand why I'm struggling over this. Also the area I have been in I've lived 3 years. Its lovely! Only, I dont have friends here because they keep moving! AHH! ;) ok enough of my rambling. All you ladies are incredible women for running the home and children while your DH is gone, and making it look so effortless! :)