What's the difference? Memorial Day/Veterans Day

I just need to say that it annoys the hell out of me when people get the two confused or think it doesn't matter that they interchange the two "holidays". These two days are NOT interchangeable.

Memorial Day was originally called "Decoration Day". Memorial Day is a day to honor those who died in war. Let me repeat one time.... A DAY TO HONOR THOSE WHO DIED IN WAR. Now, in my mind, I include all who have died while serving their country. Some may not like that, but that's okay.

Veterans Day is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. Veterans, those who served in the past and those who presently serve. Veterans Day is for those who are alive.

Now, while I do appreciate and I am thankful that people even acknowledge our troops at all, I just wish they would learn the difference. My husband has lost several soldiers in his time in the army...too many in his 9yrs so far. I'm sure my husband wouldn't want to be acknowledged on a day specifically meant to honor his fellow fallen soldiers.

So while people are out getting drunk and having their BBQ's on this "holiday", remember WHY you are able to do so. Remember the meaning of Memorial Day and remember the troops who this day is for.

Memorial Day - 2011

 Freedom's Colors

Red is for Bravery;
blood shed in sacrifice.
Freedom came with lives the price.


White is for Liberty;
freedom's purity.
Life be free from God's decree.


Blue is for Justice;
as vast as the sky.
Over freedom's land to occupy.

http://www.usmemorialday.org/poetry/freedomscolors.htm


Liberty Be

As a rose its beauty adorns,
has its pricks, has it's thorns.
Life in Liberty, the freedom we see,
has its trials, be forewarned.


Through the air the bell rings free,
cover the bell and the ding sounds dim.
Regulation restricts sovereign unity,
as freedom strains from lawyers' whim.


Beauty abounds in the garden of flowers,
the gardener toils, for blooms all to view.
Liberty for some is oppression for others,
rights for all means, not all rights for you.


The Nation's bell once rang free,
the crack down side proclaims the cost.
Life in liberty, is not. freedom be,
rights came, by devoted lives lost.


One single bloom awaits more flowers,
to many, too close chokes the debut.
One lone liberty may stifle another;
balance of rights is responsibility to you.

http://www.usmemorialday.org/poetry/libertybe.htm

Make Everyday Chores Easier!

I know we all love tips on how to get things done faster and easier around the house so I'm sharing tips from one of my fave magazines - "Womans World"

Dusting-

*save time by stopping the dust before it comes in... 80% of dust comes in on your feet, so if you have a good doormat by every entryway you will cut down on dust! It says if you put the right mats down in the right spots you can cut dust in your home by 50%...something like this mat outside will help -




*investing in a pro tool will help with large and hard to reach places and cut cleaning time too -



Doing laundry-

*skipping the softener... not only does it cost money and add another step, but it also harms your clothes... softener adds a coating to your clothes that weakens the fabric and accelerates fading...

*don't sort your clothes by color... separating clothes automatically requires you to do at least 2 loads when sometimes you don't have to... just add a cup of white vinegar to the wash water and your colors won't bleed b/c vinegar sets in your colors

Washing dishes-

*don't rinse your plates... not only does it waste time and water but it can actually make your dishes dirtier.. dishwashing detergents are designed to bind to food and if there isn't any for them to grab onto they aren't effective... so instead of rinsing, simply scrape the food off and let the dishwasher do the rest

*cutting out a cycle or two.. skipping the pre-rinse cycle ((unless they are super dirty with dried on gunk)) and skipping the cycle for pots and pans will save time and energy...


***feel free to add your own tips in the comments =)

*Army Wives Do It With Hooah*

I told the gals/guys on my page *AWDIWH* that I would write a little intro about myself ...so here is it =)

I grew up in a little town in Southern New Jersey and moved from there to another town where I met my husband in the 10th grade. We dated on and off for about 6 yrs, mainly "on" lol, and they we got married in June 2002. This year will be our 9yr wedding anniversary.

During our dating/marriage we have been through a lot as a couple... we had 2 boys before we got married and a daughter after my husbands 1st deployment...she was a deployment baby =)

My husband joined the army in 2002 and he is planning on retiring out. I'm pretty easy going so I don't mind as long as we're all together and the family is taken care of.

A bit about me personally:

Purple is my favorite color, I love reading books.... mostly horror and self-help, but I also love books that teach me things! I am a loyal friend and always help my girls when they need me, they know who they can count on!!

We've lived at Fort Riley, Fort Carson, Fort Hood and now Fort Stewart. My husband has been deployed 4 times and I have stood by and supported him 100%.

I have hypothyroidism and it can be a very serious problem if not taken care of. It almost killed me and I had no idea how bad it was until I did some research ---> Hypothyroidism

I recently started selling Scentsy and I love it!!!

Here I'll share some pics of me and my family =)




Here are my links:

My fan page - *Army Wives Do It With Hooah*
My Mod profile for *AWDIWH* - Jamie Hooah-Mod ((where people send "inbox" questions))
My Scentsy Website - Scentsy-We make perfect Scents
My Scentsy fan page - Jamie Lynn~ Independent Scentsy Consultant
My Scentsy profile - Jamie Lynn ~ IndependScentsyConsult
My tumblr - Queenie's Thougths
My twitter - Jamielynn1027

You can also read more about me by going to the "About Me" tab in this blog and reading the post of your choice =) Happy Reading!

Much love and many blessings!

Military SPOUSE Appreciation Day

I have seen some things about "military spouse appreciation day" that irked me. Some people think girlfriends and fiances should be included in this. I disagree. They say girlfriends and fiances go through the same things as wives do. This I agree with. There are things that we all go through the same... but I don't think "military spouse appreciation day" is about that.

To me, it isn't about the feelings we go through or "difficulties" of being without them while they are deployed or gone for long periods of training....and by no means at all am I down playing girlfriends or fiances.... I SUPPORT ALL... girlfriends, fiances, wives....

However, there are things that I think "military spouse appreciation day" is for that girlfriends and fiances aren't apart of or can't do.

Wives run the FRG and all FRG related functions.
Wives deal with Tricare.
Wives deal with DEERS.
Wives deal with transportion.
Wives deal with JAG.
Wives deal with finance.

It is things like this that make me think this is why "military spouse appreciation day" came about. It is the things that set the wives apart.

**of course I include husbands in this as well, but I said wives because I am a wife lol... =)

Just my little bit of 2cents...

Tischer's Troops on Facebook ~ please read =)

I got a message the other day and I'm sharing this with everyone. I have joined the group I'm about to link and I have asked that my name be added to the note they are sending to facebook. Here is part of the message I received:

"I have a group called TISCHER'S TROOPS and our mission is to advocate for all individuals with "diff-abilities" and Down syndrome. We are on multiple missions but right now one of them is on FB to STOP the CYBER-BULLYING against individuals with Ds and disabilities. We were wondering if you all would be willing to sign our letter which is posted on group. I know there are a lot Army families who deal with autism, ADHD, Down syndrome and so and their loved are unfortunately being made fun of on FB and we want to stop it! Somehow we hope to make a difference! The letter is long and I know some pages don't really want individuals to post letters like the one we have written on their pages so we thought we would ask. Let us know. Thanks!"

I told them to add my name to the letter and I hope you will join and do the same =)

Here is the group:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_130355783688886
(copy/paste it into your browser)

On this Mother's Day....

It's been three years now since my mother passed away from cancer... I miss her so much and I can't believe it's been that long already.

Now I'm a mother myself and I wonder sometimes if I'm doing a good job... I know I am, but still, you have those moments where your kids do certain things and you are just dumbfounded! Have I raised you to act like that?! LOL I think all of us mothers have those moments...

While I miss my mother and I'm grateful for my kids, something else really stands out for me on Mother's Day.... it's kinda funny too...not in the "haha" way, but in a weird way... I find myself thinking about the Twins more on Mother's Day than any other day, not even their birthday... Not thinking of them like I regret our decision... thinking of them and their parents... knowing that when Mother's Day rolls around each year, there is a woman out there, who had no chance at experiencing the joys of motherhood, until I found her.... knowing that the Twins have a mother they can show appreciation to who truly is giving them everything they need, in every aspect of their lives.... something I could not have provided....

I won't turn this into some sappy thing... just wanted to put my thoughts down =)

Mental Health Awarness Month - May ~ Help our troops!!

May is "Mental Health Awareness Month" so I think this entry is pretty appropriate.

I'm very upset this morning as I write this. Do you know how many soldiers don't get help with their problems, when they KNOW they have them, because the doctors don't listen to them? Or the doctors are just assholes... or they fear ridicule, or reprimand... or they are always sent away with motrin and not taken seriously? Motrin doesn't cure everything!!!

Now, I know there are lots of soldiers who do get help, but even one who doesn't get help b/c they feel it is useless to keep trying is one too many being neglected.

In 2004 the Army's first study of  mental health of troops who fought in Iraq showed that 1 in 8 reported symptoms of PTSD. Did you know it also stated that less than half of those sought help for it because they feared it hurting their careers? So sad....

I know there had been more outreach and more being done to help our troops but I fear it just isn't enough.  Did you know that in 2002, the year before the Iraq War began, there were 350 suicide attempts among our troops? Well, in 2007 that number jumped to 2,100.

I urge every family member to encourage their service member to seek help if they have signs of depression or PTSD. I urge every service member themselves to seek help if you know need it. While I will never understand the pride in serving, or the fear in seeking help because you don't want to ruin your career, I do understand and can sympathize with the family members of those who suffer from mental health problems. I have seen it with friends and see what they go through because they feel helpless when it comes to helping their servicemember who is suffering. It is rough on everyone involved.

Soldiers coming back from war are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, PTSD, anger management, mood disorders... the list goes on... go to Military OneSource and use the resources to seek help, or at least find out where to start.

You can also seek out help through your local ACS (Army Community Service) and your post Chaplin. If you go to church, seek guidance from your Pastor.

While this started out as about our troops, I also know the spouses can develop mental health problems with all the stress and things that come about with deployments. You MUST take care of yourself, physically & mentally!! If you feel you need help as well, contact Military OneSource and have them set you up with counseling as a start. They will find someone in your area and it is confidential. I called them when we lived at Fort Hood and saw a wonderful therapist!! She helped me tremendously and it was a huge relief. Don't be afraid because you're not alone.

Here are two other previous blog posts of mine that may have helpful info for you too:
Family Support Systems
Risk Factors & Warning Signs for Families - Suicide Prevention

As always, thanks for reading... much love and many blessings =)

Osama, the wicked witch of the East is dead -

I woke up to all kinds of things in my news feed, in my groups and on my army wives page...one friend even called me at 11pm last night to tell me the news, but I was sleeping... so it wasn't until this morning that is saw the news - The Wicked Witch is DEAD ((Osama))

People are rejoicing and celebrating the death of the man who was the supposed mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. A man who was the leader of suicide terrorists who flew their planes into the Twin Towers, killing nearly 3,000 people on American soil. It's obvious to me and to many others that this man needed to be taken down. This will go down in history, along with the capture and death of Saddam Hussein.

Some people think these events don't deserve the recognition they are given. I agree to a certain point, in that I think we should not only recognize this but lift our troops higher, especially those who have given their all, literally. The point where my disagreement comes in is this - let the world know, let all the terrorists know, the enemies of the United States..... we set out on a mission to destroy the ones who attacked our home. Granted, it took years and years to finally catch him, but what does that tell you? We hunted a man for 10yrs!!! Ten years!!! That tells me the United States will NOT lay dormant while men who threaten everything we stand for is free. The men who died in this "battle", died knowing what they were trying to protect and their deaths, however sad, are not in vain.

This sends the message to all Osama's followers that we will not lay low, we WILL NOT go quietly into the night, WE WILL NEVER LET TERRORISM WIN. If we go out, we will go out with a fight for what we believe in.

I think Osama's network has been shook. They thought he was untouchable. Yes, they want revenge and I'm sure their attacks will become worse now, but I don't believe for long. They are truly on a suicide mission. Our men and women were trained to deal with organizations like this. They may be a greater danger to begin with b/c of retaliation but in the long run they are a deminished force.

Now is the time, more than ever, to lift up or Troops and show them our love and support!!! First and most importantly, IMO, the ones still on the ground fighting, but always still lighting that flame for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Celebrate and rejoice the death of this man who threatened the livelihood of America and then give due honor and respect to the men and women who brought him down.

Some say it is wrong to celebrate the death of Osama, that is it God's job to deal with him. I agree it is God's job to deal with him, but what if this was God's way of dealing with him? Didn't Joshua and the Israelite Army celebrate and rejoice when they took down Jericho? Was this not God's doing? His plan? Were they wrong in rejoicing when they conquered the city God told them to take? NO. Just like our people are not wrong for celebrating the demise of a man who has killed THOUSANDS. Those who know God, know He works in mysterious ways. In the Bible there are always celebrations when one wins something of significance in a war. This is definitely something significant. I doubt God minds everyone is cheering. Just sayin'...

I also want to touch on him being buried at sea already. GOOD! Who wants him buried somewhere that sick individuals can go and worship him? He isn't worth the ground he would have went in. Let the sharks devour him and rip him to shreds. He deserves nothing more.

One of my biggest hopes out of all of this is that the people affected by 9/11 have some sort of closure or relief now that the man who is behind all the death and destruction is DEAD.






Just a few of my thoughts on this...

 Thank God that Osama is dead.
Thank God for the troops who fight the good fight.
Thank God for the troops who gave their all.