Trying my Hand....

Hello from the long-lost lady in Okinawa! I am trying my hand at some more public posting, and praying the the Lord will lead. Recently many friends of mine have had husbands deploying (or soon will be deploying), and I have shared some ideas to help the time go by more smoothly. Ideas have been brainstormed and created along the way as I have done my time as a USMC Key Volunteer, used some of my teaching experiences, and just been an eyewitness to children!

SO - some of them are good, some of them are great, and some of the ideas are so-so. Please feel free to add, modify, or put in some good advice!!

Daddy Dolls - I would suggest to make your own!! Have the children pick out some fabric, get some quilt or pillow stuffing, and (I just LOVE this craft help) printable, sticky, washable fabric. Have your child pick out their favorite picture of the parent deploying, print it out on the canvas, stick it on your piece of pre-cut pillow fabric, sew the border of the stuck-on picture to ensure stability, place the pillow pieces face in, sew - stuff - and finish. Voila - a handmade, hand-picked snuggle.

Celebration Jar - I just love mason jars, especially the ones with tops. Each day that the kids have been good they earn a quarter (nickel, dime., dollar, whatever works for you) to place in the celebration jar. When daddy returns (or mommy) they can use the money inthe jar to plan a party. This not only helps them learn to save, they can learn to budget for a celebration, and gives them something to plan and look forward to.

Welcome home Jar - Very similar to the above-mentioned idea, and takes a but more pre-counting. Take a jar size of your choice (and that works for your family) and an item (M&M's, pom poms, rocks, marbles (for families without small children!!) and estimate the max nukber of days of the deployment. Fill the jar with your item of choice, count it out, divide it by max days, then number of children, and have the children each night after they pray for daddy, place their item in the jar. They get to see how much closer they are to Daddy's return. Many people do it the opposite way, and have the child take something out. After much thought, and seeing how time after time Active Duty members deployments are extended, it is MUCH easier to take out a few marbles without it being obvious, than to keep adding 10 here, 20 there to an almost empty jar.

Pre-addressed envelopes - Sounds so silly, but if the envelope are pre-addressed and pre-stamped, the children whenever they want to send classwork, pictures, notes to daddy can just place it in there and give it to you to send.

Weekly Calendar pages... Print out a weekly calendar from your word processor program. Each daym write something each child has said, done, accomplished....a moment that the deployed spouse would want to know about. Mail it out each week (the first mailing send with a decorated binder you and the kids have made) and when he comes hom he has a day by day account of his family. (sending pictures and schoolwork to go along with this is an excellent idea to, pre-holepunched or with plastic sheet protectors, to help him reconnect and share when he returns.)

May God bless you today and always!!