It's Almost Time for the Launch of My Military Lifestyle Podcast! Are You Ready?

Follow Me...Just Like My Dog Does

I swear my dog has absolutely no concept of time… until food is involved. I can say, “We are leaving in five minutes,” and get zero reaction. Somehow, at approximately almost dinner time, I suddenly have a four-legged shadow following me around the house. Walk toward the kitchen? Following. Open a cabinet? Following. Accidentally make eye contact? Oh, it’s ON. Apparently that means dinner is happe...

HOME & FAMILY

5 of My Favorite Items to Unlock Summer Fun

I don’t know about your kids, but my kids always seem to be much better behaved when they’re outside enjoying the beautiful summer weather. I have three boys and being trapped inside with them can sometimes be a little bit scary. Furniture will often become a jungle gym and my sanity will fly out the window. So, how can we enjoy the great outdoors and remain somewhat sane as parents? Well never fe...

HOME & FAMILY

Game Day With My Dog: World Cup Soccer Fun and Beggin’ Treats

Soccer fever is here! One of the biggest events of the year. Naturally, when World Cup fever started creeping in, I did what any reasonable fan would do: I bought a soccer ball, put together a game day outfit, grabbed a bag of Purina Beggin’ treats, and got my dog, Zero, his very own USA jersey. If we’re going to cheer, we’re going to cheer as a family, and yes, Zero is now convinced he has been o...

HOME & FAMILY

The Invisible Battle: POTS Awareness Month

October is POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) Awareness Month. This is a time dedicated to illuminating a complex chronic condition that is invisible to the naked eye, but it affects millions. As a military spouse who lives with POTS, I know the daily challenges and how widely misunderstood this autonomic dysfunction is. It introduces a unique layer of difficulty, as military life de...

HOME & FAMILY

Wander & Wine: A Narnia Winery at Briar Rose

Briar Rose has always felt like a place you stumble upon rather than plan for. A Snow White cottage tucked quietly into the Temecula hills, stone walls softened by time, crooked lines that feel intentional in the way fairytales always do. However, in winter, something shifts. The air sharpens. The light changes, and suddenly, this familiar story opens into another one entirely. During the colder m...

TRAVEL

The Scariest Thing This October? Your Dog’s Breath

Ghosts, scary movies, and things that are spooky in the night may get all the attention this October, but there is something even scarier lurking in our house…dog breath. While we are stocking up on treats for Halloween to hang out, I am making sure the dogs have a treat of their own with DentaLife Daily Oral Care dog chews. Adding a dental chew to their routine is an easy way to give them somethi...

HOME & FAMILY

Survival Mode: The Ultimate Solo-Parenting Tips and Tricks Edition

We’ve all been there...when the house or car door closes and your spouse is off to school or a deployment. In an instant you become the sole referee, chief of the house, and only bedtime navigator. All on top of those other roles you play as a stay at home mom like nurse, chauffeur, maid, comfort giver, and time manager. As a military spouse, it’s easy to find ourselves forced to “embrace the suck...

HOME & FAMILY

5 min read

The Bowl Is Full

Being a cat mom is basically having a tiny, furry roommate who contributes absolutely nothing financially, yet somehow has very strong opinions about everything. Where I sit? Wrong. When I wake up? Also wrong. Being three minutes late with breakfast? An unforgivable offense. When it comes to food, the standards are HIGH.That’s why Purina Pro Plan Dry Cat Food has earned a spot in our routine. It g...

HOME & FAMILY

National POW/MIA Recognition Day: You Are Not Forgotten

POW/MIA Recognition Day began with the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. It was founded in 1966 to lobby the U.S. government and the United Nations for treatment of Prisoners of War in accordance with the Geneva Convention and information on servicemembers declared Missing in Action. Before their efforts, families received little to no information abo...

HOLIDAYS

Raising Kids Who Understand Service (Without Making it Heavy)

The other day, one of my kids asked me why I had drill again. Not in a dramatic way. Not because they were upset. Just one of those random questions children ask while you’re trying to unload groceries, answer three unrelated questions at once, and remember whether picture day is tomorrow or next week. I gave the simple answer and kept moving, but the question stuck with me. The truth is, military...

HOME & FAMILY

Follow Me...Just Like My Dog Does

I swear my dog has absolutely no concept of time… until food is involved. I can say, “We are leaving in five minutes,” and get zero reaction. Somehow, at approximately almost dinner time, I suddenly have a four-legged shadow following me around the house. Walk toward the kitchen? Following. Open a cabinet? Following. Accidentally make eye contact? Oh, it’s ON. Apparently that means dinner is happe...

HOME & FAMILY

5 of My Favorite Items to Unlock Summer Fun

I don’t know about your kids, but my kids always seem to be much better behaved when they’re outside enjoying the beautiful summer weather. I have three boys and being trapped inside with them can sometimes be a little bit scary. Furniture will often become a jungle gym and my sanity will fly out the window. So, how can we enjoy the great outdoors and remain somewhat sane as parents? Well never fe...

HOME & FAMILY

Game Day With My Dog: World Cup Soccer Fun and Beggin’ Treats

Soccer fever is here! One of the biggest events of the year. Naturally, when World Cup fever started creeping in, I did what any reasonable fan would do: I bought a soccer ball, put together a game day outfit, grabbed a bag of Purina Beggin’ treats, and got my dog, Zero, his very own USA jersey. If we’re going to cheer, we’re going to cheer as a family, and yes, Zero is now convinced he has been o...

HOME & FAMILY

The Invisible Battle: POTS Awareness Month

October is POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) Awareness Month. This is a time dedicated to illuminating a complex chronic condition that is invisible to the naked eye, but it affects millions. As a military spouse who lives with POTS, I know the daily challenges and how widely misunderstood this autonomic dysfunction is. It introduces a unique layer of difficulty, as military life de...

HOME & FAMILY

Wander & Wine: A Narnia Winery at Briar Rose

Briar Rose has always felt like a place you stumble upon rather than plan for. A Snow White cottage tucked quietly into the Temecula hills, stone walls softened by time, crooked lines that feel intentional in the way fairytales always do. However, in winter, something shifts. The air sharpens. The light changes, and suddenly, this familiar story opens into another one entirely. During the colder m...

TRAVEL

The Scariest Thing This October? Your Dog’s Breath

Ghosts, scary movies, and things that are spooky in the night may get all the attention this October, but there is something even scarier lurking in our house…dog breath. While we are stocking up on treats for Halloween to hang out, I am making sure the dogs have a treat of their own with DentaLife Daily Oral Care dog chews. Adding a dental chew to their routine is an easy way to give them somethi...

HOME & FAMILY

Survival Mode: The Ultimate Solo-Parenting Tips and Tricks Edition

We’ve all been there...when the house or car door closes and your spouse is off to school or a deployment. In an instant you become the sole referee, chief of the house, and only bedtime navigator. All on top of those other roles you play as a stay at home mom like nurse, chauffeur, maid, comfort giver, and time manager. As a military spouse, it’s easy to find ourselves forced to “embrace the suck...

HOME & FAMILY

5 min read

The Bowl Is Full

Being a cat mom is basically having a tiny, furry roommate who contributes absolutely nothing financially, yet somehow has very strong opinions about everything. Where I sit? Wrong. When I wake up? Also wrong. Being three minutes late with breakfast? An unforgivable offense. When it comes to food, the standards are HIGH.That’s why Purina Pro Plan Dry Cat Food has earned a spot in our routine. It g...

HOME & FAMILY

National POW/MIA Recognition Day: You Are Not Forgotten

POW/MIA Recognition Day began with the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. It was founded in 1966 to lobby the U.S. government and the United Nations for treatment of Prisoners of War in accordance with the Geneva Convention and information on servicemembers declared Missing in Action. Before their efforts, families received little to no information abo...

HOLIDAYS

Raising Kids Who Understand Service (Without Making it Heavy)

The other day, one of my kids asked me why I had drill again. Not in a dramatic way. Not because they were upset. Just one of those random questions children ask while you’re trying to unload groceries, answer three unrelated questions at once, and remember whether picture day is tomorrow or next week. I gave the simple answer and kept moving, but the question stuck with me. The truth is, military...

HOME & FAMILY

Follow Me...Just Like My Dog Does

I swear my dog has absolutely no concept of time… until food is involved. I can say, “We are leaving in five minutes,” and get zero reaction. Somehow, at approximately almost dinner time, I suddenly have a four-legged shadow following me around the house. Walk toward the kitchen? Following. Open a cabinet? Following. Accidentally make eye contact? Oh, it’s ON. Apparently that means dinner is happe...

HOME & FAMILY

5 of My Favorite Items to Unlock Summer Fun

I don’t know about your kids, but my kids always seem to be much better behaved when they’re outside enjoying the beautiful summer weather. I have three boys and being trapped inside with them can sometimes be a little bit scary. Furniture will often become a jungle gym and my sanity will fly out the window. So, how can we enjoy the great outdoors and remain somewhat sane as parents? Well never fe...

HOME & FAMILY

Game Day With My Dog: World Cup Soccer Fun and Beggin’ Treats

Soccer fever is here! One of the biggest events of the year. Naturally, when World Cup fever started creeping in, I did what any reasonable fan would do: I bought a soccer ball, put together a game day outfit, grabbed a bag of Purina Beggin’ treats, and got my dog, Zero, his very own USA jersey. If we’re going to cheer, we’re going to cheer as a family, and yes, Zero is now convinced he has been o...

HOME & FAMILY