Month: February 2021

A Military Spouse’s Guide for Getting Through a Deployment

Stay Strong and Stay Connected with Our Military Care Package Subscription Box

It seems like time slows down during deployments, when you’re responsible for “holding down the fort” at home. Maybe you have children and pets. Maybe you’re working full time or juggling multiple part-time jobs to keep things running. We get it: you’re busy, emotional, and tired. There’s nothing quite like being a military spouse, and getting advice from other people without that experience feels useless.

Instead, take a cue from someone who’s been there with My Hero Crate’s tips from other military spouses about how to get through deployment with your sanity.

Use On-Base Benefits

Especially if you live on-base, you’ll find that these close-to-home resources are invaluable. Do all your shopping on base when you can and take advantage of on-base babysitting at the Child Development Center when you work and when you need a break.

Most base CDCs have an hourly child care option, so you can schedule a couple days per month to enjoy time to yourself to decompress, destress, or problem-solve without children interrupting your train of thought.

And if you’re already living on base or at least near to base, you won’t need to travel very far to drop off and pick up your kids, making it the most convenient option available to you without relying on family members or friends.

Practice Good Sleep Hygiene

Getting a good night’s sleep is key to feeling your best and being healthy. Being well rested is the foundation for good days. When you’re tired, your body handles stress and emotions differently. Just like when your kids get fussy, you know it’s time for a nap, do the same for yourself. Hit the hay at a reasonable hour and wake up every day at roughly the same time.

Try not to watch TV in bed, or leave lights on all night. Cozy up in your dark bedroom and focus on resting and falling asleep.

Healthy sleep habits help you keep your energy up throughout the day and prevent that run-down feeling.

Exercise at Home or at the Gym

Exercise releases endorphins that can help improve your mood and increase your energy. Take advantage of free gym access or fitness classes on base when you can, or look up at-home workout videos online and work up a sweat in your living room.

According to the Mayo Clinic, you should get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise every week, spread out over all seven days. You don’t have to exercise because you’re trying to lose weight; it’s just good for your body, physically and mentally. And even if you don’t care about all that – it will at least help you pass the time and perhaps meet new friends who are dealing with deployment, too.

Talk

Your military spouse friends know what you’re going through, so if you’re having a tough time during deployment, make a few phone calls and plan a get-together to help take your mind off of your emotions or process them.

As a military spouse, you also have access to free non-medical counseling sessions through Military One Source. Attending counseling sessions does not mean that you’re weak. It means that you’re strong enough to acknowledge that you need help managing stress and life while your spouse is away.

Participate in Activities

Whether you frequent on-base activities for spouses dealing with deployment or you make your own, keeping busy with something fun is ideal! 

You can plan a day trip with your friends or children, take up a new hobby, learn new skills via online courses, or anything else you can think of. Not only will these help you pass the time, but you might gain valuable knowledge you can apply in your career or use to start a small side business to help you bring in some extra money each month.

Stay Connected by Sending Military Care Packages During Deployment

Your hero may be deployed, but that doesn’t mean they don’t realize how hard you have it at home. They hope that you’re doing well, thinking of them, and feeling happiness at every opportunity.

Remind them of your love by sending our monthly subscription box for deployed military members in the Air Force, Navy, Army, or Marine Corps. For just $39.99 a month, for as many months as you’d like, we’ll send your hero a military-approved care package full of sweet and salty snacks, quick meals, personal care items, and premium gifts like sunglasses, headphones, and activity kits. And shipping is always free to any APO, FPO, or DPO addresses.

Each time they receive one of our military care packages in our signature olive-drab box, they’ll be thankful for everything you do while they’re away – while you’re thankful for everything they do, too.

Subscribe to our military care package service today.

How to Talk to Your Child About Deployment

Celebrate Your Hero Together by Sending a Military Care Package

It’s hard to be a military parent, but deployment makes it even harder, not just to raise your children, but dealing with the emotions that come with being deployed. There are a few things you can do to help prepare your children for an upcoming deployment, and it’s best to start the conversation early.

Preparing for Deployment: It’s All About Talking

We know that you’re busy making deployment plans, arranging childcare, examining finances, and more. Add getting your child ready for a period of absence to the list of your responsibilities.

-Reach out to your military parent support groups. It’s likely a parent has been deployed before; they can give you an idea of what to expect.

-Talk to your children’s teachers and other important adults in their lives to alert them about the upcoming deployment.

-Start talking about deployment in front of your children, using terms they’ll understand. Explain what deployment is and why it happens.

-Answer any questions your children pose to you about deployment, making sure you stay positive in your words and actions.

-The deploying parent should plan one-on-one activities with the children during the weeks leading up to deployment.

-Make a plan on how you’ll stay in touch while you’re deployed. The parent staying home with the children can talk about mailing deployment care packages full of treats and snacks.

-Prepare your children for changes in household routines by talking about new routines in advance.

-Keep your goodbyes brief, but meaningful.

During Deployment: It’s All About Keeping in Touch

Being separated from a parent during deployment can be hard on children. Keeping in touch and being positive can make the time pass more quickly.

-Write letters, make phone calls if possible, and send an armed forces care package to your loved one in the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Navy, or National Guard. 

-The parent at home should maintain a schedule and routine as much as possible while following household rules just as before. Don’t change bedtimes, don’t tolerate behaviors you wouldn’t have tolerated before, and continue asking children to help with some household chores.

-Turn to your community resources, child psychologists, and school counselors if your children are struggling. Don’t wait for a big meltdown to take action.

Stay Connected Even at a Distance with Military Care Packages from My Hero Crate

Ease the emotions that come with deployment by sending a special care package to your deployed hero. My Hero Crate takes care of all the details for you because we assemble military-approved treats and other items to bring cheer to your hero, no matter where in the world they’re stationed. And shipping is always free to any APO, DPO, or FPO address.

Shop for care packages, and send one to your hero now.

Facing Valentines Day During a Deployment

Send a Gift for Deployed Soldiers to Help Them Celebrate

The uncertainty of deployment, coupled with missing yet another holiday together, is heartbreaking. For many couples, Valentine’s Day is about togetherness and showing each other how much you care. Distance, especially long ones across oceans, can make celebrating difficult. But this year, My Hero Crate has ideas for how you can make the most of your Valentine’s Day celebration. 

Enjoy Valentine’s Day with Friends

If you can’t spend the holiday with the one you love, then why not spend it with friends who are going through the same thing? If it’s safe to meet up in person, plan a small dinner party or dessert night. Otherwise, plan a gathering via video conference, where you can play games, chat, and do the same activities. Use apps like Zoom, Discord, Google Hangouts, or Facebook Messenger to arrange your virtual meet-up. When you spend Valentine’s Day with people who are enduring the same thing you are, you find lots of common ground and can comfort each other.

Do Absolutely Nothing

Sometimes treating a holiday like Valentine’s Day like any other day makes passing the day much easier. While you’ll definitely have to deal with hearing about other peoples’ plans, you can revel in the fact that you can spend the day doing whatever you want – including taking a nap on the sofa, eating junk food for dinner, going for a run, or meal-planning for the rest of the week, for example.

Plan a Spa Day

Use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to practice some serious self care. Indulge yourself in luxurious and relaxing spa treatments – even if they’re DIY ones – and simply enjoy the rejuvenation process. You can get everything you need for your DIY spa treatments in our Women’s Relaxation Gift Box. Treat yourself!

Spend Time with Your Family

If you and your military hero have started a family together, devote February 14 to your children (even if they’re fur kids!). Plan fun activities for them, like a special dinner and movie night. Get creative with it. For example, if your kids are very small, create a drive-in movie experience by creating “cars” out of cardboard boxes and lining them with a blanket. They can enjoy their movie from the inside of their new rides while you stretch out on the sofa.

Head for the Great Outdoors

Reconnect with nature and practice mindfulness as you go on a hike on a nature trail. Take in the sights; breathe in the crisp, fresh air; and enjoy moving your body and using your muscles. Many people find peace in nature. Perhaps you will, too.

Shop ‘Til You Drop (Within Reason)

Sometimes retail therapy is all it takes to get your mind off of your sorrows, like missing Valentine’s Day with the one you love. Save up all your shopping, including grocery shopping, for Valentine’s Day, and knock it all out in one day. There’s something soothing about the process, even if you’re just shopping for necessities.

Send a Military Care Package to Your Deployed Hero

Even if you may only get a letter or card in return, you can make your hero feel special and loved on February 14, by sending him or her one of our military gift boxes full of snacks and treats, or with items meant to inspire relaxation. We’re also pleased to offer a Valentine’s Day gift for military members this year. It’s a special gift box full of V-Day-themed items and sweet and savory treats. 

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