Marine Birthday Bash!

No, it's not too early!  Don't even lie.  I know y'all have already started shopping for a dress! ;)

Semper Wifey is celebrating the Marine Corps' 236th birthday in a BIG way! 

From November 8-11, there will be a week long blogging celebration that YOU are invited to!  EVERYONE is welcome to participate...not just Marines wives! 

Each day will have a different theme.  All you have to do is write/create/photograph a blog post (you can even link up an old post) that relates to the theme, grab a party button, and link up your post at Semper Wifey!  Each post you link up (one per day) will enter you into a special giveaway for that day, plus each link will give your own blog more exposure!  (The winner must have a button on their post or sidebar to be eligible to win.)  One theme, one link, one prize, each day.  Make sense?  (If not, please email me!) 

• Tuesday, November 8: Land of the Free!  Share a post about whatever you want!  Let's kick this off BIG!
• Wednesday, November 9: Share a post about a Marine Corps/military/patriotic project/craft you've made/put together/photographed (ie. craft, birthday cake, recipe, outfit, poem, essay, etc.)!
• Thursday, November 10: Share your happy birthday message to the USMC! 
• Friday, November 11: Share a post about what you wore/will wear to the Birthday Ball! Or, if you'd rather, share a post about dressing up for a very special occasion (date night, wedding, birthday party--whenever you thought you looked especially good!).

Start brainstorming about your posts!  If you're a vendor, I would love to talk to you about giveaways for the Marine Birthday Bash!  Please email me for more information!  The Birthday Bash will provide TONS of FREE advertising for your product!

Don't forget to grab a button...or two!  

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"PCSing tips" throwback...

Originally posted May 30, 2008.

With our move now just one week away, I have been trying to begin organizing for the move. I'm not sure how practical or possible this is. Not to toot my own horn, but everything is pretty well organized already. It's just my nature. Plus, can you ever really prepare your house for a move? Maybe just a little, but don't start too early. I have already had to convince myself that it's too early to touch anything. I am just enjoying the last week in our beautifully put-together home.

After having the experience of moving ourselves the first go-round, I swore that I would never do it again. It was as terrible as you could possibly imagine, so I won't bore you with the details. For our second move, we made darn sure that we took advantage of the military moving us. I think I was way over-prepared for that move. So for our third move of the year, I have a better understanding of what I should and should not do for the move. I hope some of these tips (many from my fellow military wife friends-thanks Christi and Jessica!!) can make your next PCS smooth and flawless.

Unless you really feel the need to disrupt your household early, there's really no need to do any of this until a day or two before the packers/movers arrive at your house.

1. Pack a suitcase with everything you will need for a week. It could take at least that long to get your HHG's.
2. Go buy a huge Rubbermade tub and pack: one pot, one cooking sheet, one large spoon, plastic utensils, paper plates, paper towels, Sharpie, pen, note paper, packing tape, scissors, one dish towel, one bath towel per person, toilet paper, shower curtain, and trash bags.
3. Keep all of your cleaning supplies with you so you can scrub down your house to prep for move out and to clean your new house (which is NEVER in move-in condition to my standards). This includes a vacuum cleaner, broom, and mop.
4. Also be sure to keep with you during your move your personal files (with wills, POA, social security cards, passports, anything that is in your personal file cabinet) and valuable jewelry.
5. I am too cheap to re-buy condiments and basic pantry essentials (it will probably cost about $175 to set up your pantry at your new home), so we pack a cooler with our fridge condiments, and pack a box with our pantry basics (non-perishables, flour, sugar, etc.).
6. The movers will not pack any liquids (cleaning supplies, alcohol, etc.) or candles. Round these up as well.
7. Place all of these things (items 1-6) in a designated "Do Not Pack" zone. At our tiny apartment, this was our bathtub. We were just very clear with the movers to not pack the bathtub. If you put these things in a room or closet, label the door with "Do Not Pack" and go ahead and put some packing tape on the door to "seal" it closed in case they forget to read the sign.
8. Remove everything from the walls. Place all wall decorations together. Place all curtain rods and hardware (in a labeled ziploc baggie) together. Fold your curtains, and put them on hangers in your closet. This way they will be hanging in a wardrobe box during the move and won't get crushed.
9. For all "junk drawers," office drawers, and the like, put all of the contents into a plastic grocery bag and knot it. Place the bag back in the drawer. This way the "junk" won't be free-floating in a giant box. It'll make organization much easier in your new home. Do the same for your lingerie drawer. This will keep your stuff private without you just having to move it yourself.
10. Buy several plastic shoe boxes (.99 at Wal-Mart) to put all of your better shoes and/or handbags in. Otherwise, they will all be jumbled together at the bottom of your wardrobe boxes. They will still be in the bottom of your wardrobe boxes, only protected.
11. Pull out cash in advance to tip your movers. Buy your packers/movers lunch. Let them use your bathroom. Don't feel guilty for not doing anything when they are in your home. They are being well-paid for their services. Hubby and I played UNO during our last packing session and loved having that time together!

"Happy" PCSing!

Everyone's got 'em...

PCSing stories. 

PCS #1: Got married on Saturday.  Left for our international honeymoon on Sunday.  Arrived back from honeymoon late Friday night.  Slept for four hours and woke up early Saturday morning to load our U-Haul with hand-me-down furniture and boxed wedding gifts.  Hit the road.  Had to stop because I thought my car was about to roll off the trailer.  Hit the road again.  U-Haul and trailer got stuck in a gas station for a while because we don't know how to drive a trailer attached to a truck.  Drove and drove and drove.  Signed the lease on our apartment.  Moved everything--including a thousand pound (maybe I exaggerate) sleeper sofa--into our third story apartment by ourselves  Learned what TMO was.  Angry that we did (what we found out was) a DITY move when we didn't have to.

PCS #2: Took advantage of TMO this time.  Movers showed up to the door of our teeny apartment: one tiny guy channelling B-Rad from Malibu's Most Wanted ("traffic, traffic, looking for my chapstick"), one giant guy.  Both wearing do-rags.  Hubby and I played UNO.  

PCS #3: Three months later.  Our first anniversary.  Family visited the days leading up to our move.  Little Brother (12) stayed with Hubby and me to drive with us.  Got really sick the day before our move.  Spent the evening in the hospital hooked to an IV and having tests run (still a mystery).  Hubby stayed up all night while I was sick in bed and entertained Little Brother, did the laundry, packed, bought me Gatorade, and prepared our house for the move.  Movers packed and loaded the next day.

PCS #4: No funny stories to share.  I guess that is a good thing.  Well, the packers came on Friday and left us living in a sea of boxes all weekend.  We lived on the water.  Humidity+cardboard=stinky. 

PCS #5:  Hubby had to be gone the morning the packers came.  I was left by myself to supervise.  I caught one of the packers playing with a sheriff's badge and toy revolver (from a costume party).  Awkward.  Heard the packer in the kitchen break some glass, heard him mutter a profanity under his breath, then heard him proceed to pack the broken glass.  Took four days to drive to our new duty station.  33 weeks pregnant.  With one dog who gets carsick and one dog who wouldn't sleep (even on the maximum dose of tranquilizers).     

PCS #6: I'll get back to you soon.

What to wear during a PCS...

PCS by semperwifey featuring a sports activewear

This is the type of outift I wear on a typical day around the house.  I LOVE my workout wear and flip flops.  For a PCS, the clothes are easy, keep me cool during all the running around, and I can easily kick my shoes off on the cross-country drive.  Plus, I practically live on coffee and donuts all the time when we're moving, so they are always in my hand.  Oh, and the iPhone never leaves my side, making it a must in this outfit as well.

Stylish, no?

(Linking here, here, and here today.)

"Little helper" throwback...

Originally posted February 3, 2009.

Little Puppy.  Little PCS helper.  In case you can't tell, she made a bed out of packing paper. 

Moving truck envy...

There comes a certain point at every duty station when I know we'll be leaving very soon.  More than the excitement of leaving a duty station (I have loved every duty station in its own way), my anticipation for a move grows from the excitement of the adventures to be had at the next duty station.

It's right about this time that I suffer from moving truck envy. 

I wake up one morning to find a little truck or van at a neighbor's house--a sure sign that the packers are ransacking their house.  Sure enough, the next day brings the huge moving truck, and the day after that the family disappears, off on their next great adventure.

It's right about this time that I feel a little jealous that the moving truck is not parked outside our house.  (Until I think of all the work involved in a move.  Then I'm usually glad it's not us yet.)  

When Hubby finished TBS, most of our friends immediately hit the road.  In the weeks leading up to and immediately following his TBS graduation, our apartment's parking lot became a moving sidewalk of moving trucks.  There were so many U-Hauls parked outside the graduation ceremony that it was almost humorous.  It took every ounce of my will to remain patient for our turn to have the moving truck outside our house. 

And even now I have that slight twinge of envy when I hear the sound of diesel trucks in the vicinity.  Soon enough, soon enough.  In the meantime, I will enjoy the calmness that comes with not PCSing.  :)        

(Have a PCS story, pictures, or tips to share?  Email me if you'd like to be featured on Semper Wifey during the PCS series!)

(Linking here and here today!)
 

Extreme close up...

I am so grateful that the military sometimes allows me to get an extreme close up of what Hubby does.  It gives me an even greater respect and appreciation for his job.  Thanks to Hubby's squadron for hosting me! 
 

Other family day experiences: It's me! I'm the pilot!  Lady Day

Think about such things...

My God is good ALL the time!