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Childcare Resources for Military Families

For those of you mamas looking for some childcare, whether it be full-time or part-time, on-call, or one-off assistance, there are a lot of options for military families to take advantage of. In my opinion, the best option is always a referral, however, when you don’t have family, and your friends are in the same military family situation as yourself, it can be hard to find referrals for sitters.

On-Base Day Care

There are several resources for military families. On-base childcare is the main option, with part-time and full-time options available.

The main sticking point with this is availability, capacity limits, and extremely long wait lists. My two kids have been on the waitlist for about 9 months now and they essentially told me my infant would never make it to the top of the waitlist as infant spots are much harder to come by.

My daughter received a spot but my son was 4 months behind her. Most people, including myself, cannot afford to pay for my daughter to go to daycare and have a nanny watch my son. They don’t bump your second child up on the waitlist either. They basically tell you “tough”.

His first birthday will be here before we know it and then he will be in the next category which, according to the childcare personnel, will make spots easier to come by.

The main reasons that I have my kids on the waitlist for base childcare is that the costs are significantly lower than traditional off-base daycare options, and the hours are pretty great (6am-6pm – this may vary from base to base).

Also, I live very close to base so convenience-wise, this is a great option, and I can also count on my husband to be able to drop the kids off when he’s home.

If both kids ever get off the waitlist around the same time I will let you know how I feel about their childcare!

Off-Base Day Care Subsidy Program

For those that are unaware, the military has a day care subsidy program. If you are unable to get into daycare on base, they will subsidize the cost of the day care program you are paying for.

It is called, MCCYN Fee Assistance Program and you can find out more about it here: https://public.militarychildcare.csd.disa.mil/mccu/ui/#/mccyn. I had a friend utilize this program.

Even if you can afford childcare without the subsidy, this is still a great program you can utilize as a military family, regardless of total income.

Fee-Assistance Pilot Program for In-Home Care

What used to only be available in a couple of states, at a few bases, is now a program that any military family can now apply for. It allows for fee-assistance to families who utilize in-home childcare options.

There are requirements and you must apply, but this is an option I am looking into further. You have to find a licensed in-home care provider that is willing and able to meet the requirements but this is a great option for larger families or unconventional work hour schedules.

Military One Source is a great resource you can navigate to find out tons of information on childcare options for military families.

SitterCity.com

If you are looking for childcare in any capacity, full-time, part-time, on-call, one-offs, date nights, etc, SitterCity.com is a great option to find local childcare assistance. If you are familiar with Care.com, this is essentially the exact same thing.

The perk of SitterCity.com is that as a military family you can utilize the services for free. I have found a babysitter through SitterCity. There are pros and cons but you can vet people very easily and find the price range and experience levels that you prefer and interview individuals.

Are there any other resources that you have found? Share below!

SPF Products to Try

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SPF Products to Try

Okay, I’ve gotta say. When I was younger (middle school through high school, heck, even in college) I was not aware of how IMPORTANT sunscreen is. I don’t think I really ever wore sunscreen unless I went on vacation…and I went to school in Los Angeles. So, once I became much more interested in skincare in my mid-twenties, I have been on the hunt for everyday products to protect my skin. This is honestly the first line of defense against aging.

If you aren’t already, you really should follow @dermarkologist on instagram. He gives such great little tidbits and insights on dermatology care…and he’s a dermatologist! Also, he shows you products from affordable stores like Target, CVS, etc that you can use to combat aging, increase tightness, complexion, and battle any skin problems you have. I recently found him and I think he is great. There are tons of other dermatologists on social platforms that give insight but I just really like him 🙂

These products are great for everyday use, whether you are going to work in the office, staying at home with the kids, or going to the beach. I will note, these are all products for the face and neck and do not include body sunscreen. For those, I just typically use a spray SPF because it is just so much more convenient. Neutrogena is a great brand that I typically lean towards but Sun Bum, and Hawaiian Tropic are other go-to’s.

Neutrogena Invisible Daily Defense Lotion SPF 60+

I will wear this SPF under my face makeup. It adds extra protection and I have drier skin so I am not afraid of moisture!

Bare Minerals Tinted Moisturizer Complexion Rescue SPF 30

This is a nice tinted moisturizer that adds some nice coverage without being too heavy. I can still see my freckles but it gives an even tone to my complexion and is very buildable.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch SPF 100+

When we are going to be doing yard work, hanging at the lake, going to the beach, hiking…you name it, we are putting this on our faces! If you don’t follow @dermarkologist on instagram, you should. He did a reel debunking the myth that 100+ SPF is no more protective than 85+ (or something like that) and 100+ SPF is better at protecting from burns long term if you are prone to forgetting reapplication (that’s me!). So we go big so we don’t have to go home.

Elta MD Tinted Sunscreen SPF 40

This is a lot lighter than the Bare Minerals tinted moisturizer but it has more SPF and I will put this on if I don’t want to wear anything heavy. If I’m just home with the kids with nothing going on that day or I will use it as my base if I am going to wear a medium coverage foundation. This was recommended to my friend from her dermatologist and I had heard good things about it so I had to try!

Sun Bum Chapstick Mango SPF 30

Again, a @dermarkologist recommendation. I’m a sucker for SPF lip balm and I got the mano (yum!). Great to have in the purse, especially living in a dry climate!

Wet Skins Kids Sunscreen Stick SPF 70+

Honestly….the smoothest, and easiest sunscreen to apply on kids. My brother-in-law introduced me to it and it has been perfect. My kids don’t fight me with the application, it’s clear so no white residue (hence why I also use it) and 70+ SPF! Can not recommend enough!

Olay Regenerist Whip SPF 25

I will wear this underneath my Bare Minerals tinted moisturizer…did I say I have drier skin? I love ALL the lotions and moisturizers! This one has good coverage, an okay SPF amount when applied with others, and leaves my skin feeling so smooth and hydrated.

The main thing is, this is the only skin we have…let’s take care of it! I will honestly say, I love having a nice tan and don’t want to give up that summer glow. You can still get color without getting burnt, and preventing major damage is a good step. Also, spray tans are really a great alternative if you want more color and you can get those any time of year. Let’s just all be smart and stay away from tanning beds. I know they are relaxing and have pretty quick results, but the risk of skin cancer is just not worth it.

Love you all, let’s stay young!!

Simple Sunday Reset

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Simple Sunday Reset

Sunday Crockpot Meal
Confirm schedule for the week
Meal plan
Grocery pickup
Meal prep
Dust and Vacuum – then light a candle
Quality play time
Read for 15 min
Plan out outfits for the week (check the weather!)
Restock diaper caddies, baby wipes, diaper bag, etc.

Twelve Things – April Edition

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Twelve Things – April Edition

Television: Rewatching Vampire Diaries and Modern Family

Honestly, I didn’t think I could rewatch Vampire Diaries. I had tried several times before but just thought the first episode was so cringey! Then I powered through and remembered how great it was. I only made it to season 7, but I’ll probably rewatch it again all the way through at some point.

Modern Family, now that is just a classic, feel-good sitcom. I never really watched it when it aired live, but being able to binge it is so great. I love it!

Reading: Inside Delta Force, Being Mortal, Thinking Fast and Slow
Exercising regularly to increase my patience and attitude towards my kids meltdowns

I need to exercise in order to maintain mental clarity. It is much harder said than done. I will not exercise for a couple of weeks, get in a bad mood and realize it’s because I haven’t sweat it out. I really want to get better about this. Carving out time in my day to make exercising happen. I’m full of excuses at the moment but I need to get back to it!

Planning my hubby’s surprise 30th birthday party!

Needless to say, men are not great at keeping secrets. The party went great, (Chipotle catering was a huge hit) and everyone had a great time but I think the secret had been blown a few days before and there were some unexpected hiccups, but we did it!

Spring cleaning 🙂

Refreshing the house and all of those little things you don’t do weekly or monthly just feels so great. I will put together a Spring Cleaning Plan and link it here soon. This is not broken up specifically per day because I know you working mamas and stay-at-home parents can’t get it all done in one day or even one week, so I’ve just broken it up by room.

Pantry and fridge/freezer cleanout – making all the meals with what we currently have before doing a big grocery shop

I made a point of it, particularly while my husband was out of town for several weeks, to go through the fridge and pantry and try to make everything we had already before doing a large grocery shop. It’s so nice to reset the kitchen like this without being wasteful.

Spring has sprung and seed starting and garden / yard prep have begun

I try to plant most of the seeds that I can in seed trays about 6-8 weeks before the anticipated last frost. I’m new to gardening and am learning more and more every year. This year I’m focusing more on quality of specific plants ovr quantity of varieties. Although I still seem to have a lot of different plants, vegetables and flowers, I am planting more of each vegetable to hopefully produce a greater yield.

Preparing for my performance review at work – researching salary expectations, my performance, and outlining accomplishments.

This has been so eye opening. It can be very frustrating to not know what you should be making compared to others in your field. I met with several other women in my industry to discuss salaries and benefits to see where I fell and now I think I have a much clearer vision as to what I should be making. Now I have more confidence to go into my performance review and make requests.

Further, I have been motivated to go back through my accomplishments over the past three years I have been with this company. Business Development / Marketing can be difficult to accurately track performance if your company does not have a system already in place. Mine does not have a system so I have had to use the resources accessible to try and determine my performance. This hasn’t been easy and I don’t know the accuracy of the numbers I am pulling but this will be a great talking point during my performance review to discuss measurable goals and overall performance. There are several instagram accounts I follow that discuss women in the workplace, finances, and empowering people to get their worth. Here are two I particularly like: @shewolfeofwallstreet and @financesreimagined.

Outlining my personal and professional goals: writing everything out on paper and then creating a tracker using Google Docs/Sheets to put it down so I don’t lose it.

This is an evolutionary process and I am still working on figuring all of this out. I have considered a bullet journal to put my constant stream of ideas down into but just haven’t gotten there yet. There is an ease and simplicity to Google Docs to be able to access it from anywhere. Anyway, this is something I have been trying to focus on more and more recently. Discovering what my end-of-life goals are and trying to build a life that will get me there, keeping in mind my motivations, desires, etc. I will share an example of mine once I have this outlined a little more clearly in case you want to do the same!

Working on self-improvement goals. Both my husband and I are trying to map out some side-hustles, professional goals / desires, dream future, and what to look forward to over the next few months/years.

Setting goals for yourself, and doing that with your partner, keeps you both on the same page as you grow (I think). Oftentimes I hear people saying “we just grew apart, I was so young when we got together I didn’t know what I really wanted”. I think keeping these lines of communication open and striving to grow individually and together is so huge when trying to find fulfillment. I know that I don’t want to be the same person I was at 18 when we met. But I also know that I want to be with this man forever, and I know there will be hard times, but maintaining that communication and those expectations helps us both to strive for greater and find fulfillment in ourselves. I also think that doing this together makes sure the other person doesn’t feel left behind when things start to change. You end up being in everything together. A team. And I love that.

Starting this blog! Pulling together post ideas, pictures, getting comfortable in front of the camera and behind it.

Thank you for being here and reading this! I am learning so much through just these past couple of weeks! From building the site and learning WordPress, to writing posts and creating a list of topics, narrowing my focus a bit (can you tell I want to just talk about everything in here?!). This is truly a creative outlet for me. I had this dream of creating a portfolio of pictures of myself and my family that we can all look back on as we get older and this blog, instagram, pinterest, etc is such a great way to capture that. If you have requests for content, please share below or message me on insta!

Listening to my body. We feel that there are a lot of unknowns right now and sometimes I think I feel anxious about it. How can I remedy this discomfort? Exercise? Talking it out? A glass of wine? Take a bath?

Everybody handles stress differently. To my military spouses out there, we have so many unknowns sometimes. When is the next deployment? How long is it? How long is it really going to be? Can my spouse come to this summer wedding with me? Are we going to be moving within the next 6 months, 1 year? So so many unknowns and sometimes the stress of that really gets me down and finding the best way to relieve that discomfort can vary. Sometimes it’s getting together with other military spouses and venting about the frustrations (we all have them!), or it’s putting the kids to bed and enjoying a glass of wine in the tub or with my favorite TV show. Other times, if my husband is home, it’s tackling a house project! Totally varies!!

I want to thank you so much for being here. This is my monthly brain dump that encompasses all of the feels. Please share some of your favorite things from the month (whether it’s April like this post or December!).

Recent Looks

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Here are some of my recent looks, all with the same, perfect, high-waisted black skinny jeans from American Eagle, linked below! Some items I couldn’t find but I linked something similar and, of course, affordable. So excited for spring and the fun, bright colors and cute dresses!! Where are your favorite places to shop? Comment below!