Here are some great resources to help out military families.
Relocation
Moving around the country or the world can be trying on you and your family. Check out these resources for assistance and support with your move.
- Russell-Realtor Relocation Help: The Military Relocation Information, this site is dedicated to making your move easier. It contains homes for sale in El Paso Tx, one of the largest and most active base in the US.
- MAP Relocation Station: The Military Assistance Program, or MAP, provides this site which is dedicated to making your move easier. It contains articles to help you manage your moving budget, find out your benefits, and build a relocation plan.
- Plan My Move: You’ll get access to a fully featured moving plan on this site provided by Military Homefront.
- Military Towns: Here you’ll get the information you need to make educated decisions about your next relocation for every branch of the military.
- Military Relocation Center: Military.com has put together this site which provides easy access to tools that can help you choose a mover, rent trucks, find a realtor and more.
- Russell-Realtor Can Help you prepare a short sale to avoid foreclosure: The Military Relocation Information, this site is dedicated to making your move easier. It contains homes for sale in El Paso Tx, one of the largest and most active base in the US.
- Military Relocation Network: If you’re looking for a relocation expert to help you with your move, try giving this site a look. You’ll get personalized assistance on your move anywhere in the United States.
- Military Avenue: Check out this site for a listing of military friendly businesses and resources that can help you make a smooth transition.
- PCS America: This network can help you find the initial resources you’ll need to get settled in a new town with assistance for the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.
- Moving.com: Moving.com is a great resource for those moving with the military or just on their own. You’ll get resources to help you find a new home and ensure your belongings arrive in one piece.
- Spouse/Partner Relocating: How to Cope with the Move: About.com provides this article which can give you some tips and insight on how you can making moving with your spouse easier.
- The Expert Spouse - Challenges of Moving Abroad: If you’re moving from the US to a military installment abroad, take a look at this article. You may find some insights that can help ease your transition to life in a foreign country.
Long Distance Relationships
Being away from your spouse for an extended period of time, especially when he or she may be in danger can be a stressful time. Here are some articles to help you learn to deal with the separation.
- A Military Wife’s Experience: Share in this wife’s experience of being married to a member of the military for more than 19 years.
- Military Families: 4 Steps to Prepare for Deployment: Take a look at these practical steps to take when your loved one is shipping off to a distant place.
- Ask April: Long Distance Relationship Advice: Check out this site for relationship advice and to read answers to others’ questions and ask your own.
- Military Wives’ 21 Best Tips for Dealing with a Spouse’s Deployment: Read these tiny tips to give you strength and advice while your spouse is away.
- The Short of Long Distance Relationships: Get some advice from soldiers and radio talk show host Diana Falzone on what you can do to sustain a long distance relationship.
- Long Distance Relationships Done Right: Here you’ll find insight and a little humor on how people all over are working at making their LDRs work.
- Military Wife Tips: Keeping Any Long Distance Relationship Alive: Give this article a read for advice on making military marriages run smoothly from someone who is married to a Navy submariner and grew up in a Navy family.
- The Long Distance Relationship Guide: This Google book can give you some tips on keeping your love alive when you’re apart, with a special section for military spouses.
- How to Achieve Closeness in a Long Distance Relationship: These simple steps from eHow can give you some valuable pointers on feeling close to your spouse even when they’re thousands of miles away.
- Long Distance Relationships and the Military: Learn the basics of being with a spouse that’s in the military in this article from Plan Jam.
Families
If you have children with your military spouse, dealing with long absences, frequent moves and managing the household entirely on your own can be a challenge. These sites can provide much needed help and assistance to spouses and their children.
- Military Homefront: The Department of Defense maintains this site which is designed to help troops and their families improve their quality of life.
- Military Child Education Coalition: With so much moving around, your child may be struggling with his or her education. Check out this organization to find resources to assist your child and ensure he or she gets the education they need.
- Military Student.org: This DoD site helps parents make good decisions about the education of their children, no matter where their spouse may be deployed.
- Russell Relocation Help: The Military Relocation Information, this site is dedicated to making your move easier. It contains homes for sale in El Paso Tx, one of the largest and most active base in the US.
- 4 Military Families: Here you’ll find resources pulled together from all over the Web that are designed to help military families adjust to their new surroundings, find jobs, move and more.
- Military Family Resources: Sign up to get this publication, which focuses on family relocation, readiness and transitions.
- Sgt Moms: Check out this site for news and information, as well as forums, photos and more.
- USDA Military Families: On this site you’ll find loads of resources to give you support and help from other military families.
- Zero to Three: This program helps support the needs of the young children of military families to ensure they get the support and resources they need to develop.
- Coming Home: Adjustments for Military Families: Most military families look forward to the day when the absent spouse returns. While it’s a time of joy, it can also be a time that requires some tricky adjustments so read this article to get assistance.
- Operation HomeFront: Give this organization a try for assistance with baby needs, technology to keep in touch, moving, furnishing your home and much more.
Online Communities and Forums
Reach out to other military spouses through these sites.
- Military Spouse Support Network: Started in 1997, this site offers support and advice to the spouses left behind by service members on active duty.
- LovingYou.com Military Spouse Support Group: Check out this forum to share stories and talk with other spouses in your situation.
- Military Families Lighthouse: This support group is dedicated to helping families learn to survive long deployments without a loved one.
- Military Moms: This site was created to help support military families from all branches. You’ll find helpful links and a forum.
- CinCHouse: Join this community of military wives and women in uniform to get loads of information and support.
- Christian Military Wives: Spouses of the Christian faith can band together in this online group and talk about issues that face military wives.
- Married to the Army: You’ll find all the resources here you need to deal with a separation from or relocation with your spouse including ideas for care packages, moving help and forums.
- Military SOS: Check out the message boards and chat rooms on this site to connect with other military spouses and significant others.
- MyArmyLifeToo: Connect to the Integrated Army Support Network through this site for help on everything you’ll need to make life easier with a military spouse.
- Military Friends Network: Use this site to keep in touch with your military spouse or to stay in contact with families you met through your travels.
- Spouse Clubs.com: You can find clubs for spouses all over the world with this site, which offers listings for all branches of the military.
- Military Spouse Forum: Sign up for this site to chat with loads of other military spouses.
- Silent Warriors: Join this community to meet other military families and learn ways you can support your enlisted spouse.
- Solo-Ops: Learn how to survive being a military spouse and share your stories with others on this popular forum.
Organizations
These organizations are dedicated to serving military spouses and their families.
- MilSpouse.org: This site can serve as a valuable resource for relocating, finding a job and ensuring you and your children get quality educational access.
- Military Spouses for Change: Here you’ll find an organization that’s promoting the rights, interests and needs of service members and their families.
- National Military Family Association: Find tons of resources geared towards military families on this large organization’s site.
- American Military Family: This organization can provide services that range from assisting in getting your children school supplies to supporting the families of wounded soldiers.
- Fisher House: Check out this organization if you need temporary housing as a home away from home due to a sick or injured family member.
- Military Spouse Association: Find support and advice from this association dedicated to helping military spouses.
- Military Officers Association of America: While this organization was created to cater to the needs of former and current military officers, it also provides help and resources for their spouses.
- Military Training Instructor Spouses Association: Spouses of military training instructors can come together in this association with links to resources and an online chat forum.
Articles
Give these articles a read for support, advice and information on being a military spouse.
- Military Spouse Lifestyle 101: Give this article a read to learn how to make the most of your military spouse experience.
- How to Survive Being a Military Spouse: Check out this simple guide to dealing with the challenges of military life.
- Special Occasions Apart: Learn how to deal with spending birthdays, Christmas and other important days apart with this article.
- Taking On Too Much When Your Husband Is Deployed: Being in charge of caring for children and a household entirely by yourself can be a challenge. Learn how to limit what you’re taking on so you don’t feel overwhelmed.
- Separation During Deployment: Find out some ways to deal with the long separation deployment can require in this article.
- Staying Connected When Your Spouse is Away: Here you can find some ways that you and your spouse can stay connected to one another even when you’re miles apart.
- Top 10 Ways to Make a Military Marriage Work: Being in a military marriage isn’t always easy, but this article can give you some tips on making it work.
- Military Marriage vs. Non-Military Marriage: This article illuminates some of the different challenges that military spouses will face.
- Ensuring Your Military Marriage Succeeds Despite Long Deployments: Make your military marriage a happy one by following some of the advice in this article.
- How to Maintain a Military Marriage: Get some pointers on keeping your marriage strong no matter the distance from this informative article.
Helpful Web sites
Take advantage of the resources these sites offer to military spouses.
- MilSpouse.com: This magazine provides loads of resources including a blog, articles, polls, tips and more.
- Military OneSource: Find links for just about everything you could need on this portal site.
- Military Spouse Help: Check out this site for workshops, books, articles and more that can help make being a military spouse easier.
- Deployment LINK: Those with family members being deployed can check out this military site full of links to help you out.
- Military Wives.com: Meet up with other military wives and find out the latest military news on this site.
- Military Spouse Coach: Find guidance, advice, and support from relationship coach Krista Wells.
- Sarah Smiley: Here you can find a list of resources for military wives including support groups, advice and more.
- Army Times Spouse and Family Resources: Find lots of resources geared towards military families on this Army site.
Career Resources
Frequent moves can make it hard to focus on your career when you’re a military spouse. Check out these resources to help.
- Military Spouse Career Center: Military.com provides this site which provides a place for you to post your resume, search for jobs and learn to advance in your field.
- Working Around the Military: Check out this article to learn some of the challenges that face military spouses seeking employment.
- Military Spouse Job Search: Search through jobs that are catered to your skills on this helpful career site.
- Military Spouses’ Career Network: This network is designed to help military spouses get training, find jobs, and get support for their careers.
- Military Spouse Corporate Career Network: Look for jobs, post your resume and more on this great job site.
- Military Spouse Career Advancement Account: This organization helps military spouses get the training and education they need to hold careers they can do in many different locations.
- Military Spouse Business Association: Military spouses who own their own businesses can enjoy the benefits and information provided by this helpful site.
- Military Spouses and Entrepreneurship: Thinking of starting your own business? Check out this article for some insight.
- Military Spouses Bring Valuable Skills When Job Hunting: Find out what valuable job skills you may not have even known you had.
- Resume Tips for Military Spouses: Learn what to include and exclude from your resume as a military spouse looking for employment.
- Military Spouse Job Search Tips: Get some tips and pointers on how you can get a job even though you may be making frequent moves with the military.
Blogs
Read about the trails and successes of other military spouses in these blogs.
- Hooah Wife and Friends: Here you’ll find the blog of Amy Proctor, a wife of an Army service member who will soon be retiring. Follow her and her family as they go through this transition and check out the archives to see her blogs about his deployment to Iraq.
- Military Spouse Press: This military family has just made a move from Texas to Germany. Follow their experiences in this blog.
- Spouse Buzz: Spouses of military service members can share experiences and insights on this helpful blog.
- Married to the Military: Here you can read about one Air Force wife and stay at home mom’s life as her family moves around the globe.
- Life Lessons of a Military Wife: This veteran military wife shares tips and tricks she’s learned along the way to help make life easier for military families.
- California to Sicily: Follow the adventures of this military family as they move from California to Italy.
- Not So Typical Military Spouse: Read about this family’s day-to-day dealings and struggles with a dad that is frequently out on deployment.
- More Than An Army Wife: This newlywed army wife blogs about her experiences being married to a National Guard member.
- Standing By: Hosted by a local Tampa Bay site, this blog shows the difficulties families go through when a member has been deployed.
- A Beautiful Mess: This blog shares the experiences of Kristi, a stay at home mom and military spouse.
- Constant Upheaval: Blogger Andrea shares her story as the wife of a husband who recently rejoined the military after years as a civilian.
Miscellaneous
These various resources can supply a laugh, give you information and provide you with access to helpful resources.
- Military Spouse Talk Radio: Hear the stories of other military spouses, get advice and more by tuning into this radio show.
- Military Spouse Day: Military spouses can get the appreciation they deserve on this May 5th holiday.
- Jenny the Military Spouse: Get a quick laugh by checking out this web comic based on the sometimes hilarious situations military spouses find themselves in.
- Army Wife Talk Radio: Give this radio show a listen for advice and information on being married to a man in the Army.
- Field Problems: This site provides advice for men and women struggling to make it as military spouses.
- Armed Services YMCA: Find out how you can take advantage of YMCA services no matter where you’re living on this site.
- Poem for a Military Wife: Check out this inspiring poem created just for military wives.