Military Families

July 10, 2017

One of the things that makes me proud to be a mother of my generation is watching us start to buck the social norms and do whatever it takes in order to get what we want and deserve for our families. All growing up, we were told that as women, we could do whatever we wanted, we could have both a...

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Amy Barron Smolinski, MA, ALC, CLC

Military Families

June 26, 2017

Unfortunately, my life is anything but cliché. Sometimes I wish I could just easily fit into that predictable pattern that a stereotype would offer. But no, that’s not me. I grew up in a broken home as the oldest of 6 children with a variety of stepfathers that were less than qualified for the job...

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Alyssa Gavulic

Military Families

June 12, 2017

Each time I tell my children they are attending an official ceremony, they immediately ask if there will be cake. They’ve quickly learned that Army ceremonies almost always include cake, even those that occur before most of the rest of the world is awake. Army Birthday The Army celebrates its...

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Rebecca Alwine

Military Families

May 15, 2017

I am a military spouse. Since my husband, Rich, is in the Army Reserves, the role of military spouse does not occupy a whole lot of my head space—that is until he is deployed. We are in one of those times right now. The number of Americans currently serving in the military is a small slice of the U...

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Lisa Brown

Military Families

May 1, 2017

One of the greatest struggles that I’ve had as a military spouse, harder than the separations, more trying than the unknowns, has been the act of leaving. Leaving family, leaving friends, leaving a home. For someone like myself who already struggles with opening up and allowing people to get to...

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Jennifer Novak

Breastfeeding Childcare & Early Education Immigration Military Families Paid Family Leave

April 25, 2017

Me llamo Brishithe Tovar y nací en Guatemala. Mi familia y yo emigramos a California cuando tenía 9 años después de que mi madre fuera asaltada a mano armada cuando tenía 6 meses de embarazo. El trauma y el estrés fueron tan severos que mi mamá desarrolló presión arterial peligrosamente alta y...

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Brishithe Tovar

Breastfeeding Childcare & Early Education Immigration Military Families Paid Family Leave

April 24, 2017

My name is Brishithe Tovar and I was born in Guatemala. My family and I migrated to California when I was 9 years old after my mother got robbed at gunpoint when she was 6 months pregnant. The shock and stress was so severe, my mom developed dangerously high blood pressure and temporary blindness,...

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Brishithe Tovar

Family Economic Security Military Families Open Flexible Work

April 17, 2017

Since 9/11, a new generation of military spouses has emerged; women and men married to service members who want to maintain a career or business as they follow their spouse where the military demands. The military lifestyle requires out-of-the-box thinking to create a transportable career and, with...

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Erica McMannes

Military Families Realistic & Fair Wages

April 4, 2017

It's #EqualPayDay again , and as I started the morning catching up on the news, I noticed several references on social media about the "myth" of the pay gap. I get it, we all have different points of view. I share a view based on facts, research, and actual experience. However, I am optimistic that...

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