As a military spouse, I spent my husband’s deployment terrified that there would be a knock on the door.

At least I could lay down some of the burden at night–there is a window during which notifications are made.

That is, unless, another soldier or family member takes it upon him or herself to text message you or notify you via Facebook.

What a horrible thing to do to a military family member!

“Is Daddy coming home?”

My husband is off on a month-long National Guard drill and “Is Daddy coming home tonight?” became, “When is Daddy coming home?”, and eventually transformed into, “Is Daddy coming home?” Asked at least 20 times each day by my two eldest.

The last time my husband was gone this long, he was deployed to Iraq. He missed our entire first pregnancy, the birth, and most of the first three months of our first child’s life. At the time, people said, “I don’t know how you do it!”

But all of that is nothing compared to explaining to young children why Daddy is not there to cheer for them, to dry their tears, to lift them up…

My husband is on a month long drill and this morning my three year old woke up screaming that “Daddy is downstairs! Let me go downstairs! I want to see Daddy!” When I finally calmed him down, he asked, “Is Daddy coming home tonight?”

Cue the sound of my heart breaking.

At least Daddy is coming home. And at least he is coming home in a couple of weeks. And at least he is not overseas…

An hour ago, he received a call that he is being activated to help with the emergency efforts.

We are, ourselves, directly in Hurricane Irene’s path…

From the Facebook Page:

New army wife planning for the first PCS not knowing where it is! How can I find what housing looks like or how many rooms you get for a family of 4? (E4) thank you to any help!!

Housing availability and quality varies widely from base to base. The best answer I can give is to look at what BAH is supposed to cover. Base housing should, in theory, be at least equivalent to that.

In any given location, BAH depends on…

While I take a brief maternity leave, I am feature guest posts like this heartfelt response from Fallon Wharton of Fallonella’s Almost Fairtyale to the discrimination and challenges many military spouses face in the workplace and elsewhere.

The article about Employee Rights and Military Spouses on ArmyWivesLives.com really bothered me, probably because it hits so close to home regarding a military spouse desiring a stable career of their own while support their husbands stable, yet ever unpredictable military career…

I am just livid about the comments on articles like this one: Food or rent? Soldier’s Wife Fears Government Shutdown.

Yes, a lot of these idiots are trolls but I am shocked at the vitriol being spewed by such a large number of commenters.

Here is my response to those who think military families are uneducated “moochers” living off of their tax dollars…

Dear Molly,

My boyfriend is currently in an ROTC battalion. I love him and agree with him that we will possibly be married in the future. I guess my main problem is the uncertainty the Army brings to MY dreams, plans, and goals. It seems to amplify the normal problem that almost engaged/engaged/newly married couples go through in synthesizing two lives into one. Do you have any advice, other than talking about it because we do, for us?

Tonight, I looked at my beautiful children–a sight that normally fills me with love and joy–and felt dread. I felt the dread of the solo bedtime routine. Trying to balance the needs and desires of two very young kids while still leaving myself enough time to do work and straighten up can be exhausting.

But I am not a single parent.

Fallon Wharton is a proud Army Wife who holds a degree in Mass Communications / Journalism and has her own career aspirations. She enjoys writing poetry and short stories that draw upon her experiences and she has launched her own blog. She shared this post with us.

Sometimes life is about knowing…