Giving Back to Veterans: Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

Hi there it's me. I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. When I said that I was going to live more in my 30s I meant it. It's hard to live and blog at the same time I'm finding. One of the things that I've been doing more of is getting involved in my community.

As you might remember I am an Army Wife. One of the ways I have been trying to give back to my community is getting involved with more of what goes on here on base. Giving back to our veterans and active service members is something that I've always wanted to do. I'm glad to finally be at a place where I'm able to serve the community that serves us all.

Over the summer I'll be working with the youth on base in a couple different ways. I'm excited about what's to come. You always learn something when you reach out to others and I'm ready for my lesson.

I'm finding that there are so many ways to give back to our veterans. One way to give back is by drinking wine. Yep. That's right. You can have your wine and drink it too and give back in the process.

CK Mondavi is the only American made/grown wine in the “supermarket wine under $10” category. A percentage of each bottle sold between May-August is donated to Intrepid Fallen Heroes (up to $50,000).

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF), an organization that supports the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families. Funded entirely by public donations, IFHF serves U.S. military personnel wounded or killed in service to our nation and their families. 

I have been enjoying the CK Mondavi Chardonnay. I mix it with a lemon lime soda and it's such a refreshing drink. It's pretty tasty on it's own too.

“Please comment below to share your own story about supporting veterans and/or American-made products. I will select ONE reader to be entered into CK Mondavi’s grand prize drawing by May 15. The grand prize is a $500 donation to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund in the winner’s name!”

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

7 Days of Love: Sexy Date Night Outfit

I am going to keep it all the way real with you. We hardly ever get out for dates outside of the house. We don't live close to friends or family so a true date night is hard to come by. Since most of our dates happen here at home that's the outfit I'll be sharing with you today. 

Once the kids are asleep my husband normally preps the living room for our movie or DVR mini marathon. While he's doing that I shower and find something to wear. My husband appreciates the dressed down, relaxed, girl next door look. If I'm being honest I love it too. There's something so sexy about not being so over the top.

My favorite date night outfit has to be some shorts that fit perfect. Short enough to be inappropriate for public wear but still long enough to not be considered panties. I normally pair that with a fitted tank top but I'm also loving these new sheer crop tops I recently bought.

pajamas by thechicsahm featuring tall shirts

So what do you think? You probably didn't expect to see this. Don't worry. I have plenty of 'real' outfits    coming up in my Vegas recap. To see more sexy date night outfits visit Baby Teems, The Green Eyed Lady Blog and So She Writes by Miss Dre.

7 Days of Love: How I Keep My Marriage Hot and Sexy

I think so much goes into keeping a marriage hot. For me personally, the first thing I do to keep my marriage popping is to feel good about myself. I workout, eat good and I try to make time for myself. I strongly believe that having a life outside of your marriage keeps things interesting. When I feel good about myself it makes me happy and you know what they say, "Happy wife. Happy life."

As a soldier my husband works long hours. Between their workouts and his actual work schedule he's gone for the majority of the day. I always try to make sure that dinner is ready when he gets home. It's the little things. I know he's going to be starving when he walks thru the door. Having dinner done is my way of saying thanks for all you do on a daily basis. We have dinner as a family at the table. This gives us a chance to connect and talk before I start the kids bedtime routine.

Having these kids in bed at a decent hour does wonders for my marriage. My husband and I enjoy watching TV together. Our favorite shows get DVR'd and we catch up together. Another thing I did to keep the sexy in my marriage was get these kids sleeping in their own beds. Let's face it, your husband wants to sleep with you not you and the kids. It took a lot of work for me to get them sleeping in their own beds every night and it's been great for my marriage.

Our recent getaway to Vegas did wonders for us. It was a beautiful thing being alone with him for those three days. Date nights are great too but this trip was everything. It reminded me what it was like before the babies. I think we both needed that.

So I keep my marriage rocking by feeling good about myself, cooking dinner for my man and making sure we get ample amounts of alone time to reconnect. How do you keep your marriage hot and sexy?

For more posts in the 7 Days of Love series check out my fellow motherhood lifestyle bloggers Baby Teems, So She Writes by Miss Dre and The Green Eyed Lady Blog.

Seven Days of Love: Marriage Has Taught Me...

For Valentine's Day I'm collaborating with some amazing motherhood lifestyle bloggers to reflect on love, marriage and how to keep things spicy while living this mommy life. To see the other posts in this 7 Days of Love Series visit The Green-Eyed Lady Blog, So She Writes by Miss Dre and Baby Teems.

When I think about my own marriage, I think about a girl who was so young. I'm not even sure what my expectations were of marriage back then. I just knew I wanted to be happy and I knew I was making a great decision marrying my husband. That was back then.

Now that we've been married for eight years I would have to say I have learned a lot about myself and about marriage. My marriage has taught me that it's okay to be exactly who you are. It's taught me it's okay to speak my mind and be a strong presence. I can be in charge and aggressive without being afraid of someone else's opinion. My marriage has taught me how to be a grown up. A grown woman.

My marriage makes me fearless and free. I have talked about this before on this blog. Here and here. My marriage has taught me to hang in there when things are tough and enjoy every second when things are amazing. Marriage has taught me to be more compassionate and a lot less self centered.

What has your marriage taught you?

Army Wife Life: Being Homesick

Today I am going to share something that has been on my mind quite a bit lately. Some of you might know, but for those that don't, I am an Army Wife. I rarely ever talk about the military here. There's really not much to say. My husband has been in for almost nine years. I have really enjoyed this lifestyle for the most part. Moving constantly is kind of rough but it's also very exciting and you get somewhat use to the adventure.

Up until now I've never really been homesick. We have always been blessed enough to be stationed in driving distance to family. Living this far away from the people that really know you and get you is tough sometimes. Sometimes I just want to meet a friend for lunch without it being a scheduled "date". I just miss the feeling of having friends that are like family. The easiness of that relationship.

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Before any military spouses start attacking me about "getting out there" and "meeting people" I just want to say that I am out there and I have met people. I've met a couple great people who I know will be lifelong friends and I've met some people that I wish I hadn't. As an Army Wife I feel like I'm constantly in that "getting to know you" stage of friendships. I have learned that it's a double edge sword. I can either dive right in and become "instant friends" with someone. (which isn't my preference) Or I can take my time getting to know people. The only problem with that is by the time you really become great friends it's time to move again. It sucks.

Anyway. I know I'm not the only Army Wife that feels this way. We have our good days and our bad days. If it wasn't for the few friends that I do have here I'd probably be counting down the days until we move again. Hopefully this post wasn't too all over the place. Does anyone get where I'm coming from?