Military With Kids

How to Actually do a PPM from a 5 time DITY Move Milspouse

If you are reading this you’ve probably been asking yourself just how you can possibly do a full Personally Procured Move PPM or DITY move without losing your mind.

Maybe this is your first military move. Or perhaps you’ve had a terrible experience with your household goods (HHG) being shipped with moving companies before and are wanting to do it yourself this year. Or maybe you are one of the many military families this year being forced into a DITY move unexpectedly with this current PCS moving crisis.

No matter what your reason to do a PPM, I’m glad you are here.

I’m no expert, but we’re doing our 5th full PPM with the Army this month, and I’ve learned a few things (mostly from making mistakes). I’d like to share what I know with you, in case it can help make your move easier!

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DITY Packing Schedules to Make Your PPM Smooth

I’m no expert, but we’re doing our 5th full PPM with the Army this month, and I’ve learned a few things (mostly from making mistakes) that will help when it comes to packing for a move. I’d like to share what I know with you, in case it can help make your DITY packing easier!

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How to Recognize and AVOID Moving Brokers

When hiring help for your personally procured move you may come across companies that look like moving services, who offer all the things you’re looking for, but they are actually brokers, and complete scam artist. It is important to know how to recognize and then avoid moving brokers when you are planning your DITY move.

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Baby Registry Must Haves – What You Really Need

newborn must haves baby registry first two months what you really need for baby

What do you actually need on your registry for a new baby? The pressure to have a complete, Pinterest worthy nursery is insane. The truth is my daughter is 2 months old and hasn’t even been in her nursery yet. Partly because it’s a room that shared with her brothers’ playroom (third child problems!) and partly because your baby sleeps in your room for the first bit anyway.

For moms like myself who are pregnant again after a long gap the early days with a baby were a blur. It had been 6 years since I had a baby. While I had an idea of what I would need, the baby gear market had changed and was full of new, fancier items.

If you are a first time mom the baby registry checklists can be a bit overwhelming and you start to feel like you need all the thing.

Expenses of a new baby can add up quickly and not to mention trying to store everything!

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2021 Military Pay Dates and Early Pay USAA & NFCU

When is the Next Military Pay Date?

While active duty military pay dates are the 1st and the 15th of each month, when the 1st or 15th falls on a weekend, the pay date shifts slightly as you will see in 2021 Active Duty Military Pay Dates chart below.

One of the perks of using a bank like USAA or Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU) is the ability to have your pay check funds available early. Typically the early pay date is one business day before the regular pay day, but when the regular pay day falls on a Monday, NFCU members receive their early pay on Saturday and USAA members receive their early pay the Friday before.

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Great Thanksgiving Books for Elementary Kids

Thanksgiving is a holiday that has really lost anticipation – especially for kids. We seemingly go directly from the costume and candy hype of halloween to decking the halls for Christmas, with only menu planning for Thanksgiving inconveniently in the middle. It is no wonder that kids don’t seem too excited for Thanksgiving! Luckily, there are so many Thanksgiving books for elementary kids that we can fill November with stories that help prepare their hearts and minds with history and gratitude.

Most American children will likely have learned about the first Thanksgiving with the Native Americans and Pilgrims by the time they enter elementary school. Instilling lessons about what the holiday represents and how we can all be more giving and have more gratitude for the things and people we already have in our lives is a great way to use books.

These Thanksgiving books for elementary kids will not only provide a little history but a lot of reflection on giving and gratitude as well!

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Shoott Photography Review: A Great Way to Get Mom in the Photo

As a mom I often feel like there are very few photos of me with the kids. Most of the photos of our family live on my phone because I was the one behind the camera. There are plenty of selfies with the kiddos, but rarely do photos happen that include all of us. Thanks to Shoott, I found a super simple, and budget-friendly way to get back in the photos!

jacksonville blue bridge downtown family photo shoott

Shoott Photography Review

To be honest, I had no plans of getting professional photos done this year. I had looked at the offerings of many photographers and couldn’t justify the session fee not knowing how the photos would turn out (new baby and two boys – ages 6 and 7 – complicate life).

I’m pretty sure I saw an ad for Shoott pop up on a Facebook when I was scrolling through my newsfeed during a middle of the night feeding shortly after our little girl was born. I had not heard of Shoott before and didn’t know anyone who had a personal experience with the process. I searched for a review of Shoott and it sounded interesting. Since it was essentially free, I figured it would be fun to try with no harm if it wasn’t a good fit.

How does Shoott work?

Shoott offers essentially a mini photo session that lasts just 30 minutes. It’s perfect for families. Just schedule your time and location online. Show up, smile, go for some ice cream (or whatever it is that you bribed your family with). Check your email in a couple days for your photo gallery. And the best part, you pay only for photos you want.

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