Land of the Free Because of the Brave

 Hearts pounding…anticipation beyond belief…giddy and fidgety…tears in your eyes…cameras ready…eyes like lasers waiting for the first sight of your loved one after months of serving our country over seas.  There he is!  Excitement…peace…relief…pure happiness as you embrace and can actually feel his heartbeat for the first time in a year!

My husband,Jeff,serves our country in the US Marine Corps Reserves and spent a year away from home in training including 7 months in Iraq.  Although it was quite difficult with a 1 and 3 year old,we relied on family,friends and God to help us get through those challenging months.  With the help of a webcam and email,we were able to talk to him often but he still missed a few comforts of home.  You know,like homemade chocolate chip cookies,Snickers,pictures of the kids,and air conditioning.  We were not able to help much with the air conditioning,but every week I would take the kids and our box to the post office and mail Daddy some goodies.

The 4th of July is just around the corner so in honor of the men and women serving our country,let’s teach our kids how to care for the Marines,soldiers,airmen,and sailors who have devoted their lives to keeping us safe and America the best country in the world by sending them care packages. 

First,get a flat rate box from the post office and some packing tape.  You will have to fill out a packing slip at the post office when you mail the box.

Next,let’s fill it with goodies! 

A couple of tips: 

• if you send chocolate/candy bars,put them in baggies in case they melt
• chips like Pringles don’t get crushed as easily as bags of chips
• bottled water is everywhere for them so get the little packets of Kool Aid,Crystal Light,Lemonade,etc made for bottled water
• send hand written letters and pictures about you and your family so they know who sent the goodies
• have your kids draw pictures–they love it!
• make homemade goodies like cookies,chex mix,etc but know that they may not receive them for a couple of weeks (trust me,they still eat it in about 5 minutes!)
• homemade goodies like rice krispie treats don’t crumble as much as cookies
• baby wipes are great to wipe off sweat and sand from the desert atmosphere
• things to do–magazines,CDs,DVDs,books,Nerf balls

Last step–mail it!

Thank you for showing your patriotism and support for our troops.  They appreciate knowing they are supported and love getting mail!  Let me know if you need a service member’s name or addresses to send a care package!