Don’t let the holiday rush get the best of your wallet. Spend smart with these tips from MFAN advisors. 1. Plan ahead via GIPHY If you’re playing host this year, plan out your menu and create your shopping list in advance—that way, as sales start rolling in you can buy items on sale. Check out… Read full post
MFAN advisors are knowledgeable, solutions-oriented leaders with a common goal — to support and empower military families. We do not create new programs—our focus is communication, and accessing our network to communicate to the military family community. MFAN focuses on … Communicating with each other to understand the challenges that face our families Communicating with… Read full post
Have you heard of the Congressional Award? The Congressional Award is open to all ages 14 to 24 and all U.S. citizens in that age group living overseas, regardless of physical or developmental disabilities. This military-friendly program — which promotes volunteerism, personal development, expedition, and physical fitness — can be completed no matter where you… Read full post
This month’s featured advisor, Rebekah Sanderlin, is an Army spouse, mom, and author. Rebekah’s areas of focus within the military include deployments, relocations, and financial challenges. As a mother of three, Rebekah saw first-hand the challenges that military kids face, so she co-created the Home Is Where book series, designed to help military children overcome… Read full post
In late January, the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission (MCRMC) presented its recommendations to the President and Congress. What does the MCRMC do, again? The MCRMC was established by the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to review the existing military compensation and retirement systems. The MCRMC began work on its recommendations report in… Read full post
In a perfect world, military families would be able to freely express their military pride. These families make sacrifices every day to protect and serve our country, and deserve to be recognized for their strength, courage, and resilience. However, today, self-identifying as a member of the military community can be dangerous, so it’s important for… Read full post
In August 2014 MFAN conducted a survey (its first) to: Understand which programs military families like and depend on Identify gaps between military family needs and resources The Military Family Support Programming Survey received over 17,000 unique responses from 1,500 participants, of which nearly 90 percent were military spouses. The questions were almost completely open-ended… Read full post
MFAN released the results from its Military Family Support Programming Survey on Jan. 12. Over 1,500 people provided more than 17,000 responses about the services, resources and programs they value, resulting in five recommendations for action. The top recommendation addressed the need for public-private partnerships with nonprofit agencies to give military families seamless access to… Read full post
Education, employment, and wellness are three areas where we pledge to focus our time and energy — but we often find ourselves too overwhelmed to know where to start. That’s where MFAN comes in. The MFAN advisors have compiled a list of education, employment, and wellness resources whose authenticity and quality they stand behind and… Read full post
I had been counting down the days until we left Spain and returned to the States for Aleksei’s next assignment. But as our departure date approached, I had some surprisingly mixed emotions. Don’t get me wrong — I was thrilled at the prospect of being back in Washington, being able to work from the office… Read full post
Our move back to the States is approaching faster than I anticipated. It felt as if all of a sudden it was time to go into full throttle PCS-prep mode — meaning that it was time for us to figure out where we were going to live come October, when Aleksei starts his next duty… Read full post
I’ve been memorizing his face for weeks — this man-child of mine. In the shuffle to buy textbooks and bedding and the 5,000 other things necessary to set up his “new home” at college, THIS home begins to feel empty yet again. Tears flow without warning and I realize that it is indeed possible to… Read full post
Continued from last week … Before my move to Rota, Spain, I had forgotten what it was like to be the new kid on the block. I had lived in Washington, D.C., for over five years and I was settled — great friends, great job, great community — life was familiar and comfortable. Life in… Read full post
Here’s another list of summertime things to do to pass the time without breaking the bank: Think ahead for shopping (school supplies, Halloween costumes) Beat the crowds and start your back-to-school shopping this week. Official school supply lists might not be out yet, but you can still pick up classroom essentials like pencils, pens, and… Read full post
Continued from last week… I landed in Spain on Nov. 10, 2013, and for the first few days, I felt as if I was on vacation. We got settled in our house on base, did some shopping, planned European adventures, and explored Rota. Then reality began to set in. Don’t get me wrong: I was… Read full post
