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Blue Star Museums - What a Great Summer! | Post date: 09/07/2010 - 19:24

by Kathy Roth-Douquet

(Drawing by Charley Roth-Douquet, inspired by the Met's Arms & Armor Room.)

What a summer this has been for military families, thanks to the Blue Star Museum program! My kids and I travelled up the east coast late June through early August, stopping at museums along the way. The exhibits themselves were wonderful, great for any American family. But there was something very special for us as a military family, in every place that we went. We felt welcome, and even more, we felt reflected in what we saw.

In every museum, from small towns to big cities, we met smiles when we told the ticket agents that we were there for the Blue Star Museum program. Folks seemed genuinely pleased to be able to offer the program, and to support us. People who work in museums tend to love them, and so they know they are sharing something meaningful – its more than a phrase, a ‘thank you for your service.’ It’s a connection, to be able to share what these institutions have to offer.

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Tale of a Wounded Warrior | Post date: 09/02/2010 - 23:43

BSF Board member Charles Eggleston and his wife, BSF Development Director, Pamela Stokes Eggleston, will be speaking at the Defense Forum Washington September 10, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Here's a preview of their story from our friends at the Military Officers Association of America:

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Ask the Milies: Can My Husband Come Home When I Give Birth? | Post date: 09/02/2010 - 00:20

by Jacqueline Goodrich, Ask the Milies

My husband is convinced that when he deploys and I go into labor that he can come home on emergency leave and be able to stay for a month... Is this true or is someone pulling his leg? ~Brigette

Congratulations on the addition to your family, Brigette!

Personally I have never heard of a service member getting emergency leave for a normal pregnancy and delivery. However, if your husband is going to be gone long enough that he gets two weeks of R and R usually they give births top priority. That means he would be sent home around your due date, and as close as possible to it. The leave time is still 14-15 days (that just really depends on the time of day he gets back to the states) and can only be extended in a medical emergency. One thing he should do right away is check with his chain of command about the military’s fairly new paternity leave policy. New fathers are given extra leave time but during a deployment they may not be able to spare him for that long. Only his command will know the answer to that one.

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Friends, Family and Museums | Post date: 08/31/2010 - 21:17

by Sophie Roth-Douquet, BSF Daughter

(Photo by Kathy Roth-Douquet. Charley Roth-Douquet sketches the armor at the Met.)

This summer my family is going on a huge road trip. The theme of our road trip is friends, family and museums. This blog is about the museums we visited on our road trip. The museum I'm going to tell you about is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has been my favorite museum so far. While visiting some friends in New York we decided to stop by the Met. Once there we made a bee-line to the arms and armor section as a request from my brother Charley. He immediately plopped down and started drawing the armor. My mom and I went around admiring the armor decoration. It was amazing. We also found a piece of armor that was larger than the others and we discovered was King Henry VIII's armor. He was an English king who was known for being rather large.

After a while my mom and I abandoned Charley and went to the American wing next door. We stopped at the atrium and mom showed me some Tiffany glass which was her favorite. It was then that I got a favorite to. My favorite was an autumn scene with trees with red and gold leaves on either side of the picture and in the distance there were some mountains and a pond in front of it which trickled down into another pond right in front of the viewer.

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Google Digital Literacy Tour for Military Families | Post date: 08/30/2010 - 23:10

In 2009, Google launched a Digital Literacy Tour with the goal of teaching families how to use the internet safely and responsibly. They partnered with iKeepSafe, an online safety organization, to develop an in-class curiculum and animated video series. Topics include reading web sites for truth or fiction; online citizenship; general Internet safety; and playing and staying safe on YouTube.

Military families are always concerned with online safety, particularly because we, and our children, use the internet to keep in touch with deployed family members and family and friends all over the world. The internet makes the lives of military families just a bit easier in this time of multiple deployments and increased OpTempo. Last Veteran's Day, Google teamed up with BSF to offer priority Google Voice memberships to BSF members, helping military families stay in touch with their loved ones.

Now, Google is stepping up to help military families again, offering Digital Literacy materials and information to military families. Let's help our kids become responsible online citizens. Thank you, Google!

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Blue Star Families Hits BlogHer, NYC and the Museum of Modern Art | Post date: 08/26/2010 - 07:22

(Photo left by Stephanie Himel-Nelson: bloggers examine Pages of Ode à l'Oubli, a cloth book by Louise Bourgeois, installed in the MoMA's Mind and Matter exhibit.)

Last week, bloggers from all over the country and beyond gathered in New York for the annual BlogHer convention. So, of course, Blue Star Families was there!

This was my third BlogHer. I attended in 2007 and 2008 but I skipped the conference last year to get in a quick romantic vacation with my husband without the kids! (Who can turn that down?) So I was excited to see the panels, see some of my bloggy friends, and meet new bloggers. This year, I spoke on a panel on behalf of Blue Star Families, Creating Tangible Social Change: How to Move People to Action. (More on that in another post!) But one of the events I most eagerly anticipated, was the Blue Star Museums event planned at the Museum of Modern Art during the BlogHer convention!

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Ask the Milies: Sending off your loved one | Post date: 08/25/2010 - 21:27

by Kerry-Ann Ellington, Ask the Milies

Dear Milies,

Hi, my husband is deploying in several weeks, and I have 2 projects I have finished so far to send with him. One is a What I Love About You book I filled out, and another is a bag full of little notes (one for each day he's there). I was wondering if you ladies had anymore ideas for things I could do to let him know I love him and distance will never change that. We have a great relationship, but this is our first deployment and I'm just looking for little ideas to send with him.

~Lindsey

Lindsey, I think what you're doing to show your love and support to your hubby is absolutely adorable and so sweet. You seem to have a pretty good handle on how best to support your hubby. My only suggestion to you would be to write a letter or sweet note or draw a picture and mail it everyday that way he'll receive at least one item from you each day. This will get his mind off having to be away from you and from having to fight in a war. It's something he can look forward to everyday and something you both will remember for the rest of your lives.

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Balance Your Life While Continuing Your Education | Post date: 08/23/2010 - 11:10

by Colleen Reed, MSCCN Volunteer

As overwhelming as it sounds, continuing your education while being a military spouse, mother, and/or a full-time employee is quite common. Don’t let the added responsibility scare you. I have been both the enrollment advisor for a university and the student wanting to continue my education online.

Before I go into any details, I want to address some common fears and questions:

#1 You are NEVER too old to pursue your education or higher education. In the online community, 60% (or more) are adults over the age of 35 and pursuing their long-time goal of continued education.

#2 What is the difference between online and on campus? Online classes give you the ability to obtain your education from home. You do not have to spend on gas or commute time to get to class (unless you choose to). You are given contact information for the school, staff, tutoring, library, book stores, financial aid, etc., so all of your questions can be answered. On campus classes are just what it says; you attend the school or facility and sit amongst peers.

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Ask the Milies: Dealing With the Unknown | Post date: 08/18/2010 - 23:52
by Jacqueline Goodrich, Ask the Milies

Adrienne has met the love of her life and he happens to be a soldier stationed in Korea. Here are her questions:

He and I are going to get married as soon as he has leave. After we get married we are going to put in all the important information in for me to move to Korea with him.

I am super anxious and I guess my question(s) have to be....
1. Any really great tips for a new Army wife?!
2. How on EARTH do you deal with the NOT KNOWING what is going to happen exactly?
! I think that is the thing that I am worried about most! I hate not knowing WHEN exactly he has leave! How am I supposed to plan a wedding without a date?!
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Books on Bases Hits Hawaii | Post date: 08/16/2010 - 16:10

Earlier this month, Blue Star Families hit Hawaii with our Books on Bases, Smiles on Faces program. You can read more about the popular Blue Star Families program here. If you'd like to bring Books on Bases to your military community, email books@bluestarfam.org.

By Vanessa Lynch, U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii Public Affairs

Photo credit Vanessa Lynch, U.S. Army Garrrison-Hawaii Public Affairs
Emily Blake, 3, poses with a book she checked out at the Sgt. Yano Library, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, during the "Books on Bases, Smiles on Faces" event, Aug. 4, 2010.

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii (Aug. 12, 2010) - The military and Hawaii are close to Loree Tillman's heart.

While vacationing on Oahu 18 years ago, she met her future husband, Capt. Hank Tillman, who was stationed at Pearl Harbor with the Navy.

She has come full circle since her vacation. Instead of spending her summer vacation basking in the sun or taking in the scenery, Tillman, director of programs for Blue Star Families and "Military Spouse" magazine's 2010 Navy Spouse of the Year, made Hawaii a priority stop on her nationwide tour to distribute books to military children.

"I didn't want the West Coast to forget that we have Soldiers and families stationed here in Hawaii, and that they need our support as well," Tillman said.

She added that the program's goal is to have a positive impact on military children through book donation.

Blue Star Families and Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. joined forces to bring the joy of reading to military children by donating new books to military-impacted libraries and schools.

"Having free books and being able to promote literacy is terrific," said Bonnie Dong, supervisory librarian at Sgt. Yano Library here.

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