No more pencils, no more books. No more teachers’ dirty looks! School is out and now the pressure is on moms and dads everywhere to keep boredom at bay for the next two to three months.

While every summer day can’t, and shouldn’t be, a costly, time consuming outing, museums and parks across the nation are offering sweet deals to military families this summer.

The nonprofit, Blue Star Families, has gathered support from hundreds of museums across the nation to offer free admission to military members and their families between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Visit their site for a complete map and listing.

Do you live near a National Park? You can be their guest as often as you like, for free.

The National Parks Service offers free annual passes to military members. These passes normally cost $80. The pass will allow the military member and up to three adults free entrance to sites where fees are charged. There is no entry fee for children 15 and under. The pass does not cover or provide a discount on fees for camping or boat launch. Apply for the pass in person when you enter the facility.

Learn more at their website.

Get out there and explore your nation’s finest museums and parks, for free!

Sweet friends, we made it!

My littlest, sweet boy completed kindergarten with flying colors! What had potential to be a scary and frustrating year became an amazing year full of wonderful surprises and milestones!

I watched him sit quietly and calmly while his friends were recognized as having completed kindergarten and when his name was called, I watched him "walk the red carpet" as his classmates shouted in unison, "Congratulations, Stephen! You did it!" When asked what his favorite part of kindergarten was, he shouted, "Miss May!"

Truly, I agree. Miss May, his teacher, Mrs. Brown, his paraprofessional and Mrs. Santos, another paraprofessional, were the highlight of his kinder experience. I confess to you, as I did to Miss May that I was nervous for Stephen to have a first year teacher, but she was exactly the right fit. His entire team, from the school nurse who helped with hygiene, to speech, to occupational therapy, to the special needs teachers and the administrators - they were all the right team at the right time.

I have said it before, and I will say it again, thank you for taking a chance on him and believing in him. It makes all the difference in the world when the entire team is behind the student.

For those of you who feel that maybe your team is not working together as well as you think they should, don't lose heart. Continue to fight the good fight for your child. Remember to come to the table armed with information about your child and a willingness to think outside of the box to resolve issues that arise. Be open to what the team is telling you and remember to be honest with yourself about your child’s capabilities. Ask questions - as many as it takes. Remember to listen more than you speak. But above all else, be passionate without being emotional!

What an exciting and amazing year littlest, sweet boy has had, and I predict great things for him!!!

Strength and Courage ... sby

No less than nine moving trucks lined our street in base housing this week.

The screech of packing tape being pulled across boxes echoed along the avenue.

Are we there yet?

It is PCS season: time for new friends, new adventure and the bittersweet goodbye that comes with leaving behind those who have supported us through thick and thin.

Join our staff writers as they share more of their best and worst PCS tales over the years. And then, get back to sorting!

Samantha Carroll

Our move from Fort Rucker, Ala. to Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., consisted of seven hours in the car. I traveled with our one-year-old who was grumpy after receiving his baby shots and a 65-pound German shepherd. My husband drove alone in the other car. We had been bickering a bit before we left, due to the general stress of moving.

We got separated early on and didn't know we would lose cell service. I left several minutes after him, made a wrong turn and couldn’t seem to find him. Still, I didn't worry, because I had my map. And, since I was slightly irritated with him, I certainly didn't want him to know I'd made a mistake! 

I continued on my merry way for an hour or more and assumed we'd just meet up at our destination. All of a sudden, I saw a silver bullet whiz past me, pull over and flash its lights. It was my husband! While I was driving along, happy because the baby was sleeping and the dog was quiet, thinking I'd show him I could do just fine, he'd been fretting.

We'd purchased new phones the day before and he thought the service problem was our phones. Not being able to reach us, he had stopped at a store, purchased a disposable phone, tried to activate it, but had no service. Frustrated, he threw the phone on the floor, then drove like a bat from you know where, and decided to pull over and wait for us. He had been sitting, waiting for us, saw what he thought was our vehicle and buzzed out in the road to flag us down!

Moving tip: When you pack your car with your clothes and children's toys for immediate needs, remember to pack yourself two plastic wine glasses. My husband and I are big wine fans and we love to toast our first night in our new place. Grab a bottle of wine on the way in and enjoy. Who knows when your good glasses will arrive!

Sarah B. Young

I think my sweet soldier’s favorite Young family PCS story is of our first PCS from Ft. Benning, Ga. to Ft. Huachuca, Ariz. We were due for our final inspection of quarters and this was back when the inspector would lean into the wall to make sure that the caulk perfectly filled the hole. I am now a caulking ninja! All of our belongings that were traveling with us were out in the yard waiting to be loaded on the truck. We loaded the truck and he signed out of post. We were officially homeless.

My sweet soldier called the Ft. Huachuca housing office and they told him on Friday that if we could get there by Monday we would have a house right then. We faxed in our paperwork and we were ready to go.

Early Saturday morning, we got on the road: a soldier fresh from the fight, a newly unemployed mom and a nine-month-old. We were in a big pickup truck that was packed from front to back, towing an SUV that was packed from back to front. We drove 26 hours and stopped for a little bit in Abilene, Texas, for sweet soldier to rest.

As we drove down the highway, I looked as my sweet soldier and said, "You know where you're going, right?" He replied, "No, I just figured when we got close, we would follow the signs." As a "planner" type of person, that sent me into a tailspin! How could he not know where we are going?

Everything ended up being ok, we made it and we got our house Monday morning. But that first move taught me it's ok if everything isn't planned out fully and now that I have 5 moves under my belt, I've become much more relaxed.

My advice for others is don't try to take everything with you. I used to worry about our things but I now allow the movers to take china, movies and even some clothes!

In this PCS season, may the moving gods smile upon you and may only the junk that you don't like get broken!

Strength and Courage … sby

Moving to far flung locations is great for your scrapbook. It’s not so great if you have no idea how to prepare for a hurricane, tornado, tsunami or other natural disaster common to your new home.

We were in Hawaii all of six months when the tsunami sirens wailed. Ummm. Huh. And on an island you, go, where?

Exactly.

Military families can find themselves at a huge disadvantage when they are faced with Mother Nature’s wrath. Locals may have experienced it before, or at a minimum, grew up learning how to be prepared. We have to rely on our neighbor’s advice, often at the last minute.

Don’t worry. There’s an app for that.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has developed a free app for iOS and Android users. The program helps users choose items for emergency kits and put emergency procedures into place for their families, such as picking a meeting location after a disaster. The app also lists links to recovery assistance for disaster survivors and has a recovery section for those who are rebuilding after disaster strikes.

And on the web:

www.ready.gov, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has built an entire website dedicated to schooling citizens on preparing for disasters ranging from forest fires to hurricanes. There are lists, stories, blogs, videos, a whole smorgasbord of info that teach what to do before, during and after an emergency; how to build a kit and make a plan and how to support your community in disaster preparedness and recovery. There are even games for kids.

http://www.redcross.org/prepare, The Red Cross’s website offers much of the same support as FEMA’s but includes planning tips for preparing for emergencies if you are caught at school, on the road or at work. This site is also a little easier to read with less options flashing across the screen.

Most states also have a website dedicated to natural disaster prep. Google your state name and the words “disaster preparation” to begin a search for the best advice your state can offer.

Hurricane season begins June 1. Thousands of military family members are now enjoying their new homes along America’s coastlines, thanks to PCS season. Before you open the grill and hit the beach, take a few moments to learn how to survive when those beautiful ocean waters churn with the power of a hurricane. A few hours of prep can mean the difference between life and death.

Deployments suck. We can all agree on that. But what we may not be able to agree on is how deployments change people. We, hopefully, learn a lot about ourselves during deployment. I learned that I am stronger than I ever thought I could be and maybe you did too.

As our sweet soldiers return, we find that they have changed too. They may have become callused to what we know as everyday life. They may have a physical injury, a mental injury or even an addiction of one sort or another.

But the truth as I see it is, "I want to be where you {as my spouse} are." I want to reconnect with you. I want to help us become a functioning family unit again. I want to show you that you are still a part of the family no matter what.

I encourage you, no matter where you and your sweet soldier are, to take him or her by the hand and have a genuine conversation about where you are. It may be uncomfortable, but I think it will be worth it.

I used this song a few weeks ago, but something occurred to me on my run this morning. There are a lot of songs on my playlist that repeat and mostly that is because it is a song that encourages me when I feel like giving up.

So please listen to this song as my encouragement to you, sweet friend. Once we have muddled through this point and we have really connected with our spouse and dealt with the snakes in all of our heads, "There won't be any hearts breaking again. This is the part where I stay where I stand. Oh, I want to be where you are and I'm willing to get there."

Strength and Courage ... sby

We have been in North Carolina for 10 days. The movers came and went, everything is unpacked and slowly finding a place in our new house. My husband is back in the swing of work and is coming home late every day. 

It's been an exhausting week but we are happy. Tired, but happy. Still, there were definitely bumps along the way.

This was my first move with two kiddos and it has definitely been challenging. I knew I would have a lot of work to do but I underestimated how much extra work my boys would create.

The baby is walking now which means he is running and getting into everything. My two-year-old says he loves his new house but he is out of his routine and acting out because of it. When he notices that we are busy he becomes a little Dennis the Menace to seek any sort of attention.

I buzzed around the house to get everything done. I thought, the quicker we were settled, the better we would all be. But between the kids’ acting out and my husband’s absence from home as he spent long days at work, I burned out quickly and spent a few nights sobbing. 

I have realized that being settled doesn't happen overnight. Just because you unpack your whole household in a day doesn't mean the move is over. It takes time to get into a new routine and make a home. My family comes first and I cannot do it all in a week. Our house is livable and pictures can be put up later. The closets can be sorted when the boys are in bed. The boxes of keepsakes and memories can wait for me in the garage. As much as my kids crave routine, so do I. 

Now, we are exploring playgrounds and things to do in our new little town. For the first time in a year we even have our own yard to play in. I played outside with my kids and found myself laughing for the first time in days. Being together and making new memories makes a home. Slowly but surely we will be "moved in" and settled. But for now, my family needs me and most importantly, I need them.

Is it really a coincidence that PCS season coincides with hurricane season? Like a storm, a PCS move can turn your world upside down in a very short amount of time.

PCS. The three letters can spell disaster, joy, new opportunities or new hurdles. Most seasoned military wives have had easy PCS and the proverbial PCS from hell. The only constant is that as long as you are a military family, you will, at some point, PCS.

Please take a moment to laugh and cry with our staff writers as they share their best and worst PCS moments in a series of stories that will run over the next two weeks.

Ann Marie Dombrowski

My most memorable PCS would have to be my very first military move. As a newlywed of six months, we made a cross-country PCS to the west coast. We had no children and a one bedroom apartment. The trip from Virginia to California should have been easy.

But instead of seeing the country and taking our time, like I envisioned, I saw a couple of cheap motels and rest areas. We made the trip in three days. My husband literally dropped me off at a hotel in California and left for almost two months for training in the desert. I received our first housing assignment on base by myself and didn't receive our household goods until two weeks later, in two different shipments. I remember crying to myself on an air mattress while I watched chick flicks that I had rented from Blockbuster to watch on my laptop.

And, I can't forget about my microwaveable dinners for one. Or the fire I almost started "cooking" it. I totally had a pity party for those few weeks I was alone. I wasn't sure I would make it as a military wife. Little did I know, but that first move was just about the easiest experience I have had as a military spouse and PCSing. Ever.

My best advice for moving would be to get as organized as possible and be involved. Easier said than done, I know, so here is a list:

• Record the names of the moving companies who are contracted to move you, the dates, times and names of anyone you speak to regarding the move and cancelation of services like cable and utilities
• Weed through your goods before your move so you have less to do after your move
• Even if you are not physically moving your goods yourself, you have to be as active in the move as possible because no one will take care of your belongings like you will. Don't be afraid to be assertive!

Rebecca Yarros

When we PCS’d from Germany, it was a calamity of errors.  Armed with a husband who doesn’t travel well (unless you consider cranky “well,”), a four year-old, three year-old and three month-old, we were ready to head back stateside. 

First, in Nurnberg, we almost missed our flight due to a scanner malfunction as it read our passports. Upon arriving in Frankfurt we learned the airline lost the double stroller that we gate-checked.  Now envision my 6’4” husband crawling under the plane to see if they missed it. They didn’t. We had three kids under age four in a huge airport and no stroller. But that’s what they make luggage carts for, right?

Twelve hours, one stressed-out mom and three cranky babes later, we arrived in Atlanta. Hallelujah!  However, we missed our flight to Dothan, Alabama.

Problem? Yes. Fort Rucker had agreed to let us sign for brand-spanking-new housing, but only if we signed for it on the first at 9:00 a.m. Waiting another day for a flight was not an option for us.  “No problem,” we said.  “We’ll drive. It’s only four hours, right?”

Well, sure, except they wouldn’t let us leave with any of our luggage since it was checked through even though we had our luggage in our hands so we could clear customs. Luckily, the car-seats were carried on, but the pack-n-play for Chase to sleep in?  Nope, they wouldn’t let us have it. This was not my idea of southern hospitality. 

So, we rented a minivan and drove to Fort Rucker. Once we arrived, extremely jet lagged, the Inn at Fort Rucker was full, despite our email confirmation of a reservation. The only place within a forty minute drive that had a hotel room (after two hours of looking) was a motel with one vacant room. When we walked in, the furniture was tossed every which way like a frat party had just gone down, but when you have three kids that haven’t slept in twenty-four hours, well… 

Good news is, once we woke up the next morning we signed for our brand-new housing, and the PCS from Hell was over.  That’s always the silver lining of PCS’s - eventually you move in and they’re over. 

Let me say upfront, I really enjoy working from home.

I am incredibly lucky to have found not just a company I believe in, but who has given me the opportunity to work with co-workers I love, all from the comfort of my kitchen table.

However, I miss my cubicle.

There, I said it.

I also miss chatting with co-workers, eating in the lunchroom and, gasp, wearing real shoes to work that usually pinch my toes and make me dread walking across the parking lot.

Sure, I message my current co-workers throughout the day, talk to them on the phone and even on Facebook.

But, at lunch, I’m at my kitchen table – alone.

If I have a funny story to tell it’s only to myself – alone.

If I want to listen to someone else’s funny story, it’s all online – I’m alone.

And the only distraction I have from the daily grind is monitoring the antics of my two toddler daughters who always seem to empty a bottle of something sticky all over the living table at least once a day. It was funny - the first time. 

To be fair, there are perks to working alone. I never wear shoes. I can cook a yummy lunch rather than settle for the soggy sandwich in my lunch bag. I can cuddle with my messy, troublesome toddlers right after I’m done sopping up whatever they’ve destroyed.

But on days when the dog won’t stop barking, the toddlers have dumped now three bottles of sticky stuff all over the house, the handyman is dragging mud across the floor as he fixes a toilet and the phone won’t stop ringing, courtesy of the doctor’s office – I really miss my cubicle.

I miss being able to hide from the rest of the days’ requirements and simply concentrate on work, enveloped in the gray, plain blanket of a cubicle. The multi-tasking circus act I call working from home is exhausting.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to return to the 9 to 5 grind on fulltime basis. I have become, in essence, spoiled by the freedom of setting my own schedule at home.

However, there are days when the trappings of a cubicle never looked sweeter.

Nothing is constant, except change.

That is what I have been told since I began dating the Army 12 years ago. We marry it. We move with it. We have children with it. It deploys our hearts. It kills our minds - or maybe that was the adult beverages we drank to deal with the changes. It brings sweet soldiers home. It causes chaos and adventure all in the same moment.

For me, change is both frightening and exciting and I try my best to embrace it.

Sweet soldier has transitioned to a new job and that means a new role for me. I’m learning from friends and mentors how to welcome senior spouses into our unit properly and how to warmly welcome and mentor junior spouses. I hope to learn how to better assist the leaders of our unit in supporting families and soldiers.

My children are also changing and that is frightening and exciting too. Oldest sweet boy will begin his final year in elementary school in the fall. Sweet girl wants to take on some new activities. And littlest sweet boy will continue to learn to negotiate life on his own terms.

The fact that the Army is changing is probably the most frightening and exciting. When I began to date my soldier and thus, the Army, it was pre-9/11. He had long hours as the executive officer of a training battalion, but the only real danger was that some new recruit would accidentally discharge his weapon in the wrong direction at the range.

We married post-9/11 and our lives have been excitingly chaotic ever since. With the thought of deployments winding down, as troops are withdrawn from the battlefield, my fear surfaced. We have spent over half of our marriage apart. Can we learn to be a family unit as we transition back to an Army family not living under the cloud of the next deployment?

As I began to ponder what my Army life would become, I kept going back to two key points. First, we have to learn to deal with finances as a couple and not wait for the next deployment. Second, we as a family have to learn to be a team - even if it kills us. Once those two items are mastered, everything else will either fall into place or not seem so big.

I hope you will continue to listen to the Soundtrack of My Life. You have no idea how much of an encouragement it is to me to hear from you and to give and receive support. We are always stronger together than we are apart.

I also hope that you will follow my fellow bloggers Brittany and Rebecca as they journey through their deployments. Give them the Strength and Courage that we have shared over the last year.

Thank you for your Strength and Courage ... sby

I sat down to e-mail my husband last week. It is my little, daily ritual that sometimes makes me feel like I’m keeping a teenage diary again.

After all, it’s largely a one-way conversation. Often it is weeks, sometimes months, before I get a reply.

Sometimes the silence is no big deal, like when my day consists largely of feeding and cleaning up after our children - over and over and over again.

And some days, like the day I stayed glued to the TV as I watched the horror that unfolded at the Boston Marathon, I hate it.

I feel alone. And unimportant.  And maybe even a little bit abandoned.

I’m stuck at home dealing with all of this, while he’s in a place most of us can’t even picture in our mind’s eye.

Sure, my feelings seem insane. After all, my husband didn’t abandon me. He went to work and his job just happens to require him to be away and largely unreachable for large chunks of time.

But day after day of going at it alone, I start to get worn down.

I’m plugging along – scrambling eggs, changing diapers, washing towels – and all of a sudden, I realize, I’m really tired.

Tired of being the only one in charge.  Tired of being alone.  Tired of being in the trenches.

I was at the commissary yesterday and ran into another wife whose husband is stationed on the same boat as mine.

She was fishing through her purse for more Goldfish crackers for her cranky kids while she tried to buy toilet paper.

“It has to get better, right?  This too shall pass, right?” she said, looking at me with that grimace-smile I notice many of us adopting during the bad deployment weeks.

“I’m holding out hope it will get easier,” I joke, then laugh.

But I know it’s an empty laugh.

She looks like me.

Tired. Aggravated. Done.

I’m done loading the kids up when we need just one thing from the store.

I’m done sitting alone on a Saturday night.

I’m done with the highlight of our week being the big reveal on How I Met Your Mother or the shower I managed to take without hearing the baby bawling over the monitor.

I’m done.

Except, I’m not.

The Navy’s not done. The mission is not done. My husband is not done.

And so, I keep plugging on.

I remind myself how much less laundry there is when he’s deployed or how I don’t have to share the TV remote, comfortable pillow, or ice cream. I think about venturing into vegetarian cooking while he’s not there to poke at the lentils and ask, “Um, where’s the meat?” 

It’s called coping.

Because even though I’m done, the deployment isn’t.

Not yet. Not even by a long shot.

So bring on my TV remote, veggie burger and big comfy pillow.

If I can’t be done, I might as well make the most of it.

Follow Brittany at www.brittsbeat.com