Rookie military wife mistake. I am afraid to type it because I do not want to jinx myself and the troubles that may come because of it.

My husband is away, training - out of the country. And we have no (wincing in shame) power of attorney. Nothing. Not only do I not have a POA but he has no will. We own a home and have children and we have absolutely nothing documented to take care of our family.

And everything is in my husband's name. In my head I can hear my mother reprimanding me.  

The worst part? I know better. I've been through two deployments. I've dealt and fought with the cable companies and the banks. I know all too well that even though we are married, if the paperwork in his name, they can't help me without that very important piece of paper, without the POA.

But now, we have kids. This is a bigger deal than just trying to cancel our cable.

Military families are forced to have conversations that aren't always comfortable for many people. Not because we want to, but because it's our reality. Tragedies and accidents happen every single day. We have to be prepared for every type of situation - good or bad.
I would much rather know my husband's wishes for his family and have a tough conversation now instead of spending the rest of my life not knowing what he wanted for us in the unfortunate event that something ever happened to him. It's terrifying and dramatic and makes me nervous and sick to just thinking about it, but, it's our reality. This stuff happens and you have to prepare for it.

For a deployment, this extremely important, notarized document is mandatory. We are out of the combat billet right now but my husband has been traveling quite a bit. Back in February we realized we needed to meet with legal and square away all the necessary paperwork that would allow me to make decisions in my husband's absence.
This single bit of paperwork would tell authorities who would care for our children if something happened to me while my husband was away or vice versa. But here we are, four months later, he is gone and we have no paperwork.  
Ugh. The worst part? I know better! I advise Marines and their spouses to take care of this. And yet, my husband and I are guilty.

So for now, I am going to keep us all in a safe, little bubble. That should be easy, right?

Please, don't learn this lesson the hard way. Have the tough talks, make the appointments. Drag your kids there if you have to and give them whatever you need to and get the paperwork done.
This paperwork is a pain but it is important. And if disaster strikes, and you are caught without it, your days will be much longer and tougher than dragging the kids to a meeting with legal.
Don't learn the hard way. Get a POA.