During the heat of summer (and spring in some places), the pool is a great place to cool off. Splashing around is super fun, but it’s important to be alert to the possible dangers, too.

Stay Safe at the Pool this Summer

Sure, the pool is fun and exciting – a place to relax and kick back for a while.

As a former lifeguard, I am all too aware of just how quickly a fun day at the pool can turn into a nightmare. Before you head out for a day of splashing in the cool water, take a minute to review the basics of pool safety.

Yes, you’re 100% going to hear some or all of these tips throughout the summer at the pool. In my opinion, you can’t hear pool rules and advice to keep you safe often enough.

Keep Littles Close

My husband always rolls his eyes when I insist that my kids stay close at all times when we’re at a pool. But I follow this rule for a reason.

In the middle of splashing around in the pool, it’s incredibly easy to slip and fall or get very literally in over their heads. Stick close to your younger swimmers in the pool.

Babies, toddlers and even younger elementary aged kids need to be watched closely at pools. Yes, even in the kiddie pool or zero entry pools.

Hold babies in your arms or keep a hand on a secure floatation device. Try to stay within arms reach of preschoolers and toddlers, even if it means being constantly in and out of the pool with your child. Older kids who are not confident swimmers should always stay where they can comfortably touch, with their head above water.

Walk, Don’t Run

Sometimes, I might beat the on-duty lifeguards to the punch, shouting “Don’t run!” at kids who are moving a smidge too fast. Sorry, it’s a reflex! But I’ve also seen my fair share of icky pool deck injuries caused by a slip and fall due to running.

Pool decks are super slick and slippery. It’s easy to lose your balance or fall if you’re moving quickly.

Even with the non-slip mats along the edge of the water, the best way to stay safe on deck is to walk carefully. Go slow and stay well away from the edge at all times.

Kids are often the most frequent runners at the pool. They’re excited and want to start having fun, swimming around. Remind them to walk slowly and carefully at all times. If they do run, don’t hesitate to sit them out as a consequence.

Hold your younger children’s hands at all times on the pool deck. It’s incredibly easy for little ones to wander too close to the deep end or forget about walking slowly.

Know Your Limits

One of the scariest lifeguard trainings is a drowning video. On the screen, you see a little boy edge his way out to join his pals in the deep end. This child is not a deep water swimmer. Near his buddies, he releases from the wall, takes a few strokes and silently panics before slipping under the surface. The next movement is a lifeguard diving in to rescue him.

It all took under 30 seconds and his friends never even saw him moving toward them or drowning.

Whether you (or your child) are an experienced or beginner swimmer, it’s important to know your skill set and limits. It’s very tempting to head to the deep end with buddies or take a jump off the high board to be brave.

But swimming in deeper water than you’re used to can also be very risky. Bravery can quickly turn to panic as a swimmer tires, but is unable to reach safety or feels like they must save face in front of their friends.

Kids and adults, especially males, are at risk of pushing their limits at the pool.

Kids need to stay with a parent and/or in their designated areas. Pools typically require that minor children complete a swim assessment before moving into deeper water or jumping slides and diving boards. Color-coded bracelets or other markers are issued to swimmers to indicate where they are permitted to swim. Never swap bracelets with a more experienced swimmer.

For adults, there are not usually swim tests to access the deep end or the slides and diving boards. However, knowing your personal limits at the pool is extremely important.

Keep Parenting at the Pool

The pool is for relaxing, right? Not if you have kids with you! Anytime you are bringing children to the pool, it’s your primary job to keep them safe. Yes, even if they are super experienced swimmers who could one day make the Olympics.

The lifeguard staff is there in the event of a life-threatening emergency. They are not there to fetch your child toys, break up too rough play or constantly remind your child to walk.

There are maybe 12, at most, people on staff to protect several dozen swimmers. If the lifeguards are spending their time correcting minor unsafe behaviors, they might miss a person who is actually in danger.

At the pool, keep on parenting. Watch your child(ren), correct unsafe behavior and issue consequences as needed. Rushing to grab a kickboard could quickly turn into a head wound due to a slip and fall. Breath holding contests can turn into drownings. And a few too many open-mouth dunks underwater could lead to vomiting poolside.

All of these will ruin your relaxing day at the pool. Stay vigilant.

Adult Safely Solo

No kids for you? Perfect! Your day got easier by a good bit.

But it’s still important to stay safe at the pool. Remember to keep alcohol consumption to a minimum since it impairs judgement and could lead to unnecessary risk taking.

Taking breaks from the water to relax, eat, hydrate and reapply sunscreen is also crucial.

With a little extra caution and situational awareness, your relaxing pool day can be super fun!

What are your pool safety tips that often get overlooked? We’d love to share key ways to keep our community safe this summer!

I grew up with a garden – really just a giant sized kitchen garden – full of veggies, herbs and flowers. Every spring, I would watch my Dad till the soil, the my sister and I would follow behind and pick out the rocks. Then we would go to the garden center to pick out seeds and seedlings. After we carefully planted everything, I loved watching each little sprout grow!

Now that we move every three years and are kind of limited in space, my garden has shrunk considerably. Base and rental houses are not exactly excited about having full-on veggie gardens, tilled soil and all.

Grow a Container Garden No Matter Where You’re Planted

So for the last decade or so, I’ve been creating mini container gardens at each of my homes. Now, I’m certainly no expert, but my potted plants have done pretty well so far.

Start Small & Hardy

Whether you grew up around veggie patches or are just starting to dig in the dirt, it’s important to start small. Like really small, as in just one plant.

Pick something hardy and easy to care for with a proven track record of success. If you’re not sure, consult with an expert at a local gardening center or nursery. Shopping small and hyper-local instead of hitting the big box stores is definitely the right move in this situation.

Sometimes, starting with an herb like rosemary or mint is the right move. Both are super sturdy and do well in many environments, including drier climates and sub-tropical zones. I’ve successfully cultivated thriving rosemary plants in both of these locations!

Pick the Right Pots & Soil

Not every plant grows in the same soil or needs the same kinds of pots and containers. Each type of plant needs a different amount of space above the ground, plus depth and room to spread out their roots.

Before you stick your new plants into just any old pots, do a little research into what they need. Ask that local garden expert what your new sprout needs. Keep in mind that you might need to swap out pots as your plant grows up, too.

Just like pots and containers, each plant needs a specific type of soil. Dirt has different pH levels and nutrient contents. Plants will respond to some soil better than others.

For example, my Mom tried to grow hydrangeas for years and years. Every spring, they would grow beautiful, lush leaves but never even bud or blossom. Turns out, the soil was way too acidic and well irrigated for the bushes to fully develop. Once she added in a different fertilizer, she’s had amazing giant flowers every year!

Be Realistic About the Work

Plants take work and space, some more than others. Before you commit to growing pumpkins and tomatoes, know what you’re getting into first.

Every garden needs to be watered and weeded, but there are ways to make that simpler. Drip irrigation systems can help make watering more hands-off. Plus, there are ways to set up your garden, like the square foot method, to maximize space and cut down on weeds.

Setting up a schedule to delegate plant tending duties can be super helpful. It also helps you to keep track of watering and weeding to make sure that you don’t over tend your pots.

Plant within Your Space Limits

You also need to consider your space limitations. Vine-type plants, like pumpkins and cukes, need a good bit of space. Not super ideal if all you’ve got is a 4×4 raised bed.

But there are ways to grow lots of plants in small spaces, like training vine plants with lighter veggies or fruits up a trellis or using another vertical gardening technique.

Co-planting techniques, like the infamous Three Sisters (beans, squash, corn), can greatly maximize your space and increase your output.

Grow What You Like

Pick veggies, herbs and flowers you actually enjoy. If you don’t love tomatoes, don’t plant them!

I love roses and try to find a way to plant at least one rosebush at every single one of our houses. In fact, my original rose garden is still blooming in base housing at Camp Pendleton! My Okinawan roses are about to be passed down to a neighbor.

I also always grow rosemary and basil, plus other herbs that might be harder to find. In Okinawa, whole leaf sage is really limited. So I grew my own! Those leaves sure made my Thanksgiving turkey super tasty!

Whether you’re aiming for a colorful plot full of blooms or an ultra-productive veggie patch, follow your heart and what you can honestly handle! Sticking to these guidelines, plus consulting with a local gardening center, can help you have a positive container gardening experience.

Do you container garden? Share your best tips and tricks with our community!

The silent ranks, holding down the home front, doing all the things. Military spouses are there, 24/7/365, providing support for their serving spouses, keeping things even keeled at home. Too often, we accept the service and sacrifice of military spouses as just what happens.

But military spouses do quite a lot to make sure that our troops can complete their missions. This May, show the military spouses in your life just how much their dedication means to you!

Celebrate Military Spouses on May 10!

Honoring military spouses is really pretty simple – mostly, just say how you feel. But if you’d like to do a little more to show your appreciation, try these tips and ideas!

Celebrate MilSpouses in Your Unit

Host a celebration event in honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day! Plan a small luncheon, brunch or coffee social and invite the spouses in your unit. You can use the on-base MWR facilities to help plan and coordinate your event.

At your event, give away prizes and honor individual spouses for their efforts to support the unit or base.

If you don’t have the funds for an event, you could find another way to honor spouses. Send cards to the spouses in your unit with a handwritten note of appreciation. You could also share a video message from the command team on social media.

Celebrate MilSpouses in Your Home

Are you a married service member? Then you should 100% be honoring the military spouse in your life on May 10!

Try these easy ideas:

• Schedule a spa day: just a simple single treatment or a full day of pampering
• Make it a date: take your spouse out on the town, eating at your favorite places and maybe catching a movie
• Say it with flowers or plants: bring home a big bouquet of flowers or a plant to add to the garden
• DIY dinner date: make a special meal at home – then do the dishes
• Write a note: say “thanks” for all the ways your spouse makes your military missions possible in a thoughtful note
• Take over at home: give your spouse the day off, while you take over all the household details – it’ll give you a new appreciation for all they do

Mostly, just taking time out of your day to show how much you care is what’s important. Your spouse does a lot and sacrifices quite a bit to make your family’s military life as smooth as possible.

Treat Your MilSpouse Friends

Military spouses know that our biggest supports are each other. Through deployments and trainings, long nights and early mornings, your fellow military spouses are 100% there for you.

Take time on May 10 to show your core crew of military spouse friends your appreciation.

Make the day special with these ideas:

• Go out for brunch or lunch: pick a cool cafe or swank restaurant for a nice meal out together
• Host a MilSpouse night in: invite your closest pals over for a night in, complete with dinner and drinks; ask your collective spouses to watch your kids
• Have a fun night out: grab some sitters (or your spouses) and head out for a fancy dinner and drinks in town
• Drop off flowers: show your best military spouse friends the love with a small bouquet of flowers; give your blooms at lunch or leave a sweet surprise at their door
• Send a note: send a sweet card to your friends, showing your appreciation for their support and love

For some military spouses, you might be the only person to show your appreciation on May 10. Spread the love and show just how much having a strong community means to you!

Show Yourself Appreciation

Let’s be real: not many people outside of the military community even know about or recognize Military Spouse Appreciation Day. So, fellow military spouses, treat yourself to a little pampering and relaxation today.

• Enjoy a nice beverage: relax at a cafe or restaurant, even your own dining room table, savoring the beverage of your choice
• Buy yourself blooms: brighten up your day with a personally picked bouquet with all your favorite flowers
• Grab lunch: treat yourself to lunch at your favorite local spot
• Just sit: seriously, take a minute and just sit down, do nothing for a while
• Binge watch a guilty pleasure: host a tv or movie marathon of your all-time favorites; munch on yummy snacks while you watch

No matter what happens or who else remembers Military Spouse Appreciation Day, it’s important to take time to recognize the sacrifices you make for your family and our nation. Military spouses play a vital role in the success of military troops and missions.

How will you be honoring military spouses on May 10? Share your creative ways to show your appreciation!

When we moved to Japan in 2016, it was honestly pretty simple to get our pup here with us. Okay, it was 100% stressful to juggle all of the pup requirements while also organizing an OCONUS move with a toddler. But, on balance, pretty easy and not all that pricey in the grand scheme of things.

We could ship our dog as cargo using a DIY method, allowing him to join us a few weeks after we arrived in Okinawa. Now, that option doesn’t seem to be possible.

In the last three years, a good bit has changed when it comes to shipping cats and dogs between the US and overseas military duty stations. As we head into the heart of PCS season, it’s time for you to get the skinny on updated rules to moving with your furry family members.

New Rules for PCSing OCONUS with Pets

First things first, every single country has their own set of rules you’ll need to follow in order to bring your pet when you PCS. Yes, you must follow the host nation’s rules EVEN when executing military orders.

Most countries will require vaccinations and a period of quarantine. For example, Japan requires the rabies vaccine and a 180 day quarantine; there are several other vaccinations recommended for different animal species.

To check the specific import requirements, please consult the USDA website.

It’s also important to remember that the US also has rules for bringing back animals from other countries. You’ll need to follow specific rules for areas with screwtape or Foot and Mouth Disease.

Whether you’re leaving the US or coming back home, you’ll need to get an official health certificate from either a US military or USDA-certified veterinarian. Try to get the health certificate as close to your flight date as possible.

TL;DR: you’ll need to get a series of vaccines, probably keep your animal away from others and get a health certificate.

Actually Flying Your Pets

Okay, here’s the thing: getting your pet through the different hoops for import is just part one of your journey. Now, you’ve got to actually get your pet onto a flight or series of flights.

You’ve got some options:

• AMC Flight aka The Patriot
• Pet Shipper
• DIY Accompanied or Cargo

Every single option will have a cost associated with it, though the final bill will vary based on your preferred transit method and your pet’s breed and size.

AMC flights are generally the cheapest, but also the most difficult to book. Using a pet shipper will be generally the most expensive since they take care of everything. Accompanying your pet yourself on a commercial flight or shipping your pet as cargo are somewhere in the middle, cost wise.

AMC Flights

There are a limited amount of spots on the AMC rotators and, honestly, they book up quickly. You can attempt to book a pet spot once you receive your orders and get the moving process moving. It’s first come, first served so be prepared to act fast!

On the Patriot, animals are defined as dogs and cats only. So if you have any other pets, you’ll need to rehome them, find a foster home or ship them another way.

Costs can vary between $125 and $375. While there are minimal breed restrictions, except those imposed by the host nation and/or base housing, you cannot transport animals over 150lbs (combined weight of kennel and animal).

DIY Accompanied Flights or Cargo Flights

You can move your pets yourself, without involving a pet shipper, in certain cases. Some airlines are still flying pets, in cabin or in the belly of the plane as accompanied baggage and cargo.

Generally, costs are lower than using a pet shipping service. There might be some exceptions to policy for military families traveling on PCS orders.

The three major US-based airlines are Delta, United and American. There might be other international airlines available to or from your specific destination.

Most commercial airlines have restrictions about transporting pets. Their rules might include:

• heat and cold restrictions
• snub nosed breeds
• species other than dogs and cats
• flight duration
• kennel size
• combined weight

Some airlines allow dogs that exceed the size and/or weight restrictions to be shipped as cargo instead of as accompanied baggage. There are different costs associated with the various kennel sizes and weights, as well as for cargo, accompanied baggage and in-cabin options.

If you’re flying commercial, you’ll need to contact your airline in order to book your pet’s travel arrangements. You will pay the travel costs directly to the airline. There might be some additional requirements for international travel.

Learn more about individual US-based carrier pet travel restrictions on AMC’s Pet Travel page.

Pet Shipping Services

This is how we’re getting our Schnauzer back to the US this PCS. Yes, it’s the most expensive but it’s also the most convenient for us. Using a pet shipper allows us to send our pup ahead of us. That will make the actual travel portion easier – or as easy as traveling with a five-year-old and a two-year-old can get.

To ship with a shipping company, you can use the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) to find your options. There are several IPATA companies that specialize in transporting pets for military families.

The cost to transport your pet will depend on your location, your pet’s size and your final destination. Some shippers will offer either accompanied or unaccompanied travel options.

The benefit of working with a shipping company is that they literally walk you through the entire process, letting you know when to do each step. It also gives you a little bit of flexibility, allowing for advanced or delayed travel.

What’s Changed?

There’s been a lot of chatter in the military community about major changes to pet shipping, especially when it comes to moving overseas and particularly Asia.

Due to several unfortunate incidents over the last 18 months, most major US airlines have tightened restrictions for pet travel. Some changes include:

• firm flight duration maximum of 11-12 hours per leg
• firm breed restrictions for snub nosed dogs and so-called bully breeds
• firm limits on the kennel size and the total maximum combined weight of your pet and their kennel; varies by airline
• firm location-based heat restrictions between May 1 and September 30; varies by breed, location and airline
• firm heat restrictions, limiting travel if the heat passes 85ºF at any transfer point on the flight plan; varies by breed and airline
• firm cold restrictions at any transfer point on the flight plan; varies by breed and airline
• requiring IPATA-registered shipper to be involved in part or all of international pet travel

These changes have definitely impacted how military members are moving with their pets this PCS season. Military members are seeing increased costs due to fewer options. In response, the military branches have been working to provide more flexibility with AMC pet spots and routing families onto commercial flights with their pets.

All the changes and logistics of moving to or from OCONUS locations with pets creates a lot of confusion. To help answer questions, military members can turn to social media and pet shipping companies. One great resource is Military Pets United, a military spouse-run Facebook group that helps provide answers, recommendations and resources.

Have some wisdom to make PCSing with pets easier? Share your tips and tricks with us!

Ahhhh, spring! Bees are buzzing, flowers are blooming and I’m over here sweeping the floors. It’s spring cleaning time again.

This year, I’m searching for ways to cut to the chase and make my annual (okay, quarterly because kids) cleaning spree a little bit simpler. Plus, I’d love to find ways to make everything just a smidge more environmentally friendly.

Deep Clean Your House for Spring

To make your house sparkle, grab a few key supplies:

• white vinegar
• baking soda
• lemons
• Bon Ami cleanser
• Borax
• essential oils – lemon, lavender, citronella, etc.
• cloth dust rags

These are all products that are readily available in most grocery or big box stores. You can DIY your own dust rags from older t-shirts, cloth diapers or other soft clothes. We actually cut up diaper changing pad covers. The soft-yet-tough terry cloth scrubs off even the most stuck on of messes on the counters or walls. Yes, walls. Did I mention I’ve got kids?

Even with my sometimes messy kids underfoot, I actually use all of these cleaning techniques in my own house. And I keep on using them because they work!

Spring Clean Your Laundry Room

Start with your top-fill washing machine. Set it to the hottest and largest setting. Fill up your machine, then add a cup of white vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda. Close the lid and let it agitate for 3-5 minutes. Then open the top again and let it sit for a few hours. When time’s up, dip a dust cloth into the water and wipe down all the exposed parts in the drum.

On a front load washer, add the vinegar and baking soda before you start the machine. Then let it go through a complete cycle on the hottest setting. When it’s done, use a dust cloth to wipe down the rubber seal around the door.

If you have counters in your laundry room, wipe them down with a mixture of vinegar, baking soda and your favorite essential oil. Use just a drop or two of the oil to cut the vinegar smell. Spray onto the counters and wipe with a dust cloth.

Cut Grime in Your Kitchen

I don’t know about you, but my kitchen sink stinks to high heaven after a few days of heavy dishwashing. All the food and bits of stuff gets stuck down in there and just plain smells.

When it gets really yucky, I peel a lemon. Yup, a lemon. I drop a few pieces of lemon peel into the garbage disposal. Then I run the water really hot and turn on the disposal until it’s flushed through.

For a deeper clean in your sink drain, add 1/4 cup baking soda to the drain and pour in a cup or so of vinegar. It should bubble and foam. That’s the cleaning action! Again, run the water really hot or pour some boiling water down the drain to flush. You can use this strategy on any sink in your house!

To really clean your counters, sprinkle a little bit of Bon Ami cleaner and use a smidge of water to mix it into a paste. Follow the directions on the container to rinse your counters clean. You can also use Bon Ami to clean pretty much any non-porous surface in your home, from the kitchen to bathrooms!

Make Windows & Glass Sparkle

You know what makes windows sparkle? Vinegar.

If you’ve been tracking so far, you’ll have noticed that vinegar is a theme in eco-friendly cleaning.

Create a mix of vinegar and water. Spritz it onto your windows, mirrors and any other glass surfaces in your home. Wipe clean with a dust cloth.

Kill Mold ASAP

Mold and mildew just love to take up residence in my showers and on my kids bath toys. They get really slimy, really quickly.

When I’m looking to get rid of mold in the shower or tub (and anywhere else), I squirt a little bit of vinegar onto the moldy places and let it sit. Then I rinse it off with really hot water.

For really stubborn mold or mildew, make a paste with a bit of baking soda and water. Scrub the spots that need extra attention, then repeat the vinegar mold removal steps. Rise with hot water.

For bath toys, run a hot bath. We’re talking scalding temperatures. Add a good bit of vinegar and let the toys soak in the water for a while. Then add some baking soda and let everything foam up a bit. After soaking the toys a little longer, drain the tub and rise each toy in hot water. Let them dry on some of your DIY dust clothes.

Tackle Tough Floors

Finish your cleaning up with a good clean floor. Grab some more vinegar and add about 1/2 cup to a gallon of hot water.

While it cools off just a touch, do a quick sweep of your floors to get up all the big crumbs and dry messes. Then mop as normal with the vinegar solution.

You can cut the vinegar smell by adding a few drops of essential oils to your floor solution. Literally, just a drop or two will do the trick.

To freshen up your carpets, sprinkle baking soda over them. Let it sit for a while. You could do this as the first step in your spring cleaning routine. Or, if you know no one will mess with it overnight and before you start cleaning, sprinkle your carpets before you go to sleep.

When you’re ready, just vacuum up the baking soda! The natural odor absorbers in the baking soda will capture the yucky smells and leave your carpets springtime fresh!

What are your spring cleaning tips and tricks? We’d love to check out your best ideas!

When my parents were house shopping, way back in the early 1980s, they made a list of possible properties. Then they went to each and every home to take a tour. And then, after weighing all the options and running the numbers, they made a decision. They took their time, were careful.

Cut to 2015. And I’m looking for a house across the country from where I currently live. There won’t be any in-person home tours for me, just a bunch of online listings with a ton of (possibly misleadingly staged) photos. My contact with the listing agent or home owner will be almost exclusively through email.

So far, we’ve been pretty lucky. There haven’t been any real issues for us yet, knock on wood.

Find a Rental Home from Far Away

How have we managed to hit the rental property lottery so often over the course of a decade of military life? Honestly, I don’t know.

But this year we’re on the hunt yet again. Except that this time there are several continents and an ocean in between our current location and where we’re looking for homes.

This year, we’re trying a few different techniques to find our next rental home from far away.

Start With the Basics

First, you need a place to move. As long as you’ve got a general next location, you’re golden. Take my advice, gained over the last 10 years, and do not house hunt before those orders drop. It just leads to disappointment all around.

Once you know where you’re headed, start narrowing down your possible options.

Here’s what we look for:

• short commute distance
• BAH rates
• schools
• playgrounds and parks
• running routes
• safety
• public transit

Once we’ve set up these parameters, it narrows down our search area. This allows us to focus on just one or two specific zip codes or a few neighborhoods instead of hunting everywhere.

All the Real Estate Apps

My first step in years past has been Craigslist. Even I’m cringing right now, typing the sentence. Even as recently as 2012, going the Cragislist route might have been okay. But between then and now, it’s gotten a good bit sketchier.

Which leads me to the apps. We’re talking Zillow, Trulia and MilitaryByOwner. Most properties are cross-posted, but there could be a rare gem that’s only listed on one of the apps. We’ve also noticed that sometimes the same property has different pictures on the different apps.

I really like MBO because it’s military specific. The homes listed as typically owned by military families, either active duty or retired personnel. And they’re looking for military tenants. You can also search by proximity to your preferred base.

I’m constantly scanning the search results on all three of my apps. I mix up my filters, switching up zip codes and rental prices.

Using the real estate search sites allows me to narrow down my search, excluding any houses that don’t fit my exact criteria. That saves me some heartache in the long run.

Power of Facebooking

Back in 2015, I found a home in the perfect location with the exact right features via Facebook. The current tenants, another military family, posted their rental property that was coming up for a new family. I reached out, sent a message and within just a few days that house was ours!

In just the last few years, tons and tons of Facebook groups have sprung up aiming to help families PCSing. They are location specific and members can post housing searches and listings.

These Facebook PCS-specific groups as well as more general military spouse groups create easy ways to grab houses before they hit the market. Plus, by using your connections, you’re able to rent a property that is already military family-approved!

Lots of Legwork

I love leg day at the gym, but don’t really enjoy chasing down real estate leads. Still, getting into the most ideal home for us does require a good bit of work.

With each promising house that pops up in the searches, I mark it. It goes onto the list of the day. My husband and I sit down to go over the options every night or so. the houses we decide to keep on the list each get an email via one of the apps.

Now, not every email we send doesn’t get a response. The people we do hear back from, we review those responses and decide which homes to pursue further.

This process of email, review, respond and pursue keeps on going until we find “the one.”

Enlist Extra Help

Now, in the past, we’ve done this mostly alone, with maybe a little help from Facebook connections and military spouse groups. That’s just not cutting it with an OCONUS move.

So this time around, we enlisted the expert advice of a Realtor. We chose someone who also happens to be a military spouse. She’s totally in touch with the unique concerns and considerations of this lifestyle. It’s been so helpful to have an extra set of eyes looking for properties!

Plus, should we need someone to visit a home or give us a neutral opinion, she’s right there for us. And our Realtor can also get paperwork started on our behalf.

Seriously, I don’t know why we didn’t go this route sooner!

How do you search for your next home when you’re far away? Share your tips and tricks!