Military Life News

Military Life News, Commissary Rewards and Military Discounts

The Ultimate Fall Breakfast: Pumpkin Spice Latte Overnight Oats

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The credit of this recipe goes to the Pioneer Woman. Ree is a favorite in our house for all things comfort food. The pre-teen pours over her cookbook, carefully choosing recipes to try for each season. Fall is a season of comfort food, no matter where you live. This breakfast is a fall treat, utilizing all the fall flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and takes the rush out of the morning with the overnight preparation while providing protein and fiber to keep everyone in the family fueled for the fall adventure.

These ingredients make four containers of oats, so be sure to double if more is needed.

Ingredients:

2 ¼ c milk of choice (almond, soy, oat, coconut, whole, etc)

1 c pumpkin puree

1/3 c maple syrup

3 TBL instant espresso powder

2 TBL light brown sugar

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 c old-fashioned rolled oats

8 tsp chia seeds

¾ cup vanilla Greek yogurt

You will also need 4 jars or airtight containers for each oatmeal.

Directions:

Mix the milk, pumpkin, maple syrup, espresso powder, brown sugar, vanilla, and pie spice.  Once mixed, evenly distribute the mixture into the four jars or containers.

Stir in ½ c oats and 2 tsp chia seeds per container, ensuring the oats and chia seeds are covered in the liquid mix. Cover and refrigerate each container for at least 4 hours, but up to 3 days.

On the morning of use, dollop a bit of yogurt over the oat mix and dust with pumpkin pie spice if desired. Enjoy the chilled mix.

A Word on Additional Mix-Ins

If you prefer more crunch in your oats, consider adding chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts on top of the yogurt for more protein, fiber, and texture. Really want to embrace the pumpkin? Top with toasted pumpkin seeds! Or, if you have granola on hand and want to use it, you can sprinkle some on top. The blank canvas that is the pumpkin pie oats is yours to add what you like.

The best part of the overnight oats is you can prepare them up to three days in advance, so you can have several days of breakfast set and ready to go. It tastes great and will fuel you for a busy day.

Commissary Changes Coming

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The new director for the Defense Commissary Agency, DeCA, is planning changes to the commissary to widen its use and service to military members, retirees, and their families. John Hall took over as the new director and chief executive officer for DeCA in June of 2023. Hall stated at that time, “As a career logistician, I appreciate the commissary benefit’s impact on the quality of life of our service members and their families. Commissaries help sustain our military communities by providing food security through significant savings, healthy food options, clean and safe stores, convenience and premier customer service.” Hall was previously the Army Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, managing a logistics budget of $10 billion annually.

Increase Sales

Hall stated further that the goal was to increase sales at the commissary. These increased sales, in turn, allow for lower prices with the commissary model. The commissary currently receives about $1.2 billion in funding from the Department of Defense, and the 5% surcharge charged to customers is to cover the cost of construction, maintenance, and equipment in the stores. These maintenance costs go toward repairs to the commissary and food replacement after power outages due to hurricanes and typhoons; they also cover repairs to dated air-conditioning units. Hall is considering increasing the surcharge to balance out the need for more maintenance instead of asking Congress for more money.

Click2Go Changes

The Click2Go website allows patrons to place a commissary grocery order for pick-up or delivery. But the website is cumbersome to use and not user-friendly. Especially at a time when many families are used to placing grocery or pick-up orders at other local stores through easier applications, the website may be a deterrent for those Commissary locations using Click2Go. Per DeCA, about 1% of their sales are through the online service, while the industry average is about 10%. DeCA must address the online system to make it user-friendly and increase its use.

Sharing Shopping Eligibility

In 2020, the shopping eligibility expanded to include disabled veterans, but there is still a lack of understanding in that population that they have the ability. Per a Military.com article, Marine Sgt Major Michael Saucedo said that 99% of disabled veterans at a Veterans of Foreign Wars conference were unaware of the benefit. Any service-connected disability counts, with any level percentage, and the commissary benefit extends for their lifetime.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is working with these eligible patrons to provide them a Veteran Health Identification Card, allowing base and commissary access to utilize these benefits.

New Features

The Commissary is expanding its hours, increasing savings, and improving the quality of its products. Hall states he is working on providing prepared meal options to eligible patrons to compete with the civilian stores.

Hall states, “This is all about the customer.” If a patron desires a specific item, Hall wants to encourage patrons to ask about getting the item at the commissary – chances are if one patron wants it, another may also be looking for it.

What kind of features or changes would you want at your Commissary?

What To Expect In the Event of A Government Shutdown

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When a government shutdown looms, it can be a scary time for military families. Military service members and their families are in unique positions during government shutdowns. The military is considered essential, so service members will be required to work despite a shutdown, but as a government entity, services will be affected. For those service members who have been around for the last 10+ years, we have seen shutdowns occur more than once. If this is your first time, here is what to expect in the event of a government shutdown.

While a shutdown is a new experience for some, the key is not to panic. Know what to expect, and plan as much as you are able. Chances are that many military families near you have been through this before and are willing and able to help guide you through the expectations or what local resources are available to close the gap.

Paychecks

Military service is considered essential so that the work will continue. While work continues, paychecks may be delayed. The first paycheck will not typically be delayed since payment is paid in the arrears, but if the shutdown goes beyond two weeks, there will be a delay in the next paycheck.

Government Travel

The government fiscal year, or financial year, runs from October 1 to September 30. This means that if a budget is not passed, there is no line of accounting for government travel. PCS orders TAD orders are all paused during a shutdown. If your spouse was leaving mid-October and the shutdown begins and continues for several days, chances are they are not traveling. It doesn’t mean they won’t travel immediately once a budget is passed and the line of accounting is available. Semper gumby- always flexible!

Bills

If a shutdown occurs with a potential delay in the paycheck, start calling creditors about automatic payments. If you do not have the money in the account, and it is due to the shutdown, many creditors will hold off on pulling money out AND not charge a fee or interest.

Ask your bank to waive any overdraft fees that may occur due to the paycheck delay. Most military-affiliated banks already do this during a shutdown, fully recognizing that is something families cannot help.

Support Programs

Programs like WIC or food stamps are programs that rely on federal money. These programs could close, leaving families who rely on these programs without their expected groceries, formula, or food. WIC could close immediately with a shutdown, but programs like SNAP would remain open for at least the month of October as long as the shutdown doesn’t continue for several weeks.

This doesn’t end support programs run through churches or nonprofit organizations who typically step up to close the gap for these families. If you need assistance, ask on local social media pages or search the base installation page for non-profits hosting food pantries on and off base. Check with local churches for food pantries; many waive application periods during a shutdown.

On Base Programs

As with all government programming on base, base support services like DOD-run libraries or offices will close during the shutdown. Employees here are government civil servants, or GS, employees, who are furloughed during a shutdown as they are non-essential. If you want a bunch of movies, games, or books, it’s time to load up on them now! Most base services will post expectations for hours or have some leeway for volunteers to step in to keep things running, or there may be an ability to use a skeleton crew to keep things operational.

The commissary and exchange on post will not close in the event of a shutdown.

Military Treatment Facilities

The on-installation military clinics and hospitals should remain open. Military service members are still working, and contractors must continue to work if funding is assigned to their positions.  The pharmacy will remain open, appointments will continue, and Emergency Rooms at hospitals will remain operational. There may be smaller crews if GS employees are not deemed essential, but overall, healthcare is essential and should remain open as normal.

USPS

The USPS is a federal body but is funded by taxpayer dollars and sales of their products. The agency will continue to deliver mail as usual, even in the event of a shutdown. All your Amazon packages will continue to be delivered.

Passports

Passports will be delayed. If you are waiting for a government official passport for PCS orders, this may be delayed, but chances are you are waiting on funding for the PCS.

National Parks

While it may not be readily thought about, the National Parks are a government entity. In 2013, the parks closed due to the government shutdown. During the 2018-2019 government shutdown, the parks were staffed by a skeleton crew, meaning that bathrooms were closed, and waste was not picked up. What will happen in the event of this shutdown? It is yet to be seen if there will be skeleton crews or total closures. It may also depend on the expected length of the shutdown.

Smithsonian and National Zoo

All the Smithsonian museums would close during a shutdown, as well as the National Zoo. Federal funds support the museums and zoo, and, therefore, would not have funding assigned without a budget. In the 2018-2019 shutdown, even the panda cam was off.

Personal Housekeeping after PCS

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Once the PCS is complete, the to-do list doesn’t stop. Here is who you need to inform of your address change ASAP.

Post Office

Submit a change of address, or COA, as soon as you have a new address. Due to the changes to mail forwarding as of May 2023, it is not recommended to hold mail due to the backlog of mail forwarding. In lieu of holding mail before forwarding, forwarding mail to a trusted family member or friend is recommended. Once you have a permanent to address, change the address with all the companies you do business with limit the need for mail forwarding through the USPS.

Department of Motor Vehicles

Thanks to the Servicemembers Civil Relive Act (SCRA), military members do not need to change their driver’s license with each move if they remain on active-duty service. The Military Spouse Residency Relief Act extended the ability to military spouses to maintain the driver’s license they entered marriage with or maintain the same state driver’s license as their active-duty partner. Due to these laws, neither the military spouse nor the active duty member are required to change their driver’s license through the DMV. Yay! Less lines!

While you may not need to change your driver’s license, you should update your address. Most states allow an address update online and have a provision for military service, allowing for an out-of-state address to be listed on the state driver’s license.

However, car registration may be required. An active-duty member may maintain car registration in the state of their home of record, but if the non-active-duty military spouse is on the registration, the registration must be changed to the new state.

Make sure to learn the requirements of each state for inspections. For instance, in the state of California all cars over a certain age must have a SMOG inspection even if they are not registered in the state of California.

Voter Registration

In most cases, voter registration is linked to your driver’s license. You may need to update your address separately with the voter’s registration. Ask your DMV, and check in with the local county you are registered to vote in.

You must have an updated address to receive an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots are sent out several weeks before the election date, so update it ASAP to ensure timely receipt of the ballot. Your vote matters; make sure your voice is heard!

Professional Certifications

Whether you are a teacher or health professional, make sure to update the address on your national and state-level certificates and licenses ASAP. This prevents missing any renewal deadlines. The internet typically can be used to update and renew licenses nowadays, but some states mail a verification code to update the address or pay for renewal, so make sure to update the address to avoid a lapse. You worked hard for those certifications!

Auto and Homeowners Insurance Company

Your auto and homeowners’ insurance are billed based on your current location. You can continue to pay for auto insurance in California if you are now three months into living in Virginia, but if there is a car accident in Virginia and your listed address is not correct there may be an issue with paying for damages. Make sure to update your new physical address for accurate charges and necessary insurance adjustments. Each state is different in what is covered for homeowners’ insurance – earthquake insurance that is required in California may not be needed in Alabama. States with “no fault” laws will have higher monthly rates and more coverage.

Call your insurance company directly if you have questions about what is covered.

Don’t forget to shop around if the prices are cost-prohibitive. Insurance brokers may be a great resource for quotes with multiple companies.

TRICARE

Updating your address with TRICARE will ensure you are linked to the right region for insurance and are able to be seen in the local area. If you are living in a hotel or temporary living facility for a time period, you can use that address until you have a more permanent one. Changing TRICARE regions ASAP is vital to ensuring timely visits, especially if the transfer of prescriptions is needed.

Credit Card Companies

If you are not signed up for e-billing, you must change your address with each credit card company to avoid missing billing statements or notices.

Banks

Just like your credit card companies, you want to update your address with any banks you utilize. This will ensure statements, end-of-year tax statements, and notifications are mailed to you in a timely manner. Don’t forget about banks utilized for mortgages.

Taxes

Your change of address may affect your taxes if you change your home of record. The military service member is assigned a “home of record” upon entering military service. This home of record is typically the state the service member lived in when entering service. Some service members, like pilots who do a lot of training Florida, change this home of record to Florida when they are training. Florida offers no state income tax, meaning military members take home more of their paycheck no matter where they reside. As long as both the non-active-duty military spouse and the active-duty member hold the same residency, taxes can be done in the same state jointly, and no change in where state taxes are filed.

Thanks to the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act (MSRRA), the income tax is the same with each move if military spouses hold the same state residency as their active-duty spouse. Make sure to clarify with your Certified Public Accountant (CPA) before tax season to ensure everything is up to date.

Make sure all your address ducks are in a row, even if it is before your household goods arrive and the first box is unpacked. It will save a lot of frustration and headaches later.

September is Suicide Prevention Month

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Get the Help You Need Now

Military life is normally stressful – long hours, deployments, separations, frequent moves, long phone calls to change health care locations to find new doctors, and dentists, enroll in school, find new jobs, etc. Add in the mix of the pandemic and maintaining the same military operation tempo and moves throughout it, and there is a higher stress level for these families.

Mental health is health. If you or someone you know is experiencing an emergency, dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day in English and Spanish and can be reached at the number 988.

Don’t go without the support you need.

Mental Health Appointments

Learn more about how to set up an appointment to receive mental health care through TRICARE.

Living Near the Poverty Line on Military Orders Overseas

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Military spouse employment is an issue affecting military families, and legislation is moving forward, allowing for license reciprocity and expansion of on-base employment programs to include military spouses, paving the way for increased employment opportunities. None of these expansions affect those living overseas.

Living overseas often means fewer employment opportunities for military spouses. Positions on the post are filled by active-duty service members, Government Service (GS) employees, and local, national contractors. While military bases overseas can accept professional medical and teaching licenses from any state, that only applies if a position is available. Paid jobs are rarely available. Instead, spouses’ only opportunity is to volunteer with the American Red Cross or other similar organizations.

Spouses take these positions, hoping to jump on a paid position if one opens. Overseas bases rely on such uncompensated volunteers in on-post hospitals and clinics.

Per the Red Cross, this saves a military hospital in Germany more than $600,000 every year. Neither the Red Cross nor the hospital covers childcare for those volunteering. This means spouses pay for childcare without paid employment, which is not financially feasible for many military families living overseas. These unpaid spouses volunteer so they can maintain their professional credibility. The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany reported 275 Red Cross Volunteers working 20,600 volunteer hours in 2022. These volunteer positions include assisting patients, phlebotomy (drawing blood for lab work), physicians, dentists, nurses, and physician assistants. These jobs require taking on risk, requiring a highly specialized skill set and professional licenses and education that cost hundreds or thousands a year.

Remote work while living overseas is challenging because of distance, time differences, and legal restrictions. Some Status of Forces Agreements (SOFA), agreements that military families must abide by while living in a foreign country as part of their military service agreement, do not allow spouses to work remotely. Or remote companies do not qualify for work in that country. If remote work can be found, the hours may be East Coast Time while the military spouse lives in the Pacific, with a 13-to-14-hour difference depending on the time of year. Telework is allowed in Japan, South Korea, Bahrain, and Germany per the current SOFA agreements.

The SOFA is not the same across all military stations overseas. In Italy and Belgium, spouses must give up their SOFA status to work off-base – this would mean losing the NATO driver’s license required to drive in Italy. In comparison, spouses in Germany may telecommute for an American job or work in the German economy without losing their SOFA status.

The SOFA agreement also may limit home-based businesses depending on the country the military family resides in. Say goodbye to that finally established Spouse-ly shop. These regulations may be in place not by the specific country but by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) to limit revenue competition.

What jobs are open on post due to high turnover are those in retail or food service, but the pay is low – even at around $10 an hour. These positions have no benefits, and shift work still requires child care, which typically costs more than $10/hour.

While these military families are on one-income, many qualify for low-income programs because their income is below the poverty line. Stars and Stripes shared one person’s account about their time overseas. “It’s depleted our family’s savings account, forced us to lower our standard of living, and affected my mental health in that I feel I’m no longer a useful contributor to my family’s well-being.” This lack of morale in the military family also affects the military service member. It may lead to family discord and emotional and financial stress on the service member. It may lead to the service member finishing their current commitment and exiting the service. Family stressors are a retention problem for these experienced servicemembers.

Per Stars and Stripes, 6,786 military members based in Europe qualified for the Women, Infants, and Children supplemental food program (WIC) from January 1 to October 26, 2022. At the time of writing, the 2022 statistics were not available for review to know the number of military service members stationed in Europe during that period.

The way ahead requires legislative and cultural changes for overseas locations. Legislative changes will not provide a quick answer, as legislation is never immediate. Hospital and installation overseas culture change to providing paid positions to military spouses instead of relying on a large volunteer force would pave the way to change. This would require the Defense Health Agency (DHA) to change policies on hiring military spouses overseas and allowing spouses to bid on positions as their businesses or expand the contractors and government service positions. The DHA plans to lower the number of non-active duty jobs in both CONUS and OCONUS. This change would also require increasing the minimum wage in overseas locations to match the stateside minimum wage. It would require an open conversation among military families, commanders, and leaders who can affect change. If the military and government agencies approached these changes, it would increase family satisfaction and may increase recruitment when numbers at low. The reality there is not a “quick fix,” but an openness to discussion and change are the first steps.

Thirteen Ideas for Fun and Cheap Halloween Decor

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Time-honored traditions of Halloween include costumes, trick or treating, and pumpkin carving. If you want to add Halloween décor this year, don’t miss these budget-friendly ideas. Whether you are financially recovering from a PCS or just want to be as budget-conscious as possible, these ideas are for you.

Candlesticks

What witch or wizard doesn’t have candlesticks on their table or mantlepiece? While candlesticks were commonplace in years past, they aren’t part of the normal pieces in our homes now. If you don’t have any candlesticks at home, you can flip wine glasses upside down to make candlesticks. These won’t hold long tapers but do well for shorter candles. After flipping the wine glass upside down, spray paint or paint with black or white matte for a spooky candle look.

Looking for a flame-free candlestick? Try out paper towel roll candlesticks. Cut paper towel rolls in various sizes. Put tape in the top of the tube, creating a pocket for a battery-operated tealight. Test out the tealight to ensure the tape up top is secured, will handle the weight of the tealight, and will last for prolonged use. Use a hot glue gun to add “dripping” at the top of the roll and down a third or halfway – this can be done haphazardly to represent what a natural dripping candle look. Once the glue is dried, paint the glue-covered tube with black acrylic paint. This paint is cheap, usually a dollar or two at Michael’s or even Dollar Tree. Once dried, cover the raised areas with white tape to give the illusion of prolonged dripping. When ready to use, put the tealight on the top turned on, and display your spooky candles.

A word about button batteries –  be sure to use tealights with the battery pack secured with a screw that a small child cannot get out to avoid accidental swallowing. If there is ever a concern that a child may have swallowed a button battery, this is an emergency and requires an immediate ER visit to evaluate.

Spooky Candles

Found jarred white candles? Make them spooky by removing the labels and using a Sharpie to add ghost faces to the front.

Or mix up the jarred white candles by adding fall-themed washi tape around the outside of the candle jar.

A countdown candle can be made by adding dash marks to the jar, making sure to burn the candle every day, counting down to the end of October 31st.

Making image transfer candles can be done at any time or season. It is especially fun at Halloween because you can put almost anything on the candles. The trick is printing onto tissue paper – you will have to wrap the tissue paper around a piece of printer paper or secure it with invisible tape, being careful to secure it to printer paper with invisible tape at the top and bottom (this will be cut off). You need to print on the non-shiny size of the tissue paper. Cut out the tissue paper image. Place the tissue image on the candle, and place wax paper over the top of the image and candle. Using a hair dryer, continuously blow air on the image for 20-30 seconds. If holding the candle and wrapping paper, wear an oven mitt to avoid heating your hand or fingers. Test the edges of the image by gently pulling the wax paper back to see if the image transferred. If it didn’t completely transfer, repeat the process. Once heated, run over the image with your oven mitt hand to add pressure to the image transfer.

Centerpieces

Make a candy corn centerpiece with wine or liquor bottles and paint. Remove the label from the wine bottle, and prepare spray paint or paint in orange, yellow, and white colors. Spray the entire bottle white and allow to dry. Then add a yellow portion on the bottom 2/3; once dried, add an orange portion on the bottom 1/3. Allow the centerpiece to dry completely before adding it to a table and filling it with fake flowers or leaves. Always use cardboard under your spray or paint surface to avoid leaving behind paint colors that do no desire to do.

If you prefer your candy corn in candy form, add some to the bottom of a wide-based vase and add a candle in the center for another fall-colored look.

Looking to add a spooky element to a vase you have at home? Grab a cheap spider web and some spray paint – purple, black, grey, and silver are all good choices. Wrap the vase in the spider web and spray paint with your color of choice. If you have a plastic spider at home, you can add the spider before or after spray painting. Another option is using hot glue to make the outline of a spider web on the vase, glue a spider down, and then spray paint it. Fill the vase with purple, black and orange flowers for the ultimate flowered centerpiece.

Eyeball flowers: Yup, you read that right. Make any plastic flower spooky by hot gluing plastic eyeballs in the center. You can leave the flowers like this or spray paint to the desired colors.

Dishes

Need some bowls for treats or a party? Wash out and spray paint the dollar pumpkin/cat/ghoul trick-or-treat pails and spray paint in black.

The Skull and Bones dish was a hit last year. Using items from the Dollar Tree of a short glass candle stick, a glass dish or plate, and a plastic skeleton are dressed up with pain. Hot glue the dish to the top of the glass candle stick. Take apart the skeleton and arrange its pieces on top of the dish, hot gluing each piece. Let it dry for a few days, and check for loose pieces before painting. Once completely secured and dried, paint with white for a uniform base color. Once dried, spray paint with rust-oleum metallic – silver or gold – to give a complete look. This will give it the look of a real dish. If serving food without wrappers, make sure to place a liner on the dish before placing the food.

Luminaries

Have some old mason jars, paint and candles at home? You have all you need for DIY luminaries. Search “Halloween Village Printables” online, and several free images pop up. Bring these out. You will need to cut them out, including cutting out the holes in the windows. The first step is cleaning the jars to prepare them for painting. Paint the jars with what you have on hand or desire – you want a shimmer paint so the jar remains opaque for the light to shine through. This is not a necessary step.  Place the printable stencil in the jar, and trace the outline with a black paint pen. Fill in the outline. Once this is complete, let it dry. You can place candles or battery-operated string lights in the jar, which are ready for use. Another idea is the Mod Podge the stencil, with all windows cut out, on the outside, but this is not water resistant, so keep that in mind if the luminaries are being used outside.

Get Out for Fall Family Fun

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September is here! After the summer season, it can feel like it took forever for September to arrive, but at the same, this year has gone by so quickly! Now that Fall is here, it is time to get out and enjoy fall-centric activities. Get out for some family fun, some for free, this Autumn!

Waves of Honor

Busch Gardens and Sea World parks around the U.S. host a trick-or-treating daytime activity for kids. It is not scary but typically fall-themed with scarecrows, hay mazes, story times, and trick-or-treating. In the last few years we attended, no chocolate or nuts passed out, meaning no worries about nut allergies while participating. If your active-duty family still needs to use the Waves of Honor program ticket, use your ticket for a daytime ticket during the trick-or-treating days. It is typically offered on weekends and Halloween days if it occurs during the week. This means that the family fun is entirely FREE!

Busch Gardens parks are in Tampa, Florida, and Williamsburg, Virginia.

Sea World parks U.S. locations are in Orlando, Florida; San Antonio, Texas; and San Diego, California.

Howl O’Scream

Busch Gardens and Sea World’s answer for the adults and older kids who enjoy a scare is the Howl O’Scream program. This is an evening event and will need a separate ticket. You still need a separate access ticket if you are there during the day. It is a favorite event for those who enjoy scary movies and being scared. This is not for the easily scared.

Unique Trick or Treating

If your family is a big fan of LEGOS, both coasts host Legoland parks, where Brick or Treat events occur every September and October. It is trick or treating, with the bonus of one DUPLO brick handed out amongst the treats. It is very kid-friendly, without scares. There is some loud music in some areas, but you can usually ask team members which areas to avoid the noise adverse.

Unique Fall Fun

Baseball season lasts through early October, and their weekend games are often host to fall-themed giveaways or activities. The San Diego Padres hosts KidsFest every Sunday two hours before games for families – kids can run the bases on specific dates, some giveaways occur, and enjoy myriad activities, including face painting, bounce houses, and other activities. Check out your local area baseball team to see if there are specials for fall to check out a local gem while spending time together.

Library Campaign

Check your local library for a calendar of activities for fall. These are frequently totally FREE and open to all ages. We have lived in six locations worldwide in the last decade, and there has always been some sort of activity for trick-or-treating at the library. This is great for younger kids that won’t be up for the evening trick or treating. Local businesses like reptile houses have brought reptiles to the library to share them with kids, and librarians host readings of their favorite kid-friendly stories. Checking out local happenings also connects you to other families in your area, creating a great network.

Local Happenings

Check out local schools or non-profits for fall festivals or evenings to support local charities. The local outlet mall may host an event for fall showcasing local businesses or resources – a great way to enjoy an outing and learn about the area. Local schools may host a fall festival where a small cost supports the school, and you can enjoy activities like face painting, a cakewalk, or even a haunted house.

Before heading to the commercial pumpkin patch, check for local pumpkin farms or businesses. Support local and check out the local fare.

Check out local magazines, newspapers, and even social media pages to learn what activities there are in the area.

The fall season may not mean cooler temperatures every place and climb military families live, but it is a change in seasonal activities. Get out and explore for some family fun this fall. What are you planning to do or explore?

Four Fall Recipes that Give All the Cozy Feels

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Whether you live in a climate with “typical” fall weather or you want to replicate it when it’s still 80 degrees and humid outside, the fall season is coming. This fall dinner menu covers dinner, dessert and even a fall-inspired cocktail. Enjoy them this fall at home or potluck.

Butternut squash soup

While pumpkin in every dish is the star of fall, butternut squash is another fall gourd that is delicious. In soup form, it is a comforting fall dish.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 stalk of celery, diced
  • 1 medium carrot, diced
  • 2 medium potatoes, cubed
  • 1 medium butternut squash, seeded and cubed – or 2 ½ cups of precut squash
  • 1-32 ounce chicken or vegetable stock
  • Bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

A personal favorite worthwhile shortcut is purchasing precut squash. You can use squash in soups, chilis, and even in sweet dishes. Cutting and cubing squash takes time and if you cut it frequently it may irritate the skin. Big box stores often have big bags of frozen cubed squash on sale for fall -so keep your eye out.

Once all the ingredients are prepared, melt butter in a large pot. Once melted, add the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes and squash to get some caramelization. After about five minutes, add enough stock to cover the vegetables and add in a bay leaf or two. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and cover to simmer until all the vegetables are fork tender.

Once the vegetables are tender, remove the bay leaf and pour the vegetable-stock mix into a blender and blend until the soup is smooth. **CAUTION** Hot liquids in a blender tend to expand and explode. Either let the soup cool before blending or start slow with small amounts and be sure to use your lid. Once blended, add salt and pepper to taste, serve hot and enjoy!

Honey Beer bread

The perfect pairing for a fall soup is this hearty bread. The beauty of this bread is it does not require any yeast, an exciting prospect especially for those who may have just unpacked their moving boxes and haven’t purchased it yet.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 TBL baking powder
  • 1 TBL fine sea salt
  • ¼ c. of honey
  • 1 12-oz bottle of beer
  • ¼ cup of melted butter

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Mix flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl until combined. Pour the beer and honey into the bowl and combine. Add half the melted butter into 9×5 inch bread pan and brush it around the side. Add the batter to the pan ensuring that it is spread out in an even layer. Brush the remaining melted butter over the batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a knife comes out clean. Once the bread is ready, pull the pan and cool it on a baking rack for 10 minutes prior to slicing the bread.

Enjoy the bread warm, and perhaps with your butternut squash soup.

Biscuit air fryer doughnuts

This recipe utilizes ready-made ingredients to make delicious donuts reminiscent of fall. This recipe makes 8 donuts and 8 donut holes.

Ingredients:

  • Pillsbury Grand Flaky Biscuits, 8 count
  • Melted Butter
  • Cooking spray of choice
  • Cinnamon Sugar, or other preferred fall spice like Pumpkin Pie Spice Or Nutmeg

Instructions:

            Open and separate the biscuits. Cut the dough from the center to make a donut hole with a 1-inch cookie cutter, or small round biscuit cutter. Preheat the air fryer to 350ºF and run for 1-2 minutes. Once the air fryer is warm, spray with the preferred cooking spray and place the donuts around the air fryer, making sure to have space in between each donut. Air fry for three minutes, and then flip and cook for another three minutes. Remove the donuts and while still warm brush with the melted butter and sprinkle the spice on them. Work in batches until all of the donuts are made. Enjoy fresh for a taste of fall, made easily at home.

Hot Apple Pie Cocktail

Ingredients:

·         1 ounce Vanilla Vodka

·         1 ounce Fireball Whiskey

·         4 oz Hot Apple Cider

·         Pinch of Ground Cinnamon

  • Cinnamon sugar for the rim
  • Whipped cream and cinnamon stick for garnish

Instructions:

Prepare a heat-proof glass by wetting the rim of the glass with cider and dip in cinnamon sugar.

In a saucepan, heat apple cider, mix in vodka, whiskey and cinnamon making sure to stir. When heated, pour into the glass and top with whipped cream and garnish with a cinnamon stick. **This recipe is intended for those 21 years of age and older. Always drink responsibly.**

Military Food Insecurity Worsens with Inflation

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Inflation is hitting military families in many ways – and the kitchen is one. In 2022, Blue Star Families released a statistic from their research that 14% of enlisted families in the military go hungry.  In 2023, the Rand Corp released research that more than 25% of active-duty service members lacked access to enough food.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as the “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.” Low food security is defined as households with reduced quality, variety, and desirability of their diets and the quantity of food intake and normal eating patterns without substantial disruption. Very low food insecurity is defined as when one or more household members disrupts eating patterns or food intake due to a lack of money or other resources for food.

Food insecurity is not an unknown stressor to military families. In 2020, Rand Corp’s study showed that 15.4% of active-duty service members were classified as having low security per the USDA’s definition in 2018, with 10.4% being identified as having very low food security. At that study’s time, those living on a military installation were more likely to have food insecurity, with 32% of those with food insecurity living on installation and 23% living off installation. Thirty-two percent of service members living on base and receiving a basic allowance for housing (BAH) were more likely to be food insecure, while those living on base without BAH (25%).

What is most shocking about this is that those affected weren’t junior enlisted families with large families. Instead, the study listed that 67% of those affected were those ranked E4-E6, with more marking themselves as single with children versus married without children. This may be in part due to the effort of on-base food pantries and local organizations offering food assistance to only junior enlisted.  In fact, the study demonstrated that only 14% of those classified as food insecure had used assistance programs like Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), food banks, SNAP, or Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance (FSSA).  

The barriers to accessing food assistance programs may be a combination of many factors. It may be purely due to a lack of knowledge or eligibility. Although anecdotal reports of mid-ranking families stated, they were told they made $100- $200 more than allowed to qualify, and that couple hundred dollars didn’t go far in the grocery store. Another possible barrier to food assistance is the lack of asking – that there may be a social and career stigma to being an E5, or E6, and asking for assistance.

In years passed, the answer to the food insecurity issue included opening the free or reduced lunch program to military families. It was found that this worked better when schools were on a military base versus off. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of Fiscal Year 2020 added a Basic Needs Allowance, which has been expanded in the following years to address the needs. This is obviously not enough as inflation increases and the number of military families reporting food insecurity increases.

The question of food insecurity among the military will need to be addressed continually. The civilian population with similar characteristics to their military counterparts reported food insecurity at a rate of 9% compared to 25% for military active-duty service members. Is it due to a pay gap for those positions? Is it due to a lack of resources for those ranking families? Is it due to any other myriad of factors? This needs to be answered. If it is due to a civilian pay gap, will the promise of potentially getting retirement for those enlisted be enough to continue in service as retirement pay and options continue to be chipped away? Will this lead to a recruitment concern? Inflation is not helping anyone shopping in the grocery store right now, and it certainly is not helping those already with concerns about food insecurity.