Things to Know While Hubby is Away

So Justin is deployed again which isn't anything new because this is the 4th time he has gone. You would think by now that I would have everything down pat but alas reality has shown me otherwise. So I made a list of things that are helpful to know while the hubby is deployed.

1. How to Change the Spark Plug on the Lawnmower

Yep never thought of that huh?! Me either! But a few weeks ago I tried to start the lawnmower and nothing happened. I checked the gas and there was plenty. One of my coworkers mentioned that it was probably the spark plug and sure enough it was. You can find a replacement at any Lowes, Home Depot, Sears, etc...

2. Fire Alarms

Yep that is another doozie!! About 2 weeks after he left at 1am my fire alarms started going off. They stopped after about 5 seconds but needless to say I was wide awake after that. I assumed it was a fluke but around the same time the next night it did the same thing. So...I changed out the batteries and thought it was fixed. NOPE! One alarm kept chirping at me and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I tried to reset the alarm but nothing worked. I googled to find out why and I needed to get a new alarm because this one was busted. This website worked perfectly to find my answer- Smoke Detector Beeping.

3. Bank Account

Yep this is one of the no brainers but it has to be said. Make sure that you know what bills have to be paid and when. Also it is good to know password question answers for the bank account if you aren't normally the one that does the bills. Perfect example....I didn't know the password question answers to log on with my husband's log in and had to find out. 

4. Power of Attorney (POA)

This single piece of paper can make your life so much easier while the hubby is gone I promise! The last deployment that Justin was on he didn't tell the legal lady correctly and she gave him a medical POA for me for the kids. Well I already have the nifty yellow card for on base and off base I don't need anything since they are my kids too. It would have been much easier to have a general POA because as it turned out I needed it. In Arkansas if you or your spouse have been deployed you can get a license plate and pay 2 bucks instead of 25ish. Well because I didn't have a general POA they wouldn't take his orders to get him a special plate so I had to pay the 25 bucks instead. 

5. Airman and Family Readiness Center (AFRC)

Now I am not sure about Army, Navy or Marines but the Air Force AFRC provides a lot of perks to the spouses while the spouse is deployed. Here at Little Rock they provide a monthly deployed families dinner which is nice because then you can meet other people who are going through the same things you are. They also provide a voucher to get a free oil change 30 days after your spouse has left. And also there is deployed child care as well. If you are a stay at home parent it can be a nice stress reliever to drop the kid(s) off for an hour or two while you relax or go get some much needed errands done. 

The hubby has only been gone for a month so I can only imagine what else I will need to add to this list before he comes back!