Italy was our most recent overseas duty station. While it brought its own unique learning curve and challenges (as all duty stations do), it was an amazing place to spend three years. We learned a lot while we were there and grew our family by two. We were stationed in Northern Italy. Of course, there …
Our First PCS with Kids: Products that Saved Our Sanity
PCSing with kids is not for the faint of heart. There’s a lot that comes with moving with children. Both of our children were born in Italy. While we had done some European travel while living abroad, this PCS was our first big adventure with both children. With 14 hours of flight time and a …
Moving Day is Here! What to Expect on Pack Day
It’s been a long road to get here, with blood, sweat, and tears (maybe literally). You’ve made lists, reservations, and flights. And today is a big box to check—moving day. Today, the movers arrive, armed with boxes and tape, ready to pack your whole life and send it across the country (or across the world). …
How I Moved My Breastmilk Across the World
Our most recent OCONUS move was from Italy to the States in October 2024. At the time, my second child was about six months old and still nursing. I had quite the freezer stash of breastmilk and wrestled with whether or not to try to bring it with us. To be honest, this was one …
What to Know About Unaccompanied Baggage
I married my husband when he was stationed in North Carolina. It wasn’t that far from where I was living, so it was easy enough to move down. Previously, I moved myself, with the help of family, into and out of college, then into my first apartment (and all subsequent apartments). A few carloads back …
Now What? Tips for Adjusting to Your New Home
There are things I can’t force. I must adjust. There are times when the greatest changes needed is a change of my viewpoint. – Denis Diderot Whew! You did it! Maybe you flew across the country, or across the world, and are still waiting on your household goods to arrive. Maybe you loaded up the …
Get Organized: Creating a PCS Binder
With organization comes empowerment – Lynda Peterson Moving seems to attract paperwork. If you’re a military family, that paperwork seems to double, sometimes overnight. It’s imperative during a PCS to stay organized. Inevitably, an office will ask you for a copy of something you didn’t think you needed, so it’s better to be prepared. While …
The Pre-PCS Purge: 7 Tips to Declutter Your Stuff
Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want. – Kristin Armstrong My first PCS move left me wondering why we owned so much stuff. Our small shipment of unaccompanied baggage …
Moving to Japan? What to Know for Your PCS
All great changes are preceded by chaos – Deepak Chopra In spring 2018, I embarked on the biggest, and longest, adventure of my life. Husband and I relocated to Japan with the military. Moving is one of the most exciting, and most heartbreaking and stressful parts of military life. As a new military spouse going …
8 Tips to Rock Your Military Move
Packing is always a nightmare – Stefanie Powers A new year means a new PCS (Permanent Change of Station) season is fast approaching! Spring of 2018 was my first PCS and my first truly big move. Going from the States to an overseas duty station was daunting. Until then, I had only relocated within a …
