Deployment Binder...the not so fun stuff

My posts are a bit out of order, please excuse but it was too hard to write this one as I was going through it! Below is the info I have in my "Deployment Binder" it is readily accessible and easy to find.
Here is a lit of the documents needed before your spouse deploys. Individual situations will vary, but this is what works for us and can be used as a starting point for anyone...even non military who just want to get some important documents organized.

Power of Attorney-----
1. General POA, alot of places do not accept these but I still think it good to have as backup. I keep this in my wallet, make sure it only has last 4 of SSN on it.
2. POA for vehicles, to sale, trade, register, insure and maintain.
3. POA for ALL BANK ACCOUNTS, investments, TSP, 401K anything with money involved.
4. Household Bills, electric, gas, water, cable, internet, cell phones, list each company you do business with.
5. Military Transactions, this one is very important, it covers DEERS, ID cards, DFAS, HHG, Govt Housing.
6. Some banks have their own form, USAA is one of them, so see what your bank requires.
7. Medical POA, if your spouse deployed you need to name a secondary for all of your and your children's medical decisions. Make sure your secondary is aware that they have been named to this position and you have a medical directives for the children signed by BOTH parents.

Copies of Important Documents-----
1. Copy of Spouse's CAC ID card, this is a little controversial but I say get it.
2. Copy of Orders, keep the original somewhere safe, with the copies, for privacy concerns black out the SS #, leave the last 4 readable. Make 10 copies, so they are ready when you need them.
3. LES from month prior to deployment, have your spouse send you one each month (also helps track pay).
4. Marriage Certificate
5. Spouse's Driver License
6. Spouse's Social Security card
7. Spouse's Passport
8. Spouse's credit and debit cards (try to leave all but 1 at home)
9. Your Driver License
10. Your Passport
11. Your credit and debit cards
12. Your ID card
13. Your Social Security card

All of the originals need to be in a secure location (safe, lock box) but the copies will go in your deployment binder.

Financials-----
1. A spreadsheet with the name of each biller and the usual amount due.
2. A copy of each recent bill
3. Tax forms from previous year
4. Investment, 401K, TSP, Retirement
I send this spreadsheet to hubby every month, so we are on the same page with spending and saving. He can see that each bill is being paid and track our spending. It makes him feel involved with our finances and achieving goals.

Emergency-----
1. DD 93, emergency data, make sure it is correct
2. SGLI info
3. Other life insurance info
4. ICE contacts for you and your children, anyone you would want notified in an emergency. Should include FRG, Rear D Commander, Red Cross info and soldier's name, rank, company, BN, BDE, deployment location.
5. Family Care Plan with a local temporary guardian for your children, in the event of an emergency where you are unable to care for the children, they will be placed into Child Services until a legal guardian can be established. To save your children the trauma of being placed with strangers, please have a local temporary guardian named. I have seen this happen to 2 families, the mother had to be hospitalized, there was no local temporary guardian and the children were placed with CPS until the guardians could arrive. Make sure this person has access to your house.
6. Pet Care Plan, in an emergency name someone who is local and available to care for any pets, include vet info, feeding schedule, medications, favorite toys. Make sure this person has access to your house.

Have an "if your spouse is injured or worse" plan...I know, thinking about it is one of the most terrible parts. Set aside about 30 minutes to plan and write this section, then it is done while you are in a rational mind. If that phone call or knock ever comes, you can grab this paper and got through the steps you have already planned. The military will pay for travel expenses for 2 people but you MUST wait on travel orders, otherwise you are on your own. Decide who you will bring with you and inform them of your decision so that they can be prepared if the situation arises.
1. Childcare, Family Care Plan would be very helpful in this situation. If you decide to travel to meet your injured soldier, bringing children is not realistic, you will need someone who can care for them in your absence.
2. Pet Care, Pet Care Plan will also work for this situation.
3. Travel, already having a passport would be helpful, however one can be granted in an emergency but, it will cause a delay. It is important that you make a decision about this right now, if you already have a passport, check the expiration date, you might need to renew it to cover the span of the deployment.
4. Luggage, with everything else going on, it could be hard to pack. The most likely place of meeting your wounded service member is Germany. Even in the summer Germany can be cold. I suggest that you either pack a small emergency bag now or write a list of a few items so that someone could assist you in packing. 5 days of clothing is recommended. Remember this is a hospital setting, please choose conservative clothing.
5. Request a Care Team, there are family members trained to help assist you with this event. This is an optional service provided by the FRG, it will people that you DO NOT know, that can either be better or worse. You need to decide on how you feel about this now! They will be ready to assist you immediately after the notification and teams will rotate out every 12-18 hours, they can provide childcare, take phone messages and provide household support as well as another military spouse to talk with. If you do not want this service, you will need to vocalize that and have another plan for support and assistance.
6. Money, no one can think about money in a time like this, so think about it NOW! If you have children/pets, someone will need to feed them, please be sure to have money for the guardians. How much time can you take off work? How will this impact your finances? Be sure you have some money to take with you. Your travel expenses are paid by the military but a little cash is always a good idea.
7. Who is going to pay your bills? You need to have someone who can pay your bills while you tend to your soldier.

I have made a copy of my deployment binder for my parents, they are the secondary. I have gone over it with them, they know where to find things, where to get help and how to handle things for me, if there is a need to do so.
I also have an emergency bag packed and ready in the closet, it makes me feel better prepared. If anything were to happen, I could be out of the house in 15 minutes. I have a call list, if anything happens, it has names and numbers of people to be called.
Well, this is alot longer than I planned...Best Wishes on your Deployment!

Care Packages

I might have been taking the care packages a little too far but I seriously can't help myself!

Yankee gets so excited to see what is in the box and always laughs when it is a crazy theme. I did a list for the whole year (fingers crossed will not need 1 year of boxes) so I won't repeat a theme and also I can grab items as I see them for use in the future boxes.

Hint #1 - email out this list so your family can also send you items to put with boxes
Hint #2 - get empty boxes early (especially around Christmas), so you can gather items as they are on SALE, I have the boxes lined up in the office with a paper tag of the theme
Hint #3 - finish boxes early, if I am busy then the box is already complete and ready to go, less stress
Hint #4 - Hobby Lobby and Micheal's will put their scrapebook paper and stickers on sale 50% off, since I already know the themes, I grab it when it is on sale, $0.29 for 12x12 and about $1.50-2.50 for stickers, makes for cheap decorating supplies.
Hint #5 - medium boxes cost less than large boxes, when you are looking at sending 20-24 boxes the savings add up, also they need less stuff to fill them up so if expense is an issue consider this option or do 1 month per month

Here are a few of my ideas that might help get you inspired to get your military member smiling too! I do 2 boxes per month, one beginning of month and mid month so I have tried to tie my themes according to when he receives the boxes (7-10 days).


January
Baby It’s Cold Outside - Hot Hands, Flannel Sheets
Rubber Duck - Bathroom Supplies

February
Valentine’s Day - Candy, Chocolate
I love you a "Latte"- Coffee Stuff

March
"Irish" You Were Here - Green Sheets, All Green
100 Days of Deployment - Anything with “100” on it

April
Say Cheese - Cheetos, Mac & Cheese
Some "Bunny" Loves You - Easter Eggs

May
Fiesta, Cinco de Mayo - Mexican Foods
Rest Your "Sole" - Socks, Shoes, Foot Stuff

June
Purple Party** - Birthday Stuff
Patriotic - America, 4th of July

July
Going “Nuts” Without You - Nut Snacks
Beach in a Box - Flip Flops, Towel

August
Picnic in a Box - PB and J, drink mixes
Everything’s Bigger in Texas*** - Beef Jerky, Flag, Bluebonnets

September
An “Apple” a Day - Apple Stuff
Are You Ready for Some Football??? - Anything Dallas Cowboys

October
"Fall"ing In Love - Leaves, Cider, pics from when you were dating
Halloween - Orange and Black, Spiders

November
Rise and Shine - Breakfast Foods
Thanksgiving in a Box - Stuffing, Turkey Jerky

December
Blue Christmas - Elvis, Lights
All I Want for Christmas - Red, Green, Santa

*Will be a different month depending on your deployment leave date
**This is Yankee's birthday and he loves purple!
***We are from TEXAS, switch out for your state or a state you love or a place to go on vacation

Extra Ideas:
You are My Sunshine - everything yellow
White Christmas – everything white
“Orange” You Glad it’s Summer – everything orange
Workout in a Box - fitness magazine, protein shake, healthy snacks, sports watch
Wedding Anniversary - your wedding colors, cake in a jar, wedding pics
Take Me Out to the Ballgame – baseball cards, gum, caramel popcorn, hotdog gummy candy
“F” Word Box - everything starts with “F” and we all know the F word is a soldier’s favorite word :)
“Mustache” You a Question - razors, shave cream, after shave, face scrub, sunscreen
You “Drive” Me Crazy - car magazines, NASCAR stuff, pics of the new car you want ;)
Hang in There, Going “Bananas” Missing You – monkey and banana stuff
Super Hero, Batman, Spiderman, Hulk, whatever their favorite superhero is
Movie Night, send their favorite DVD (I send the ones we already own = CHEAP) and popcorn, favorite soda and candy

12x12 paper fits almost perfectly on the large box flaps, just cut in half a nd about 1/4 trim on one of the short sides. I tape the flaps on the corners and then Yankee takes them off and hangs them on his wall. At the end, he'll send them home and I will put them in a scrapbook to remember how awesome I am!

Welcome to Team Durham

A more private place for our thoughts about this deployment. You can only say so much on Facebook due to word limits and security concerns, not that any top secrets will be released here maybe just a little more ranting than what is acceptable on a social networking site. Team Durham is really a place for you to experience our point of view, mine as the wife at home and Randy's as the soldier in the middle of the mess. It won't always be PC but opinions rarely are. We're off...