The United Through Reading Program

image via United Through Reading

One of the great programs we took advantage of during my husband's deployment was the United Through Reading program. The basics of this program are that on military installations around the world, service members can record a video of them reading a book and then send the video and the book to their children back home.

My husband recorded several of these during his first six months on deployment in Afghanistan (also known as "AFFFA-gan-I-STAN" by our little one. For some reason she said it with a drawl like a girl from the deep south which always cracked us up.) These DVDs were great to watch in the evenings before bedtime or on car trips.

Just being able to see Daddy/Husband was a godsend, hearing his voice was a delight. You could see the joy he felt in connecting with our daughter as he red to her. He took such care in the way he read and despite being exhausted was animated and warm. It was nice to have a little break from the being the only onsite parent for even a few minutes and let my husband, via DVD, from thousands of miles away spend time with her and have her undivided attention for a while.

I am so grateful to the organizers, sponsors and volunteers of these groups such as United Through Reading who give of their time and resources to bless military families separated by deployment. This is a program that helps families stay connected, helps deployed service members do something special for their kids which I think does a lot to cheer them up, and encourages reading. Three phenomenal benefits.

You can learn all about United Through Reading and find locations around the world where parents can record stories to send back home. Have any of you readers taken advantage of United Through Reading? How did it help your family?

A Great Deployment Goodbye Gift

badge image via Staples / all other images via

I thought I would share with you a little craft project I came up with to send to my husband at the beginning of his deployment. I took two of these self-laminating name tag holders and then chose four photos to put inside. You can buy the badge holders at any office supply store in a box of about 10 for less than $10. I thought these would be the perfect size for him to keep in his uniform pocket with him all the time. I always imagined that during hard times, if something bad happened or he got injured that he would feel we were there with him and he could pull out the photos any time and feel us with him. He carried them in his shoulder pocket for the entire year and still keeps them in his uniform pocket even though he's home.

You can really personalize this project by the photos you choose. I wanted to chose the four most important things I thought would make him feel safe and loved. I chose a photo of our little girl, a photo of him with me that our little girl took, a photo of our church and a picture of Jesus Christ. You could easily use a photo of your home, his truck, his dog, extended family, maybe even a photo of your bed to remind him of where his bread's buttered,  if you want to get a little sultry. There are all sorts of options.

I took the measurements of the badges and then I just pulled my four photos into a new Word document and sized them to fit the badges. Then I printed them out all on one sheet of paper, cut them to size and put two, back to back, into each badge holder and sealed them up.

I discarded the snap-on clips and instead took a piece of red, white and blue grossgrain ribbon and tied the two badges together with a bow on top. I put our family photos on the outside. It turned out so simple but cute with the patriotic ribbon holding it together. I know by how he treasures those photos how much that little project meant to him. I was really impressed to see how well they held up too. They show a little age but the plastic lamination is still in fantastic shape.

If you try this I would love to hear what photos you use or if you did something similar tell me how you did it. I love to learn from you!