The challenges are always the same

It has been 3 weeks our soldier has been away and it seems so hard...I'm definitely out of practise! I am remembering very clearly that it doesn't matter where they are the feelings and emotions are exactly the same, ok so this time I am not worried for his safety so much but I still ache at the big void that is left.

Communication is very sporadic, in 3 weeks he has called home twice which many keep giving me shocked looks when I tell them, one lady even said "its not world war one its 2015" but it is a myth that because of the technological world we are in we can all face time or Skype our soldiers every night, often it is just not that easy.

The boiler's broken, I cracked a tooth, the TV cabinet fell forward and is now propped up with a door stop, my Little Trooper has been doing amazingly at her sport, my car service light keeps flashing.....and I can't share these things with him. I know so many of you will relate to this.

Its such a strange existence. When he has called its been very brief and the boiler fades into insignificance.

Our Little Trooper is 12 now and as much as I had hoped the older she got the easier she would find it, to a certain extent that is true she can process it better and understands where he is and what he is doing but I still see the pain in her face when good things happen and she wants to share them....and can't.

We are using the write things down and pop in a jar method so we can share everything with him when he does return home, he will then feel like he's not missed out and our little girl will feel like he was part of these few months of her life still.

A great weekend in the national press (Daily Mail article) for the Me & My Soldier calendar we released the wining images and I am so honoured we have such special images in our 2016 calendar! You can pre order your copy here

Have a positive week. Louise xxx

We're made of stern stuff...thankfully!

What a summer it has been!

I am sure many of you just like us have been packing your lives into boxes and going on the move to new postings, our move went pretty smoothly and after 6 weeks I don't need to use the Sat Nav to get to Tesco's anymore! It always takes me a few weeks to find homes for everything and figure out the space and squidge all our furniture in but once the bunting is up anywhere feels like home!

Unfortunately just a couple of weeks after we moved my Little Trooper got rushed into hospital and after a few days on the children's ward had her appendix out but recovered really well and was determined to start her new school just 6 days after her operation!

Me & My brave Little Trooper post op

I've no doubt over the last week or so lots of Little Troopers have started new schools and I know my little girl makes me so proud how well she deals with it, unfortunately as our postings have worked out and her age it seems its a new school every September for 6 years is on the cards....she's done 4 so 2 more to go!

Last week my husband ventured off on a few months away which we'd all prepared ourselves for but another wave of bad luck he got very poorly and was returned home, he will be off for a long while recovering.

Luckily the situations we find ourselves in as military families means we are strong individuals and can cope with what life throws at us....although I have cried lots of tears! Together we are stronger, together we face what we have too and together we have started our new chapter.

I really hope everyone has had a great Summer and all the Little Troopers are settled back in school, I'm looking forward to the Autumn as there are lots of exciting things coming for Little Troopers everywhere and I really can't wait to share them with you!

Don't forget the Me & My Soldier 2016 Calendar competition is open and the closing date is 20th September so do enter as soon as possible, read more here

Lots of Love,

Louise xxxx