The Final Days of Deployment: A Spouse’s Checklist

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You’ve been dreaming about his or her homecoming for so long, but now that it’s almost here, what should you do during the final week?

Enter:

The Final Days of Deployment: A Spouse’s Checklist

  • Woman-scape or man-scape. You owe it to yourself.
  • Be spontaneous; you’ve got time, so use it!
  • Wear your ugliest PJ’s as often as possible.
  • Eat popcorn, ice cream or cereal for dinner. Ready or not, eating real meals is in your near future.
  • Leave the dishes in the sink for at least 24 hours. Be a savage; enjoy it while you can.
  • Soak up the evening silence!
  • Sleep spread-eagle in bed.
  • Soak up time with your kids. Line up that son/daughter date!
  • Write a letter to your spouse.
  • Reflect on how you grew and conquered the last 9 months (preferably over a glass of wine with a battle buddy).
  • Thank the people who carried you through.
  • Relish in the final moments of this challenging season – you’re almost done!
  • Accomplish a goal that was important to you. It’s not too late to cross one more item off of your deployment bucket list!
  • Spend more time on preparing your heart to be married “again” instead of going crazy on the house …or do both!
  • During the travel days with no communication with your spouse, put your phone away and relish the freedom without your leash (aka phone).
  • Do what you want, when you want for a day!
  • Do something for you.
  • Have a celebration date with the kids!
  • Binge on those shows and movies that you know your spouse hates  – time is ticking to finish up season 9!
  • Prep some freezer meals so you didn’t have to worry about cooking every day those first few days your spouse is home.
  • Add some M&M’s to the countdown jar, then eat some extra M&M’s as the homecoming date changes.
  • Buy all the Americana decor and decorate like it’s the Fourth of July!
  • Consider rearranging the closet to make room for your spouse’s stuff again. Sharing is caring.
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Corinne Ables
Corinne is eager to share her challenges with finding purpose outside of a title or role alongside her journey as an Army wife and new mom. Her last five years as an Army wife have brought five moves – including one OCONUS, a sweet son, Joshua, and many turns in her career. Most recently, she has found fulfillment as a freelance marketing consultant at Teahouse Creatives. Corinne has a heart for people and a tendency to overthink most situations. Tetris, trying new recipes, long walks, and traveling are a few of her favorite things!