It is no shock to this country, especially military families, that deployment takes a toll on us physically, mentally and emotionally. As more and more servicemembers deploy multiple times, the stress is taking a toll on the families including the children.

The name of this book fits my life so well. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I noticed if I didn’t make some changes soon, I was going to have a nervous breakdown.

Spending Valentine’s Day alone is just another reminder for military spouses all over how lonely deployments and separations make them feel. As a military spouse myself, the hardest part was seeing my other friends and their spouses together.

Deployment takes a large toll on military families. But have we thought about what it does to our children? Does your child have your support?

This month, I asked readers, what was the nicest thing a neighbor has done while your loved one was deployed?

Male military spouses have to deal with many obstacles; friendships, transition, home life and discrimination. Wayne Perry is a male military spouse of just a year, battling these obstacles daily. On Life of a Military Spouse, Wayne shares his story with us on how he deals with these obstacles as well as what he is doing to build awareness of the male military spouse.

When my husband deployed in 2008, I had no idea where to turn. At first most of my resources actually came from me getting online and speaking with other spouses. I slowly realized, is this it? I needed more interaction with spouses and families.

It’s no secret that sleep is an essential part of our lives. Without the proper amount of sleep, we may develop stomach problems, mood swings and eventually suffer from hallucinations and memory problems. Many of us today, especially military families and servicemembers, function on the minimum sleep. But how do we know what is enough sleep for us? How start and maintain healthy sleep habits?

Joan Garcia has been an Army wife for 8 years. She has dealt with 2 deployments to Iraq 15 months each and 3 TDY’s which have kept her husband away for a total of 18 months. During her husband’s deployment last year she gave birth to twins, which she describes as the hardest part during deployment.

There are all many different ways in which families learn to thrive in this lifestyle. This month, I asked reader’s how the military has benefited them and their families, and they answered.