October 1^st came, and BAM! It was time for Halloween. Your social media has been filled with images of pumpkins, spooky decorations, and costume ideas. You may be planning a countdown to Halloween complete with daily spooky activities. Halloween spirit is all around us. While costume parades and traditional trick-or-treating may be canceled in 2020, it’s nice to see the spooky spirit continue in other creative ways.

Want a sweet way to share the spooky spirit beyond your immediate community? Maybe you bought Halloween candy with the hope of trick or treating, but it has been canceled in your area. Or in wanting to keep a semblance of normalcy for 2020, you are planning on buying candy even if you don’t have an immediate need. What can you do with that excess Halloween candy? You can treat the troops!

Soldiers’ Angels Treat for Troops program is a candy collection program just for Halloween! Businesses like dentist offices or churches typically collect candy from families in their area in exchange for prizes and then send the candy to the Soldiers’ Angels. Soldier’s Angels then collects all the sent in candy and sends it to troops overseas. While families may not have excess candy this year, they can still donate candy to businesses designated as drop off sites near them.

Want to donate your candy to Treats for Troops?

To find a business near you that is a collection site for Treat for Troops, check here.  There is an interactive map of the United States, or you can search by zip code. When you search by zip code, it is just looking for businesses within your zip code and not close by, so it is easiest to search on the map by zooming into your area. Families that bring in the candy to be dropped off are typically awarded buyback prizes for every pound brought in. In previous years, businesses have offered toothbrushes, gift cards, stickers, art supplies, and even cash!

The interactive map is the best way to search for a site near you. If you are unable to find a drop off location near you, you can mail the donation to Soldiers’ Angels directly at 2895 NE Loop, Suite 107, San Antonio, RX 78218.

What candy can be donated?

• Unopened, individually wrapped candy
• Small bags of loose candy like jelly beans or candy corn
• Chocolate, and no it doesn’t have to separated

What candy is not accepted?

• Handmade candy
• Homemade treats
• Baked goods – store-bought or homemade

When to donate?

Most donation drop-off sites accept candy through the first week of November. Perfect for post-Halloween festivities! Check the drop-off site nearest you for their information.

Do you have a business or know someone a business that would be perfect for a drop off site for Treats for Troops?
Businesses who want to be a Treats for Troops drop-off site must register online with Soldiers’ Angels here. All candy collected by the business must be shipped to the San Antonio, TX location of Soldier’s Angels, and their address is provided to the business once they register as a drop off-site. Businesses are responsible for buying their own buyback prizes.

So, if you don’t goblin up all your candy (haha – get it?), you can send it off to sweeten another person’s day!

Heather Walsh is a mom, Marine wife, Navy child, blogger, and lover of all things crafty and Disney. Professionally, she is a Physician Assistant and writer and has a passion for helping others to stay positive and supported. She has been writing since KidPix was on a floppy disk! She is one of three women who founded MilMomAdventures, sharing travel and lifestyle tips for the military family at www.milmomadventures.com . When she isn’t crafting with her kiddos, going on the next adventure, or writing for MilMomAdventures, she has contributed to NextGen MilSpouse, Daily Mom Military and Military Disney Tips while reheating her first cup of coffee for the tenth time.

After the nation-wide shut down in March and onward, going to the gym hasn’t been as easy. With a lack of child care, no schools, and gym shutdowns to limitations, there has been a large movement to begin building a gym at home. Physical performance and fitness are operationally important (required!) for the military member and serves as a mental health exercise and a break as well. For those reasons and more, here are six recommendations to help you start your own home gym,

1. Floor Mats – Can be utilized for comfort while doing stretches, yoga and body weight exercises. Don’t discount your kids old play mats – they can serve a second-life as your gym mats!
2. Kettlebells – These small yet powerful items can be utilized for multiple exercises, stored in small places, and pack easily for exercise on the road.
3. Jump Rope – Get cardio in no matter where you are, without moving far. Jump ropes can be shared among the adult members of family as part of a round robin exercise routine, and pack well.  Make sure you have a good clear space first.
4. Resistance bands – These come in various thicknesses which provide light to heavy resistance which can challenge the muscles for building strength, but also for providing flexibility. These bands also travel well, and compact enough to fit in a suitcase or sea bag.
5. Pull-Up Bar – With options of door frame mounted or wall-hung. Even if your service does not require Pull-Ups, they are a dynamic exercise that will serve to maintain your health, physique, and improve your push-ups.
6. Dumbbells – For those wanting to invest a little more in their home gym, dumbbells are great. Like kettlebells, they can be utilized for various exercises. They come in weights as low as 1, 3, and 5 lbs. and up from there in 5 lbs. increments to develop strength and power.

The home gym is achievable with these affordable starters. With current restrictions, and the difficulty of lack of child care, home gyms are more popular now than ever before.  And in case you missed it – the beauty of most of these items is their transportability – perfect for the frequent moves of the military family with everchanging home sizes. Remember the Genie in Aladdin – “Phenomenal Cosmic Powers! Itty Bitty Living Space.”

The Exchange has been getting more of these items in stock recently, so check them out if you are looking to start or stock your home gym.

Heather Walsh is a mom, Marine wife, Navy child, blogger, and lover of all things crafty and Disney. Professionally, she is a Physician Assistant and writer and has a passion for helping others to stay positive and supported. She has been writing since KidPix was on a floppy disk! She is one of three women who founded MilMomAdventures, sharing travel and lifestyle tips for the military family at www.milmomadventures.com . When she isn’t crafting with her kiddos, going on the next adventure, or writing for MilMomAdventures, she has contributed to NextGen MilSpouse, Daily Mom Military and Military Disney Tips while reheating her first cup of coffee for the tenth time.

The CDC releases guidelines for fall celebrations

With pumpkin spice lattes back and a bit of chill in the air, thoughts turn to the largest family gathering of the year, Thanksgiving. Families travel from all over the country to gather for a large meal, football games and parades. For military families, the holidays often mean travel to your hometown or family coming to visit you. This year with the COVID-19 pandemic, is it safe to have a large group of 20-30 in a home with no hope of social distancing? Can you enforce mask wearing? So how do you celebrate safely? The CDC recently released a set of guidelines to help mitigate your risk.

Before you plan to host a holiday celebration or attend one, check local regulations at local and state levels. Assess the current COVID-19 levels of the community where the event will take place. This factor as well as the location and duration of the affair contribute to the risk of getting infected. The safest way to celebrate is virtually or with just members of your immediate household. Anybody sick with COVID-19, has symptoms of COVID-19, been exposed to a person who has COVID-19 or anybody at higher risk of the illness should not attend.

CDC Guidelines on how to mitigate risk:

• Do not hold your event if there are higher levels of COVID-19 in your community or where you are traveling to. Do not allow people to attend who are coming from higher risk areas.
• If possible hold your event outside. Many parks have large pavilions to rent which allow for distancing. If you hold indoors open windows to increase ventilation.
• The longer the event the greater the risk. Plan a shorter one to be safer.
• Check your local restrictions on the number of people who can attend the event. The more people the greater your risk. Evaluate the space to make sure everyone can social distance.
• Enforce safe behavior by requiring masks, social distancing of at least six feet and frequent handwashing or the use of hand sanitizer. Plan to have extra masks, tissues, and hand sanitizer available.
• Have all attendees avoid contact with people outside of their households for 14 days prior to the event. After the event if you have been exposed to a lot of people outside of your immediate household
• Avoid close contact. No hugs, kisses, or handshakes. Waving is a good substitute.
• Food Safety – For those in contact with the food wash hands often. Have one person serve the food so multiple people are not in contact with the serving utensils. Use single serving condiments. According to the CDC, currently there is no evidence that handling or eating food directly spreads COVID-19.
• Throughout the event clean and sanitize high touch areas. After the event wash all linens such as tablecloths, napkins, and kitchen towels as well as hand towels.

Although travel poses its own risks it may be a good option for multi-family get togethers. Pick a central destination for extended family to meet. Ideally a place within driving distance for everyone so no one must fly. If you do fly look for airlines that don’t book all the seats on a flight. Check out a full-service resort or a rent a separate cabin for each family. A resort allows separate sanitized rooms and lots of space on the property to spread out. The event planner can help plan a meal served in an event room which will allow for social distancing while dining. Some cabin resorts have facilities for groups and if you keep your numbers down can be a safer option. Outdoor activities like hiking or walks on the beach are safer ways to spend time together than sitting door to dinner in a packed dining room.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? How do you plan to keep your family safe? Share your tips in the comments.

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com

Halloween is eerie and amusing. In September and October, the weather cools, sweaters come out, crockpots are filled with chili and the weekends are filled with pumpkin picking and Halloween themed activities. Instead of visits to theme parks for their Halloween-themed parties or fall festivals with bobbing for apples, this year will be fueled by creative ways to celebrate the spirit of the holiday.  While the celebrations will be different this year, they are creative and safe ways to celebrate Halloween.

1. Make costume making a contest at home. If everyone isn’t of an age to whip out the hot glue gun and sew sequins, make it a drawing contest! Make plans for fun costumes to make together by drawing ideas for family costumes. Challenge each other to be creative with what you have in the house. This will minimize going out for a shopping trip for costumes and utilize what you have on hand in a fun way. Get ideas for costumes using your solid color outfits on primary.com’s DIY costume section.
2. Wear costumes once a week. Let’s be honest parents – we all love the costume activities throughout the month of October because we can get that unit cost down on that costume we bought. Keep that weekly spirit alive by designating a costume day a week. Maybe a Freaky Friday? Most of the country is virtual schooling anyway!
3. Make fall treats at home. While large group gatherings aren’t recommended by the CDC currently, staying at home to make all the fall treats is still doable. Make popcorn balls, pumpkin cake, and apple cider at home. Check with local farms near you to see if they are offering curbside pickup of their treats to enjoy at home.
4. Boo your neighbors and friends. Booing friends has become a tradition that we look forward to every year. So much so that we start prepping the next years basket in the current season! Booing can be done safely. Prepare baskets with store-bought items. If you want to provide extra precautions consider wrapping the basket in cellophane and “quarantine” it prior to delivery of said “Boo.” Given the different levels of comfort, text or call the person you are “boo”ing beforehand to make sure they are okay with it and let them know what precautions you took. If you are “Boo’d” and you don’t know who dropped it off, you can quarantine it for a few days before digging into it.
5. Decorate your home outside. It is common for families to walk or drive around neighborhoods to take in holiday décor, why not decorate outside the home encouraging the neighborly spirit and take a walk enjoying the décor in your neighborhood?!
6. Make it a Quarun-team Halloween. If you have a group of families or friends that have been socially distancing together, consider doing a round robin at just those homes or backyards for a Halloween themed activity or treat. It will keep up the Halloween holiday spirit without the large gathering.  
7. Keep Trick or Treating Outside. While haunted houses (and garages) are awesome, closed spaces are not ideal this year. Don’t forget to wear cloth masks and avoid large crowds. Trick or treat with tongs to put candy into bags to minimize touching and once you are home from trick or treating, resist the urge to raid the bag for a few days allowing for your candy to “quarantine.” 
8. Have one person hand out candy. To minimize multiple hands being in the bowl, have one person hand out the candy directly into the trick-or-treaters baskets. Other creative ways to trick or treat are to put candy on a laundry line for children or on straws in their yard to “pick” off the line or the ground.

If you or your child have been exposed to COVID-19 or may have COVID-19, it is recommended you do not participate in in-person Halloween activities like trick or treating or handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. Instead, stay home, rest, and cuddle up with The Great Pumpkin. Call your doctor or pediatrician as needed.

While this year has certainly required creativity for the everyday, it is in full effect for Halloween this year. Now as Shakespeare said in MacBeth, “double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble.”

Heather Walsh is a mom, Marine wife, Navy child, blogger, and lover of all things crafty and Disney. Professionally, she is a Physician Assistant and writer and has a passion for helping others to stay positive and supported. She has been writing since KidPix was on a floppy disk! She is one of three women who founded MilMomAdventures, sharing travel and lifestyle tips for the military family at www.milmomadventures.com . When she isn’t crafting with her kiddos, going on the next adventure, or writing for MilMomAdventures, she has contributed to NextGen MilSpouse, Daily Mom Military and Military Disney Tips while reheating her first cup of coffee for the tenth time.

By Marguerite Cleveland

The Department of Defense (DoD) recently extended the use of expired Uniformed Services ID Cards (USID) until June 30, 2021. USIDs are the identification cards used by family members and retirees. This extension only applies to USIDs and not expired Common Access Cards (CAC) used by active duty and civilians working on an installation or Volunteer Logical Access Credentials (VoLAC) which will now expire on September 30, 2020.

The original extension was issued in April 2020 and designed to help maintain operations at DoD ID card offices and to minimize the number of non-essential required visits to an office. The process was changed to temporarily extend the expiration dates on the cards during the COVID-19 pandemic so that less people were visiting ID card offices. Those with an expired USID can continue to use it to access their military benefits including health care, access to the installation, and Commissary privileges.

Those with expired CAC or VoLAC cards will need to visit an ID card office to replace their expired cards. Check your local installation for hours, COVID-19 requirements and whether you will need to make an appointment.

The DoD can remotely issue first time USIDs for family members and retirees. Lost or stolen cards can also be issued remotely. These ID cards are issued with an expiration date not to exceed one year from the date it is issued. The minimum age for initial USIDs for family members changed in April 2020 from age 10 to age 14.

Mobilized reservists and their eligible dependents will continue to use the reserve-component USIDs to obtain authorized active duty benefits.

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com