A deployment idea for those with toddlers and older kids
Since it's 12:freaking30 in the morning, and I can't sleep (yay deployment insomnia! not), I thought I'd share something fun that I let my kids do the other day.
I'm struggling with ways to keep them and DH connected. He's missing them like crazy, they're missing him like crazy, but they're too young to really do much about it. Sad for them. Really really sad for him. I had a bright idea while we were at the store the other day. I took them to the card aisle, put them down (one at a time because I'm not that crazy LOL) in front of the display, and let them each pick their very own card to send to Daddy. They actually somehow picked very appropriate "I miss you" type cards, though Riley *almost* picked a sister-to-sister card... in Spanish. Hahaha. Anyway, let them pick whatever card they want, no matter what the theme is, unless it's morbid or something completely inappropriate to send to a soldier in combat.
When we got home I clipped the cards open on clipboards, sat them down with a box of crayons, and let them decorate the cards to their hearts' content. I plan to do this about once a month. Next time I'm going to take pictures of them picking out the cards and/or decorating them to stuff in the envelope with it. He hasn't gotten the cards yet, but I can't wait to hear what he thinks about it.
Re: A deployment idea for those with toddlers and older kids
I do that a few times a month for with my 2 and 3 year olds. My 9 and 12 year olds usually like to pick a card as well. Sometimes they will just write a letter. We also have "The Daddy Wall." All the kids put their artwork or stuff from school that they want H to see. We fill the wall up while he is gone and he loves to see it all when he comes back.
Another thing we do is take at least one pic of each kid every day and email it to him. If we go to the zoo or beach or where ever, we take a pic so he can see what we've been up to.