Another week-end, another FORT FRYDAY!

It's Friday so let's all shout, TGIFF; Thank goodness it's FORT FRYDAY!  As you know, we're celebrating that Peas of Mind's Veggie Wedgies are now in military commissaries by featuring the spouse of a someone in the military.  This week our hometown hero is Erin, the amazing blogger behind Deployment Diatribes, a blog that chronicles the ups and downs of military life.

More from this week's hometown hero, Erin:

What branch of the military is your spouse in?
"My husband is in the Navy."

How long have you been a military wife?
"17+ years."

Do you have kids? If so, what are their ages?
"I have four boys, ages 5, 9, 12 and 14." 

Why did you start your blog and what can you tell us about it?
"I started The Deployment Diatribes on November of 2010, a few weeks before my husband left for a long deployment.  I write about the trials and tribulations of being a military wife and ups and downs of military family life, as well as no nonsense parenting issues. Sometimes, during deployment, knowing I could write about what was happening and make it a little funny got me through tough days."

What is the best thing about base life?
"The best thing about base life, and what I miss from not living on one, is being surrounded by people who understand what it is like to be part of the military."

What is your favorite food to prepare for your family?
"Homemade bread, I make it every week."

You are on a deserted island and can only bring one thing...Go!
 "A very long book."

 Is Military wife life what you thought it would be?

"I don't think anyone can know what military life is like if they haven't lived it.  A military wife has to be independent, able to do pretty much anything at any time, but also supportive of her husband in his career.  I had no idea what it would be like, but I wouldn't trade the past years for anything."

It's FORT FRYDAY

TGIFF stands for Thank goodness it's FORT FRYDAY.  We're back bringing in the weekend and celebrating  that our Veggie Wedgies are now available in military commissaries!

Today our hometown hero is Stacy Fiore, a military wife,  mom and blogger who writes for  Raising Chaos a sweet and funny blog about living life military style.  We hope that Stacy finds some Peas of Mind with our Veggie Fries while she's raising all that chaos!

More from this week's hometown hero, Stacy Fiore:

How long have you been a military wife?

"I've been a military spouse for almost 7 years. September of this year will make 8!" 

What made you start your website/blog?
"I love to write. One of my closest friends had a great blog going and I loved reading everything she wrote. She inspired me to start writing my stories down on the internet and that's how my blog got started. If it weren't for her, I probably would have never started it."

Do you or have you lived on base? Which one?
"Nope. Never lived on base. We've always chosen to live close enough to take advantage of what the base offers but never on."

What is the best thing about base life?
"I don't live on base but I still take advantage of the commissary. We live near a big base so it has a lot of events year round that are very family oriented. Also, I LOVE watching all the planes and helicopters flying around. You can even see the paratroopers jumping from where we live. It's really cool to watch."

What is your favorite food to prepare for your family this time of year?
"Soups. Winter to me means lots and lots of soups. Our current favorite is broccoli and cheese or chicken tortilla."

You are on a deserted island and can only bring one thing...Go!
"My family. I could stay on the island forever if I had my family with me. If I couldn't bring my family (since technically it would be 4 things) I would bring my cell phone and pray that I had reception so I could call for help."

Is Military wife life what you thought it would be?
"Before my husband and I got married, I only had a glimpse of military life. I really had no idea what all it would entail. It is definitely not what I thought it would be. I think some people think of military life as glamorous. They think of homecomings like they are in the movies. But military life is hard and homecomings are nothing like they are in the movies. In fact, most spouses will tell you the coming home and reintegration is harder than the actual deployment. But seeing my husband do what he does makes me so proud of him and all of our servicemen and women. I've learned so much and grown so much as a person because of all the challenges thrown our way. I love him so much and wouldn't change my military wife life for anything."

Fort Frydays

It's Friday, so you know what that means! FORT FRYDAYS is back and once again we're celebrating that our Veggie Wedgies are now available in military commissaries!

This week we're featuring Michelle, the awesome mom, wife and blogger behind Military Wives Savings.  If you haven't visited her website, you should check it out ASAP; she's constantly posting great deals, coupons and wonderful ways to help military families save money!

More from Michelle, this week's hometown here: 

What branch of the military is your spouse in? 
"Army. He's been in since January 2007, so a few months before we met."

How long have you been a military wife? 
"I've been a milspouse since January 2008, 2 months after we started dating. One of our mutual friends set us up on a blind date when we were at Ft Lewis, WA and we spent everyday together since that night :)"

Do you have kids? If so, what are their names and ages? 
"We have 2 and one on the way (any SECOND now LOL) ... Hailey is 4 and Clint, Jr. is 2." (We found out that a few days after Michelle sent this, she gave birth to her third child. CONGRATULATIONS MICHELLE!)

Do you or have you lived on base? Which one?
"We have never actually lived "on-post" ...It's always been off. However, we are at Ft. Bliss now and I honestly wish we lived on-post for that sense of community and family-feeling. We do not speak spanish so we really don't know our neighbors ...."

What is the best thing about base life? 
"Best thing about military life ... gotta say Tricare! I've saved about $20,000 having my two kids so far :) Seriously, I would say the sense of pride being of apart of the military. You know your spouse is doing something so selfless to defend our country and you get to share that with them. It makes me so proud to say that I'm a military spouse!"

What is your favorite food to prepare for your family? 
"Mmmmm, that has to be Chicken Cacciatore hands down. Whether it's on the stove or in the slow-cooker, it's simply delicious. It's even better the next day! The kids don't like it but hubby and I do!"

-You are on a deserted island and can only bring one thing...Go! 
"Hopefully someone is paying the internet bill back on land, so that would be my laptop with built-in wifi :) If there's no wifi, I'd bring a fishing pole for food and fun."

-Is Military wife life what you thought it would be? 
"I never thought I'd be a military wife, although I grew up as a military brat, go figure. I have to say I'm used to this lifestyle, moving every few years, having to readjust. When I was younger, I went to three high schools, and I truly can't remember some of my teachers names. It's just been a way of life for me and I don't know how to live any other way."

Fort Frydays

Fort Frydays is back celebrating our Veggie Wedgies, which are now available in military commissaries!

Today our hometown hero is Kristina Doss, a military daughter, wife and mom.  By day, Kristina is a journalist whose work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times and by night, she's a hometown hero taking care of her husband and daughter.  

Photo by Camille O. Martin-Jones

More from Christina, this week's hometown hero:

What branch of the military is your spouse in?

"My husband is in the U.S. Navy. He has served our country for 12 years and my family is incredibly proud of his service and all that he has accomplished so far."

How long have you been a military wife?

"I’ve been a military wife for almost seven years. During that time, my husband and I have moved, lived and traveled around the world. (We currently live in Singapore.) It’s been quite the adventure – one that I share on the blog My Traveling Troop."

Do you have kids? If so, what are their names and ages?

"Our daughter Bella is four years old. We also have another bundle of joy on the way."

Do you or have you lived on base? Which one?

"We’ve lived both on and off base over the years. I think both options offer wonderful and unique experiences. For us, the choice to live on or off base depends on the area and what stage in life we’re in at the time we have to make the decision."

What is the best thing about base life?

"Living off base has given us an opportunity to develop friendships with locals and, when we’re overseas, learn about their culture and customs more. On the other hand, living on base provided us with an immediate sense of community and support from people who also live and understand a nomadic lifestyle."

What is your favorite food to prepare for your family?

"That’s a tough question, because I love to cook! But if I had to choose one, I would say chicken and brown rice soup. The dish is easy to make and healthy since it’s packed with protein, vegetables and fresh herbs. My husband and daughter love it."

You are on a deserted island and can only bring one thing...Go!

"I’m going to imagine that this deserted island has excellent reception so that I can bring my iPhone. The phone has a map application, so I’ll always know where we are and how to get home. I can call for help and Google how-to instructions on how to build a fire, pitch a tent from the materials around us and forage for food while we wait for help to arrive. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have a little entertainment while you’re stranded somewhere. "

Is Military wife life what you thought it would be?

"I grew up as a Navy child; my father served for 20 years. As a result, I had a good sense of what to expect when I married someone in the Navy. But truth be told, as a military wife I’ve experienced more surprises and adventures than I ever could have imagined."

Fort Frydays

Fort Frydays is back for 2013!  As you know,  Peas of Mind’s Veggie Wedgies are now in military commissaries, which means we get the honor of feeding the brave men and women who serve our country and the families who love them.  Fort Frydays is a celebration of the moms and dads (or Home Town Hero’s as we like to call them) who take care of the household while their spouse is/was away. 

This week we’re celebrating military wife and mom, Chantal Shelstad. When Chantel's not busy with her daughter and husband, she writes for her blog Scattered Seashells about life as a military mom helping her family live a healthy lifestyle (her life just got a little easier because now she can get Peas of Mind products at her commissary)! 

More from Chantel, this week's hometown hero:

What branch of the military is your spouse in?

“My husband is in the Army. He is training to be a helicopter pilot.”

How long have you been a military wife?

“We've been married since June 2008, and he's been in the Army since then too! So it'll be five years come this summer.”

Do you have kids? If so, what are their names and ages?

“We have one daughter, Penny, who just turned one in December.”

Do you or have you lived on base? 

“We live on base here at Fort Rucker. Before we lived here, we were stationed in Hawaii, and we lived on base there too.”

What is the best thing about base life?

“We love being close to his work so he can come home between breaks.  There are lots of perks of living on base - proximity to the commissary and PX, close to other families, good housing. I especially love being on post here because I'm close to friends, because my husband is gone a lot for training in flight school.”

What is your favorite food to prepare for your family?

“We have tons! But I like a good meatloaf with roasted broccoli and sweet potato fries on the side. I’m so excited to try Peas of Mind Carrot fries, they seem super healthy and easy to make.”

You are on a deserted island and can only bring one thing...Go!

“Does my husband count as a thing? Seriously, he would get us out of anything. I'm sure that's putting a lot of faith in him but I trust him beyond words. I know he would work to get us off that island.  Well, unless we liked it so much, and then he'd work to make us a great house!”

Is Military life what you thought it would be?

“That and more! I love the relationships I have with others who understand exactly what I'm going through. I love the opportunities we have to travel. I love the activities they organize. I love the sense of community. I love being an Army wife!”