The holidays can be an EXPENSIVE time and there is not reason to always spend a ton of money on gift ideas. So I put together gifts for a police officer that won't put a hole in your wallet (or bank card). It also frustrates me to see gift exchanges at every office party, event and group, as if we are all made of money. But I am here to say that well thought out gifts can be inexpensive and meaningful all at the same time, without breaking the bank. Therefore, I am pretty sure your officer will appreciate any thoughtful gift you make or have the little one's in your home create for Click for more
15+ inexpensive, thin blue line stocking stuffers
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Thin Blue Line USA. All work is honest and my own. Every year, the gifts I find the hardest to buy are stocking stuffers. It is like I seem to forget until a week or two before that my husband's stocking needs to be filled with things other than his favorite body wash and hair gel. Stocking stuffers can actually get super pricey, so I love finding great, inexpensive stocking stuffers my officer will love. And more importantly, actually use! I like to give him a good mix of police related and non-police related items but finding thin blue line related Click for more
25+ random acts of kindness for law enforcement officers
Thank you to our sponsor, Thin Blue Line USA. All work is honest and my own. I love spreading love, happiness and appreciation. Our world needs more of it, that is for sure and random acts of kindness is a great way to do that. Acts of kindness and gratitude on ANY level is amazing, but random acts of appreciation for those that protect our communities day after day is certainly well over due! When someone pays for my husband's meal in the drive-thru or just says "thank you" it is always the first thing he mentions to me the next time we talk. It also brightens my day knowing there are Click for more
The BEST home buying program for law enforcement
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Honor the Brave. All opinions are honest and my own. One of the biggest life decisions and milestones: buying and selling a home. When we bought and sold our first home we were lucky enough to find a local realtor that was known to support law enforcement families. But the more and more I talk to fellow law enforcement couples, I see that is not always the case. So many couples WANT to go through a real estate program for law enforcement but can't find information or worse, they don't even know one exists. So how can you find a trusted group of Click for more
Are the problems in my law enforcement marriage normal?
Sometimes the things we experience in our law enforcement marriage are rather unique. We may struggle because this lifestyle is new to us or because we find not many people relate to our specific situation. But it is important to remember that you married a man, or a woman, not a police officer. A police officer is their career choice. Yes, it may be one that shapes them or one that impacts your life in numerous ways, but overall, know that difficulties that arise in your relationship are NOT only because of this career path. The law enforcement lifestyle has shaped both my Click for more
Top 10 Reasons I LOVE my Officer
One of my favorite posts from when I first started writing was Top 10 Ways to Know she's a Police Wife. And with police appreciation on the brain this week, I thought it was only fitting to write a post about why I truly love a police officer- MY officer! I am a police wife because of his daily sacrifice. While some may view our schedules, routines, and sacrifices as a family not ideal, I would not trade it for the world. I am proud to live this lifestyle and most importantly I KNOW we can weather any storm together. And I can do all these things with my officer by my side. With Click for more
6 Ways to Help your Officer Decompress when Off Duty
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Old Elk Distillery. All opinions are honest and my own. It took me years to realize that when our officers "clock-off" shift physically, it does not mean they are clocked-off shift mentally. It can take HOURS for our spouses to come down off the job and it never feels like they are fully off duty. That is why it is so important to give them time to relax as an off duty police officer. Not only that, but encourage them to relax and stop thinking about the job. Dr. Gilmartin explains this further in his book Emotional Survival for Law Click for more
The most simple thin blue line Oreo truffle balls
I love making thin blue line desserts and even more-so, I LOVE supporting the police officers in our community (including my husband)! So if you asked me the ONLY dessert I could not live without, it would hands-down be Oreo cookies. They are just heaven on Earth! So I knew if I made Oreo truffles then they would be EVEN better and I was right! Not to mention, these are the EASIEST to make. You will thank me! How to make Thin Blue Line Oreo Truffle Balls that you will love: I start by taking one package of Oreos and placing them in a blender. I pulse them until they are Click for more
What to bring to a thin blue line photoshoot: quick and easy ideas!
Photo Credit: K.A. It almost feels like a right of passage to have some kind of police or thin blue line themed photoshoot if you are a law enforcement family. I love seeing all the ideas trending on Facebook or Pinterest. Anywhere from those adorable, little newborn sessions where the baby is holding daddy's badge to couples draped around the Thin Blue Line Flag during an engagement session. They are all priceless and undeniably meaningful as law enforcement impacts the entire family. I always see wives searching for some inspiration for an upcoming photoshoot. So why not have Click for more
Encouraging prayers for law enforcement couples
Whether you are a police wife or an officer, we all need encouragement and support through this lifestyle. From the moment my husband started the academy and to this day, I have looked for ways to feel encouraged and supported; police wives prayers (prayers that seemed perfect for this lifestyle) were always the best place for me to start. Not all of these prayers may speak to you and that's okay. Different prayers may stand out to you at different times throughout your journey as a police wife. Same goes for your officer. But I love how so many pieces of scripture can be applied Click for more
How to help your officer be comfortable after a long day’s work
I received product from Gel Pro in exchange for an honest review. All work is honest and my own. Year after year, I have seen the toll of the job effect my husband. Not just the stress from the job mentally, but also the physical implications. Over time, his back has started to hurt from wearing a large, heavy duty belt. His feet now ache after every shift because of the hard, incredibly uncomfortable shoes or because he has been standing during a call for several hours. But he is not alone. These are common complaints of law enforcement officers throughout the country. There is not much Click for more
Why safety of our officers should be top priority
This is NOT a sponsored post; just my honest opinion about an amazing company! It is no secret that the safety of police officers in this country is in grave danger. Just about every single time I turn on the news or scroll through my newsfeed on social media anymore, I hear of yet another officer that has been injured or killed in the line of duty. It is disgusting, disheartening and down right scary. These are our husbands, our brothers, our sisters, fathers & mothers, a sacred part of our family unit. These men and women have families, their families love them deeply and Click for more
Father’s Day gift ideas for the officer that has everything
I received product from G-Shock in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are honest and my own. Honestly, every single year my husband becomes harder and HARDER to buy for. Father's Day seems even more difficult because it is only a few short weeks after his birthday. Meaning, he has just received gifts he may have wanted or we showered him with homemade/ kid created crafts. So I am forced to get pretty creative and find gifts for my officer that will totally surprise him even when he has all he could ever want or need. Or even when he says "I don't need anything". :/ We all Click for more
This cell phone company is giving back in a big way
Any company that gives back, whether it is to first responders or military, has my support! This month is Military Appreciation Month and Verizon is giving back in a big way! And for the month of May, Verizon is giving back to the Wounded Warrior Project in support of our military service men and women. So many of our first responders are also reservists in the military or veterans, so I had to share this piece of information with you so you can take advantage now! That means, that for every new customer that signs up from now to May 31st, 2018, Verizon will donate $10 to the Click for more
Why your first responder marriage matters
This is NOT a sponsored post. I am just truly grateful for the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation and their commitment to first responder marriages. My officer and I have been married for 9 years and we are high school sweethearts. After 16 years together, 2 homes, 3 children and busy careers, life can sometimes get in the way. This is true for many marriages, right? But one thing that is different about our marriage is that we face challenges as a first responder couple. (Which may be true for you also if you are reading this as a first responder spouse). Challenges that don't exist in non-first Click for more
A list of Police Week events & experiences
This is a sponsored post from Thin Blue Line USA. All work is honest and my own. My husband and I live pretty close to Washington, DC so that means we try to attend National Police Week every year. As a law enforcement family, it is a way for us to pay our respects to fallen officers and their families from the previous year. It is also a time to come together, as blue family, and show one another support and participate in events and experiences police related. Thousands of officers and their families travel from all across the Nation to attend Police Week during the second week in Click for more
Why more acts of heroism among first responders needs to be shared
This post is based on a partnership with Firehouse Subs. All work is honest and my own. As a first responder wife, I hardly listen to the news anymore. And similarly, when new police wives ask me for advice to adjusting to this lifestyle, I always recommend keeping the news off, especially when our officers are working. It isn't all too often that you hear positive, even heroic acts regarding first responders on the news or in social media these days. As a first responder family, we may talk about the amazing acts of first responders in our own town, but rarely do those stories Click for more
This country music duo has a mission to reduce PTSD in first responders
This post is written on behalf of a partnership with A Thousand Miles. All opinions are honest and my own. Do you ever listen to a certain type of music depending on what type of mood you are in? I certainly do! If I am sad, I tend to listen to slower country music. If I need a pick me up, I tend to listen to more popular, upbeat tunes. Songs really provoke emotion for me and they have this funny way of relating to whatever situation I am currently in. And I love how I can relate songs to specific events or times in my life. To this day, I still remember what song was playing on the car Click for more
35 inexpensive dates for police couples
It can be so hard to find time to be with your significant other without other obligations, right? We really have to be intentional to carve out time for dates. Not to mention, inexpensive dates for many police couples are an absolute must. We all know that our officer's don't do the job they do for the money. So choosing dates that don't break the bank can increase the amount of dates you can possibly have each month. For us, the movies are usually out due to price, so going to the theatre was not a date that made this list. The movies have gotten SO expensive and you don't get Click for more
10 easy ideas for police academy care packages + how to make them
A care package is the perfect way to show someone you care no matter the occasion! I feel very fortunate that when my husband went to the police academy, he only had to drive about 5 miles down the road. Just about everyone else in his graduating class drove from towns much further away than ours. So I don't have first hand experience with my officer being away during this long stretch of time, but I do know that experiencing the academy as a new law enforcement family can be difficult and care packages can help with that. Or maybe you are going through a new season of life or your officer Click for more
3 Common Problems Police Couples Face & How to Fix Them
*This post is based off my own experience and opinion* My husband and I are the best communicators. We always make time for one another and because of his career in law enforcement our schedules are usually WIDE open. He has the best schedule, honestly. It is one of the reasons I love being a police couple. SAID NO POLICE WIFE. EVER! Okay, let's get real here. Relationships require a lot of work, no matter what careers you and your spouse have. But law enforcement marriages are rather unique. Police couples deal with challenging schedules including shift work, which Click for more
Top gifts for a police academy graduate
Your officer just went through several grueling weeks training for his lifelong career. You may have spent weeks apart from one another making your time apart a quick reality of this profession. You probably witnessed your officer go through emotional & physical stress like you have not seen him experience before. All awhile, you are beaming with pride for your officer. The time has come for him to graduate from the police academy and you want to show him just how much you love & appreciate him and how immensely proud you are. You want to give him the Click for more
You Married a Man, not a Police Officer
My husband and I are high school sweethearts. We when began dating, he made mention of wanting to go into the field of law enforcement but I didn't think too hard about it. We were young, still in school and our careers (at that point in time) were not a hot topic. Time went on, we graduated, began going to college and my husband (then boyfriend) was still talking about law enforcement. More than just talking about it, getting a degree related to law enforcement and looking at agencies to apply to. I remember the feeling in the very beginning of being so damn proud (I still am). I wanted Click for more
How law enforcement life can strengthen your marriage
Guest post by Cote Did you know that if you search the internet about “law enforcement marriages” you get mostly articles about marriage counseling, statistics of blue divorces, and tips on how to save your crumbling police marriage? It’s not very reassuring. And if you’ve been around long enough you’re bound to have heard the horror stories from other LEOWs personally. Station affairs, strained marriages, cheating officers, cheating wives, separate lives, lonely kids. Spouses fed up with the shift work and beaten down by the untreated PTSD, tired of "solo" parenting and missing holidays Click for more
First responder and military families: We are one
You know when a blogger sits down to write but is at a loss for words, it must be because of something pretty incredible. This past weekend I had the honor of attending an Empowered Spouses Retreat with the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, one of the many retreats offered. This foundation does what is so needed within the law enforcement and military communities. They give an opportunity for 20 military and first responder spouses to gather in one place for a long weekend of confidence building, support, empowerment, and self reflection. We were nestled in the Teton National Forest in Click for more
5 healthy eating tips for when you work shift work
Guest post by Deja Cronley Things had finally slowed down for the night. Both of my patients had delivered and were doing well, resting and bonding with their new babies during that magic 24 hour period when newborns do nothing but sleep right after their born. I had a ton of charting to do but it would have to wait. I was starving! I headed to the break room and opened the fridge only to remember I never packed a lunch- or rather 2 am snack when I woke up this evening for work. 12 hour shifts are hard but night shifts were awful. The cafeteria was closed so off to the vending Click for more
Why Some Law Enforcement Families Just Say No…
To a law enforcement family, time is precious. I am sure time is important to non-law enforcement families too, no doubt. But in a law enforcement family, we treat time a little differently, you see. We protect and count every second. We count every second our spouse is out keeping the community safe. We count every second until our officer walks through the front door. We count every second we have with our officer until shift starts again. We count every second our officer is home with us safely. Every second counts. As a police wife, we do a lot of things alone, a lot of the time. We do Click for more
The Ultimate Gift Guide for a Police Officer & his Wife
The holidays are almost upon us. Well, they are practically here because Hobby Lobby has had displays up since June, am I right? I am a planner, by nature, so I like to be prepared for holiday gift giving as best as I can. I am also not the type of person to buy a ton of gifts right before Christmas. I start early and spread out the buying (& spending) over a few months. Which means I have to put the bug into my husband's ear early that I need gift ideas. When it comes time for buying presents for my husband around the holidays I used to draw a blank. He doesn't always give me ideas Click for more
The truth about love languages for a blue line marriage
Guest Post by Cote Are you familiar with love languages? I often joke that my love language is prosecco and pizza, or binging a certain Netflix show, or Amazon Prime, or… But I’m not talking about those love languages. I’m talking about the five love languages Gary Chapman developed. You might have taken the online quiz at some point, or gotten one of his books gifted to you (we received one for our wedding). If you’re totally unfamiliar with it, the basic concept is we all have a preference towards one or two love languages, and respond to our spouse more positively when they Click for more
7 Easy Snacks that Keep in a First Responder’s Lunchbox
**Don't miss it! The ULTIMATE Meal Planning E-Bundle for Law Enforcement Families is available NOW! If you are ready to save time, money & stress then this is the meal planning system for you. It is tailored specifically to law enforcement life!** I don't know about you, but I know that one of my biggest struggles for YEARS as a police wife was figuring out what meals/snacks to buy for my husband's lunchbox. I don't always prepare and pack my officer's lunch, he does that himself a lot of the time. But, ultimately, I am the one doing the grocery shopping for our household. I am also the Click for more