Valentine's Day

I've done a little more thinking about a great Valentine's Day care package and here are a few more ideas I've come up with:

• Make a puzzle out of a picture of yourself or a love letter. You can have these made at Wal-Mart, Kinkos, etc. Or if you're creative get out the glue, cardboard, and scissors and give it a try!
• Send red boxers with hearts or lips on them.
  
• Hershey's kisses are always a good choice. Write something on the little tags if you're feeling ambitious!
  
• Sexy love letters are great. Write one yourself or go to hoochymail.com and have them make a free one for you. They have something for everyone from romantic to x-rated!
• A favorite romantic movie of his.
• Mixed CD full of love songs.
• Handmade Valentines
• A romantic book
• Personalize M&M's in pink, red, and white.
• A letter of all the reason you love them.
• A Victoria's Secret magazine with your face glued on all the models.
• And last but not least as suggested by my soldier himself.... a pair of clean panties that smell like your laundry or perfume (or maybe a pillowcase if you're a bit shy).
  

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Self-heating drinks

I got this idea from my future mother-in-law. She bought some of these to try after a woman she knows said she sent these to her son in Iraq during the winter. They actually taste great! They come in many flavors like hot chocolate, coffee, and cappuccino. They have the directions printed on them and you just pop a tab on the bottom, let them heat up (about 3 minutes), and drink! They get REALLY hot, so if you buy one to try be careful! I've seen these for sale at Wal-Mart.

Happy Care Packaging! Pin It

Supportive Sites

Over that last month I've done a lot of web surfing and have found some great sites for supporting servicemen and women. Here are some of my favorites:

• Soldiersangels.com - You can adopt soldiers you don't know to send letters and packages. You can also submit a soldier's address to receive packages.
• Americasupportsyou.mil
• Bluestarmothers.org - My future mother-in-law belongs to this group. She's been able to meet a lot of other mothers in her same situation.

I'll add more later!
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startin out!

Why am I here? Aren't there plenty of sites about care packages? What are you doing? Well, to answer all these questions simply, I have nothing better to do! To tell you a bit about myself, I'm young and engaged to a wonderful man who will be leaving for Iraq in a month. I'm already planning the exciting things I want to send him and I thought I'd share my ideas with other people. Not to mention writing all of this down might help me decompress a bit.

Where do I start? Jake's been gone for about a month now. He's stationed in Georgia doing his mobilization training. He's a member of Indiana's 76th with the National Guard. His spirits are up, but to be honest mine aren't the best right now. I'm feeling lonely and since he recently broke his phone my only way of contacting him is through mail. I've sent a few things already. Mostly just things he requested, like a new pair of headphones, a book, and hand sanitizer (they sometimes go nearly a week between showers, yuck). Nothing too ambitions or really thoughtful, but it was something to start with.

I'm starting my Valentine's Day package. So far it has:

• A cheesy card that plays music when you open it (he'll probably hate it)
• Some homemade cookies (heart shaped with sprinkles)
• Some of his favorite candy (Mike n Ikes)
• Bubble Yum bubble gum

He loves crossword puzzles, so I thought about making up some games from puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com. You can add in your own words to make fun puzzles and games that are personalized. The crossword I'm working on might be a little hard for him. My clues are kind of tricky (my favorite part of you: eyes). They aren't necessarily things I've mentioned before, but he's smart. I bet he can figure it out! Pin It

Packaging Hints

• Pack cookies with bread to preserve freshness.
• Pack cookies in old Pringles cans to keep safe.
  
• Pack things in zipper plastic bags. They're useful for keeping things from spilling and storing things while away.
• Test your box, shake it. If it rattles add more packing materials.
• Double bag things that could leak!
• Tape heavy items to box sides to distribute weight evenly.
• Send minty gum separately or well sealed. It will make the whole package smell like gum.
  

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Shipping Guidelines

When sending packages overseas it is best to send them Priority Mail. They will get there much faster than Parcel Post because they will be flown rather than sent by ship.

By going to USPS you can get free shipping materials. They will deliver Priority Mail materials that you order at no additional cost.

As of April 2008 a new larger flat-rate box made specifically for care packages was made. The shipping is $10.95 to a military address. This is a $2 discount from the regular shipping.

Average shipping time to Iraq is around 2 weeks. Keep in mind that once the mail is on base it takes some time to distribute. Pin It