Still Alive and Kickin'

Just a quick post to say I'm not dead (:

And to brag a little about something that I'm quickly and whole-heartedly becoming an advocate for.

I have recently taken Levels 1&2 of the AFTB (Army Family Team Building) courses.

AFTB is a great program and I highly reccommend it to any new (or not so new) military spouses! The classes are available at just about every post.

The program describes itself as such: "AFTB is a volunteer-led organization with a central tenet: provide training and knowledge to spouses and family members to support the total Army".

In short this class will teach you almost anything you've ever wondered or wanted to learn about the Army and Army life. It's designed to help spouses feel more comfortable and independent in the military life. It enables us to be resilient and ready to handle many of the unique challenges that we come across as military families. And, no they aren't paying me to plug their program (:

Many of you who have been reading for a while know that I am big on helping new spouses with whatever they need. I started this blog originally for my own benefit but it's turned into a resource for readers as well and I LOVE that!

AFTB will be that, and more for you. With each class they will give you a binder full of information that you will learn during the courses. They send the binder with you for you to keep as a reference anytime you need it. Awesome, right?

Here at Fort Campbell, they offer FREE, yes FREE on site childcare for your children while you're taking the course! When I offered praise for this, Alex, the program manager said "I don't ever want childcare to be the reason why a spouse can't take the course."  

What will you learn? How to read rank on uniforms, how to read an LES (Leave and Earnings Statement), financial readiness, all about the FRG, military acronyms, etc.. and that's just level one. Level two focuses more on personal growth and resilience. You will take a personality test, learn how to handle crisis, effective communication, etc.

In December I am signed up to take Level 3, and then in January... I take the Instructor Course! I am excited to (hopefully) be a part of of this program!

I hope that all of you get out there and take these courses, I really can't say enough about them. They are offered at most of the major Army posts.

Here is the website for Fort Campbell's branch: Fort Campbell AFTB

email: fortcampbellmwr@yahoo.com

phone number: 270-798-4800

Alex Krohn is the program coordinator and he is great! And so is Jennifer Gilbert (the volunteer program manager).

If you have any questions, I will try to answer them for you (: And if you would like the contact information for your local post, just let me know  and I will get that to you ASAP!

Have a good Halloween!!