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FROM THE HOMEFRONT October 2020 A Note From the Director, Family Programs What’s Inside October in Vermont is one of the most scenic and welcome months on the calendar. The contrast of colors can inspire us This Issue and lead to a sense of positivity! Science has documented how vibrant colors can be a stimulus to lead us to trying something Wing Family new. Why? Because changing colors triggers the brain to Readiness ........................2 respond accordingly- changing or starting something new can Kitchen Spoons make us feel confident and hopeful. & Combat For a lot of us, autumn leaves also triggers happy memories of Boots ..............................2 our childhoods- apple picking, hay rides, warm apple pies and so forth. Nostalgia is a powerful thing; it can sometimes be Military OneSource ........3 bittersweet. Bittersweet in the sense that it brings up mostly happy feelings, but tinged with a bit of sadness that what we are remembering is associated with someone we Child & Youth .................4 have lost. Being nostalgic can make us feel loved and valued, and with time, the sadness will lessen. Vermont Veterans Outreach ........................5 While this October does not feel normal given what we have been through the last 6 months, there is grounding in the knowledge that some things never change- leaves ESGR ..............................5 bloom and then change color and then finally fall off the trees. It helps that we live in a state where this process is so striking; it is a signal to us that we, as in nature, change, Personal Financial grow and adapt. Services ...........................6 Happy Fall everyone! VTARNG State Chaplain ............................................6 DAVID C. LEONARD Director, Family Programs Military & Family Vermont National Guard Readiness Centers........7&8 (Office) (802)-338-3391 email: [email protected] VT Veteran Mental Health Counselor.... ....................9 KS&CB Flyer ..................9 Contact Information & Upcoming Events ......10 Military & Family Support Center Check us out on Facebook! 888-607-8773 https://www.facebook.com /VTNGFamilyPrograms/ October 2020 Page 1 Airman and Family Readiness Manager It’s that time again! Even though we just started our fall season, it is time for our office to be looking ahead to the holidays. The VT Air National Guard Family Program Office will once again be assisting families that could use a little help during the holidays. If you could use some assistance with a holiday meal or Christmas gifts, or know of someone who does, please contact the Family Readiness Office directly at 802-652-8035 or [email protected], information provided is kept confidential. Should you be interested in donating for our holiday meals or sponsor a family for Christmas, we would love to hear from you as well!!!! Are you or someone you know 18 years or older and looking for additional income? Apply today! The Vermont Air National Guard is looking for people to help with the Drug Demand Reduction Program for Saturdays of drill weekends. There are two type of positions. One is an Observer and the other is a Drug Testing Program Administrative Manager. Pay is between $18-$20/hr. Hours would be approx. 7-3. These positions provides help during urinalysis testing to ensure a drug free fighting force. Opportunity for advancement, email your resume to below link/website, [email protected] Lastly, our first group of deployers have begun to depart to start their 6 month missions. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts! Our next group of deployers will be departing sometime in January for 6 months. All together we will have approx. 70 airmen deployed. Mary Mahoney 158th FW Airman and Family Readiness Manager 802-652-8035 office 802-238-8645 cell [email protected] Kitchen Spoons & Combat Boots Hosting the Holidays? Don’t Break the Bank October 7th, 2020 at 7:00 PM Have you started to think about the upcoming holiday season? Do Upcoming Monthly Webinars you have a financial plan for your holiday giving and entertainment? How will this year be different than the past? Join us virtually on ***BONUS DATE*** Wednesday, October 7th, for a comprehensive overview to ensure Thursday, Oct 22 OCT you and your loved ones, here at home or far away, are all included How to Fund Your Higher in your holiday plans. Education October has a *** Bonus Date *** 22 Thursday, Oct 22 How to Fund Your Higher Education Wednesday, Nov 4 Mindfulness: The Antidote For NOV Worry 4 Wednesday, Dec 2 Check us out online at: Winter Activities: Breaking Through DEC http://www.ngfamily.vt.gov/ks_and_cb_page.html With Things To Do 2 To join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone: Click on the link below! https://militaryonesource.zoom.us/j/3015674328 (Please utilize the “chat box” to be heard) To access audio, dial by phone: 1 (646) 876 9923 Meeting ID: 301 567 4328 Questions: Call Marcie Caulfield at 802-338-3164 or Michaela LaCoss at 802-338-4317 October 2020 Page 2 Military OneSource Avoid Work-From-Home Burnout Before the COVID-19 pandemic, you thought you were an ace at-home multitasker as spouse, parent, employee, launderer, housecleaner and cook. The list goes on and on. However, it wasn’t until the pandemic hit that you had to perform many of these tasks simultaneously, while adding teacher and other responsibilities to the already long list of expectations. As cases spike around the country and many communities announce modified learning approaches, the new normal isn’t over yet. However, there are steps you can take to help avoid parent/work-from-home burnout. • Recognize that you are working multiple jobs in ways that you haven’t before. Accept that not everything can be a priority. • Remember that other parents/colleagues are in the same situation. Barking dogs and shouting children have become the norm on virtual meetings. • Every weekend, make a plan for the upcoming week that includes your work and household tasks as well as your children’s school and non-school activities. Use a planner or wall calendar that everyone in the house can see. • Within that schedule, allow for flexibility and include your children in the planning to help them feel more involved in the process. For older children, have set check-in times to make sure they’re on track but let them work independently. For younger children, such as toddlers, give them an activity near your space, much like the parallel play they do with their peers. • In terms of the school day, quality over quantity matters. Plan for other activities and try to make sure some of them don’t involve a screen. “Me Time” is important too Getting out ahead of your and your children’s schedules is a first step, but you need to take care of yourself as well. Consider the following to help you help yourself. • It can be hard to establish a work/life balance when work seems constantly there in the home office. Set a time to be off from work and adhere to it. Drape a cloth over your computer or store your laptop in a drawer to signal that work is done for the day. • Consider volunteering in the community, which can be good for the kids as well. • While the ability to travel may be limited, still try to use some vacation time, even if it is just a day or two, to recharge. • Arrange a support group/virtual meet-up with other parents as a way to share ideas on what has worked and what hasn’t. • Be creative and take a non-traditional approach. There is no rulebook for these times so do what works best for you and your family. *** BONUS *** Military OneSource Article... “A Kid’s Guide to Coronavirus” Kids have a lot of questions about the coronavirus pandemic and all the new changes in their lives. This colorful picture book gives them the answers they’ve been looking for, explaining what the virus is, how it spreads, and what they can do to help, in gentle and simple language that even the youngest kids can follow. The guide includes a note to Parents and Caregivers offering strategies for helping your kids navigate anxiety they might be feeling around the pandemic. https://www.apa.org/pubs/magination/kids-guidecoronavirusebook.pdf For more support and wellness tips, contact Military OneSource at 800-342-9647 or visit www.militaryonesource.mil. Marcie Caulfield ~ Office: (802)-338-3164 Cell: (802)-233-9694 email: [email protected] October 2020 Page 3 Thoughts From Our State Youth Coordinator We all worry about one thing or another from time to time. Maybe it’s the first day of school, per- haps you have to perform on a stage or play on a sports field. Really, anything in life can be a cause for worry if we let it. Here is one of the methods that can be used: Put it in Perspective Sometimes we worry about the worst that can happen. We have a word for thinking a situation is worse than an actually is - “catastrophizing.” (Don’t worry, we won’t make you say the word out loud!!) There are three different ways people catastrophize. We give some examples in bold text below. Downward spiral-when you worry that things will just keep getting worse and worse and worse. We ordered pizza and they put anchovies on it. I have never had anchovies, and they look yucky to me. I’ll be forced to try them, and I will spit them out. My sibling will slip on my spit up.