European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday scene stars and stripes pages family pos deployment strife Normal my husband just returned from loneliness with activity and Reliance with deployment i am very Happy he Independence ironically the very things is Safe at but now mat that help us Cope with separation May Hes been Back a few Days it be the things that cause seems like we argue All the friction when we Are time he acts like i dont m reunited while you May know How to do things that i spouse cells want recognition that you have been doing by myself for several months what is wrong with us los Angeles you Are not alone a few Days after my husband came Back from his most recent deployment i breathed this silent prayer lord thank you for bringing him Home safely now please help me not to kill him putting a family Back together is stressful no matter joyous the reunion getting used to each other again takes some time when Active duty spouses Are de have done a Good Job keeping things together in his absence he May want to be reassured mat you still need him also be aware that the transition from com Bat to peaceful family life is a difficult one if your spouse was in a combat Terri Barnes zone is shifting from survival Mode to a life of comparative luxury that a Short time ago was Only a dream there May also be guilt about being Safe at Home while others Are still fires burning have to make adjustments in harms Way in the Way we think and the Way we live both of you need time to readjust from Day to Day those adjustments help slow Down if your schedule is too Busy us Cope with the separation we fill spend time together talk about what played those of us who keep the Home you both have Learned and How you May have changed during the deploy ment this is not easy Ana takes time even in the strongest relationship Long separations can aggravate preexisting marital problems As Well As create new ones in Many cases counselling from someone experienced in Post deploy ment issues can be very helpful Are there any special require ments or regulations for Home schooling at overseas installations Are Home schooled Chil Dren eligible to participate in extracurricular activities through Dodds such As or sports Kelley Craver Ramstein air base Germany yes to both of your questions first the regulations it is mandatory that Home schooners Contact their school Liaison said Dennis Bohannon Public affairs officer at Dodd Europe he said school liaisons at each installation can provide necessary paperwork Urban legends of military life and answer specific questions about Home schooling at their location second the activities Homeschooler students Are eligible to use school facilities and programs of Dodds schools in their District according to information on the Dodea web site Bohannon said schools Are usually very receptive to allowing Home schooled students to use educational facilities such As the Library he said participation in extracurricular activities depends on space and availability and is decided by each school on a Caseb Case basis his advice individuals should Contact their local schools if they wish to participate in school my advice inform yourself read the Home school directive at Click on Home schooling Terri Barnes has rave led around the United states and the world first As a military child and now As a wife and Mother of three at the latest count her family has attended 24 different schools Al 2 she and her family now live in Germany where her husband is stationed Al Ramstein air base her column appears weekly in stars and stripes Send questions or comments to spouse Cal Pes com Happy april fools there to find no shortage of Steak Al readers stay on guard today for prank though it was a while before we wanted sters and jokers of All kind especially any close family members by the end of the Ron and i were familiar with the Intel Day i will surely be april fooled out by Jimmy Tommy and Ronnie having said that in going to be sillier than usual this week and report some of the misguided tales that have travelled the camouflage Rumor Mill As we have faced moving to a new duty station i am also going to pass along some True bits of info As Well before we went to Okinawa in the summer of 1993 Ron and i were repeatedly told that there was no Steak on the Island or at least none Worth eating so whenever a Well meaning Friend offered to take us out for a Farewell dinner we automatically chose Steak restaurants obviously the people who had warned us of the Steak less Island had Home front Pam Zich sity of life in Northern Virginia Long before we were Ever stationed Here everyone around us seems to be in a hurry 24 hours a Day seven Days a week Ron has quickly caught up with the Pace of life around Here whereas in in some ones Way the minute i step out my door the Only difference Between living in this area 10 years ago versus now is that there Are More people Rushing to and fro and now they have cellular phones attached to their ears i have not Only encountered several instances of Road rage but also what i have decided to refer to As commissary heading up the produce aisle one morning i overheard another shop per say to her husband in Gonna never heard of Kobe beef we arrived punch somebody before i get out of Jenny Lucky for me she was headed in the opposite direction and i gave her plenty of room to pass i looked around and tried to figure out which person she planned to punch me or the world War ii Veteran picking out bananas a few feet away the hurried Pace of life Here is oppo site the Lidback no worries attitude i Savoured for two years in san Diego i stopped wearing a watch As soon As we got there and Haven put one on since Ron still refers to California As the land of fruits and but i Felt right at Home Mere people had warned me about the freeways before we moved to san Diego i was afraid to drive on them for months and took Sutof therway Side roads instead finally i was Brave enough to hit the freeways during the Middle of the Day when there was hardly any traffic and discovered i loved speeding Down All those lanes with my windows open and the stereo blasting Patio Andretti was born i kept a keen Eye out for those califor Nia Highway patrol officers however because one speeding ticket would have led to a lifetime of chips jokes from my brother i can just hear him now asking who stopped me ponch or Jon i Haven said anything about our three years in Texas probably because it lived up to its reputation in every Way i can recall san Antonio definitely has the Best food of anywhere we have lived which is probably Why it is listed in the top 10 fattest cities every year those of you who will be moving to North Carolina soon have More to look Forward to than hush puppies and iced Tea there is a Long Beautiful coastline and the Best universities on the planet plus its my Home state the person who reminded you that today is april fools Day so youd better keep your guard up a Mother of three boys Pam Zich has moved eight times in 16 years of marriage to her Marine corps husband they have been stationed in various locations including Okinawa California Texas and their current Home in Springfield a email her at  or find the Zichos online at let me set a Quick Bont Start without be ri6ht there i sorry in 1 Taa just Lucky were even v in the same a country Jenny is drawn by Julie Negron of Kadena air base Okinawa her web site is floss around the House you already know dental floss is Good for Teeth but has your dentist mentioned its Good for your tools too in fact Teflon floss has quite a few uses around the House the March Issue of this old House Magazine notes Here Are some unusual uses cleaning the crevices in tools the braided kind works Best for this hanging pictures it wont mar painted Walls the Way picture wire can sewing on buttons sealing plumbing connections instead of using Teflon tape wind some floss around the fittings threads half a dozen turns before screwing it on tying Down a car trunks lid replacing a broken Shoelace Akron Beacon journal Akron Ohio