Girl Scout Cookies

Its that time of the year again- Girl Scout cookies are being sold everywhere around us. Get your soldier a few boxes to share with his buddies. If you were a Girl Scout, maybe send him some old school pictures of you in your uniform lol.

<3 11W

If he thinks Iraq is hot,wait til he gets this!

** If you are easily offended this post might offend you**
Thanks to Kayla for the idea!

Are you feeling sexy today? If so send something to your man! We all know its hard to feel sexy with them not here to compliment you but it might lift your spirits to do you hair and makeup extra special and put on something cute. Take some pictures to send to your honey so he knows whats waiting for him at home! Here are some other ideas:

• pictures, pictures,pictures! you know he would much rather look at you than some girls in magazines-put them on a usb stick and password protect them if you want to be cautious
  
• hire a photographer to take some sexy pictures of you
• write your man a letter about what you would like to do when he gets home or about one of your favorite times with him
  
• if you arent that creative there is a website called Hoochy Mail that will write a sexy story for you- they even personalize it
• put on different lipstick and make him a sheet of kisses-you can laminate it to make sure it doesn't rub off
• spray your perfume on a shirt or other article of clothing so he can remember what his lady smells like- you can use this to scent the letters
  
• if you are feeling silly, get a big helium balloon and make sure it gets filled up a lot, and put lingerie on it- he will open the box and out it will float!
• x rated heart candy
• chocolate or candy vaginas or boobs (refer to previous post Box o Boobies)
  
• if you are feeling freaky send him a pair of your panties or bra
• sexy coupons he can cash when he gets home
• lotion or lube to help his "alone time"
• a cd with sexy songs on it- do a google search for sexy songs if you need some help

<3 11W

When Life Gives You Sand..Make a Beach!

We all know they have enough sand there, so to make it more interesting send them a beach!
Oriental Trading is a pretty cool site, here you can get pretty much everything you can think of to send.

• leis
• inflatable palm trees
• beach balls
• cheap sunglasses
• grass skirts
• coconut bras
• squirt guns
• water balloon kit
• flamingos
• sand castle making kit
• beach towel
• gummi shark treats
• inflatable parrot
• treasure chest
• send one of your old bikinis-you know someone will dress up in it haha
• inflatable tiki pole
• personalized banner from Oriental Trading
• string of lights (flip flop, tiki hut)
• Oriental Trading even has luau toilet paper!

<3 11W

Birthday in a Box

Send your soldier Birthday in A Box.

Go to the party store or Oriental Trading and get funny stuff like GI JOE, Hannah Montana, Spongue Bob, Over the Hill etc:

• cups
• party hats
• plates
• napkins
• noise makers
• treat bags
• streamers
• Oriental Trading has personalized banners
  
• pinata (and the treats to go inside it)
• cookies or cupcakes (keep the icing on the side)
• video of you, family and friends wishing him a happy birthday
• cake in a jar
• even a birthday cake!
• regular balloons
• helium balloons already inflated (tell them you are shipping it and to make it extra full)

Send this to him if you think he will "invite" his friends or send it to one of his buddies so that he can properly embarrass him on his big day!

Cute Little Things

Random Things to Do-this will be updated periodically

• Take a picture of yourself everyday-before you go to work or before bed etc and email or send it to your soldier once a week so its like they "saw" you everyday!
• Stars and Stripes Newspaper publishes free ads online and in print for different holidays- you can even post a picture!
• Hallmark Recordable cards-you can record your voice or anything you want for 10 sec
• Read Military Spouse Magazine's Tip of the Day- they have cute little ideas you may want to throw in your next package
  

<3 11W

Night at the Movies

** Thanks to Courtney for this idea too!**
Your man will miss lots of movies and tv while he is gone so whenever they come out on DVD send them his way.

• DVDs or TV show season
• "mystery movie"-burn a movie and dont label it, he will have to watch it to find out
  
• popcorn of course
• movie candy like twizzlers, sour patch kids etc
• you can make your own photo slide show, add music or your voice and burn it to a DVD

<3 11W

Music Lover

**Thanks to Courtney for this idea.**
Lots of people hold music near and dear to their heart. I think music can dictate your mood, help you through a hard time, or cheer you up.

• Make your soldier a cd with songs that remind him of you or you of him or songs that express how you feel
• if one of his favorite bands comes out with new music send that
  
• Buy tickets to one of his favorite bands for when he gets back and send him the tour info and let him know you both will be going
  
• itunes gift cards- thanks may or may not work depending on the internet connection- cd may just be the safest thing to send (thanks for the warning BT)
• write out lyrics to "your" song or a song that expreses how you feel, it will make it more personal to see it in your writing
• write a song for him and look for music online that goes with the words

If your soldier plays an instrument:

• customize guitar picks online
• get him new guitar strings
• make a cd of songs he would like to learn
• send a book of music
  

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Knee Deep in the Hooah!

This package is all camo stuff.

I found these bars on amazon.com called Soldier Fuel and they were rated pretty high, they also make an energy drink. Check them out here.
There is also a product called Hoo Ahhs and they are also available on amazon.com
Another item is the Stay Alert Gum which was specifically designed with the military in mind.
Other items to include:

• camo blanket or pillow
• camo bandaids
• camo boxers
• t-shirts for their uniforms
• socks

<3 11W

Box O Boobies

Warning-if you are easily offended the following post might offend you

Everyone knows their guys misses them and especially certain parts of them haha. I have a sense of humor so I thought it would be funny to send him a box of boobies.

Go to your local adult store or research one online (Spencers has some funny stuff) and get all the ridiculous items you can, I'm sure your soldier will get a kick out of it!

• inflatable wife
• gummi boobs
• pepermint titties
• boobie ballons
• titty air freshener
• "titsbee" frisbee
• boob shaped stress balls
• vagina and boob shaped lollipops
• boob pillows
• boob or vagina shaped cookies
• some places had candy molds or cake pans or cookie cutters so you can make your own

Hope you and your soldier get some laughs out of this one!

<3 11W

Home Field Advantage

SPORTS! Most every guy loves sports so send them a package with items from their favorite teams.

• Team jersey or t shirt
• football, soccer ball, baseball, etc
• favorite tailgating foods- here is Pittsburgh the grocery stores sell black and gold tortilla chips and some football players have their own food products like hot sauce
• poster
• foam hat or finger
• pictures of you dressed up in their favorite team gear
• postcard picture of stadium
• stationary with team logo
• mug with team logo
• sometimes the local paper will put signs in it for the sports teams for people to hang up
• terrible towel (go steelers!)

<3 11W

Home Sweet Home

This package includes items to make your soldiers space more like home.
I got all of these items at Target-cheap but not crappy either.

• Foam mattress pad for their rack
• sheets
• a nice pillow (you could spray the pillow case with your perfume)
• air freshener (if you use a specific scent at home, send that)
• blanket
• pictures
• some of their favorite snacks
• a big fluffy towel and wash cloth
• plastic utensils
• tooth picks
• disposable plates,cups and bowls
• small detergent packages

Feel free to add suggestions!

<3 11W

Sweets for my Sweetie

Valentine's Day

I am sending this one along for Valentine's Day but it is perfect for any soldier with a sweet tooth.

I went to Big Lots and they have a bunch of stuff and its cheap!

• Stuffed animal or pillow proclaiming love lol
• V-Day card
• candy hearts
• M&Ms
• heart shaped cakes from Little Debbie
• heart shaped cookies
• gummi bears
• skittles
• pudding
• gum
• Box of silly valentines for your soldier to give out to his buddies
• I got a cheap picture frame that says i love you and put a picture of us in it. I wrapped it up in plastic bags to give it some cushion-hope it doesn't break!
• Any other sweet treats your soldier likes!

Also you can personalize your own M&Ms here: http://www.mymms.com/
They are kind of expensive but it looks fun and I'm sure your thought will be appreciated.

<3 11W

Sick Call Ranger

This is a package that should be sent within a few weeks of arrival but can be sent anytime. Its a box with every kind of medicine you can imagine so that when your soldier gets sick they will be prepared. Here is some stuff I sent in mine:
I just went to my local Target and got the Target brand of pretty much everything, I figured it works just as well!

• Advil
  
• a&d ointment is good for what i call a "man rash" (rash on inner thighs)
• Tylenol
  
• neosporin
• Aleve
  
• chapstick
• Band aids
  
• foot powder
• Zicam
  
• blister block from bandaid
• blister pads
• cough drops
• nyquil
  
• qtips
• dayquil
  
• eye drops
• vitamins
  
• chloroseptic throat strips
• immodium
  
• dental floss
• laxative
• icy hot patches
• kleenex
• peptol bismol
• tums
  
• moleskin to protect their feet when their boots rub
• benadryl
  
• burn cream
• vaseline
  
• athletes foot remedy
• bug spray
  
• hand sanitizer
• mini first aid kit
• flea and tick collars-these help with sand fleas
• bug bite relief
• lotion
• baby wipes

If anyone has any other suggestions please comment!
<3 11W

Shipping and Handling

Here are some shipping and handling tips that I have discovered.

Shipping:

You can get flat rate boxes mailed right to your house for free- there are specific APO boxes on the website you get a 2$ discount on the shipping fee. If the package you are sending is pretty light you may just want to use a regular box because it may end up being cheaper than the flat rate box. If you have something kind of perishable, make sure you send it priority either way. Also if you call this number 1800-610-8734 and ask for a military care kit they will send you free shipping supplies like boxes, tape and customs forms. As for the customs forms you just have to list what is in the box on there. Also do not mail anything aerosol this will explode in shipping. Porn, drugs,pork or alcohol is also not allowed. If you can get your flat rate box to weigh over 5.5 pounds (from PA) it will save you money,if not use a regular box to ship. Ask someone at the post office to calculate how much it would be to ship something in a regular box from your city to his APO. I would imagine that farther away you are from New York (where Army Post Office is) the lighter your box would have to be to save money.

Handling:

I was told is ok to ship chocolate through March but I’m not sure how accurate this is. Anything that can leak or explode or that has a fragrance you would like to preserve (or make sure everything in the box doesn’t smell like it) put in Ziploc bags.You can send fresh baked cookies and things like that. I have heard if you put them in a Ziploc or a air tight container with a piece of white bread they stay pretty fresh by the time they get there(maybe those new Ziploc vacuum sealers would be good-prob wouldn’t need the piece of bread then). Another tip I read was to wrap cookies like a log in bubble wrap or put them in a Pringles container. I know local news articles,magazines, funny articles or even a whole newspaper are nice to send and especially letters!

http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/

Discounts: (researching this will post more later)

Hickory Farms-ships free to APO

Military.com

4 Military Families- this site lists discounts on clothing, food, auto, services

Travel discounts

Armed Forces Recreation Centers- vacation spots that are for those in the military only

Army Times

Places to shop:
Big Lots
Target
Walmart

Please leave any comments with other suggestions!

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