MCFTB classes and events are always free. CHILDCARE is also available FREE of charge.
Registration is required by calling 269-6550 or clicking on the "Register For Classes" link below! |
Questions?
Interested in a Class?
Call MCFTB @ 269-6550
Hours & Location
8am to 4pm
Monday-Friday
NEW LOCATION! Bldg. 598,
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| VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!! Operation Homefront is donating hundreds of toys to our children here on base. MCFTB needs help sorting and distributing toys to our Family Readiness Officers. December 8th from 1pm-4pm, Building 598. Call Kate at 269-6502 or email her for more information and to sign up! |
Family Readiness Support Council is MCFTB's quarterly meeting for all those interested in Family Readiness issues on base. Make your voice heard! Attend the meeting on December 15th at 1100 in the Officer's Lounge at the Club. Call Kate at 269-6502 or email her for more information! |
President Obama passed into law "Military Spouses Residency Relief Act" last month. This law gives military spouses the right to retain residency in his or her home State for voting and tax purposes, after relocating from that State to accompany the service member.
Click here for more information. | |
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Dear Yuma Families,
Happy Holidays to all! Whether you will be celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or the Islamic New Year, MCFTB wishes everyone a safe and relaxing December.
Although schedules are busy this time of year, MCFTB looks forward to seeing you at one of our events this month. Also, we are saying farewell to Lori who is PCSing this month. She has been a wonderful team member and we will miss her! Best of luck Lori!
The MCFTB Team
Kate, Bekah, Lori, Bree & Brooke
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All classes are free, include free childcare and refreshments, and are located in Building 598 (Next to Commissary) unless otherwise noted.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!
December Calendar
December 5th: L.I.N.K.S. for Spouses, 0900-1700
December 8th: L.I.N.K.S. for Marines, 0900-1600
December 9th: L.I.N.K.S. for Kids, 1430-1630 @
Community Center
December 9th: Family Readiness Assistant/Advisor
Training, 0900-1400
December 11th: L.I.N.K.S. for Teens, 1800-2000@
Community Center
December 15th: Family Readiness Support Council
Meeting, 1100-1200 @ Officers Lounge in Club
December 16th: Spouse Welcome Aboard, 1800-2000 |
January Calendar
January 6th: L.I.N.K.S. for Kids, 1430-1630 at Community
Center
January 8th: L.I.N.K.S. for Teens, 1800-2000 at
Community Center
January 14th: Who Moved My Cheese?, 1800-2030
January 20th: Healthy Habits for Families, 1500-1700 at
Community Center
January 21st: Assistant/Advisor Training, 1700-2100
January 26th: L.I.N.K.S. for Marines, 0900-1600
January 27th & 28th: L.I.N.K.S. for Spouses, 1800-2100
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Spouses' Welcome Aboard |
 New to Yuma or want more information about resources on base? Join us for our quarterly Spouses' Welcome Aboard. We have invited numerous programs on base to provide you with "insiders information". You'll meet new people and walk away with the terrific MCFTB Resource Guide- the most up-to-date listing of base resources there is! We will be serving sweets and coffee. Don't miss out! Wednesday, December 16th from 6-8pm in Building 598. Registration is required by calling 269-6550 or clicking on the class registration button to the left.
Know someone new to Yuma? Help them feel at home and pass on the information about this class! |
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Toys for Tots |
 With the last three months of the year, familiar sights and sounds signal the much anticipated holiday season. One holiday tradition that holds dear for the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserve is Toys for Tots. The organization began in 1947 and over the 62 years of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, Marines have distributed more than 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children.
MCFTB and several other locations on base have a Toys for Tots drop box. Please consider donating a new unwrapped toy. In addition, our MCAS Yuma Toys for Tots organizers are having an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast on Saturday, December 5th from 7-10am at Applebee's located on 4th Ave. Adult meals are $6.00 and children eat for $4.00 and include breakfast sausage, juice, coffee, tea, or soda, and of course unlimited pancakes!
Contact SSgt Jose at 269-2181 for more information and visit the Toys for Tots website at www.toysfortots.org.
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Holiday Stress & Deployments |
 The terms deployment and stress go hand in hand, but when you incorporate the holiday season into the mix the ability to cope becomes more strenuous. Here are a few tips to get through the holiday season solo:
Begin or Continue a Tradition In my home, our yearly tradition is to get a new holiday ornament to signify another year together. We use a silver colored permanent marker to write the year on the back and where we are stationed. Google "Marine Family Ornaments" for a wide selection of ornaments for the deployed military member.
Send a holiday care package Ideas include holiday cookies, a personalized stocking, a Santa Hat, a CD or DVD of you (and your children) singing holiday songs, a holiday scented candle, pine cone, handmade ornaments, a mini fake tree with tiny wrapped packages of gum and mints, a menorah, dreidels, a holiday themed book, instant cocoa or cider, or candy canes.
Set at Date Who says you can't have Christmas in July? Set a date with your deployed loved one to celebrate the holidays when your military member returns. This will not only give you the homecoming to look forward to, but something to plan as you await their safe return.
Spend the season with friends and family Surrounding your self with supportive family and friends absolutely helps during the holidays. Make memories with other military families- they understand what your are experiencing and can often be your best support system. Volunteer your time. Keep busy by helping out a local organization. Read on to hear about MCFTB's need for volunteers on December 8th. Ask for help when you need it It is easy to fall into the Holiday Blues when your loved one is miles away. All of these ideas can help ease the strain a bit, but if all else fails and you need someone to talk to, there are several free, confidential resources available to you: Station Chaplain
269-3454, Bldg 112
0730-1630 (Monday thru Fri)
Base Counseling Services
269-2561, Bldg 598
0700-1530 (Monday thru Fri)
Military One Source
(800) 342-9647, www.militaryonesource.com24 hours a day, 365 days per year
In an emergency, call 9-1-1
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MCFTB Recent Events |
LINKS for Kids: Approximately 40 kids came out to learn about what Marines do here on base. They got to climb into a MRAP, use the Mine Sweepers, chase the EOD Robots, PT with the Marines, and they even got a visit from a bulldog!
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Gifts with a Personal Touch |
 Every year around this time we all face the same conundrum: what gifts do I buy for my loved ones? Some of us are shopping warriors that brave the lines and mayhem to get a great sale price, while others prefer to procrastinate and assemble their gifts in the final moments before the holiday.
Whether or not you identify with either one of these shoppers, homemade gifts are a great way to both save money and gather gifts on your own time schedule.
For the women (or men) in your life who loved to be pampered, why not make spa essentials as holiday gifts? MCFTB hosted a Spa Night on November 18th where participants were invited to create their own bath salts and spa essentials. They were able to choose their own scent, color, and consistency of the bath salts and package it to their liking. This craft is easy to do and inexpensive when you use common household products to produce dozens of great gifts! For more complex recipes, fragrance oils and soap coloring products can be found at local craft stores. Check out the recipes below and enjoy your craft time as a break from the frenzy of holiday shopping!
COFFEE BODY SCRUB
2 cups of coarsely ground coffee
1/2 cup raw sugar or sea salt
2-3 T massage oil
Mix all ingredients together. Take a hot shower to moisten your skin and open your pores. Using wide, circular motions, rub the coffee exfoliant onto your skin with strong, even pressure. Shower off, pat skin dry, and apply a thin layer of your favorite body lotion.
BATH COOKIES
2 cups finely ground sea salt
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 T light oil
1 tsp vitamin E oil
2 eggs
5-6 drops essential oil of your choice
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Combine all the listed ingredients and form into a dough. Using a teaspoon or so of dough at a time, roll it gently in the palm of your hand until it forms a ball. Form all dough into one teaspoon balls, and gently place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Consider sprinkling the bath balls with herbs, flower petals, cloves, citrus zest and similar aromatic ingredients. Bake your bath cookies for ten minutes, until they are lightly browned. Do not over bake. Allow the bath cookies to cool completely. To use, Drop 1 or 2 cookies into a warm bath and allow to dissolve.
Yield: 24 cookies, enough for 12 baths.
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Spa Night Reviews! |
 I recently attended MCFTB's Spa Night: Deployment Stress and Coping. It truly was a rewarding experience for myself and the others that attended. Not only did I learn about ways to deal with the stress I have experienced since my honey has been deployed, I also made and got to take home several self care items from the evening. Over the course of the night, each person worked his/her way around the room to decorate a candle, make hot chocolate mix, create bath salts, and develop a personal journal. Truly the best part of this event was that we gained knowledge and understanding, while socializing and in an energetic and friendly environment. It was a wonderful night!
-Kim, VMA-513 | |
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