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I'm Already Home... Again |
The Road Home |
Pocket Flip Tips |
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Elaine Dumler
6460 W. 98th Court
Westminster, CO 80021
866-780-0460 - phone
303-430-7679 - fax |
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Note from Elaine
Dear Newsletter Buddies, |
 What are the Threats to your family?
 Welcome to 2011! So, how's your year going so far? I know...you'd say great if it weren't for hearing so much about all those diets you'll never do, although your head tells you that you should, or digging out of the snow. I like to turn things like that around and realize that I'm thankful these extra pounds on my hips are there because I can afford to eat every day and how much fun it is to make caves and igloos in the snow that piles up at the end of the driveway. That's what this column and issue are about. I want us to start 2011 by engaging in positive thinking. Ok, don't roll your eyes, it won't be that bad! I talk all the time about working with military families in a quest to help you be strong, safe and resilient. As a business owner, we start every year by submitting the business to a S.W.O.T. analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. We try to get a head start on looking at what might enhance or get in the way of us having the business year we want. This month I want to help you do a SWOT analysis on your military family, and focus on the power of the Strengths and Opportunities. The reason you'll want to identify the Weaknesses and Threats too, is because you can prepare and strengthen yourselves ahead of time if you know they might hit you. Since the process takes more space than I have in this column, I've prepared a step-by-step article to take you through the process and posted it on the website. For direct access to it right now, click here or go to the Articles tab on the home page. The article is titled "Take your Family through SWOT." I hope it offers the strength and resiliency I want for you!
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Being a positive part of the military
We talked above about the strengths - or what's positive - about being a part of your family. To stay on that trail, continue to be reminded about the positive side of being part of the military family. Here's what 6 people said when asked, "Why are you glad you're a part of the military and a military family?" I'll share more next month...just to keep you guessing!
"I honor and respect my country. I love every moment I put my uniform on and I wear it with pride. That's what keeps me going; that's what gives me the drive."
"I believe I am giving something back to our country because of the freedom it gives and allows me to live in this wonderful country. Although freedom comes at a price...we all should have this freedom."
"Before deployment I bought a laptop and thanks to wireless internet provided on the base, my family used Skype to video talk with each other. But nothing is more personal than giving and receiving an old fashioned handwritten letter!"
"I am a part of the little AND big pictures. Keeping our country free, helping get water to a community in Iraq, and building up my family toward a greater understanding of unity."
- Donna
"I like it when children see me and their eyes get real big and you can just tell they have so many questions, but don't quite know what to ask! It's all about the kids and making everything safe for them."
- Brandon |
Security Scam Alerts
Now that we've talked about strength and resiliency, I want you to be safe. I've become aware of two scams currently out there to warn you about. I'm amazed at how advanced they keep getting!
#1 - The first scam (verified at Snopes.com) involves your charge card and is an attempt to get you to give them the verification code on the back of the card. Here's how it works:
Person calling says - 'This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460, your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona?' When you say 'No', the caller continues with, 'Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?' You say 'yes'.
The caller continues - 'I will be starting a Fraud Investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. 'Do you need me to read it again?'
Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works - Please read the rest by clicking here.
#2 - The second is more of an alert involving UPS. It's an attempt to find out if anyone is currently home or if your house is empty. This one happened to be personally. My husband Larry got a call on his cell phone from someone identifying himself as our UPS driver and had a package for our son - naming him by name - to deliver. He asks if he should just leave it on the front porch. Larry replied by saying that he was, in fact, home right now and the man said that he'd bring it right over...which of course he never did. We called UPS and the rep said that if we had responded that yes, it would be fine to just leave it, they would assume that the house might be empty and they had the address. UPS said their drivers never call ahead and if you want to confirm if there's a delivery on a truck for you, you can call customer service and they can tell you. Just be careful of the information you give out!
Be safe. |
Websites to Bookmark
This month we are bringing you three of our favorite support organizations and remind you of why they're here for you and how they can help.
Army Wife Network
http://www.armywifenetwork.com or find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ArmyWifeNetwork - A great website to listen to radio show of a variety of topics. Once you check out the website friend them on facebook. This website has wonderful information that can be applicable to any branch of service. We LOVE Tara and Star!
Project Sanctuary
http://projectsanctuary.us/ or find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ProjectSanctuary- A 501(c) non-profit organization whose mission is to provide therapeutic, curative, supportive and recreational activities to veterans, active military personnel, their spouses and children in a leisure environment. They're right here in Colorado, but serve families all across the country.
I'm Already Home
http://www.imalreadyhomeagain.com/- Of course we have to be one of our favorite resources too! If you haven't checked out the new website, please do. You can review my new Flip Tip books, read my articles on a variety of topics, or learn more about Flat Daddy. |
Flat Daddy Update
December was a great month for donations. We have a few gift codes available, so go to my website and put in your request on the "Contact Elaine" page. We will only be filling those requests of families with currently deployed or soon to be (within a month) and those with younger children. We are unable to accommodate large requests such as for an entire unit. We are saving these few that we have for individual orders...or if you're an FRG leader, you might think about giving one away in a drawing or at a conference. Questions? Visit the Flat Daddy page at www.ImAlreadyHome.com or call toll free
866-780-0460. |
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Our policy on reproducing newsletter content: Please feel free to forward and share this newsletter with anyone you wish. If you want to reproduce any of the articles included here into your own newsletter, you may do so if you do not change or alter the content and include this line:
"Excerpted from Elaine Dumler's Newsletter and used with permission. For additional relevant content visit www.ImAlreadyHome.com"
From Elaine, Jenn and Tammy |
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