As humans, we need community. “It takes a village,” is the saying we all hear on repeat. The nomadic military family is no different. The Stay Strong Mom Box is a tool to help keep the village supported, even from afar.
Move. Set up the house. Empty last box. Get orders. Move. Set up the house. Empty the last box. Get orders. Repeat. You get it.
Add having a baby, caring for an infant and a toddler and…wow; military life got a little more stressful. A community is needed to help support and guide us through those times. Having a baby is life-altering. Your sleep pattern is off, you are trying to decode cries — and can someone please explain what color poop comes next?
Having a community there to help you through that is paramount, but sometimes having a baby happens with a move. Sometimes our community is at the last duty station or on another continent, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t loved and supported. Facetime and check-in texts are a great way to stay connected; social media keeps us in the loop.
But, honestly, sometimes you just need a little extra support. Sometimes the long days and nights run together and you run out of steam. Add a deployment or extended training into the mix, and you just need a little bit more. When you physically can’t be there, you can send tangible items of support.
The Stay Strong Mom community has created a Stay Strong Mom box as a means of mom-to-mom support from anywhere. The Stay Strong Mom project was started by Chaunie Bruise, former OB nurse, freelance writer, and mother of four. The inspiration for the project came from her daughter. While curled up on the couch dealing with the whirlwind of emotions that followed her second miscarriage, Chaunie’s daughter brought her a drawing of a coffee mug with the words “Stay Strong Mom” — and the community was born.
Chaunie wanted to create a box to support other moms going through loss, an uplifting care package of love. While the box was initially started to help mothers through pregnancy or child loss, the mission has grown into a way for friends and family around the world to say I’m thinking of you, I love you, and I am here for you with a specially curated care box.
For your friends who are solo parenting through deployment, for the neighbor whose spouse is gone for travel or training, and for the friend who has two under two — the Stay Strong Mom box is for them.
If you are looking to support a friend four states over or 30 minutes down the street, sending a Stay Strong Mom box supports your friend and a small business. Every item in the box is made by mothers who started their own businesses after experiencing loss. All proceeds are donated to The Stay Strong Mom Fund which assists mothers in need with paying their medical bills following a loss.
What’s Inside
Here’s what you can expect in a Stay Strong Mom box:
- Mad Goat Coffee from the husband-and-wife team Sam and Rachel George
- The Stay Strong Mom coffee mug designed by Brusie’s oldest daughter, Ada
- A heart jewelry dish designed by McKenzie Rucker who found healing through kintsugi, the Japanese art of creating something new from something broken
- A sugar cookie by Heavenly Cookies
Giveaway Alert
Stay Strong Mom is giving away one Stay Strong Mom box for you and a friend. Do you know someone who may be struggling? Send an uplifting care package from The Stay Strong Mom. Enter to win this awesome box.
Want to send a box sooner? You can buy a Stay Strong Mom box for a strong mom close to your heart, no matter how far away she is.
Photo Credits: Chaunie Brusie
