Whether it's the first or fifteenth time that you've waved your military husband goodbye, there's really nothing that prepares you for that shift … where you go from being a ‘we’ to a ‘me’.

Five years into Australian Defence Wife life, my philosophy when he's away is: keep commitments light and schedules tight! The kids and I enter survival mode; but we try to survive in style ;)

I remember thinking so many times back when I was a brand new defence wife, how much I wished I'd had a friend, relative or mentor in the Australian army world - a sisterly type - who would share with me all the things I didn't know.

Exactly what was I supposed to be preparing myself for? What were the hardships I didn't know were coming?

I want to share with you one of those tidbits of information I wish I'd had someone to share with me back before I became a military spouse and mama: that the first and last week of every serving member's absence are an absolute nightmare; it's normal! And you will survive them.

I remember our first full time year of Australian Defence life and just how woefully unprepared I was for the plethora of chaotic events that would unfold in my husband's absence (a.k.a Murphy's law of military life: anything that can go wrong while your serving member is completely inaccessible… WILL go wrong).