I know that in the next day or so there will be a lot more families recieving notice that their IRR soldier has been recalled to active duty (5674 families if you believe one report).  Perhaps some of you in that group have found your way here, trying to find anything out there to help.  So, over the next few days, I will be trying to post as much as I can about our experience so that perhaps it will help someone else.

The first thing that I can tell you if you are an IRR spouse reading right now is this:  take a deep breath and don't panic.  Chances are, you have 30 days to prepare before your spouse has to report.  That is a long time (honest, although I know it goes too quickly!)  Make a list of things that you need to get squared away during that time.  It helps to make a big master list on a poster board or something big.  Add to it as you need to and cross things off as they get done.  You will probably get a packet either with the orders or shortly thereafter with some information and checklists of things that you need to do.  You can also find other lists on various websites like Hooah4Health.  For more in-depth articles, Lifelines (a Navy site) has a variety of topics tailored to the various stages of deployments.

The other important thing to think about right now is support.  You need to support each other and you need to have some independent support.  If you have a family readiness group available to you, great.  Chances are your spouse won't be assigned to a local unit, but just having people in the same boat who UNDERSTAND is a big help.  If you don't have anything local, or if you are a computer addict (like me), you might try one of the online communities.  There are a number, some more general and some specifically geared toward spouses or parents.  You aren't in this alone, although it sure feels like it some days.

My last piece of advice is this:  There are some big things to take care of and there are some little things.  Don't spend all of your time worrying about if you know where the gasoline for the lawn mower is kept (if you don't find it, you can buy more), or if you have a valid driver's license (this shouldn't be something you spend a lot of time wondering about) or what day the trashmen come (watch for the big smelly truck).  These are minor (although I have seen all of them as “important” items on one checklist or another).  Do make some time to spend with your spouse, preferably just the two of you.  That is one important thing that you won't find on most checklists, but make sure it is on yours.