"Army Wives" Live Chat and Viewing Party!

It's another new episode of "Army Wives" on Lifetime Television tonight, with Rumer Willis guest starring as the wife of an injured soldier.

Celebrity gossip blog JustJared has a preview. Click here to watch it. (And, by the way, my theory was totally off-base - the injured soldier is not Jeremy.)

The show starts at 10 p.m. We're usually here from about 9:45 to 11:15. Join us to comment on the show, tell us if you think it's real or ridiculous, talk about life in general, or just say hi.

You can also weigh in on our weekly rating and review of the show - let us know if you think the episode is worth two hankies or three shot glasses ...

The chat takes place right here in the comments section. Remember to refresh to see the latest posts, including your own.

See you tonight!

TGIF and "Army Wives" live chat

It's been such a long week I hardly realized it's Friday. And now that I remembered, it's technically Saturday.

We set up the move dates this week and, believe it or not, it's less than two weeks until the movers come to pack us out. Holy crap.

We'll still be in the house for about a month after that, living on bean bags and air mattresses.

TGIF, indeed ...

As usual, Sunday brings our weekly "Army Wives" live chat and viewing party at 10 p.m. EST. After last week's record number of FRG mentions, I just might have to whip up a batch of beer-ritas for this episode.

See you then!

Happy Birthday, Crazy Boy!

Today is my son Jace's 7th birthday.

He was born almost exactly a month after 9/11, into a world of fear and uncertainty. Last year on this day I wrote about how his birth changed our lives, and how I hope he never has to go to war.

Jace has lived in Korea and Germany and twice in Florida. And now he's about to make the fourth move of his young life, this time to Kansas.

He's asked me if he can play baseball there, and if it snows. He hopes he won't have to wear uniforms to his new school and he wonders whether our new house will have a big backyard.

A neighbor gave him 500 temporary tattoos for his birthday. That's a pretty good way to sum up Jace's personality.

Tonight we'll have cupcakes and balloons and he'll open presents and stay up late.

And my wish for him is that he never changes. That he always stays true to himself, the boy who doesn't care what other people think, who builds fantastic Lego machines, who would wrap his room in Scotch tape if I let him.

The boy who is happy and independent and safe and knows he's loved.

The boy who everyday makes us smile.

I am not inspired

I watched the debate last night.

I listened to both candidates talk about the failing economy, the mortgage crisis, taxes, healthcare, Iraq and Afghanistan.

I listened to both of them say they would mend this country, give people jobs and economic opportunities.

But I didn't hear either one of them say how they'd do it.

I didn't hear either one of them say anything that gave me any hope.

The New York Times had a group of current and former military members watch the debate and post their comments online. Click here to read it.

How about you? Did you watch? What'd you think?

Are we there yet?

My kids, ages 4 and 6, have never been on a real road trip.

The longest car ride of their lives was about eight hours from Stuttgart, Germany, to Vicenza, Italy.

And that was almost three years ago.

The farthest they've been from home since we've lived back in the states was this past weekend, when we drove nearly three hours south to Ft. Myers.

Here's how it went:

- 11:40 a.m. Saturday: Leave home.

- 11:45: Stop to buy $5 T-shirts from a roadside vendor touting a presidential candidate. Realize I forgot my cell phone.

- 11:47: McDonald's drive through. Return home to get phone.

- 11:55: Leave home again.

- 12:15: First bathroom stop.

- 12:20: Jace, the oldest, asks "How long until we get to Ft. Myers?"

- 12:30: Jace tries to take Rian's stuffed bunny away from her. She hits him with it.

- 12:45: Rian falls asleep.

-12:45 to 2: Jace repeatedly asks how much longer.

- 2:15: Rian wakes up and asks how much longer.

- 2:25: Kids ask how far it is to Kansas. "Longer than this," I say, deciding it best not to tell them it's a 22-hour trip, about nine times longer than the ride to Ft. Myers.

- 2:26: Kids ask how many days to get to Kansas. They push for an answer. I break and tell them it's two, maybe three.

- 2:27: Kids ask if we can take an airplane to Kansas.

- 2:28: Kids are chanting "Airplane to Kansas! Airplane to Kansas! Airplane to Kansas!"

- 2:40: Arrive at hotel. Immediately consume adult beverages.

Episode 15: The good, the bad and the ugly

This week's episode of our favorite show continued to bring us back to the basic foundation that we fell in love with in the first place: The friendship between four women and one man who have little else in common except the Army.

But that's a strong bond, and one the friends can't deny.

Among this week's highlights: Claudia Joy accidentally told Micheal about Denise kissing the doctor. Michael was upset, but CJ stood by her friend and even accompanied Denise to get a tattoo. Trevor and Roxy both sought counseling, Roland and Joan adjusted to being new parents, Pamela told Chase about the stalker and Emmalin got a new online pen pal.

We rated this episode one hanky, and that was for the promotion where "Army Wives" granted the wish of a real-life Army wife who wanted care packages for soldiers returning from deployments.

According to Lifetime's Web site, we've got four straight weeks of new episodes ahead, culminating with the season finale on Nov. 2. Rumors of behind-the-scenes controversy and the fact that Katherine Fugate has left the show leave us wondering what will happen next.

There's a good post over at Zap2It.com about real Army Wives and how we feel about the dramatic "Army Wives." It points out that because military wives are the core audience, it's important to get it right. Unlike a show like "Prison Break," for example, where convicts probably aren't watching every detail of every scene. Click here to read the full post, headlined " 'Army Wives:' It's like your life, only better."

Meanwhile, here's our take on this week's episode:

THE GOOD

- OK, we debated whether the record number of FRG mentions in this episode was good, bad or ugly. In the end, we had to go with good for one reason - it meant we got to indulge several times in our favorite drinking game. This prompted super-blogger mauimere to declare a new rating system: Shot glasses instead of hankies!

THE BAD

- The FRG decides to put out a calendar depicting life at Ft. Marshall. After some dissent, another faction decides to put out a competing publication. Blah, blah, blah - we get it - women can be petty and boorish and the FRG can be one big pain in the butt. Would this ever happen in real life? Maybe. Do we care? Not really.   

THE UGLY

- They finally introduce a wife with a strong career of her own - lawyer Jennifer Connor - and instead of highlighting how she can be an Army Wife and an attorney, Connor is portrayed as a pushy, know-it-all, holier-than-thou stereotype. Of course the shoe fits, since she's married to our least favorite character, Lt. Col. Evan Connor (aka "Cocky Backfill Guy.")

"Army Wives" Live Chat and Viewing Party!

Welcome to our weekly "Army Wives" live chat and viewing party.

We'll see you here between 9:45 and 11:30 tonight to chat about the show, or just life in general. Share your thoughts in the comments section, and be sure to refresh the page often.

Don't forget the snacks and your favorite beverage!

TGIF and "Army Wives" live chat

Yikes! I got so distracted by last night's pity party that I completely forgot today was Friday ... TGIF!

Let's meet here as usual Sunday night for our "Army Wives" live chat and viewing party. The fun kicks off at 9:45 p.m. EST and usually runs until 11:15 or so. Join us the whole time, or just pop in and say hi.

Lifetime promises us a new episode this week, and the preview on their website shows Roxy in full meltdown at Betty's bar.

The network's also officially announced that Nov. 2 will be the season finale, so we've only got a few more weeks to play our Official Standing By/Army Wives FRG Drinking Game.

Don't miss it. We'll see you Sunday.

My BFF

It's nearly midnight on a Thursday, and I'm sitting on my back porch with a tall glass of tequila and orange juice.

It's less than two months until I leave Florida for Kansas. There are so many things to deal with between now and then - the house, the movers, finding a place there to live, making sure the kids are OK.

But right now, I can only think about one thing: Saying goodbye to my friend K., who - next to Mark - probably knows me better than anyone else in the world.

K and I met when I moved here two years ago. She lives one street over, and her kids are close in age to mine. She and her husband are both attorneys, with a strong desire to raise their kids with a sense of community and closeness.

We formed a quick bond, at first simply because K welcomed me to the neighborhood with open arms, just as she does everyone.

But soon that bond became much deeper, especially while Mark was deployed to Iraq.

Though we've never spoken about it, K and I both know she was the one who got me through those long dark days. So many times she called and invited me to bring the kids over to play or to eat dinner or go bowling or to the batting cages.

So many times I called and asked her to come over, after the kids were in bed, just because I needed some company.

More than once she slept at my house. I especially remember one night when we sat on my back porch and - just the two of us - sang "Friends In Low Places" by Garth Brooks at the top of our lungs. We did it for no particular reason, but just because we could.

And as much as I rely on K, she also depends on me. Earlier this year, when she was 16 weeks pregnant and lost the baby, I spent the night in the hospital with her. It was gut-wrenching and absolutely the last place I wanted to be. At the same time, I would not have been anywhere else.

But now, I will be somewhere else. I won't be with K.

I won't have her to walk over at a moment's notice when I need someone to talk to. And I won't be right here for her, either.

My kids will miss going out to dinner with her kids, all of us going to Orlando or the beach or just spending a Friday night at home together on our cul-de-sac.

I have good friends who I still remain in contact with from everywhere I've lived. But the difference here is that I thought I might never move again. I let myself go one step further with friendships, and believe that those friendships might last forever.

I'm so glad I did, because it gave me K.

But I'm also so sad, because now I have to move away.

And in 18 years of military life, this move will be perhaps the hardest I've ever experienced.

Uh-oh, here comes the FRG.

In all things about the Army, there is perhaps nothing that will bring a stronger response than a mention of the Family Readiness Group.

The FRG - designed to support families, particularly during deployments - is made up of volunteers from the unit. The group organizes things like holiday parties for children, pre-deployment briefings, support groups and fundraisers.

Each branch of the service has its own version of the FRG, which does basically the same thing.

Traditionally a unit's FRG was lead by the commander's wife, but more and more the Army is creating paid positions to do the job.

Still, feelings about the FRG are mixed. Some of you are directly involved through your units. Some of you have had great experiences with the FRG coming to your aid in a time of need. Others think the FRG is just one big clique of nosy busybodies.

And it seems that, no matter what, most of us cringe at its mention.

An Army wife named Kayt Sukel recently wrote a commentary in the Washington Post about her own FRG experiences. Click here to read it, then let us know what you think. What's your FRG (or its equivalent) like? Have you had good or bad experiences, or do you just stay away all together? What would you like to see your FRG do that it doesn't?