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The Joubert Den

A lifestyle blog about marriage, fashion, beauty, travel, and faith.

In C'est la vie

How to find yourself again

Author Posted on March 30, 2016

Be good to yourself. Take a sick day. Cut your hair. Accept a compliment. Try a new lipstick. Smile more. Start blogging again.

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Welcome

Hi! Welcome to our blog — The Joubert (Joe-BEAR) Den. We are Cristian & Sonja, a newlywed couple navigating married life while adventuring along the way. Here we share bits and pieces of our every day lives, travel, fashion and our faith. Stay a while!

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sonyjoubert

Choosing to lean in to motherhood. It’s a journe

Choosing to lean in to motherhood. It’s a journey. A process. But these babies won’t ever be this same age again...and I refuse to let my mental health rob me of enjoying them...soaking and breathing them in. I am also learning to accept that there will be some days where I just won’t be able to control how I feel. And that’s okay! With this comes learning to embrace the good days. Or even just the good moments, because there are more than I realize. 🧡🧡🧡⁣
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Also, if I only knew what was happening to my van when these pics were being taken 😩😩😩⁣
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#paintedladies #sanfranciscolife #motherhoodishard #thisismycrew #thisismotherhood #mymotherhoodjourney #babiesdontkeep #momlife❤️ #momsofinstagram #postpartumdepression #mentalhealthmatters #mamaswithcameras #mamasofinstagram #motherhoodisdarling #motherhoodandme #ppdawareness #ppdsurvivor #citymouse #sanfranciscobay #sanfranciscolove

With Cristian’s TDY coming up (he’ll be gone f

With Cristian’s TDY coming up (he’ll be gone for at least 3 months 😩), we’re super grateful to have things like recordable story books from @calisbooks to feel close to him even though he’ll be far away! 🧡⁣
He loves using different voices when reading to them, so it’s so much fun that he can act out the story and record it for them to listen to whenever they want. We also LOVE their interactive nursery rhyme books in different languages! It’s important to us that they learn about and love other cultures, so these are perfect. Get another look in my stories! And fellow military spouses...how do you help your kids feel connected to the parent who is gone?#calisbooks #sponsored ⁣
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#militarylife #militaryfamily #militaryfamilies #militaryfam #monthofthemilitarychild #airforcefamily #kidsbooksofinstagram #kidsbookstagram #babybooks #interactivelearning #interactivestory #parentinghack #parentinghacks #parentsbelike #motherhoodrising #militarywife #milso #airforcewife #milspouse #milspouselife #momsofinstagram #dadsofinstagram #husbandsofinstagram #husbandappreciationpost #momsandproud #thisismotherhood #motherhoodvillage

We CAN’T BELIEVE this is our life! We’re movin

We CAN’T BELIEVE this is our life! We’re moving to Hawaii!! 🌺🏝 Lots has to happen before we do — Cristian takes a really big, important test in June and then he’ll go on a TDY in Texas to complete some more training for a few months. We can’t come with, so the kids and I will be splitting the time between Utah and Nebraska (where Crish’s mom is). But we will be calling the island of Oahu home by the end of October! We’re excited and nervous for this big change! Now fellow milspouses, send me allllll the OCONUS move tips please! (I’m freaking out a little 😬😂)⁣
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#militaryfamily #militarycouple #militarycouples #militarywife #militaryspouse #lovingmyhero #airforcewife #afwife #oahuhawaii #oahulife #oahuadventures #hawaiilove #milspo #milspouseblogger #milspouse #milso #milsostrong #milsosupport #milsolove #pcsing #pcsseason #airforcewife #hickamafb #milsos #airforcelife

Matching amber colored @katequinn_shop outfits for

Matching amber colored @katequinn_shop outfits for my amber-haired babies. How did I get so lucky?! ⁣🧡🧡🧡Especially with a half Puerto Rican husband 😂⁣😉😂
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#motherhoodjourney #motherhoodisdarling #motherhoodissanctifying #motherhoodmagic #siblinggoals #letthembelittleforever #letthemplay #documentourdays #watchthemgrow #mybabiesforever #katequinn #katequinnorganics #mamahoodinsquares #mamahoodsisterhood #nestedmag #momtogcommunity #momtogcollective #momphotographer #momlifebestlife #themommydiary #mymotherhood #momblogger #mombloggerlife #militarywife #airforcefamily

“I don’t want to be a mom anymore!” ⁣⁣⁣
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Yes. This is actually something I have yelled out a few times the last couple of months. And oh my goodness, the conflicting and complicated feelings of instant shame and yet relief at the same time as I said it....wow. How could I even think of saying that?! Being a mom has been my dream ever since I was little. ⁣⁣⁣
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I’m not always able to recognize it, but it is 100% the depression talking. Yeah, it sucks to say “that wasn’t me,” like you have no control over yourself. ⁣⁣⁣
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I have been “clinically” depressed for over a decade now, but postpartum depression has made me feel things I never have before. It’s been unique, dark, ominous, scary. Add in the military family lifestyle plus a pandemic and the isolation has been insane. ⁣⁣⁣
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But this last month, I have seen a light inside what seemed like a never ending tunnel. And I can’t even give a specific reason why — I have started therapy, but it’s still so new that everything we’ve worked on has been so “basic,” if you know what I mean. My husband and I have been making improvements to our marriage (if you are married and have depression, you probably know the affects it can have on the relationship), and I’ve been trying to be more PRESENT. So I feel like I’m slowly but surely getting better. I’ve noticed myself being braver in my mothering, and finding more enjoyable moments. ⁣⁣⁣
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But you know what tells me this is just the beginning of healing? I’m scared. I’m scared that this is just a high on the roller coaster that is my depression and that the drop is around the corner. I haaaate that...it makes me feel like I can never truly be happy because I’m just expecting to be sad again soon. ⁣⁣⁣
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And I say to that — oh well. This is the beginning. My trying won’t be in vain. I can beat this, and so can you, mama. I know sharing this might seem too personal to many of you, but I don’t care. I am releasing it all into the universe and if in turn it helps normalize sharing about postpartum more, then good. ⁣⁣⁣
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We’ve got this, mamas.⁣

It’s already time for another #MilsoTipMonday! T

It’s already time for another #MilsoTipMonday! This week I’m sharing 5 things you should do when you become a military spouse! ⁣
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1. Get your dependent ID! It’s like a drivers license but for all things military! It will act as your insurance card (there’s a benefit number on the back), and you’ll need it to get on base and to access the commissary and BX/PX. (More on these in a bit!)⁣
2. OPSEC!!! Learn all about OPSEC and how to protect your servicemember and his/her unit, and your family! Stay tuned for a post dedicated just to this! ⁣
3. Familiarize yourself with TriCare! Learn what your options are. Usually, you can choose if you want to be on Tricare prime or Select. Prime means you need to see the military doctors on base (or get referrals) but everything is free. With Select, you can choose your own doctors but you will have a copay. There are pros and cons to both! (You can only switch during open enrollment or after a qualifying life event like moving or having a baby, etc)⁣
4. Get to know your nearest base/post! Even if your spouse won’t be stationed there. You’ll get a feel for what to expect moving forward with military life! Visit the commissary (military grocery store) and PX/BX (post or base exchange...it’s like a military Walmart. Some are awesome, some aren’t 😂. Just depends on the base!) ⁣
5. Study up on your acronyms! What’s BAH? BAS? TDY? PCS?! The military pretty much speaks in acronyms and it’ll be helpful to know the most common ones!⁣
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Fellow military spouses, what did I leave out? Comment below! ⁣
Now head on over to @darrianchamblee for what to do when you feel “stuck” at a duty station!

Did she only eat the frosting off this cookie and

Did she only eat the frosting off this cookie and cry when I threw the remnants in the garbage? Why yes, yes she did 🙃#toddlerproblems @heytwistedsugar

Military spouses and soon to be military spouses!

Military spouses and soon to be military spouses! My sweet friend @xoxosydneylin is letting me take over the #MilsoTipMonday hashtag. So each Monday I’ll be sharing tips and tricks for new military spouses! ⁣
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Today is all about helping your spouse make the decision to join the military! In my opinion, if your spouse is thinking about joining, you need to make the decision together. It can be such a big lifestyle change! Here are my tips, which are things my husband and I did when he was trying to decide to join the Air Force.⁣
1. Shop around for a good recruiter! If you live in an area that has multiple recruiters offices within an hour or so drive, find the one that you feel will work with you best. Think of recruiters as the MLM boss babes of the military world 😉 Some simply want to recruit and won’t care about your needs. Find one that will help your spouse get the best contract possible and will answer (or at least try to haha) as many questions you have.⁣
2. To follow up on the last one, come along to a few of your spouse’s recruiter appointments. There you can ask questions too and get a better idea of what the process will be like. ⁣
3. Talk to people! Have both you AND your spouse talk to as many people as you can about what military life is like, especially if you can find people who have the same job your spouse is hoping to have. This means you can get differing opinions and specific advice for your journey! ⁣
4. Make a pros and cons list. Decide what the good and bad things about joining the military will be for your family. For us, the free health insurance, housing allowance, job security, etc were all pros, and then the salary 🥴 (for Cristian’s rank, E3) and living far away from family were cons for us. But having this list meant we took a look at our monthly overhead and discussed if we’d be able to make it work.⁣
5. Counsel together! Be open in expressing your concerns AND your excitement. Be a sounding board for your spouse as they navigate whether or not they want to make the commitment. ⁣
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As always, I’m just a DM away if you need help! Now head on over to @melseverydayadventures for tips on putting yourself out there at a new base!

Jett: 😏😏😏”Yeah, I’m in a high chair,

Jett: 😏😏😏”Yeah, I’m in a high chair, whatcha gonna do about it?” ⁣
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Can’t believe this dreamboat is 6 MONTHS OLD!!! Like, hooooow?! 😭 If you caught my stories earlier this week, you’ll also know that I found out that he cut his two bottom front teeth and I had no idea he was even teething! He’s the sweetest boy and I’m so grateful to be his mama. ⁣
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Thanks to @littledovestore for gifting us this beautiful high chair! I love that it’s not clunky or gaudy and has a modern twist. It’s also 3-in-1 and can convert to a chair or toddler stool! Perfect for this little guy who just started solids yesterday!

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