Care Packages

Hubby is deployed for 6 months and I'm trying to put a care package together for him, and I'm not very good at thinking of things to send. So far I have a magnetic picture frame, bday & anniversary card (he's gone for both this month) and magazines. Then i might throw in some snacks, & chapsticks. I want to send him something he'll really enjoy.. any ideas?

[KDMatthews]

Pictures of yourself!! If you have kids, there is a ton of stuff they can make for him...letters you've written him, anything that smells like you...and def his favorite snacks.

[ValGal]

One of the best things I EVER sent was a picture frame of our son that recorded a message. Our lil guy was only 18 months & he said "love you daddy" into it. Then when dh got it he put it on his desk & every time he looked at it he could push the button & hear him talk. It was pretty great. One of the best things i've heard guys say they received from home was new socks, undies, tee shirts etc that smelled like home. Wash anything new you send in your regular laundry soap & fab softner...everything on the ship starts to smell like the ship really quickly! Just be sure if you're sending baked goods in the same box that you put the clothes in big ziplock bags & make sure they are sealed well. Otherwise everything will taste like freshly laundered clothes
Hmmmmmm, one of the things hubby also liked was the Star Bucks coffee club...they will ship right to the ship. Check out the web site. It's a nice gift he's missing a birthday or anniv.
In more recent deployments I've sent really silly with everything else just to make him laugh. Like one of the kids action figures, one of the dogs chewed up toys & a tampon box with the instructions, LOL. I'm a goof like that & he loved it. As a matter of fact, he took Luke Sky Walker with him on the port tours & emailed funny pics of "Luke" in Paris & Stonehenge. Just Luke in the pics like with his arm in the air or something, it was hilarious & the kids LOVED it!

[wb3690]

Originally Posted by ValGal One of the best things I EVER sent was a picture frame of our son that recorded a message. Our lil guy was only 18 months & he said "love you daddy" into it. Then when dh got it he put it on his desk & every time he looked at it he could push the button & hear him talk. It was pretty great. One of the best things i've heard guys say they received from home was new socks, undies, tee shirts etc that smelled like home. Wash anything new you send in your regular laundry soap & fab softner...everything on the ship starts to smell like the ship really quickly! Just be sure if you're sending baked goods in the same box that you put the clothes in big ziplock bags & make sure they are sealed well. Otherwise everything will taste like freshly laundered clothes Hmmmmmm, one of the things hubby also liked was the Star Bucks coffee club...they will ship right to the ship. Check out the web site. It's a nice gift he's missing a birthday or anniv. In more recent deployments I've sent really silly with everything else just to make him laugh. Like one of the kids action figures, one of the dogs chewed up toys & a tampon box with the instructions, LOL. I'm a goof like that & he loved it. As a matter of fact, he took Luke Sky Walker with him on the port tours & emailed funny pics of "Luke" in Paris & Stonehenge. Just Luke in the pics like with his arm in the air or something, it was hilarious & the kids LOVED it!

I was just going to suggest a frame that you can record your voice in!! My husband still loves his!!!

Ummm cd's, dvd's, video games........magazines, gum, favorite snacks.......

[rosebud*]

Ask him what kinds of things he might want, certain candy or maybe sunflower seeds. I used to send dh gatorade and tuna fish because that is what he liked the most. Also if he is a coffee drinker than maybe some fancy coffee or specialty creamer. Lots of pictures help a lot too.

Where can I find the talking picture frame. We need to get one for Jack's daughter's 13 birthday , he is going to leave her a sweet message along with a video of himself for her.

Here are some ideas I got from another site. Also here is a website for some themes. http://www.bamc.amedd.army.mil/docs/carepackage.pdf




The Kids:
If you're pregnant while the daddy is deployed keep a pregnancy journal. Take profile pictures each month or even each week and include them in the journal so he doesn't miss out on seeing you at each stage.
Also if you're pregnant, copy the pages of a pregnancy book (can be found at the library if you can't buy one) as they coorespond to your stage. For instance, at 8 weeks along copy the page that shows how big the fetus is at 8 week, how far it's developed, etc. You can write special messages on the copies such as "you're going to be a wonderful daddy" or "look how big our baby is getting".
To celebrate the birth of a new baby while the daddy is on deployment, send a box of the bubble gum cigars saying "It's a Boy/Girl" for him to share with his shipmates.
In your care packages send a few postcards that are pre-adressed to each child with stamps. Kids love to get mail addressed only to them and postcards make it really easy to write a few quick words and get it in the mail. Envelopes that are pre-addressed and stamped are nice also but postcards are a good idea for quick notes to each child.
Start with a t-shirt and a kid or two. Have the kids put their hands in paint-all different colors-and put hand prints all over the shirt. If there is more than one child, you can use fabric paint to write their names under the handprints. Using fabric paint for the handprints also will make this a lasting gift. In a note sent with the shirt say something like, "Even though we're far apart, we can still touch your heart".
Have the kids draw a picture or write a story every day. Put them all in a big envelope and send them with the care packages.
Take video of the kids playing at the park, any school activites or just sitting down and saying a personal message.
Let the kids read a story into a cassette recorder or..........
.........if you have a CD burner, let the kids tell the stories into the computer microphone. Make a whole CD out of bedtime stories or the parent's favorite kids stories.
Get some computer printer magnetic paper. Let the kids use paint markers to draw a picture on it so the parent can easily hang it on the metal rack that they sleep in.
Put 180 Hershey's Kisses/Hugs into a basket. Le tthe child eat one every day to help them put the passing of time into perspective.
Let the kids do their very own care package. Let them put in whatever they want (within reason, of course).
Have the kids make things out of air-dry clay and paint them. Something small is best.
Make a chain. Let the child cut 180 strips of construction paper (you may have to help a little) and tape them to one another forming a long chain. Let the child remove one chain every day.
Have the kids trace their hands on a piece of paper. Then the parent can trace their hand over the child's handprint and mail it back. That way, they get to hold hands with the parent.
Make a mini scrapbook to send. Use a small spiral bound scrapbook (in most craft departments) and put in pictures. Decorate with stickers and drawings. Go HERE for a great scrapbook idea site. Let the kids do one all on their own.
Draw a picture of an apple tree and put it on a cork board, or print one out on magnetic paper. Then make 180 apples (this will keep the kids busy *all day*). They can draw on magnetic paper also and cut them out. Put them all on the tree, and then the kids will know that when the apples are all gone it's time for their parent to be home.
Using the apple tree technique above, draw a picture of the ship that the parent is on and then make 180 people to go on the ship. Again, this will keep the kids drawing and cutting all day (and this is a good thing during the summer)! Put one person on the ship every day and when the ship is full, it's time for the parent to come home. Then the child can give the drawing to the parent as a welcome home gift.
Use a casting kit such as the one from Artmolds to create a miniature plaster "sculpture" of a new baby's foot or hand.


For the Service Member:
For new parents, send a piece of the baby's clothing sealed in a Zip Lock bag. New dad's can appreciate the new baby smell.
Send the baby's first pair of shoes. They can be hung from the head of the bed or displayed at work.
Send board games-the ones they have made into key chains. They're small, light and just as fun as the full size versions!
Videotape their favorite shows on tv. It's unlikely that they'll get to see their favs every week with the whole group in the lounge having to agree on something to watch.
Use your computer to print onto magnetic paper. They can put these directly onto their racks.
Send favorite magazines.
Get a stuffed animal and spray your perfume on it. Seal it in a Zip-Lock bag to preserve the scent in-transit.
Do the same thing with a pillow case.
Use your computer to print onto iron-on transfers and then iron them onto t-shirts, hats, pillow cases or even underwear (just for fun). Print clip art of favorite hobbies, photos or World's Greatest Dad and his name.
Get some white boxers and paint on handprints on the back, kisses all over.
If they're gone over a holiday, do up one box with just holiday stuff. Be creative! Use streamers, confetti, balloons (not blown up), etc...
Lots of disposable cameras. They can take pictures of the boat and in port and then mail them home for you to develop. This is especially nice for Scapbookers!
With a CD burner, make a CD of favorite songs. You can also make a cassette tape.
Always write letters, but in addition you might record your letters onto a tape (or onto the computer to make a CD).
Send a few toys. Slinkys, sidewalk chalk, squirt guns.....anything extra silly.
If they have a laptop with them equipped with a DVD player (and many of them do have these-they're wonderful for deployments) send DVD's, but take them out of the boxes first. Just send them in a sleeve, so it doesn't take up so much room.
Theme packages. Make it all one color sceme with ribbon and confetti. If they like a cartoon character, for example, send a video of the cartoon and a card with the character on it. Using your computer you could make a t-shirt or hat with the character on it. You can also decorate the outside of the box with stickers relating to your theme.
Send electronic games. There are some little games that are about $10 each and they're pretty good.
Make your own custom crossword puzzle! Go here - http://www.pdos.lcs.mit.edu/cgi-bin/theme-cword - and follow the directions to print ouuuut a crossword puzzle using your own words. They'll love it.
Begin a journal to keep at home and write in it every day, or when you can. Paste in cartoons or pressed flowers. Give it to your loved one when they return home. They'll love reading about your days without them, and they can read the things that you couldn't (or didn't want to) send to them in a letter while they were away.
Get a small baby food jar and fill it up with dirt from their backyard. You could also put sand from their favorite beach with a shell inside. It's oddly comforting.
Two words - Silly Putty.
Make a miniature scrapbook. Go to the craft store and get a small scrapbook (about 5"x7"). It will usually be spiral bound. Get a few supplies and go crazy! Do a themed book-a day in our life where you take pictures all in one day for the book. Decorate pages with stickers, cut-outs and journaling.
Blow up a balloon, but don't tie it. Holding it closed, use a permanent marker to write a saying or a short letter on the balloon. Deflate it and send with a note that says to blow it up.
Use your computer graphics program to create a cool calendar with magnetic dots that they can use to mark important days (like homecoming!) and print on magnetic paper.
They gotta have a little fun once in a while.......

This is a cute thing to do. Get a subscription to a favorite magazine for your loved one but before you send it take lots of pics of you with a Poloroid camera (or a digital and print them out). You can cut your face (and/or the kids faces) out and paste them over people in the magazine. It's a little cheezy, but it's so much fun and it'll make them laugh for a few minutes. I think that's important.

Here's a cute site Personal Expression that has personalized candy wrappers (with your picture on them and your choice of text) and personalized gift boxes. If you're not good on the computer and can't do it yourself, give them a try. It's a cute idea.

GameBoy Color (a handheld video game system) is $69 at most stores (although buying online with coupons you can get it for even less) and the games are $10-$30 each. There are some great games, and the guys can trade when they get tired of playing.
Books on tape are nice, or for an avid reader send small paperback books that they can give away when they're done. That way they're not having to store it.
If they're gone over their birthday, send a birthday box with streamers, hats, noise makers, a birthday card, and a birthday cookie decorated with icing (refer to the Tips section on how to ship cookies!). Record yourself and the kids singing Happy Birthday. And of course, decorate the outside of the box with birthday stickers.
Foam footballs and basketballs, the miniature size. These will get played with all the time by the whole ship!
A frisbeee. The flexible ones are best.
A hacky sack (a little bean bag for kicking around).
Aromatherapy oils are great. Send a small selection with a diffuser (select a diffuser that they can use depending on where they are). Types of oils - anti-stress, energizing, relaxing, etc.
If they're gone while summer changes into fall, take a few leaves that have changed colors and press them. Then have them laminated.
I found a keychain version of the Super Soaker squirt guns. It shoots 20ft away! My husband loves the big Super Soakers, so I bought 2 keychain versions (he has to have someone to play with!) for $3.99 each. They really work and they'd be great to take to work, since they fit in a pocket.
On these two websites you can pick out and print out your own greeting cards. Canon Print Planet and American Greetings Create and Print.
Very carefully open a box of Cracker Jacks and remove the prize. Put your own prize in the box (use the prize somewhere else in your care package). Put in a little note or a bigger prize--maybe something personal that only your sailor would understand. Then carefully seal up the box so they don't see that you've tampered with it. Craft glue works best.

My husband and I just went threw his first 6 month deployment and i got so stressed the first 2 months because i though i need to send him these really great packages but here some things i learned from him when he came back..... Dont go over board and spend lots of money on them. They love the real basic things like favorite snack and foods. He always needed new boxers, sock and tees since his were stolen or ruined in the nasty washers haha. If hes gone for holidays hand make silly cards for him and def send him lots of pictures. Thats really it. Send him things that he likes from back home. Dont stress out over making them "perfect".

[Traci]

Is he on a ship or on land? On our first 6 month deployment on a ship I got one of those personalized pillow cases with my picture(or kids) on it. I also said I Love You. He also like to get the powdered already sweet Kool-Aid or Gatoraid. This way he can mix it by the cupful on ship. Twizlers, nuts, beef jerkey and with every package I send undys and tee-shirts. Gum is also one of his favorites. Now that he is on land I really had to think about what to send. April was our anniversary so I went all out and sent him a video ipod. He has a very large CD collection that he did not want to bring with him. I had the ipod engraved and sent to me. Then I filled it with all of his CD's and tons of pictures. He fliped when he got it. I have to say that was one of the best things I could have given him.