MFSUS Winter National Newsletter 2018
New Years message
2018, and it is Winter ...
Holidays are over, and time to start fresh. Here is the new National Newsletter! We have changed our template to allow for easier viewing on tablets and smart phones.

We have also moved to a quarterly schedule to cut down on the amount of emails that families receive.

Welcome to the winter edition of the National Newsletter.

If you have any feedback on our new format please let us know!
IMPORTANT UPDATES
How can FIL help me right now?
The Family Information Line (FIL) is a confidential, personal and bilingual service offering information, support, referrals, reassurance and crisis management to the military community. FIL serves Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans and their families- immediate and extended.
Emotional First Aid January 24
Join in on Wednesday January 24 for the 5 Key Steps to Strengthen Your Finances and Create Better Options For Your Family

In this presentation, Doris Belland, a financial literacy educator, speaker, real estate investor, and author of the book Protect Your Purse, shows you how to tackle five important aspects of your finances to get better results for your family.

Drawing from her own research and a decade of helping families bounce back from difficulties, she will identify common financial weak spots and show you how to strengthen them.

Time: 2pm ET, 1pm CT, 12pm MT, 11am PT, 10am AK, 9am HI
Where: Join from the comfort of your home computer!
Posted This Year
Heading back
If you are departing the United States this year, your MFS Coordinator can connect you to personalized support and information at your receiving MFRC.

Just email mfs.outreach@cfmws.com or go to www.cafconnection.ca to find your new locations and great resources!

Click HERE to access the amazing resource "ABC's of Military Postings". This was developed by The National Defense and Canadian Forces Ombudsman's in response to complaints from Members about the move process.

If your family is under CDLS (W) check out the departure book.
Francophone Family Posted to the U.S.?
Use one of our Rosetta Stone licenses to improve your English language skills.
Are you a Francophone family posted to the U.S. and you would like to improve your English language skills? Check out the Second Language Training resources available to your family while posted OUTCAN. 
Traveling
Ways to use your travel allowance
The United States has lots of great places to visit. Check out the Road trip cross country adventures on America's two- lane highways. Send us some of your tips as you travel this year.
Healthy Living
Top 5 trends in healthy living in 2018 sharing from Todd Cirka PSP outcan Physical Fitness Coordinator
It may be a bit overwhelming trying to find ways to stay healthy. Most people dread the untrue fact that staying healthy means having to invest lots of effort in the gym, counting reps for hours, week in and week out.Sure, if you are totally satisfied with the body and life you have today, keep doing what you’re doing. If not, something has to change. Some kind of effort and investment is likely required to make that change.

Your new mindset: “Maintain my health for a prolonged lifespan and functional body”. Have a goal to get healthy and experience a more fulfilling life. The right mindset will make the change easier.

To read more click on the healthy living article.
Online Mental Health Resources
Living away from home has many stresses and can cause issues related to your mental health. It can leave military families unsure of where to turn. Military Family Services (MFS) is providing a good starting place for information and support with its newest resource: a webpage listing the top 10 online mental health resources for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) families.

Whether you're looking for information for kids, youth, or adults, the links included on this list may help. MFS has pulled together resources recommended by our clinical partners in mental health, and listed them in an easy to use format with direct links. Some links are military-family centric; others provide information for the general public. We've also tried to balance resources that are designed to provide information and clarification, and resources that provide more interactive methods of support.
Connecting in San Diego
Canadian Hockey San Diego
Canadian Military Vs San Diego
The HMCS Regina had lots of fun connecting with the San Diego Ice Arena in early November. One of our Canadian families posted to San Diego was also in attendance and showed some great Canadian pride.
HOW TO CONTACT US
Your "Go to" Resource
If you and your family have any ideas, questions, comments that you would like to share    with the MFS US Team, please forward them to  Outreach . We want to hear from YOU!!
 
DWAN NOTE:    Please be advised that DWAN only allows for text versions of MFS Newsletters and Email Notices or Announcements.
 
If you would like to receive the full version of these, please reply to  mfs.outreach@cfmws.com   and provide us with a personal email address.