Veteran's Day is a time to remember all of those who have served or are serving in the armed forces. The best way to honor those currently serving is to put together a care package and send it to a location overseas where they can't get many of the locally available items they love.

With a little pre-planning you can invite friends, have a great time and provide a much needed morale boost to the men and women defending our freedom. So what do you do?

Where Your Packages Should Go

For safety reasons, it's not possible to send a care package to "any soldier". You'll have to have a specific soldier in mind. But don't fret if you don't personally know of any. You have options! The best choice would be to ask friends and family if they know of anyone serving overseas. That will allow you to make the items more personalized to his or her individual tastes.

However, if there is no one in your circle of friends with a ready name, you can always contact the closest military base to find out the best way to reach troops in need. They will happily give you all the information you need.

What You Should Send

Different kinds of food are always in demand. Of course, everything needs to be non-perishable so canned goods or dried foods such as beef jerky are very popular. If you send canned goods, make sure they are pop-tops. Most soldiers won't have access to a can opener. Before sending any items that need to be cooked, find out what methods for cooking your soldier can access and keep your items limited to that.

They also love spices, hot sauces or anything else to give those MRE's a little more flavor. Be wary of chocolate as it can melt and be a sticky mess when it arrives.

For entertainment purposes, sports magazines, movies, cards, handheld games and board games are perfect. Another highly sought after item would be batteries, double A's and D's being the most in need.

Free Boxes

The post office now offers free boxes that are 12x12x5. You can pack them as heavy as you like, and regardless of weight they will ship for $6!

Throw Your Party

Now comes the easy part, throw the party!

Invite friends and family to your home this Veteran's Day. Ask each of them to bring items on the list, and you can spend an afternoon packing free post office boxes, eating party food and enjoying time together as you prepare care packages that will mean so much to the soldiers you have chosen.

It's not only fun, it's the perfect way to spend the holiday!

With Labor Day coming up, it isn't typical for our minds to start planning a get together. When I think of Labor Day, I think of the year my mom told me and my sister that she would be laboring on Labor Day–her creative way of telling us that she was pregnant with my little brother. So, I don't start planning parties in my head either. BUT, it's a day when people are off work and are able to enjoy a day free from the usual routine. Make it a good one!

Breakfast in Bed

When I think of ultimate relaxation I think of breakfast in bed. It doesn't even necessarily have to be in bed, since it's probably safer at the table to avoid falling back to sleep mid-bite. But I like it to be prepared for me. Everyone deserves to be served breakfast, whether you leave the house for work or do just as important work at home. It just lets you start your day stress-free.

If you know someone who works super hard and could use a pick-me-up, try providing them with a meal! It's really true that cooking with love provides food for the soul.

Family Fun Day

When I was little (and up until I moved out of the house), we would have family swim days. We knew a very special lady who let us enjoy her pool anytime we wanted. We always called her first to be respectful, but it made for a whole lot of relaxing days by the pool with family and friends.

Your day doesn't have to be a swim day, but if there is something you and your family love to do together, make a day out of it! You're off of work and the kids are out of school. It can also be a fun time of discussing beforehand with everyone what plans they would like to make for that day.

Plans for Autumn

If you're a planner like me, it's extremely comforting–and, dare I say, fun–to sit down and plan something. Sometimes it's stressful, but if it is something leisurely and exciting then it can be just the opposite. Labor Day marks the beginning of the end of summer so why not use it as your guide to start planning for things you want to accomplish this fall season?

Fall is the favorite season for a lot of people, and it gloriously shifts us into a different mindset of flavorful breezes and holiday preparations. Some not-so-fun preparations you can tackle are:

1. Clearing out your gutters
2. Cleaning your fireplace and chimney
3. Checking your doors and windows for drafts before the cooler weather sets in.

More cheery preparations include:

1. Researching an autumn wreath you can make for your front door
2. Planning a camping or fishing weekend for the kids in the cooler weather
3. Outlining any changes you may want to make to your flowerbed or landscape
4. Scheduling outdoor family pictures.

Whatever mood you find yourself in this Labor Day, allow yourself to do something different from your day-to-day. Whether it's a day spent surrounded by special people in your life or a quiet day alone, spare yourself the stress and have fun!