Jennifer Dodrill
Jen Dodrill is a Navy brat from a long line of Navy brats. Born in Virginia,
she moved to the Florida panhandle in 6th grade. After vowing to never
date a Navy guy, she moved to Nashville, TN where she met and fell in
love with Eddie who was - you guessed it - in the delayed-entry-program
for the Navy. They met in June, married the following February, and
over 35 years later are still sweethearts. They moved back to West Tennessee in 2008 after his retirement. Jen stayed home to raise their 5 kids, and she homeschooled the youngest three. The “baby” graduated in 2020, but Jen refuses to bow to empty-nest syndrome! She teaches Oral Communication as an adjunct instructor for Dyersburg State Community College and blogs at Jen Dodrill History at Home. Jen also writes curriculum under History at Home at TeachersPayTeachers and Boom Learning! When she’s not working, she’s spending time with her kids and adorable granddaughters. You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, and her favorite place – Pinterest! You can also visit her site "History at Home" at www.jendodrillhistoryathome.com
Women’s History Month Feature: The Code Girls of WWII
Before my dad passed, he told me his mother had been what he called a “dollar-a-year-girl.” She worked for the United States government in World War II as a senior censorship clerk, intercepting cables...
Why Are Coins Placed On Headstones?
I love history. I always have. So when I went to visit my dad and stepmother's markers at Barrancas National Cemetery last December and saw coins on top of markers nearby, I had to...
Word of the Year Instead of Resolutions
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If you do, do you keep them?
The typical resolutions are things like eat healthy, lose weight, exercise more, and spend less money. They’re easy to make and hard...
Planning Ahead: What To Do After a Loved One’s Death
This was one of the hardest summers of my life. I thought nothing could beat 2020, the year of Covid. I was wrong.
In the spring, my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was...
Confession: I’m a Horrible Gift Giver, But I’m Trying to be Better
Years ago, I had a secret pal at church. She was the church pianist and my daughter’s Sunday school teacher - a really sweet lady who I truly liked. I bought her a cute...
How to Throw an Awesome Graduation Party
Are you deep in end-of-the-year planning for your high school or college senior? Will you also throw a graduation party for them?
All five of our kids have finished high school, and each ceremony and...
When Military Retirement Meets Civilian Reality
My husband and I have been talking about when he will retire for good. He retired from the Navy in 2008, and now we’re looking forward to permanent retirement.
That sounds intimidating and a bit...
Covid and College – This Mom’s Perspective of a Challenging Freshman Year
Being a mom has its struggles. Being a mom of a college student- especially right now - feels near impossible.
My heart ached when I found out just how hard a time my daughter was...
How to Make the Holidays Food Allergy Friendly
If you don’t have food allergies and don’t know anyone with them, be thankful. And, if you have food allergies or love someone who has them, like I do, be thankful. Because of continuous...
5 Tips to Finding Mom Friends
How do you make friends? It’s not as easy as when you were five and you just walked up to some kid and said, “Will you be my friend?” I miss those days of...
The Amazing Grace Hopper
The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – Notorious RBG - seems to have shaken up the nation. But it has also sparked conversations on her accomplishments and feats. I had no...
Farm + Life Lessons From A Farm Abroad
The summer after my high school graduation was something of a dream come true. I got to spend six weeks in Denmark as a summer exchange student.
Denmark is an amazing country with a history...