If you are facing a deployment or other extended period apart from your spouse, bedtime stories are a great way to keep the family close. Have the deploying spouse begin reading some of your family's favorite stories to the video camera. Continue this practice up until the spouse leaves. Then you will have a whole video to play for your kids at bedtime. This can be an important link between the deploying parent and kids, even when the children are too small to even remember the deployment. Send a video camera, laptop with webcam, or camera that can take video with your spouse so they will be able to make videos while they are away. It makes a huge difference for the kids (and you) if you can see where they are working and living and some of the things they do during the day.
Videos should also be a two way street. Video tape FHE, and other events for your spouse. If you children are old enough to read, have them read or write stories and then record them reading them. Birthdays and holidays are a good events to try to include your spouse via video.
No matter how you slice it, deployment is a rough time for everyone. I know for me, being honest with my spouse about what I needed, snail mail letters in addition to regular emails, and pictures, really helped me to get through it.
