Thoughts from a writing mom

“I wish I worked out less.” “I wish I wasn’t so fit.” “I wish I didn’t like exercise as much as I do.” Have you ever heard these statements from anyone? No? Neither have I. Those who live active lifestyles typically want to remain active, or get even more active, never less. It isn’t any wonder why. Science tells us that exercise is highly beneficial not only for our physical health, but for our mental health as well.  Most of us are fully aware of the multitude of benefits we can receive from having an active lifestyle. So what is the difference between those who work out regularly, and those who don’t? Mindset, of course. You have to want the active lifestyle more than you want whatever is keeping you from it. Active mothers are an especially interesting group. Moms tend to be so busy taking care of everyone and everything else around them that it is hard to understand how they could add fitness routines to their lives. But ta...

Isn’t it interesting how quickly times can change? At the start of this month I was prepping for our busiest season of the year. All six of my kids were signed up for Spring season sports. Baseball, softball and soccer. We would have a practice nearly every evening. We would be double or triple booked some nights. We also had one night a week of religious ed and were looking forward to our 8-year-old’s first communion. Every time a friend would ask how I was doing, I’d reply with “Busy. But it is a good busy.” I knew it was a ‘good busy’ because my kids enjoy sports and I enjoy watching them play. I knew it was a good busy because time is crazy fast and I’m aware that one day I won’t have littles to take to practices and games and school science fair nights and friends’ birthday parties and . . . well, you get it. It is a busy that I wanted. A busy that I appreciated. Now the calendar has been wiped clean of all of that and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me...

Hi, my name is Christy, and I don’t drink. I used to. I used to drink kinda frequently, actually. But now I don’t.   No, I didn’t hit some ‘rock bottom’ moment, like drinking and driving and almost killing myself (or someone else.) I didn’t stop taking care of my responsibilities while drinking. I still woke up and took care of my kids every day. I just decided that it was getting to be too much. I was starting to dislike the way I felt. And I quit. I don’t drink anymore, but nothing has changed. (Except everything.) I used to be the first to say, with a laugh, “I don’t WANT to parent without alcohol!” Parenting is hard. My children are gifts that I thank God for daily, but the work involved with raising them is the hardest work I’ve ever done. ‘Mommy wine’ culture is a thing, and I was all about it. (well, I wasn’t so much a wine girl as a beer girl, but nonetheless I bought all of the 'mommy juice' sentiment that came with drinking.) I would tell myself that I deser...

El Paso. Dayton. Innocents killed and it's non-sensical.  But honestly, it isn't shocking, is it? It's happened too many times now. Immediately following these tragedies I read news stories of the lives lost and feel heartache for their families. I feel anger for them. And then, I think of my kids and I am fearful.  I don't want to take them to the store, where this could happen. Or to school next week, because shootings happen at schools, too. I've seen advertisements for bulletproof backpacks this year. Bulletproof backpacks. This is our reality. It's all overwhelming and I sometimes think - okay, Jesus. You can come take us all away now. This is too much and I just want for us all to say goodbye to this Earth. That isn't the way I am supposed to feel though. Life is still a gift, even amid the suffering and amid the hard and amid the unimaginable. So, I pray. I spend time with my kids. I take them to the movies even though in the back of my mind I hav...

First bit of writing I’ve done in public in a while and it’s at a busy, kid-filled splash pad.   It’s partly cloudy out so I’m actually comfortable sitting outside watching my kids now and that is not a frequent feeling in the middle of July in Texas! This week has been hard.   Frustrating - over the uphill climb of trying to clean my house, trying to deal with fighting, needy kids, picking up puppy poop and wanting-a-break-from-being-needed hard.   It’s normal stuff.   Menial.   I know. I know my puppy will eventually potty train and his messes are temporary.   I know.   I know one day it will be easier to keep house.   I know.   And I know that my kids are growing fast and that one day I will miss the chaos and the being needed.   I know. But sometimes the weight of my responsibilities is heavy and I’m feeling it this week. Despite my grumpy, feel-sorry-for-myself attitude, I’m able to move forward. Continue with my...

This past weekend I attended my third annual reunion with my best Navy friends – girls that I was stationed with fifteen years ago at Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 (HM-15) which was located at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, TX at the time (it has since moved to Norfolk, VA.)   Some backstory on my journey to HM-15: I initially joined the Navy with the hopes of becoming a Navy JO (journalist.) I liked to write (is it obvious that I still do?)   I also was the editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper and loved it, so I wanted to continue writing in that capacity. I was told by my recruiter that the JO rate was closed, and I would have to join as something else.   Okay. I still wanted to join the Navy, so I asked the career counselor assisting me at MEPS (military entrance processing center) if he had any ideas of something exciting. “Aircrew.” He told me. “Sign me up!” I said. It sounded VERY exciting. I was game.   Months later I found mysel...

Last night my husband and I were QUADRUPLE-booked for the evening. One kid had karate. One kid had soccer practice. One kid had a baseball game, and as parents we were scheduled for concession stand duty for our other son’s baseball team. Understandably I was worrying about how we’d get it all done. But then, our daughter’s soccer coach texted that he had a work conference call come up unexpectedly so he’d be canceling practice. YES! One less thing. My husband took my son to his game and then hit up the concession stand for duty. I took my daughter to karate with all of the other kids in tow. I was able to get to the fields to watch the last half of my son’s game and my husband was able to continue working the concession stand as our kids played outside. We keep doing this, he and I. We are crazy booked with all of these kids and their activities but we are making it all happen for them. It would be a massive lie if I told you it’s always rainbows and butterflies and we’re...