Working Mom

As For Me and My House

Family, Foodie, Humor, Mommy Blogger, Music, Quarantine, Working Mom

I haven’t written in a while for two reasons. Lack of inspiration being one and fear being the other. It is difficult to be inspired when you fear the opinions of others especially in a creative writing space. Something shifted as we listened to an incredible church service yesterday, then last night we got to jam with the trio and the icing on top was watching “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” this morning. The feel good vibes are strong today because I got to feed my soul with all the things. So, I thought I would tell you about them 🙂

Church. The message was simple. “I Believe”. If you are reading this you know that me and my house serve the Lord. He is our center and my children are being raised Christian. If you do not agree I don’t judge. That’s what it’s all about. BELIEVE in your faith, yourself, your family, your friends just believe and do it with conviction. Shut off the news, don’t get involved in the rumors or the arguments on Facebook, don’t waste the precious time we have being caught up in the crap. I believe in being informed and drawing my own conclusions from there. I try and steer clear of any news that is opinion centered. The Pastor yesterday basically said all of these things (except he didn’t say crap) and it was so refreshing to be reminded. So I will continue posting and writing and keeping it light and fun because that is us. I do it in hopes of bringing some smiles to you whether you are wearing a mask or aren’t wearing a mask, whether you are red blue or green, whether you watch Fox or CNN, whether you think Whataburger is better than In and Out. Actually, if you believe that last one you are wrong but I love you anyway. I digress…

Jam sesh. There is nothing better and nothing I love doing more especially with Adam, Craig, Casey, Jenny, Amanda and Kelly. The talent on the porch last night was insurmountable. The conversations and the hearts are so good and kind. The way the music made me feel and the food/drink was perfection. 2020 has really brought to light the importance of being kind and present. I was so present last night in every conversation every laugh and every vocal lick. I am just so grateful for good friends, for this time of stillness, for our health and for the exciting things happening in our life musically. I am trying to focus on the positive otherwise the negative can get so overwhelming I start to drown. I choose to focus on the good and it is a choice I make every morning when I wake up for myself and my family. Having a fun night makes the choice easier and the bad lighter. So get out there you crazy cats and kittens. Go read the book, drink the wine, get the tan… whatever makes you feel good and recharge your sanity battery during the weirdest year of all time.

Finally Mr. Rogers. If you have not yet seen “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” stop reading my blog right now and go watch it on Amazon Video FO FREE. It was totally different then I thought it would be. It’s a reminder that love is always the simpler choice. Covid has made a lot of people really bored, angry and depressed. Give them grace. This is my Corona mantra. When Craig is having a rough day I give him grace. When I am having a bad day he gives me grace. When some dingleberry comments on a picture of our son to cut his hair because he looks like a “sissy” we give him grace. I still call him a dingleberry because I am not a saint. Again, I am working on my Mr. Rogers mentality not quit there yet.

BELIEVE. BE KIND. GIVE YOURSELF GRACE.

Thank you for reading this it’s a reminder for me and if one person finds some comfort in a word or two I will be a happy camper. xo

A MUST DO during Quarantine

Family, Foodie, Humor, Mommy Blogger, Music, Quarantine, Working Mom

We have been getting pretty creative around here during quarantine. Some of our fun activities have included making “spongey soap” (super cool and handy in these times), “Kite Fishing” (using a fishing pole as your kite string), metal detecting, I have mastered the art of french braiding which has been a goal of mine for YEARS, teaching kids under 8 years old to sing harmonies together, potty training a two year old (basically letting him be naked all the time and peepee on plants), playing a pinball video game in the late night hours as a “date night”, Dakota Lynn our 4 year old is officially incredible on a bike with no training wheels, Dakota is now skating too, Jaxon can do skate tricks, Graydon digs for worms that we use to fish…. Guys I could go on with all of the weird pointless but oh so fun things we are doing at the Boyd Bunker. That being said, my ultimate favorite thing we have done since being quarantined is… get ready for it… OTG!

Craig and I went OFF THE GRID for a full day. I am not sure if it was the phone update that tells you how many hours you are using your phone a week OR maybe he had just grown tired of the Tik Tok posts BUT Craig woke up one day last week and said “We are putting our phones on the night stand and not checking them again until 6PM”. Folks… this is HARD. My first thought was we don’t have a land line so what if an emergency happens and no one can reach us (in hind site that was a reasonable fear and we probably should have at least checked them once). Second thought was, what if my three month old says his first word or starts walking or learns to read today and I don’t have my camera to document it??? Then I remembered, he’s three months old.

Once I got over my fear, put down my adult “choopy” (Our family calls pacifiers “choopy’s”… no clue why) aka phone and my eyes adjusted to the real world and not the virtual one, I began to really REALLY enjoy. I did not one, but TWO puzzles with my kids and just FYI the patience it takes to do puzzles with a two year old and four year old is unimaginable. We didn’t talk business, money, pandemic or dumb posts ONE TIME in the day and it was the most beautiful breath of fresh air. During lunch I found myself laughing and flirting with my hubby because I was present. At the end of the day our kids told us it was “the best day” and there is no amount of likes or views in the world that could ever beat that type of reach.

If you can, if you are currently unemployed, if you are feeling the weight of stress pushing down on your shoulders or if you just need a good mental detox, I am telling you now go OTG (off the grid). It is probably one of the few times in our life we are able to without feeling terribly guilty. You won’t be missing out on anything because there is nothing to miss out on. You will absolutely have several moments throughout the day of peace and I guarantee you will smell some flowers you would have normally missed. In fact, I was so inspired by a day without technology that I have decided to become Amish if this thing isn’t over soon. If you need to reach me I will be out in the country churning butter, harvesting my own wine, gardening, and sewing. WTH is happening to me??? #quarantine

The Tale of a Musician’s Wife

Family, Mommy Blogger, Music, Working Mom

I wish you well

I wish you more than you can tell

And I hope someday we’re crying

At the mention of your name

I hope for peace

At the bottles release

You’ll lose more than you’ve gained but

Memories will stay the same

You are worth it

You are better than you think

You’ve climbed the mountain tops

And you’ve spent time on bare feet

Don’t forget it

You are better than a song

And one day when they all sing along

Just remember

That you are worth it

I’ve seen the best

And I’ve been through the worst

When you think you can stand high

This town will knock you down

It’ll bleed you dry

But you’ve overcome

Years of try and try

One more saying no is one less yes

than tomorrow’s better buy

You are worth it

You are better than you think

You’ve climbed the mountain tops

And you’ve spent time on bare feet

Don’t forget it

You’re better than a song

And one day when they all sing along

Just remember

That you are worth it

Keep thinking big

Keep dreaming harder than I did

The heart I fell in love with

And still fall for is you

You are worth it

You are better than you think

You’ve climbed the mountain tops

And you’ve spent time on bare feet

Don’t forget it

You’re better than a song

And one day when they all sing along

Just remember

That you are worth it

Felt inspired tonight. It’s been a crazy journey and I pray it’s not over for us or anyone else. We are going to come out of this more creative and inspired than ever before. This is not just a hobby for most of us it is a way of life. The way he writes, the way he dresses, how he handles social media, how we raise our kids it’s all one in the same… through music. I’m so proud and inspired by fellow musicians who have created a working outlet in a time where you can’t do your favorite thing in the world which is play live in front of fans. Knowing that we can at least play in our homes for everyone right now (sweats and all) is our saving grace and we love each and everyone of you for it. Craig Wayne Boyd going live tomorrow Friday April 3 at 9pm cst. Can’t wait to hang with you all again.

NASHVILLE STRONG

A Mom’s Take on Coronavirus

Family, Mommy Blogger, Music, Working Mom

I don’t even like saying the word and as I type I am still unsure of what to talk about so no one takes offense. The past two weeks in Nashville and our county have been strange. We have experienced a tornado hit our beloved town then only days later we are seeing the unimaginable happen in our country/world. I have seen love, support and community come together in the most beautiful way and then an entire shift to panic. There are so many views, so many articles, so many posts happening that I have tried to stay offline as much as humanly possible yet our lively hood revolves around current events and public appearances. Here goes something…

Craig left for Austin, Texas today to play a festival in Round Rock. Do we post about it? Do we share with people that he is on his way to do his job? We did. Not sure if it was the “correct” decision but as a family we made it. We decided that because it was outside of the metropolis that is Austin and because the cases are few nearby, and Craig’s fans are attending that driving (rather than flying) and playing an acoustic show while being as conscious of cleanliness as possible was a must. He/We are absolutely aware of the importance of being “quarantined” and respect everyone’s thoughts. Every mic will be sanitized, there will be elbow bumps instead of hugs, and when he gets home there will be a lot of laundry to do but this situation will be handled in the most cleanly and safe way possible. I hope his fans and our friends know and respect that.

We have also “stocked up”. We have enough toilet paper for two weeks, formula, diapers and wipes for two weeks and food for TWO WEEKS. I am the most protective mom on the planet but we did not go shopping in bulk for anything. We shopped responsibly knowing that there are other new moms out there who need exactly what I do and there are elderly people looking to have food in their fridge too. This panic is scary. This shift in our economy is scary. We aren’t sure we will get deposits or any new shows in the next few months and THAT. IS. SCARY. Prayer and family time has been the only thing that seems to keep me from grinding my teeth at night.

My personality has always been the “half glass full” kinda gal. My figurative glass is half full knowing that I have enjoyed three days with my tribe. No phones, no news, just outdoors, cuddles and close friends. We have taught Dakota to ride a bike with no training wheels successfully and I am so stinking proud of her. Jaxon has learned two new songs on piano and is now honing in on his drum skills (SOS Johannes!). Graydon is learning colors and has mastered the rainbow with the help of M&M’s. Boston has us all smiling with every one of his new smiles. Craig and I are talking less and loving more. If I wasn’t so worried about our careers and humanity I would chalk this moment in time up as precious. That being said, my literal glass right now is half full because I don’t think I could experience this many emotions without a glass of wine or two.

Yesterday I needed out of the house so I went and detailed our car from front to back. Aside from wine, reading and praying… cleaning has become my new therapy. I needed a moment to reflect. Afterwards, I found myself going to Dollar General for ice cream for our kids because they are absolute rockstars. The other day Dakota and Gray were playing and Graydon came running into our room saying “Mommy there is a Mado (tornado) outside”. In that moment I realized how much they hear, see and absorb. In that moment I knew that my tension was rubbing off on him. Then Jaxon came home clinging to a stuffed animal which he has never done. His school was flattened by a tornado two weeks ago and now he knows that he won’t be going back for a while because people are getting sick. I asked Craig if we should take the “stuffy” away and he said “No. They are kids and they have feelings bigger than ours.” Moral of all of this… Love. Let people feel. And know that children are hearing and feeling all of the emotions that you have. I don’t think anyone should hide them but they should be talked about and then cover everyone in enough kisses and hugs to make the scary disappear. It is difficult, I am not saying it is easy but remember you are the leader of your pack and you want to make that pack as strong and comfortable as possible. (I say this to myself as I type because this is new territory and I am obviously learning as I go to).

Love you all, wash your hands, and share with me any creative ideas you might have for adults and kids alike to stay sane during this time of chaos. xo

5 Things That Changed When I Became a Mom

Family, Humor, Mommy Blogger, Uncategorized, Working Mom

How did I pick only 5 things that changed when I became a mom you ask? Well, for the sake of my reader I chose mostly entertaining topics and snuck in a sentimental. In reality my life did a Sean White 360 degree frontside rewind backflip ally woop corkscrew with a 1080 in there. Basically a million things changed… most for the better, a LOT made me stronger, some I think God throws in for a good laugh but ALL contribute to my general happiness.

Body

I will start by saying I became pregnant at 117 lbs with my daughter Dakota. I am 5’6 on a good day so that is the least I should ever weigh and then with my tiny baby girl I gained 35 pounds. I had a c-section with her and my only real problems during pregnancy were loss of stomach muscles, acid reflux and fatigue. Aside from that… easy. My son Graydon on the other hand, I experienced exhaustion (probably because I had a 5 year old son, a 1.5 year old daughter, a musician for a husband and a full time job), bloody gums (you have no idea how painful this is until you have it) muscle cramping, strep of the eye (didn’t know this was a thing) and hemorrhage of the belly button. For anyone wanting to have their first baby or baby number two… do it, but your body will never be the same. You won’t be able to do crunches the way you used to and you will get gray hair soon after. My husband likes to say he gave me baby bearing hips and thank goodness he likes them.

Mind

This is a really interesting one. My mind before kids was consumed by how I was going to feed MYself, when I was going to do MY laundry, how I was going to dress MYself, and how I was going to be sure I got home at a decent hour. Thank God for my chef of a husband that feeds me and our munchies. When he is gone I make a carb (mac and cheese or spaghetti with butter) a green and a protein (chicken nuggets) if I am feeling ambitious. Laundry is something I do at 10PM when I am drinking a good glass of red and think I can stay up until midnight waiting for it to be done. But then I typically don’t stay up, wait five days and rewash and dry on Sunday so it doesn’t smell like mildew… again. We obviously love to match so we start with baby girl Dakota’s closet and work our way up. The boys have a lot of matching clothes, Craig has amazing pieces still that he got from The Voice, and I usually rock some leggings with a fun T and jacket (I used to buy designer jeans now I hope Target has my dream plaid pants). My hours of sleep went from 3AM-8AM to 12AM-7AM really fast. We are still night owls but now we snore harder and sleep less comfortably. If we are going to have adult time or date night, 9PM and after is it so we make it work the best we can.

Heart

There are no words for how my heart changed. I wanted to be a boy mom my whole life and I got that with Jax. He made me a stepmom, he made me a better person the second I met him and he changed my whole world. I have always been a tomboy with feminine qualities so, all of the sudden when little Dakota came around she was an eye opener. Jax is so easy for me (we bro down on video games, Pokemon and sports) and Dakota is sometimes not. When I look at her it is like looking in a mirror. We clash because we are the same. But we love each other so hard because we get each other. I cannot wait to see who she becomes and I am so glad she is my middle because no matter the sass, the late nights, or the crazy $h!t she says… she is our girl and we love her for it/ through it. The verdict is out with Graydon but so far he is everyones favorite baby that we never had. He has been a man child from day one so we are going back and forth on having one more. Stay tuned because it may or may not happen (praying hard about it because we love our sleep we are finally getting but we also have some more space in our hearts for one more).

Fears

Is it weird that when I am home alone with the kids I hear one noise and immediately sit up in bed and think about which lamp or belt I am going to use to slap an intruder with? I used to get into Uber’s with strangers alone and now if I hear anything at 1AM in our house I turn into Wonder Woman. The mom instincts are SO NUTS. I consider myself a very easy, happy go lucky kind of person but there are times driving when I see a river next to us on a bridge and plan my best escape route to save all three of my kids if, God forbid, we got hit by a truck. WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? It is so morbid but it is so real. I don’t walk on egg shells but rather I run on mom craze. I am in a constant state of “mama bear”.

Day to Day

The moment I wake up I hear Graydon usually around 7:30-8AM. I run downstairs grab his bottle, get a diaper and wipes ready and open the door to the cutest morning hair and sleepy eyes. Game on from that point. Dakota and Jax usually get up around the same time. We tag team teeth brushing and hair brushing (so much hair in the Boyd house) and make our way down stairs for breakfast. Craig cooks it, we eat it then we head back upstairs, match as best we can and start our day. By 10:30AM I already want a nap. Work starts for me at 11AM and it’s a pattern of laundry, dishes, diapers, going up and down the stairs four hundred times, squats to pick up toys and clean up messes and playing with/teaching the littles as best I can with the time I have to spare. It is incredible the gifts God gives you when you become a mom. I never had the multi tasking ability I have now. I may not be able to iron a shirt properly but I can sure as hell pick up 10 pairs of shoes and 4 baby dolls with two arms.

After reading this through 2-3 times this sounds a little “complain-y” but I hope you know it’s not meant to be. These are the changes that happened in my life in the past four years. These are the changes I think a lot of moms go through and I want to hear about them. Share your stories, your body changes, your mind changes, your heart changes, your weird fears and your day to day so I know I am not alone and we can spread the mom craze together! Mombie Apocalypse 2019.

Teamwork makes the Dream Work

Birthdays, Humor, Mommy Blogger, Working Mom

Birthday parties. To most, two birthdays in three days doesn’t sound like that big of a deal but two birthday parties with THREE KIDS… it’s like herding cats. Craig was home this weekend so it was MUCH easier because he is amazing but there are still so many obstacles and circumstances that can affect family outings. This post will be the most relatable one yet whether you have one munch or six.

The first was Friday night at a gymnastics place for Jaxon’s buddy Wyatt. I planned my day out perfectly so that I could utilize the most of my morning/afternoon working. But then my one year old puked in his bed because he picked up the “crud” that everyone has had this winter which includes a wet, snotty cough. Then a model had a scheduling conflict and I had to scramble to replace her. Then my daughter peed her pants 2 times (potty training=THE. WORST). Then my husband had some excellent opportunities come through that we had to work on (Stay tuned!) THEN we had to pick up Jax from school (45 minutes there 45 minutes back) and pick up a gift for the party because I like to procrastinate. All the while we have to dress (matching always) the family, crank out dishes between emails and calls, run the barf sheets through the wash so my house didn’t smell like sour milk and feed these little humans decent meals so they don’t get hangry (a very real thing in my house). And I haven’t even gotten to the party part yet…

Make it to the party with work wrapped, present in hand and my babes looking like rockstars. I feel confident, I feel that fourth cup of cold coffee kicking in and I feel ready to take on this rainbow room of amazingness. Jaxon is six and pretty self sufficient. He is incredible on trampolines so I try and keep eyes on him in fear of missing the sweet flips. Craig stays with him so he can get video and pictures. I take the two littles to the other end of the gym for bounce house and foam pit fun. You would think that a one year old isn’t that difficult and that my precious three year old is a perfect angel that stays by my side. HA. Dakota is a tiny independent monkey and this is her Mecca. She starts jumping into every pit, running from one obstacle to another trying to keep up with the big kids, all the while my “baby” is climbing the third row of a rope net. At this point we have lost a shoe, a hair bow, my sanity and I am now visibly sweating. That’s when the “team” stepped in. My girlfriends came to the rescue tag teaming, busting out baby wipes while a teething baby Gray was leaving a trail of drool on the mats, and one jumped into a germ infested bounce house to rescue the rogue bow. AND it’s not just mommys. Our super dad friend took Kota around with the big kids so she could feel included and made sure she got a piece of pizza and cake. Overall, kiddos had the best time, we made special memories with special friends and we all slept like babies that night.

Party number two tonight was “Sabannah’s” bowling birthday! Again, we leave the house confident, everyone’s dressed in purple and we are ready to party. It started at 3:00PM so naturally Graydon fell asleep at 2:50PM just in time to be woken up and forced to stay awake because mommy forgot the stroller. Strike one (and not the good kind of bowling strike). We walk in knowing daddy and Jax were bowling and Kota, Gray and I would be cheerleaders. As the guys are getting their shoes Kota throws a miniature fit because she wants to wear clown shoes too. We spend the $4.00 on the damn shoes because I am not about to get into an argument with a three year old boss lady in public. Strike two. Fortunately there wasn’t actually a strike three except that daddy ended up getting three strikes!!! The Henson family knows the hectic that comes with a musician’s life because their daddy is one too. That and they have been around our babes since they were born. So when my thighs are burning trying to bounce baby Gray to sleep Allie tags me out so I can take a break and she can smell his baby breath. When my glass of wine is down to it’s last sip Amanda is right there with the refill or something stronger depending on the stress level she can read on my face. When Jaxon needs more quarters to play arcade games Josh is already putting them into his hand. People like this are gold and when you find them KEEP THEM.

Teamwork truly does make the dream work. My dream has always been to have a big family but once you have more than two, you are outnumbered. You need to be sure you have a foundation of friends that know the secret SOS parent code. I thank GOD we do. Parent or single, friend or stranger, lover of kids or lover of cats… I hope you all know that when you pick up that bottle that my baby threw, when you open that door for my giant stroller, when you compliment us on our twinning efforts or my kids manners… you have made my day. You give us parents the courage to conquer the next birthday party, the next restaurant or the next movie. Just kidding about the movie… I have three kids under six years old I’m brave but hell I’m not stupid.