Healthy Living Archives - Insanity Is Not An Option

How to Cope with BTS Mom Blues

While most parents rejoice during back-to-school season, some of us suffer from the BTS Mom Blues. Probably not a clinical term, but a real condition. Try practicing these five ways to cope with BTS Mom Blues to combat your loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

What are the BTS Mom Blues?

While many of you are cheering back-to-school season and cherishing your quiet time alone, there are others, like myself, feeling empty and blue. While you may feel that you are getting SO MUCH DONE in these first few days, weeks, months, some of us can’t concentrate or get motivated enough to get anything done.

These issues and many more, my happy-go-lucky-loving-your-empty-day-nest friends, are called the BTS Mom Blues. And it’s rough! I’m prone to tears at any given moment, I have the television on mindless shows for “white noise”, every time I get out of a meeting, I look up expecting one of them, any of them, to immediately need something from me.

But they don’t. They aren’t even here. I’m all alone in my house. Just me, no noise other than the constant pecking of these keys.

Coping with the BTS Mom Blues!

If you miss frolicking with your kids during the care-free summer days, and if you’re a sufferer like me, I have some tips for coping you should try. You might not want/need to listen, but believe me, at this point I’m an expert with six kids and a total of 29 years full-time parenting under my belt (with a 9 and 11 year old still at home!).

Tip 1: Let them know you’re OK!

When they go to school on the first day, and all the subsequent days, let them know you’re OK with it. Sounds silly, but telling them helps you convince yourself. Added bonus for giving them that added boost of courage and confidence. Mom “wins” help you cope with your BST Blues.

Tip 2: Let them be unicorns!

I know this one might sound a little trite, cliché even, but really it’s not at all. For those of us who suffer the BTS Mom Blues, we need to remember that our children need to be unique and forge their own paths in life. If we keep them with us all the time (which is truly what I want to do other than the occasional date night, etc.), we don’t give them the space they need to make friends, become stronger, learn more, and just grow up to be amazing humans…all on their own!

Tip 3: Make the most of together time!

No brainer here. When they get off of school, finish up your work, help them with homework, then let them help make dinner for the night or lunches for the next day. You’ll begin to realize that the time you spent alone wasn’t so bad after all and it just makes you appreciate your time together that much more!

Tip 4: Use the TV for mindless white noise!

During the day, if you feel it’s too quiet to function, like I do, since you’ve grown so accustomed to the chaos, turn on the TV for some white noise. Keep the volume low so as not to distract you from your work, but the background noise will actually help raise your productivity. Trust me, I know from experience. Don’t turn on something that will suck you in, of course, because that’s counter productive. I suggest Jerry Springer (yes, I’m serious) or something similar. Lots of fighting, no resolution. Just like when the kids are at home!

Tip 5: Remember that you deserve alone time!

As moms, I think this one is the hardest. I almost think guilt plays a HUGE part in the BTS Mom Blues. We need to be needed in all aspects of our lives. Home, work, husband, kids, you name it; we need to be needed so we feel a sense of emptiness if any of those aspects aren’t with us at all times. Break the cycle. They need you, whether they are with you in the moment or not, they need you. Remember that every time you start to feel blue.

That’s about it. I guess I’m not much on advice since I still suffer this horrible ailment (at least for the first half of the school year) every year, but that’s my advice in a nutshell. Seems simple, straight forward, and somewhat elementary (see what I did right there?), but it’s how I get through these days and I’m hoping it will help y’all out too. Hang in there, mommas, we got this. What advice do you have for beating the BTS Mom Blues? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

D2 Coconut Water Fresh Fruit Pops

By Christy Leave a Comment

Gather as a family, watch Descendants 2, make Coconut Water Fresh Fruit Pops, and just enjoy some down time for a change! Oh yea, and I should tell you, I did receive a full party pack from Team Click to facilitate this post.

We loved the first Disney Descendants movie and we couldn’t wait for Descendants 2 to come out. The minute it did, I knew we needed a movie night so a movie night we had…with healthy popsicles and all. Because that’s how we roll. But don’t get me wrong…I didn’t do the the whole “I’m the perfect mom with healthy snacks and stuff” thing…we had wigs, and dancing…and we stayed up way too late. But we did have healthy popsicles (more on that later), so there’s that.

We put in the movie, we put on the wigs, we donned the hats, wore the necklaces…and we partied like Disney stars.

It was a fun night!

Descendants 2 Movie Synopsis

The story deepens in the music-driven sequel to the global smash hit, Descendants, as the teenage sons and daughters of Disney’s most infamous villains try to find their place in idyllic Auradon.

When the pressure to be royally perfect becomes too much for Mal, she returns to her rotten roots on the Isle of the Lost where her archenemy Uma, the daughter of Ursula, has taken her spot as self-proclaimed queen of the run-down town.

You’ll need to watch the movie, available today (August 15, 2017) at retailers near you, to find out how the story plays out!

D2 Coconut Water Fresh Fruit Pops

Although the kids absolutely loved the movie, the star of the show for them was the healthy popsicles. Just coconut water and lots and lots of fresh fruit; not even a teensy bit of sugar…and they loved them! Of course, these popsicles followed the color theme of our party…Mal (purple), Evie (blue), and Uma (green), so they were the perfect way to celebrate our watch party. As an added bonus, I was able to use my latest exotic fruit find, rambutan, in the ice pops as a natural sweetener. If you haven’t tried rambutan yet, you totally should!

D2 Coconut Water Fresh Fruit Pops

Author: Christy

Recipe type: Dessert/Snack

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 4 hours

Total time: 4 hours 5 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Popsicle molds
1 cup pure, unsweetened coconut water
½ cup purple grapes, halved
½ cup blueberries
½ cup honeydew, chopped into small pieces
2 rambutan, peeled and chopped into small pieces

Instructions

Layer fresh, chopped fruit into popsicle molds.
Fill with coconut water; it won't take much, this just holds the fruit together and adds extra health benefits.
Insert popsicle sticks.
Freeze for 4 hours or overnight.

What are you waiting for? Savor the dog days of summer with a great movie the whole family can enjoy. Whip up some healthy themed snacks and just enjoy some old-fashioned together time. Remember, you can head to your local retailer to pick up your DVD copy of Disney’s Descendants 2 today, and while you’re there, pick up your party supplies to make the most of your evening. Enjoy yourselves and you can just thank me and Team Click later!

A Family Beach Day, A Day in Photos

By Christy Leave a Comment

A family beach day is so cleansing to the soul. Sometimes, words aren’t necessary when the photos tell their own story. This is one of those occasions, and I’ll enjoy this photo journal for years to come! Random thoughts from a mom after a day at the beach.

Sometimes, just letting them enjoy each other’s space is enough.

And most of the time, just letting them be them…well, it’s enjoyable for both of you. I dig his style!

Bubbles! What’s a beach day without bubbles? What’s any good day without bubbles, actually?

A day without bubbles is like a day without a beach ninja. I mean, it’s not even really a day, is it?

The only sad part of the day is when you look through the lens and realize they might be growing up too fast. It all goes by too fast. Until…

You realize that one of them is looking back at you, from inside of a sand hole, enjoying life like only a small child can, and you realize that there are still many years of joy, and frustration, to come. Be still my heart!

And then there’s this. THIS is the beginning of a memory in the making, with a man that you adore making memories with.

It ended way worse than this, of course, but I was too busy unburying my baby (face and all) to get a photo. Sometimes, like this time, it’s not OK to just sit back and be the spectator…because…buried alive?!?!

And just when you realize you’re absent from your own online album, all of your family photos, you see that you were there all along. In their reflection. Capturing every moment. While they looked adoringly at you, and you realize you’re doing exactly what you were meant to do all along. Take care of them, love them, enjoy the moment, and capture the memories in their reflection while they reflect on the love that you give them.

In the end, that’s all that matters. The memories, their love, capturing their beauty. When you realize you’re doing what you love…while you’re watching the ones you love the most…enjoy themselves? That’s when you know you’ve made it. That’s when you know your life, your world is complete. That’s the moment you realize you’re living the life you intended, the life you’ve always wanted to live. That’s when you know love.

I know all of these things, and I’m glad my camera reminds me daily. I’ve made it. I’m happy to be in their reflections. I’m just happy. Not everyone achieves that level of success in life. I’m content that I’ve found my success from within my own little world.

Are you?