Moran Family Adventures: musings of a boy mom

I've been meaning to write this post for a minute or two but kept getting distracted with...life. It's funny- you want to write about life events but more life events happen to prevent you from playing catch up! The holiday season of 2017 was a rough one for the Moran family. It was rough. Seriously rough. Matt's parents came by for Thanksgiving and left with the flu that turned into pneumonia. So that already had me on edge. We live in a small house and it's cramped for our family of 5, add two more adults and it's basically impossible to have any personal space. My children go to daycare, and that place is horrible for sickness. They do what they can with the handwashing, sanitizing, and requiring immunizations but they can't catch every moment a kid touches their mouth then touches a toy. And the rules don't require that kids with runny noses or colds stay out because, well, then they wouldn't have a business right? So the series of events that lead ...

There are some fears coming my way as a boy mom in this era. I'm reading Oprah's speech from the Golden Globes and it's moving and powerful. I'm reading about Natalie Portman's comments about an ALL male directors nominee list, and I'm reading about scandal and sexual assault and the need for women to rise up and not be silenced. As a woman, I support fighting for gender equality. I'm a working mom for goodness sakes. I'm a working mom with two degrees, working on my third, and I'm grateful for the freedom to pursue higher education. I'm a woman that served in the military, I'm a female veteran and I've been to the desert, I've fired guns, I've been mortared. I'm a woman, I feel empowered, I feel for my gender. At the same time though....I haven't felt discrimination or oppression. My paychecks have always been equal to the men who work alongside me. Thank you military for paying us the same based on rank not based on gen...

The lose weight this year resolution might be the most cliché one of all right? Am I really going to be THAT person? #sorrynotsorry ya'll but I am. I had Henry in September and got down to my pre-Henry weight in less than 3 months which was totally awesome. Woohooo, go me! I lost 15lbs in October, 10lbs in November, and 5lbs in December. UGH WHHHHYYYYYYYYYY. Sure, the Holidays probably had something to do with, and also going back to work and not having as much time to go to the gym during the day, and possibly the shorter days meaning less walks/runs because we leave the house for work and it's dark and we get home after work and it's dark. The excuses can go on for days. I could work out more when the kids go to sleep but that would mean that Henry cooperates and goes to sleep when the older two do. And that also would mean that I don't fall asleep with Henry because that's what happens 75% of the time. Unless I have homework to do, in which case, I make Matt wak...

I had a meltdown today. A big one- it wasn't pretty. Ok I have lots of meltdowns but this one warranted some blogging because I feel like a lot of working moms can relate to this. My little man Henry has an ear infection and the dreaded Hand Foot and Mouth virus. He was fighting a fever overnight and we had a nice ole party from 0200-0400 early this morning. I wasn't too worried at first because the older two would go to daycare and I had my work laptop at home so I could knock out what I needed to do. Grateful for the option to telecommute during special circumstances! Oh there were other plans ya'll..... when it came time for me to get on my work server...it wasn't working. Let the flood of emotions come rolling in and the  waterworks flow freely. GUILT- I need to take care of my sick kid- but I need to get this work report done too. ANGER & FRUSTRATION- Why can't I be comfortable leaving my baby with my husband who has the day off? Sure he can't breas...

I was watching a Madison Vining live video on Facebook and was so very inspired by it that I had to watch it again to take notes. If you don't know who she is- look her up on Instagram @madisonviningblog and you will be amazed by her. Just have a box of Kleenex handy because she is extremely open about her current struggle with a horrible tragedy. And yet despite that- she is still so incredibly motivating, I am blown away by her strength, faith, and wisdom. Anyway, I was listening to her live video while driving home and I immediately knew that I'd have to listen to it again. Taking notes while driving is most likely frowned upon. The second I had a moment to spare I watched it. This time instead of just listening, I had my Kleenex handy and jotted down a few things. She opened up with being intentional and a story about raising kids. What do I want my kids to look like when they're older? How do I get them there? Does it just become a goal of mine and I hope my children a...

Miscellaneous activities in Germany that I want to jot down but don't fit into a trip post. Bowling- we spent a lot of time bowling on Baumholder. The food was good, it was indoors, and the kids loved it. Best part was the guy never charged us! Say what? Yeah you read that right, he charged Matt if he bowled but the kids were always free. Pretty sweet deal. The Bernards-one of my favorite people in the world, Nicolle, is stationed with her hubby in Germany. They have the cutest little boy, Cubby- and it was ridiculously awesome getting to see her because she keeps me grounded and sane and is my sounding board. I call her mom. And I'm not the only one to do this- she gives the best advice and just knows how to make you feel good/better. And she introduced me to Doners- what I'd give for a Doner right now. How chocolate- the kids and I had hot cocoa just about every single day in Germany. I now associate hot chocolate with Germany. BX adventure- the BX on Ramstein is huge. HU...