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MB - Has your perspective on teaching changed since you
became a mom?
When I first became a mom I was head
volleyball coach for a middle school and coached
track. Working 14-15 hour days were not uncommon on game
days. I knew that something was going to have to give
and I decided to let coaching go. I miss coaching a lot
but I didn’t have children so that other people could
raise them. I wanted to be there for them. Besides that
huge change, I also have had to set limits for myself at
work and learn to say “no.” There is always a committee
that needs someone to help out or an extracurricular
activity that needs a sponsor. I love to contribute when
I can but the 14 hour days are no longer. If I don’t
finish my work by 5 or 5:30 I leave it for the next day
and come in an hour early if needed. I don’t believe I
have sacrificed my most important goal in teaching and
that is that the students get a great education and that
they also feel loved by their teacher.
MB - How
do you find the time to train for marathons?
It was definitely tough on occasion to
fit in the scheduled workouts and I’d be a liar if I
said I ran every mile on the training schedule. About
half of the time I would get up at 5am to run before my
family got up for school. My husband travels for work
occasionally during the week so when he was out of town
I had to push the kids in the stroller after work.
(Those were the tough days so it was motivation to get
up at 5 when he was here). On the weekends I had the
support of a good friend that trained with me. We would
find long trails to do the distance running. It felt
great every Saturday as we challenged ourselves to go
further than we ever had and all day long we would say
to each other “We just ran X number of miles… can you
believe it?” Even without completing every single mile
on the training, we finished the marathon and ran the
whole thing- what more could we ask for?
MB - What
advice can you give to moms about incorporating fitness
into their lives?
Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t work
out everyday. Sometimes it’s ok to hit snooze five times
and then roll over and say forget it! Sometimes you just
need the rest. But it is important to get moving when
you can. No matter what form of exercise you enjoy- do
it! You will have a lot more energy to keep up with the
little ones and you will feel better about yourself. It
may take a long time to get your body back into pre-baby
shape but you never will if you don’t start trying.
MB - What activities do you like to do with your boys
and why?
My boys and I have so much fun together.
We love to sing and dance. Austin cracks me up with his
crazy dance moves and Nolan definitely has more rhythm
that most babies. We recently purchased a karaoke
machine and they sing everything from “Love Shack” to
ABC’s. It’s tons of fun! When we aren’t busy trying to
be the Partridge family, we love to go swimming and to
feed the ducks at the local pond. Both kids love to read
and study flash cards- they impress me everyday with how
much they know.
MB - What
do you like to do when you have "adult only" time?
We are very fortunate to have a great set
of family and friends that help us out with childcare
when we want to get away. Jeb and I love to go to
Mavericks’ games and concerts. We also get to take
weekend excursions on occasion. This month we are lucky
enough to go to New York for a few days without the
kids. While it can be hard to organize a weekend or even
a night out, I think it’s very important for all parents
to have time to themselves. Sometimes I think we can
always put our kids first and forget about our spouse.
MB - What
is the best advice you received about being a mom or
raising a child?
Nurse! If you can nurse your children it
will be the best thing for you and for them My mom was
my biggest cheerleader for nursing my kids and I’m so
glad she was. If you can get through the first week you
have got it made. Not only will it help you lose most if
not ALL of that baby weight, it will also make your kids
healthier and happier. I encourage all moms to try it.
MB - If
you could give another mom or expectant mom one piece of
advice, what would it be?
You can’t be everything to everyone. Take
a deep breath, learn to say no and ask for help when you
need it or you will drive yourself crazy. If you have a
hard time working, taking care of the kids, taking care
of your house and having time for yourself- call in
reinforcements. Get a maid, get your husband to change a
diaper, and teach the kids to help you sort laundry,
load the dishwasher, and pick up their toys (kids love
to help before they become teenagers). If the towels
don’t get folded until tomorrow the world is not going
to end! You can be a better mom if you aren’t so
stressed about getting everything done.
MB - Do
you have a motto you would like to share with other
moms?
You only have one family - cherish it!
Our jobs are not guaranteed for us tomorrow, our money
might disappear in a blink of an eye, our health might
take a turn for the worse with no explanation - but our
family will always be there. It is important for
parents to instill the value of family to their children
so that no matter what life may throw at us we will have
people in our corner.
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