Staying Sane

While my mind, and even most often my physical presence, is with Braxton, there are things I am doing to try and stay sane.

First of all, I am still a wife, and a mom to my other four children. I try to do what I can to spend a few quality minutes with Brian at night, before we both drift asleep (that is, when I'm not at the hospital). With the other kids I try to make a point to have a meaningful conversation, or some snuggle time on the couch. It's hard with Braxton's needs taking so much of my time right now. But we're making it work. And we also know this is a season that will pass.

Another thing I am doing is exercising regularly. Someone who meant well, recently suggested that I don't have time to fit in a workout. But I recognize that a fat, out of shape, tired Mom with pent-up aggresion and energy, is no good to anyone. I find that if I take even 20 minutes to go for a run, I feel so much better and am that much more prepared to take care of my family. Yes, some things have been sacrificed because of that. Like taking showers and having clean toilets. But we can deal with that. We can't deal with a grumpy Mama.

Despite Braxton's surgery yesteday, I was able to have a nice mother's day. The family picked me up in the morning and we went to a local diner for breakfast. They didn't serve mimosas there, which I wanted, but they have a BYOB policy. So yep, we brought our own bottle of champagne and mixed our own mimosas at the table. It was great! The kids gave me handmade cards and treasures, and Brian gave me a giftcard to my favorite running store. It was a lovely time in the midst of a storm.