Happy "Wife", Happy Life

Hey Ladies! So preseason is over, YAY!! Have y’all adjusted yet? I know, for myself, having Tevin home this past month to help with the kids has been missed greatly. And yes, it is also hard for the guys to be away as much as they are during the day and not be able to communicate as often as we would like. As we gear up for the season this month, whether you have kids, or not, here are a few ways to help you transition into one of the busiest times of our year!

1) Find outlets outside of football/ "SAHM" life

For me, being a stay at home mom is seriously the biggest blessing I could ask for. With that being said, it’s hard work. By no means does it feel like a luxury. I knew that I needed other things to focus on rather than slowly lose my sanity in this crazy life of mine. I love being creative so what I did as my outlet was start my own business. This gives me the incentive I need to push myself as well as motivation to take personal time every now and then. A good friend of mine, Sara, wife of Washington Redskins Ziggy Hood, says her outlets are working out and cooking. They always say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and I’m pretty sure she nailed that one!

2) Find a routine that works for you and stick to it

Whether it’s taking a morning jog or making sure that your children nap at a certain time so that you have a moment of peace-it is important to remember, “you can’t pour from an empty pot.” Being the best mom that you can be requires to be the best YOU that you can be. Having a nap time schedule and an early bed time is one the the best ways you can achieve time for yourself.  

https://youtu.be/uLX5kt6RuJw

3) Take time for yourself and your friendships

I have met SO many amazing women through WAGS Redefined. The lifestyle that we live is a very unique one so it’s also harder than most people would understand. Who better to help you get through things like camp, preseason and season than those who are going through it as well? If you haven’t ventured out and followed people via social media than I suggest that you do so! Outside of #WAGSR, I encourage you to have a life outside of your home where you are able to be yourself.

4) Get dressed and ready for the day

I am SO guilty of not doing this. I get busy doing other things and before I know it it’s noon and I am still wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday. It’s tough but I know when I look good, I feel good. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and let yourself get down. Sara (@embracingbeautybysara_) has a beauty blog that gives me life! She has two children and somehow still manages to get a workout in and have her makeup done almost every day.

5)  Make sure that at the end of day, you talk to your man!

I’m aware of how stressful their days are and can be. But it’s also very important for the two of you to stay connected. Make time at the end of the day to vent to each other and relax. As a stay at home mom, it’s crucial to your sanity to have adult interactions and especially when your toddler's day was "ruined" because you gave him the red cup and not the blue cup.

So, whether you’re a full time mom, entrepreneur, going to school or working to find out what fits you- each role is important. As Sara said best when I asked her to give me a tip or two: “The key is to not be so caught up in our men that we lose ourselves and our mind in the process.  That's why finding a hobby to lift our spirits, whether it’s through fitness or makeup, is so important (especially when you’re a mother). After all, Happy wife, Happy life- right?”

Featured WAG Melody Carr-Supermom, Superwoman, Superstar

MCarrFamily

This week's WAG Feature Wednesday is with a woman who I found as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside: Melody Carr.  Melody is the very awesome, Christ-centered, super mom of four and super wife to one handsome QB of a Husband, retired NFL Vet David Carr.  Melody is the mother of three children with juvenile diabetes and a committed champion to helping to provide the healthiest lifestyle possible for her family while shedding light and love into a platform that she may not have prayed for but, God knew she was prepared for.  PS: Don't believe in her superpowers?  Check out her video below! Name: Melody Carr

Player/Team(s): David Carr/Houston Texans (#1 overall pick in 02'), Panthers, Niners and Giants

Kanye or Carrie Underwood? Carrie

Ice Cream or Potato Chips? Chips

Yoga or Spin? Spin

Manicure or Massage? Manicure

Interesting Fact: I am the nurse in my house. 3 out of 4 of my children are diabetic and David was just diagnosed as well so I am a Full-Time nurse. That’s all I’ve got for now!

Where are you originally from and how did you get to where are now?

I am from Bakersfield, CA and was born and raised here, David was too. We ended up back in Bakersfield because both of our families are here so when he retired; we wanted to come back home.

How did you meet your Husband?

We met in high school at a church “winter camp” and we started dating right away (like as in the next weekend when we got back home). Our first date was technically, Valentine's Day. How sweet is that? After high school, David went to Fresno State and I went to a community college nearby. We got married right away and six months later, we got pregnant so before you know it, I was working FT and being a mommy. Financial Aid doesn’t go but so far, you know?...!

Tell me about your day to day?

Having four kids and especially having three diabetic children there is always something randomly happening during my day. Today for instance, I had a Parent Teacher conference with my high school-er. My husband now owns two gyms here in Bakersfield and that is kinda his thing. He trains QBs out here so I am also at the gym a lot. I definitely spend my days “on call.”

What are your fondest WAGS memories?

Oh, my goodness. We were lucky to have been a part of several teams with some really good ladies. The NY Giants ladies were the sweetest! Every time the boys would go away to games, we made an effort to invite everyone to go out to dinner and it was the best experience for me. Anyone was welcome and everyone was welcome (girlfriends, fiancées, wives-all of us.) No one really understands what we are going through no matter how we share it with our family so their friendship during that time was very special to me.

Mel&David

What is the hardest part about being a NFL Wife?

Having kids is really difficult. I was taking them out of schools, finding a new house, finding an area that has good schools, locating new doctors, new sitters and new friends. This doesn’t even include talking about the friendships that you lose (while moving)! I learned about that right away during our first few years in Houston in training camp. I really enjoyed meeting all the new girls and was heartbroken a few weeks later when those same ones were gone. Luckily, the NFL is so small that you switch teams and run into old friends again so even though you are leaving it's always one big family. This was one of the primary reasons why we moved back to Bakersfield because we wanted to be near our family and our roots are here. So during the offseason we don’t have to move the children around as much. It ended up being such a blessing because “this” is home. When we lived other places during season the children treated it almost like a big vacation, which was pretty cool too.

Mel&Gracie

What are you passionate about?

I always wanted to work with kids somehow and my original plan was to be a teacher but God had other plans. We were married young and got pregnant right away so my kids have been my primary focus. David and I are both very active in two youth groups where we live and it’s been the biggest blessing to me. We get to go on trips with the kids and it is such a great experience to be able to minister and just be there for them. Growing up, my youth pastor was my rock and I enjoy being able to be a friend and a mentor to our youth as my Pastor was for me growing up.

What do you admire most about your Husband?

You know, I admire that he’s always the same person. He’s a Godly, Christian man and that doesn’t change or waver so you are either on board with that or not but you know what you are going to get. I’m so thankful that my kids have such a Christian father in their lives. I hear stories from the parents of the kids we are working with in youth group about the impact he is having on their lives. David's brother Darren is the head coach for a local high school in Bakersfield (our hometown) so when Darren became head coach last football season, David jumped at the opportunity to help.  David is the OC and what's great is our oldest son gets to play football for his dad and uncle.  Coaching HS football takes a lot of patience but David is enjoying being able to mentor these young boys!  As for me and the rest of my family, we are loving cheering for my son, David and their team under the big Friday night lights.

Being a Mom, so rewarding but filled with lots of surprises. Tell us about your motherhood journey?

Trying first to raise my now teenage boys correctly and by God’s word is already a struggle enough. With social media there are so many challenges now that we didn’t have to think about so I often ask myself, “do I allow my son to be on snap chat or do I read his texts?” But, each child is different and each accepts discipline differently so having learned that was helpful. Having diabetic children on top of everything else adds a whole new dynamic. Mr. & Mrs. McNair, (the owners of Houston Texans) helped us by funding a research for us (Editors Note: While David was in Houston, the Texans Foundation planned to donate $25,000 a year over the next three years for juvenile diabetes). This was so helpful in helping me to discover our platform. We can’t help but think that we are in this position to help others. We all know social media is one of those places that helps you to connect with people you wouldn’t otherwise meet. There are days where I’m not at all trying to be inspirational about having had to stay up all night with one of our children who was not feeling well but the next day I will get messages from parents whose children are also diabetic.

What word describes how this makes you feel?

Grateful. Grateful is a good word to describe how I feel. One thing I noticed when David was at the Giants after we won the Super Bowl and out of all the people that were talking to us is that while everything was great, it actually wasn’t until David was released that people were vocal about their journey. They had been watching how we handled those (limelight) moments.  These specifically, were the times that I felt most grateful to be in our very unique and special position where we can share our experience and bless people in our own way.

Well, now for something less rigorous; a fun question for you. Show us the answer to “I am the only one in my home who can ___!” Lights, Camera, Action:

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