Money Saving Mom®

Travel ball started back this week and oh how I have missed it!!

The families on our travel team are some of the very best and our kids are good friends. They come up with the most creative things to play and do together to entertain themselves for hours and hours each weekend. (Most tournaments consist of 4-7 games over Thurs-Sun).

This is our baseball tournament wagon – we have everything one might ever need to survive 12-hour days at the ball field with three younger kids. (We aren’t usually there for 12 hours, but occasionally we are and you can never be too prepared! Jesse made a spreadsheet for us with everything listed so we can make sure we don’t forget anything when packing every week for the weekend tournament!)

And when it rains, as it often does, we either put up the big awning or find a place that’s fairly dry and they just keep playing! This weekend, there were lots and lots of cars and trucks played with and lots of makeup done – and the girls even did each other’s nails!

While at the game, we also watched RJ (Kaitlynn’s boyfriend) compete in the Syndicate Crown CrossFit competition in Knoxville. Kaitlynn was there with him and we wish we could have been, too. I need to figure out how to clone myself as my kids and their significant others are just doing so many cool things that I want to get to be there for!

Kathrynne and I ran our first 10k on Saturday! She had asked me about running it about 9 weeks ago and I said yes, even though I had very minimal running experience and had never been able to run more than a mile without stopping — and that had only happened a few times in my life!

But I researched and learned and bought running shoes and got advice from runners and set up a training plan thanks to Runna and just started in! Within a few weeks, I was running a few miles without stopping and just kept going and learning.

By race day, I had run four practice 10k’s and had a plan in place and goals for the race!

I ended up having the BEST time at the race! I hit all my goals – not stopping to walk, pacing myself well, and running the 10k under 1:15 (my official race time was 1:15:57 but Strava says I ran 6.4 miles — I think because I may have run a little extra in places, so we’re calling it under 1:15 which was my goal!)

It was so special to get to do the race with Kathrynne and some of her friends!

And her boyfriend, Will, came out to cheer her on!

I had my first interview for my new book (that comes out in September) this past week and you will never guess what happened…

My assistant had rented a podcast room at a local co-working space to test out to see if it might be a good set up for doing interviews when the kids are home for the summer. I got there a little early to set up and walked up to the co-working space and the door was LOCKED! I called the number on the door and no one answered.

I waited to see if someone would show up – nope. Finally, I had two minutes until it was mic check time and 5 mins until I was supposed to go live on the show… I surveyed my options and there weren’t many. But I decided to…

I set up the mic and my laptop in the car and used my hotspot from my phone for Internet and I did the mic check with the producer and he said my sound quality was great! So that’s how I ended up in a parking lot in a hot car in a weird position holding the mic so the sound quality would be okay sweating and praying that my Internet would hold out while we recorded two radio segments. The interview actually went SO well (usually my first 15 or so interviews for a new book are a little rough as I figure out what sound bites and stories and encouragement lands best — so I was shocked this first interview went so well).

But then…

My assistant texted me after the impromptu hot car interview to say that she got ahold of the co-working space and the lady was at the front desk the whole time so they couldn’t figure out why she didn’t see me or why the door was locked! I was like, “What the what?”

So I went back to the co-working space and discovered they’d set out this new sign since I’d left — apparently I was trying to get in the back door (it used the be the front door when I’d been there in the past!) and totally didn’t realize that they have a new entrance and it was like 30 feet from where I was trying to get in!! And sure enough, not only was the door unlocked but there was a front desk and lots of people there!!

Needless to say, I felt very, very ridiculous.

Please tell me you’ve done something like this before! No? Just me? Okay. 🫠🫠

The kids have been LOVING our summer homeschool time. We’re doing a mashup of read-alouds, picture books, nature study, some worksheets and arts & crafts, cooking, cursive, and Spanish.

Kathrynne was in town so she stopped by unexpectedly on Thursday, Kaitlynn came home on her lunch break, and Silas had just gotten home from baseball workouts, so for 45 mins, all six kids were here. And we were watching baby girl today, too.

And it was SO loud and crazy with laughter and teasing and people shooting plastic bows and arrows at each other… and it was the BEST.

But also, you should know: the house was a mess. The floors desperately needed to be vacuumed. There were piles of laundry in my room. I didn’t get my bed made today. I am way behind on emails.

And my little kids had chocolate milk, oatmeal, and bananas for lunch.

And I share this because…

It’s so easy to look at little tiny snippets of someone’s life on the internet and compare yourself and feel like you don’t measure up.

NONE of us is doing it all! I love, love, love that our kids have so much fun together. But our house isn’t staying at all as clean and organized as I’d prefer it to be this summer with so many people constantly in and out all day long.

And I’ve made peace with that. I know I will likely have more time for cleaning and decluttering in the fall. So we are making the most of our summer and we’re doing our daily chores and then choosing to lower my standards for the house for the summer.

Just sharing this in case you ever think,

“How is Crystal doing it all?”

Here’s your reminder: I’m not.

I’m choosing to do a few things well (time with my family, my health, and a few other things) and I’m intentionally choosing to do a very mediocre job at a lot of things I’ve decided are the highest priority right now. ❤️

Someone asked me recently how I’ve made all the health changes I have in this past year and what has helped me to reset my nervous system. They said they feel stuck…

Here’s my encouragement:

1. Your body might be stuck because your brain is stuck in unhealthy beliefs and negative thought patterns.

Before I could heal my body, I first had to rewire my brain.

Negative patterns that had to go: believing I wasn’t worth prioritizing, finding my worth in what I did, not feeling my voice had value, thinking it was my job to fix or carry situations that aren’t my responsibility, not realizing I had agency to walk away from some dysfunctional relationships, letting other people’s words amd opinions of me carry enormous weight.

2. I had to choose to let go of a bunch of things — even though it was super scary.

I couldn’t make room for healing when I was carrying around a heavy load of unhealthy expectations.

I cut back from 60 hours of work a week to 40 hours. This was HARD and scary – because it meant that it was going to significantly impact our business and income. It meant I was going to have to say no to a lot of things. And it meant I’d need to figure out a lot of ways to decrease expenses to make it work. (Newsflash: it also meant I had to grapple with how much I thought the success of the business depended upon what I did. Ouch.)

3. I brought on accountability. Lots of it. I knew if I were going to heal from years of unhealthy habits and patterns, I couldn’t do it alone.

My business coach, my dietitian, my functional medicine dr, my husband, and my close friends were all privy to the decisions I was making and why. And I also told the internet some of the basics of the changes I was making for extra accountability.

Some of you might be thinking,

“Crystal, there’s no way I can afford a coach or a functional medicine doctor.” And I get that.

Start with what you can — check to see if your insurance covers a dietitian. My dietitian has changed my life! It was what started this whole journey for me!

If your insurance doesn’t cover a dietitian, don’t despair! There are still many other ways to reset your nervous system and see great results.

Ask a few close friends to keep you accountable and then start with one small change for the next 30 days.

Here are some ideas…

1. Spend 5 mins every day journaling how you are feeling – stop and ask, “What am I feeling in my body?Where do I feel it? Is there something that triggered this? Am I carrying a load that is not mine to carry?”

2. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier every night. Don’t worry about what you didn’t get done. Just go to bed. And if that stresses you out, that’s a good place to stop and examine why you are struggling to prioritize sleep over tasks.

3. Ask for help every day and/or let something go that you don’t need to carry every day. Challenge yourself to get to the root of why this might be a struggle for you.

4. Stay offline the first hour of every day – use that time to read/pray/journal/go on a walk/eat a nourishing breakfast/get dressed and ready for the day.

5. Fuel your body well – track your calories/protein/ carbs/fats/fiber for a week to see if you are eating enough (you might not be!) and if you’re eating enough protein, etc. I know we hear so much about this, but it truly makes such a difference.

6. Choose one hobby that brings you joy and commit to making it a priority at least 3 times a week.

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This Week on the Podcast: Grieving the Loss of the Life You Thought You’d Have with Jodi Snowdon

This week’s podcast topic is a bit emotionally heavy and difficult, but it’s nonetheless incredibly important.

I am joined by Jodi Snowdon, author of Depth: Growing Through Heartbreak to Strength, and she joins me for a vulnerable conversation to reflect on how grief shows up in many forms of life — miscarriage, divorce, loss of loved ones — and how often people feel unsure of how to support someone in those moments.

Listen in as she shares her own experiences of devastating loss and how they helped reshape her faith, emotional resilience, and understanding of God’s presence in suffering. Together, the two of us discuss the importance of allowing space for grief instead of avoiding it and how honest emotional processing, support from your community, and spiritual struggle can become a part of healing over time.

Jodi also explains the STRENGTH acrostic from her book and offers some practical ways to walk through heartbreak by seeking God in the middle of pain, allowing yourself to fully grieve, and resisting the urge to numb or suppress emotions. She speaks openly about how healing is not linear and how counseling, community, and even simple daily practices such as prayer and journaling helped her begin to heal. We also discuss how suffering can shape character in unexpected ways, deepening empathy and even becoming a place where purpose can grow.

A big part of our conversation focuses on how to support others who are grieving, especially in moments when people often feel afraid to say or do the wrong thing. Jodi and I talk through miscarriage, divorce, and other griefs, highlighting the importance of directly acknowledging loss, avoiding well meaning but ultimately minimizing and unhelpful language, and showing up with acts of care rather than silence. We also touch upon the power of remembering important dates, checking in long after the initial loss, and recognizing that grief doesn’t follow a timeline that others can see or understand, especially since everyone grieves differently.

By the end of my conversation with Jodi, I truly hope that listeners will walk away with both compassion for those in pain as well as a clearer sense of how to show up in small, meaningful ways that remind someone that they are not forgotten. I hope that you enjoy and get some insight from my conversation with Jodi, and, as always, please feel free to reach out with your thoughts! I would love to hear from you!

Click here to listen.

In Case You Missed It – Links From This Week

Summer Movie Coupons and Cheap Movies — Looking for some frugal fun for the kiddos this summer? Be sure to check out this round-up of all the best discounts on summer movies for kids!

The Best Subscription Boxes for Kids — For more ideas to keep the kids entertained this summer, check out my list of the best subscription boxes! With pre-planned activities and all the supplies included, it’s the simplest, stress-free mom win!

My Honest Review of LegacyBox — If you’re like I was and have boxes of old family photos, videos, and memorabilia just sitting in your house, I’d highly recommend Legacy Box as a way to digitize them and protect them from damage or aging. Read my full honest review in this post.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy ($10 Family Dinner Idea) — This breakfast-for-dinner recipe is comforting, delicious, and filling. And, it’s actually only a $6 family dinner idea!