Money Saving Mom®

For years, I was really good at pushing through. Pushing through tiredness, hunger, stress, and a full schedule.

At 44 with six kids and a full life, I’ve become much more intentional about taking care of myself and paying attention to what my body needs.

I’ve been learning that taking care of myself isn’t something I need to squeeze in after everything else is done.

These are five of the practices I’ve been prioritizing that help me have more energy:

1. Getting more sleep.
I try to be in bed for at least 7–7½ hours every night. Sleep is something I’m really intentional about prioritizing instead of treating it like the first thing I can sacrifice when life gets full.

2. Fueling my body well.
I aim for 120 grams of protein and 30+ grams of fiber each day, plus plenty of healthy carbs and fats. I’ve become much more intentional about making sure I’m actually nourishing my body well. (Check out this post to read more about what I eat in a day!)

3. Prioritizing movement.
Right now, I run 4 days a week and strength train 2 days a week. Consistent movement has become an important rhythm in my week.

4. Having life-giving rhythms.
I try to have at least 1–2 things every day that I’m genuinely looking forward to… things like reading fiction for 30 minutes, watching a show with Jesse, taking a walk with a friend, etc.

5. Looking to Jesus.
This is the foundation underneath everything else. I start my day with prayer, give everything to God, and invite Him to give me what I need to do what He’s called me to that day.

None of these are revolutionary. But I’m learning that the basics really matter — and that caring for myself well helps me have more energy for the life right in front of me.

What are some things that help you have more energy? I’d love for you to leave a comment and share what helps you! 

Speaking of being 44 years old, this blew my mind!! When I saw this I had to check and recheck it because, y’all, how is this true?! 

I did the math and was still like, “it can’t be right!” I finally had to google to verify that it was, indeed, correct!! 

I don’t really know what to say. Except, as someone born in 1981, I feel old now. 🫣

But one amazing thing about getting older is doing things my younger self never could have imagined me doing. For example, I never ever would have envisioned myself as a confident medical mama. All my life, I’d been squeamish about anything medical. 

But then… in the middle of a Tuesday night a few years ago, a DCS worker dropped David off with us and I knew immediately he was going to need serious medical attention. 

I quickly was thrust into being a medical mama — ready or not! And here’s the crazy thing: while I have felt squeamish at times with all the difference things his care has required, I’ve learned to rely on Jesus like never before! 

When something feels overwhelming, I cry out to Jesus and He is always faithful! 

David had a major surgery 3 1/2 weeks after he came to live with us — and he had complications after the surgery that were scary (we later found out his body struggles with anesthesia!). However, despite the unexpected and unsettling days after his surgery, I found that I actually loved being able to advocate for his care and that I felt so comfortable in the hospital setting!

It was shocking to me — someone who had avoided those types of situations all my life! (Now I’ve actually seriously considered going to nursing school because of all my experiences with such amazing medical teams who have gone above and beyond for us!)

In the early days, I was scared of messing with David’s feeding tube port.

In fact, the first time his internal g-tube port fell out, Jesse and I freaked out and took David to the ER to have them replace it for us!

Gradually, we got more and more accustomed to giving feeds, cleaning the port area, changing his gauze around the area (his leaks and bleeds often, and administering meds.

Then, I remember the day Jesse and I successfully changed his g-tube ourselves! You would have thought we had just performed brain surgery for how accomplished we felt! 

During David’s second major surgery, the hospital asked if they could bring in some medical students and I could teach them about David’s cleft lip and palate and feeding tube.

I absolutely loved getting to show them and answer their questions. And I kept thinking that 20-year-old Crystal would never ever have imagined that 40-year-old Crystal would be teaching medical students in a hospital!!

Yesterday, I was home with all three younger kids and David pulled his g-tube port out. I did slightly panic because usually it’s a two-person job to get it back in, thanks to David’s Houdini abilities!

But since Jesse and Silas were out of town and Kaitlynn was at school, it was just me and Jesus to get the job done. I prayed that David would lie still, prepped everything so I could move as fast as possible before David wriggled away. And…  did it – and got it back in on the first try! (Thank You, Jesus, for helping David stay calm!)

I was reflecting on how things that once felt daunting and overwhelming are now just a part of our daily life. I never ever imagined I’d be a medical mama, but it’s now a title I wear with honor. Getting to advocate for and care for our sweet boy is one of the greatest gifts of my life!

To all my fellow medical mamas: You are amazing and I want you to know that I see you and I celebrate the many sacrifices you are making to advocate for your child.

If you’ve been thinking about pre-ordering The 7 Habits of Financially Healthy Women, here’s another reason to grab your copy!

When you pre-order from any retailer, you are eligible to claim an incredible collection of exclusive pre-order bonuses — including this week’s bonus: The Money Reset Toolkit. This practical toolkit includes the 10-Minute Money Reset worksheet + What to Do First With Your Money Roadmap, created to help you reset your finances, get clear on your priorities, and know exactly what to do next.  These are simple, actionable tools you can use again and again anytime you need a financial reset or a clear next step.

And your pre-order gives you access to all the bonuses released so far and every new bonus still to come before the book launches! There are so many practical resources included, and I don’t want you to miss them!

Pre-order your copy + claim your bonuses here!

Did you hear the news?! I’m starting a book club!!! For years and years, people have been begging me to do a book club. I always felt like I wasn’t sure if enough people would actually be interested or if it was just adding another thing to my plate.

But then, my sister, Gretchen, had an idea a few weeks ago that was brilliant: Instead of trying to make it some big and complicated endeavor, why not just choose a book every month that I was going to read and invite you all to read it with me and then do a recap post at the end of the month.

I immediately loved the idea. It was so simple and doable — and it sounded FUN!

So, welcome to my brand-new book club: Read With Crystal.

Read all about it here — and hit reply to let me know if you will be joining us!

This Week on The Crystal Paine Show: Vomit-Inducing Fears (Jesse’s CrossFit Competition)

Join Jesse and me this week as we talk about something that scared Jesse: doing his first CrossFit competition! Hear about how, a few months before the competition, he told me that he wanted to compete and, while I could tell that he truly wanted to do it, I could also tell just how much fear was standing in his way. He had movements that he wasn’t sure he could do, weights that he had never lifted, and the very real possibility of doing all of this in front of a bunch of people. Honestly, I wasn’t convinced that he was actually going to make it to competition day.

However, he signed up, he trained, and he prepared, and then, six months later, we found ourselves watching him walk into that competition!

Listen in as we talk about what it was like in the weeks leading up to it, including that very specific, stomach-churning kind of fear that makes you wonder, “Why did I sign up for this?”

Jesse shares how his coach helped him reframe those jitters as his body preparing to do something difficult and how he learned to stop worrying about what everyone else was doing and simply run his own race.

We then get into the actual competition — the three workouts, the 53-pound kettlebells, the clean and jerks, the moments when Jesse surprised himself, and the incredible encouragement that he received from the other competitors. (One workout in particular became a moment I don’t think any of us will forget!)

One of the most meaningful parts for me was definitely watching our kids watch their dad do something that scared him. It was a powerful reminder that sometimes the lessons our children remember most are the ones we teach simply by being willing to try something hard. We also discuss what Jesse learned from the experience, why he’s already thinking about doing more competitions, and why putting something on the calendar can be such a powerful way to push yourself forward.

If there’s something you’ve been afraid to try, we really hope that this episode reminds you that you don’t have to feel fearless to take the first step! We hope that you enjoy this episode, and, as always, please reach out to us with your thoughts and questions! Maybe you have your own story to share that involves overcoming fear?

Listen to the episode here.

What I’m Reading… 

Currently, I’m reading: Capable (SOO good!), Take My Hand (it’s been heartrending but so good so far!), More Than You Can Imagine, Helping Kids Through Grief, 101 Secrets For Your Twenties, and Making Peace With What I Can’t Control.

What I’m Watching…

I watched the whole Death of a Pastor’s Wife docuseries… and I honestly don’t know what to say. It was one of those that it was like a train wreck you couldn’t look away from. But also, I felt like it was such an insightful treatise on how church authority can be abused and the need for oversight for everyone in authority, especially pastors. I don’t know that I would recommend it because it could be super unsettling and goes into some detail that is kind of yucky, but I would love to hear from anyone who has watched it. What did you learn from it? 

What I’m Listening to…

I finished listening to The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion. People said that Volume 1 is very slow, but I actually really enjoyed it! I just got volume 2 on Libby from the library and can’t wait to start it once I finish my current audiobook, The Girl Behind the Wall (which I am really enjoying!)

In Case You Missed It — Links from Recent Weeks: 

• Creamy Chicken and Rice Skillet — This creamy, cheesy skillet is comfort food at its finest. It’s a one-pot meal the whole family will enjoy and, not only is it yummy, it’s frugal and quick too! 
  
• How to Get Out of Debt — Paying down debt is challenging even in the best circumstances. Between rising grocery prices, higher rent or mortgage payments, and everyday expenses that seem to cost more than they used to, it can feel harder than ever to make progress. If you find yourself feeling defeated and want to get out of debt, I hope this post will encourage you and give you practical, doable steps to climb out of debt. It may not happen overnight, but with a plan and consistent steps forward, progress is absolutely possible.
  
• This Week’s $113 Kroger Markdown Trip — I’ve been having so much fun being back to deal-shopping at Kroger again! Check out this post to see all the deals I scored this week, plus 12 dinner ideas based off my purchases! 
  
• Small Leaks, Big Impact: How Tiny Daily Spending Habits Can Drain (or Transform!) Your Budget — Have you ever wondered, “Why can’t I save money?” Do you ever get to the end of the month and realize that small purchases have sneakily diminished your bank account balance? Most of us have been there before, and if that’s you, be sure to check out this post for 5 simple, practical strategies to stop impulsive spending so you can confidently save more money each month.