Mommy Juice

How many times have you heard moms joking about having their “mommy juice?”

How many coffee mugs, wine glasses, pillows, t-shirts, bumper stickers, shabby chic wall hangings have you noticed making light of moms having a drink to deal with the insanity of parenting life?

I would see those signs and would outwardly laugh, but inside feel ashamed because I was one of the women those labeling objects were referring to.

I found myself in the “gray area of drinking,” relying on wine to keep my stress level under control.

When the kids came home like Tasmanian devils, and the dogs ran off in the neighborhood…again, then come running in covered in mud and decide to poop in the living room, all three boys complain about what I’m cooking them for dinner and argue over who sits where……..oh my sweet wine!

I was empty, and the wine made me feel falsely full.

As soon as I picked up a glass of wine, yes, it would numb my body sensations.  But it also numbed my connection to my family, friends, and ability to connect with my Lord.

I knew that I was not an “alcoholic,” but I also did not have a healthy relationship with alcohol.

I tried to eliminate alcohol from my life for a very long time, and every day, woke up telling myself “today is the day.”

Then, 5pm hit, my body sensations kicked in, and I would immediately crack and grab a bottle, promising myself I would stop tomorrow…..then waking up the next morning and feeling like a failure.

It took A LOT of work, and a lot of prayer, but I stopped drinking for 2 months this year, June and July…..and I watched this video every single day of that journey.

I began not only using the NOURISH acronym to deal with my habit of drinking to deal with stress, but also for other habits and stressful situations.

When my body sensations kick in and I feel my stress level rising to a suffocating level, I walk through the acronym.

Before I go for the food I know I will regret eating, I walk through the acronym.

I now have a healthy relationship with alcohol, but it takes work to not slip back into old habits.  When the temptations creeps in to grab “mommy juice,” stress eat, overreact to situations with my children out of frustration, I stop and NOURISH.

I hope that this video is a tool that you can use to deal with your habits and triggers in a healthy and productive way.

Triggers will always be there.  Choose to NOURISH, for yourself and those around you.