Denice Murray Health Coaching

 My sons graduated college on Saturday. I'm still trying to process how I feel about that. On the one hand, I'm incredibly proud of them! Their major is Statistics (both of them), and it was not an easy degree to complete.  On the other hand, my "little" boys are grown up and about to face the world as adults. Everyone jokes about how time flies and don't blink or you'll miss them growing up. I never really cared for those sayings, as during that time I was eyeball deep in activities, work, and stress. I needed them to mature, as I felt I was going insane from the pressure. Now that they are grown, I realize how truly blessed I am. For many parents, this day never comes. They would give anything to see their child graduate from college. I'm beyond fortunate to have that opportunity. And I'm sad, too. I knew I was MOSTLY guaranteed school breaks with them, or at least large chunks of those breaks. That is no longer true. Their jobs and lives will be hea...

This is my current phase of Mom Life: The Teenager and College Phase .  It’s very different.  I’ve seen many of the moms whose children are the same age as my oldest boys (twins), and they look….different. They are “Empty Nesters” with their kiddos off to college. They look GOOD (not that they didn’t before), but also an odd combination of happy and sad. There’s a happiness there because they have something they haven’t had in a couple of decades – FREE TIME! No more rushing to this event or that event. No more scrambling to make sure everyone is on time, that ALL the “things” are done. There is a relaxed air about these moms that is beautiful to behold. They have TIME to get ready for their jobs with no teenagers to herd. They can eat what they want. They can spend their free time how they want! But there’s a sadness as well. Usually, if I see them in passing, it’s at an event where they no longer have children participating. They are there to support the school, th...

This week’s blog post is a little more personal than informative. Last week I wasn’t able to post because we were moving my sons into their dorm rooms for their freshman year of college. Yes, I have two sons who have left the nest and are spreading their wings out in the world. And I have been a nervous wreck! On the plus side, the day of move-in was insanely busy. There was a lot of loading, unloading, climbing stairs, walking, unpacking, putting away, and I can honestly say that I’m 100% sure I got a full workout that day with cardio, resistance training, and even stretching involved. On the negative side, my mental health has taken a serious hit over the last eight days since we left them in their dorm rooms. I can say it has gotten better, without question. The first three days all I did was cry. I cried when I did the laundry and found hoodies or t-shirts they left behind. I cried when I walked past their empty rooms at night (not completely cleared out, just empty of ...