Dinner in 15

Football season is here. This means Coach is walking in the door around 945ish each night. Literally he just walked in the door at 945 tonight. It is hot. We are all exhausted from back to school….. everyone is starving. I have about twenty minutes or less before someone is finding a snack then not eating dinner. Everything has to be done fast, and honestly with Cart Cain on my hip and Calla asking for help with a craft of something. Dinner solo is tough, but can be done. The pressure is on…. the pressure to cook something that doesn’t bust my macros, but also that everyone will eat. Sundays have been my meal planning days. These are some that are easy, somewhat healthy, and can be made in minutes.

This buffalo chicken bowl is great when you need something with spice. SO GOOD!

Pizza Bowl is Coach’s favorite and now Calla and Cart LOVE it!

Publix loves me. Maybe hates me. You can have them chop salmon into bites. This is so good!

Make this. It is so good. Cart Cain had 2 plates.

I Am Going to ‘Predecide’

Yesterday we heard amazing sermon at church. The entire time I was saying, “YES! I need to do that!” “Yes! I want that to be me!” I opened my phone and opened the blog app and wrote “predecide.” Coach likely thought I was going crazy because I am a pen and paper note writer for life. So this topic made a jump in the list of topics to be covered on this corner of the field. Friends, this year I am going to PREDECIDE.

I want to predecide what my reaction will be and what my character will be before I am even in the situation to need a response. What does that look like? I want Jesus FIRST. So if it goes against my little list in my brain… then I am predeciding to not take part.

What’s my list?

Jesus loving and joyful. If it doesn’t bring my heart joy and doesn’t allow me to show Jesus, then I don’t want it. I want to be a happy person. I want to be around people that make me feel safe, comfortable, and happy. If the room is uncomfortable, I have predecided that is not the room for me.

Coach’s wife. If I want to be one of the people complaining about long hours, lack of family time, he’s always on the phone, what is he doing with all of his time… then I can jump on a Facebook thread. I have predicided that I will not get caught in the complaining. I’ll just pay the babysitter when I am overwhelmed and need a Mama moment. I will hide my face and not lift my eyebrow when those awful soul crushing words come out of his mouth, “Morning practice.” I will wrestle the children and pack the bags and grab my Chick-fil-a and go to the game. I have predecided I will be supportive.

Mama. I have predecided that Calla and Cart get the best. They get the extra book read to them. They get the trips to the pool. They get the paint party at the kitchen table. They get the trips to the waterpark. They get my best me. They will NEVER be made to feel guilty for ANYTHING. I have predecided.

Teacher. I have predecided teaching is my passion and reason. Teaching is the purpose God gave me. Teaching will get my heart. (Now a student will read this and have a word to say, I am sure. Mrs. Cain loves you, but we have to work.) I am not going to let media, social media, the mean message from an upset parent, or the “anonymous post” on Facebook bashing public schools take my joy. I will do my best to show how amazing our public school system truly is. You won’t change my mind on that…. I have predecided.

If you are EVER in a place and need a friend to cheer for you, or need someone to help you predecide…. I am here for YOU! Predecide with me this season. Make your season full of WINS!

Nonnegotiable

Not open for discussion or modification.

On the first official Monday of football season I am working on the list of items that are not open for discussion. It is the list of things that MUST happen in order to make this season of life as successful as possible. See, in this line of work, as much as we wish we COULD control how well the line blocks, or how many times we successfully allow our QB to get the ball down the field…. we can’t exactly control those situations. (Don’t get technical with me. Trust me. Coach does NOT hear me when I yell, “RUN THE BALL!” from my stadium chair. Nor does he hear the parents yell, “Come on LINE! BLOCK!”)

However, there is a list of things we CAN control in this tiny house of ours, and I would like to encourage you to control them as well. This is our list of nonnegotiable items.

This prayer book. Start praying for your coach TODAY. See, Coach is a 10. He literally checks every single box. 15 years ago I just forgot to add the box , “Will never ever drive me crazy, or make me roll my eyes.” Since I did not include that box in my checklist, I can’t exactly hold it against him. So I use this little daily devotion that was written to remind ME that Coach is doing the work God prepared him to do. For some reason…. when I work on MY OWN heart, Coach tends to drive me crazy less frequently. Funny how that works. I highly suggest praying for your husband daily. In season, out of season, whatever season. Coach has to be the first prayer I mention daily because without that relationship being undefeated, we are in a losing season. Nothing else seems to work.

Chair Coffee Chats with Coach.

I am NOT a morning person, I just like to have everything done first thing in the morning. I am a self made morning person. Set the alarm for 30 minutes earlier, get up, and go sit in your chairs and watch the news together while you sip on coffee. The children are not up to ask a million questions. You can discuss your schedules, talk politics, make plans for the weekend… whatever. (Send each other extremely relatable reels…) Just sit and talk. Make it a priority. It is a nonnegotiable.

Workouts. For me.

I get it. Coach’s schedule is packed. However, my sanity is valuable. For me to have this…. I have to find the time to workout. This may mean that I have to go at 5:(05)am. If Coach has morning practice, then it may mean I have to go in the evening. Whatever. I once felt a huge feeling of guilt leaving the children home with him after his busy day, but then I was frazzled or short tempered, and I wasn’t the best I could be mentally. I know a workout is valuable for me to be Carley, so it is a nonnegotiable.

Plan Meals on the Weekends.

Dinners around here have to be cooked quickly. They need to be somewhat healthy. On the weekends I plan every meal, make the grocery list, and shop for that. It takes time from weekends that I would rather use at the pool, but it is worth it. Meal planning and preparing MUST happen. If I am being honest, I would LOVE to not take the children to the grocery store…. add that to the list of requests.

Nightly “10 Minute Cleaning Sessions”

Most things around here happen to keep my sanity in check, but spending 10 minutes each night cleaning up from the day keeps Coach’s sanity leveled. Children (and I) are quite messy. Coach likes a house of order and things just picked up and put away. Usually while I do bath/ book/ bed routines, Coach cleans the kitchen. (Mostly because I am not trusted to load HIS dishwasher. Another post for another day.) So to keep the house on the winning side, we put children to bed, then spend 10 minutes putting things away in each room. It works. It keeps us winning.

There are a few more rather large items that need to be on this list, but when I started writing them…. I decided they needed to have their own spot. So we are going to take a halftime break and return back later with more.

Thank you for supporting this little corner of the field!

Say No to Jeans

My name is Carley and jeans make me want to cry. For some reason those “hard pants” with buttons…. it’s a no for me. I am more of a pull on pants type of person. This is why I LIVE for a “Jolly Joggers” Day at the school house. (Fun fact, if you volunteer to write the 12 Days of Christmas… you can usually sneak in a few of your personal favorite days. Please no one take my job.)

So today I bring to you the world’s BEST joggers. I literally text this link to people every SINGLE time I wear them. I have 5 pair, and Coach can confirm…. I wear them most frequently. They are perfect for the warmer months because they are a thin material. They work great in our Georgia winters with a sweatshirt. They are insanely flattering, and have a high waist which is a MUST for CCTM. However, the day they shine best….. those Teacher Work Days where you can slide them on and be acceptable because…. you know…. we are working hard in that classroom. Comfort first, friends. Comfort first.

I am also here to confess that I am a HUGE fan of that other WAYYYYY more expensive popular brand…. and as far as joggers go, these are better and 1/3 the price. Literally.

Thank you for supporting this little corner of the field!

I Will Cheer for You

When you look at your Instagram feed, do you know the first ten people personally? When you click a link for a pair of shoes, is it for a pair that a friend had and recommended? I will be the FIRST to admit that I sometimes talk to others about my “friends” when really they are just internet personalities that I do not know one personal detail about in real life. Then I see a friend share an opinion about some shampoo they love and I mindlessly scroll on past. Why are we like this?

In 2023 I made a personal business goal for Two Hidden Gems. I wanted to grow that little baby business because it is not only a true blessing to our family, but it brings my heart so much joy. (I won’t say pride…..) I took a step back and I looked at the big picture. 90% of our customers, I know personally or I have met them and could recognize them in public. This means FRIENDS are supporting our little business dream. This set the tone for my personal mission for 2023. I want to support you.

Sometimes I honestly don’t need another tube of lipstick, but you best believe I will share your link to someone that might. Cart and Calla probably don’t need another outfit… but I have friends that are hunting for that perfect baby outfit. My goal for 2023 is to share, pray, and support my friends, friends of friends, and YOU! Why do we often support a stranger, but kinda turn a shy eye to our friends?

I can only speak for what it does when you support this little space. You help support that classroom on the 5th grade hall. You help support the tiny Cains and their different camps, classes, and hobbies. You help support that tiny place of creativity in the bottom of my heart that drives me to WANT to share more, say more, help more, support you more. I can only relate that passion to Coach Cain on the field… wanting that win.

Bottom line: I will cheer for you!

May your season be full of wins,

I have LOTS to say. I have even more to share. 2011 Carley was a Rookie Wife just blogging for fun. 2023 Carley is here to cheer you on and show you the absolute Real Life Coach's Wife Life. 

Love love,

The Real Life Coach’s Wife Life

In 2011 blogging was a bit of a lengthy status update for social media. Coach and I moved away from "home" and it was just a fun way to update everyone on life lately. Then in the next chapter of life it became a way to make a digital scrapbook for our first daughter, Calla. Somewhere in the next few chapters, blogging disappeared because..... ummmm..... the lack of enough minutes in the day. Recently the desire of blogging again came to my heart. I am sure many are rolling their eyes. It's fine. Roll away. 

In this chapter of our lives the reason behind blogging is to share my heart. I want to shout my feelings about many topics and tell you that YOU CAN. You CAN be a wife, mama, teacher, small business owner, and REAL LIFE person. My passion is to be someone's cheerleader. I want you to know you CAN be the biggest supporter of your husband. You can be a full time mama, and LOVE your teaching career.  You CAN make that dinner for your family in fifteen minutes with that clingy toddler on your hip. You can go on a walk and listen to a podcast just for a mama moment. You CAN post that selfie and work that business from your phone. (Send me your link, I'll support you!) You can. Let's do it together. 

I have LOTS to say. I have even more to share. 2011 Carley was a Rookie Wife just blogging for fun. 2023 Carley is here to cheer you on and show you the absolute Real Life Coach's Wife Life. 

Love love,