Christie Pettus
Christie Pettus is a full time working wife and mother living her suburban cul de sac dream in Orange Park, Fl. She is Mom to two awesome teenagers, McKenzie and Ethan, who have come to accept that certain parts of their lives will be blogged about, so they should act accordingly. As graduates of the University of Florida, she and her husband Ryan can be found rooting on their alma mater every chance they get including the more obscure sports. LaCrosse anyone? When she’s not judging her kids' questionable teenage choices, she can be found hiding in a room buried in a good book or writing, editing, and dreaming about being a full-time author.
Who Am I When They’re Gone?
How did we get to this point so soon? My daughter is in the final stretch of her junior year, and if what I hear from every mom of a senior is true, she...
Some Days, You Simply Get To Breathe
Motherhood feels like one held breath after another — the anticipation of what might happen. The reality of what did. The knowledge that just when you get through one milestone or obstacle, another is...
Tomorrow Ain’t as Bad as It Seems
I walked into the high school to drop off my son's badge recently when I heard another parent engage a group of teenagers sitting on a bench just outside the entrance with their phones.
"going...
Embracing My Feminist Side
I haven't always considered myself to be a feminist. Maybe it was my conservative upbringing or certain negative connotations that can be associated with the word "feminist." Maybe it was my laziness or lack...
Paving a Path to ‘Yes’
I discovered recently that my default answer is, "No." I'm not sure where this came from or why, but I can become so overwhelmed by the reasons why something is a bad idea that...
Your Unofficial Summer-with-Teens Survival Guide
If you're a parent, you know how challenging summer can be. Stay-at-home moms of littles struggle the constant presence of their "tiny blessings." Working moms of littles schedule babysitters and summer camp like a...
Thank You for Being Our Daughter’s Favorite
I had a father who didn't choose me. I didn't quite make the short list of important things in his life. This story isn't a unique one, and I've honestly spent a total of...
Florida Prepaid: Finding Flexibility in a 529 Savings Plan
What's for dinner? What am I wearing tomorrow? Where are we going on our next vacation? There are some many things in life to consider for ourselves and our children — and when considering...
A Mom’s Guide to Teen Lingo
I fancy myself a hip parent. It doesn’t matter that I’ve only used four out of the 50 colors in my Morphe palette, and although I follow certain "influencers," I don't really understand what...
To My Daughter and Her Tribe
I was standing off to the side watching my 16-year-old daughter and her friends take selfies after a soccer banquet, and I saw it. She had found her tribe. The girls who would be...
Making Dreams a Reality with Florida Prepaid
My sophomore daughter has scheduled her SATs, and the reality that these are some of the first steps in preparing for college has truly hit home. Talks about where she might like to go...
Remembering Luke Perry: More Than a Teenage Crush
Like many of our generation, the news of Luke Perry's death was a shock. I'm not one to get overly emotional over celebrity deaths, seeing as I don't know them personally — only as...