“What do you do all day?”

This is a constant question I get when talking with someone about being overseas, and quite honestly, it’s a question that over the years I’ve grown to love and hate. My hate for this question stems from people having the assumption that I’m just sitting around being this trophy wife. And yes, I know what they say about assumptions, but I also see those people’s faces who ask me that very question. Typically, while being overseas we have four to five different “days.” Well, at least my household does. We have 1. Game Day, 2. Off Day, 3. normal days with practices, 4. Pre-game Day (preparation), and 5. when hubby is away day. Each of these days have their own meaning for us and illustrate what I know as my “Overseas Mom Life.”

Before I was a mom, my job allowed me to work remotely which I loved! I did this for about a year and a half and then my job decided to let me go. This let go was devastating, and when I say devastating I mean it. I was really down in the dumps because believe it or not I loved my job and the people I worked with. As expected, when one is let go from one job you look for another, which is exactly what I did. I applied and applied and received rejection after rejection. This started to take a huge toll on my confidence. Each day I would think “Am I not good enough?” or “I went to school for five years and earned two degrees and no one wants to hire me.” In all honesty I was beating myself up about being let go — despite how well I masked it. But, in hindsight it ultimately led me to the idea of launching the Miss Society Blog.

Pre-Dallas: A Day In the Life Overseas

While this low period in my career set me back emotionally, my sunshine Dallas was born and brought a new sense of joy to my life. But, before being a mommy I had a whole “Wife Routine.” A typical day would go like this:

1. Wake up typically between 9-10 am
2. Get on Facebook and Instagram
3. Read while I eat breakfast
4. Get myself together and meet Jarrod at the gym to workout
5. Lunchtime and another social media session
6. Lounge around and watch tv or nap
7. Make phone calls
8. Go explore or shop (if I wasn’t too sore from my morning workout)
9. Make dinner and spend quality time with the hubby
10. Call it a night

From “Overseas Wife” to “Overseas Wife + Mom”

Now that I have Dallas, hunni these days are totally different (in my @HaHaDavis voice)! From our “normal” to our schedule-intense days, there are instances where if something’s off it could throw the whole day off. My days as an Overseas Mom can range from short or long. In the spirit of sparing all of the details, below I’ve outline one of the less packed days:

1. Rise-n-shine at 7:30 am (8:30 if I’m lucky): No more of that sleeping-in business
2. Morning breakfast routines and ready for a full day
3. Swim lessons
4. Lunch
5. Nap Time (Yes Lord! For those wondering, I get in on this nap also!)
6. Mommy & Me Play Time: Ranging from singing, dancing or art projects.
7. Prepare and enjoy dinner
8. Baby girl’s bath time
9. Dallas goes “night, night” and I try to squeeze in a little quality Netflix and chill time with my hubby.

Saying that I’m tired after days like this is an understatement. Miss Dallas is soooo busy and keeps running, singing, dancing and playing non-stop. This schedule leaves many to think (and straight out ask sometimes), “Dana, when do you have your alone time?” Well often times than not, I don’t. And, I’ve grown to not mind that at all. With our busy daily schedules and the constant changes, time is always flying by, and my baby girl is growing by the minute! I enjoy the time that I spend with her daily because I know one day, she’s going to be all “Yea mom whatever” and I don’t know how I’ll be able to handle that lol. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have some adult time while I’m living overseas, but the time I have with Dallas refuels my purpose.

One of the biggest issues is not having as much access to trustworthy sitters or reliable family members to babysit for date nights with hubby, hanging out with the other wives and girlfriends, or just simply me time. There’s a pretty good chance that I won’t enjoy these lifestyle normalicies because I can’t just call my mom and ask her to baby sit, and the reality of getting a nanny overseas is extremely scary for me. For starters, trusting your child with a stranger calls for so much to think about—from the language barrier, uncomfortableness, and most of all the culture differences. However, after last season and talking with more women in my shoes I’ve strongly considered it this year (I’ll keep you posted if I give in). The transition from USA to Europe and the uncomfort is a big one too. You have to play doctor, teacher, chef, security guard, and most importantly mommy all while trying to explore and enjoy Europe for yourself.

It’s my hope that this small glimpse gives you all some insight on my overseas mom life and how different it is than being at home in the states. Being an overseas basketball wife/mom doesn’t mean I’m just home being a trophy wife or I’m just “a stay-at-home mom.” This life requires the sacrifice for our husbands/boyfriends to come over and watch them fulfill their dreams. We choose to raise children in different countries and immerse them in new cultures.

The overseas mom life is not only a learning experience for Dallas but it’s also a learning experience for me. It gives me more time to continue to learn to be a mom (because the learning never stops), and more opportunities to enjoy mommy-daughter time and to experiment with different things and determine if it makes me happy or to try something new. But one of the most important opportunities I get is the chance to grow and learn with my family all while I continue to Paint my Purpose!