Real Mom – Celeste Yvonne On Working Hard To Get Two Years Of Sobriety

We are back with Real Moms Real Stories series, and this time our around the world virtual sailing landed us in Nevada. Meet our Reno-based real mom Celeste Yvonne who lives with her husband and two boys, 4 and 6. She is a writer and marketing professional. Celeste is the founder of the website – And What A Mom .

Tell us a bit about the real story behind this ‘real mom’?

With two young boys with very high energy and some potential behavioral issues right from the start, parenting has been hard for me. Add to that my general anxiety and some heavy postpartum depression, and I started to feel myself spiral into the “mommy needs wine” vortex. Soon these silly memes of mom needing wine to get through the day became a stark reality for me, and I was drinking 3-4 glasses of wine almost every night. The hangovers became unbearable, and I realized this was not the reality I wanted for myself or for my children to witness. My kids needed a sober and present mama, and I quit drinking 2.5 years ago and haven’t looked back. I’m grateful to show my children that mommy doesn’t need wine, even during the challenges in life. And I hope to provide them with tools to build their own foundations of healthy living and strong mental health. 

What it’s like to be you?

I’m a bit of an exercise fiend. I try to work out every day in some form, whether its a short run or exercise routine. My family knows that this time for me is sacred, and they give me space. We have a very active lifestyle in general, with lots of outdoor time and so much laughter. Mama life feels good for me now. 

What’s that one classic saying /rule you swear by in this journey of motherhood.

“You didn’t’ come this far only to come this far” is my mantra in my sobriety. When I have moments of weakness and test myself with the idea of a drink, I remember that I worked hard to get two years of sobriety, and I don’t want to start all over. 

Do tend to glorify motherhood a lot and that tends to put additional pressure/mental load of motherhood on a mum?

The mental load of motherhood is more challenging than ever, as many moms return to work but the gender roles of our parents largely remain intact. I think the cultural expectation for moms to do it all right now might be our undoing, and weighs in heavily on the significant increase in women drinking over the past 10 years. This a narrative that absolutely needs to be changed for mothers both now and in the future to succeed and survive. We should not be expected to do it all, and we should not put that burden on ourselves either. 

They say it takes a village to raise a child – tell us something about your village. My mom lives across the street from us. I honestly don’t know how I could do this all without her help. It’s funny how we grow up eager to escape our parents and now I’ve come full circle where I need my mom more than ever now. 

What’s something you always wanted to do but didn’t ― and why didn’t you?

Was there something your parents did when you were a kid that you swore you’d never do yourself?

What is it like being a working mom? What would you change?

I’ve done the working mom thing and the stay at home thing. There is no satisfaction in either. Not complete satisfaction. There is always an element missing. I think the best thing we can do in either situation is to find fulfillment and peace in knowing you can never have it all at the same it. The grass is not greener over there, it’s just different. 

Have you ever done something really impulsive? How did it go?

I do a lot of impulsive things. I’m a ‘yes’ person generally, so when people suggest something, I will often say YES and then worry about it later. When I first met my husband, he invited me on a great adventure to Sweden. I said yes, even though I barely knew him. It wound up shaping my entire future, so thank goodness I said yes!

Do visit Celeste Yvonne’s Instagram handle where she shares her life stories. A sober mom, a writer, a runner, and a woman who speaks the raw, unfiltered truth about the work-life balance, the challenges of parenting. Hats off to her for having traveled the path less traveled.