Stacy Bordas’ path in life is an exemplar in two competing tenets of life and how each intertwines perfectly with the other.
One importance of planning and the value it holds is navigating life’s pathways. The other is the fact that plans can, and do, change. The ability to adapt to those changes is paramount.
A Wheeling native, Bordas has worn many hats, both in the past and present, thanks to her ability to plan and diligently push forward to achieve her goals.
Her path began at Wheeling Central and continued at West Virginia University. She can list honor student and all-state athlete among her earlier achievements, in addition to both college and law-school graduate.
Now, she’s still a licensed attorney, but also the mother of six children along with her husband and fellow attorney, Jamie. Five of those six children are of school age and actively involved in numerous activities, each with its own schedule and time constraints.
Her eldest daughter, Alexis, is a talented three-sport athlete whose talents on the basketball court are rapidly becoming known well outside the confines of the tri-state area. Her oldest son, Jay, is two years younger and is a skilled multi-sport athlete in his own right. The younger four will likely follow suit. In fact, they already are.
Mom isn’t just carting them back and forth to practice either. She’s coaching them. A LOT of them.
“I’ve coached softball, soccer, and tee ball, but basketball is my passion,” Bordas said. “I have coached as many as five basketball teams at once, and things can get pretty crazy. But along the way, I have so many moments of gratification that it makes all the craziness worth it.”
Circling Back to Planning
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail—Benjamin Franklin
As a mom, Stacy is also the wearer of many hats inside the Bordas household: Mom, wife, homework assistant, head chef, community organizer, and a loving, thoughtful ear to listen. Planning isn’t just beneficial; it’s a necessity to stay above the chaos.
But planning is only half the battle. It’s the inner fire to push oneself no matter the challenge that enables a plan to come to fruition.
That fire was evident early. It helped her through her schooling and athletic career. It helped her finish second in her class in earning her Business Management undergrad degree in only three years. It helped her finish law school and pass the bar exam.
“Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a planner,” Bordas said. “I plan everything and oftentimes to a fault.”
It’s now a must with six active children, many of whom are involved in multiple activities. Two kids can stretch a two-parent household thin running all across creation to different events. Six? Well …
“Time management is vital,” Bordas said. “Sometimes we have to prioritize and say ‘this is just more important than that’ or one of us being with this kid is more important than with the other because this kid needs us more right now.
“It’s a balancing act as much as it is a weighing of the pros and cons. I love a lot of sleep, overthinking things, and worrying, but I try to pray during those hours when I am awake by myself. That is helpful with decompressing for me, as well as exercise.”
Exercise gives Bordas a chance to get ready for the day, to clear her mind of stress,,m, and provide a time to reflect. She can take stock of the day’s events and get ready for a whole new set for the following.
Which brings us back to the other half of the equation—adaptability.
Plans Change
If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans—Woody Allen
Bordas, then Stacy Contraguerro, desired to be a successful attorney. Her efforts bore out that desire, but she also comes from a large family.
Stacy is one of four children. Her mother? Eight. Her dad? Eleven.
“I have always wanted a big family,” she said. “There was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted several kids. God willing, I knew I would never have less than four. But five didn’t seem like enough, and six was just so fulfilling.”
Six kids. Four boys bookended by two girls.
All six were born within a 10-year period of each other. Any parent of more than one child likely had a flashback or two reading that statement. Being a parent isn’t easy, and parenting multiples is doubly so, or, in this case, sextuply.
“Life certainly changes with each additional kid,” Bordas said. “I used to joke that the biggest difference I saw each time I had a child was the amount of laundry. But, of course, that was when all of my kids were still little.
“If you would have told me when I was younger that I would work hard my whole life academically to be at the top of my class, go to law school, have a baby during final exams in my third year of law school, take the bar exam with an infant, and then not practice law, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
Bordas is still a licensed attorney. She will offer advice and consult from home and must keep up on her continuing education credits to maintain her license.
She may practice one day, once all the kids are out of the house. But for now, she’s a mom first and a coach second.
And she couldn’t be happier with that decision. This is her home, her center.
“I think that having been an overachiever my whole life that I felt the need to do the same once I became a mom. I wanted to be with my kids every second of the day and be the best mom I could be.
“I wanted them to have the best childhood memories. I always envisioned being a successful lawyer, but that changed along the way, and I measure my success with how I’ve handled motherhood, how I live out my title as a mom.
“I thank God daily that He blessed me with that title six times.”
