Teresa Giudice Reflects on 'Hardest Year' of Her Life as She Thanks Family & Friends for Support

Teresa Giudice spent nearly all of 2015 in prison — but according to the Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 2017 has been her most challenging year to date.

The Bravo star took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a loving slideshow of photos with family and friends, reflecting on why she’s feeling extra grateful ahead of Thanksgiving.

“This has undoubtedly been the hardest year of my life,” she wrote. “But as we take a look back & reflect on this year, I’m so thankful to have four beautiful healthy happy daughters, my father’s health, to be able to be surrounded by family and friends who have become family.”

“If the turkey is dry or you forgot some minor detail at dinner tomorrow, don’t sweat it,” she continued. “Treasure the time and the moments you have with the ones you love. #thankful #blessed #happythanksgiving #thankyoutomyfamily #thankyoutomyfriends.”

Teresa, 45, is currently manning her household — which includes daughters Gia, 16, Gabriella, 13, Milania, 11, and Audriana, 8 — solo, while her husband Joe, 45, serves out a 41-month sentence for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud that began in March 2016. (Teresa served a nearly yearlong stint in prison herself for the same crimes and was released on Dec. 23, 2015.)

Teresa, who detailed the ongoing frustrations she’s experiencing with her husband in her new memoir, Standing Strong, recently told PEOPLE Now that she’s not sure where the couple will go from here.

“I want [our marriage] to work,” she said. “But you know, when Joe comes home, he has to do the right thing. And then we’ll just move on from there.”

“Obviously he’s there, he has a lot of time to think,” she added. “There’s a lot of guilt that he feels, and I see the change in the way he’s writing his emails and what he’s saying.”

“We had a great marriage,” she continued. “I’m just upset with him because he wasn’t on top of the finances the way he should have been. He trusted the wrong people. That was really important, because he just made a mess of things.”

Teresa also said the situation is “hard” for their daughters.

“That’s the thing — adults, we can go through anything. I was fine [in prison],” she said. “I’m strong, I had no problem doing it. But who suffered were my daughters.”

Nevertheless, the girls “adore” their dad.

“We see him as much as we can,” she explained. “Their [extracurricular] activities come first … then work, that’s really important for me, I need to work. So I would say we go see him once every two weeks, once every three weeks. It depends on the schedule.”

This year, the reality star also lost her mom Antonia Gorga, who died in March. On Oct. 20, what would have been Gorga’s 67th birthday, Teresa honored her late mother on Instagram.

“Still cannot believe it,” she wrote. “My heart breaks everyday that you are not here with us. Love you more than I can express.”