-
It Has Been Over a Week and I Am No Longer a Person
No school since Friday. At first you think, This could be cozy.You light a candle.You wear socks you normally reserve for emotional emergencies.You tell yourself, We’ll make memories. That was a lie you told yourself while you still had caffeine and hope. It has now been over a week. The house is full.Not “full” like laughter and connection.Full like a…
-
I Thought I Was Sweating Through Menopause.
I Was Actually Sleeping in Pee. There are moments in motherhood where your brain does Olympic-level gymnastics to protect your sanity. This was one of them. It was around 5:30 a.m. when I woke up feeling… damp. Not alarmingly damp. Not call-a-professional damp. Just enough damp to think, Wow. These night sweats are really escalating. Is this perimenopause? Is this…
-
Hot Sauce in My Coffee and Other Signs It Was Saturday
I woke up tired. Not “slept weird” tired. Stayed up too late working on the book and hunting for the perfect theater wall décor tired. Yes, I’m remodeling again. No, I haven’t learned from the last two rooms. Please don’t judge me, love. We’re iced in until Tuesday. It’s Saturday morning. The entire family is home.…
-
I Love Coffee. The Ninja Did Me Dirty.
I love coffee. Not caffeine. Coffee. Decaf? Love her. Flavored? Bring it. Single-origin, grocery store brand, seasonal nonsense with notes of “oak and regret”? I’m in. I get childlike joy out of trying new coffee brands and flavors. I believe deeply that a good coffee pot matters. It’s not a luxury. It’s infrastructure. So last Mother’s Day,…
-
Playground Bully Training and Other Lies Children Tell Themselves
Playground bully training started accidentally. I did not wake up intending to run a self-defense seminar in athletic shoes I couldn’t find myself. But somewhere between “let’s get some fresh air” and “everyone stop hitting each other with imaginary nunchucks,” it turned into kickboxing, laughing, sweating, and kids learning that their bodies are not powerless in uncomfortable situations. We…
-
The Women Who Stayed
The coffee pot is on its last leg again. Which feels personal, honestly. I’m home from vacation but my body didn’t get the memo. My sleep schedule is wrecked, my skin is mad at the sun, my brain is already sprinting ahead to unpacking, work, homeschool rhythms, and getting everyone back into the shape of…
-
Airliner Coffee, Biscotti Crumbs, and the Great Airport Migration
Airliner coffee tastes like regret. Not fresh regret. Like regret that’s been reheated at 30,000 feet and poured into a paper cup that says enjoy your journey while laughing quietly at you. I’m holding that coffee like it’s the only thing tethering me to reality. My tray table is covered in biscotti crumbs the kind that cling to your clothes…
-
It’s 5 A.M. and I Think This Might Be the One
Five a.m. is a dangerous time to be awake. It’s when logic clocks out, confidence clocks in, and your brain decides now is the perfect moment to question every life choice you’ve ever made while also being wildly convinced you’re on the brink of greatness. This is the hour you finish a book. Not peacefully. Not romantically.…
-
Packing With a Neurodivergent Family Is a Contact Sport
Packing for a trip used to mean throwing clothes in a bag and hoping for the best. Now it feels like preparing a small group of highly specialized, emotionally volatile scientists for space travel. There are lists. There are backups to the lists. There are emergency backups to the backups. And there is TSA who,…
-
I Tried Not Nagging. This Is What Happened.
This year, I ran an experiment. Not a vision board. Not a cleanse. An experiment. I stopped managing my husband. Before anyone calls the authorities this wasn’t punishment. This was growth. He genuinely wants to help. He’s eager. He volunteers. He asks what he can do. So I handed over tasks. And then I did something radical.…
Crumbs and Chaos 