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Solving the Wrong Problem
I spent most of my life being told I was gifted. I tested well. I read constantly. I could write. I played instruments. I could pass almost any class without really trying. Except algebra. Algebra and I have been enemies since birth, and honestly, I still suspect letters should stay out of math. I was…
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Harper Killed My Best Friend
One minute we were doing sight word games at the kitchen table like some wholesome homeschooling commercial. The next? My six-year-old came storming into the room screaming,“HARPER KILLED MY BEST FRIEND.” Naturally, I assumed we had escalated directly into true crime. Maybe the hamster.Maybe one of the lizards.Maybe Kris finally snapped over slime in the…
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We Forgot Our Anniversary… Again (And Somehow That Feels Right)
Eight years. Eight years with Kris. Longer if you count the “we’re just friends but clearly not just friends” phase. Every year, we’ve celebrated April 24th our date-iversary. The day that was supposed to mark “us.” Except… one year, we looked at the calendar and realized That wasn’t actually the day. Turns out it was…
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French Fries, Hailstorms, and Other Things I Didn’t Plan
“Yesterday was supposed to be simple. Which, in my life, is usually the first sign it won’t be. It started with dinner. Tater tot casserole. Easy. Predictable. Safe. Except Kroger decided I didn’t need tater tots. They substituted them with french fries… and just moved on with their day like that was a completely normal…
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The Great Snake Escape
It was a Monday. Not a cute Monday. Not a “fresh start, new week” Monday. No. This was a behind-on-everything, rain-delay, invoices-staring-me-down, insurance-agent-calling, life-is-a-group-project-and-I’m-carrying-it kind of Monday. The kind where you convince yourself you’re still in control by doing something small and productive. Like sending one invoice. Just one. Because if I can send one…
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The Easter Without Deviled Eggs
Easter always makes me miss my Nanny. Not in a way that makes me sit in a corner and cry. Just in a way that catches me off guard when I notice something is missing. This year it was the deviled eggs. I do not even eat deviled eggs. I just make them. Because my…
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My Kids Started Teaching Each Other… and Now We Apparently Run a Petting Zoo
Something changed in my house recently. Lynnlee started teaching Harper things. Not in the bossy sibling way. Not in the “I’m telling you what to do because I’m older” way. In the genuine, patient, “let me show you how” way. She’ll kneel down beside her like a tiny professor explaining the mysteries of the universe.…
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The Puzzle Table
It started with one puzzle. Just something simple to do at night instead of everyone disappearing into different corners of the house. Now we’re devouring them. Every night the table fills up with pieces and people. Someone always claims the edge pieces like it’s a professional sport. Someone else insists the sky pieces all look…
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No One Warned Me About the Overlap Years
I thought by 41 I’d be sleeping more. Not a lot more. I’m not greedy. Just… enough to wake up without feeling like I’d been lightly assaulted by my own responsibilities. Instead, it’s only Tuesday and I’ve already lived a full documentary. One kid was at school at 6:30 a.m. for color guard. Not practice life. She didn’t finish school…
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The Woman Who Can Fix the Internet but Can’t Make Boxed Mac & Cheese
I start my day by hiding protein powder in black coffee. Not because I’m a fitness influencer. Because I don’t trust my body anymore. The coffee is laced with collagen because apparently I’m at the age where joints have opinions, skin has demands, and if I don’t sneak nutrients into my morning routine, my knees…
Crumbs and Chaos 