Things I’m proud of today: We bought a new mattress yesterday with the money we got from an unexpected refund check. Our current one is about 9 years old and is so uncomfortable. I can’t wait for the new one to be delivered on Wednesday I made myself sit down and read the manual to…

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past year analyzing Charlotte’s behavior and wondering if it’s normal. It’s no secret she and I have both struggled with age three. I was never one to say “My kid will never…” about most things, but I guess subconsciously, I did indeed think, “My kid will never…”…

It’s Saturday evening and we are driving home from the ranch. I’m tired and have a lot of work ahead getting unloaded and kids fed and in bed. So I’m cheating on #NaBloPoMo today and publishing a 2/3 written draft from almost 15 months ago- Nolan’s birth story. I never totally finished writing it, and…

We are currently at the ranch, in the middle of nowhere, and the nearest Walmart is 18 miles away. So, physical Black Friday shopping wasn’t going to happen this year. Not that I ever do Black Friday anyway; the older I get, the more I detest going to actual stores. The Instapot Black Friday Amazon deal…

This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for cousins who all of a sudden seem so very grown up Watermelons that grow right outside the house Campfires Cool mornings Snuggles Grandaddys that plan treasure hunts in the woods Holes to dig in Happy babies Grammies Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your day has been wonderful

Today’s Exit the Echo Chamber challenge was to create an empathy map, which “allows you to tune into another person by considering what that person thinks, sees, hears and feels.” We are at the ranch for Thanksgiving, so I had my two sisters in law, my mom, and my brother help me with this exercise.…

Charlotte has a book about a little boy who woke up one morning to find a small dragon in his room. The boy went and told his mother and she told him, There’s no such thing as a dragon. So for the rest of the day, the little boy ignored the dragon, acting like it…

Hamilton has been the soundtrack of my life since June and I haven’t listened to much else the last 5 months. I haven’t seen the actual Broadway performance (hopefully someday!) but I could not love this cultural phenomenon more. My thoughts on the Hamilton/Pence controversy are at the end of this post, but first, why…

My newest podcast obsession is the show Pantsuit Politics. The hosts are two women who are friends from college; one is a Republican and one a Democrat. They refer to themselves on the show as Beth from the Right and Sarah from the Left, and the whole premise of the podcast is nuanced, respectful conversations…

Tonight we are going to a wedding. The bride and several of the guests are friends I haven’t seen in a long time. We are hiring a “real” babysitter for I think the first time ever. She’s Charlotte’s beloved drama teacher, so we are all very excited. I bought a few craft projects for them…