Author: Jyl Barlow

I was thrown headfirst into the world of mom-ming as a very unqualified (step)mom in 2013. Shortly after, I thought it might make sense to start documenting my story in order to provide written documentation for my (step)children's therapists. Today? I'm mostly having mid-range success at navigating the world around me. I'd even go so far as to say my family thrives on a typical day. I find most things funny and often laugh when it's completely inappropriate...I'm not sure if that served me well or is a sign of my ongoing need for professional help.

Socialization? Remember that? Yeah, me neither.

We were sure our son would jump for joy at our parental directive to work fewer hours while also being encouraged to go out and have fun. There were no jumps for joy. There was only a look of confusion and an "I don't even know how to do that."

Take The Trip.

It’s a tough decision, at the moment, whether to take a thirty-fourth stab at a quick nap or get to clicking away. I’m sitting on a flight headed to the left coast in a pseudo-spurt-of-the-moment jaunt to visit my husband as he completes a few weeks of training with his new company. I could certainly … Continue reading Take The Trip. →

Six Months Later …

Happy six-month-aversary to What to Expect When You Weren’t Expecting!! In many ways, it seems like this labor of love (and hate) hit bookshelves no less than six years ago. In zero ways, well, there’s just no way that it’s only been six months.

Finley Doodle & Her Best Life

To be fair, I didn’t see the story here until I was relaying to my mother the details of a minor injury to our doodle dog, Finley. It wasn’t the injury that caught my attention. It was the statement of “Oh no, it’s okay, Finley is absolutely thrilled” and its supporting information.

The Meandering Career Path

"The average person has twelve jobs in their lifetime. TWELVE! You don’t have to stay where you start for the rest of eternity!" We hope our children are discovering that today's decisions do not have to apply to the rest of their lives.

Girl Math

Girl Math was invented long ago by Sally Struthers. When Sally begged for our help, many of the Girl Math pioneers were lying on living room couches next to a bucket. We were home from school, sick, and Sally popped in during the Price is Right pleading for our help. Honestly, I’m not sure what she needed my help with, as I was too locked into my first lesson in Girl Math.