How Doors Work: A Lesson From My Child

We are now locked into bottomless therapy for our son. We were locked into bottomless therapy for our eldest child years ago but it was always a bit of a blurry line. Had we really done anything as parents to truly scar that first child forever? As of a few days ago, as this question … Continue reading How Doors Work: A Lesson From My Child →

My Annual PSA for Mother’s Day! In Summary? Reel It In.

How best to get ready for Mother's Day? In Silence.

Blending (Family) Territories

One of the struggles in a blended family is the constant vying for that slippery “Parent of the Moment” trophy in a family unit that includes a variety of parents and definitely more than those two traditional ones. Territory wars? Table to two.

University of Heartache?

Originally written for and published by Grown and Flown. Click here to read on Grown and Flown. As of November, my son had applied to one, and only one, college. We weren’t too bothered by the tiny number as we had no doubt he would get in and the pace of this college seemed to … Continue reading University of Heartache? →

The Most Unqualified Interview, Round One.

Early in 2023, when I thought starting a podcast seemed like a terrific idea, my new co-host, Kathy, immediately asked if she was going to get to interview me. ME? Um, hello? I had just published my first book, but really…this is an era where everyone with an ink pot and a quill is publishing books. Still, Kathy wore me down. Tune into the March episode of Whine & Wine to hear how it went.

The Packing Game

My husband has an unwritten rule that we have to wear everything we take on our trips. For me, that means lots of tough calls as I decide which of thirteen pairs of shoes will make the cut.

Excuse Me While I Sing When I Win

Last week, that project I was NEVER GOING TO DO finally came to fruition by landing on Audible, Amazon, and iBooks. Admittedly, I felt so much more proud of this checkmark than I did when the original, written book was published.

Book Two: The Audiobook

My husband assures me that audiobook readings span the spectrum from terrible to terrific and that listeners have endless grace for great content. I hope they also have grace for content that is twenty thousand words too long, many of which are mispronounced.

Finding the Good at the End of a Relationship

It’s been exactly one year since I lost one of the most important relationships in my life. No, nobody died, but I often wonder if that wouldn’t have been easier. Wondered? Wished, even, though only in moments when the waves of anger or sadness were peaking and when simply recalling amazing moments would have been … Continue reading Finding the Good at the End of a Relationship →

The Silent Soiling

It’s not that I’m unfamiliar with the term “soiling the nest.” I’ve already endured one round, after all, when my husband and I launched our first baby adult into the wild three years ago. It’s that my second child has reached full soiling season and it is about 983 times more amped than what we experienced with his sibling. I know. Give him a few years.